Miniature Fairy Gardens

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I am in love! Be still my heart...

This is a new obsession. You know how taken I am with it? I have not even made my own yet and I am blogging about this! My wishlist in over at Amazon is long enough to keep my husband working for years! I have spent hours researching plants I need to use, containers you can plant in, and household objects you can use in a Tinker Bell kind of way.

What is a Fairy Garden? Only the cutest thing on earth! They are miniature gardens that create a scene of whimsy and imagination. They are places for the Fairies and Gnomes to live, yet they are never seen (that is what I am telling my kids). You are basically limited by your imagination when it comes to these.

Apparently there entire shops all about Fairy Gardens in the Midwest. I don't know of any on the local front here in Utah. But that's okay. I am content for now to order what I desire via the world wide web. It is also amazing what you could do on your own. Check out this pretty spiffy castle...

Midwest Living

How cool would this castle be to incorporate into your own rock garden? My mind is reeling at the possibilities here! I want to build like a whole village into a coffee table type outdoor patio set...into my flower beds at the very least!

Oregon Live

I love this little Zen garden, complete with rake for smoothing out the sand. What if you made one of these for your end table? Talk about a conversation piece and a work of art!

I am so excited about this new form of creativity! This has the potential to be so healing as it is artistic and you can care for living things. I have ordered my things, and as soon as I am off of these dang crutches I will be building my box to get it started!

There is so much more for you to see so check out these other cool blogs:

The Inspired Room

The Mini Garden Guru

The Pot Hole Gardener.
 Be sure to check out the little film she has called "Holes of Happiness".
It will make your heart happy!

Eden Maker

Tackling the Master Closet

We all have those problem areas. (No, I am not talking about our bodies!) I am talking about those areas in a home that might be considered "common areas" which you have to share a space with someone. Oh sure we try our dangdest to make it work. You shuffle and move things around to always come back to it and realize it is not working for you. In my case, I have to share a space with a man that knows nothing of real organization. He is of the school of thought that if it is out of sight, it is organized. I am serious! He cracks me up the way things are for him. My idea of "organized" is a functional plan that can be executed. It will be great if I can make it look good, but if it doesn't work for day to day and cannot be carried out regularly, it doesn't matter what it looks like.

Welcome to my master closet. Hmmm, what do we have in here? Because it is not just our clothes and shoes and stuff. If you are a parent then you know that your space is NEVER your own. You "share" it with all the little people AND their toys. Even right after you clean it, the little people come in gawking at all the open space and bring their toys in to have a tea party!!!

I need some major help in this area. I was so spoiled with our house in South Carolina. We had his and her closets.... with space to put all your stuff....you didn't have to wrestle the hangers to slide them to hang a shirt up....there were shelves for everything..... And then SNAP!!! We have our Master closet here. It has space, but no function! I am convinced that homes are designed by single hermit men that think of the most ridiculous use of a space AND ADD IT TO THE FLOOR PLAN. Yes, I am frustrated if you cannot tell.

So to find some inspiration.... I Pinterest, Google, and Bing it! "Crrcchht, Could we have a dose of logic delivered to the internet please? Over, crrcchht". Are. You. Kidding. Me. These are layouts/ideas for closets the size of my FAMILY ROOM! This is not real life (at least not my real life). I am not spending $1000's on a new system here. (I just want to find the drawer my red pumps are in?!?)

Yeah. Uhhh, none of these (as beautiful as they are) will work for me. This is the space I am working with here:

Standing in the doorway

HIS....

HERS...

I have been using these clear tackle boxes for jewelry, but I would like it out and displayed for easier access

This is the catch all for any jewelry, whether it is mine or not. THAT has to be detangled....

 It's sad, on a good day. Yes!!! Those are boxes from DVD players, and cases for Nintendo DS games! Why are they in my closet?!? No idea! I have got to get this space working. So, off to the drawing board... or at least the Sketch Book- to take measurements and see if I can come up with an execute-able system.This is what I have to think about:

• We Are Tall Peeps: I come in at 5'11" and my husband is 6'6". Therefore the space at the top of the closet it usable space for us.
• This also means our clothes might be longer so I might need to adjust the height of the bars.
• Storage Space Is Mandatory: For women, a lot of things we own are not always seasonal. I have purses, shoes, scarves, and jewelry that I use year round. So I need to think of a way to store these things that don't take a lot of space.
• If It Looks Pretty Than I want It To Stay Pretty: This concept applies to all of us. When a space looks nice and is inviting, we tend to want to keep it that way rather than ignoring it. If I can design something where I might be able to add some decorative wall/contact paper to make the closet be an extension of our room, it will help me want to keep things organized.

Okay, I am off to see how I might be able to pull this project together before Spring gets here!

"Grateful" Craft Frame

I have run out of end table space! And mantel space. My front buffet is pretty crammed too. I am serious! That is why I did a wall piece for our November craft group. Wall space is easier to come by at my house, and I was hoping anyone who signed up had the same issue.

This project had its fair share of obstacles. I had already posted "concept" pictures in the FB group and-because my dad had been in the hospital- inspiration had not been flowing.

I spent hours designing the first set of tags, and I was sooo not happy with them, but I was running out of time. I felt like I was settling. I can't explain what happened, but about 2 days before all the sign ups were due, something (or someone) became my muse. I was at the hospital with my dad when it all came to me.

I realized the problem was I was trying to design something for other people vs. what I would want in my home! So I came up with a neutral backdrop and added color that I wanted, realizing that I could exchange my accent color with a color anyone else would want.

Stock photo of baseboard moulding

I began this project with some baseboard moulding. My frame measures 18"x22" from outside edge to outside edge. So I measured 2 pieces at 18" and 2 pieces at 22". I then cut them with a compound mitre saw at a 45 degree angle. Then I used some clamps to first wood glue the angles, and then secured them with a brad nailer. Then I stretched the wire across the back of the frame and glued with a puddle of hot glue. Since the moulding itself was thin, I did not have any type of fastener that wouldn't go all the way through. I am sure there is some out there, I just didn't want to go buy anything so I was willing to sit there and hold the wire while the glue cooled. :) I took a pair of needle nose pliers and made a twisty type loop to give the glue something to hold on to. How you space your wire depends on how big your tags are.

I would love to have this post be a tutorial. But, it cannot. This is one of those personal projects, in which you have to decide what you want on your frame. But I will tell you a little bit of what I did in case you have an itch to make one yourself.

I used 2 1/2 inch chipboard letters and covered them with teal paper. They spell the word F-A-M-I-L-Y. I also inked the edges for that distressed look. I used a broken necklace to create the chain embellishment, and added the 2 beads at the end of the chain. I also put a heart and a key charm together to hang on the wire on the left side of the photo.

I love details. Embellishments are details. Texture and shape are details. So you can see that on the rosette tag, I could have just left the ribbon rosette alone but I put a rhinestone pin through it. I reminds me of those vintage hat pins.I formed the hanger out of wire. Don't be afraid to try and fail. I learn my most valuable lessons in crafting when I mess up. I hung the pennant flags from the hanger and added the butterfly and those teensy pearls for his body. I added the same pearls to the clothespin for detail.

I added a vintage copper brad to the pinwheel, and used modge podge to put glitter on a few of the clothes pins. I used my Silhouette to cut out some tags to write things I am thankful for. I did not glue them in case I want to change anything later. On the large and small clothespins I used embossing powder to add color rather than modge podging all of the clothespins with coordinating paper.

I hope this inspires you to create your own work of art. If it does, leave a comment and a link as I would love to see it!

The Dreaded Archway

4 years! That's right, FOUR YEARS is how long I have lived in this house. It has never taken so long to make a house my home in my entire home-owning career! What is wrong with me? I will be honest...I am having a really hard time with all forms of inspiration. I am Google-ing and Pinterest-ing and I cannot seem to have any creative streak being sparked! Thus, this post...

I have a sort of "archway" in my kitchen. It connects two different living spaces, the Kitchen (blue)and the Living Room (yellow). How, may I ask, does one blend this 5 foot space aesthetically? I DON'T KNOW EITHER! This was my first attempt at... something. I did these stripes and then rubbed over the top with a brown paint to "antique" it. My style is definitely more Vintage French Country. And I thought this might work. NOPE!! I hated it the minute it got done. But, because of the amount of time it took, my husband said I couldn't paint over it until  I had lived with it for 10 weeks. Ha! 10 weeks came and went and I still hated it. So right now, it just has primer over it until I can figure out what I want.

I love stripes. Adore them! Long before stripes were popular, I was painting stripes. Being this archway/alcove space is small and can be dark, I have a few things to keep in mind if anything I plan will work.

• Lighting- It cannot be so dark with color that it sucks the light out of the "room".
• Floor- I hate my floor. Have I said before it is the worst decision I have ever made! It is way to dark for my east facing house so again, another light issue.
• Traffic- it is a busy space. It leads to the Laundry Room, Garage, and Master Bedroom (I know! What were they thinking when they designed this house??) I have to have washable paint and colors that keep the eye away from the grime.

I am repainting my kitchen to a lighter color of blue, as light as it is, it is still too dark for my east facing house. And then I am going to repaint my living room to a light color of beige. I have to, because the yellow on the wall ended up having something wrong with it and discolored at the top by the ceiling? Yeah, dunno what happened, but it did. I am thinking of mixing the 2 NEW colors into the archway.

So, in scouring the internet and Pinterest, I have only found a few things I would consider doing:

I like the different sizes of stripes...

...then overlaying vinyl or a stencil.

I like the concept of using horizontal stripes, but not these "even Steven" stripes you see everywhere. So, what if I paint the base color the cream from the Living Room...Then use the new blue I will be putting in the kitchen to make uneven horizontal stripes? Yes, the space would be predominantly blue, but the kitchen table does sit in front of this archway. (But I am not even going to get int to how I will change the LR/Kitchen space when our downstairs is complete and how this paint setup will be very practical...) IF I add a stencil/vinyl overlay, I would put it on one side to keep it asymmetrical. What do you think? Can you visualize? As soon as I kick this flu bug, I will get started and update what it all looks like.

No Regrets

Dad in his SF hat.

Time has a way of slipping by, specifically when you want to hit the pause button. I know I spoke of my dad's diagnoses in a previous post, but I have not updated any status as of late. And yes, there are statuses to update.

 My entire life- as far as my medical history is concerned- I have heard doctors say something along the lines of  "we don't see this very often...", or "chances of THAT happening are minimal..." (and then it happens) or some other crazy unique statistic that has always made me feel like a freak. For crying out loud, I am allergic to NEOSPORIN!?! I used to joke with my sister, as she has some of the same issues, that we probably got it from my mom as her medical history is longer than my dad's. My dad has always been well, and if he ever came down with a cold you might think the end of the world was coming because that just never happened.

I spoke before of some challenges we had been presented in my dad's treatment plan. For those that know nerd speak he has the ALL type leukemia,with the Philadelphia marker, and some Chromosome 20 marker. These 2 markers together, the doctors said they had never before seen in the same patient.They also said they have never seen a patient diagnosed with ALL walk into the hospital vs being rolled in by wheelchair. And, it took them almost a week to figure it to be Leukemia because it "had never been presented" symptomatically the way it had in my dad. So, yes, I think we get it from him.

Monday November 8, 2012 I listened in on a medical conference that took place in my dad's hospital room. Involved in this little meeting were my parents, my brother +BJ, and a panel of MD's. They spoke about my dad's state of Leukemia, and discussed options available to him. There weren't many. 

My dad's uniqueness was a problem. He was starting to reject platelets. Because of the Ph + marker he had to have a marrow transplant. Because of the Ch 20, it had to be a 10/10 match. So far they had found only 4 possible matches nationwide. If they did find a match his survival rate was about 40%, and even then it would take almost 3 years for us to find out if it worked. There was always a chance he would just beat it on his own, you know miraculous healing and such. Or he could have a "maintenance lifestyle" where he could do maintenance therapy for years. As long as his body would let him. When all was said and done, survival rate doing nothing was around 3%. A little disheartening at best.

So November 9, 2012 my dad was able to come home from the hospital for a small reprieve between chemo treatments. Once he got home, and had the opportunity to think and pray, he made his decision. Life attached to an IV pole, gowning up with gloves and HEPA mask run an errand or to be around grandchildren was not his idea of living. Nor did he want the memories left with all of us to be of hand sanitizer, barriers, and him wasting away. He, and all of the family, has fasted and prayed and we felt it was time to let him go.

So that is where we are as a family.

He has been recording his last thoughts via a voice recording pen. He has asked each of us for a list of topics we might want to know about. I asked him to speak to each one of us and identify our best traits and why he likes it. I want to know what his favorite memory is about my mom, and what his best memories of his parents are. I even want to know his favorite memory about each of us. I want to know if he has any advice about regrets, and most of all I want to hear his testimony about the gospel as he gets closer to the end.

 I feel this has been one of the greatest blessings I personally could have received. We have been given a warning which has made it possible to have no regrets when his time to leave finally comes. 

We Could All Learn a Lesson from a Child

PUDDLE WARNING: This post might have the possibility of creating puddles of happy, touching tears. You have been warned. :)

I have been so very blessed. I have been given very good children. Oh they have their moments of fighting, teasing, and yelling at each other (Stop breathing on me!), but their nature is innately good. Since this whole thing with my Dad, we have done a lot of talking about helping my parents and what will be required of all of us. We had a family meeting and told them all of what was going to happen to Opa (dutch for grandpa). He was sick, he would be in the hospital for long time, he would lose his hair, and we couldn't bring the sick bugs to him.We talked about everyone sacrificing, so we can help my parents. They have been so good to do their part. 

There has also been a lot of discussion about finances, as hospital bills can get quite steep. I have a monthly craft group, and I decided, that all proceeds will be donated to my parents. My daughter Aunna, who is 11, proposed that all the kids do more to help around the house, so I could help my dad at the hospital, and have time to work on the crafts for the group. We also discussed the plans for a fundraising Boutique and how that would help financially for my parents. I would have to be making a lot of the crafts myself, so they said they would help with dinner too.

Bradley

Then this is where you will need your hankie... 

My 7 year old, Bradley comes to me and crawls onto my lap, turns my head to face him, and says: "Mom, I have some dollars, 3 I think. Can I give them to Opa?" At this point I was doing my best to hold it together. I told him that I was sure Opa would be so grateful to have them. Bradley then proceeds to ask me what else he can do to help raise money. He proclaimed he wanted to start a "Lemonade Stand Business", that's what he called it. But since it was winter, he thought hot chocolate would be better, and in the summer he would do lemonade.

He said he needed a box, to write a sign. I asked him what he would write and he said he would put...

"My Opa has Leukemia, please buy some.

25 cents"

He has been working on what he needs to run said business. Hot cocoa (of course), cups, spoons and a giant thing to put it in (thermos). Then he said he wanted to go to all the houses being built in our neighborhood and ask the workers if they would buy some. "Because, mom, they are probably cold working outside."

Yes, I think we all could learn a lesson from a child.

Diagnoses

We've all done it. Heard some kind of tragic, life changing story that applied to someone else's life, and for a moment thought... "I am so glad these kinds of things don't happen to my family." I've done it. I personally have friends whose loved ones have been taken in an instant, or become sick, or even impaired. And everytime, my heart goes out to them completely, followed by that guilty thought.

Well, over the last 2 weeks, I have become that individual in your circle of friends. The one you have empathy for, feel compassion for, and then think..."I am glad it isn't me." On Wednesday, October 17, 2012 my dad was diagnosed with Leukemia.

Don't feel guilty though, you should be glad. We all have our individual roles in this life. And for whatever reason this is something my dad has to fight through, and in turn, we must deal with. These types of things are nothing you can really prepare for, emotionally that is. You have to experience and process the emotions, and in time you come to accept it.

I have to say though, as far as diagnoses go, we are lucky. When he was first given the news of Leukemia, they talked about a dual phenotype something or other. Meaning they thought he had both the ALL and AML types of cancer. Let's just say that prognosis was bad, like, no hope bad. I remember feeling kind of numb for those few days, and then... some good news. A few days later, the pathologists said it was just the ALL type, and we were pretty happy about that as far as families-that-just-received-cancer-as-a-diagnosis could be.

Now, 2 short weeks later we are trying to get into a routine of how best to help my dad, share the burden with my mom, and for me... make the most of the time. Not that we have been given a time, but I have noticed that since my dad has been sick, our relationship is different, he is different. I mean, how could you really stay the same? He tells me all the time to enjoy my kids, cause the time goes way too fast, that he loves me, and is proud of the mother I have become- and I see the joy in his eyes a lot brighter when I tell him the going ons of my children.

He has always told me he is proud of me, and I always knew it in the past, but now I am hearing it. Like it is sinking into my soul. And every moment I spend with him, I feel like is a photo shoot, memories I will add to my mind should the outcome not end up as optimistic as it started.