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        • Freezer Paper and Ink Jet Printer
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      • Butterfly Santuary
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Minnie's Milestones

June Azalea

6/27/2014

6 Comments

 
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Azalea after a soft wash of rain.

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My azaleas have all been moved except for one, at least a couple of times. I have heard it said that a true gardener is always digging and moving plants. I will go with that thought, and not that I am crazy and eccentric. Always a work in progress!

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I have all my azalea's now on level 4, of my side, cottage garden, which by the way is on the north side of the house. This is the last one to bloom each year. I have azalea's that bloom from March through June. Makes my heart so happy.

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This may be my favorite azalea, but then again it depends which one is in bloom at the time. 

6 Comments

Frog Eye Salad

6/26/2014

0 Comments

 
The Perfect Summer Salad
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Cool, light and even the name sounds a little like summer. This is the perfect salad for a family reunion or after a long hot day on (in our case) the lake. You can make this salad a day ahead except for adding the whipped cream and marshmallows just before serving. Enjoy!

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    Frog Eye Salad Recipe
1 cup acini de pepe macaroni
4 cups boiling water (add pinch of salt to water)
1 large can pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple (in it's own juice)
1 large can mandarins oranges (whole or tidbits)
1 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
3 large eggs
1 cup small marshmallows
1 9 ounce carton Cool Whip

*Boil macaroni for 15- 20 minutes. Drain macaroni, wash with cool water. Set aside to continue cooling.
*Drain fruit (RESERVE JUICE)
*Stir together fruit and macaroni. Cool in refrigerator.
*Blend, eggs, juice from fruit, flour and sugar until smooth. (I use a blender)
*Cook mixture and stir frequently in microwave or stove, until mixture is thick and smooth. *Let this mixture cool in refrigerator. Cover with plastic wrap.
*Fold together macaroni and fruit with the cooked mixture.
*Let this set overnight or 6-8 hours.
*Fold in marshmallows and cool whip just before serving.

This makes a large salad, serving 8-10 people.

0 Comments

Hometalk Feature Board -                                        Shabby Chic Bathroom Inspirations

6/23/2014

 
Love, love, love Hometalk!  What an awesome site! 

This site is perfect for people who DIY or who want some cool ideas for home and garden projects. The perfect place to ask a question, "What is eating off my Hosta Leaves?" That is actually one of my questions on Hometalk.

Hometalk asked if  I would like to curate a board about, "
Shabby Chic Bathroom Inspirations". I jumped at the chance!

Just click on the graphic below to see all the inspirations!
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Garden Bench Cushion (plastic grass sack)

6/22/2014

6 Comments

 
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Grass seed came in the sack and I am glad now that my husband kept the sack. The plastic sack has a similar weave as burlap and unravels just about as bad. I cut a piece of foam that is about one inch thick to fit inside the sack and put the foam inside the sack. A zigzag stitch was used to sew up the end, nothing fancy, just put the two ends together and machine stitch.

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Rummaging through a cabinet in the garage, actually looking for something else, I found this plastic sack. I of course am thinking what could I make out of this? How about a garden bench cushion?

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The cushion is a little shorter than the length of the bench, but it is so cute on the bench, having a grass seed garden sack as a cushion.

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The sack does have a fairly tight weave so it should repel water somewhat.

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Looking through the flowers at a perfect place to sit and watch butterflies, bees and hummingbirds in one of our gardens.

Joined these awesome link parties:

Two Thirty-Five Designs
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
A Delightsome Life
Just a Girl and Her Blog
6 Comments

Chandeliers Continued . . . . . .

6/18/2014

0 Comments

 
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A few weeks back I did a post about Chandeliers and More Chandeliers and I said I would do a later post about where I put my beautiful new white chandelier?

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Yes, in my bathroom! I love the look of chandeliers in shabby chic bathrooms.

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White ironstone pitcher with flowers from my garden and a chippy white chair in my Shabby Chic bathroom.
0 Comments

Sweet Summertime Front Porch

6/16/2014

 
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I adore summertime here in the beautiful Ozarks. After this long past winter, I think it is even sweeter. So this had to be my front door quip for the summer. Living with my backyard as Table Rock Lake doesn't hurt either. At the time I am writing this, I hear boats and the laughter of families skiing. 

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Simple, light and airy, my pretty wreath from Alexander and Mead.

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SWEET SUMMERTIME IN THE OZARKS!
Joined this awesome link party:

Dolen Diaries

Shabby Chic Bathrooms

6/13/2014

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I am very honored to have Anna from My Bathrooms blog as a guest post. These are the prettiest Shabby Chic bathrooms I have ever seen, this pink one is my favorite. I would love to have any of them though. 

    Thank you Anna!



Shabby chic bathroom style can be created in any bathroom! You just have to make a few changes and with minimal changes you can have your very own shabby chic bathroom. So stay with me, Anna from My Bathrooms blog as I take you through my 6 important tips for a beautiful shabby chic bathroom!
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6 Beautiful Things You Can Do To Create a Shabby Chic Bathroom  

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Shabby chic décor is unfailingly popular, offering both beauty and comfort set against a nostalgic and durable background. Here is how to transform your bog-standard bathroom into a shabby chic bower of delight!


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1)    Fade to White  

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Opt for broderie anglaise curtains for bathroom window from Macrame Lace, and choose slightly faded but still beautiful fabrics for shower curtains, seat covers and floor mats: all your soft furnishings! These apparently delicate but lovely and often surprisingly durable fabrics give your bathroom instant appeal, adding in soft femininity without being clinical or unwelcoming.


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2)    Gentle Distress!  

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Redo your cabinetry and other furniture by gently distressing it. Apply a base coat of paint and allow it to dry completely. Next, apply a secondary coat of paint in a different color paint (most shabby chic furniture plays on a pastel theme) and allow that to dry. Working carefully and gently, rub over the surfaces with sandpaper, working to remove some of the top coat, and, on the corners and edges, right through the base coat too. If you are not confident, practice on old pieces of wood so that you get the right touch for distressing your wood without ruining it or you can purchase new wood finish bathroom furniture from My Bathrooms and install them as it is for a new look,


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3)    Comfort Chair

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Install a wicker chair into your bathroom, preferably one painted white or in a pastel shade and possibly even lightly distressed. Not only does a chair add instant comfort to a bathroom, by giving you a place to sit for a minute and an ideal place to drape your towel or clothes if so desired, but it adds a certain shabby chic je ne sais quoi!


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4)    Plants It Up

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Pot plants, with covered pots (break out your old crochet hooks and some string to make your own unique pot holders!) add plenty of leafy greenery to the bathroom adding a hint of country charm to the décor.


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5)    Hanging Things

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Hanging baskets provide a useful way to store bathroom products even as they give a ‘country kitchen’ feel to your bathroom. Hanging plants and storage units all look great and free up loads of floor space, giving your bathroom some necessary spaciousness.


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6)    Pretty Details

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Add small decals, hints of embossing or embroidery, and other small feminine touches to add faded but timeless beauty to your bathroom. These little touches may not be significant in and of themselves but they add a wealth of charm and beauty to your décor that is worth much more than the sum of their parts!


0 Comments

Fairy Garden (Concrete Leaf Roof)

6/11/2014

 
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I had promised to show you the use of my concrete leaves, here is the first one. My Fairy Garden, using part of a leftover piece of a bird bath fountain and a concrete leaf for the roof of the fairy house.

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My hubby continually said, "No" to a Fairy Garden, even though if I had really wanted one I would have just made one. The opportunity arose when he brought back from the farm an old wagon that was in his family, and I said that would make a great Fairy Garden.

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So it began . . . . .
*First I lined the wagon with two tin foil pans used for baking. I didn't want the wagon to rust through the bottom. Also, I had decided that I wanted it inside our home. Crazy you say, well after the work that I put into it along with the expense, the last thing I wanted were pesky squirrels digging it up.
*Then I filled the wagon with potting soil.
*Decide where your house is going to be located and what kind of house you want. There are some absolutely awesome fairy houses for sale. But, I wanted an original and this is an original and one of a kind. I started with this piece of a salvaged fountain piece from a bird bath, it has been laying around in different garden spaces for years. So it already had some natural patina. I painted the mushrooms and other items on the salvaged piece along with adding some highlights on the stones.

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*I tried several concrete leaves for the roof, until I found one that fit perfectly. No, I hadn't planned on making a fairy garden at the time I made the leaves. Just sort of worked out that way! The roof was then painted with a  mixed color wash. There was no rhyme nor reason for the color, other than matching the house. I pretty much just fly by the seat of my pants.

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*I started laying packaged moss on the soil. I also tucked moss into the cracks and crevices of the house.


*It doesn't show in this picture, but I did add a few pieces of live moss to the roof of the house. It does need sprayed with water often.




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*I dug up a rock with real moss on it for the dam of the pond. The blue rock is the water for the pond.

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*The troll house is from an old floral swag. The white rock is a path.

*The three rocks are part of the edge of the pond.


*I arranged and rearranged everything a time or two.




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*Start adding live plants. A miniature peace lily is in the background and in the foreground baby tears. These are actually my second set of plants. I had a miniature hosta, miniature thyme and a wire vine first. They are all outside in my garden now and hopefully will do better there. These plants are better suited as houseplants, so I do hope they do better.


Several of the greenhouses in my area are caring miniature plants for fairy gardens at this time.  


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*The green looking rock is a succulent.
*The fairies, troll and added decorations were purchased at Hobby Lobby and Michaels.








Have Fun Making Your Own Fairy Garden!

Joined These Awesome Link Parties

Domestically Speaking
Cupcakes and Crinoline
2IY Two It Yourself
Fishtail Cottage

Seasonal/Changeable Burlap Table Runner

6/4/2014

 
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A Burlap Table Runner for all seasons.  

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I found this plain Jane table runner at Hobby Lobby, one side is brown burlap and the other side is black burlap.

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I used leftover material that was about 7 inches long. There was enough material for both ends of the runner once gathered into a ruffle.
To Make the Ruffle:
Cut leftover material in half
Stitch all sides of the ruffle
Stitch material with a wide stitch and gather into a ruffle.


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I purchased Velcro dots from Hobby Lobby. Attaching the Velcro dots to the top of the side of the burlap runner that I wanted to have show, and Velcro dots to the underside of the ruffle. I did need to use an iron on the back side of the material where the dots were attached, for the dots to adhere better.

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Easily detachable ruffle and the best part, it is changeable depending on your mood, season or even for a special occasion like a birthday party.  

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It fits my extended antique, white farmhouse table perfectly!

Joined these awesome link Parties:
Just a Girl and Her Blog 
Cupcakes and Crinoline



Peonies say Cottage Garden

6/2/2014

 
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What says cottage gardening besides a Peony. A peony is the perfect Shabby Chic flower. Loose, pastel petals like a comfortable white couch with a touch of pink to bring a feeling of relaxation and comfort. We used to travel from the farm near Menlo, Kansas to Hutchinson, Kansas with peonies in a cooler, in the trunk of the car for the cemetery graves on Memorial Day. Even though my Mother had several plants, they never produced enough for all the graves, so we went to the peony farm in Hutchinson for more. I loved going. Walking up and down the rows and rows of peonies, taking in that faint, soft scent of the peonies. Sweet memories.


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A vintage vase full of the last of my peonies, from my garden, with a few fallen petals on the foyer table. Sitting in the corner is a piece of salvaged house trim, that I have painted white.

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Now to wait until next year for this beautiful flower to bloom again . . . . . .


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