Sequins & Sofas: Backyard Bonanza!

This weekend was a big one for my little backyard. I had a large (dying and ugly) pinetree in the corner that needed to go. Luckily, I have some pretty amazing friends that are skilled in the ways of tree chopping.

They came over on Saturday morning with ropes, climbing gear, chainsaws and servant hearts and got to work:

The process went quite smoothly with the exception of pulling the neighbor's phone line off their house with a rogue branch that has plans of its own! Oops....they were so understanding and kind about the little mishap but I made some 'I'm sorry' brownies and my pal E got them a little 'I'm sorry' gift card to Chipotle. A day later, they were back in business with phone service. My tree guys were amazing...they worked quickly and then hauled it all away to the compost site!

Old tree...no tree:

So what are your plans for your ever improving back yard? Glad you asked....my kind friend Mr. E will be constructing a new privacy fence between my yard and the alley so I will be safe and secure and I plan to use that full sun spot to grow a plethora of raspberries! I also am going to buy some LARGE metal letters that spell 'Peace' and lean then up against the newly constructed fence. Oh, and my old tree stump will be decorated with a lovely peace sign to complete the peaceful theme. Here's a little visual:

After that is done, I'll be adding some hostas and maybe a little herb garden...we'll see. Here's the plan:

Although I am the worst at making things grow (either in a pot or from the ground), I'm gonna give it my all to make the backyard my own little oasis of lovely! Stay tuned:)

Crafty Corner: Little Jewelry Dishes

So, this season's contribution to The Red Door I saw in a magazine awhile back. It looked simple enough and I wanted to give it a try. The magazine inspiration:

My finished work:

It was a fun little project that I could complete in an afternoon with just a few supplies:

I purchased Fimo clay in a variety of colors, a set of tiny stamps with a bunch of patterns and a few oven safe bowls for baking. I had a rolling pin, craft mat, parchment paper and cookie cutter already on hand and was ready to go.

First step was to roll out the clay. I placed one package of Fimo between 2 pieces of parchment and rolled it out. This took a little muscle and patience...I kept rolling until it was around 1/4 inch thick:

When I was happy with the thickness, I cut out a circle with my cookie cutter and placed the excess clay in a baggie for later use (Sidenote: I had a bunch of scraps left over so ended up mixing a few colors together to make some marbled dishes...I think those were my favorite):

Next, stamps. I tried to make an even amount of well placed stamp marks around the whole circle:

After pre-heating the oven to the temp directed on the Fimo wrapper, I prepared my baking vessels with a light coating of vegetable oil and carefully pressed the newly stamped clay circles into the dishes. The dishes I purchased were kind of nice because they had a cute wavy edge which the pliable clay molded right into (any oven safe bowl or dish works fine as your mold- it just depends on the shape you want for your new creation):

I ended up baking them for twice as long as recommended on the wrapper as suggested by some clay blogger type people online. It was hard to know if the clay was 'done' and they all said that longer was always better and would not hurt the clay. Also, there was a slight odor while baking- not too strong but those helpful 'Clay Blogger' people said that it was not dangerous. Open a window if it's bothersome. It took a little finesse to carefully remove them from the ceramic dishes but I did so half way thru the bake (and just placed the Fimo bowls onto a cookie sheet) to assure that they were evenly 'cooked'. After cooling off, they were pretty sturdy.

I really liked the finished product:

But, after looking at them for a few days I decided they needed a little more pizazz. Enter Mr. Gold Leaf Pen:

Much better! Fimo was quite easy to work with and this was a super fun weekend project. I'm glad I tried it and I hope you do too:)

The Red Door- This Weekend!

Like I mentioned last week, the Red Door Spring Sale is quickly approaching!

The details for you one more time (can you tell I really want you to check it out if you are in town??):

Where: 3121 16th Ave S, Minneapolis
When: April 17-19, 10am-6pm
Why: You can support local amazing artisans and find items such as these....

Wowza! So great, right? See you there!

The Red Door: Spring Sale!

It's that time of year again.....The Red Door Sale. Local folks making an amazing variety of hand crafted wares!

Clear your calendar so you make sure not to miss it....April 17-19, Open from 10am to 6pm all 3 days!

Where: 3121 16th Ave S, Minneapolis

Here's a sneak peek at what you will find:

More sneak peeks to come....See you at the Red Door!

He is Risen!

This week is Holy Week...it tells the story of the last week of Jesus life here on Earth.

His triumphant entry into Jerusalem knowing full well what He was marching towards, a final meal in the upper room with his most beloved friends and followers, His crucifixion and ultimate victory over death and sin through His resurrection on the third day. Boom!

The day of celebration is almost here...Easter Sunday! The day where He shows the world that the battle is won through His sacrifice, that sin has no power over His people....we are free because HE IS RISEN INDEED!

This week, I reflect on such a gift as this. I am thankful for His sacrifice to take my sin and make me whole in the eyes of my Father.....He no longer sees my icky, self serving, thoughtless, careless, untrusting, can't believe I did that again heart. He sees his Son and He calls me beautiful.

Also, my niece is the cutest little bunny ever!