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Mini Fairy Garden

10/27/2014

I can't believe how beautiful this little fairy garden all came together. I am a person who buys things on sale and my husband says, "What in the world are you going to do with that?" I can clearly say almost every time, "I don't know, but it will come to me!"

So it started . . . .
First came the cement drawer, which I bought over a year ago off the sale rack at Hobby Lobby. Then came the baby fairy, which was suppose to be for my granddaughter. The baby was bigger than the fairies in my first fairy garden! It was just to big for her fairy garden, so I kept baby fairy and bought her another fairy. That is just what Grami's do! The drawer, the baby fairy, the hedgehog, a left over little house from a long-ago swag, moss and a variegated mini Ficus and I was ready to make a mini fairy garden. (Of note - I bought the baby fairy and hedgehog from My Fairy Gardens.)

Instructions: This little cement drawer is 6" x 6". I painted it an off white and painted the handle a variety of browns and gold. I then put potting soil in the drawer. In a small fairy garden, it is a good idea to decide what you want as your focal point.

This baby fairy is so amazing, I wanted it to be what you saw first.

I then planted the miniature Ficus, which I found at a greenhouse/nursery in Topeka, KS. Most greenhouses are now caring miniature plants, you can also order them from different sites on the web, (Glasshouse Works) this is one I have looked at but never ordered any plants from as yet. The Carolina Wren's bird nest I found in our Japanese Maple Tree, it was perfect in the fairy garden.

This little hedgehog was in the Fairy Garden until I found the bird's nest, then he moved to outside the Fairy Garden.

My Mini Fairy Garden now sits in my living room on an elephant coffee table.

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Window Box Progression

10/24/2014

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Of the many window boxes in our garden, this window box is by far my favorite one. This window box is on an upper deck and can be seen from the living room, dining room, master bedroom, sun porch and lower deck. I make sure it looks beautiful from Spring through Fall.

To keep it looking beautiful, I change out the annuals when they start to fade or outgrow the box. Unfortunately, I didn't take a spring photo, so this photo is early in the summer, but the ornamental pepper is already outgrowing the box. I transplanted it in its own pot. See here. The marigolds which I pulled from a garden, where they come up every year from seed, is getting a little leggy also, so . . . . . .

time to replace some of the annuals. Of note, the Creeping Jenny comes up every year in the window box. I do keep the roots under control and add more dirt when needed.

These are pictures of the canopy of the trees from the summer and fall. It is like living in a tree house.

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AL Natural Pumpkin

10/20/2014

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1st Annual Crack-Me-Up-O-Lantern Pumpkin Decorating Contest
Sponsored By Empress of Dirt
Check It Out Here
VOTE-ENTER-VOTE-ENTER-VOTE-ENTER-VOTE-ENTER-VOTE-ENTER-VOTE-ENTER

Come sit beside me on the garden bench.

Or maybe join me on this rock bench . . . . . .

Push ME - Push Me - - In the Swing!

A hat from a past Halloween, eyebrows from Magnolia Pods and Maiden Hair Grass for the hair. The eyelashes are coffee beans, eyes from the top of acorns and the pupil of the eyes from Black-Eyed Susan's and last the mouth are rose hips. Oh about forgot, the nose is the stem of the pumpkin!

1st Annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest

The Crack-Me-Up-O-Lantern Pumpkin Decorating Contest

ENTER OR VOTE HERE

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Sparkle Pumpkins (Tutorial)

10/19/2014

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I'm loving these shabby chic glitter pumpkins. So soft, so pretty and just me.

All the pumpkins had been used for several years and were dented and just needed a revamp. Supplies: paint of your choice, spray adhesive, glitter, paint brush, (paper/freezer/wax) paper to catch glitter, and masking tape.
1. Tape off the stems with masking tape. 2. To save using expensive Anne Sloan Chalk Paint, I painted the pumpkins with cheaper latex flat white paint for the first coat. I then used Anne Sloan paint (it took 2 coats of Anne Sloan paint) in White, Duck Egg and Antoinette colors to paint the pumpkins. 3. Spray pumpkin(s) thoroughly with spray adhesive (only do one pumpkin at a time at this point). 4. I used a combination of assorted white glitter from Michaels to put the glitter on. The glitter came in a shaker type bottle, which was great to put the glitter on evenly, before the glue setup. Glitter that was left on your paper can then be reused or tossed.

So many places to display my pumpkins, as vignette on a dining room table, on the mantle or a vignette on a stair landing.

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Pumpkin Dessert Crunch

10/13/2014

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Yum, my Mother used to make a dessert very similar to this, but unfortunately, I can't find that original recipe.

This is the recipe I found on Pinterest from Chocolate, Chocolate and More. The only thing I would do different is to make sure to use unsalted butter.
Ingredients:
16 ounces canned pumpkin
12 ounces evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup (unsalted) butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions:
1. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan
2. Beat eggs, mix in pumpkin, milk, sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice until smooth
3. Pour into prepared pan
4. Sprinkle cake mix over pumpkin layer
5. Sprinkle pecans on top of cake mix layer
5. Pour melted butter over the top of pecans/cake mix
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes

Serve with whipped cream and enjoy this yummy fall dessert!

If you’d like to try your hand at decorating this year’s pumpkins with embellishments and not carving them, there’s a fun competition over on Melissa’s Empress of Dirt Blog where the winning entry could take on the illustrious title of Creator Of The Ultimate Pumpkin Head of 2014!

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Rescued Scale

10/12/2014

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A rescue from continued rust, found in one of my favorite junk/flea markets on Highway 44 in Sarcoxie, Missouri.

It lie on its side, forlorn and forgotten, until I walked by and heard a faint whisper calling to me. I picked her up and took her to the owner and inquired about the price. The owner said $5.00, but said he had better ones and why not look at them, no I said I want this one.

I thought about not painting her, but decided after looking around at different blogs to try and match the paint that she had worn at one time. She now is at home used in different vignettes, but today is holding another new find, a vintage frog.

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Chicken Of The Woods

10/9/2014

No it is not a flower, and yes it is supposedly editable and tastes like chicken, not that I have tried it or plan too. It is a fungus, yes a mushroom. According to an article by The Missouri Department of Conservation there are several species of Chicken of the Woods and I do believe this species is called Sulfur Shelf Chicken of the Woods.

Don, a native of Missouri was actually hunting Turkey when he ran across The Chicken of the Woods in the Mark Twain National Forest here in southwest Missouri. Don is an avid hunter of morels in the Spring and if you know any mushrooms hunters, you know they don't reveal their hunting spots. I have asked a mushroom hunter before if I could tag along, I received a resounding, "NO!" Don said he has never found a Chicken of the Woods before, but said his brother had found one years ago. This mushroom measures 51 inches across and weighed over 3 pounds.

A beautiful close-up of nature.

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An Oregon Cottage

Halloween Fairy Garden

10/7/2014

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Fairies celebrate Halloween, too. I have a fairy garden in my house! Look here to see the beginning.

How about those witch fairy legs? Simple addition to change for Halloween. I have similar matching legs on my front porch.

As in my outdoor gardens, things change, and so does the indoor fairy garden. Sometimes when the fairies party, things need cleaned and picked up.

Fairy gardens are fairly easy too maintain, but I have had to spray for bugs, replace a plant or two and always make sure the plants are watered.
The fairies have a new bike and see the snail that has moved in?

Wondering what the fairies will do for Christmas?

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Stair Landing Halloween Vignette

10/3/2014

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Stair Landing Definition: A level platform installed at the point where stairs change direction, at the top of a flight of stairs, or between flights.

I must admit that our stair landing has been used quite extensively by grandchildren to jump from, or jump too, or to push a sibling or cousin behind them, so they can be the first up or down the steps.

The chippy, pink chair is perfect for our stair landing and will be decorated seasonally. I will have future posts about the transformation of the chair and the pastel, glitter pumpkins.

The beautiful pastel pumpkins with glitter are so perfect on the chippy, pink chair and so shabby chic! The pumpkins are painted with Anne Sloan Chalk Paint and the glitter is from Michaels. I added the Merry Halloween sign and the faux hydrangea flowers with a bow. My Stair Landing Halloween Vignette is complete.

Stair Landing Halloween Vignette

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