Vintage Snowman Tutorial

 I know it's early for vintage Christmas goodness... but you girls who like to make things, know that we have to start early if we're gonna get it all done!!!

A couple of years ago I taught this vintage snowman class at my house. It was my first teaching experience and I enjoyed teaching that class so much, that was determined that it not be the last.

Since then, I have taught many more times and loved doing so more and more with each class!

This year I had several ladies who weren't able to make that first class, ask me if I would teach it again. So that got me thinking that maybe some of you who don't live here in Phoenix might also like to make one for yourselves.

So I have been working hard in the studio and at my computer to create another PDF tutorial with full instructions on how to make one of these little cuties.
I will also be teaching this class again in my home for those of you, who prefer the classroom atmosphere. I will be announcing the date for that class soon. :)

I tried to capture how cute they come out in the photo, but as with most things... they are so much cuter in person!!!

If you are interested in purchasing this tutorial you can find the link here.

I'll be sharing this post at Create with Joy!!
and also Becky's Blissful Whites Wednesday!

Have a wonderful Week!!!!

Fall in my Garden

 Fall in a Phoenix/Scottsdale garden is kinda like Spring everywhere else. The plants are happy campers, after finally having a reprieve from the burning sun.

I thought I would play around with some photo textures, to give the pics a little more "fall like" character.

 My garden is mostly a container garden since the soil here is so bad. I love planting mums and potato vines for the season.

 Here is that cute watering can fountain that I purchased at Sweet Salvage last week.

It makes a nice tinkling sound when we sit out on the patio.

 This is the garden area out under the trees. I love finding unusual items, as well as pretty pots to put my flowers and plants in. The bottom left corner of this pic is an old wheel barrow that someone threw away onto their bulk trash pile.

 That cute purple bench was another trash pick. It didn't look like that when we found it though. It was really beat up and destroyed. We took it all apart and made new slats for it, then painted them and the iron sides. It took some work, but it was still way cheaper than buying new, plus we had the satisfaction of knowing we rescued it from the landfill.

 I do love little garden statuary, and pick them up whenever I find cute ones.

Well, that's what fall looks like in my garden here in Phoenix. The mornings are cool and wonderful to sit outside with a cup of coffee and enjoy the fountain and the birds singing happily.

I hope you are enjoying all the beauty that Autumn gives you too!!!

Paris Marketplace at Sweet Salvage

 Yeah!!!  It's time for one of my favorite shows at Sweet Salvage. The Paris Marketplace.

 The show was filled with it's usual wonderfulness! ( I know, I like to make up my own words sometimes. )

 Everything looks more interesting under a cloche'!!!!

 I love these colors!!!

For all you lavender lovers out there, there is plenty to be found!!!

 There are wonderful French baskets, galvanized metal, and of course cool vignettes!!!

 This little cutie came home with me and now sits among the plants in my garden. :)

 For the last few months I have seen these great olive baskets, and I keep passing them up! Why is that?? I need one to put a tree in this year for Christmas!!!

Ah... soothing soft color.  I love it all!!!!!

 In the back, there are always awesome architectural pieces and wonderful wrought iron.

 One of the vendors did a lovely job a recreating a Paris storefront.

I love the awning!!!

 Here is a close up of that darling iron crib.

This cart was darling too! I need a bigger house!!!!

 This birdhouse was sooo cute!!!

 

 Don't you love the color on these spindles???

Needless to say... there were many beautiful and ornate mirrors there this month too!!!

I was very happy to meet up with my blog friend Rhonda from A Little Bit French too!!

This was our first time meeting "in person" and she was just as much a  sweetheart as I thought she would be!! We were able to go to lunch and even get a little bit of junkin in at Qcumberz!  You probably know her blog already, but if you don't... go by and visit her. You wont be disappointed!!

Butterfly Wonderland!

I had the loveliest of days today, as I spent it having lunch with my bff Sandie and then visiting Butterfly Wonderland,  a large butterfly museum here in Scottsdale.

We started our visit watching a 3-D movie about the migration of the Monarch Butterfly. Now, I had never seen a 3-D movie before, (I know... can you believe it?) so this was absolutely magical to me!!! Seeing all those butterflies flying off the screen was amazing!! (I know... I'm easily amused. )

  After the movie we went into the Butterfly Conservatory where hundreds of butterflies were flying around.

 These blue ones were the most spectacular, but very hard to get a good photo of because every time they landed, they folded up their wings so you couldn't see the spectacular color. I use this butterfly in my blog designs all the time, so it was really cool to see it "live".

 

It was cool cause, the butterflies had no problem landing all over us!!  

This is a moth and not a butterfly... Each one of his wings were as big as my hand!!!

Yes, it was a lovely day!!!

A Favor to Ask....

Hello my bloggy friends!! Just a quick post today, to humbly ask a favor of you.  My most wonderful hubby has entered a contest for a "man cave" makeover. Unfortunately, he didn't find out about it until very recently and the contest ends on Wednesday. If you don't mind... could you please follow this link and simply click the "vote" button. That's all you have to do. No sign ups or anything.

We would both be most grateful. He works so hard and puts up with all my girly decorating. He really needs a manly place of his own!!

Thank you so much in advance! You guys are the best. :)

(p.s... You can vote tomorrow and Wednesday too. )