More Favorites!

Here are a couple more fun Christmas ideas. I purchased this painting (cute cupcake girl, not the paper hat doll!) from Diane awhile ago but it is one of my favorite things and she has some really great stuff in her etsy shop!

Don't you love her snowman?

And I also love this new etsy shop. I found it through Jenn and I got my purchases yesterday and they were just as great in person. I would show you, but I don't want their recipients to see.

I really love this whole handmade Christmas idea but I am really struggling with the men in my life. Has anyone found any great shops on etsy with things for men or even have a great craft they are working on for a guy? I struggle with this every year and could really use some help!

More Dolls!

Okay, two more dolls. Little Miss Christmas Gingham is a converted witch. I changed her skirt and gave her a new hat! She is very happy to have given up her witchy ways.






Then we have my other new doll. She was going to be an angel but I kind of like her the way she is. What do you think? Should I add wings? And a halo? And should she have a flower on her chest or no? I need some help deciding. And these girls will be joining her friends tonight in the Shop.

It's time to get shopping Girls!



Hello my bloggy friends! I feel like I have been gone ages. It was so fun to have my parents here for Thanksgiving but they went home yesterday and now it is time to get back to real life. And what does that mean this time of year? Shopping! I must admit I do love a good Black Friday sale, but I didn't get that into it this year. Although I did miss watching the stampede at Target at 6am, I am having even more fun shopping at some of my blog-friends shops. So I thought today I would show you just a couple of my favorites.
First Loveboxes from Tiffany. I have mentioned my dear friend more than once here, but believe me I am totally unbiased when I tell you here creations are amazing! So if you are looking for the perfect box for something little, or just a unique little gift here shop is a great place to look!

And if you are looking for something to put in one of her boxes visit Karla right now. She paints these beautiful charms. I have one and wear it all the time. Better order one soon because I figure if she keeps painting these tiny miniatures she will probably be blind soon!


She also has these gorgeous hand painted ornaments for sell right now too, but she is having a sale soon so she may not have as many if you wait too long!

And this is the gorgeous work of Jennifer! I have just found her, through Vanessa who is always introducing me to something new and beautiful and who is a great source of treasures herself, and love her work sooo much!

This is her new collage in her shop and she also great new prints.





And these darling ornaments, my only problem here may be choosing!

So go do some etsy shopping, I have been all morning. I love this idea floating around of a homemade Christmas and am thrilled with the idea of not having to hand make it all myself. Oh, and have I mentioned that these amazingly talented people price their treasures more reasonably than anything you will find at the mall? So Happy Shopping!

A new face in Blogland!

One of my best friends, Circe has started a new blog. We have been friends since the third grade when I used to give her my potato chips because I didn't like them(I know, go figure!). Her birthday is the day before mine so we have shared a lot of fun birthday memories too. She is one of the most amazing, creative moms I know. She makes and repairs violins, teaches ballet and has five great kids. Any one of those would be more than I can handle. She has a great, funny style of writing so go on over and say hello, I think you will be glad you did!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thought I would just give you a couple of cute pilgrims to look at this lovely Thanksgiving morning! I hope you have as much fun at your dinner today as these kids had at theirs last week. It was perfect kid fare, nuggets, Mac and cheese pigs in a blanket and as many cupcakes as you wanted! This is Matthew with his favorite little friend("she is the most beautiful in my class Mom"). Aren't they cute little pilgrims? I am grateful for so much today. The wonderful family I have, some of which is visiting me today, new friends and old, and so much more. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

And yet another Doll!

Are you folks getting tired of these yet? I have really been trying to get a bunch in the shop before my company comes today so this seems to have been a doll-blog this week. Hope you don't mind, your lovely comments really help me feel good about putting them out there in the world!
Well the virtual prom was really fun yesterday, go check it out if you didn't get the chance. Natasha really did a great job of hosting! I have to say I was quite ready to get a new post up here today. Being greeted by the big-haired me was a bit un-nerving all day yesterday!

Well, I have to go get my parents from the airport this afternoon so there may not be to much from me for a day or too but I have a feeling that may be the case throughout blogland.

Oh, one last thing. I really like the way these flowers are working with the new bun hair. Which do you like better Miss Autumn's two buns from a couple of days ago or Miss Christmas's single one? They are both in the shop now. Have a great Thanksgiving!

It's the Prom!

Natasha is having a Prom party over on her blog! So I pulled out my old pictures. I meant to have Brittany model my old dresses but she isn't quite big enough yet. So this was my first prom. And first boyfriend. Don't I look happy? I was so excited, and I loved that dress. The skirt is layers of tulle and I felt like I was out of Gone With The Wind.

This wasn't actually prom, it was a homecoming but I loved this dress so much we are going to pretend it was a prom.
This dress actually still looks pretty good, it was linen and I really loved it too. My daughter's comment was "Wow Mom, did you rob a lace factory?" But really can you ever have too much lace? Not in the eighties! My date was a super sweet boy, who passed away from a brain tumor the year after we graduated. I love that I have this fun memory of him before he got sick.





And of all the prom pictures I have I love this one the most! Three of my best friends and I made the effort to have this taken at the dance. Aren't we all just lovely?Aaah youth! Hope you all have fun at the prom!

Hello! I am a new gingham girl!
This is my new doll idea. I had this idea to try and do something new with their hair. And I love it when something in my head actually turns out in real life! I think I will use this same idea to give some of them a cute bun on top. There should be a whole bunch (I am working on a group of ten), in the shop over the next week. My goal is to finish most of them before my company comes Wednesday. Anyway, she is waving hello to you and she is in the shop!
Here is a close up of her face, the eyes got a lot bigger this time.

And I really like this little buns. I don't know is she more Gretel from the Sound of Music or Princes Leah?

I feel like we are on an Oprah special!

Okay, why such an odd title for a post? Because of this little lady. You know how occasionally Oprah will have a show, something like "Women trapped in a Man's body"? Well I must confess I usually find something else to do if that is her topic of the day, but yesterday I couldn't help but think of those shows. Because this little lady was an elephant trapped in a dog's body!
I found her when I was unearthing stuffies the other day and I really wanted a pink elephant, not a dog. But I only had a little bit of the pink felted wool. So I thought and thought and decided that maybe I could transform my puppy into an elephant.

This is what she looked like in her puppy form.

And here is her profile after her "operation"! So tell me, because now I am too close, does she look like an elephant or an anteater with mouse ears? In any case she is in the shop!

Oh, and thank you so much for your recommendations for Ratatouille! We will definitely be checking it out over the holiday!

Hurrah for the Angry Chicken!
I think I mentioned I finally got my hands on a copy of Amy Karol's book last week, Bending the Rules Sewing. It really has some fun projects done in ways I wouldn't think of on my own. this is the first of several things I plan to make from it. It is made from that same fun vintage fabric from Tif and of course is lined in gingham. It is quite small, I really like how it turned out. It is in the shop now too.


This little bow is my favorite feature.






And I finished one of the stuffies I unearthed the other day in my craft closet the other day. She has velvet bows in her ears and my little felty flowers. It had been so long since I had done one of these I had forgotten how fun they are to do. I am not sure about her pink eyes though, what do you think? Should the center of her eye be a dark green instead? She is in the shop too.

Well, yesterday was a fun craft day. I actually got quite a bit done as you see. The kids were actually both back in school so I could and Joshy was a champion napper! Today not so much. Oh, well there is always bedtime!

Hey on a kid-topic, has anyone seen Ratatouille? I have been thinking of renting it for the kiddos but I am usually nervous without a recommendation. Or at least if it had anything nasty somebody let me know! Off to try and sneak a little doll work in!

Call the elves! It's time to get Santa's workshop open!



Well, I am really busy this week trying to get somethings back in the shop in anticipation of Christmas. I can't believe next week is Thanksgiving! So I have been working on a big batch of dolls. I know for sure there will be glittery white angels and girls in red dresses and probably a few surprises.

These little cuties came out of the fun vintage fabric I posted about last week. Didn't they turn out fun. Unfortunately the two sisters are about to be separated as one is in the shop, and the other has a home waiting for her already. If you feel you could console Miss Ellie the Elephant and give her a home go on over to the shop and adopt her, she would be so glad!
*okay, etsy seems to be slow today. She should be there tomorrow!





And yesterday everyone was getting eyes. They look a bit freaky like this don't they. Much better with lashes and rosebud mouths! I am hoping to get some in the shop by the end of the week, naps allowing. And the little felty green elephant and raspberry puppy have been languishing in my closet for months. So they are hoping for faces and will head over there eventually too.


I am getting so excited for the holiday season! It is so fun to try new crafts at this time of year. I have a new bag I am making from Amy's new book I have read so much about all over blogland, it really is a fun book. I will post it tomorrow. I am also hearing raves about Martha's line of goodies at Michaels so I am planning an outing there. So if you have a Martha craft please let me know what the best projects are!

Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover!




My friend Tif was asking about this book on her blog the other day, whether anyone had read it. It looked so cute I had to check my library and see if they had it. They did and so I have been reading it this weekend. I have to say I have really quite enjoyed it. It is the memoir of a woman who spent a summer in New York with her best friend as a young woman at the end of World War II working as the first female pages at Tiffany. It is a nice light read. I had to chuckle at some of the exploits these innocent girls have in the big city, seeing famous people come in the store and experiencing the end of the war. If you are looking for strict historical account of the war this may not be what you want(and really how fun would that be?) but if you want an entertaining, first-hand account of one of my favorite period in our history I do recommend this book, and hey it has great descriptions of some of the most fun fashions and jewelry ever!

Happy, Happy Birthday!

It is my dear friend Tiffany at loveboxes birthday today! If you have a minute go over and tell her Happy Birthday for me please! Her daughter's birthday is tomorrow and she always gets so busy with that I am always afraid she will forget to celebrate herself. She is a darling girl who has been my friend all my life! We grew up in the same neighborhood and went to school together clear through college. It is so great to have a friend who has known me so long and knows all my history, faults and funny stories. I am so grateful to have this wonderful friend to share my crazy craft ideas with, kid stories, favorite books and of course blogging with!

This funny little picture is of us in about second grade I would guess. Tif is the adorable one on the left in gorgeous red gingham dress her mom made, her mom always made her the most beautiful dresses that made her look like a little china doll. I am in the middle next to our friend Kim.

Hope you have a wonderful day Tif! I love ya!

The best gift ever!

My friend Marci sent me a birthday present a little late yesterday. And let me tell you this was worth waiting for! I think I have mentioned before that I have a bit of a bad habit. I love to read(that is not the bad habit). Problem is I don't have all that much time and so I try to make use of any little snatches I might have. And so I usually have whatever book I am working on laid out on the kitchen counter held open usually by a remote or cordless phone so that I can read little snatches whenever I can. Now my friend Marci knows this, and so when she saw this great stand she thought of me! My hubby did mention that he was sure it intended purpose was for cookbooks and such, but look how great it works for me! The book I am reading right now is really quite small, I think it will work even better with larger ones but is just so great to have this little eyesore on my counter looking so cute now! Now more lost places, spilled food or clutter on the counter! Thanks Marci you are the best!

Have a Cinnamon Roll!

Here, have a cinnamon roll! I finally was able to get a few things accomplished today. I had gotten so far behind with all the preparations for the craft night I wasn't sure I would ever get caught up. But the laundry is almost done and after spending the day trying to clean up Joshua's latest mess(it involved food coloring and the carpet in my bedroom), I got to do a few fun things today like make cinnamon rolls. I tell ya, they are worth making just for the smell! We took some to the kids teachers too. Never hurts to sweeten them up during SEP conference time right? So I had hoped to show you how the little elephant stuffie is shaping up but I spent my evening scrubbing carpet instead of stuffing an elephant. If anyone knows a magic solution for getting a rainbow of food coloring out of your carpet I will fed-ex them cinnamon rolls! Yesterday I would have fed-exed you the artist of the rainbow, a little stinker named Joshua. I am telling you it is a good thing that kid is cute!

Here is the cinnamon roll recipe:

1 Tbls yeast

1/2 shortening or oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 C Sugar

1 C scalded milk

3/4 mashed potatoes

2 beaten eggs

4 C flour

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 C warm water. Add shortening to milk(scalding just means heating it until it is foamy, I do mine in the microwave); stir until melted. Add salt, sugar and potatoes. When cool add yeast. Mix thoroughly and add eggs. Add enough flour to make stiff dough.

Knead well. Let rise until double. Roll dough into a large rectangle. Brush melted butter over dough. Mix about 1 cup sugar and 3-4tsp cinnamon and sprinkle over butter. Roll dough up pinching the edge once it is rolled up to seal it making it look like a log. Cut into 1" pieces using a knife or string. I use dental floss. Just place the floss underneath the log, wrap it around the log, cross it at the top and pull. It doesn't squish the log. place on a greased cookie sheet or closer together in a 9X13 pan. Raise until double. Bake at 400 for 10-15 on the cookie sheet or 20 min at 350 in the 9x13 pan. Cool. Then frost. I use cream cheese frosting. Regular frosting made from just powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and milk works too.

I'm Back!!!
Wow! I think this is the longest break I have taken from blogland since I started and boy did I miss you guys! I did pop into a couple of blogs a day but I was just too busy getting things ready for enrichment night to think of anything to post. (For those of my friends who are not mormon, it is a night every couple of months that the ladies in my church come together and have dinner and listen to a speaker, do a service project or do something slightly domestic like make a craft). I have helped with these before but this is the first time I was in charge and especially with ladies I don't know very well yet I really wanted it to be a success. We made jewelry and bags out of denim jeans for kids. Every one seemed to have a good time and I think I won't be quite so stressed the next time. But boy am I glad it is over! So after I catch up with laundry and such today I am going to craft something, anything tomorrow. My sweet friend Tiffany at Loveboxes sent me two great packages of vintage fabric she was given a week ago and I am just itching to use it. Isn't that quilted rose fabric great?



















Can you tell what I am thinking of making with it? We will see, I will show you results if I succeed.












This is one of the bags we made last night. See you just cut them off at the crotch, turn inside out, sew a seam and then use the side seam as a strap. We really had fun with them. This one is made from adult jeans, I think they are cuter with kid jeans but you get the idea. Someone had the great idea of using the side seams to make straps and make it a backpack for boys. I really want to try that too now. Well I am off to do laundry, have a great day!

Pretty pretty presents for me!

Well, we have recovered a bit from Halloween , it certainly was fun, and now I want to show you some of my presents. Look at this adorable package that came from sweety-pie Vanessa! I treated myself to one of her prints for my birthday and the darling girl told me to pick another and she sent it to me for my birthday! I have loved watching how the crowd of lovely ladies she creates has grown and am so excited to have two of my own now!


Aren't they just beautiful? She makes their dresses from layers of book pages. I wasn't sure what they would look like as a print but I have to tell you they are just gorgeous. So thank you thank you Miss Vanessa,you are the best! Oh, and I ordered some darling postcards too. You have to go over to her shop and check them out!






I loved them so much I hung them on this wall so I could see them from the kitchen where I seem to spend most of my time.

And hubby gave me this neat print for my birthday. It is printed on tin. Love how it's retro look.



So hope you are having a great weekend. I may not get to visit blogland much for the next few days. I have a big night of crafting to pull together for the ladies in our church, but I will be back for sure Wednesday. And knowing me I won't really be able to stay away!