Christmas 2008

Another One bites the dust....

I am finishing older projects,so another one finished tonight...

Finishing another project...

Another project completed...

Christmas Movie Weekend...

Everyone knows I am a Christmas movie freak.Today was The Bishops Wife and the '96 remake,The Preachers Wife.The Bishops Wife stars Cary Grant,Loretta Young and David Niven in a story about an angel who helps a bishop with his problems.A little trivia tidbit,David Niven was originally cast to be the angel and Cary Grant the preacher,but the producer had them switch up.The Preacher's Wife is a little different,but absolutely adorable.My favorite part was where the boiler is about to blow.LOL And the Christmas baskets being delivered by Henry and Julia.What a great idea they had in making baskets up for people and delivering them.For a Christmas tradition ,you could buy baskets on sale after holidays through the year and items on sale,one great idea they had is socks,I was thinking,gloves,stocking hats,coloring books,crayons,items on sale through the year.Put in a Christmas card and a Christmas bread,like banana bread,carrot cake,etc or cookies.Maybe for a little girl,a barbie doll,matchbox cars for little boys,etc.

Christmas Clothespins...

I bought wooden clothespins from a dollar store a couple of years ago and never got around to painting them.Well,I'm trying to finish up some things Left Undone,so here we go.I just painted them up and after they dried painted with modpodge.You can use them in decorating or to hang ornaments on tree,even hang by themselves as ornaments.

Great Christmas Crochet Pattern Link...

http://rachels-holiday-links.blogspot.com/2007/03/christmas-crochet-pattern-links.html

Guess why The Nativity is in the tree?

Because Molly ran away with Baby Jesus and I had to chase her down yelling,"Drop Baby Jesus,Molly!'' LOL

Loving The Lights of Christmas...

Some of my dolls...

Just a shelf of some of my dolls,I made a couple and the beautiful one in the middle was made for me by Andi Tanner.Andi makes awesome,beautiful dolls.I have a couple of little raggedy ann and andy dolls I got for my oldest daughter as a child.And behind them is a little old raggedy ann and andy book I picked up years ago.I love collecting old books.The heart basket is also a treasure my DIL's Aunt made for me.

Molly,Molly,Molly

First she peeked down the stairs to see what I was doing while I was decorating the stairs...

Then she came to watch what else I was doing while decorating,because she doesn't like changes and it had to all meet to her approval.LOL I think it's growing on her.

Living Room...

Below is my reading area,the little green table I painted and modpodged printouts on it for my daughter when she was little.I modpodged over the whole thing a few coats to seal it.

Christmas Village Closeup...

My Christmas Village...

I had to set up my Christmas Village,just wanted to feel in the holiday spirit early this year.

HAPPY FALL!!!

I love FAll,it's my favorite time of year.You get a little nip in the air that makes it cozy enough for watching a movie with a blanket.It's about time for hotcocoa and Little Women.I bought some mums for the front door and candycorn and pumpkin candy in the glass pumpkin jar and dried fall corn.My fall garland is hanging up and pumpkin spice Yankee candle is burning.We're going to a pumpkin patch,with hayride,and a petting animal place for the kiddies.Different games and a big slide,even for adults to throw a burlap sack under you and slide away.I need to take a trip to the apple orchard,we buy jams and honey there and it's up in the mountains,beautiful drive.

Signs of a country crafter...

I went downstairs this morning in the kitchen and just got tickled at the thought of someone coming in wondering what in the heck I had hanging up.Last night I teadyed and baked my needlepoint cloth and a piece of burlap.It was damp and so I had to hang it up.

I laughed to myself when I thought of us crazy country crafters.How many times did our kids come home and wonder if the awesome cinnamon smell that filled the house was cookies,cinnabun candles or a doll,pinskeep or ornie cooking in the oven?And there's the good vanilla bottle for cooking and the economical big bottle for crafting,good cinnamon for cooking and economical big bottle for crafting,good coffee or tea for drinking and the old or cheap coffee or tea for crafting.

Have you ever had anyone think your morbid for having doll body parts everywhere and would it be Christmas without Mom making Christmas ornies?Do you use cool jars you don't want to throw away for other things,old jars for buttons or potpourri,dried mint,loose tea,tins for buttons,fasteners,ribbons,bowls for dried roses?How many of you use bottles or claypots for candles and salt shakers filled with cinnamon?Just see how pretty a blue glass is with a tealight stuck in it.And why throw away a perfectly good old cheese/vegetable shredder when you can throw a candle under it and see how pretty it shines through all the holes?Do you know how much fun it is to freeze water in a soup can and punch holes in it to place a candle in it or tea lights in a baby jar.Goodness,some people don't know how to live. ;) Some people's children.

We search the web for homemade recipes for detergent,the best uses for baking soda and vinegar,use old cloth,lace,quilts,buttons for dolls and ornies.There's hardly anything we don't tea or coffee dye,my husband says he'll hide his unders and socks if I touch them to dye.LOL We make our own pinskeeps and prim up the new pin holders.How many of you keep a pad and paper next to your bed,because when you close your eyes a new idea will come?We don't see things the same as others,when we look at something we want to change the color or design.And I can't look on any wall and not see a dried rose hanging off of something. :)

And I totally forgot about the rusted pins and bells,how many have asked you the question,"Why"?

New needlepoint project...

Well,getting ready for another needlepoint project.I love these old patterns,now I just have to decide which ones I'll use and how I'll set it out.Keep ya posted.

Peppermint Christmas crochet...

I love crocheting as you know and crocheted these peppermint washcloth,potholder and little handtowel.Can't remember if I posted these,but here they are.Here's the link to patterns... http://web.archive.org/web/20021229120559/members.aol.com/crochettalk2/peppermint.htm

Aha,more tomatoes...

You remember my first little tomato,you know the one you probably laughed at.LOL Well,you'll be happy to know I got some bigger ones and boy were they good.It's great to walk out your door and grab a tomato off the vine.So easy,I just put tomato plants in big pots on my back deck.I got big clay pots from Lowe's and put a tomato plant in each pot.Now,I'll tell you that little tomato plant will get big,so don't cram in one pot.And this next year when I grow up,I'll have a real garden, ;) ,but for now I'll settle for what I got.

My Rooster Needlepoint...

Well,I finished my rooster needlepoint...

Yah,Finished Needlepoint....

Tyedyed...

Hooray!I've finished my piece and am now teadying it.I add a couple of teabags and vanilla in the hotwater,then the piece.Then it goes in the oven on warm.It will be a little damp,don't want to make it too dark,so I iron it and WaLa!

Needlepoint this week...

I started a needlepoint project this week.I still have more to do on it and then prim it up with a teadye afterwards.The bottom pic is what I've gotten done so far tonight.I still have to add the beak to the bluebird,throw in some branches and border.

First tomato...

First tomato,mater,to ma to of the summer.Yeah Yeah,it's little,but who cares,we were so tickled eating anything we grew ourselves.The others are already twice that size,guess this little guy couldn't wait to grow up.I'm excited,because little as it was,it tasted 100% better than those generic ones in the store.

Good Morning...

Today I'm off to the post office to send my ebay payment off for a cd of antique crochet patterns,so excited.Then to Costco,I don't care what they say about Hurricane Bertha,as wierd as it is acting,it might come to the east coast.I want extra food and water and if nothing else,I have it for the next hurricane threat.I'm excited my little gs is spending the night,his mama said he had passed by my house on the way home the other day and blew me a kiss,he said,"I love you Nana."How sweet is that,love that child.Anyway,going to the farmers market in the morning,we should support our local growers and it's fun to go.Peaches are in the mountains this month,can't wait to can some.

Crafting...

Been in a crafting mood today,

I love jars of old buttons,ribbons,rusty bells and pins and coffee and tea dyed tags.

Some of my dolly parts and accessories,it's fun to look at what you got and come up with something.I love making dolls of different sizes.They just come to life as you work with them,makes me smile.

Crochet FanMotif...

This is the crochet motif I'm working on,it's called Lady's Fan Coverlet and Pillow,found it on http://www.freepatterns.com/ a long time ago.If it's not there,do a google search and it might come up somewhere.I substituted my own colors.Anyway,these motifs will be sewn together and crocheted around whole piece.So,I'm working away and I get absorbed in counting and stitches,just happen to look next to me and apparently somebody is feeling neglected...

Molly,you need to get off of my crochet...

Molly,I know you hear me,come on,get off the crochet...

Molly,don't cut your eyes up at me,I know you know what I'm saying...Hello....

Oh,alright,alright,I'll stop crocheting for awhile,come here.

Ribbon Holder...

Resized pic so you can see what I'm talking about with the ribbon holder.I have buttons in jars,so I can see them,I love old buttons.Jars are great,I love lavendar and roses,my Tasha jar,I call it.I collect cups,I have to have a cup for coffee or tea always handy,but in the back I use cups given to me for crochet hooks,pens,markers,etc.My thread holder has a cut out bird I'm working on,need to stuff it.I really want to do some ribbon flowers on crazy quilt squares.Just click on the pic and it will enlarge.

Sewing Area...

I sat up a table in my living room just so my husband and daughter could have me in the same room while they were watching tv and I was crafting.It's just a little bit of my stuff,but I've tucked some things here and there incognito.Luckily the table folds down,so when I work on something,I can just pull up the front piece.The back piece is down,so this table doesn't take up all that much room.This ribbon holder is actually a quilt holder that hangs on the wall,I just slipped the ribbon rolls on the dowels and laid it on the table.My thread holder is actually a plastic fishing box you put your little fishing accessories in,works great for thread.

The pattern in the basket is a friend's,Andi Tanner,she makes beautiful dolls.You can put craft things in so many things,baskets,boxes,tins,my granddaughters gave me this paper mache heartbox that they modgepodged a bunch of cut out pics of themselves,I love it.

These big plastic containers that you can buy cheeseballs or pretzels in are great for putting crafts in that you want to see into.

I painted these claypots and modgepodged printouts on them,they are great to put little tealights in.