Flowers, Painted Urn, Crochet and Valentines

Hello, Dear Friends, I hope that you had 

a lovely Valentine's Day!  

I had a busy weekend, 

which included pet-sitting, 

grandson-sitting, and visiting

with loved ones. 

I received sweet flowers and a velvet box of chocolates 

from Ramblin' Man on Valentine's Day. 

We stayed in and watched Downton Abbey <3

after I cooked a favorite meal. 

We are such homebodies! 

Ramblin' Man works long hours and 

frequently travels, so home is his 'vacation'. 

My daughter, Jennie gifted me with this beautiful 

Azalea topiary. 

I thought it needed a very special pot.......

I had this terra-cotta urn that needed updating. 

I gave it a base-coat of cream paint. 

I then gave it a wash of watered down brown

craft paint. I used 'Burnt Umber'. 

Do this one small section at a time, 

then immediately wipe with a dry, soft cloth to remove

most of the dark paint. It will settle into the cracks

and crevices, giving it an aged look. 

I used the same technique on the metal urn that

hosts the cherub, last year. 

Jennie also gave me this sweet box of chocolates, 

which I hid in my Hand-crafted Heart Box:) 

Ramblin' Man is a candy thief. 

I do share - he just doesn't know where they are hidden :) 

My little secret. Shhhhhhh! 

Two of my sweet Valentines, 

Weenie Baby and Peanut (in front). 

Weenie Baby wasn't feeling very well, 

and is on medication, but she enjoyed her little romps

in between rain showers. 

It's been very gray here. 

Here we are at the bird feeder - bird seed spilled on the ground. 

Just look at those gray clouds! 

This little guy waits his turn at the hummingbird feeder. 

We had a lovely day Saturday visiting with my son, Gabe,

 his sweet wife, Erica and our precious little grandson, Ethan. 

This beautiful orchid was my first Valentine from Ethan. 

So beautiful. Orchids are amazing flowers. 

Here's the sweet little family last fall. 

Here's the little guy now, reading Grandpa's 

newspaper. He just loves to 'read'! 

Of course we think he is a genius. 

*smile*

He just turned 9 mos. old - where does the time go? 

He's crawling and clapping and enjoying 

swimming with his Mom at 'Mom and Me' group. 

No teeth yet, though. 

Our first Valentine's card as Grandparents. 

We watched our little sweet-pea while 

the new parents went out to dinner. 

While the little one slept, I crocheted 

a new basket with 'kitchen cotton'. 

(I haven't woven in the loose ends yet)

You can find the instructions to the basic 

basket on my previous post

 A Tisket, A Tasket - Little Crochet Baskets.

One note: I have eliminated the slip stitch joining

in each row, as it creates a noticeable join. 

Instead, I just mark the beginning of each row

with a stitch marker or you can use a piece of yarn, 

moving it as you complete each row. 

Once you achieve the basic circumference on the bottom, 

you can use any stitch to create the sides, simply

going around and around with no increases. 

I used single crochet here. 

I added this sweet shell edge by crocheting 

a final row of single crochet in cream, 

then a row of 'shells'. 

To make the shells:

*sc, skip next sc, 5 dc in next sc, skip next sc*

repeat from * around. 

I folded the edge down to achieve this charming effect. 

I'm having fun creating these little baskets

and now I am never without something to give

as a sweet gift. 

Another sweet Valentine; 

my little Kai. 

He is an excellent watch dog, 

always on alert. 

The two pals, Whitey Bear and Kai, in motion. 

Whitey Bear 'talks' to me. 

He's my sweet boy. 

Ramblin' man is doing his thing this week;

rambling, and the two little house-guests have gone home,

 so I will have some time 

to myself after my busy weekend. 

I have some sweet garden crafts to show you next time. 

I hope you are staying warm and dry, 

wherever you are my dear friends. 

xoxo

A little Consideration, a little Thought

for Others, makes all the difference. 

- Eeyore to Pooh in Winnie-The-Pooh, 

A.A. Milne, writer

xoxo

Today I am joining: 

The Enchanting Rose - Roses of Inspiration

Julie's Lifestyle - Cooking and Crafting with J & J

My Salvaged Treasures - Talk Of The Town

Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth - The Art of Home-Making Mondays