Star Spangled Pretties

Our prayers have been heard........

2011-03-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

....and the Lord called her home to Heaven late this morning. It was so upsetting seeing her suffering and knowing all we could do was pray for her and try to make her comfortable.....I know we will see each other again when my time on this earth is done, but in the meantime I will miss her sooo, sooo much. She was such a special person to me ~ more than 'just my aunt' and brought me such joy whenever I was with her.....she always had a smile and a hug for me... I will miss our camping trips and sitting at the kitchen table visiting whenever we were in town, catching up on the lastest goings-on. I will miss our phone calls. I will miss hearing her laugh and watching her and Uncle Glenn joshing around with each other...... I will never forget after high school ~ before I started college, she let me live at her house when my parents moved away....that was a special summer and I will always hold all those memories close to my heart. I suppose that is why losing a loved one is so hard......knowing all you have left is the memories you shared and knowing there will be no more new ones to create......I just pray they never fade from my heart and mind....

Please keep our family in your prayers as we grieve...........Rest In Peace Aunt Joann, you meant the world to me.......

Please pray for our family....

2011-03-15T05:35:00.000-07:00

.....and a special loved one, my Aunt Joann, who is losing her fight with cancer. She has chosen to spend her final days at home with family by her side. Please pray that she can be as comfortable as she can be before her journey to Heaven and that the Lord will give comfort to our family during this difficult time as we prepare ourselves for goodbye to a beloved aunt, sister, wife, mother and grandmother....We love you, Aunt Grizz, more than you will ever know......Truly one of the hardest things in life is letting go of the ones you love the most......

Christmas pics~ front room and entryway...

2010-12-12T21:29:00.000-08:00

Ok, I finally finished editing these...whew! So here they are...not really in any particular order I don't think and I'll try to leave this post with more pictures than words, though there are a few things I wanted to share....like this wonderful red wall cupboard my local friend Jeannie made...

Isn't it a perfect fit there? Jeannie does Twelve days as well and when I saw this up there I knew I wanted it to come home with me. If you are local, you should head up to Twelve Days and check out her primitive furniture (if there's any left!). She also has some aged breadboards with shoo-fly screens and some other neat primitives, too. Twelve Days is up at Sunrise Mall this year in the old Flower Gallery space. They are open daily until Dec. 23rd....I believe their hours are 10:30-5:00 (could be 5:30~ can't remember for sure) Monday thru Saturday and Noon-4:00 on Sundays.....

I found this Christmas Countdown box at a second hand store...Its a Primitives by Kathy and sells for over $100 brand new. I only paid $20 and it has all its original ornies in each drawer. The only thing missing was the feather tree, but that was an easy fix.

See the sheep on the mantel? I got his wool penny rug blanket from Karen (KM Primitives) last year and let me tell you, her work is beautiful! I didn't realize when I bought it on her site that it is actually "reversible" until I got it out of the package at home. This side facing out has a Christmas feather tree to display for the Holidays and the other side facing the wall has a willow tree for everyday.

And here are the stockings hung by the chimney with care...lol

This was another find of mine at Twelve Days this year....see the old rocking horse?

I have always wanted one but any I've ever seen have been out of my price range. (Like $400 and up....)I had some money saved up from some fall handmades I'd sold and I had just enough to buy him. And let me tell you I didn't even pay HALF what I've seen them go for....it was like early Christmas for me!

He's in really good shape, too. I mean his mane and tail are gone and the saddle is really worn and barely there, but he still has both his leather ears, bridle and jewel eyes and his paint job has held up well. I think that kind of wear shows he was well loved by many kids in his day, and he'll continue to be loved by this big kid, too...lol.

I hate this couch. lol. I think I would like it better if it was a different pattern or something, but its still in good shape and serves its purpose, so I will probably just make a slipcover for it or something.

I picked up this dough box coffee table below for $5 at the thrift shop. Another steal! It will be getting a makeover when the weather warms up, along with the other coffee table I still need to redo, too. lol.

I think all of the pics are clickable so you can get a better look...some of the whole room shots make everything look so far away.... I might sneak a few more Christmas pics on here this week of my kitchen, etc. if time allows. :0) And I will hopefully have some pictures from an ornie swap, but don't know soon cuz I haven't got them in the mail yet. Take Care!

A few things for sale....better late than never!

2010-12-11T16:16:00.001-08:00

I just updated my picturetrail with a few things I've finished for sale.....I do have a few Christmas pictures ready, but I had a heck of a time with the lighting and ended up taking them at night instead of daytime. I know natural light is best, but they were all way too bright. I tried overcast days and sunny days~ same result. Oh well, the pics at night still turned out pretty good I guess........ I have to finish editing and then I'll post again when they're ready. :0).

~Jody

Time for another giveaway!

2010-11-30T12:36:00.001-08:00

The PFATT blog is having their winter giveaway starting at midnight tonight! Be sure to go to their blog anytime from Dec. 1st thru 7th to enter! Click ~HERE~ to go there! Here is a peek at the handmade I am donating:

Sorry for my absence again. I have been sooooo busy getting things done for Twelve Days of Christmas here. They are open for shopping now and I have finally been able to relax a little and just yesterday started getting my Christmas stuff out of storage~ still have lots to finish putting out but I will be back with pics to share again this year. :0) I'm also working on a few things to offer for sale online as well, so be sure to check back. I'll be back soon, I promise! :0)

~Jody

And the winner is........

2010-10-05T08:48:00.001-07:00

I used random.org to pick our winner. There were 16 comments left, but two comments were left by one person, so that made 15 entries.......and the #3 comment was Denni! Congrats Denni! I'll be getting a hold of you and get your goodies in the mail asap! Thanks everyone for entering and following my little place on the web! :0)

~Jody

Finally...the owls are ready for their appearance...

2010-09-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

The owls are finally ready to make their appearance~ sorry it took me a few days to get them on here. I didn't have a chance to take their pics until just yesterday. I had made nine, but three have already been spoken for so now its down to six. I've added them to my picturetrail.

I also made up a few of these....also another Chestnut Junction pattern. They make up quick and I even made an extra for myself. hee hee. A tad more dirty/grubby than what I normally do, but I really like the look. These are also on my picturetrail site if anyone's interested.....

~Jody

Fall signs done....check!

2010-09-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

I finally got the photo uploader to work for me today and here is one of the signs I have on my picturetrail for sale..... Click here to go there. I only made 5 and I won't be making any more as I need to get cracking again on my things for christmas~ the shoppe opens in less than two months and I still have a lot to get finished. So the signs and other Halloween/fall goodies will be sold on a first come/first served basis. My hootie owls are drying from their coffee bath and I should have them ready and listed on my site tomorrow. Remember, you still have about a week to enter my giveaway! I need to scoot so I can get some more things done. Toodles!
~Jody

Faux Candy Apples Are Ready....

2010-09-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, out of the two dozen I made for this last batch, I only have nine leftover~2 red ones and 7 green ones. I added them to my picturetrail site if anyone is interested. I should have my hoot owls and fall signs done tomorrow and will add those there as well when they are ready. Toodles!
~Jody

Now its GiVeAwAy time!

2010-09-20T09:31:00.001-07:00

Sorry I've been MIA again. That seems to be the story of my life lately. But it really has been for good reason. lol. I thought with Sage in school all day and Chad now in preschool for a few hours twice a week that I would get so much more done- NOT the case! lol. But I have been accomplishing quite a bit since my last post anyhow. I have been soooo busy trying to get the things for my giveaway done and also finish a few fall handmades to offer for sale. Sorry about the delay, but I wanted to wait until our PFATT giveaway was over before I posted about mine. Here's what you'll be getting...(Click on the pic to get a better look) *An osnaburg ditty bag with a stitched flag made by me filled with sweet annie. It has been aged and grubbied with cinnamon and has a drawstring for hanging.

*A prim 5 x 7 stitched FReeDoM sampler (made by me using a design by Stacy Nash) in a distressed frame. It has an easel back so you can hang it or set it on a tabletop.

* A set of 35 count clear silicone lights dipped by me. (They're not perfect like the store bought ones, but hey- they're free!)

*An OLD GLORY metal wall hanging. (not made by me...lol)

*And lastly, one of my faux candy apples (a design by Char Sethman) just cuz its now officially fall.

So now that you know what's up for grabs, here are the rules to enter:

*I would like to have this giveaway for my readers here in the USA and Canada only. I know I have a lot of friends overseas who visit and I don't want to disappoint anyone, but given the size of the box, I'm afraid the postage cost would be scary...

*You must be a follower of my blog. My followers are the reason I'm having this giveaway, so feel free to join in on the celebration!

*Please do not post about it on your blog. I want this to be for those folks/friends that visit my blog to see what I'm up to and to share ideas- not just to win free stuff. I will share it on Facebook with my friends and I don't mind if you want to do that, too- I just don't want it to end up on one of those blogs that only post about giveaways.

*Please be sure I have a way to contact you in case you are the winner. Either via your blog or if you don't have one, please leave me your email address.

I'll leave it open for a few weeks and draw a winner on the night of Monday, October 4th and post the winner here the next day. Good luck to all! :0)

I wanted to share a few pics of what I've been working on while I've been gone......I have made two dozen of these faux caramel apples using Char's tutorial in both red and green. These are already all sold, but I'm working on another batch that should be ready in a day or so.

I have also been taking advantage of the warm weather while it lasts and I've dipped about 400 bulbs for our Christmas tree this year. I just clothespin the strands to the clothesline and fill a styrofoam cup with plain clear silicone and get to dipping.....its definitely a learning process. This was the first time I've dipped bulbs and they're not absolutley perfect like the ones you buy, but I'll get better with practice. The silicone sets up pretty fast- especially when you're out in the sun, so you have to dip fast.
I've also been working on these hoot owls from a Chestnut Junction pattern. (Right now, all of their Halloween patterns are on sale for 25% off- I don't know how long their sale is lasting, so go take a peek.) I only did a few last year and they "flew" out the door quick. I think I only had one left, but he went to a good home a few months ago with a swap I did. So this year I'm prepared and I made nine of these guys. They still need painted, but for now they sit naked on the table waiting for me to finish them.
I wanted to share this corner cabinet makeover with you. I bought this thing cheap at a Flea Market that was in Casper one year. I've probably had it for about 4 years now and it has always just sat in the corner of my dining room just as it looks in the picture. For some reason the previous owner decided to saw the whole door in two to make two doors, which I always hated, but didn't really know how to "fix" it and make it look right.
Then I had the idea to make it into a hanging corner cabinet. I cut the rest of the cabinet a little further down from where the front was already cut. I made a new wood piece to fill in below the door. Then I painted it cream on the inside and leftover red paint from our front room re-do on the outside and then sanded and antiqued it. I painted the existing brass hardware oil rubbed bronze.
I added some heavy duty cabinet hangers to the back and here it is in its new home. Definitely a better look I think. And it also matches the stepback cupboard in the other corner of the dining room. Now what to do with the bottom part.....lol. I'm sure I'll think of something.

I need to get going and get back to work on my fall stuff. I'm also working on a few pumpkins with crows, some pumpkinhead girls and some fall signs, so be sure to check back this week! Then I need to get back to work on my Christmas stuff for Twelve Days of Christmas..........oh, speaking of that I wanted to let my local girls know that Twelve Days will be up at Sunrise again this year. In addition to my dolls and stitcheries, I will also have lots of prim painted Christmas signs for sale. The little shop in Casper that I was selling in closed its doors this summer so I'm hoping to have more to offer at Twelve Days since thats all I'm doing now. Hopefully be back soon with some fall goodies! Toodles! ~Jody

It's the PFATT Blog Fall Giveaway!

2010-09-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

Just had a quick minute to let you know the PFATT blog is having their fall giveaway! Click on the banner to go there - leave a comment under that post to enter to win one of the awesome handmades! Hurry though, it ends Sept. 7th! :0)

I've been super busy and hope to be back with pics to share what I've been up to!

~Jody

A little rearranging, a few finishes and a makeover to share.....

2010-07-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

First off, I wanted to share the blackened beeswax nubbies that Ann had sent along with the basket I swapped her for (they are actually hanging on that basket she made. ) Aren't they wonderful? :0) Thanks again, Ann!

I have also done a little rearranging, too. I moved my old Victrola cabinet over to this corner by the stairs. I think I like it here better.

This old child's pressed-back potty chair was my mothers day gift from Craig and the kids- it fits right in with everything in our bathroom. I LOVE it!

Craig was working all weekend over the fourth so me and the kids spent Friday thru Monday in Riverton with my dad. They had TONS of fun with the fireworks- the sparklers were their favorite, can you tell?

We drove to Lander and watched the Fireworks show. I have to say that these were better than the ones in Casper- at least in my opinion.

I made a blanket crane using one of Kris's tutorials (click here to go there). It was way easy and I got it all put together in a day.

Sorry about the funky angle- hallway pictures are hard to take. lol. And the bowl rack I made also. I used a pattern from The Wooden Nail. I cut all the pieces, Craig put it together for me and I did the finish work. I think it turned out great!

I've had this bunting since last year and never could find the right place for it- then realized this was the perfect spot. Duh! Don't know why I never thought of it before.

I am really happy with this makeover. I had this old porch post for a few years now (this isn't the one from a few posts back- that one is way chunkier). I had debated on making a birdhouse for the top to put outside, but never got around to it. Then I had an idea to turn it into a floor lamp for the front room. It was 8 ft, so I cut it to size. As luck would have it- it has a hollow center that hides the power cord and I made the base from a square piece of 1x6 wood and moulding. When I had bought the post it was already painted white, so I left it as it was. A little sanding and staining...and wa-la! It turned out awesome!

The finish is very similar to the pie safe, isn't that neat?

Remember this little lamp I found for $3? I finally got a shade for it.

And this is what I did with the corner by the fireplace...

I had found this old door at the ReStore on one of my trips to Riverton to visit my dad. It was $10 and I thought at the time that it would make a nice prop for craft shows- you know with some shelves on the front or something. Speaking of craft shows-I know I have a handful of locals that read my blog and didn't know if you had heard, but I found out through a friend that Highland Park is no longer doing their annual November craft fair. I'm bummed. We used to have three holiday craft fairs in November. Meals on Wheels canceled theirs a few years ago and I have no idea if the Rec center is doing them anymore...what a shame. Looks like Twelve Days is all we have left folks. I haven't heard where the shoppe is going to be at yet this year, but I'll be sure to post it on my blog when I do find out.....so anyway, back to the door.....

Well it had been in the garage since then and I brought it in a few weeks ago and cleaned it up. Am I a crazy person to have a door propped up their front living room for decoration? Craig think so. lol I moved the big ladder into our bedroom- I'll share that in my next post though. I wanted to have pictures of the bedroom makeover this time but I'm working on some curtains for the windows and hopefully then it will feel like it will be finished.

Mine and Craig's 10 year anniversary is on Thursday. For the first time since we got married we will get to go out to dinner on our anniversary- every year since then he has been scheduled to work on July 15th. I'm really excited! :0) Talk to you soon!

~Jody

I'm still here- don't give up on me! lol.....

2010-07-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

So sorry I haven't had a chance to post in a while! You know how it is- once the weather gets warmer- we all tend to play outside rather than in and honestly, I am hardly on my computer anymore- mostly to just check my email (if I don't do it almost daily, it piles up let me tell ya). I have also started moderating my blog comments because I get tons of nonsense (and sometimes obscene- yuk!) comments from overseas- spammers at work I would guess.......the creeps! This will be a short post cuz I have a few things I am trying to finish up and take pictures of and lots to share in a few days with you. I did a swap with Ann from 1803 Ohio Farm Baskets and I LOVE my basket! It is so much prettier in person- can you tell I'm not a photographer? lol. I just realized I forgot to take a pic of the little blackened beeswax candle nubbies she also sent with my basket- they are wonderful! I'll be sure to share them with you in a few days also. Sorry I didn't post about our swap sooner, Ann! :) I have it hanging on my big red shelf in the front room for now- its forever home will be in the bedroom but I have a few things to get done in there still. We repainted and re-trimmed our bedroom and it turned out real nice. I did the same faux finish glaze on the walls as I did in our front room redo. So hopefully lots of pics to show! I see that my followers are getting close to 190, so I'd like to do a giveaway when it hits 200. Not sure what I'll be making for it, but you know it be will Americana don't you? hee hee... Be back in a few days (I promise!)

Prim Hugs,

Jody

A real post this time....LOL

2010-04-29T21:29:00.000-07:00

I wanted to give some plugs to a few of my TLOFA sisters which is long overdue! Sorry girls! :0) Of course I have blogged many times about my friend Chris of The Antique Pallet and her mad painting skills. I have more than a few of the things she has painted and I will treasure them always! Well, not only can the woman paint, but she also makes some beautiful bottlecap jewelry and keychains! She surprised me this last year with a handmade keychain that had a pic of each of my two kids on each side of the bottlecap. I was so touched! There I was crying in the parking lot at the post office-seriously! You should be able to click on the banner above and it will take you to her online shoppe.....

Another TLOFA sister, Pat of Ahl Cooped Up has a website!You should be able to click on the logo above and it will take you to her site and all that eye candy! I was fortunate to receive a handmade ornie from Pat during our TLOFA Christmas ornie swap this past year and it was the perfect little stocking with faux fur and chenille canes.....I still have it up on my year-round tree in our den. So go peek at what she has to offer- you won't be disappointed! :0)

This spring pinkeep/cupboard tuck is what I am donating for the PFATT Spring giveaway. You will need to click ~HERE~ to go to the PFATT blog to sign up and see what else is being donated. Hurry it only lasts from May 1st~May 7th. :0) I added the ladybug in remembrance of our dear PFATT sister Penny McAllister who lost her battle with Leukemia barely a month ago. I didn't get to join in on the balloon release for her birthday- both kids woke up with fevers that morning and wouldn't you know after a trip to our little clinic- they both had strep. Eeew! So glad they didn't share the bug with me!

I had to share some more things I have been getting done and a few lucky finds....

This black cabinet I got at Michaels when we made a quick trip to Cheyenne a few weeks ago. I had a 50% coupon and only paid $19 for it. I painted it plain black and distressed and stained the heck out of it. I love it! This was the only one they had that day- otherwise I would have bought two.....I had another spare 50% coupon and sent Craig through first to pay for the cabinet and I went into the other line to check out with the rest of my loot and the other coupon. Hey, if I'm gonna save money on something, might as well make it a family affair! LOL.

I bought this wood flag probably about 5 years ago out of a Terrys Village catalog. It hung outside every year and I finally decided it was looking pretty sad and faded so I gave it a new paint job- voila! Now it looks so good I don't want to put it back out there, so I think I'll enjoy it inside for a bit. :0)

I had been looking for one of these wall mount flag holders for a long time and had come to the conclusion that nobody carried them anymore. Then by chance I found the Primitives Fore Ewe website and they have them! Oh happy day! I've had it for nearly a month now and just got it up the other day. Whatcha think?

Sage won't let me take her paper "snowflake" down even though spring is (hopefully) just around the corner. Goofy kid! I hate our front door or should I say "doors". Both doors are functional and can open as french doors if you are moving a big piece of furniture in, etc but since the one on the right is always locked in place and we use the other to come and go I consider it to be part of the wall. lol.

Now I have to share my ReStore finds....

Last month I was with my mom at the Habitat for Humanity Restore looking for a replacement exterior door for her house. While 90% of the store is donated building materials, there are other household goods that are donated...I found this lamp for $3- can you believe it? It doesn't have a shade, but I'll get one for it-an easy fix for a bargain. Then in another section of the store they had some porch posts....lots of them.

I nabbed this one...can you believe it was only $30? These are normally about $100. It was the chunkiest of them all. In my pic it doesn't look like it, but it is indeed very thick- 6"x 6" square and 8 feet tall. Most porch posts are more on the "spindley" side. Ever since I had seen one in Country Sampler a few years ago, I have always wanted one to prim up and put an old birdhouse on top since we have vaulted ceilings. Another thing to add to my list of "to-dos"...lol. :0)

Well, I should scoot and get some things done. We are going to visit my dad in Riverton this weekend so I have some last minute packing to finish. Later! ~Jody

Just a Quick Post To Say.......

2010-04-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

....that I will be donating a handmade on the PFATT blog for the giveaway starting May 1st. I'll also have a better post then, too! See ya in a few days! :0)

Unfinished business....

2010-03-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

Thats where I've been....taking care of unfinished handmades for the most part.....that and Farmville on facebook...OMG-let me kill the person who started me on that stupid game (hehehehe...she knows who she is...) Don't ever started playing that game- it is addictive and sucks you right in. lol. It's even sucked Craig in....does Facebook have Farmers Anonymous meetings?? Hello...my name is Jody and I'm a Farmville addict......lol. Ok, back to business.... I had started these stitcheries from one of Jenny's designs a while back for myself and decided I needed to get them finished now or I never would. Feels kinda good to keep some of the things I make now and then... :0)

I made these for me, too. I bought the stencils a while back from Stencil Me In and Homestead Stencil Co., I just love them- not sure where I'll be putting them yet, but they'll look good anywhere....

I've had this old paned window for quite a while and it's been hanging out in storage waiting for me to do something with it. I'm always looking through my old copies of Country Sampler for ideas- I saw something similar in an old issue (except theirs was done with an old quilt piece) and since I already had a flag I think it turned out pretty neat. It's a 3x5 flag- I just folded it to fit and tacked it to the back of the frame. It hangs above the peg rack in the entryway....

Another unfinished project done! I started this wool felt penny rug over a year ago and it sat 10% finished until now. It sits under the lamp on my nightstand now... I used a tutorial Colleen has on her blog and one of her patterns to put it together. I know my stitches aren't perfect but hey, I thought I did good for my first rug. It has three pennies per circle on the front and a fourth penny per circle to finish the backing....so what's that...170-some pennies? I knew there was a reason I kept putting off finishing it...lol.

Remember this guy? He is sure growing.....I mean he's still a shrimp, but he is outgrowing the puppy look and heading into adolescence now. He's my little sidekick and follows me everywhere. He lays at my feet when I sew and stitch. :0)

Me and Craig have also been helping my mom out- helping her with some work on her property and such which has kept us busy on Craigs days off. I haven't made anything to sell, but if you see something you like, give me a shout- I could make you one just like it. (Except for the penny rug- I don't see myself making another one for while...lol). I should get going- Craig just came home off graveyards and I want to see him before he goes to bed. Until next time.....~Jody

Thinking spring....and a new addition to our family...

2010-01-29T16:02:00.001-08:00

Though I'm still working on Christmas stuff for next year, I can't help but be thinking (and wishing a little..hee hee) for spring. I am ready for warmer weather. And less wind....anyone that has lived in Casper or around here can totally relate...LOL. I've been working on a few springy things I will be adding to my site tonight. Primitive black doll and ditty bag......

Spring Pinkeep/Cupboard tuck...

Valentine pinkeep/Cupboard tuck...

I know what you were probably thinking about our new addition and no, I'm not pregnant. LOL. We got a PUPPY........

Awwwww.........he looks so innocent when he sleeps. He is a chihuahua puppy- 9 wks old- the kids named him Popeye. He is so sweet and very, very affectionate- he just can't hold his licker! And the best part is he absolutely LOVES the kids......he follows them around everywhere and climbs into Sage's lap to nap. I have forgotten what it's like to have a puppy and how much they sleep! Actually our 8yr old Mastiff sleeps as much as he does so never mind. (Anyone that has a mastiff knows what I mean about how much they "nap" .LOL) We went from one extreme to the other- we have a giant breed and a toy breed now. Funny! I'll have to try and get a picture of them together.

On another note after a lot repeated prodding, poking, nudging and elbowing from friends and family, I finally joined facebook a few days ago. I have my facebook badge there on my sidebar... I dragged my feet about joining before because I didn't really feel like I needed one more thing to keep up with that would take away from my time with family and everything else I have going but I have found (and been found) by classmates and friends I haven't talked to in years, so I'm glad I finally did it. So everyone that kept after me about it ~thanks!~

That's about all I have to share for now. I'll try and post as I get more handmades finished. ~Jody

Staying Busy........

2010-01-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

I haven't been up to very much lately- at least not a lot to post about anyway. I have been doing some spring cleaning here and there around the house (I know it's early, but we have a big house and by the time I get all my deep cleaning done spring will be here, LOL). It feels good to get it done, though. There were some boxes in our attic that haven't been gone through since we moved into this house 5 years ago. But it does feel good to de-clutter the closets and things and have a little more organization....if only my craft room would stay that way. LOL. I have also taken some of my money from Twelve Days and invested in some sign stencils and I have to say I LOVE them! So much easier than the way I was doing them before. I bought quite a few Christmas ones for this next year and a few everyday ones. I've added these two and another one to my picturetrail site for sale. I have also decided to get an early start for next year so I am working on Christmas things too. I would like to have more inventory for Twelve Days and also lots to put on my picturetrail for this next holiday season. Since this is a one-woman-show I just never have enough time to get it all done in the fall and I want this next year to be different. Well, that's pretty much it. Also to let you know I will be ending my leftover Christmas sale in the next few days. Later! :0)
Jody

20-25% off ALL leftover Christmas show items, limited time...

2009-12-31T16:48:00.000-08:00

SALE IS OVER

~THANKS!~

Well, this is all I have left from Twelve Days...I just got them back the other day, otherwise I would have posted them sooner for you...they are in no particular order and will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. It would be nice to not have to store anything for next year, so I will have these for sale for about a week or two or until most everything is gone whichever comes first....... If you are interested in anything or have a question, etc. just leave a comment on this post and blogger will send me an email.

All can be mailed or if you are local you can pick up or I can take to you if I'm in town. Most everything can be shipped together, except the reindeer may have to be shipped on their own, depending on what else is going in the box. So here's what I've got left.....You should be able to click on the pics for a better look...

Two snowman star ornies. Made using a pattern from Sew Primitive Shoppe. Both lightly tea dyed, wool felt hats with berries and sprigs of greenery. Each 8 1/2 inches tall and have rusty wire hanger.

Was $14 each, Now $10 each or both for $18, plus shipping.

Five assorted stitchery star ornies. Made using the star from a Nanny Goat Primitives pattern. 5 1/2 inches tall. All sewn from muslin, I've stitched a different saying onto the front of each. Aged and glittered. Decorative rusty wire in the top to hang.

~ALL SOLD~

Wynter Wishes Star Ornie (SOLD)
Simplify Star Ornie (SOLD)
Friends Star Ornie (SOLD)
Let it Snow Star Ornie (SOLD)
Laugh Star Ornie (SOLD)
Little "Baby" Bear Ornies. Made using a pattern from Crows Roost Prims. Each is 8 inches tall with a chenille candy cane, sprig of greenery and rusty bell attatched to the front. Each has rusty wire to hang.
Was $12 each, Now $8 each, or $15 for both plus shipping.
Two BIG Santa's.....made using a pattern from Angel and the Crow.
They are nearly 3 feet tall (32 inches). Sculpted nose and eyebrows, button eyes. Beard is ultra soft dirty blonde mohair felted in place. The aged fleece trim on their jackets and hats are all stitched in place by hand.
Was $62 each, Now $48, plus shipping.
Large Reindeer made from a Hand Made with Love pattern. They stand 10 inches tall, not including their antlers. They are made from painted and stiffened Warm & Natural with real twig antlers, glass bead eyes and wood dowel legs. The one on the right has a pine wreath with rusty bell and the one on the left has a holly wreath with rusty bell. Their little antlers are very fragile, so I will use a bigger box than usual so I can pack them safely for their journey.
~BOTH SOLD~
Small Reindeer using same pattern as above. These stand 6 inches tall not including their antlers. Made in the exact same fashion as the large ones except on a smaller scale of course. The one in the middle has a pine wreath with rusty bell and the other two have a holly wreath with rusty bell.
~ALL SOLD~
Free-standing Prim Santa. Made from painted muslin using a pattern from The Old Country Cupboard. Sculpted nose and stitched eyes. His beard, mustache and hat and sleeve trim is stained Warm & Natural. He stands 17 inches tall. His hangtag reads Old St. Nick.
Was $35, Now $25, plus shipping
Medium "Mama" Bear Ornies. Made using a Crows Roost Prims pattern. These stand 10 inches tall. I did not put hangers on these- they are sized more for shelf sitters. Made in the same fashion as the little bears above.
Was $15, Now $ 10 each or $ 18 for both, plus shipping.
Large "Papa" Bear Santa Shelf sitter/ornie. He stands 11 1/2 inches tall. Made the same as the other bears above. He does have a loop in his back to hang or you can display him as a shelf sitter as shown. His hangtag has a mini chenille candy cane with a sprig of greenery and rusty bell attatched and reads "Beary Christmas to You...".
Was $18, Now $13, plus shipping.

This girl was the only raggedy I had left. I made her using a pattern from Chestnut Junction. Prim stitched face, rusty star necklace and wool yarn hair tied into pigtails. She has painted shoes and stockings underneath and wears aged muslin pantaloons. Her bottom is boxed and weighted to sit nicely. Was $35, Now $28, plus shipping.

A little behind......and an after Christmas SALE coming very soon...

2009-12-24T22:43:00.001-08:00

Yes I am running behind, yet again...LOL. I had started this post on the 23rd and had every intention to get it posted then, but we still had so much last minute stuff to get done- you know- cooking, cleaning, even some shopping....then it was Christmas Day and the next thing I know a week has already gone by and the New Year will be upon us tonight....it sure has zipped right by!I mentioned in my last post about my TLOFA secret ornie swap and I can finally share them with you! There are 11 total......
The gingerbread and angel on the top are from my friend Joleen aka theprimitivebucket, the penguin is from Lisa aka brush*strokesn*stitches, the two snowmen are from Chris aka theantiquepallet......

The hammered copper heart ornie is from Tanya aka pollyscissors, the snowman is from Barb aka barbscountryprims, the stocking is from Pat aka ahlcoopedup, the angel is from Mary aka polkadothill, the heart is from Norrine aka grungegoddesprimitives, and the peppermint sticks label ornie is from Susie aka yankeelaneprimitives.....

And these were a few pics I had taken back on the 23rd of my drysink with some Christmas decor in the dining room......that piece of homespun hides our air conditioner...I need to make some kind of wall hanging to go there or something...

What's funny is the pie safe I got a few weeks ago and this dry sink- I just realized their crackled paint color and texture match exactly.....I've had this dry sink for about 4 years now and the two pieces were bought from two totally different places....isn't that great? :0) It's like I was meant to have them hee hee!

I did end up having a box of Christmas leftovers from Twelve Days and I have decided I am going to post them here for sale at a discount. I finished taking pictures, just need to have time to sit down and edit them and then get them loaded on here. That's what I'll be working on tonight while I ring in the new year. LOL. Craig is working tonight so it's just me and the kids. I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Wonderful surprises in the mail!!

2009-12-20T10:40:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, the post office has been my favorite place lately. LOL. Seriously!
First off, I won one of Sandy's giveaways on her blog~ The Olde Country Cupboard and was lucky enough to get this wonderful black doll! I just LOVE her and my picture does not do her justice- she is so prim in person and fits in great with everything else! She is my first black doll and I just love her to pieces!!
Sandy also threw in 6 packages of her soy wax tarts. (there are only 5 pictured cuz I already had some in my warmer...hee hee...) I could smell them even before I got the box open and they are wonderful. Thank you so much Sandy for having such a great giveaway and being soooo generous with your goodies!! :0)

I participated in all the ornie swaps we had in my ebay groups. The first was our PLOA ornie swap and I was the lucky recipient of one of Chris's (theantiquepallet) painted books! It is sooo gorgeous! I have it on top if my pie safe and it may stay there for a while! :0) You can't really see in the pic, but glass glitter is all over the front and it has the most beautiful sparkle. Thank you Chris! I treasure all the wonderful things you've made me!

Next was our PFATT swap. Aren't these ornies beautiful? The cross-stitch Santa is from Kathy~Kathy's Prims, the Green Cone ornie is from Nancy~Nancy Malay, The Angel painting is from Karen~Lovella Ranch, and the little matchbox ornie is from Zinnia~Zinnia's Art. I put them on my 4 foot tree I have specifically for my swap ornies and they look great with all the others from swaps past....

I did also get my ornies from my TLOFA swap, but we have to wait for everyone to get their box before we post pics so we don't ruin the surprise. We make an ornie for each person in the swap, then when we get our box back, we get an ornie from each person, too. It was a great turnout and I got some really wonderful ornies! Hopefully in the next few days I can share some more pics with you. :0) I might also have a few more Christmas pics, too.

Christmas pics to share and link to my Santa and Snowgirl dolls....

2009-12-10T10:15:00.000-08:00

I'll try to leave this post longer on pictures (there are LOTS!) and shorter on words if I can... :0) Enjoy!
My Santa and an old quilt bear.....

I realized I never shared finished pics of the entryway after we did all the work on the front room this spring. The flooring is still the old vinyl, but this winter we are going to carry the wood flooring through the entryway and also replace it with the carpet on the stairs. We will also be replacing the dated railing, too. We're waiting to do the base trim against the wall until the floor is finished....

In case you were wondering- the spots on the rug in the entry are just melted snow....LOL.

I love my redware crock! I got it back in October from the Primitive Corner. I got the last one they had and they said it was backordered until next spring. I was a lucky girl.... :0)

The view into the front room from the entry...

Santa came early and gave me an early Christmas/birthday gift (My b-day is on the 27th..)......this GORGEOUS pie safe! I LOVE it!! And its the perfect fit here in this little corner...

I love how the punched tin panels have rusted and only a bit of the silver finish remains...

That's another one of Kathy's bears.....I have three of them and they are wonderful. I even have a teeny mini one that she made from old quilt just like the others I have...

The snowgirl hanging on the cabinet where I took her pictures.......LOL

Our tree......we have had such crappy, cold weather here lately we never made it up on the mountain. The kids would have been miserable and cold, which would have defeated the whole point of going to cut our own tree...so we went to the tree lot and Sage picked out this white pine.

One thing we didn't realize until we started to decorate it was that while it is a beautiful tree with ultra soft needles, you can't hang heavy ornies on it. I had to omit my 4 inch jingle bells because it looked like a weeping willow and all the branches are slender and droop very easily. LOL. We hung only lightweight ornies on the outside and buried the heavier ones inside the tree.

Our fireplace and mantel......I love those stockings hanging there. I got them back in September from Olde Farm Creek and I'm glad I did- I heard from a friend she has sold out of them now....

I did end up getting a chance to edit the auctions and got my snowgirl and Santa on eBay finally....click HERE to see them...

I have a few Christmas decorations in my kitchen and such, but I'll save those for another post- this one's long enough. I should get going.....I have some signs I have to finish for the shop in town, then get Sage from school in a bit. Hope you liked my pics! :0)

New Folk Art Santa....

2009-12-09T12:52:00.001-08:00

I just finished this dude this afternoon ...... I'm still editing his other pictures- so this is all for a sneak peek. Hee hee...I made him from one of Kim's (thesmilinggoat)patterns. I am planning on listing him on eBay tomorrow night, if all goes well and I have the time. This last week has been fairly busy for me- I was down for a few days last week with a bit of a stomach bug- must have been a touch of whatever has been going around so that put a cramp in things for a few days....but things are back to normal now (whew!) and I've been busy busy making ornies for a few group swaps. I'd like to wait for the recipients to get theirs before I share any pics- wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, now would I? :0) I have some packages to get in the mail, so I have to scoot, but I will be back later to post a few more pics of Santa and give his eBay link when he's listed. I also have a snowgirl doll I made a while back- I'll probably list her, too. Oh, and I will have few Christmas pics from around the house to share as well........Be back later! :0)
-Jody

PFATT Blog Christmas Giveaway is now underway!

2009-12-01T08:18:00.000-08:00

Well, the PFATT Blog giveaway is now up and running. This large pinkeep is my handmade I donated (I made it using a Jenny Hoffman design)- there are 14 awesome handmades up for grabs, so be sure to stop by the PFATT Blog~ CLICK HERE~ to go have a peek! To enter the giveaway, you will need to visit the PFATT blog and leave a comment under the giveaway post. You have from December 1st until December 7th to enter. If you post it on your blog and let them know, they will enter you twice! Good luck to all!

I just had to share this! Sage had her kindergarten Christmas program last night and I got this cute pic of her and Chad all dressed up before we left. Of course the cat thought he had to be in the picture, too. LOL. I thought they looked so handsome! The program went well and all the little kindergarteners were so cute singing in their little voices. Then at the end, Santa himself showed up and handed out candy canes to all the kids and that was the highloght of the evening for them- you should have seen their little eyes light up!

I am working on a Santa for ebay, hoping to get him done in the next few days or so. Lately I have been working on Christmas gifts and putting up our Christmas decorations. Craig is off this coming weekend, so I think we are going to go cut a Christmas tree on the mountain, which is always fun. I should get back to work I suppose. I'll post when I get my Santa done.

PFATT Blog Christmas giveaway coming soon....

2009-11-20T21:43:00.000-08:00

Be sure to check out the PFATT blog starting December 1st for the Christmas PFATT blog giveaway. Who doesn't love to win free stuff? I am donating a handmade this year, along with some other artists, but no sneek peeks! hee hee....you'll have to wait and visit the PFATT blog Dec 1st-Dec. 7th to see whats up for grabs and to sign up. So stay tuned! ;0)

-Jody

Twelve Days of Christmas 2009....

2009-11-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note for the local girls that were asking about Twelve Days this year in Casper.....the grand opening is tonight at 5pm. This year they are located on the north end of the Sunrise Shopping Center in the old Flanigans store space (right next to the athletic club).
Twelve Days will be open on a daily basis from Nov. 20th-Dec. 23rd. Their hours are Monday through Saturday 10 am-5:30pm, Sunday Noon-4pm.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things...

2009-11-02T08:37:00.001-08:00

I thought I would share a little of what's been keeping me so busy lately...

I have been so busy, busy, busy making Christmas stuff for the Twelve Days of Christmas shoppe in town.

I made these five Santa's and I just love how they turned out! I used a pattern from Angel and the Crow. They are about 3 feet long with sculpted noses and mohair beards. After I got them all done, I decided one of them was going to have a permanent home at my house, which doesn't usually happen very often. Hee Hee. I usually sell most of the things I make and this time I decided I worked so hard on them, I deserved a treat! LOL.

I also made a little herd of ten reindeer- five small and five large. I used a pattern by Handmade With Love , the pattern calls for making them with faux fur, but I made mine from warm & natural and grunged it up good. They have glass bead eyes, stick legs and twig antlers. Some have holly wreaths and some have pine wreaths around their neck with rusty bells attatched.

I made these three Santa's from an Olde Country Cupboard pattern. I gave them each a different style of eyes. They were really easy to make.

Well, that's just a few of the things I have finished. I ended up making about two dozen dolls over the past few weeks, mostly raggedies and such.There were just too many to take pics of. I still have some snowmen to get done and about 70 plus ornaments waiting to be stuffed and finished. Whew! I hope I can get it all done by Thanksgiving weekend. I have been staying up way too late after I get the kids in bed because that's the only time I can get things accomplished. Chad got a touch of the flu last week and he's finally on the mend. Luckily (knock on wood!) the rest of us have managed to stay clear of it. I am hoping to get a few things done for ebay for the Holidays, I only made one Santa last year and I want it to be different this year. Well, I ahould get back to work. There are doll parts waiting on me and they won't stuff themselves (dang it!) LOL. Later! :0)

-Jody

Up to my ears in projects!

2009-10-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

I have been staying pretty busy working on some new things for the shop I sell handmades at in town. I made 4 large pumpkins and 4 of the medium size. I made these signs also. They are huge (4 ft long x 8 inches tall), so they were too big to try and sell online I think- I don't even want to think what shipping would be! As of right now anyway I don't use the "premade" stencils. You know, the kind that already have the sayings, etc already perfectly spaced out and all? No, I use alphabet stencils and do each letter one by one....tedious sometimes, but then I can customize my signs to say whatever I want and the only thing I am limited to is the font. The Autumn Gatherings signs above took me three hours to stencil- am I crazy?? LOL. Hmmm....may have to look at doing things an easier way. Hee hee! I also made some candy corns and a pumpkin with a witch hat. I used a pattern by Fine Country Living Primitives for the candy corns and a freebie pattern from a while back from Tennessee Ridge Primitives for the witch hat pumpkin. (You should really go check out her site- she offers freebies all the time and changes them about once a month or so.) All these are going into town, but I am adding one set of the candy corns to my selling site if anyone is interested. These will probably be my last fall handmades as I am gearing up to finish some Christmas things I am making for the Twelve Days of Christmas shop in Casper again this year. It opens Thanksgiving weekend (Black Friday) and time doesn't stand still for me....especially when I'm running after two little ones. Hmmm....maybe I could duplicate myself? I should be careful what I wish for. LOL. I'll try and share the Christmas stuff in my next post......

Jody

My selling site is open....FINALLY!

2009-09-30T21:22:00.000-07:00

This was yet another intention of mine before I was living la vida loca this summer...LOL. But finally I have my selling site all ready to go and looking the way I want it and it is now open. Click HERE to go visit and take a peek. I added the remainder of my pinkeeps and my owls I just made on there. I have a few dolls I made a few months back on there, too. Well, it's late and I should hit the bed. It's snowing here tonight (we're supposed to get 6 inches or so....we'll see) and I'll have to get up earlier to get Sage to school in the morning. Toodles!

Jody

Those pinkeeps I promised....

2009-09-26T20:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry I didn't get a chance to share them with you yesterday. I couldn't get very good pictures- I played with a few displays and wasn't happy, so I decided to just take the darn picture just as they are! LOL.

I made them using a pattern from 1804 Primitives. They are all about 3 inches in diameter, all have been aged (some more than others) and the bottoms are a reproduction zinc canning jar lid. Actually the light blue ticking one (in the middle in the very front row) I used an old zinc Ball lid for that one- the material for the pincushion is actual ticking material- very thick- so it wouldn't fit in the other lids. Most of the pinkeeps have vintage buttons, though a few don't. They are $7.00 each, plus shipping. A few have already sold, but I just added the ones left on to my selling site. Well, I'm off to work on some more stuff. Gotta take advantage of the "extra" time I have now. (Knock on wood....) Ha!

Jody

Just Finished....

2009-09-25T10:06:00.001-07:00

Aren't they a "hoot"? LOL. I just finished these guys last night and just in time for fall. I've actually had them all sewn, stuffed and painted for a few months, I just never got time to finish them up till now. I made them from a Chestnut Junction pattern- they are about 9 inches tall and 8 inches wide. They are painted and sanded muslin with sculpted beaks and separate stitched wings.

~All are SOLD!~

Jody

My Halloween girls......

2009-09-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, here are the girls......I love how each turned out! It felt really good to make a doll again after such a long break!
I was playing around with my photo editing program and thought they looked cool in sephia tone. Hee hee. Click here to go to their ebay auctions and see them in color.

I want to make a scarecrow doll next, but I'm not going to hold my breath or count my chickens before they hatch. LOL. We'll just have to see.....Hugs!

-Jody

Just Catching Up......

2009-09-21T05:04:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth. LOL. Since my last post in July we have been so busy going everywhere at once it seemed. My life during the week was nothing but cleaning, cooking and laundry, then we were gone again the next weekend.One of the weekends we were gone in August fell on Chad's 3rd birthday. It was a lot of fun. He got to celebrate with my mom and dad, my brother, his wife and the cousins Codi and Garrett.
After he ate his cake he opened his presents- one of his favorites was this Transformers costume he wanted to wear right away. What a face! He was pretty excited!

That same weekend we drove up the road from our campsite to double cabin which is in the mountains north of Dubois. This is as far as you can get with a vehicle- from this point on there are trailheads you can hike or ride horseback to go even further into the backcountry. Very pretty country. I was glad to see we still have some bits of snow/glaciers in the high country. The last 5-10 years when it had been so hot and dry in the summers the snow didn't stay up there in the summertime.

And yes, Sage is officially a kindergartener now! She was really nervous- I think mostly because her best friend from preschool moved over the summer, so now she had to make new friends. She is doing very well. They go all day every day here and are reading before first grade. Boy things have changed since my school days! I remember half days and taking naps in Kindergarten- not aymore!
A few weeks ago we took the kids and my inlaws to Thermopolis (my hometown) for the weekend. We took them swimming in the warm mineral water and went to see the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. It has come a long way since I was in High School. They now have a supersaurus skeleton that is the size of the whole building. I made Craig pose next to a cast of one of its rib bones. Can you see its skeleton behind him?
Then this last weekend me and the kids went hunting with Craig. The kids wanted a picture taken with it- they thought it was pretty neat. I normally don't like Antelope meat- it is extremely gamey tasting, but it does make the best breakfast sausage! We make our own and it is tasty! :0)

So now that school is in full swing and I only have one kid at home I have finally been able to work on some things. I am trying to work on my supply for the 12 Days of Christmas show I have in Nov and Dec, but I did manage to squeeze in a few dolls for ebay which I did get listed on ebay last night. I have to go get Sage up and ready for school now, but I'll post them here in a few hours or so. Be back in a few..... :0) -Jody

Did someone say Camping trip??

2009-07-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been a few weeks since my last post! We did a garage sale the weekend of the 18th and then this last wekend we went camping with my brother, his family and my parents and we had so much fun. We got back Sunday night and it has taken me a few days to re-coup! :0)

Boy, the kids wore themselves out playing with their cousins- that's my brothers two kids, Codi and Garrett with Sage and Chad.

We camped up on Green Mountain, which is only about an hour and a half or so from our house. The first day, we all rode our four wheelers to the top and were lucky enough to see this herd of wild horses. Most of them roam the Red Desert below and I'm pretty sure this herd lives up here year round. They didn't stick around too long and I was lucky to get this picture when I did....

When we rode around the backside of the mountain, we saw this little yearling hanging with some cattle....we really freaked him out and he let his curiousity get the best of him because you could really tell he wanted to run away but he wanted to check us out a little first. LOL.

One of the views from the top. You could see for miles and miles....

Thats my dad in the suspenders taking in the scenery. :0) I'm not sure what Craig is doing. LOL.

This was my favorite....this spot at the top is called Wild Horse Point Lookout. That's the start of the Red Desert below...

Our state flower: The Indian Paintbrush. It is so pretty and it was blooming EVERYWHERE there! I mean the were practically fields of them. Sage was bummed she couldn't pick them....we get in trouble with the state of we get caught plucking these babies.We even had our own private patch of wild strawberries right by our camper. They were small, but tasty! My little guy picked this tiny blossom just for me!

The second day we all drove out by the Oregon/Mormon trail area and hunted for agates and arrowheads. It was a lot of fun, but boy it was hot on the prairie! Whew! Luckily we didn't run into any rattlesnakes.

This is one of the landmarks along the Oregon Trail- called Split Rock. apparently when the emigrants were traveling, it could be seen for 3 days on their journey. Once they reached this point, it took them 6 days to reach South Pass City which is only about an hour and a half away....could you imagine that? Makes ya feel lucky we don't rely on covered wagon for transportation, eh? I think this area of the Sweetwater Valley is so pretty.

So that's been it lately. I haven't done any creating either. My mom had a bunch of her garage sale stuff stored in my craft room and now that her stuff is out, I have so much more room. I spent yesterday and today cleaning out and re-organizing, which it really needed. It was cool and rained all last night and all day today which really got me in the mood to start on Fall and Christmas stuff. There's something about the hot summer weather that makes it hard for me to get motivated to make Pumpkins and Candy canes. Ok, so I guess I'm trying to say the hot weather makes me lazy. LOL. I know the summertime does that to a lot of us! I'm waiting until I have a few things finished before I share my selling site, so stay tuned! :0)

Nine Years ago today.....

2009-07-15T09:49:00.001-07:00

Boy, it sure doesn't seem like nine years have already gone by. I can still remember how hot it was in that church that day! Whew! Glad I opted for the sleeveless gown. LOL. Craig and I actually met our freshman year in college- I was getting my degree in Veterinary Technology and Craig a degree in Welding & Joining. We dated for two and a half years and then married in 2000. Our wedding present from Craig's side of the family was our honeymoon in Cancun which was so neat and probably the only time I'll ever get to do something like that. Oh, the memories....

I have to say that my signs have been well received! Since I have posted them here on my blog and also at the prim shoppe in town, I have taken quite a few orders for more of them, even though I don't have my selling site up yet, I don't mind at all- so if anyone see's something they are interested in, leave me a comment. I turned comment moderation on so that any new comments go right to my email, so your question won't be posted unless you want it to. Since working on those sign orders, I haven't had time to work on anything new to share. Maybe I will next week? :0)

There are signs everywhere!

2009-07-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would pop in and show what I've been up to lately, and nope, its got nothing to do with the sewing machine...I've been painting these signs- and lots of them. I have 12 done so far, and all these will be going to the prim shoppe in town...a lot of friends don't know this, but this type of thing is actually how I started crafting about 7 years ago. I made signs like these and lots of tole painting, selling at local craft shows, and about 5 years ago is when I made my first doll. (And no way am I going to show you the first doll- it wasn't pretty! LOL) Don't get me wrong, I still love to make dolls, but sometimes it just feels good to switch gears and take a little break every once in a while......and the rest of them....the last two pics are showing a bit bright- the "white" in them is really a warm, prim cream color in person... They all range from 5 1/2" - 71/4" tall by 21"-52" in length with a sawtooth hanger or two on back. When my selling site is ready, I hope to make a few signs to put there as well as my fabric handmades....

Until next time! :0)

-Jody

What a beautiful Americana Giveaway.....

2009-07-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

I just found this blog and had to share the news about this beautiful Americana Giveaway at Palmer Falls blog. Of course its obvious I love Americana and I know there are more fellow bloggers out there that do, too, so I wanted to spread the word! Hurry on over, she is drawing the winner on Saturday July 4th! :0)

Where does the Summer go?

2009-07-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh....can you believe it is nearly the fourth already and summer is half over with? Every summer it seems like it is so hectic, we never take the time to stop and pick the flowers.....but we made time to do just that last week. We took a drive up the mountain behind our house and stopped at the top so Sage could fill her basket with wild sunflowers.I had to share this old barn. This old ranch sits along the loop road at the top of the mountain and every time we drive up here I just stare at this old barn and wonder what it would have been like to live 100 years ago when this ranch was in its prime. Sure don't see beautiful old barns like this anymore- at least not around this area. On a creative note, I did finish the makeover on my milking stool. Its black- of course, LOL. I decided to do slight distressing and I think it turned out pretty darn great. :0) My coffee table may be a later project- it will be more time consuming so I probably won't get it done until later this summer when things slow down- but don't worry, I will be sure and share when its finished. I do have a few dolls to share also....These girls I made from one of Tonya's patterns and they have already arrived at their new homes.....each doll was actually a surprise gift for a few friends of mine that were going through some hard times and I wanted to be sure each friend got her goodie box before I posted the pic. Each girlfriend sent me such nice emails to thank me and one of whom is my 'neighbor' friend Joleen- she had the most touching post on her blog it just made me cry! I was so touched by their gratitude it really makes me want to do things like that more often- I still get that warm fuzzy feeling whenever I think about it. :0) Of course it will be a surprise when I strike again...hee hee....
I have been throwing around the idea of doing a selling blog or a picturetrail site to sell a few things. I'm not sure when I will have it ready, but I will be sure to post about it when its done and "open for business."

Well, I should get going and get something whipped up for dinner. Until next time! :0) -Jody

Some cool finds and a few makeovers....

2009-06-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

Well, what do you know- two posts in a month. LOL....I'm feeling ambitious this week, what can I say?

I always love visiting other blogs and seeing what everyone is up to- especially the thrift shop/yard sale show-and-tell everyone shares. I had to giggle when I was visiting Char's blog today and she said she would rather have $50 to spend at the thrift shop than $100 at the mall- wow she really hit the nail on the head there- I couldn't have said it better! So with that being said, I wanted to share a few things I found today...Keep in mind that my thrift shops around here aren't what I really consider "thrifty" most of the time- they usually overprice stuff and I don't ever seem to find the neat prim stuff the other girls back East can. But today's T2T shopping I felt so lucky! First of all, the coffee table was only $5- solid wood and sturdy! It will be getting a makeover very soon. The dark spot underneath and to the left of the stool looks like someone had set something hot there and it scorched the wood pretty bad. The little milking stool was $1- the legs are a tad wobbly, but nothing a nail gun won't fix. It's not like I will actually be using it- after its makeover it will probably become a prop for my pictures or something I'm sure. The frame was only 20 cents. I'll either antique it more to tone down the blue color or paint it another color....we'll see.....the shutters were freebies and I'll tell you more about those in a minute....
This lamp was another exciting find, but I must tell you it wasn't a thrift shop find. It was actually a brand new candlestick lamp I found at Wal-Mart for $5. Its original color was bright white, but now it sports an Old Parchment (Delta-Ceramcoat) topcoat with a coat of black peeking out underneath where I distressed it. And yep, I did rub antiquing glaze over it and sprayed with a matte sealer. My flash makes it a lot brighter, but in person it is the most beautiful, warm light mustard color. We really needed new bedside lamps for our bedroom (I bought two and they both look identical so I'm only showing one) and I wasn't about to pay $100+ per lamp for something I could do myself. I ended up finding the shades at Piper Classics- even though they cost more than the actual lamps did ($20), I still saved money anyway.
Now about those "shutters". LOL. Can you believe they are not actually window shutters at all? A few years ago Sage moved from upstairs into the spare room in the basement and last year we remodeled her room- these were the bifold doors from her closet that we replaced. There were actually four, but I only wanted three- Craig helped me cut them in half and hinge them together to form a screen. They were bare, stained wood so all I had to do was paint and distress, antique and voila! I actually made it for a backdrop to take pics of my dolls or whatever else I'm selling. For years I was using the old weathered fence between our and our neighbor's house and it was so boring- plus if the weather wasn't cooperative I had to take pics inside and they didn't turn out as good. Now I can take "pretty" pics inside and out! Hee hee!

And here is my wagon with my petunias inside. That poor little wagon! I've had it for a few years now and came close to painting it is original red, but decided not to-I didn't want it to look brand new. So I left the faded red and using some white exterior latex paint by hand, I freshened the faded white lettering and symbol on the side. I really love it and those petunias are the kind that trail/vine, so later this summer they'll cascade down. We still need to get some mulch down in the flowerbed and yes, our deck need to be restained, doesn't it? LOL.This was another makeover I did last year. It's actually an old piece of reclaimed cedar siding. I bought it from a shoppe in town a few years ago and it originally said "Wash Room" on it. I lived with it for a year, but I never really liked it too much. I had been wanting to have something with the family name on it to hang by the front door and this old piece of wood was perfect for it. I painted black over the original cream color. I used some tin stars from another sign I have for templates and the lettering I did myself. I thought it turned out neat and wanted to share.... On another note, I apologize some of my pics aren't clickable for a full size viewand I don't know why that is....or how I can make them all clickable- if anyone knows why or if its something I'm doing wrong, please let me know! I am working on another doll, but it probably won't be listed on ebay.... Ebay sure isn't what it used to be- you used to be able to find ANYTHING on ebay and I have noticed it isn't the same anymore. A lot of sellers don't have anything listed and I know a lot have gone to Etsy and have had better luck. I've only bought things on Etsy and haven't tried it as a selling venue yet. Neither of my ebay dolls sold and I haven't decided if I should offer them here or take them to the shoppe in town. If I put them on my blog, the shipping is free (in the US only). Hopefully I'll be back in a few days with my next doll.....

Until next time! :0) -Jody

Denver Zoo/Aquarium pics and a few dolls to share...

2009-06-10T09:57:00.001-07:00

We had such a blast on our trip to Denver. I had never been to a Zoo before and I had as much fun as the kids did. LOL. Here we are in front of the carousel at the zoo...Sage was being moody and wouldn't turn around for the pic.

This is one of my fav pics- I got "flashed" by this not so very shy octopus. LOL. I love my camera! I thought it took some great pics- especially considering most pics were taken through glass.Craig's sister Heidi and the kids posing on the Hippos.

I thought this lizard was neat sunbathing on his branch....

I love how vibrantly colored poison arrow frogs are....

These jellyfish were neat, too........Chad thought the penguins were cool- and they're his favorite animal anyway. And Sage was just totally enthralled with the lions....

At the aquarium they had some mantarays in a big pool and you could feed them minnows by hand- it was really neat. They would stick their heads out of the water and suck the minnow right out of your hand with their mouths- it felt really weird.....you have to feed them at the shallow end of the pool though- a lady that worked there said in the deeper end they have actually flung themselves out of the water and onto the floor because they get so excited for food. There were these little exotic birds at the zoo that drank nectar with their tongues. You could buy a little cup of nectar and get to feed them by hand....Sage thought that was so cool. I would share more, but I ended up taking over 400 pics that weekend, but thought this was enough for one post. LOL.

Well, nobody croak or anything, but I actually got my other doll done and both are listed on ebay now. You can take a peek at them *HERE* to see more pics and close-ups.

I used a pattern from Two Dancing Crows for the black Americana doll and patterns from Crabby Gabby for the Lady Liberty and Stitchin' Sew Prim for the torch and crown design. I thought they both turned out neat and just in time for the Fourth. Or if you're like me, leave it out all year.....everyday is Americana at my house. LOL. We have been doing a bit of landscaping in our front yard and I made a planter out of an old Radio Flyer wagon- I'll share in my next post since there were plenty of pics this time. Who knows, I may have another doll done by then. Until next time...... :0) -Jody

What I've been up to lately....

2009-05-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

Maybe it would be easier to say what HAVEN"T I been up to lately. LOL. Sage stayed home from school on Wednesday with a tummy ache, and that night I noticed her eyes looked a little red, but she said they felt fine. Last week I already had an appt set up Thursday morning for the pains in her leg (which turned out to be just a bad case of growing pains- thank goodness nothing serious), he thought it (the eyes) was allergy related because at the time she had also been getting itchy little welts on her skin which went away with Benadryl. I took her to school on Friday and thank goodness her teacher told me while Sage had been gone from school quite a few other kids had pink eye. So I called the Dr and he went ahead and called in some eye drops. At the store Chad kept telling me his tummy hurt. When we got home, I was taking him out of his carseat and he got sick all over himself, the carseat and me. He feels a little better now, but we're laying pretty low this weekend. If he isn't better by Monday, we're going back to the Doctor's, or sooner if he starts running a fever.......Well, for the last week -up until a few days ago anyway- I have been up to my neck in naked- and mostly headless- doll bodies and parts as you can see a few in the works. A few in the pic are already done and going to a local prim shoppe in town. Right now I'm actually working on 4 more dolls- 3 are surprise gifts for someone (I can't say who because they might read my blog and I don't want to spoil it) and the 4th is another dolly for ebay.
You might remember this one I finished a while back- in January I think, but then it seemed like we had all sorts of stuff going on and I never got to list her on ebay since then. Well, I'm ready to list her, but I need to swap her "Americana Spring" tag out and make another that says "Americana Summer". I'm gonna wait until the other doll is done, too before she goes on ebay, but sorry no sneaky peeks of the new one. Hee hee! :0)

A few weeks ago, we needed to get away for a few days, so we took the kids and went on a spur of the moment type of trip to visit Craig's sister, Heidi in Denver. We had such a blast! We took the kids to the Denver Zoo and the Downtown Aquarium which was just as much fun for me as it was for the kids cuz I had never ever been to a zoo before, either. I ended up taking like 400+ pictures, so I need to get them loaded and edited on the computer before I can share a few with all of you! :0) I did get to meet Kathy of Kittredge Mercantile and see her shop in person as she is just outside of Denver. All I can say is WOW! Tons and tons of eye candy! Every room in her shop is filled to the brim with her wonderful handmades, antiques and vintage finds and collectibles as well as one room dedicated to reproduction iron pieces. Kathy is a hoot! I could have spent hours in there just to see everything and I did leave with a few little things, although I could have left with tons more if we weren't all crammed in Heide's little car. :0) Hee hee! I got the crow make-do, and old quilt pillow with a heart and a little quilt pinkeep.That crow make-do is BIG! I just love him! I put him on the shelf on that big wall in the front room and he is perfect there! I was sad I didn't get to meet Joleen on the way down- she was visiting her sister that weekend, but it was my fault- I didn't give her much notice because it was a last minute decision trip. Sorry Joleen! We'll be down again soon! :0)

I did promise a pic of our finished bathroom, so here it is. We went from pretty much gutting it like this:

and thisto this!It turned out so great! Well, it still has a few things missing- the piece of oak trim above the wainscoting by the toilet and a bit of wainscoting right next to the vanity there, but its minor and we'll get to it on Craig's next days off. The original vanity was really long with double sinks, which for us was a huge waste of counter space- so we opted for a shorter one which we bought unfinished,then stained and finished ourselves and cut the countertop longer to allow for a laundry hamper to be concealed behind the homespun curtain. And here is the view from the doorway in. That is actually an antique china cabinet of my moms which I am keeping for her- she's going though a really miserable divorce with the possibility of moving again and right now she doesn't have room for it at her place. So instead of putting it in storage, I'm using it to store our bathtowels. It's empty right now cuz we just moved it in here yesterday. The wall on that side is bare, I was waiting to decorate the walls until I got the cabinet in there. Hope you like our bathroom! Well, I should go and get some stuff done. I'll try to post some of our Denver pics this week sometime. :0)

Springtime remodeling pics...

2009-03-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

Geez..it has already been a month since my last post. Well, so much for my best laid plans! LOL! Well, this post should be good and lengthy with lots of pics to share, so hopefully that will make up for it. Tee Hee! It seems I have been busier than ever since mid- Feb, though- and not craft related, darn it! We moved into our house 4 years ago this spring and the main bathroom and our front living room have been an ongoing remodeling project ever since- it was either lack of time, money, or the combination of both that kept us from getting more done on it. So Craig took some extra vacation time off work and we decided to use our tax return money and worked our tails off and it finally turned out so great! Lots of color! But I can't tell you how much fun it is trying to paint and stain and do all this with a 5 yr old and 2yr old trying to "help" and getting into everything! LOL! (I couldn't figure out how to make each pic "clickable" so you could see it bigger- only the first and last in this post will do that for some reason-if anyone knows how to change that-let me know!)Here are a few "before" pics of the front living room:
We took out all the baseboard heaters (there were originally five just in this room alone, can you believe it!) and replaced them with an energy efficient one with a fan under the bay window........about the area above the fireplace- there used to be a fake roof thingie that came down from the ceiling and jutted out from the wall- it even had rough wood shingles on it- yuck!

I never took any pics of it, but there used to be a wood burning stove insert with harvest gold tile that was falling off in pieces and a ledge that jutted out from the wall to sit on. Our house was built in 1980, so I'm sure it was all original to the house- as was the lovely popcorn texture on the ceilings which went bye-bye, too. We just opened up the whole area and put a coal stove in- which heats our house SO much better! There used to be 2 matching wood shelves on both sides which were nailed to the wall.....and now some "after" pics:
I am thrilled how it came out! The walls are a lot darker and look more textured in person- the camera flash tends to brighten everything. I did a basecoat of pale cream and then did a tea stain glaze wash over the top- I wanted kind of a light venetian plaster texture look and thought I did pretty good for my first time! Thanks so much to my new blogging friend Stacey, for all her help when I was getting started last month! Your help and emails were tremendously appreciated!
The big Americana doll hanging from the old ladder was one I made last year from a Crabby Gabby pattern- she didn't sell on eBay and I kept her for me- she's my very favorite doll I got to keep!
She sure is a big doll and this was the best place to display her I think. The other big doll on the pie safe is my second fav- another pattern of Heidi's (Crabby Gabby) .....she was another that didn't find a home on eBay and after the longest time, I finally found a place big enough to display her. The quilt bear in the chair and the one on the bench in the bay window I bought from Kathy at Kittredge Mercantile- she also painted the old scale on the pie safe and the tool carrier on the stove- which is not being used at the moment, so don't worry! LOL.
I guess I can't really say the job in this room is 100% finished, though- more like 99.9%..tee hee...we ran out of chair rail trim above the wainscoting and had to get more, so there is a tiny piece missing between the two windows in the pics- we just keep forgetting it. LOL.
I found an awesome early stencil design (thank you so much for your info Linda!) and stenciled with a dark khaki all around above the chair rail. I love it! We also replaced the sconces on both sides of the opening between the front room and dining room with candelabra fixtures that were approved for up to 60 watts. They look so much better than the original fixtures!
Hmmm...Not sure if I like the barn star on the big wall above the shelf....it looks too empty- I'm looking for a pretty antique quilt to hang but haven't found one that "speaks" to me yet. When I was posting this pic I just realized I had some miscellaneous stuff/junk on the bench of my little childs desk- oopsie! LOL. Too late to retake the pic today- I'll replace it later.
We are just finishing the bathroom still, so no peeks at it yet-hopefully I'll have pics to share in my next post. The entryway area is not quite finished yet- here is a "before" pic:
And an "in between" pic:Not really much different except the trim is off the doorway and I just started painting the walls a bit....I promise some pics when it is done....that'll be good for my next post...

I had meant to share this little punchneedle before, but the camera I had before would not have taken as good of a pic. (Another tax return goodie-I finally got my new camera! A Canon Rebel XSi- I LOVE it!!) I bought the pattern last spring from Country Stitches and started on it and got busy doing other things- I finally got it done this fall and I really love it! It was my very first punchneedle and I was surprised how easy and fun it actually was- really easy to do in the living room watching TV with the family. It's a lot like rug hooking from what I've heard and I would just love to give rug hooking a try-like I need more hobbies! LOL! Speaking of getting things done, I need to get off this computer! I just barely got to step foot in my craft room again and I have some local orders for some dolls I need to finish up- plus I'm helping my mom out again with some tough personal stuff going on again in her world so I should get going and get some stuff done. :0)

Taking Chance...a true life story

2009-02-19T16:38:00.001-08:00

If anyone has HBO, be sure you don't miss the premiere of this movie tomorrow night, February 21st. It is the touching true life story about Marine officer Lt. Col. Mike Strobl (played by Kevin Bacon) who volunteered to escort the body of a fallen fellow marine, Lance Cpl. Chance Phelps back home to Dubois, WY and that emotional journey across the U.S. many seldom see or even know about. (Be sure to have your tissues handy....my dad and stepmom were able to be at the premiere a few days ago in Dubois and he said there wasn't a dry eye in the place....including theirs..) No, this is not a political war movie, but rather one that reminds us of what is still good in America and the ultimate respect that is bestowed upon the remains of a fallen Marine.
And yes, this post is especially close to mine and my family's heart because my stepmother and Chance's mother, Gretchen are longtime friends. After Chance's death, she started the Chance Phelps Foundation to raise money for extra gear for those serving in Iraq and charities associated with those currently serving or have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Please stop by and read Chance's story and see the wonderful things the Foundation has done for so many in his memory....no matter what your opinion is about the war in Iraq, let us not forget the ultimate sacrifices Chance and many other military men and women have made to ensure the freedoms that you and I enjoy today.

Click here if you'd like to see more clips and behind the scenes trailers on the movie.

Singing the Pink Eye Blues...

2009-02-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

Yup. I woke up yesterday morning to a lovely case of pink eye in not only one, but both my eyes! Oh man! I know exactly who I got it from, too- Craig! He got it almost two weeks ago from an outbreak at work- the weird thing was that if I was going to get it- why am I getting it now? After two weeks I thought the rest of us were in the clear. At that time I had washed all the bedding, went through cleaning and disinfecting everything, bought hand sanitizer for practically every room in the house and disinfecting wipes, etc. Guess you can never be too careful- I have heard pink eye is highly contagious and now I know that's for sure! LOL. I am using the Gentamicin drops they gave Craig and my peepers are feeling better- after 5 days I should be all clear- in the meantime I am being extremely careful not to get my face too close to the kiddos and my hands are so dry from all the washing. Then yesterday the preschool called and said Sage got sick at school and I had to go get her- I tell ya, just one of those days! LOL.

Also, an update on the CPSIA thing- it appears that they may be suspending the lead testing craziness until next February- they have granted a one-year stay, so at least we can all breathe a little easier and have some time to let all of this sink in and think about what 2010 may bring. Hopefully in the meantime they will realize the lead testing idea wasn't the best solution. Hey, we can hope, right? :0)

Attention ALL Dollmakers!!! You need to read this!!

2009-02-03T09:26:00.000-08:00

This has been the hot topic of discussion lately....I know there are a lot of us that make dolls and such out there. I am not sure how many of us know about this totally ridiculous law that has been passed and supposed to go into effect on Feb. 10th. It is called the CPSIA Law- which mandates lead testing on any product that may be intended to be used for a child under the age of 12- which could cost thousands of dollars for each item- and that is no joke! I found some info and links that may be useful from the Junction Journal's blog. Go take a look!!
We all know the dolls we make are to be used as fine adult collectibles and we even state that they are not children's toys- HOWEVER- this may be a very gray area- if we label it as a doll- they may still consider it a "toy" or be interpreted by a consumer as such. Girls, we all need to be aware and become familiar with this. Good grief! I am definitely writing my congressman about this! Do they have any idea how ridiculous this is? Think about how many small businesses and WAHM's are going to be put out of business or the SAHM's that make dolls to help out with the monthly bills? Or how about the little old ladies that crochet the baby blankets and booties at the local craft shows? Or how it will affect our already fragile economy? Here is a site suggesting that impact. I really wonder if they think about the bigger picture before they start passing these stupid laws??......thanks for letting me vent!!

Americana Spring Doll...

2009-01-31T08:41:00.000-08:00

Just got this gal all finished up yesterday, but won't be listing her quite yet. I made her using a pattern from Two Dancing Crows. I am hoping to get another doll done or something else to list for each of my three groups. Seems like I haven't had anything on ebay forever....I looked and its been since like November...eek! LOL. I really wanted to do something for Valentines Day, but with my local orders here time has run out now- so I will probably make some St. Patty's Day stuff or Easter stuff....so anyhoo, back to this gal! She is somewhat of a make-do--She is free standing and secured to a distressed wood candlestick and stands 16 inches. She has a full head of wool hair and as you can see, she is finished all the way around, which would make her perfect as a centerpiece or whatever. Her skinny arms are wired so she can pose and hold onto things. Like I said, I'm not sure when I'll be listing her, but I will surely post here when I do. :0).

A few dolls to share......and a few awards!

2009-01-24T08:55:00.000-08:00

I know, I know! It's been a few weeks since my last post, but honestly I have been working my little fingers to the bone in the craft room. I have a few dollies all finished for a local gal and I wanted to share. My camera was giving me problems, but now its working again- thank goodness! I think its days are numbered and its trying to tell me that I need to hurry up and find a replacement and quick, LOL. This first doll is from a You Are Special pattern. Love the big head and squinty eyes! This washday Mammy doll turned out so great, I think. She is so much neater in person. She is from a Be Fruitful Kreations pattern. She is pretty small (15 inches..), but has tons of details on her. I needle sculpted her nose and lips, fingers, toes and even her washboard. I penciled on her eyes, toenails and fingernails with artists pencil. She has a wee bit of sheeps wool felted in place with a headwrap updo. Her arms are even button jointed so they will move up and down. I was really happy how her skin color turned out- a beautiful golden brown.

Linda over at Meadowbrook Cabin Primitives gave me two awards and I promised her I would put them on my blog in my next post.

'This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers' aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes for self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!'

I am supposed to pass this award on to eight fellow bloggers, but so many have either already received this award or wish to be an award free blog. So what I will do is offer this award to anyone on my blog list and please feel free to snag it. She also gave me this award, too! Thank you very much Linda! :0) Now, for this award I am supposed to list a few addictions I have......let's see here....

#1- My family. They rank #1! I don't know what I would do without them around me! :0)

#2- Stoneware. I love everything stoneware! Crocks, jugs, jars, bowls- you name it! Of course you can tell from my earlier posts that I collect Red Wing....I guess I could say I am addicted to all primitive antiques, but stoneware is my fav to collect.

#3- Fabric. Yes, I admit it! I have a fabric problem! LOL! It's beginning to take over the craft room! Yikes!

#4- Thrift Shops. I am a thrift store junkie through and through! Of course I can't pass up a yard sale or antique shop either!

#5- Pepsi. Yes, I am a Pepsi-holic! Call me crazy!

#6- Trident Chewing gum. I love chewing gum- but it has to be sugar free. I know, I'm weird!

Ok, I am supposed to pass this along to other bloggers, but again, with so many already getting this award and those that have gone award free, I will leave it open for anyone wanting to play. Again Linda, thank you so much for thinking of me! Girls, you should really go have a peek at Linda's blog. She makes the neatest dollies and things! She also has some goodies on Ebay, WSOAPP and Simply Primitives.

Where the heck does the time go?

2009-01-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

Boy, ever since my last post I feel like I have been in a whirlwind! My last post was before Christmas and here it is the end of the first week in January! Life is finally slowing down a little and Sage is now back in preschool so it's back to reality again! LOL. It's been a while since my last post because my mother has been going through some really tough times since right before Christmas and I have been trying to help her out- its a brand spanking new year and she can start over fresh. I turned the big 3-0 on the 27th, then realized two days ago that my drivers license expired on my birthday and I had been driving around for ten days with no idea! I was lucky I didn't get caught! I have also taken advantage of the break in doll making and such to reorganize and clean the craft room a little- and boy did it need that! LOL. I had taken a few special orders before Christmas and need to get working on those before the time gets away from me again. I also want to list some dolls on ebay- I haven't done anything there for quite a while. I did have a doll or two leftover from the 12 Days of Christmas shoppe and had thought about offering them for an after Christmas discount here. Let me know if anyone is interested- I can email pics or just post them here.

The Rest of My Merry Decor...

2008-12-22T20:19:00.000-08:00

I just love snowmen! They used to be the only Christmas decor I put out, but as time goes by I add more Santa's, candy canes, gingerbread and greenery...it seems like this year I am totally nuts about trees of all sizes! I dare not count how may little trees I have tucked here and there! This is my favorite "end table" of course because it is one of my Red Wing crocks. Craig made the wood top for me and it serves double duty as storage for extra throw blankets and stuff...I made the lamp using a giant reproduction mason jar and a lamp adapter kit.
I have my Singer sewing table all decked out, too. Sorry about the tree branches in front of it- the pics of our tree further down will explain it all...LOL. The peg shelf above it I made by myself. I needed a large peg shelf big enough to fill the space on that wall (the shelf is 6 ft long) and it was going to cost me at least $70 to have someone make it for me. I designed it, cut it, painted and distressed it, then waxed it. Considering all the materials, I bet it only cost me $25 to make!
Here's an idea I got from a featured home in Country Sampler last year and it is sooo simple, too. Just take a mini tree, plop it into an old coffee tin (or colander, flour sifter or whatever..), add rusty bells to most of the tips and a rusty star to the top and you have yourself a cute lil tree! I made a fabric candy cane and dusted it with glass glitter and tucked it in, too.
This is my mini kitchen ornie tree...
I've had all these tiny utensil ornies for a few years and thanks to my tree obsession I have a place for them now! I plopped it in a little stoneware bowl and it hangs out on the corner of our table nook. Amazingly (so far...LOL), Chad hasn't stripped all the ornies off and toted them all over the house....This old step-back hutch is still my favorite and very first antique piece of furniture. It was a Christmas/B-Day gift (my b-day is two days after Christmas) from Craig two years ago. I just love it! It even smells old! I think it used to have double doors on the top part where all the china is, but they were long gone when I got it. I tucked a snowman ornie in the gravy boat in the center- my friend Barb made it for an ornie swap we both did last year. This is just a wood dough bowl I filled with wood apples and a twiggy wreath that sits on our table.....
Ok, and finally our tree.... No, it did not look this BIG (or this sparse!) out in the boonies!! LOL. We had to use a ladder and stand on the stairs to decorate it and then we realized we did not have enough ornies! Our fake tree we used for years was only 7 ft and the lack of ornies to put on made our poor tree look even more naked. Well, we didn't have the $$ right before Christmas to run out and buy more ornies and I sure didn't have time to make more, so we "made-did" with what we had. I know he's not the most beautiful, but he is our "little" tree and we love him no matter how he looks! It doesn't help that our little turd of a kitten climbs the tree and knocks ornaments off and rearranges the garland. So thanks to him our tree looks different (and disheveled..) on a daily basis....notice there are no ornies at the very top?? LOL. But I'm sure mine isn't the only cat that climbs the family Christmas tree. Oh well, at least I have a year to make more ornies and garland!

A Birthday Gift Raggedy....

2008-12-22T08:34:00.000-08:00

This was the doll I made for my mother in law, Debbie for her birthday. She is from a Sweet Meadows Farm pattern. Deb's birthday is actually tomorrow, but we all threw her a surprise birthday party this last Saturday when she least expected it. She really liked her dolly and that made me so happy!

I had made this one for myself a while ago and she sits in an old child's rocker in my front room. She had commented on it once and said she really liked it, so I knew what she would be getting for her birthday back then. LOL. Both our dolls are wearing antique baby dresses (I think they are actually christening gowns) and old leather baby shoes. The gowns I had bought at an antique store and the shoes I always just happen upon at the thrift shop or yard sales. I think I should make a baby doll to for both dolls to hold, but that will have to wait until after Christmas so I can spend time with my family. :0) I am also making a Cars quilt for Chad. I had intended to get it done for Christmas, but I'm not sure that is going to happen. I have never made a quilt before and I have hit a few snags. LOL. There is definitely a difference between sewing dolls and quilting, I'll tell ya that! LOL. With primitives, any boo-boos can easily be fixed or sometimes add to the look, but it's a different story with a quilt- not much room for error. But heck, even if it takes me forever, I think it will turn out nice and it was a labor of love for my little guy. :0) I'm getting ready to take some more pics and will post more later tonight.

Lots and lots to share!

2008-12-19T10:48:00.000-08:00

First off, I owe a long overdue thank you to Pea for this lovely award. I have only just recently 'met' Pea and she is truly one of the nicest and friendliest people one can meet! Be sure to check out her blog! She awarded me last week and I had intended to post earlier in the week and, well, as you can see life happened and here I am on Friday already! LOL. Boy, it has been one busy week for us. We left over the weekend and got our (enormous) Christmas tree, then Sage came down sick again on Tuesday and missed some preschool this week. She was pretty wiped out and I was ready to take her to the ped's today, but she is acting a whole lot better, so now we are on the mend and hopefully Chad doesn't catch any of it....boy, when she coughed, she sounded like a barking seal which made me think of croup. (Been there, done that with Chad as an infant) When Craig's sister was little she would get sick and have the same cough. They kept diagnosing it as croup, but later found out she actually had asthma, so that is always in the back of our minds. Luckily (knock on wood) Sage has never had any breathing problems, thus far....
We had an ornie exchange in PLOA and lookie what I got!! They were from Colleen of Colleenscraftshed. The angel ornie on top was for me and she was such a dear to think of my kids and also sent the two snowman "pops" for Sage and Chad! They were so excited to see that they also got something in the box- she also send some little chocolates and that was a big hit, too. Thanks Colleen!

And lookie at my loot from our PFATT ornie swap! We each made four ornies to exchange and that meant we each got four ornies back! Woohoo! Going clockwise from the top: the gingerbread is from Robin of Outside the Box Primitives, the prim hangtag, mini chenille canes and raggedy head ornie are from Arlene- Sweet Things by Arlene, the frog-cicle is from P.K. Gracia of Soft in the Head, and the wool bird and the beautiful cone ornie are from Jo Ellen of Lacey Jane Primitives. The beautiful Santa card in the center reads "PFATT Ornie swap 2008" and was made by Lori of Vintage Palette as a thank you for all of us that participated. We are actually the ones that should be thanking her- she offered to host the swap this year and if it weren't for her, it wouldn't have been possible- thank you Nana for all that you do for us!!

I was also going to share some more Christmas decor pics, but I feel like I have been long winded enough for one post, so maybe I can save those for later. Anyhow, with all that has been going on, we only just decorated our tree the other day and we still have a few things to do to it still.

A little Holiday decorating to share...

2008-12-09T15:23:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally got to start putting some of my Christmas decor out the other day! Yipee! I usually do it the weekend after Thanksgiving, but we were getting ready to replace our carpet with laminate in the front room and we had to take everything out of the room to get the job done, so it was easier just to wait. Plus, we had to wait until Craig had a regularly scheduled weekend off to do it. I also wanted to share the pics of the new flooring. This is the view from the top of the stairs looking down...

You'll have to excuse the hole in the drywall above the fireplace (the dark area in front of the coffee table in case it's hard to make out in the pic)- when we moved in a few years ago, there was a fake roof with wood shingles built into the wall above a fireplace insert- last year we replaced the fireplace with our coal stove and next week that bare spot will have a nice new piece of drywall over it. I was worried about the flooring at first because it looked pretty light in the package, but now that its in, I love it! I think it's perfect! I still have a few more Christmas things to put out and since we are cutting our own tree, we are waiting until this weekend to get one so it doesn't dry out too much before Christmas.

That's also the reason why we put the flooring in now because I've vacuumed pine needles out of my carpet before and it sucks! LOL. Especially when they get stuck between the carpet and the baseboard trim. Speaking of baseboard trim, as you can see we are waiting on that until after Christmas. The reason being that I am going to do a faux finish on the upper half of the walls (yes, I'm crazy because we have vaulted ceilings and it will probably be a major pain in the #@!, but I think I will really like it when it's done) and wainscoting on the bottom, so it will be a lot easier to do the trim after all that is done.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Well, thats pretty much what I've been up to lately. I have a few dolls I'm working on for 12 Days this week and will try to share pics of them if I get a chance before we leave this weekend. I'll hopefully also have more pics to share after our tree is up. Until next time.... :0)

TLOFA angel swap....part II...

2008-11-30T13:31:00.001-08:00

I received my box from my secret swap partner yesterday and couldn't get the darn box open fast enough! To my delight it was this wonderful little handpainted box by Chris of theantiquepallet. I always got outbid whenever I bid on her stuff and now I finally have one of her pieces!! Merry Christmas to me!! LOL!
It is painted on all four sides......two angels, a prim star and a hangtag. Her detailing is so amazing! You really have to see it in person to appreciate its beauty. It is something I will treasure always and except for when I took the pics, it has its forever home on the shelf in my sitting room..... :0) I just love it!! Thank you Chris!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As I was taking the pics of my new treasure Sage is looking out the window at the neighbor's lilac bush and asks me what the funny round thing is that's stuck in the bushes.....I look out and can't believe it! It's the biggest wasp nest I've ever seen.

This is the view from the picture window. I added the black arrow in case it was hard to see.... I got my coat on and went outside to look a little closer (but not too close, even though I know they're not out and about) and to make sure it really was what I thought it was....yep....a stinkin' wasp nest the size of a basketball. Triple YUCK!! I hate wasps. No wonder they seemed so thick this year! We never noticed it this summer because all the foliage kept it hidden, and I can't think of a better time to get rid of it than this winter. EEeeew! Did I mention I hate wasps??

TLOFA angel swap.....

2008-11-29T16:40:00.000-08:00

This was the little angel dolly I made for our angel swap in my ebay group TLOFA. I drew Tanya (grungegoddesprimitives) and wanted to wait until she got her before I spilled the beans! I was really pleased how well she turned out. I used a pattern from Tonya (backporchpickins) to make her. She was a smaller size than my usual ones, but I still put the same amount of details and things into her. Her dress is stained creme wool felt and her eyes are painted on with separate stitched eyelids and stitched mouth. Her hair is wool felted on all around her head. I quilted her wings on both sides and grubbied them up a bit, then sprinkled them with glass glitter to finish them off. I made a stained hangtag that reads "May the Lord bless and keep you".

I took a bit of a breather during the past few days to spend with family, then tomorrow I'll start some Christmas projects for family and such so that they will for sure be done before Christmas. We drove to my dad and stepmom's house- only 3 hours away in Riverton, WY- and spent Thanksgiving with them. Anyone who knows me well knows my dad and I are very close and I always feel like our visits to his house are always too short, not matter how long we are there. I did do the Black Friday shopping thing and woke up early to take part in some of the deals. We have quite a few nieces, nephews and cousins and I was able to get most of the toys and presents at discounted prices, which was awesome! I also scored at Staples- I got a bluetooth wireless headset for $9, and two 8 GB flashdrives for $12 each! I always try and do chores and things while I yak on the phone and usually pay for it later with a nice kink in my neck- this headset will be such a lifesaver! Speaking of yakking, I should probably go get something done. Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday!

Mmmmmm! Gingerbread cookies.....

2008-11-24T15:36:00.001-08:00

It was hard trying not to take a bite out of these guys when I was making them- fabric is sure tough to sink your teeth into. But hey, they're lowfat! :0) My kinda cookies! I made them using a pattern from Katies Homespun Stitches. I'm not even sure if the pattern is in print anymore.
I just love these guys- I made some for myself last year and keep a bowlful in my kitchen all year long. I made a dozen of the smaller 6 inch ones and thirteen of the larger 8 inch ones. They are all going to Twelve Days, hopefully I will make some for ebay after Thanksgiving sometime, I have had a few requests for some ornies to list. These have kept me busy since my last post and at the same time I was working on my angel for a swap we are doing in TLOFA and 4 ornies for our ornie swap in PFATT. I will wait until after Thanksgiving to post the pics of the angel because I don't want to spoil the surprise for my recipient. I sure hope she likes her! Well, I gotta get back to working on more dolls. Hope everyone has a wonderful and THANKFUL Thanksgiving! :0)

Ornies, ornies....and more ornies!

2008-11-13T15:57:00.001-08:00

So sorry! I haven't been a very good blogger lately, have I? Well, this is only a portion of what I've been busy doing along with my stay at home mom duties. I am working on some handmades for a Christmas shoppe and they are opening next weekend so I have been busy, busy, busy! I always share pics of my dolls, so I thought I'd share a few of some ornies I made. I made two dozen of the stitchery stars with various sayings stitched onto them and two dozen of the fabric candy canes. Both have been stained well and sprinkled with fine glitter. I have some gingerbreads and some snowmen and santas I'll be working on and I'll post those when I get a few finished. . . . . .

Not too awful much has happened since my last post, though I did have a few setbacks. Last week we had to have one of our dogs, Walker, put to sleep. It was a really hard decision because he was part of our family for so many years. We got him about 10 or 11 years ago when I was getting my degree in college. He came from the pound and he already about 4 years old when we got him. He was really a wonderful, smart dog when it was just me and Craig, but after we had kids, he became a different dog. He wanted nothing to do with the kids and would snap at them constantly it seemed. One day we were sitting right there and Chad was walking by and he snapped at him and nearly got him in the face. It has been a rough week, but at least we still have our other dog, Chloe that helps to fill in the empty space.

This is her. She is our 6 year old English Mastiff and she is the BEST dog with our kids! She loves to lay around and let the kids climb on her and love on her. Truly a gentle giant.

And here is a pic of her and Sage. She loves to follow the kids around and give them slobbery (and slimy!LOL) kisses. She sure is a good dog and we all sure love her!

My other setback was that all my late nights finally caught up with me over the weekend and I woke up with a bad cold. It was mostly sinus head cold and for a few days it took the energy right out of me. I am feeling better now, but trying not to push myself too hard yet cuz I still have lots more to do. I still have to finish my stuff for an exchange we are doing in a few of my ebay groups......Well, I gotta get back to work while the night's still young and get supper started. I'll post more hopefully soon! :0)

A Fabulous Fall Decor Award.....Thank You!!

2008-10-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

Tina over at Old Glory Soldiers has presented me with this Fabulous Fall Decor award- thank you so very much! You should go check out her blog and her awesome handmades on her website, etsy and ebay! I am so honored to accept any kind of award and she is just such a sweetie pie to have thought of me! :0) I think I'm supposed to pass it on, and I usually always do, but I see most of my other blogger friends have already got it. When I get more time hopefully I can go through and see if there's a few that haven't yet.... :0)

Still working on my snowgirl and she's just about done. She is really pretty- and sparkly! :0) I'm gonna have to be a tease and not have a sneakie peek this time cuz I didn't have the time today to take pics and edit them, etc, etc. I am waiting on some glass glitter I ordered to do her shoes and then she's finally finished. Like Santa, I have to list her on ebay this time also to be fair to my ebay groups. Don't worry, I'll post a pic and her link when she's ready.Well, I need to crack the whip on myself and get back to work as domestic engineer.......then I'll put in some overtime on graveyards working on craft show dollies after that...LOL. :0)

A Little Fall Decor & Kris Kringle Doll....

2008-10-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

Wanted to share a pic of my front porch in the fall.....can you tell which ones are the real pumpkins? LOL. :0) They're actually all fake. I put my fake ones out early and wait till later to buy the real ones we carve so we can enjoy them longer. I leave my old red wagon out in the spring and summer to hold potted flowers and of course you can see what I like to do with it in the fall. It goes in the garage during Christmas and wintertime and I replace it with an antique wood sled. Of course those pics will come later. :0) The scarecrow dude on the door was made and given to me by my mother in law before my kids were born. My door is metal, so I have to use those clamp magnets to hold him on there and occasionally if the wind blows hard enough, he falls down.
And as you can see, I never did get my pumpkinhead guy done......he would have been in the chair behind the wagon where the biggest pumpkin is. I just got so darn busy, he'll have to wait until after Christmas, so he'll be one of my winter projects.
Speaking of projects.....I did get my Kris Kringle doll all done. He's not quite ready to list on ebay, I'm still trying to think of something for him to hold or tuck under one arm......I'm gonna make him a toy bag for sure and was thinking of doing a little stick horse or something...I dunno...you can almost bet I'll tuck a little flag in there somewhere, too :0)....he could be an Americana Santa...but anyway, thought he turned out really neat- he's my first Santa doll. I bought the wool for his beard and hair from a local gal and it is just awesome to work with, except for the waste from pulling and sorting, but you just about have to deal with that no matter who you buy from. Although I've heard tons of good things about Ann's wool from Crowing About Primitives- she sorts and lays it out ready to use for you. I would like to try some from her, but I have lots of wool I need to use up in my stash first. I needle felted all his beard and mustache, and he has hair all over his head, not just on the sides. Plus his hat is removable. I bet I did more handstitching than machine stitching on his clothing! I did all the faux fur trim on the jacket, pants, hat and boots by hand, plus all the rusty jingle bells. He's scheduled to start on ebay Friday night. Click here to see his auction and more pics of him finished..... Well, gotta go finish up my snowgirl so she can go up for auction, too. :0)

Just let me sleep!

2008-10-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

I have been working on some dolls for an upcoming craft show for the last month and at some point my burning the candle at both ends is going to catch up with me! I remember those days of sleep deprivation when my kids were each newborn and kept me up at odd hours of the night. I'm having those same groggy days again, but nobody to blame but me! LOL. I take care of the kids during the day, then stay up late to work on dolls after they go to bed. I still try to squeeze some doll time in during naps, but then there's always housework to do, too. LOL. I haven't had anything listed for any of my groups on ebay for over a month now and hope to have this snowgirl and Santa done in the next few days. I promised them I wouldn't post their naked lil bodies on the internet, so they at least let me get a work in progress pic from the neck up. LOL. They're from Tonya's patterns and both coming along well. This is my third snowgirl so far this season and you'll probably notice she isn't wearing her wire smile yet- it will get handstitched on after she's all dressed. After doing my last 5 dolls as painted muslin pieces, it was nice to go back to just plain stained muslin- and lots less work and drying time, I might add! LOL. I sure love his face so far even though he'll get his wool beard felted on later. Well, enough taking a break- I gotta get back to work while the night's still young! :0)

And we have......SNOW!

2008-10-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

Well, the snow started flying Friday morning and hasn't stopped until today. We only got about 5 or 6 inches here, but Casper only 20 miles away got between 6 and 12 inches depending on where you were....of course Casper Mountain got more than town did, but I never heard how much- my guess would be probably 15 to 18 inches or so. My eyeballs needed a break from the sewing machine, so I thought I'd share a pic on my blog. This is our view out of the bay window of our front room. Of course the kids wanted to ham it up! LOL. Cute little stinkers! Since Craig works at a coal mine, we use a coal burning stove for our heating and had it burning for the past couple days. The heat it gives off is so warm and toasty!! This weather makes me more in the mood to sew winter and Christmas dolls.

On another note, I received my room spray I won in Vintage Palette's giveaway- it is so rich and wonderful!! The scent is called HOMESTEAD and I sprayed it a few times in the house and Sage kept asking me what I was baking! It'll be perfect to scent my dolls and tissue paper when I send them. I'm gonna visit her ebay store and get more of a few different scents. Well, I suppose I should get back to work, enough playtime! LOL.

Happy Birthday Sage!

2008-10-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

On Monday October 6th, Sage turned 5 years old! I'm sure not ready for her to be 5 yet, either! She is growing up so fast and getting smarter than her mom every day! LOL! We had a nice party for her in the town park and invited all the little girls in her preschool class. We ordered pizza for lunch, then ate the "cake" (if you look close, it is made up of cupcakes all arranged into a crown shape and covered with icing), then opened up presents and let the kids wear themselves out on the playground...and no, I did not make it- I cheated and ordered it from the bakery at Wal-Mart...tee hee! Sorry I only got a pic of the cake. It was very windy and the pizza boxes, tablecloth and napkins, etc kept trying to blow all over so I had to put the camera up.

Sorry I haven't posted for a little while- I'm literally up to my ears in doll bodies! LOL! It's not a bad thing, but I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed. I have the Twelve Days of Christmas to do dolls for and have two plastic tubs full of about 20 naked doll bodies staring at me....their arms and legs are in another tub. I did manage to get them all stained, now just need to sew them to the bodies then move on to the clothing and hair, etc. Even though I'm only doing 3 or maybe 4 of the same style or pattern, I've found that it is easier to make big groups of dolls in stages rather than one at a time. I'm also trying to make the majority of the body parts now while I still have nice enough weather to use my clothesline for the staining and drying......but I better get a move on because tomorrow night sometime we are supposed to get that four letter word that starts with "S". I was talking about snow, what were you thinking? LOL. Ugghh....snow already?? I would like to enjoy fall a little more before the flakes start to fall...... Plus, I'm working on a santa to list on Ebay. My pumpkinman is on the back burner for now.....maybe I'll get him done in time for next fall...LOL. I have been trying to stay away from my computer, otherwise I wouldn't get much crafting done!

And also a brand new Menards just opened in Casper and we took advantage of their grand opening sale and bought new wood flooring (@ $.58/ sq. ft.) for our sitting room, hallway and both sets of stairs, so we've been working on getting everything ready for that, too. Sometimes I wish I could duplicate myself....I better be careful what I wish for! LOL!

Americana Wynter Dolly...

2008-09-29T18:21:00.000-07:00

~SOLD~

I'm sure glad Tonya at Back Porch Pickins released this pattern- I have really enjoyed working on this snowgal- I couldn't help but do her in Americana- it's one of my favs. She is 21" tall from head to toe, and 24" if you count her crown, too.She has wired arms. Her whimsical smile is actually wire stitched in place. Her flag has wire in the top and bottom-I made it appear to be waving. Lots of handstitching and tinsel trim. Her slippers are sugar coated in ultra fine red glitter- I decided not to glitter her star woolen and the crown- I thought it might be too much. I stitched rusty bells around the hem, on her sleeves and pantalets, too. Even her flag has a few bells. Her garland is metal glittered snowflakes and jingle bells... I made her a hangtag that say "Americana Wynter" with tiny snowflakes stamped on. She did not make it to ebay as she has just been adopted and already on her way to her new home....... :0)

Here she is....

2008-09-29T18:20:00.001-07:00

I won a blog giveaway!! Yipee!!

2008-09-29T17:53:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it! I was one of the LUCKY winners in the blog giveaway that Lori had on her blog-Vintage Palette! I won the yummy room spray and just can't wait to get it- I'm such a sucker for the smelly goods! LOL. Hope she doesn't mind that I snagged the pic to show off! BTW, you should definitely check out her ebay store-Village Gift Shoppe- (CLICK HERE)- she has lots of vintage style tinsel garland, room spray, bottlebrush trees, and bottlebrush garland, etc. Lots of prim goodies! (Not to mention Joyce's fab dolls!)

New dolly....

2008-09-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't know what my deal is, but I really had intentions to finish my pumpkin man before this snowgirl but she's been so fun to work on, I just can't put her down! LOL! I'll probably just keep the pumpkin guy for me to put on my front porch chair- I'll share pics when he's done. I bought her pattern from Tonya last week. She's not quite finished of course- I still have to make her crown and do the glitter on her shoes....I think I'll make a garland of some type for her to hold, too. Sorry the pic isn't very good. The light outside wasn't cooperating and she seems so "bright"- which she really isn't- I used plenty of stain on her and her clothing and the flag. I'll post another pic when she's all done- most likely tomorrow sometime. :0)

I've been tagged.....

2008-09-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged my my friend Joleen at The Primitive Bucket to tell 6 things about myself and tag 6 others.....

1. I went to college right out of high school and earned a degree as a Veterinary Technician....I loved it, but the pay and benefits were horrible...something they don't tell you in college. Plus, my current "job" as a mom is so much better! LOL

2. I used to rodeo some in High School (goat tying). I did work two jobs at the time, so never got to do them all, plus I worked to pay my own entry fees unlike the other kids whose parents paid for everything.

3. I love to sketch and draw and have been that way since I can remember. My favorite media is pen & ink, I also really like charcoal and pencil. Back in high school I did a lot of artwork (I'll have to post some pics) and I was very close to my art teacher, he was a great mentor. My last year in college he died in a car accident and I took it pretty hard. After that I stopped drawing and such....I've worked on a piece or two in the last 10 years, but I really enjoy making my dolls now and found it is a wonderful creative outlet for me.

4. I hate to cook, but love to bake! Funny, huh? I'm not sure why, but to me the two are like night and day. My favorite thing to bake is pie with crust made from scratch (my grandma's recipe, and its awesome!) I don't make the filling from scratch, I just buy the canned stuff, but would love to learn how!

5. I collect Red Wing Stoneware. Of course Craig will tell you I tend to "collect" more stuff than that, but I do have a soft spot for them. So far I have various sized Red Wing crocks and jugs, one butter churn, and a chicken feeder, but no bowls yet. I mean I do have stoneware bowls and canisters, but they are not actual Red Wing pottery.

6. I am actually very shy, that is at least until you get to know me. I was terribly shy as a kid and have become a little more outgoing as I get older, but am still a wimp about meeting new people! Ok, I admit it! LOL!

So that's pretty much all I am going to blab about me...maybe more later if I happen to get tagged again...LOL. Now, let's see, I have to pick 6 others that have not already received it yet, so here goes....

1. Linda at Meadowbrook Cabin Primitives (Linda is such a great person- she makes some real nice dollies, too! I just love her pilgrim girl she has now, but my fav is probably the doll riding the goose on her blog banner)

2. Sandy at Sam I Am Creations (I just love her...truly one of the nicest people...she made my Halloween banner and Halloween auction template- take a peek at her on ebay or etsy!)

3. Mandie at Life In The Craft Lane With Mandie (She has lots of freebies for your blog and etsy....go check her out....that's where I got my background)

4.Raquel at Kitchen Mysteries (If you're looking for recipes, you need to take a peek at her blog! Her blog is really nice)

5. Linda at Behind My Red Door (She receives a ton of awards and is thinking of a tag free zone, but just want her to know her blog does ROCK and she is not obligated to participate of course)

6. Leslie at My Country Home (She has already received this award, but I just love reading her blog and she deserves it a second time! You should go take a peek if you get a chance.) Of course she doesn't have to take part again unless she really wants to... :0)

Busy, Busy, Busy...

2008-09-24T07:52:00.001-07:00

It seems like I haven't had much computer time lately, sorry I haven't posted in so long! My dad and I took a guided fishing trip through Crazy Rainbow on the Platte day before yesterday and had fun! I had never been on a guided trip before because my husband and I have our own driftboat we can take out, but it was nice to get to fish the whole time and let someone else row! LOL. We caught a lot of rainbows and cutbows, and dad caught a brown. We didn't catch huge fish, but it was still a real fun time. The river tends to be really mossy this time of the year and we would have landed more if they hadn't dove into the thick cover and broke our line, but the fight is what is the funnest part anyhow!
We also had a bit of weird weather- about 2/3 of the way through the float a storm came through and and the wind kicked up and we got wet and chilly! It was a fun experience and I did learn a lot more than I thought I already knew. I couldn't have thought of a better time to spend with my dad than fishing, something we both love. It was such a special day! Thank you dad! Love you!Then yesterday, my husband and I took the four wheelers and went to his antelope (for those that aren't familiar, their proper name is Pronghorn) area. We have tons of antelope in Wyoming- you can hardly go a day without seeing one somewhere. I bet we saw about 200 of those buggers, but they were very spooky! This area has been open for hunting for a week now and if they spotted us at all, they were gone! And they are FAST and can run like the wind for miles and miles without stopping. ( I got this pic from the internet, I wasn't fast enough and nowhere near close enough to get a pic of the ones from yesterday..LOL)Yesterday was more of a scouting trip just to see what was there, and today he was joining two other friends to do more serious hunting. They are going to have to be pretty sneaky, though. Those antelope rely on their eyesight and speed.

So..... today I get to relax and work on my dolls- I've hardly got to work on anything for a week and am going through withdrawals...LOL. I'm still working on my pumpkinhead and need to get him done, I'm running out of time! I'll be sure to post a pic when I'm done!

Patriot's Day....Remembering 9/11.....We will never forget....

2008-09-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

I still remember exactly where I was and what I was doing that day in '01....such a sad day and so many innocent people lost their lives in such a horrible way. Not to mention all those firemen and police officers that risked their lives (and some that lost theirs..) to help.....we should never forget the sacrifices some made unselfishly....we stood together as a nation and mourned the loss of so many people-even those we did not know....and the good Lord above helped us through...we do live in an amazing country and I am so very proud to call myself an American...

I wanted to share this email I got from a friend today (thanks Lisa!)...

'MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL'

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news On September 11, 2001. Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK..I am ready to go.'

I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said. 'Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them.

I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan . I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath. Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are 'ready to go.'

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

~God~

...God Bless the USA...

100th post giveaway...

2008-09-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

My friend Lori Davis is having a 100th post giveaway on her blog- Vintage Palette Art..... CLICK HERE to go visit! She has wonderful first and second prize handmade hangtags and a third prize yummy room spray! I shouldn't be sending anyone over cuz I want to win! Tee Hee! ;0)

Custom order dolls...

2008-09-08T07:48:00.001-07:00

I got a call from a local customer last week for a few dollies, so I thought I'd share a pic of them after I was finished. They are still one of my fav styles of dolly to make even though I tend to make more whimsical ones now with eyelids and such, but it's still nice to make a raggedy type once in a while. I just love Maureen's (Sweet Meadows Farm) patterns!

All Finished....

2008-09-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I got her all finished up (finally!) Just when I thought summer is almost over and I'd have more crafting time- what was I thinking?? LOL. So here she is anyway....I got her listed, so here's the link to her auction if you want to see more of her. (I'm not real thrilled with some of my pics, but I have to make do until I can get a better camera). She turned out just the way I wanted her to- which doesn't always happen. But don't get me wrong, she wasn't exactly a piece of cake-I did have a few issues with her! Her first set of eyelids I cut weren't the right size for the eyes and I had a few retries on some of the body parts but nothing major. So now I'm on to making a pumpkinhead....but this time I'll give my brain a rest and make one from a pattern I bought.

Yesterday was my husbands birthday and we make a last minute decision as a birthday gift to drive to UW in Laramie and watch the Wyoming Cowboys football game. We played Air Force and got our butts kicked, but it was still fun to go. Especially for the kids- Sage was all decked out in her cheerleader oufit and Chad had a Cowboys jersey- they were so cute and I forgot to take a pic, of course. It was a long day and we were sure pooped when we got home.

Back to school!

2008-09-03T08:01:00.000-07:00

Well, pre-school, that is! My munchkin started preschool today. She was so excited, she could hardly wait! She was in preschool last year, but only went two mornings per week (Tues. & Thurs.), this year they go Mon., Wed. and Fri. mornings. Her little brother didn't know what to think- it was so quiet and nobody to play with (and make a mess of the house with, LOL) while she was gone- he kept asking me, "Sissy go?", "Sissy go?" He sure missed her and was so happy when she got back. Next year she will be in Kindergarten and he will be starting his first year in pre-school......ughhh.....I feel old already!

My skelly dolly.....

2008-08-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

Well, this is my skeleton dolly so far.....she's still naked, so I didn't think she would appreciate me taking her picture in her birthday suit...LOL. I decided for my next Halloween dolly I'll do a JOL/Pumpkinhead. I did one last year and she turned out great. As for this girlie, I've only got the painting on the face done...I still have some detail work left to do and attatch her arms and legs (and of course give the poor girl some clothes...tee hee). Now for the not so good news....Sage was sick with an ear infection a little over a week ago and I'm afraid it's back. Here we go again! This was her very first ear infection and we had given her the Amox faithfully, I'm wondering if she needed something stronger?? She started crying today and holding her ear saying it hurt. Of course all the pediatricians vanish like a fart in the wind any time there is a holiday or three day weekend, so I either keep her comfy at home and do the home remedy thing for her earache until the Dr. is back Tuesday or take her to the emergency room if things get worse....we'll just have to see what tomorrow will bring.... soooo....I'm hoping I can get her finished mid-week if Sage is doing better and I'll be sure to post more pics and a link to her auction when I do..... :0)

Jody

My first blog award..THANKS!

2008-08-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

Awwww..... My very first blog award! ....Linda at Meadowbrook Cabin Primitives has chosen me along with a few other gals to receive this award. Thank you so very much Linda, I'm very happy you thought of me! I just love visiting your blog and if you had not already presented me this award, I would have passed it on to you. :0)

The rules of this award are as follows :

*Put the logo on your blog.

*Add a link to the person who awarded you.

*Nominate at least seven other blogs.

*Add links to those blogs on your blog.

*Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

I get to pass it on to 7 other gals....tough decision. So many great blogs and talented artists out there to choose from.....so here goes:

I'm passing it on to:

Joleen- The Primitive Bucket~she is one of the nicest people you could ever meet (she also makes awesome candy corn ornies and pinwheels...)

Carolee- King of Mice Studios~ This gal can sure paint! Talk about being born with a paintbrush in your hand...be sure you check her stuff out!

Joyce- Enchanted Productions~I so admire her talent! She makes the most wonderfuly spooky little dollies....so much detail and personality in each piece!

Chris- The Antique Pallet~ Another master of the paintbrush! I don't think there is anything this girl can't paint on and turn it into a work of art!

Christy- CC's Whimsies~ She makes the most wonderful, whimsical little paper clay pieces! This girl can paint, too! Check her out...

Kathy-Kittredge Mercantile~ I had the pleasure of meeting Kathy a few months ago and truly admire what she can accomplish! She makes some nice primitive handmades....I even have a few of her old quilt bears and love 'em!

Shelley-Kissing Fish Primitives~ She sure makes some neat dollies with tons of detail and character. I think my fav of hers is Olivia and her Pumpkin suit-love those pumpkin slippers.... :0)

Last camping trip...

2008-08-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

We took advantage of the last bit of summer and took a final camping trip while the weather was still cooperative. We only stayed one night, but had lots of fun. Our campsite was right at the shore of a mountain lake in the Wind River range- not too far from South Pass City. We hauled our driftboat up with us and took it out on the lake and let the kids fish. Of course, they would rather stand on the shore and throw rocks in the lake...LOL. They did have fun and got really dirty. That's what camping is all about! :0)

This was our view from the boat...really beautiful. The day we left, as we were loading the boat on the trailer, a cow moose came out of the willows right by the ramp- of course my camera was packed in the back with everything else, darn it. But of course I will have plenty of opportunity to get a pic of another one again...we always see wildlife whenever we go to the mountains.

We drove up the road just beyond the lake and fished the Little Popo Agie River(pronounced Po-po-jha). Luckily, we didn't run into any moose while we meandered our way in the willows. Whew!

We mostly let the kids fish and Sage caught 3 Brookie's. She was so excited, she could hardly remember which way to turn the reel when reeling it in. Can you tell she was so proud of her catch?

After we got back and got all the camping stuff cleaned and put away, I buried myself in my craft room...I need to get stuff done! I have a big craft show in November I'm doing dolls for, and I need to get my doll done for my PFATT listing...I did make my own pattern for this one myself, which took a little time. I haven't decided if she'll be a skelly or a pumpkin head. She will have bare feet with sculpted toes, and her hands have long, separate fingers which are wired and poseable. I'm still deciding how I want to make her dress, too, but she's coming along. Maybe I can post a sneak peek in a few days or so. Sooo.....I should probably get off my butt and go work on her...... :0)

Happy Birthday, my Little Man!

2008-08-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

Well, today my little boy, Chad turned two years old! My, how the time flies by...it seems like just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital. Both my kids are growing up so darn fast....if they could just stay litte for a wee bit longer...Sage turns five in October and starts her second year of preschool in two weeks...because of where her birthday falls she didn't make the deadline, so she will nearly be six when she starts kindergarten, but thats ok. The past few days, Sage has been sick with an ear infection..ouchie! She's on meds now and feeling better- already asking for some birthday cake so I know she's getting back to normal again.
We had a small B-Day party for Chad tonight- he just loves that Disney Pixar movie "Cars", so that was the theme....I asked him the other day what he wanted for his birthday....he tells me "MONSTER TRUCKS!!"..LOL...and that's what he got... He's always got some sort of toy Hot-wheels car or something he packs around and plays with...definitely ALL boy! Here he is being a ham with his party hat on and some monster trucks he got as presents in tow (which I'm sure tonight he will insist on them getting tucked into bed with him, lol)

....he's such a gentle, good natured little guy.....and I sure love him to pieces!

Also....I added a guestbook at the bottom of my blog page, I'd be tickled if you signed it before you left.... :0)

Homemade Laundry Soap and Old Rusty Bed Springs....

2008-08-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

By chance I happened upon a really neat recipe for making your own laundry soap from Heather's blog at Fall Creek Primitives. She makes the neatest prim stove and sink covers, you should go check her out. So I saw the recipe and apparently everyone is raving about how wonderful it is, so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did cuz it's so easy and quick to make. Best of all, its super cheap! The soap ingredients only cost about $6, plus you will have leftover to make many more batches. Here's what you need:

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

*16 cups water (appx. 1 gallon)
*1 bar of laundry soap ( I used Fels-Naptha)
*1 cup of Arm & Hammer washing soda
*1 1/2 cups Borax

First, finely grate your bar of soap.
Boil the 16 cups of water in a large pot. While boiling, add your grated soap and whisk continuously until it completely dissolves, then remove it from heat.

Next add borax and the baking soda wash and whisk it up real good. Be sure you keep whisking it throughout the day as it cools, or it will separate on you (this is experience talking...LOL). It will start to gel up, but you can start using it right away.

Use ½ cup soap per load. (I use 3/4-1 c. on dirty loads)

*Keep in mind it will not be a runny liquid like the detergents we buy at the store, it is really pretty thick when it finally cools. Once mine was room temp I whisked it again really good and bought one of those big, 2 gallon glass jars at Wal-Mart (the ones that look like giant clear cookie jars with a metal lid) to store it in because its easier to scoop the soap out than try and pour it out of something. I bet I've washed 10 loads of laundry with it and it really works great! I remember the first load I did- I peeked into the washer while it was agitating and the water was so dirty...I couldn't remember the water being like that with my store bought stuff. It was getting all the built up soap residue and dirt out better. It was proof for me that it was a better soap, so I'm hooked! If you use it to wash a pretty soiled load, you might opt for a second rinse.

Now about the bed springs...I happened upon another mattress to salvage springs from. Once I started taking it apart, I was surprised to see there was no wire holding the springs & everything all together, but old strips of pillow ticking and heavy jute cording. Isn't that something? Of all the old throw away mattresses I've salvaged, this was the first I've seen like that. It was a big mattress, too. I think I got somewhere around 70 springs from it. I'll probably list them next week sometime on ebay...I haven't started any new dollies yet- I wanted to see how my witch was going to do first...and I see I have some bids *yipee!*, so I'm motivated now.. LOL. It's my turn to list something with PFATT now.....I got some ideas rolling around in my brain, but it'll have to wait till next week cuz I'll be gone until Sunday for a wedding in Nebraska....so I suppose I should quit flapping my gums and get packed and everything........Jody

The Witch Is In....LOL

2008-08-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

Well, she's all finished now and listed on ebay..her auction ends next Sunday night at 9 pm Mountain time. You can ~CLICK HERE~ if you want to take a peek at her auction. We'll see if she sells...LOL. I tell ya, I've been striking out as far as my dolls go lately. The last three I've listed have a forever home with me now....LOL. I mean its nice sometimes to keep a dolly for myself cuz I usually sell them all, but if I keep going I'm gonna start running out of places to keep dollies that my 2 yr old can't get to! :0) Anyone with munchkins knows what I'm talking about.... I sure wish I knew what people were wanting as far as dolls lately...maybe I should start a poll...hmmm......guess I'll just keep pluggin' along. :0) Not sure what kinda doll to do next....I'm up for any suggestions at this point...LOL. Gotta hit the hay now.....

Just a Sneak Peek....

2008-08-08T18:25:00.001-07:00

OK, I'm not totally done with her quite yet, but she is turning out pretty neat, I just wanted to share some pics! I used a wonderful pattern from Tanya at Back Porch Pickins ...

Still a few little things to add, etc before I will be listing her..... I was going to make her a full sized cat to hold, but I just love using those antique bobbins, which is what he is secured to. I'll probably list her on Sunday evening or so...

Jody

Trick-or-Treat Annie...my first PFATT listing...

2008-08-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got her done....and I must say, the wool for her hair and nose was TOTALLY worth the wait! The color in person is just beautiful! Carolyn at The Flying Ewe does a fab dye job! She was fun to do...it felt good to work on a dolly again. It seems like my summers are always so busy, I hardly get any crafting done. Plus, I have to gear up for the Twelve Days of Christmas show later this year...yikes! :0)

Anyhoo......this gal measures somewhere around 30 inches from tip of party hat to her feet...almost all of her trimmings were hand stitched... her arms are wired and poseable...her lil pumpkin bucket is made from paperclay ( a fun little venture for me...) and I tucked in preserved sweet annie. I also made her a BIG Halloween pinwheel with a rusty bell center.

Her banner is osnaburg- it reads Trick or Treat and has black german glass glitter on the edges....I got her listed now and she will end Sunday afternoon. ~CLICK HERE~ to see her auction. Now I'm off to work on my other dolly...I'll be sure to post pics when I'm done...

-Jody

I'm a PFATTie!!

2008-07-29T16:08:00.001-07:00

I've been in my other two groups TLOFA and PLOA for some time now, and of course I'll remain in them- I got too many friends there. :0)

I was recently invited to join another eBay group- PFATT. What a talented group of women- not to mention the nicest and funniest gals you could ever meet. They sell on ebay and also on their own online site- PFATT Marketplace. Go take a peek! I've been a member for about a week or so now and am itchin' to get something finished and listed! The one doll I have all finished (she'll be a trick or treat Annie)....the only thing I am waiting on is the wool for her hair- I can't wait to get it....in the meantime, I'm working on a Santa and a Witch while I do the waiting game. I have a gal on etsy (theflyingewe) that is custom dying the wool for me, and she has been so great to work with. Not to mention her wool is priced very reasonably, too. Well, I have doll parts drying out on the clothesline, so I suppose I should probably go see if they're done. I wonder what my neighbors think when they see them out flapping in the breeze?? Tee Hee......

Weekend Plans...

2008-07-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

I've worked a little on the blog so now its not quite as naked. I'll be gone over the weekend visiting family (my dad), but hope to have some pics of past dollies and my kids to share next week sometime....

A few months ago my husband, the kids and I took a day trip with my dad and step-mom to a few mountain lakes above Dubois, WY...very pretty...along the road, Native American Indians carved out petroglyphs along a lot of rocks that are seen from the road, many you can walk to...

I have a blog...finally

2008-07-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, bear with me, I'm new at this! LOL. Hopefully I won't have many bugs to work out until I get the hang of things here....

Jody