Here's Something I'd Like to Try: Plastic Bottle Flowers

What an amazing twist on recycling!  These beautiful flowers are made from plastic bottles.  If you look closely, you can start to see the bottoms of all of the bottles stacked up.  Different sized bottles are used, and then cut into different petal designs. I imagine some heat is applied to get the petals to curl a bit.  The underside of the petals are painted in layers, so that the facing side is all glossy and stunning.

I looked around, and found  these beautiful flowers on Etsy:  They are made in the same way, only the plastic water bottles are left clear, and some swarovski crystal is added to the center of this broach.  They are just incredible.  You can find this and other amazing water bottle creations in Zebra 1684's shop.

A Lego Lover's Cake

My little guy(s) LOVE their Lego. I remember when I was growing up, my brothers would scratch through the big cardboard box of Lego pieces just as my boys do today.  My oldest son just found a Lego motor in the "big box" at my Moms, it uses 3 C-cell batteries, and turns a small gear, we estimated that it is 30 years old!  Does that make it Vintage Lego? 

We decided on a Lego theme for my recent 6 year old this year...mainly because all he wanted for his birthday was LEGO!

 So, a cake is born:  We used 2 sheet cakes, 9 X 12, and layered them, for the Lego brick.  Then, we used 6 cupcakes and turned them upside down for the Lego "buttons".  

We added a  real set of Lego people that lounged around the top of the cake.  My brother meticulously wrote "Lego" with icing on each of the "buttons" in the correct font. 

 My little guy just loved everything about it, including the fact that he got to keep the Lego guys from the cake.

The Perfect Gift for Kids of Most Ages

We have been away recently, and with the whirl of end of school, and spending some time away with family, this blog has taken a back seat.  I assure you that all of this travel has done nothing but inspire me.  My arsenal is full of ideas. 

Let's start with something that my kids (ages 6-11) had fun with the entire trip:  These Klutz facepaints. 

These paints are by far the nicest paints I have ever come across.  They glide on smoothly, they mix beautifully, and they are completely washable.  The boys enjoyed these as much as the girls.  They wanted rockets blasting up their arms, snakes slithering around their ankles. 

The girls loved the butterflies, and the "cats".  The book literally shows step by step how to create each of these designs. It's incredibly easy, and the results made the kids giggle with delight!   

The only thing I'd add to the set is a bit of glitter.  If you sprinkle it on while the paint is still wet, It would make the butterflies sparkle.

A Tree and A Story

My sweet and kind neighbors took up a donation for my Dad shortly after his death.  They gathered funds in order to give me money to plant a tree in his memory.

I immediately thought of a cherry tree, because as a boy, Dad told me that he planted a cherry tree in the orchard.  The picture here shows him picking cherries from his tree. I talked to my brother about it, and he seemed hesitant.  A cherry is a good idea, but they require some maintenance and usually the birds get the cherries, not us.  I asked if he had a suggestion.  Then he launched into a story about how he was on a job with Dad once and Dad just pulled the truck over to the side of the road and said: "Come on, I want to show you something" (in typical Dad fashion).  They lumbered out of the truck and across the road, and down a driveway to someone's back yard.  Dave said that he remembers a lady standing at her kitchen door throwing daggers from her eyes at these two strangers walking through her yard.  She eventually recognized Dad, who had done a digging job for her neighbor.  Dad wanted to show Dave the tree in her back yard.  It was a giant, tall and straight, and the most perfect tree my brother had ever seen.  Dad obviously thought a lot of it too.  The lady said it was a Redwood Tree.  Growing right here, in western Pa.

So, we sought a Redwood tree for Dad.  I didn't have any idea where to even buy something that I didn't even know grew in this area.  We went to a tree farm, very near where I live, and asked the very knowledgeable guy who works there.  He said: "Sure, that's a Dawn Redwood, take my golf cart and head over to section 16C, there are some in pots around 17D as well.  We zipped off in the cart looking for a Redwod. Here is the tree we found for Dad.

I did some research on this tree and apparently there are only 3 surviving species of Redwood, this is the smallest.  It will still grow to 200 feet, and may grow as much as 2 feet per year.  It will live a very long time.  People thought that this tree was extinct until 1941, when a stand of these trees was found on a remote hillside in China.  There is a nursery in North Carolina that specializes just in preserving this tree.   

The top photo shows my brother, Dave, and my 4 kids at the helm of my Dad's backhoe planting this glorious tree.  The tree was planted at the crest of the hill at the farm, and it shelters my Dad's favorite dog's grave.

I felt like so many things came together to make this the perfect tree for my Dad.  He must have helped us put all of these pieces together.

Wouldn't You Stop?

So if you were driving along and you happened across a dozen or so 10 foot tall wild boars made from cement, wouldn't you stop?  You know I would!  The owner had all sorts of interesting things made from cement.  Little garden ornaments, as well as religious stautues, stepping stones, planters and benches of all kinds. I was even more interested given my recent experience with my own cement sand casting.  (Don't get your heart set on these wild boars though, they are already SOLD, just sitting here, being "Aged" to get just the right patina for the owner.

This creative cement expert does a lot of custom work, which includes sinks, and countertops.  He makes planters to line city streets, and he makes them look bronze.  He is also an expert faux finisher.  Just look at this bench...it looks like petrified wood!

I was glad that the boars stopped me in my tracks!

Could You Stop Over and Cut My Jeans?

You know you have a friend when the answer is yes, without any further questioning. 

I bought the above jeans at the Industrial Park (See link for full story).  They were long.  I knew all I'd have to do was cut them off at the bottom, and replicate the frayed look. 

So, my friend Juniper stopped over and I stood on a chair and she carefully cut the bottom of my jeans off, inch by half an inch until they were just right.  Just in case you are wondering, no guy will ever understand any of this.  (Why did you buy them if they were too long?, Those jeans have holes in them, you seriously bought those?, What are you doing?, Why do you need a friend?, Can't you just cut them off yourself? Why do you need my sander?)

After you've had your friend cut them just so, take some sandpaper and rough up the ragged seam so that it matches the rest of your jeans!

What is it With Bread Ties?

I find these on my counter all of the time.  I can't seem to throw them away.  I'm really not sure why.  I think it's a distant childhood memory.  Something like this: "Don't throw that away, honey, we can ALWAYS use those."  I'm not sure what to use them for.  I have a junk drawer with far too many of them.

I have used them to tie plants to trellises.  That's the only thing I can think of.  Sometimes I think they'd be good to tie cords, like cell phone chargers, into bundles, but rubber bands work way better. 

Do you have the same problem?  What do you re-use the bread ties for?  Was this just my family that couldn't throw them away?

Painting Your Cement Bird Bath Leaf

I have gotten such a great response to my bird bath leaves.  I thought I'd go ahead and paint one.  This is an optional step, but painting your leaf can make it look more realistic, and it will more readily match your garden decor.

Start with some acrylic paint.  You'll just need a dab (about half of the amount of toothpaste that you'd use).  Then add about 1/4 cup of water to the paint and stir.  If the wash is too dark, just add more water, too light, add more paint.  You get the idea.

I painted mine layer upon layer of a lime green and then some yellow on top.  Layering is the key to great results.  You can't mess this up, so keep adding color.

Once you're reached the desired color, let the paint dry, and then brush on some cement sealer to hold the color.  The sealer will make your leaf a bit shiny, so it looks like it's been freshly rained upon.

Cement Birdbath Tutorial : Made with Skunk Cabbage

When I told my Mom and my Mother In Law that their Mother's Day gifts were made out of cement and skunk cabbage, they both had the same quizzical look.

A friend of mine had shared the "recipe" for making these beautiful bird baths, and the kids and I made them for the grandmothers.  

 

The technique is called "sandcasting". Here's what you'll need:

Sand, trash bags, a mixing container, cement (the non-rocky kind, preferably quick-dry), rubber gloves,a large leaf, such as skunk cabbage,  paint and sealer are optional.

First, lay out your plastic bag as a work surface.  You'll want to do this in a flat area, preferably outside. Keep in mind that you'll need to leave it there for a bit while the cement cures, so don't make it on the same table where you expect to eat dinner in an hour.

Mound the sand in a general leaf shape, with a higher mound near the largest part of the leaf.  Make it a shallowish and natural shape. Your goal here is to provide a surface to support the cement while it is drying. 

Next, layer another trash bag over the cement. (Make sure there are no seams).  Then lay your large leaf over the sand form upside down. Now, mix the cement with your hands, using the rubber gloves.  I got the "just add water" quick dry cement. You'll want the cement to be the consistency of cake batter.  Start smoothing a thin layer of cement over the leaf, then, layer the cement on until the whole leaf is covered by at least 1/2 an inch of cement. Take the cement right up to the edges of the leaf.  If you'd like, use something flat, like the bottom a bucket, to make a flat spot on the top of the cement (this will later serve as a flat spot for resting your birdbath). 

When the cement is dry, flip your creation, peel the leaf out of the cement.  You'll be left with this beautiful, natural leaf shape that will hold just enough water for a bird to splash around in.

If you'd like, you can paint your leaf with acrylic paints, and seal it with cement protectant.

I'm participating in:

Here's What I Don't Want

I completely escaped the whole 'breakfast in bed for Mom on Mother's Day' experience today.  Due to crazy sport schedules, and late nights that led to sleepovers, I only have one snuggly bug 5 year old this morning.  He's happy to have cheerios and watch cartoons, and let me snuggle with him.  Ahhh, this is bliss.

I'm so glad that I don't have to endure the whole giant, crummy, bad coffee and eternal waiting breakfast in bed this year.  I'm just not a good enough actress to pull that off.  I tried last year, and the kids thought I didn't like the blueberry pancakes (which, I didn't, I have NEVER liked blueberry pancakes), but that wasn't the reason for my acting job.  I just don't like pretending to enjoy a giant breakfast that is making my bed crummy and sticky.  I'm a coffee for breakfast kind of girl.  And then breakfast, maybe at 10 am, and that would be some oatmeal or a simple bowl of cereal. 

I hope you are having a wonderful mother's day, whatever you are doing today!

You Are Going to Need Some Skunk Cabbage and Some Cement

Yes, You heard me right.  If you happen to be at Home Depot, be sure to pick up some cement, and meet me back here soon!  You are going to love this project! I promise!

Historic Photos of Washington, D.C. and Niagra Falls

Since my Dad's death, I have been going through some very old photographs that have been at the farm  forever.  My Great Grandfather was a pretty accomplished hobbyist photographer.  He held many jobs in his lifetime but, one of his favorites was a job with the Santa Fe Railroad.  Dad thought he was a ticket agent.  One of the incredible perks of a job like that was that he got to travel anywhere on the Santa Fe for free. 

These photographs were taken on original glass slides in the late 1800's, or early 1900's.   

I'm pretty sure the above(and below) were taken in Washington, D.C. I can't imagine how the above photograph was taken. Do you see the Washington Memorial in the background? How was it taken from this height? 

 

   

Does anyone know what this monument is?

I think maybe this is the train station.

Can you see these ladies in their long skirts, and the men in their suits and hats?  I think this was taken at Niagra Falls.

There is nothing written on the backs of any of them.  It's a reminder to me to write even faintly the date, and who is in the photo, and where it was taken.