Happy 206th Birthday, Ohio!

Dear Ohio,
I am so sorry, my beloved state of mine. I knew it was your birthday yesterday, however I just too pooped to take pictures and blog about it. Today though, I am refreshed after napping from about 7:45 until about 11 last night (during which time hubby took care of the little man), and then some short bursts of sleep throughout the night. I like it when Joel sleeps for three hours, like he did after his 4:50 am feeding. Yay. In honor of your birthday, enjoy some photos.

Love,
Jodie

P.S. I would have made you some cookies with the above Ohio-shaped cookie cutter, however I am on a diet. Pay no attention to the cheesy hashbrowns at the bottom of this post. I really am on a diet.

P.P.S. All this talk about cookies is making me change my mind. I just might bake you some cookies after all.

A little crafty barn I painted when Ohio turned the big 2-0-0. If you're not from Ohio, you probably don't know this, so let me share it with you! Some guy went around to each of the 88 counties and painted one barn in each county with our bicentennial logo. Phew! I can't even imagine how much work that would have been! This little crafty barn took enough time!

Here's part of my little flag collection. Did you know that Ohio's flag is the only flag in the union that isn't a boring old rectangle? You can't tell it from this shot, however Ohio's flag has a little V cutout at the end, so it's five-sided. Also in this picture: some thrifted items! I had this little doggie when I was little and was totally stoked when I found it at a thrift store while on vacation last summer in Piqua, Ohio. (What?! Who the hell vacations in Piqua, Ohio? Long story. Let's just say we were on a cemetery-hunting vacation...) I found the little turn-of-the-century ruby red souvenir glass pitcher for a mere couple bucks. I was so afraid that when the cashier rang me up, she was going to exclaim, "Wait a cotton-pickin' minute! This has been priced wrong!" and make me pay twenty bucks. But alas, she said nothing and off I went, happy as a clam! I just checked on ebay; there's one just like it (with a different name on it though) with twelve bids currently, going for 18 bucks. Woohoo!

And let me leave you with a shot of breakfast. On the menu today: cheesy hashbrown casserole (I should be back down to my prepregnancy weight in no time, don't you think?) and chai in my can-you-tell-I'm-a-music-teacher mug. It's sitting on my bent wood chair next to the bunny night light lamp that we use since Joel has been sleeping in our room. Yes, my bedside table is crammed with so much crap on it, that I now have been reduced to using the seat of the chair as tablespace...

Some Kitchen-y Stuff

The baby is sleeping, so hubby and I are just sitting around watching "Cash Cab." How exciting. I have some thrifted stuff to photograph still sitting in the trunk of my car, but it's just too cold for me to venture out into the garage. In the meantime, we can enjoy some photos of things in my kitchen.
Here's a vintage thrifted scale that I rarely use but had to have it
A pyrex bowl I found at a garage sale for probably a buck or less. I don't remember for sure how much it cost because I found it several years ago, but I know it was cheap or I wouldn't have gotten it!
A place to store my knives. I found this beauty at a flea market for a buck or so.
About a third of my collander collection. All thrifted and garage sale finds! I love the little one :) It had a broken handle when I bought it, so my then-boyfriend fixed it for me
I found this little wooden thingie at a thrift store years ago, painted the recycling sign onto the lid, and now use it for my recycling (duh)
Last but not least, here are two of the three reusable lunch sacks I sewed a few weeks ago. I used this tutorial and a thrifted vinyl tablecloth that cost me a buck. I used them for several weeks before I stopped working and went on maternity leave. They are holding up well!

Why isn't the plural form of "moose," Meese?

Ah yes, it's the age old question. Since the plural form of goose is geese, raise your hand if you think that the plural of moose should be meese? (That's the teacher coming out in me...) Regardless as to what good ole Merriam Webster has to say about the issue, one thing is for certain... meese, grizzly bears, canoes, evergreen trees, pinecones, and log cabins make for a very good decor! My guest bedroom, as well as the upstairs bathroom, is done in this theme. For your enjoyment, I have photographed some of the things which represent my love of meese and related cabin-y objects. To the left is a wreath I leave up year round on the bathroom door. Notice the tiny red-painted wooden spools. The maker of this wreath managed to incorporate another love of mine all wrapped up into one wreath... ingenious! By the way, this wreath was scooped up second hand :)

This wall-hanging was post-Christmas Target clearance. Target has the absolute best after-Christmas clearance selection.


This photo hanger came from a garage sale a few years ago. I had pictures in it, however with time, the photos started to curl. I have decided to give it another try, this time with laminated pictures, however I haven't gotten around to laminating them yet. Jason had a small laminator when he moved in... awesome!


This painting is great for a couple reasons. One, it's of a moose. Two, it's vintage. Three, it's a paint by number, and those are the best. In other rooms, I have a rose paint-by-number and a horse paint-by-number, all second-hand finds. There was a larger P-by-N at the thrift store I went to today, however I didn't get it, because it just didn't speak to me.


I can't remember for sure, but I think this might have come from Target.


I got this clock at a K-mart going out of business sale. As it turned out, it didn't work, but oh well. If memory serves me right, I even bought another clock mechanism, but it still doesn't work. This clock is just bad luck I guess. That's my parents and me at my college graduation. Go Bucks!


Sometimes at a thrift store, you're lucky enough to find artwork from an online company that has donated some pieces that have nicks in the frame, etc. that they just can't sell. That's how I got this one! There's a big one downstairs in the basement that is similar too. I think it was about five dollars. This little one was probably about three. If it were much more than three, I would have passed. A girl has got to draw the line somewhere. (By the way, this one has a very nice frame, I just cropped it out of the picture)



Another thrify find which lives in the bathroom. Once again, the frame has been cropped out of the pic.

Roses

So in a previous blog I already stated my feelings toward gardening. Just in case you haven't been doing your homework, I'll refresh your memory. I absolutely, positively dislike it with a passion. I don't like to get hot, and I don't like to get dirt under my fingernails, so fake flowers are more my style. I absolutely love roses; I have so much rose stuff, that it's bursting at the seams. Our bedroom (which was my bedroom before Jason moved in) is very beautiful and girly with roses paintings all over it. He loves it. Back to flower arranging....

My mom and I made all the floral arrangements for my wedding last fall, and this was one of two rose arrangements we used on the altar. This beautiful rose topiary-esque arrangement is very easy to do, so I will tell you how :) First, I bought an el-cheapo plastic urn at the dollar store. It was originally a dark color, so I spray painted it an off-white color. Then we got a foam ball that would fit into the urn opening about half-way, leaving the top half to bubble over and stick the flowers in. Then we cut each rose stem about two inches from the flower, and stuck that two inch segment down into the foam. Repeat until finished. There you have it!

Buy an American Flag made in China?!

Good for Gov. Ted Strickland. He and others like him are debating an Ohio bill that would outlaw the sale of foreign-made U. S. and Ohio flags. A father of soldier killed in Iraq had this to say to the Senate: "Unless you have stood before a flag-draped casket bearing the remains of your warrior son who gave his life in combat, you may never know of the pride and ideals that this flag instills in those of us who have." Pretty powerful words. Several others states, including Minnesota, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Tennessee have already passed similar legislation.

People opposed to the bill say that passing such a bill goes against free trade agreements. This guy they interviewed on TV said that passing this type of bill sends a negative message to China and could end up closing our free trade with China "which we worked so hard to open." And why is that, sir? Why did we work so hard to open free trade with China? So that thousands, millions even, of Americans could lose their jobs? What we have with China isn't free trade. It's unequal, unfair trade. What does China depend on us for, seriously? We depend on them for a lot (practically everything sold at Wal-mart), but I can't really think of a single that other countries really need us for. Here we have a problem. Buy American, people. (And don't even stop there. Buy handmade American!)

I have so many Americana items in my house.... here's a set of star shaped boxed I got at a garage sale that houses some of my sewing supplies


A Clock I received as a gift


A couple pitchers I just had to have, and an antique duck that was my grandma's

This is a picture frame I picked up for a few dollars at an antique shop. Yes, it has some damage, but I love it nonetheless. Framed in it are pictures of my Great-Grandma's family.


A rocking chair with a handmade Old Glory pillow made by yours truly. It was really easy. I took a thrifted flag and sewed it onto a pillow. The fabric covering over the pillow was also added by me... I chose blue and white fabrics to match the flag :)

Linking to: Someday Crafts Patriotic Linky Party 2012

But what if we have company?

What if fifty people were to just drop by the house, and we felt the need to throw an impromptu tea party? Just in case that scenario should ever present itself, I need to be prepared!

Each of these vintage, floral beauties was hand picked from flea markets, garage sales, etc for next to no cost at all. I have a few more tea cups, but they don't all fit in the cabinet anymore (plus I have my great-grandma's matching china set but I don't really care for the pattern-- it's currently in a box in the basement). I have an idea. Instead of downsizing on the vintage china, how about I just buy another Hoosier cabinet?

My Chair Fetish

According to good buddy Merriam-Webster, a fetish is:

1a- an object (as a small stone carving of an animal) believed to have magical power to protect or aid its owner; broadly : a material object regarded with superstitious or extravagant trust or reverence
b- an object of irrational reverence or obsessive devotion

Yes, that's me. "Obsessive devotion." Why, oh why, do I love chairs so much? Big chairs, little chairs, wooden chairs, plastic chairs, metal chairs, upholstered chairs, chairs that match, and chairs that lack a partner. I love them all the same. Perhaps Dr. Seuss should have spun a little tale about chairs rather than his infamous "One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish." Don't you think, "One chair, two chairs, Red Chairs, Blue Chairs" just has a better ring to it?

Yes, I do have too much time on my hands.

My husband is very good about my garage saling habit, however he now expressly prohibits me from bringing home anything that remotely resembles a chair. Well, he isn't exactly that harsh, but you know what I mean. A few weekends ago I came really close to bringing home a chair. My friend and I were garage saling at a huge community yard sale, and the sales were wrapping up for the weekend. This one homeowner had already gone inside and called it a day. And there it was. It was wooden with a broken cane seat. It matched almost perfectly the chair that my grandma gave me to few years ago, right down to the broken cane seat. And best of all, it was free. At least, I figured it was free. It was just sitting out by the curb like trash. But I didn't take it, and now it's probably taking up space somewhere in some landfill. I'm pissed off just thinking about it. Hopefully someone nabbed it, even if that someone wasn't me. Here's mine holding some vintage tablecloths since people can't sit on its broken cane seat:





I don't own a pair of these chairs, however the idea behind them are so cool I wanted to add them to the list. Click on the chairs, and you can visit their website. They recycle video game consoles and somehow make chairs out of them!



This one was sold to me back in college by a friend. At the time, it was covered in ugly black vinyl, so I covered it with green velvety fabric that I bought back when I worked at Joanns (loved that employee discount!) The pillows and blanket were second-hand finds.


This chair is temporarily holding this Sheriff's hat that I got for Jason. Suffice it to say, as a child, Jason used to collect little police badges, and I thought this would make a nice addition to his collection! (Fifty cents at a garage sale, and this hat was mine!)


I bought these little charmers at three separate garage sales/flea markets. I can't believe I was lucky enough to find three of the same type of chair! Inconspicuously printed on the chair is "Made in Mexico" ... my guess is they were hand-painted.


This rocker was a college hand-me-down from a roommate. She didn't want it anymore and gave it to me when we graduated. I recovered it and paired it with this pillow I made.


These plastic chairs were originally green and red when I was given them by a college roommate's mother. I painted them white, distressed them, gave them leaf motif stamps, and then placed a seat cusion on them (where is the other seat cushion?!)


This chair is being put to good use to hold kindling for this summer's bonfires.


I got this little beauty at an antique store for ten bucks. It's tiny and cute. I wouldn't spend ten dollars for a chair anymore, but this was one of my first finds.


This little darling came from a garage sale for a buck or so. My children will make good use of it some day, but in the meantime I set stuffed animals on it.


These shabby chic chairs came from a thrift store years ago and cost ten bucks for the pair. When covered with the cushions I made to go with them, they are really comfy.


Here's a another garage sale find


This bentwood chair has a mate downstairs in the kitchen. Both came from garage sales.


Some don't care for these chairs, but at 1.50 for the pair at a garage sale back in college, I couldn't pass them up. I recovered them and painted them white and now they look like totally different chairs. My dentist's office has these same exact chairs.



You might think that's all I have *cackles with laughter*, but honey, this is just a mere drop in the bucket!

Vintage tin canisters & and Eyeless Chicken

More second-hand finds, coming right up! These vintage canisters I've picked up at garage sales. None of them match, and that's exactly how I like it! Right now they're empty, but soon enough they'll be storing little things like batteries or change.














I love these little canisters. I want to fill them up with little bobbins, because I need to get some more and they will need a place to live.


These metal boxes came from various garage sales. The blue one I just got a few weeks ago. I think my friend thought I was crazy when I got it (for one dollar I might add) but after she saw how it fit in, she changed her mind. I did a little research, and the Johnson & Johnson product had something to do with dairy farming. Not what I would have expected, that's for sure.


What does this have to do with canisters? Absolutely nothing. My grandma gave me this vintage chicken, but its eyes must have fallen off at some point.

The Rabbitry

I am in no way endorsing the breeding of rabbits for profit, just to clarify the title of today's blog. I think that breeding is wrong, and I would personally never buy a pure bred. I know people that do, especially dogs, and I can kind of understand that, however I live in a 100% mutt household. With so many animals that need rescuing, why pay the kind of money that purebreeds cost? Visit your local pound or shelter for cats and dogs, and visit the House Rabbit Society for adoptable rabbits in your area. Enough ranting on that subject.


What this blog really is about is showcasing my wonderful rabbit items and paintings. Let the fun begin!

This is a doorbell I got as a gift awhile back; I wish someone would install it for me so I can enjoy it!

This is a poster I found second-hand, and I put it in a very nice gold frame that was given to me. I did have to buy the mat new, though I don't mind because it turned out so cute!


This I got at a going-out-of-business sale. Those are the best!


I saw this half off at Kirklands one day- it was originally $120, but I still didn't want to pay sixty dollars for it, so I passed. Then one day, at New Uses (a second hand store in our area though not exactly a thrift store) I saw the exact same painting for thirty dollars. It became mine.


I'm pretty sure I got this one at New Uses too though I can't remember for sure


My parents got me this one. It depicts a very bad sailor boy, however. You should never pick a rabbit up by the ears!


This was actually a postcard I bought at a bookstore, matted it, and framed it.


My college roommate got me these bookends. They're awesome and hold antique books that were given to me by my grandma.


This adorable egg cup was a gift.


I can't remember where I got this. Walmart maybe? Isn't that terrible. I really don't like to go to Walmart, but it's so close....


I got this rabbit canister the other day at a garage sale. It came in a grouping of four that the lady was selling for two dollars. The other canisters had various farm animals on them and had some chips. She offered me just the rabbit canister for only 50 cents! Sold!