Vintage Valentine Swap

I'm so excited to be a part of the 2nd Annual Vintage Valentine Swap, hosted by From My Cherry Heart. Go check out her site and join!

I began putting away the Christmas decorations and got out the Valentine stuff as soon as I got the email from Dolly saying I was in. I feel so lucky! I found a couple of valentines that my daughter made last year, and took the picture above to show her talent. She started her own blog, http://buttersnatcher.blogspot.com yesterday. I'm not sure I love that name, but with "Flaming Biscuits" as my own, I guess I'd better keep my mouth shut.

No More Cats

The vote is in: 3 to 1. Wonderful Husband, Lovely Daughter and Stinky Pete don't want any more cats. I guess I'll have to wait until I'm an old crazy lady, (with my roommate Lori,) to have my cat farm.

Pardon my Butt

I was delivering a collage to my friend Lori today, and I met "Stewie," one of her kittens. Every time I visit Lori, she's got a kitten that needs to come home with me. However, my cat Nala is a big-time hunter and isn't very friendly to other cats. She beats up on my old, frail barn cat and brings home dead rabbits all the time. Rabbits that are bigger than cute little Stewie. I'd love to bring Stewie home to live in my barn and catch mice (since old, frail barn cat fails at rodent control) but I'm so afraid I'll be bringing her to a bad end. If Nala doesn't beat her up, I'm afraid the horses will step on her. I must resist those big, blue eyes and her sassy attitude.

Merry Christmas to all . . .

And to all a Good Night!

Mittens ready, no snow

I love hanging my collection of little mittens. I wish I had certain little people here to fill those little mittens!

My daughter has been baking, my husband has been shopping and I've been busy doing nothing productive. I'm having a little trouble feeling festive this year. I miss my family, especially my son and his children. I hope next year we can all be together, either in California or here in North Carolina.

My husband and daughter both nixed the idea of me wearing my fabulous Christmas corsage to church on Sunday, saying I looked like a crazy old lady (which I am.) But I just read about using the corsages as tree decorations on a favorite blog, One Gal's Trash. Great idea! I feel like my efforts at crafting won't go to waste.

Christmas Wish - Snow!

This is a picture of our barn taken last winter. We haven't had any signs of snow coming in time for Christmas this year, but I'm not giving up hope! I shouldn't complain. We've had blue skies and fair temps for the last few days. It was beautiful today, just a little windy, but we didn't even need coats. I'm looking forward to a little Christmas cold snap so we can stay inside by the fire, watching movies. I might even craft a little bit, just for the fun of it. I'm usually under some deadline/due date/post office run type thing. It would be nice just to take my time and fool around with stuff. I might even lose my mind and try a little cooking/baking. That would really surprise my family. I'll tell them I was overtaken with the Christmas Spirit. Or maybe it was that jar of moonshine the neighbors gave us for Christmas.

For the "Pretty Little Christmas" post, we were supposed to post about something that makes our heart sing. I'm not a great photographer and my decor pictures turned out less than great, so I decided to post about something different.



Christmas Eve, 1983 my son born. He was my first and he was overdue. My doctor had examined me two days earlier and reported that I would be going into labor very soon, and he was leaving on vacation that afternoon. His partner would be delivering my baby. I came unglued. I had been driving over 90 miles roundtrip to Century City just so I could have this particular doctor and deliver at Cedars Sinai in Beverly Hills, because my parents wanted me to have "the best care." It wasn't so great. I had wildly uneven care. The resident on my case was sweet, a couple of my nurses were very rough, my doctor was overworked (8 other of his patients were also in labor) and I was very, very scared because my labor went on and on and on . . . until it was Christmas Eve. After a "Code Blue" was called on me at one point, after the baby's head "got stuck," after a C-section done with my epidural wearing off - after it all - I had Chris.



He was sort of worried looking, maybe a little mad about his head being a little swollen. I couldn't stop gazing at him. I wanted him in my bed with me at all times, which annoyed my nurses. He was a birthday present to my Mom, who was also born on Christmas Eve. She was thrilled to share her birthday with her first grandchild. But for me, he was my favorite Christmas present EVER.



I get teary every Christmas Eve thinking back to that long night. I can't imagine what that other mother, riding a donkey through the dark, looking for a place to rest, must have been feeling.



Peace on Earth and Merry Christmas to all of you!

Corsage Challenge

Making these corsages was so much fun! I made quite a few more than what I posted here, but my camera wasn't cooperating and I couldn't get good pics. It was a great project to use up the little bits and pieces of ribbon and ornament stuff that are too small for other projects. I'm going to put one of these on my tote bag for school and give the other ones to my friends. I'm sure my friend Lori needs one of these to wear on her coat at the Harmony Christmas Parade today.

Thank you Elizabeth Holcombe for posting this great tutorial and for hosting this Show and Tell. I can't wait to check out all the other corsages.

Thanksgiving with the Cousins

Thanksgiving was all about playing with my cousins when I was growing up. I'm glad my daughter gets to spend some time with hers, teaching them cheers, being silly, watching football and eating lots of pie. We had a nice Thanksgiving, hope you all did too!

Thrifting for the Holidays

I'm excited about my latest thrifting scores. The little putz house, the vintage velvet bow headband, green velvet hat and red felt hat with little brass brad thingies are all so cute. I really was thrilled to find the Joan Walsh Anglund doll. It was a favorite of my little sister when we were small. She had hair just like this doll, and my father made her a dollhouse big enough to use with this size doll. The house was huge! I remember decorating it in secret for Christmas. I was jealous.

The elf shoe with the flirtatious pixie was my favorite find. I got even more excited when I saw a similar one used in the beautiful arrangements made by Jen Nichelle featured in the November 20th post on http://sweetnshabbyroses.blogspot.com. Jen sells on ebay as j.nichelle. Wow-she is amazing! I don't think I'm going to attempt to make anything with my shoe. I'll probably sell it on ebay, along with most of the other stuff I bought. I haven't listed anything for quite awhile, and I need to get busy again. Look for these items under bookscout27 on ebay, or contact me directly.

Everyone have a happy Thanksgiving!

Crowns and Wands

I just shipped off the latest batch of crowns and wands to Janice. She's hosting a candle pour on December 2nd. I hope she likes them. I tried a different style this time and used more tissue fringe and glitter. I wanted to get some holiday stuff included, but I'm just not done yet. I'd better catch up!

The Crap Room

I'm not sure how this happened. It seems I've had an explosion of some sort. Time to clear out a space so I can create some holiday magic.

New Pictures

Finally - some current pics of my grandbabies! I've waited such a long time for pictures I could display. My sweet mom wrestled the little critters into suitable clothes and somehow withstood the rigors of the studio so I could see my grandchildren. It kills me that they live across the country and I see them so rarely. I need to win the lottery so I can travel more. They are growing up fast and I haven't been able to spoil them properly.

A Little Behind

I participated in the Speckled Egg Birthday Tag swap back in September. It was my first project, and I was excited and overwhelmed. But I jumped in and did my best and when the tag book arrived, I was relieved to see I had done just fine. My tag was not the very best one, but it was certainly up to par. It was similar to some, but not the same as anyone else's. I used an image of an antique post card with roses on it for the back and little chicks wearing party hats on the front. You can barely see the edge in the picture above - it's the one with the deep pink fringe on the bottom. It's next to the one with the white pom poms. I didn't take a very good picture of my tag, but you can see it on the Speckled Egg blog. I feel so proud! I love the tag book and it hangs over my work table. I take it down and look through it occasionally, just admiring the work of so many talented crafters in the blog world. I'm so glad I leaped into this!

BFF

This is my best friend, Janice. She made a visit to NC in March and I was thrilled that she was able to spend a day at my house. After we spent a couple of days in Charlotte attending her business convention, she brought a few of her fabulous friends to my place and I was able to show them a little of our area. Janice also got to ride my horse, Tobe. Tobe loved her far more than he will ever love me. I have gifted her my horse. Now she just has to ship him to California.
When I was on my way out the door to meet up with Janice in Charlotte, I was overcome with an urge to make her a "magic" wand. I just thought she needed one. I ran back upstairs, fired up the glue gun and made her a wand. My first. When I walked into the hotel lobby and saw her coming towards me with tears in her eyes, I knew it was more than just that she was happy to see me. She had been struggling with her place in the company she reps for, and unbeknownest to me, she really DID need a magic wand to cheer her up. She waved that crazy wand all through the convention and attracted people with her heartfelt enthusiasm. And from there, with her encouragement, I began crafting in earnest. I send her a supply of wands each month which she gifts to her guests and reps at her candle parties. I love the idea that my wands are in women's houses, making them smile. I love Janice. She is a magic woman, with or without her wand.

Nala, our kitty, has decided she likes sleeping in this unplanted pot on the deck. I don't have the heart to fill it with the mums I had in mind.

Our team won last night! It was a miserable evening of rain, wind and cool weather, but it was worth getting soaked - somehow our team pulled out the win. Our daughter and her team mates cheered through the rain. No stunting of course, and no band. It was a little lonely sitting on the visitor side. Not many parents made the trip since we were over an hour away from home. BUT WE WON!!! Final score: Raiders 10, Carson 6.

Go Team!

My daughter is a cheerleader and her high school's football team needs a win. They don't get all the support they need from the student body, and it's been a rebuilding year. They just don't seem very confident and I feel bad for them. When my son played (years ago, different school, different state), the team was huge, the success was huge and you could feel the stadium vibrate with spirit. It's just not that way here at this school, this year. I wish I knew how to help the situation, besides the obvious (attending games, booster club, donations, working concession). When I sub, I try to talk to the students about school spirit, but it seems a lost cause. So frustrating! But my daughter keeps on smiling, keeps on cheering and we all have hope. Wish us luck tonight!

In the second picture, our horses seem very interested in joining the game. The goat, not so much.

Sweet and Sinister Swap

Here's a few pics of the things I sent to Carol for the "Sweet and Sinister Swap." I was so nervous about everything. I felt really good when she immediately wrote and let me know how much she liked the package. I sent a little of everything: A wand, a garland, an altered vintage picture or two, some soy candles I poured into vintage owl glasses, a glittered skull box, some vintage trim and buttons, a cute little shabby vintage hat with black velvet leaves and ivory flowers and . . . . other things I can't even remember! I don't think I've ever been so ahead of the game at Halloween. Doing all this crafting and decorating got the house all spooked-up much quicker than usual. I'm ready for the 31st!

My First Swap

I was so fortunate that I was given Carol as a partner for the "Sweet and Sinister Swap." She sent me an amazing package of goodies. Everything was wrapped in a embellished pail with a cute raven tied to the outside. This picture doesn't even begin to do justice to the fabulous contents. Carol made the most beautiful album, filled with vintage ephemera and decorated with all sorts of interesting things. The folk art stuffed sinister kitty was perfect for my collection. One thing that isn't in my pictures is the garland she made. It was really just perfect for my mantel. I'll have to take some more pics. Thank you Carol for making my first swap such a great experience! I hope we'll be swap buddies again.

I also want to thank Kari for organizing such a fun swap. I love checking the blog for the tutorials and guest artists. It's been a treat to be a part of this holiday fun. I hope I'm lucky enough to get in next year!

Let's give this a try.