Vintage Glass Garden Ornaments

These glass garden ornaments are so simple & fun to make!  If you look closely, they consist of a vase (upside-down), then other various glass dishes strategically stacked on top, such as; little ice-cream glasses, candle sticks, small plates, & saucers.

I collect the glass from thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales, & sometimes find newer pieces that will work.  I clean all of the glass, let it completely dry, & begin my design...

Starting with the top piece (which is almost always a decorative candle holder) placed upside down on a sturdy, flat surface, carefully place the next piece with clear silicone, then the next...& the next, ending with the vase (which at this point is right-side-up until it dries.)   

I let the silicone set for 24 hours before it's ready for the garden!

For the base-pole, I go to the hardware store & buy small copper piping.  Sometimes they will cut it for you right in the store, otherwise, a small pipe cutter does the job.  Make sure your pole is deep enough into the soil for strength!

Here are a few examples of the colored-glass ornaments I've made:

A milk-glass ornament:

& one with a silver bowl:

This is such an inexpensive & unique way to add character to your gardens & landscaping.

Try to have fun with this, it's simple creativity!

Scratched Wood: A Simple Solution

This little stick is a miracle for scratches in wood flooring or wood furniture!  We have newly re-finished wood floors in our house ...along with a big dumb dog & a steady stream of die-cast tractor traffic {thanks to Jack}.  I don't know what I would do without the Tibet Almond Stick.  It's saturated in an oil that easily blends the scratch right into the rest of the finish.  I've used it on our natural wood floors & our dark stained "farmhouse" end tables... works every time!  

Meet Jack & Preston

Jackson James.

Jack & our bird-dog, Preston.

They are best friends.

& they're so naughty together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boots & Bows

Here's a little project for all of you barn-goin' mud-lovers {& for your little pony-lovin' puddle-jumpers.}

   

I've been obsessing over the bow-tied wellies that have become so popular {but they can be pretty $$$ & hard to find...}  When I tried to place my order for Christmas, the quantities were so limited, I wasn't crazy about the colors & couldn't seem to find a toddler size.  So here's a simple way to make them yourself, customize your colors, & save a little money! This can be done with Uggs & other winter boots too. 

You'll need: 

A pair of boots

A little ribbon

An Extra Large Eyelet Kit from your local craft store (found in the sewing hardware section)

Scissors (& maybe a leather punch to puncture the boots) 

& a hammer

The simple steps:

Follow the steps on the eyelet kit (using your scissors to create holes & a hammer to compress the eyelets)

Choose your ribbon, thread it through the carefully placed eyelets, & tie a bow.

{The bows can be placed on the back of the boots as pictured, on the front, or on the sides; be creative, there are so many possibilities!}

Dolled-Up Show Ribbons

I recently embellished the horse-show ribbons that have been displayed throughout June's equestrian themed room.  I used more ribbon to tie in more color & rhinestones for that cowgirl-sparkle. 

I just wanted to share these examples, more to come soon, along with more photos of June's room :)

Homemade Show-Ribbons

 

A farm/cowboy/county fair/equestrian theme flows throughout every room in our house.  I use my old horse show ribbons as a way to tie some of the rooms together.  June's room is equestrian/cowgirl themed, however, her colors clash with the typical primary-colored show ribbons.  I made these ribbons to keep her colors & the equestrian theme blended together in a pretty, cowgirl-chic harmony.

I used:
1 spool of wide turquoise/aqua ribbon {not wired}
1 spool of wide salmon ribbon {not wired}
2 thin cardboard circles {a smaller size & a larger size}
& a hot glue gun.

I gathered & glued the ribbon in a circle {using the outline of a smaller circle as a guide}.  Then glued the smaller of the two ribbon-ruffled circles on top or the larger.  Then used strips of the ribbon as tails, glued to the back of the cardboard.  I placed & set my center decorative piece with hot glue.

The center piece of the ribbon can either be a brooch, a concho, or a circle-cut piece of cardboard {maybe embellished with rhinestones or pretty paper}. 


{As an extra, I tied the aqua tulle with a small decorative ribbon to create a bow, then hot-glued it on to the ribbon}

 

Machine Shed Shelving

Ryan just finished building this beautiful shelving for Jackson's room.  I have been desperately searching for a farm-esque way to display Jack's ever-growing collection of die-cast tractors.  I drew up this idea, put in my "order" with Ryan & the results were beyond what I imagined.  I am so amazed by Ryan's woodworking talent.  All of the materials he used were salvaged from old buildings {reclaimed hemlock & galvanized steel}.  I will post Jack's room soon.  I still have a little more work to do!  So here's a preview...         

Please forgive the clutter, I still have some organization to do here...