Swap with Jane from Minifanaticus

Hello friends!  I am sorry I have been absent for so long again- I have been hit with a very very bad cold/flu type thing and it just won't seem to let me go.  I'm really hoping that I am on the downhill slide of things now.  Before I got sick I agreed to do a swap with Jane at http://minifanaticus.blogspot.com  I just opened up her package last night and I have to say that she really spoiled me!  Jane sent so many fabulous things- every time I thought I had a favorite the next thing was just as amazing.  I have to share with you what she sent--most of this I am going to use in my future build of a 1960's themed dollhouse.  I think the little cake might find it's way in to my bakery dollhouse :)

First is a little prep board--look at the veggies!  They are perfect!!  I am so in love with this piece, especially because I had a prep board on my list of things to purchase for this house (I am awful at making polymer clay food myself).  This is definitely one of my favorites and I love it so much!

 Jane made me some burnt orange cookware to go in my 60's kitchen.  I love the way they look with the yellow appliances-perfect!

 Beautiful and very realistic fruit and veggie bowl.  I wish I would have taken a better picture of the veggie bowl- it is a wonderful avacado green color with the braided orange rim and just gorgeous.  Looks like it came right from the pages of a 1960's home decorating magazine!

 Here we have some dishes, a fondue pot and some treats.  The fondue pot is also one of my very favorites.  I remember having fondue night when I was a kid.  I know this will be displayed somewhere special when this house gets built.

 Close up of the dishes- don't you just love the daisies on the orange plates?  Love the wooden bowls too!

 Jane made this wonderful buffet type cupboard (I should have looked up the correct word) and all of the vases on the top of it!!  This furniture is going to fit in perfectly!!!

 A cookie jar and low dish for the 60's house!!  Don't they look great on top of the refrigerator?

 Here I used one of the wooden looking bowls Jane made and put a little nutcracker I already purchased for this house in it- LOVE it!

 Another one of my favorites...deviled eggs and a plate of cheese and crackers.  I wish I had taken a better picture of the snack plate- the crackers are perfect!  Little dimples and all!!   Don't you remember deviled eggs for every party back in the 60's and 70's?

 Here is a little bag of beads that Jane sent me that I think I may make into a curtain for the teenager's room or maybe some bottles for a vanity- not sure yet but the colors are perfect.  Jane also sent me a sweet little pink vanity set for the bathroom of this house and somehow I forgot that last picture.  I cannot believe how much she sent and I am so grateful- it was like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one!!  Thank you so much Jane!!!!

Before I end this post I am going to put up a few pictures of my garden.  There is not much going on but I like to post these so I can go back at the end of the season and have an idea of how things changed and what happened for the year.  Here we are in the middle of May and not much has happened yet- we sure had a strange spring this year.

Chives on May 14, 2013

 Starting the cleanup from last fall.

 The bottom half of the garden- lots of clean up to do here still also.

 The only thing blooming in my yard right now- the daffodils we planted above the septic tank.

 New swing by the firepit.

Hope to start to catch up with all of you again soon now- have a great week!!!

plugging along while waiting for the garden

I have been plugging along...jumping from project to project while waiting for warm weather.  The biggest project we've been working on is our staircase.  I didn't take any pictures-but our house is very old and the steps had actual rounded out grooves from years of people walking up and down them.  My husband and I fixed the bottom half of the staircase a couple years ago and I finally convinced him to take some time to finish the top half.  What a difference.  I have been slipping and falling down the stairs when I had my arms full of things for so long- and now I have level steps that I don't fall down!!  Hooray!! 
I have also been slowly working on Houseworks kits for the kitchen of the 1960's themed dollhouse.  I have just been purchasing the basic pieces for right now until we build the house.  This was my very first time working with enamel paint and it was a big learning experience for me.  I think I really like how they are turning out- I haven't decided if I will need to tone down the gold color yet or not.  I will eventually have orange countertops.

I finished the mermaid rug for the bathroom in the Candy House.  It's hard to take pictures of this room because it's so small. 

I found a small christmas ornament in my mini stash while I was cleaning so it got a new coat of paint and I glued a string and bead to it for a pull toy in the playroom of the Candy House.

I've been looking for a crocheted afghan for the Candy House for awhile and finally found one that matched the room perfectly.  It is incredibly fine and beautiful in person.  This is the link to the etsy shop I purchased it from- a very sweet and talented lady.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/MehitablesMiniatures

Then.....I was sidetracked.  My Mom sent me a package of items she thought I might like that she was getting rid of.  In the package was an old photo album.  It was not in the best of shape-the spine was crumbling and it had cracks in the cover.  I fixed the cover, ripped out the spine and rebound the old pages in between watercolor pages to make myself a new journal.  I am in love with it- it has re-sparked my interest in journaling...something I have been struggling with for awhile.  I am going to do the entire journal in the brown, cream, yellow, silver, gold and teal color scheme you can see I have started with.  It is such a joy to be working in a journal again and having fun with it instead of struggling.  The pages with the people in the middle are the original pages from the album where you would put a picture.

Before I go I thought I would show you a card I made for a wonderful couple that is celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.  I really hope they like it!  Hope the sun is shining where you live today!!!

Oh....and this is what my desk looks like in the craft room now- a major clean up is on tonight's agenda :)

Still working on my patience

Remember last week when I showed you my garden?  Here are three pictures from this morning-April 19!  At least Miko thinks it is great fun :)  Hope you all are having warm sunny days today!!

April Garden

I thought I might post some pictures of my garden as it looks right now.  There are a few little early green leaves trying to survive down underneath all that brown- mostly pansies and sedum.  Sedum is a tough little plant :)