Treasure Chest Thursday

Welcome to the first addition of Treasure Chest Thursday!

Check our the treasure's I've been admiring this week. I'm always seeking ideas and inspiration, some of these I put into a 'treasure chest' for safe keeping. You never know when it will be just the right time to use them!

If you were featured, thank you for inspiring me! 

1) This heart was found at a construction (or should I say destruction?) site. 

It inspires me to stop and see and not rush through life. This is of particular importance to me this year as the only resolution I set myself was to stop and enjoy a moment each day...something I sometimes forget to do. Please visit Random Hearts for more...random hearts...of course!

2) Isn't this amazing? The first thing that draws me to this blog is the name...Beyond the Picket Fence. It sounds so welcoming and homely. When I see lots of blogs listed together on a linky or similar I usually go to those with names that grab me. This one did and I've visited quietly (I think they call that lurking!) several times. Check out the amazing star and other projects there!

3) I love these for there simplicity. In fact, I currently have a vase of wild daisies similar to these in my Winter Display. I'm inspired by the lack of frills, the fact that the flowers are the star and Mother Nature shines. I also like the fact I can actually replicate something like this, unlike some of the other things I drool over! Please visit Faded Charm for your own dose of inspiration!

4)  I'm featuring this site for it's usefulness! I can pop flowers in a vase but they don't usually look as casual as I'd like them to.Casual is not the same thing as messy!

Loads of tutorials on this website for floral arrangements, I like the step by step illustrations which as easy to print and follow.

5) A solar candelabra plant stand?? Yes please!

I love this and I am forever finding cool candle holders at the second hand stores. Now I know what to do with them! I am looking forward to making one of these (or several) at Christmas time. If I can wait that long! You'll find this at One More Time.

6) Last but not least is this beautiful creation.

I was so inspired by this we made one! Our looks like this and I love it! It was fun and educational to make, not to mention thrifty!


Some of you may be wondering who on earth 'Ol Mother Hubbard' is...I don't blame you, I've often come and gone quietly for many months. I often don't take time to comment even though I've taken time to enjoy, pin and maybe even create things inspired by my searches. This is me, Ol Mother Hubbard saying thanks for the treasures I keep in my chest!

If you were featured please feel free to take the collage for your own uses, I expect nothing in return.
If you WOULD LIKE TO BE FEATURED...comment and introduce yourself. I would love to be inspired by your crafty tutorials, homes and recipes!

Building with boxes part 2. Math Revision.

 Our cardboard community was so much fun to make...and a whole lotta math revision to boot!

See Building with Boxes Part 1 for more on this!

It's easy to make your own box community and the addition of lights makes it the results that much more amazing. It helps that my son has an obsession with them:)

 This community could easily be a single house or themed to your own preference.

I can imagine it snow covered for winter, haunted for Halloween..pink for a princess...

 Come on in...there's a party inside!

May your nest be blessed,

Lisa

Linked to: Wow us Wednesdays

Up-Cycle Christmas Lights

 

Winter display (I'm in the Southern Hemisphere) using wild daisies, owl candle, thrift-shop ceramic mice and up-cycled plastic Christmas bulbs.

 

There's need to throw away lights with broken bulbs or a faulty circuit.

Big globes like these ones are perfect for adding a little glam to your mantel or for use as vase fillers.

Simply snip them from the wire and use them according to your own tastes and theme.

How easy is that?

 Too sweet...I love this small display with it's stony, earthy colours. 

I can see these up-cycled balls being used at Christmas and at an upcoming coastal themed party. Can you see them as bubbles or beach glass on the shore? I can!

May your nest be blessed,

Lisa

YARN BOMBING!

 

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

 I've heard of, but never seen, yarn bombing before. I was really happy to find my local village shopping area BOMBED today. It's been a cold, clear winters day but my creative self was truly warmed.

 This one has crochet CD's on it, great idea!

 I love the fact you could touch the art too.

Happy days to you all!

Lisa


LINKED TO: Our World Tuesday

Nest planters and vases on the outside...

 This nest makes a perfect nursery for the baby begonia. I am fortunate and have a lot of nests. My little ones are kept inside but the bigger ones are outside where they continue to weather naturally. Some times when I get them they're already a little beat up and I've been wondering what to do with those one.

 It occurred to me that these broken nests would be perfect planters! They will continue to break down an as they do they'll feed what ever plants are in them or near by. How's that for eco friendly and thrifty?

 Placed in an old washing basket I filled with plants acquired from elsewhere in the garden it blends in just as nature intended. I love creative gardening!

 

This nest is already quite broken down but it will look sweet until it's time to replant the flowers, nest and all. Just look at all that earthy goodness! (and a little bit of evidence of man-kind...)

 

 I also redid the front porch today. I wasn't entirely happy with this compilation, it needed colour and I was out of flowers...or was I?

 Another light-bulb moment for me! Bring the vase of flowers and berries I foraged from the roadside, outside! The plants were picked from the wild so they don't need the shelter others might and WOW what a difference it made to my winter porch display. These berries are also in my winter table display.

Loving it! Nests as planters and vases outside not inside.

Happy sigh!

May your nest be blessed,

Lisa

Building with Boxes: Part 1: Pi and Pythagoras's theorem.

  

 I love pinterest! I found this cool, lighted cardboard house sculpture and thought it would make a great Winter holiday project. Turns out we couldn't wait for the holidays so I decided to turn it into a math lesson.

This is what we did...

 Step 1) Measure the width and height of the first box. (Ours was 54cm x 20.5cm)

2) Divided the length by 3 and rule box into thirds. (18cm)

3) In the middle section my son decided on the door placement and used a circle (roll of tape in our case) to mark the top of the door. Then just for 'fun' he measured the radius, diameter and circumference. (D x Pi = 28.26cm.)

4) Turn circle archway and cut two castle or church shape doors.

 Somebody enjoyed himself....

Next came the stairway and Pythagoras's theorem.

 

Pythagoras said that if you have 2 known sides of a triangle you can work out the third.

This is what we did...

1) Width of 1/3 of box = 18cm 

18cm squared = 324cm

Height of box -1/3 = 13.6cm

13.6cm squared = 184.96

324 + 184.96 -= 508.96

Square root of 508.96 = 22.56cm

The length of the missing side if 22.56cm.

2) My son ruled a line 22.6 cm long to put the stairway on and using cut kebab sticks we secured it in place and cut some more windows.

Stay tuned for the rest of this multi-story building! This is a fun way to revise or teach math so we're going to make the most of it!

May your nest be blessed,

Lisa

In Lieu Of Flowers- Winter Mantel

It's winter here and the variety of wild flowers has dwindled. Luckily for me I was able to spot these berries from the road when I was driving. The tree they were growing on was quite big yet somehow I had never noticed it before. Now I wonder how I missed that POP of red! They are a perfect substitute for flowers and compliment the earthy elements I have around my home.

 

 I'm dying to paint this table white or at least sand it back to it's natural state. So far I am meeting resistance to the idea from the MotH so I will have to work on that!

Candles in glasses are a popular idea on pinterest lately, I added my won touch to them with mossy branches and a wee bird. Again, in lieu of flowers.

May your nest be blessed!

Lisa

Also posted to: Share the Joy Thursday

Winter Winners

 Pin this Pinterest Inspired Pin Board.

 

1. Found on a page entitled 'Nature Crafts for your Winter table"    I knew I had to take a look. Check out the sweet green bird!  LOVE!! The site has a tutorial for making the snowy candles too.

2. I spotted these while looking for mid winter Christmas inspiration. Being in the Southern Hemisphere with Christmas in summer the idea of a Winter Christmas is a bit of a novelty! Most of our major holidays in NZ fall outside of the cold months and mid winter Christmas celebrations have become more common. We started in out house a 2 Winters ago and started a new tradition of making orange pomanders. This site will show you  how to make these dried slices. I love them and think we might do these as well as the pomanders this year.

 Mid-Winter Christmas festival, Tauranga, NZ

A twig vase made from a coffee can has got to be a great addition to any style of decor. It's thrifty too! I have some cinnamon sticks left over from last years midwinter Christmas mulled apple juice so I am pretty keen to add them to my can..and maybe a few sweet, tiny pine cones to the bow.

 

4. This wonderful scene has been posted purely for inspiration! I adore the table, the owl, the books and the framed photos.  Unfortunately the link offers no further details or projects but I'm pretty sure the photo alone is enough to get the creative juices flowing!

 

5. When I was young my step-mother gave us pine cones and white shoe polish to make snowy cones with. I don't remember how ours looked but the memory is a warm one. This site will link you to a tutorial for a fantastic twiggy wreath and this link will take you to the fantastic Winter deco board I found it on. 

Drilling out the cavity for the candles will be a great project for my son...and I will end up with fabulous candles for my winter decoration! I love the mixed nuts spread around it too. Awesome idea! The original blogger was right when she said 'Naturally Beautiful'