Inspired Ideas Christmas Issue

Once you catch your breath from all of the excitement (!!!), run on over and be prepared to be awed, dazzled, and inspired. (and have an uncontrollable urge to belt out Christmas songs!) Amy and her beloved group of mega talented artful friends have outdone themselves with this one. So much fun! And amazingly it's free, a most wonderful gift to all of us.

Also, grab a note pad and start writing out a grocery list of provisions because you're going to be home for a very long time making all these goodies.

Here it is.

Also, darling Amy's blog is here.


Enjoy! Happy early crafty Christmas!

Floral Autograph Album Vintage Thingie Thursday

(Please visit Suzanne at Colorado Lady for more Vintage Thingie Thursday fun!)

I picked up this yummy vintage autograph album at the Long Beach Outdoor Antique Market this past weekend. It's hanging on by it's last stitch but I love it so! There are only a few pages with messages entered but they are heartbreakingly sweet, at least to this sentimental goofball they are. One sends "many wishes" for the owners "future welfare" - how different we used to use words, huh?! And every so often inside, there are some gorgeous vintage graphics. (I am including all of the graphics but just a few of the messages.) This album belonged to a young man (of an undetermined age) named Arthur and the dates inside range from 1883 to 1901.

It's nearly Christmas Rednesday

(Anyone else out there dipping into their leftover Halloween candy while they type their Rednesday post?)

(Please visit Sue at It's A Very Cherry World for more Rednesday fun!)

ACK! How did that happen?! How is it already November 2nd?! The good news is that means I can share holiday stuff on Rednesday without guilt hehe!

I got these super cute ornament hangers (bought them for the boxes!) at the Long Beach Outdoor Antique Market on Sunday. I don't know how vintage they are??? Definitely not from recent decades but I don't have a clue how old they are. I especially love the name "Time Saver" - hmmmm wonder what their time saving features are teehee!

I'm also sharing this "Christmas Helper, No. 8" booklet, published in 1920 and used in Sunday School classes. Isn't the cover adorable?! Sorry, I'm only sharing selected pages, thirty some pages to scan was just too much for me.

(Copyright 1920, fifteen cents)

Monday blog love

and eerie evidence of a night spent spookily ...

Guess what I was doing at five o'clock yesterday?! Making these paper candle wrappers/luminaries! ARGH! What a cuckoo head I am! Anyway, FYI for next year, you can find these darling printables here, at Not Just Decorating. Our Halloween table needed some ooomph and these really did the trick. Printer cranking them out, scissors flying, stuck onto former honey jars with scotch tape, felt circles cut to protect the table and VOILA!

Besides getting ready for all the goblins and ghosties, we also went to the Long Beach Outdoor Antique Market yesterday morning and one of the things I found was this book, The Tale of Old Mr. Crow. It's pretty beat up but it's from 1917 - won't it be fun to add to our Halloweenie next year?!

(pom pom crow ornament found at Zinnia last weekend)

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween!

5 Orange Potatoes
aesthetic outburst
Booking Through Thursday
Cookie Pie
erin's art and gardens
Fancilicious Fairylands
Fairy Lanterns
Food for thought
Goodlife Eats
Michelle Palmer
My Romantic Home
polkadotponie
Rock Candy
Sharyn Sowell
stuff about artstuff and stuff
Tapestry Stamp Techniques
The Best Hearts Are Crunchy
Three Many Cooks
Zakka Life

Happy Halloween part deux - card reveal

I thought since everyone has received their Halloween cards now, I'd share them with you guys. As usual I made these at the eleventh hour and by some miracle, managed to get them to their recipients by today. WHEW! (I must be an adrenaline junkie. That can be the only answer to this procrastination and insanity of mine. argh!)

(greeting insert for inside of card)

Since I can't draw worth a lick, black cat pattern from here.
Darling little house die cuts were made using Sizzix dies.
Spooky vintage photos in house windows found at art-e-zine here.

C'mon! Jump in and make some spooky fun for your Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Good gosh, for the longest time, Halloween seemed so far away and now it's pretty much just hours away. Wishing everyone a safe and fun holiday!

Pumpkin Stuffed With Everything Good!

I'm going to try this recipe tonight - Dorie Greenspan's Pumpkin Stuffed With Everything Good. YUMMERS, that sounds good, huh?!

Recipe here.

Tentacle Pot Pie

Isn't this fun from Not Martha, for Babble?! Tentacle Pot Pie! bwahahhaha

Tentacle Pot Pie pastry topper recipe on Babble here. (Just add the tentacles to your favorite pot pie recipe or refer to the one Megan has linked to.)
Tentacle Pot Pie on Not Martha here and here.

Dear Halloween Enablers

Dear Pam, Lori and Stephanie,

For enabling my Halloween and Day of the Dead obsession to come to fruition this year, thank you thank you thank you!

Adorable, darling, whimsical wunderbar wunderkind Pam, for your cheerfully chilling and "day of the deadly" skelly print and original painting(!), mwah!

Super duper fantastic Lori, for your charming and amazing (first log cabin effort!) Day of the Dead runner, mwah!

Uber duber fantabulous Stephanie, for succumbing to my mind control and arm twisting techniques ;) and for giving my (your firstborn and planned on "only" skelly), a beloved brother and dear witchy kitty, an adored sister, mwah!

Love you guys! You're the bestest!

And ... the Great Pumpkin is sending you a little Halloween treat for being so nice to this Silly Sally Annie Magundy. Commence stalking your mailboxes ... fingers crossed for a Saturday delivery.