Spring, Luxurious Spring

The past couple of weeks have been super busy. The school year is winding down, the track meets are nearly done, we just had the spring concerts, a wedding is coming up (FAST) and gardening is in the future. While all of this was happening, I found myself first dealing with seasonal allergies and then I developed a nasty cold, which I'm at the tail end of. I will be happy when it finally goes away. However, I don't let it bother me too much, as the weather has been fantastic. It is so nice to be able to have the windows open, to have fresh air and to not have the furnace on. Outside my window, I see green grass, leaves on the trees, lilacs blooming, peonies waiting to open and dandelions...everywhere!

A week ago, I was given a surprise wedding shower. It wasn't expected, but I did know that it was in the works. Although, it was a surprise, it was a nice surprise. My cousin organized it and she did a wonderful job. When I came home, after a nature walk with the dogs and the Mister, I found my aunts, sisters, cousins, mum, future relatives and my bestie all in my kitchen and dining room. The house was decorated with lots and lots of flowers. It was a wonderful time.

Little bouquets, held in jelly jars, were placed throughout the downstairs of my home.

They lasted for well over a week! It made me think of "Anne Shirley" who loved to overwhelm her home with wildflowers.

Outside, the flowers are everywhere. From tiny blue flowers....

To fragrant apple blossoms.

When I visit the lake, the loons are keeping a safe distance, but a close enough to observe.

Look at how much my plants have grown! I can't wait to start my veggie patch, if only the two local groundhogs would keep a respectful distance.....

So, that is what I've been up to, lately. Once things calm down I will resume my reading and I'll be sharing what I've read and my thoughts on the books, once I've read them. Well, once things have calmed down and the Orphan Black season finale airs. This season has been insane, I think it's the craziest season yet! Yes, once all of that happens, I can go back to being a summer book worm...the new season of Pretty Little Liars will begin soon, but that is just one show. I can work with that! :) I will keep you posted. Until then~ Toodahloo!

Spring Cleaning and Crafting Pt. 1

Now that spring is here, I'm finally seeing buds on the trees, I have been spending my rainy days crafting and working on home improvement projects. The race is slow, but steady and with the unpredictable weather, it's a cat and mouse game.  Some days, I get outdoor work done and other days, I get indoor work done. I am, admittedly, ambitious. I tend to write up long lists of tasks and projects to complete. I am learning, though, to not try to get these entire lists done in one day.I really want to beautify the already gorgeous yard, start a veggie garden, decorate the inside of the house, craft, prepare for next winter, plan a wedding, and do all the everyday stuff, like baking and cleaning, too. Again, I'm learning to NOT try to get it all done in one day, I've been finding a tremendous amount of inspiration on Pinterest....

I began this project, last year, and completed it this month. I know that it was inspired from a Pinterest pin, which may have been art inspired by Pottery Barn; it was so long ago, I can't remember. Here, I took a large scrap sheet on panelling board and glued an assortment of paint sample chips onto the board.

After taking a break for a year, I finished gluing the sample cards onto the board. Then, I made a monogram template. I used an old cereal box and free-handed the letter. Then, I cut out the shape and taped it to the board.

After that, I carefully painted the letter "B" with black acrylic craft paint, making certain to not get under the template.

The end result was a fun piece of wall art that cheers up an empty space on my dining room wall. 

This is an entirely different sort of craft project. Here, I made small fire starters. In the winter, we burn wood to heat the home. On damp days, I often have a difficult time getting the fire to catch. So, I decided to make these, ahead of time, and save myself some frustration this winter. I squirrelled away some toilet tissue rolls and dryer lint. In know that sounds a bit like an episode of Hoarders. However, I figured that since I'd throw this out anyway, why not make some use for it. So, I collected my dryer lint and kept it in a bag. Once I had enough cardboard rolls, I cut them into smaller bits.

I lined the cardboard rounds onto a cookie sheet and stuffed them with the dryer lint. After which, I melted some paraffin wax, that my mother hand on hand, and I poured the wax onto the dryer lint. I know this seems very odd, especially since it will be months before I'll even use these. However, I know that once summer comes around, I'll be busy gardening and I won't have time for this. I'm trying to prepare for winter ahead of time; this way, I'll be set once the cold weather returns. For now, I have these stored away in a box. Once winter arrives, it will be one less thing for me to worry about. 

I will be continuing to prepare for the colder seasons, periodically, between now and the fall months and I'll post about those projects as I work on them. For now I'm focusing more on spring time projects and preparing for the summer months. I have more crafts that I have been working on, but it would have made this post far too long; which is why I'm posting a part two to this. Between now and the next post, I'll be crafting, baking and diy-ing even more.and I'll have much to share with you all. Keep an eye out on my instagram and tumblr page for posts. Until next time~ Toodahloo!