• Blog

    Gifts and treasure

    August 23, 2012 - By 
    We had a nice family get away around Lake Superior.
    First we went to relatives house in Wisconsin. They just moved into a new house. We wanted to bring them a housewarming gift.  I decided on some coasters…bigger house…more guests…more need for coasters right?!?
    In addition, they are also big Green Bay Packers fans.
    Since Mr. G makes these great dice trays for games, we thought it would be fun to customize one a for a couple of our favorite Cheeseheads.
    I think it turned out great!
    After a wonderful day and night in Wisconsin, we traveled back into Minnesota to stay in Canal Park, Duluth.
    Little J and I could hardly wait to start sifting through the rocks in search of sea glass like we found last year.
    The sea glass from last year is in the little bottle. We definitely did much better this year. The whole family got involved at one point. It’s so addicting…like treasure hunting. In my eyes it is treasure!!!
    Some of the bigger pieces…which are still smaller than a bottle cap…I’m going to attempt some jewelry.

  • Around home - Blog - Kitchen - Outdoors

    Sewing, gardening and painting

    August 17, 2012 - By 
    Not necessarily in that order.
    Or maybe I should have called this my
    late summer catch-up post.
    Regardless of title…
    I found a few fun garage sale deals this summer. Mostly storage items that had seen better days…such as a set of two copper canisters.
    Only one pictured.
    Not sure why,  other than laziness on my part.
    I soaked all the black paint off using my favorite product Sol-u-mel and a scrubby pad.
    After carefully taping the rims of the copper tin where the lid fits down over, I gave them new life.
    The color is “celery”. Not my first choice but what can a girl do when free is the price.
    Thank you County Reuse Center.
    The black I had on hand…although now I am out. Good colors like that don’t generally end up at the recycle center.
    Aside from painting the tins and a little bit of the lawn…oops…over-spray,
    I’ve been sewing a lot!!
    We’ve had a hot summer here in MN. Ways to stay cool are in high demand.
    If you may recall back at the 4th of July, I made a bunch of neck cooling wraps for the days festivities.
    I carry a zipper bag of them with me all the time now because you wouldn’t believe how often it has come up in conversation.
    People asking if I know where to get them.  Well yes, in fact, I do!  *grin*
    In addition, I’ve been gardening.
    My green beans have been a disappointment this year, especially if compared to last years bumper crop.
    My tomatoes are really starting to ripen and are oh so yummy.
    Labor Day is quickly approaching…the kids head off to school the next day.
    It’s bittersweet for me.
    I like the extra freedom I am allowed but I honestly miss them not being around.
    I won’t miss the bickering or tattling. Geesh, when will that end?!?!
    The homework, the early mornings and activities add a different layer that always takes a bit of adjustment as well. I’ve started my list of  “projects” to tackle once my time is mostly my own again.
    Until then…I’ll be around haphazardly….
    sometimes posting…sometimes silent.
    No worries…I haven’t gotten lost.
    Just soaking up the remainder of summer with the family.

  • Blog

    Bottle cap wind chime

    July 14, 2012 - By 

    I’ve been working on this project for longer than I care to admit. I found that I couldn’t work on it in the morning because I was too shaky from numerous cups of coffee to bead and bend jumprings. By afternoon, I just wasn’t interested in working on it.

    As you can see I put my own spin on it. I used an old CD for the top of the wind chime. I also included beads with the bottle caps for interest. I’m so happy to have actually used a bunch of the caps I’ve collected over the years as well as all the ones friends save for me.

    Now I just need to find the perfect spot for it. Mr. G and I were talking this morning about making a tiki bar on the deck or the patio. I think it would fit in quite nicely!

    Here’s the original “pin” that
    inspired my above creation:

    Source: flickr.com via Halle on Pinterest