Just Whimsical area of a garden. http://www.summerspastfarms.com/fairygardens.htm http://www.thefairysgarden.com/ http://www.miniature-gardens.com/ things created in about 1/12 scale (7-8 inches) put into a little scene in the garden. Do not believe in fairies, but a fun thing for kids to play with, no more scarey than Barbies. But then some people believe http://www.fairygardenparty.com/clipart/pageHeaders/greenPlants.gif www.fairyamber.com/ You can search this site and find a lot of threads about finished ones and finds for one. Here is a link that might be useful: A great supplier and plenty of ideas

Hello all, It looks like everyone had a great valentine swap. Great boxes everyone. My surgery went well and I am recovering quickly. Still not allowed to do much. The doc said you can return to your normal routine but don't push, pull, or pick up any thing over 5 pounds so hey, whats left. Normal????? I am trying desperately to be good. I am doing mostly computer work at the nursery trying to get my website and ebay store ready for opening soon. I have a friend that is helping me with heavy labor and I am getting to boss him around so that is nice :O) LOL. I got in a huge order of plants today and had to get them all ready for the cold snap, so I have been busier than I wanted to but all is going well. The hardest part will be not over doing it before time. Thanks for all the inquiry's. One thing I wanted to mention was the fact that a couple days ago I came home and found a box in my front yard. It was from our sweetheart Jo. She said that I had the most votes from those that chose to vote for the best xmas box. I was floored when I opened it. It contained the most beautiful throw. It is made of fleece material and is reversible with red daylilies on one side and a beige/green fleece on the backside. It is sooooo cool as it is not sewn but cut on the edges and tied together every inch or so. Never seen one made like it and it is sooooo warm and cozy, and soooo pretty. My yorkie has been fighting me for it ever since it came! Also in the box was a beautiful hand made (of course from Jo) angel. It is sitting on my mantle right now. She also included a nice corn bag. Just pop in the microwave and place on a sore or tired muscle for instant relief. Very nice. It has been quite handy the last couple days for my abdomen. Thanks sooooo much Jo. My camera stuff is still at work so I haven't taken pics yet but I will and I will show everyone the wonderful suprise gifts that I recieved. Thanks so much Jo for your generosity and thoughtfullness and thank you all for the votes that I never expected. It was a beautiful surprise. I also gave my notice to my job. My last day will be the 28th officially even though I can't really return anyway for atleast 6 weeks. I have left my position to focus full time on getting the nursery open. My open date is still March 18th. Hope I can recover and get everything done in that amount of time. It will be close enough what ever I get done. My career has changed, I am now an unemployed/self employed nursery owner. I finally got my license and all the other paperwork done and I am on a new road. Anyway guess that catches me up. I am guessing that I will be out of the corner in april so I hope to get back in the loop then. Take care Tanarae

Thanks for posting those Snolady--but I'm not ready yet! I'll come back and check each of them out later this week. LOL Luvs

Along the lines of Meghane's suggestion above... Find some Valentine-theme ribbon at a sewing or craft store. Stitch it securely to nylon collars. Be sure to measure the collar width(s) before you go ribbon shopping. This would work for all sizes of dog and cat collars. Another collar idea: ***For dogs, paint simple dogbones and hearts on nylon collars using decorative paint. For an easy dogbone, paint a straight line, then put twin dots at each end. Alternate with hearts. ***For cats, paint little fishies and hearts similarly. Another collar idea (for cats or dogs): Just cut a length of sturdy holiday themed ribbon, fold over ends and stitch to prevent ravelling, then put corresponding spots of "hook and eye" stuff (Velcro) on each end. Much cheaper than using the nylon collars. If you can't find ribbon you like, consider using cotton or blend material... just make a tube, turn right side out and turn the ends in, press flat, stitch up the middle or each side and across ends to finish and to keep it flat. Finish with the Velcro spots. Make them in several sizes. Note on collars: You may find that the pet owners don't really know what size to get for their dog or cat, so try some on various size pets beforehand and make a chart... an X" collar fits a cat, a Y" collar fits a MinPin, a Z" collar fits a Golden Retriever, etc. Then be sure the collars are labeled with sizes. A toy for kitties: paint little hearts on two practice golf balls; glue one to each end of a curly shoelace. Or use pingpong balls; drill a hole in each ball, insert the ends of the shoelace and glue them in place. Dog toy: Got some fleece or berber scraps in Valentine colors? Cut three pieces, 1" x 1 yd, or 2" x 1-1/2 yds, or 3" x 2 yds. Tie a knot in one end, braid, tie another knot - a braided shaker toy. (I took these instructions from a book... you might want to make one first to see which dimensions work best.) Of course you can paint cute designs on plain dog and cat feeding bowls. Make a batch of dog bone 'treats' recipe, and use a heart shape to cut them out! They would look really special if you put just one or two (depending on size) into a zip-lock sandwich bag and used Jacquelyn's Valentine Bag Topper for each one! If you do computer crafts, make up some notecards with a cute picture or cartoon on the front with a related saying, like: "Here's some dog-gone good news!" "I'm letting the cat out of the bag!" "Love me, love my dog" "A house is not a home without a dog" And be sure to put your group's colophon on the back. Package them up nicely, maybe a group of four cards and envelopes in a zip-lock bag. I realize your fundraiser is for dogs, but I included cat items because many owners have both. If you can get to your public library, there are many books available on making special toys, treats, gifts, etc. for dogs and cats. Here is a link that might be useful: Holiday Bag Toppers