Making everday life nicer

I mostly create things that I can use or that I want.  I love seeing what others have made and recreating them with my own style for my life.   

Sometimes it suddenly hits me that I do not always use my creativity where it can be most appreciated. And then I fix my mistake.

I go straight from work out to the barn to ride horse or take a lesson at least one day a week.  I have been using a Target plastic bag to carry my barn clothes to work so I can change. (insert hand hitting forehead here)

So I decided to fix that!

That looks better than a plastic bag, doesn't it?

  And best of all, it was free other than a little time.  I just had to dig through my piles of stuff and I found what I needed.

Funny how the routine things we do sometimes get overlooked as a place we can treat ourselves well and be make everyday life a little nicer.  I will be smiling the next time I pack my riding clothes to bring to work.



Join me and check out all the projects at these blogs.

What fulfills your dreams?

When I am not working at my clinic or puttering around my home, I am at the barn with my horses.  They are a very large part of my life.




This is Honey (A Crusing Impulse), my 7 year old QH mare.  She comes trotting to the gate when she sees my car drive up to the barn.  I trust her and she trusts me.  We have grown together.  She was an un-broke 2 year old and I was a brand new rider when I bought her and we began to learn together 5 years ago.  She started with me on my journey to live my dream of riding and competing with horses.








Love (Lil Miss Blackjac) fulfilled my dream of learning and competing at reining.  She has been an incredibly patient and talented teacher.  Before her, I never would have dreamed that I could be in an arena doing sliding stops, rollbacks, and spins.  She is so very gentle, yet at times has an attitude that reminds me why some riders choose not to deal with mares.  (I personally love mares with attitude and my horses have all been mares!)











What dreams are you waiting to pursue?



And check out the canvas print give away sponsored by A Day in the Life.  Just click below:

March, you are such a tease…

March really is the cruelest month for those of us in the upper Midwest.  The days are longer and there are reports of spring and blossoms in other parts of the country.  We get yet another blizzard that left over 800 motorists stranded across the state of North Dakota.  Although the storm was well predicted it hit hard and fast when it arrived with 50 mph winds.  I can’t even get to my forsythia bushes to cut branches and force blooms.  They are buried in a snow bank yet.
So what’s a girl to do but make her own bit of spring!

I think this is one of my favorite free projects.  Branches from the yard, tissue paper saved from presents, and a hot glue gun create spring magic!
And to keep enjoying spring a bit more, I played around with photo editing.

Good bye orange, hello shabby

We have a pine linen press that has served us well.  It's narrow depth means it can provide storage in narrow spaces and it has provided storage in three different homes.  I continue to like the utility of this piece but she needed a new appearance.  Despite the below 0 outside, I decided it was time to do some painting.
Here she is in all her orange-y glory.

And redone with green and white paint to look well used…

Ignore the doorknobs.  I need to go shopping.  I think I want some glass knobs.





But now the walls need to be repainted and new flooring placed…

Necessary Mess Makers

Animals are a large part of our lives.  They play a part in making our house a home.  They also have had their moments of destroying our home....

 This is Ginger.  She was our first shelter rescue.  Ginger approaches the world as a joyous place where everyone should love her!

Max is also a rescue.  He is much more serious than Ginger.  He is also 110 pound lap dog--don't let his appearance fool you!

Max is practicing good manners for my first grandchild due in July.

Every home needs a big Baby (Baby Aurora Mia). 

And I am still trying to convince my husband I need some chickens.....

Collection of favorites

Our brief period of 40 degree weather has faded and we are back to winter with below zero temperatures.  This is the time of year when the contrast between the far north and the rest of the country really starts to bite!  I know that there are signs of spring and green growing things in other parts of the country.  I am starting to get antsy for yard work and outdoor projects!
Instead, I sit with my computer reading, editing pictures, and searching for inspiration.
Below are some photos of a collection of some of my favorite old things.  This metal box is one of my all time favorite finds.  I have no clue what it originally held.  I love the aging, scratches, and size on this box.  It holds some nebulizer bottles that are perfect for small bouquets or single blossoms.  There are also some old letters and invoices bought at an junk/antique store.  The tags are ones I made and some I aged with coffee.



I love the things that are possible with digital photos and editing.


One last peek..

What I did while watching the Superbowl

Gotta watch the Superbowl—mostly so I know what everyone is talking about Monday.  And usually the advertisements are pretty good.  Although this year’s ads did not live up to my expectations, the football game was pretty good!
And since I almost never watch TV without dual tasking, I kept myself busy with some jewelry making. 
The first one is my version of an Anthroplogie necklace.




Anthropologie

I have seen several versions of this online.  I like it with the added scrabble tile pendant.


And this one has been seen in catalogs and blogs also.  Fun to make except for a few hot glue burns.


It is really difficult to get a good picture of oneself either in the mirror or holding the camera out in front.  (Well, I don’t think there is such a thing as a good picture of me but that is a whole other issue… 



I am adding my link to these parties: