Bunny!

Hi! Look who came to my house!

The Valentine Bunny? Easter Bunny? He is certainly an adorable  breath of spring on this suddenly frigid day in January.

Bunny is from Olde Farmhouse Simple's Michelle, one of her folk art creations.

Look at that face! I love him!

See his tiny toes! (and beautiful grungy patina!)....

And his overalls! Cute!

He has a sweet punch needle heart. Like a tiny hooked rug...and you all know I love hearts. Michelle specializes in punchneedle pieces. like this group

Michelle makes exceptional primitive folkart and she also sells great Maine rusty musty farmhouse prim antiques. She sells both on her eBay site: here

Here's a neat bluebird make-do: here I have my eye on that birdie!

And another bunny: here (sold but I believe Michelle takes orders)

I always want ALL! But sometimes I just visit her selling pages to enjoy her great photos and funny descriptions.

And now Michelle has a wonderful blog, filled with great prim how-tos, shopping details---supplies and antiques...and updates on her newest creations and finds. It's such a fun blog to visit--if you love primitive Armericana or just want to have a taste of an old fashioned simpler creative way of living...join Michelle in snowy Maine.  Check it out! Farm Simples blog

Oh and from me, here at the beach...a couple of funny little Cupids. Definitely Valentine guys: Cutey Pie and Honey Bunch!

 

Thanks Michelle! I love Bunny! And he'll have a wonderful home here with my other Spring prims from you too.

love

lizzy

..........gone to the beach

pink sand at sunset

 

 

 

                                                       a snowy day

   

 

 

                     
                          another treasured heart from my internet dear friend LN.

blogger update: yay! They fixed the download system! Boo..they still don't allow more than two photo enlargements. Or embedded cations. So pls click on the pix for full screen versions, so you can enjoy Bunny's sweet sad face [not a beach guy, B?] and my snowy sunset!

l

In the Winter, Far Beneath the Bitter Snow...

"...lies a seed, that in the springtime, becomes a rose."  Bette Midler, "the  Rose"

Hi everyone...Okay, no snow---and no roses here, lol. But you get the gist, right? It's winter and not much is growing in our gardens outside. Every year on this holiday weekend I start my spring flower bulbs for indoor blooming.

This past autumn I was unable to buy much in the way of bulbs to force. The usual stores, like Lowe's and Home Depot had shingles and lumber not flowering bulbs. I picked up the paperwhite narcissus at the Christmas tree place, a garden store that had somehow survived the flood. And I bought the red tulips at the supermarket in Manhattan, I think.

 

I didn't have time to pre-plant and chill off the tulips.

I planted some in my deck flower containers [with the pansies!] and I kept these, already sprouting, to try indoors. [I used a favorite Stafordshire bowl, a c. 1810 "slop bowl". Used for tea somehow, not for, um, slop. see edit note at end]

This year the narcissus are in the found tin from the thrift shop. I like it more for flowers than as a retro jello mold.

Narcissus are foolproof and meant to grow indoors. Fast. These could bloom in ten days!

Since I don't have pots and pots of bulbs started, I decided to make my terrariums instead. I LOVE this one:

It was from Marshall's, I have been saving it for two or three years.  I've been looking for an affordable small greenhouse box for years.

I love the descriptions of what were called Wardian Cases, in Victorian times. more here   and here where the writer calls them Cabinets of Curiousity. Don't you just love the oldfashioned words and ideas, the 19th century wonder at natural things. We're so jaded sometimes....

So I had my Wardian box. And I just knew the tiny plants I found at Trader Joe's would look so cute. Cylamen, miniature monkey orchid, African violet, variagted thyme.

But I was surprised and amazed by the bag of ''dead'' brown moss from Joann's. It had languished in my found junk basket since last spring, bought on sale for I think 2.00 a bag. And it sure looked hopeless. BUT overnight, once set gently into the soil and sprinkled with warm water...look how beautiful and green it is! Many different kinds. A tiny woodland scene, springtime in January.

Then this smaller terrarium from the thrift shop.
I over-planted it the first time. last summer. Now I moved those flowers to the bigger box and just did a moss garden. Again, I think it is so sweet.

I'll add some fairy mushrooms or miniatures later, once the soil has settled.

I was pleased...but then:

 My kids came home and my son peered into the boxes: "Well but what's it for, mom?" 
"It's not for anything," I replied. "It's just for fun...to have something green growing in the midst of winter."
"Huh." He then went into the kitchen, opened the fridge and peered inside! I hope he didn't find anything green that was actually growing, in there!?

Kids. What can ya do? I just picture someday he'll try to explain a terrarium to his kid, who looks dubious too. Yeah, that'll happen.

love

lizzy

           .... gone to the beach

 

more on slop bowls:

here

 

and here though Wikipedia implies all slop bowls were silver, wch is, I believe incorrect, see above description, for example. 

 

 

ps I still can't get the blogger pix download to work right. i couldn't elarge the terrarium shoys, too bad. But I think if you click on the pix they'll go to full screen & a larger image. enjoy.

A Wintery Mix and a Pug Mug

Hi...don't you just hate it when the weather guy uses those nasty words: "a wintry mix"? I think icy roads, freezing rain are just about the worst weather winter can produce. Even snow, within reason, is preferable.

Lucky for me the weatherman was wrong and today was glorious clear and sunny, just an amazing perfect winter day. It was pretty cold, below freezing in the morning, the first hard freeze of the winter, I believe. No wind so I bundled up and off I went to the beach with my new pedometer.
Hmm...it's a very cool tool but I noticed that my steps were about the same as distance walked, say 5000 steps, 5000 feet. Okay I beachcomb but I don't take eeeny meeny mincy 12" steps! My son had set up the gizmo and the software but upon examination I saw he did not set the stride length. And...typically "mom" I have no idea how to fix it. [except by you know, pencil paper, multiplying.] A fix is needed but still is so fun.

Upon my return I was thrilled to see that the mail lady had delivered the new Spring '13 catalog from Hancock's of Paducah. http://www.hancocks-paducah.com/

I toed off my boots, threw my coat on a chair...made a cup of tea and sat right down for a treat.

I love this big catalog, it sparks my imagination [and fabric greed] each time. I pore over every page, searching for the needed fabric or for a new idea.

The catalog has its drawbacks: you can't tell the scale of the prints (I've had some surprises!); and the fabric pictured are sometimes not available for many months, leading to confusing and frustrating back orders.

But I do love these wish books and I am so grateful that Hancock's still takes the time and expense to print and send such a book to its customers.

Shopping online just doesn't create the same experience, though I admit I buy most of my online fabrics from eQuilter's wonderful site. www.equilter.com But I make sure I order from Hancock's each time the wish book comes...gotta keep my favorite  catalog coming.

 

 

So....do you buy fabric [or yarn] online? Favorite websites? Are there catalogs you just love! and can't wait for them to arrive, even if your pockets are empty and the bills are piling up? Maybe gardening?

  

 

 

Or lol, Victoria's Secret [ their just-arrived swimsuit issue is so....beautifully discouraging?]...or the sales at Lands End?

 

Have a cup of tea and tell me!

 

 

love

 

               lizzy

 

             gone to the beach...

 

 

 

                          

 

 

PS I've had this mug for quite a few years. It was a gift from my daughter...I always feel a little bad when I pour the hot tea onto the darling pug! But I love it and carefully handwash it, no dishwasher for this baby!

Here's their shop on etsy. The cutest mugs, you must look! Great fun gifts that will make the giftee smile and smile!

 

Spademan Pottery on etsy