Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving Day surrounded by those you love-and a pie or two!




Dig in!!!

and no turkey day is complete without pie-chocolate cream for me(I don't like pumpkin)

Are you getting up early to shop tomorrow? If so,get to bed early!!!

More estate sale treasures

lovely ladies gloves-even came with the package. These made me remember wearing gloves to church on Easter Sunday as a child.

beautiful vintage linens-2 pillowcases and a large flat sheet. I am thinking about making a throw size quilt using vintage linens. They have such nice colors and a soft hand.

Don't you love these napkins? The clown's smile says "Happy Birthday". I could not resist this little child size toy baking set.

Vintage coloring books complete with colored pages, scribbles and a child's writing. Tammy book has paper dolls to cut out on the back cover and matches the cards I got that day.

Funky vintage fabric scraps-aren't those colors groovy? There are a few completed yo-yos and more cut out. The piece on the right is a little patchwork square. I just have to make it into something!

I have been helping my friend Susan get her studio ready to host classes with the ever so wonderful and talented Kelly Kilmer. I cannot wait until she arrives in December!!! Classes will my Christmas gift this year and I can't think of anything better. I must have been very good this year :)

I have been altering piles of photos. It is so much fun and I find that once I start doing them it is so easy to keep going! I will get pics of those up soon, I promise.
Another gray, rainy, chilly day here in New England. Winter is coming (brrrrrr)

If I don't get back to you before tomorrow-have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. I'm going to be spending some time today thinking about all I have to be thankful for and how lucky I am to have people who love me (even when I am not sure why they do).

gotta give this a new name

Aren't those illustrations gorgeous? Even better in real life. They are from a 1957 children's book titled "Circus Girl". The cover is a bit shabby but the pages are in great condition. What first caught my eye were the names of the illustrator and the author. What do you think of that? Cool, huh?

A matching game deck of cards. The graphics are so cute and the set is complete-2 of each design.
These 2 playing cards were randomly mixed in with the "Tammy" game ones. Aren't they adorable? It was like getting a free bonus surprise :)
These are just a few of the goodies I bought on Saturday at an estate sale. I wish I had more to show you tonight but lighting was bad today and I did not get many good photos. I will try for some more tomorrow.
Enjoy!

Time in the thinking chair

I have been thinking a lot but am tired so not much tonight but plenty to say this coming week (I've been writing it down). Aren't you excited?

Here are some more of the fabrics I am using to make Christmas gifts-all washed, dried and waiting to be ironed. They look so pretty spread out that I almost hate to use them-almost :) I cannot wait until I finish some of these projects so I can see if all the measuring, cutting and sewing come out the way I hope.

Saturday I had planned on going to a few yard and estate sales as well as a nice craft fair but ended up only going to one estate sale because it was so awesome and I had a wonderful time. I can't wait to tell you all about it but I need to get some pictures of some of the goodies I bought first so I can do a little show and tell. I can't show you everything because I may have gotten a thing or two as gifts for people and you never know who is peeking ;)


Here are a few photos of outside and the rear building on the property.



It was great because I got to know a little about the property and people who had lived there. Being there felt like stepping back in time to when I was a child at my gramma's house. If only I had appreciated "vintage" things then and not thought they were just "old people stuff" like children do.



Hope you had a nice weekend :)



PS-Mavis has been delayed because she can't seem to decide what to wear. What a diva!!!

Not what I had planned...

Today that is. The Divine Miss H woke up this morning with an earache and proceeds to tell me she has had it for "a few days" and now cannot hear from her left ear. So a call to the doctor and an 11 am visit to find out she has a fungal ear infection. Never heard of it? Neither had I. Oral antibiotics and antifungal eardrops should clear it up in 5 days. I told her (in her good ear) that she really has to tell me if something hurts for more than 1 day. I always feel bad when my baby is sick-but she is a bit better already, at least it is not hurting so much. Oh, we also have to buy special earplugs because swim team starts in less than 2 weeks and we don't want any kind of ear troubles. So that's the story.





So now some visual pretties. This past weekend my mum was in a holiday bazaar. She makes all kinds of decorated sugar cookies, chocolate covered things and other yummy stuff to sell. Thought you might like a few pictures-





Iced pumpkin shaped sugar cookies

sugar cookie turkeys ( the little leaves/pumpkins are tiny separate cookies)

and my favorite, chocolate dipped pretzel rods...I may make some to give at Christmas. Want some?

I couldn't leave you without some artsy pretties to look at-

I am working at finishing my "Soul Journeys" deck that I started this summer in a class with the wonderful Kelly Kilmer. Like a mini collage on each card.

a few more-isn't that little girl cute?

Nothing else from me tonight though I did hear that Clovis's sister Mavis was arriving in town soon!

because I FELT like it...

Last year I made this Christmas tree garland with felt circles and wooden beads inspired by one made by Anna Maria Horner.




A few days ago I finished this one to hang in my studio, maybe draped over the curtain rod. I may be making a few more for Christmas gifts this year. Super easy and lots of fun, especially since I cut all the circles using my trusty, non-computerized,un-electronic Sizzix.





I am really trying to make many of my Christmas gifts this year. Here is a sneak peek at some of the fabric I have been cutting in preparation to sew. I'm not telling what it's for though!

I hope you enjoy all the color posted here. And if you love color, check out Anna Maria's blog-she designs the most beautiful fabrics-yummy even!

So happy together...

Hooray, I got my pictures to post. Now everyone is happy!



I am pleased to introduce Maybelle Carolina Harrington and Sir Clovis Xavier Vanderfelt the Third. I know you had briefly met Miss Maybelle but she has pulled herself together and feels she is now fit for her public.


Miss Maybelle Carolina Harrington. Her friends call her Miss Maybelle and she is very pleased to meet you:)

Sir Clovis Xavier Vanderfelt III. Addressing him as Clovis is just fine but I do warn you that he can be a bit "cheeky" at times.

Miss Maybelle and Clovis, showing his "best side".

I hope you like my new friends as much as I do. And I did hear that there may be someone new moving into the neighborhood soon!

NOT what I wanted...

I am having technical difficulties and Blogger won't upload my pictures today :(
I have a bunch of wicked cool pictures to show and now I can't. My new friends are jumping up and down and making lots of fuss because they really want you to meet them and I have to explain that I can't do it right now...I will try again later so STAY TUNED for more (hopefully)

Making new friends

Just a few sneak peeks at some works in progress. I have been lovin' felt lately :) This little friend doesn't have a name yet-maybe after he has a mouth he will tell me.

Please say hello to Miss Maybelle Carolina Harrington. She would like you to please excuse her disheveled state. She really is trying to pull herself together, really she is.

I have been having fun with felt and I find the hand stitching a very relaxing, almost meditative activity. But this all leads me to a question of sorts.

If I was a true artist wouldn't I stick to one type of media and work at just that to improve and refine my skill? Wouldn't I be a painter who only paints or an art journaler who only works in journals or a quilter who only sews? I keep thinking that that is what a "real artist" does-finds something they are good at and sticks to it.

So, since I keep hopping from one thing to another, where does that leave me?

Not really looking for an answer, just looking for my place in the world. I have been doing a lot of thinking about who I am, what I want, where I want to be...

Maybe you have and maybe you haven't

seen these before. Some older journal pages because I have no pictures of newer ones but I like these so here they are.

Fear and anxiety really do rule my life in many ways. I know I am limiting myself but I can't quite break free yet. I am trying.

I just noticed that there seems to be a theme going here. Coincidence? I think not. Could I be sending myself a message? What do you think, Dr. M?

There it is again.

Well, are you? Or maybe it should be am I?

Just a cool sign.

I have a wicked headache so that is all. Enjoy the color.

I must confess...

that sometimes I scrapbook !

Here is a page I made a little while ago and loved so much that I framed it to hang in my studio. I had taken a class at Colorful Creations in Hyannis where we made all the page elements, no premade embellishments.



The tree was made using a stencil but all the other elements were hand drawn and cut by yours truly. It doesn't hurt that the subject of the photo is adorable :)



A few close ups-

More art tomorrow...and I'll show you what I got from Susan (jumping up and down with excitement!!!)

Like zines? Then check this out.

More tomorrow...

I did what I said or FINALLY!!!

Well I said I needed to take pictures and I actually did-and put them on the computer. These are some of my "treasures" from my rummage sale/thrift store outing.

The instant I saw this mug I knew I had to have it. Love the colors and it's only about 3 inches tall. So cute :)

A piece of weird fabric. It depicts scenes from Moby Dick. Why? Who knows. What would someone have done with this? Make curtains??? Weird-but maybe I will make it into a pillow...or a lovely piece of clothing for a special friend at Christmas :)

Miscellaneous goodies. That little girl's picture came with the frame. Who is she? Someone's granddaughter? Niece? She seemed lost so I gave her a home. I like the frame and want to sand it down and paint it glossy black.

I have a few other things but I will save them for another day. I will tell you that what I was most excited about was getting an electric fry pan to use for soy wax. I have been looking and finally found one , complete with box and instruction book for $3.00-it really doesn't take much to make me happy sometimes.

In a few weeks I will have to go thrifting again. Want to come?

I spent a few hours today with the lovely Susan. She is one of the kindest souls I know. Thank you Susan for your friendship :) You will never know how much it means to me.

Tomorrow-art photos. You're just dying to see some, aren't you?

This, That and the Other or Not Much at All

Been doing a bunch of this and that this weekend. Spent yesterday going to rummage sales and thrift shops. I found some neat stuff and will show you as soon as I take some pictures. I really have to get better at the whole picture thing. My stories go so much better with pictures :)

Today I went shopping for fabric. I've been into the whole fabric/sewing lately. It comes and goes. I can be fickle when it comes to my medium of choice. Anyway,I have plans to make a few different things for Christmas presents. Plans, plans I say!!! Plans that I hope come to fruition because you know the best laid plans...and all.
I will even show you when I get things done. Yeah, maybe that will give me incentive-showing off...hmmmmm. These little books are so fun to make, almost addicting! I learned to make them in a class called "Swatches" taught by the wonderful Kelly Kilmer. They are good fun for those times you want to make something but not start a big project and not think too much :)

Tomorrow I will try to take more pictures of my art and my treasures from Saturday's shopping. In the meantime check out the cool new holiday decorations at Anthropologie. They have a certain hipster "craftiness" to them, if that makes sense to anyone other than me.

Hope you had a good weekend too!

Talk to you again soon:)

I went to the man store today...

Not a store that sells men...the "man store"-Lowe's. I always feel weird when I go there. The guys who work there always look at you like you don't know what you're doing or should be in the decorating section. (and I HATE being called ma'am)

Well, I did know what I was looking for...sort of. I couldn't name it but would know when I saw it so I am really thankful no one asked if they could help me because I could never explain "I'm looking for some tiny nails and washers and hex nuts but don't know what kind or size because I just have to see them and no, I can't tell you what I want to attach with them because that doesn't really matter because how they look is more important." Yeah, that doesn't sound clueless, does it? I found what I wanted and got out of there. Just feel weird there. It must be me.

I need to take some pictures of my art so I have artsy pictures to go along with my posts. I just need to remember that when it is still daytime so I have some light.

Not much of a post but hey, at least I did it. I leave you with a picture of my front door. I love fall :)

By popular demand...

I am returning to blogging!!! OK, maybe that is a bit much, as there hasn't been any demand,popular or not, but I am back.

I have alot of thoughts running around in my head,alot of questions to ask and some art to share too. So are you ready for it? I hope so because I'm doing it anyway.

So be prepared. The first big one is coming soon...