Autumn in Oz

Yesterday was the perfect autumn day for a drive:

At D.'s suggestion, I went out in search of a "Gypsy Flea Market," driving down winding roads, through beautiful neighborhoods...

...and arrived at a clearing which led to a barn, full of hay bales and furniture, odds and ends, books, clinky-clanky jewelry, and home-baked goods.

At which point my camera promptly died.

I've gotten into such a habit of carrying it with me wherever I go that I keep forgetting to put it back on its charger each evening.  I'm glad it lasted long enough to capture some of fall's splendor.

A Marcrest divided bean bowl and two tussie-mussie holders did manage to come home with me, as did two folding rulers, but the beautiful drive was the real treat yesterday.

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After leaving the flea market, I explored Parkville, and quite by accident came across the most heavenly needleart store, "Florilegium."  Though not a knitter or fiber artist myself, I couldn't help but be inspired by the beautiful and tactile displays- and the cabinetry.... If I could have purchased some of their old pharmacy drawers and cabinets I would have!  Click through the sub-categories on this page to see some more photos of the shop... oh, the ribbons, the beads, the studios!

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I'm three posts away from my 600th blog entry!

To celebrate I'll be updating my blogroll (right hand side- remember, the categories follow kindergarten/teacher themes, though not all links are to other educators' blogs...for example "Snacktime/Lunch won't take you to sites featuring healthy snacks for students, but will take you to some awesome foodie blogs that inspire me on a regular basis!) and figuring out a fun giveaway that all of my readers (and especially those following my blog) can participate in by simply leaving a comment.  Check back for details!

Return to Blogging Delayed... Back Soon!

Hello All! Just a quick note to let you know that we have indeed arrived safely back to Oz- can I tell you how much we have missed the color GREEN this year? Oh, the beautiful trees, the lush lawns, the colorful flowers... it's so good to be surrounded by such pretty scenery again!

But there have been a few hiccups along the way, one of which will mean that I won't be back to blogging until July 9 or so. The family and I would certainly appreciate some good vibes sent our way as we navigate the mine field of misrepresentation by rental property managers...cough cough.

Thanks for reading and for continuing to visit during my absence from the blog- I hope to be back soon!

Oz-Fest/Inspiration Binder

My family and I will watch The Wizard of Oz, Return to Oz, and Tin Man this weekend because...







Uncle Sam says we are to return to the land of Munchkins, scarecrows, and ruby slippers this summer!

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Please do me a favor and help me in the "oohs and ahhs" department once you see my latest attempt at scrapping (my husband doesn't quite understand the need for encouragement for this kind of thing). In preparation for moving this summer, I've been snipping and clipping my favorite recipes, photos, craft and home decor ideas for my Inspiration Binder. I've mentioned before that we have a weight limit for our household goods each time we move, so packing and hauling stacks of magazines isn't feasible. I just can't bear to be without all of the beautiful, creative and innovative ideas I come across though, so I sort the clippings by season/holiday or subject (health/diet; home decor; houseplans; fashion; crafts/patterns), pop them into page protectors and add them to my binders. Wouldn't you know it, I had to buy larger binders because my old ones were stuffed! Here's what I started with this afternoon:



There were so many pretty papers I wanted to use, so I decided on a nine-patch pattern:



I used ribbon as border around some of the squares, and photo corners, brads, and embroidery floss on others:



Out came the chipboard:



Then tags,text, paper flowers and more ribbon:



And a bitty photo of little ol' me when I was MUCH younger (don't worry Mom, it's a digital copy):



I was only able to finish the front cover before the toddler woke up from his nap, so tomorrow I'll be adding the spine detail and back cover:



I feel like it's a bit of a "sampler" of scrapbooking ideas, though I didn't use stamps or "fancy scissors" yet...not sure if I will...