A FEW CHICKS IN A BARN

It's so exciting to be able to share this great news with all of you lovers of antiques, primitives, collectibles, crafts, food, and fun loving folks.  We have been invited to become part of The Country Loft's special holiday events

The Loft is a 100 year old barn that has been beautifully renovated.

If you dream of restoring your old barn, you'll love how they have decorated The Loft with family heirlooms.

During fair weather events we have even more antiques and primitives outdoors.

My creative juices have been flowing and at each upcoming event, I will be revealing a new collection of jewelry at the Country Loft.

We have a neighboring homestead with plenty of outbuildings full of antiques, collectibles and crafts.  Before you visit our neighbors, be sure to fill up an a healthy meal at The Loft.  Plenty of home-made pies are available with the daily meal specials.

On the 4th of July, we'll be just a heartbeat away from the Historical Seward Nebraska July 4th Celebrations.

Thanksgiving Weekend ~ Nov 3,4 and 5th

Christmas at the Loft ~ Dec 2,3 and 4th
A real life bearded Santa will be here.  Come get your picture laser engraved on an ornament!

Please come visit, just watch for the signs:

The Country Loft

***

Schweitzer Customs

2871 Rokeby Rd

Milford, Ne 68405

1(402)761-2727

View Larger Map

Dilemma Dahling - To wear or not to wear

Oh, the ever inspiring wide-wonderful-world of Etsy has uprooted my deep roots of contentment and stagnancy. To wear or not to wear, that is now my question. And my dilemma dahling.

Of course the more we expose our handmade artistic labors to others, the better the chances are of sales. It makes perfect sense, but I fight it. When people find out that I love to make jewelry and accessories, they immediately ask if I am wearing any of my own designs.

Arrrgh!

Some of my things are heirlooms. I wear them because of the warm fuzzies I get just knowing it belonged to Grandma.

But my creations are one-of-a-kind. Like this one:


If I wore some of my favorite pieces, they'd become "previously worn"... used. I just cannot get myself to sell or gift my designs in anything other than "new". (Would you buy socks worn for a day?) Blah! see what I mean?

In the meantime, while I wrestle with my dilemma, I'll wear Grandmas earrings and print up more business cards. Then when someone asks if I'm wearing any of my creations I can tell them about my loving grandmother and hand them a business card.

Black Light Rave in my lil cave

Tonight we celebrated our babys 17th birthday.

Woo-hoo!

(Well OK, it was more like we let her celebrate it).

She went from a luau theme to a rave theme...that's my girl!

I love a challenge (creatively).

But, she actually didn't want to paint herself and spray herself. And technically, I wasn't invited for playtime with the kids...so I couldn't paint and spray myself (sigh).

I did get to play interior decorator and head chef. So that was cool. Because I like to play Betty Crocker ( after all I was raised on playing with my easy bake oven).

Wanna know the menu? Suicide punch & mini pizza's and she sprung or sprang fer da chips n candy.

• Suicide punch: Ginger Ale, Lemon Lime Soda, Orange Soda, Strawberry Soda and Strawberry Margarita syrup mix.
• Pizza's CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!!!: Sliced french bread from Walmart $1.50 x 3 loaves and lotsa Motsarella cheese (no spell check...it had to go with the "lotsa") and an institutional size jug of ketchup...yup! I said ketchsup. I added 1/4 cup dried oregano, 1 small container of parmesan cheese, 7 or more good dashes of garlic powder, even more dashes of pepper, about 2 cups of water, 1 cup of wine (once it boils the alcohol is gone...this was for kids afterall) and a few tablespoons of brown sugar and 2 bay leaves which I removed afterwards. Lay the frenchbread slices on a cookie sheet spoon 2 TBS of sauce on the bread then cover lightly with cheese. Even the shy ones can't resist eating these!

Decor:

• Drag out the Christmas lights and lava lamps for visiting area and dining area. I used alot of black velvet in the dining area...it helped the colors of the candy POP. (sorry, I only took the picture of my table with a wine cloth...but the other's had black)
• The sucker tree is a clip picture holder (that's why I used this pic)
• I hung a white shower curtain to block off my hubby's study and my art room.
• We exchanged the hall light for a RED light bulb....exposed it bare!
• Her dance studio (ok..here's the story on this one. Her older brother painted his room dark blue and painted his floor and ceiling black, then he moved out) So...we added large mirrors (left over from old large dressers) hung a disco ball and borrowed A TON of black lights and lined them along the walls on the floor.

And what was even cooler..we found that blue florescent hair spray virtually disappeared on our blue walls in daylight, but under a black light?


BAM! We had our graffiti! --->

We also had our old ghetto Christmas tree...it was once white...we got it yellowed in parts and missing a branch, so we spraypainted orange florescent hairspray on it. And under the blacklights....oh yea...it was fun! Can you believe I saved the tree and plan to add more colors later?

And her best gift ever? It was from one of her classmates. Hungry Hippo! It was so much fun to have these 15-20 year olds playing and having fun.
Just like when they were (ahem) kids.









Hungry Hippo--->

How to make Outer Space Paper Art

To make Space giftwrap, greeting cards or art you'll need:

black construction paper

household bleach

water color paint brush

short stable drinking GLASS or glass jar

• Lay your black construction paper on a carefree surface in a well ventilated area.
• Pour everyday household laundry bleach into a short well balanced glass or glass jar.
• Dip clean paint brush into bleach and swirl onto the plain black construction paper.
• Also try splattering and or droplets of bleach onto paper.
  
  
  

Now to add a little color:

• Dip paintbrush wet with bleach into water color
• Drip colored bleach onto black constructin paper.
• Paint directly with thick coloring
• Paint rim of jar/glass with clear or colored bleach and stamp.

Colour my World

This morning I was getting familiar with http://tradeaholics.ning.com/ one of the new etsy related groups I've joined.

There is so much to learn and so much to share. I stumbled upon a beautifully layed out blog http://orionbotanicals.wordpress.com/ which seems a great place for botanical oils. While visiting their blog, I saw one of the most beautiful things ever...a Knick-Knack dish like no other by ReclaimedDesigns on Etsy. And so off I went....one thing leads to the next...and there it was...my Love for today.

reclaimeddesigns on etsy

Cheerful Spring Handbag w/ Vintage Accent

I fell in love with the texture and color of a chartreuse green handbag this past spring...I assume it was a promo/freebie with the purchase of Matrix hair products because of the inner label.

Being self-conscious of toting a "freebie promo bag"...I had to make it my own.

I am a jewelry packrat, but don't wear everything I collect. I never could get myself to wear a fuschia vintage flower brooch even though the coloring was so beautiful and the matching rhinestones were amazing, yet I wouldn't part with it.

It was simple. I decided to wear both! I pinned the brooch onto my bag and have gotten many compliments since!

I picked up the bag at a neighborhood yardsale, and the brooch is from the jewelry case of a local thrift shoppe. I paid $1.07 for both items.

Pins like this can be found in most antique shops.

Fuzzy Goals - location, location, location!!

I have a goal...and it's a fuzzy one.

But I want to clearly see my goal so badly. My bifocals are on. Yet when I look at the present...I can't see it. And when I look further away....I still can't see it.

So with a prayer in my heart and a mouse in my hand, again, I hit the internet.(Tabi's anyone?)

I've heard that blogs, forums, and chat rooms generate exposure...so here I am.

Todays goal: linking my links

I will post each link, in each location

-------------------------

StompZ

Where I offer the jewelry I design

http://www.stompz.etsy.com/

The Bird's Nest

Where I offer collectibles, antiques and other treasures

http://myworld.ebay.com/thebirdsnest/

NotChomama

Where I swap. Guilt free shopping

http://swapstyle.com/NotChomama

-------------------------

Location, location,location. Now, even though my goals may be fuzzy, when I finally get this "kicked-off" I should be able to score easily. Simply because of the goal placement.

.....babystep...goal......babystep...goal......

What ever shall I wear?

I sit here with my refreshment, but my tootsies get to chillin'. What ever shall I wear while surfing for ideas along the great internet highway? Socks! No question about it. And not just any kind of socks.

TABI SOCKS

Last summer we had a great time re-discovering the San Francisco Bay Area. And one of my favorite souveniers was a pair of Tabi socks that I found in Chinatown.

Tabi -vs- Toe

Toe socks are nothing new, I know. But it seems that the creative people behind toe-sock production have decided to make each toe glow, or have googie eyes or hair. I just can't. And, though they are very much like a pair of fun slippers...it is tough to cram each little sock covered toe into a pair of shoes as you run out the door. I'm not totally against toe-socks. I've worn them to bed during cold winter nights...and woke up finding my two toes sharing one toe-compartment (if you will) or the pinkie toe of my sock on the top of my foot. Pretty silliy looking.

Now....the Tabi on the other hand.



Tabi will separate only the papa toe. Which scores mega-points for this flip-flop fan!


My toes don't have to fight for space with my socks when I throw on a pair of shoes. I don't wake-up to find any missing or extra toes on my feet. I can run around in them like a light slipper, and slide right into my flip-flops and NOT look like I'm wearing comic relief on my feet. (referencing multi-colors & googie eyes).



My problem......I only got one pair.



I've searched for more on a couple of my favorite websites. Ebay, a place where I both buy and sell. And swapstyle.com another great hunting ground, of which I will discuss further later.



And so here I sat..with new Tabi's in mind, doing an internet search and BAM!



I found the motherload!

Not just a variety of Tabi socks...but socks for any occasion!



Sock Dreams

http://www.sockdreams.com/_shop/edit/index.php

life is good!