A Precious Early Morning Visitor and Glimpses of My Garden

I woke up just after daybreak this morning and looked out of my window into my back yard.  I saw a small brown lump, which at first I thought might be a large rabbit or a big clump of bark.  I did not see any deer in the yard, so I did not think that it was a fawn, but the more I looked at it, the more I began to see little white spots on the brown.  I picked up my camera and went out into the yard and slowly approached the little brown mystery.  As I drew closer, my heart began to sink.  It was indeed a tiny tiny fawn curled up tightly in a ball.  Where was its mother?  They never leave their little ones alone.  Was it sick or injured, or worse, dead?  As I came closer, I could see that it was breathing, and it raised its little head and looked at me.  I talked to it softly for a few minutes and took a few pictures.  It was so tiny.  I could not believe that its mother was not around.  I took one step closer and it jumped to its feet and bounded across the yard on its spindly little legs.  It seemed healthy enough.  It turned and looked at me and then ate some grass then playfully bucked on its back legs before scampering into my neighbor's yard. 

A few minutes later a doe, presumably his/her mother, appeared from my front yard and joined the little one and I breathed a sigh of relief. 

I have a love/hate relationship with these lovely creatures.  I have a steady herd of about a dozen or so which spend many hours a day in my yard.  Over the past ten years they have decimated my once beautiful perennial gardens into shabby wastelands.  I have resorted mainly to potted plants, but, alas, they boldly come only my porch and deck and feast away, along with the groundhogs who live under my deck.  I persist, however, with my pots, and below is a glimpse of some of my summer lovelies. 
   First, a glimpse of my precious Bunny in the morning sunlight.

This is her very ornery brother Henry Frank II.  He desperately wants to have a "walk about" on the wild side.

I begin with a photo of my "Ivy Soup".  I bought a very inexpensive soup tureen at Goodwill and drilled some holes in the bottom for drainage, and planted ivy.  [Here are some tips when drilling holes in porcelain.  Use a masonry drill bit.  I tape the area where I am drilling the holes with a piece of silver duct tape, and most importantly, I put some water in the bottom of the bowl where I am drilling because the bit will get very hot.]  I took the ladle and some scrap booking letter labels and wrote Ivy Soup.  I also wrote "Eat, Pray, Love"  on the inside of the ladle since I am reading that book now and thoroughly enjoying it.  I sealed the ladle with a sealant spray to make it waterproof, and tadaaa!

         An old ladder can make a shelf for some goodies.

My table pots and trellis.  I found these old industrial scissors and gear thingie at a flea market for 50 cents.  My brown pottery bowls on the table I bought at Goodwill for $1.

My tomato plants and my pepper plant are going crazy.  I will have to fend off the groundhogs once the tomatoes appear, though.

This is a remnant of my perennial gardens.  Jack-in-the-pulpit and foxgloves in the early morning light.

        My garden bench welcomes visitors to my driveway.

I have potted chairs on either side of my front door.  They had twine seats which I cut out and placed a grapevine wreath on the seat so that the pots would fit in the space. 

     I love birdhouses, and this is a great barn wood masterpiece.  It weighs a ton though!

Speaking of birdhouses, this is my little sparrow motel which for many years has produced brood after brood of perky little babies.  Honestly, I don't know how their parents survive raising two broods per year.  They must be so totally exhausted all of the time!  Those babies are hungry little buggers!

                 Bzzzzzzzzz.   Plenty of bees here. 

 Herbs anyone?  An old ash tin is the home for my mini herb garden.

   Vibrant blanket flowers make me want to go to Mexico and drink margaritas.

             A tiskit, a tasket, a pretty little basket.

Even when it is raining, thanks to my friend Kathy, the sun always shines on my garden.

             Words to remember:

So, thank you for sharing my little garden tour today.  In keeping with my tradition, it isn't too hard to figure out what made me smile today.  It was the precious fawn at dawn.  My favorite movie of all time is Bambi.  It was the first DVD that I bought.  I am a nerd, I know.  

On another note, I have reopened my Etsy store.  I will be adding new items over the next 3-4 weeks, so please keep checking.  I am running a special.  Become one of my Blog followers and receive a 10% discount on all Etsy store items now through July 31, 2010. Don't stop there though!  Leave comments on my Blog.  Tell me what made you smile today!

See the Etsy store for details. 
www.robinsnesttreasures.etsy.com

    

 

A Monumental Night

Last night, or rather very early this morning, I spoke about a friend of mine who was going to have a very special day.  Last night (since it is now after midnight), my friend  Patrick graduated with honors from Washington High School in Washington, PA.  As I said yesterday, I have been friends with his parents for over 25 years, and I met his mother in college.  I have loved Patrick and his little sister Megan since the days that they were born -- with all of my heart.  They are easy to love -- they are wonderful, delightful kids.  They are talented, smart, with great senses of humor, and are amazingly down to earth.  They are kind, generous people.  I am proud to be a part of their extended family. There is no doubt that Patrick is his father's boy.  When he was born, it looked like someone took his Dad's head and shrunk it down to a tiny version and put it on Patrick's body.  We all laughed hysterically, the resemblance was so uncanny. 

Since his Dad is a pilot we wondered if he would follow in his footsteps and fly the friendly skies.  As you can see, he even had a bit of early training.    But, alas, his talents led him in a different direction.

Here is Patrick at his graduation ceremony.  

Here are his parents and his sister Megan who just finished 6th grade with straight A's.

Here I am with Patrick.

It was a wonderful night for everyone.  Patrick is headed for Slippery Rock University where he will major in Music -- Voice -- and I believe that he will follow in his very talented Mother - Nancy's -  footsteps one day and become a music educator.  We are so excited for football season to see Patrick in marching band since our longtime college friend Jim Berry is a Music Professor and the Marching Band Director at Slippery Rock.  Nancy, Jim, and I and many, many other great friends share tons of fantastic memories of our college and marching band days at IUP -- Indiana University of Pennsylvania.  (Many years ago).  Ha ha.   I'm sure that there will be more stories of Patrick and Megan in the months to come.  This is a wonderful, exciting time for him.  

So Patrick, some parting words -- Do what you love -- Love what you do --  Soak it all in -- Get to know as many different kinds of people as you can.  Work hard every day and take pride in your work.  Love many women, but treat them all like queens.  Keep your heart and mind open.  Always keep love and laughter in your heart and soul.  Thank God every day for your health and your fantastic family and friends.  Always take time to be kind, it only takes a few extra seconds or minutes.  Most of all, be kind to yourself, you deserve it.  Don't let anyone put you down.  Never forget that I have loved you and Megan since the days you were born and I will love you both until the end of time. 

I'm Back

It has been a long four months since my last post.  I am so happy to see that I now have three followers.  I am glad to know that someone out there is reading my Blog finally.  I have been very ill and have spent a lot of time in the hospital in March/April, but hopefully things are back to "normal" health wise now.  My life is going through a lot of difficult and major changes right now.  I am trying my very best to keep a positive attitude as much as possible. 

This makes my portion of the Blog -- "Something made me smile today" so much more important to me.  It is about 4:30 am on June 9th.  Later today one of my very dear friends' son will  graduate from high school.  He and his sister are the closest thing that I have to my own children since I do not have any children of my own.  I have loved them with all of my heart since the day that they were born.  Today Patrick will graduate and soon he will be off to college.  He will indeed make me smile and cry at the same time today when I watch him walk across that stage.   How could time have gone by so quickly?  Wasn't it just yesterday that his mother and I were in college together?   He has his whole world ahead of him, and it will be wonderful, beautiful, magical.   He has a fantastic family, he is in good health, and he will have amazing lifelong friends.  Those are the true blessings of life.   

I will post some pictures tomorrow.  I promise to post regularly from now on.  I just started to read the book "Eat, Pray, Love" -- I think that it will be an interesting journey.  Until tomorrow -- Robin.

Something Made Me Smile Today -- A Gentleman and a Brooch

Since my computer crashed over the weekend, I have not been able to access the internet until now, so, I have returned to begin one of our traditions here at the Robin's Nest Treasures Blog -- which is that I will close each post with a segment, which may be only a few words, or it may be longer, about "something that made me smile that day".   So, here is my "smile" for today.

                                                                            
       A GENTLEMAN AND A BROOCH

  As I was looking through my coat closet today I passed by my dress coat that I haven't worn much lately and I saw this vintage brooch pinned on the lapel.  It brought back a memory for some reason that I would like to share with you.
  Several years ago, long before I ever envisioned starting Robin's Nest Treasures, I bought a lovely vintage brooch which I thereafter wore on my winter dress coat.  I loved the pin and I received many compliments on it from strangers, but there was a compliment from one man that I  will always remember.                                                                                 
  I worked in downtown Pittsburgh, PA for about 22 years as a trial attorney, and through the years we came to recognize certain homeless men who frequented our end of town.  There was one particular man, whose name I am ashamed to say that I do not know,  who lived on the streets for years who appeared to suffer from schizophrenia or some other severe mental illness.  He often roamed in and out of traffic, disheveled at best, rambling unintelligibly, and shouting whatever was on his mind to whoever would listen.
  One bright sunny winter day I was walking down the sidewalk downtown toward a corner where I needed to cross the street, and I found this man standing on the corner.  His clothes were new, he was clean shaven, his eyes were clear and bright!  He smiled at me and said -- What a lovely brooch you're wearing madame, may I escort you across the street?  Normally, I might have hesitated, but his eyes were so bright, his spirits so high, I could not help but smile and say -- Why certainly kind sir.
  So we walked across the street -- just a few dozen feet -- and then we parted ways, but I must tell you that he still makes me smile because my heart leaped for joy for him that day.  Not because he had bathed or had new clothes, but because, for a least some brief time, he had escaped from the neurological abyss that fate had placed him into.  I don't know whether he received some medication or whether his brain chemistry just decided to give him a compassionate respite from his torturous disease, but, whatever the cause --- for a brief time --- his face was in the sun, and he was whole.
  The next time I saw him he was filthy, delirious, rambling - buried deep again in his horrible abyss.  I pitied him with all of my heart.  I don't know what ever happened to him.  Wherever he is, in this life or the next, I hope that he would be pleased to know that, when I think of him, I think of that gallant gentleman who escorted me across the street that beautiful winter day, and that even today - he makes me smile.    

Until the next time,
Be Well and Happy --
         Robin

 
 

A Slideshow of Canvas and Laminated Fabrics Available for Tote Bags, etc. from Robin's Nest Treasures

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Yes, it is 4:35 am and I am in Smilebox Slideshow Hell.  I will not even begin to describe the frustration that I have been through the past four hours!  Ha ha.  Normally I really like Smilebox, but tonight just was not my night.  No, folks, today Smilebox will not be the thing that I write about in my post later today that "made me smile"!

We have about 20" of new snow here in Pittsburgh, PA, and there is a state of emergency pretty much everywhere.  I have been hard at work on things for my etsy shop.  My house is in chaos with fabric and assorted goods everywhere.  I have been taking lots of pictures today of vintage flower brooches to post on etsy, and I think that my photography skills are improving somewhat.  I do not have the greatest digital camera, but it will have to do for now.  I will have to ventre out tomorrow and get some pictures of the snow at a local park.  I am thankful that I did not lose power, since many people in our area lost power and are still without it.  So, Henry Frank, Miss Bunny and I are nice and warm in the house and I think that it is finally time to go to sleep.

Until tomorrow -- well really - later today --
Be well and happy-

Robin 

Beginning Some New Nest Blog Traditions

Hello, Yes, It's about 3:00 am, and I have not gone to bed yet.  This post was supposed to be my "Friday" post, but, we will just pretend that I got it in before midnight, since it will still be here when you wake up.  Hey, there's about a foot or more of snow outside and it is still snowing!  The huge trees in my backyard are bent over to the ground and I'm just waiting for them to snap and crash into my deck.  They are so beautiful all covered in snow, I just wish that we would get some wind to blow the snow off of the limbs. 

Before we get down to business, I will share two photos with you.  Henry Frank and Bunny are not "outside" cats, so they have never felt snow.  They are almost 2 years old, but this is by far the most snow they have ever seen.  Bunny is afraid of the white stuff, but I let Henry walk a few feet into the snow.  He was so funny - the snow was so deep he could barely walk.  I built a little cat snowman at about 9:00 pm -- 6 hours ago -- which has long since been buried by the new snow, but here is a photo.

This Snow  Kitty Lady is stylin' with her haute couture birds' nest hat and her mousie purse from Robin's Nest Treasures' Kitty Kouture Line (yet to be launched!).  I'm particularly proud of her eyelashes.  I have no idea why I had these in my "stash", but I'm glad that I found a good use for them.

So, on to starting some traditions.  I have been doing a lot of thinking about what I am supposed to do with this blog, and frankly, I do not have the slightest clue.  Its initial purpose is to promote my business, and that is fine, but it should be more than that.  So, week by week, we will strive to make it more than a google ad.

So far, I don't think that anyone except for my closest friends are even reading this blog, but that's okay for now.  Things will change.  If there is one thing that I have learned over the past ten years, it is that you never know what life has in store for you -- don't ever assume that you have it all figured out, or that "it" will never happen to you.  Bloom where you are planted, etc, etc, etc.

Okay, since I have developed this fascination for vintage earrings, I have decided that each Friday, I will pick one pair of my favorite earrings out of my "stash" and  share them with you.  Big deal, you say.  Yes, the only person who may be entertained is me, however, there is more to it.  First, I will strive to learn and share with you each Friday some knowledge about the history of vintage jewelry (earrings), the artists, manufacturers, etc. 

Second, and most importantly, my FREE VINTAGE FLOWER BROOCH GIVEAWAY blog post event begins at 12:01 am on Saturday, February 20, 2010!  Beginning on Friday, February 26, 2010, for a period of 5 weeks, on each Friday I will give away one free vintage jewelry flower brooch in a drawing among individuals who have left posts on my blog the previous week during the period of time from 12:01 am Saturday to Noon on Friday.  The drawing will be conducted, and the winner will be announced between 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm on the applicable Fridays.  Each Saturday at 12:01 am we will start over from scratch for the new week.  Sorry, but you can only win one brooch per person. 

So, please spread the word among your friends/family!  Here are some samples of my vintage jewelry brooches for Valentines Day,  but I am currently making others for spring/summer.  I will post a photo of the brooch that is up for grabs each week on the blog.  As always, I am continually listing these brooches in my etsy shop at http://www.robinsnesttreasures.etsy.com/

 

The Second Nest tradition that I want to talk about starting is having a weekly post entitled "       "  Made Me Smile Today.  So I will fill in the blank and tell the story at the end of the regular post.  It may take three sentences or three pages to tell the story -- whatever it takes to share the goodwill.  I have a story to tell today, but at the moment, I cannot hold my head up any longer - I must go to sleep - I will tell the story later today.

Be Well and Happy--

Robin

Filthy to Fabulous -- The Jewelry Cleaning Adventures of Henry Frank II

Hello, my name is Henry Frank II.  I am the handsome orange tabby cat pictured to the left, and I am the Lord of the Manor of Robin's Nest Treasures.  My sister, Miss Bunny, pictured below, is the Princess of the Manor.  It is Friday night and my Mommy, Robin, just received some vintage jewelry from Ebay.  I am going to help Mommy clean some of this jewelry.  Bunny and I LOVE to play with Mommy's vintage jewelry pieces.  We call them the "shinies".  Mommy keeps them in sealed boxes most of the time so that we cannot get to them, but every once in a while, she brings them out so that we can plot our adventures with them.  Tonight is a jewelry cleaning night, and I must position myself on the bathroom counter so that -- FIRST, I may play in the water, and SECOND, I may get a closer look at the shinies! 

Okay, Henry Frank, this is my Blog, so I will take over the Post now, thank you.  I use a lot of vintage earrings to make my various "treasures" for Robin's Nest Treasures", and I love the old vintage clip earrings!  Today I received an order from a lady on Ebay who apparently has hundreds of vintage earrings (I'm jealous!), and she wants to get rid of them pronto!  So, in addition to my order, she sent me some free vintage flower plastic clip earrings that were very dirty.  She probably thought that they were worthless, but, behold, the power of TOOTHPASTE!

Yes, toothpaste is a vintage jewelry collector's best friend.  Get a soft baby's toothbrush and some toothpaste - wet the brush - and GENTLY rub the earring to remove dirt and grime.  Be very careful with pearl and pearlescent finishes because they peal off easily.  Also be careful with loose stones.

It is truly amazing, however, how glorious your vintage beauties will look after a thorough but gentle cleaning!  Remember -- Never use a conventional jewelry cleaner on vintage jewelry!

  

The photo above shows the "before" cleaning on the flower on the left, and the "after" cleaning on the right.  Unfortunately it is not as dramatic in the photo as it is in real life.

Anyway,  the next photo shows the formerly filthy freebies all cleaned up and ready for action.  I do not have many plastic vintage earrings in my stash, but I am happy to add these pretty little flowers.  They will be good for making summer flower brooches. 

As you can see from the photo below Henry Frank was exhausted by the end of the cleaning session! 

Bunny, on the other hand, was totally disinterested in the whole jewelry cleaning process.

She was indignant when I had the nerve to put a lovely pearl necklace on her.  No faux pearls for her highness!  Perhaps she can borrow Auntie Karen Louise's tiara.

Well folks, that's about all for tonight.  More later from "the nest" this weekend.  Stay well and happy.  Robin