A Little Pop of Color

I know why Valentine's Day

comes in February.

It's because most of us

need a little pop of red

during the cold and dreary 

month of February.

My little pop of red color 

wasn't a Valentine gift.

It was actually a gift to myself

during the Christmas holidays.

After Christmas, during a day trip to

Asheville, NC

I found it in a gallery there.

It's by Susan Stanton,

a North Carolina photographer.

I am normally not an impulse shopper,

but as soon as I saw it,

even though I had no idea 

where I would put it,

I knew it had my name on it.

It found a home hanging just inside the front door.

It's the little pop of red I needed there!

Burrr...It's Cold Outside!

Keep yourself warm!

Spring Lambing at Buttermilk Cottage



Look what was created today!

Sweet little knitted sheep ornaments,

just in time for Easter,

favors for baby showers,

cottage chic decor,

or a perfect Mother's Day gift!

They come in a set of two

and I made them from an

up cycled, cotton sweater

which was embellished with

embroidered flowers.

How sweet is that?

You can find them in my Etsy shop.

"Summer" Sheep



What do sheep do in the Spring and Summer?

When the weather becomes warmer?

Why, they pack away their woolies,

and put on their white quilted, summer jackets

and become "Summer" sheep!

Valentine's Day

Have a sweet one!

Feeling Sheepish Today

This is the newest addition to my flock.

He came home with me yesterday from

a day of treasure hunting with my sister.

Today I've been trying to decide where

my new lamb will live.

Most of the space here is already occupied.

These two cast iron banks sit on a window sill.

These are the salt and pepper shakers on my kitchen table.

More window-sill perchers in the kitchen.

This lovely lady was a gift from my daughter

and resides on the bookcase.

Even the bathroom is inhabited.

This fellow is the sentry just outside my back door.

I don't limit myself to just figurines.

I couldn't resist this picture of a sheep wearing a sweater.

I'll bet it's hand knitted.

This is another favorite, also a gift from my daughter.

It "bobbles" when you touch him.

He holds court over my computer.

So, you can see why the new guy

might have a problem finding a place to abide.

This week I'm linking with

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Open House Party Thursday at No Minimalist Here

Upcycling a Sweater

Last week I saw an interesting article

on the Etsy blog (find it here)

about recycling an old sweater into mittens.

I decided to play around with the technique

using a felted sweater.

Unfortunately, my blogger's instinct

didn't kick in fast enough,

so I didn't get a "before" picture.

The "Women's" sized sweater became

the "Child's" sized one you see above

after felting.

I was able to get one mitten

from each sleeve.

After stitching them they look a little plain

so I'm going to embellish them, but with what?

The first place to look is my button box!

Buttons, or stitching???
I haven't yet decided.

Aren't these cute?

Kate had a sweater with them on it

when she was a little girl.

I see a pair of kid's mittens in my future,

just to use these buttons.

I haven't yet embellished my mittens,

so I can't show you the finished results.

Other duties call today and

I need to work on an order, so...later.

But, I did get this little guy made

out of some of my felted scraps.

A little sheep made from real wool!

Now that's recycling!

I'm linking this post to

All Things Inspired at All Things Heart and Home

Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday...Crafts

Bo Peep's Sheep

Just a quick hello this weekend to tell you that one of my little knitted sheep, Bo Peep's Sheep

was included today in an Etsy Treasury titled

"A Celebration of all Things Woolen."

You can see the complete Treasury on my sidebar or go here.

Debs put this Treasury together to recognize

UK's National Wool Week Celebration.

You can read all about it at her blog,

"Musings of a Knit-a-holic from Wales."

You can also visit her Etsy Shop,

"Handmade & Found"

for lots of knitted goodies!

Bo Peep's Sheep is available already knitted or in a kit to knit yourself!

Hope your weekend is an outstanding one!

Just Knock at the Back Door ...

Do visitors come to your back door or front when they come to call?

For those who come to my back door, this is a peek into the kitchen from the enclosed back porch.



The back porch is what I want to share with you today.

When I bought Buttermilk Cottage, the back porch was a real diamond in the rough. I fell in love with it because of the exposed brick. It's a small space, with lots of possibilities and several problem spots.
This quilt hides a rather large and unsightly hole that's been covered with a piece of plywood. I expect it was for an exhaust pipe at one time

Can you tell that I love baskets? The back porch has become a great storage area for my collection. Here, they are always handy for use. This metal bench came with me from a previous house and fits perfectly in the space.

The wall behind the bench is a great place to hang artwork and other miscellaneous items I can't yet part with.

The second, and huge problem area of the porch is the ceiling. It is faced with a rough plywood. I gave it a coat of white paint to "even" it out and then hung more of my basket collection to hide what's underneath. I think it's a great solution to the ugly ceiling AND a space to store more baskets!

The dropped light fixture was chosen so the baskets could hang on the ceiling.

There's a small stained glass piece that hangs in a large fixed window.

This metal bakers rack sits just outside the kitchen door and is a great catch all for interesting dishes, cookbooks, and more baskets. During the summer, it's a nice spot for produce from the farmer's market. During the winter, it a great storage rack for desserts, because it's not heated and can be quite cool.

The porch has also been a catch all for some fun, little "art" pieces.

Since I do so much work with wool, I've been collecting sheep for many years. In fact, you will find one or more sheep from my collection scattered about, in every room of my house!

This pretty much says it all about how I feel about where I live.

I love my little back porch. It was once an ugly, small space, but has become a pleasant walk thru when you enter my back door. So, if you drop by Buttermilk Cottage this weekend, come to the back or front door. You'll be welcome at either!

Have a great weekend!

I'm pulling this post out of my archives because

I'm so anxious to be a part of

The Monday Porch Club at Gypsy Brocante