I'm a cliche' -Part One

I have tried to not be as cliche' Oregonian.
Really, I tried.
I've watched Portlandia on IFC, and thought..."Haha...Good thing that I'm not like that!"
But, there's a big problem.
I am like that.
I really love the things that make us...well...us.

• I can spend a whole day watching a obscure TV show.
• I love to pickle things, and thought that pickled blueberries were a great twist.
• Every Sunday I go to the Farmer's Market.
• I like to know the farmers that grow my food.
• I love to see the chickens that lay my eggs

I may not live in Portland, but...
I am a just like the characters on Portlandia. 
(You may already know this...but I recently discovered this.)

Oh, yeah...
The really big piece of evidence to me being a character on the show...

 

I love putting birds on things.

Birds just make everything look better in my world.

Especially if I can put a bird on a fluffy pillow!

Oh man, that makes me super happy.

Unlike the characters on Portlandia,
I won't freak out when I see a real bird.
Though I will cover head so it won't poop on me.
And, really...if I'm being honest, real birds don't spend time at my house because my dog loves to chase them.  He finds them in the trees, the bushes, and hiding under the deck.
Oh no!  He likes birds as much as I do...just a bit differently.
But heck, isn't that what makes us Oregonians?
We're all a little different.
And I like it that way.
If I'm going to be a cliche',
this isn't a big cliche' to be.
I'll make the world bird-beautiful. :0)

Goofy Pillows- June Projects

Today's post is a look into the past...
My niece Leanna joined me on my adventures today.  Since our paint is still drying, I thought that I would share the pillows that I created in June.

The goal of trying new things began at the beginning of the summer, but the blog started this week.  Therefore, here are a few of my pillow projects that I have completed. They were initially inspired by a beautiful gift of vintage fabric that I received from a lovely, retired colleague.  Her mom had passed away, leaving a basement full of craft supplies. (I have a feeling that I will leave the same heritage to my family. Good Luck Leanna, Jorden, and Joe!)  She remembered a conversation about how I wanted to sew, and gave me a few boxes of fabric!  Thrilled, I wanted to pay tribute to the wonderful gift and create new things out of fabric that her mother had gathered and loved.  I hope that I will make her proud of how I use it!

I saw this super cute bird and I just had to try to make one myself!

Vintage Birdie Canvas  http://www.wallstickeroutlet.com/wall-decor-detail.php?RecordID=108360



Of course, looking at the sweet little bird, I needed a bit of help.  So I found this great site,

Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials.  http://www.embroidery.rocksea.org/

 Her site has great step-by-step,

easy to follow instructions for a beginner like me! :0)

My birds didn't quite turn out as cute and the picture. 
In fact, they are a little goofy looking, but I love them anyway. :0)

Goofy Bird #1- George

Goofy Bird #2- Franklin

Yes, I name anything that has an animal on it. 

Somehow I've never grown out of that childhood habit...

and I don't think that I ever will!

Other pillows for my kitchen bench...

The "Yum" fabric looked more red in the scrap box, but now it looks pink! I like how it turned out, but it might need to find new home.  A home that has a bit more pink, then red. Any Takers? ;0)



A Little Bird and Big Hearts

A Little Bird and Big Heart

Yesterday, I had a lovely crafter at my house, my niece Jorden, and she was ready to create magic.  She had an inspiration idea that was found on pinterest, and we went from there.

This was her inspiration picture...

http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2012-04-27T10:30:00-05:00&max-results=8&start=3&by-date=false

Of course, I like to reuse things or use things that I've collected, so we scavenged for a few things.  Thank you Home Depot for your ample supply of paint chips! hehe :0)

Jorden cut out hearts using a template and then we began gluing them done using a mixture of glue and water. (Homemade "Mod Podge")

Hmmm...The paint started to curl, so we had to spend time pushing it down onto the canvas.

Good thing we were persistent!

 While we waited for the glue to dry, Jorden had spied my bird pillows on my kitchen bench and wanted to make one.

Hello Bird...

I made this the other day.  A group of birds have made a home in my chimney this summer and their loud chirping put birds on my brain!

Jorden work all evening...stitch by stitch...and in the end, she had such an adorable pillow!

I think that she even surprised herself! :0)

Murphy wasn't much help, but he sure loves having "his people" around!