Good Old Things

 

What is Spring good for?

I would have to say getting out to explore the simple things around me. In this case, I've had my eye on an abandoned house close by. It sits on private property so I don't want to share the exact name or location to assure it will remain free of vandals. 

I can't help but imagine the families who lived here and wonder why this old beauty was left to decay and have birds roost in the upper levels. When something interests me, I need to learn more about it and I did find out this farm was established in the 1870's by a wealthy tobacco manufacturer. The stables here were one of the dominant racing stables in the 1920's, bringing victories in both the Kentucky Derby and three Belmont Stakes. Today, the farmland around this structure is a self-sufficient stock farm, producing its own grain and supplying other farms as well. It is owned by a wealthy family who chooses to remain private and limit visitors. 

What are your thoughts? Have you been out exploring too?

Hollyhocks!

Each year the hollyhocks multiply and multiply in the garden outside my bedroom window. I find them so lovely and beautiful in the way they open one by one. Early in the Spring, I staggered the way they're planted to space them nicely and give them enough space to delight me for years to come. Maybe I should find another color to mix within? Any suggestions?

Poppied

I nurture my poppy plant all year long. It's growing larger and larger each year and blooms more and more too. The flowers now reach my waist and though I've tried unsuccessfully to start another from this beauty, I've not had luck. I'm still happy with this one Jurassic sized specimen. 

 

I find the poppy to be stunning and showy. I hope to make some progress this weekend with the gathering of old things for a yard sale I've been procrastinating with, but I wanted to share these photos with you and wish you a lovely weekend. What are you doing for fun today? What are your wishes for the upcoming summer?

Our First Spring Show!

Reminder!
We will be at the Spring Craft Show & Bake Sale in Florence, NJ. There will be many vendors showcased and we're pleased to be one of them. The show will be held April 16th between 9am and 3pm and there will be refreshments sold, egg decorating (plastic eggs & stickers) and the Easter Bunny will be making an appearance too!

We are all ready for Spring and are proud to introduce some new items such as dolls, creatures, gift sets, purses, egg-shaped bags and much more. Hope to see you there and we'd love for you stop stop in and say hello.

The address of this event is: American Legion Post 194, Broad & 6th Streets, Florence, NJ 08518 and if further information is needed, please email Christa.

Also, we are on facebook and twitter where you can keep in touch as well as see our new items (we post special discounts there too).

Springing Ahead!

I can't help but to be excited about Spring being here. My seedlings are inches high, my gardens are in the process of being cleaned up and I even noticed my little robin coming home to check out her empty nest. I posted some photos of her beautiful blue eggs last year. Inspired by her and also by having the honor of watching her tiny fledglings take off each year, I've created a small nest with removable eggs. It's in the shop and I plan on making a few more of these for the shop in the next week, so check back. 

What inspires you most in the Spring?

Shhhh, I'm pretending it's Spring.

My Favorite Ogre

So, my little nephew Alex came to visit this morning and modeled my Ogre Hat for a few cookies. He is at the age where he doesn't stay very still, but he liked the hat and we both had fun running around, chasing a ball. When I created this hat, I was unaware Shrek The Final Chapter was coming out later this month.

This is why...

...exactly why. When I open my bedroom curtains each morning, I see this. I'm a self-taught gardener and I learn as I go. When I first moved here, there were a few gardens in the front yard, but nothing in the back. I created a perennial garden outside my bedroom window as well as a vegetable garden out there. I'm still in the process of shifting a few of the plants around, it's a constant work-in-progress.

Ogre Hat in Spring Pea

I'm not sure what your idea of fun is, but mine is making Ogre Hats! These are so adorable and I'm looking forward to sharing them with all of my friends' babies. It seems like all of our friends start having babies around the same time. Maybe it was the cold, long winter? I've added this to my shop today and should mention this will fit children of any age.

Eastered

I love the colors of Easter. The perfect blend of pastels smell of candy. I've been spending so much time outside lately. My gardens are all weeded except for the vegetable garden. I have quite a bit of work to do in there and well, I've been saving the worst for last with that job. I've been digging up some of my perennials and sharing them with family and friends. 

Monkey, geraniums, oh my!

I've been placing certain plants outside and I'm already seeing results. This geranium was adopted from my mother last Fall. As she was getting ready to throw them into her compost, I asked her for one. It's beautiful.

I'm beginning to work on some side-projects in my spare time and one of them is to continue my Monkey Socks. This is a project I started last Spring and haven't really looked at. In fact, I purchased another set of size 1 needles to accommodate for my procrastination. I was so busy that I didn't even think about this project much at all. I am comfortable with this well-written pattern, but not as pleased with my choice to make them using Knit Picks' Palette yarn. I do like the edamame color, but this yarn splits too easily. A photo of my progress is shown below and hopefully, in the end will resemble the sock above. So far, so good. 

Beautiful Day!

I found these on my morning walk today. They were so tiny, but a sure confirmation that Spring is here. A day early, but I'm noticing things popping up all over. When you look at the trees, there is actual color in their silhouettes. I love this time of year.

Today is also my birthday. I started it all off with a sweet morning walk with my 17 month-old nephew and we had some serious fun. He's at the point now where is shadow amazes him and as he gets to a curb, he stops and accesses the step ahead. The morning light provided a nice long shadow for him to run from. He twirled, ran, stomped and amazingly, that shadow couldn't not be shaken. I love watching him learn and figure these little things out.