Hurry Up And Wait

Some projects are hurry up and wait.  The last couple of days as we have ushered in fall, I have been  preparing gourds for winter crafting.  We planted these gourds last year and they were very successful plants.  We had traditional crafter's gourds, and then a volunteer plant that produced amazing warty gourds.  A year ago we harvested them and then put them in the barn for the winter.  During that time, they began to dry out and get covered in mold (naturally part of the process).  Then early summer we put them out on a patch of the drive, out of the way and let the sun finish drying them and bleach them a little. 

The next step was to bring them in (in batches) and scrub away all of the dirt and mottled bits of mold.  This took a little more elbow grease than you might think!

Once finished with their scrubbing, they headed out to the porch to dry.

The next order of business will be to cut a small hole in them and pull out the fibrous web that was once the innards. Then they will be ready for whatever design we decide on for future bird houses, lanterns and decorated gourds.  Some projects are worth hurrying up to wait for!

Garden Stamp Trial

The stamps finally came and we learned a good lesson. Stainless works a-ok, but I think sterling would be way better.  The softer metal would ensure a good imprint, but this is not too bad for a first shot.  We did our first official label as onion in honor of the 200 onion sets that we planted today.  Yes, we planted and in the ground, not just the mass seeds we have started in the basement!  They will weather a cold snap, but the earth felt warm and ready, so we tucked them in.  Garden....game on! 

Now I'm off to get my game on with the ladies and trivia nite :)

Just Hangin' With My Peeps

 I saw this craft on one of the multitude of crafty sites that I follow in my facebook news feed and I can't remember which one.  I think mommy savers, maybe.  Anyway, one of my friends made a couple of these right after and they turned out so cute, that I had to jump on board.  Find yourself a wreath of any substrate and wrap it in ribbon.  I like fat ribbons that have a little bit of wire in the edges.  Then, take out your trusty glue gun and hang up your peeps.  That easy and a simple festive start to spring!  Have a great weekend!