Maybe if I try this..........

Maybe if I try a new header for my blog, I'll feel more like it's Spring??????

You have to hop on over to my actual blog to see the new header! Does my blog feel more like Spring?

We did have a little sunshine today... sure is a booster for the winter blahs.

Our lilac bush's leaves are popping out all over!  No color yet, but pretty soon maybe?

And some new Iris's are peeking out of the ground.

A little tiny bit of color with some new pansies popping up.... they survived the 2 feet of snow!

Here's a silver "something" that survived the winter.. it never did wilt.. just stayed like this perfect silver statute. What is it? I bought it last summer and planted it, but can't remember the name.

Even those dead old mums have some new shoots. Amazing as that area never gets water or any snow or snow melt!

Wow my hollyhock survived too!  New leaves all of a sudden.

Here's the hollyhock last summer - just HAD to throw in at least one picture of something pretty!

And believe it or not.....our lawn needs mowing!  Hubby...........where are you??

I'm happy to just take a few pictures as things begin to wake up in our yard. Not ready to go out and work yet!

What about you?

Blog mojo and the blahs

Spring hasn't even begun to sprung here...............I'm not complaining though.. not one bit. I look out at all my dead plants that were last year's lovely and colorful garden, and still have NO desire to go out and work! I'm happy with the winter weather for now so I can stay inside and craft.

I've somewhat lost my blogging mojo, but am instead having fun doing some crafting and playing with paper. I can't seem to get inspired to share anything, as no wonderful outdoor photos to share (like so many of you have been doing)... and haven't really made anything stupendous or earth shattering.

I am kind of in the "winter blahs" mood, and yet enjoying just staying inside and puttering and watching YouTube (that is my downfall) and doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that in my craft room. I have no desire to go outside... go for a walk or begin spring clean-up in my yard! I think my dead plants from last year will just have to stay there for another few weeks,  until we have some nice warm balmy spring weather. Although today is amazingly 60 degrees out (!),, it is incredibly windy and again, no desire on my part to partake of that wind and blowing debris.

NOTE:  I DID get out a few days after I started this post (two weeks ago!) and go for a nice long walk. I was happy that my knee was OK (after the fall I took last July and going to physical therapy for the last 6 weeks) and my foot didn't bother me more (some sort of foot problem from limping so much when I hurt my knee!). Bah.

Thought I'd share some "last summer" and "now" photos of my garden, to show you what I'm facing when I DO get outside and work in the yard!

Our front walkway looks so awful! Dead chrysanthemums all along it and they need to be pulled out! New shoots are coming up already. This area gets no rain, so we are thinking of taking out the entire raised bed (chopping out the rocks with a sledge hammer) and making the entire area a covered "patio/porch" along the front of our house. I want a little picket fence along the grassy side of the walkway and will put potted mums there. I would LOVE to have a covered porch where I can put my two wicker chairs during the summer. What do you think???

Oh the poor dead garden. That's all I have to say on this one (above)

.

My new "rock garden" was so pretty last summer. I'm thinking of taking some of the rocks out by our front porch "stoop", as every time I drag the hose out to water the front lawn and flowers, I have to step up on the stoop, and then down two steps and drag the hose over it. This house has NO faucet in the front area! How stupid is that???? It would be nice to just be able to walk from the yard to the side of the house without going up and down, up and down, up and down...... of course it IS good exercise...... what do you think?????

OTHER THINGS................

I've had more fun downloading FREE printables! I love them.... journaling tags, gift tags, quotes, pretty pictures to frame, watercolor flowers......... there's no end to them.  Here are a few of my favorite sites:

Free Pretty Things for You - and that's what everything is on her site.... FREE everything! Her free downloads are great for framing and I plan to frame these two for gifts. She has many different watercolor wreaths, with different sayings in them. Love them!

The Cottage Market -  they have 23 pages of FREE printables! So much fun for making cards or for framing and giving as gifts. Here are a few I have downloaded and am going to use:

I can just see using the sweet little camper image to frame and give to someone as a gift. I have plans for that one! And the french shoes?  how cute! There are several different designs and colors with perfume bottles, or shoes or a purse.  I mean, The Cottage Market has tons of free printables and they are just darling. It's like being in a candy store for HOURS. 

I could go on and on and show you more.. but go take a lot for yourselves, if you want something quick and easy and inexpensive to print out and give as a gift. I found some darling vintage type frames on sale for 50% off at Kohl's and Michael's (in my area) so am stocking up on those.

With these winter blahs, I'm loving have some pretty and fun things to just browse and look at on my computer. (and make plans for using them).

Sweetly Scrapped is also another one of my all-time favorites for free downloads (above).

One more site that I found, that I absolutely love, that is not free but the downloads are VERY reasonable (about $2.00) is Senaca Pond Crafts on artfire.com. Artfire is similar to Etsy but a smaller community. It is the way Etsy used to be, before Etsy got way too commercial for me. I'm thinking of moving my Etsy shop over to Artfire. It is strictly handmade and vintage, nothing else. 

Senaca Pond Crafts has about 4,000 WONDERFUL printables and downloads that are very vintage, cottage, shabby chic or retro. I love them ALL and have spent hours browsing her store. I have so many ideas for using her wonderful tags.  Here are a few:

 Swooning...........................

I have plans for these darling beach tags to put into a little quote and tag book for a friend who lives at the coast. Senaca Ponds has a bunch of beach themed tags and downloads that are so vintage and sweet. I think she also has a store on Zibbet and not sure about Etsy. 

My Etsy shop is closed right now. Due to my computer having some sort of virus or something, I can't even get onto the Etsy site! Until I get the problem solved, my shop is closed, but I'm strongly thinking of moving to Art Fire anyway.

Have a lovely week everyone!