Snowing . . . again!

{view out my back door}

Almost the end of March and it is snowing again! After the gazillion inches of snow we have had this year and a taste of a couple of days in the high 70's a week ago, I am ready for spring!

Brush Up on Proper Dental Hygiene for Your Opossum!

Have some extra time on your hands this weekend? Why not brush up on some proper dental hygiene for your opossum? This video will provide all of the details (and more) that you will need in order to keep your opossum's teeth looking white, shiny and gingivitis free. If only I had had this knowledge back when Scurvy was visiting ~ perhaps he would have been a more congenial houseguest?!

Accessorizing with copper jewellery

Spring is officially here and I say this not because we had 17 degrees weather yesterday and it's great again today but because my hay fever is kicking in which I absolutely dread but hooray for spring.  On such great sunshiny days there is no way I'm wearing trousers so out came my long printed gypsy skirt from la redoute which felt sooooo good.  My woollen trousers and cardigans only set me on fire in this great bout of weather.

Time to pack away those heavy coats and sweaters and bring out the light denim jackets, my spring summer wardrobe staple. I do love this look with the rust color skirt and denim shirt picking up the blue in the skirt. 

But I'm going to play Gok Wan here and add a brown leather belt or even a blue leather belt some copper earrings and a copper necklace and copper bracelet (my personal favorite being my bali girl copper jewellery set).  Then put on my rose metallic brown leather sandals and grab my oval brown leather handbag or maybe the red for a bit of accent colour and voila I look like I just stepped out of vogue - talk about transforming high street into designer high fashion.  

Buttons, Buttons, Buttons!

While visiting Mission Road Antique Mall a couple of weekends ago, I spotted these lovely antique calico buttons in a showcase. I see this type of button now and then, but not very often and they are always rather expensive.

If you happen to be in Kansas City though, visit the Steamboat Arabia Museum, where you can see thousands of these beautiful buttons ~ and learn a bit about some history as well. The photo above was taken at the museum ~ click on the photo for the source.

Don't know that I have ever found an entire card of calico buttons ~ thanks to the internet though, I was able to find these and an interesting article about calico buttons. Some day, when I am more organized, I will take a few photos of some of the calico buttons I have found over the years ~ I have some great stencil buttons too.

A Different Kind of Delectable

Found this tasty jar of glass buttons this weekend while shopping at the Platte City Antique Show ~ I guess I just have a thing for mayonnaise jars, now that I have mentioned them two days in a row! As you can see, this is actually a Miracle Whip jar, but close enough. I have to admit, I prefer Miracle Whip over regular mayo ~ always a point of ridicule in my household as my boyfriend is quite the foodie and Miracle Whip doesn't cut the mustard in his book!

This jar was packed full of all clear glass buttons ~ I have never bought many of these before, but the jar looked so appealing I couldn't pass them up. Upon closer inspection, some of the buttons have silver or gold metallic accents, so these are even better than I realized. Looking forward to sorting through the rest of the buttons and discovering all the different patterns ~ I think these will look great used in the brooches I make!

Delectable Paintings ~ Shawn Kenney

A couple of weeks ago my RISDxyz arrived ~ that is, my Rhode Island School of Design alumni magazine ~ a new format and design. Food was the theme and one of the artists featured is painter Shawn Kenney ~ an illustration major and 1993 graduate.

Wow! Shawn's paintings are so beautiful, I just had to share. I am especially enamored with his seemingly effortless brushwork and his gorgeous use of color. Whether the subject is a fancy mini cake, a humble box of blueberries or jar of Fluff, the end result is simply delectable! Visit here to see more of his work.

{all images via Shawn Kenney}

How Am I Not Myself