tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34634551263261799742026-05-07T15:43:28.474-04:00A place to share my love of photography and things related to my home and garden.Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.comBlogger627125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-38665221017130037272017-07-12T13:19:00.000-04:002017-07-12T13:19:38.943-04:00

I mentioned yesterday that I would show you how I did the faux stain finish on my "Farmhouse Grunge" chest of drawers.   I usually strip and sand to get to the raw wood and refinish. I had been using paint to stain smaller craft project pieces and it worked so well that I wanted to try it on the top of this chest of drawers.   I used the same dry brushing technique

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-35192167301441778682017-07-11T22:20:00.000-04:002017-07-12T19:19:21.426-04:00

I found this chest of drawers at Goodwill about two years ago. The drawers were quite snug and wouldn't open without a serious struggle. It also had a musty smell which can be common in older pieces, especially if they have been in storage. I spent hours working on the drawers sanding and hand planing so they would open and close without catching and becoming stuck. Then it sat for

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-32160383703478359422014-08-19T20:37:00.000-04:002014-08-19T20:41:00.016-04:00

I recently purchased this stepback cupboard. It wasn't very attractive with its red stain and thick layer of varnish but I new it had potential to be beautiful. I always jump right into projects forgetting to take before pictures. This was taken after I had already stripped the top. Cupboards seem to be a slow sell right now, but buffets are popular and usually move quickly. I knew this piece

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-44128152631687157662014-08-09T09:00:00.000-04:002014-08-09T23:38:16.116-04:00

I got this vintage Sears French Provincial desk at a garage sale a few weeks ago. It obviously had been used as a makeup vanity and years of makeup were caked on it. It was so dirty. It got a thorough scrubbing inside and out. It had dirty wallpaper stuck inside the drawer that I could not remove. I remembered seeing a handy tip on Pinterest about removing wallpaper with fabric softener.

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I started Robin's Nesting Place in April 2007. I was a homeschooling, stay at home mom who had just begun learning photography. I had a passion for gardening and nature and this was a place to share those hobbies. My life is quite different now. My children have graduated our homeschool and are happy, busy adults. I started working over two years ago in the neatest vendor mall in our small

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-29958778919322976542014-03-28T10:19:00.000-04:002014-03-28T10:19:12.764-04:00

 Did you or your children ever watch Sherry Lewis and Lambchops? If so, do you remember the "Song That Never Ends"?  "It goes on and on, my friends! (Sorry for getting that one stuck in your head!) Anyway that is how I feel about winter! It seems never ending this year! We actually had snow flurries and sleet again yesterday morning!  Desperate for a bit of color, I bought

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-35000715685223643692014-01-27T21:36:00.002-05:002014-01-27T21:38:07.638-05:00

So far this winter has been one for the record books! It looks like we may break the record for recorded snow fall. We have also had record breaking lows and wind chill. My poor birds are having a hard time surviving the cold. In less than twenty-four hours I found three dead birds on my patio. There were two house sparrows and a male cardinal. It makes me incredibly sad to see this. The

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-26231367066539606122013-12-08T20:15:00.001-05:002013-12-25T23:16:04.053-05:00

 It's hard to believe that it has been so long since last posting here at Robin's Nesting Place. I think often about this poor neglected blog and I dearly miss the days when photography and blogging were priority. Hopefully one day I will have the time and energy to get back to regular blogging.  Last year, for a Lowe's Creative Ideas project, I did an outside Christmas

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-46932219572112125602013-07-15T14:09:00.002-04:002013-07-17T10:32:15.027-04:00

When my children were young I started planting parsley so we could attract black swallowtail butterflies to our garden. We would gather the eggs and tiny caterpillars and bring them inside and watch the amazing metamorphosis. It never thrilled them as much as it did me! Even though the children are grown I still bring caterpillars inside to watch the amazing transformation from egg to

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-3018774623593954642013-04-04T12:33:00.000-04:002013-04-04T12:33:22.711-04:00

One of my goals as a gardener has been to attract the birds to my small yard. I have one nesting box that that has been used by the black-capped chickadees for several years. Some years they raise two broods. The same box has been used by wrens. I saw this morning that the black-capped chickadees are already busy building their nest in this box!  The robins are busy building their nest

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-38277776910203946012013-04-02T07:00:00.000-04:002013-04-02T07:00:00.842-04:00

I cleaned up some in the yard Monday! It was still cold but at least the sun was shining! I was saddened by the condition of my flower beds and my yard. I lost so many plants last summer during our severe drought. My flower beds are for the most part a blank slate again.  I still can't tell if my Kousa dogwood survived. It doesn't look good. We used to have such a nice lawn, it is mostly

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-86102211024525611102013-03-20T07:00:00.000-04:002013-03-20T07:00:05.540-04:00

The male cardinal and male house sparrow face-off: The cardinal wins!

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-42129424192435851132013-03-19T06:30:00.000-04:002013-03-19T09:01:21.560-04:00

Winter, (in Indiana), is not quite ready to hand the reins over to spring! We had a bit of wintry mix again last night and for some reason it feels colder to me in March than it did all winter! I am longing for warmth and sunshine! I usually hibernate as much as possible during the winter but I knew the March 6th snowfall would probably be our last so I ventured out to Forest Park and

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-65683563482564941052013-01-23T21:47:00.000-05:002013-01-23T21:48:46.965-05:00

I have enjoyed photographing the birds today, especially the mockingbird! It was freezing and we had a few flurries so the feeders were at full capacity! I thought this caption was fitting for this picture! I made it for my daughter because she is so not a morning person and this has been a running joke in our family for several years! I think I'll make an 8x10 of it for her to hang over her

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-29842617799324568272013-01-21T21:31:00.002-05:002013-01-21T22:57:07.096-05:00

There is a new meme called, " No Winter Whining- Finding Color in Winter".  It is Jen from Muddy Boot Dreams and  Heather from, Life is a garden. Winter is in full force today and the temperatures have plummeted! We are under a weather advisory due to wind chills to -20°, but I'm not whining! As the snow fell and the wind blew, I sat for a few hours bird watching! Camera in hand, of

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 What crazy winter weather we have in Indiana! Saturday was a beautiful sunny day with a high of 63°! What a glorious break for those of us who get a little weary of the grey winter skies!Yesterday the temperatures started dropping and we had torrential rains with flooding. This morning when I went out to fill the bird feeders it was snowing and 16°! I am still enjoying my mockingbird

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-69138000150995508882013-01-09T22:50:00.000-05:002013-07-15T15:31:36.770-04:00

 It was almost 50° and sunny today! The snow has melted! I have spring blooms inside! This has only whetted my appetite; I am so ready for spring!

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-47624118739911422402013-01-08T21:48:00.001-05:002013-01-08T21:48:42.195-05:00

These photos are from the archives.  I love this rusty old turquoise truck! It is at Stonycreek Farms in Noblesville, IN. It is one of my favorite places to visit in the fall!

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-82133703444469684672013-01-07T20:11:00.000-05:002013-01-07T20:11:12.544-05:00

 Here are a couple of pictures of my winter bird feeding station after the snow a few nights ago! It is beautiful covered in snow with the white lights twinkling! It's warming up so the snow is melting. I am looking forward to a few days of mild temperatures! Here is another shot with some photo editing and desaturation. The tension is high at my house tonight! My guys are ready for

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Most of us put away our birdbaths during the winter months since concrete, ceramic and clay birdbaths can crack and break when the water freezes. However the birds still need water during winter for drinking and bathing. My solution is a large plastic plant saucer filled with rocks. I take steaming hot water out each morning and pour it into the birdbath. Almost as soon as I go inside the

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-48108115755700985302013-01-05T20:48:00.001-05:002013-01-05T21:11:34.489-05:00

Unfortunately another dove hit the sliding glass doors. I didn't see it on the patio so hopefully it wasn't injured. This also happened in February 2010, and I blogged about it then. Doves have powder down feathers, (extremely fine feathers that disintegrate into a dust-like substance). This powder down  creates a dove ghost when they strike a window! Observing nature is quite

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-57755482771731526182013-01-04T22:05:00.002-05:002013-01-04T22:05:36.128-05:00

Longing for warmer weather! A 2012 summer butterfly.

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-54785096657645144392013-01-03T21:59:00.000-05:002013-01-03T21:59:19.972-05:00

 My son was getting off work one night and as he walked to his car he was approached by a very skinny kitten. She was friendly and desperately wanted his attention. My son called me to see if he could bring her home until he found a home for her. Of course, I couldn't let a starving kitten stay in the parking lot, so I said yes. The first night she stayed in the garage because she had a

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-72002652793709464142013-01-02T20:30:00.000-05:002013-01-02T20:30:01.848-05:00

 It is frigid weather here with a low of 9° last night! I was hoping for another mild winter like we had last year but it looks like we are in for a cold and snowy one!  When I get up in the morning the birds are waiting for me.  I had five male cardinals in the tree yesterday! They stop me in my tracks with their brilliant red feathers. I hope their spectacular beauty

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-78559640117260323482013-01-01T21:13:00.001-05:002013-01-01T21:56:00.703-05:00

 The first few weeks after setting up my winter bird feeding station most of the birds ignored it. All it took was a little snow for  the birds to discover what was tucked in the branches! The mockingbird was apprehensive at first but is a regular visitor now. It favors the peanut butter cups but also eats the homemade suet. Happy New Year to each of you It is so

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