Back From Extended Hiatus...Finally

It wasn't my intention to take so much time off, but it sure worked out that way. Time just flies by when life gets in the way.

I'm determined to get back to blogging, even if it's
only once a week or so.

Right now we are snowed in with the 2+ feet of snow that has fallen in the last two days. It's the most snow we've had in years, and reminds me of the snow storms I remember from my childhood. So I think it's the perfect, but brief topic to come back with today.

Dot and Turbo out enjoying all the fluffy white stuff.

Not much swinging going on in the backyard today.

Since we are basically snowed in, it was a great day to play outside, and make Snow Ice Cream. We did manage to have a couple of visitors for the day, when my niece brought her 3-year-old twin daughters over to hang out with us while she ventured out of town to attend a funeral. They were quite the little helpers, and kept us hopping all day.

Snow Ice Cream Recipe

8 cups of fresh clean snow

1 cup of milk

1 cup of sugar

2 tablespoons of vanilla extract

Mix together quickly, as the snow melts very fast, until somewhat creamy. It tends to be a little on the sweet side with this recipe, so if you want it a little less sweet back off on the sugar and vanilla a little bit. We topped ours with sprinkles.

Snow Ice Cream with Sprinkles

Helping measure out ingredients for the Snow Ice Cream

Emma, Callie and Brinlee having a little snow fun.

So all in all it was a great day of just girly fun with my kiddo, and great-nieces. We missed my hubby though as he is still gone plowing roads somewhere in a nearby community. I hate it that he has to be gone so much during bad weather, but it's his job, and it's just what he does. I'm proud of him for the hard work he does to keep the community safe in times like these.

Thanks for stopping by today, if it's your first time here I hope you'll stick around, and if you stop by occasionally, and have wondered when I'd be back...thank you, and welcome back, hope to see you again soon.

God bless and have a great day.

Antique Mall Fun!

Finally I have a moment a {short one that is} to share a tidbit about what I have been up to these last couple of weeks.

Recently a new antique mall opened in a nearby community, and since my daughter attends school in that town, we are there everyday. I took advantage of a little free time I had and paid a visit to this new place, and found a fabulous treasure trove of goodies.

Located in a historic building in the town of Redmond, Oregon, it's a must visit place if you are ever traveling through the Central Oregon area in the Pacific Northwest. Redmond has several antique stores, and malls but this one is by far at the top of the list.

Redmond Antique Mall 

is downtown, easy to find, run by a sweet amazing family that has brought a fun, positive energy to the industry in our area, and has a great group of vendors...

 I am loving it!

Redmond Antique Mall

Business has taken off with such a bang, vendor spaces filled up fast and there is a waiting list for spaces. However, on that note...I was lucky enough to score a display case space where, along with my mom we will be selling collectibles, housewares, restyled items, funky junky stuff, and restyled items. We also made sure our names were on that waiting list for a booth space.

A few things we have stocked our case with so far...

Forever Flowers - made from vintage jewelry and silverware

Hall China and Hand Painted Jars

I will have more pictures to share soon, we had a vendor's meeting this week and everybody is cool with me snapping photos and sharing so stay tuned. If you want to see some of the fun now check out the mall's facebook page Redmond Antique Mall Facebook

God bless and have a great day.

More Rustalicious Fun And Finds

I know I've mentioned this before...I'm not sure where my fascination with rust comes from. I am always drawn to items that are rusty, or have the patina of blues and greens that goes along with rust. I just really enjoy the endless color combinations.

Recently I shared a blog post I came across on how to rust and patina small metal objects like keys, from a sweet lady by the name of Barb at Treasures From The Heart.

So I just had to give it a try . . . and here are the results.

Now what to do with these rusty little gems, I'm sure there are some craft projects that will come up. Keys and little metal pieces like the spring will definitely be on my list of things to look for at yard sales now, and I'm sure if I keep digging around here I will come across more somewhere.

Check out the tutorial at Treasures From The Heart here, and give it a try.

Other rusty goodies I thought I'd share

I found this rusty gem of a gas can holder at a yard sale and paid a whopping $2.00 for it.

It will eventually become a shelf somewhere around my home.

I love the blue and rust combo.

 This rusty little bullet hole filled bucket I found up in a tree at an old homestead site,

it just had to come home with me.

My daughter thought I was crazy for buying this super rusty oven,

but for only $4.00 I just couldn't pass it up.

I will always be on the hunt for rusty goodies, and I will definitely be doing the Rust and Patina How To again. What kind of special rusty things or projects do you have? I would love to hear about it.

God bless and have a great day.

New Name . . . New Look, and Here's Why

"So why do some of your photos say "Toodlefetties Restyled and Rusty" on them?"

That's a question I have been asked, as I have recently been in blog redesign mode.

When I started my blog a couple of years ago, Toodlefetties was a name that I made up, it didn't really have any special meaning to me, and I could never come up with an image that would work for me. As a former graphic designer, I had more than one hair pulling out, frustrating moment while I was trying to create an image for that name.

So, recently I decided to rename, re-brand and redesign everything from my blog, to my facebook page, to my Esty shop...I know crazy, right?

So where did the name Coonie and Bees come from you ask?

Coonie is the nickname my sweet grandma had when she was growing up, and it always caught my attention when I would hear her talk about it. Bees for some reason sounded good with Coonie, and reminded me of Aunt Bea from Mayberry. Do you remember that old t.v. show?

This would be my sweet grandma Coonie

 her name is actually Thelma Jean, she is in her 90's now, and in the advanced stages of Alzheimers.

She is as beautiful as ever....

this picture is Grandma Coonie with my dad and grandfather
taken in the early 1940's

There are some very interesting stories to be told about my Grandma Coonie and Grandpa Ray, so when deciding on a name change for my blog, I knew that I wanted it to become more than just sharing my latest junky finds, and fix-up projects. I have a very rich family history, (and by rich I don't mean monetarily), and since I have a knack for, and get the urge to tell stories I decided I wanted to incorporate family stories, current happenings, my penchant for making up stories, and all things home, family and faith into what I do each time I sit down and hammer away on my keyboard.

So with that said, the image that is slowly developing in my head is..."a back in the day wholesome family time", when life was simpler but harder all at the same time. A day before the technology of today, when family was the focus, and people worked hard for what they needed, and reused what they already had.

A day in time before society became so disposable.

The actual look of the blog will probably remain for the most part as you see it now, but I will be changing the header pictures out on occasion depending on my mood and posts. It's the graphic designer in me, I can't resist the urge to play with my photo editing program to create collages and other fun stuff,  it should keep things interesting.

My hope is to have a fun, and interesting blog that readers, and blogging friends will want to grab a cup of coffee or tea, sit down, scroll through, and spend a little time with me. I hope I will be able to share things of interest, (I will be doing lots of that rusty, junky, restyling stuff I promise), things that will make you laugh, and maybe even things that will bring a tear to your eye.

So as we venture into { 2 0 1 3...Happy New Year } and Welcome to

Coonie & Bees Tales and Tellings

{ H a P p y - N e W - Y e A r }

Just taking a few minutes to stop in and wish everyone a {Happy New Year}

My sweet kiddo has been under the weather the last several days, and with all of the snow and freezing weather we have been having, hubby has had to work a lot of extra hours, so it will be a quiet New Year's Eve around our house this year.

Wherever you may be and whatever you are doing, have a safe, blessed and Happy New Year.

See you in 2013 with fun new adventures!

Thanks for stopping by.

Hangin' Out At Home

Today has been one of those rare days when the three of us just lazed around the house, mostly watching an NCIS marathon and playing on some sort of electronic gadget. Modern day family time...

With a couple of inches or more of snow on the ground and more coming down, it was just a good day to stay in by the fire.

I did manage to be somewhat productive, installing a heated water warmer in the chicken coop, then taking down the Christmas tree and packing away some of the other decorations. I guess sadly, that means Christmas is officially over.

I spent a good share of the day bouncing around the internet, looking in on blogs I like to follow, and checking out fun stuff on Pinterest.

So thought I would share a few goodies I found today...starting with this fun how-to from
 Treasures From The Heart an awesome blog with some fabulous stuff.

Rusty and Patina How To

Check out this how-to on rust dyeing fabric...one of these days I am going to do this.

A great article and instructions are here at hobbyfarms.com

 and then I couldn't resist a stop at Etsy after I saw these amazing earrings...

 I would love these from blackstar.etsy.com

 I don't know what my fascination is with rust, but sometimes I just can't get enough when it comes to decorating with it or searching for it at yard sales, so needless to say I have several treasures laying around.

There's these gorgeous weathered saw blades..most of which I inherited from my grandfather,
he used to do oil paintings on them.

or...this vintage egg scale

I dug this gem out of the dirt near an abandoned old house, it is one of my favorite finds.

And who wouldn't love the patina on this dustpan?
So what if it's missing it's handle.

I could go on and on, but I won't I will just leave you with a final photo of this lovely rusty cabinet I scored at a yard sale several years ago.

What kind of rusty treasures do you have laying around, please share as always I would love to hear about it.

Thanks for stopping by...have a great day!

Update....Not Yet!

So consistency with posting on the blog seems to be a challenge for me lately, and that's why I resolve to put it on the top of my list of {New Year's Resolutions}.

Since I like to write short stories, which often come from my over active imagination, or are based on actual events, I thought I would share the following story I wrote about a dining out adventure we had some time ago...So, enjoy while you wait for my promised updates on the happenings at...

{Coonie & Bees}.

Rooster At Large In Small Town

Last night we decided rather than eating in we would treat ourselves out to our favorite hometown Chinese restaurant. Nothing out of the ordinary for us, and probably $40.00+ dollars we should have stashed in savings...but you just have to treat yourself once in awhile.

Little did we know that our meal would include entertainment. A chicken round-up by our local County and City Police Departments was the last thing we expected to be witness to. It seems a fiesty little rooster had escaped from who knows where and decided to hang out around the restaurant. The problem being the very busy two lane traffic between where he came from and the restaurant. I know chicken verses automobile can't possibly end well for the chicken.

The little fugitive resembled this handsome fella found at ruralramblings.com

After spying the little rooster strutting around the flower planters next to where we were seated, we mentioned it to our server. Not sure what else to do, she had already contacted the police department who then sent an officer, he was unable to find the pint size poultry. Within minutes of our conversation and observing Mr. Rooster narrowly missing meeting his demise in traffic, on the scene arrived first a County sheriff's deputy followed shortly by City police officers.

Now to a bystander who was not aware of what was transpiring it would have been easy to assume that there could be serious police business going down on the South end of town. Police cars parked in the street, officers directing traffic, cars backing up in two lanes, people coming from a neighboring business to watch. In a larger town one may expect to see news vans and reporters swarming the area, however this being a small town we'd have to settle for bystanders with cell phone cameras. Unfortunately I had forgotten mine and couldn't get my husbands to work in the frenzy of activity, so I didn't get any video or photos.

Within minutes of arriving on the scene our dedicated police officers, after a moment of conferring and a few good natured chuckles amongst themselves, it was decided, it seemed that the county deputy would engage in a foot pursuit of the two legged feathered suspect with city officers acting as hazers to shoo the little critter in the deputy's direction.

Now anyone knows that a foot race between poultry and human is not going to be easy for the human and the chances of success in apprehending said poultry in a wide open space without the assistance of a net or some other device are slim to none. Those odds however did not stop our deputy and officers from executing operation Capture Rooster At Large.

After an  impressive sprint behind the rooster, dodging the obstacles of parked cars, flower planters, curbs and sidewalks, coming within inches of snagging the little feathered fowl, the deputy finally got a big break in the foot race when Mr. Rooster took refuge underneath a parked vehicle. Taking their positions to flush the perpetrator out of his hiding spot it was only a matter of seconds before he made his move to escape, only to end up trapped between the grill and grill guard on the vehicle he had hidden under. Allowing the officer to effect a successful two handed mid-air grab, finally catching the elusive little rooster as cheers and laughter erupted from the watching crowd.

So not only was it a brief moment of entertainment and conversation for the restaurant patrons it was a happy ending for the rooster and thankfully we didn't have to be witness to a tragic ending for the little guy. My appreciation goes out to our local law enforcement departments for being willing to take on the round-up and rescue of that rooster when they surely have more serious matters to attend to, and I am sure they never imagined their oath of to "protect and serve" would include catching wayward chickens.

copyright - TM Leno

Transforming Toodlefetties

It's not your imagination, and no Blogger hasn't gone crazy...Over the next few days you will notice some cool happenings going on! Toodlefetties is changing to...wait for it...

  Coonie & Bees Tales and Tellings

I will share a whole story as to how this all came about, but for now just wanted to give a heads up. Have a great day!

Dryer Vent Pumpkin

 Wow it's Monday already...It seems like overnight the leaves have started to change, and in no time at all the backyard will be knee deep in crunchy yellow and brown leaves from our poplar and maple trees...Kind of like this...

 I love this time of year, just not to overly excited about winter. Don't get me wrong there are things I love about winter, like warm crackling fires, steamy hot chocolate on a frigid, frosty night.

Boots and sweaters, the holidays...

My garden was lacking pumpkins this year, thanks to a cooler than normal summer.

So my solution to that... gather up the following items...

Dryer Vent Hose, Spray Paint, Twigs from the Yard, and Silk Fall Colored Leaves and tah-duh!

Dryer Vent Pumpkin...my version any way.

A little inspiration I found here at this fabulous blog by Courtney at

A Diamond In the Stuff

Check out her tutorial, and before you know it you will have a dryer vent pumpkin of your very own.

Another inspiration for these colorful gourds made of recycled materials

I found at this awesome blog...

It All Started With Paint

so the end result is my version of those adorable dryer vent pumpkins that are all the rage this season.

I can see a whole pumpkin patch of these in several different colors in my future.

 

What fun fall finds have you excited this year? Please share I would love to hear!

Thanks for stopping by...have a great day!

Joining in at these Link Up Parties...come join the fun!

Cottage Style Linky Party #15

Happy 4th of July!

Just taking a moment to wish everyone a  
Happy 4th of July

God Bless America and Our Troops

Have a safe and fun filled day...Toodles!

Things I've Been Up To Lately

Spring is a busy time around here,

and now we are smack dab into early summer.

It can be a challenge to get blog posts done this time of year with gardening, caring for our critters, my kiddos dance recital, and soon canning all of the delicious goodness that will be coming from the garden, keeping me busy.

Before you know it, it'll be County Fair Time and shortly after hubby and I will be venturing to Alaska for a week with his sister and her husband. We will be taking a belated 25th Anniversary Celebration Trip.

So thought I would just take a few minutes and share some

of what's been going on for me...

Seriously...I couldn't believe my hubby was planning to toss this rusty beauty...

sorry buddy but not in this household.

My answer to that is PLANT FLOWERS IN IT! (or sell it on Etsy)

Junky Yard Art

(Can't wait for the flowers to fill in and the grass to get greener)

The bathtub spent a lot of years as a water trough for my horses, the blue bench was a freebie at a yard sale, and hubby gave me "the look" when I snagged it. You know the one...Don't ask me why but the rusty old saw blades have just been hanging around in various places forever so thought I would group them altogether.

 My Grandfather's Vintage Artwork

One of the main goals I had for summer break, was to get our spare room,

which also serves as an office space/sewing room...reorganized.

In the closet I came across a vintage art portfolio of my grandfather's, my grandmother had given me years ago, and in it was a painting and some art lessons with instructor feedback, all dated July 1965.

What better way to enjoy and honor my grandfather, who was very talented, than to have these gems framed and displayed in my office/home. So that's the plan!

I've even managed to get out in my workshop and work on a few

Junkin' Restyle Projects...

Pop Crate & License Plate

Patriotic Artwork

(Yard Sale Find Canvas, Paint and a Painted Cardboard Star)

Tute on how I made that cardboard star in the works right now...
so stay tuned

Restyled Metal Box

Will make a great planter or storage for towels or something, I haven't decided yet.

So as soon as kiddos dance recital is over this weekend I will dive into more of the many projects I have laying around the workshop, some I will have up for sale in my Etsy Shop Toodlefetties Restyled & Rusty, and some I will no doubt keep for myself...I seem to do that way more than I should.

What kind of fun Spring/Summer stuff do you have going on?
Please share, I would love to hear about it!

Stop by and give my Toodlfetties Restyed & Rusty Facebook Page  a LIKE as well

would love to have you follow along.

Have a great day!

Toodles