Looking up at year’s end

 

END IT WELL – for the 2021 Holiday Photography Challenge (See sidebar for full list.).

 

Today, the year draws to a close, along with the Holiday Photography Challenge. It seems fitting to include this lovely little stone chapel.

 Nope, it’s not my church, which is much more modern-looking and a whole lot bigger.

 But I might have sighed out loud when I stepped up to this spot.

 

 There’s something distinctly inviting and sweet about coming upon a lovely traditional country church on an outdoor jaunt. I had to stop and admire the stonework, the stained glass windows, and the way the sunlight reflects of this sweet architectural gem.

 The new year offers us new hope, new chances, and new treasures to explore.

 Ready, set, go.

 

Image/s: Personal photo/s. All rights reserved.

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Roses in December? OK!

 

OUTSIDE – for the 2021 Holiday Photography Challenge (See sidebar for full list.).

 

Here we are, midway through December and just a few days before the Winter Solstice, and I have tea roses blooming in my garden in Wisconsin. At least, they are trying valiantly to bloom.

 

That’s just plain weird, but I love it.

 The sun is shining. The high temperature today is supposed to be 38 (F) degrees. But the wild winds have subsided.

 Maybe it’s time to close out the dozen-plus open windows on my computer screen and step outside for a little fresh air and a mental break. (That sounded better in my head.)

  Ahhhhh.

 

 

Image/s: Personal photo/s. All rights reserved.

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Easy Summer Vacation Souvenir Craft: Seashell Photo Ornaments

Souvenirs can be expensive, and the quality does not always compare favorably to the costs of many items. Many families seek creative ways to carry memories and mementos home without spending a lot of cash (or valuable vacation time) in pricey souvenir shops.

What simple vacation craft might you complete with your entire family, while you spend wonderful travel times at the seashore?

Why not bring a bit of the beach home with you, along with your favorite vacation photos, when you return from that seaside trip? Children of all ages enjoy creating seashell photo ornaments for the family Christmas tree or for home decorating all year round.

Preserved properly, seashell photo ornaments may become lasting family heirlooms for future generations to enjoy.

 

(I still have a decoupage seashell photo ornament that my own grandmother created during a childhood vacation in the early 1900s on Cape Cod, in Massachusetts. Perhaps I will pass this seashell photo ornament along to a special grandchild of my own one day.)

Follow these simple directions to make your own seashell photo ornaments, an easy vacation souvenir craft. Seashell photo ornaments are fun to do while away on vacation or after returning home.

Seashell photo ornaments require very few supplies. You can purchase most of these items in small sizes at a craft or discount store and take them with you on vacation, or buy them at your destination.

To keep the craft supply costs down, you might ask the maintenance department at your vacation venue to loan you a bucket, hammer, nail, and scissors.

Seashell Photo Ornaments: Materials Needed

• Several large half-shells (Clam shells and scallop shells work well.)
• Bucket or beach pail of fresh water
• Hammer and nail
• Several small photographs
• Scissors
• Craft glue
• Fine-point permanent marker
• 16 oz. acrylic sealer (glossy)
• 1 foam painting brush
• String or ribbon

Seashell Photo Ornaments: Easy Instructions

Take a leisurely walk on the beach as a family, collecting large seashells as you go. Be on the lookout, in particular, for flat half-shells (such as clam shells or scallop shells). These will serve as ideal media for creating seashell photo ornaments.

Rinse the seashells well in fresh water (not salty or briny water). Lay the sea shells out on a clean beach towel in the sun to dry.

Carefully punch a hole in the top of each seashell, using the hammer and nail.

Select several small photographs. Crop each photo with a pair of scissors, sizing it to fit the flat center of a seashell. Round the edges of each photo, so it tucks neatly inside the shell.

Affix each photo into the inside of a seashell, using craft glue.

Neatly write the location and date when each photograph was taken on the inside of each shell.

Use the sponge paintbrush to apply several layers of acrylic sealer to the entire shell, coating the photograph as well. (Be extra gentle, so that this process does not damage the image.) Allow each layer to dry thoroughly before applying the next one.

Tie a 6” length of string or ribbon onto each seashell photo ornament, looping it through the opening at the top of the shell and tying the ends together in a secure knot.

Pack all of the seashell photo ornaments neatly, tucking them individually inside tissue paper, socks or other soft materials to protect them from breakage during the journey home.

Seashell ornaments may be suspended on suction cup window hooks, placed on wall hooks, or hung on a Christmas tree.

Image:

Adapted from public domain image

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6 easy autumn crafts for kids bring fall fun for all.

With fall underway, and leaves whirling around in the autumn wind, plenty of us are beginning to spend a lot more time indoors. We may even find ourselves looking for ways make our homes more cozy and inviting for the season.

Why not gather the kids and do some festive autumn craft projects? Try these six simple autumn crafts with a fun group of children, and deck the halls for fall.

1. Autumn kids' crafts: Cute corn husk dolls – In the United States, corn is the most common feed grain produced each year, as well as a popular food source for humans. Each autumn, as folks celebrate the harvest season, corn stalks and multi-colored corn ears show up on porches and other prime viewing spots. Why not make a few adorable dolls from the husks?
2. Autumn kids' crafts: Easy leaf etchings – Children enjoy playing in the colorful autumn leaves and collecting their favorite specimens from the fallen foliage each fall. Here’s a perennially popular, but extremely simple, autumn leaf craft project that’s suitable for even the youngest kids.
3. Autumn kids' crafts: Easy window decorations – Autumn leaves are beautiful to behold, with their bright and bold colors and variety of shapes. Each fall, these natural wonders are the stuff of countless cool crafts, including this simple art project. This autumn suncatcher-like activity is ideal for fall decorating.
4. Autumn kids' crafts: Falling leaves placemats – Children love doing crafts, producing creative items for seasonal gift giving or special moments at home. Falling leaves placemats celebrate autumn in a crafty manner, delighting even the youngest children. This autumn kids’ craft appeals to kids of all ages.
5. Autumn kids' crafts: Leafy gift wrap – Autumn leaves fascinate folks of all ages, as they tumble to the ground in an amazing array of colors and shapes. Why not collect some of this fallen fall foliage and use the leaves for a fun fall craft.
6. Autumn kids' crafts: Leafy treasure box – What’s more fun than a pile of autumn leaves in the fall? Kids of all ages love collecting fall foliage in its bright and beautiful colors and endless variety of shapes and sizes. Here’s a fun treasure box to make together.

Bonus fall or holiday craft project for grownups:

Autumn crafts: Pine cone wreath – The pine cone wreath is a natural favorite decoration, particularly for autumn and winter. This do-it-yourself craft decoration is ideal for hanging on the front door, adorning a wall, or sprucing up a holiday table.

Image:

Adapted from public domain artwork

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A-Z Garden Tips: Pollen Protection is Positively Palatable

Got seasonal allergies? Pollen-sensitivity strikes in spring for many folks. I’ve sniffled and snuffled and sneezed my way through the season for years.

But those allergy symptoms have lessened considerably, since I took a farmer friend’s advice a few years ago. Local honey is the secret.

A spoonful of local honey each day, starting in early March, seems to help ward off the worst pollen allergy symptoms for plenty of people. It has to be local, which means the bees producing it used pollens similar to those found in the same area.

It seems to be sort of like building up immunity or inoculating oneself against the allergens. OK, some physicians may disagree, but lots of people swear by it.

Mass-produced grocery store honeys could come from anywhere, so they tend not to have the same effects.

Know a beekeeper?

Local honey can be found at feed and grain depots and lots of community grocery and food shops. Future Farmer and 4-H groups sometimes sell local honey in season as well.

I’m not rushing out to buy a beekeeper suit, a bee house, or other apiary supplies. But I love that I can enjoy a little honey on my breakfast toast or bagel, or perhaps in a cup of tea, and then step out into my yard without experiencing sneezing fits.

Call it an old wives’ tale, if you wish. But my experience (and that of many others) begs to differ.

NOTE:  This blogger has no affiliation with any product/s mentioned in this post and received no remuneration from the manufacturer/s or product promoter/s for this post.

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