Winter has come but no reason to hibernate...

You are not alone if you dread the cold winter darkness. I find most of my creative ideas are formed as the cold wind howls outside our home. I enjoy the slow down of the season but after a month or two I am itching to get back in the sunshine.

I thought I would share with you some ideas for winter fun which do not involve pieces of wood attached to your feet while you freeze with the wonderful cold wind induced nose 'cicles streaking your face.

I am fortunate (or just addicted according to the Captain) on finding lots of wood frame windows at no cost. My collection has grown over the summer to grant me plenty of use for winter fun.

What am I up to now? Besides day dreaming as the first of many seed catalogs appear in the mail box, I am dreaming up one of these:

Now I must give credit where credit is due. This wonderful indoor greenhouse or "Conservatory" was handmade by Linda at Blue Gate. I spotted these a while back and had put them into my winter idea file. Yes, unfortunately I do have one upon which I go perusing for inspiration and a boredom buster.

If this one perks your interest, go over here to check out more pictures of these whimsical glass worlds* in her "yard Conservatories" section.

If you live in an apartment or a very small/ yard less house, this may just be a dream of a greenhouse come true. And for those of us who just want a place to put our plants inside, this is a sure winner.

I am making ours with just the windows and not the spindle pieces. The open V at the top I will cut glass to fit and make it fully enclosed. Hinges to go on one side window for easy access.

You could make one of these by first building a box frame your windows would be attached to. Be sure your 4 corners have long enough "post legs" for raising your greenhouse off the ground or to a window level for more sunshine access.Maybe an old coffee or side table for a base.

The best place to look for windows is Freecycle or Craiglist if asking around to friends and family produce nothing.

Another winter fun idea is to brew up a hot cup of tea or mulled cider while you watch the upcoming Geminid Meteor shower. This one is said to have up to 140 streaks per hour!

Grab that comfy old quilt and someone to snuggle with as you lay back to watch the show.

picture credit goes to John Chumack of Lafayet, Ind.

"The year's best meteor shower is coming to North America.
Weather permitting, the peak time to view the Geminid (jem-uh-nid) meteor show will be around midnight Sunday Eastern time when up to 140 meteors per hour could streak across the sky.
Though not as famous as the Perseid meteor shower, the Geminids often put on a more dramatic display.
Geminids are debris from an extinct comet called 3200 Phaethon. The shower gets it name because it appears to come from the constellation Gemini."

These are just a few tips for busting winter blues & boredom. I'll share more as the season goes on.

I am awaiting a certain package for our next giveaway which should be here any day now. Be patient. They are well worth the wait due to the "coolness factor".

I'm having a hard time myself on being patient...

Sweet dreams,

~Tammie