More Poetic Goodness

Sharon, Brandon, and I are having fun with poets. Sharon has her wonderful soaps and candles inspired by them, Brandon came back from market with some fabulous goodies, and I've been putting together a few frames. Anais Nin was a French born writer famous for her journals, starting when she was eleven, but she is most widely known for her erotica. Truly a woman before her time.

"Dreams are Necessary to Life". You bet they are.

There was something Frenchy and fun about this ballerina.

And I love incorporating perfume bottles still filled with liquid. So interesting.

The next frame plays on Sharon's inspiration, too, this one of George Sand. Sand was another French novelist, liberal in her views. She was known to wear men's clothes because they were sturdier and more comfortable and she had affairs for which she was unashamed. You go girl.

I am digging the funky metal wheat thing-a-ma-bobber. It was just right for this piece, completely non conforming to the conservative shape of the frame, just like George.


The entire quote is, "There is no greater pleasure than to love and be loved", but that was a mouthful for a frame, so the shortened version says it all.

Next, I just can't forget the one, the only, Edgar Allan Poe. I already have that one started. Not sure if Sharon will get into the action - what WOULD that scent smell like?!

Flowers in Bloom

The weather in Kansas City over the weekend was fantastic! It really put me in the state of mind I needed to knock out some garden flowers to send to Sister's in Iowa.

It's fun coming across old tins in thrift stores and garage sales. I can't often afford the ones I find in antique malls, but sometimes I do luck out. Brendan helped me pick out the center for the one below. It's made of a cool wedgewood blue tin.

Anything with an English AND a fruit cake reference is bound to be awesome.

I had never glued buttons to the leaves before, but I found a great two-part apoxy adhesive that will hold anything, so that's opened some doors. Wait until I post more of my progressively crazy birdhouses . . .

And here's a little of this and that from around the house. The fabulous Lori Buntin (not an artistic medium she can't master), picked the frame and matting for this great silhouette of Brendan from 1997 when he was 3!

When I was junkin in Welda, KS a couple of weeks ago, I bought a jar of shells and was stoked that this little doll was hiding inside!

I got the "FLOWERS" letters on Ebay.

And here's another junkin find from Welda. My heart nearly stopped when I spied it from across the room for $10!!!! Original frame and the picture is on some kind of canvas that has deteriorated perfectly! Who were these people? I would love to know.

And along with my metal flowers, I got some real ones planted this week, too. I skipped right over the pansies, so I'm hoping our nights will be warm from here on out.

I decided to keep my Valentines out for awhile, no need to confine them to February.

I am very into concrete chickens as of late . . .

Jason took me to a place called The Garage Cafe in Birmingham (Alabama, not England) once. They had all kinds of crazy antiques laying around outside in a garden setting. We're working on our own "Garage Cafe" in the backyard so I've been collecting some interesting odds and ends.

And the very best part about my weekend was hanging out with my nephew, Kiran. So cute! Just look at those chins!

Welcome to the Dove Wing Diner

The Dove Wing Diner is the latest of four Spring birdhouses I have created this season. Step inside for a casually elegant dining experience featuring our earthworm tar tar with dirt chutney and fresh beatle.

The funky, rusty brooch encircling the perch was snagged recently at the Penn Square Antiques Mall in St. Joe. Ahhhh . . . how I would love to be there right now.

And some interesting odds and ends, all in creamy white, to get that Frenchy old world feel I was looking for with this house.

And as I was antique mall shopping/daydreaming, I got the idea for spoons for the roof. Still unsure of how to cut and bend them, I decided to include them unaltered.

And a slathering of grout completes the look. SOLD

And meet my new man. Thanks so much to Barb at Sister's for allowing me to shop her blog and for shipping this baby from Iowa to KC. I'm taking very good care of him, Barb.

Found this fab certificate at W.D. Pickers, dated 1874. I am so curious about the history of people and just what did this little baby do with her life?

And one of my most favorite antique mall finds, again from dealer #11 in St. Joe - I'm waiting for just the right mosaic piece to feature this one.

And some more fun odds and ends. I'm already plotting about my next birdhouse, the Magpie Mansion, complete with wonky additions sticking crookedly off of one another and lots of dangling chandalier prisms. The Magpie's are the "crazy" people on the block, don't you know.