Let the Itty-bitty-teeny-weeny patio make over begin.

*sigh*


I've decided to stop waiting for actual honest-to-God summer weather to arrive (and stay) here in the Pacific Northwest, I'm going for it.


My Barbie Condo has a patio and back yard made to scale appropriately with the size of my little home-sweet-home, which is to say that it is...miniscule.. inky-dinky ...almost non existent....cozy in size. The good news about this is that it makes it pretty affordable and easy to decorate.

I fell into a steal of a deal on a darling reproduction French bistro set (anyway that's what I'm calling it.) Originally a Christmas green table with stop-sign red chairs, I am midway through re-painting the entire set a shabby white, and it's gonna be sue-weeet when it's finished, baby.


My potting table will double as a buffet server, and I think the mirror adds a much needed touch of foofiness to the area, don't you?

I am even adding a thrifted army cot for lazy day napping. (Who am I kidding? I won't have time for a nap, but I know a certain yellow dog that's already got his eye on it....)


I'm picking up more flowers tomorrow and planning on hanging the rest of my old white outdoor Christmas lights on the overhang this weekend, and since  the weather guy is (once again) promising sunny weather all weekend, I just may need to break in the new outdoor dining area on Sunday...."After" pictures to follow!

Very Pinterest-ing.

I am guessing many (most?) of you have by now heard of, and now are using Pinterest. I myself am a little late coming to the party, but I am here now, baby.
My daughter (Carter and Coen's Mama) first told me about Pinterest a while back and I checked it out but I was too busy to really poke around too much. (...or maybe I was just not really "getting" it fully.)


Anyway....in case you didn't know...

Pinterest is a Virtual Pin-board.

It lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pin-boards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes....the possibilities are endless! For..well, what seems like forever, I have been grabbing pictures online from my favorite blogs and websites and saving them in Word documents and such to find inspiration. Now, not only is that unnecessary, we can all gather our photos, organize them by topics we choose ourselves, and share them with ...everyone!


 I'm not at all sure how Pinterest began, or how they make money, but I am quite smitten with the entire concept, and I'm thrilled to be able to save (and share) so many cool pictures of inspiring things.
If you have a Pinterest Page of boards, I'd love to check them out, so let me know! 
If it's new to you, and for any reason you have trouble joining, send me an email and I can send you out an invitation. It takes a few hours or so before you get a reply, so be patient....the wait will be worth it!

The part where I finally decide to lighten up.

I asked your opinion a short while back about re-painting my buffet-bookshelf piece, and I have made a decision at last. Not only am I going to paint the big black piece, I spent a portion of my Sunday beginning to re-invent my dining room as well. 

I'm not entirely sure I am even going to keep the round pedestal table, as I have a rectangular table upstairs in my work room that I am considering moving down. I'll know better once the round table is complete and I have both tables in the same room to play with...hopefully by Wednesday of this week. (I know. I am eternally optimistic about time management and the hours I have in each day....)

Crafting with a Rock n' Roll twist.

Oh, my.

Something struck me this past week when my mind was wandering to creating crafty projects for my Rock n Roll buddy's band. 
I think this officially makes me a full-fledged groupie.(...or as some guy referred to me last week at a band gig...the "Band Mama".)
 

Ridin' shotgun.

Mmm hmm. I think Moose loves my new ride as much as I do.

Barnhouse. BarnHouse? BarnHouse!

I glanced at the calendar last night as I was doing a rough inventory of bigs and smalls in my garage and all around my Barbie Condo. Hmmmm... Six and a half weeks till the Big BarnHouse ...45 days give or take. (Can that be right?!)

Oh.

My.

I can hardly wait. I've got some of the coolest pieces I've ever had lined up for this show and I am anxious to show it all off! 

The boys are changing things up a bit for this show, and it's gonna be even more fun than last year. They have changed the name of this incredible event to...

The BarnHouse Vintage Marketplace & Music Festival

featuring

music out on the grass by  

Celilo 

(so make sure to bring a lawn chair and maybe some cool drinks to take a break from shopping and just enjoy the day!)

Oh yeah, baby. It's gonna be a don't-miss party for sure. (check your calendar...what are you doing at the end of July???) They've got more parking, and hotel lodging nearby, so maybe some of you out there that don't live so close should think about a road trip?????

East peasy strawberry lemonade. (that looks fancy-schmancy)

With all of the grey days and never ending rain this year across the country (at least here in the Pacific Northwest...)I am longing for some warm sunshine-y weather and outdoor activities, like barbecuing and riding around in my cute lil' bug with the top down.
While I wait for the weather to fully cooperate, I thought I'd share a great recipe that takes no time at all, and makes things just feel a little more summer-like...
You can make this yummy-summer-time drink in no time at all, and it's dee-lish, as well as pretty.

All you need is a blender, a large basket of fresh strawberries (wash and top of the stems) or a bag of frozen strawberries, two cans of frozen lemonade concentrate, and water. (Optional cutie-patootie straws, sugar to rim glasses, and fresh strawberry garnish if you like to foofy things up a bit...)

Make lemonade by following the instructions on the can.(Usually it's 1 can of  frozen concentrate and 3 cans of water..)

Drop the fresh or frozen strawberries in the blender and whip 'em up. add a bit of the lemonade to thin, whip some more. Repeat.

Pour into a nice tall glass, put on your sunshades, and enjoy!