Talented Time Travelers in Focus #49 & 50

As I shared with you last night, the Yankee and I have spent WEEKS in our shamefully-neglected garden, trying to RECLAIM LOST GROUND—literally!

  We've worked out there from sunup to sundown many,
many days.

 

Yep!  It was that bad!

 

Truthfully, it has pretty much consumed all of our time—and ENERGY. 

  Working in high humidity and 90 degree daily temps have a way of making you feel like
 a limp noodle, by the end of the day.

 

Unfortunately, many other things—like blogging—have been put on hold, until we could tame
the jungle.  But you have not been forgotten! 

 And though I missed posting Talented Time Travelers in Focus last week, I have included
those features in this post, along with this week's travelers.

 

So sit back, relax, and take in some of the talent from the past two weeks.

 

Talented Time Travelers in Focus #49:

If you love the charm of cottage décor, then you really MUST visit

Jacqueline @ ...Cabin & Cottage.

Her lovely vignettes are quite dreamy!
 

 

Snowflakes and Dragonflies shared a fabulously frugal way to create cute, inexpensive
wall art.  Cute and inexpensive—a great combo! 

 

 

Madison @ Madison Makes had to have surgery, but her self-prescribed medicine—
shopping at the thrift store next door to the doc's office—
provided quick pain relief.  ; )

 

 

I love having a "handy" hubby!  And it looks like I'm just one, of many,
who has been blessed in that way. 
Cindy @ I Adapt—Daily Tips and Time Saving Ideas...and other Things!
has a real "keeper," as well.

 
That good-looking black cabinet, shown above, is his handiwork.

 

 

From reading your blogs, I know most of you are as crazy about birds, nests, and cloches
 as I am.  This sweet display—showcasing all three—was created by
 Kathy @ A TINY COTTAGE ON GRAND.

 

Kathy is a brand new blogger, so be sure to stop by, and say hello.

 

 

We ALL love a good deal—especially when it involves an item we can re-create. 
Jil @ Gone Thrifting found this industrial base and
converted it to this fine-looking flower box.

 

Jil is another newbie, so be sure to pay her a visit.

   

 

Want a quick way to turn a run-of-the-mill everyday item into one filled
with vintage French charm?  Then visit KerryAnne @ Shabby Art Boutique, to see how
she transformed this once ho-hum soap dispenser.

 

 

When I first saw these baseball flowers, my thought was, "How cool is that?!"

  If you think they're cool too, visit Crystal @ Vintage Gypsy for a simple tutorial.

 

Talented Time Travelers in Focus #50:

 

Sometimes it's the simple things that bring us the greatest joy.

For Esther @ Not Quite Perfect finding these patriotic cups was a complete thrill.

Linda @ Lavender Ridge shared the transformation of her walkway that had become
"overgrown" with flowers and plants.

I KNOW ALL ABOUT OVERGROWN GARDENS, LINDA!  ; ) 

If you've always thought that laminate pieces could not possibly be "prettied" up,
 think again!  Heather @ DIY kinda girl has a step-by-step tutorial
showing how to do just that.

Annie @ Behind OUR FRONT DOOR has decided that reusing party décor can be
rather nice—as with these cheery sunflowers.

You know that I'm a mountain girl at heart.

Well Anne @ Design Dreams by Anne has some stunning images to share of the
mountain ranges that surround her home.  She's another blog newbie, so be sure to
stop by and say hi.

Lorena @ My Shabby Chic Home showed off a number of her creative projects.

I think these homemade buoys are terrific!

And that wraps up TWO WEEKS of features!

By the way, remember how exciting it was to receive visitors, comments,
and new followers, when you first started blogging?

Well, many of those featured here are newbies.  It would be great if you could show
 them some bloggy love with a visit and a kind word!   ; )

Time Travel Thursday #51 - How does YOUR garden grow?

"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories.
Some take us forward, they're called dreams."
~Jeremy Irons~



Welcome to the 51st Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage!
Are you ready to share your fondest memories, grandest dreams,
and most creative projects? Great!

I love, love, love to garden!

There's something so gratifying about digging in the earth, planting a seed or tiny plant,

then watching the miracle that transpires as that plant matures

and provides something yummy to eat.

Unfortunately, all the time spent on the road last year—doing antique shows—kept us from

weeding and maintaining our garden beds properly.

Needless to say, it was a LOT of work whipping the much-neglected gardens back into shape.

We spent WEEKS weeding, tilling, and amending the soil.

But...

  we've finally started to reap some of the many delicious veggies, as a reward for all that hard
manual labor—in the sweltering heat, I might add.  ; )

And...

we've even begun to beautify the space, once again.

Recently, my Yankee sweetheart built some rustic tepees for the cucumbers—from saplings

growing in our woods.

They really add a lot of interest to the garden and they make it so much easier to watch the cute

little cucumbers as they grow.

What?!  Cucumbers can be cute, can't they?

The leaves of the squash plants have grown large and lush—providing a beautiful, protective

canopy for the vegetables.

And the Yankee is dying to wrap his taste buds around the many varieties of tomatoes that

were planted.  They're one of his very favorite fruits, so he went a little crazy with the number

of plants he planted this year.

Let's just say, I'll be canning tomatoes and making salsa for a good long while this summer.

Now I know we were taught NOT to play with our food,

but...

I pulled a few of my vintage treasures out of the cottage today, so I could play with some

of the fresh picked goodness from the garden.

This old scale was won at auction many years ago.

Believe it or not, there wasn't really any bidding competition for it, because it has a piece

broken out of the top, and the metal is a bit pitted—neither of which

bothers me in the least.

I've garned quite a collection of vintage enamelware over the years, but have finally concented

to selling off all but the most treasured pieces.

The grays will definitely be KEEPERS!

Between the cottage and the barns, I've stashed away quite a few pieces of old tin,

with the most wonderful weathered patina.  A lot of that will be going soon,

as well.

But...

I think I might have to keep this little tin cup. 

I think it looks terrific with a bunch of Queen Anne's lace tucked inside.

We're having a group of family and friends over, to help us celebrate the 4th.

Maybe I'll use some of these vintage pieces on the party table.

And I think fresh veggies should DEFINITELY be on the menu! 

What do you think?   ; )

Linking to Susan's Outdoor Wednesday, Mary's Share the Love Wednesday, Suzanne's Vintage Thingie Thursday, Susan's Tablescape Thursday, Tracie's Cottage Flora Thursdays, Cindy's Show and Tell Friday, Tootsie's Flaunt Your Flowers Friday, and Meg's Everything But the Kitchen Sink.

IF YOU LINK TO THE PARTY, PLEASE BE SURE TO LINK BACK TO THE BRAMBLEBERRY COTTAGE ON YOUR BLOG.



Time Travel Thursday #50 - Purple Passions

"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories.

Some take us forward, they're called dreams."

~Jeremy Irons~

Welcome to the 50th Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage!
Are you ready to share your fondest memories, grandest dreams,
and most creative projects? Great!

I love to display fragrant, fresh-cut flowers throughout my little cottage, whenever

I get the chance.  And during the months of spring, there is always an

abundance of beautiful blooms with which to do just that.

But by the time the intense heat of our Southern summer settles in...

the lovely blossoms of spring have all faded away.

Determined to find SOMETHING from nature that was both beautiful and fragrant—

with which to decorate my tiny abode—I took a little stroll around the farm today

to see what my eyes could spy.

Provence Lavender

The lavender lovelies growing in my vegetable garden are past their prime,

but pretty, nonetheless.

So I thought of gathering a bunch to display in the cottage, but...

for a while, there was a standoff...

 between a swarm of these little fuzzy creatures and me.

Having been stung twice in the past month, I had to spend some time considering just

how badly I wanted these pretty pastel picks.

After a few seconds of quiet reflection, I decided to take a walk around the cottage to

see what else I could find—that didn't involve the threat of pain.  ; )

Hosta

Currently, the ONLY thing in bloom in my flower gardens are the hostas.

I thoroughly enjoy their fairy-like flowers but prefer to keep

them dancing daintly outside.

What to do, what to do?

Rather than risk another run-in with the wicked little winged stinkers stingers, I

extended my search to the edge of the woods.

Heal-all Mint

This particular type of wildflower—quite common around our region—didn't appeal

to me in the least.  So...they were left as decoration for the foxes' dens.

Spotted Star-Thistle

I DID, however, find these flirty purple thistles quite lovely

and gathered a small basketful.

Queen Anne's Lace

While I was busily clipping the thistles, I caught these lacy ladies 

out of the corner of my eye.

They grow quite profusely around here.  And since I love the combination of white,

green, and purple, I gathered a handful of them, as well.

On my way back to the cottage, I tossed in a few more odds and ends from nature—

to help round out my arrangement.

As I approached the back steps, I glanced once more toward the vegetable garden

and my lavender plants.

With clippers in hand—AND a bit of trepidation—I walked cautiously to the plants...

to lay claim to what was rightfully MINE!  The bees were

none too happy with my decision.

But I had a plan...

and it involved THOSE lusciously-scented stalks!

Armed with the bounty of my morning walk, several pieces of vintage white ironstone

 from inside the cottage, an old wicker table with chippy-green paint—

borrowed from the front porch...

and an abandoned nest—with an empty eggshell, found on the ground below it—I went

to work to create a sweet floral vignette 

outside one of the barns.

I love how the prissy flowers play with the primitive elements and how

the refined beauty of the ironstone contrasts with

the rustic, timeworn wood of the barn.

Who would have thought that weeds could be so charming?

Personally, I think WEEDS are just beautiful flowers that have gotten a bum rap!

What do you think?    

Now all I need to do is grab a few comfy chairs and some munchies and invite a few of my

gal pals over to watch the nightly firefly spectacular.  ; )

 

Linking also to Susan's for Outdoor Wednesday, Mary's for Share the Love Wednesday, Suzanne's for Vintage Thingie Thursday, Susan's for Tablescape Thursday, Tracie's for Cottage Flora Thursdays, Cindy's for Show and Tell Friday, Tootsie's for Flaunt Your Flowers Friday, and Meg's for Everything But the Kitchen Sink.

IF YOU LINK TO THE PARTY, PLEASE BE SURE TO LINK BACK TO THE BRAMBLEBERRY COTTAGE ON YOUR BLOG.



Talented Time Travelers in Focus #48

YOU CAN JOIN THIS WEEK'S PARTY—STILL IN PROGRESS—HERE!

But let's also take a peek at some of the pretties linked by the participants of last week's party.

 

If you love DIY junk makeovers as much as I do, then you need to hop on over to Laurel's @ Chipping with Charm.

Her home is filled, from ceiling to floor, with fun trash-to-treasure creations that give it her own unique brand of cottage charm.

 

One good turn deserves another—as the saying goes. 

So, Naush @ Doodle Buddies created this adorable plaque for her son's teacher, as a thank-you gesture for all the wonderful goodies she made for her class.  

When Carol Ann @ carol ann by chance spotted this terrific little basket at a local antique shop, she knew it needed to come home with her.

The faux apples she filled it with give it a wonderful fresh-from-the-orchard feel, don't you think?

Are you familiar with Jane @ Mamie Jane's?

She just happens to be a DIY repurposing maven whose creations—like the vent-turned-photo-holder above—are simply fabulous.  Give this woman a piece of junk, and she'll turn it into a masterpiece in no time!

NOTE:  Please be sure to keep Jane and her husband, Bruce, in prayer.  You can read about their heartbreaking plight here.

 

You can make a great looking memo board—like this one, shared by Kimberly @ Extra! Extra! Blog All About It!—by following the terrific tutorial given on her blog. 

As you can see, there was a lot of talent linked up last week.

 

So you should be quite eager to check out what's being shared at the party this week!  ; )

Time Travel Thursday #49 - Making Memories for a Lifetime

Welcome to the 49th Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage!

Are you ready to do some traveling? Great; 'cause time never stands still!

Though our children have been out on their own for years now, the Yankee and I still believe it's important to continue to make memories together.

Recently, we went on a family camping trip to one of our favorite getaways—Stone Mountain State Park, here in North Carolina.

We've been camping at that particular park for about sixteen years and have never grown tired of the majestic mountain scenery.

When we first started our family trips to this state park, there were just under 40 campsites to choose from.  But in the past several years, they've increased that number to 90. 

By frequently camping at this same park over the years, we were able to discover which sites were most to our liking.

In years past, it was a simple matter of loading up the gear, the kids and the dogs, and showing up at the campground to claim one of our favorite spots.

We got quite the surprise this trip, when we discovered that you now need to make reservations—or run the risk of not getting a place to camp.

Thank goodness there were two sites available this time!

Here are just a few reasons why this place is so special to us.

The tranquil streams, meandering throughout the park, are so clear, you can see every stone, rock, and pebble beneath the surface.

The surrounding 14,000 picturesque acres are teeming with lush, unspoiled flora and fauna.

There are numerous breathtakingly beautiful falls tucked amid the mossy mountain rocks and boulders.

At Widow's Creek, you can even slide down one of the lower falls into a calm, clear—RIDICULOUSLY COLD—pool...if you dare.   ; )

When the children were younger, that was one of their favorite forms of entertainment, when we camped here.

Since I DO NOT like to be cold, I was always quite content to lounge beneath the massive green canopy of the surrounding trees, bask in the incredible beauty of the landscape, and watch my loved ones making memories for a lifetime.   ; )

Linking to Susan's for Outdoor Wednesday, Mary's for Share the Love Wednesday, Tracie's for Cottage Flora Thursdays, and Meg's for Everything But the Kitchen Sink.

IF YOU LINK TO THE PARTY, PLEASE BE SURE TO LINK BACK TO THE BRAMBLEBERRY COTTAGE ON YOUR BLOG.