A Fox Box and the Missing Tail

I went thrifting and found this fox trinket box.  The only problem was that it was missing it's tail...oh and the price!  It was several dollars.  I didn't want to pay that price for a damaged item so I left it behind.  I went into the thrift several times and would see it sitting on the shelf but I would pass it by.  My thrift store prices item with colored price tags and each week a color tag goes on sale.  Eventually the box went on sale and I decided to buy it even with the broken tail.

As you can see there are some very minor chips on it which is not surprising for my thrift store.  They receive a lot of damaged items and they are sometimes rough on the merchandise getting it to the shelves. I still bought the box it figuring I would eventually think of someway to fix all the problems.

Here's a close up of the broken tail.  The fox box sat on my bedside stand for months while I tried to figure out how to fix it.  It really didn't take me long to figure out how I was going to fix it I was just lazy and was looking for the right color chenille stem.

Well I couldn't find an appropriate orange colored chenille stem so I went with white.  I then had to figure out how to dye it.

A little side note the box was made in '73 by someone with the initials KMB.

My first choice to color the stem was with food dye.  I tried it twice but I had a lot of problems.  So I went to my next choice Sharpies!  They were a better choice but still not perfect but I made due by using several colors to get the color I wanted.

I ended up with two color choices, a dark red orange and an orange yellow color.  Both actually looked good directly next to the fox butt.  I debated for awhile on which one to choose, asking people for their opinion.  It didn't help because their opinions were split down the middle.  I then had to make the choice on my own.  I had real world problems here people.

Once the decision was made I dabbed a little E600 glue on the fox's butt and went to work.

I chose the lighter colored tail and shaped it.  My color choice was decided because I wanted to get this project completed and it was the first one I grabbed.  I actually like it though.  

I still need to add something to complete it but it definitely looks better with a tail.  I think I could have also used paper clay to make a tail but then I would have had to paint it and it probably would have looked really out of place.  I think the soft fuzzy tail makes it interesting.  I now have to see how long this fix will last.  I'm thinking about adding a button or ribbon on it's butt...do you have any suggestions to hide the wire?

Thanks for stopping by and if you have any suggestions for future posts feel free to leave a comment.

Green Bean Potato Soup

I visited a farmers market this weekend and bought a ton of produce for less than $20.  If I had gone to the local grocery store I would have spent at least $40 on the same stuff and the quality wouldn't have been as good.  Well when you have a lot of fresh, perishable produce you have to use it rather quickly or it will go bad.  I do not know how to preserve fruits or vegetables at this time...but I would love to learn.

So I asked myself what could I make with the produce I bought and how could I make it less healthy...not really, but in this case this is not the healthiest recipe to make but it tastes delicious.

This recipe can be adjusted to make a lot or a little.

Green Bean Potato Soup

(adjust the ingredients to your taste)

2 quarts yellow and green beans

1 1/2 quarts red new potatoes

1/2 c chopped onion and celery

1/2 pound thick cut bacon (you could also use ham or both in recipe)

3 bouillon cubes or chicken stock 

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can full fat evaporated milk or use milk

water

4 slices American/Velveeta cheese (you can add more or leave out depending on taste)

Salt/Pepper/Tony's Creole Seasoning

Clean and remove stems from your fresh green beans.  You can substitute a bag of frozen or couple cans of green beans if you like but fresh beans taste best.  Snap them into small lengths.

Clean and cut your potatoes into similar sizes so they cook at the same rate.

I don't always use the cream of mushroom soup in this recipe but I wanted it to have a creamy consistence today.

Onions and Celery chopped up, I actually think I used less than a 1/2 cup of fresh celery.

So fry up your bacon until it is cooked the way you like.  I cook mine until its just about crisp.

I then add the celery and onions and cook it until its almost translucent. I may remove some bacon grease now depending on how much there is in the pan.  But the bacon grease adds flavor.  If its to dry you can add a dab of butter.

I throw in the beans next and stir everything together.  While the beans are cooking I cut up the potatoes.  Once they are chopped I throw them in.  I add just enough water to cover and the chicken bouillon cubes and simmer the soup.

Once the potatoes are soft and no longer need to boil I will add the cream of mushroom soup and evaporated milk.  (Sorry for the blurry photo, steam was coming of the pot and I moved my hand)

Now this step is totally optional but I added 4 slices of Velveeta Cheese to the soup for a little extra flavor.  Stir it in and let it cook on low for a few minutes until everything is blended.  You can add salt and pepper now to taste.  The bacon, bouillon cubes, soup and milk have sodium in it so now is the time to taste and adjust the flavorings.

Here it is completed.  It tastes so good.  Once I served myself a bowl I added some Tony's Creole Seasoning because I like my soup a little spicy.  

During the making of this soup I thought I may have to switch it to another pot because there was a lot of ingredients and a few times it almost bubbled over but I persevered.  There is nothing like eating hot soup, on a hot day, made with fresh ingredients.  There is so much of this soup I will be eating it for days unless my family stops by for some.

I hope you get a chance to try this recipe and that it turns out just as good for you.  The soup is on the thin side but if you like it thicker feel free to add a rue of flour/cornstarch and water to the soup while it is simmering.

Thanks for Stopping By! 

The 3rd of July-Random Photos

I had the 3rd of July off of work.  My family and I decided to spend it at the lake!  I have only gone boating a couple of times previous to this so this was a nice experience.  I thought I would share some random photos from the 3rd of July.

As I was waiting for my ride I saw this in my window.  Now I was aware that it was there but I had forgotten about it.  It made me think about the mail that would have been delivered through that old slot.  It is now covered by another window but it still works.

A lovely picture of things that need touch ups as I still wait for my ride!

The boat we would be taking to the lake.  It goes way to fast for my liking.

Oh did I mention we had jet skis also?  I have never, ever been on one of these.

I love the windmills on the hills.  They are just so unusual looking among the trees.

They surround the hills and farmland,

The towns we drove through had their flags out and were decorated for the 4th of July!

I love seeing flowers lining the roads.  For a long stretch orange lillies lined the roads.

We finally had the boat in the water.  My older brother and I launched it.  That was a fun experience for me.  I think I did all right.  I liked the no wake zone speed, I could enjoy the scenery.

This is a picture of Belhurst Castle also known as the Castle on the Lake.  We spent the day at Seneca Lake in NY.

Here are the sculptures the kids made on the beach.  I wish I would have gotten a photo in the day time, they were interesting to look at.

We ended the day with a small bonfire and fireworks.  It was a fun day spent with family.  I need more of them.

I hope you enjoyed the random pictures!

Patriotic Swap Ornaments Revealed

I'm sorry for the late post, my 4th of July holiday was really busy, as I'm sure yours was.  I hope you all had a fantastic 4th!  I wanted to share with you the wonderful ornaments sent to me from some fabulous ladies.  As I mention in two previous posts I joined a Patriotic Swap hosted by Sarah at Makin' Projiks.  You can check out her blog to see some variations of the same ornaments, if your interested.

Here are the ornaments that I received in the Swap.

A paper collage of Patriotic Colors, fabrics, and do-dads...this is so cute!

I believe these ornaments were all from the same person.  I received the flag beaded pin, the patriotic clothespin and this ribbon ornament (a picture of the front and back).

A patriotic wreath!

A small hanging basket filled with patriotic inspired items  There are paper pieces, flags, pins, a brass bell, stickers, and flowers used to create this piece (for more pictures check out Sarah's blog). 

A sewn ball jar ornament filled with actual stamps.  This is such a neat idea to display small items!

This is a photo of the front and back of this ornament.  There is a denim flower on one side and the American Flag on the other side.

Our host Sarah made these Patriotic Hat Ornaments...they were all different, and so cute!

And this was what I made!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog!  If you have a blog and would like me to check it feel free to post a link in the comments section.  I have many interests and love finding new blogs to enjoy.  I hope you had a safe and fun 4th of July!

My Patriotic Swap Ornament

If you read my last post you know I entered a Patriotic Ornament Swap hosted by Sarah at Makin' Projiks.  Now I am going to show you what I submitted as my contribution to the swap.  As a I stated before these are well traveled ornaments.  I was on vacation while making these so they were all over NY, Massachusetts, Missouri, and then on to their final destinations, wherever that may be.

My initial project I was going to make was a bust, because I couldn't get my printer to work so I gathered all my patriotic colored supplies and hit the road.

Here are some pictures with my ornament in the works.  Sorry for all the different color tones to the pictures but as I said before these were crafted on vacation and taken with my cell phone.

I had some vintage blue ornaments that have been riding around in my car for months, a box or red candle stick holders I picked up at the thrift, cupcake wrappers, wooden balls, chenille stems, glitter stars, ribbon paint, glue, and accessories.  Now to figure out what to do with all this.

I used the candle stick holder as a base and glued some chenille stems to them.

I used the vintage glass ornaments as a body...I hope they make it intact to their destinations, you never know with vintage ornaments.  The cupcake wrappers were used as a skirt.  I have never done this before and didn't realize how tough it is to glue a paper cylinder to a glass cylinder, but I persevered.

If I thought gluing paper wrappers to vintage ornaments was hard, gluing glittered ribbon to the paper and ornament was even harder.  There were gaps between the ribbon and glass ornaments that I had to fix.  I also had to decide whether to tuck the stem of the ornament into the candle stick holder or use it to keep the wooden ball on.  I tried it both ways and stuck the wooden balls over the ornament stems.

I got excited because it was coming together and I could see what they could potentially look like.  as I was making these they kind of reminded me of something...

Here they are with their heads...oh wait one is missing their head!  I ran out of wooden balls.  The project would have to wait because I sent my sister to the store to get some and they were all out of the size I needed.  I had her pick up a smaller size but I didn't like the way they looked.

Now the hard part for me...their faces...I hate painting faces, they never turn out right!

I just settled for eyes and hair and added accessories.  I wanted to add more layers but I was running out of time and had to get these in the mail, so out they went!

Here is a view of the finished ornaments.  They are all different but similar.

There were brunettes!

Blondes!

and Black haired dolls!

I hope all the recipients enjoy them.  I had fun and a lot of stress making them but that is all part of the creative process for me.  Do you want to see the original ornament....the ornament that these were based on?

TA DA!  My five year old niece also made one.  We made hers first.  It helped with the development process of the final ornament.  I think she did an amazing job.  There was a lot of paint, glitter and glue involved.

Look at that happy face and glitter hair!  So cute.  Kids are so talented and artistic and are not swayed by others opinions.

So did these ornaments remind you of anything?  I can't decide which one the ornament looks like more...

https://ignaciosantonja.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/superheroes-de-todo-a-100/

Super Woman?

or

Wonder Woman?

http://prenatalyogacenter.com/blog/postnatal-yoga-and-the-power-pose/

I'll let you decide.

Oh guess what?  My Swap box arrived today and I can't wait to show you what I received.  There are some very talented people out there.  Stay tuned for the reveal or check out Sarah's blog Makin' Projiks.