Hope That Your Christmas Was Merry!

 I have used this tree for about twelve years now, I purchased it for $40 it was a floor model and the store was going out of business. It has served us well over the years, I do need to add lights to it now since a bunch have burned out and we can't seem to figure out how to fix.

This has been in every tree since our first Christmas together, my mother gave it to us and it is showing it's age but I just love my two turtle doves :)

The ugly sweater party was a success!

And this little man has been a delight!

To each and every one of my Etsy, Handmade on Amazon and pop-up customers,
you are amazing and I am thankful for each and everyone of you. The response to my artful pendants has really helped my home based business to grow in so many ways.

Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Merry Christmas!

 Gingerbread Sunday 2015 was a lot of fun...

 

 and very successful! I love our time together.

I wish for you all a very Merry and Blessed Christmas!

Looking forward to a wonderful 2016.

On my sewing table.....

This has been such a long winter, but it has blessed me with plenty of time

to organize my office and do some deep cleaning.

Yesterday I spent some quality time at my sewing table.

It's not too early to start thinking Christmas!

Getting Ready for Christmas!

The tree is ready.....but I'm not.

A ton of last minute orders to fill which I am so thankful for.

Shopping to do this weekend. I have done a bunch online,

but it is fun to go out, take my time, have lunch out at a nice

little cafe and people watch.

I want to ride out to LaGrange, NY a small town

not far from me that has a house that holds the

Guiness Book of Records for the largest Christmas Light display.

I'll take pictures.....

Gingerbread Sunday

 I really should call it Gingerbread Week! I start a few days ahead

 making the four sides of the houses. We started cheating a bit a few years ago and we use graham crackers for the roof. They are lighter weight and the house will set up quicker.

 I have the dining room table covered with plastic to make clean up quicker.

 As my family comes in the candy pile gets larger and larger.....

 So many decisions to be made, which candies to place where....

 It is very serious at times.

 Everyone get involved with ideas to share and sometimes a bit of a competition starts!

It's always a super fun day of eating and creating and enjoying each others company.

p.s.      and they all leave with a sugar high!!!

p.p.s.   please note my clean chandelier!!!

Bell Jars and Curiosity Boxes and How Much I Love to Use Glass!

I have discovered that I do like to put things either under, in or behind glass. I think that doing so gives it

a sense of being curated as something special, something to stop and take your time and really look at.

In the picture above I put one of the snowmen from my collection under a bell jar as part of my Christmas decorations.

 Next it is being used as a nature arrangement along with Valentines Day decorating. This lovely little Queen of Hearts doll has been purchased.

The twig tree, pine cone, rock, feathers and one of my paper clay birdies all work together beautifully in my humble opinion. I made the fabric hearts many years ago out of old quilt squares.

A grouping of found feathers in a recycled jar.

My little curiosity boxes were looked at and admired by many people, but no one committed to owning one until I covered the recycled cigar box with glass.....

.....and that is just what the missing element was all along.

Continuing with the same idea, my small 3x3 art prints create an instant touch of finished art just about anywhere and would not be the same without the glass bevel covering it.

Lastly, this original wearable artwork done on a wee little piece of vintage ledger paper from 1895. Sandwiched between two pieces of glass it becomes a curated link between the past and present.

Thanks for spending time with me today!

Happy Belated New Year!

I have had a super busy autumn and Christmas season...

Four craft fairs between Thanksgiving and Christmas..at this one pictured, the person next to me didn't show so I got lucky and was able to expand into that booth. We tried a new booth design that we will never use again but it was adaptable! I learned that I will only do one this year in that time frame.

Then it was Gingerbread Sunday! I was blessed with more nieces attending this year and my godson! I love this special time to spend with my family.

Decorating got done....not as much as I usually do but it was just enough to be festive. I love this hand carved and painted Santa that my son purchased for me in Moskow. And I just had to show a picture of my rosette ornament on the tree, it shows up so well against the dark green pine needles.

A Happy Belated New Year to all from Rocky and Thomas and me!

Gingerbread Houses

My good old Kitchen Aid mixer getting ready for our yearly batch of gingerbread.

Goodies of all kinds waiting to decorate our houses.

A few busy elves.

My sisters and nieces and dare I say it great-nieces!

For the past three or four years we, my sisters and nieces and I (and when I can convince them... a few very special people) get together and make gingerbread houses.

Will we win any prizes? We think so and each year we have been getting better at it.

But the main thing is having fun and sharing memories during this very busy season.

Santa and Snowman Paperclay Dolls

                                                                                  I know....... I know....... we haven't

had Halloween yet.........

But I have these guys made.....

and they are so sweet....

I am going to list them on ETSY this weekend.

Vintage Paper Rosette Ornaments

It's been a very busy time around here, I will be doing a harvest festival next weekend and then a few other fairs coming up. My very best friend, Franny, has been coming to help me two days a week and what a god send that has been, (plus we get to catch-up on things)! She has been wearing her little fingers to the bone, folding and cutting and sticking and tying, the rosette ornaments.
It's giving me more time to make up the silly little dolls that I love to do, Franny I can't thank you enough!! Here are a few pics of my studio in all it's messy glory!
The Harvest Festival is in Marlboro, NY if you are out and about on October 3rd you should stop by. It is also the opening of the Walkway across the Hudson, the longest pedestrian walkway in the world and it is just down the road. You can't beat the scenery in the Hudson River Valley anywhere this time of year!