WATTLE...WATTLE...DON'T CHA JUST LOVE SAYING WATTLE???

PRIMITIVE SLAB..MODIFIED WATTLE FENCE

Many years ago, I saw a primitive fence somewhere in Kentucky, I think.  It was love at first sight. I pledged to build a fence just like that first chance I got.  So, about twenty years ago I found a man who wanted to get rid of some wooden slabs.  Slabs are the parts cut from a tree before the sawmill begins to plane boards.  I was so excited.  I enlisted my son's help and we went about building my primitive fence. That was in the days before I had a computer or a good camera, for that matter. No pictures exist of my first attempt at building my beautiful modified wattle. I had to sell that property..goodbye my love.

Then last year, I was visiting an ancient battlefield site in Canada.....what did I spy circling a pumpkin patch.??...my heart jumped....there it was...my slab wattle fence.  Ok..pledged again to build another one of these beauties. Just so happens I live down the road from a sawmill. Of course, I paid my sawmill buddy a visit as soon as I got home.  Loaded up some slabs and other various chunks of discarded wood.  This time I "pretty pleased" my husband into gassing up his chain saw and getting after it.  Doesn't take much to make a man jump behind a toy with a blade and a motor:-)

We laid a flat stone under the first slab to protect it from rotting. We then started laying the slabs one after the other, never really measuring the thickness etc..makes for a more natural look.  weaving the design around trees and garden spaces make for a gentle flow.

I would love for this fence to go on and on, but alas no more slabs and hubby got bored and went onto another project. Perhaps one day I will make a trip to see my sawmill pal and pick up more slabs so I can wattle on and on and on....

Love this one as much as I did my first one.  doesn't take much to make me happy...an old slab of wood...laid in the right wattle . of course:-)

Hey There:

HOMETALK, The awesometastic home, garden and everything website asked me to manage a board of guest room make-overs.  Here are fifteen which caught my fancy.  Check them out.

I gave my guest room a little face-lift recently. I wanted it to have a more bold color scheme. It has a Western theme, so chose red gingham as an accent against my old shed door headboard.

I think my guests will enjoy the new down home feel.

Roy Rogers and John Wayne would feel comfortable kicking off  their dusty boots and taking a siesta on my fresh red gingham.  It is a man's kind of room, but yet gals won't complain:-)

ZEE OF HAWK'S CREEK: I BROUGHT BACK A PIECE OF MY CHILDHOOD AND IT WAS ...

ZEE OF HAWK'S CREEK: I BROUGHT BACK A PIECE OF MY CHILDHOOD AND IT WAS ...: Mr. Freeze and Old Man Winter decided to visit Texas.... It has been snowing all day. Mounds of the wet white wonderful stuff is surroun...

I BROUGHT BACK A PIECE OF MY CHILDHOOD AND IT WAS YUMMY!!

Mr. Freeze and Old Man Winter decided to visit Texas....

It has been snowing all day. Mounds of the wet white wonderful stuff is surrounding my little farm.  I am excited.  My joy may seem a little peculiar to residents of the Mid-West, New York, Colorado and such places. This is Texas, and I am sure some weather record is going to be broken.

Kids are piling on tons of warm clothing while planning their snowman construction.  The lowly vegetable..the carrot..has all of a sudden risen to new heights of grandeur.  No respectable snow-person would be seen without a stylish long orange nose.

I grew up in the Mid-West. where these kinds of wintry days are common in February as well as March and even April.  My mom used to make a special treat of snow ice cream on snowy days. Us kids thought this was the best tasting concoction to have ever melted in our little eager mouths.

Number one rule: NEVER use yellow snow!  After piling a huge amount of clean fluffy white snow into an old crock bowl, mom would then add yummy maple syrup or sugar and milk and vanilla.  Great memories with lots of laughing and fighting for the last spoonful of our special snow ice cream.

Now that I am warmed by a fond childhood memory, I think I will put on my parka, boots, gloves and head out to the field East of my house.  I will grab a crock bowl and pile it full of fresh fluffy snow.  I better scrape off the top layer...just to be safe:-)

Maybe I will share with my Texan husband who has never heard of snow ice cream...Maybe.

PRETTY PAINTED PAPERS WITH PUNCH AND PIZAZZ

PAINTED PAPER

Do you want to wrap a package with something other than store purchased paper or the ever ready and easy gift bag? Well my funky friends I have the solution for your creative fingers.
Years go ( more than thirty)...I know you are thinking.... how can that be,  Zee could not have been creating way back then, she was just a pup:-) I have always had my fingers in the creative pie.  Not always with success but always with vigor.
Anyway, all those years ago I gathered my little chicks together to make a unique paper for their gift giving treasures. I have not recreated this fun experience since then..until today.  I always make little "happy happy's" for my friends and family at Thanksgiving.  I try to make the package different and unique. This year I was stumped as to what to do, then I remembered the fun day we all had creating our own special papers.  I am going to share this technique.  Some of you may have already done this in some form, but maybe like me, you have not thought about it in awhile.

                                              SUPPLIES

 You will need a big plastic bucket or large plastic pan.  Fill with water to the top.

 Gather all your spray paint. All colors work. I like to use a variety, but you can customize if desired. I used metallic for this project too.

 You will need to purchase a roll of butcher's paper. This paper works best for this project.  If you have a local butcher, he will gladly let you buy whatever you may need.Clothes pins to hold your creations to a clothesline or other structure. I would also suggest a pair of rubber gloves and an apron.

PROCESS

 You will randomly spray your selection of colors onto the top of the water in your container.  At this point you need to work fast and do not disturb the paint by mixing it up. Place your butcher's paper directly into the water, making sure it is submerged carefully  The paint will adhere to the paper..like magic.

 The paper comes out with a unique design.  No two alike.  Beautiful.

 Hang delicately onto clothesline or whatever you have.  I used my wire garden fence.

You can see they are all unique and lovely. You can cut the paper to fit whatever size you need.  I find it is easier to work with smaller pieces.
When the papers are dry spray lightly with a clear acrylic to seal. 

                                            ADORNMENTS

When you are ready use your creation, add adornments to really give it added punch. You can add glitter, buttons, sequins, bits and pieces of lace, and any sort of tiny funk you desire.  Ribbons of lace, burlap, twine or rope make nice additions.  Have fun with it and the person receiving the gift will think you really went to a lot of trouble.  You did but wasn't it fun?!!!

I'M TALKIN' TRASH

DISGUSTING PICKS FOR THIS JUNKER

ALLY AND CRAZY STELLA

MY FAITHFUL COMPANIONS

I have a regular routine of picking up the trash on the two roads which border Hawk's Creek.  As most of you know I am a junker and very much used to "pickin'" through all sorts of junk and discarded items. I love making a treasure out of someone else's trash.  I have been doing this since I was a kid.
I also have been picking up trash along the roads of every place I have ever lived. I don't understand why anyone would throw out trash when there are garbage cans everywhere.  What possible joy could anyone get from this disgusting habit?
The two photos here show just one day's "catch". My two companions..Crazy Stella and Ally both loved riding along with me on my old trusty golf cart.  They especially loved it when I picked up something particularly nasty.  These odorous treasures made them jump with excitement when they saw me putting trash bags, gloves and shovels into the golf cart. On this day there was barely room for these girls to ride.
My precious Ally is no longer with us.  She was a beautiful, loving and joy filled friend.  Her illness hurt everyone who had the pleasure of seeing her toothy grin.  Ms. Crazy Stella was lost in spirit for a long time, but our regular trash trips still make her jump quickly into the passenger seat.
I get really tricked off when I see what has been left for me when I exit my driveway.  I make myself a promise that I will stop picking up after these inconsiderate,  ridiculous, thoughtless, people.  A promise I never keep.
I have picked up everything imaginable over my years as the self imposed Trash Patrol.  Never anything of value ( even for this gal who seems to find value in almost everything).  Please, instruct your children and anyone riding with you NOT to discard trash on the passing roadways. It gives our beautiful world a face full of blemishes.

STELLA ROMPING IN A CLEAN ROADSIDE..

LET'S KEEP OUR WORLD BEAUTIFUL..................................

ZAZZY ZEE THE JUNKER WAXES POETIC

APRIL IS POETRY MONTH

Since I am a poet and I love junk and all things rusty and dusty, I thought I would write an ode to my blatant junking habit.  I know all Junkers and collectors of treasures ( no matter what they may be) will identify with my obsession with having more than one of anything!

I am open...open for buying, selling, chatting, dreaming and having adventures...

TREASURE JUNKIE

She's a treasure junkie,                                                       
every corner occupied,
studio art in piles,
empty space is rare.
    THERAPY  IS SUGGETED

Rows of colored bottles dance like
Rockettes on a windowsill stage.
Books partner with vases of
muted pottery while doll's painted
faces laugh behind cupboards
of glass.
     THERAPY IS SUGGESTED

Quilts stacked on handmade boxes color
my world with whimsy.
Curiosities from a whittler's knife
sit amongst spinning tops,
old road signs speak order on a
bathroom wall,
seashells perch on rolls of Charmin...
      THERAPY IS STRONGLY SUGGESTED                     

Perfume bottles, fragile mirrors leave
no toothbrush room,
hats on every peg, table and post,
beads and baubles fill drawers,
no space for "normal" stuff
        THERAPY IS USELESS

Who doesn't like signs with flying horses? Stuff dreams are made of...

And wooden boxes and kegs, these bring to mind Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer floating down the mighty Mississippi...

Architectural elements and all things rusty, iron or metal spell LOVE.

Come on over to Hawk's Creek, we have plenty of chairs for you to relax on and spin a yarn or two.

I always wonder who packed their lunches in these metal treasures.  Where did they work, what joy did they have after a long days labor and did their kids know how hard they worked?

I will find a use for this windmill tail one day.  Until then, I like looking at it as I enter my shop.  It makes me smile, knowing it helped bring water to a long ago farm.

A JUNKER'S LIFE

Take it, it's free
Yes, I'm in charge
This junk belongs to me.

Where did it all come from?
The garage, the attic and storage room.
I'm a junkaholic, a garage sale bum.

Perhaps, I'll stop, I know I should.
There is no more room.  I will stop!                                   
If only I could.

It's an illness, so very detectable.
Bruises, scrapes and an aching back;
picking up an antique or a collectible.

One day it will all come to a halt.
Friends and family will sort through
all I have bought.

They will laugh and say I had a curse.
Joke's on them.
I've rented a U-Haul to go behind my hearse!

WE MUST TAKE TIME TO STAY COOL, CALM AND CORRECTED IN OUR WALK

Yes, it is always good to walk around with Mother Nature. Look at what God has given with a free hand of love. We all love our passions but taking time to reflect helps us to put everything into perspective.

Yes, and of course, while I am doing this, I start collecting seeds, bird's nests and unusual twigs to use in future projects. I guess being a Junker strays into all aspects of our lives. I love it..don't you?

You know this is just waiting to be re-loved into a new life. Let's all be loved and re-loved. We too can be re-purposed.