The Summer Months…

… seem to be so busy for everyone in blogland! I myself have been swamped with work and have not really been able to make any blog posts for almost a month and a half, as is evident by the date of the last post.

My head has been swarmed with ideas of all kinds, from crafting projects to design concepts that I have put down in a sketch-book. I am hoping that in another two weeks I can start putting those concepts and ideas to work.

To recap what’s been happening to me in the last month and a half, I can say that I had a tooth pulled out, went on a nice little vacation to the seaside, determined my Etsy policies and completed a few items. One of which sold before it was up on Etsy, even!

Among some of the projects are the two birdhouses I’ve been working on. Each one is embellished with shells from the Black Sea and nautical hand-crafted clay ornaments. Both will be sold separately.

And the pair of wooden picture frames, painted white and embellished using the serviette technique. They sold for 50 Euro.

And, of course, some vacation photos:

Hope you’ve all enjoyed your summer months! I know I did.

Been So Long…

I know, I’ve been a total slacker when it comes to keeping the blog updated lately! I can’t really say I’ve been swamped with projects and things to do, but work has the tendency to suck all juice out of me to the point where when I come home all I want to do is… nothing. Is this really bad of me?

In the past couple of weeks (and then some) I’ve only worked on a couple of things. On a good note, I have the rest of the week off of work!

I bought a cardboard sheet to use as backing for my serviette technique pictures, but I still need to go out with mom to buy some frames for them. I’ve also got a random ideas for napkin rings, which I will probably complete by the end of the week, so that will give me a chance to finally start that Etsy shop. In addition, I’ve got some cups and plates lined up that I can work on, and I’m buying some really neat boxes I found at the craft store that I will decorate and list there as well. In fact, something similar to the box I did for my mom:

   

And I had a neat little ‘thrifty’ find! While rummaging though my grandma’s closet I found this little beauty:

Isn’t she gorgeous? I have a couple of leaves in there that I am trying to grow, but imagine the teapot with a small bouquet of random little flowers! I think it could make the perfect provance center-piece!

In any case, now that I have a few days to myself, I can not fully indulge! I will keep you all updated!

A New Month – New Beginnings

Today Bulgarians celebrate July Morning – a tradition that is traced back to the 70s and the hippy movement in America, and was regarded as a quiet protest against communism in the 8os (and gets its name from the famous Uriah Heep song July Morning). Enthusiasts travel to the Bulgarian sea-side to greet the morning sun on 1st of July – symbol of a new beginning.

That being said, I hope to see some new projects on a more personal level this month as well! Needless to say, I am very much behind on my June list, and I’m quite embarrassed about that. I guess I didn’t really take into account the fact I was going back to work full-time after my finals and how that would cut into my spare time – significantly, I have to say. And as much as I would have loved to have crossed all items off that list, I only managed to do a few… very few. Here’s a recap:

1. Go shopping for craft materials:

• Spray paints – various colors (Not done, but at least I have a vague idea about what colors I want)
• Wooden picture frame, plus some cheap plastic ones (On the to-do list this month)
• Chicken-wire and some hooks (Not done)
• Mother-of-pearl ornaments and shells (Some progress)
• Twine (Not done)
• Bamboo piece (Not done)
• Decoupage paper and some napkins (Done)
• Wooden jewelry ornaments (Done)
• Wind chime kit (Done)
• Felt of various thickness and colors (Not done)
• Buttons (Not done)
• Sea salt (fine) (Not done)
• Glass bottles (Found some while cleaning the house)
• Metal plaques (Done)
• Tin wire of various thickness (Not done)

Such a sad, sad state of affairs. But the list continues!

2. Work on some hand-made jewelry. (Not done)

3. Figure out what to do with that tin can I salvaged (love being so vague, ha!) (Done – for now, the tin cans are perfect for storing my brushes)

4. Find some old glass jars and use them as hanging planters on the wall. (Partially – found the jars, haven’t used them yet)

5. Make the jewelry rack for mom. (Erm… not done)

6. Make a tag from the metal plaques. (Got the materials, still working on the creative part)

7. Make the chicken-wire ‘hanger’.(Not done)

GARDENING:

1. Repot the Dracena Marginata in a larger pot. (Not done, I think the plant is doing alright in the pot it’s in)

2. Move the cherry tomato plant in a bigger pot. (Not done – but I got a ripe tomato)

3. Move the Pelargoniums outside and prune them. (Not done – some serious space issues. For now they are out on the steps are not doing too shabby)

4. Buy potting mix and more planters to plant the rest of the small petunias. (Done)

5. Sow more basil. Also, check the lavender seeds and transfer into a pot. (Not done – I bought a lavender plant, and don’t need more basil)

6. Buy some petunias from the market and plant in pots at the bedroom window. (Done)

PERSONAL:

1. Stick to my diet at all costs! ‘Cheating’ only allowed on Saturday/Sunday. (Semi accomplished!)

2. Do some exercising. (Not accomplished – not in the least)

3. Find a good book to read. (Done)

Alright, after this boring wall of text, I am ready to proceed with the July list, which is not ready yet, but will make sure to post it once it’s ready. To shed some light, though, I am working on several projects, some personal, some not so. My mom has a set of cups she’s donating to my future Etsy shop, where I’ll be offering similar items. In addition, I’m working on decorating a small vintage stool she has, and I actually can’t wait to start on that. Right now I am working on decorating a cigar box she found, and that’s been a fun little project. The box is almost complete, so I’ll make sure to post the “after” pictures soon. Oh, and I scored some vintage chairs from my aunt (which she was getting ready to throw away), so I can only picture the yummy goodness these will be! Of course, in order to do that, I’m planning on taking two weeks off of work sometime at the end of July/beginning of August. Fun fun!

Are you guys getting the BHG newsletter? They have some beautiful flower arrangements and tips today. Check this out!

Beautiful, aren’t they? And the tips are so simple, and yet form the ‘core’ of flower arrangement. Head on over to check all the gorgeousness!

I would also like to say one big WELCOME to the couple new followers I have. You all make this so worthwhile!

[Click on image to go to source. Flower images from BHG.com]

So Happy To Be Blogging!

Sweet, sweet Rose @ Victoria Rose Paper Craft has given me a second award, and has also made me feel so happy to be blogging!

I am so thrilled and excited to know that my blog makes someone out there smile. Because in essence, a blog is very ‘selfish’ – it’s all about me, me, and oh, me and what I did today! It warms my heart to know that this ‘selfish’ island in the Internet ocean makes a person (or many!) happy. And it reminds me why I started a blog in the first place – to trace my baby steps towards a more crafty self and to keep track of my every-day doings and gardening progress. Of course, the blog itself moves out of track from its original intent every once in a while, but that’s the beauty of it! So, thank you so much, dear Rose!

Passing it on to 6 other people that make me smile every day!

1. Kennesha @ Me & My House

2. Design it Chic

3. Melanie @ The Old White Cottage

4. Kate @ Centsational Girl

5. Tim @ A Writer's Haven (hubby’s blog, because the way he sometimes describes our lives makes me giggle)

6. Steph @ Painted Shed

Very difficult choice – every single one of your blogs brings a smile to my face. I love you all – you make this blog-thing meaningful!

One Huge Thank-You & Other Little Notes

I was overwhelmed by the comments you all left on the tea/coffee set for the junk party, and I just want to say a big thank you to all of you, and to Kennesha for hosting such a nice event! This has, by far, been the most fun event I have participated in Blogland, and it really made me feel like starting a blog is a great and rewarding experience. Once again, thank you!

I would have loved to reply to every single comment you guys left, but  unfortunately some of the comments get e-mailed to me without an e-mail address. Some of you asked if I was planning on selling the set, and the answer is yes. I am planning on opening my Etsy store very soon, and I’m currently working on acquiring a nice stash of napkins to do custom orders. Of course, I’m not selling that particular one, because it was more of an exercise, but all sets would look similar to what you saw. So, stay tuned and I will make sure to let you know when the shop opens!

On the home front, my Echinacea is in full bloom and it looks so perfect!

Also, I am now the proud owner of a cute little Ageratum, fondly called Blue Puffy in Bulgaria.

In the background you can see the tiny Rosemary plant I started from seed. I have to say it’s developing very well, and I hope it continues to grow that way. In addition, I now have a baby lavender, too, for which I am extremely excited!

I’m also still working on the mystery project and I am hoping I can have some more time tomorrow to take detailed pictures and finally get it completed. In the meantime, here’s what happens when I’m not looking:

Poor little thing was so terrified when we took the picture. On top of it, I now have blue paw-prints on the carpet that I have no clue how to clean up. Fun, fun!

I hope you’ve all had a great weekend, and wishing you a great week!

My Very First Blog Award!

I am very excited to say that lovely Rose @ Victoria Rose Paper Craft awarded me with my very first blog award!

I am so happy I can’t express it in mere words, because I feel like I have accomplished something. I only started this blog in February and I am extremely glad that there are people out there in the world who find my random blurbs useful and interesting. I can only hope I continue to keep you all interested *wink wink*!

Now, as per the rules of nomination, there are several things that need to be done:

1). Add logo to your blog – done.

2). Link to the person you received the award from – done.

3). Nominate 7 or more of the lovely ladies whose blogs you love:

Here they come!

Kasey @ Lola B's

Karen @ Musings of a (mostly) self-taught knitter

Seleta @ Simply Seleta

Melanie @ The Old White Cottage

Kennesha @ Me & My House

Design It Chic

Centsational Girl

Kim @ Heart In The Country

4). Finally, leave comments on those blogs to let them know you have given them an award – done!

Now I go off to relax and maybe get some studying done today. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Back to blogland

It’s been more than a week since I last posted, but I’ve had a hard time finding my blog mojo lately. I’ve had so many things to do this past week, and with finals knocking on my door it’s been a little too difficult to concentrate.

However, I worked on several projects this past week and have some other ones in my mind, so I decided it was high time I came back to blogland to share!

Sadly, I forgot to take “before” pictures of the box I got to hold all my craft materials, but here is is “after” the fact:

The box is made of wood and came ‘as-is’, meaning that it was what I call ‘raw’ – just the woodsy color, and that’s it. I decided to experiment, plus I wanted something different, so I got tubes of white and cream acrylic paint, some crackle and went to work. Originally I was going to paint the whole box in cream and only the face white, and that’s what we did (Timmy helped), but then I changed my mind. One coat of paint, then one coat of step 1 of the crackle medium, then a coat of contrasting paint and coat of step 2 of the crackle medium, and here’s the result:

I had no idea what it would look like, but it turned out alright! Now all I need to do is distress it and put a light coat of lacquer.

In the mean time, I also worked on some hand-made mother-of-pearl earrings. I even wore them once, and I have to say I am very happy with them. Since then I’ve had a ton of jewelry ideas!

On the plus side, my plants are finally getting full sun and have started to develop really well. My petunias are still tiny, but have a number of leaves, and I worry they won’t bloom any time soon, considering I see full-grown and blooming petunias at the flower stands all over town. I am actually planning on going to the farmer’s market some time this week to buy a few more planters and a few petunias and forget-me-not’s, because mine are not enough to do what I want. Something like that, maybe:

Speaking of which, I haven’t told you the most important news! I am planning on enrolling to another university next semester to get a bachelor in Landscaping! That will give me two bachelor degrees, and Landscaping combined with Business Administration will give me the opportunity to open my own company after I graduate. How nice would that be?! My friend Dessy wants to join me, so we’ll both be enrolling. That would give me a chance to work with my favorite plants. I am so excited, even just talking about it. I will make sure to keep you updated on our progress.

My Etsy shop is also in the works, but I can’t give a concrete date yet. But I will keep you posted.

I hope you all had a great week – I know I did!

[Image by AllPosters.com]

Gardening Woes

It’s been almost a week since I last posted, but my life swirled around me and caught me in a hurricane I haven’t been able to get away from for a few days. Been so swamped with things I couldn’t even think of anything inspirational to even blog about.

But, some gardening troubles can quickly get me back in mode!

So, here’s the bad news. My grandma gave mom a beautiful hydrangea for her birthday, and so I was promoted to be the sole tender after mom put it out on the balcony because the weather has just been so gorgeous. Well, the plant didn’t think it was that gorgeous… I came home to a withered hydrangea last night, all the beautiful blossoms looking like someone dragged them 5 miles from the back of a car… I can’t tell you how much it pained my heart, especially since I love those plants. I didn’t get to take pictures of the poor creature, but here’s what it looks like after some necessary doctoring…

But, it’s not all that bad. I believe she (yes, I think it’s a girl, and yes, I am that badly involved) will get better now that I cut all withered parts and gave her some fresh water.

On the plus side, do you remember the liliums? This is what they look like now!

They took a while to start growing, but once they did, they’ve been like mushrooms.

I also spent some time repotting my basil, rosemary and petunias. They have grown significantly in the past day and a half.

And another update! I don’t know if you have ever used it, but it’s a program that came with my MS Office package, and it’s called OneNote. I love that program! You can create your virtual notebook with as many separators, tabs and folders as you like. You don’t have to save it, you can add colors and borders to it, you can write anywhere you see fit, and they give you templates for all kinds of theme notes in case you don’t want to have a custom one.

So, if you remember, I talked about creating a Gardener’s Journal, and guess where I did that… yes, my Journal is virtual, paperless, totally GREEN Gardener’s journal. I can add pictures and notes to my heart’s content!

In addition, I found an awesome lady’s blog that truly inspires me - Simply Seleta.

Oh, and I got a new hairstyle I will show you tomorrow.

Have a peaceful afternoon, everyone!