What a Little Color Will Do

I've had this horse trough sitting out front for awhile now, patiently awaiting some flowers. I finally got around to planting some in it a few weeks ago. I was really happy with the splash of color they added.

I love all things rusted and weathered, so the fact that this trough had some rust at the bottom only added to the charm of it for me. I liked the rustic, bare metal appeal.... until I went to the feed store last week and saw one out front painted a very bright PURPLE. Wow, it was really stunning and full of colorful flowers to boot.


I knew what I had to do. And I knew exactly what color mine would be...

TURQUOISE! Isn't this gorgeous? I think it really makes the flowers pop. I'm really happy with the result. As for the mailbox sitting there, that's another castoff I found and have not been sure what do with. Plant flowers in it? That was my original thought. But I had an idea the other day to put it on a post next to the gate of my garden and store my garden hand tools in it. Of course, now I will feel the need to paint it. Maybe bright red or yellow. Or maybe hot pink! (another post for another day)...

Another Etsy treasury, another cowgirl cuff!

Another one of my cowgirl cuffs has made it into an Etsy treasury created by Rockology3. In keeping with the theme of this one, it's my Winged Heart cuff (located on the bottom left).

Check out the other cool winged heart creations in this treasury ...

I always appreciate when someone chooses one of my designs to put in their treasury. The cuff that was featured last week sold to a fellow cowgirl in Oregon (thanks Jill!). I've decided that whenever I am lucky enough to have one of my designs featured I'll put that piece on sale for two days at 20% off the retail price in my Etsy shop. Simply send me an e-mail (link at top left) or leave me a comment on this post if you'd like to buy it. I'll adjust the price to reflect the 20% discount.

These cowgirl cuffs are gracing the wrists of cowgirls from Oregon to Maine and every state in between!

Monday Morning Wisdom

This seemed appropriate for a Monday morning. Those old cowgirls were tough ~ we can all learn a little from their grit and determination. Here's hoping you get out there today and make it happen!

Silent Sunday (chillin')

Spring Morning Bird House Tour

Now that it is getting light earlier, I am usually up and outside by 6am, watering the garden and feeding and checking on the animals. All of the mesquite trees are turning green. It's a welcome sight after a brown winter.I have a thing for bird houses. I can't pass one up at a yard sale or thrift store. We have a lot of trees on our property, so there are plenty of places to put them.

Some are fancy, like this church with the bell tower. Somewhere along the way it lost it's front doors, and it's been weathered by the sun, but I still love it. This one is on a post outside of my garden fence.

And some of them are plain. I bought this one (at a thrift store) thinking I'd paint it or stain it or do something to spruce it up, but in the end I just hung it in a tree.

These next two little ones are hanging inside the garden.But my favorite ones are these two that my dad made for me. He used Michigan license plates for the roofs.

This one has a red, white and blue license plate from the bicentennial (you can see the 76 in the corner). Love that! Every year a mama bird makes a nest in this one and when we go out to the barn to feed she flys out and sits in the tree across and cusses us out. I love to hear the little chirping noises coming from this house when I walk by.

Thanks for taking the tour with me. I hope everyone is enjoying these great spring mornings!

I Wanna Be a Cowgirl

My Texas Star Cowgirl Cuff has been featured in a treasury created by 3 Creative Sisters. What a nice surprise on a Monday morning! Thanks Sisters... To celebrate, and because it's Monday and the weather is awesome this morning and I'm feeling generous (he he) I'm selling this cuff for 20% off the price in my shop....just for you, my fellow cowgirl blog readers! :) If you're interested, leave me a comment, send me a note through my Etsy shop or send me an e-mail (link at the top left) and I'll send you an invoice through PayPal for the adjusted price.

Be sure to check out all the other great cowgirl creations in this treasury. So many talented individuals out there!

Cowgirl Quotes

I was in Tombstone the other day (and forgot to bring my camera!). I stopped in to a little general store that carries all kinds of cowgirl/cowboy goodies. I found this cowgirl trivial pursuit type of game...the cards all have cowgirl pics and quotes on the front and trivia questions on the back. I really only bought them for the pics and quotes! I'll be sharing them with you from time to time...I couldn't agree with this one more! I like a clean house as much as the next person, but I'll take cleaning stalls and working in the garden over mopping floors and dusting anyday! I love this time of year, the days are warmer and getting longer and I usually don't come inside in the evenings until it is dark. And when it's dark, you really can't see dirty floors and dusty furniture...

One Little Kitty

My Silent Sunday pic from yesterday was snapped a few weeks back in our barn. One of the neighbor's barn cats (we don't have any) decided she would have her babies in OUR barn. We discovered them when they were days old and didn't bother the mama so that she would not move them.

Well, Saturday afternoon I went into the barn and heard mewing. I peeked in where the kitties are at and there was ONLY ONE little whitish gray kitty back there. The rest were gone. And so was the mama cat. I went back into the house for a bit hoping that she was going to come back for this little kitty. Several times over the next few hours I went out to check and the kitty was still there. It was getting late in the evening, so I decided to take the kitty inside. She promptly made herself comfortable....

And off to the pet store we went to get kitten milk formula...

It took a few tries for her to get used to the bottle. She looks like a little Yoda! I think that will be her name....if we keep her. We haven't decided yet. We have a friend who wanted one of the kitties and she may take this one in....after it's on solid food. (Sure, sure, get us to do all the work!)
She sure is cute and sweet!

Silent Sunday

Make Mine Chocolate

The Rabbit Muse has a post on her blog today - Just Say No to the Easter Bunny. She provided some great info and I wanted to spread the message and add some of my own insight.Every year right before Easter you start seeing ads for baby bunnies for sale... And every year shortly after Easter you start seeing ads for "free bunnies" or worse yet, you start seeing domestic bunnies dumped on the side of the road. Make Mine Chocolate has a simple message: buy a chocolate bunny this Easter instead of a live one!

I have personal experience with this. Patches was an "Easter bunny".

I'm sure she was little when she was purchased from a pet store right before Easter. Several months later, when the novelty wore off for the people who purchased her, she weighed about 5 lbs. (When I responded to their ad, they said "she got big"). DUH. They had her in a hamster cage and she could barely turn around! Now she weighs in at 10 lbs. I bet the pet store sold her as a mini-lop, too, which she clearly isn't.

My message this Easter: If you really want a bunny, adopt one from a rescue and love them their whole lives!

Happy Easter every bunny!

Oh How Time Flies!

I can't believe it has been almost a year since I brought little Piper home. She will be 2 in May. Amazing how much growing they do in a year!

This picture was taken last June... This one was taken the other day...Where did that big horse come from??? She is as tall as Sassy now! (Not that Sassy is "tall", she's right at 14 hands) But still... According to my measurements, she will top out around 15 hh, which is just right for me.

And she has lots of filling out left to do. I put the weight tape on her the other day and she is about 735 lbs. She was 525 lbs when I brought her home... SO LITTLE!

Another pic from last June...

And another from just the other day...Hopefully by this time next year I'll be riding her. We've got lots of work to do before then, though. I'll be posting pics of us riding the trail before I know it!

My New Favorite Accessory

Is an APRON!

I posted a little while back about an apron give away at Cowgirl Goods. No, I wasn't lucky enough to win it, but I decided I needed one of my own anyway. Marjorie made this one just for me. I love the vintage cowgirl print on this apron, so fun to wear!

Check out Cowgirl Goods on Etsy for other great aprons. You know you want one! This is one of my favorites from Marjorie's shop:

Hmmm... I might just need to start a collection...

Silent Sunday (Aunt and her Buddy Boy)

Haute Cowgirl

Heart of a Cowgirl has been featured on Haute Cowgirl ! Haute Cowgirl is a one-stop source for all things cowgirl ~ from the latest trends to classic must have pieces ~ jewelry, boots, accessories, clothes, tack and more. They understand that a cowgirl’s wardrobe and life has many dimensions. Ride on over and check it out...tell 'em Heart of a Cowgirl sent ya.