Monarch Post

bird feeder giveaway winner!

 

Our June Fair Trade Friday winner is Dianne Wares. Large round of applause here for Diannne.... thank you, thank you!

That's one of our bird feeders hanging from the tree by my kitchen window. We have several hanging from this tree. Mike is always filling the bird feeders on the weekends. It's so lovely to see what kinds of birds are hanging out at our feeders every morning. Lots of sparrows always, but we get our fair share of chickadees, blue jays, and mourning doves too.

Last week, I spent a day "summerizing" the house. It feels good to put away extra stuff, add a few more white things here and there, and of course, to bring out the bird houses the kids made Mike for last Father's Day. They look sweet in the kitchen on our old sideboard.

Jesse made the yellow bird house.  And Sophey made the green one.

The weather is gorgeous here now. I am thrilled beyond belief that it's summer--- Hurrah and Hallelujah! Finally finally finally... And now it's almost the Fourth already, can you believe it?  xoKelly 

Fair Trade Friday giveaway-- bird feeders to start off the summer!

 
I was thinking about what would be a good giveaway for June and the start of summer-- and then I ran across these very charming gourd bird feeders! Perfect for today's June Fair Trade Friday giveaway I decided.

Here is a little bit about the artisans who carve the birdfeeders:

"Sanyork Fair Trade operates an artisan studio in Lima-Peru that hosts sixty-one artisans who are experts in the fields of weaving, knitting, ceramics, painting, metal welding, silver smithing, stone carving and sewing. In the name of Fair Trade and social consciousness we have built our crafts center to house and board twenty two of those artisans who come from remote country areas giving their talent an opportunity against poverty and in doing so we generate a fair paying trade."

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Please leave a little comment, tell me what great summer plans you have, what you're planting in the garden, if you're taking a vacation.... etc, etc. :D And I will draw a winner for a charming Peruvian handmade bird feeder by Tuesday 9:00 pm MST. I will post the winner Wed. June 30th at 9:00 am MST.

The above photo is of two of several carved designs-- they will choose a design to sendto you. And BTW, if you really like the bird feeders and don't happen to win, they are available at Amazon with lots in stock right now.

Thanks you guys, I love ya! xoKelly

finishing and starting

 
Last week was Jesse's baseball tournament week-- his team played every night, and came in a very respectable third place for the town league. Last week also, Jess started practicing for All Stars. He made the town All Star team for eleven year olds this year. Jesse also just recovered from catching a baseball with his face (luckily, the doctor declared his nose not broken), a lost filling (the dentist didn't charge us, this was good), and two episodes of broken braces (the ortho didn't charge us extra either, this was also good), so probably needless to say; I have been doing LOTS of running lately.... and I just planted the rest of the flowers. It has finally stopped raining every day here-- Yippee!

Sorry for the lack of creative projects around this blog lately, but this afternoon I'm cleaning my studio, and that usually means a burst of something creative is about to happen.... don't give up on me yet...

Last night was my Hot Mamas group's summer barbeque and brandy slush get together. We had a great time. (I should do a post just about the brandy slush sometime. Oiye-- it is to die for.) Everyone brought a favorite recipe. I brought my spinach artichoke dip with a veggie tray.

I guess spinach artichoke dip will have to qualify for my creative effort this week...

So here ya go:

SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

I pkg. light cream cheese.

I C. light Best Foods mayo.

I small package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained.

1 medium size jar marinated artichoke hearts (they need to be marinated, and you'll need to chop them upfairly well). So about 1 1/2 C. worth after you've chopped the artichokes.  

1/2 C. Parmesan cheese-- the Kraft kind.

1 5 oz. package of Italian shredded cheese. I like to buy the Kroger brand here: it's a mixture of Asiago, Parmesan, and Romano cheese. It's sooo good.

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Blend together the cream cheese and mayo with a fork, until lump free. Add the chopped spinach and artichoke hearts. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and the Italian blend cheese, reserve about 1 ounce of this cheese to sprinkle on top after. Add pepper to taste. Pour into an oven safe bowl. (It helps if you spray the bowl with Pam first.) Sprinke remaining Italian cheese blend on top and sprinke a little paprika on top-- if you're feeling fancy today. :) Bake at 350 for about 20 to 25 minutes. When the cheese on top is light golden brown and the dip is bubbling, it's done. It takes only about 15 minutes to prepare this appetizer; I like that part.

Serve with crackers, pita bread, and/or sliced raw veggies. I really like thick-sliced, raw zucchini with this dip. It's a winner. And you can't screw it up, unless you completely forget about being in the oven and burn it-- so just remember to set your oven timer, and you willl be a hero at your next potluck social :) Trust me.

Stop by tomorrow-- I will be posting a new "FAIR TRADE FRIDAY GIVEAWAY" ! xoxoKelly

going to the dogs

Franks the amazing weiner dog came over for a visit last weekend. (Ainsley says he is the smartest weiner dog in the whole world.) He's getting bigger and is thoroughly spoiled now. He cries for Ainsley when she leaves the room.

 
He bounds around the house like a deer, those ginormous ears just flapping away in the breeze...

 
He thinks he owns the place now, including the food bowls.

 
Greta thinks Frank is the coolest wind up toy ever. I can't even get a photo of the two of them chasing each other-- it's a furry blur. But poor Winston doesn't know what to think about Franks.

 

   And he really doesn't know what to think when Franks tries to nuzzle up for a nursing session. 
  How embarrassing.

 (Okay, this is the part where we transition into speaking dogs.) Okay, Ainsley-- you can take it home with you now.... really, just take it home. And leave it there, puleeez... leave it at your house.  
Eh, hold your horses you old fur bag... I'm taking a nap first. And I shall be dreaming of new ways to torture old fox terrriers, because I am the smartest little weiner dog in the whole wide world- he, he, he :)   

(Where would we be without a silly dog post here and there ? :) xoKelly

happy father's day, sweetheart!

 
Happy Father's Day, Micheal Lee!! You're the best. We are all so lucky to have you for a Dad and a husband. How did we all luck out-- kind, funny, super intelligent and still down to earth, humble, patient,  amazing integrity and loyalty... And you can fix anything we break, sheesh. We all lucked out. 

We love you so much!! ~The Fam. 

(P.S. Bahama family vacation in 2006. Love that photo.)

my afternoon entertainment

I went to Salt Lake City this morning to get my car serviced. It usually only takes about an hour. But today I found out there was a recall on my fuel pump.... so guess what? You guessed it. I got to spend the whole day in SLC. Which was pretty okay, really, because I had hired a babysitter and I even got to have lunch with the hub. (Huuuraahh and huzzzah. This is rare, folks.)

But I still had a few hours left to kill in the afternoon. And so I walked down the block to a vintage clothing store... I only know it exists because it's just a block from the car dealership, and browsing a vintage clothing store certainly beats sitting in the waiting room reading week old newspapers and watching "Lets Make a Deal". Did you know there is a new "Lets Make a Deal" on tv now? I only know this because I watched it after I had finished exploring the clothing store and there was nothing left to do but sit in the waiting area and watch "Lets Make a Deal" while eating peanut M&M's from the vending machine. (Hey, I needed to keep my strength up for the bill statement.) The very talented Wayne Brady, of "Who's Line is it Anyway", is the host of the new "Let's Make a Deal". I think he sold out-- but that's just my opinion. Just like Drew Carrey sold out for hosting The Price is Right. But that's just my opinion too.

So anyway, I took photos, of course. Of the vintage clothing store, of course, because it was lots more interesting than "Lets Make a Deal" today. So there ya go.
 

Hats, hats,

and more hats...
 

All the walls were covered with hats from the '30s, '40s, '50s, and '60s.
I wish hats were fashionable for wearing 
every day still. I love them. But maybe not that orange one. But it could make a nice lampshade for a Halloween party, don't you think so?

.......

   

Need a new straw purse for summer, of course you do... Pshaw.   

Corns, just waiting to happen...

 
Or how about a nice little Mandarin-collared Oriental jacket.

Darn, I just remembered I forgot to take a photo of the bedjackets. If anyone knows the etiquette for wearing bedjackets, will you please let me know? Do you receive guests in bed wearing a bedjacket? Or do you eat breakfast in bed in a bedjacket? Do you wear a bedjacket past 10:00 am? Can you smoke in a bedjacket, or do you just smoke in a smoking jacket? Or are smoking jackets just for men? I was thoroughly confused by the bedjacket section. Really. Just confused.

Or how about a jacket with pants. A pantsuit! There you go, I know you have been looking for a  chartreuse polyester pantsuit for years. (You know you want it.)

And the piece de resistance for today... A purple crushed velvet pantsuit. Nothing screams high fashion like a purple pantsuit; as long as your name is Liberace, that is. Wear that to your kid's next piano recital. I double dog dare ya. 

Okay, okay.  So if I can't talk you into a purple pantsuit, how about something in classic black and white? A French maid costume never goes out of style, right ;)

.....
 Well, that was exciting wasn't it? If your still reading this by now, thanks. But it was better than Let's Make a Deal today. Trust me on this one. 

Happy weekend to you, my sweet friends! xoxoKelly  

(P.S. forgive the photos, it was reeally dark in this little shop of vintage horrors.)

flowery

'The splendor of the rose and the whitness of the lily do not rob the litle violet of it's scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its lovliness."

~St. Therese of Lisieux, the little flower~

And now for something a little softer than flourescent sock monkeys.... my shop owner friend, Brenda @ Just A Bed of Roses, asked if I would make some flower pins and hair clips for her pretty pretty shop. So here are a few of the first flower pins I made over the weekend. It was the perfect sort of 'gardening' for a weekend filled with gale force winds and pouring rain yet again... enough with the rain already. But the sun is finally shining today and it's still feeling like mid-spring here-- and so easy to think of the quote by St. Therese while I cut and stitched flowers for Brenda. 
On Friday, I went to our church rummage sale. I bought wool blankets, linens, tatted doilies (unbelievably intricate!) and rolls of vintage aqua, black and creme crocheted lace-- loved how easily they turned into those flowers in the photo.

 

And I loved finding those two crocheted blankets in the photos at a thrift store recently-- a whopping $2.00 a piece. It was half price day. They were in perfect condition. And my little cheapskate heart skipped a beat... or two :)  xoxoKelly

summerizing our weekends

 
Last Sunday we celebrated Ainsley's and Mike's birthdays. Pies and a barbeque. (If you guessed the 'over the hill candle' was in Mike's pie, you would be correct :) It was such a lovely day, in every way... Mike got a hammock for the backyard. Ainsley got impatiens for her front yard, and a promise to help plant them from me. Should I make a promise to assemble the hammock before Mike gets home on Friday... hmmm. He might like it to actually swing, nah.

 
We spent Saturday at Lagoon (our local amusement park) for Mike's company day.  

And last week finally saw some flower planting get done. I had a great helper.

 

How nice a few daisies actually came up on their own this year... 

 
Too bad the new basketball standard didn't go up by itself last week-- that was a big project for my guys.

All four of my guys... wore right out ;)

 
But good old Winston is never too tired to help oversee the sandwich making after the big basketball hoop install. (Naps are so highly overrated.)

 
Lots of cruising the neighborhood on the weekends now too.  
And Monday and Tuesday found me hot-footing the sewing machine.

I made new children's picanic baskets.

 
(Hey, BooBoo...)

And another of my new favorite things to sew-- this one is Eloise.

We've traded in our Mary Jane's over here for flip flops...

 
hope you have too :)  xoxoKelly

 

P.S. Eloise and the picnic basket are in my Etsy shop now.

P.P.S. If you're a local in the intermountain west states, and like to watch Studio 5 on KSL TV's Channel 5, some of my handmades will be spotlighted on the things we love segment. The show airs at 11:00 am. Thanks, Stephanie for the spotlight! 
  

  

inspired by an itsy bitsy teeny weeny polka dot bikini

Sophey wanted a red polka dot bikini for her birthday from the children's Mini Boden catalog this year. This was quite a shock. She has never wanted to wear a bikini ever-- and she never wears red. This child's wardrobe consists of about 94% pink colored clothing. Hot pink,  light pink, peachy pink, lipstick pink, whatever.... just as long as it is some form of pinkishness. One day, as Sophey was walking out of school, a girlfriend I was talking with commented on Sophey's clothing ensemble. She always looks so color coordinated, my friend said. My reply, "How can you NOT be color coordinated when your entire wardrobe is pink ?!"

Anyway, after the red polka dot bikini showed up we realized the pink beach totes just would not be cutting it this summer. So the other day while at the our fav craft store, we stumbled upon red canvas tote bags. Bingo.

So we got busy with the polka dots. (I took a few extra tote bags home and made my own version for the children's shop I sell to.) Sophey's bag is almost finished. She decided her tote will be all red and white fabrics-- checks, red and white florals, and more polka dots. And giant white ric rac. (She calls it rif raf. I like rif raf better than ric rac, don't you? I'm calling it rif raf from here on out :)

But anyway, here's mine.

We stamped the canvas with white acrylic craft paint. I started from the corner and worked diagonally up the bag.

We made our stamps from some small stencil stompers and those felted chair feet pad things. (We did this because the craft store didn't have any of those cirular blue foam pouncing sponge things-- not because we are that hard up to be clever. Personally, I was stumped on how to make polka dots without my favorite blue foamy things.) But Sophey wasn't stumped for long-- she rummaged around a minute and then pulled out the leftover chair pads in the kitchen junk drawer and said, "I think these things would work!" (So see, it's a good thing to have a junky junk drawer-- do you want clue Martha in on this, or should I?  ;)

 
While the polka dots were drying, I ripped up some fabrics. Starting at the top of the bag, I zigzag stitched along until I had a few rows of fabric pieced together.

Then I added some vintage trims. I found a whole bolt of that green pom pom fringe at the thrift shop the other day. And the yellow daisy trim is from the '60s-- love that stuff. 

 
I made a hairclip to match and tucked it onto the bag.

 

I made a second similiar bag too-- this one with a vintage red doily and a daisy cut from an old sweater.

 
We hit the pool for an hour on Memorial day. It was freezing. I hope it gets warm here someday. It's been the coldest spring ever here-- no exaggerating. It snowed on May 28th, and that late date set a new state record.

Now we really need to get one last polka dot beach bag finished to go with that bikini... summer is almost here. Really. We hope. Someday. Soon. 

xoxoKelly   

meet Franks

Ainsley's birthday was yesterday. She came over with her present last night. A six week old miniature daschund. His name is Frank. Named after her favorite old crooner, old blue eyes himself-- Frank Sinatra.

 

And because he's a weiner dog-- you know, like franks and beans... 

When she left to take Frank to his new  home last night, I said " hope you get some sleep tonight!" She said, "Oh, Franks sleeps through the night now."  

Oh, sure.... of course he does, honey ;)  xoxoKelly