HAPPY EASTER!

This is me and two of my 5 sisters, all decked out for Easter....like a hundred years ago!  I'm the one with the funky purse, stringy hair and knobby knees!  But hey...I'm all about accessorizing!

 Put on your Easter bonnet (with all the frills upon it) and enjoy your day!

EASTER SIGN REPAIR

Nothing like a last minute Easter project, right?  But this is more about a sign repair really.
I picked up this little block sign a couple of years ago at Marshall's when I was visiting my friend Judy in Arizona.  However, it didn't look like this......

It was on the clearance shelf and it was broken, sad, $2.00 and it looked more like this....

 It was obviously missing something on the top.  The sales clerk said she thought it was an egg at one time, but it had broken off where it was glued down inside.  You can see it here...

I had a plan, that did not include Easter for this sign, but I never got around to it.  This year, when I pulled it out of my box of Easter decor, I had an even better idea for it, that did involve Easter.  First things first....I drilled out the little peg that had broken off in the top, as well as drilled 4 little holes in the front corners.

I found a wooden egg at Hobby Lobby.  I spray painted it with just some primer.

 I drilled the little hole in the bottom out so that a mini dowel rod would fit into it.

To add just a touch of pretty to the front of my sign, I hot glued some buttons on to the ends of some little pegs that I made out of another mini dowel rod.  

I thought they were a little too plain, so I stuck a little pink gem in the center.  Much better. 

Almost done now....I trimmed some washi tape and applied it to the egg.  Then twisted the long dowel rod onto the base and pushed it into the new hole in the top of the sign.  I stuck the little buttons into the four holes in the corners and this little Easter sign was up on my shelf, with a cute little cast iron bunny sitting on top, just in time for the holiday.....barely.   But, there's another reason for this last minute project.  Oh yes!  Come back next week and you'll see this cute sign with an entirely different look, one I like even better than this....

    Happy Easter everyone!      

 

Looking Down - March Self-Portrait Challenge

My dear friend Amy at While Wearing Heels hosts a once a month self-portrait challenge and I have been a big chicken about doing it. 

Oh I've wanted to do it, and I've been somewhat of a voyeur, checking out all of the other pictures, but take a picture of myself? Gahhhh!
But it bugged me and lurked in the back of my thoughts.  I missed the first month, then the second, when the theme was "Reflections", which were so awesome that I was just blown away.  (You can check them out yourself HERE.)  Still, I hesitated.  Finally, I did what I always do when I need to make myself do something that scares me....I TOLD someone that I would do it.  (Yep, that's usually all it takes for me to get off my butt and do something.)
That very week we had snow.  I love snow and we get so little of it here in SW Missouri, so I did something I always wanted to do, I went outside barefoot in the snow.

Bare naked toes in the snow.  It felt cold, but wonderful!  Then...I just kind of wanted to lay down in  it....so I did.  (My little dog was in the window looking at me like I was crazy.)  It was kind of fun, but it was also cold, so I snapped a quick picture and came back inside to my warm slippers and my hot coffee.

 What surprised me the most when I downloaded this picture to my computer was not the fact that I had on no make-up, nor the fact that I hadn't even fixed my hair yet, but....how much I was smiling!
It was a silly thing to do, all by myself on one of the few days we had measurable snow, but I did it...and I have a picture to prove it!

Thanks Amy!  

Linking up to Amy's wonderful party sometime later today!

Now won't you be a brave soul and join in as well?  There's a new theme every month!

  

Facebook and Bloglovin Hop!

It's blog hopping time!  We are so happy to be joining together to bring you this  Bloglovin' Blog Hop to help grow our blogs.   The recent news of saying goodbye to the Google Reader leaves us all wondering will Good Friend Connects be next?  It's always a great idea to have many ways for friends to follow to your blog.  We were so excited to host our first Bloglovin' Hop last week!  Each week we will also rotate one other social media to follow.  This week we are featuring Facebook along with bloglovin'! A huge thank you to everyone who joined us last week.  We hope you made some new friends!

Please follow each hostess, and leave us a comment so we can return the follow!

We would love to feature a co-host each week, so please send one of us an email if you would like to be a co-host.  

Please link up your bloglovin' follow link.  To find your URL, just click on your follow by bloglovin' button.  Copy and past the URL link.  

Thank you so much for joining us!  We hope you make many new friends and followers each week.  

Not mandatory, but we would love for you to share our blog hop button.    That's a great way for us to all gain new friends. 

 Hostesses

Becky @ Your Modern Family

Danni @  Silo Hill Farm    

  

Doreen @  HouseHoneys

Kathe @ Kathe with an E

Kathy @ Life on Lakeshore Drive

Suzan @ Simply Vintageous

Tammy @ One More Time Events

Please make sure you link your bloglovin' and Facebook URL link, and not your blog.   It makes it so much faster for your new friends to find you!  

WE HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST AT SILO HILL FARM TODAY!

When Talya from Grace Grits and Gardening contacted me and offered to do a guest post here for Silo Hill Farm, I was so thrilled!  She has a wonderful blog and has guest posted for us at the Inspiration Cafe as well.  If you don't already know her, you should be sure to check out some of her posts as she never disappoints!  Take it away Talya.....

Finished!

I am not a crafty blogger, but I do love to make homemade baby gifts.

I made this mixed media piece for baby Haley, my friend Jenny's new daughter. 

Haley Frances Rolland

Although the project takes several hours, it is fun, creative, and not as difficult as it appears.

Supplies:

Blank artist's canvas
Mod Podge
Scrapbook paper
Vintage buttons
Vintage rick rack
Scrapbook stickers
Pictures from old children's books
Glue Gun
Paintbrush
Scissors / Paper Cutter

I know, I know, I KNOW it's sacrilegious to cut out pages from books, but I buy these books specifically for this purpose at estate sales and at Half Price Books to lessen the pain...

I also buy stickers and scrapbook paper on sale from Michaels, Hobby Lobby and Target, knowing I will eventually find a use for everything.

sheet of scrapbook paper - various colors/prints

vintage buttons

When I prepare to do one of these projects, I never have a plan other than the general theme. In this case, 'baby girl' theme. On my computer, I printed lines from Mary Had A Little Lamb, substituting Haley to make it personalized. This phrase becomes the backdrop for the project. I glued this first piece of scrapbook paper onto my canvas with Mod Podge, then began adding layers of paper.

gluing rick rack along side

The key is to layer and layer and layer the canvas with pieces and strips of scrapbook paper coating each side and seam with magical mystical Mod Podge. The more layers the richer and more interesting the finished piece.

Allow coats to dry before adding more layers. If you tear a piece of paper, no worries. Add another piece. If two pieces just don't seem to work side by side, glue on a button. (Buttons should be adhered with hot glue rather than Mod Podge...)

Don't forget to decorate the back with your name and date.

Back

Remember, this isn't supposed to be perfect. It's hand crafted.

Note:  This project isn't exclusive to baby gifts...I made the following piece with drawings of my puppies and pages about dogs from vintage books. Favorite sports team is another fun theme. You are limited only by your imagination.

Lucy and Annabelle

Have fun!

talya

Grace Grits & Gardening

p.s. This is the gift I made several years ago for Haley's big sister, Samantha.

Thank you Talya!  I love this project and although I have never tried a mixed media project, I love the "no rules" idea, the possibilities are endless.  Looks like a great scrapbusting project as well!  I look forward to giving this a try! 

BLOGGERS I ADMIRE: LINDA FROM WITH A BLAST

Wednesdays "Bloggers I Admire" posts are some of my very favorite posts to write!  The blog world constantly amazes me with all of the talent and creativity it holds and Linda @ With a Blast is one creative blogger.  I never know when I visit her blog if I'm going to want to grab my glue gun, my paint brush, my hammer or my spatula, because Linda does it all and she does it in South Africa!

 I love her blog and her projects.  She also has a great new gig...hosting "All My Bloggy Friends" link party with another great blogger, Jamie from Love Bakes Good Cakes.  It's a great party so when you're finished reading this post, head on over and link something up!  You can get to the party by clicking on the image below.

Now, please take a look at some of Linda's favorite posts, and then I'll show you a few of her projects that I love!

First up is this  beautiful bench that she made out of an old toy box, which is very cool...but you won't believe what that back is made out of...

Blanket Box Bench

 The next time you're throwing a party, you're going to want to give this 90 Minute Sweet Party Platter a try!  Six different fillings, all on one post, using those pre-made frozen mini pastry shells you always see in the freezer section and want to try.  Just click the link below the picture and "pin it" straight from Linda's blog!  You'll be glad you did....trust me!

90 Minute Sweet Party Platter

 These candles are the cutest and they started out as some fairly boring containers.  With Linda in the house, they sure didn't stay boring for long!

Easy DIY Candles

All of the above are just fabulous projects that Linda chose to share with you.  Now, please let me show you a few of her projects that I love.
With summer coming on, I'm in the mood for salads and when Linda posted this salad last year, I knew it would be one that I would make over and over.  It's so easy and has everything I love in it!

Avocado, Cherry Tomato and Corn Salad

 Now this next project is in my all time favorite DIY Hall of Fame Projects!!  Seriously....who wouldn't love a little extra storage space and this project gives you plenty!  I can think of a couple of places I could use this.....

DIY Grocery Slider

I'm pretty sure that Linda is responsible for a few of the extra pounds I have put on in the last year, so when she posted this recipe, I was pretty happy because, it's not only delicious, but it's got some yogurt in it and that makes it healthy right?

Polenta Cake with Orange Syrup

Finally, I couldn't post about Linda, without showing you one of her amazing "Smash Cakes"...

Valentine's Smash Cake

Uh huh....a chocolate heart filled with chocolate candy...what's not to love here?!  
Yep....Linda makes some  really great stuff!  I'm working on a knock off of one of her projects this week and hope to share it with you soon!  So if you want to see some more awesome projects from halfway around the world...head over to With A Blast and check out Linda's blog.  While your there, don't forget to link up a project at her party!
Thank you Linda, for all of the inspiration (and a pound or two!) that you've given me!  Thanks for being such a good blog friend too!  You're awesome!      

Inspiration Cafe - NorthShore Days Opens a New Series

We're excited to bring you a new series at the Inspiration Cafe.  For the next 5 Mondays, the girls are going to be sharing a food dish from our heritage, culture or that has special meaning to us.  At the end of this series, we're going to have our first link party and ask YOU to link up a dish that is special to your culture or heritage.
Natalie from NorthShore Days is kicking this series off with Durban Beef Bunny Chow as she grew up in Durban in South Africa. (Did you know that?)

 Looks delicious doesn't it?  Just click on the global door to the Inspiration Cafe and we'll take you there to see what this delicious Beef dish is all about. 

Do you have a dish from your heritage that you would be willing to share at our link party?  If so, write a post about it sometime during the next 5 weeks and then come back here the last week of April and link it up!  Should be some global fun!