Bird fabric collage "Home Sweet Home"

I spent the past few nights making this fabric collage.  I had many sources of inspiration. My best girls had an itch to get together this weekend and create from cigar boxes. I decided to use just the lid. I applied my rust technique found here.  I had also been inspired to play with heavily distressed fabrics after visiting Joanna Pierotti's blog.  You really should take a look at her gallery.  Finally, I had seen Karla's "Faux Vintage Photo" spotlight in the latest issue of Somerset Studio Gallery.  Karla taught us how to use wax paper over an image to give it an aged appearance. Love this technique!

Look for more collages from me in the new shop. Yes, I am finally starting to list a few pieces over at -








It will be a slow process but I've finally taken the plunge. Give that button a click and check her out. I appreciate your follows over there!  I have added email feed so that you will be notified if a new item is listed. Thank you for all of your support! xoxo Linking up to:

Oviedo Farmers Market - Happy 4th!

We kicked of July 4th weekend with a visit to our town's first farmers market. I am so excited we are going to have our own market the first Saturday of each month.  I think they had a great turn out too.  We had produce, local honey, spices and jellies, plants, herbs and even antiques from my favorite local store. 

My Dad is going to be so happy I got him that jar of watermelon rind jelly.  He has been craving it and this will make a great surprise.  There was even a band playing some country music for us as we checked out the vendors. I hope to get more pics next time. I was too busy exploring!

 

Hope your 4th has a real home town feel.  I love the parades and fireworks shows. We always gather with friends and the kids have a pie eating contest.  Here's one of my favorite pics from a past fourth celebration.

That's Jack second from the left and Kara with the white t-shirt second from the right. This was 2008. Can you tell who won? lol  That would be Cooper celebrating in the middle. Have a safe weekend.  Until next time...xoxo

Vintage Supply

All photos courtesy of Vintage Supply Co

One of my favorite Etsy shops for my artwork and home is Vintage Supply Company.   Jeanette Janson is the mixed media artist who runs the shop.  If you haven't visited the shop or Jeanette's blog, you are in for a treat. I was window shopping yesterday with a cup of coffee in hand. I had to have this pocket watch case. And these metal watch parts which reminded me of a roof top-

I always buy any book I find at a reasonable price with foreign text.  When you are doing collage work, foreign text is great because it gives you the beautiful words without the distraction of wanting to read them!

Here are a few other things in the shop right now that I resisted, but it was so hard! Take a peek with me.

Thanks so much, Jeanette, for letting me go junking right from the comfort of my home computer. How about you guys - any good junk or thrifty finds this week? Tell us all about it.  xoxo

Come join me!

Join me as I take on line art classes at Artful Gathering.  Registration is open now.  Classes start on line July 16th and will be available to you by video 24/7 through the end of August.  You can work at your own pace. So far, I'm signed up for Joanna Pierotti's class.  We are making fabric collages-

Photo courtesy: Artful Gathering and Joanna Pierotti

Isn't this gorgeous? I love the neutrals, all the texture in the fibers and the embellishments.  I just can't wait for this class to start.  There are several other classes I would love to take too if I only had more time. You should really head over to the site and browse the classes and see the talent. Are any of you joining in the fun at Artful Gathering? I would love to hear from you.  Hope you are having a great start to your week my friends.

Giveaway winner! She's a new blogger!

Congrats to Tina of Ruffles and Relics!  She has won my pay it forward giveaway. I'll be sending you my copy of "Killer Stuff and Tons of Money" this week. I'm glad you guys enjoyed the review. Tina, hope you don't mind a few dog eared pages!  Wouldn't it be fun to keep this pay it forward giveaway going? Maybe Tina will post a giveaway after she has read the book on her new blog?  That's right...Tina has just joined us here in blog land this month.  So far she has been posting mostly about all of us and our giveaways. Thank you, Tina, for your support. I am looking forward to you sharing more about your flea market trips and decorating.  Stop by and say hello to Tina here.

We had a great time away at the beach.  We just got home. I need to get settled.  I enjoyed clearing my mind and playing with the family and our dear friends.  I have a few new projects in mind to share. Stay tuned. Until then...xoxo.

A short break for fun in the sun!

Taking a little break to enjoy a long weekend with family and close friends at the beach.  I hope you enjoy the rest of your week!  Don't forget to enter here to win the book I reviewed, "Killer Stuff and Tons of Money, Seeking History and Hidden Gems in Flea-Market America."  I will pick a winner on Sunday night when I return to blogging. Until then...xoxo

My peppers are poppin'!

Hello, friends. Please indulge me in a little gardening post. I know this is not one of my normal topics here on this blog, but I am very excited to report my poblano pepper plant is producing peppers! This is the first time I have grown anything other than herbs.  I know many of you are experienced gardeners and farmers. We love roasting and grilling with these mild peppers. I can't wait to harvest them.

I bought two little seedlings at Home Depot on a whim. They were about eight inches tall back in April when I carelessly crammed them both into this container (lol).  I did research my fertilizers.  I found out less nitrogen and adding bone meal can lead to success.  I also added a mist of water and Epsom Salts when I started to see flowers.  Seems to have worked, even in this hot Florida sun!  These guys are now about 4.0 feet tall and require serious water each day.

The screened porch does provide some relief from the sun and keeps the bugs out. This can be good and bad. I had to self pollinate the flowers once they started blooming since there were no bees to help do the job. I'm about 60-70 days in and things are looking good.  Thanks for sharing in my excitement!  What should I try next? I would love your suggestions for a fall container planting.  Don't forget about my giveaway on my previous post. Take a peek.