Amped isn’t a word we use often, and I’m not sure we really know what it means, but we’ll let it ride….

Check out these awesome videos made from some of our still pictures:

How cool is that?

I made a quilt!!! That’s big news for me since I don’t sew that often. Visit Everything Etsy to read more about it!

I love looking through decorating blogs with beautiful house photos! 

Everything is arranged perfectly to express themselves and make their guests feel welcomed! Love it!

Well, My home never seems to get quite there! My children help with the decorating around here. I love it! But, it never looks like a magazine cover, that’s for sure!

We have a wooden boat made by Jacob and Tim. It’s too special to put anywhere it wouldn’t been seen by all that enter our home!

There’s a carved styrofoam fish made by AJ that warms my heart when I look at it. The creativity that is in him is beautiful!

Shell frames made years ago by the kids with photos of them at the beach. Priceless!

This is my “tablescape” to welcome guests as they come in the front door!

It was boring before the Star Wars Legos moved in! I don’t know how long it will stay this way, but I don’t have the heart to move Jacob’s creation anytime soon.

Here’s something that the boys decorated my kitchen with this morning…

This won’t be staying around in my sink for long!  Tim will take care of it later! 

Maybe one day I’ll have a room that looks like a magazine, but for now we’ll just stick to decorating with love!

What kind of interesting decorations do you have?

Spring is in the air!  I find myself searching for pretty decorations and fun things to do more than usual. Well, I ran across some really interesting things to share with all of ya’ll!

Peeps have always been a part of Easter baskets and Spring. You can find them in so many shapes and colors now. {I love the new green.}  They even have them out around Halloween…that’s not for me. No, I’m a Spring Peep kinda person. I need yellow chicks and pink bunnies!

I never knew there were so many fans of these marshmallow creations until today.

I found out that Lenox China has a line with Peeps! Peeps! We’re talking marshmallows here!

Look at how cute this one is…

This is a personalized Peeps Bunny Sculpture!

I was really surprised at how cute it was! What a wonderful gift for someone sweet!

What about Peeps Salt and Pepper Shakers? These would be great for Spring!

Who knew they could make a Peep look pretty enough for a holiday dinner?  

Here’s a few things that would be fun for the kids!  How about Spring crafts with Peeps?

Peeps has a website with a Peeps Club with tons of activities.  These little baskets looks easy!  

I couldn’t believe there’s a book just for Peeps!

This is loaded with fun recipes and crafts. What a fun book to have around!

Here’s a link to a free printable for a Peeps party favor holder.  It’s simple and sweet!

If you have kids that like to play online games, I found this fun little site with a Marshmallow Peeps in Outer Space. I’m sure Peep Invaders will entertain them for awhile during Spring Break.

Tomorrow I’ll be talking about Peeps more on Tasty Tuesday! I’ll give you some ideas for edible Peep treats!

I hope you can join us for our weekly blog party.  We usually post Mr. Linky a little early so more people have a chance to link up. It should be up around 10 PM tonight. Bring your food post…any recipe or food post will do!

Got Seeds?

Our family has decided to plant a garden this year. So we did our research and bought a million seeds! Mostly vegetable, herbs, and some flowers to make it pretty of course!

Gardens are a wonderful way to eat healthier, save money, and teach your children so much!

We didn’t want to spend tons buying little starter trays and pots for ALL our seeds, so we made them.

I never knew you could do this…

Make your own PAPER POTS!

Can you believe it? Am I the last one to know about it or what?

Here are the watermelon seeds all ready to grow…

Jacob rolled the pots using a cool little wooden pot maker that we ran across online while researching seeds.

We don’t even need to take them out of these pots. All you have to do is plop them in the ground inside their little paper pot. {Once they’re big enough to go outside.} This way there’s no chance of damaging the seedling during the planting process.

Jacob went to a class on worms once {We even had a little worm farm.} and he believes it will be better for our garden with the decomposing paper. Worms love to eat it! Gardens love worms! Sounds good to me!

We’ve started planting a few seeds in empty pots that we had on the back porch. Who says starting seeds has to be done in only one way?

One year we grew herbs in these hanging pots. The name of each herb was painted on the pot. This was a Mother’s Day gift made by my boys one year. I love it!

All our seeds are doing great and more are starting to pop up and grow every day.

Don’t you love how you can practically watch some of them growing throughout the day? The green beans are just amazing!

We still have a few to get started so we’ll be making more pots tomorrow. It’s really easy to do and you’re recycling! YAY!

As you can see, some of our seeds were planted in egg cartons. We are growing them in the egg shells so we don’t have to cause them any stress when we plant them. These are Zinnias! Pretty! {Obviously picked by me!}

I saw on Martha Stewart’s website where see put pretty little cut flowers in egg shells for Spring flower arrangements. Try it!

Here’s the watermelon starting to grow…

It’s time to start planting and we’re almost ready.

Here’s some tips if you’re starting a garden:

It’s best to plant three weeks after the last average frost date. To find out this information for your area check out www.victoryseeds.com/frost.

If you have areas with less direct sunlight try potatoes, herbs, or onions.

For container gardening information you might want to visit www.earthbox.com and www.gardeners.com! Container gardening is awesome!

Gradually move your seedlings outside and don’t plop them in the bright sun right away. Allowing them to adjust slowly will help them to produce food quicker.

Sprinkling coffee grounds around the edges of your growing areas may help to deter slugs and snails.

Adding cornmeal to your dirt can help ward off diseases. Check out www.dirtdoctor.comfor more information on dirt.{Of course}

Worms Eat My Garbage is a great resource for worm information.

We are definitely hooked on seeds lately! Stop by Julia’s Hooked on Houses for Hooked on Fridays.

What kind of gardening tips to you have? I’d love to hear them!

]]> http://www.foreverwherever.com/2009/03/growing-vegetables-starting-seeds-can-be-fun/feed/ 29 http://www.foreverwherever.com/2009/03/shell-frame-tutorial-a-gift-in-the-making/ http://www.foreverwherever.com/2009/03/shell-frame-tutorial-a-gift-in-the-making/#comments Sun, 08 Mar 2009 21:34:10 +0000 Kim http://www.foreverwherever.com/?p=1031

Shells everywhere…

These shells were found on the beaches of Captiva, Cayo Costa, and Sanibel.

Living in Florida and boating on a regular basis, we get to go shelling a lot! I love it! It’s one of the most relaxing things in the world…just strolling along the beach with the sun shining down, the waves lapping against the shore, and the birds flying overhead. All the while looking through piles of shells on beautiful white sand. Always looking for one more shell before stopping to turn back to the boat.

Have you noticed all the new shell home decor coming out in the stores? Well, I’m going to show you how to make your own shell frame today! This can all be done at a fraction of the price you would pay in a store, and you are being so creative!! That’s a good thing!

I keep clean shells in boxes so I can start a project with shells without having to wash and dry them. These have a thin coat of clear on them already.

You can purchase shells, but just make sure you get plenty. It takes quite a few shells to make this frame. I always end up using more than I planned on when I started. Good thing I’ve got boxes full!

First, you start with a frame. A large flat surface works best. Remove the glass until you’re finished.

Make sure all your shells are clean. Now, it’s best to find shells of a similar size for the base row. This can be done with all white or whatever shells you have. Just try to keep a uniform look on this part.

Use a hot glue gun to secure them to the frame. You could stop right there and call it a day. It’s a nice shell frame already. But to make it extra special, let’s add more.

Start by finding shells to fit in the empty spaces. Don’t glue yet, just move them around until you have about 10 or so in place. Go ahead and glue them down before you knock them off and don’t know where you had them. {That’s never happened to me…I’m just saying.}

It takes time to find a shell to fit just right in each spot. It’s kinda like a puzzle. Keep working on it until you love it! Add one here and there. Then check it from all angles to see what it looks like. When you’re done, you’ll know it!

When you are finished spray it will a clear glaze. {The glaze is thicker and has more of a shine than regular clear spray.} This will bring out all the colors in the shells! It also hides some of the extra glue that you might see. Let it dry. Add a photo!

Not too hard, but it does take a little time. Enjoy creating something beautiful!

Giveaway!!!

Would you like to make one? How about having  the frame and shells delievered right to your door?

Here’s a frame just like the one I used above. A large bag of shells with way more than enough for the frame. This will give you lots of shells to pick from. All these shells were picked by me!

To be entered in the giveaway just leave a comment.

To be entered a second time just sign up for our email or RSS and leave another comment to let us know. {This makes it easier to figure out later!} If you already subscribe, that counts!

To be entered a third time just tweet about the giveaway on Twitter and leave me another comment.

I hope all you crafty bloggers enjoy this! I know there’s lots of ya’ll out there!

Sometimes we enjoy our coffee on the back porch in the morning, and this is what we see…

Quaker Parrots!

You can hear them as they fly all around in the morning. They are rather loud, but I love the sounds from these sweet little birds!

Quaker Parrots (sometimes called Monk Parrots) live in some southern areas like ours. They are just down the street living in three large palm trees. Tourists are always stopping in their tracks when they see them sitting there!

Quaker Parrots can live 25-30 years and have unique nest building skills!  Tons of them live in each tree, like a little hotel! To find out more about these neat birds visit quakerparrots.com!

These guys were hanging out on the wire this morning.  I bet they’re planning their day, or maybe their breakfast plans.  

Quaker Parrots have such a cute personality.  They zoom all around the area in large groups just talking away!

 Parrots and palm trees in the morning just make you feel like you’re living in a tropical paradise!

I’m so glad I could share the beauty of these birds with you this morning for Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer!

Here is the Top 10 list of places we want to visit in the future!

10. Alaska

Amazing Scenery!

Amazing Wildlife!

We hope to drive our motorhome to Alaska. (maybe this summer!)

9. Norway

Fjords and Seaside Villages

Aurora Borealis – The Northern Lights are great from Norway!

We’ll need a boat or a plane to get us here!

8. Easter Island

Mysterious giant statues and extremely remote! Two thumbs up!

7. Antartica

One of only two continents left to set foot on!

Penguins and sea ice await. But brave heavy seas you must!

6. Bora Bora

We’ve had this one on the list for 20 years!

Stay right over the water! Wow!

5. The Great Wall of China

Some things you just have to see in person. This is one for us.

We’ve been to Hong Kong, which is an incredible stop in China.

4. Africa

Amazing and Incredible Wildlife!

I can’t wait to see a baby elephant! Africa is the other continent we have yet to see!

3. The Amazon

We want to see wild macaws!

And go deep into the wildest jungle!

2. Iguazu Falls

This is a close race for number one!

Adjoining three countries, this is one of the most spectacular sites in the world!

And the Grand Finale!

#1 Place we want to visit is:

Machu Picchu

Hopefully we can get there while still able to walk up the Inca Trail!

Truth be told, ten is way to short of a list. That’s why we have this:

This is something you can pick up and flip through anytime. Especially if you’re like we are and are hooked on travel! I was going to put a link to it on Amazon, but they don’t have it…go figure!

Thanks to Julia for hosting Hooked on Fridays, go check it out to see what other bloggers out there are hooked on!

So, two questions:

1. Have any of you ever been to any of these places?

2. Where is the number one place YOU would want to go? (or 10..)

Bring Outside In!

Beautiful houseplants are a simple way to decorate your home!

Flowers look so pretty outside, but this time of year it’s especially nice to bring some inside to brighten things up.  Most houseplants last and last, so they’re a great value when it comes to decorating.  

The pretty yellow flowers at the top are Begonias and they are so easy to grow!  Isn’t the pot just gorgeous?  Don’t skimp on this part because it’s going to be in your home for months.  You don’t want to look at the cheap plastic pot you bought it in all that time! 

Ferns always make great houseplants and they are hard to kill! That’s a good thing!

There are so many different varieties of ferns that you can’t buy just one.  Keep the ferns moist and they will stay green for months and months.  Simple beauty makes these a classic houseplant!  They are a great addition to any room of your house!

Bromeliads are one of my favorites!  They are a little on the tropical side and are available everywhere.  The colors they come in are so striking! Bromeliads take very little care and last longer than you would think. Once the color of the bloom starts to fade I just plant it in the yard. They will multiply and have more blooms!

These make great housewarming or hostess gifts.  And they last so much longer than fresh flowers!

This is an African Violet and they grow great in kitchen windows!

I’m going to go ahead and brag about how I won a blue ribbon at the State Fair with one of these beautiful plants.  That’s the only time I’ve ever entered anything and I won.  Yeah!  But it died a few weeks later!  After staying on display at the fair for two weeks and not really receiving the love I gave it, the poor plant was in rough shape.  Live and learn!

A Breath of Fresh Air!    

Houseplants help clean the air in your home! No silk fern collecting dust can say that!

Anytime you purchase new furniture, linens, or even bring clothes home from the cleaners, you are bringing chemicals into your home. Two or three plants every 100 square feet will help clean the air your breathing.

What a beautiful way to freshen the air!

Some other great houseplants are Orchids, Areca Palms, English Ivy, and Daisies.

What kind of houseplant do you have?

photos by BHG.com

Are you hooked on books? I know our family is!

With all the reading we do, books can pile up fast and start to take over the house!  This is where Hooked on Books comes to the rescue!  We take in all the books we’ve finished reading and they give us credit for more books!  It’s a win/win situation if I ever saw one!

The store is located in Fisherman’s Village, which is built out over the water into Charlotte Harbor. There’s a marina right behind the bookstore and hotel rooms above it. So they get a lot of tourist looking for that perfect book to read by the water.    It’s a wonderful place to shop, eat, or grab a cup of coffee.

Check out this big bag of books that we’ve been collecting.  Time to make a trip to Hooked on Books!     

Today I drove Jacob up there because the bag was a little on the heavy side. Most of the time the boys go up there on their bikes to trade the books in.  It’s just a couple of blocks from our house.  They do sell new and used books so you can find the latest and greatest at any time.    

  The boys have even used the store credit to buy Christmas and birthday gifts.  They love to shop on their own and always find the perfect books for us!  

Take a look at the inside!  You can do a little people watching and enjoy a cup of tea while sitting in this cozy spot. 

From these seats you can sit and watch the marina traffic, which can be very interesting as people try to park their boats in the slips!

Here’s what Jacob found today.  Doesn’t everyone need a book on pirates?  At least we didn’t bring home a whole bag! 

It’s a great way to save money and I feel like we aren’t wasting the books that we’ve read.

Julia at Hooked on Houses is hosting Hooked on Fridays today…go check it out!

Are there any bookstores like this near you?