Christmas is for the birds (too)

I was making some homemade suet for the birds when it occurred to me to give it some Christmas colors. I melted some lard down, added seeds and stale puff wheat then dotted it over with green and red food coloring. I can't see them refusing to eat it because of a bit of food coloring and I guess I'll know in the next day or two. Going to make more soon.

I love being able to hang it from the clothesline which I can see from where I sit at the computer and bring back and forth when it needs refilling. Good for the birds and good for me...lol

I'll let you know if they like it.

The Memory Box....

It took a while to complete but it's finally ready for the photo session...lol. 

It started out as an old wood box that spent a good deal of it's life aboard one boat or the other. It was dirty and rough so I cleaned it and sanded it the best I could.

Once it was prepped I slathered the paint on.

Next came a bit of hardware. The porcelain handles that went with the middle nob didn't work out so I substituted them for some brass. 

I had to wait a while for my friend to cut the memory label out for me but I must say it really added to the finished look.

I lined the bottom with a bit of blue tissue paper and stuck a few of my own things in just for the sake of the picture.

And there you have it. The finished Memory box.

Bath and decorate day....lol

Squirt doesn't much care for the tub but he tolerates it because he gets lots of kisses, smoochy talk and a treat when the ordeal is over with. He's getting furry and fluffy again so I imagine the clippers will be coming out tomorrow for a bit of basic trimming. I'm just not good enough to make him look properly groomed but I can at least keep him from getting too shaggy looking. Here he is just after a vigorous toweling off.

He doesn't like being brushed out much either but again he tolerates it with lots of kisses, smoochy talk and a treat.After the brushing I managed to lodge this Santa hat on him long enough for a picture. It's not something he's going to sport around in...lol 

He sounds like one of Santa's reindeer's with this jingle bell collar on but you can't really see it (from the front) with his fur so long. This I will leave on him whether he likes it or not. He can't hide from me when he tinkles every time he moves...lol

He's some pretty when he's all cleaned up. And smells a lot better too...lol

So far all things wood....

So this is the extent of my Christmas decorating thus far. The funky window opening in my kitchen (facing to the living room) seems to be the landing point so far. It is far from done but right now shows off the DIY projects that I've either got off Hometalk or came up with myself. I must say that the lacy curtain behind really helps keep the focal point on the decorations. It'll all come down after Christmas. Personally I really like the rustic look of rough wood and even though the detail isn't great it seems to remind me of when Christmas was simpler and decorations were made with what you had on hand and wasn't so much about all the commercialism of today's world. I'm quite pleased with the hanging snowmen that nobody bothered to bid on....lol.

Funny thing, that lobster pot end with the painted driftwood never ever sold either and it's my all time favorite decoration!! It must be 5 yrs now since I made that and it still looks as beautiful as ever to me.

Canadian Christmas Carolers...

Even though I've been brutally sick with the worst case of the flu I've ever had in my life I'm still trying to keep up with a few little crafty projects. I'm in the midst of making another group of Canadian Christmas Carolers and will maybe post pics in a day or two. These are rather fun to make, look rusticly festive and can be burned after the holidays if I start to run out of wood. The trickiest part was taking off the 45* angle cut to paint the faces on. The chop saw gets a little finicky when I make it cut wood that's not perfectly straight or I happen to hit a knot. I was lucky and managed to keep out of range when the saw shot the nubs across the basement. 

The window like opening between the kitchen and the living room should look cute with the slice snowmen hanging above and the Carolers on the bottom. Again, once it's completed I will post pics.

Dashing through the snow....

Squirt takes dashing through the snow to a new level....lol. He sure loves the white stuff. 

Slice Snowmen, all 6 of them

These guys are going to the Storage War (Auction) page but I won't be able to post all the pics so here's what they look like if you're interested in making a bid. They can be hung up or lined up behind and in front of the fence..lol. It's not a fence it's just a stand that I threw together with a couple of pieces of pine. I'm sorry some of the shots are over exposed, it's my stupid camera and I have a hard time finding a happy medium. They will be sold as a set of 6. The twig arms are not glued in and are easily replaced by shoving new ones through the bead at the neck. The stand comes with the set and would look awesome with some small green garland or a layer of batten to imitate snow. If I had a fireplace with a mantle I think that's where I'd be putting them. Let me know what you think.