Sunday Snapshot

On Saturday evening we had an opportunity to visit the "Capitol Complex" here in town. The garden features several beautiful bronze statues including this one....

Sunday Snapshot

Beautifully hued lichens......

Sunday Snapshot

I LOVE the bounty of summer - fresh fruits and veggies galore!!!!! Today, our neighbor brought us these wonderful cherry tomatoes and they are delicious! Tomorrow, we need to pick, wash and freeze blackberries.

Friday Finds

This week I found these awesome hand printed "wearable art for babies and tots" from SeedandSprout on Etsy.com. These tees are printed using waterbased paints perfectly safe for little ones! The colors can even be custom mixed to create any color you can imagine. I love this "Growin' like a weed" shirt...

And this "Wildflowers" t-shirt!

The artist creates totally unique designs and even shows a glimps of the creation process....

Buffalo River Visit

This weekend our family took a quick trip to the Buffalo National River in north Arkansas! The Buffalo River cuts its way eastward through massive limestone bluffs of the Ozark Mountains toward its confluence with the White River.


Unfortunately, the sky was overcast and cloudy. Nonetheless, we still enjoyed splashing about in the river. I loved the Spanish Moss hanging from some of the trees along the bluffs. I wish we could have spent a bit more time enjoying the outdoors - maybe next time.

I even found this TINY, TINY frog along the rocky shoreline! I just couldn't believe how impossibly small this guy was. Isn't nature incredible?

Overall, we had a great weekend and enjoyed our travels.

Friday Finds

It is time for summer vacation! So, this week I found these great luggage tags from Marmalime on Etsy.com. The luggage tags are made using upcycled white plastic canvas and a map from a vintage atlas.

And you can record notes from your travels in these awesome eco-friendly journals! The journals are made using a unique collections of recycled pages stitched together with hemp cord and feature a map cover from a discarded atlas.


Happy travels and have a great weekend!

Sunday Snapshot

This weird insect recently showed up at our house. I work with an entomologist, so I was able to find out that it was a mantid fly, also known as a "Lacewing". This one had just emerged, and was not quite "dry". Apparently, they use those spiny, modified front legs that look a bit like claws to catch prey, (other small insects, as the lacewing is less than one inch in length). Very interesting..........

Friday Finds

This week I found these totally customizable wood blocks from MeMakeStuff on Etsy.com. The blocks are hand painted and distressed to give them a wonderful worn and weathered look. The awesome part is that the wood is salvaged, so it is getting a new lease on life! Yay for upcycling! I could easily envision using these Alphabet Blocks in a kids room, either up on the wall or just sitting pretty on a bookshelf!


Or maybe you need a changeable message board?

Or house numbers?

Slate Coasters

I was recently inspired by some slate coasters that I saw online. The downside? The edges were really rough! I wanted something rustic, yet a bit more refined. I know, I know - I'm SOOOO picky. So, I decided that I'm crafty and I'll just make my own darn coasters! I had seen the perfect 4*4 inch tumbled slate tiles at the hardware store while we were working on other home improvement projects. I already had some thin cork coasters, which were flimsy on their own, but PERFECT to serve as a backing for the tiles to protect table tops. The only equipment I needed was a hot glue gun - check! I could have also used another adhesive like Liquid Nails or something similar.

The project was a snap and they look fantastic on my dark wood tables in the family room!

Sunday Snapshot

I know the dandelion is the arch nemesis of gardeners everywhere, but what kid doesn't love to blow the tufted seeds from a perfectly formed seed head? Ahhh.....summer!

Friday Finds

These great looking drying racks from BallardDesigns.com give clothes full exposure to air. Plus when clothes are dry they fold away, saving valuable floor space! Maybe I can get one of these when I redesign the outdated laundry room in our house.

Maybe, if my laundry room looked like this I would look forward to doing the laundry - well, I doubt it, but hey it couldn't hurt!

Sunday Snapshot

Life with our little monkey is filled with endearing unexpectedness!  SOMEHOW, his toy car got "parked" in my tea!  Hummmm - I wonder how that happened??? 

Currently blooming – late spring

The warm sunshine has made all my native plants really pop!  My Lanceleaf Coreopsis are covered in these lovely deep yellow flowers. The plants have been wonderfully easy to grow, even in our clay soil.

Check out the fuzzy fruits of the Fragrant Sumac shrub (say that five times fast!). The birds are going to love these little berries.

And, one of my personal favorites, Glade Coneflower!  All the colors makes coming home in the afternoon such a blessing!

Friday Finds

I love maps and travel, so these Custom Map Magnets by Daisy Mae Designs on Etsy.com. What a unique way to commemorate the special places of your life – maybe the city of your birth, engagement, wedding or honeymoon!

And, how about these charming International Postmark Magnets!

I can totally see mixing both sets of these magnets to help stylishly organize my home office! With options like these, there is no reason to be caught with boring magnets!

Saturday at the Governor's Garden

On Saturday evening we had an opportunity to visit the “Governor’s Garden” here in town. Work began on the garden behind the Governor’s Mansion in 1930 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. The garden features beautiful cut limestone walls and this wonderful structure.

The garden is always filled with beautiful plants like this Solomon's Seal (too bad all the flowers were already gone, but what wonderful foliage!).


and this lovely Oak Leaf Hydrangea.....

It was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday evening.

Harbor Earrings

I recently worked with a customer to create a special pair of earrings. I just LOVE the finished product, so I thought I would share them. The A-quality Swiss Blue Topaz briolettes dangle beneath a trio of Smoky Quartz rondelles. All the gems sway beneath my hand formed and lightly hammered French earwires. Harbor Earrings - Reminiscent of crystal blue waters lapping gently at sandy shores. Simply lovely and perfect for summer!

Etsy.com featured by Inc. Magazine

Inc. Magazine recently published an article about Etsy.com. While it doesn't provide a lot of insight to Etsy sellers, it does generate some great publicity for the site and selling handmade in general. And as the saying goes, "A rising tide lifts all boats."

Here Comes the Sun

I know it may sound silly, but after not seeing the sun for almost a week the sight of this blue sky and white puffy clouds was absolutely heaven! Even some plants in my garden look weepy and in want of sunshine. So we are all hoping to see more of the sun this weekend!

I'll be taking a bit of a break this weekend to spend some time with family! I hope you and yours have a great weekend!

Rain, rain, go away!

To say that it has been rainy lately is an understatement! In our area, we have gotten almost 5 inches of rain in the first half of May alone. Recently, I noticed raindrops glistening like gems on the leaves of our small Redbud tree that we transplanted earlier this spring. The upside to all this rain is that we haven’t needed to water the new tree.

Friday Finds

I just love these Scrabble Tile Wine Charms by AmandaRae Handmade on Etsy.com! These wine charms easily identify your guest's wine glass with style at your next party. The front sides of the charms feature brightly colored designs sealed with a durable resin, while the back sides still display the Scrabble Tile letters. Shhhh....don't tell, but when your not hosting a party these charms are pretty and durable enough to slip on a necklace and wear as a pendant!!!

Dusk Earrings

I've been wanting some pink earrings, but not "girly-girly" pink. So, I choose faceted Rose Quartz, dusky pink fresh water pearl and combined the gemstone with lots of oxidized sterling silver. I just love the contrast of the blackened silver with the softness of the pink colors.

Dusk Earrings

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Mother's Day 2010

Happy Mother's Day all! Here is a bit of the crafty goodness that I received today, a lovely lavender origami flower.....

And hubby added some dasies to my native flower gardens.

It was a great day shared with family. I hope you had a wonderful day as well!

Wordless Wednesday

Friday Finds

It is never too early to start teaching kids to love and appreciate the earth. Show your respect for Mother Earth with this super cute kids organic t-shirt for your little recycler made by MamaMade on Etsy.com.