Swoonworthy...

Now this is my kinda chicken coop...
or should I say chicky condo!!!
You simply must go check out this coop over at
THE FANCY FARMGIRL!
Click on 'The Farm' and it will take you to that particular post...
SWEET!!!

Back to reality...
Well, back in the day, I used to raise chickens, lots of chickens...
and wild turkeys n Canada geese n ducks of all sorts n peacocks n guineas
n Embden, Toulouse and Pilgrim geese n pheasants...
boy, those were the days and boy do I missum!
Oh yeah...let's not forget the POOP!!!
Lots n lots of poop!!!

I want to have a chicken coop built, so I been surfing the web...
cute huh...though not quite for me...talk about meals on wheels!

Now this is sweet...wouldn't it be cute painted pink...

This one is really cute too...love all the windows!

OK...maybe if I lived in the back hills...
talk about recycling...LOL!

This is absolutely adorable, but I'm afraid the hens would
have to fight me for the space...

too too...

Now this is what I'm talkin' about!!!
This is what my shed guy and I were talkin' about...an out-house!
I only want a few hens...and this model is a two-holer
and will accommodate two nesting boxes just spiffy
and room enough for a garbage can for the feed...
hey, it's a matter of budget here...and less is more, right!
I just want a few heirloom hens...the ol'timey reliable type...
Barred Rocks...the checkered chickens...nice plump hens with ginormous
brown eggs...mmmmm...egg salad

Besides, I know what happens when you get too many hens...EGGS...
lots n lots of eggs...
and varmints,
they come out of the woodwork when you have meals on wheels!

YUP...I have a dream...
hey I live in Iowa...and I'm a farm-girl wannabe!
Me and Scratchy...and THE GIRLS!

SWEET!

Restless...

Like the dove, I'm ready to take flight into a season
soon here...
I want to say 'good morrow' to the light
and never close the door.

I am so ready for Spring...
The first thing on my agenda is to paint my bedroom white!
It's been yellow for 5 years now, though a soothing color of perpetual Spring,
I want it neutral...a place of pure, fresh harmony...
then to work on my upstairs studio(my closet)...
this is the room that harbors all of my fabrics and trimmings for the lampshades
that I rarely have time to work on...it's also the room that has become my closet.
These small, old farm homes don't have much storage, no closets, just the attic
and that is where all the clutter survives...and heartily, I must admit!
But my bedroom is in the front portion of the attic,
with a rustic old door that shelters from the noise of the 4-lane
to the rear of the house.

Yet I'm restless for the outdoors...
natural earth colors, harmony in Nature, I want to bring it all inside.
Open the windows and just breathe, with eyes closed, all that
I dreamed of in a long Winter's sleep.

I want to walk into the woodlands and surround myself with the leftovers,
the bits of Nature that shed beauty in all the shapes and textures...

I want to open the doors and let in the light,
turn off the furnace and rearrange and makeover and reuse what is there
to pull out another me that was at rest during a season of waiting...

Play on the porches of my desires, a woodland sprite, I am
always drawn to these places of sanctuary...
seeking the beauty of the natural in textures and tones,
reflections of harmony in my little world,
I flee to the other world of summer and wallow in all that beauty to behold...

and weave my world around it and create beauty
in one form or another...you must open your eyes to all that once was,
the wonder is there...
in the blink of your childlike eye!

Shadow Shot...It's coming...

Boy, us Northuners relish any bit of sun we can harvest...
you immediately notice a shadow glaring at you
the moment you walk into a room...
am I not right friends in the Nor'lunds!!!
Our snow is almost totally gone, it would seem the frost is out,
way too early, however, we won't delude ourselves...
ol' man Winter is still very much with us!

BUT...

We can still dream, as it's ever so near...SPRING!!!

And for our dear friends down under...
summer is ebbing, sorry guys, it's our turn!
But like I said, we still have lots of Winter to deal with, so...
let's enjoy summer at Harriet's place,
she's fun and so are all of her shadow buddies!
Please check her out!

Dare to be strange...

Mini-Me...

The latest addition to my 'Cracked in the Head' line on Etsy...

I know, I know...I'm sick in the head...right...
but, do you know how much fun I'm having playing with my toys?!

Isn't this just the cutest lil' concoction you've ever seen...
I had this tiny lil' head sitting there starring at me for the longest time...
then...vwalah...the light bulb went on!
Why not make a teeny version of the already sick-o's I already do!

'It' sits right on top of this teeny tea light...and...it flickers!
The light is grunged to give it a decrepit look...
I think it works...RIGHT!

Have a nice day out there in OZ...!

Puppy love...Spring make-over...

WHAT...!
Is this not the cutest lil' face...schnoodle...
a schnauzer/poodle mix,
her name is River, cause she lives on the Mighty Miss.,
but she's 4 months old and is cute as a button...

well...when she's holding still...
whatever...

Ya wanna smooch...right!

New soap scent...
Angelica...!
Just in time for Spring cleaning, will have in candles and tarts too!

Oatmeal cakes n coffee...YUMMMMM...

Delectable, Oatmeal, Milk and Honey...I love this soap
and the exfoliating qualities are really nice in the winter for dry skin!
This scent is sweet and milky, almost like baby powder
and it's going to the Candle Shed today.

And how about a cup of coffee to go with...
I'm so into recycling, that when I find cute lil' containers
I just have to fill them with sweets.
Fresh Brewed Coffee, boy does my house smell like a coffee shop!

Cream and sugar please...
I heart the old(or new) spatter-ware...does it just scream IOWA...
again filled with the delectable fragrance of fresh brewed java!

Do you supposed the Victorians actually used these delicate cups...
well I know one thing for sure, they didn't go into the dishwasher...

Nothing like the delicate floral charm in each period piece...mmmmm...coffee...

Nothing like a taffy colored sunrise to make the creative juices flow...
sigh...

Do you feel anxious...me too...

Well, we got a taste of what's a comin'...springtime...
I was anxious to get out to the shop and take stock of what is there.
It's so hard when winter steals your fun away
and forces you to stay inside...but...

as the snow is melting, our anxiety level is rising...
and we are just itching for what lies ahead!

Yes, I remember now...all that fun stuff awaits!

Vignettes lie empty, void of life, waiting for the sun to rise on a new day
in my paradise...my shop slash studio...

Little bits of energy information are starting to crowd my mind with what will be
in the Springtime...as it moves ever so close...

...mmmmm...delectable...

...and oh so near...yet...

WHAT THE HAY...
Winter's stashes crash my party...
but not to worry, we still gotta buncha winter left,
so I'm not so worried about the piles,
they're only a temporary distraction,
soon I'll be saying...
GONE WITH YE...IT'S MY TURN OL' MAN WINTER!!!

...happy...

Shadow Shot ...Shameless...

Yes, a shameless plug for my product...
as I try to coax a shadow on a dreary winter's day,
but you know, outside the window birds were singing
and not just any birds, these were birds returned...
birds of the summer come back to settle in
a season again...
the one we are waiting for,
SPRING!!!

And since I'm such a proponent of recycling,
my candle tins are recycled coffee containers, sweet huh...
and my candle jars are made by Ball, an American company!
Made in America, how novel!!!

My little room at Sisters' Garden is slowly becoming filled
with candles and soaps and Kelly Aaron Mosaics...
it's becoming quite the room to visit, as most say they are
following their noses to the scents that linger up the stairs...

fun, fun, fun...

a little sampler says it all,
as candle tarts are trying to squeeze in some sunlight
and shadows.

Mmmmm...cheesecake scented candles in wine goblets...
and mosaics.

A room with a view...
as I try to find shadow anywhere I can, well maybe not in Iowa ,
however...
you can travel down under to Harriet's joint, bet she's got some doozies!
Hope you enjoyed the tour of my space
at Sisters' Garden...in Iowa!!!
Shameless...