Rainy Day Crafts

The weather has been weathering, mixing up rain, snow, fog and general muddiness. I keep waiting for winter to break but he seems to be holding on with more snow and ice on the way in the next couple of days. In past years we were already outside and planting the garden, but it will be a late garden this year apparently. Which is not so bad, since later means less chance of frost and freeze.

We are keeping busy inside with a lot of different projects, like this little box. Made of cedar but just not looking pretty with it's tarnished hardware, it called to me for paint. So paint it I did, with an undercoat of butter yellow, then a dry-brushed aqua and dark glaze. I finished if off with a decoupaged vintage image from The Graphics Fairy; I used a match to lightly burn the edges of the graphic to give it an old look. Last step was topcoating with General Finishes High Performance Topcoat. It sounds more complicated than it really was. The whole process took less than an hour, and isn't she pretty now?

This picnic basket already had its padded vinyl gingham liner but the lid lust looked sad--unfinished wood that had a mix of stains and marks on it. So I got out my General Finished Holiday Red paint and my can of Topcoat and gave it a fresh look. I'm debating putting a decoupage graphic on top. What do you think--does it need one or not?

Third project yesterday was this little plaque. It started as one of those brass frames with a flower print inside; the glass was long gone. A coat of GF Antique White paint, some burlap and old keys, and now...

next step is to put some paper backing in this frame (and repaint the frame--I was too tired when I stopped last night and messed it up big time) and mount the little key picture in it. What do you think? It was fun to do, but I'm not sure if it will sell.

More painting! I painted this telephone table yellow first. It had been a tired and beaten up white, and I thought yellow would brighten it up. When it was done, I didn't like it, so I went even brighter with GF Patina Green. I'm lovin' it now! I considered using dark glaze and distressing it, but decided to leave it as is.

I finally finished the black end table too. At one point I was ready to throw it off the porch, I was so frustrated with it. It has imperfections in the top so I can't ask a lot for it, but the black finish came out well and I will just be glad to get it out of my way so I can move on to other projects.

Today I painted the big pantry cupboard; tomorrow I will put the polyurethane topcoat on it. Larry has finished stripping and staining the doors so I will seal those as well and then we can put them on and be done. Can't wait to see how it looks.

 This primitive stand had a dark varnish on it; I used a white wash on it, and then added a transfer of an old advertisement.

Tomorrow I will glaze it, then seal it and it will be done. Oh, and in the photo above is a Larry project: lamps to be rewired!

Larry has so many projects on the fire right now I doubt he knows which way to turn! Those lamps, for example. I am a lamp fanatic, apparently; I can't seem to pass them up. These were so cheap, and for a reason. They all need rewiring. Like he didn't have enough to do already. Larry's getting pretty good at multi-tasking, out or self preservation, I think.

He's also stripping and repainting a Cosco kitchen cart, replacing the back on a chimney cupboard, and about a dozen other projects.

The snow has started this evening and I hear we're in for a few inches. I doubt it will disturb us much. I will be working on an upcoming ballads program at WVU and on the storytelling and workshop for ESL students next week, if I can lay down the paintbrushes long enough. So many hobbies, so little time! Stay warm and safe, friends.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Migration Celebration 2014

This year's Migration Celebration is over, and once again the staff and volunteers of Three Rivers Avian Center put on a fine event. Despite the intermittent rain we had a steady crowd all day long and at some times during the day it was standing room only to view the birds or make crafts.

What makes this event so nice is that there is plenty to do inside, so if there's a shower or two people stay busy looking at exhibits, trying the hands-on nature activities like identifying birds or sticking their hands into mystery boxes and guessing what they feel in there, dissecting owl droppings (this absolutely fascinated the kids!) or taking a photography class, getting a removable tattoo, or making crafts and listening to stories with me. And if the rains held off, there were birdwatching hikes and bug hunts. There is something for everyone in the family to do--Little Beaver offers fishing and picnicking too, so what's not to like? Best of all, it's all free.

Before the crowds--all set up and ready.

This year's crafts focused on ways to use plastic water bottles. America seems to be awash in these disposable bottles and when I found a way to make them into bird feeders and planters, I knew I had to give it a try. The craft took some advance preparation; Larry and I cut holes in bottles for the feeders and cut more bottles in half for the planters.

Larry and Dave look a little apprehensive.

I was lucky to have Larry and our friend and TRAC volunteer Dave as my helpers this year because I sure needed them with the crowds who came to our area.

Dave got his first-ever tattoo! Larry did too, but I missed capturing that moment on film.

The kids--and plenty of adults--had a great time decorating and coloring their feeders,

and they even got a baggie of bird seed to put in the feeders when they got home.


One of the activities during the day was to record on a flipchart the birds sighted during the day. This year was down some from last year, but about 25 different birds were listed on the chart, which was pretty good considering the rain.

It's fascinating to see what people of all ages do when they're turned loose with a few directions and a pile of craft materials. I saw planters with beards and mustaches, birdfeeders with eyes, and a planted completely covered with yellow tape and pompoms.

We used stickers to decorate and permanent markers to decorate the bottles. This girl decided to use the markers on the spoons instead! That way these work: Cut about a 1 1/2-inch hole on one side of the bottle and make a slit on the opposite side. Put the wood spoon handle first into the larger hole and push it through the slit. Repeat on the other side of the bottle. We used jute string tied around the neck to make a hanger. When the bottle is filled, the seed comes out onto the spoon just enough at a time for the birds. Or that's the theory, anyway. The photo at left shows two feeders so it's not really clear, but the photo above shows a woman pushing the spoon through her feeder.

I have only one photo of the planters, unfortunately, because I was so swamped with crafters that I didn't have time to take pictures. These were really cute, though--we put colored electrical tape around the top cut edge, then used wiggle-eyes, pompoms and stickers to make a face on the planter. I saw the idea on Facebook and wish I knew who to credit for coming up with it.

I feel so lucky to have been part of this event since it's beginning 13 years ago, and have only had to miss one year. I am already thinking about next year and what crafts we might make, and what stories I might tell. I mean, there are only 363 days before it comes again!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Vintage Thursday: Back to the Paint Job, and Banana Bread

I know, what a combination, right? I had to wait for the paint to dry so I decided to make banana bread while I wait. The black shelf is almost finished but the little cradle is done--because I decided to leave well enough alone.

After painting it pink, I thought I would dry-brush it with white and then do a little sanding and antiquing to make it look older. But then I thought I'd like to see it with the blankies in it. And you know, I like it just fine as it is so I'm finished. I think. What do you think? Should I do more with it?

I wanted a rough primitive finish for the shelf--you know, something that might have been on the farmhouse back porch, or perhaps in the cellar piled up with canning jars. That kind of look. I think I have something close. I am learning as I go and this time learned one thing that didn't work: Elmer's glue for a crackle medium. According to one site, the glue is supposed to produce awesome crackle effects. I'm sure she's right, and I probably did something wrong because I tried it on the top, and no crackle. I decided to back away from that idea for now and do some experimenting before taking on anything as big as this shelf with the glue.

So I moved to the next idea: using Vaseline to distress the paint. I rubbed it on places where I didn't want the white paint to stick and then painted. I used something very close to a dry brush technique to give the paint that old, weathered look I was seeking. You can see the places I applied the Vaseline.

Then I sanded it, and that removed the paint that was over the Vaseline. I think it worked pretty well and gave me something close to what I was looking for.

Next time, I will use either a blue or gray undercoat; I used flat black on this and I like the finished result all right but think the blue or gray might have been even better. Or green. Next time! All that was left to do to this shelf was wax it, so I did that and added a few things from around the kitchen to see how it would look on display. I think I like it.

My banana bread recipe card is probably 40-45 years old. I remember writing it down when I was first learning to cook as a young bride, and it was one of my first successful baking efforts.

Over the years I made it so often that I didn't need the card--that was in the days when my sons were all little boys with huge appetites. Now I make it so seldom that I need the card. With bananas the price they are today, I only make it when I luck into some on the markdown shelf. The recipe works as well today as it did when I was first trying to find my way in a kitchen.

Banana Bread

1 cup mashed bananas (takes about 3 medium bananas)
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 tablespoons cooking oil
3/4 cup milk
(add nuts if desired--maybe a 1/4 cup? I added pecans today because I had some that needed to be used up)

Put all ingredients in a bowl and beat until well blended (about50 quick strokes) with a fork. Pour into a greased loaf pan (9x4) and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool slightly on a baking rack, then turn out of pan and place on the rack to continue cooling. Wait til it cools down to warm before slicing. Good, good, good! You can also bake the batter into greased muffin tins for banana muffins. The cooking time would be much less, probably 20 minutes or so.

Yum! And a nice reward after all that sanding, painting and waxing.

Linking today to A Vintage Green, Colorado Lady, Coastal Charm, Open House Party and Rurality Blog Hop. Have fun visiting these great sites to see what's going on in the world of country living, vintage, crafts, and cooking. All good things!

Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Some Days My Mind is Blank

I stare at the screen and wonder what to write. I haven't cooked anything spectacular; today is all about canning brown beans and chili. The weather is being weather--snows, then melts, then snows, then rains and once in a while we see the sun.

Since getting home from the workshop Saturday I really haven't gotten into any new projects--I worked a bit on my booth in Ravenswood, did the grocery shopping, housework, laundry. Just ordinary life.

Today, besides canning beans, I'm painting that little cradle I showed you last month.

It is now pink, as many of you suggested when I asked for ideas; I am thinking about dry-brushing it with white and then antiquing and waxing it to give it a little of that aged look.

I did find a small mattress, pillow and quilt for it at Goodwill. Will wonders never cease?! The quilt is in blue, white and pink so the green on the cradle had to go for sure. I think it's going to look cute when I'm done.

I'm also painting a rough shelf we found at a junk shop. It was painted yellow and when I sanded it I found it had also been orange (!) and gray. Maybe it was in an automotive shop? I've painted it flat black and will try my hand at crackling it with white tomorrow. I have a mirror that I might try with that too, on the frame which is currently dark wood but I want to see how the first effort turns out first.

The next project for me as far as storytelling is a day at an elementary school that includes creative writing classes with the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. I will be putting in some time planning for that this week and next; I love writing with kids and have missed it since the writing group I had at my branch library lo these many years ago. That group was actually the reason I got back into writing. Kids are inspiring, at least for me.

So that's been my ho-hum, but still satisfying days. We haven't been to any auctions, and the best find recently was a doubletree with the attached singletrees (if you don't know what these are, here's a photo of what I'm talking about). We found it at the Goodwill over in Ohio! I am always surprised by what turns up in the thrift stores.

Tomorrow I will share pics of today's projects if I get them finished. For tonight, I think it's movies by the fire and listening to the little peeps pecking about in their box. Sounds like a fine evening to me :)

Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Inspired by Joy

That's Joy of A Vintage Green Blog. She wrote a post about flowers in tiny jars and I was mesmerized. I poked about in my cabinets and cupboards to see what I could find to do the same, and found that I had a good assortment of cobalt blue bottles waiting to be hung on my bottle tree. They're not all small, but they worked.

Then I went outside to see what blooms I could find. My gardens are between blooms right now--the early bulbs like daffodils and tulips are finished, and the roses haven't started.

 But in the woods by the house I found wild cress (creasey greens when you cook and eat them as young plants) and blues. In the gardens, wygelia, barberry, apple blossoms and chives were blooming so that was the mix I worked with.

Thank you, Joy, for the joy!

Hearts Alive

It was a cold, blustery, sometimes-raining, sometimes snowing kind of weekend, but that did not disturb my plans at all. I gathered up my craft stuff and got ready for fun this weekend.

My daughter-in-law Amy and I had a great time playing with paper, eating strawberries with chocolate wine and keeping warm by the fire. In the end, we had some beautiful valentines.

We made a mess, of course:

but it was fun to see what we could come up with:

I looked online and found many Victorian valentine images that we could copy and cut out to use on our cards, like these:

And since some people like colors other than red, pink and purple, we ventured into other shades too:

But mostly stuck with the traditional colors:

It has been years since I made valentines--since I did programs with children at my library, in fact, and I had forgotten how much fun it could be. I had plenty of supplies on hand: scrapbooking scissors I bought several years ago and never used; construction paper and cardstock; markers and pens; doublestick tape and glue; stick-on plastic jewels and sequins; foam letters and even some foam hearts. I bought more foam hearts, some paper doilies and that was all we needed to make our cards. I ended up with about 20 cards-so far.

The supplies are still on the table, and I just might make a few more before I put them away. It's addictive!

Crafty Ladies, and Kids Too

Two of my sisters came to visit over the Fourth of July weekend, and Theresa even brought along her son, his wife and their three children. After the race on Saturday and the evening cookout and fireworks (more about both later) we were ready to settle down and be quiet on Sunday.

Both sisters have gardens and both love lavender, so we decided to make lavender wands. My lavender was a little past its prime but still fine for making wands so we cut a lot of stems and set to work. The concept was new to Susan, Theresa's daughter-in-law, but she was willing to give it a try. In the end, she outdid all of us, making a wand that was braided with three different color ribbons.

Hope, her granny Theresa and her mother Susan all work on wands.

I had some large glass beads in a bowl on the porch that I'd been thinking about using to make suncatchers. The beads were leftovers from a craft project I will be doing at a couple libraries this summer--the smaller beads in the packages I bought were fine but the big ones were just, well, TOO big. With so many willing hands available, it felt like just the right time to make the suncatchers. We used electric fence wire to string them and everyone picked out whatever combination of beads they wanted on their suncatcher.

Hope and her little brother Cade look hard at work, don't they?

My sister Maggie made the prettiest one, I think, in "ocean" shades, as she called it, and indeed the soft turquoises, blues, greens and clear beads were reminiscent of the ocean's colors. I wish I had taken pictures of the finished products because they were both imaginative and colorful. And all my beads were used, which made me happy. Maybe I will remember to post a photo one day of the ones I made myself. I bought the beads from Fire Mountain's online clearance sale and got a great deal on them; I made up over100 craft packets for my programs and still had about 50 or more of these big beads left.

When we were looking for ribbons for the lavender wands, Hope spied my box of supplies for spoon puppets. Of course we had to make those too!

Theresa was a good sport about helping with the finer bits of work--Garrett's puppet was colorful, with a metallic green dress and purple-pink hair. According to him and to Hope, they were making puppets to go with my story "Gracie's Cabin"--Garrett's puppet is Crazy Gracie, he told me.

Hope managed to do most of her puppet by herself. She made Annie Rose, I think, from the same story.

And here's Hope's finished product. To make these silly puppets, you only need a wooden spoon, some fabric about the size of a man's handkerchief, scissors to cut a tiny hole in the exact center of the cloth, some tape to hold the cloth around the stick after you put the stick through the hole, some glue (fast-drying is best!) to hold yarn hair in place, and markers, stickers, etc to make the face. In this case, we used peel-and-stick foam shapes. You can add ribbon, sequins, and all sorts of other things to decorate the puppets. To use them, just slip your hand under the cloth, hold the spoon handle with three fingers and stick out your thumb and index finger to make "arms" under the cloth. Simple, simple and yet I have seen children make the most amazing creations with these simple supplies.The spoons can be found at dollar stores, 4 or 5 in a package for $1.

It was a fun Sunday afternoon and evening, and when we were finished the kids had something to play with and the ladies had cool things to take home. And I had a little less stuff in my house, which is always a good thing.

If you need better instructions for making spoon puppets, try this book. It's the one I learned from and it has lots of other great ideas for making puppets with things you might have around the house. With the heat wave we're having right now, finding things for the kids to do in the house might be a good way to keep them occupied since it's too hot to be outdoors.

(Blogger has evidently made some big changes over the weekend, so please excuse any oddities about the placement of photos and text, etc in my recent posts. It's been a weird experience!).