Christmas Exchange

I did a Christmas exchange with a group of women.

Beautiful vintage sugar bowl which she turned into a pin cushion. I shall display it gladly. Beautiful!
Can you tell I'm taking pictures on top of all the drop cloths in the dining room, kitchen and living room??? Hah......

This soap has the most wonderful and fragrant smell! I put it in my guest bath to fragrance up "le bain"!!

Okay, these chocolate covered peanuts didn't last out the day........uuhhhh, actually, they didn't last our the 1/2 hour! Painter and I split them. Darling magnet for my fridge. My fridge only has beautiful things on it. Roses and frou-frou calendars. There is also some wild huckleberry tea. Huckleberries grow wild out here in the west. Delicious.

And a sweet note from a simply lovely lady who does exquisite mosaics. And you should see this chickadee's house in Wyoming!!!!! Wooooooeeee, it's really something. She's a girly girl like me........;-)

My World of Treasures

Welcome to Cielo's World of Treasures Party. Go visit all the women who are participating in this wonderful party. Lots of beauty, treasures and eye candy. I want to thank that chickee, Cielo, profusely for all the work she has done on this one. It is a major undertaking when holding one of these events. Thank you, sweetpea!!!
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I am truly blessed with many treasures. My family is my greatest treasure with hubs #1 on the list, of course. My kids rate right up there just after their father. But for treasured "things" it would have to be several things. First would have to be a spongeware bowl I purchased at Macy's many years ago. I love this bowl so much that I'd try to find it to carry out if a disaster occurred in my home. I've never been one to wear much jewelry and have given a lot of it to our kids because they'll inherit it one day anyway. But occasionally I'll get something from the women in my ebay group. I once admired a bracelet from Katie and she sent it to me. I have an exquisite charm from Sharon - a teeny tiny hand painted roses charm. A teacup hand painted ornament from Rhea is very special to me as they hang on my chandelier to remind me of her.


The next treasures are roses. I adore them and collect many different kinds. I've been given ceramic roses. I've bought paper roses, ceramic roses, silk roses and a rubbery kind of rose that looks exactly like the real thing! I've also made clay roses. Take a look at some today.

Katie's bracelet and a bird nest with roses that I've tried my hand at painting.

Little jar lids I've painted on.

Spongeware bowl I cherish.

My very first hand painted roses. Pretty sad but I love them as they are my first.

A coffee filter rose I made. These are labor intensive and will make more some day.

Another bird nest I painted for sale but no one bought it. Their loss! I like it!!!

Some mulberry tree roses I bought and will craft with them soon........

These are a kind of rubbery paper rose but you cannot tell them from the real thing. Simply gorgeous.

Silk ribbon ones I made for my lamp shade.

More silk roses that look and feel absolutely real - just like the real thing!

A satin rose I made for a curtain tie up.

Another ribbon rose made from a polka dot ribbon that I use as a tie up.

Same thing again, but used 2 different ribbon colors. Used as a tie up for a lace curtain.

Paper roses for a lamp shade.

Exquisite little hand painted charm given to me by a friend, Sharon.

Being Home #6

As I've said before I love puttering sometimes. Just relaxes me and there is no set thing to do. I simply go around the house and pick "something" that will just be a mindless activity. Recently I just wanted to make some pretty covers for some chair seats I bought this past summer for some wooden folding chairs.

These are the result of that day's activity

I decided to organize my sewing supplies. First, I'll take a magnet to the carpet to seek all the ones I've dropped and haven't found yet by stepping on them. Trust me, this absolutely happens. I don't know how my feet haven't found them after lying around and since I wear only socks around the house, it's a miracle I haven't stepped on more than I actually have. Here you see my old pin cushion that I've had for 30 years or so. I have one even older than this one but I can't use it much because it's tearing apart and I've taped it to hold everything in it! Sentimental value....... I keep everything I need handy on the right of little blue desk.

Then I'll take all the needles on this newer pin cushion and thread them all so I can just pick up another needle and not have to stop to thread one. I know, I know, I'm OCD about this but it's the only way I can function properly. It just works for me. I have 2 little cardboard box drawers that I've had for probably 25 years and they're still holding up well. They sit right next to the sewing table to hold other miscellaneous sewing items.

Yes, I've tried newer sewing baskets but I keep getting rid of them and using this one I bought over 40 years ago. I just can't find anything I like better than this old plastic one. Is that pathetic or what?!

I go through the sewing box every once in a while and rethread all the bobbins, dust it out a bit and get them all ready so I don't have to stop and do it in the midst of sewing something. I hate interruptions!

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There is so much talk these days about bad customer service that I thought I'd share this story with all of you. It gives you hope!

Recently I started having a bit of a problem with my computer. In august it just wasn't working properly and as all women know, we may not know what is wrong with it, we just know it isn't functioning properly—i.e. the family car.

I put it in the shop and they couldn't find anything wrong with it at that time but the beginning of november it did the same thing. I took it back to the computer store on november 14th after backing up with my external hard drive. I also told them to back it up there before working on it. It kept having to be restarted several times during the day and I suspected "kernel panics" and sure enough it was. Now, this computer is 4 years old and had never ever really caused me any stress. So after much talking with the tech and calling the manufacturer I'm getting a new $2800.00 computer from them!! I'm so excited I could cry. Yes, that machine had been out of warranty for 3 years and they are paying for all the repair work being done on the old one and sending me the absolutely latest model with much more speed and memory and just the top of the line computer. Now THAT'S customer service, chicks! I've been a loyal customer of theirs for years and will never go anywhere else. I've never been kept waiting for long periods of time and they are the most courteous and knowledgeable people with which I've ever had the pleasure of discussing the issue. Just extraordinary customer service.

My new keyboard of only 2 months sits lonely waiting for the new computer. I'll now have 2 keyboards as the new one comes with a keyboard. I've missed it greatly but I have 5 computers and 3 laptops, which I've been on for almost 3 weeks and it's driving me crazy to not have my huge monitor but I'll be fine by the end of next week. I love my computers, chicks!! I'd rather read a computer book than just about anything other than a mystery. ;-)

Being Home #5

Being home also allows me to redo a laundry room a little bit when I want to. I decided to put up some of my "original art." I did the embroidery of the geraniums behind the washer and I painted that little board behind the dryer and just hung them there. Some of you might have noticed the embroidery in the entrance to my sewing and craft room but I took those pictures down and decided to put one of them in the laundry room. Ever-changing, chicks!! If I wasn't home so much I doubt very seriously if I'd bother to take the time or initiative to do this. Maybe, maybe not. But I keep telling ya I plan on making every single room in this house a refuge from the stresses of the world—even the laundry room. Why do a menial boring chore in a place that isn't pretty? Get my drift. Now, let's see some of your laundry rooms and what you've done or plan on doing! Come on, don't be shy. Get to it. Not much money to hang a few pictures, seed packets or pieces of vintage linens even. I know because I had scads of them with which to do other rooms soon.

Little packets of laundry soap can make darling compositions when emptied. Just "fun-tac" them up and change them when you so desire.

I decided to hang another little laundry bag I made on this little short wall. It usually has my ironing hanging there so it isn't always visible with Love Bunny's shirts and pants hanging but when it's vacant it makes a tiny "statement" and gives me joy. Notice the border of shabby roses is still up there. Roses in a laundry? Yessssss, got a problem with that? Talk to your shrink, sweet chicks! :-)

Okay, gotta run and get some more things done. I'm never ever idle. Not too bad for an old chick, huh?!

Painting Pink Continues..........

Yep, and so it does continue...........

It's very difficult to show colors and differences on the internet but you can get the idea of how much difference there truly is. Beige to pink. Beige is the hardest color to paint over actually. It will always need at least 2 coats with anything else other than more beige. It might look like I'm overloading with photos but there is a purpose for each one - closer, farther or showing the contrast between the two colors.

Here you can see the contrast pretty well from the living room wall and the hallway wall not done yet. Pink, anyone?!?!?!

Yep, still a mess, but some things will go back into "position" today!! Yippppeeeee, kitchen next.........

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I received this award from Gina at catnipinnprimitives and she's a sweetie for giving me this award. I enjoy her blog and invite anyone to visit it.

Now, while Gina is wanting me to select 6 chicks to spread this love around, I think this little puppy needs more help than this! I know this is atrocious for an animal to be treated like this and it may turn stomachs for those of you who are animal lovers but this needs to be stopped. Nothing on this earth should be treated like this. Animals or human beings. So please go to this blog and help do what you can. I will personally email to my family for donations to help this sick puppy. Follow your hearts,chickees. Angie at this blog lovetheprimlook so go see what you might be able to do.
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This second award comes from Raggedygirl who lives in the desert. I just happen to love the desert and live in one but I've lived in the Yuma, AZ and 29Palms, Calif. deserts also. There is a stark beauty you don't find anywhere else. It speaks to my heart. I'm supposed to give it to 8 bloggers but my life is pretty hectic at the moment - when is it NOT?!) with the painting and my home being so disrupted, so I'm assigning this award to each of you who read this to pass it on. Please pass it on some blogger you know and love. I'm countin' on ya, chickees!! ;-)