Fairy Gardens

As a person who loves container gardens and gardens in general,

I have developed a deep affection

for

 Fairy Gardens.

Secret Garden

There is so much you can do with them and the possibilities are almost endless.

You can use almost any container ~ 

just get a little creative and let the magic begin.

I have three gardens:

~  The Secret Garden

~  Hilary's Garden

~  The Butterfly Garden

The secret garden I planted in a moss basket with various hens and chicks, a bird bath, arched bridge, a few rocks, a bird house...

  and of course a fairy.

 I planted one in memory of my beautiful niece Hilary,
 who passed away 8 years ago.

You are forever remembered 
and forever missed.

I used some angel plants along with a heart shaped rock
(Hilary loved hearts)

a fairy holding a bird, a pink flower

and a solar light which gives it a really nice glow at night.

Hilary's Garden

The butterfly garden contains hens and chicks 

a mini cloche with a bird bath in it, 

some fairy plants

a rustic birdhouse

a sweet frog 

a Butterfly that glows in the dark

some stones

a Heart of Hope

and of course 

a fairy.

 Butterfly Garden

I strongly recommend planting one (or more) of these...

they are so peaceful and really bring a little bit of magic to any

space.


Happy Gardening!

Sharon

Take it to Heart Earth Day

  

photo credit google images

As I get older the activist in me is becoming stronger and I feel compelled to really make a 

difference.

So in honor of Earth day I am making it a priority to do my part to support this beautiful planet

we live on and the important role the land and trees have in our lives.

Trees play an incredible role in a healthy environment by providing oxygen, 

reducing carbon dioxide, providing shade and cooling our planet.

When there is a natural disaster and trees are lost this has a major effect on the environment

and it's important to replace and restore those affected areas to a healthy state.

The Arbor Day Foundation is a great place to make a donation

 or have some trees planted either in memory or celebration of a loved one.  

I personally gave a donation to the tree recovery fund which replaces trees in areas that 

experienced a natural disaster.

If you're a do-it-yourself type then maybe do a little planting

of your own ~ either way you'll be doing good and you'll feel good knowing

you're making a valuable contribution.

If we take care of it,
it will take care of us.

Take it to heart...

let's do our part!

Sharon

"L" is for Linens

 

 

 

 

Okay, I must admit...

I'm addicted to linens!

I love going to flea markets and garage sales and I can sniff them out miles away ~ 

maybe that's a stretch, but I seem to have a knack for finding them.

I absolutely love the way they feel and especially love the hand embroidered ones... 

the time it takes to make these and the craftsmanship truly impresses me!

 

 

Being a crafter myself, I appreciate the work involved.  

The closest thing I've ever done to embroidery is probably cross stitch 

and I know how hard on the eyes it can be, let alone the fingers.

 

 

I have vintage linens throughout our home 

and I find them very versatile and a great way to personalize any room or gift. 

 

Get Creative

 

Make up a basket with some gourmet foods or personal care products 

and add a monogrammed hankie and you have a wonderful gift.

Perfect for a wedding/bridal or birthday gift!

They add instant vintage charm to everything!

 

 

Say Cheese...

cakes that is!

These mini cheesecakes are perfect for the holidays 

and I make them every year for Christmas and New Year's Day.

They are a family favorite of ours and for good reason... they are simply

delicious!

They aren't overly time consuming or difficult to make.

You will need:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

3(8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Combine crumbs, sugar and butter.  

Press equal amounts into paper lined muffin cups.

Beat cream cheese until fluffy.

Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Spoon equal amounts into cups and bake 20 minutes or until cakes spring back.

Cool, chill and garnish with whatever topping you prefer.

 

I like to use cherry topping especially at Christmas ~

 I think it adds a nice festive look.

 

 

The recipe makes two dozen so they're perfect for entertaining too.

 

I hope you will give these a try 

and I'm sure they will become a family favorite 

of yours too!

Enjoy

Sharon

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!

This is our third Christmas tree we've had over the years ~ we have downsized and it's a lot less work.  Our first tree was 10 feet tall with over 100 branches you had to put in by hand and was unlit, so it used to take us several hours just to get it up and then several hours for me to decorate

(way too much work for me now).  

Then we had an 8 1/2 foot tree for many years and now this one which is 7 feet tall.  I used to put over 200 ornaments on our tree, but now have a little over 100 ornaments on our tree ~ most of them given as gifts so they have a lot of meaning.  

I collect snowmen and I have quite a few of them on our tree and also a separate shelf with only snowmen on it ~ they make me smile.

This is one of my favorite old fashioned looking village scenes ~
 the fiber optic tree changes colors and looks sweet at night.

I bought this sweet snowman at a craft show many years ago and the sled I found in Door County and love the rustic touch ~ sledding anyone?

This year I made these miniature bottle brush containers using different glass jars that I added hand glittered bottle brush trees with white sand as the base and I sprinkled sparkly white glitter on top ~ I'm giving them as gifts and decided to make a couple for myself:)

The red reindeer my mom recently gave me and have been in our family for many years and have special meaning to me.  The Night before Christmas book I found at an estate sale and it's from the early1900's ~ very happy to find this little treasure:)

I like decorating our light with some beaded garland and some greenery and vintage ornaments.  The vintage crystals I keep up all the time which gives it a little bit of sparkle.

I absolutely love this vintage wash board and I think it works well with this miniature tree 

~ the little queen!

BE MERRY!

Merry Christmas from our home 

to 

yours.

Sharon

SUPER MOON!

    

photo credit google images

For any astrology buffs out there or for anyone who likes to gaze at the moon and stars,

 there is going to be a super moon tonight.  

The moon will appear 30% bigger and 26% brighter as it will be 30,000 miles closer to the earth.  It will be easiest to see after sunset looking east/southeast.  

This month you will also be able to see 40-50 shooting stars per hour and on August 12th there is going to be a perseid meteor shower ~ look to the northeast horizon after 10pm and the best viewing will be after 1:00 am.

So break out the blankets 

grab the camera

and enjoy the show!

Sharon

Let it Snow!

We have gotten a fresh coating of 8 or so inches of white fluffy snow 

and everything looks so 

 beautiful.  

 

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful season...

Let it snow!

Sharon