Sunday, March 17, 2024

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

 Welcome to another holiday with small charms, unless you’re in Dublin for the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, as we were one year. If you’re there, St. Patrick’s Day is the happiest holiday in the world.

Instead, here we are on a cold winter’s day, with snow flakes floating down now and then. Here is my small, charming display for St. Patrick’s. I got the geese at Menards and they’re supposed to be a yard ornament, but the tiny umbrella would go poof after the first hard rain or snow. They’re wearing The Green is how they got a spot in this display.

Just to report, no green beer again for me this year. It always sounds intriguing but I’d have to go out somewhere for a swig, and my barfly days are long gone, though they did exist very briefly. TMI, I know.







Monday, February 5, 2024

February is National Embroidery Month

 


Here's a stitch along guide for Embroidery Month that was used by DMC and Gulush Threads from approximately 2017-2020.  I thought they might have done a new stitch along over those years, but it was the same each year as far as I can tell.

In the year I saw this, I tried to find some of the thread colors they mention.  Here are my threads. Things like Neon wouldn't have naturally popped into my basket as I'm a pastels person.  But there's a green one in the bunch someplace.



I’ve been slowly adding to my library of Embroidery books for some time and I have a nice combination of practical guides and beautiful/inspiring books.




Happy February!


Sunday, February 4, 2024

DOA In The Garden 2/4/24

 


Temperatures in the 30s just don’t have the same mental impact when there’s sunshine and no snow.  Even the seed companies are detecting people want to just get out there and PLANT.


I’m finding pictures and plans for the vegetable to be most appealing.  As always, I want to grow lots of everything. Here are some pictures to dream on as we wait for the calendar to catch up with our dreams and plans.








Saturday, February 3, 2024

Friday, February 2, 2024

Happy February!

 


Today is Groundhog Day, which is always amusing. Of course there will be six more weeks of winter. It’s all in the calendar. 





Goals for this month include not going out and raking the yard, hooking up hoses, digging out the garden beds to prepare them for spring. When the sun is out, as it has been, these are hard to resist. 


Monday, January 29, 2024

Valentines Display 2024

 And I thought I didn't have much to use for a display for this holiday.  The Valentines Cards that are supposed to be a cool banner fill the spaces nicely.


New this season are two little birds someone on a "Vintage Kitsch" type site shared were at Target.  Also from Target the two little houses with matching poodles. So Romantic.






Saturday, January 13, 2024

Seed Starting Light Stand Plans

 I plan to start seeds indoors this February.  A few flowers, and some perennials that have longer growing periods.  If I am really good this year, I will start tomatoes and peppers in March!

Long ago, (the nineties!), I had a light stand my husband made for me from a plan in a magazine, Fine Gardening, I thought, and he would be willing to make another for me if I could find the plans.  I found it and printed it out within the last year or so. However, have I ever had a piece of paper I didn't want to keep? Try to find something like this that likely never got filed properly. Ha!

Good thing my librarian search skills are intact, because I found the plans via an A Way to Garden post.  Follow the link for the full directions.

https://awaytogarden.com/big-rig-my-circa-1989-seed-starter-stand/


  This stand is very stable, holds a lot of plants and trays, and folds up nicely when not in use.  My spouse says this isn't quite the same as the one he built.


While looking for these I found a newer set of plans on Fine Gardening's site (because I think that's the source of the original plans) that simple to make but maybe not a sturdy?  I'm not sure I like the slats, though maybe they are better for air flow?

https://www.finegardening.com/project-guides/gardening-basics/nurture-seedlings-on-a-tiered-growing-stand 


 


Friday, January 5, 2024

Vincent The Dragon Pattern for The Year of the Dragon

 I’ve never done any amigurumi, but look at this guy.


I really want him. Somehow my former love of dragons is creeping back. The pattern popped up on one of those “free crochet” sites that snare free patterns and don’t properly say who did the design. Also, their sites are riddled with ads and pop ups. Luckily I found the real pattern with a bit of searching.

Hooked By Kati has the pattern, available free on her page or you can purchase a pdf. She emphasizes this is an intermediate pattern, and it’s not the one to use to learn amigurumi on. All I can see is this dazzling guy draped over a chair in my library where all cool things reside.

Doomed to failure, and yet! I do have a sister who does this craft. I am wondering if I bought the materials if she would make him for me. What a weasel I am.

https://www.hookedbykati.com/vincent-the-dragon-free-crochet-pattern/


Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Clean Up On Aisle Five

 

We are starting the New Year (celebrating all week!) with a sidebar cleanup.  I've pulled inactive blogs and links which go nowhere. I also moved the Books and Reading Blogs to the top of the sidebar, because that's my main interest this winter so far. Enjoy and click click click!

Monday, January 1, 2024

Happy New Year 2024 Edition



 I was thinking yesterday that the last year I wasn’t heartily glad to see the back of was 2017. 2023 was yet another mess. We made it through, though, and really that’s all we can ask of a given year. 

2024 is not looking to be a glorious year, but, I think you can always work to make your own little corner of things cozy, be kind to anyone you can be, tell those you love every day you love them. Not that they will forget, but they need nice things coming into their own little spots, and you are one of them.

I’m hoping to post more here in 2024. Humor, charm, craftiness, my trademark stuff!