St Patrick’s Day and Leprechauns

I couldn’t let March 17th go by without a nod to St. Patrick. He was a saint who lived around the year 385 in Scotland. He was captured by the Irish and enslaved for 6 years when he escaped and went back home. He had a dream that the Irish people were calling him to return and minister among them so he became a priest and a bishop and returned to Ireland and ministered there until his death around 461. He built many churches and was a humble man. He died March 17th and that is how St. Patrick’s Day came to be.
Oh, one more thing…he used a shamrock to describe the Trinity –Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Now for the fun stuff. A Leprechaun is an Irish fairy who enjoys pulling pranks and hides his gold at the end of the rainbow.

My granddaughter always makes leprechaun traps and she made one yesterday and almost caught a leprechaun but in the process the trap was destroyed. I told her better luck next year!
If you want a true experience with catching leprechauns, this girl has gone to the extreme in creating a page that tells all about it. It also shows several leprechaun traps from school kids.  She has lots of leprechaun trivia, too.  Check it out.
How to Trap a Leprechaun
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!! Love ya!

Also partying at these super parties. So many wonderful things to see...

Monday Craftomaniac *  Skip to my Lou * Mad in Crafts * Keeping It Simple * Sumo's Sweet Stuff * C.R.A.F.T. * Making The World Cuter * Alderberry Hill * So Very Creative * Singing Three Little Birds *Ask Anna * Get Outta My Head Please * Three Mango Seeds * Lisa's Craft Blog * Polly Want a Crafter * DIY Home Sweet Home * Sew Can Do *  Cooking with Karyn * An Original Belle * Destination: Craft * Toastie Studio * I should be mopping the floor * Everything Under the Moon

Tuesday - Tip Junkie * Sugarbee Crafts * Funky Polkadot Giraffe * My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia * Crafty Confessions * Home Stories A to Z * Homework * Not Just a Housewife * Project Queen *A Diamond in the Stuff * Cherished Bliss * Blackberry Vine * Uncommon * The Southern Product Queen

Wednesday - Someday Crafts *Sew Much Ado * Tea Rose Home *A Little Tipsy * The Thrifty Home * Fireflies and Jellybeans * My Girlish Whims * Gingersnap Crafts *  Raegun Wear * The CSI Project* The Stuff of Success * Lil' Luna * The Sasse Life * Fine Craft Guild * Embracing Change * Go Team Duncan

Thursday - Somewhat Simple * The Shabbycreek Cottage * The 36th Avenue * Thrifty 101 * A Creative Princess * House of Hepworths * The Artsy Girl Connection * Katie's Nesting Spot * Between U and Me * A Glimpse Inside * Christina's Adventures * Made in a Day * Adventures in Dinner * 52 Mantels

Friday - Thirty Handmade Days * Romantic Home *Tatertots and Jello* Simply Designing * Creation Corner * Blissful and Domestic * Young and Crafty * Delicate Construction * Happy Hour Projects * Sassy Sites * A Blonde's DIY Life * Whipperberry * Little Inspiration * Serenity Now * Here Comes The Sun * Tidy Mom * Raising Oranges * Happy Go Lucky * The Grant Life * Toys in the Dryer * Fingerprints on the Fridge * Bacon Time * At the Picket Fence * Miss Mustard Seed
Saturday - Positively Splendid.com * Be Different Act Normal * Family Ever After *Lovely Crafty Home * Lollyjane * Funky Junk Interiors * Too Much Time On My Hands * Six Sisters Stuff * Country Momma Cooks * Nutmeg Place
Sunday - The Girl Creative *The DIY Showoff * Nifty Thrifty Things *Petite Hermine * I Heart Naptime * Flamingo Toes * Cherished Treasures *My 1929 Charmer * Embellishing Life Everyday * Sunday Social * Sassafras Salvation

Pretty Floral and Bird Door Decorations and Garden Show Stuff

Remember this heart twig wreath from last year? It’s hanging up on the door to the dining room. I still love it.

This tall basket of flowers is on the door to Mr. Succulent’s home office.

Here it is bigger. I bought that at the flower show last year. I still love it also. Sometimes I get sick of stuff, but I still really like this.
Oh, speaking of flower shows. I forgot to show some of the stuff I bought at the flower show, like this cast iron frog.

And I really like this little cast iron cricket.

I bought this little cast iron birdbath for myself. I couldn’t leave it. So I justified it as a Mother’s Day gift.

Birdbath with a bluebird…
Looking back, I didn’t buy any floral things at the garden show this year. It’s cast iron stuff that took my fancy.

I worked on some pretty handmade Easter cards today, the big 7 inch cards like the Valentine cards I did at Valentine’s Day.  So hopefully tomorrow I’ll finish those up and post a tutorial on that in a few days. Best wishes, all. What wonderful weather we’ve been having in Connecticut. Oh, my goodness!

Also partying at these super parties. So many wonderful things to see...

Monday Craftomaniac *  Skip to my Lou * Mad in Crafts * Keeping It Simple * Sumo's Sweet Stuff * C.R.A.F.T. * Making The World Cuter * Alderberry Hill * So Very Creative * Singing Three Little Birds *Ask Anna * Get Outta My Head Please * Three Mango Seeds * Lisa's Craft Blog * Polly Want a Crafter * DIY Home Sweet Home * Sew Can Do *  Cooking with Karyn * An Original Belle * Destination: Craft * Toastie Studio * I should be mopping the floor * Everything Under the Moon

Tuesday - Tip Junkie * Sugarbee Crafts * Funky Polkadot Giraffe * My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia * Crafty Confessions * Home Stories A to Z * Homework * Not Just a Housewife * Project Queen *A Diamond in the Stuff * Cherished Bliss * Blackberry Vine * Uncommon * The Southern Product Queen

Wednesday - Someday Crafts *Sew Much Ado * Tea Rose Home *A Little Tipsy * The Thrifty Home * Fireflies and Jellybeans * My Girlish Whims * Gingersnap Crafts *  Raegun Wear * The CSI Project* The Stuff of Success * Lil' Luna * The Sasse Life * Fine Craft Guild * Embracing Change * Go Team Duncan

Thursday - Somewhat Simple * The Shabbycreek Cottage * The 36th Avenue * Thrifty 101 * A Creative Princess * House of Hepworths * The Artsy Girl Connection * Katie's Nesting Spot * Between U and Me * A Glimpse Inside * Christina's Adventures * Made in a Day * Adventures in Dinner * 52 Mantels

Friday - Thirty Handmade Days * Romantic Home *Tatertots and Jello* Simply Designing * Creation Corner * Blissful and Domestic * Young and Crafty * Delicate Construction * Happy Hour Projects * Sassy Sites * A Blonde's DIY Life * Whipperberry * Little Inspiration * Serenity Now * Here Comes The Sun * Tidy Mom * Raising Oranges * Happy Go Lucky * The Grant Life * Toys in the Dryer * Fingerprints on the Fridge * Bacon Time * At the Picket Fence * Miss Mustard Seed
Saturday - Positively Splendid.com * Be Different Act Normal * Family Ever After *Lovely Crafty Home * Lollyjane * Funky Junk Interiors * Too Much Time On My Hands * Six Sisters Stuff * Country Momma Cooks * Nutmeg Place
Sunday - The Girl Creative *The DIY Showoff * Nifty Thrifty Things *Petite Hermine * I Heart Naptime * Flamingo Toes * Cherished Treasures *My 1929 Charmer * Embellishing Life Everyday * Sunday Social * Sassafras Salvation

Green Spring Wreath with Daisies

I took my inspiration for this wreath from here, but with some differences. Their wreath was made with fun fur yarn wound round and round the foam form. While I was at Joann’s I had the yarn and then I spied this bright green “Decorative Sisal”. Love at first sight, it was.

This is the sisal stuff…

The sisal stuff comes in a big bunch so I just pulled some apart and wound it around this green circle foam wreath. Done in a flash. I dotted some hot glue on the back so that it would stay in place.

Then I just hot glued on some daisies. EEEEEEAAAASSSYYYY… Took all of 15 minutes.




I like the bright green, don’t you? It looks like spring grasses. mmmm… not too far away now… a few weeks. Yay.

Best wishes,





Also partying at these super parties. So many wonderful things to see...

Monday Craftomaniac *  Skip to my Lou * Mad in Crafts * Keeping It Simple * Sumo's Sweet Stuff * C.R.A.F.T. * Making The World Cuter * Alderberry Hill * So Very Creative * Singing Three Little Birds *Ask Anna * Get Outta My Head Please * Three Mango Seeds * Lisa's Craft Blog * Polly Want a Crafter * DIY Home Sweet Home * Sew Can Do *  Cooking with Karyn * An Original Belle * Destination: Craft * Toastie Studio * I should be mopping the floor * Everything Under the Moon

Tuesday - Tip Junkie * Sugarbee Crafts * Funky Polkadot Giraffe * My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia * Crafty Confessions * Home Stories A to Z * Homework * Not Just a Housewife * Project Queen *A Diamond in the Stuff * Cherished Bliss * Blackberry Vine * Uncommon * The Southern Product Queen

Wednesday - Someday Crafts *Sew Much Ado * Tea Rose Home *A Little Tipsy * The Thrifty Home * Fireflies and Jellybeans * My Girlish Whims * Gingersnap Crafts *  Raegun Wear * The CSI Project* The Stuff of Success * Lil' Luna * The Sasse Life * Fine Craft Guild * Embracing Change * Go Team Duncan

Thursday - Somewhat Simple * The Shabbycreek Cottage * The 36th Avenue * Thrifty 101 * A Creative Princess * House of Hepworths * The Artsy Girl Connection * Katie's Nesting Spot * Between U and Me * A Glimpse Inside * Christina's Adventures * Made in a Day * Adventures in Dinner * 52 Mantels

Friday - Thirty Handmade Days * Romantic Home *Tatertots and Jello* Simply Designing * Creation Corner * Blissful and Domestic * Young and Crafty * Delicate Construction * Happy Hour Projects * Sassy Sites * A Blonde's DIY Life * Whipperberry * Little Inspiration * Serenity Now * Here Comes The Sun * Tidy Mom * Raising Oranges * Happy Go Lucky * The Grant Life * Toys in the Dryer * Fingerprints on the Fridge * Bacon Time * At the Picket Fence * Miss Mustard Seed
Saturday - Positively Splendid.com * Be Different Act Normal * Family Ever After *Lovely Crafty Home * Lollyjane * Funky Junk Interiors * Too Much Time On My Hands * Six Sisters Stuff * Country Momma Cooks * Nutmeg Place
Sunday - The Girl Creative *The DIY Showoff * Nifty Thrifty Things *Petite Hermine * I Heart Naptime * Flamingo Toes * Cherished Treasures *My 1929 Charmer * Embellishing Life Everyday * Sunday Social * Sassafras Salvation

Where it all happens…

This is where all the pictures are taken for the blog (well, at least the pictures I put on). My sister’s pictures are taken at her house in Pennsylvania.

I was punching out some butterflies from pretty pink paper the other night and didn’t know what to do with them and since I was sitting at the table I just scattered them around the table and it looked good so I left them and thought I’d take a picture to show you all.
Here’s some pictures of a cement dog I bought at the Garden Show. I bought this little garden sculpture that I am so not putting in the garden…to be ruined.  It’s so darn cute. It’s cut out from a cement garden stone with thick wire ears and tail.


The back.

When I got it home I had the bright idea to see if I could make something else with this shape doggie since it was so basic of a shape. I was very excited about this project. I don’t know exactly what I was expecting to get, but I used scrapbook paper and cut out the bunny shape out of a cardboard poster. Well, here are the results of that effort.

Kinda looks like a bunny but it’s a dog.
I used paperclips to hold it up ..

I glued little springs to the back of the paper “noses” so they stick out some.

This is the nose on the original sculpture. See? It sticks out on a piece of metal wire. I tried to do the same thing.

I think I was expecting to have something more along the lines of the original sculpture but they turned out to be cutesy little doggies (or bunnies) instead.  Granddaughter thought they were pigs. Oh, maybe brown paper would be more along the lines of what I was thinking of. Hmm. maybe I’ll try that.

Most of the pictures get taken right here.
Best wishes, everyone. Thanks for reading. Have a great Sunday.





Partying here:

My Girlish Whims
Very Merry Vintage Style
Type A
Li'l Luna
New Nostalgia
At Home with K
Handmade Tuesdays at Ladybug Blessings
Cowgirl Up Link Party at Ivy Cottage
Hope Studios Tutorial Tuesday
Heartfelt Balance Handmade Life
A Pinch of Joy
Making Monday Marvelous
Polly Want a Crafter

Butterfly Place cards

Some time ago I bought this pad of scrapbook paper at Joann’s Fabrics.

I really love this scrapbooking cardstock. It’s small. Maybe 6 x 8 inches, but it’s so fun to work with. See the cutout? It’s so pretty. It is double sided so each side is pretty.

Here I folded the top and bottom back and formed a little place card.  Then I put some little daisy stickers on there.

Here is a side view. 


I have a lot of butterfly stickers…





This was a place card I made a few years ago…

I had fun making these. And they were fast. Of course, I’d have to put the names on probably by printing them out. Still, it was quick and easy. I like quick and easy.
Best wishes, all.






Having fun at these GREAT parties:


Flamingo Toes
Show and Tell Saturday at Be Different Act Normal
My Romantic Home
Tutus and Teaparties
Lovely Crafty Home
Bacon Time
Weekend Wander at While He Was Napping
Katherine's Corner Blog Hop
At the Picket Fence
Free Pretty Things for You
Link It Up Thursday
House of Hepworth
No Minimalist Here 
52 Mantels
Crafty Scrappy and Happy
the Crafty Blogstalker

Connecticut Flower Show

Michele (niece) and I went to the garden show in Hartford yesterday. I tried blogging from my phone but it didn’t work. (Have to have son look at it).
Anyway, some pictures from the flower show. It was wonderful to see all the flowers in bloom. We bought some really, really cute things. Will put them on tomorrow, I guess. Or next day…
Here goes: Oh, I should mention that these pictures were taken with my phone and they have a whitish look to them.

There was a wonderful woodland scene and they had stuffed squirrels, racoons, (no rats or mice, though. snicker) a deer, etc. They were almost impossible to photograph because they blended so well with the woodlands. This is the deer. I guess this was to show how they are nearly invisible.

There were lots of water pools, including a people pool in a backyard scene. That was different.

I’ve seen this before, plants in old boots.

Mich and I want to make some of these. We’ll get a birdhouse from Joann’s or Michael’s and… well, if we do it, I’ll blog on how to do it. It’s great, though, isn’t it? Little hens and chicken plants.

This was something different also, a framed bed of plants, flowers.

The back is a wooden box to hold the roots of the plants and some dirt.

Then there is what they call a living wall. There is a sturdy black planter that holds the plants and can be hung upright. It’s called Gro-Vert.  Here is the fella selling it. He wanted his picture taken so I told him it would be on my blog. See the living wall in back of him? The containers are not that big and are $45. each. That is an expensive living wall. :)

There were lots and lots of fairy houses at the show.




The people that sell butterfly feeders were there with their live butterfly display.

Sorry these pictures were so bad. Best wishes,



Partying at these wonderful places:


Brambleberry Cottage
Li'l Luna Link Party
Everything Under the Moon
Kristen's Creations
Everything Under the Moon
Under the Table and Dreaming
Keeping it Simple
Polly Want a Crafter