I listed two new shadow boxes and two decoupaged ornaments in my Etsy shop today. The shadow boxes were fun. Here’s one with a snowman. I like the turquoise and silver foil background.
I call this one “Christmas in the Country.”
Toy Store
Peace
You can see more pictures of these in my Etsy shop ChristmasNotebook.
~~Rhonda
These pictures were taken in our back yard on Sunday, April 24. The garden changes so quickly this time of year.
The Spanish Bluebells were here when we bought this house in 1994.
Virginia Bluebells and Hosta ‘Janet’
Spring Beauties are one of my favorite spring flowers. The flowers open up on sunny days, and close during cloudy weather and at night.
Columbine. These flowers are good at reseeding themselves. And they transplant easily, too, so can be moved if they come up in an inconvenient place.
Back yard
This clematis climbs on the hydrangea bush.
The flowers on the hickory tree.
The back yard is home to our largest tree. This big oak is either a Southern Red Oak or a Pagoda (Cherrybark) Oak. We’ve had two separate opinions.
Solomon’s Seal in the little woods. This clump sat in place for five or six years and suddenly has decided to start spreading. We’ll be able to move a few bits to other parts of the woods soon.
Friends of ours kindly allow us to host a bee hive in our yard. All the lovely flowers make the bees very happy.
I do love this time of year. ~~Rhonda
Today I had a better day than yesterday. Thankfully! I did finish the other little Putz house. Middle Daughter suggested adding pink to the yellow and I think it turned out very well.
I also made a new Christmas card shadow box. It features Mary and Baby Jesus. I was able to add some purple embellishments, which I don’t get to use with most Christmas cards.
Both these items are listed in my Etsy shop – ChristmasNotebook.
~~Rhonda
Dear Readers,
This has been a frustrating day. A month of so ago, I started three little, very simple, Putz houses.
I’ve worked on them on and off since then. Put the houses together. Painted and glittered them. Made bases. Made fences.
I put them together.
Then they sat until this past weekend, when I decided to embellish them so I could list them in my shop on Etsy. Yesterday, I finished embellishing two of the houses, took pictures, dumped the pictures to my computer, then realized (as I was editing the pictures) that I had forgotten to put window panes in the houses.
Thought they were done…oops.
After trying to put window panes in through the little tiny hole in the back of the house, I had to take the white roof completely off this house to put in the vellum for the panes. When it was time to fix the roof, I decided to make it blue. By comparing the two pictures you can see that I also decided there was too much foliage so I removed some of it. I think it looks better with less.
To put window panes in the second house, I had to actually accomplish it by using the little hole in the back. Took me about two hours. I do love the yellow theme going on with this house.
It’s hard to see the panes in this picture, but they are there.
The third house I was able to open just one side of the roof, put in the window panes, and then glue the roof back down. I’ve been working on embellishing it today. Hopefully it will be done tomorrow. And, hopefully, it won’t be as frustrating as today was.
~~Rhonda
I haven’t been feeling up to par the past few weeks, but have still enjoyed working at my craft desk on new shadow boxes. Here are three of them.
Winter Evening
Grandmother’s House
Sledding Party
These, and other ornaments I’ve made, as well as Putz houses, can be seen in my Etsy shop ChristmasNotebook.
~~Rhonda
I managed to get two Christmas card shadow boxes done today. I have six more in process. I listed these two on my Etsy shop, ChristmasNotebook.
The first box uses a Christmas card with a picture of skaters on it.
This is a small box. Only four inches wide, three inches tall, including the embellishment on the top.
The other Christmas card is a very pretty angel.
~~Rhonda
The weekend was warm but beautiful. Rose Red had fun using Pa’s garden wagon to haul sticks to the burn pile.
I have garden pics and twin pics to share, but haven’t had time or the energy to do anything with them yet. Hopefully tomorrow!
Here’s the menu for this week.
Monday
Carry Out
Tuesday
Tacos
Lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, etc.
Wednesday
Baked Penne with Chicken
Thursday
Cheesy Potato Sausage Soup
Friday
Balsamic Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin
Potatoes and Carrots
Green Salad
Saturday
Roast Beef in the Crock Pot for sandwiches
Homemade Buns
Sunday
Baked Rotini with Red Sauce
Garlic Bread
Garden Salad
You can find more menus and ideas at Menu Plan Monday.
~~Rhonda
Since opening my Etsy shop, ChristmasNotebook, I have enjoyed watching the views add up. I sold one of the listed Putz houses and am grateful for that! I had only one Christmas shadow box listed and it has been favorited more times than anything else in the shop. So I decided I’d better make a few more. This is the shadow box that is garnering the faves. One of my personal favorites, too.
During the past several days I have made three more shadow boxes to list.
Taking Home the Tree
Moonlit Sleigh Ride
Trimmed inside with silver beads.
Frosty and Friend
It has been fun to get back to the shadow boxes. I haven’t made any since January, if I recall correctly.
I want, again, to thank everyone who has donated cards to my crafting efforts. Thanks so much! I continue to look for more cards. Any kind at all…Christmas, all occasion, new and old, vintage, whatever you want to pass along. If you’re local, there is no need to take the backs off, but if you are mailing them, it may save some postage if the backs are removed. I’ll take them any way you want to send them!
~~Rhonda
A day late but I did get the menu done. But first a few pictures. Youngest Daughter had prom Saturday night. Here she is with Dad. He just got back from a 55 mile bike ride (bicycle not motorcycle). Doesn’t she look pretty?
It was beautifully sunny, but cold outside the past couple of days. Clark and Winston found a pool of sunshine to enjoy.
Clark (and Winston) will be one year old in May. He keeps getting fluffier and fluffier. He has the funniest little tufts of hair next to his ears.
Sunday we will celebrate Oldest Daughter’s birthday. Looking forward to having her home for the afternoon!
Monday
Chicken Tortellini Soup
Sour Dough Toast
Tuesday
Carry Out
Wednesday
Hamburgers with Smoked Cheddar
Homemade Buns
Roasted Cabbage with Maple Bacon
Thursday
Chicken Quesadillas
Avocado Sour Cream
Tortilla Chips
Friday
Homemade Pizza
Saturday
Smoked Pork Shank and Beans
Cornbread
Sunday
Crock Pot Pork Chops
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Birthday Cake and Ice Cream for Oldest Daughter
You can find more menus and ideas at Menu Plan Monday.
~~Rhonda
Middle Daughter brought me some new artificial foliage last week. I was excited to use some of the pink leaves for the background of ths little Putz house. Or is it a church?
The houses are so plain looking before the embellishments are added.
Bottle brush trees add a lot.
And foliage and beads…
You can see this and other Putz houses, as well as hand crafted Christmas ornaments, in my Etsy store. ChristmasNotebook at Etsy
I have some other little Putzes that need paint, bases, fences, etc. Back to work.
~~Rhonda