Sweet Bee Cottage

Will the Project Ideas Never End?

2012-01-30T21:21:00.000-08:00

And will I actually get something done?

Hit a thrift store after Baby Bee's basketball game Saturday afternoon and picked up a few items to sell on my etsy shop.

And there it was.....

another distraction to keep from finishing projects I already have and at the same time inspiring me to get started on a new one.

A vintage globe.....

yes, a vintage globe that Worker Bee* can not get his hands on.

I have plans for it.

Hmmmm.....what to do......what to do......

Chalk paint?

Decoupage?

Adding some words?

(all images found via Pinterest)

Don't worry Mr. Globe. You are in good hands.

(cue the maniacal laugh - ba ha ha ha ha)

*Worker Bee is a globe collector. You can click here to see his collection.

A Lack of Progress on Baby Bee's Room

2012-01-24T22:08:00.000-08:00

I had hoped it would be done by now.

But frankly, we still seem to be in the dreaming stage.

So.....why not share with you some more of our dreams for her room.....

Thanks Pinterest!

(You can follow this board here on Pinterest.)

Sweet little light treatment.

Refurbished jewelry boxes - love those saturated colors.

We'll have to have some sort of beach sign!

And this sweet little lantern isn't in our price range, but I bet I can figure out a way to make something similar.

I know I'll be making this for my girl! Those peace signs! Where did she get that obsession?

A little ceiling inspiration.....

and some wall inspiration.

I think that's half the problem. Too much inspiration making it a bit hard to make final decisions.

But Baby Bee's birthday is at the end of February, I have a couple of three day weekends coming up, so we better have some action around here soon.

Thanks so much for buzzing in for a visit today!

I'm so delighted to see you.

P.S. And please, if you haven't already, take a moment to enter my giveaway for some sweet little treats. Click here to enter!

Sympathize With Me Please - I Put Something I Adore on Etsy

2012-01-23T22:36:00.000-08:00

Well, it happened.

I put one of my favorite hidden away pieces up on etsy.

It's something I bought from the Old Painted Cottage on ebay several years ago. Got into a bidding war over it and I won.

But then it came to live with us here at Sweet Bee Cottage and it just never quite fit in. (Not the message, mind you, the message still rings true for our house.)

I tried it in our bedroom - just didn't go.

Put it in the guest room/studio and it was too much.

Tried the living room, and it's just not my style.

I even tried the kitchen......no go. (Or no va in Spanish - I love that story about trying to sell the Chevy Nova in Mexico, but it means "no go." There I go again digressing all over the place.)

But, but, but, but, but, but, but, but,

still love it.

However, should I keep it stashed in my closet when someone else would actually display and not just hoard it?

Is it good enough to just know I have it, but it never sees the light of day?

Would that be - gulp - hoarding?

So, you see, I'm really doing it for the good of the print. And for someone else's house.

It's okay.

You can call me noble.

So have you ever parted with something you really love, but it just doesn't fit in?

Were you sorry?

Will I be sorry?

Thanks for coming by!

Disappointment Turns to Joy

2012-01-19T22:12:00.000-08:00

A typo.

A stinkin' lousy typo.

A stinkin' lousy typo kept Baby Bee's name off the basketball list.

The day after all the sadness and disappointment, Baby Bee was called out of her after school program class and was told that her name was inadvertently left off the team list and she could join practice that very day.

Baby Bee was sooooo ecstatic. She told me she prayed that there was some sort of mistake. And there was.

So now I'm a Dance Mom, a Piano Mom, a Swim Mom AND a Basketball Mom. What's next? Oh, I know what's next. Shopping for basketball shoes.

P.S. Thank you for all your kind words for my girl. They helped a lot!

A Baby Bee's Disappointment

2012-01-17T22:10:00.000-08:00

Today the results of the tryouts were posted at school.

Out of all the girls who tried out for the school basketball team, Baby Bee's name was not on the list.

Baby Bee hasn't played basketball until this year. She practiced hard and listened to everything her coach said. Her dad (Worker Bee) has worked with her on learning to be aggressive and pursue the ball. She also joined the city rec league basketball program. (Where she's made 2 baskets in her games!) And I've seen tremendous improvement in her playing.

That's Baby Bee playing in the white jersey!

But sadly, it wasn't to be(e). She didn't make the cut.

However,

Baby Bee has not given up. After all, she is a Bee.

She has decided to write a note to her coach asking her what she can work on for next year to help her be successful. She still loves basketball and vows to keep practicing and practicing and getting better and better.

I love my Baby Bee - or - I should probably call her my Young Lady Bee!

My, she is growing up!

A Fun Funky Find for My Etsy Shop

2012-01-16T16:11:00.000-08:00

I've been working on my etsy shop lately and I haven't had a lot of projects to share with you lately. Although I intended to paint my newish corner cabinet today, it was just too cold and I got started too late so it will have to wait for another day. Maybe a day with more daylight.

So, I thought I would show you this fun coverlet or quilt I found at an estate sale. I've decided I just don't have room to keep it, so I put it up in my etsy shop.

It looks like the sewer of this used decorator fabric samples to create this. It's quite heavy.

Let me show you some close-ups of the variety of fabrics used.

So many colors.....

It's like a step back in time. Some of these definitely remind me of my grandparents.

Thanks for buzzing by today!

It's supposed to be 22º overnight tonight (very cold for these parts) so I'm making tummy warming Taco Soup for dinner tonight.

What are you making to keep your tummy warm?

My Friend, the Fabulous Phyllis

2012-01-14T21:41:00.000-08:00

I have mentioned my dear friend, Fabulous Phyllis a few times here. I've mentioned before that she owned the most delightful shop, Sawdust & Stitches. Well, you might have noticed I used the past tense----- owned ----- and sadly the economy has taken its toll on her wonderful shop and she had to close her doors in December.

Well one of the things I love about Fabulous Phyllis is that she doesn't give up. Yes, it was very, very hard for her to close her doors, but she has chosen to follow her bliss. And her bliss is finding sad outdated furniture and transforming it with paint and embellishments. She has a wonderful eye.

Luckily we have this wonderful consignment store in town and she has rented a space out of High Street Boutique!

She's already sold so much, her space looks empty!

Let me show you a few things she has set up! Can you believe it? She's already sold a ton of stuff out of her new booth! She's got to restock!!!

I LOVE this vintage enamel table. Sadly, I just don't have a single spot in my house to put it!

And since I was there I thought I'd show you a few vignettes set up around the store too.....

Cute little cabinet! They've done a great job mixing all the aqua, teal, and turquoise in the shop.

These are probably from all different sellers, but they've put this together quite nicely.

This cute metal cabinet looks so cute in the window with the old window above it. My picture doesn't do it justice.

Drooling over this stove too!

This display is tablescape ready!

This booth owner repurposes and designs furniture, quite a bit of it from Mexico. Don't you love these colors?

The owner, Carolyn and her daughters do a wonderful job setting up charming displays.

And these are a couple of my personal favorites!

Thank you for coming by!

I'll be sure to show you more as Fabulous Phyllis continues to follow her bliss.

Oh! You can also check out her etsy shop. She sews too!

Pretty Organization Giveaway!

2012-01-09T21:40:00.000-08:00

I am so in need of some organization.

I'm working on it, believe me. It's a work in progress.

But I have to share one of my favorite ways to get organized is to use labels. I LOVE labels! I mean really......don't tell Worker Bee.....but if I wasn't already married, I might marry my label maker. I even named my label maker - with a label, of course - Mr. Pedicure Jr. Why Mr. Pedicure Jr.? Well who doesn't love a pedicure and who doesn't love a label maker. Am I preaching to the choir? Can I hear an amen?

Well I found some pretty little labels that I know you will love to help get you organized. Cath Kidston labels. Yes.....really.....for you!

Plus, I think you know how much I loved the sweet little doodads from the Michaels $1 bin that reminded me of Cath Kidston or Greengate and.......I got some for you too! You'll get a pen, a notepad a pencil pouch, and some cupcake liners. Don't you love it????

All right, all right.....I hear your impatience.....how do we sign up???

1. Leave a comment on this post (and definitely leave a way for me to contact you) about what you really need to get organized OR what needs labels at your house.

2. For a second chance to win, take my giveaway button and post it on your blog, come back and leave me a comment so I know.

3. Giveaway open to United States and Canada only (sorry World).

4. Giveaway ends on Saturday, Feb. 4 at midnight PST. Winner will be notified on Sunday, Feb. 5.

Thank you so much for buzzing in to visit

and let's get organized together!

Here's a picture of Mr. Pedicure Jr.

Isn't he marvelous?

A Little Glitter, Some Ribbon, Pretty Paper, and a Cricut Machine

2012-01-07T18:19:00.000-08:00

Oh, yes, I've been buzzing.....making a few little things for a new section on my etsy shop for Sweet Bee Cottage Crafts!

Wanna' see?

I made some little banners/pennants/buntings!

And really, just an aside here, what are these called?

What's the proper name? This is one of those things I sometimes wake up and think about. (Okay, I don't really wake up, but I have wondered.)

A little something for Valentine's Day.....

And a couple little somethings for a tea party.....

one in scalloped circles....

and one in scalloped squares.

Available now on my etsy shop!

AND.....I'm having a 10% off sale - just use the code "happynewyear."

Can you tell I'm excited?

Thanks for buzzing by!

C'mon! Let's Go to Michaels!

2012-01-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

Girls, we need to chat. C'mon, let's get a latte (or tea for you tea lovers).

Okay, okay.....you twisted my arm........we can have a chocolate croissant too.

But after we finish, we need to get in our cars and go to Michaels.

Why you ask?

This!

And this!

This too!

IN THE DOLLAR BINS LADIES!!!!

If you find some, won't you let me know????

They look a little Cath Kidston, a little Greengate (from Denmark), and just plain old adorable.

What a great way to welcome in the New Year with such sweet little pretties. So go get some!

NOW!

P.S. And, for you vintage lovers, I'm finally getting some of the treasures I've picked up estate saling (yes, it's a verb - at least in my world) up on my etsy shop.

I hope you can buzz by and see what's new (er....really they're old....but new to me and you).

My New Year's Wish for You

2011-12-31T19:21:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

I wish for you to find your creative side

I wish for you to hear the music

I wish for you to spend time with friends and family

I wish for you to find simple joys

I wish for you be prosperous in countless ways

I wish for you make connections to something or someone you care about

Happy New Year!

May 2012 be a year to remember!

Oh.....and I wish that you will come back and visit me this next year too. ;)

Some Christmas Gifts from Some Dear Bees!

2011-12-29T11:32:00.000-08:00

The other day I shared with you what I made for the Singing Bee and the More Creative Bee. Now let me show you a couple of treasures they gave me for Christmas.

Now the More Creative Bee certainly deserves her name. Wait till you see this......

She found these in a thrift store and

handpainted them - all of them!

Aren't they adorable???

Where she found ice skates is beyond me. We're not exactly a hotbed of figure skating here in Central California.

She painted snowmen all over these skates for the Singing Bee. We BOTH loved them.

Now you know why her name is so well-deserved!

Now the Singing Bee noticed how much I loved these little placards when we spent the day shopping together. I almost bought them for myself, but I didn't and she went back and got these for me.

The window was cleaned earlier this year - honestly! With so little rain, how did it get so dirty???

Aren't they cute?

I can use them for placecards or I can use them on a buffet or I can just write a message for you.

Thank you so much More Creative Bee and Singing Bee!

You are both MAHVELOUS DARLINGS!

And thank you so much for buzzing in!

Want to know what I'm making for dinner tonight?

Found this great magazine....

and we're trying Barbecue Chili. Beans, ground beef, and a homemade barbecue sauce all in the crockpot. Oh yes - a bacon garnish - what's not to love?

What to Give Dear Bee Friends

2011-12-26T21:31:00.000-08:00

The More Creative Bee and the Singing Bee have been dear friends of mine for many years. We all met in college and don't live too far from each other, but we don't get to see each other as much as I would like. Then again, that makes those times more special. I certainly don't want to take either of them for granted and have so much fun when we get together.

Well, with late summer/early fall birthdays for all three of us and the Christmas holidays, we always get wonderful holiday (Christmas,Halloween, Thanksgiving) or seasonal gifts for each other. But this year, I wanted to go in a different direction.

Let me show what I found at Hobby Lobby to inspire me.

They had a whole section of Christmas decorations that were Americana.

Which inspired this.....

I made 4th of July decorations for them!

These are paper mache houses I also bought at Hobby Lobby.

I handpainted each house (definitly handpainted - check out those stripes)

and hand glittered them too. (Also something I need to practice a little more.)

I made a little banner for each house with vintage images I printed and glued to a tinsel pipe cleaner.

My paint dripped onto the floor so I made a floor out of some scrapbook paper I had on hand.

I added a flameless candle to light it up at night.

I also made these tealight holders too.

These are canning jars I hand painted USA on and added some more flameless tealights to.

They aren't exactly what I thought when I planned them. I originally cut out stencils from my cricut but the glass paint kept running under the stencil so I made stamps out of sponges instead.

And, sadly, I ran out of time to finish my last project, but I gave them an I.O.U.

I found this tutorial on pinterest and I will be making this for them on my cricut with the lace cartridge.

I have to tell you I had so much fun making these for my Bee friends.

Now I just wish I made one for myself too!

Thanks for buzzing by!

Hope your Christmas was merry and bright!

Linking to:
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
C.R.A.F.T.
Sugar Bee Crafts
Ruby Jean - Sew Crafty Tuesday

The Night Before Christmas at Sweet Bee Cottage

2011-12-24T20:53:00.000-08:00

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the cottage,

All the candy canes were lit up with no power outage.

The presents were wrapped with very great care,

In the hopes that the St. Nicholas soon would be there.

Baby Bee was snuggled all sweet in her bed,

With visions of all the family fun ahead.

While Worker Bee and Sweet Bee worked on

The last of the Christmas tasks before dawn.

But the whole Sweet Bee Family wanted to wish you

A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's too.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Another Christmas Tradition

2011-12-22T06:44:00.000-08:00

For the past few years, my mom has taken us out for Christmas tea. And by us, I mean me, my daughter, my two young nieces, and herself. Unfortunately Counting Bee can't come at this busy time of year for her. (But don't worry, we make it up to her in the spring by going again!)

That's right girls, go on in to Victoria Rose Cottage. They're expecting us.

It is very Victorian on the inside with lovely velvet drapes, tin ceilings, and dark and cozy wallpaper.

I love how they eclectically set the table. No cups are matching, no plates are matching, but it all works together.

This was my favorite cup, but Cutter Bee and Sewing Bee each got to use one of them.

Reader Bee, Sewing Bee, and myself ordered the Cottage Tea which came with a green salad, tea sandwiches, and a scone. I do love Devonshire cream with a bit of lemon curd on my scones. YUM!

Cutter Bee and Baby Bee had the Young Royal Tea which comes with mini Pigs in a Blanket, peanut butter and jelly tea sandwiches, and whip cream covered scones.

And if that wasn't enough, we even shared dessert.

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Blueberries

Creme Brulee which is a favorite for all of us.

I just love Christmas traditions, don't you?

A Christmas Tradition

2011-12-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

What are some of your Christmas traditions? Ones that you really treasure?

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is when Reader Bee and Cutter Bee (my nieces) come over to our house and decorate gingerbread Christmas trees with Baby Bee.

Reader Bee (she's 12) has always taken the task very seriously and does a beautiful job.

Cutter Bee (she's 9) really focused and kept working on it until she was happy with it. She even kept working after the other two had gone on to other things.

Now Baby Bee (she's 10) and hers leaned a little, but she had a lot of fun decorating it. (That Baby Bee is all about having fun no matter what you do.) (She also wants me to tell you that the decorating didn't quite go as she had it planned in her mind.)

Baby Bee's finished tree!

Reader Bee's finished tree!

And Cutter Bee's finished tree!

Oh....and I'll let you in on a little secret. I always buy the gingerbread kits AFTER Christmas for 50% off or more and then keep them for the next Christmas. I store them in our hall closet until it's time for the annual decorating event.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Crafts for 23 Third Graders and 1 Teacher

2011-12-17T11:14:00.000-08:00

One of the most fun artsy-craftsy things we still make time to do in this high stakes testing education system we have right now, is to make gifts for the families of our students.

This year we made something really adorable that I hope my students' families will always treasure.

We painted recycled jars from home with glass paint and put candles in them.

First we had the kids bring in jars from home. I couldn't wash them at school so they needed to come clean. Some of them still had that sticky residue so thank goodness for Goo-B-Gone for getting the rest of it off.

I had cut out some sponges with Christmasy shapes, such as holly leaves, gingerbread men, and candy canes for the kids to use to apply the paint.

I called back about 3 students at a time to my reading table and we just painted and pressed away on these jars. It was so relaxing for my students.

This is the paint we used! Great stuff! Can't find it a Hobby Lobby, but it's readily available at Michaels. Just be sure to get the glass paint and not the porcelain paint - very similar packaging!

After they dried for 24 hours, I brought all the jars home with me for their home oven firing. Oh my goodness that was a stressful drive home. The town I teach in is about 12 miles from the town I live in and I drive country roads to get home. And right now there is a lot of road construction going on. So every bump and pothole I worried that some poor student was going to have a broken gift for their families.

I failed to mention that I hauled them home in my (dusty) rolly cart with no cushioning. Here are a few of them waiting for their time in the sauna.

It took two batches to get them all oven fired and boy does it stink. I forgot to turn on the fan and open the windows some during the first batch. Don't forget to do this if you make something with this glass paint.

Didn't my kids do a great job?

I'm proud of their work and I'm glad they had so much fun making these.

In fact, they had so much fun I think Baby Bee and I are going to make some of these for our friends and family too. And I'll remember to turn on that fan and open the windows this time.

Can't you see painting recycled glass jars used for all kinds of holiday decorations? I've got some plans now for the Singing Bee and the More Creative Bee for their Christmas gifts. Shhhhh.....don't tell them!

And, by the way, I'm officially on Winter Break now! Yeah! Three weeks off!

Guess where we're going tonight? Baby Bee and her dance group are dancing at the zoo! They have an event called Zoo Lights at Christmas and we're going to go for the first time. Plus free hot chocolate and cookies! (Do you think it would be okay if I snuck some coffee in with the hot chocolate?)

Thanks so much for buzzing by! I hope you are finding your creative holiday buzz!

A Silver, Turquoise, and Lime Green Christmas (and a Winner!)

2011-12-13T20:19:00.000-08:00

Baby Bee is definitely turning into a tween.

(She'll be 11 in February, you know.)

She is obsessed with peace signs. What's with that?

We are currently working on turning her room from this sweet pink and green fluffy shabby chic little girl's room into a tween dream!

So, why not a lime green, turquoise, and blingy Christmas tree?

Right after Christmas, Baby Bee's room will be torn asunder and painted and restyled in these colors.

She misses her old tree. And you needn't worry - all those wonderful Mary Engelbreit ornaments are safely stored for the future for my sentimental little Baby Bee.

But this one is so cool and glamourous.

(and smaller - I appreciate that)

Won't it look great with her new room?

(that's her new duvet)

And now.........the winner of my book giveaway is.......

Donna from Sugar Spice and Souther Life.

She sure is a sweetie and I'm sure you will enjoy her blog.

Her stories are from her heart and she's a true Southern lady.

Thank you so much for your visits.

I'm always tickled to see you've come by and left a comment.

It's just such a great little day brightener!

Chocolate and Candy Canes

2011-12-11T15:16:00.001-08:00

I've said it before - and I believe it bears repeating - there are two flavors that mean Christmas to me.

Yep, I'm talking about the beloved chocolate meeting up with beautiful candy cane.

This year I decided to try an idea that had been floating around in my brain (and apparently in a lot of other folks' brains too because when I did a google search on this idea I found I was NOT the first to think of this) involving these two beloved flavors.

It all started with some Candy Cane Kisses one of my students gave me. And I got to dreaming of putting these in a brownie (like those peanut butter chocolate kiss cookies).

So the great Candy Cane Kiss unwrapping began while Baby Bee made the brownies.

Honest, the amount of wrappers is exactly equal to amount of kisses in the bowl. Really.....

Really.

How can you doubt me?

Attempt #1....

This is what happens if you add the kisses about half way through the process.

FAIL!

They really looked like little red and white striped......well......how shall I describe them......um......mammary glands. Not appetizing at all.

Attempt #2.......

This time we put the kisses in right before we popped them in the oven.

Still a little funny looking......

Isn't it cute how the kiss holds it shape?

but boy are they delicious.

Quick grab one before they are gone!

Since they didn't look that festive I popped them into some mini cupcake wrappers

and........voila..........

Chocolate & Candy Cane & Christmas!

YUM!

So....wanna' come over and share some of the FAILED ones?

Trust me they still taste delicious!

I'll make you a latte! We can sit around the kitchen table and reminisce on holidays gone by

Just a couple more days for my annual giveaway!

For you Vintage lovers, this book is a treasure and will send you strolling down memory lane.

Click on this link to leave a comment on my giveaway post.

Don't Miss Out - Giveaway Over Soon!

2011-12-09T14:46:00.001-08:00

I've been swamped with school activites

but I wanted to buzz by and remind you to enter my giveaway!

Just a few more days to leave a comment and win this book.

Such a festive book!

Just leave your comment on my giveaway post!

(You can get there by clicking on "my giveaway post.")

Happily buzzing along,

Thanks Bev for celebrating the holidays
at
How Sweet the Sound!

The Most Important Part of Christmas

2011-12-04T14:16:00.001-08:00

There is so much fun when it comes to Christmas - all the activities, decorations, music, food - the list goes on and on.

But it's alway important to remember what Christmas is all about.

Our simple (and small) nativity set must always have a special place.

Well we did a bit of rearranging this past summer so we needed to find a new spot.

We're using the dresser turned sofa table so you see it right as you walk in the front door.

Then I got to thinking about my grandparets' little toy barn I got from my mom during the Great Downsizing and thought it would make a sweet little livery.

I added a sweet vintage postcard.

(Yes, the stand is waaaay too big, but it's what I had on hand. They have very inexpensive ones at Wal-Mart so I'll pick up one soon.)

Worker Bee's childhood bible is open to the Gospel of St. Luke.

(That poor bible has seen better days. You'd think it was at least 100 years old, but it's only about 40 years old.)

My favorite part----Mary in the stable with a lone little sheep and the angel above.

Please don't ask about Joseph - somehow we lost him - but he's there in spirit.

I wasn't going to use the angel this year, but Baby Bee said, "You can't leave her out!"

The roof of the barn is NOT flat and every time I balanced her one there, she would fall.

I asked Worker Bee what he thought I could do and he said, "It's too bad you don't have some of that earthquake wax."

And, lo and behold, I DID have some. I think I've had that stuff from the time Worker Bee and I were married (21 years ago) and I've never ever used it.......until now.

This is so old, the packaging probably doesn't look like this anymore.

You can see, it works fabulously. Now my fingers are crossed that it comes off cleanly when it's time to put all the Christmas away.

Hang on little angel, hang on!

Where do you set your nativity?

What else do you display with it?

Christmas blessings,

A Little Candlelight

2011-12-03T19:50:00.001-08:00

I love candles at Christmas time.

There's just something about them that make my heart all melty and gooey. They make you feel the love in a home.

I was just reading Susan Branch's blog (Goodness, I love that girl!) and she loves candles at Christmas too, so I know I'm in good company.

One of my favorite spots is the windowsill above our kitchen sink.

I found these gingerbread candle jars several years ago in the Martha Stewart line at KMart. When the candles burned down, I couldn't bear to part with these so I know put other candles in there. (Yes, these are a bit too tall, but I just love the stripes glowing through the white polka dots.

Everything feels cozy and warm in our kitchen-----

Until I turn around--------

And it's a Christmas Dishapalooza!

We brought in all the holiday dishes from the garage. They're just hanging out until it's their turn in the "spa."

Just a few more minutes and it will be time for another load...er...I mean treatment.

Hope your holiday preparations are going well.

Buzzingly,

Please don't forget to buzz by here to leave a comment and enter my giveaway!

Light Up the NIght, Candy Cane Cottage!

2011-12-02T20:59:00.001-08:00

In my little world, I like to think of things becoming magically transformed.......

I love giving nicknames to inanimate objects..............

And I like to call my snug little house Candy Cane Cottage at Christmas time.

You can see the before on my sidebar.

Can you guess why???

Hope your holidays are sweet!

Wait! Baby Bee!

Those candy canes aren't for eating!

Silly girl!

With honey,

√ Don't forget to stop by for my giveaway!

Just click here and leave a comment!

√ Linking up today for Pink Saturday!

Thanks Bev!

√ and to Susan for Metamorphosis Monday!

Cherry Love from Reader Bee

2011-11-29T20:40:00.001-08:00

My niece Reader Bee (she's about a year and half older than Baby Bee) is a bee after my own heart. She loves to read, she loves to craft, and she loves to redecorate.

Well that sweet Reader Bee made me something I know will delight all you Rednesday bloggers!

What could that possibly be in that milk glass?

I see green.......

I see red......

Why, it's a cherry!

A cherry that tells me that I am loved.......

I love you too Reader Bee!

Thank you Reader Bee for my adorable cherry!

Happy Rednesday!

Thank you so much for buzzing by on this cheery day!

And if you have a moment, click on my Christmas giveaway and leave a comment!

Time for the Annual Christmas Giveaway!

2011-11-26T23:45:00.000-08:00

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

Yep! It's time.

It just wouldn't be Christmas if I didn't have a giveaway.

This year, I'm giving away...........

A book!

A Christmas book!

A vintage themed Christmas book!

A Very Vintage themed Christmas book!

A Have Yourself a Very Vintage Christmas book!

Did I get your attention?

Are you in?

Here's what you have to do in order to win a copy of this book for your home.

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite Christmas vintage memory.

2. For a second chance, post about my giveaway on your blog, facebook, etc. Just leave a second comment so I can count you twice.

3. Open to U.S. only due to shipping time.
(Sorry World!)

4. Giveaway ends on Monday, December 12 at midnight PST.

Merry Christmas!

WINNER IS DONNA FROM SUGAR, SPICE, AND SOUTHERN LIFE.

Happy Thanksgiving to You!

2011-11-23T23:48:00.000-08:00

I hope this Thanksgiving finds you with many blessings to give thanks for.

One of the things we are thankful for is family.

We will be with my family this year here in California. In our family, as I imagine many of you do, we farm out the dishes to different family members.

This year I am making homemade cranberry sauce (one of my favorite dishes to make), homemade rolls, and a dessert that is NOT pie.

So I thought I would share with you my cranberry sauce recipe with you since Williams-Sonoma was kind enough to share it with me a several years ago when I bought their cookbook.

Enjoy!

Apple Orange Cranberry Sauce

1/2 orange

2 cups water

1 tart apple (such as Granny Smith)

3 cups fresh cranberries

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

1. Juice the orange half and save the juice for later.

2. Remove the white pith/membrane from the orange rind and then cut the rind into a small dice.

3. Put the diced orange rind into a small saucepan with the water, bring to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and then set aside.

4. Quarter the apples and then chop into small pieces. Place in a medium saucepan.

5. Sort the cranberries and toss any soft ones. Add the cranberries to the apple along with the reserved orange peel, orange juice, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves.

6. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover partially. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened and the cranberries have burst and the apple is tender, about 10-15 minutes (but tonight it took about 20 minutes).

7. Let cool or cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring back to room temperature before serving.

Makes 3 1/2 - 4 cups of cranberry sauce.

Worker Bee is hoping there will be leftovers!

Tomorrow morning I'm making my rolls and prepping the chocolate croissant bread pudding (remember....something that is NOT pie).

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you know what a blessing you are in my life!

You are very much appreciated.

With honey,

Yummy for Your Tummy

2011-11-22T19:49:00.000-08:00

There has been a breakfast treat I've been dying to make for years. Yes, years. Never let it be said that I don't work out all the angles before I tackle something. HA! I wish!

Honestly I bought these little red bowls about 4 or 5 years ago, just to make this dish....and today was the first time I actually made it.

So....are you curious? Do you want to know what took me so long to work up the nerve to make?

Oatmeal Brulee! ( I have no idea how to put the accent in there on blogger.)

Add caption

Start of by making your oatmeal.

Honestly, I just cleaned that stove top! No, really! What? You have your doubts? Well please keep them to yourself!

(And we make the cooked kind, c'mon, it only takes about 5 minutes of cooking - it's really fast and so much tastier. You can go here to read more about my oatmeal obsession. )

Then because everybody likes a little something different on their oatmeal, I pulled out the dried fruit and nut basket from the pantry, some spices, and maple syrup.

Worker Bee wanted maple syrup.

Baby Bee wanted raisins and cinnamon.

Baby Bee's BFF (we came up with a nickname for her --- Strawberry Bee!) wanted cinnamon and brown sugar.

And I, Sweet Bee, wanted a dried berry medley (and of course, Trader Joe's has just such a blend).

After cooking the oatmeal, I added everything each person wanted and stirred it up.

Then, I spread brown sugar all over the top of the oatmeal.

Now you could use a kitchen torch, but do I have one of those? No, of course not (although I've thought about buying one many times), but I do have a broiler (on my oven, of course).

Popped those cute red bowls in the oven and broiled the heck out of that brown sugar.

Smelled so good!!!

I pulled them out and....well......we mostly had that nice crunchy top on our oatmeal. I have to confess, it was not a complete and total success.

I think next time I would smooth the top of the oatmeal and then spread the brown sugar more evenly on top. (Also Worker Bee's maple syrup made it a little runny and he never did get a crackling top.)

And guess what? I'm making it again tomorrow morning! Definitely worth the effort to achieve perfection on this simple dish.

Have I convinced you? Are you going to try it?

It's been a treat to see you! (Sort of like how Oatmeal Brulee is a treat!)

All of us at Sweet Bee Cottage love to read your comments and thank you for your visit!

Hope you're enjoying getting ready for your Thanksgiving!

And, of course, I've got to link up for Rednesday

with the delightful Sue!

A Little Fluffing (or Should I Call It Buzzing?)

2011-11-21T10:08:00.000-08:00

I planned to start painting furniture today......

but I woke up to this......

(Baby Bee wants to invite her BFF over for some raking - I'm all for it!)

Oh dear! So many MORE leaves to come down.

So, it's way too damp to paint, which is just as well because I haven't fully decided on which color to paint the corner cabinet.

Still leaning towards a blue cabinet with a white interior.

This is our hallway.

See? It's foggy out of the bathroom window too.)

Don't you think we need a pop of color in there? The walls are yellow (which they might not stay for too much longer) and I have one wall of doors and then white shelves and white framed photos along the other walls between all the doors.

Frankly, I think it's just begging for something bright and different!

This is a sampling of the colors I'm thinking about. The colors aren't coming out very well in my photos. Sorry.

And now I have another project.....

This dresser is from my mom. It's very well made and is about 40-50 years old. We had intended to use it to replace our dresser. But when we got it in the room, it just didn't work and didn't have more drawer space then the one we have now.

This is the one we have now. All black doesn't photograph that well on a foggy day.

And frankly, I really like the looks of the one we have now. (It may not be made very well, but it looks good - how shallow am I?)

So, as we were moving my mom's back out to the garage and lamenting that it wouldn't work, I said to Worker Bee, well.......we could try it as a sofa table. (Our current sofa table looks very nice, but it doesn't have a lot of storage room. Okay, it's wimpy. I said it.)

And, imagine our surprise when it fit perfectly! And Worker Bee's and my eyes danced with the storage possibilities!
Plus, we are a family of couch floppers and every time we flopped I worried about the wimpy sofa table falling over and taking with it all the pretties I have on top of it. This is much more sturdy!

But now, I have to paint it and definitely change the hardware.

But what color?

I love so many stinkin' colors.

Here are some pictures so you can see what our living room looks like and the colors we have.
Our wall colors are antique white.

Please ignore, no I mean it, just ignore the seat cushion sticking out on the left. You looked didn't you!

Definitely lots of blue and red and white.

I would definitely do blue, but it's right up against our denim loveseat. Too much blue.

White would be nice, but I have a lot of white already with the huge armoire and all the bookcases being white (although their backs are all painted different colors).

You know I love red, but I can't imagine the heart shaped table any other color than red and that would be too much red right next to each other.

See the heart shaped table on the left?

So.....I said green to Worker Bee. He thinks that it is too big a piece of furniture to be painted such a whimsical color as green. (I might have said jadeite green or apple green and I think that's what turned him off.) But now I'm also thinking maybe turquoise (and by turquoise I really mean AQUA)? I know it's really really - no I mean REALLY - popular right now, but I think it might work with all the other colors we have going on.

Mustard might be a possibility too.

(Baby Bee flat out rejects that color, but she's not the boss of me.)

Just as well it's too damp to paint today. I can't make any decisions.

So what pop of color do YOU think I should use?

(Just know that Worker Bee has to agree with it, but your suggestions would be greatly appreciated.)

And, diva that I am, I don't like orange or purple (although I wear those colors, I don't want them on my furniture).

Thanks for buzzing by! I'm making homemade pumpkin spice lattes today. It'll warm your tummy.

P.S. Did you notice that I don't have out any Thanksgiving decorations? Well, Halloween and Thanksgiving got short shrift at Sweet Bee Cottage this year. But we are completely and fully ready for the onslaught of Christmas. Hey! Maybe that's what we can do today instead of paint. We can start decorating for Christmas!

The Christmas Craft Buzz

2011-11-17T05:49:00.000-08:00

Have you met Cindy from Rick Rack and Gingham?

She is an absolute sweetie and she gets these fun ideas for swaps.

Her latest and greatest idea was to have a Christmas ornament swap. Our ornaments had to reflect our blog and be a house or rv. Ummmm.....this is where I kind of went off the tracks. I just couldn't find a house or come up with an idea for a house......but I did think of......now go with me on this......a bee house! Or a bee hive!!!

I started with a paper mache ornament base that kind of reminded me of a bee hive.

Then I used the wonderful and classic Aleene's Tacky Glue to wrap the ornament with jute twine.

Well, every little cottage needs a door, so I just cut a circle out of some brown felt and glued that on.

Then I needed to make a little bee. I used black and yellow pipe cleaners, wrapped them around a screwdriver (pencil was too big) and then squished the coils together. But I needed wings. This was a puzzle to me. Then inspiration struck!

I had some inkjet transparencies at home (for school)!

Wings!

I happened to have a heart shaped hole punch (thanks Martha) and I punched the heart, cut it down the middle and then glued them in between some of the coils.

Watch out! Don't get stung!

To bring in the Christmas, I made a little pennant banner for each little hive out of Christmas scrapbook paper and glued it on.

Well, I have to say, what thrilled me the most was how much Baby Bee kept saying, "I am so lucky to have a crafty mom." Ahhh....now there's a girl who can melt her mama's heart.

A set of 7 of these little hives are heading to Texas right now.

Just be careful when you open the box Cindy!

Thank you for buzzing in and seeing what I'm buzzing about!

Partying at
My Romantic Home
for

and
At the Picket Fence
for

A New Rednesday Treasure

2011-11-14T23:02:00.000-08:00

I just acquired a new little treasure to add to my collection of vintage picnic tins!

(Thanks to the leftover money on that visa gift card I won back before school started!)

And it's red! And, I've never seen one like it before!

Perfect for Rednesday!

It says AHP on the lid and Decoware on the bottom.

The inside is in really excellent condition.

See?

Why, what's this?

Oh it's a little project I've been working on.

(I know, I'm the worst tease!)

Curious?

Well, you'll just have to go visit Cindy at Rick Rack and Gingham pretty soon.

(Shame on me - more teasing - but I'm just so doggone good at it!)

Thanks for buzzing in

and

of course

I'm linking to Rednesday over at It's a Very Cherry World!

Maybe we can get together soon for a little crafting and coffee!

Wouldn't that be fun?

Soup Day

2011-11-13T19:38:00.000-08:00

It rained here this weekend, so Baby Bee and I decided to make soup. And by make soup, I mean we made batches and batches of soup. (Technically, I should say batch, batch, batch, batch, and batch. But doesn't batches and batches sound better?)

We started off with an easy one and doubled it! We made Cheddar Broccoli Soup from this cookbook....

It's so easy and yummy! But, having this tool makes it so much easier to make.

After cooking the broccoli, I just plug this little red hot baby in and it purees all of the broccoli. (Baby Bee took charge of this job and frankly, she did a better job than I usually do. I think she enjoyed it so much because it was almost like playing!)

Then we tackled Italian Vegetable Soup from one of my prettiest cookbooks.

The photographs in this one are so inviting. I love it's "twin" cookbook too - Gooseberry Patch Get Togethers.

In fact, we're having that one for dinner tonight along with some French bread I'm sprinkling fresh grated Parmesan cheese on and then broiling it.

So yummy!

After that, we made Baby Bee's Favorite Soup - Clam Chowder. It's also from my Williams-Sonoma Soups cookbook.

I've had to adapt the original recipe to use canned clams (please don't let Chuck Williams know - he might not ever let me shop in his stores again). I promise to share that recipe with you soon. But, I didn't take pictures so it will have to wait for another day.

The next on our list was the Chicken Tortilla Soup from my latest cookbook.

We followed the recipe exactly and this moved up into Baby Bee's Top 5 soup recipes! Another easy and delicious recipe!

And finally, we tackled Susan Branch's Corn Chowder recipe again.

Soooooooooo yummy!

Now you might be asking, what are those Sweet Bee's going to do with all those batches of soup?

Well, we're going to save them for a rainy day - literally! (Or more likely for a busy weeknight when I don't have time to cook, but Worker Bee or Baby Bee could heat the soups up on the stove.)

Thank you Deep Freezie!

Ummm.....this is NOT a picture of our freezer - just in case you were wondering. Ours is filled with muffins and croissants from Costco and - drum roll - frozen soup!

You help keep us supplied with nutritious and delicious homemade meals!

(Should I be admitting in a public forum that I nickname everything? Including my appliances???)

Now.....which soup would you like to enjoy with us?

I'm pretty sure we could fit another bowl on the table for you.

Thanks so much for buzzing by and for your kind comments. It's such a delight to see you've dropped in for a visit!

Vintage School Finds

2011-11-08T20:48:00.000-08:00

There's a definite advantage to finding vintage school items when you are a teacher --- especially when a teacher at your site retires.

(You know us teachers, we can't hardly bare to throw anything away just in case we might need it some day.)

So imagine my delight when I found this box filled with some great old school items.

Filled with.....vintage sentence builders,

U.S. Flash Cards (from Milton Bradley),

a Holey Card for division facts (I have no idea how this might have worked),

a box of 153 science experiments,

2 sets of geography cards (both from Milton Bradley)

syllable flip cards,

Quizmo game set (do you know this one?)

metric and fraction dominoes,

more sentence builder sets,

and a set of word prefixes and word suffixes cards. (I happen to be teaching prefixes this week and suffixes next week).

So now I need your opinion.

Do you think I should sell these on etsy or ebay? Is there any demand for them?

Most of these are from the 60s and 70s - do they make you nostalgic for your good old school days?

Well, please let me know what you think.

Thanks for buzzing in for a visit!

We're laying off the caffeine tonight, but I'll make you a peppermint hot chocolate if you want......with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and crushed peppermints......c'mon......I know you want one.

With honey,

And, of course, I have to party over with Colorado Lady for

The Bees Were Buzzin'

2011-11-07T21:37:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I got together with the my delightful friends, The More Creative Bee and The Singing Bee! As always, we had so much fun together. We went to a little town called Exeter that was filled with charming shops and good food and......coffee......although the other bees had tea. We ended up celebrating our birthdays too!

Did I remember to bring my camera? No, of course not!

But I can share with you a little treat The More Creative Bee got me for my birthday and a couple of dishes I just couldn't resist (trust me, the price was waaaaay right).

(The Singing Bee gave me some FABULOUS Halloween decorations, but I put them away before taking a picture - can't believe I did that - I kept telling myself, don't forget to take pics for the blog.....oh well, you'll just have to wait for next year.)

Buzzzzzzz......isn't it the cutest?

This cute little bee came straight home and right into a pot of boxwood I have on the front steps.

Love it!

Thank you More Creative Bee!

And then, at this charming store filled with great vintage items and upcycled furniture and accessories I found two dishes I couldn't leave behind....

A cute little jadeite bowl.....I'm thinking perfect for my morning oatmeal

AND

this sweet blue plate with cherries on the back.

I don't think they are really vintage, but no matter, I love their colors and design!

And....if you noticed.....

I'm all set up to make a latte for you. Decaf or fully loaded? White chocolate or regular chocolate?

What would you prefer today?

My pleasure to make you a yummy latte.

Thanks for buzzin' in!

My Next Dream Project

2011-11-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

I am a bee who likes to dream. I like to dream up projects and I like to find inspiration from blogs and Pinterest.

Here's my latest buzz......

We have a playhouse in our backyard.

Baby Bee did not go in the playhouse at all this summer.

It's been sadly neglected.

So, Baby Bee and I have been talking and she doesn't really want to use it as a playhouse anymore. So we talked about making it a Girls' Clubhouse.

I was lucky enough to grab a couple of wicker chairs and a wicker table from the Sewing Bee's Great Downsizing and that was the start of my inspiration.

I went out and took some pictures so you could see the sorry state it is in.

(dead plant, entrance blocked by vintage bicycle)

(sad little window box and lots of cobwebs)

(dust and dirt)

(furniture piled in there willy nilly)

(sweet little touches already there)

(never could find a spot for this cute rolling pin in the house)

(cute new table hiding under the sad little wicker cushions)

(forgot this cute little basket of faux flowers was out there)

Do you see the it???

The potential that is???

But this is what it has the potential to be......

1. The floor - I really have a thing for checkerboard floors so I can see painting something like this on the wood floor - the green and white is perfect!

2. We'll need seating - or - dreaming spots...

These were made from crib mattresses. Baby Bee's crib is in the garage and it's white beadboard.....it might be charming in our clubhouse.

And the Sewing Bee gave us two wicker chairs.

They will need to be painted....yellow? turquoise? or green?

Oh and there was a little wicker table....

Turquoise with faded florals would be perfect!

And there will definitely be bunting out of vintage hankies......

or floral fabrics!

Ahhhh......so many dreams. Will the weather hold and I can get some of these projects done???

Only time will tell,

but in the mean time.....a bee can dream, right?

What are some of your dream projects?

I'd love to know!

Thanks so much for buzzing by for a visit!

Such a treat to see you.

Happy Belated Halloween!

2011-11-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

Hope your Halloween was treaty and not tricky!

Baby Bee shared some sweet and sour Twizzlers with me.

Hmmmm.....perhaps not an experience to be repeated.

Maybe that was her trick on me!

Well, proud mama that I am, I have to share her costume.

For some reason, she frequently dresses up as book characters. In second grade she was Fancy Nancy, in third grade she was Laura Ingalls, and this year, she was............

can you guess???

Are you familiar with this book called Harry Potter? (I know, I doubt it will get real big. LOL)

Well, my little bee was

Hermione Granger!

I put all kinds of tiny braids in her hair to make it crimpy and wild. Poor girl did her homework (can you believe she had homework on Halloween - this teacher didn't assign any to her students) while I braided her hair.

Thanks to one of my Teacher Bee friends, her costume was complete with Gryffindor scarf and horcrux.

I hope your Halloween was as magical as ours was!

And thank you for buzzin' in!

It's always a delight to see you have stopped by.

You Light Up My Corner

2011-10-30T14:31:00.000-07:00

So......

my mom's recent move has prompted several changes here at Sweet Bee Cottage too.

Some furniture has gone to consignment shops and to the Fabulous Phyllis and in return something new has come to a little corner of Sweet Bee Cottage.

We have this odd corner in our hallway. Several years ago I found the perfect table to fit there, but I always knew that there was a better solution.

Well Fabulous Phyllis and I worked out a fabulous deal and I am now the proud owner of a corner cabinet.

Please avert your eyes from the things I don't know what I'm going to do with.

I am so excited about the possibilities!

Yes, it's black and although I do really like black furniture, I don't think black is great for this spot.

I'm thinking about white with some colorful knobs....

(Couldn't stand to leave it empty - put a few of my milkglass pieces in and I love it.)

But really, my heart is saying paint it something bright. That silly heart of mine is also saying paint it blue......like a cornflower blue.......with white milkglass knobs......and a white interior.

Maybe the opposite of this....blue on outside, white on inside.

This looks like the perfect shade of blue....not too dark, but bright enough to wake you up.

Love how this looks, but it's brights at Sweet Bee Cottage.

Again, a great color, maybe a bit too intense, but it still draws my eye.

This one has be rethinking the blue exterior and white interior - what a great pop of color.

And here's a classic! Looks great, but I won't make mine quite so distressed.

More blue to consider.

Love how they painted the thrift store chairs and how it looks with everything.

And, now here's a question for you.

Do you think I can just paint over the black and not have bleed through?

Should I strip it?

Should I go for the milkglass knobs

ebay

or whimsical

hobby lobby

so many to choose from at Hobby Lobby

or something more exotic?

anthropologie

My mind is buzzing! I so want to get this done NOW!

BUT -

I have to get through report cards and parent teacher conferences and then - if the weather holds - this cabinet will be done by Thanksgiving!

Of course, I'll show when it's done.

Thanks for buzzing by!

Hope you're staying warm and cozy where you are. (Or cool if you're in the Southern Hemisphere.)

Soup season has started here at Sweet Bee Cottage.

We're trying a new potato soup recipe tonight that's cooking right now in the crock pot. Smells divine!

One Last Post from the Big County Fair

2011-10-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

This is it, my last post from the Big County Fair for this year (oh yeah, I'll be back with more next year)! There were just a few things that really impressed or inspired me!

I saw this in the Home Ec building and I just had to take a picture, thinking this might inspire some of you!

I believe this was a dresser....

and they cut the top off somehow and moved it to the bottom of the last drawer...

and made a back out of some kind of wood and created this awesome bench. I haven't seen anything like it in blogland so I was very excited to share this with you!

This Trash to Treasure fashionable outfit was in the Jr. Building and was made by someone younger than 18. I think it's so cute!!! Of course Worker Bee loved it because he was a geography major in college.

And here is another one of the Christmas trees from the grown up Home Ec building.

Love the boots at the bottom! This was such a cute tree but it didn't win any awards.

And finally, one of my favorite things I saw at the fair...

This fabulous Alice in Wonderland cow!

She was painted by a local high school student.

I wanted to bring her home with me!

You know what I love about the fair? So much local creativity on display!

Well.....after seeing all these delights.....

will you enter your county fair next time?

You should!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

One Little Change at Sweet Bee Cottage

2011-10-18T22:59:00.000-07:00

Much of my time lately has been spent helping my mom organize her new little cottage - although there does seem to be a lot of moving boxes back and forth. Worker Bee has been wonderful to my mom and has even gone over there and helped her when I didn't have time.

Well, lucky me, because Sewing Bee has moved to a much smaller home, she is getting rid of some of her furniture and Sweet Bee Cottage has been the lucky recipient of these pieces. Although....truth be told....this doesn't involve a piece from my mom, but because of her this table was liberated from our bedroom.

We have just had a giant furniture shuffle! I love it!

before

These chairs were originally at the kitchen table, but when I got Mom's dining room table, I moved my dining room chairs to the kitchen.

So the old kitchen chairs went to the living room. And....they temporarily had these boxes as a "side table."

after - still need to accesorize

This sweet wicker table had been in the sunroom, then was my nightstand (and oh my it was waaaaaay too small for a nightstand - I was always knocking things off of it in the middle of the night - but it looked great and I was all about the cute for awhile),

this is where the table used to live

and now I've put it between these two chairs you see as you enter our house. The chairs and table are all from Pottery Barn. I love them and I wish they would bring them back!

Other changes are in the works......wait till you see what I found for a corner in my hallway! Let's just say there will be quite a bit of painting furniture in my future. Oh boy!!!

Aren't you delighted with little changes? And I just love how fresh something looks when you just move it to a new spot. Cheapest decorating around! Gotta' love that!

Thanks so much for buzzing in!

And Now for Kids' Tablescapes from the Big County Fair

2011-10-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Reader Bee (my niece) is following in her auntie's footsteps! She entered the Big County Fair this year too in the table setting category! Her table was in the Junior Exhibits and these exhibitors only need one plate for their table settings. I thought you might enjoy seeing some of my future competitors!

Here is Reader Bee's! She has a picnic theme!

(For you eagle-eyed readers, she is using my dishes, my glasses, and my flatware.)

She earned first place!

I like that they don't compete against each other, they just earn first place if they meet certain criteria.

Now Baby Bee wants to enter the fair for table settings too.

Valentine's Day!

Christmas!

A Chinese tea!

Mary Engelbreit!

And guess what? I know this competitor! She is a former student at my school! And her mom loves Mary Engelbreit so I bet she borrowed these from her mom! I was delighted to see her work!

Love the pumpkin centerpiece here!

Easter!

Now this was a boy! I love that! You go Duck Hunter Boy!

Best of Show! This might be the fair theme which was "A Jungle of Fun."

This one also earned Best of Show. I think they might have been honoring 4H, but it could have been for St. Patrick's Day.

I think the plate and bowl were hand-painted. I love the little napkin bundle.

I have to say I really liked this one too (but not as much as Reader Bee's). They made those cute little ants.

Another jungle theme!

Lord of the Rings!

And finally another summer picnic!

Wasn't that fun? I just love the creativity these kids show.

I have a few more pictures for another post on the Big County Fair.

Hope you aren't tired of it yet!

Thanks for buzzing by!

And of course, I just have to link up to

at Between Naps on the Porch!

Just a Few Family Treasures

2011-10-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

My mom, Sewing Bee, recently moved out of her home of 28 years to a much smaller house (the green cottage - we haven't named it yet) and she had to get rid of a lot of stuff. As we helped her pack we came across little treasures that I was lucky enough to be able to claim for myself.

(no, not the red chair, I just thought it looked cute with the treasures)

I had never seen this checkerboard and box before. My mom told me that this was my grandpa's and this is exactly how he kept his set of checkers.....in this match box.

There's something about the whole story that just touched me.

I can picture my grandpa (who always smelled of oil and car grease AND Doublemint gum - that combination of smells - which I don't run across very often - always takes me back to being a kid at Grandma and Grandpa's) with his grin asking my mom or her sister to come play checkers with him after a long day of working on cars.

Another treasure my brother didn't mind that I took is this barn and silo.

I can always remember it being at Grandma and Grandpa's when we were kids in the 70s.

I have no idea how old it is, but my mom didn't remember it from her childhood. It also had barn animals and white corral fencing, but those parts are gone now.

My mom had it in a toy basket for the grandkids to play with at her old house, but all the grandkids are too old to play with it.

Well today we're off to the Big County Fair! Baby Bee is dancing with her dance group there. Looking forward to having some yummy fair food. I'll have to take pictures to share with you!

Thanks for buzzing in today!

Even More Table Settings from the Big County Fair (2011)

2011-10-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

Well, we learned the results for our table and Christmas tree from our Big County Fair!

We earned 1st place for our tree

and 2nd place for our table!

But do you want to see Best of Show?

(Nope, it's not us this year, like it was last year.)

This yellow table earned Best of Show.

This table was set for a bridal shower

or was it a bridal luncheon? I forget now.

But isn't it sweet?

**********

This table was inspired by the Samantha doll from American Girl.

Not only were the place settings for the guests...

but the dolls had their own tea setting too.

I just loved the vintage dishes, glassware, and flatware.

**********

Now this table gave me an idea for next year. Bees, anyone??? Sweet Bees???

This sweet table was for a 10 year old girl's birthday party.

It had such a cute ladybug theme - from napkin rings to the centerpiece to the dishes.

Can you imagine how fun it would be celebrate your 10th birthday at this table?

**********

Thanks for buzzing by tonight.

And, of course, I have to share these table settings over at

Between Naps on the Porch!

Don't you wish they wouldn't limit it to just 10 tables? I know I do. We'll do two tables again next year!

Does your county fair have a Home Ec building? Have you ever thought about entering your table settings? It's a lot of fun!

Have you ever entered anything in the fair?

I think next year I'm going to enter my new favorite croissant and chocolate bread pudding!

What would you enter?

A Giveaway Winner! And Susan Branch! And I Actually Made Something from Pinterest!

2011-10-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

Winner! Winner! Winner!

Thanks to Random Number Generator, comment #31 from Amy of UTryIt is the winner of my Amazon and Starbucks card giveaway!

Amy is a food blogger and she has awesome recipes and features. Please go check her out. You won't be disappointed (unless you don't like food)!

And, in honor of a food blogger winning, I thought I would share my version of Susan Branch's Corn Chowder! Not really cold here anymore (but at least it's not hot) and I bought the ingredients to make this last Wednesday, but I ended up working until 7:30 that night and there just wasn't time to get this done, so I made it today.

(My bowls aren't as lovely as Susan's, but they still look pretty good!)

And oh my was it ever YUMPTIOUS!!!

Want a closer look?

This is really, really good and easy to make, but you MUST INCLUDE THE BACON!

Vegetarian?

Then use tofu bacon or whatever it takes, because the BACON takes this soup to divine!

And.....you'll be so proud of me.....

I made something I found on Pinterest!

Yes I did!

I made these....

Better than Jim and Nick's Cheesy Biscuits from Plain Chicken.

that I found here!

Then we had leftover chocolate croissant bread pudding with homemade whipped cream for dessert tonight! (Worker Bee's birthday was Friday, but we couldn't celebrate until Saturday night.)

Definitely not a night for the cows to take off!

Thank you so much for your support and entering my giveaway! Your visits mean so much to me (and even Worker Bee and Baby Bee, they delight in your visits too).

I hope you know you're invited for dinner any time! I love to make soup and I would love to have you come on over! There's always room for one more!

Giveaway Alert!!!

2011-10-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

Only a couple more days!

In honor of my blogiversary I'm giving away a $25 Amazon giftcard and a $10 Starbucks giftcard.

Want to enter?

Just leave a comment on my giveaway post. Click here to go there!

Thanks so much for your visits, your comments, and your support! I've so enjoyed getting to know so many of you!

More Table Settings from the Big County Fair

2011-10-04T21:41:00.000-07:00

The More Creative Bee and I have entered the table setting contest at the Big County Fair for over 10 years together. You can see our entry here.

But one of the fun things is to see the other tables set up. I thought you might enjoy that too!

This table is our one and only competition! The table settings have several categories and this one is also in the fair theme category. The fair theme this year is "A Jungle of Fun."

A bit more sophisticated look than ours.

The lady who put this one together said she got a lot of the items from Dollar Tree.

I'm not sure if the dishes were from there too, but I like her interpretation of the theme.

*****

This was a cute little dinner for two.....

Mrs. Claus and Santa Claus.

Sadly, this is the only picture I took that turned out.

*****

Another holiday table.....Easter!

Nice and springy!

I loved the little chicks in the nest that were the place cards.

We did an Easter table a few years ago. The Fabulous Phyllis sewed the tablecloth for me while she was really, really sick. I loved it! You can see it here.

*****

This table was a paean to our local university.

Go Bulldogs! (We just won't talk about the Ole' Miss game.)

I had to put this picture in even though it's blurry. The centerpiece is by a local artist, Margaret Hudson, who does these animal pieces that have the sweetest faces.

I love her work!

*****

I didn't get to meet the person who put this table together, but from what others said, I have the feeling the plates might have been the inspiration.

My pictures don't do it justice. These plates are gorgeous. The table setting rumor mill was that they are from Pier 1.

Love the silver placemat too!

*****

And the last table for today is an autumnal celebration.

(Did you know that autumnal is one of my favorite words of ALL TIME? I love using it at this time of the year.)

Well, tomorrow I should learn the results for our table and our tree!

I am so excited! Wonder if we got best in show again!

And just 4 more days to enter my Amazon.com $25 gift card and $10 Starbucks card giveaway!

Yep! Just 4 more days! Don't be late!

Please stop by here to leave your comment so you can be entered!

Thanks for coming by! Tomorrow the big winter like rain storm is coming (sorry, winter weather for us is just rain) and I am so excited to make Susan Branch's Corn Chowder. Did you see her post on this recipe? Worker Bee picked up all the ingredients today. Yum! Now if I could only find gorgeous soup bowls like hers!

It's been a treat to see you!

P.S. I'll have more pictures of the other tables soon! More pretties to come!

Linking up for

What? A Christmas Jungle of Fun?

2011-10-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

Oh yes,

the More Creative Bee and I have also entered the Christmas Tree decorating contest at the Big County Fair for the past several years. We have almost always entered the fair theme category and with the fair theme being, "A Jungle of Fun," we had to go for it again.

So how do you decorate a Christmas tree with a jungle theme?

Well....

What else could you do but

Jungle Bells! Jungle Bells!

Jungle all the way!

Oh yes we did.

We made Jungle Bells ornaments!

The More Creative Bee got that blessed hot glue gun out and glued jungle animals, holly leaves, and red ribbon harnesses/hanging loops to a bajillion jingle bells.

And what else?

Why jungle animals with Santa hats and Santa beards!

(Sorry, this was the least blurry shot I had.)

For a garland, dear Worker Bee cut up bamboo garden stakes and threaded them onto 50 lb. test fishing line.

For another touch of jungle, I found plastic ornaments and painted them solid black with spray paint.

Don't they look like the bomb birds from Angry Birds?

They came in sleeves of 12 so I painted them in different patterns....

Giraffe,

leopard,

zebra,

and....the one I forgot to take a picture of...

elephant.

The elephant ones I just painted with gray craft paint and then used plastic wrap to give it a wrinkled look.

Oh yeah! The tree topper....I found a foam pith helmet (and yes, I already knew that was what they are called) and hot glued on leopard print and red ribbon. Wanted to add white fluffy, but it just wouldn't lay on the hat right.

And, of course, my uber talented friend, the More Creative Bee, created this tree skirt with red fleece, some printed felt letters she cut out and more holly leaves that she glued around the edge. It's fantastic!

All the ornaments, tree topper, tree skirt, garland, anything you use is supposed to be hand made so the Christmas tree always is a ton of work. I couldn't have finished my projects without that cute Worker Bee husband of mine.

The results of the judging will be available Wednesday and I'll let you now how we did with our tree and our table.

And I sure hope you take a moment and enter my birthday/2nd blogthday giveaway!

I promise to ship your winnings quick!!!

(Poor Amy from my last giveaway had to wait patiently for a few weeks while I got it together.)

Thank you so much for your sweet comments on our table and for your visit.

It's supposed to rain this week and finally feel like fall! Yeah!

I'm thinking about making Susan Branch's Corn Chowder on our first rainy day!

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Sounds yumptious to me!

I hope something yumptious (yummy meets scrumptious) is waiting for you this week too.

With honey,

Linking up to

over at Sugar Bee Crafts!

A Jungle of Fun!

2011-10-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

Whew! One project done, checked off, sayonara!

It has been Big County Fair time at Sweet Bee Cottage (plus progress reports, school carnival, Worker Bee's birthday, etc.) and I have been a busy little bee working on our table and Christmas tree. The More Creative Bee and I have entered the table setting contest and and the Christmas tree decorating contest at the fair for at least 10 years now. (We've done it for so long that we can't remember how long it's been now. Sad, but true.)

This year the fair theme is

"A Jungle of Fun!"

And boy did we have fun! A few weeks ago we got together and brainstormed how we wanted to carry out the theme.

Yum....crocodile bites and rainforest canopy green salad to eat! Yumptious! Thirsty? Jungle Juice or Iced Mango Green Tea are your beverages of choice.

We used white tulle as an underskirt - trying to give the impression of mosquito netting. Over that we put a purchased brown tablecloth (from Anna's Linens).

Now remember, this is the county fair we're talking about so we just imagined that the jungle animals were having their own fair. Some of the first things we think of at the fair are horse racing (don't ask) and the ferris wheel.

So the centerpiece was a track we made out of felt and astroturf.

That More Creative Bee found a ferris wheel model to build and that was the start of our infield fair.

Here are the animals all lined up to ride the ferris wheel. See them holding onto their balloons and cotton candy? Yep, that More Creative Bee made the balloons out of paillettes and the cotton candy out of polyfill that she painted.

We also had the larger animals participate in a race around the track.

I made the little pennant banner for the finish line. (And yes, the gorilla came in first! Hope you bet on him!)

Our plates were from Target in turquoise and lime green. The brown flatware was some she picked up at a local grocery store chain in their clearance bins. See the napkins? This fabric was the inspiration for the whole table.

See what happens when the More Creative Bee really gets going? She hot glued jungle animals to each glass and some jungle colored leaves. These were so cute!

One other thing that I did for the table was the place cards. We couldn't believe our luck when we found jungle themed balsa wood frames at Michaels. I colored them and we decided this was a family event so the guests were Mom, Dad, More Creative Bee, and Sweet Bee.

To finish it off, MCB put together a set of pennant banners to wrap the edge of the table using more of that cute jungle fabric!

Frankly, all the credit for this cute table belongs to the More Creative Bee. She worked her glue gunned fingers to the bone on this one. And you can just catch a glimpse of her making final touches to the masterpiece (okay, she's really taking a picture, but it still looks like a good action shot).

I'll be back soon to share pictures of the other tables and our Christmas tree!

(And for those of you who know that lions and zebras and elephants are not exactly jungle animals, just know that our fabric inspired the whole design. Worker Bee is very glad I'm letting you know that I don't think these critters actually live in the jungle. Remember? Blame the fabric!)

Don't forget! Just a few more days to enter my Amazon and Starbucks gift card giveaway!

To enter, just go here!

Thanks so much for buzzing in and I'm looking forward to having a bit more time for visiting with you all soon.

Linking up for

A Mess of Vintage Finds

2011-09-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

My sunroom is a mess. I don't know how else to describe it. It's a mess! Right now I have stray chairs, a dresser I'm thinking about keeping for myself, items I've picked up at thrift stores and estate sales to sell on etsy, and items I saved from my mom and dad's house for treasuring.

It is making me crazy, but I have not had any time to tackle it. I have so many wonderful treasures to show you and so many things to list on etsy.

Just a few vintage smalls. Some are already in my etsy shop.

Picked up these bowls at an estate sale next door this past weekend.

Love the straws!

This is a fabulous old quilt I picked up that was made from upholstery fabric samples. I need to get photos and list this unique quilt.

While I was picking up things from my mom and dad's I found my bicycles from when I was a kid. It's a Schwinn Hollywood from the mid 70s. It was the bike I learned how to ride on.

Isn't it fun?

Now I think I want to use it as "yard art." Like these pictures I found on Pinterest.

This is my personal favorite!

So? What do you think? Can I make my bike look this adorable? After all, I have fall and winter to figure out exactly where to put it.

Thank you so much for buzzing in for a visit.

I am hoping to find more time to visit as soon as we finish with the Big County Fair and Baby Bee's School Carnival. September and October are the two craziest months of the year for us. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

I sure hope you also take a minute to leave a comment on my giveaway post. I so appreciate all the visits and comments and followers who have supported my blog. I'm giving away a $25 gift card to Amazon AND a $10 Starbucks gift card to one lucky winner.

Just click on over and leave a comment here to be entered.

With honey,

I'm a Winner and Birthday Pleasures

2011-09-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

Something very, very exciting happened to me in August. I can't believe I haven't told you yet, but I guess I was waiting until I used this wonderful thing I won.

Here's the back story.........

Every year before school starts the school district has a big assembly for ALL the employees - from management to custodians to bus drivers to teachers. EVERYBODY is supposed to be there. We hear a heart warming inspiring speech from our superintendent (and man is he good - he is the National Superintendent of the Year) and then they have a huge raffle. Items are donated from local businesses. Visa gift cards are some of the prizes. (Oh yeah, you know where I'm going with this.)

So.........

They are on the last prize of the day. And they pull a number, read it off, and......no one comes forward. They wait a few minutes, call it again, and still no one comes forward. They call it again and announce that if no one comes forward they are going to draw another number. So I look at my ticket.......

and no. It's not the one. (Had you for a second, didn't I?)

They then pull another ticket AND...................THIS TIME IT WAS MINE!!!!!!!!

OH YEAH BABY!

I WAS SCREAMING AND DANCING AND WHOOPING IT UP.

I FELT LIKE I WAS ON THE PRICE IS RIGHT AND THEY'D JUST CALLED MY NAME TO COME ON DOWN!

And........

My prize was a $100 Visa Gift Card!

So.....what did I do with this gift card?

Meet -------- (well, I haven't named her yet, but I will) -----------my new vintage styled bike!

Fresh from Wal-Mart in all her vintagey goodness!

She even got a little basket from my mom for my birthday.

But her basket is a wee bit too small so I think I'm going to get this one with my leftovers from the debit card and returning the basket my mom got for me.

Also, wanted to show you some gorgeous earrings my sweet Worker Bee got for me for my birthday. I spotted them on etsy and then he took care of the rest.

Don't you love their gorgeous jadeite green shade? They are so pretty. I found them here.

Well thank you, dear friends, for coming by and seeing my winnings and a birthday treat. Your visits always make me smile.

I sure hope you take a moment to enter my giveaway and leave a comment. I just want to share with you all because you are such a bright spot in my day.

Linking up today to:

Cindy's My Romantic Home

Birthdays and Blogthdays!

2011-09-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!
THANK YOU FOR COMING BY ANYWAY!
HOPE YOU STAY A BIT FOR A VISIT.

Yesterday was my birthday!

And did you know that my first blog post was about my birthday two years ago? So my blog and I share birthdays in the same month!

Well, in honor of my blog turning 2 and me turning
_ _
(let's just say it's an even digit in the tens place and it's not 2 or 6 or 8) I am having a fun giveaway.

I'm making it easier on myself this time because I am the WORST about getting my giveaways in the mail. I even try to get Worker Bee to help and HE forgets to mail them too! So, I'm giving away something simple to mail off......

Why what could that bee, dear Sweet Bee?

Why GIFT CARDS!!! Who doesn't love a gift card? I know I love them.

There are two cards I'm giving away.

The first one is $25 to Amazon.com to thank you for following along, leaving comments, or just buzzing by on occasion.

The second card is for $10 to Starbucks! That way you can take a friend out for coffee and pretend it's me. Okay - that would be just too weird. Just go have fun and enjoy your special treat! Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back, you know.

Well, there have to be rules for this kind of thing, so here they are:

1. Leave a comment AND a way to get a hold of you on this blog post.

2. For one extra chance, please put my giveaway button with a link back to me on your blog and leave a second comment.

3. That's it. Because it's my birthday I'm opening this up to the WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD - or at least the part of the world that comes by and visits me here at Sweet Bee Cottage.

4. Deadline for entering is Saturday, Oct. 8 at midnight PDT. (Just in time for Worker Bee's birthday!) I'll announce the winner on Oct. 9!

5. Oh yes, dreaded rule #5 - you DO NOT have to be a follower! (But I will be flattered if you decide to come along.)

Thanks! Just thank you!

My life is richer because of you!