I think we're all set. All we need is sunshine on Sunday so we can head out onto the lake for our traditional 'a la lake' celebration. Rain or shine we're ready indoors. It's been such a cool spring I don't have any daisies yet for my kitchen display... but if you look closely I did get a new car! It's right there beside my mini fence board flag  that I made last year. Once again my fun neighbour friend Louise had a treasure in her stash. I fell in love when I saw it's soft turquoise hue and ultra cool style. It is a Schuco #1001 Mirakocar made in the US Zone of Germany right after WWII. It is so cute; I just LOVE it. The car below has the manual and box with it but it is not near as appealing as one in soft turquoise if you ask me! Source When I wasn't admiring my new car I made this quick and super-easy bunting. Copy the flag below, resize to your liking, and print onto the paper of your choice. G......

White-tailed Jackrabbit  ( Lepus townsendii ) I would like you to meet my nemesis. Don't get me wrong... I love all things cute and furry -- until they dine on my flowers. Less than 24 hours after planting seedlings in my new 22'x4' flower bed in the front I had a visit from those who previously ignored my yard. The worst part was that Mr. CF said I was just planting a rabbit buffet. Dang, I hate it when he's right. I've sprinkled garlic granules (Yay Costco for the big jar) every other night and after the rain and it has helped somewhat. Of course I didn't discover that trick until after day one when they ate all three of my moonbeam tickseed down to the ground, nibbled and spat out the cosmos and zinnia, then at ate the tops off my sunflowers. I saved Max's clippings from his last coiffure and think I'll try digging some of his fur into the soil. I've also heard that human hair works well too. Eww. The bed is near a well-trav......

2006 Canada Day is just around the corner and we are looking forward to it as always. My 'little' girl just turned 10 and as soon as that birthday rolls around I know our next big celebration is not far away. Last week I got out my trusty ole fence boards and made a new sign for the mantle. Yes, I still have those hideous Canadian Tire sconces and the tile fireplace. They are closer up to the top of my hit list than they are on Mr. CF's hit list. Sigh.  Start by selecting old fence boards from your carefully cataloged and meticulously stored stock from under the deck. I screwed two flat pieces of scrap board vertically to the back to join the boards. Our flag has a 1:2 ratio and the centre white square is the dimensions of the height of the flag. I was happy to learn this when making this sign; I'll be sure to get that right on my future mini flags! My boards measure 17x33. Technically it should be 34" wide, but I didn't want t......

Okay, so I might not fit, but I've got a swing! If you've ever built a house you know how those construction delays happen. Mr. CF and I built this house late last summer and it sat, without the porch roof attached, waiting for me all winter. Mr. CF attached the roof and installed the posts and I was off and running. I couldn't find one single photo of our build, but hey, he had the table saw out and was building at my beck and call... I didn't want to spoil the moment! Source I used this photo for inspiration... free plans are linked to the source and now I see they even have the cutting list on there.  We used a 1 1/8" hole for chickadees and nuthatches and resized the interior to suit them. They like it small and cozy. With a swing of course! I had rocks & glue left over from the  Fairy Condo  so I had to have a rock chimney. If you are wondering about the fry pan of rocks on the table, that is how you dry your rocks after you had t......

I inherited Mr. CF's iPhone4s which is lovely, mostly because of Instagram. I'm not much of a texter, but I do like my photos. I needed to nip out into the rain to test it out. So here I am in the shade garden. Exhibit A: Piece 2 of recently transplanted 45 year old bleeding heart. Doing lovely, and blooming, as are pieces 1 & 3. Exhibit B: Assorted perennials in bloom and not, in early stages of growth with minimum warmth this spring from Mother Nature. Exhibit C: Dust Bath Soup. I love this "ceement" birdbath which was bought with gift money from a dear friend, Miss Mo. It did not want to hold water this spring so I used it to make something I've always wanted: a birdy dust bath. One part loam, one part sand, one part ashes. I had great visions of our feathered friends stopping by to have a safe and warm dust bath in a picturesque and cozy setting. A quick bite at a feeder and then they could hop on over to the fountain for a refreshing drink and ......