Macro Monday {Faded}

Bordered Patch {Chlosyne lacinia}, at Garner State Park, June 1, 2015

{To see a larger image, go here.}

Chipping Sparrow (at Garner State Park)

{To see a larger image, go here.}

I think this is an amazing shot considering these birds are extremely flighty.

Phone {Picture} Dump II

Camera {Picture} Dump I

It seems I was more into selfies with Abby during this period of time. I could never get a great selfie; so, I practiced taking horrid pictures.

:: Shaking My Head ::

My First Completed Tangle with Pencil. January 23, 2015

As seen at Target: A Sharpie Pen! January 29, 2015

{I adore all things Sharpie. I have highlighters and markers. I never had a pen. Snapped a picture and sent it to Dan as a hint for future gifts.}

Abby Gail and Moi. January 30, 2015

Abby Gail and Moi. February 2, 2015

Abby Gail and Moi. February 2, 2015

Abby’s Viewpoint. February 5, 2015

Gracie. February 5, 2015

Abby Gail and Moi. February 12, 2015

A DIY Drawer Organizer (I Made) Using Yardsticks. February 17, 2015

Inside a Drawer. February 17, 2015

”Leave Me Alone” {She Cries}. February 23, 2015

”You Are Nuts!” February 23, 2015

”Fine!” February 23, 2015

Jason Cameron at the San Antonio Home and Garden Show. February 28, 2015

{Hey, I was there! I love going to shows like these.}

First Bluebonnet I sighted on our Land. March 3, 2015

{Snapped and sent to Dan.}

DIY: Garage Sale Dresser

Found at a Garage Sale (Along with a Mirror) for $30.00 on June 27, 2015

{Note: We took off two handles before I remembered to take a before picture.}

Dan also helped me with the sanding. June 28, 2015

We also sanded a lot of the groves and whatnot by hand.

{There is a picture of me sanding in a "What I've Been Doing Lately" post.}

We primed and painted the drawers and dresser using leftover paint from previous projects. The gray paint actually came from my laundry room makeover.

I used steel wool to sand down and clean the handles and then sprayed painted them black using paint specifically made for metal.

The dresser now resides in our master closet. I am extremely pleased with how it turned out. It is such a happy dresser. The only thing I changed out was the knob as the original was crappy. The new one is actually a cheap wooden knob that I painted black.

Macro Monday {Chlosyne lacinia}

Bordered Patch {Chlosyne lacinia}, at Garner State Park, June 1, 2015

{To see a larger image, go here.}

Slapdash Saturday

• 25 Idioms To Teach Your Kids During the Dog Days of Summer

  Even you don’t have kids, this was an interesting read. At least, I found it interesting.

• How to Make a Mason Jar Table Lamp

• Scripture Cover Tutorial

  {Sewing; Bible or book cover}

• A Cute Free Pincushion Pattern link is provided within the post at this link
• Pillowcase Tutorial Roundup

  {Sewing; links to five different tutorials. I love the idea of a reversible pillowcase! }

• Fabulous DIY Maxi Skirts

  {Sewing; 15 links}

• Free Printable: Road Trip Postcards

  {Foil; Uses Minc machine which I do NOT have but some of you may have one.}

• 6 Things You Should Know About the Color Wheel

  {I found this to be very thorough and it refreshes the art class terms of my youth}

• 3 ways to determine the color value of fabrics

  {Discusses Value, Pure Color, Tint, Shade, Tone. Note: I often take a photograph and convert to Black and white to determine value.}

• Free Printable Calendar 11x14

  {PDF downloadable file; One of the few I have come across and really like. Can print and put in a frame behind glass and use as a "whiteboard".}

• 9 Things Sewists Do That People Who Don’t Sew Don’t Understand

  {Humor; written by someone who does not sew -- a husband}

• 15 Magical Macro Snail Photos

  {Photography}

Feline Friday {My Mischief Maker}

These were all taken with my phone on April 29, 2015. I had just gotten my new camera and was still shooting pictures with the phone in spite of pictures turning out lousy. These will give you an idea of what I deal with day in and day out with my little mischief maker.

Oh, Let me play with your new camera.

Note: I tried to distract her. At this point, she knocked off the pen onto the floor.

But, but... The strap is wonderful toy.

Note 2: At this time, I made her quit playing with the camera because I feared that she would end up damaging it somehow...

Fine then, I'll chew on this lovely binder instead.

Note 3: At this point, I picked up the pens she knocked off onto the floor earlier and placed them back onto the sketch book to distract her from the binder.

Ohhh, what lovely toys...

What a strange noisy and mysterious creature.

Note 5: She is so funny, curious and brave. She would make a beeline for the printer whenever it starts. Her entire body would twitch when it made a noise. Sometimes, she would attack the paper coming out. She is very similar to the below YouTube cat.

I have returned...

...to torment the camera strap.

Note 6: At this point, I tried to distract her from the camera AGAIN.

Oh, what a lovely highlighter!

I have to say that my days would be boring without this lovely energetic mischievous critter. She has blessed me and driven me crazy. I do not think I would have her in any other way.

What I've Been Doing Lately III

• Abby Gail has regained her appetite and is now a little piggy. She is slowly gaining back her weight. I have been weighing her on Sunday mornings and she is now approximately 6.7 pounds. She is keeping me busy.
• Dan’s Mom came to town to visit for a week late in July. We did the usual things and took her to see a few sights. We dragged her along window shopping for a small travel camper, did some “junkin’ (antique shopping) in New Braunfels and stopped by the oldest Texas bakery, went to the Riverwalk, had dinner, and took a ride on a tour boat and did some more junkin’ in a nearby town. We also had some lazy days. I think she enjoyed herself and I know she wants to come back soon.

• I have been going to garage sales once again. I just love picking up things I know I will use such as cheap mason jars in excellent condition (FYI: I never reuse the lids). I also like traveling around and getting to know our little town which is not as small as I thought. The population is just over 1100; but, the spread (of land) is quite large.

  I found the above mirror tiles. One of the packages only had five tiles and I asked that the price be $2.50 (instead of $3.00) and she agreed. I picked up the two packages for $5.50. Yes, I have plans for them! I have to resort to making something because I could not find anything out there (to purchase). It is going to be a challenge to create and I pray that I will not end up hurting myself in the process. I also pray that Dan will not hurt himself too as he will be helping me make a frame.


• The entryway is completed. We just need to hang up hooks. I am thinking of using some old doorknobs I hung onto for eons.
• I turned some old drawers into shelves. We finally hung the drawers along with some shelving for the cats in my studio. I think Abby will be happy that she can get up high on occasion now. I will be posting pictures soon.


{Who is that shameless hussy slaving away on the dresser?

Shot on June 28, 2015 by Dan}

• The DIY dresser is almost finished! It just needs one knob (pull) fixed.


• On July 19, we made Raspberry Peach jam! It is extremely delicious. Dan thinks the taste is similar to strawberry jam. Now, the question is: Was it worth it? You have to see this picture to understand why I am questioning my need to make jams and pickles. I think it is worth the effort in spite of the mess it made. I am seriously thinking about investing in a taller pot and/or a splatter shield. SMH (Shaking My Head}.

• I started making a folding craft table. The above picture shows the legs. Everything is stained and the pieces are ready to be put together. We had to fine tune the legs as the plans we used stunk to high heaven (was full of errors).


"The Castle" designed by Teresa Wentzler; Unfinished, Approximately 3/4 done!

• I am still working on the UFO (Unfinished Object) cross stitch project. ‘Nuff said. By the way, you can see the progress by referring back to pictures in my previous “What I’ve Been Doing Lately” posts.

Phone {Picture} Dump I

I was again shocked with the number of pictures on my phone dating from way back in December of 2014! A reminder: I often communicate with Dan via text. I would snap a picture and send it to him. Anyway, I am dumping the best ones here for posterity sake.

Enjoy!

Abby Gail, December 20, 2014

Abby Gail, December 20, 2014

{She looked like she was suckling one of her toes. I thought it was cute.}

Purple Minion Photobomb, December 25, 2014

Cribbage. December 26, 2014.

{My hand is at the bottom. Dan’s is above. And, we cut a six. It’s rare that this happens. By the way, We both had 14 point hands.}

Dick’s Classic Car Garage (museum). December 29,2014

Old Ribbon Dispenser? Seen at an antique shop in New Braunfels. December 29, 2014

Old Ribbon Dispenser? Inside. December 29, 2014

{I thought it was pretty cool and unique. The price was outrageous though. I went back not too long ago and they still had this item in the store.}

December 29, 2014

{Why? Why did I snap this picture? Was it the 63* temp outside? Time? Hershey bar? For the life of me, I cannot remember!}

Abby Gail with Moi. January 2, 2015

{These moments were becoming rare.}

My Old Childhood Jewelry. January 8, 2015

{I finally did something with the majority of my childhood jewelry that I kept – I placed them inside a shadow box and hung them up in our guest bathroom along with a few other mementos. Most of them are tiny little pins that I wore as a tiny child whenever I dressed up. The charm bracelet has my name engraved on it and is extremely fragile. I loved the heart pendant and the opaque silhouette necklace.}

Abby Gail Being Cute Again. January 8, 2015

My Doctor Who Nails. January 12,2015

Discovered Note by Mother with Wooden Flowers. January 14, 2015.
{I blogged about it here.}

Abby Gail Gazing out at the World; January 15, 2015

Abby Gail with Moi. Another Awful Selfie. January 22, 2015