Sew Revived

Holiday Countdown

2011-12-01T21:49:00.001-05:00

Today’s December 1st and I have no idea where this year has gone!!

I DO know that the 6th Annual Original Printables Holiday Countdown has begun! Head on over every day to receive your free downloads!

Library Night is BACK!

2010-06-08T21:44:00.001-04:00

I have some great titles to share!

Love them all!

Enjoy!

Swap Hostess

2010-06-01T21:31:00.001-04:00

I wanted to share with you a beautiful cuff bracelet that Leanne made for me for participating in her Young Victoria Swap. I was sooo surprised and delighted!!!

I believe the correct Miss Mannerly thing to do is to send your swap hostess a small token of thanks and here she did just the opposite. She is just the sweetest thing!!

She even included a note to tell me that the tatting was made by her great-grandma! You all know how much I treasure handmade items, especially if there’s a grandma in there!! And to share a piece of great-grandma is really special!

I really can’t thank Leanne enough!!

Summer Time Journal Swap

2010-05-25T22:39:00.001-04:00

Where does the time go? I took a couple of weeks off and a look at my calendar shows months, not weeks (sigh).

And summer’s officially starting this coming weekend! I’ve been hard at work with a summertime journal. Pam hosted a lovely one-on-one swap. My partner, the Sea Witch. Here’s a few sneak peeks…

Lots of white and pale blue, the PERFECT summer colors.

Would love to show you more, but Pam said “peeks” only….

Vintage Lady Tag Swap

2010-04-18T21:54:00.001-04:00

I LOVE tags! Hosted by the lovely Malissa, I received my tag book I’m just a-lovin’!

That’s what I mean when I say I’m a-lovin’ tags!! Thank you Malissa for all the hard work hosting the swap!

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T21:30:00.001-04:00

Works In Progress

2010-03-14T22:18:00.001-04:00

Sorry I haven’t been social lately. I miss my blogging friends, but I just can’t devote some time to my blog right now. My “REAL” job has been and will continue to be very hectic and after sitting in 8-hour team meetings (meaning they actually expect you to (1) stay awake and (2) participate), I am thoroughly exhausted when I get home.

Here’s a couple of WIP’s (I learned that in my team meetings) and some links of inspiration:

This was a kit given to us at Silver Bella courtesy of Ann-Denise Anderson. Thank you Ann-Denise for the lovely photo tutorial, too. Isn’t she a pretty victorian scrap? She turned out beautifully, if I do say so myself!!

These came from Stampington’s newsletter, Creative Impulse. I used colored glass orbs and glued the brass filigree with E6000. It’s important to bend the edges up first, then slide the marble in, check the edges are lying flat against the marble, then slide it out. If you try to bend the edges with the marble in place, they will not lay flat.

These are courtesy of Sandra Evertson’s book, Fanciful Paper Projects. I had lots of fun making the vintage ladies, the paper maker box and especially the ballerina. Sandra’s book is awesome! I still have more projects I want to complete, too.

So I have been able to sneak in some crafting. I have an ongoing Young Victoria swap and I’ve been working on two tutorials. Hopefully I’ll be posting them soon!

Have a lovely spring week!

7 Tags of Valentine’s Day

2010-02-16T20:50:00.001-05:00

Following Tim Holtz’s 12 Tags of Christmas instructions and Linda’s inspiration on making 12 Tags of Valentine’s Day, I made my own version of Valentine’s Day tags but only made it to number 7.

Here they are:

Maybe next time I’ll make it to number 12!

Secret Admirer

2010-02-14T14:02:00.001-05:00

I finally found my secret admirer! It was Sheryl Parsons from Mother’s Dream Artworks!

Those beautiful note cards I received are original artwork from Sheryl that she entitled “Roadside Roses”! How awesome!

I can’t thank her enough for being such a sweet Valentine!

Thank you again Christine for being a wonderful swap hostess!

Happy Valentine’s Day

2010-02-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Don’t you just love surprises?!

How about getting something in the mail from a Secret Admirer?!? I joined Christine’s swap for Valentine’s Day. I can’t wait to show you what I received but first I have to show my sneak peaks of what I sent so maybe MY secret admirer can figure out who sent her goodies…

I sure hope she’s a good detective!! I didn’t give too much away here…

And here’s my valentine from my Secret Admirer…

Isn’t it just TOO SWEET!! I can’t wait to find out who made this lovely Valentine just for ME!! And she sent some little goodies too!

Thank You Secret Admirer! I can’t wait to find out who you are!

And thanks again to Christine for hosting this lovely swap!!

Mardi Gras & Valentine’s & Happy Day

2010-02-13T21:50:00.001-05:00

I received a little sumptin’ sumptin’ in the mail this week from my BFF.

An altered box with a stunning clasp tucked inside…

Isn’t this gorgeous??!! A micro-beaded pillow postcard!

How I love celebrating Fat Tuesday!

Thank you for thinking of me!!

Creative Every Day 2010

2010-02-01T19:38:00.001-05:00

My creative challenge for January 2010, hosted by the talented Leah, was the word body.

I used an old book cover as my canvas. I inked the board with Distress Ink in Aged Mahogany and Tattered Rose and sponge painted with gold and silver metallic paints. I cut the women walking figure from a transparency to make a stencil and secured it to the book canvas. With metallic gold, I sponge painted inside the stencil. After the paint was thoroughly dry, I inked several stamps with Staz-On black ink and stamped randomly with the stencil still in place. I then removed the stencil and stamped the butterfly in her hand with Staz-On red ink. I tied the black ribbon around the canvas securing with a few dabs of glue and glued a picture hanger to the back.

The project was inspired by the book, Creative Paper Dollmaking by Rhonda Rainey.

Vintage Valentine

2010-01-17T19:58:00.001-05:00

A sneak peek…

of my pages for the Vintage Valentine Fat Book, hosted by Sarah . Can’t wait to receive my fat book for Valentine’s Day!

Off to work on my secret admirer Valentine project…

A Winter Poem

2010-01-09T21:56:00.001-05:00

It's winter in Pennsylvania

And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At thirty-five below.

Oh, how I love Pennsylvania

When the snow's up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Pennsylvania

I'm frozen to the ground!!

A NOLA New Years

2010-01-06T22:13:00.001-05:00

Sorry for leaving without telling anyone. I had 10 minutes to decide and 10 minutes to pack.

Of course you KNOW I do everything on impulse! 22 hours later I was in New Orleans on New Years Eve.

Such fun! And I have to tell you, it’s NOT a city in which you make New Year resolutions!! I guess now that I’m home, I’ll have to get busy on those resolutions! (groan…)

Hope you had a wonderful New Year!

Mondays with Mother

2009-12-28T22:19:00.001-05:00

“Tony, please come take a picture with me,” she pleads. He squats down and she runs over and puts her arm around him to pose for the camera. The adoration is apparent, in her eyes, in her touch, in her pose.

Every photo states “This is my one and only big brother”.

By the time she was in junior high, he had enlisted and was gone. He never returned to our hometown. He married a hometown girl and they made their living and raised their 3 children in Cincinnati, OH.

But, every year, bad weather and all, they drove back home for the Christmas holiday break. For 15+ years, they made the annual trek. It’s how I remember all the Christmases of my childhood. I, like my mother, grew up adoring my Uncle Tony.

Cupcake Queen

2009-12-27T17:32:00.001-05:00

It’s opening night of Silver Bella and a bag full of goodies awaits your arrival. It’s like opening your stocking on Christmas morning…full of treats and wonderful goodies. A precious Vintage Cupcake Stick was included in the bag from Lisa Kettell (http://faerieenchantment.blogspot.com). She’s published her first book, Altered Art Circus. Lisa was a vendor at Vendor Night and it was really nice to meet her.

Her kit contained a doll head on a stick, some crepe paper, a book page, 2 glittered stars and instructions. So with a little craft time today I created my “Cupcake Queen”.

I took some off-white felted wool, sewed some blue eyelet on the bottom for a ruffle and a sprinkling of sequins, then sewed it into a cone.

Made the hat from the paper and glued lace around the bottom. Took a strand of lace, tied a knot at one end and pulled it through the inside of the paper cone hat, then glued the hat on her head. Inserted the head into the top of the cone. Took some more eyelet lace and gathered it around her neck for a collar. Glued her arms underneath the collar and glued the glittered stars, one on the collar and one at the top of the hat. Threaded 2 beads on a length of copper wire and glued it into her arms.

The Cupcake Queen is ready to preside over her loyal cupcake court. Thank you Lisa!!! It was fun!!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T22:46:00.001-05:00

Pet Lovin’

2009-12-23T20:39:00.001-05:00

I want to share these photos of afghans my BFF Sharon made for her furry friends for Christmas!

Bella is the kitty. Check out the MEOW ribbon… Is this not TOO cute?!?!

Emma Sue is the golden retriever, so naturally this afghan is larger.

Complete with “puppy” ribbon…

I was utterly amazed at how cute these two afghans turned out and I just had to share these photos! What a creative gift idea!!

Library Night

2009-12-22T22:33:00.001-05:00

I know, it’s 3 days before Christmas and you’re wondering why am I going to the library?!?! Don’t I have shopping and last minute errands?!

Now wasn’t that scroll down through those titles soothing? Just like being at your own library…and so blissfully quiet!

Don’t you agree?

Mondays with Mother

2009-12-21T21:48:00.001-05:00

School pictures.

The years go by, the backgrounds and the faces change, but the excitement of “school picture day” is still the same. From the minute the teacher sent home notice of “picture day” the only thing on your mind was which outfit to wear and how to “wear” your hair. Everyone came to school that day all polished up. Two months later, the teacher handed out pictures. No such thing as a “re-take” or a “make-up” day. The photographer came ONE day ONCE a year – that was it, period.

Mom is 8 years old, 3rd grade maybe. She attended St. Stanislaus Catholic School, Grades 1 through 8. Notice they haven’t invented the “school year” yet (1946-47), you simply wrote the year. The nuns wore habits, all teachers were female and the only adult male seen in school was the old janitor. There was no bus service and no cafeteria. You carried your lunch in a brown paper bag and had a milk ticket. If you lived within 2 blocks of the school, you were allowed to go home and eat lunch and you could take a friend if you wanted. You went outside to play, with the streets blocked off, after lunch every day unless it was raining or the temperature was below freezing. A big old bell called you back inside.

Fast forward 20 years and her daughter attended the same catholic school, grades 1 through 8, and the first class to begin a “merged” catholic school, 3 parishes using all 3 school buildings. Within 6 years the decline in enrollment brought all grades into one building.

Fast forward 50 years and her grandsons attended the same “merged” catholic school, grades K through 6, before the school finally fell victim to the economy and closed its doors for good.

Mondays with Mother

2009-12-14T23:07:00.001-05:00

The “Babushka Babes” - my mother and her first cousin Patricia. A babushka is Polish for “scarf”.

My cousin Michele and I wouldn’t of been caught dead wearing those babushkas when we were young! Our grandmothers would fuss at us to cover our heads when it was windy or cold out and we would say – how old fuddy duddy is that?!?! Our mothers used to wear those!

What’s really funny is – I’ve always pictured myself wearing a babushka and sunglasses as I drive off in my cherry red mustang convertible… someday…

Fuddy duddy indeed!

Library Night

2009-12-08T21:28:00.001-05:00

Come see my new library books I just picked up tonight!

Um, I really need to, um, go wash the, um, …dishes…

Hope you had a great Tuesday!

Mondays with Mother

2009-12-07T20:42:00.001-05:00

This is one of my favorite photos of my mother when she was little! The ringlets in her hair, the dress, the band-aids, the scrapes and bruises! You can tell she was not a girly girl. She adored her older brother Tony and I’m sure all those cuts and bruises were gotten trying to keep up with him!

The year’s 1941. Cheerios is introduced by General Mills, the first Jeep is produced,Walt Disney Studios release Dumbo and it’s the middle of World War II. Hard to imagine…

Giveaway!

2009-12-06T21:31:00.001-05:00

Head on over to Where Women Create…

for a very fabulous giveaway!!

Vintage Millinery

2009-12-06T21:02:00.001-05:00

Don’t you just LOVE velvet flowers…

No, I didn’t luck out at the thrift store and these aren’t REAL velvet flowers (sigh). But if you’re tired of being envious of everyone’s vintage finds (like me), I’m going to show you how to make your own.

Find some flocked (fuzzy) poinsettia bushes, these came from the Dollar Tree…

Remove the flower heads from the stems, then remove the pistils (centers) and any green plastic pieces that may be holding it together.

Some of the flower heads may not have any plastic backing. Those you can simply cut into individual pieces.

Those that have the plastic backing, gently peel off the flower petal from the plastic.

I always start at the farthest edge of the petal and work towards the center. You can cut the petals apart one at a time, whenever you like. Not all of the plastic will come off nice and neatly from each petal. Some will tear the webbed backing, some will not pull off no matter how hard you try. You can choose to keep the not-so-perfect ones for a distressed look.

And now you have a whole pile of your very own vintage-y velvet goodness! Use as is, or cut new flower shapes from the individual pieces! And just make sure you make enough to last you through the year as the flocked poinsettias can only be found at Christmastime!

Hope your weekend was special!

Library Night

2009-12-01T18:31:00.001-05:00

Being a holiday and a vacation week, I didn’t have a library stop tonight but I do have some new things to share with you.

First, Testimony is a book I would definitely pass on to friends to read.

I read this book cover to cover in one day. It’s a griping tale of two 7 year old girls, best friends, that go missing from their homes on the same day. I would pass it on for friends to read.

This is my novel for December. I’ll let you know how it goes…

THIS is one of the best fiber arts book I’ve seen in a long time! I took off for Joann’s with my 50% coupon in hand after looking at the first 4 projects! Why the editors picked that cover is beyond me as it doesn’t do the book justice whatsoever. The 23 projects range from art dolls to love letters by different designers and includes 29 more photos in a gallery format. LOVE this book!

Hope you had an exceptional Tuesday!

Mondays with Mother

2009-11-30T21:42:00.001-05:00

Janet is 2 years old and playing with her wicker baby carriage. She’s standing in front of the dining room window.

Here she’s sitting on the front stoop with her older brother Tony and another little boy.

My mother would be leaving this house in another year and growing up in the home of her grandmother. Her father (my grandfather) passes away suddenly and her mother (my grama) can’t raise 2 young children and work too. So she rents the house and moves back to town until the children are older.

My grandfather built this house (circa 1940), my brothers and I were raised in this house, and my mother still lives in this house today.

Vacation

2009-11-27T21:12:00.001-05:00

I’m not in sunny south Florida, not skiing in Colorado, not even loafing at the sea shore, I’m home putting in a new radiant hot water heating system. Let me explain how much fun this vacation is…

You start with this unassuming coil of tubing and feed it through all the rafters then attach it to the ceiling of your basement. How hard could it be?! Wait I have to drill holes in each rafter?!? I guess I can manage that…

I have to feed HOW MUCH tubing through those holes?!?! It’s rigid 1/2 inch tubing that’s a continuous run from one end of the basement, looped through each rafter then fed back to the starting point…GEEZ! A rough estimate – probably 300 ft of tubing is run already. 700 feet left to go…

See those fancy bends at the ends of the run? At least it was some consolation that I got to use my crafty heat gun to make those bends (and it fell off the ladder one too many times & I have to go buy another one!)

When you are all finished securing the tubing, you get to cover it with rolls of silver reflective insulation. If you look really close, the very far left run has the insulation stapled up there already.

Zone 1 is almost finished…there’s 2 more zones to go and my week’s vacation is over already!! (SIGH!) Well almost over…I still have Saturday and Sunday left to go…Think I can finish by then?? Nah, me neither.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving week!

Library Night

2009-11-17T22:26:00.001-05:00

Today’s inspiration from my favorite place…

I hope you had an inspiring Tuesday!

Library Night

2009-11-10T23:27:00.001-05:00

AND I’M OFF TO SILVER BELLA…

Mondays with Mother

2009-11-10T00:10:00.001-05:00

I was so inspired by Maureen’s blog dedicating Mondays with stories about her mother,

(much to my mother’s dismay I’m sure) I decided to join too!

Me & Mom

Yep, that’s cute, adorable ME! My mom would be 23 years old in this picture. She still lives in the same house and that mirror still hangs in the dining room. She wore glasses all of my life (I’ll have to ask her when she started wearing them). I didn’t start wearing glasses until 30.

A few years ago my mom was ready for a new pair of glasses. It had been a few years since she gotten the pair she was wearing. She started complaining about not being able to see, especially at night. One day we were sitting in her dining room talking about making a new eye appointment for her. She asked to try on my glasses..so I handed them over. She put them on and exclaimed “OMG, the trees have leaves!!!” Yes, they have leaves I told her. She couldn’t see “actual” leaves with her glasses. Come to find out, she had the wrong eye glass prescription for a few years.

Only MY mother…

Silver Bella Swap

2009-11-08T20:16:00.001-05:00

My final swap is completed!!! I couldn’t decide which ATC I wanted for the New Years Resolution swap, so I made both!

I’m right on schedule. Need to start packing now… Oops, forgot I got some ironing to do yet.

Hope you had a fabulous weekend!

Library Night

2009-11-03T19:33:00.001-05:00

This week’s books…

And my novel for November…

Luckily I picked my books up last night knowing that I would not be at work today. No, it wasn’t “play hooky day”, my oldest had his tonsils removed today, at age 20. He’s not hurting too badly.

Hope you had a lovely Tuesday!

Library Night

2009-10-27T19:45:00.001-04:00

The last Tuesday of the month…already! Got some great new books too!

And my second novel for the month I borrowed from my BFF Linda, who keeps me well-versed in the latest novels to hit the book store shelves!

I forgot to share my first monthly novel with you “Finger-Lickin’ Fifteen” by Janet Evanovich. I am thoroughly hooked on Stephanie Plum novels. You either love them or absolutely abhor them. I find myself laughing till tears from most of her books in this series.

Hope you had a splendid Tuesday!

SB Swaps

2009-10-24T23:28:00.001-04:00

Time is running out! Three weeks and counting…

I am frantically working …ok, playing…I admit it. Glitter and buttons, lace and rhinestones, thread and rickrack!!

Such PRESSURE…

Such MESS…

Such FUN!!!

Hope you’re having a fun weekend!

Library Night

2009-10-20T20:29:00.001-04:00

I was breezing through Heather’s blog when I spotted this book she highly recommended. I’ve never heard of him but I just LOVE checking out something (or someone) new! (You probably all know that about me by now.)

And speaking of new…

I have sorely missed Victoria! I was so excited when they restored publication of their magazine and to see a new book (2009), I hope they are also restoring their special book publications. I cannot WAIT to have some downtime to just savor this book from cover to cover! I had my nose buried in this as soon as my wonderful librarian laid it on the counter!

The Tuesdays are not only coming faster but where did the month of October disappear to??? Next weekend is Halloween already!

Hope you had a memorable Tuesday!

Library Night

2009-10-13T21:41:00.001-04:00

Yes you see a DVD and two Photoshop books in tonight’s pile. Let me explain…I bought Photoshop Elements 7 back in June. My son installed it on my computer in June. I have opened the program ONCE. For the life of me, I can NOT just push a button to see what it does…on anything. I need an instruction manual. I need to know what a button does BEFORE I push it. I need to know WHAT button to push and I need to know WHY I have to push that button. These are my basic needs. I really envy those who can just keep pushing buttons until it does want you want it to do (like programming the TV remote). And then you REMEMBER how you got it to do what you wanted. I am missing those brain cells. I need to read about it first, mentally do the steps in my head and then, AND ONLY THEN, am I ready to push the actual buttons. I keep instruction manuals to EVERYTHING, my sewing machine, my thermostat, my tools, my camera, my appliances. So I needed a Photoshop Elements 7 instruction manual (two for good measure).

Then it was on to my favorite thrift store…

There was no getting a good picture of this glassware. Are these not the cutest set of glasses with their own caddy?

Two decks of cards still wrapped in their cellophane inside this box. Couldn’t pass them up for 49 cents. And for another 49 cents I found these dominoes still wrapped in their cellophane. And the best part, they are not plastic dominoes. Yeah!

Hope you had a good Tuesday!

Halloween Fun

2009-10-12T22:22:00.001-04:00

I haven’t done any mixed media pieces in a long time, so I thought I’d have a little Halloween fun this weekend…

This last picture isn’t quite finished. It needs some appropriate ‘scary’ wording…

Hope you had a great Monday!

SB Saint Tag Swap

2009-10-11T22:11:00.001-04:00

One month to go and another swap is finished! I’ll be putting these tags in the mail tomorrow.

These are for the Saint Tag Swap. I ordered real holy cards online and made a holder out of the tag so they can be removed. Had a few design problems with using transparencies but I was determined to use this photo…

I took this picture at our local cemetery. Aren’t these rusted brass doors just awesome?? If you look through the wrought iron part, there’s a stained glass window on the opposite side of this mausoleum. I was standing in the exact middle of the doors so not to catch my reflection in the glass. I transferred this picture to transparencies to overlay onto my tags.

Now, if I can get a week of Sundays to finish my last 2 swaps for Silver Bella…

Hope you had a creative weekend!

Library Night

2009-10-07T21:30:00.001-04:00

Well, Shelfari is out and I’m going to continue doing Library Nights on Tuesday. (I know I’m a day off this week but it’s been a really busy week!)

I promise I have lots of good books on order at the library. I somehow found my way into the 2009 Christmas books, so maybe I’ll help you out a little with some of that dreaded gift list.

What were the publishers thinking when they picked the cover of Photojojo?? I’m sorry, I love dogs, but that picture almost made me send the book back without even checking it out! I can honestly say I would never buy that book off the shelf at Borders or Barnes & Noble. I wouldn’t even pick it up off the shelf.

I had a trunk full of goodies for the thrift store so I just HAD to stop in to see what’s new…

A couple of matching framed victorian ladies…

A vintage ledger with alphabet tabs (I don’t have one like this)…

And this pretty fabric I’m taking these pictures on…

Last, an old (circa 1973) game I never played when I was young, but it has game pieces for artwork...

I really liked those descriptions on the cards.

Well I hope you had an enjoyable Wednesday!

Library Night

2009-09-29T22:10:00.001-04:00

I was thinking that maybe I should change the format of library night. I’ve posted Shelfari at the bottom of my blog page and I thought I’d just list my new titles there every week. With the weather changing, my reading habits change and I tend to check out more novels to curl up in bed with. I’ll happily share my latest novel titles but there’s not much eye candy looking at novels. I’d love to know what you think…

Yesterday I received this lovely package from sweet Zandra…

TWO absolutely, beautiful hankies!! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you Zandra!! My FIRST monogrammed initial hankie too! What a sweetheart!!

My cousin Michele also surprised me with a package…

Lots of vintage sheet music and slides! Growing up, she always had the good stuff and now that we’re all grown up, she STILL has the good stuff!! What’s a cousin to do, but beg her to send me some good stuff!? Lucky for me she has to love me - I’m her cousin!

Hope you had a surprising Tuesday!

A Perfect Saturday

2009-09-22T21:11:00.001-04:00

First thing Saturday morning we visited the farmer’s market in Meadville. It was a chilly 40 degrees outside at 8 am.

The hydrangeas were absolutely stunning sitting in the early morning sun.

Inside I purchased this beautiful handmade mosaic picture. This crafter’s booth was all revamped treasures and each item had a little tag explaining the provenance of the piece. I thought that was really interesting knowing where the things came from to create it. I have a very, very special place for this!

The Quilt Show and Luncheon at My Grandmother’s Teapot was on the noon agenda. I will tell you now that I did not ask permission to take photos of the quilts, only of the shop. First I did not know what to expect and second, the quilts were not for sale. Let’s look around…

These were our lovely quilt holders/tea hostesses helping out.

And what’s a visit at the lake without being on the lake?? Sit back and take a boat ride…

Can you tell that every one of these adirondack chairs are painted a different color??

A perfect Saturday indeed!!

The Garden of Conneaut Lake

2009-09-21T20:52:00.001-04:00

Driving around the lake, you glimpse this gorgeous side garden along someone’s home and KNOW you just HAVE to have a tour. As this is a lakeside community, we didn’t think twice about ringing the front door bell and asking for a tour. Our gracious tour guide (homeowner) Frank showed us his southern hospitality (originally from Texas) with a guided tour…

The front yard matches the house in red, white & blue…

A victorian birdhouse complete with tin roof.

Like Alice in Wonderful, through the arch into the white side garden…

and be transported into a whole world of beautiful flowers, winding paths and surprises at every turn.

We’ve made a complete circle to the back patio area. It’s hard to believe this is not a professionally landscaped property, just lovingly tended to, and the property is less than 1/2 acre in size. I took lots of pictures of the statuary, wooden bells and birdcages hanging from tree limbs and the little surprises hidden among the plants. My favorite was this glass prism…

Hope you enjoyed the garden tour! Stop back again for a tour of the tea house and a boat ride around the lake!

A weekend at the lake

2009-09-20T21:23:00.001-04:00

This weekend I took time off to play. My BFF Linda invited myself and other BFF, Sharon, to come and stay at her lake house. We arrived amid fog, actually the drive was very foggy almost the whole way. I was warned this was one step above camping out… yeah, right…

Does this even resemble a camp?!? It was unload the car and we were off …first stop Linesville. The hardware store on the main street was all decked out for fall.

These purple mums were absolutely gorgeous and so…purple!

The gift shop next door had this stunning crystal chandelier mounted inside a round canopied bassinet. Highly impractical but just too cute!

Next stop was Pymatuming Lake to see the “sucky” fish. These fish are carp and they eat whole loaves of bread that people throw into the water at them. Throw some bread and see what surfaces…

Throw a LOT of bread and look what you get!!!

Actually these fish are in the spillway and as the lake was a little low they were kind of bottle-necked in here. And if the fish are getting a free meal, the fowl want free food too! Because they are so many fish in one place, the ducks can actually walk on top of them to fight for the bread.

Next stop, Jamestown Soap Works. You can read all about the store here.

Her store and workshop is located behind her home.

Around the side, is the “husband’s chair”. Most of them make it to the threshold of the tiny shop, take one look inside, then back out and find somewhere to sit outside until their wives are done shopping!

Her garden was decorated with a vintage flair, lots of antiques and wrought iron! You could while away the whole afternoon in her garden. Her husband actually mounted a full-size vintage radio on the outside wall. (The kind the family gathered around in the evening, before television took its place.)

I did not ask to take pictures inside her very beautiful shop. The shop became very busy while we were there and there was just so much to look at and SMELL, just absolutely wonderful fragrances of all her handmade soaps and lotions. It was sooo difficult to pick just one or two!

Lunchtime found us in Espyville and we found this little treasure quite by accident…

A tiny schoolhouse in a retired school teacher’s yard.

We took a ride to Greenville next. The sky could not have been bluer or more clear. It almost matches their banners!

A thrift shop junk store and hardware store. (Keep in mind we’ve been garage sale-ing too!) Tomorrow I’ll try to get some of those treasures posted.

Stay tuned as I have the most beautiful “amateur” garden to show you and the tea party quilt show that we attended…

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!!

Silver Bella 2009

2009-09-16T22:02:00.001-04:00

It’s now mid-September and bellas across the country are preparing for Silver Bella 2009. For those of you who’ve not had the pleasure of attending, the best way to describe the weekend of Silver Bella is “it’s like spending 3 days inside the beautiful pages of a Somerset publication”. Pick one – Somerset Life, Somerset Studio, Somerset Home and you’re magically meeting, taking lessons from, or buying from, the elite group of craftswomen that are regular contributors to those publications.

That first magical evening includes the “Bella Swaps”. We spent weeks hovered over our computers on Sunday evenings last spring awaiting the announcements of SWAPS!! I signed up to participate in 3 this year. My first one is the Apron Swap and our inspiration - “Pretty & Utilitarian” by Rebecca Sower, published in the Summer 2009 edition of Art Quilting Studio from Somerset.

Make 14 patches, send to the swap hostess who will return a finished apron to us on that first magical evening.

My 14 pieces included…velvet ribbon, flowered lace, vintage button…

Embroidered pink beaded heart…

Embroidered flower, crocheted lace and more…

I can hardly wait to receive the finished apron!! The wait now is going to seem unbearable…

Library Night

2009-09-15T22:14:00.001-04:00

So sorry I slacked off last week with no library post but I actually had NO books waiting for me.

Conscious Style Home by Danny Seo piqued my interest after finding his column in back issues of Country Home magazine. He actually has 5 or 6 books in print and a website. He has some great recycling project ideas and so I thought I’d check out his home book.

Two brand new (& long awaited) books I’m not allowed to keep for more than 7 days (unfair when it’s MY turn, which you know already). And believe it or not, I don’t always check out craft/home decor/cooking books.

This weekend I actually read a NOVEL, The Crowning Glory of Calla Lilly Ponder. For everyone who loves Southern literature, this book takes place in La Luna, Louisiana along with a few years of New Orleans living. It’s definitely a “chic” book and follows the author’s style of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood books.

And being Tuesday, a quick stop at my favorite thrift store…

A steal for $1.99!

Children’s games are half-off every Tuesday so how could I pass up these adorable mini playing cards for $1.00?? 4 decks of them were included in this game which I’d never heard of.

And in this box…

beautiful, embossed PAPER!!

Now I just have to dream up the most perfect project so I can incorporate these gorgeous papers!!

Hope you had a beautiful Tuesday!

Library Night

2009-09-01T22:00:00.001-04:00

The week has flown by and all those luscious New Releases had to be returned. First though, a sneak peek of Amy Hanna’s new book, Rejuvenated Jewels. If you collect old jewelry like I do, this book is a MUST HAVE!

All her designs are made from repurposed necklaces, bracelets, watches, and bits and baubles she collected over the years from flea markets and such...

Even old rosaries, war medals and rhinestone clasps!

I just LOVED her style and had to share it with you!

Easy pickings tonite at the library…

Thrift shop was the same.

When I got home, there was a package for me! HANKIES!!

Oooh, be still my beating heart… Crocheted edges…

Embroidered flowers, all freshly laundered…

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the state one!! Thank you, Aunt Patricia!!

Hope you had a LOVELY Tuesday!

Thinking of You Swap

2009-08-26T21:00:00.000-04:00

This swap was hosted by the lovely Stephenie. Here’s the beautiful items I received from my swap partner Rochelle!! I carefully removed all the goodies from the box…

Pieces of Royal Albert china that took my breath away in my favorite pattern - Old English Rose!! My FIRST egg cup! (You have no idea how long I’ve been looking.) I could of stopped right there and been happier than a peach but Rochelle wasn’t done spoiling me!! A 1903 vintage book “Miss Toosey’s Mission”, I love the vintage type that looks handwritten.

Doilies and linens, my absolute favorite!!

This was made by Rochelle JUST FOR ME!! I absolutely ADORE it!! And she still wasn’t done spoiling me…

Pages of vintage clip art…

Now isn’t this the prettiest wicker sewing basket you’ve ever seen?!?! She made this for me too!!

And full of goodies!!

I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED my swap goodies!!! Thank you Rochelle for “Thinking of Me”!!

Library Night

2009-08-25T21:58:00.001-04:00

IT’S HERE!! IT’S HERE!! IT’S HERE!!

I can’t help it! I’m addicted to New Releases. There’s just too many books and so little time!

I mean, really, I can only have these for ONE week!! I know it’s fair when I’ve been waiting so long for it to be my turn, but when I get my hands on the actual book…oh, it is so UNFAIR! And I’m soooo far behind already, I’m still trying to catch up from last week.

I had THE most delicious pumpkin zucchini bread on Thursday evening that Linda’s mom made and I was going to make some after she took the time to email the recipe on Friday…

I received my FABULOUS swap goodies from Rochelle on Friday that I have to share…

My son & I finished deck number one Saturday that I haven’t taken photos of yet…

Our first ever, Charm Bracelet Collaboration is finished and wait till you see the GORGEOUS bracelets everyone gets back!! And I still have to print out everyone’s name and who made what to attach to the pouches…

And September’s drawing near and I haven’t even thought of my SB swaps yet…

And I’m off enjoying these beautiful waning days of summer!!!

I hope you are also taking full advantage of these beautiful days and evenings!

Junk Shopping

2009-08-19T21:51:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I promised I would post all the awesome stuff I found at my favorite thrift store yesterday.

Teapot, sugar bowl, 6 cups and saucers…

Homer Laughlin vintage rose design platter and bowl…

Sorry, I just HAVE to show you the pattern…

OK. Not as great as glass glitter buy still a good find in my book…

A bag of white tumbled glass pieces…

12 wine stem protectors in excellent condition…

Not one but TWO bags of rubber stamps…

Doilies, a set of pink & white and one long ivory one…

A bunch of tassels…

And a container of brass brads, green plastic bingo markers and some pressed flower stickers…

Did I not tell you I had an over-the-top Tuesday?!?!

You think maybe my good fortune will last till the power ball goes off tonight?!

Library Night

2009-08-18T21:34:00.001-04:00

Those are all mine?! Ok, ok, I get carried away in the new book listings…

Did I detect a slight “glare” from my librarian? Did that smile say “it’s about time we have some room on the shelf?” I can’t help it! I’m feeling guilty hogging all the new releases now…

I want to stay up all night and read my new books cover to cover… (Yes, I’ve been known to read into the wee hours on a work night! Ask any of my coworkers…)

For those of you bellas heading off to Omaha in November, that’s Jo Packham’s new book, Friendship Bracelets All Grown Up. She’s our guest speaker this year for the luncheon. Maybe we should make some to wear at the luncheon!! How cute would that be?!? Show them off a little… maybe even get them autographed… Ok, ok, I’m getting carried away again, sorry. (I thought it was a great idea, geez…)

I just LOVE this cover! Cat Wei and Amy Butler are two designers whose patterns I just adore. Can’t wait to see the interesting patterns & projects in this book!

And if the library was overflowing with great new stuff for me, wait till you see the great old stuff I got at my favorite thrift store tonight! But you’ll have to check back tomorrow as I haven’t unwrapped it all yet.

Hope you had an over-the-top Tuesday!

Library Night

2009-08-11T22:23:00.001-04:00

Have I ever told you I LOVE my library?? It always has great things waiting for me…

I actually spend less than 15 minutes in it a week, but can’t wait to get there! It’s a surprise every week! Yes, they send you email notices that your books are ready to be picked up, but I never open the email to see which books are waiting. Just knowing there’s some waiting is good enough!

As the weather was crappy afterwards, I stopped at my favorite thrift store. I’ve missed a couple of weeks and was starting withdrawal symptoms…

Lots of linens today - both hand-embroidered and machine-made. I also found a pair of vintage lemon-yellow pillowcases. I got a whole bag of Girl Scout badges, numbers and insignias for 99 cents! They’re not vintage but I’m sure with a little tea dying and sanding, I can get them to look old. Every one of the items were iron-on, too. What happened to the good old days when you had to wear a thimble and it was a given-you would break the thread before you were halfway done?!? These kids today don’t know how easy they have it!! haha And you NEVER could find that same shade of green thread either! Our sashes weren’t the prettiest but they sure were unique!

A lovely, raining Tuesday perfect for junk shopping! Hope you had a lovely Tuesday!

Seaside Swap

2009-08-09T22:13:00.001-04:00

Wanted to show off the goodies I sent to Tammy who was my partner in the Seaside Swap hosted by the lovely Rachel.

I made these beach-themed ornaments from wooden cutouts I found at Joann’s.

A snap bracelet that I made with a sun toggle clasp.

Can’t go to the beach without a tote bag, book and lip balm, now can you??

Added some sand, swim and sun stickers with beads and beach-themed buttons.

Ocean breeze tealights…

And what’s a swap without my sewrevived recycled doilies and buttons??

Thank you Rachel for hosting this fun “seaside” swap!

Now if only I was REALLY at the beach enjoying the sand and the surf !!

A Happy Harvesting Saturday

2009-08-08T15:22:00.001-04:00

Mid August usually marks the beginning of reaping what we sowed way back in May. The garden is in full production which means zucchini is ALWAYS a bumper crop. Not to mention green tomatoes. With our cool summer this year, tomatoes are plentiful but they’re not ripening on the vine. It’s just been too cool overnight. Eggplant’s looking good too. So I started out this morning with green tomato relish.

You need green tomatoes, onions, and sweet peppers. I use an assortment of green, red and yellow peppers. Grind it all together, sprinkle with salt and let it sit a little over 2 hours. Into a big pot goes mustard, drained vegetables, brown sugar, tumeric and vinegar. Cook it all together for approx 2 hours until its nice and thick, then ladle it into hot sterilized jars. And while all that was cooking, I started on all my zucchini.

If you’ve never tried this version of mock apple pie, this recipe is awesome! My boys have no clue they’re not eating real “apple” pie and please don’t give out my secret or I’ll never get rid of my zucchini!

You peel, seed and slice zucchini and cook it together with lemon juice for about 20 minutes. Can you honestly say those don’t look like apples?!

Add the cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg…

Make the crust while your “apples” are cooking and pat it into the pan.

Add your apples sprinkle with reserved crust and pop it into the oven.

Sorry the glare from the kitchen window makes it look like the topping isn’t browned, but believe me, it’s done. I’ve given you the full recipe below…

ZUCCHINI CRISP

8 C. peeled, seeded, thinly sliced zucchini 2/3 C. lemon juice

1 C. sugar 1 t. cinnamon ¼ t. nutmeg

4 C. flour 1 ½ C. butter Dash salt

1 ½ C. sugar

Combine zucchini and lemon juice in saucepan. Cook for 20 min. Add 1 C. sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Cook 10 minutes more. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, mix flour, 1 ½ C. sugar and cut in butter like a pie crust.

Reserve ½ cup crust mixture.

Pat 2/3 crust mixture into bottom of 13 x 9 baking pan.

Add ½ C. reserved crust mixture to zucchini mixture, stirring until thickened.

Spread zucchini over crust. Sprinkle remaining crust mixture over top zucchini.

Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve warm or cold.

Bake Time & Temp: 375, 30-45 min

I’ve given you the recipe as it was given to me but I do not use the entire crust batter as I personally feel there is just way too much! I only use about 2/3 of it.

And don’t tell anyone it’s zucchini!! It’ll be OUR secret… (Grandpap Joe, you need to send your lovely wife up to get you some before my boys get home!)

My finished jars of green tomato relish…

The sweet sound of pinging in the background while I’m typing this makes it a happy Saturday! Hope yours is too!

Library Night

2009-08-04T23:05:00.001-04:00

Well, you caught me slacking again! Only 2 books tonite…

I just finished reading Jodi Picoult’s latest book, Handle with Care.

I can’t say that I enjoyed it as much as her previous book, Change of Heart, but so far my favorite is Nineteen Minutes. If you have high school age children, it’s an absolute MUST read. Throughout the book I would question my then 10th & 11th graders if this or that happened in school, and more often than not, they would confirm that things like that indeed happen.

I’m currently reading A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg and enjoying it immensely! I’ll share the details when I’m finished…

Hope you had an enjoyable Tuesday!

Pickles!

2009-08-01T22:50:00.001-04:00

Today I made pickles, and about halfway through I thought… I will show YOU how to make wonderful crispy, refrigerated pickles, too! Thanks to my dearest friend Linda, who LOVES trying new recipes and passes them on to me. These are my absolute favorite pickles!

You’ll need a small basket of cucumber pickles, roughly 12-15 pickles. (Yes, at the farmers market, they look like overgrown dill pickles you buy in a jar at the grocery store.) And a couple of medium onions.

Cut the pickles and onion into thin slices and layer them in a glass or crockery bowl. I use my porcelain mixing bowl.

This morning I had three layers starting with pickles and ending with onions.

In a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, celery seed, mustard seed and tumeric.

Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture over pickles and onion.

Do not stir.

Cover tightly (I snap the lid on my bowl) and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.

I usually pack them with some of the juice into small (3-4 oz) jars or Ziploc plastic containers, so I can share!

That’s it! Super simple (under 30 minutes start to finish) and I promise, the results are definitely worth it!!

The recipe says they’ll keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 weeks. (I promise they won’t last that long once you try them!)

Enjoy!

Library Night

2009-07-28T23:11:00.001-04:00

I can NOT believe I’m down to posting once a week! I have sooo many projects going right now and the summer is just slippin’ away!

Here tonite’s library haul and can you guess what I’m working on???

One side of the new front yard wall that my son built, by himself (those are his words), my job was digging.

More digging for mom as we’re building a new deck onto the back of the house at the same time. (At least you can’t get bored with ONE project around here!)

And while the outside is getting worked on – the whole second floor got new carpeting on Saturday! Now that’s a job I left to the professionals. When I first moved into this house this stairway was painted gloss hunter green. Every piece of wood trim in this house was painted gloss hunter green, except the 2nd floor, and it was painted dark brown.

My room still needs new trim … I was sooo not stripping all of it, so I just ripped it out.

Son number 2’s room…

Didn’t take a picture of Son number 1’s as the carpet installers put all the beds in there and by the time I cleared it out, I forgot a picture… So a couple more weekends (I hope) and I should be totally done on the second floor. Then Pam’s coming to decorate! And after checking out her “Wordless Wednesday” maybe I can talk her into planting my gardens too!!

Back to tonite’s library books…

I can’t wait to open up these!! I think it’s the diversion of having so much going on right now that I love to escape into these wonderful crafting books just to dream about being creative! Or hop on my motorcycle for a ride…but that’s a post for another day…

Hope you had a fabulous Tuesday!

Library Night

2009-07-21T21:46:00.001-04:00

My weeks are just flying by. Here it is another Tuesday already! And we’re halfway through the month of July!! Only 2 books this week…

I did want to share a book with you…

Altered Art by Terry Taylor. I do LOVE her books! Love this version of Pandora’s Box in an altered book.

Creative tags which always appeal to me…

and altered metal boxes…

This is a really great book filled with inspiration if you like mixed media projects! I will definitely be trying some of her techniques out!

Hope you had a happy Tuesday!

Library Night

2009-07-14T22:44:00.001-04:00

Another Tuesday at the library…

The Holy Cards and Saints books are for a Silver Bella Saint Tag Swap I’ll be participating in November.

Not So Big Remodeling is to help me dream up MORE ideas for my home and 5 Ingredient Favorites from Better Homes & Gardens to help me break my diet.

Hopefully Mixed Media Collage Jewelry will help me create something to show off…

Maybe next Tuesday won’t come so fast!! Hope you had a happy one!

Apron Giveaway

2009-07-09T22:41:00.001-04:00

Susan over at Not Quite June Cleaver is having an absolutely lovely giveaway. Not one, but TWO aprons…one handmade, one vintage!!

And she bakes every Friday!! Go check her out!!

Library Night

2009-07-07T21:07:00.001-04:00

It’s Tuesday and time to relax on a gorgeous evening with a few good books and a cup of coffee!

Dream Backyards and Dare to Repair, Replace & Renovate are project books I found at Lowe’s, scribbled down the titles and lo & behold, are library books!

Altered Art Circus by Lisa Kettell her first book, published in February is a mixed media project book.

Weekend Sewing and Embellishing with Anything are sewing project books and Paper Transformed boasts the latest recipes and techniques for making beautiful handmade paper designs.

I think my coffee is ready! Hope you had a wonderful Tuesday!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!

2009-07-04T00:01:00.001-04:00

Have a safe and happy fourth of July!

Another aviation career

2009-07-01T22:04:00.001-04:00

My eldest son has wanted to fly since he was 6 years old (partly my fault for taking him to work). He became enamored of airplanes and has been that way ever since. In his second term of college this year, a private pilot license is part of his curriculum.

On a beautiful evening last week, his aunts, uncles, cousins, brother & I went out to the airport to watch.

Every pilot thoroughly checks out his aircraft before each and every flight. This applies to all aircraft, from the small, single engine plane you see here to the commercial jets of a major airline. This is called a walkaround inspection.

Weight and balance is very important. It is calculated with fuel tanks full and with small aircraft, it’s pretty much the same as putting gas in your car.

After all the preflight inspections and preparations, it was time to wait for darkness (little did we all know it would be at least another 1/2 hour before takeoff) …Could say he was just a little excited we were all there to watch, although I think Aunt Kimmie was just as excited watching…

Engine running, navigation lights are on and time to taxi out to the runway…

Hard to imagine that’s my kid piloting that aircraft, but HE’S been preparing for this since he was 6 years old…

Library Night

2009-06-30T20:29:00.001-04:00

It’s Tuesday Night and finally some of my holds are starting to arrive, so you won’t be disappointed this week.

I was not able to scan any of last week’s book “Sewing Green” by Betz White. But what a great book! Her projects were definitely inspiring! How about recycled juice packaging made into a car sunshade?!?! I’ve seen purses and totes from Capri Sun and Kool-Aid packaging but she took the idea even further. Her projects were really cute! These one week book returns are killers. I barely make it from cover to cover before it’s due. Unfortunately I had to return Simple Country Wisdom before I finished it.

And off to my favorite junk store…

An honest-to-goodness Ouija board! I haven’t seen one of these since I was a teenager! Wordsearch & Dammen Hout were all wood game pieces so those will be recycled into mixed media projects. And brand new Rachel Ashwell’s Simply Shabby Chic window panels. I just finished painting my bedroom that gray-green color of those leaves too!!

Hope you had a simply chic Tuesday!

Red, White & Blue Tag Swap

2009-06-24T19:16:00.001-04:00

Monday was the deadline to submit our vintagey, 4th of July tags to our most gracious and lovely hostess, Jessica. I have to admit that making those 17 tags was no easy task. I am in the middle of unloading my house to a storage facility for a whole house remodel.

So I left the dining room table and one chair in my empty downstairs room so that I could craft in-between moving all weekend. I was doing pretty good until Sunday. 2 1/2 hours hunting down my glue gun!!! And to boot I read her email all wrong and she wanted the tags BY Monday. Great first impression I made!!

A quick pic of the finished tags and a run to Fed Ex on Monday morning! I can’t wait to see the finished tag book!! And I promise I’ll share … pictures only, of course!

PS. The glue gun was in a box on the kitchen floor….go figure…

Library Night

2009-06-23T23:01:00.001-04:00

Wow! A whole week whizzed by and I haven’t posted…sorry.

Tonight’s library visit… only 3 books but one brand new Sewing Green I ordered before it was even processed. Definitely looking forward to reading this one!

And of course the thrift store is overflowing with donations from unsold garage and yard sale items. I even had a few things to donate myself! The bins were filled to capacity, so now I can’t wait til next week!

Loved the script writing on this leather cover and the pages were appropriately discolored! A steal for 99 cents!

Now I haven’t done cross stitch for quite some time, but I couldn’t pass up this vintage era ‘70’s of the fab five airlines. I actually started my aviation career with one of them, but that’s a tale for another day.

A whole bag full of rubber stamps for 2.99!! I was so excited when I saw “victorian” on both sets! Can’t wait to play with these!

Hope you had a great Tuesday!

Library Night

2009-06-16T21:57:00.001-04:00

It’s Tuesday Night and not alot to show you tonite…

My book lists kinda get put on the back burner now that the weather’s just too pretty.

I did finish Flea Market Jewelry! It was all about repurposing your flea market finds into new useful designs to wear and decorate your home.

How cute is this idea?!

And check out these shoes being used as jewelry holders! Too cute!

Really a lot of great ideas in this book! Definitely worth reading if you’re a junk shopper like me!

Hope you had an awesome Tuesday!

It’s Graduation Time

2009-06-10T21:56:00.001-04:00

When my children were little, they were quite the handful! What one didn’t dream up, the other one did! I had 2 very rambunctious boys 1 year apart. I did what any mother would do in my shoes – I prayed!

And I prayed and I prayed…

I didn’t pray for well-behaved children, I didn’t pray for peace and quiet, or even good grades. The only thing I prayed for was a high school diploma for each of them. In this sea of garnet and gray…

sat my youngest about to receive the answer to the last of my prayers.

He was the very last student to receive his diploma.

Thank you Lord Jesus for answering my prayers. Amen.

Library Night

2009-06-09T20:48:00.001-04:00

Another Tuesday already?!? Tonite’s reading pleasure…

The Altered Scrapbooking with Susan Ure is a DVD/CD set.

The Find by Stan Williams boasts “The Housing Works Book of Decorating with Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details” on the cover. Now, just who among us doesn’t need this book!

The Inspirability by Pash cover is flocked and absolutely delightful to touch. I hope what’s inside is just as delightful as the cover!!

And speaking of flocked…at my favorite thrift store this evening

a vintage, flocked Christmas apron! A yard or so of pretty fabric…

and a few odd bits of wool, threads and beads.

Hope you had a feel-good Tuesday!!

Victorian Tea Party

2009-06-06T07:43:00.001-04:00

Welcome Friends! How wonderful to see you, again! Please, please come in…

Let me take your hats and gloves…

If you don’t mind, I’d love for you to sign my guest book.

Please come into the parlor and have a seat. Tea should be ready in a few moments.

Why yes, those favors are for you to take home. How have you been?

What have you been doing with yourself? You don’t say! Well that’s delightful!

The weather has been a bit dreadful the last couple of days.

May I offer you some strawberries and cream?

Of course I baked! Would you care for some cookies? Let’s see… there’s black bottom cups, sugar cookies, nut horns, thumbprints and lady locks…

Oh.. and pizzelles! They’re made from my Italian grandmother’s recipe.

The tea’s ready. Would you like cream or sugar with your tea?

I am so happy you were able to join me for tea today! We really should do this more often!

You must leave so soon? Well I must say I really enjoyed our tea and conversation! So nice of you to come by.

On to your next Tea Party hosted by the most gracious Kim at The Victorian Parlor.

Have a beautiful day and thank you again for coming! Take care!

Ahhh, nothing is spent better than a day spent with friends!!

Company’s Coming…

2009-06-05T08:50:00.001-04:00

I found my list, hurray!! Now to get busy!

Unpack teapots…check!

Bake cookies…check!

Flowers…check!

Candles…check!

Off to the market!!

Now where’s my OTHER list?!?!

I will see all you lovely ladies tomorrow!!

Library Night

2009-06-02T21:34:00.001-04:00

Wow! It’s Tuesday already?! It’s just amazing how fast a week goes by. Tonight’s books…

A real hodgepodge! A couple of these were ordered months ago. Some waiting lists are so long, I just forget about them until they show up. I have one book on order that I’m number 19 out of 54.

And you KNOW I had to stop at my favorite thrift store afterwards. It IS on my way home…

Is this not THE basket to own?!?! I love wire baskets, but this one has two hinged flaps, to keep your contents in the basket. It was filled with fabric vegetables!!

A red velvet scrapbook with black pages inside, and a gilded blank journal. I love finding books with gold edged pages!

I hope you had a golden Tuesday!

Company’s Coming…

2009-06-01T22:55:00.001-04:00

Busy weekend preparing for Kim’s Tea Party on Saturday. Thank goodness my bestest aunt sent me a new apron for my chores! A Mary Engelbreit print! Too cute!! Thank you Aunt Patricia!!

I MUST get busy dustin’ and polishin’…

Tea cups, dishes and silverware need to sparkle…

Whew! I’m exhausted! And there’s still baking to do and tea pots to unpack. Now, where did I put my list?! Where did the weekend go??

Hope you had a happy Monday!

Library Night Delayed

2009-05-27T22:04:00.001-04:00

As promised, here’s my new stack of library books for this week…

The very top book is Vintage Style by Cath Kidston, which is a repeat book for me, along with Sew Pretty Christmas Homestyle. Wait, count those…there is only 7 books. The eighth book is already on my nightstand, let me get it for you…

Aw, better, number 8. And I always end my library night with a trip to my favorite junk store…They were having a HUGE sale with Ladies day, green tag and red stickers all 50% off. Of course when they’re having a sale like that I can never find anything…

I lucked out finding a bunch of german scrap or dresden (paper foil) inside a bag with star garland for 49 cents.

A vintage christening gown. A close up of the lovely neckline and pleats.

A few paint roller refills (can always use those) and a children’s clock puzzle.

Hope your Wednesday was superb!

Library Night

2009-05-26T19:20:00.001-04:00

It’s Tuesday and I have to apologize. I stopped at the library to clear my shelf as 8 books were waiting for me. And I’ve got some GREAT titles to show you BUT I have no camera !! Tonight is the Senior Prom (yes, on a Tuesday) and my youngest has my camera! So I’ll have to share these wonderful titles tomorrow!

Tonight I’ll share a sneak peak into a really inspiring compilation of artwork.

Is this owl not the cutest?!?! As the entire book is greeting cards and such, I would assume the owl shape is cut from pretty paper and then stitched on the sewing machine. Tiffany has a wonderful way to fake stitches if you're not a sewer.

I liked this fresh approach to decoupage and watercolors by Jenn Mason.

Most of the book has 6 to 9 images of various artwork and their artists.

So as you can imagine, the book is quite large, but if you enjoy this type of papercrafts, this book is jam packed with inspiration and creativity.

Hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! It was no fun going back to work today…

Creative Every Day

2009-05-21T22:23:00.001-04:00

This month’s creative every day theme is nature. Leah wants us to go outside and get inspired by nature to create art. She suggested we go outside for a walk and take pictures. I enjoyed it so much I thought I’d share my photos with you…

I think the little bee at the top of this photo was enjoying the flowers as much as I was! Mother Nature can’t get more inspiring than spring in full bloom, don’t you agree!?

Have a Happy Friday!

Library Night

2009-05-19T22:19:00.001-04:00

I’m going through withdrawal here!! Can you believe there wasn’t ONE book waiting at the library for me!! 14 on hold and they’ll all show up at the same time, guaranteed!
And no trip to the library means I didn’t stop at my favorite thrift store either.

Well how about we take a look at last week’s favorite or two... Making Memory Boxes by Anna Corba.

She will be teaching at Silver Bella this year and I am definitely signed up for her class! I have just been loving her projects and use of vintage ephemera. This was my all time favorite project from the book…

She didn’t use the inside of the box, but the outside. Her fresh approach to collage is what I like the best in her books. If your an Anna Corba fan, I highly recommend all her books!

Creative Collage by Marie Browning. (sorry for the post-it note) She has some really interesting pieces of artwork in her book.

A take on the vintage bottles, which I thought was a little more creative…

How about decorating peat pots from the garden department? This idea I thought was really original and different.

And an artist’s palette, complete with a vintage cartoon depicting an artist with his easel? Too cute!

Creative Collage is a great book. The author provided instructions for all her projects, they are easy to follow and short. Most projects are only a two page layout including the picture. Makes it really easy when you’re short on crafting time but need a handmade gift or favor.

Well, hopefully we’ll have new books next Tuesday to preview!

Hope you had a good day!

And the Winner is…

2009-05-18T21:07:00.001-04:00

Thanks to all for leaving a sweet comment on my blog. So I wrote out every name on a slip of paper and into the hat box they went.

Of course this was a BIG job, there were 20 slips of paper! I had to go next door and enlist the help of my neighbor. She’s too sweet! (Not a teenager yet…) On went the lid for a little shake…

Pop the lid off and reach inside…

And the winner is…

JENNIFER . And to my little neighbor girl, thank you for helping! Don’t you just love the close up of chippy nail polish!?

Congratulations Jennifer! Please send me an email with your mailing address so I can pack up your goodies and get them on their way.

Seaside Swap 2009

2009-05-17T23:23:00.001-04:00

Rachel at Contented is organizing her first swap! No one has made her a button (I ’m a newbie – way over my head)

but I knew Karen would have the perfect vintage seaside picture! Deadline for signups is May 22nd, so hurry on over there to join!

Even if you are not joining this particular swap, she posted a little “Swap Etiquette” yesterday that is worth reading if you participate in swaps. I wouldn’t dream of not putting my best foot forward in a swap, but I know if you log in to swap-bot or any of the other swap based sites, you’ll see hostesses posting they will or will not “angel” their swap. So I guess the articles on swap etiquette are obviously written for a reason.

I can’t believe I’m out of weekend already! Have a happy Monday!

Remember to check back tomorrow for the 50th post winner!!

Junk Shopping

2009-05-16T19:02:00.001-04:00

Set out this morning to the local church rummage sales! Found the first one…didn’t buy a thing. Spent an hour driving around and couldn’t find church number 2. Finally I just gave up. Headed back to town for church number 3 (I knew where it was). Stopped for a yard sale…

Scored the black and white enamel bracelet. Thought it was cool! Did all my shopping today at church number 3. The hand crocheted bag above…

An added bonus – the hankies were inside! A set of embroidered napkins…

A shopping bag full of books and a fruit basket.

And my absolute favorite…LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this coat…

A vintage coat from a store that closed its doors at least 40 years ago and IT FITS!!!

A happy, happy rummaging day!

Hope you had a happy, happy day too!

Big 50 Giveaway!

2009-05-15T21:30:00.001-04:00

NOT ME, MY BLOG!!
I’m really excited that I’m actually going to have 50 posts logged this Sunday! So I thought I’d say thank you for all your encouragement with a giveaway!

So…on a vintage platter you’ll receive all these 50 goodies!! Yes, there is actually a platter under all that goodness!

Please leave me a comment on this post and I’ll randomly pick a winner on Monday evening!

Good luck and thanks to all of you for your kind words and support!

PS. A special thanks to Jodie for helping with a list of 50 things. She’s too sweet!

Library Night

2009-05-12T22:03:00.001-04:00

It’s Tuesday already! My latest acquisitions, on loan of course…

Mary Engelbreit has a new book out called Sew, So Cute! for those of you who miss her magazine. Sewing projects for baby, home and gifts in her signature style of blooms, polka dots and witty sayings.

BH&G Gifts To Make is an older book and I am specifically after a few of the project ideas listed in there. I check that one out at least twice a year. Great gift giving ideas!

The other two books I am looking forward to delving into. Haven’t seen either of these before and nothing like a hot cup of tea and a new book, or in my case, books!

I just finished reading Made From Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life by Jenna Woginrich. An excellent read! Her tales of being young and single with a desk job and a city apartment, she sets out to establish a more self sustaining way of life by learning homesteading skills. If you’ve ever dreamed about being a farmer, this is a MUST read. From raising chickens to bee keeping to gardening to teaching herself fiddle playing, she writes about her journey towards self-reliance.

Sorry, no pictures from my favorite thrift store this evening. I did score a set of Tarot Cards that I’ve been looking for, to collage with! Yeah!

Hope you had a happy Tuesday!

Junk Shopping

2009-05-11T21:31:00.001-04:00

Hope you don’t mind, I’m sharing a few photos of junk from this past week while I practice my attempts at photography.

What can I tell you? I’m hopeless at picture taking…

Hope everyone had a blessed Mother’s Day!

The Coat

2009-05-09T22:02:00.001-04:00

The reason I had to ship stuff home from Louisiana…

This coat took up half my suitcase and weighed a ton!! See that shimmering satin lining, and after washing & drying it, it is soooo soft. But the labels say it ALL…

A Lilli Ann gem!! In the fashion industry, a “fabulous french woolen”. And I’m sure I just gave someone heartburn when I said I washed and dried it (yes, in the dryer). It doesn’t fit me (way too big) so I had nothing to lose. All I wanted really, was the labels. Yep, the labels. I dragged this coat almost 1000 miles JUST for the labels. Now that it’s nice and clean and still too big, I will recycle the material. Some french woolen teddy bears…

I’m not a fashion buff, but vintage clothing scores like this one make my heart go pitter-patter. Actually I think it was the $1 that made my heart pitter-patter. hahaha

Cemetery Art

2009-05-08T21:33:00.001-04:00

While visiting Louisiana, I had to see the beautiful cemetery Jodie had blogged about. It was all she said it was, and more. I even got a few photo lessons while we strolled through the grounds, on a lookout for angels.

I do not even come close to having the photographic talent Miss Jodie has, but I was trying…

You know I LOVE any type of ironwork. Lots of iron crosses and I saw Julie’s cross under that mammoth oak tree.

Seem to be in the right place to find angels.

Yep…they’re definitely welcome here. Ever wonder what your guardian angel looks like??

I suspect mine looks like this at the end of EVERY day!

Never run faster than your guardian angel can fly!

Library Night

2009-05-05T20:27:00.001-04:00

Tuesday already?!? Lost a few books last week since I was off playing with Jodie. You only have a few days to pick up your books or they go back into circulation. So I’ll have to reorder and wait till it’s my turn again. This week’s reading list…

I’ve been waiting for Collage for the Soul, sounds positively inspiring, don’t you think?? Can’t wait to dig in!

And you KNOW where I went after that…my favorite junk store.

A metal case, baby ric rac, shelf paper and buttons. The metal case is not a compact. It has a hinged arm inside…

and in perfect condition. Can anyone tell me what this is?? I don’t believe it’s a cigarette case, the hinged arm would smash their smokes. It came in a fabric (suede) pouch. It’s really pretty.

Hope your Tuesday was pretty, too.

Junk Shopping

2009-05-03T19:07:00.001-04:00

Nothing is more fun than junk shopping! Here’s a little peek at all the goodies I shipped home from Louisiana. Yes, you read correctly…shipped.

Beads, baubles and velvet…

luscious velvet ribbon…

bottle caps…

paper ephemera, seam binding and muslin sacks.

I haven’t even touched my suitcase yet! A trip to Hobby Lobby and more junk shopping is still packed away. But oh, so much fun!!

Hope your week was just as fun!

I’m Back!

2009-05-02T21:17:00.001-04:00

Hope you didn’t miss me too much! I was down in Cajun country playing with my BFF, Jodie! And as she’s the bestest photographer I know-she posted our fun all week.

I was THE GUEST, pampered and spoiled rotten in true Southern Hospitality fashion! Met wonderful people, ate wonderful food, saw wonderful sights and had a GRAND time!! I can’t thank her and her family enough for their graciousness!! I am so fortunate to have such a fabulous friend!

To have a good friend is one of the greatest delights of life – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pink & Green Swap

2009-04-24T20:33:00.001-04:00

A highly anticipated box arrived today! I could barely stop myself from ripping it open on the front steps. But no, I decided to share my goodies with you. So let’s open it together!! Shall we…

Ohhhh! Oh my!!! Isn’t it just gorgeous!?!? I said I’d share but those are MY initials… Hurry!! Lift the lid!!!

Pink and green GOODY BAGS!! Slowly lift them out of the box! WOW! There’s more stuff under them!!

Look at all these goodies!!! Did I REALLY say I’d share, are you sure?? OK open the presents, hurry now…

Wow!! This is BETTER than my birthday, better than Christmas, better than CHOCOLATE!!! Well, yeah, better than chocolate, for me… These are for ME! Share?? Who said share??? Wait… we didn’t open the goodie bags!!!

Oh Jessi! I can’t thank you enough! I got the BEST SWAPPER in the whole world!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

You are just the SWEETEST!! What else from the hugely talented, veteran blogging, award winning, swap savvy, vintage diva Jessica Nagy

www.scrappyjessi.blogspot.com.

It was a honor! Thank you again for being my first swap partner!!

Wishes Come True Too

2009-04-22T22:21:00.001-04:00

Remember on Saturday when I mentioned my niece’s birthday and how bad she wanted a home run?? Well she didn’t do it on Saturday…BUT SHE DID IT ON SUNDAY!!

A HOME RUN TO WIN THE GAME FOR HER TEAM!!

WAY TO GO MADDIE!!

They came in third in the tournament. WAY TO GO GIRLS!! It takes everyone one of you to be a team!!

(and I apologize for the pics, they were the only ones I had!)

It’s Tuesday!

2009-04-21T22:22:00.001-04:00

They sure do come really fast, don’t they??

Excuse the glare. It’s already dark by the time I get home and the dining room has the brightest lighting. Only 4 books today. Trust me, I have 26 on order and they’ll all show up at the SAME time!

Of course you know where I went after that. Not much, just some odds and ends. Pad of sketching paper, a couple tiny picture frames, a doily and while I was rummaging through the bin of linens, look what I found…

…

ANOTHER oil painting. My guess - someone stashed it to come back and buy it later. WRONG! I found it. You really wouldn’t believe where I find stuff in that store.

Oh yeah! I’m good!

Hope you were good today too!

Collage Stuff

2009-04-20T22:04:00.001-04:00

These are the little goodies I ordered from Lisa’s website Collage Stuff.com. I can’t remember where I got her name (Tim Holtz’s website, I’m thinking).

I love those victorian tags and 1889 dictionary pages. Can you believe “forswink” was a word?! A verb, actually, meaning “to exhaust by labor.”

She’s the best source I’ve found for vintage paper products! When you live in a small town, antique stores are about the only place that sells vintage papers. That’s why I get so excited when I find an old ledger or receipt book at the thrift store. Her website has 2 galleries that feature completed projects using her products. Truly inspirational stuff. And her blog www.lisacollagestuff.blogspot.com you can check out. too.

Hope you had a Happy Monday!

My Altered Journey

2009-04-19T21:26:00.001-04:00

Tim and I had sooo much fun today…

I played with distress inks, brushless watercolor, alcohol inks and made clay medallion pieces. I didn’t finish one project as I had to work fast. Tim is due back at the library tomorrow. I’ll have to show you the finished projects another day.

Yesterday was my niece’s birthday. I made her a monkey laundry bag from Amy Butler’s Little Stitches book. Little, she’s not. She just LOVES monkeys… She was playing tournament softball in Ormond Beach, FL. 4 hits and excellent plays in the field but really wanted a home run on her birthday! FOUR hits is fabulous - WAY TO GO MADDIE!! And they won all 4 games too!!

And my BBF Pam, over at www.fluffandfinery.blogspot.com also had a birthday yesterday. I sent her a little something too, but you’ll have to visit her blog to see it. She got LOTS of presents, my kinda birthday!!

Tomorrow’s Monday, already…Whoever stole the weekend, could you please bring it back?!?!

Library Night

2009-04-14T21:08:00.001-04:00

Yes, it’s Tuesday already! Just last week we were all busy preparing for Easter and it’s over! This month is just flying by.

I confess…I’ve read Sew Pretty Homestyle by Tone Finnanger when it first came out last summer. Such cute projects! The photography was actually done in a museum home that’s open to the public. I’ll have to scan some to show you…

And Tuesday means my favorite thrift store. Wait till you see today’s scores!!

Not one, but TWO oil paintings…

One framed and one not. This one of the flowers is actually painted on a piece of plywood.

Two music books and see that brown leather case??? Look a little closer…

Yes it does say “Made in France”. And the pages are in French, there’s a phone directory and map of France. But even better than that…

Check out that orange sticker!!! A whopping .79 cents!!! It even came with a business card…

Sorry it’s not the best picture. I just couldn’t resist showing off! Oh yeah!! Excuse me while I do my little victory dance…

Hope you had a reason to dance today too!

Junk Shopping

2009-04-13T20:50:00.001-04:00

Hope you all had a blessed Easter season. On Good Friday we took my little cousin Junk Shopping!

I had 2 MAJOR scores! 1952 Girl Scout Handbook and Carmen (can’t find a date) in a foreign language. Couldn’t tell you which foreign language, though. Required high school Spanish classes were a long, long time ago… If someone can tell me by the cover, I’d love to know!

She was so excited (maybe, because there were 4 adults buying for 1 little one). We were in Juliet’s Closet and she exclaimed to the clerk, “I LOVE JUNK SHOPPING!”

Don’t we all, Olivia?!?!

Busy Tuesday

2009-04-07T22:17:00.001-04:00

I don’t know of anyone getting married, but I do know these cones are absolutely adorable!! You only need a romantic niche to display these beauties!

'Set of two wedding cones adorned with romantic vintage music sheets,pearl earrings,paper parchment roses,hand tea dyed vintage lace. Post photo of cones on your blog and blog address http://vintagechicbride.blogspot.com/ then sign up to win!

Drawing is Saturday April 11th Happy Easter!!

And today I frantically finished my 5 charms for the Cloth Paper Scissors Charm Swap. I just read about it yesterday (don’t know how on earth I missed it!) and decided to go for it. I barely made it to the post office before they closed!! I didn’t get a picture of the actual ones I sent, so these will have to do.

I can only tell you one was made from a wooden spool, one was made from a zipper pull, one was made from a heart earring and 2 were made from plastic tubing. Those participating in the charm bracelet collaborative will see the wooden spool and shell button & bead charms very soon.

I picked up a couple more Japanese craft books from the library today…

Sorry I just couldn’t get a decent photo this evening. The book that is hidden is titled Animal Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small by Ted Andrews. I read some great reviews on this book so I ordered it. Not usually my kind of book but you never know unless you check it out…

And what’s a Tuesday without a trip to my favorite thrift store…

It was slim pickings tonight. A round rhinestone brooch, 3 padded hangers, set of silk leaves, more metal sewing bobbins and 2 pieces of silverware.

Hope your had a fab-filled Tuesday!

Creative Every Day

2009-04-05T20:45:00.001-04:00

I forgot to post my Creative Every Day for the month of March…

Leah over at www.creativeeveryday.com gives us a monthly theme (totally optional) to create with and March was DREAMS. I created my banner and hung it above my bed and totally forgot about it. Yesterday it dawned on me I needed April’s creative theme, COLOR.

Did you see all the beautiful art and collage pieces posted?? Such talent over there…

Weekends go by way too fast! Hope you had a good one!

Pink & Green Swap

2009-04-04T10:38:00.001-04:00

See that little INNOCENT icon on the left??? The one I thought “How Fun!”… I’ve never done a swap … How hard could it be? … I send some goodies to them … they send some goodies to me …

OMG, am I in TROUBLE!! CHECK OUT MY SWAP PARTNER…

The Hugely Talented, Veteran Blogging, Award Winning, Swap Savvy, Vintage Diva Jessica Nagy!!

www.scrappyjessi.blogspot.com

And holding a vintage Barbie doll case I would die for!!

All I can say is I’m HONORED and now I’m TOTALLY STRESSED!!!

WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?!

Brand new Paper Cuts & Giveaway

2009-04-04T09:16:00.001-04:00

Quick!! Head on over to www.krishubick.blogspot.com and get registered for a great giveaway!

She’s giving away 2 packs of paper cuts and 6 semi-gloss collage sheets!! And oh, are they absolutely wonderful!!

But you only have 1 more day to register!!!

Thank you Kristin for being so gracious!