Front Porch for Autumn.....................

It was another hot day, in the upper 70s and because it rained it was also humid. Bleh!!!!! I went outside to do a few things but it was too yucky for me, my hair is wet and itches now. I dug up a Hosta that was in the way of the path to the veggie garden. I then stepped in the hole and fell over, scraped my knee and hit my ribs and hand but I am OK. Just getting clumsy in my old age. I feel it now, the age that is. I am not as steady as I once was and I suppose a lot of that is due to my vision. Ah well. I also got the front porch changed around.'


We do not celebrate Halloween but I do love Fall decor.

We were going to redo the front porch this year but that did not happen. We decided to pay as we go rather than run up a large bill again. I just paid off my Pay Pal and do not want it up there again. So, the porch is not too pretty right now. Still this does brighten things up.

I really like that wreath..........I have one out back as well. Also one under the trellis.

I like the Pumpkins, celebrate Harvest Festival and remember times gone by. Do you like my Crow?
Fake Mums instead of real ones. Saves some money there, we are poor folks now.

The mail mans table

I did buy some pretty Mum's for Alex though and went out today to tidy up for her birthday. She would have been 29 thats hard to believe

So another year goes by missing her but she will stay forever young and beautiful in our memories. She would like that.

Bier Gallery new purchase..............

When we did our trip to Charlevoix yesterday we stopped at the Bier Gallery. I had read on Facebook that they had new Froggies in. Well really they didn't have more actual new designs. I had to look hard to find one of the collection that I didn't have but I did find one that fits in. I also got to visit the studio where the lady was making new ones. She is making more of the Maple leaf Froggies but is also doing an Oak leaf one and I don't have one of those yet, something for next year maybe. I should ask on Facebook when they will be ready.
This is my new one.

He is on a gourd rather than a Pumpkin. I do not do Halloween but I do collect Pumpkins. I have some glass ones that I got out at the glass blowers at East Jordan. If its nice next time Tristen comes over maybe we can take a ride out there. He likes to see the Glass Blower at work.
These are my Pumpkins from Beir.

They have a blue collection but I stick with the neutral tones

I think my very first froggie was this little tooth pick holder

Then I believe I got Froggie in the chair.....he sits near the TV

He looks dusty but I can't get that off unless I wash him and I never remember.
This guy is sitting by the front door

I think my favourite is this one I have on the wall and will get one of the Oak leaves as soon as I can. I think that will complete my collection unless she comes up with something new.

I have bought a few other things over the years, these silly cats and the rat in the trap sit together on a box.


I have so many small things sitting around. I had wanted a lamp but it was several hundred dollars. My Aunt once said well you could get one big thing for what you pay for all the small things. I know but.........I love the small things too. The Mushroom I bought over the road at the other gallery sits with my Pumpkins now

The Morel mushroom sits with my others, the ones made of Petoskey stones and the Froggie on the Morals.

Besides, if I break one I can replace it, if its that expensive I would not be able to. One time I was out there I did spent about 180 dollars on this doll who resides on my wall.......along with a Fairy on another wall but it's rare that I put out even that much in one go.

Once upon a time, after my kids left home I mistakenly thought I could have nice things again. Well I did not take into account Grandkids or pets. I learned my lesson. I also changed my decorating theme, so now I keep it to things I know I will always love. Things from Nature mainly. So many small things all over the house. I like hand crafted from people I meet like my Wild Flowers and carved Sumac. Those people retired now so no more from them. Also the Grumm Gallery is gone when Norman died. His stuff now is very expensive and hard to find. I have some nice ones though. I saw one of his things when I was in Beir and I bet it wont be there next time otherwise I may have to get it. A little bird sitting on a branch of green leaves.
Maybe next month if we go north???? Oh no I must be good.

Rocks and Stones.................

If you come into my home you may wonder why there are dishes of stones all over the place. I don't know. I have a love and fascination for them. Why? again, I don't know. What I do know is I enjoy finding them at the beaches. That's the first thing. I love history, geology and all that. When you think about the stones on the beaches and think about where they originated..........well some of them are from lava fields, that means that as we are in Michigan, they have no doubt been here, or came here from the beginning of the world. What I mean is, that geology tells us that the ice fields from Northern Canada came down through Michigan to form the Great Lakes as they melted. That means a lot of the rocks came from Canada and ended up here.

There are all kinds of things we find on the beaches here. Glass that has been polished and in pretty colours. As soda and soft drinks are now in plastic the amount of beach glass is less. It is so pretty and I will use what I find some day in glass objects or jewelry.
On some beaches we find Agates. I find it difficult to recognise them. I have none in my collection that I know of. Those are in need of cutting to find the Agate inside but I don't have the equipment for that. At one time I bought a rock tumbler, a small one. Well come to find out just how long it takes to polish them I gave up on that one.

Laura and I most recently have been looking for Blue Stones from Leland. Those are really slag. They make pretty jewelry and I have ambitions hehe, yeh right, no really I do.

The tiny ones I keep in glass bottles and small containers that show them off........for now.

The obvious thing around here to collect is Petoskey stones. They are ancient corals, extinct now. They have a unique pattern and when you know what to look for are easy to find.

There are other "fossils" and corals that can be found. For me they come under "pretty stones" or unusual stones. I collect heart shapes and now I am collecting flat stones that I can paint on or decorate. Some for outside and others for who knows what. I did think maybe Fridge Magnets.

I love the small flat ones that are the size of buttons. I can drill those and actually make buttons. That can be (Maybe) a Gerry project.


I enjoy them sitting around the house. I have much more than I show here. I also have a rock garden outside and I have put the blue stones and Petoskey stones in there. I know where to find them. I did worry about it being a waste but you know what? Those stones will be there, or somewhere until the end of time, just as they were in the beginning and THAT folks is what I love about them, you hold eternity in your hand.

Bayside Gallery in Suttons Bay.............................

The Bayside Gallery in Suttons Bay........my favourite glass shop.
Edna and I went to Suttons Bay today. She wanted to go to the Quilt shop. I didn't want to get more quilt supplies so I just looked. Hard for me to do but I am getting better simply because I have so much already to do. I have given away a whole load of fabric already. I loved doing that rather than hoarding it. Chances of me using all I have is zero to none.
Anyway......in Bluebell Woods I described our day out and so this page is rather dedicated to this particular gallery. Oh my, if I could only afford to buy stuff there. I may go back as I did see one thing that was 1/2 off and it was way over 100 dollars so I must think on it. However there were several pieces that I would like and I live in hope that I can persuade Gerry to buy me a birthday pressie.

They have a fake stream running along one side and have fish in it. I often see frogs too. It adds to the pleasure of being there.


I enjoy the shop for the garden stuff but inside is all kinds of wonderful things. Mainly glass and thats why I always call it the glass shop.
I really want one of these

Anyone who loves glass would love this shop

I have learned my lesson though. I can't have nice things. They get broken.
I took the next picture to remind myself, I can do this

A wall of clocks all with moving parts

The bug collection is adorable


Another picture to remind me what I can do myself if I just get craking


Then there are other things that I would enjoy if I had the money to redo things. I could do a bathroom around that pretty fish

Liz may like a Butterfly

But it's mainly the outside stuff that I really want



You have to look at the individual pieces of art to see how wonderful they are. I think it takes more than one piece to make a garden really shine. I hope to collect a few



Well I can dream..........if anyone wants to know what to get me for my birthday you only need to look here haha..........well I can dream. There were a couple of things in another gallery that I want to post so as I remember them.


Absolutely no reason not to make these they are pine cones. I sure have enough of those. All for now.

April and nothing happening.......

Well I suppose I could bore everyone with a few of my latest cards but I won't right now. I have not been doing it every day like I was. I have slowed down a bit. Maybe that's good because maybe I will finally get to do some sewing. I have that stack of quilts and ironing to do. When I get stuck on one thing everything else gets left.
I found an old piece of watercolour I had cut off of a painting I did and didn't like. It was originally a picture of a seascape in a storm. Well it didn't work but I liked this piece and wanted to use it somehow. This is what I did and not sure I like it. So it will sit for awhile and I will see if I want to throw it away or keep it.

Detail

Another thing I did was to paint on a few of my stones I picked up at the beach. I have been experimenting on what paints to use.

I have not had a lot of success so far but these are a bit better. I want them perfect though and sometimes the dots smudge

These ones I copied from Pinterest, but I want to make refrigerator magnets of the faces, the little ones. I don't know why because I don't use them. Maybe when I do my yard sale I can sell them at a dollar a piece. (Well I did pay for the magnets)



I will pick up more stones this summer and see what else I can do. Maybe paint some of the faces and leave them on the beach haha.......
So Carrie and Justin bought me some lovely Tulips that I sat in different rooms. They ended up here in the living room and I moved the plant off the coffee table to set them there. I got so used to them there that I was sad when I finally had to let them go............I decided I like real flowers sitting there and so I bought me a plant.

When it stops blooming it can go outside for the summer and I will replace it with another. I also need to replace some of my African Violets that are getting straggly and in need of repotting. I love those they bloom all year in my dining room window.

The cats are bored. They want to be out in the garden but we got a winter storm last night and the snow is back. I opened the front door and got glared at by Bessie.

Ah well, Boots had just got used to sunning herself in a garden chair so she is not happy either and the Poodles miss coming and going as they please

Bijou looks sadly out the front window hoping for someone to bark at to relieve her boredom.........At least the sun came out.