Summertime....and the livin' ain't easy....

 It's not like I'm complaining.  But this has been a super hot couple of weeks.  Working in the garden, which I normally love, has been really difficult because of the heat.  So I have been spending some of my time indoors ghost writing blogs and neglecting my own.  

We have had more company than usual this year.  My sister and her husband have been here twice.  I wish they could come more often, but they have been cooped up long enough and want to go other places than Missouri.  My grandson made a surprise visit.  I miss him so much!  This isn't from this visit but it is recent and I had to show you just how handsome he is.

We went to Illinois for a wedding a couple of weeks ago.  We had a great time visiting family...and acting silly in the photo booth.

This time of year in Missouri is a busy season for gardening.  This morning I spent a couple of hours working on pulling weeds.  I did manage to harvest some beans, pepper, and potatoes.....yum..potatoes and green beans for dinner tonight.  

My Etsy shop has been going crazy the last couple of weeks.  I got four orders for lighted swags

and another order for Annie and her bestie Westie.

If you want to order either of these items, check out the links.  I usually quote a two week lead time and you can customize either with colors or personalize the puppies tag with name or date.

Our goats are scheduled to be picked up on July 13.  I am so excited!  If you want to check out our preparations, check out my blog:  https://livingonthecheep.blogspot.com.  

Time to get back at it, my peeps!  Stay cool and happy!

Good bye January!

It seems incredible to me that January 2018 is nearly history.  But you know what they say.....time flies when you are having fun.....so I must really be having a blast!  I have had a really busy January, working on another pattern, new Etsy listings, and making Spring items for my show in March. 

One of the items that always sells, no matter the season, are lighted garland.

I did this one in pastels for spring, but I sell a ton of these for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and  Christmas.  Even had a special order for Valentines Day.  They are great on your mantel, swagged over a window, placed on a buffet or table, and the list goes on.  Wanna know how to make it?  Another easy, peasy lemon squeezy craft.  Just click here for the easy tutorial.  Yeah, its for a Halloween one, but it will work for any season. 

In my thrifting last week, I found a couple of great vintage items that will be listed in my Etsy shop later today.  I will be adding some more doll supplies in this Etsy shop.  Don't forget to check out my patterns too!

Well, I am off to work on those listings!  Have a great week ahead!

Tutorial Tuesday

This is a really short tutorial today on how to make this beautiful rustic garland.

Very simply, you need to purchase the lights (strand of 20 at Dollar Tree is $1) and weave in to a strand of garland.  They have garland at the dollar store, but this is some that I had on hand after purchasing after Christmas last year.  I think I paid around a dollar for it, but it was too large, so I cut it in half.  Next, I added these cute little bells that I purchased at Dollar Tree, 12/$1.  So it took two packs.  They come in silver and gold tone, but I wanted to make it rustic so I painted with a brown primer.  When dry, I used a needle nosed pliers and punched a hole in the back big enough to fit over the mini lights.

Just be careful not to make the hole too large, or it will fall off the lightbulb.  (If that happens, just add a little glue to hold it on)

Just slide over the bulb and there you have it.  This could also be done on a wreath, or you could rag tie a garland on a strand of lights (more on this later) or you could leave in the original finish.  Maybe add glitter to the bells before putting on the lights.  The possibilities are endless!  This would look great on a mantle, sideboard or down the center of your table.  Have fun with this!