Southern Exposure: Huge Sun Face!

When spring comes, my pals and I head to Southern Exposure for our creative workshops and to ease our wniter-weary spirits. At no time in the year is it more welcome to visit this Michigan herb farm, enjoy a lovely walk in the beautiful gardens and one of Chef Elsie's dinners than in the spring. It's so welcoming to see tulips and bleeding hearts, daffodils and forsythia blooming up our winter white world at long last.

The photo above was taken last year. Our first visit this year coincided with cold and snow (which arrived after we safely returned home) and nary a bloom, apart from those on the beautiful dinner table.

For those who are relatively new here, Southern Exposure is what I call a destination experience. A working farm, the owners host creative sessions which include dinner and then a project. It may be a wreath, a floral arrangement or a decorative project. Tonight's project was called Huge Sun Face! More on that in a minute.

Jan, Kate and I arrived and after checking in headed to the gift shop, which is always filled with fabulous "forever flowers" (I can't remember which of you named them that but I love that name!), beautiful pillows, vessels, urns and decorative elements.

I am SO making these herb markers -- and soon! It's not like I don't have a few wine corks hanging around!

Then onto the Milking Parlor, the original cow barn, for dinner. Milking Parlor, you have come a long way!

Here sixty of us enjoyed Chef Elsie's Peruvian dinner and fabulous dessert. It would tie in with our project, an Incan-inspired sun face.

As usual, the room is beautifully lit and decorated.

I loved the idea of the wreath-in-a-frame look. (I need bigger and more walls.)

And I also loved the forsythia-draped chandeliers.

Then it was on to the Craft Tent where our 50-pound sun faces were laid out on bales of hay. We had a container of clear coat poly, gloves and a brush and it was off to work.

Our teacher, Micah, explained the process. The Southern Exposure staff had prepped these for us, aging them with a mixture made by letting steel wool sit in vinegar for at least a week and applying that to the surface of our sun faces.

They all rusted or picked up color in different ways, so each was different in coloring.

We brushed the rust down a bit and applied the clear coat, which gave it some shine and would also protect it from the elements. In Michigan, you have to protect from the elements!

Voila! Done!

I'd lift this up to show you but -- well, I can't! It's wide and heavy, definitely a two person job. Fortunately, they loaded them into our cars for us and that's where mine is till I figure out where it's going and Rick can help me unload it!

I'm scheduled for two more workshops this spring -- Log Planter and one making tin kitchen planter we'll fill with herbs. And next time, I should be able to share some beautiful blooms for real!

Signs of Spring

I saw the first bunny of spring this past week -- and the first robins, too. OK, so it's 20 at night. At least there are signs of spring!

Other signs of spring? How about the giant chocolate bunny at our local confectioners?

Evil, hungry squirrels? (OK, not so evil, but annoying!)

Easter baskets?

Easter eggs?

Pretty table linens (Thank you, Rita, for this and more!)?

Pizza with friends?

Birthday celebrations for two?

Springtime table settings?

More bunnies?

Easter egg hunts?

Grandpa time?

Being with my tribe?

Totally unbelievable desserts? (Nigella's chocolate meringue truffle cake)

A Baby Grand celebrating his first Easter dinner with "real" food?

More birthdays?

Hugs?

And more hugs?

We're kind of enjoying this Baby Grand  (Well, "kind of" is definitely an understatement!) -- and he seems to like us!

Yes, these are signs of spring ...

... and we're loving it!

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Happy Easter!

Remember when we received the Easter baskets instead of making them?

Oh, those were such happy days!

May your basket be filled with beautiful blessings! Happy Easter!

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb

A Few Poems About Sheep

The Shepherd

by William Blake

How sweet is the Shepherd's sweet lot!

From the morn to the evening he strays;

He shall follow his sheep all the day,

And his tongue shall be filled with praise.

For he hears the lamb's innocent call,

And he hears the ewe's tender reply;

He is watchful, while they are in peace,

For they know when their Shepherd is nigh.

Baa Baa, Black Sheep (Anonymous)

Baa, baa, black sheep,

Have you any wool?

Yes, sir, yes, sir,

Three bags full;

One for the master,

And one for the dame,

And one for the little boy

Who lives down the lane.

March Comes In Like a Lion

and Out Like a Lamb

      

The end.

Wishing you a Happy Easter Week

(A quick note to reader Carolyn who wanted to know where to get the carrots used in the basket project in the last post. I found a bunch of 3 for $2.99 (and then 40% off) at Hobby Lobby, but if that's not convenient, Michael's or JoAnn's probably have them. I saw them today at Pier One for $4.99 -- same thing -- minus 20%)

Quick, Easy Easter Project!

A few weeks ago, I was out on my rounds and saw this very cute and highly overpriced basket in a shop.

And I thought "I can do that."

Supplies:

• Small basket or handled box
• Faux carrots -- number based on size of  basket
• Glue Gun and glue sticks

It's insulting to even write this down because we're all over five, so forgive me.

Instructions: Attach carrots to basket with glue gun. (See, I told you.)

And you're done.

A couple of things here -- first, unless you have oodles of carrots, your basket will be need to be quite small. I thought I had small baskets but even the smallest I tried called for more carrots than I had bought (15) and I didn't feel like going back. (And I confess, I liked all of the rejects better because they had a taller handle like the one in the shop and that made a difference for my second point below.

But I did have this little wooden box with a handle I'd bought with greens at Christmas a year or two ago and it was perfect. If you use a rounder or more contoured basket you will probably want to line up your carrots like the original sample and not straight up and down, but this was a flat-sided box.

Second, I do like the fluffy carrot tops on the store's version but I decided not to do that. Yet. Here's why. I wanted to put the bunny inside and it was a low handle. Anything too tall would run into the handle. If I fluffed the carrot tops, you couldn't see the bunny at all unless I trimmed them quite low. And I wasn't sure I wanted to do that. It's not like you can put back what you cut off. (I learned that at the ripe old age of six when I cut my doll's hair playing beauty parlor.)

I thought about trimming the carrot greens and I still might, but I kind of liked him peeking through.

If you want fluffier greens, you can trim and shred the carrot greens and fluff them up. I may try that, but so far, this is what I've got!

Total cost on this project: $8.50 for the carrots (five bundles of three at $2.99, minus 40 percent off). I had the glue, box and bunny. Cost of store basket: $35. Does not include bunny.

(A quick note to reader Carolyn who wanted to know where to get the carrots used in the basket project in the last post. I found a bunch of 3 for $2.99 (and then 40% off) at Hobby Lobby, but if that's not convenient, Michael's or JoAnn's probably have them. I saw them today at Pier One for $4.99 -- same thing -- minus 20%)

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Shop Till You Drop

I've been trying to refrain from shopping too much this season. Well, actually, refraining from buying. Shopping in and of itself isn't the issue! But when my friend Jan and I hit an old favorite and one that is destined to be a new favorite, it was hard to resist!

The faux flowers are so beautiful now. Remember the old wax ones our mothers might buy? Not so anymore! I loved the cabbages too, but they were pretty expensive. Enough so that I figured I could buy real cabbages and keep them going long enough if I chose!

I bought a different bunny similar to this one. It was tough to choose!

And I resisted this guy. But it was hard!

And then we hit a new spot called "At Home." It was like a home goods warehouse only a little nicer than a warehouse -- but just as big! Aisles of pillows...

Aisles of outdoor furniture seat cushions...

Aisles of flower pots. They had the wonderful lighter weight pots in beautiful finishes that looked very real and the prices were so much less than the usual home and garden stores that Jan and I were both amazed.

Faux flowers and wreaths? They had them!

And rugs (this was their special -- a 5x7 and a runner for $30. We're probably not talking the greatest quality here, though they looked pretty good from the display. But at that price, you don't feel so bad about it wearing out. I came very close with that turquoise one. But for where?

You could find kitchen ware, clocks, four aisles of mirrors, furniture, BBQ accessories, gadgets and decorative items, vases...

Oh yes, we'll be going back! But I leave you with another burst of spring flowers.

Enjoy!

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