Can you say "Stalker"

I don't know if this would be considered stalking or a Peeping Tom, but I have this cute little birdie I named Robin :) who set up nest under my carport. I started taking pictures from start to finish and was amazed at how fast the whole egg, hatch, fly away process really is. One thing that I did find odd is that Robin laid one egg and then a week later she laid two more...does anyone know if this is normal?

Well, it has been about a month since my last robin flew the coop but just last week I noticed another robin frantically building a nest (maybe it just dawned on her that it is now officially summer and she is a little behind the eight ball). I slipped back into my old ways and spied in the nest and who would have thought, one egg. Now I am intrigued and want to see if some siblings come later.

Upcycled Old Windows

Another little before and after for y'all on some old windows. I discovered that the Habitat store throws away the old windows that are broken which is exactly what I am looking for. So here are a few after I gave them a little paint and some nifty hardware. Little memo stations if you will!

Painted Kiddie Phono

My good friend, Elaine, gave me this cute little wooden bench to work some magic on. I originally thought it was a gossip chair or telephone chair but it has a sticker on the back that says Kiddie Phono. I decided to paint it a lite green, brown glaze, a little sanding to distress, a coat of poly for longevity and there you have it. I think this little bench would be sooo cute in a baby room, but for now I'm using it as a plant stand.

Before & Afters

I love before and after pics so I decided to post a few of mine!
Before:

After:

I've only upcycled two of the yard sale finds in the before pic so far, but I'm working on the rest!

Booze Bottle Bouquets

These little "booze bottle bouquets" were a special order from a friend of mine to put in a raffle to raise money for her Relay For Life team. I started making these a long time ago for all my friends when they turned 21! (back in the good ol' days)

This Weekends Finds

Wow, people are in the mood for yard saling, including myself! The weather Saturday morning was not beautiful but cooperative. Jennifer and I hit up, almost, every yard sale on my maps (yes, I make a map)-we only did about two drive-bys. Here are a few of my treasures that I couldn't pass up. We went to an estate sale where the owners must have worked for a coffee company and had tons of coffee advertisement. I love coffee, except when I have to scrape the stain off of people's teeth. I also picked up a ton of vintage half aprons for a steal and this lovely orange, antique milk crate.

Post Office Picture Frame

These are some super cute postal box fronts that I traded a fellow "junker" for. I decided to put some pics of Chad and I in the little openings. The birdhouses in the first picture were made by my buddy Elaine and the vases in the second picture are made with more of the wedding gems, jars from our candy buffet and resin.

Bowling Ball Garden Art

So this was my latest project that took up the entire kitchen in our huge house ;)
I started out by gluing left over glass gems from our wedding onto a bowling ball and grouting it. I added some additive to the grout which they say makes it less likely to crack outside enduring the weather. There you go...that's it. The only thing I would do differently next time is place the glass closer together or use less grout.

My new business cards!

I should say "my first business cards!" I just ordered them off vistaprint.com and I'm very pleased with them. They have all my info such as blog, etsy shop, email, phone and catchy slogan ta-boot

Betsy's on Etsy

Just made my first etsy sale!!! I set up the account in '08 with the intention of selling my creations but who would have gussed that it's hard to sell items when you don't post anything. Well...two years later, I finally posted some items and made a sale.

Red Barn Farms

Red Barn Farm's Fall Festival was a blast. There were so many cute young families and kids everywhere. Elaine and I were lucky enough to have a great booth location next to some awesome vendors like S-Wheatie-Pie http://www.s-wheatie-pie.blogspot.com/, Renaissance Designs, and Hungry Horse (jams and such).

The greatest part of the weekend for me was watching all the people try on our old hats and glasses and laugh at each other until they about cried.

Team Spirit

GO COUGS...WOOHOO!

Meet me at the Red Barn Farms Fall Festival to load up on all your Cougar accessories. I will have magnets, pendants, and flower headbands in coug colors. I also have U of I goodies if you're a Vandal fan!

Red Barn Farms-October Festival

The Red Barn is a place that is very dear to my heart as many of you know (my wedding location) and now I have the pleasure of setting up a booth at the October festival. I will have my jewelry and lots of hand-made goodies for purchase. Elaine and I are so excited to be participating this year. Last year we attended and found some great treasures, if you make it to Colton I'm sure you will too!

The festival is October 9-10 with live music, kids activities, a pumpkin patch and great food.

Can't wait to see you all there!

Uniontown was a Success

Saturday was great fun...so many people. There were not as many booths as the last few years but it was still great. I almost purchased more treasures than I sold. It is hard for me to pass up the Sisters' Sale on the highway and once again I took some merchandise off their hands and left them my money. Their stuff is so fun and right up my ally. Well 364 days til next year when I hope to see you all there.

UNIONTOWN flea market

The yearly Uniontown flea market is coming up on Aug. 21. Elaine and I will have a booth with tons of treasures and a huge jewelry sale. All jewelry pieces will be $10 each or 3 for $28. It is a great way to spend the day. The park is full of vendors and the town is full of yard sales. A few years ago my cousin Tileena and I ate an amazing lunch @ The Sage Bakery...so all in all there is tons to do and great eats too. Can't wait to see you all there!

I LOVE doing custom orders. These are two of my favorite pieces I've created. The parachuter over the ocean, snow-covered mountains, and sun was for a friend/classmate of mine and the other is the Lone Cypress Tree of California made for one of my professors.

Bottle Caps...Gotta Love 'Em

My latest venture has been my bottle cap magnets that I am in love with. I have been trying to branch out and find other uses for them, this photo frame is one thing. I have had ladies buy magnets with names on them to make chore boards for their fridge- Super cute ideas!

My BU2ful booth at Unique Design

This is my booth space at Unique Design in the Orchards across from Rosauers. It is a work in progress but none the less, you should come in and check it out!

Flower Headbands

If these babies aren't adorable, I don't know what is! The green flower is my niece, Blake Lynn, and the other is Darby Jo. The headbands are available at Unique Designs and where ever I have a craft booth set-up. I sew the flower on so there is no metal to irritate your babies head.

For My Bridesmaids

The theme of my wedding was "Nature." The colors were chocolate and moss with a splash of peacock blue. In my hair, I wore a cream flower with Swarovski crystals, pearls, peacock blades, and green feathers. I wanted my girls to have something similar so I made them all peacock feather bobby pins with vintage buttons.

Christmas In Clarkston, WA

For the past three, maybe four, years Elaine Alford and I have set-up a booth at the Christmas craft show in the Clarkston HS gym. This craft show is getting bigger and bigger every year. These are some shots of our booth a few years ago. Looking forward to the show again this year!