My home garden: butterfly

I'm home this morning in my backyard enjoying the weather before it gets to hot today. This butterfly picture is my inspiration for today craft...

My home garden inspiration 

A cardboard bird feeders 

Made from a recycling a cardboard wine box. 

My ATC card 

Hand cut with book paper pages

What will inspire you today? 

Monday at Home

Hello from sunny Louisiana. And come in and enjoy 

Come to the yard sell it's priced to kill...

Or maybe to inspired you to craft. A fun afternoon read while staying out of the heat 😉 

Some of my latest thrifty finds....

I used mod podge on the lamp shade and train case for a new look.

I used a napkin that I fussy cut and apply to shade . Add base and perfect for any decor.

First coat the train case with white chalk paint before applying images.

It's a find to find matching colors to make this with E7000 glue.

And too enjoy with our crafting

Ocean Crafts

 Ocean Jar 

It's World  Ocean day...

• empty jar
• blue paint / mode podge
• mode podge : sand 
• rope, paper shell 

I tinted the mod podge with blue paint and painted clean jar. Then while wet add sand from a beach trip. Let dry. Add fabric rope and paper shell. Looks great with lights or battery operated light. 

Ocean Diorama :

I reused an old Sardine can to make this!  Seems fitting: I mode podge a crumbled napkin inside for water. Painted blue. On the bottom I added Sand and beach shells from a beach trip. Added paper fish and starfish. 

Duck on a bike: book review

 Library Book review....

About the Book : 

Caldecott Honor winner David Shannon applies his wonderful off-beat humor to the story of a duck who decides to try riding a bike -- and loves it! Another young, funny book perfect for reading aloud -- now in paperback!

One day down on the farm, Duck got a wild idea. "I bet I could ride a bike," he thought. He waddled over to where the boy parked his bike, climbed on, and began to ride. At first he rode slowly and he wobbled a lot, but it was fun! Duck rode past Cow and waved to her. "Hello, Cow!" said Duck. "Moo," said Cow. But what she thought was, "A duck on a bike? That's the silliest thing I've ever seen!"

And so Duck rides past Sheep, Horse, and all the other barnyard animals. Suddenly, a group of kids ride by on their bikes and run into the farmhouse, leaving the bikes outside. Now ALL the animals can ride bikes, just like Duck!

Library Book Reviews 

This book is a favorite read at our library. The kids love the animals, the fun pictures and the story. As the kids take time acting out the animal voice and the story it's a repeat favorite of our circle time.

Written for 2 to 4 years old but all ages will enjoy this book. Lisa 

It's healthy kids day ! So go ride a bike

Diy Valentine's wooden crafts

Hi ! Here today hear craft from items I picked up from Dollar tree. I love all the wood pieces to use in crafts.

This is a cute black board ,covered in scrapbook paper and sticker. 

The perfect place to leave a message to a love one. 

This is wooden plank covered in music paper and heart. With beads and wooden tag. 

Love is the key lyrics from an old hymn book , then added scrapbook covered hear and uarn with wooden tag /be mine sticker on tag 

October Fire Prevention month

 

Firefighter Danny The Dog: Essential Fire Safety for Kids

Danny is an Adorable Dog who has just become a firefighter.
His very first mission is to teach Children the Important of Fire Safety.

Throughout this book, Danny explains the causes of Fire & how to prevent it with illustrations in a fun & engaging way.

"Essential Fire Safety for Kids at Home or School."

Will Danny Firefighter the Dog be able to teach your kids one the most important lesson?

Fire Truck crafts: 

Construction paper,glue and popsicle stick ladder. 

Egg carton truck 

October is National Fire Prevention month 

Circle Time at the Library:

 Its Circle Time at the Library: 

A big happy frog, a plump purple cat, a handsome blue horse, and a soft yellow duck--all parade across the pages of this delightful book. Children will immediately respond to Eric Carle's flat, boldly colored collages. Combined with Bill Martin's singsong text, they create unforgettable images of these endearing animals.

Bear Craft 

• Paper plates
• Construction paper
• Paint
• Fork
• Embellishments: ribbon, string and/or buttons
• Googly Eyes

1. Create Your Bear Shape: Using a fork, dip it lightly in your paint and work in a circle overlap your fork paint print to create a furry head shape.
2. Add Details: We encourage you to use your imagination! You can use other found objects like sponges, bits of cloth, Q-tips or feathers to create different textures on your bear or make other animals.
3. Embellish with Found Objects: Using whatever craft supplies you have or odds and ends – detail your bear with a ribbon bow or a bit of string as shown to give it 3-dimension. 
4. Add Some Eyes: Give your bear a stare with some googly eyes. If you don’t have any – don’t fear! You can easily use white paper and a black pen or marker to create fun eyes.

Diy Picture frame

My project for Valentines is a picture frame and gift bag. All using scrapbook paper.  

My frame 

Wooden frame from DG

Scrapbook paper 

Cardboard, glue,stickers 

Cover frame with glue and cover with scrapbook paper. Cut center and fold in and glue down. 

Cut heart out of cardboard.  Cover with paper. And add stickers. Glue to frame. 

My gift bag

My paper bag is covered in scrapbook paper. I added this fun folded heart and tag. The heart pocket can hold a gift card or small gift or message from a love one. 

Scrapbook paper can be used for many other things then just  scrapbooking.  Hope this project inspired you to be creative.  Lisa

Diy Valentines gift

Today I am working on a few Valentines gifts

My Decopodge book and beaded pen. 

I am upcyceling an old book from the trash. To a fun decorated journal. 

You will need

Old book 

Print from Temu

Ribbon, decorations

Extra papers, clip art ,stickers for inside

Modge podge 

On the front cover I placed the print down and cover with Modge podge.  Let dry. And I added ribbon and berries. 

Inside I included some extra papers and accessories to decorate the pages. 

Beaded pen 

Made from a kit from Temu

These ball point pens are made to add large beads. The kit includes Valentines beads and spacers. 

Diy Fabric hearts

Welcome to Wednesday! 

And today I am sharing some fun fabric hearts and lips to fill a try. 

To make our filler : 

Fabric for hearts, poly fil to fill

Red felt for lips , filler

White yarn to wrap beads

Pearls, pinecone and filler

Make a pattern for heart and lips. 

Cut out the 4 hearts and 2 lips. Sew or glue around a set and leave spot for filling with poly fil.  Fill and seal whole. 

Take bread bowl tray and fill with hearts,lip and found objects. 

.

Yarn balls

I use torn baker bag for the inside ,rolled into tight ball. Cover with white yarn wrapped around the base. Until you get the size you want. 

For VALENTINES: I used pearl, yarn balls, mixed foliage and white pinecone.  

Yarn napkin rings 

To go with my tablescape I am making napkin rings. 

Base is cut tiolet paper roll.  Then wrapped with white yarn and add fabric felt heart. 

The second one the base  is covered in red felt with heart detail.

Hello Tuesday

 Welcome to my Home this Tuesday   It's afternoon tea time! 

February in Louisiana looks like warmer weather and more rain. I heard the birds this morning and some sprout in the garden .   Another month till Spring.   Depending on Phil. We will wait and see  

What's on today menu 

Frozen ravioli baked in crockpot! 

Using store bought ravioli. This could not easier. 

• bag frozen ravioli
• 1 jar pasta sauce
• 2 c cheese for top 

Spray crockpot. Add a layer of pasta sauce. Add raviola(frozen) . Top with cheese. Cook low about 3 to 4 hours. 

Leaves me time to read.

Dante has come to the small coastal town of Te Kohe, New Zealand, for a fresh start in life. But he doesn't want to open a BnB, or save a charming bookshop, or start a romance with a single mother in need of rescuing.

He just wants to forget about his past career (which involved a lot of dead bodies) and have everyone leave him the heck alone. Unfortunately for Dante, life has other plans..

 

Book pick: 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Mysteries aren't usually my choice of read, but something about the summary appealed to me . Probably the humor in it. Either way, I'm glad I did read this. It's a longer novel (at least for me), but the characters are interesting, engaging, and not the typical neighbors in a small town, in some cases. Dante, the retired assassin, is a very quiet and compartmentalized man, but he's also intriguing and I enjoyed learning more about him. Charlie and Eleanor, the other two main characters, are also both interesting and not typical at all. Honestly, I'm dying to learn more about the other denizens of the town, as I think they hold an interesting number of secrets as well.

The mystery itself was both interesting and full of good twists and turns. I think it wrapped up to a satisfying conclusion. Honestly, I can't wait to read the next book in the series when it comes out.

Library Love in February 

 Make sure you stop at your local library this month. 

We celebrate black history month, loving our library and reading . 

We offer a meeting place, clubs ,events and after school help with homework. 

Why Afternoon tea / coffee@2pm 

This started with my grandparents  An afternoon break to catch up and chat about what's going on . When the weather is good it's outside on the patio or at the kitchen table like today. 

Making tea: 

Use spring water heated to a temperature of 195 degrees Fahrenheit to brew pu-erh tea. Use 1 teaspoon for every 8 ounces of water and steep the leaves for 2 to 4 minutes. In traditional brewing methods, the leaves are rinsed once or twice with hot water. To do this, simply place the loose leaves in a tea infuser. Add the strainer to a cup and pour hot water over the leaves. Swirl around and then discard the water before brewing tea as normal.

My Project : 

 

My Gran and Mom collected China of all kinds and I  pick up pieces too. And combine them with dollar store finds. 

Modern Macrame Style:

 

Modern Macrame Style: 20 stylish beginner projects for the home with step-by-steps, techniques, tips and tricks

Modern Macrame Style is the ultimate guide into the world of macrame for beginners.

Macrame expert Amaia Martin, from La Terra Macrame, has created 20 unique projects to introduce you to this millenary art and make you fall in love with it!

You will be working with sustainable materials such as recycled cotton, jute and raffia, to create a selection of plant hangers, wall hangings and lifestyle items, that will help you develop your macrame skills, as well as adding warmth and a bohemian touch to your home interior.

Throughout the book, you will find tips and design variations that will allow you to adapt the projects to your style by using different fibers, colors or techniques.

Learn over 10 macrame knots and patterns that will allow you to master this craft and start making your own designs in the future. The world of Modern Macrame will be at your feet! You will be able to create anything from simple plant hangers to intricate lampshades, rugs or even a macrame chair.

You will also be introduced to another of Amaia’s passions, plants. She has selected her top 10 indoor plants to complement each of the plant hangers in this book, and added care tips to keep them looking their best.

Get ready for a crafty journey to a beautiful and sustainable home!

Book review 

So I must confess I dabbled in macrame as a kid.But I was excited to see it come back in fashion. I grabbed this book and decided to get inspired to try it again. She has some great idea for projects and directions, and  the plant tips are an added bonus. If you are interested in knowing more about this craft - read this book. 

David of the Bees Gathers Honey: Bee Book

 World Bee day

In their last adventure,David of the Bees, Kathy learned that she doesn’t have to be afraid of bees.

Now, Kathy’s excited to help her beekeeper friend, David, gather honey from his bees! But how does David get the honey? What will the bees eat if their honey is taken away? How do beekeepers use smoke to help the bees? What are ‘supers’, and how do bees recycle?

Designed for children aged 5 to 11, this book has vibrant color pictures showing how David collects honey from his hives. Learn how beekeepers gather honey so we can enjoy it!

Learn the answers to:

• What are ‘supers’?
• Why do beekeepers use a smoker?
• Is a frame heavy?
• Do you have to do math to gather honey?
• What will the bees eat if we take away their honey?
• How does the honey come out of the frames?
• Why does honey smell like flowers?
• How do bees recycle?

This story is written to simply explain where honey comes from, and how a beekeeper collects honey without harming the bees. With gentle humor, Francie Farmer shows how even kids can enjoy caring for bees.

And don't forget to read the prequel, David of the Bees!

Bee Craft : 

Toilet paper rolls or paper towel roll cut in half

– Pink paint

– Black marker

– Cardstock – white, black and yellow

– Small googly eyes

– Black pipe cleaner

– Small black pom poms

Cover the toilet paper rolls with yellow paper and Glue on. Let dry. Then with a marker make the Bee face and then cut black strips of paper and glue on. Let dry. Then Cut pipe cleaner to size and glue black poms on. Let dry and Add to Bee. Add goggle eyes and enjoy.