How cute are these?
I found shaggy acorn caps at the dog park and filled my pockets with them. As soon as I got home (I was excited!) I filled them with a pinch of moss and a tiny egg.
They are scattered around my booth for spring, but I especially like them with the mushroom display.
They add a woodsy touch.
| | |
|
Our chickie babies are adorable. Their set up?
Not so much.
The cuties live in our breezeway, that is basically a covered walkway. The walls are left with a gap at the floor for run off when it rains. But also for old air to whoosh in when temps drop. With a forecast of blizzard strength winds and cold coming through, I had to protect those babies. While they are tiny, they need to be kept at 90 degrees and drafts can kill them.
So the gaps got pool noodles from Dollar Tree stuffed into them.
Which helped a lot, but the back door had no weather stripping and we were expecting 50-60 mph winds.
That sounds a bit drafty, huh?
So I gathered up my precious plastic bags (our town passed a law not allowing them in stores. But I find them so useful for many things, that I’ve hoarded a few). In bigger gaps, I used some bubble wrap, but in most spots the bags were ideal. I stuffed them into the leaky areas all around the door with a butter knife.
Not pretty.
But the peeps are!
Well under their red heat lamps, they might look more demonic than pretty in photos.
For now, they are sweet, tiny fluffs of cheeps, and I just love them to pieces. They will eat from my hand and run up and down my arm, feeling weightless and tickley.
Fingers crossed that they stay healthy and happy. We’ve had good luck raising babies, just to become fond of them and face heartbreak when they get slaughtered by creatures wanting a snack.
The worst part is that the wild animals massacre as many as possible. I understand they need to eat, but why not pick off one to fill their bellies? Why kill every bird in the yard at once and leave the carcasses behind?
This year, I bought way more birdies than we needed, hoping for safety in numbers. The plan wasn’t to get so many, but when I was choosing those lil fluffs, I went a tad bonkers, wanting two of each kind along with the planned dozen we had come to get. Let’s hope we can raise them to be as sweet and friendly as our last girls and that we can do a better job of keeping them safe.
| | |
|
Here is one of my boy’s creations from our beading nights.
We headed to the gem show with a plan this time. First stop, our favorite pendant lady. We picked out set stones then filled our bags with beads to match from the other vendors.
This one is some sort of agate that looks like a window into another world. It has a polished, clear dome that you can see down into. I wish I could’ve gotten a better photo, and that I could’ve bought more of them.
This mother of pearl pendant has a similar look, but in a completely different way. The agate was naturally clear, the MOP has been layered with a faceted quartz over it to create the window effect.
I put this “doublet” on a double strand of tiny garnets and finished it with silver findings the jump rings are hearts! This is for my Sissy, garnets are her birthstone. And there was a store we would visit in Florida on our sister trips with Bobbie that specialized in these layered stones.
While my son was doing beadwork based on the Fibanocci theory (his stones were placed in a very planned sequence!) I decided that mine would be simple strings of one color to hold the pendants that I’d bought.
These are for the Spring Good Juju sale. Along with tons of lovely blues that I’ll be selling for ladies to wear with their Royals shirts when they cheer on the local team.
A lot of my time was also spent in re-organizing my beads. There is a slight chance, well honestly, a very BIG chance that I got carried away with my purchases… I had to make room for my new preciouses.
While I typically buy only genuine stones or take apart vintage necklaces for my creations, this time I picked up a lot of new crystals. I’ve had sun catchers on my mind and wanted to give them a try. Since the gem show is only in town twice a year, I went all out and bought a pile, hoping my idea plays out.
We had hoped to make them while Adam and Quelyn were here, but simply ran out of time. I’ve never made these before, but when I get my curiosity tickled, I go all in. I doubt this haul of shiny beads will go to waste.
But I do wish the kids were here to make them with me.
| | |
|
My boy came to see us! He brought his dear mermaid pal with him for a visit, then they scooped up the grandfairy to go to North Carolina for spring break.
The couple swung by Good Juju on Saturday to see me at work, then tried Cafe Gratitude for lunch. It was so tasty, they made another trip later that day for dessert, then took me there on Sunday after the KC gem show.
Yep, that’s right- I had a perfect weekend! Good Juju, my boy, AND a gem show!
Add to that, some glorious springtime weather, and some time down by the Kaw River, and I just don’t see how things could be any better.
Oh, but did I mention that they cooked for me? And we got to eat the meal outside on the fire breathing dragon mosaic table?
To top it off, we stayed up late every night and played with the beads we got at the gem show. (This is my KC Royals collection for Juju)
Our time together ended way too soon, but I loved every moment of it.
| | |
|
Last week, we celebrated the birthday of a dear friend.
I find myself lucky to be a part of a circle of like minded women who enjoy each other’s creativity, interests, love of the history of beautiful antiques, and poetry. It’s an uplifting group that leaves me feeling positive and refreshed after an afternoon together.
We gather for birthdays, meeting for lunch, then going to the home of a friend for Chantilly cake and champagne after. Our pal, Angie, searches out the perfect poem or essay in a very vintage book to read before we toast the celebrant.
And boy, did she ever find the right one for the birthday girl this time. Cira’s daughter has moved to Europe and recently had a romantic wedding in an Irish castle.
Sometimes we bring little tokens to each other along with the small gifts to the birthday gal. Melissa often treats us with something from the Hopeless Romantic shop, which is always special. I brought paper roses individually planted into tiny, terra cotta pots.
And did I mention they are a fun group to laugh with? See the thermometers as candles? Ha, Cira is a doctor, and that was a silly little joke that made us all chuckle.
Yep, a fun day.
| | |
|
