Audrey's Garden: A Birthday Gift

There is an odd pattern to our family's busy times. It seems like late summer and post-Christmas winter are usually the quiet times, but spring and fall are both crazy-busy. This is probably because of school, activities and holidays--plus all the birthdays. 

Me, my hubby and younger daughter all have spring/early summer bdays while my older daughter, in-laws, dad and stepdad all have autumn/early winter bdays.

The spring birthdays, however, start with my mom. She's the first in early March. Every year it kind of sneaks up on me. I'm not already in birthday mode like I am once all the other birthdays roll around, plus I'm thinking about Valentine's day, then spring and hoping all the snow will melt soon and then BAM! It's my mom's birthday.

My mom is not like other moms. She's really hard to shop for. I've never seen her burn candles. She doesn't like to read. She's not a shopper, not the type who goes out to eat or watches movies. Plus she hardly ever wears jewelry or perfume. She leaves me with nothing. NOTHING.

So, like any daughter out of her reckoning, I turn to my inner creativity. The one thing my mom does seem to like is her garden. She's one of those green-thumbed people who can turn a handful of seeds into a thriving grapevine, armloads of asparagus and about three hundred tomatoes.

 

So I say to myself, "Self! Let's make mom a sign for her garden!" And I got to work. 

First, I located a lovely piece of old barnwood in my basement. Actually, Hubby dragged me down there and said, "pick one," which I did before screeching and cringing away from all the creepy crawlies that live down there and scuttling back up the stairs as fast as my feet could go.

Then I went to my trusty computer and chose a couple of fonts for the sign. I like to pair sensible, straight-lined sans-serif with the flowy curves of a script. In this case, Gill Sans and BlackJack. Then I printed it out on two sheets and cut/taped them together.

I needed to transfer it to my barnwood, so I sanded the barnwood just a little to knock off the poky, pointy edges. Next, I painted it with a country white latex house paint, filling it in towards the middle and dry-brushing the edges to let some of the wood show through. I also painted a cutie-patootie little wood applique to add to the top for a sweet, almost French, touch.

Then I colored on the back of my print-out with willow charcoal, taped the print-out to the barnwood and traced over it with a pencil. 

After transferring, I filled in the words with acrylic paint and a small brush: light gray and dark gray.

When dry, I lightly sanded the words to give them a worn, weathered look and then sealed it all with a coat of Minwax Walnut stain... simply brush the stain onto the wood (use gloves) and wipe it away with an old cloth (in my case, Hubby's old t-shirt). It will leave behind a little stain to give the sign a vintage feel and also helps to seal it.

After it was all dry, I had Hubby (what would I do without him?) add a chain for hanging. I carefully wrapped it and presented it to my mom.

"You made this?" she asked.

"Yes!" I said, brimming with pride.

"But I don't really have a garden anymore," she said.

Next year, she's getting perfume. ;)

Love Grows on Grandpa's Farm: Barnboard Sign

I've mentioned a few times that my dad lives on a farm. And I've also mentioned a few of the items I found while snooping around one day: wire baskets, galvanized buckets, old rusty chains. But my favorite item was this amazing piece of wood. 

It still had the remnants of rusty hinges and a lock attached. The wood was weathered, but tough. It just really reminded me of my dad. So I decided to keep it and make it into a kind of family heirloom that I hope will be passed down from generation to generation.

 

I decided to make it into a kind of family tree. On the back, I wrote the names of our family, starting with my Great-Grandma Rose whose parents came to America from Germany. She had lots of children, but I only wrote my grandmother's name: Dorothy. Dorothy, too, had many children--all my aunts and uncles, but I only listed my dad, Dave, and my mom, Audrey. After that I listed my husband and I and then our kiddos. I hope the tradition continues and names get added.

On the front I simply painted "Love Grows" which I thought was fitting in keeping with both the farm and family tree themes. 

Now, it just needs Hubby to add a chain to the back so I can hang it on the wall. I know this will be a cherished memory for my kiddos--one of which graduates from high school this year and the other turns sixteen. They have many years of fond memories on Grandpa's Farm, and I think this will be a beloved reminder of that as they grow up and begin families and memories of their own.

My girls are grown up now, but when they were little they enjoyed riding with Grandpa Dave on his tractor (and giving mom a heart attack for fear they would fall).

 

The girls loved the baby kittens.

 

Sisters could always find an adventure exploring grandpa's farm.

 

Our family at Grandpa Dave's farm along with Maggie the border collie.

A Day on Dad's Farm

We spent last weekend with family: first with hubby's side at a reunion/picnic, then a couple days on my dad's farm. I got to visit my aunt and uncle and just enjoy the peace and quiet. Plus, Dad let me pick over the junk in his barn. Bonus! Here's a photo adventure of my favorite finds and a few family pics, too. Enjoy!

Old dented/rusty buckets. Dad: "They have holes!" Me: "Perfect! I'll take them."

Another bucket with a hole, this time intentional. :)

Love this tall bucket with the wood handle grip. Another planter for my impatiens!

I am a hardware JUNKIE. And this rusty strap hinge is huge and AWESOME.

Cool rusty chain.

Cool rusty hook.

I don't even want to KNOW what this was for, but it was just so unique, I had to take it, despite dad's jokes and concerned glances. :)

Dad was so excited about this. He'd actually SAVED it for me.
It's an old dustpan that flattens so you can sweep in it, then straightens when you lift.
Handy! And it has "Cedar Falls Iowa" on the tag. Very cool. :)

I found this thing in the barn playing with wild kittens. I guess I'll keep her.

Dad, looking the part. :)

Hollyhocks blooming.

My daughter and Dad's border collie, Maggie.

Maggie hiding from my kids' attentions.

Grandpa & Granddaughter: two peas in a pod.

A kiss for my daddy.

The whole gang. You have no idea how many tries it takes to get everybody to look straight and smile. :)

Overall, a great time on the farm! Can't wait to go back when the wasps are sleeping and REALLY clean out Dad's barn!