Around Here

As most all of you know, if you live in Tennessee, we are in the midst of a bit of a cold snap.  This morning our temperature gauge was reading four degrees.  I think Shaun said the wind chill was minus twelve or something like that.  Cotton and Kitty spent the night in the basement last night.  It's not the tropics down there but it ain't the arctic either!  I debated on bringing Cotton in.  I know chicken's bodies grow somewhat accustom to the temperatures and she has her house full of hay and cedar shavings in her coop that she sleeps in but Shaun felt differently and knew I would change my mind and worry about her being out there.  So she slept in a dog crate just in case Kitty the killer got any funny ideas. 

This morning, I walked in the day care to fifty two degrees which still felt very warm compared to the outside.  In an attempt to warm the place up more I plugged in two heaters and got the temp up to sixty two after an hour or so which still isn't bad considering how crappy the windows are in the mobile home I call my work place.  When the wind was cutting from the north west yesterday with minus temperatures I could feel a slight draft from time to time.  There was also frost on the outside of the windows that I took complete advantage of with my camera and just have to share a few with you.  Funny how something so cold can be so beautiful.  

This ice was actually on the inside of the screen door.  It condensates regularly.

I claim to be a finder of feathers and feel they are put in my path at times.

When I looked at these I felt the same way.  They are wispy just like feathers only on one window. 

a march snow

And ice!  Sunday afternoon and evening it rained and rained then, as the temperature dropped, it turned to ice and snow.  Monday morning my truck warmed for forty five minutes and still didn't come near melting the ice on the windshield, I decided to try to get down the driveway to the day care in my car which is two wheel drive and she was going to make it until I got to the first of two trees down across the drive.  I backed up and Shaun took me to work in the Blazer with the door open to see.  I wound up only having two kids show up that cold day but at least I can be the type of facility that doesn't close on days like this which is a big convenience to parents if they can make here because they have to.  Monday afternoon the sun peeked out and made all the snow and ice look so beautiful and clean.  I hope this is out last hoorah.  I am ready for spring.  I have noticed all the bulbs trying to pop their heads up and trees beginning to bud after the couple of sixty degree days we had recently.  It's coming and I can hardly wait!

My snow man.

My poor little chives that were popping up.  Sweet things.

The next few shots were from Tuesday morning.  It turned a little foggy after I got to work.  Kind of like life in the mountains, up in the clouds.  It's cold that's for sure.

DC panoramic... kinda.

Shabby Chic Crafting for Christmas

OK.  As much as I would love to claim that I came up with this precious idea... I cannot.  I was buying some bottle brush trees from an awesome Etsy site called loveitshabby when I happened upon something so darling in the shop that I sent a picture of it to Mary Evelyn at around 7am on Saturday.  Well she called me a few minutes later to tell me how precious it was and to also in form me that she had just the thing for us to make this project ourselves.  So my friends... that is exactly what we did that very afternoon! After hitting the library, an estate sale and a thrift store, we wound up at her house and made the best craft I have made in a while that involved a glue gun... which I personally have not used in a long time.  Not that I have anything against glue guns, my projects have been more based on glue sticks, elmers and modge podge.

 

So here's a Christmas project that we totally stole the idea for!  Sorry!  I'll tell you straight up that the ice skates she bought at a yard sale for $1, we already had all the other stuff from spray paint to ribbon to... wait a minute... I did buy the tinsel at the thrift store that morning for seventy five cents.  So we have a combined total of maybe two dollars each in these and I LOVE THEM!

 

Kid sized ice skates... maybe pre-teen.

We covered the blades and heel with tape and removed the laces which were pretty shot anyway.

Gave 'em a good coating of pink spray paint.

We painted the laces too just incase we wanted to use them.

Handy tip when doing this: use a rake to stand the skates up to dry.

My new favorite thing...  silver, metallic spray paint.  $3.77 spray paint is rockin my world!

Tip #2: crafters can't be going hungry!  Make sure to have snacks while crafting!

Stuff them with newspaper.

Make a lovely bow  and choose some otherwise gaudy fillers.

We both wound up using this silver twine to lace them up and make the hanger.

Hot glue the tinsel to the top rim of the boot.

Glue on the bow and other baubles into the top.

See how cute!

This is what makes me proud!  I am a Southerner and I've still got it!

M.E. added a cutesy bottle brush tree to hers.

 

I would like to personally thank whomever made up the words "Shabby Chic".  Those words bring tacky as hell to classy and desirable in a heartbeat!

 

Vintage Enamelware Uses

Ahhhh my beloved enamelware.  It's true... enamel pieces and I have had a long going love affair for years upon years.  To this day I cannot get enough of the stuff.  I usually find pieces at yard sales and antique shops and I have had to say no from time to time if an item is priced too high though believe me when I say I didn't want to.  I have bowls hanging on walls, ones I use in the kitchen all the time and some that I plant in.  Even the coffee pots get some use housing feathers and flowers in different areas of our home.  I have bigger pieces that I use when canning green beans and pickles for rinsing and soaking purposes.  The list of uses for the old enamelware just go on and on.  I decided to pick five fun uses of enamelware pieces that I have used lately to share with you!  I hope you fall in love and find lovely pieces of enamelware for yourself... or for me! 

 

 

A beer bucket from an old chamber pot.  Keeps 'em cold!

Hens & Chickens planted in and old pee pot. 

Quite the conversation piece.



Lemon Balm given to me by a friend will have plenty of room to fill this large bowl with rust holes in the bottom.

I have taken to using cheaper laundry powder and this old cooking pot with lid serves as the perfect holder instead of some ugly box sitting around.

An old colander works great for an evening ice bucket.  As the ice melts the water falls into the beautiful bowl underneath.

Do you have a "thing" for enamelware?  If so I'd love to hear about your uses for the stuff.  And if you need to get rid of some... well you know I'll take it off your hands.