New Treasures Found Chicken/Rooster Picture

This is my latest find about a week ago. I found this at one of my favorite places and this is such a unique piece. It's all hand done - someone has painted the background and the feet and faces on these guys but has been meticulous in using tiny feathers to put each one together. My favorite is the one that is lying down. I just think this is such a great piece. This is in an old frame under glass and even the paper on the back is old. I'm sure that whoever priced it did not realize that there could be value to it. But maybe the value is all in my mind but I don't think so. I paid $2.00 for this and I still can't believe that no one saw the artistic value of this. I also purchased some other pictures the same day. I'll put them on later.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that you were able to be with loved ones. I came down ill on Christmas day as did my daughter. I went over at 7am to watch the girls open gifts and in two hours I was getting worse and worse. I came home went to bed and basically was in bed for two and a half days. I did go to the doctor and this bacterial sinus stuff does not work with drugs like amoxcillin (sp?) so he put me on a stronger antibiotic and today I'm better but not 100%. My daughter also went to the doctor the same morning and has the stronger antibiotic. She is doing some better but she hasn't been able to rest as much as I have.

The girls had a good Christmas and they each received the American Doll that they wanted with stuff. I felt bad that on this big day we couldn't be with them as much as we usually are. But they are good sports and played a lot and their dad took care of them so their mom could take a nap.

The weather has been so strange here. It was in the high 60's yesterday and rainy. There was talk about breaking a high temp record from the early 1900's but I don't know if it happened. I didn't leave the house but I did stick my head out the door. By the time I get better it will be waay too cold for me.

I'm trying to putter around a little but then I get to feeling weak and head achy. I guess I'll say so long for today. Maybe more tomorrow.

Christmas Handmade Part II

Ok - the story is that each week I take the girl's a few gifts. I did that today and I had two complete outfits and two tops each from Old Navy, a craft paint by number, a webkinz figurine, the vests and these things. The first is a scarf that I made each of them with one side the fur and the other fleece (I will give them the matching ones for the American Dolls on Christmas Day), then I had made each of them these marker rolls. I made them different than what I have seen as I made a pocket for a little note book and for the larger markers. They LOVED these!! They rearranged the markers so that they were in the order of their favorites to least, they would write in their little notebooks and then they would put it all away. Then out it would come again and I asked if they would like crayon rolls and Josie said yes but that I would need to make the slots a different size for the crayons. Could it be a future sewer/quilter? They don't know and I will wait until after Christmas but I have small sewing machines for them. Not children's but real machines. I bought them on a clearance aisle a few years ago and now we can use them. Needless to say - it's not the money but what interests the child that gets them. They love the vests but said they would only wear them for special as they were afraid they would get them dirty. It does warm a grandmothers heart.

I have a crazy idea that I'm thinking about but I want to think on it for a few days. I have a large living room (14.5' W x 26' L) and I use the dining room for my sewing room. I'm thinking about my living room as my sewing room and the dining room as my living room. I don't sit around anyway and the dining room has a fantastic view of the neighborhood when I do. I would have room in the living room for two 6' tables to be side by side and become a great work space. I don't have a lot of company as I'm not home much and if I have company it's people that I know. I just feel very energized about this idea and see that it could work well for me. I'd also be warmer as the dining room is freezing! I'll let you know how this goes and nothing will happen until after Christmas. Any opinions?????

Homemade Christmas Gifts

In the last two days I have spent at least 12 hours on what was going to start out as simple vests for my granddaughters into a creating frenzy. The blue vest is for Josie and I added her name, and pockets then I decided that a collage of the fabric would be cute on the back so then I went on and used some fabric paint with a brush. Then I remembered that I had purchased a button maker so I made a button (that was fund once I got the hang of it) and then last I had some scraps and made mittens. You can see by the thumbs that fabric was short but who cares. It's a designer mitten! LOL
For Kat's vest I did the exact thing with some differences and her button was the first one I made and it isn't as good as Josie's. But when I get some more of those thingys I can make more buttons.
I have been giving them gifts every week since Christmas Day is crazy. This was they will enjoy gifts before Santa comes. I heard from an elf that each are getting American Dolls. I did make the girls and their new dolls scarfs with fleece on one side and white curly fur on the other. It's always nice to match your doll. Oh! I need to take more photos as I made them crayon rolls but I made mine to fit markers and a small note book. I'll get that done and I'll take some photos of the scarfs. Gotta Go!! Have a great day or evening!!!!!

Does anyone know where I can find this fabric

I have been going through plastic bags where I have done swaps in the past. I came across this fabric and there were two pieces to make an fq. I LOVE this "Mermaid Kitty" and I would love to have more. Has anyone ever seen this or have some? I'm willing to pay a reasonable price as my granddaughter loves Mermaids!! I made her a pillow out of this but wouldn't it be great if I could make her something larger? I know she would love a dress out of this. Please e-mail me if you have any info even if you don't read this for a year. The baggie had a nice note about this being vintage fabric but not who mailed it to me. Thanks Judy

Mitten's I sent out

When I made the mittens I was sending I did a theme. The first one is a batik mitten with 4 batik fq's, a finger pin cushion, a scented sachet with lavender and one with mint, a spool of thread, I think a pair of earrings I made and I made the snowflake pin from a Christmas ornament, I think that is all of this one.

Of course there would have to be a black and white theme!! I sent b&w fabric, a mint or lavender sachet, a finger pin cushion, black thread and I think that was it. I sent these off about a month ago and I've worked on a lot of projects since then. Oh!! The b&w flower pin was made by me. I had a lot of fun making pins and jewelry this year. I'd never done that before.

I did go to the doctor this morning and I have a sinus infection. Antibiotics are in my system and working. Hope everyone is having a good day or evening. I'm going to bed tonight as tomorrow is usually a 12-13 hour day!!

Mittens in the Mail Today!!

Just taking a little time to share what I received today in the mail. These are mittens from the Stashbuilder (Yahoo) Group swap. The photos do not show the colors well. The swap rules were that we would make a mitten and then stuff it with 1/2 yard fabric and other surprises.

This didn't show up well in the photo of all the items and I wanted you to be able to see how cute this is. I'm going to uses this as a pattern and make some.

The second stocking! Just want to say thank you to Veronica C and Judy S!!!!!!

Not expecting anymore gifts in the mail so what a let down it will be tomorrow. The gas company will probably send me the monthly bill!! :( I like good stuff like today!!!

Installment II will be coming up soon plus I went back and bought more fabric!! Going to the doctor in the morning as I've been ill for over 10 days. I'm over it!!

Moment of Weakness Shopping

This is my addiction and today it's "BAD"!!!!!! I went to Joann's but I don't remember for what and this is part of the results. This fat quarter with the hats was on 99 cents and it called me! It was the only one of it's kind and it knew that I had some other hat fabric warm and cozy at my house.

These were on sale the orange and the blue

were 30% off and the dark polka dot was 60% off and like $2.32 yard! The cat fabric on the right was a remnant and just under a yard and I got it for the remnant price plus another 30% off. I was organizing some fabric tonight and I was amazed at how much cat fabric I have. Then when I buy it I don't want to cut it because it's cat fabric! I'm changing my ways!

I don't know why I need the boy fabrics but how could I pass them up at 60% off and being $2.32!

I'm saving the best for last! Are these fabrics beautiful or what!! Again, 60% off!! These will be purses I think as they are not quilting fabrics they are 100% cotton but heavier. The lady at Joann's told me what they were but I don't remember because I usually only buy quilting fabrics. Some of the fabric for the outside and some for the inside of the bags. I am wondering if I should buy more of these at $2.32 a yard. I purchased one yard each as I was trying to be responsible. What should I do????????

I want you to know that money is tight but I can't resist!! I'm ashamed of all the fabric that I already have. But I don't smoke, drink seldom (too expensive!), I don't have any bad habits except for fabric and thrift stores. Maybe I should take up the others and not worry about all this fabric that needs a home. Does anyone else feel like this?? I may be the only one ---but wait -------- I hear voices and others are calling that they too need help. Well - don't look to me as I'm the worst!! Any professionals out there that can be of assistance?

I did start organizing my fq's as I can never find what I'm looking for and I'm impressed with what I've done so far. I'll be showing you soon and I may over the Christmas break do a super organizing job on my sewing room. I have got to get it organized or it's going to take over my life. The sewing room has been moving somewhat into the living room and I need to whip it back as if it were a lion or tiger. Otherwise they are going to find my body under the moving fabric.

Tomorrow I'll do part II and show you some of the other things I bought!! Can you believe this? And I went out when I was ill for milk and cat food and this is what I came home with.

Okay - who else has done this and I know there has to be stories out there that are worse than this.

Have a good nite (I'm going to bed soon) or have a wonderful day if you're just waking up.

Blog Remodel

I have been messing with the top of my blog this morning and so far I have not found what I want. I love some of the things out there but when you put them on your blog you can't read the words. I see this on other blogs and it's an irritation as I want to be able to see every word they say without it being hidden. So excuse the mess, step around all the stuff on the floor and I'll get the remodeling completed soon!!

This was going to be at the top but once it was up there it didn't look good. When b&W fabric doesn't look good then you know there is a problem. Oh! did I tell you that B&W is one of my favorites? LOL

Free patterns
http://www.freequiltpatterns.info/
Free BOM until 12/14 for first block and then on 12/15 the second block will be released. Very talented lady has this blog!!
http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.com/
another new blog that I found today
http://mareew.blogspot.com/

Still very much under the weather and I think that if I feel this bad by tomorrow I will do the walk-in at the doctors office tomorrow morning. I can't believe that I feel so bad. I had to have a replacement for me for The Boar's Head tonight and I'm so disappointed!
Hope everyone likes the sites above. I'm going to start the BOM over Christmas when I'm off. I love these vintage looks.
Have a good nite or day!!!

Trip to Indianapolis

This little hat with kitties was handmade and I just had to have it. It's cotton so it will wash up nice and it may go to Brazil. More scarfs and that was part of my goal to buy scarfs. The bag on the right has an Old Navy tag but I think that someone took a piece of clothing and made it into a clothes pin bag. I use clothes pins for pants but also for closing bags. Much less expensive and they work better than those chip clips.

The duck bag was handmade and new, the scarf I added but I purchased it there. The photo on the right has an asian purse for one granddaughter and the purple one for the other. The scarf will be tied to a bag since that is the "Hot" thing to do. Some of the scarfs were 99 cents to $1.98. Bags also were in that price. There were sooo many purses and bags but you can only buy so much.

We left here and it was snowing more and the roads were getting worse the farther north that we went. This photo is by Greenwood Mall. It became worse the farther we went and we eventually just stopped as we had seen a thrift store and thought we should go there. We left that store about two hours later and did not see half the stuff. So many things were hand made and they must be donated there and they were so cheap you could hardly buy the fabric. They had lots of lap robes and they were so nice for $3.00. We didn't buy any but we might another time. Old people get cold and they sit in their chairs all day so that would be nice.

We were starving and went to Panera and had lunch. We don't have one here so it was a great treat. I brought home bagels, breads, etc. for everyone. I still have two bagels left in the fridge that I'm making last as long as possible.

We went to Flower City (I really didn't see much in flowers but you name it and it was there) and were there for over 3 hours and did not see the entire store. From this store I found bags of bargains but some were more scarfs, daytimers that we are going to turn into our iteniary/info/journals for our trip. These were $3.50 each and had lots of pages and tabs. We'll just change the tabs to suit our needs, add the paper work we need to take and we can carry these in our bags. When we went to China it was disorganized but with these daytimers we will have a list of our travel plans, where we will be each day that we are there, skit info, songs, games, devotions, journal, copy of passports and visas, etc. This is not my original idea as another group had something on the order of this in China. But I'm going to expand on what they had.

Oh - I just thought of some other items that I purchased but I need to take more photos. Maybe there will be a sequel to this post.

I did want to give you the blog that has all sorts of give aways listed. That would be the second one listed. The first one is giving away a silver pendant and the last one has lots of sewing things.

I could spend all day going thru these things and entering but then I did win a very nice bag that was home made this fall. It seems the odds can be against you but then you win!!

http://savingschatter.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-giveaway-handstamped-pendant.html#comment-form

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/

http://www.sewing.org/index.html

I'll take more photos and try to do part II soon. If I am up to it I will be in the Boar's Head tomorrow night, and two performances on Saturday. I have to get better!!!! This is on my bucket list (in my head) to do. Does anyone else have a bucket list of things they want to do? Maybe we should compare as you may want to do things that I hadn't thought about. Let me know!!

New Photos at the Top

These fabrics plus a brown yet to be purchased are going to become my travel bag that I'm taking to Brazil in June 2009. I want a big bag with the inside full of pockets and the outside will have pockets with zippers. I plan to put what I will need for 24 hours in there and not have to get into any other bag. International travel is tiring enough without having to worry about stuff. I think that I will be more organized than last year when we went to China. This year we are going to be going to Toledo Brazil (hard to find info on it) and I hope to Argentina for at least a day since we will be right there. At this time I'm not for sure how many are going - but I think as of yesterday it will be 6. All WOMEN!!

Illnes Causes Organization

I've been ill for several days but it dropped me to my knees yesterday afternoon at my desk. I was reliving being pregnant but in my office over my trash can (sorry but the truth). A virus that my darling granddaughter just got over. I called my daughter today because I have such a headache, spinning in my head and sore throat that I didn't know how a little one could have survived it! But she has and shes up playing!! Yeah!


I walked over to work this morning but they chased me home but I did finish one project that I was minutes away from finishing when I became so ill and checked e-mails. Then I came home but I'm not a day sleeper and this virus doesn't seem to be about sleep just feeling horrible. Oh - I did eventually stop the reliving of the pregnancy part and everyone that I've talked to today says that only lasts about 24 hours. Thank you Lord as that is one thing I can't deal with!!


I was able to spend some time looking at blogs and then I had all of these papers that I have printed that needed to go into plastic sheets and then a binder. I sat on the couch and did it! I even took a photo of it!! That's the organization part of this post. I'm not a tv watcher so projects that need to be done while sitting are hard for me. I spend my extra time fiddling with fabric, at the ironing board or the sewing machine. I need to sit on the couch more and relax but I'm not a relaxed person.
While going thru all the papers I found some things that I had printed from heart4home.net and I recommend that you check it out. Some good ideas for so many things and other sites. I did see where it said that instead of buying Pledge or whatever to use a damp cloth with some fabric softner on it to dust. The info said that you don't have to dust as often and you don't need air freshners since you're using the softner. Now I had to try this and when I am ill I just know that the dust is killing me so I had some liquid fabric softner and a damp rag and my house now smells like fresh laundry. Fresh laundry is a good smell!! I just keep wondering what we did before we had Blogs that now keep us up to date on these earth shaking things. Think of all the ideas, recipes, patterns, tips, etc. that we share with each other. Pretty cool! Is pretty cool still cool or should I be saying something else. I don't say "Groovy" like I did a few years ago.

I'm going to do another post tomorrow, I hope about Steph's and my trip to Indy on Saturday. I did take some photos of some my bargains. I left one store with two HUGE bags and several small bags of items. I'm didn't photo everything but some goodies. My favorite treasures are always from the thrift shops and we found one that we were in about two hours and never saw half the stuff!

Hope everyone had a good day or will be having a good day.

Quirky House Blocks

I

have a new obsession!! House blocks and I seem to be spending a lot of my extra time on them. It started that I found the blog Attic 24 and then I found an applique pattern and then I found another site that has led me to make more houses. Does anyone else do these kind of things? I was just playing around with the b&w houses but the house on the right I plan on adding more to it and making it into a real quilt block. I stood at the ironing board and fused fabric so long that my leg was going numb. What a great feeling when you're having fun. I have all of these scraps of batiks and I think they will make some very interesting houses.

I'm taking a friend to Indianapolis tomorrow to the Art Museum and since I love Art Museums that should be fun. Then we'll do some shopping and some eating. The city is so close and yet I haven't been up there in several months. There is so many temptations there and I try not to go as I spend waaaaay too much money when I go to the fabric stores there.

I'll let you know how our day goes.

Blogs doing give aways

I'm going to be adding a lot of blogs that are doing give aways. Go and take a look!! There are some great things being given to fellow bloggers!!
http://dewdropbabbleson.wordpress.com/
http://sablefyre.typepad.com/sablefyre/2008/12/giveaway-day.html?cid=141459864#comments

This is the Life Blog Giveaway

http://mumovearls.blogspot.com/2008/12/im-giving-it-awayand-its-so-good-itll.html
The Earl family is giving away a huge Santa 3x4 foot canvas that is awesome!! Go check it out and add your comment as you may be the winner!! Oh - I'm going to win so you can't but check out the site!!
Thanks Earl Family!!!!

Next House Quilt Block

I stayed up later last night so that I could make another house block. I think the green is too bright but I love bright colors so it's a keeper. I'm too tired to make a block tonight and I'm cold and just want to go to bed and get warm under the electric blanket.