Our Big Project this year...

We have just been in our new house a

 little over a year and this was what

the basement looked like when we viewed the house.

We loved the huge basement with

 large windows and a sliding 

glass doors.  So many possibilities!

It had a small cracked patio outside the doors..

But I could see what it could be one day!

This is my dream inspiration for the patio area.   We wouldn't 

have that back fence because our yard was open but I could

imagine just sitting on this patio making art.

First we put in a new larger patio.

Then a cedar pergola .  I planted wisteria

 at the end of each pillar so eventually

the vines will cover the pergola with luscious shade!

I am landscaping both sides of the patio.  Eventually they 

will be filled with lush flowering plants.

These are all the Irises from my old house.

Since this alcove is very private it will become

my secret garden one day!

We maneuvered all our stuff and the walls went up.

Then the drywall went up.  Oh so much

dust from sanding! Also all new electrical had to be

run as you can see there was only a few 

ceiling lights and a handful of electrical plugs.

Even though we'd have a large

multipurpose room, we wanted to keep

3 large storage rooms.

Here you can see the bathroom under

construction with the ceiling holes

and no trim.

Here it is with the molding and ceiling trim up.

The shower is perfect for giving

a muddy dog a bath and bringing

them in from outside without

getting muddy footprints throughout

the house. There is a plan for everything!

I took off from work last

 week and worked on

 putting up the finishing

trim around the doors

and baseboards.  They still need 

another coat of white paint.

It's on my weekend To Do list.

Isn't the vinyl flooring my husband put in beautiful!

We now have a nice basement.  

What a difference...

You can see we had the ceiling painted a flat black

and installed new ceiling lights.

I wanted some huge old tables that

I could use for a multitude of things.  

To hold food for parties.  Or in the future

if I want to host fun craft or art

classes. Or another workspace

for my art projects.

You can see I am over wintering

my geraniums in front of

the windows until it warms

up and they can go out to

the greenhouse.

I absolutely love the pendant lights that my husband

got for me.  I think they are my favorite 

thing in the basement.

I had a few of my favorite pictures of my horse

made into canvas prints for the basement.

I created a focal wall of black and

white photo's with a few select

color photo's of many of my husband 

and I's travels and special

moments.  I spray painted all 

my old frames flat black 

to create a unified look.  

It's not 100% done but almost.

I have a lot of future furniture

 renovation projects planned. 

For now we used what we had laying 

around and I think it looks quite nice.

My beloved Angel May that I lost last week is

displayed in the middle with her collar. 

I miss that dog everyday and say a prayer for her!

I got bamboo shades and 

plain white sheers for the windows

I added fun star lights around the 

room to add some fun interest.

I also moved my potters wheel down here

since the floor works much better with wet

clay than my carpeted art room upstairs.

I also have plans this summer

 to scoot it out on the 

patio and throw some bowls out there!

I have also set up a little workout area for myself

that I use before work.

We still are working on 

the staircase that leads to

upstairs but it is getting there.

I am so very grateful for our

beautiful home.  Everyday I just

can't wait to get there.

It is my favorite place to be!

Pottery Pallets

 

I had a request for a custom made pallet for an Artist

in Maryland her only stipulation was that it have

odd numbered paint wells.  So I asked her what her

 favorite flower was and she said Irises.

So I added a dwarf Iris to her pallet.

When another person saw the one that I created they

requested a larger pallet which I created below.

Drying is a slow process or the clay will crack and

the whole item will be lost. They have dried so I made

the little video below to show how they are cleaned 

up before firing them.

Pretty New Pottery

 A new large bowl that I made ...

I lcve the speckles in the white!

and a leaf Bird Bath with a Turtle...

I love how the rim came out on this bowl.

It was the first time I did this.

 These were gifts to people that are into the

Cottage farmhouse décor, 

I had never used this glaze.

I was just hoping they came out 

like I was envisioning in my head.

I was totally happy with the results!

Got to get busy making more!

My Rabbit Loves

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you know

that I lost my beloved Rue .He was such a sweet boy

with no bad habits and such a lovable, cuddly rabbit.

I thought  he was having stasis and gave him the meds

 for it when he didn't look any better I rushed him to

the Emergency vet in Rochester, MI. They kept him

overnight and did some tests.  The tests indicated he 

had most likely a twisted liver.  Sadly surgery for that

 would cost $5000 - $7000 which was out of my

price range. My husband and I drove there Thanksgiving

morning to put Rue down.  I did not want him dying alone.

 He was on pain meds but when they brought him in to me

he did mouth purrs when he saw me and was in my arms.

 I told him I loved him and he was such a good boy.

It was such a shock and a sad thing to happen to

such a dreamy boy.  I am comforted in the fact that he

got to live 10 months cage free

and enjoy a life of cuddles and delicious food. 

My bunny room was a sad lonely place.  I felt like there

had to be other buns that should enjoy it and have a 

happy ending too. I  joined a Michigan house rabbit page on FB

and several members haved private rabbit rescues.

And  that is where I found Emmy and Oscar

at the Bunny Rescue

They had just been rescued from this awful hutch with a wire metal floor throughout the entire cage.

Imagine what that would feel like when it's 10 below zero in Michigan. Apparently the hutch being

attacked by a German Sheppard is what made the owners finally give them to the rescue.

They were covered in fur mites when they first

arrived to the rescue

They both got vet checked before I got them.  Supposedly they

are 3-4 yrs. old. We were told he was neutered and

she was spayed.  We don't know 100% for her because she was so

traumatized from the check up that they didn't want to put her thru more.

Oscar is the big boy and Emmy is the little lion head.  I am

told she has a tattoo in her ear although I haven't seen it.

She is missing a few toes which I personally think might be due to 

frost bite in that old cage.

This is their fist moments in their new home on 12 Dec

I know I am touching her her but it's only because

she was too afraid in the new space to run away.

Since their old cage floor was metal they were used to pooping

all over the floor and didn't understand the litter boxes.

They are doing much better with the litter boxes now,

a month later.

From being in such a small cage they were

unsure what to do with a whole room.  They didn't even 

realize there was a door that went other places.  Kind of

sad when you think about it.  They also had that

flight mentality to always be aware for predator's.

Oscar is overweight and Emmy underweight at 2 lbs. He has hard

callous sores on his feet from the metal floor.  He gulps his food

ferociously like how Rue did.  I think that they are afraid that it's 

gonna fall through the floor of the cage so they eat so fast.

Emmy loves hay more that her pellets

 and I have to remind her to eat at feeding time.

When they arrived they were not trying treats as they were cautious

about everything.  I knew I had to find something for

them to love in order to train them.  Emmy did not want to be 

touched.  So for me to be able to pet her I know I'd

have to have a yummy to coax her.  I did find that she will

eat little granola pieces and will let me pet her while she eats them

out of my hand.  See the video of her below eating lettuce.

I wonder what they think of their new home.  

They now know their names and come to greet me

when I come in the morning. They seem to be doing really well.

My hope for this new year is very low vet bills.

Last year was over the top.  I am praying this little pair lots

of joy in the last chapter if their happy ending!

Santa

 I love Santa as I said in my last post... just

sharing a Santa I made.  I would love to

 make a bigger one in the future.

Maybe when I retire. 

Natascha

My Christmas Tour

It's been a bit since my last post but I have been

busy decorating and prepping for Christmas.

Last year we moved into our

house in Nov so although I 

decorated for Christmas it was not much.

Christmas is my absolute favorite

time to decorate!  I always fill all my

outdoor planters with evergreen that

I cut and arrange in the dirt.

This year I put big snowflakes in the

window boxes out front and twinkle lights

throughout the branches.  I hung red

berry wreaths in each window pane.

I put two grapevine deer and lights on a few 

bushes by our new pond my husband made

this summer.  I like that I can

see them out of my Livingroom window

This year we got a new tree that can be changed 

from white to colored lights.

Santa's are a favorite of mine so they

are displayed all over my house.

The whole reason for the season...

I love my nativity set.  It came from

Sams club & I built the barn myself.

My faux fireplace in the dining room which I am 

sentimental about since it was in my family

since I was very little.

All my small Santas are displayed here.  

Several of which I made.

For the first time I decorated the half bath

off that laundry room since lots of 

company seems to use this bathroom.

Hope you enjoyed seeing my

decorations.  The lights and decorations

bring me joy and happiness!