Danni of Silo Hill Farm

You can't tell it by looking at me, but I am an angel.  Yup... I am one of Rosie's Blog Angels.  It is such a blessing to be an Angel.

The idea which I love is to help another blog, expecting nothing in return. Our world needs more of that, don't you think? Being kind and generous just for the sake of grace and mercy. Here's what really happens though. Being an angel becomes more about friendship than blogging. I choose a blog to help and start reading posts in hopes of getting to know this person. I try what they are trying, leave encouraging comments, hop over to blogs they recommend...  It only take a little while for a new friendship to begin.

Danni at Silo Hill Farm truly is The Cleverest of The Clever!  Here's how she describes her blog: You'll find it's mostly about crafting, with a few recipes, DIY and other things sprinkled in. I'm lucky enough to live in the country, so every now and then I like to post about what goes on here at the farm. I am constantly amazed by the amount of creativity that I see in the blogging world and I hope I can inspire your creative genius in some way. Thank you for inspiring mine!

You love her already, don't you?  Once you visit her blog, you'll want to hang out there all the time! 

You have to see Danni's Interchangeable Sign !  It is so cool!  I love how Danni recycles her Basic Wreath Form, too!  I tried to make her wreath form, so I could write about it, but mine is ugly.  Her instructions are so simple, I've got to try this again.  Maybe I'm using the wrong kind of burlap?  Any advice?  Danni, can you come over?

 

My first angel gig was with Holli of  Holli's Hoots and Hollers .  Let's take this Blog Angel post over to Tunes on Tuesday.

 

In honor of the friendships created by  Rosie's Blog Angels , my song for this lovely Spring day is What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.   

 

I hope your day is filled with sunshine and friendship! 

;-)  -Marci

Here's Your Sign

Do you ever see a sign that makes you smile or laugh? 

 

Yep!  We squealed and ran up the stairs!  ;-) 

 

Source

 

 

 

 

 

This last one was photographed in a pretty dark restaurant.  'Not sure you can read it.  It says, "Practice Safe Lunch.  Use Condiments".

 

I hope your day is filled with laughter!

 

;-)  -Marci

Herbs: A Place to Begin... Water

Being part of our county's Master Gardener Speakers Guild is a lot of fun.  My program is titled "Herbs: A Place to Begin".   It is for anyone who might be curious about growing herbs or is just beginning to use them. I give simple advice for ways to incorporate tasty herbs into your every day life. After such a sweet reception to my presentation, I will be adding regular posts about herbs on my blog, Stone Cottage Adventures.

 

Watch for the ones titled "A Place to Begin".

 

We should all drink more water, right?  Right!  Sometimes, though, all that water can seem somewhat bland.  Many of us add lemon, but what about adding an herb? 

 

The herb in this photo happens to be double mint, but really, many herbs taste great.  Drop a sprig of herb into your favorite polka dot glass.  (OK.  OK.  Polka dots are optional!)  Add a couple cubes of ice and shake to muddle or bruise the herb.  This releases the essential oils, thus releasing the flavor.  Add more ice and then water.  Garnish with an herb leaf if you like.

 

'Don't want to give up citrus?  No worries!  Experiment with citrus herb combinations.  Creating tasty water only takes one citrus slice and a sprig or two of herb.

Here are a few ideas:

Spearmint with Lime
Lemon Balm with Lemon
Rosemary with Orange

 

Check out my Recipes Page for other ideas.  Please come back for more simple ways to add herbs into your everyday life!  I hope this post gives you... 

A Place to Begin!

 

;-)  -Marci

One Year, Twenty Wishes April Update

Thank you, Kassi and Kayli at Truly Lovely , for hosting a wonderful link party all about one year of fulfilling twenty wishes. The idea is to make a list of what I WANT to do, not have to do, or need to do, but what I WANT to do in 2013.  Here's my update!

 

1. Celebrate 27 years of marriage!   Done!

2. Vacation in Colorado.

3. Attend concerts.

4. Increase my herb collection.  Done!

5. Create a new presentation on herbs for when I am asked to speak.  Done!  OK, I've actually done that twice! 

6. Complete 5 hypertufa projects.

7. Learn soap making.  Done!

8. Create my own herbal bath salts. Done!

9. Create my very own herbal lip balm.

10. Learn to quilt.

11. Sew one quilt for each of my children.

12. Take a photography class.

13. Learn Photo Shop... OK, so I bought the program last year and still have not opened it. EESH!

14. Organize leadership at Herb Society of NWA.  Done!

15. Run a 5k. This is an interesting one. In 2002, I ran a half marathon. Just a few months later I was diagnosed with an early stage of cancer. Returning to distance running is therapeutic on so many levels.

16. Successfully complete a Warrior Dash with a respectable time. I have already registered! Isn't that exciting!!

17. Create my own herbal salad dressings.

18. Get really good at making artisan cheese. I'm just beginning to learn right now. If you have any recipes or can recommend any sites, that would be awesome!

19. Learn bloggy, techy things.  I've learned a lot, but still have a long way to go! 

20. Monetize my blog somehow.  Done! 

What do you WANT to accomplish? Please join the fun at Truly Lovely !  ;-)  -Marci

 

Adorned from Above Blog Hop #49

Welcome to Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop 49.  We will be doing a giveaway for a $50 Visa Gift Card once we reach 500 (GFC) Google Friends Connect Followers, so if you're not following on GFC, it would be great if you would follow us on GFC.  We are just 27 people away from 500 followers and I would love to give away to be able to do the giveaway next week.

Co-Hosting this week is (ME) Marci from Stone Cottage Adventures !

Today we are featuring posts from the last 3 parties since I was traveling, and could not do it before.  Congratulations to those featured bloggers.  You can get a featured blogger button in my sidebar.

Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop 46

1.  The Dress That Really Got Me Noticed from Deby at So Sew Easy

2.  Earn Money With Info Links by Deby at Mom's Make Money

3.  White Lace Cameo Handbag from Beverly at Tea Cottage Pretties

4.  Seeing Spots from Shanna at Restoration Redoux

5.  Vintage Recipe for Grape Nut Pudding from Linda at Crafts A La Mode

6.  How To Make Air Freshener the Natural Way from Lisa at Condo Blues

7.  Salvation Mysteries from Laurie at Saved By Grace

8.  Plants that Repel Mosquitos, Flies, and Garden Pests from Kari at Squidoo

Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop 47

1.  Bedhead Bench from Deanne at Five Brothers One Sister

2.  Braided Cuff Tutorial from Patti at Old Things New

3.  How To Create Custom Facebook Tabs from Alex at Happy, Healthy, & Domestic

4.  Scrap Fabric Wreath Tutorial with Bowdabra Bow from Susie at Bowdabra Blog

5.  Copy Cat Wendy's Frosty from The Pin Junkie

6.  Home Decor Ideas with Glass from Tammy at One More Time To Celebrate

7.  What I Wish I Knew: How To Beautify Your Blog For Free from Bonnie at The Domesticated Princess

8.  You Are "Toad"Ally Awesome! from Rita at Pink Polka Dot

Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop 48

1.  Picket Fence Valance for a Garden Bedroom from Phyllis at Grandparents Plus

2.  Side Dishes from Connie at Family Home and Life

3.  You Did What to My What Cookie Dough Brownies from Mrs. Tucker at Oh Mrs. Tucker

4.  Carrot Pasta With Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce from Jo and Sue at Jo and Sue

5.  Do You Doubt? from Ana at The Lost Apron

6.  Cake Mix PB Nutella Cookies from Nancy at The Moonlight Factory

7.  Gooey Vanilla Caramel Corn Recipe from Kristen at Capturing Joy

8.  Upcycled Denim First Aid Case from Mandy at Hong Kong Chic

So on to this weeks party.

We hope you have fun at this week's party.  We all love hearing from you, so we love your comments.

Now let's party

Have a great week.

Don't Know Why

What kind of music do you like?  Was music a part of your childhood home? 

My daddy liked country music.  I remember him playing Johnny Cash quite a bit.  We watched HeeHaw Variety Show just about every week.  My mother can play the piano as well as guitar.  She enjoys a broad range of music.  Being the youngest child of six, I have siblings many years older than me.  They listened to Elvis, Bobby Vinton and The Beatles. 

My goodness! What an eclectic mix of music I like!

Tunes on Tuesday  is a fun party where you get to link a song or two.  It makes me smile, each and every week.  I guess I don't pause and think about music very often.  'Don't know why.  Lately, I've been listening to Norah Jones a lot.

Don't Know Why 

Will you please tell me about the music you enjoy?

;-)  -Marci



Ombre Gourd for Spring Bouquets

 It's been a while since you've seen a post about decorating gourds.  This is one that was completed during the winter with Spring bouquets in mind.  I wanted something substantial for large arrangements.  My original idea was all about ombre, dark at the bottom and getting lighter near the top.  I got this far, and liked the stripes.  'Not sure what to call it...  Ombre stripe?

 



 

Even though I don't water proof my gourds, a vase can be tucked inside

  

 

 

 along with a few glass beads for weight and stability.

Here's the fun part!  I love mixed garden bouquets!

 This one contains iris and lilacs. 



The bright yellow stems are fragrant gooseberry blossoms.  My dining room smells heavenly now!

 

 One last look at the gourd. 

I'm using the same gourd dying techniques you've seen before...  HERE , HERE and THERE . 

What do you like to use for Spring bouquets?

;-)  -Marci

Herbs: A Place to Begin

There aren't a lot of "What I Wore" posts on this blog, so this is kind of exciting!  Here is my polka dot dress with a cropped cardigan and ever present ballet flats.  Can you see my ladybug pin?  It's a big hit with gardeners!





Being part of our county's Master Gardener Speakers Guild is a lot of fun. Recently, I was asked to speak at Springtown Seventh Day Adventist Church for their Spring Back Porch Community Outreach program.  It was such a well organized event!  I especially appreciated the technical support given to the speakers.
  

My program is titled "Herbs:  A Place to Begin".  It is for anyone who might be curious about growing herbs or is just beginning to use them.  I give simple advice for ways to incorporate tasty herbs into your every day life.  After such a sweet reception to my presentation in Springtown, I will be adding regular posts about herbs.  Watch for the ones titled "A Place to Begin".

 

If you would like to see the herb recipes already on my blog, click on my  Recipes Page .  There are also tips for growing and harvesting herbs on my Gardening Page .
  

BTW...  Right now, I am wearing sweats and a Tshirt.  There's a reason for so few "What I Wore" posts! 

 

;-)  -Marci

 



Dill

The dill in our greenhouse continues to grow well.  Once again, I find myself worrying over what to do with the abundance.  What a lovely problem!  Gift giving is always fun!

 

 

Brown paper bags were stamped and filled. 

They hopped into a basket.

 



Every bag of dill found a new home with a sweet member of the Herb Society of Northwest Arkansas! 

 

Don't you love happy endings? 

 

;-)  -Marci



Little Ears

 

;-)  -Marci

Cheap Sunglasses

Grocery shopping with Lil Fashionista can be quite an experience.  Last week, we came around a corner and there, lo and behold, were the cutest sunglasses.  They were only $1.00 each! 

At first she chose pink ones.  Then she saw the purple butterfly.

 

Excellent choice, considering the pacifier she was rockin' that day!  This girl really knows how to accessorize!

 



Like most Tuesdays, I am hangin' with Holli for Tuesday Tunes.  It's a fun party where you can link a song or two.  My choice this week? 
 

ZZ Top.  Cheap Sunglasses. 
 

 

Do you think Lil Fashionista will be asking for a pearl necklace anytime soon?

 

;-)  -Marci

Chain Linky Party

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_________________Follow the Host & ALL of the co-hosts below_______________

    

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I (Angie from godsgrowinggarden.com) will be giving a FREE "Weekly Ad" space to anyone who co-hosts this Blog Climb this first month!

(The Ad will run live a few weeks after you have co-hosted)

 

 

 

 

The Song of the Daffodil Fairy

Daffodils in my Stone Cottage Garden

 

The Song of the Daffodil Fairy

by Cicley Mary Barker

I’m everyone’s darling; the blackbird and starling

Are shouting about me from blossom and boughs.

For I, the Lent-lily, the Daffy-down-dilly,

Have heard through the country the call to arouse.

The orchards are ringing with voices a-singing

The praise of my petticoat, praise of my gown;

 

 

The children are playing, and hark! they are saying

That Daffy-down-dilly has come up to town!

 

The daffodil photos were taken by me and are all from my Stone Cottage Garden. 

For more Flower Fairies, visit their official website here .  Not only are there poems along with books and other items for sale, they also have several FREE activities for children!  The Flower Fairies have a wonderful site!
 

 

;-)  -Marci

Pillow Pirate

You might remember this sentimental pillow I made for Handsome Husband.

 

  

Lil Fashionista kept tugging at it.  I finally let her swipe the bow tie. 

Hey!  That's cute!  What a great idea!



'Prettiest Lil Pirate I have ever seen! 

If you would like to make a large tulle bow for a pillow or for your cutie pie-rate (get it?  haha!), click here for the tutorial!

;-)  -Marci