An American "Welcome" ...

Given that its now the middle of May and I still had our Easter wreath up ... I decided to skip out on my workout yesterday and make something to take the place of our Easter wreath ... thought I would make something that I could leave up from now through the 4th of July!! :)

 Hanging on the brick siding next to our front door ... 

A few closer-ups of the letters:

A view from more of a distance ... Oops, I forgot to close the front door prior to this pic :-) 

So ... what do you think?!?

Tutorial of how I made this with step-by-step instructions and pics to follow ... check back later :-) and please feel free to leave comments ... I LOVE them!!!

Given the patriotic nature of this craft and the upcoming holidays, I've linked up here for a Memorial Day tribute link party:

Hen House ... A Sneak Peak ...

Well ... I had originally posted this on the 10th and linked up to some parties ... not sure what happened!?! Had the same thing happen with a post on my cooking blog as well on the 10th ... Anyway, here it is again :)

This has been my project for the past 10 days or so and my main reason to not getting to other crafty projects or my poor blog lately ... but I think the "chicks" appreciate it as they are growing so quickly and needed some more space to stretch their wings. Its not yet finished or positioned in its final location (our backyard ... which is a whole other project :-/ ) but I thought I would post a few pics of the progress we've been making! So ... here's a preview of our "Hen House"

The "Design" 

The materials - well most if it anyway!

My "Helpers"

The frame ... with the Hubby helping :)

Starting the sides ...

Break time ... or should I say "Vino Time" 

Adolescent hens checking out their new coop ... with my little chicks supervising :)

Winner of ... The Versatile Blogger!

This is SUPER exciting for me :) I received an email from Kara over at Nest Candy that Kindred Spirits Creations was awarded "The Versatile Blogger" award! This is super exciting for me ... did I mention that already!?! A little reassurance that fellow bloggers/crafters are checking in and enjoy the craftiness that I have been posting! It's also another way to generate traffic to my blog which is always nice :) Now for the fun part ... I get to share the love with a few more bloggers :)

Here are the rules:

1.) Winners- Put the above image in your blog.

2.) Include a link back to the person who gave it to you.

3.) Tell 10 things about yourself

4.) Award 3 other bloggers

5.) Contact the bloggers you awarded and let them know they won.

About me:

1.  I'm married (almost 9 years) to my best friend and high school sweetie ... we dated for the first time in 7th grade :) and now have two AMAZING daughters (4 and almost 2)
2. I'm a total FOODIE ... and I LOVE chips and salsa!!! It'd be a complete meal if it were up to me :) oh, and I'd put cheese, crackers, vino and good chocolate into that category as well!
3. I, myself, use all the tools necessary to complete my projects ... including chop saws, drill press, belt/disc sander ... even a skill saw on the Chicken Coop ... which was a little scary ... my wonderful Hubby helps out whenever I need, but I find it rewarding to do it myself :)
4. The thought of working out makes me very grumpy and I argue with myself about it frequently but once I done, I feel AMAZING!!! 
5. I enjoy cooking and baking just as much as crafting ... so much so that I also started a cooking blog a while back ... although now I kinda wish I kept them on one blog ... a little less computer time :) If your interested, check it out: Kindred Spirits Kitchen 
6. Favorite bouquets of flowers include Roses, Alstroemeria and Spider Mums ... although a colorful assortment of Gerber Daisies is a close runner-up! 
7. I get a slight high off of getting a good deal ;) 
8. I listen to ALL kinds of music ... country, rock, rap, hip-hop, jazz, reggae, adult alternative (music channel on Comcast) and most often have swing music play the background (Adele, Norah Jones, Michael Buble)
9. I received this award about 12 days and have probably put too much thought into this section ... but I'm happy with how its turned out :) so its all worth it!!!
10. Next on the "crafting" adjenda includes a summer time "Welcome" sign, a herb/veggie garden, and some "Vino" decor for our kitchen ... so please check back for some more fun stuff to come!

 Sharing the love:

1. Laura over at Laugh, Love, and Craft has lots fun stuff ... recipes, crafts, coupons ... this great idea for a kids bookshelves is also my list of stuff to do!
2. CraftySix is an Army wife with lots great stuff! Check out her inspiring ideas for different styles of wreaths and wooden block crafts! 
3. Pam of Pams Party and Practical Tips posts TONS of amazing party ideas as well as coupons and places to find great deals!