Summer windows,the unexpected!

 Welcome! My hopes that wherever you are you are all well ! Summer is swiftly approaching and I was taking a long hard look at the heavy dressing upon my kitchen window, a heavy checked curtain that covered most of the window. Perfect for fall and winter but time for a change! 

Out came my sewing machine, I sewed up a little something, gathered up some pretty light colored depression glass plates that the light can shine through. 

After cleaning the window I tried the curtain on top but it wasn't quite right so I placed it toward the middle, unexpected but somehow seemed to work. I placed the dishes on the top window ledge propping them against the window. I had cut up pieces of rubber shelf liner to place under the dishes. I have done this in the past and it seems to work well. 

A string of soft lights seemed to finish the look and add some fun! This is a place I spend alot of time at so why not make it fun.? Here in S W Florida the summers are extremely hot and humid so for the living room where the windows are large I keep a curtain that does cover well to keep out the sun and heat. We tend to spend alot of time watching movies because unless your swimming or boating the extreme heat will keep you indoors.

Thankyou so much for stopping by , will you be changing out some windows for summer? Whatever you are doing I do hope you enjoy your days. 

                      Happy Decorating!

                                Lisa

An Easy Farmhouse Star To Craft

 

 Welcome! I think I like decorating for  the patriotic holidays just as much as Christmas or Easter. Mr. StNSA  is kind enough to bring me some great wood scraps from building job sites. So there was a pile of about 20 of these narrow pieces they were all cut the same size, which is perfect for this project. 

You will need 5 narrow slats of wood, some long screws, a screw gun, some paint and fabric scraps .first you will shape your star, then begin screwing all the pieces together.  You may want to sand it a bit. I gave it a wash of white paint and then used red for a worn look. Scanned thru my box of fabric scraps and created a shabby chic farmhouse bow.

You can create your star as big or as little as you like. I think it would be cute made with yard sticks as well. Thanks for stopping on in today!

                               Happy Crafting friends

                                          Lisa

Frothing Milk For Your Coffee? Oh are you in for a treat

 Welcome friends! Just wondering how many of you love coffee? If you indeed love coffee are you in for a treat. Many of you may already indulge in this coffee treat. Well I don't have a barrista,  and I don't have a fancy machine to do the trick.  

Today I thought I would indulge myself a bit and  try this milk frothing. It seems to be the hoopla these days. And I can tell you it is simply splendid. First step make a pot of your favorite coffee, I used a Starbucks flavored.  Second, time to heat your milk. I had to guess but it should be about 155 degrees so when I saw the milk was starting to steam I immediately removed it from the heat.  3rd step over to my blender. I let the milk cool for a couple min. Then I immediately added it to my blender. On low speed I began to blend until I could see the bubbles rising . Oh my this  was magical. I poured some onto of my prepared cold coffee that I had added cream and ice. Well this was heaven ! What a treat.  I have read if you don't have a blender por a frothing device a jar can also do the trick. 

You all are about to start spoiling yourself! Hope you will give this a whirl.  Somehow the froth is sweet so you may eliminate sugar.  Can't wait till tommarow so I can do it all over again. 

                                      Enjoy!

                                     Lisa

Starting A Garden From Seeds!

 Welcome to the Garden! If your thinking about starting a vegetable or flower garden this Spring you should go or should I say sow for it! The cost is minimal and even if you just have a small space that's OK! 

Here in Southwest Florida planting a garden directly in the ground has many downfalls, where should I start? Hurricanes,  tribes of bugs ,oh and did I mention I live  a few miles from the Everglades so we have ample animal friends visiting in the evening .They are always up for a good veggie meal! 

So about 4 or so weeks ago I started some seeds. I purchased them from Home Depot. Cucumbers, squash,peppers, tomatoes, herbs and some flowers. Also about 9 bags of Miracle Grow container soil. Containers I chose to use what I had on hand, wait till you see what I used lol lol. I am going for an old vintage theme style area. The area is close to my Lanai so I can care for the gardens easily.  One thing I must say don't skimp on the soil, buy good quality soil. So I started the seeds about 3 1/2 weeks ago and I'm surprised at the growth level. 

I chose the small pickeling cucumbers  because we make alot of pickels. You can always find a large jar in the fridge to accompany a sandwich.  So I chose a large retired garden wagon for the cucumbers, a plastic mini pool for the tomatoes and various pots for the rest. The most important thing is have fun with it! And it's true gardening is good for the sole! Even if you have a small balcony in an apartment 5 gallon buckets are perfect! 

Sqash/ peppers

Cucumbers

So this growth is about two weeks time, be sure to keep your seeds well watered and lots of sunshine.

Tomatoes

Peppers

So what do you think of the tomato nursery? I am going for the ole rusty farmers garden that includes  an old window frame, a rusty garden bench and some fun signs I crafted. Garden containers can be just about anything but it's important to line them with garden liner and be sure to have ample drainage.

After cracking eggs for breakfast,  I save them and put them through the chopper and sprinkle them over all the plants this spreads nutrients and also keeps bugs away, they don't like walking on the shells it Hurts them. Really!

Garden tools can be found at most stores for about a couple dollars.  It's been fun digging in the dirt getting some sunshine ! Hope you will too start a bit of gardening you won't be sorry!

                             Happy gardening friends!

                                         Lisa

An old iron blanket holder holds pots and tools

I chose to put a piece of lattice around the tomatoes 

Opening Up A Kitchen Cabinet for Displaying

 Welcome.....nice of you to stop by! Kitchen shelving seems to be the craze these days. I've joined in on that with one of mine. First step is taking the doors off. Secondly  painted the interior from top to bottom and removing the slat of wood in the middle that there for the sole purpose of door support. 

You can add corbels in the corners, I added a vintage wooden piece on the top for fun. Since we are approaching patriotic holidays I've decided to decorate red, whites and blues using  collectable dishware, signs and odds n ends. A colorful crafted pendant finished it off.

Saving the doors is probably a good idea if you tire of it or maybe selling you can always put the cabinet back together again.

This type of shelving is a great option if you don't want to start demo work by removing cabinets which  will involve much work. I thought it would be a great way to display my collections for holidays and everyday. 

Thankyou for stopping by, let your creativity and imaginations flow for some crafty fun! 

                                 Lisa

A Summer Patriotic Welcome Sign....from fabric scraps & wood

 Hi friends, welcome! As the summer patriotic holidays soon approach I start thinking about red, white and blue decor. It's one of my  favorite times of the year to decorate,  how about you? 

This was just a simple Sunday craft. I gathered my reds, whites and blues of fabric scraps, an old piece of weathered wood. Just a simple sew of a flag type sack, adding red stripes, and blue to white. Attaching it to the wood. I filled it with some paper flowers made from old encyclopedia pages.  I learned the flower technique from the Silver Farmhouse, a great live Facebook place to visit. Lots of crafts!  I used a star stencil and some letters for the welcome . I did use a sewing machine to make the sack but it can easily be done using hot glue. It was a fun afternoon craft!

Thanks so much for stopping by

Wishing you a crafty day!

                           Lisa

A large Cabinet Put To Good Use!

 Welcome. Nice of you to stop in. I don't know about you but I don't care for appliances cluttering the counters. I'd much rather have the space to use for food prep. So I have the perfect solution, I have a huge wicker cabinet with a bit of a makeover it could hold my blender. Toaster,  chopper and coffee maker ,everyday bowls, dishes cups a whole bit of storage to keep everything in place and a place for everything!

First I removed the 2 large shelves and began to paint. I only added the one higher shelf back in , that will hold the everyday dishes, bowls.  For the counter part that will hold the appliances I papered with some peel n stick, it can be easily wiped down to keep clean . Also hung a shelf, some coffee cups so everything will be at easy rich.

During  the hot summer months here in sw Florida we make alot of Sweet Tea and Smoothies. This will also be a great place to stow hot baked goods while they cool.  The cabinet also has 3 drawers that hold table linens, placemats and spices.

I  introduced the cabinet with some homemade chocolate milkshakes, yum!  The cute colorful rooster kitchen towels are from Walmart just .99 !  

Thankyou for stopping on by, until next time use your crafty imagination and have some fun!

                                 Lisa