More Etsy Wonders

Check out this great blog called Less Than Three Designs where you'll find numerous etsy artists on interview with the very sweet Allison. (And of course yours truly has been interviewed there as well). But it's a real eye opener to all the creative people out there and quite an inspiration. The blog is here: http://lessthanthreedesigns.blogspot.com/
And be sure to check out Allison's etsy shop as well for some cute funky cards! She's at Less Than Three Designs at etsy.com
Now go and have a GREAT day!

The Poor Man's Patio

This has nothing at all to do with my patio, but it is my bargain birdbath that I got for $10.00!

Must have happy birdies!

NO, this is obviously not my patio. BUT I just had to share my very HAPPY HOSTAS growing outside my porch. Exciting huh?

A kind of full view of THE PATIO.

These fabulous wicker chairs came free from our friends Gwen and Tom, who found four of them on the roadside and generously gave us two! How cool is that? AND I just spray painted them brown and they are as good as new! YAY!

Never did find a bistro table- yet...but I did find this great serving cart for $3.00 at the flea market. And a can of white spray paint has given it new life! Yes, I LOVE a bargain!

My favorite HENS & CHICKS!

So there you have it folks...my Poor Man's patio! I call it that cause, well, at the moment we are rather poor but thanks to some wonderful friends we were able to pull it together.

And now I would like to thank all my generous friends who made it possible. Thank you to Rick for your wheelbarrow, Tom and Gwen for the wicker chairs and brick chisel, Eddie for the gas tamper and ALL the wonderful FREE brick, Eric for his hand tamper, Bogie for the use of his truck to get the sand, George for your helping hands and advice, and my dear, crazy hubbie for all his hard work and patience.

Kinda feel like I won the grammy award....heee heee! OK enough silliness.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Our Comfy Bargain Adirondack Chairs

LAST CHANCE!

I will be removing a lot of pieces from my Art n Joy etsy Shop this week, so if there is anything that strikes your fancy...scoop it up now!
I am trying to make way for some new art...that will be on the way soon.
AND I just might be opening a second shop toward Summer's end. What kind of art will it contain? Well, that's a secret for now.
So take a peek at Art n Joy on etsy for the last chance at some BlueJ pieces!
AND have a wonderful, wonderful week!
Now I'm off to have a cheeseburger on the grill.

The Little Graduate

Well, the little guy has graduated from pre-school and as you can see it was a fun, rockin time for all! AND the best part, well for me anyway, was that he got the Van Gogh Award for being the best artist in his class! How cool is that? His favorite part though was the cake! We are all so proud of him! Hope everyone is having a great summer. Pictures of the patio come next!

A Shot of Red

Everyone needs a shot of red! Or at least I do. I recently cleaned up and out all my art supplies and canvases. They are still accessible, but out of sight and no longer taking over the dining room. AND, having done that, I also had to replace my Jackson Pollock paint spattered tablecloth.
Well, I usually just get a clear plastic one as my dining room table has been handpainted a lovely green and decoupaged and painted with vines and flowers by your's truly. But it seems the store was out of clear plastic ones. So I rummaged about looking for something else that would work and that was cheap. And lo and behold I found this Martha Stewart red/pink paisley pattern that normally I would think was too bold for the room. (Tho I do have touches of red and pink in this cottage style room) BUT it was marked down to $2.00!! Needless to say, it was a done deal! And apparently, it was just what I needed! It's bright and cheery and simply faboo.
So the inside of my house is getting spiffed up as we collect the rest of the materials for out patio. Yes, my little patio that has become the talk of our local friends and neighbors. Mostly they say things like, "So have ya got the patio done yet?" WE sigh, bow our heads and admit that no we haven't even started the job. (We mumble about the weather and the kids and how were still collecting our suppplies, all useless excuses around here)
They all find this quite funny, as they are very handy dyi people, mostly laborers to whom putting in a small patio is a piece of cake. Now I have done my share of dyi work in the home and have no problem getting my hands dirty. But a PATIO, well that's another story.
But my ton and a half of sand was delivered today (who would've thunk you would need that much sand? lol) and it looks like the job will get done this week.
AND those same people, our wonderful friends have all kindly offered their advice, as well as lending us their tools. (I might have to put post its on things just to remember who lent us what!) And some have offered a helping hand. (I think they are starting to take pity on us city bred folk! lol) So there you have it.
Then all I need to do, is to stain and assemble two wooden Adirondack chairs that we got cheap cheap cheap! And scout the flea market and tag sales for a bistro type table and chairs.
Unless any of you have any ideas on how to make my own out of something??
And I have a friend who is overgrowing with ferns, so I think I'll be adopting a couple of those for around my birdbath and for the patio.
Life is good. God is good and continues to bless us. I feel good and I am looking forward to a great summer! OH and the red photo above is the courtesy of my very talented daughter, whose photography you can see at the Lavender Funk link to the right. Take a peek!
And add a shot of red to your life this week, whether it be fresh cherries from the market or a gerber daisy or a bright red tablecloth! Happy Tuesday all!