Category: Perfect Hand Made Gifts


If you are like us and enjoy nature and the beautiful little creatures in it then you will really enjoy setting up a bird house.  You can make your own very affordably using materials around your property, which the birds seem to really appreciate.  If you have kids they will LOVE this project.

Since setting up these bird houses we get cute little red headed birds that sing all throughout the day.
It is much like a bird sanctuary or listening to the nature Cd’s of birds.

Some have been concerned about them making a mess around the property but if you set up your houses away from the area you dwell in it works out just perfectly.  We screwed these into the end of the deck which has been perfect.  It allows us to see the birds and enjoy their little songs without having them in our way or making a mess.

What you will need:

Pieces of old or hollowed out tree limbs
Staple gun
Pieces of scrap wood for the roof pitch and base
(for the wood scraps we went by a local lumber yard and home depot which gave us some free scraps)
Screws to hold the bird house down
Screw gun or screw driver
Round drill for the circular cut

Having some flowers in your yard can be such a treat.  Our roses and other flowers are in bloom now, which means beautiful floral arrangements throughout the house.  This season all of our flowers are gushing with blooms, which provides a perfect situation for making your own arrangements.  Cutting the blooms perpetuate the growth process  continuing the blooming allowing for an abundance of arrangements.   The cut flowers tend to last at least one week inside, and we are able to replace them weekly which is quite nice.  Within a weeks time new growth and buds form and continue the blooming cycle.  If you have thought about blooming plants and trees before, and you love flowers, you should plant some.  Not only will it beautify your property but you can have flowers year round without the high cost. You would be amazed at how many arrangements you can make easily that would cost upwards of $50+ each.  We probably have $200 worth of floral arrangements throughout the house this week and they cost us nothing but a little time to put them together and of course the initial investment of the flowering plants.

Here are the rose bushes that the arrangements are made from.

Here are some of the plants we have pulled flowers for for the arrangements.

This is a larger arrangement put together for the living room.

A smaller one in the kitchen.

Another large one in the dining area.

Smaller ones for the bathroom.

These are one week old and still look good.  All you have to do is change the water after 3-4 days and re-cut the stems to allow them to continue to drink and they will be beautiful and lasting.

You can put together an arrangement with as few as 2-4 pieces. The fun part is each week is different depending on what is blooming. This week it was roses with pink, purple, yellow and pink flowers.  The pink, purple and yellow flowers came from a large bush we have in our yard.

These are some of the flowers in bloom for next weeks arrangements.

Purple beauties in bloom.

Peach flowers in bloom.

Blooming butterfly bush.  This is amazing for attracting butterflies they love it.

Pretty red and purple blooms.

Pretty Pink Carnations

Gorgeous hues of purple on this rapid growing vine. New blooms appear daily on this one.

Fiery red orange blooms.

Beautiful exotic pink blooms on this large bush.

Here is another Incredibly talented and Amazing Artist Yellena James.  She is one of my favorites.  If you haven’t had an opportunity to visit her at her Etsy site, you definitely will want to drop in.  I want to personally extend an invitation to you, and encourage you to head over as Yellena James’ work is incredible and does not disappoint.  She has some breathtaking works so full of color and life.  These make extraordinary gifts for friends and family and are truly works of art.  You will find a brilliant array of organic shapes, colors and sizes.

About The Artist Yellena James

She is an artist/illustrator residing in beautiful Portland, OR.
Her work has been described as “colorful arrangements of organic shapes and tangled lines (which) are at once floral and alien, organic and sci-fi, crafty and fantastic.” Within each piece she creates an intimate world that possesses its own ethos and its own emotional range.
Besides showing her artwork in galleries around the globe, she has done illustration work for Anthropologie, K2 Snowboards, Nike and many others.
Her work has also appeared in Vogue Australia, Giant Robot, Domino Online, Design Sponge, Apartment Therapy and many other art and design resources and publications.

Affordability:

Yellena has five print sizes of her original work available on her site. The prices of her prints are very reasonable and range from $10 for the small 5 x 7 prints to $48 for the 11 x 14 sizes.  These prints are stunning framed. Yellena also has unique original print brooch/pins available for $22.  These are wonderful gifts for Birthdays, Holidays, Weddings, Engagements, Showers, Housewarming and more.

We will be featuring amazing and talented artisans selecting one each week.  We hope you are inspired by these incredible talents and consider gifts from their stores when the need arises.  Our First featured store will be ADDIEGERTRUDE from Etsy.  You will find stunning colors with fabulous patterns and hand painted work.  If you haven’t had the opportunity to take a look at their lovely creations in their store you will want to check them out right away.  They are comprised of an Amazing  Mother Daughter Team, along with Best Girl Friend, all working together to make these beautiful finds possible for everyone. If you are looking for a special gift for a baby, child, shower, or for your own children, and you want a personal touch, then the AddieGERTRUDE Collections store, on Etsy may be just the place for you.

Use any of the green quick links listed throughout this article to get you straight to the AddieGertrude store.

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You will find an assorted array of Fantastic pieces at Addie GERTRUDE Collections:

Baby & Children’s Quilts
Canvas Art
Burp Cloths
Sundresses
Art Onesies
Fabric Applique Onesies
Handmade Accessories

Hello! My name is Bethani Wait. Together, me and my Mom (Barbara Werrett Nielsen) and best girlfriend (Jessica Jane Anderson) have found a passion for combining fabrics and paint to create timeless, vintage inspired collections intended to make gifting and designing for babies and children easy.Our Addie Gertrude lines include any or all of the following: quilts, canvas art, burp cloths, sundresses, art onsies, fabric applique onesies and accessories and are all handmade and original!! Coordinating “Vinty-chic” fabrics and acrylic canvas art create pieces that invoke imagination and creativity for your child’s nursery, room or space. VIntage inspired clothing will set your little one apart with uniqueness.We are a perfect resource for “Group gifters”!! Multiple buyers can collectively go in on a unified and thoughtful gift. We offer a variety of items that compliment each other giving you the option to pay just a few dollars or splurge and gift/own the entire collection!We hope AddieGertrude Collections will be a part of your home and cherished memories for years to come!Enjoy and thanks for visiting us….
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