Working soo hard

Piles of stuff everywhere that is almost finished!

My family grew by 4 feet!

Oh yes, just put an "Every one and anything welcome" sign in my front yard! This is Bristol, my new 4 footed addition to the family...poor little doggy weighs 6 pounds, she was found out on the hwy running scared to death, looked very healthy and well cared for. My daughter felt so bad for her and brought her home to me.. oh gee. But the dog is so darn affectionate and lovable you just have to love her. She knows a lot of commands like sit, stay , shake, go out, etc. She is house broken, WHEW! I tried to find out who she belonged to but no luck, went down the roads close to where she was found and no one claimed to have ever seen her b/f..., she was found on the hwy about an hour from me. I checked their news papers and such, went on line and searched lost and founds, took her to our local vet for a micro chip scan but no luck so I have had her about a month now. I must say she is just precious though and very smart. She took right up here , loves Miley and Miley loves her as you can see in this pic! I don't need any more animals and didn't need this one but her only other option was the dog pound. I couldn't do that to her, just look into her sweet eyes and will make you cry. She is so attached to us now and was so scared I couldn't bare the thought of sending her off to the pound. We tried to find her a good home, thought we had, a young couple took her that lived in Atlanta, we stressed to them to bring her back if it didn't work out and sure enough a week later they brought her back and decided they didn't want her. The poor thing was traumatized, had bloody diarrhea and was just scared to death. Took her a week to settle down. I felt so bad for having given her away but she is back and I will make sure she stays here now. I never would have let them have her if I didn't think it was going to be a good thing but some people just don't have the patience for animals and the animal ends up the poor little victim. Wish I could open an animal rescue, I mean I feel like I already have one going! Anyway, this is Bristol, my newest dog, she is full grown but very young and tiny. She is very clingy and insecure. We think she has miniature doberman and mini dachshund in her. Also got a cute pic of Miley sleeping with her blanky too. So sweet.

Curly and Me Today!

Oh I just love Curly, had him for so many years. Celena and I picked some flowers that grow wild all up and down my road, it is a dirt road with cows right there in the pasture in the front of my house. I think these flowers are black eyes susan's?? They are all up and down the road this time of year and so beautiful! I fed a few to Curly, he was upset cause he wanted to go out for the walk with me but I didn't have time, was in a hurry so will take him out later. He stood at the gate and Baahaaa'd at me the whole time, poor baby. So we took a few pics after picking flowers.

So happy with my new pattern!

I was looking through a magazine at the doctors office today while waiting at my appointment and I saw the cutest little thing, was in a house featured in the magazine that some one had decorated their home for Christmas. I absoluetly loved it so I couldn't wait to get home and make my own version of it! It wasn't a pattern for sale or anything, it was just an ornament that some one had in their house...This is an upside down candy cane with two mice on it. I changed mine up a bit...made up mine pretty large, 26" put little hats on the mice and tiny candy canes in their hands and also wrapped some rusty wire around the candy cane with a rusty bell at the tip. I absolutely love it! Was so easy to make up and didn't take near the stuffing I thought it would. It is a really nice size, 26". I think it will be a good seller. The e-pattern is available at side bar and also as mailed pattern and finished item price. (click directly on price box for options) Click on these pics to enlarge....Blessings to all!

So Much to DO! So Little Time!

Oh gee, Seeeew much to do!! I am racing against the clock every day and my arms and fingers are about to fall off! Shoulder is killing me, can't raise my left arm due to my elbow pain far enough to even wash my face.. but I have a deadline to meet. Wish I knew some one close by me in town who knew how to sew where I wouldn't have to ship anything to have it done and had the $$ to pay them!!! I have tons of half finished bodies everywhere, lots of naked dolls and snowmen and reindeer begging to be finished! I love these big guy prim snowmen(pic at bottom of this post)! It is a pattern I had sitting around forever by Blue Moon Beginings, didn't realize how big he is so he was perfect but oh my does he take a LOT of stuffing but I love him, he is great! . I changed the feet on him and painted the boots on from the rounded original to more of a boot shape cause I think it lookes more prim, made the hat a little larger also and I embroidered his nose instead of using a stick. I also stitched "1802" on his lower body just for the heck of it and sticthed cloves down his front for buttons. I searched high and low for the longest time for my bag of whole cloves I knew I had and FINALLY found them sitting right in front of my face! I like these whole cloves cause they are much larger than ones in the store, I had ordered them years ago from Atlantic Spice Company.. All he needs now is trim around his boots and mittens, a shovel in his hand and a scarf around his neck. The crate with all the snowmen with hats are from Sandy's snowmen patterns (The Olde Country Cuoboard).They were all super fast to make up. Just have some detailing to do and they are done. All of the snowmen need their scarfs! Then there is a white crate with reindeer and snowmen, Reindeer are going to be part of the lighted santa reindeer box that is a pattern of Sandy's and the big round stained snowmen are from a Country Friends Pattern, Vintage Snowman..got 6 of those going. I also have several crates of dolls and santas I started last year and never got done b/c I was in Atlanta having life saving surgery this time last year! Matter of fact I think it was a year ago yesterday that I had the surgery. Gosh I hope nothing goes wrong this year! Sure can make you scared. Sandy and I have both had a really hard and challenging couple of years here lately. We both lost parents and both have had surgeries and health issues of our own. Well I better get to work, I have SEEEEW much to do!!! Got some Christmas music on to help me feel more like sewing up santas and such and also the wonderful smell of cloves and cinnamon in the air from my tarts. Very calming and relaxing. Blessings to all.

Hunsader Farms Show

Well I am so jealous! Sandy and her hubby went to my hometown of Bradenton, Florida today and are attending the BIG Hunsader Farms Fall show, just as customers, she isn't participating as a vendor. I actually did that show the last year I lived in Bradenton b/f moving. It is an awesome show out on a huge farm,they have an old country store where you can buy all sorts of home made jellies, jams, etc and all the fresh produce they grow there on that HUGE farm! They have the biggest pumpkin patch for the kiddies that I have ever seen, a petting zoo, scarecrow displays, and tons of stuff for the kids. Lots of craft vendors. live music, dancing, and so much more and just a wonderful awesome day out. Wish I could have gone soooo bad, boo hoo....The show is also going on for the next two weekends, it is a three weekend event.

New Santa Doll

13.5" Mini Santa Doll. E-pattern available, use button on side bar. Thanks!

Hahira Honey Bee Festival

Did the little show today about 25 minutes from my house, Hahira Honey Bee Festival. Tons of people attended. Seemed much bigger than last year. Other than a stitchery pillow, I sold all Fall stuff which is good cause that is mostly all we had. Different assortments of pumpkins,the wild turkeys, the big harvest basket, and lots of the witch hats sold. It was a very nice day weatherwise too, did get a bit warm though but we put the canopy tent up behind the display and stayed shaded all day. The gentleman at the booth next to me was oh so very kind and helpful. It was a nice day, nice parade and just a nice old fashioned simple day in a little community that looks like a day in "Mayberry". !

Crates and crafts stacked and raedy for show time

A crate full of scarecrow heads made from an Olde Country Cupboard pattern, my big Harvest Basket and crates full of other finished items.

Wild Turkeys

I love this pattern, was the first item to sell last year at a show. These are from a Raven's Haven pattern called "Jake", it is a wild turkey. Got 3 of these guys finished tonight, two regualr size and I enlarged the pattern and did one larger. The pattern calls for feet made from wire but I find using a candle stick much easier so I cut the top cup part off the candle stick, painted them black, sanded them and put the turkeys on. Was intimidated by the pattern at first but they are really super easy and unique. Hope they sell as well this year!

Better pics?

Maybe these pics turned out a little better than the ones below. The berry springs in the basket are actually yellow and orange, very Fall colors but they look red in the picture..This camera is soo aggravating!!

Harvest Basket

I had found this big old basket probably several years ago and have hung onto it. Finally found use for it today. I had several pumpkins left over that didn't stand up right by themselves and had the yams and potatoes I had made from a sasafrass hill pattern years ago, a crow and a big sunflower from my Sunflower Friends pattern, so I put a bunch of this stuff together to create a big harvest basket, it is BIG. Had to snitch the batteries out of the TV remote for my camera so I will wait to hear my child scream when she gets all comfy on the couch and realizes she will have to get up off her lazy duff to change a station tonight..LOL. On another note, I am about ready to take a sledge hammer to this camera!! I have the exact same one as Sandy, hers takes great pics so that is why I had bought this one..and mine is awful! I can't seem to get the settings right. I sat with her and went through and set mine same as her settings but of course you hit buttons here and there and anyway, this is the result! So aggravating. I keep fooling with it and trying to get it set again but guess I will have to call her and go through it for the better settings. Trying to figure a price to put on this basket, it is definitely chock full of goodies!

Working Hard

I managed to get 7 of the scarecrow heads done (2 are pictured further below), They are from Sandy's " The Olde Country Cupboard" "Henry" pattern. Wanted to take a pic but my camera batteries just died. Got them stained, patches and bands on their hats, hangers on their heads, and all that tedious little things you have to do to finish up something. So they are ready to go now. Feel like I have gotten a lot done the past couple of days but my hands and fingers are hurting so badly I can hardly stand it. Today I really over did it with the sanding and such so I am not looking forward to how my hands are going to feel when I wake up tomorrow. Will probably be lucky if I can even bend my fingers! LOL! Seriously! My Dad's wife used to always say "Old is not pretty!" and oh I am finding out she was right! Well, off to bed, have a lot of work to do the next couple of days. Blessings to all!

Fall Items ready to go!

I worked all day and night finishing up the items in this pic and the one below. I believe I ended up with about 8 large witch hats, 5 pumpkins with the crows & witch hat, 3 lighted pumpkins, about 4 odd ball pumpkins with just leaves and sweet Annie, two black pumpkins with faces and then I had these two little pumpkins left over and found a crow in a drawer so I put it together in this basket, sorry the pic is a little blurred. My poor fingers and hands are throbbing from all the sanding and staining, etc. Had my "Help me, Help me my nerves are shot" phone call to Sandy this morning. I ALWAYS do this right b/f a show! As many years as I have been doing shows I still get stressed and wired a couple days b/f show time and always have to call Sandy and get it together in my mind and it always works. After we talked I got right to work and finished all this stuff. Thanks Sandy, as usual! Just hope I can come home without all this stuff and hopefully it will all have new homes!

Finished Fall Items

White pumpkins with the crow and witch hats from a Tennessee Ridge Pattern, this has always been one of my favorites! Next, I made up some witch hats and wanted to make them different so I printed out these images on dyed muslin and put them on the witch hats, dusted them good with Cinnamon.

Finished Dolls

Pumpkins, scarecrow heads and of course MILEY!

Here is a crate of pumpkins and also next to it is a big bag of white pumpkins, I painted all of these over the weekend , they need their stems and some more work but close to being done! Next are a couple of scarecrow heads I made from one of Sandy's patterns, I think it is from her Olde Country Cupboard pattern line... Love these guys, they are easy and so cute. Still trying to decide if I should put them on a wreath or just put a hanger on the back of their heads. What do you think???
And of course Miley had to get right in the middle of the pic, everything I do he is right there trying to help or posing for the pic. Such a busy kitty and great company.

Halloween items

I made a few witch dresses, they still need their halloween tags & hangers made. I am going to use an old stick and some rusty wire to hang them on. Next is a big pile of witch hats and large crows I have painted and sprinkled with Cinnamon. The hats will get dressed up with stained cheesecloth and moss. The crows will go on some of the larger pumpkins and will have their little witch hats that I made from a Tennessee Ridge pattern. So this pile still needs a lot of work!

Miley, Miley, Miley

Miley doing the usual Sunday ritual again today.... watching FootBall! I had moved the crates out of my sewing room where Miley normally climbs on to watch the games so he climbed on to my excercise bike seat and watched from there. Only watches Football (what a smart kitty!), never seems to care about anything else that is on. Here he is raising his little paw cheering on his team! You can see he is sitting on the bike seat..heee.