Mailbox Flowers

Last night we went to a friend's house to play cards. Our friends have been very busy because they've been planting spring flowers. I saw this wonderful flower bed they made around their mailbox.


It's just wonderful and now I want one! The area around our mailbox is very flat and I've been trying to think of something to do with it, now I know what I would like to do.

I'm going to see if I can work it out somehow.

Treasures

I'm a fool for pretty paper, pens, pencils and things like that. I could spend a good hour in an office supply store or the pen and paper and stationary section of Walmart, Dollar Store or anywhere like that looking at everything. I stopped by the Dollar Tree this afternoon and look what I found!


They had some beautiful, floral clipboards, notepads, notecards and pens. And they were only $1.00 each. I bought a pretty floral petite clipboard, 2 notepads, and a small box of notecards with envelopes and a pack of 3 floral pens. I wanted to buy more stuff, and I may go back tomorrow and get some more. This kind of thing makes a great gift for someone who loves to write or journal. They even had some small journals and they were square. I may go back and look at those too.

I'm also crazy for floral journals and even if I have several if they are reasonably priced, I've been known to buy one or several. You see, the way I figure it is if I love them, then chances are that someone else will too, so I like to keep a stock of things that like on hand for last minute gifts. I must get this stationary fetish from my mother because she loves those things too.

This week I've been all wrapped up in Alice in Wonderland. Through the Looking Glass to be exact. A friend of mine loaned me her copy of a wonderfully illustrated edition. She got hers at A.C. Moore for about $3.00. Unfortunately, A.C. Moore closed their store in our city, so I didn't make it to get a copy. Anyway, my friend and I really know how to find a bargain. It's because we don't have much money to spend, so when we find treasures, we have to take advantage of it.

Here are some pictures of the book and a couple of inside pages.

Spring!

The last few days here have been absolutely gorgeous! The temperatures have been in the middle to upper 70's and sunshine almost every day. I wish it could be this way all summer, but I know that eventually it will be really, really hot and humid and almost unbearable to go outside. So, I'm really enjoying this wonderful spring weather right now.

Yesterday afternoon I got into a picture taking mood. I went outside and took some pictures of my flowers and I wanted to share.

The first one is of one of my azalea bushes that are in full bloom right now.


The second picture is of the begonias I bought at a plant sale last week. I'm afraid to plant them right now because I'm afraid there might be just one more frost and I don't want them to be taken by the frost.


This last picture I have to say I'm very proud of because it's one of my hens and chicks plants and I've never seen one this big. At least I've never grown one this big before. It's so pretty and it's just flourishing.


Yesterday afternoon when I typed this, I had my windows open, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. I hope these pictures inspire you to work outside in your gardens and take some pictures of your own. I have spring fever right now and I wish the same for you because it feels really good!

Crochet Cookies and New Prints

I've had so much fun this weekend crocheting cookies. I found a really fun, easy pattern in this Etsy store. I also found a free crochet oreo cookie pattern here.

Both of these patterns are very easy to do. The only thing different I did with the oreo pattern is that I used black yarn instead of the brown the pattern called for. The reason is because every Oreo cookie I've ever seen has been black on the outside, not brown. For both cookie patterns I used Caron's Simply Soft yarn because it was all I had and I had lots of different colors on hand already.

Like I said, this was alot of fun this weekend. I'm going to put a platter with these cookies arranged on it to keep on my Hoosier cabinet in the kitchen. I also want to make some more Oreo cookies and put them in a clear glass jar of some kind. I just think these are cute arrangement to put in the kitchen. They look real. Of course now that I'm doing this and fooling all of my friends and family, I'll have to have some real cookies on hand. Looking at these crochet ones will make you want a real one.

I love photography and especially taking pictures of flowers, so I want to tell you about two new postcard prints that I have just put up in my Etsy shop.

Crochet Cakes

I just found the neatest web page for crochet cakes. These would be so much fun and I can't wait to try them. I think I'll make some and put on a pretty plate and arrange my dolls around them for a tea party. What fun! She has free patterns too!

Laughter

Hello again, I just found this wonderful video clip on Youtube of Mary Poppins and the "I Love to Laugh" scene. It's about 7 minutes, so if you want to take a short break, sit back, relax and enjoy. And don't forget to go to the bottom of my page to turn off my music before you watch the video.

Wonderful Surprise

My best friend and her husband just came back from their son's wedding in Memphis. On the way, they stopped at a Cracker Barrel and bought me this gift. I was so surprised and the gift was so pretty I hated to open it. I always have that problem. I love the way gifts are wrapped and packaged almost as much as the gift that is inside. I really appreciate the time and thoughtfulness that someone puts into making a package pretty. Here it is in it's wrapped state:


And here is what was inside:


They know how much I love cats and I'm a sucker for stuffed animals. This one is so cute! Now I have to think of a name for her and maybe a story! Hmmmm.

Travel Jewelry Bags/Pouches

As promised, I have a photo of the project I have been working on for the past 2 weeks. They are drawstring jewelry pouches. Inside they have 8 separate compartments for rings and earrings and the middle part is great for necklaces and bracelets. They can also be used as small portable take-a-long bags for sewing items like sewing thread or embroidery thread, thimbles, a small pair of scissors and things like that. They drawstring tightly closed so you don't have to worry about anything falling out and getting lost.

I really had alot of fun making these and I plan to put a few of them in my Etsy store just as soon as I can get more photos taken and get them listed. I hope to do that this weekend.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have been so tardy in posting to my blog lately. It has been so busy here at work and at home that I feel like I'm in a whirlwind. I work in an academic library which is busy most of the time, but I work mostly behind the scenes in technical services. That means we do all of the receiving of new books, cataloging and processing them to prepare them for going on the shelves. We also do a yearly inventory during the summer and some departments also do weeding (or withdrawing of old books from our collection) during the summer months when things are quieter in the public service area. But, for me, my workload doubles in the summer months because all that weeding and inventory involves lots and lots of paperwork, which I'm involved in. It really doesn't sound like much, but the time it takes to do all that and the paperwork involved is unbelievable. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I love books. In fact, I wouldn't be happy if I weren't working around books, so this is the ideal place for me to be. The only other thing I would rather be doing is staying at home and having more time for artwork, sewing and all the other things I love to do.

At home, when I don't come home and collapse after work, I have been doing lots of sewing, so I do have some fun things to show you as soon as I get a chance to get the photos I took posted. Just a hint is that it has to do with jewelry and traveling.

Speaking of traveling ... we are planning a vacation with some friends and family to Panama City Beach, FL the first week in June. I'm going to take an extra week after we get back, to rest before I go back to work. That's terrible isn't it? You take a vacation to rest from your vacation??? I'm just not one of those people who can drive 8 hours one day, get home late that evening, and get up early the next morning to go back to work. I would be exhausted.

On another fun note, one of my blogging buddies, Mica, just published a children's book. I also think adults would enjoy it as well. I know I have. It's called The Tale of Spring Forgotten and she published it through blurb. I had never heard of blurb before, but now that I have I'm going to think about publishing a book there later. Maybe a poetry book or something else. My mind is clicking with ideas.