CREATIVE HOMESCHOOLING ~ do it your way!

Whether you are just beginning to explore homeschooling or you are an " old pro ", there is much food for thought about the varied teaching  philosophies and approaches to homeschooling. In addition, there's no shortage of curriculum's and learning materials to choose from which speaks volumes for how much the homeschooling movement has grown. For many homeschooling parents the choices can be overwhelming when trying to choose learning materials for their children. After all, every child is unique in how they gather and process information. This is one of the many joy's of homeschooling!

Old Shutter~NEW SHUTTER

What would you do with an old shutter destined for the trash heap?

 WAIT! You can do something with that !

  Cottage Style!

The eating area area in our cottage is tiny... cozy for 4 and not one more  tiny, but it's charming with three large windows that let the morning sun pour in during breakfast! I like using large pieces of art and furniture in small spaces when I decorate. To my eye, they make more of an impact than several small things hung together. That's just me!

THE PROJECT:  The green shutter was used to cover the windows for protection from storms during the off season.
 When I saw the shutter my artistic side wanted to find a new way to use it and my sentimental side just couldn't part with it! So........after a bit of daydreaming, I came up with the idea that we could place a small mirror that " looked like a window" and attach it to the shutter! Off I went to a local BIG BOX store to find an inexpensive mirror, then to the craft store for off white and green craft paint and some CRACKLE MEDIUM.

CRACKLE TIP: when using crackle, think about what color you want to see peaking through from underneath your top coat. It will depend on your project if you are going with a dark or lighter base coat.

I painted the base coat on the NEW mirror frame with green paint and let it dry, followed by the crackle medium, allowing for the correct drying time before applying the off white top coat. The green peaks through the white top coat from behind the crackle and makes it look as if the added mirror has always been a part of the shutter!  

           Splatters of old white paint tie in the old with the new.

       Now we have a " Piece " of  cottage past  ( and it's even painted GREEN ) adorning the wall and more sunlight bouncing around our cozy kitchen in the morning!

   This was an easy and fun GREEN project! 


What have you re-purposed lately?




This post is linked to Funky Junk Themed Linky Party!

Deborah Jean~

YOUR INVITED! Creative Recycling Blog Challenge

How do you make your world and our's a little greener?

"There's nothing I like more than to find some old thing and make it beautiful again"

~ Deborah Jean


Your invited to play my Creative Recycling

Blog Challenge!

IT'S EASY!

 Just post something on your blog once a week that you have created FROM A FOUND OR RECLAIMED ITEM from your dumpster diving endeavor's or where ever you find your trash, I mean TREASURE!

CATAGORIES INCLUDE:

Trash to Treasure of any kind!

( a few ideas)

Hand painted and re-purposed furniture

Mixed Media

Collage

Nature Art

Fiber Arts

Vintage Jewlery

Garden Art

and so much more...

 Just  grab my CREATIVE RECYCLING BUTTON and include it in your CREATIVE RECYCLING POSTs w/ a link back here . Kindly, leave a comment brag about your creation ( all bragging rights approved ) on this post with a link back to your blog so we can all share in the fun!  

* I'll update my list of junk lover's WONDERFULLY CREATIVE PEOPLE each week.* 

 See who's playing!

 Deborah Jean ~

http://www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.com/2010/04/old-shutternew-shutter.html

http://www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.com/2010/04/antique-letter-desk-say-what.html

Victoria ~

 http://confessionsofanewoldhomeowner.blogspot.com/2010/03/phonograph-table.html
http://confessionsofanewoldhomeowner.blogspot.com/2010/04/repurposed-potters-bench.html
   
 Marcia~  http://www.childinharmony.com/2010/04/dress-up-dresser.html

Kyria~  http://crossyr.blogspot.com/2010/04/creative-recycling-challenge.html

Judy~  http://judysturman.typepad.com/in_his_grip/2010/04/bed-to-front-porch-bench.html

Happy CREATIVE Recycling~

" Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found. "

~ James Russell Lowell

Pieces of a FARMGIRLS heart~

Have you ever been so inspired by a magazine that you subscribed immediately, told all your friends and family about it, joined an on line chat group ( in this case known as the farm girl connection ) and registered to be an official farmgirl sister complete with your own sisterhood number and badge?

If you answered no, then you haven't met Mary Jane !

Sunday Stroll

Sunday Stroll ~ along the BEACH!

Our weathered cottage door welcomes us back to the beach!

don't be a chicken! KEEP CHICKENS

                                   

      I'll make "chicken lovers" of you all yet!

 PRETTY GIRL STRIPEY

 Let me introduce you to my favorite laying hen, the Araucana ! Otherwise known as the Easter Egg Chicken for the beautiful pastel shades of eggs it lays. This breed has proved to be hardy to our New England winters and is also a reliable egg layer.

MUSIC ~ the universal language

We don't always  know why certain "gifts" come our way when they do, or how instrumental they will be in our lives do we? Usually, it takes the passage of time for us to make the connection. I am finally beginning to get the idea... Have faith!

Everything in it's own time. 

INSPIRE ME~ Daffodil Days

AN AMERICAN GARDEN TREASURE~

If your looking for an old fashioned English Manor Garden Tour this year consider visiting Blithewold Mansion and Gardens in Rhode Island.

Located on Narragansett Bay, 25 minutes east of Providence and 60 minutes south of Boston, Blithewold is one of the finest garden estates in New England. Your exploration of Blithewold will include diverse gardens, specimen trees, and a 45-room English style manor house, all chronicling the rich social history of the lives of one family over a span of more than 80 years...

Knowing what a complete anglophile I am my hubby brought home a brochure on Blithewold Mansion and Gardens the other day and asked me if I would like to go. Naturally, I said yes! We plan to take my mother and his mother along for a day of garden delights and afternoon tea in May and I can't wait!

Daffodil days at Blithewold Mansion and Gardens are in bloom Saturday April 10th to Sunday May 2nd.

I promise photos of our tour~

Dandelion Wishes,
Deborah Jean

Neighborhood Walks~

                                         

By Teri Stevens

I am blessed to be the stay-at-home Mother of three terrific toddlers,all under the age of three. Given their young ages, a son who is thirty-two months and twin girls who just turned two, there aren’t many outdoor activities we can do together when Dad is at work. His remedy was to purchase a fabulous triple stroller that I can easily maneuver by myself, which we acquired when the kids were still under the ages of two and one.
At first our walks were just to get out of the house. The kids enjoyed being outside, but weren’t talking yet, so the walks were pretty uneventful, many ending with an impromptu nap! Over the last several months our almost daily walks have turned into adventures.