lutkaandco

Pink Saturday And Lavender Wands

June 22, 2013 7 Comments

Happy Pink Saturday! After visiting the Lavender Festival, I was inspired to make a lavender wand. If you want instructions, they are all over the web. It’s pretty straight forward, so I just did it my way. I don’t know what type of lavender grows in my garden, but it was definitely not the slender petite variety they used at the fair to make the wands. So, I had to offset the bunch I used. Basic steps: Pick 15 lavender stalks, remove the leaves. Tie the bunch with dental floss, bend stalks over the flowers, weave ribbon around, and tie off. Pretty simple, and the results are even prettier. The hardest part was competing with the bees for the flowers:

Filed Under: Crafting, Pink Saturday

Suzy Homemaker Moments

June 21, 2013 1 Comment

DD started swimming with the Masters for the summer. She wakes up at 5:00am, and swims from 5:30am to 7:30am. She then goes to her summer job, teaching learn to swim. After she gets home, she goes cycling, climbing, or some other sport – she is loving it! I decided if she can do all that, then I can at the very least get up and go walking. So, I have been getting up with her, and going walking with one of the dogs, and it’s been great! For whatever reason, getting up and being active so early has made me feel more productive. I noticed our apricots have started ripening, so I had DD help me pick them, and we put them in the dehydrator to dry them. And, I made apricot sauce with the leftovers. In lieu of lemons (no lemons on our trees at the moment) we used calamansi, which grows year round.

And, as long as I was on a roll, I dried bananas too:

And… I even made pesto from fresh basil growing in my garden:

How’s that for a Suzy Homemaker moment! 🙂

Filed Under: Baking And Cooking

Lavender Festival 2013

June 20, 2013 2 Comments

There is a resort not far from my home which hosts an annual Lavender Festival. My friend Lisa and I decided to attend. We left early to avoid the heat and crowd. It was so beautiful with the fields of lavender in bloom as far as we could see. It almost felt like we were in Tuscany. I bought some doggy lavender soap for Koko and Hiro, though I don’t know why since they go to a groomer… I guess the idea of them smelling like lavender appealed to me. They even had plein air painters doing their thing.

Filed Under: Outings And Adventures

Patriotic Creations

June 19, 2013 4 Comments

Fourth of July, is one of the holidays I do not have many decorations for. And that in itself is a good enough reason to craft… So, after doing the Patriotic Ornie Swap, and having all the materials at hand, I decided to make a few more. I managed to find some really cute vintage dolls on Ebay, and used them to make my latest creations. I think they came out pretty cute if I do say so myself:

Filed Under: Crafting

Photo Mask #17 Freebie

June 18, 2013 10 Comments

This week, I made a photo mask for a “June Bride”. Or, it can be used for any other photos. I’m kind of running out of ideas for masks at the moment, so unless you have suggestions, I might just take a break at 20. Anyhow, here is the mask for this week. PU only – Enjoy!

Filed Under: Scrapbook Freebies, Scrapbooking

First Estate Sale

June 17, 2013 2 Comments

Hmmm, I’ve been following a few wonderful bloggers that frequent estate sales, find the most interesting things, and create even more interesting things with their finds. Well, of course I’d have to have a go at it, and wouldn’t you know it, I came across an ad for an estate sale, and off I went. The sale started at 8:00am, I arrived at 8:15am, and stood behind five people to enter the house. I felt a bit uneasy, like I was intruding… Images of the scene from A Christmas Carol came to mind, where the old ladies are going through Ebenezer Scrooges material goods… The lady in front of me turned, smiled, and I asked her about estate sales…And she explained a few things… This was an estate of her friends parents. The family had chosen whatever they wanted, and the rest of their estate was being liquidated. Orphans needing new homes… Ok, feeling a bit better… Step into the house, lots to see, but I zero in on the holiday craft supplies. The atmosphere was positive, upbeat, and happy. I left with a bag of things and a feeling of goodwill… My first estate sale.

Filed Under: Outings And Adventures

Making Beads

June 16, 2013 2 Comments

You know what they say is the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That about sums it up for my efforts in making lampwork beads… I make them, list them, and “hope” to sell them. At the very least to support my lampwork beading habit… Am I insane? Whatever, I have fun doing it, and a husband who just wants me to be happy, sooo…

I took advantage of cool weather we had a couple of weeks ago, and sat down to make some beads. And I am finally getting down to listing these beads on Etsy. Once I start making beads, it’s a lot of fun, but my mind is racing in so many directions these days, I don’t think much about sitting down in front of the torch. And now, the weather is unbearably hot, so I may just have to wait till the fall to do it again. Any way, here are a few sets I managed to make, they can be found at my Etsy shop (my insanity is kicking in again! :)).

I added the “Bead Babes” at the last minute. What do you think? do they help? 😉

Filed Under: My Handmade Beads And Jewelry

Pink Saturday Peonies

June 14, 2013 5 Comments

I’ve noticed a few bloggers participating in Pink Saturday over at How Sweet The Sound. And, I just love the color Pink, so I am posting one of my favorite flowers – Pink Peonies. Unfortunately, it’s too hot where we live to grow peonies, but I can indulge in them seasonally at our local Trader Joe’s:

Filed Under: Pink Saturday

Photo Mask #16 Freebie

June 11, 2013 2 Comments

Thought I’d give dads an equal time – here is a simple, yet meaningful photo mask for that special day. Personal use only – Enjoy!

Filed Under: Scrapbook Freebies, Scrapbooking

Patriotic Ornaments

June 10, 2013 5 Comments

I had lunch with a few of my friends the other day. They asked me what do I do with all my vintage finds? I told them I make things, why?… just because. I love my friends, but I don’t think they get it. Right now, it’s just something that gives me pleasure – to create. So, I made this bunny tussie mussie patriotic ornament for a swap that Viv organized. I got the tussie mussie idea from Nancy, she makes the prettiest tussie mussies. And here is another one that I made. I’m glad I was able to use the bunny and teddy. I might just pick up the giant needles again and make a few more felted cuties (and poke myself in the process).

Filed Under: Crafting

June 2013 Garden

June 8, 2013 1 Comment

There are so may flowers in bloom in our garden right now, but I’ll focus on the hollyhocks. They have kindly returned every year for the past three years, surprising us with such a variety of pretty colors.

Here is a view of our front entrance. The flowers are so pretty, and they seem to grow taller every year. Do you see the scratches on the lower left of our door?

Here is the little culprit – Koko. She has figured out how to sneak through to our neighbors yard in the back, and come around to the front to scratch at the door. This happens if I don’t let her back in right away… little stinker.