Source: marthastewart.com via Jeanne on Pinterest
Source: marthastewart.com via Jeanne on Pinterest
Source: marthastewart.com via Jeanne on Pinterest
Source: donnadowney.typepad.com via Jeanne on Pinterest
Source: marthastewart.com via Jeanne on Pinterest
Source: ana-rosa.tumblr.com via Jeanne on Pinterest
So much fun to have my Rustic Eggs featured in yet another Etsy Treasury by A & B Originals shown here. The set of 5 eggs are available for purchase in my Etsy Shop here.
And here's a sneak-peek at a little something I've been working on this week. Can't reveal it in it's entirety yet because I don't want to ruin the surprise for the recipient. 
"Rain, rain, go away ~ Come again some other day." If it's not snow, it's rain. I can't tell you how gloomy it looks outside. I guess I should look on the bright side and be happy that it's warm enough (41-degrees) to be rain and not sleet or snow. I wish it were warmer though and more importantly, sunny. It's interesting how much sunshine can effect my mood. It can be freezing cold outside, but if the sun is out it makes everything seem SO much better. My Norwegian grandmother used to sing "You Are My Sunshine" to me when I was little and it always put a smile on my face. Maybe there's some sort of connection.
I can't believe I was able to get these pics! So excited to actually see the tiny blue robin eggs in mama's nest! We've never had a bird nest located in a place low enough to actually get a photo of the inside of it. This one is still situated just out of eye-view (even if you stand on tippy-toes) but not out of the eye of the camera held at arms length above my head. I took a chance that I was aiming in the right direction and after a few failed attempts, I finally got it right!
I always wait until mama leaves the nest to take a break (or look for food) before I take any pictures because I hate to disturb her motherly duties of egg hatching.
Vivian hosted a fun little swap called Easter Egg Hunt Swap where we each made two eggs and sent them out anonymously. So today, we are all posting pics of the eggs we made and the eggs we received and everyone goes blog-hopping to find out who made all the eggs.
The eggs are paper mache and I covered them with paint, rick-rack trim, text from a vintage book, flocked paper, seam binding, and lots and lots of glitter.
Inside, the eggs were filled with ultra fine easter grass and a tiny fluffy chick wearing a vintage paper crown.
I hope whoever received my eggs liked them!
In return, I received this happy little acrylic egg filled with a vintage Easter bunny image accompanied by a couple of sweet little tags from Mystery Artist #1:
And Mystery Artist #2 sent this adorable half-egg, covered in sheet music and beaded hanger, filled with Miss Chickie all decked out in her Easter finery. Looks like she's on her way to the Easter Parade!
And included in the box was this darling little collage and glittery bunny....don't you love them both?
So now I'm off to "hunt" for eggs. All the links will be posted on Viv's blog so you can join in on the fun too! Happy Hunting!
Here's my easy-peasy Easter favors for this year. Everything was bought at Hobby Lobby....with the exception of the little chick and "Happy Spring" ribbon, which I got at Michael's.
You will find all the supplies in the Easter decor aisle. If it's not there in your store, then look in the cake and candy making aisle. The chocolate egss were made using an egg shapped candy mold and dark chocolate candy melts. I did make some of mine with a peanut butter filling - totally not necessary, unless you love peanut butter cups like I do. (And if you do, they have a peanut butter cup shaped mold as well!) Melt the chocolate in the microwave, pour it into the molds and refrigerate just until set and ta-da. . .chocolate candy eggs! You could put Mr. Easter Bunny right out of business it's so easy! After they are cooled, wrap each egg in a candy foil, place in a paper candy paper and set three eggs into a 1/4 lb candy box filled with Easter Grass.
Cut a scalloped oval out of pretty paper and attach to the top of the box. Tie with Easter ribbon and add a cute little Easter chick on top and you are ready to fill up those Easter baskets!
Here is my Week 11 addition to my 52Q tag journal ~ What are you grateful for right now? I tried out Tim Holtz's Distress Crackle Paint in Tattered Rose for the base color. I don't usually have very goof luck with crackle paints, but this one-step, one-coat type worked very well.
I won this sweet little handpainted and soldered charm from Laurie over at Laurie's Charming Designs. The reverse side features the word NEST on it. Isn't it darling? And don't you love how she added the watercolored nest on the front of her envelope. I love little touches to detail like that. Thank you SO much Laurie!!!
I just finished making seven of these keychains for the bridesmaids (and the bride) who are standing up to my daughter's wedding. Along with the necklace and earrings I am making for them to wear to the wedding, she is giving them these keychains and a Vera Bradley bag in this pattern.
Here I am again with the rest of my potting shed pics. Check out the previous post for more photos if you missed them yesterday. "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett has always been my favorite book. My 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Kissel read it to the class on Friday afternoons. I just loved sitting there at my desk imagining what everything looked like in that fictional world. I attribute my love of reading to those Friday afternoon readings. A friend who knows how much I adore that book gave me this little plaque to hang in my potting shed/garden house.
Another thing I like to collect is bird houses. These sit on a shelf above one of the windows.
And my watering cans are displayed above the other window.
My daughter and I lugged this piece home from a shopping trip one day. It was a display piece from a favorite shop that was going out of business. The shop was appropriately called, "The Potting Shed." (Coincidence or karma?)
The shelves get rearranged periodically as I acquire new items or just want a little change. This shelf above has some of my frog themed goodies, including some vintage glass flower frogs.
My daughter made the square pottery box when she was in elementary school and I decoupaged the white box that my frog prince sits on.
Garden cloches and urns are two of my favorite things to collect. Cloches are fun to cover little treasures with to make them seem more special, like a bird nest or fragile quail egg. Sometimes I make a little vignette on a vintage plate and cover the whole thing with a glass cloche like I did here. At Christmas time I do the same thing with a grouping of tiny pine trees and a dusting of salt to look like snow.
More cloches, nests, urns and some terracotta pots which nature has aged to perfection. The large pots began as new clay pots which I painted with antique white acrylic paint. I learned later that I should have sprayed some sealer on the pots before painting them, so as a result the paint started chipping and peeling off half way through the summer. However I ended up liking the chippy paint better and put them in the potting shed before they "aged" any further. 
What potting shed would be complete without a tool caddy full of gardening tools? Of course these vintage tools have long since been retired and don't see much pruning and cultivating these days.
Of course there's a candlelier hanging for a little touch of romance. It's fun to sneak back to the potting shed after dark to listen to music and sip a glass of wine. It looks so warm and inviting from the house when it is all lit up at night. It's like having a mini vacation in my own back yard.
Another pillow from the collection. This one says, "Welcome Spring" on it and is handpainted by another artist from the shop. I hope you enjoyed the tour of my little piece of backyard paradise. Thanks so much for visiting. 
