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Oak Hydrangea Leaf

5/29/2014

Oak Hydrangea Leaf

I have been making concrete leaves for many years. I have several throughout my yard used as bird baths, fountains/spitters and garden room décor. I will share those in a later blog. I also give them as gifts to family and friends.

This is going to be a step by step instructional.

Lately I have had several friends interested in making their own leaves. There are many instructions of different ways to make concrete leaves, but I have found over the fifteen years of making them that mine have stood the test of time. Including ice, snow, heat and grandchildren playing with them.

Start with a leaf. Big ones are nice but the smaller leaf of the oak hydrangea is my favorite.

Supplies:
VINYL Concrete Patcher (Quikrete)
Play Sand
Tub (large enough to hold the leaf)
Wheel Barrow or Tub to mix the Quikrete
Hoe
Plastic Wrap
Plastic Gloves

Mound the sand up to the shape you want the leaf to take on and long enough for the leaf in a tub. Cover the sand with plastic wrap.

Mix the Quikrete with water extremely well with the hoe. Be sure to add plenty of water. Notice the consistency of the cement. Put the front side of the leaf on the mound of sand. Start putting the cement onto the leaf in small amounts and pat consistently to the form of the leaf.

It is best not to have any folds in the leaf, but this was quite a large leaf and was almost unavoidable. Not to worry though, it will still look great!

Let DRY- do not be anxious to see your finished leaf. I like to leave them up to a week depending on the weather to dry. Lift the leaf off carefully and let cure for several weeks before painting or using them.

This is the leaf in the above demonstration a year later.

Vegetable Spoon Bread - naturally GLUTEN FREE

5/27/2014

Zucchini and more zucchini? It won't be long before everyone is wondering what can I do with all this zucchini, right? Well before you get to that point, start thinking about making spoon bread. Or if you just have a hankering for it now, go ahead and buy a green and yellow zucchini. This is a recipe that I had forgotten about, I know for well over 15 years. It is a recipe that is truly my own, after trying several other recipes for spoon bread, I came up with my own recipe.

This recipe is naturally gluten free and hardy enough to substitute for bread, vegetable and a starch for a meal. I usually bake this in a deeper dish (which I think is better) but I had a hungry crowd from playing on the lake and needed a shorter baking time.

Vegetable Spoon Bread Recipe

1 medium or 2 small yellow zucchini (diced)
1 medium or 2 small green zucchini (diced)
1 hot banana pepper (diced)
(any other vegetable you might like added)
1 cup cornmeal
3 cups milk
3 Tablespoon butter (melted)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1-2 teaspoons Tabasco

Beat eggs well in large mixing bowl. Stir in cornmeal, milk, butter, onion salt, salt and baking powder. Fold in the vegetables and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until mixture has set slightly. Don't over bake.

Joined Link Party at Just a Girl and Her Blog

Room Divider with Grit and Grace

5/20/2014

My Mantra: Grit and Grace

I'm a country girl at heart and you never completely take the country out of a girl. Old barn wood is beautiful to me. The wood and hinges have grit and adding white paint and placing it with an antique family cello gives it grace.

Look closely at the years of hard work.

New hinges and screws rusted with the following formula:
* Cover hinges and screws with Clorox for 24 hrs. in bucket
* Dry hinges and screws
* Cover hinges and screws with apple cider vinegar and 2 Tablespoons of salt for 24 hrs.
* Place in sunshine for 24 hrs. (each side for 12 hrs. each)

I wanted a paint to really cover but I didn't want a sheen, so I used flat interior paint. Three coats of paint was applied. I'm loving Valspar paint.

The large chandelier stencil from Designer Stencils in turquoise was next.

The hinges were placed randomly. I could have distressed the whole divider at this point and may still do that, but I'm lovin it the way it is at this point. I think because it is naturally distressed in some ways anyways.

My ceilings are 10 foot tall and my room divider is at least 8 foot tall.

Grit and Grace

(Joined Link Party with Cupcakes and Crinoline and Between Naps on the Porch and Funky Junk Interiors and Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson and Delightsome Life)

The Morning After

5/15/2014

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Did I get your attention?

The morning after a beautiful rain.

I was actually taking photos for another post because the lighting was fantastic this morning, I looked out the window and was in awe.

The reason I love the Ozarks.

Just an added note, I did not Photoshop any of these pictures, it was just this beautiful.

I could hardly get my shoes on fast enough to make sure I captured the beauty of the sunshine falling on all the colors of green scenery.

Yes, that is just a small piece of beautiful Table Rock Lake.

This is a swing that is beyond awesome. My Dad hung one in our backyard in Burdett, Kansas for our kids. The swing came with us to the Ozarks. The seat weathered quite well for several years, but alas we had to replace the seat, but the rest is what my Dad made with so much love for his grandchildren.

You can swing high enough to see over the trees and see the lake. I remember my Mother telling my husband (in Burdett) that he was swinging the kids too high. Oh ya! It goes really, really high. The grandkids love it now!

Linked to A Delightsome Life

This is level six of my cottage garden. The wild daisies and asparagus intertwined. It is as if the fairies played all night and then sprinkled shiny fairy dust over everything that was green.

Spiderwort and daisies in the meadow going down to the lake.

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Mother's Day Yellow Rose

5/9/2014

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Joy and happiness, the meaning of a yellow rose. What is more appropriate for Mother's Day? This beauty is a climber, in fact it is on a 30 foot trellis on the side of our home, and is almost to the top. Blooming mostly in early May but will have a bloom or two in the summer.

I love roses but to me this is a true cottage rose. The pale yellow, loose leaves and the rambling nature brings joy to my heart.

Happy Mother's Day!

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War Eagle Craft Show

5/5/2014

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Spectacular Mixed Media Art

Have you been to War Eagle Craft Show? I see so many posts about craft shows in Texas and Tennessee and I am sure they are wonderful. However, just south of Eureka Springs, AR is War Eagle Cavern and down in that hollow (Ozarke Talk) is the War Eagle Craft shows. In the Fall and Spring this hollow comes alive with people looking for the latest in the art of crafting. War Eagle Cavern and mill is a destination in itself sitting near the Buffalo River.

I always want to help the vendors open up their booths, or at least be their first customer. It was a spectacular day, not only the weather but in particular one booth. I fell in love with this mother and son's art! Alexander-Mead Junk-N-Roses from Catoosa, OK. Aaron mixes his own paints (lovein his colors) and everything they use to make their art is considered junk, until they take scraps of wood, lace, decoys and whatever they can find and make into beautiful art.

Angel that now lives in my home.

Wreath on my front door.

Like Aaron and Kim of Alexander-Mead Junk-N-Roses on Facebook here and see where you can find them at their next show.

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Pink Dogwood Tree

5/3/2014

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Spring in the Ozarks is majestic! First we have the Redbud Trees then shortly the woods come alive with the light of the White Dogwood Tree. This is my Pink Dogwood Tree on level 3 of my side yard, I dearly love this tree and it was one of the first trees I planted when I moved to Shell Knob, MO.

Do you know the legend of the Dogwood Tree? I told the legend to two of my grandchildren this year, they listened as if in awe. I am always surprised at the number of people who have never heard of this beautiful legend. I love the following poem about this legend. I can't find the author of this poem, so if anyone knows, please let me know.

This is a photo of the tree looking up through the leaves to the sky. I did use Florabella Collection photo editing actions to enhance how beautiful the day was with the morning sun.

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Director's Chair Repurpose-Shabby Chic Style

5/1/2014

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Do you have an ugly director's chair sitting in the basement or closet? Bringing it out when you need extra seating or just can't throw it out yet or even better thinking I am going to do something with that ugly thing one day. Why not repurpose it to fit your décor? Shabby Chic décor in my case.

Yep, this was mine. My husband had taken it to the garage/shop to sit in. They are comfortable you know.

Time for a change!

Time for a change!

Tutorial:

1. Sand wood lightly.

2. I wanted the distressed part to be black, so I painted with black paint the parts I would distress. This included the metal part. (See pictures below.)

3. Painted with Anne Sloan white paint and then waxed with Anne Sloan white paste.

4. Distressed with sandpaper the parts I wanted distressed.

Distressed Metal

Distressed Wood

The replacement seat and back I purchased at the end of the summer season at World Market for a few dollars. I did need to resize the back and seat to fit the chair, I'm not for sure that they even make this size of director's chair anymore. A true repurpose item.

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The Lady behind
Minnie's Milestones

Welcome lovers of whimsy. If you love chippy paint and lots of DIY we are kindred spirits!

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