"Last Stop Christmas Shop!"

Last Stop Christmas Shop!

 Every year about this time, I put on an area show for the local artist and direct sales rep. I often have a waiting list and this year 30 more want into this fabulous venue in Loveland, Colorado! We now have 50 vendors!

Enjoy the photos from past shows, and ALL of the beautiful art & displays! 

Dec 16th, 2017 10-5PM 

Chilson Rec Center 700 E 4th St 

Loveland, CO 80537 

COME JOIN THE FUN AND "Shop 'till ya Drop!"

Live Music by Lorna's Swing-set!

Free drinks and snacks all day too!

FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE 

 

#1 Cinco De Mayo Artisan Show

          ~~~Old Town, Fort Collins ARTISAN SHOW~~

                       "#1 CINCO DE MAYO Artisan Show"

             Tomorrow, a matrix of hard work, and the satisfaction of organizing a large event comes to fruition~

            Over 55 artists from all walks of life with all types of art and experiences, come together to present a gathering of sculpture, painting--both acrylic, watercolor and oil, award winning photography, glass etching, glass making, jewelry, soaps, lotions, doll clothes, and much more~~~ 10-2 in the AGAVE ROOM , above the RIO GRANDE MEXICAN RESTAURANT

                                                 Patti Stickler, Fort Collins, Colorado Artist

                                                Dale Bernard, Fort Collins, Colorado Artist

Garden Fence Accent!

Find old shutters that aren't used anymore. They are common near building sites or renovations of new homes.

Remove the shutters (closing part) with a hammer.

If you have bright colored paint, go around the rim with it. It'll look way too bright after-wards, so I "dulled" the bright colors (which reminded me of a kid's finger paints) with a wood varnish. (I always use Minwax).

This made everything much more tolerable and more 'Mexican-looking' for my mission-style garden. Notice that the shutter parts have been replaced with pieces of plywood, screwed on with tiny screws.

         Nope, that's not my blood on the back,  just paint from the front side.

You'll want to mix your Polymix (for tile jobs) and have the nice, glass pieces ready to put in place. They are easy to find at Michael's or Hobby Lobby craft stores.

I simply spread the Polymix with an old stick to give it a rough appearance. Then, I carefully placed my glass pieces randomly within the panes.

Here's the finished project and they will hang on my new fence to give it some "sparkle."

I had a lot of fun doing this and it all cost me a whopping 30 bucks for all materials. Something like this is considered "art" and would run in excess of $75.00 each at a garden or nursery store. ( coming soon--picture of project hanging on the fence!)



Signs of Spring!

                  I choose pots from second-hand shops and hardware stores! I brought them inside so the cool weather wouldn't kill them tonight.

       So, here are the pots waiting to receive new cactus plants! I could only manage 6 after work, then my back gave out and I fell down for awhile.

               These are some of the new cactus plants I ordered from Arizona. Let's hope that Colorado doesn't kill them! The one in the front is a Christmas Cactus, but it came from a florist, so it'll probably croak.

Landscaping for Spring!

Okay...so we wanted a "New Mexico look" and choose New Mexico Stone.

 We really like the irregular patterns and colors of this stone. Then we put in the stone bench.

We also wanted a few trees places around the patio so we chose Colorado Blue Spruces.

The larger rock in the back in a waterfall but it isn't on yet because it's still going to snow and freeze at night.

There's still some snow on the ground, but that'll soon be a thing of the past. Next, we'll line a 100 foot lane in front of our home with Western Corronwoods. It's going to be beautiful and I'll post a picture as soon as we get them in the ground.                                                               
                                             

Got guests coming over soon?

Wonderful *platter suggestions!*

Creamy Chicken and Sweet Potatoes!

                                         Pre-heat oven 400 degrees

First, cut your sweet potatoes in length-wise strips and place on foil.

I assembled the following mixture in a bowl, and spread it over he potatoes before placing them in the hot oven: spreadable butter, oil, cinnamon, chicken bullion granules, and sugar-free STEVIA crystals,

salt.

 It'll look like this when whisked together:

Spread over taters with nice grilling brush.

Ready for the oven now.

Now, you can start on the delicious, chicken dish!

Spread the chicken into a large glass dish, and rim with Brussel sprouts.

I sprinkle it with white pepper and salt. I cut the Brussels open so they can catch the cream. I'll cover them with foil after I add onions, then make the creamy sauce.
Use sour cream, Parmesan cheese, garlic puree, and a teaspoon of sweetened-condensed milk.

Cover with foil, and now the sweet potatoes can be turned as you open the oven. Place chicken into the oven and cook for an additional 30 minutes. The potatoes should be done in 15 and have already been in the oven for 20 minutes.

Ready to gobble:

                      The different colors and textures make this a very enjoyable dinner!