secret leprechaun makerie workshop

I signed up for darling Viv's Secret Leprechaun Swap. I'm such a noodle head that I didn't know it's the St. Patrick's Day version of Secret Santa. DUH. I thought we were supposed to make leprechauns for our partners bwahahahahahaha. 

That should be a clue that too much stressful stuff is going on in my life OR my brain has left my body.

Oh! I wonder who my Secret Leprechaun is???!!!

Without further ado, the Secret Leprechaun Makerie Workshop is officially open today. Plans are being plotted, supplies being selected and goodies being gathered.

Wonder what the little pixies will make for my swap partner?

Wishing everyone a very fun Secret Leprechaun Swap!

february christmas critter felt along linky party

I'm really enjoying participating in the Christmas critter ornament felt along co-hosted by Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage and Dawn of Creative Cain Cabin. It's so much fun to see all the creativity of the participants and all the different ideas each had. I think it's fair to say that it's a tie which I enjoy more, stitching them or seeing what everyone else did.

The darling February critters were the cardinal and the sheep.

Please note that I stitched these yesterday while having a headache and made boo boo's and blunders, ay yi yi - I didn't even notice some of them until I had completed both ornaments.

A word of warning ... it's probably not a good idea to make christmas critters when your noggin hurts. LOL.

I hope you'll join in the felt along, it's so much fun!

For info on the current linky party and also for the
January, February and March patterns:

Claudia @ Mockingbird Hill Cottage
Dawn @ Creative Cain Cabin

valentine swap part deux

(Part one of my Valentine Swap post is here.)

I had so much fun participating in Sandy's, of 521 Lake Street blog, Valentine Swap and making an altered Valentine box and card for my partner, Shirley, of Zetta's Aprons. 

I guess I'm majorly OCD as I need to have a theme or quote to inspire me when I make something. I chose one of my most favorite folk images as my inspiration for this swap, the Shaker image of a heart in a hand. I know I'm a bit loony(well perhaps a lot more than a little hahahha) but to me, packaging is as fun and as special as the gift, it's all of a piece to me, all part of the gift. I love to foo foo things up LOL!

I altered a heart shaped box and since I can't draw worth a you know what, I found an embroidery pattern by Andrea Zuill that I could use for my template here . (So grateful to artists who share their work so generously with us on the internet!)

Thanks again dear Sandy, for hosting this fun swap!
Thank you Shirley, for being such a sweet swap partner!

a valentine's stocking

I've had so much fun stitching up this complimentary pattern from Plum Street Samplers, that I thought I'd share it with you this Rednesday. All done with the embroidery, just need to make it into the stocking now. 

The free pattern is entitled A Valentine's Stocking and the chart may be found here. I didn't have the Weeks Dye Works threads the pattern called for but I googled for a conversion to DMC colors.

I hope you'll join in the Rednesday fun with Melody, at Brown Gingham Creations!

yippie! valentine swap!

I participated in Sandy's, of 521 Lake Street, 2014 Valentine Swap and had so much fun! Sandy partnered me with darling Shirley of Zetta's Aprons. Thank you Sandy, you made quite the perfect match for us. Not only do Shirley and I share the same initials, we also share a love of vintage cards, red and aqua and Golden Retrievers! (and lots more too, I'm sure!)

Oh, and today, we both received our packages in the mail. We seem to be on the same wavelength! 

It's so much fun to receive a surprise in the mail, isn't it?! I wanted to savor every bit and slowly opened my package ... an envelope was on top and I found this lovely tag inside ... a glimpse of red was revealed below ... the absolute cutest valentine box!

And filled with goodies too! Chocolates and conversation hearts and a crafters delight! Pink doilies ... confetti hearts ... buttons ... vintage images ... bakers twine ... a baggie of vintage valentine cards, red playing cards, a red gingham doily, pink and red tickets, game pieces spelling out XO and LOVE, and (!) Golden Retriever appliques!!!

Thank you so very much for all my wonderful things Shirley! Everything is charming, I love it all. Thanks so much for being my swap partner, it was an absolute pleasure.  Happy Valentines Day! xo


Shirley received my package today, so I'm slipping in a little sneak peek of the box I made for her.

Happy early Valentines Day!

january christmas critter felt along linky party

Even though I only got so far as cutting out my ornament pieces for the Christmas ornament stitch along hosted by Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage and Dawn of Creative Cabin, I didn't want to miss out on the fun of the very first linky party!

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Creative Cabin

I think this is such a great idea and motivator to actually get those holiday ornaments made! I know I always wait until the last moment ... December ... and get nothing made.

I'm so looking forward to seeing everyone's ornaments!

the wailin' jennys

We got to see The Wailin' Jennys last night at The Broad in Santa Monica (you may have caught them on Prairie Home Companion last weekend or over the years) - so good! Such beautiful voices and the way they fit together and enhance each other, is amazing. Fun fun fun!

joining in AND a trip to Urgent Care

Good grief! Yesterday afternoon I was slicing onions for our dinner and the knife slipped and I cut my finger. OUCH!!! I had to go to Urgent Care - I thought for sure that I was just being my usual worry wart self and that I'd be feeling silly shortly afterward. But nuh uh - the doctor said it needed stitches. WHAT?! I'm not good with needles or blood and I already felt really traumatized and teetering on fainting, so thankfully he could sense that and he gave me a second option of "gluing" the wound shut, bandaging it and putting a splint on my finger. I jumped at the glue option LOL. 

So please be careful while using a knife!

On to more pleasant stuff ... I've joined Sandy's 521 Market Street Valentine Swap and been assigned a lovely partner, Shirley, of Zetta's Aprons.

And I'm joining in the Christmas Critter Felt Along ornament stitch along, hosted by Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage and Dawn of Creative Cabin. There'll be a linky party near the end of each month and the participants will share their ornaments. I think it'll be so fun to see what everyone did on their own with the same patterns.

And I'm so excited!  I just found out that I get to attend An Affaire at Downton, created and hosted by Kim Caldwell of Artistic Bliss Designs. The first evening we are to dress in Downton Abbey attire, how fun is that?! And the next two days are workshops with wonderful teachers, Andrea Singarella, Charlotte Lyons, Karen Valentine, Pamela Huntington, Hope Wallace Karney. Fun fun fun. It is an extravagance but time is galloping by and this year is a big birthday and the past nearly three years now, have been so difficult that I decided it was time to give myself a much needed treat!

Happy 2014!

Sorry to be so tardy in wishing you a Happy New Year! My husband returned to work yesterday, after his three week holiday break and so my mind has been elsewhere. Hoping you had a wonderful time with your family and friends over the holidays and wishing you every happiness and abundant good health in 2014.

have yourself a merry little christmas

We've got a few hours before the holiday festivities begin over here and I thought I'd run by and wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Hope this finds you in the company of all your dear ones, feeling joy and much loved.

We went out to dinner last night for Christmas Eve and had a lovely time at Shojin. They are so fun and charming there for special days of the year - when we went on our anniversary they took a photo of us holding a heart wreath and last night they gave us holiday stuff to wear for another photo. While you're eating your meal, someone prints out the diners photos and places them in a handmade card and presents them to you after your meal. So much fun!  And as if that wasn't dear and special enough, they gave us a present of a string of lights and darling origami boxes to cover them.

I chose the xmas tree headband and hubby chose the santa hat. gah! I take the worlds worst pictures. 

 

I leaned in so we'd be closer together in the photo and I look like a hump back whale (or a narwhal with the tree on my head LOL!) with turkey neck hahhahahha. Hubby is holding my hand but the result of my moving closer makes me look like I have no arms - and no one told me I put the headband (at quite a jaunty angle, don't ya think?!) all the way at the back of my gigantic noggin (with hair enough for a family of four, mind you!), with a wee Christmas miracle, most of the tree made it into the photo.

Wishing you the merriest of holidays (and better photos!)
and much joy and abundant good health in 2014!

 

god jul

My husbands off for his holiday break and we've been having fun over here. Saturday we went to hubby's BFF's annual Christmas party and Sunday we went to the Swedish Christmas Fair (at The Shrine in downtown L.A.), then had lunch at our new favorite Shojin (the downtown location for the first time) & then raced over to Carson for a Dickens Holiday Celebration at the International Printing Museum. On Monday we saw "Catching Fire" at the theater ... we've got a long list of movies to catch up on!

I could have sworn that I bought a boat load of stuff at the Swedish Christmas Fair because my credit card was shooting sparks teehee but found out I hadn't come home with nearly enough for my feather tree and our Swedish Christmas we had planned! But then I've got plenty, so it's all going to work out.

Sharing some Scandinavian cuteness this Rednesday!

Please join in on the Christmas Rednesday fun with Melody at Brown Gingham Creations!

what should I do with my Barbie stuff

This is the contents of one of the many boxes I found at my parents house after my father passed away in 2011. Not sure why I had two headless Barbie's LOL. I am determined to get out from under the remaining boxes (so close and yet so far!) and want to find this stuff a new home. I also have another two or three Barbie cases and one Ken case, with stuff in them.

I apparently played very hard with my dollies ... so nothing is in great condition and this batch was left in an open shoe box for more than 45 years and exposed to the elements.

I know a lot of you sell items on Ebay, etc. and I was wondering what your advice would be? I'm thinking of selling the dolls individually (I've read that people will purchase dolls just for parts, so even if the doll isn't in great shape, portions of it may still be of value to some intrepid soul) and the clothes, accessories, etc. all together.  Or should I just give it to the Good Will and be done with it?

holiday home tours online

I'm so loving seeing everyone's holiday decorations on their blogs. And I've found two holiday home tours online going on so far, so much fun. I'm sure there's more out there ... please let me know if you know of other blog holiday happenings. 

If you enjoy seeing homes decorated for Christmas and/or you're looking to be inspired, I know you'll enjoy these blogs participating in holiday homes tours.

The starting spot for Jennifer Rizzo's Deck The Halls 2013 Holiday House Walk is here, beginning with her own charming home. (go to her home page to find links to the participants for days 2 thru 5)

And the starting spot for the Home For The Holidays 2013 All Things Home tour is here. Sorry, I'm not quite sure who is sponsoring this one, or where there is a master list of all the participants - follow the individual links if you can't find the complete list either. 

Switching gears ... remembering Nelson Mandela today. What an amazing human being, such a bright shining light in the darkness.  

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." (From Long Walk to Freedom, 1995)

hope you had a nice holiday

(my husband and I are obscured by my cousins friends harumph! LOL)

Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?  We did!

Don't know why the second group photo is blurry???
It isn't when I look at it in iPhoto??? Very weird.

pilgrim peeps

Cross stitch chart  freebie, Give Thanks, from The Primitive Hare.

Happy Thanksgiving!