TGIF ~~Countdown to Winterfest...1 day

Finally Friday...Winterfest Weekend is here!

While my hubby is amazing, 

he still hasn't figured out how to be in two places at the same time.

Usually, we go downtown to set up for Winterfest on Friday after we both get home from work.

But this year, the jazz group was booked to play Happy Hour, 

so hubby used some of his vacation hours to set up the display stands this afternoon. 

So, when I got home from school,

we loaded up the tubs and moved the rest downtown.

 

Most of our items are unpacked and on the shelves...

We'll be back in the early morning to fine tune our displays.

Hubby has to finish the lighting,

and I have some corners that are a bit challenging.

10 feet x 10 feet is just not very big!

We are both looking forward to the weekend festivities

and visiting with all the folks that come through our booth.

Hope to see you there!

Take care,

~Natalie

Happy Birthday to my Etsy Shop...Let's Celebrate with a Discount Coupon!

I've been sewing and crafting since I was a wee one.

My mom wouldn't let me use her sewing machine until I was 10 years old.

So everything before that was handmade.

My first venture into selling our handmade items was at a craft fair,

sponsored by our daughters' elementary school PTA...

There were tables set up around the gym for the crafters,

and the PTA sold homemade soups for lunch.

I was hooked...

I had to come up with a name...

"Tins and Treasures", it was.

My decorative tins created from recycled food cans 

are perhaps some of our most unique items.

And then everything else falls into the category of "Treasures", right?!

My "Crafting ADD" probably explains why I have such a collection of items in my shop.

I like to sew, knit, crochet, paint, and hot glue!

Even, my hubby has gotten into the action.

He has an awesome set of power tools out in the shop.

The best seller at our local arts festival, is his Wine Bottle Necklace.

He can get a couple made during a football game in the fall

(depending on how close the game is, of course).

My Infinity Scarves are a hot item too.

Waiting to be finished and listed are these owls.

I started them last fall, before I broke both of my wrists...

and now, just getting back into my studio.

Today, July 11th, is the anniversary of the opening of

my Tins and Treasures Shop on Etsy.

To celebrate, I am offering a 20% off coupon.

At checkout, enter the coupon code

6YEARS

If you are a local friend, just contact me to get together.

You can still use the discount and we can skip the shipping charge!

Double Bonus!!

Take care,

~Natalie

Monday Mania ~ Saturday's Work and Where the Weekend Went...

 

Back to school this morning.

The Seniors have only one more Monday remaining...

the rest of us, two more Mondays.

That's quite do-able!

Saturday's Work

This spring has been cool,

and nice days have been few and far between.

Hubby and his golfing buddy brought the cart home for some TLC.

While indoors, Callie, Lucy and I were 

sorting and packing my Infintiy Scarves.

My Mother-in-Law has sold Avon for decades 

and was hosting an Open House.

She was displaying many of the products that she has available.

She has a good variety of items for sale!

I appreciate that she invited me to display my scarves.

With the end of the school year in sight,

I probably spent 15 weekend hours 

correcting papers and planning lessons...

But, a little comfort food goes a long way...

Hubby has become quite the expert at making brunch.

We enjoyed Hashbrowns, Bacon and Eggs Over Easy.

I hope your weekend provided you with some rest and relaxation...

And, you feel rejuvinated and ready to tackle another work week.

Take care,

~Natalie

What'cha Workin' on Wednesday? Knitting??

Did a little shopping after school today...

I wanted to check out some of the new yarns for spring.

It is time for my Fashion class to start their scarf project.

The trend is moving from the long skinny scarf

to a more chunky yarn Infinity Scarf.

I hadn't done any knitting since before my accident and surgery.

But, I guess I'm not likely to forget...

I started knitting when I was 10 years old,

and that is a very long time ago!

Like riding a bicycle...

the stitches came naturally.

However, my wrists reminded me that they don't move like they used to.

So, I packed my 'fun' project up in Grandma's knitting bag.

I have moved on to more the 'responsible' task 

of correcting papers and recording grades.

I hope you are all having a great night.

Take care,

~Natalie

Where the Week Went...

...let's see, where did the week go?

Last Sunday was such a nice spring day.

We went out to lunch with Grandma after church.

As a young girl, it was always exciting to spot the first robin,

a sure sign that spring was here.

And there... in our neighbor's yard...three robins.

In fact, I saw seven robins on our way to church!

After lunch, we took a little tour of Grandma's yard and garden spot.

(Notice that all of the snow was gone.)

But our sure sign of spring was a false alarm...

I'm not sure who was more excited 

about our early release from school,

the students or the teachers!

The wind came first...blowing our chairs right off the patio.

Then the snow...and it just went downhill from there.

Here's the following morning, a late start...

I love the sunshine on the waves of snow!

When the school has a late start, 

teachers are to report at the normal contract time.

Think about all of that uninterruped time to correct papers and plan lessons!

A Celebration in the Old Farmhouse Gathering team on Etsy 

prompted me to finish these cotton crochet scarves in spring colors.

It was Quick Breads week in my Foods class.

Waffles, Muffins, Biscuits, Banana Bread and Pie.

Biscuits and Gravy...yum yum!

And that, my dears,

is where the week went!

Take care,

~Natalie

click here to visit my 

Tins and Treasures Etsy Shop.

click here for a printer-friendly

Sausage Gravy recipe.