August's stash busting!

Other than the yarn bombing, I didn't do much with my stash this month.   I got caught up in weeding and work!

I did manage to make a few coffee (hot cocoa) cozies though...

okay....so two more....

I have NO idea what got me on the coffee cozy craze (couldn't resist!) but I think it is because fall is right around the corner and I am SO READY for my morning hot cocoa fix!

hoooooo's ready?

Me!  I am sooooo ready for fall, my favorite time of year!

See?  I couldn't resist making this little wreath the other day.   I have it safely tucked away, awaiting the first cold snap so I can put it on the door!

a close up of the little hoooooo

Come on cool weather!

Mosaic Monday

I made a table top a couple years ago but decided to use the top in the yard instead. I put the stand in the garage and stared at it every time I got in and out of my car.  Finally, I decided to put it back in the yard.

After mulling over what I wanted, I sketched out this little design for the table...

then I got to work...

and ultimately created a new "top" and I have a sweet little table to put in the yard for Matt to mow around!

close up of the little bird...

I'm sure this little table will also hold a glass of wine from time to time....

Edited 8/27....so today I come online to post a new book I just read and I see my little Christian badge on the sidebar.  I never even realized that I sketched something out that looked almost like it.  Funny how your mind works.  And here I was thinking I was being all "original" and stuff!  HA! 

Themed tree.......

Each year as I take the Christmas tree down, I sigh and say I might do a themed tree NEXT year.
Well, this past January, I couldn't even get the WORDS OUT OF MY MOUTH before Dean and Kaela started laughing and rolling their eyes.    Dean went so far as to bet me I wouldn't follow through.

Well, I may be a bit older but this Russell girl still likes a good challenge so I picked a theme and have been slowly collecting items since January.

The other day, I pulled some things together and started making a few things for the tree.  I made a few more birdie ladles....I can't resist the tinsel nests!

and a variety of birdhouses...some are paperboard and some are wooden.  All are small and covered in glitter!

These nests were bare until I pulled out my handy glue gun and sheet moss.  Again with the glitter.....just on the eggs though!

Dean is gonna LOSE this bet!

time comes around......

Funny how something can be used again...and again...

I made this outfit for Kaela for a school sock hop...in Texas

Which she wore the following year for Halloween...in Oklahoma

Which she wore seven years later for another sock hop...in Louisiana!

Same skirt....different girl....all grown up. *sigh*

yarn bomb!

I was invited to join a new crochet group back in May and I am so glad I did!   We've had such fun discussing projects and up coming events.  One evening we got to talking about yarn bombing and the owner of the coffee shop asked us to "bomb" her!

Of course, we said yes.  There were several of us working on it so it came together quickly.  Some of us crocheted, some knit, some did weaving, some sewed it around the poles.  Everyone pitched in.  We had husbands on ladders and children holding up ends, grabbing cameras and just helping out where needed.    It was so much fun putting it all together.

I made a long piece using bits and pieces....talk about a great de-stash project!

and out putting it up on the column...hot work, but fun!

how it looks now...

Melissa, the owner.  She was so excited seeing it all come together

the front 4 poles....

One of the girls crocheted a sign but she hasn't hung it yet, when she does I'll share that with another post.

We found out that this is the first place to be bombed in Slidell.....and yes, we are ready for round 2!

Mosaic Monday

I finished my last two stepping stones and am pleased with how they both turned out.

I love snails....just not in the garden, eating my veggies!   I put this one in a place that gets high "cut through" traffic so it gets used almost daily.

This one is in an area I walk on often when watering the garden and yard.   We don't have automatic sprinklers so I am constantly moving hoses on days that I water. I use these little stepping stones A LOT because they are in a bed right next to the water spigot....and I tend to go barefoot when watering the yard.

Here it is with the toadstool....

and the flowers I see every time I walk by are lovely as well...

 a little closer please.......

My last planned project this summer is for a new table top which I've already drawn out.  I hope to have it done for next Monday's post.

crafting away...

With the hot days of summer, I have left the garden for the craft room.

Kaela wanted a plastic bag holder for her bathroom to save her from running up and down the stairs on trash day.  Like many others, we use old shopping bags to line our small trashcans and this is the perfect thing to house them.

I also made a couple pincushions, one for a friend

and one for me.......

Some Christmas crowns for a friend

Our door faces the afternoon sun which is the hottest part of the day.  Plus, the sun comes through transom and causes an awful glare on our television set.   After years of procrastinating, I finally did something about it.  The effect was immediate and the foyer seemed about 10 degrees cooler within minutes of me putting them up.  

Little projects seem to add up when put all together in one post but each project only took minutes to do.  

I'm a little tea pot!

Okay, so I'm not...but don't they make cute planters?

bloggin' buddies!

Years ago when I started my blog, I stumbled across Tammy from T's Daily Treasures.  I started reading her blog and she started reading mine because we both crochet.    We emailed each other a bit and through that, I learned she used to live in Slidell but has been living in Kuwait for over 20 years.   We would email back and forth saying how much trouble we would get in if we lived closer.

Well....I had the honor of meeting her and spending some time with her while she was here in the states.  We met a couple different times for coffee and crochet.  She even visited the crochet group I recently became a part of.

One evening after crocheting, we had a little wine at the house....

I put together a little surprise for her but nothing could compare to what she brought me.  Look closely at the card...the lady even looks like me!  

The wall hanging matches my colors beautifully and looks beautiful.  Of course, the photo doesn't do it justice at all!

Tammy and her family left Louisiana to go visit family and friends but will be coming back through before flying home. We plan to get together one last time and I am looking forward to it.  I hate that she lives so far away but am so happy I got to finally meet her in person.

Thinking of daddy......

 Every time I see a bird, I think of daddy, hummingbirds especially.

We had a ritual.  Every spring we would call to see who had the "first" hummingbird sighting.  Whoever made the call won!  Every fall we would call to see who had the "last" hummingbird sighting.
Then we would talk about who had more hummingbirds overall. Sometimes he did, sometimes I did.  It always seemed to depend on who had more storms roll through.  

We would compare notes on feeding, on which types of hummers were visiting....on how many were present.   The conversations would then flow into all the other birds that were migrating through our respective yards.  On this, daddy ALWAYS won!   His yard is like a respite for migratory birds.  Plenty of feeders and birdbaths... and not a cat in sight.
These were conversations that I will always remember....maybe not the exact words, but the sentiment.

Friday night, Dean came home with a gift for me.  It was from a client's wife.  We had become friends during the Cancun trip.  She knew about daddy's passing and sent this to me with a note:  "Look at this bird in memory of your dear dad."

I don't know how she remembered that daddy and I shared a love for birds.  I know we talked about our families but I doubt it was our main topic of conversation.  I am truly touched by this sweet gesture.

I've been carrying this bird around the house trying to find the perfect place for it so I can see it constantly. It is the perfect reminder of something daddy used to say to me. "Be gentle with nature Valerie, it is a gift and we mustn't spoil it."

"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

crochet play food...

 I love it when you can kill 2 birds with 1 stone!   I've been doing a bit of de-stashing while doing a bit of gift making.  

The result of little bits of yarn and stuffing.....

So what is on the menu?  
carrots, strawberries, several types of cookies and 2 different cupcakes!

Flower power.....

Amazing how fresh flowers brighten up your home......

and the best part is cutting them yourself from the yard!

Mosaic Monday!

A few weeks ago, I helped some friends to learn the very basics in mosaic.   I made a couple stepping stones while helping them work on their projects.  

The kids love this one....I just don't know where to put it yet.  The grout is actually a bright yellow but it was hard to see on such a sunny day.

this one is already in the yard being used...it is much easier to step on it than the mulch when barefoot! 

I have 2 more stepping stones to finish......better get to work!

RYLA

The last few weeks of July were busy for the kids.   
One week Matt attended RYLA and had a wonderful time!  It is a youth leadership program for upcoming seniors in high school.  Matt was given a scholarship through the Rotarian Club.    
When he came home, he said that it was the kind of place that changed your life and that he wished every kid had the chance to go.  



They interspersed fun stuff with serious business of fundraising, service projects and just talking about their future plans.

They started off with a seminar about Rachel's Challenge.  Rachel Joy Scott was the first Columbine victim all those years ago.


To learn more, visit Rachel's Challenge.


They had relays....
 
One evening, the guys had to put on a runway fashion show....all the "clothes" were made out of paper!

saying goodbye......



Before hitting the road to pick Matt up, I had to drop Kaela off for a church retreat at OWL.  



They had Bible studies, did team building and helped with massive clean up from last year's Hurricane Issac. 



Here she is in the maze...I'd recognize that hair anywhere!




She came back covered in bug bites, exhausted...and happy!