Garden Bounty in Iowa

Blessed are my gardening friends who share their bounty!  I guess I can cross zucchini and cukes off of my Farmer's Market shopping list!  Thank you my green thumbed friends! Time to get busy cooking!!

Master Bath Details

I just love the way my master bath turned out! Very vintage cottage I think.  This little vignette cost me pennies!  All garage sale and estate finds.  Pink roses just kind of evolved in this room.  I think the only thing bought new in this pic (although, I'm sure it was on sale, *giggle*)  is the  toothbrush holder turned hat pin display! I love to

"re purpose" things don't ya' know....



click on any pic for a close up!

To the right is another corner full of inexpensive finds.

I was tickled pink when I found the mirrored shelf at

 West Kimberly market!  I think I payed $10 bucks for it! 

*The peonies on top were from a dumpster dive I took at the mall (they were from Bath & Body Works and not a thing wrong with them).

 *I stitched the little chicken scratch pillow in High School sewing class.

 *The little Bailey's Irish Cream his and her cups are so charming aren't they?

*When I worked as fragrance manager at a department store a few years ago I started collecting the little mini fragrances, which were gratis at the time..cha-ching!

 *Add a few colored bottles, heart

shaped rocks  and millinery flowers to the mix and...Voila!

There are no windows in this room so I just had to add a faux one! The cross stitch was done by my children's

grandmother when she was pregnant with their father (very nostalgic and special).  I collect little purses, vintage and new, whatever catches my eye!  I just love the picture of the children playing ring around the rosy!  Yet another 25 cent garage sale find!

Tinted Wildflowers!

Hello friends! 

 Well, my tinted wildflowers didn't turn out quite the way I remembered them the first time I did them!  Here's some pics of my second attempt!  You'll notice the red is not pictured...it was kind of a flop....

TIPS TO ENSURE GREAT RESULTS:

*Use fresh flowers, not wilted

*Any white flower will work

TO AID ABSORPTION:

*Trim stems pretty short

(tint doesn't have to travel far)

*Slant cut stems under warm water

*1/2 cup warm water to 20-30 drops food color

mystery painting

Today I picked up this unframed painting on canvas!  I got it at one of my favorite places, Habitat for Humanity Restore.  It cost me a whopping $1!!!  I just painted the master bedroom and I love the way the painting blends!  I always ponder who the artist is and if they would be happy with my display of their work after I pick up such things... Anyway, I think my pooch, Felix likes it!

Iowa wildflower/weed update

Food coloring added? Check! Red? Check!
                                                        Blue? Check!
                                                                  Orange? Check!
Displayed in pretty little milk glass? Check!

Changing color yet? Nope. Not yet!

I did it! I created my blog! Yippee! I've been wanting to do this for so long!

These lovely little lacy ditch weeds are all over the place this time of year in Iowa.  I don't know what they are called, but I just love them!  When my children were little, we would pick these lil' lovelies on our walks.  Then we would place them in different glasses with a little food coloring added to the water.  It was magical to watch them suck up the color through their stems and change color over the next few days!  Now my children are grown and busy with their own lives, but when these wildflowers/ weeds appear It brings back sweet summer memories!  I will post pictures in the days to come to show you their magical transformation!