Welcome to my
Perfectly Imperfect Life..........

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Great Valley Museum

Our friend D came for her annual visit from Wyoming last month.
We always have a blast while she is here. She lifts our spirits and helps us forget any worries we may have.

We try to get out a bit and see the sights.....hey, we do have a few ;)
One of which is Great Valley Museum of Natrual History
which is operated by Modesto Junior College.
My kids have been there but D and I had never been, 
so off we went.

 

Lots of displays such as how feathers were used back in the day....




as well as horns and shells...


even butterfly wings.

 Cool fossils to view




Handmade tools from what was available



 games too!

Then came the exhibits!


 












These guys brought back memories of Alaska....


Darn Raccoon scared the bejezus out of me!




Now for the LIVE exhibits!








They actually have a pretty good variety since they are in such a small building.
But there were a couple of things I really didn't need to see since I see them every day in my house!


Ants and spiders...icky icky pukka pukka!!

Stay turned for more of our visit.....


Monday, January 23, 2012

Etsy Cottage Craft Room

There's a new blog party over at Etsy Cottage Style!!


Now don't expect any pretty pictures from me...
I'm currently combining my bedroom into a combination bedroom/craft room.
It's a slow process and 

Frugal

is the key word in my theme.

So you will see some before and after photos...
You may want to cover your eyes...it can be pretty gruesome! LOL

Before

After
I've moved in the Pattern Cabinet.
My Dad got it from JC Penney when he was remodeling their store in Livermore. I have loved it ever since I first saw it, many years ago. 
He kept his welding rods in it!
Crazy man!  But I guess it was a good place to store them to keep them dry.
  The Bakers Rack (after is got a coat of white) 
was also moved inside, from the side yard.

Both provide lots of storage.
The Pattern Chest hides all my ribbons and trims, 
stamps and ink and other needfuls,
while the Bakers Rack has all my buttons and doo dads 
sorted into mason jars that belonged to my Mom and Grandmothers.


Before
At first I only had my dresser for crafting...

 

Not much storage and that little ledge provided to be interesting 
when working on more than one item or a larger than normal one.
Can you say crowded?


I've since moved a 6 ft table in which has become my work space...
Lots of room but it is still crowded...do we ever have enough workspace? LOL
Eventually I would like to exchange places with the dresser and table.
Dispose the top part of the dresser.
and hang shelves on the wall above the table.

After


Yay more drawers for supplies!
Hidden by shutters when not in use.


A hanging 3 tier veggie basket holds adhesives while also 
acting as my inspiration board and drying rack.

You may have noticed these feeders from the previous photos.
I needed something readily accessible for my glue gun, glue sticks and other
easily needed supplies
I dug these out of my Treasure Pile and repurposed them.
This one holds my glue sticks perfectly with room on top to store my gun.


I just dry brushed with a little white paint.


This one got a coat of paint and some decals.
These sure look different from when they were being used to feed our rabbits!


The saying goes
"you have to break a few eggs to make a cake"
Well, I've broken dozens!
What a mess!


One thing I had always wanted to do is hang my parents mirror over my bathroom mirror.
Why? I don't know I'm crazy like that!
This mirror hung in our living room while growing up and I l♥ve it!
I think it looks so much better here than where it was in the very first photo of this post.
Don't you?



I've stacked my parents trunks and old suitcases under this tiny, useless window (it doesn't even open).
They are filled with family photos and other mementos.
Never ever enough storage!

They are here now but may exchange places with the bakers rack.


My current projects include:
recycling eyeglass lenses and watch crystals into pendants
and
making memory boxes out of the stash of tins I have.

I'm also working on a garland/banner:
"Bits and Bobs"
containing all the left over smalls from past projects.


I also just made some switch plate covers for a friend and her granddaughter



Eventually I want to paint the room and change out the bed...
but I've been in limbo for the past year and
it doesn't seem like it will end anytime soon. 
This limits me as to what I can do as far as changing larger things.

So in the mean time I will continue to create and dream.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Wings

For your pleasure









Enjoy ♥♥♥

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