The Visitor

I promised in a previous post that I would share photos with you of a sweet little visitor we had when we were camping a few weekends ago. Well, I guess if I want to be perfectly honest, I should say that we were her visitors!

None-the-less, she was darling and a very protective mamma of her nest - which hung gently over the relaxing lake water. What a lovely spot for a home!

Making Coasters

Last week I made a couple sets of coaster for a friend at work. She wanted something bright and bold - and I thought this great retro-styled paper would do the trick!

Here's a quick look at the process.

Start with blank tiles found at the home-fixin' store (these came from Menards).

Gather some of your favorite decorative papers.

Decopage the papers onto the tiles. Let dry. Use a sharp razor to trim the paper around the edges.

Add word rub-ons or stickers if you wish. (I made a total of 8 coasters - 4 had words - 4 didn't.)

Add self-adhesive pads to back of coasters (one in each corner) so they won't scratch your table surfaces.

Spray with several coats of clear protective spray. Let dry thoroughly between each coat.

When spraying multiple coats, don't accidently grab the WRONG black can and begin spraying the tiles. IF you do, quickly cuss - then run to your cabinet and find some paint thinner. Pray your entire way back to you project that the paint thinner will work. Thank God that you already have a coat of poly on the coaster, so when it sprays black spray from the wrong can, it DOES come off with the paint thinner. (Trust me on this one. Yup. I really did it.) Breathe a huge sigh of relief.

(See how similar the cans look? Only, one sprays clear liquid and one sprays black liquid!)

And, after a short panic, two sets of coasters are created!

Practicing Gratitude

I'm trying really, really hard to practice this today. Today I'm in a place where I'm not struggling with gratitude about "what I have" - it's more about "what I am". And for me, that's a much more difficult place to be. I'm going to take a long, hot bath bubble-bath tonight and try to help put my mind at ease. Bubble...bubble...

The Power of a Brand

I work in Marketing. I know and understand the importance and power of a good brand. Somehow, however, I'm not very good at it with The Lavendar Tree.

I do try to keep some things consistent - the font, the general color pallet - but I've yet to find something to use as a header or the blog background for this blog that I really love and want to use...forever.

So in the meantime, you'll see me keep making little changes here and there. Partly because (like I've just said) I haven't found the "perfect" thing yet - and partly because it's just fun to keep changing now and then. Keeps me on my toes.

Smiles from the Garden

Nothing says "smile" like a beautiful flower.

A Few Words on Gratitude

grat·i·tude  [grat-i-tood, -tyood]
noun
The quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful: He expressed his gratitude to everyone on the staff.
 
Earlier today I was email-talking to a good friend [yes, you know who you are :-)] about trying to be more grateful and positive on a daily basis. Let's face it - life can be difficult - and some days, it's so easy to let the difficulties drag you down.
 
For example, here's one of my current issues:  Do I have a roof over my head? You bet. Does my roof leak right now? Yup - it sure does. Crap. Am I going to let that "sink" me [pun intended!]? Nope!
 
Even through the difficulties of something like not being able to afford to have my house re-roofed, I want to be able to keep myself in the you-can't-drown-me-even-when-I'm-down place [ha - another pun intended! - I'm on a roll!]. I want to be able to live a more upbeat, positive, happy life - so I'm going to work hard on practicing gratitude on a daily basis.
 
I found this posting about living a life of gratitude. It was very inspiring for me today. Check it out if you think you want to join my little gratitude journey. Gratitude

In the meantime, I wish you...

Image taken from http://www.abundance-and-happiness.com/gratitude.html - another great resource for practicing gratitude!

When Life is a Beach

A couple weekends ago, I went camping with family.

I'm not silly enough to think that it's the same as in person - but come along and take a little visual weekend away with me...

Grilling in the outdoors. Yum.

Our special beach area. (We claimed it as our "own".)

Me. Doing what I do best. Relaxing.

Beautiful water. By "our" beach.

Ice cream selections at a local ice cream shop.

Inside the fun ice cream shop. They served great sandwiches too!

A step back in time. Nice. We liked visiting there.

Stay tuned. In a couple days, I'll show you our special weekend guest.

Love You Dad

Today is Father's Day. You'd think I'd post a photo of my beautiful father. I thought about it - but then decided instead to post a little snapshot to give a glimpse of how I feel about him - today and always.

I love you dad. Thank you for everything you did for me, our family, and everyone who's life you touched by being wonderful you.

Another Celebration

Today would have been my mom and dad's anniversary. God bless them - they would have been married 55 years. This photo was taken just days before my mom passed. They were my rock. I miss them every day.

Duo Celebrations

Today would have been my lovely grandmother's birthday. But this year, instead of posting a photo of her (she HATED having her photo taken!) - I'm going to post a photo of our American flag. Grandma was always so proud that her birthday was on Flag Day!

It's also my sister and brother-in-law's anniversary. They have been happily married for 26 years! I'm so proud of them - and so lucky to have them in my life!

It Doesn't Hurt a Cat [Curiosity]

I recently asked a person in a leadership position a question - because I didn't understand and because I was curious. (Ok, and partially because I was frustrated and wanted to make a point as well.)

The response I received back made me feel more frustrated and even regret that I asked the question in the first place. Shortly after, I saw this quote.  I didn't regret it any longer.

If too many obstacles are placed in the way of risk and exploration, the motivation to engage in creative behavior is easily extinguished.

Art Medley

I finished my box for the 2012 Art Medley that I am participating in.

It's pretty plain and simplistic - but I guess that's the look I was going for.

Here's a peek.

Simple Beauty

Not many words are needed to go with this photo. It is the simple beauty of a geranium bud.

Survey Says!

I was sad to hear about the passing of Richard Dawson - well known for his hosting the TV game show, Family Feud.

Here's a funny clip of an episode where he couldn't stop laughing. Go ahead and just try not to laugh.

It's a Good Day

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79508671/its-a-good-day-art-print-8x10

Working the Leather

I made a slew of recycled leather flower pins for my recent sale. It's kind of fun how each one is similar - but also so different. Take a peek...

There. That's enough. I won't make you look at any more.  :-)