ADMIRATION

I have great admiration for people who have a blog and post on it regularly. I have all these great plans to keep my blog "up-to-date" but then I don't make the time to follow through. Don't know why it just seems to be the way it was. Notice that I said "WAS," because I am going to make time to do at least weekly postings to this blog, whether anyone reads them or not. Soooooooo this is my first post to my crafting journal . . .

WONDERFUL DISCOVERIES

In the process of getting the spare bedroom ready for holiday guests I decided to clean out that room's closet last week and found all kinds of wonderful discoveries. This closet not only contains all my dressy/party clothes it also gets the overflow projects and supplies from the small office/craft room that I share with my husband . . . In this closet I discovered a couple of big plastic boxes containing miscellaneous craft supplies (you know - those crafty items that you bought but for some strange reason you cannot remember where you put them), finished scrapbook layouts (no pictures), some scrapbook kits (must be a least 3 years worth-that should keep me out of trouble) and 4 big plastic bins of yarn. Well all the purging (I mean cleaning) came to a screeching halt because I had to go through all those boxes of yarn, right? Of course right! I found scarfs and hats that were half way completed, the yarn & pattern for making my granddaughter a baby blanket (she will be 6 years old next month so this will now become a little throw blanket), yarn that I have no idea what I was going to make with it and a completed right foot crocheted slipper. Yes, that's right, only one slipper had been completed - I can only guess that it was a time issue and that is why I did not complete the slipper for my left foot. Soooooooooo I put everything (I mean everything-didn't get rid of anything) back in the closet except the lone completed slipper. I started right away crocheting the slipper for my left foot and 1-1/2 days later it was completed. YAY!!!! But wait, I wasn't done yet . . . the slippers now needed to go through the washing machine because they had to be felted . . . soooooooooo after 4-1/2 days of air drying (its winter after all) and 1 night (painted zig zags, using puffy paint, on the soles & paint dried overnight) the slippers are COMPLETED and here they are - PURPLE MARY JANES!!!!

Aren't they cute . . . and they keep my footies toasty warm! Well that's all for today . . . I have to get busy decorating the house for Christmas (which takes about a week) . . . so thanks for stopping by . . . Hugs & Kisses . . . LB

I'M BACK!!!!!!

OH MY!!! It has almost been one year since I last posted on my blog and what a year it has been! A lot of good things have happened this year (daughter is engaged I have been in cancer remission for 1 year). . . a not so good thing (lost my job on August 30th) and a whole lot of everyday living! I have a lot I want to share - but for now I have to become familiar with this new version of blogspot and how to change backgrounds, etc. sooooooo please bear with me. Have to go for now - need to run a couple of errands for dear hubby and find the pictures of last years christmas decorations so I have a hint of how I will decorate our home this year (funny thing - the decorations do not always appear in the same place from year to year) . . . I will post pictures of the this as I go along . . . sooooooooo TTFN . . .

DECEMBER 3 - DECORATIONS

Well as you can see the decorations are still in containers/boxes (12 to be exact)however they are one step closer and my 4-1/2 year old granddaughter will be coming over this afternoon after preschool to help YaYa deck the halls-walls-tables-shelves-tree . . . no doubt there will not be a bare spot in the house (now I am glad it is a small home) . . .

In getting ready to begin the decorating at home I decided to begin putting up the decorations at work . . . still need to get the greenery and candy/cookies put out . . . but its getting there . . .




Thanks for stopping by to visit . . . until later . . HUGS & KISSES!

DECEMBER 2 - HANDMADE SANTA ORNAMENT

Well . . . it's the second day in December and I still have not decorated the house or tree yet - hubby has promised that he will bring in all the boxes today . . . I did however want to share with you a picture (from last year's tree) of the very first handmade ornament that I ever made . . . it's unbelivable that this Santa is 41years old this year . . .

my husband was still in college when we got married in 1969 and as typical college students we could not afford anything . . . we had purchased a Christmas tree (thanks to a Christmas check from my grandmother) but we did not have one thing to put on it . . . no lights, no ornaments, no tinsel - nothing . . . I remember how that poor tree looked so sad standing naked in our living room . . .

a few days after we purchased the "tree" my mother-in-law's care package arrived (she worried about us starving & freezing - sooooooo every month she would send us a box with strange food/clothing/books & magazines in it - anything that she thought we poor college students would need - I remember she sent us a box of "hamburger helper" when it first came out and had us rate it - it was terrible! - glad to hear they have improved the product over time) . . .

anyway back to the Santa ornament . . . in this particular box was a McCall's Christmas craft magazine and it had the cutest Santa and Snowman hand puppets and all you needed was felt, glue & some hand sewing - hey I could do that - I could afford those items . . . soooooooo off I went to the local Ben Franklin's (the town we lived in did not have a fabric store) . . . now I know I said that this Santa was suppose to be a hand puppet but as I am not very good at math I did not enlarge the pattern and so I ended up with cute 5" Santas and Snowmen (stuffed with cotton balls) . . .

over the years most of the Santa's and all of the Snowmen have gone to Santa/Snowman heaven (felt & glue just were not made to stand the test of time apparently) so all I have left now is this little jolly fellow . . . he is falling apart but he will always have a place of honor in the very front of our Christmas tree every year and he brings back such wonderful memories of Christmas's past . . .

Well that's all for today . . . thanks for taking the time to stop by and visit . . . I will have more to share tomorrow . . . HUGS & KISSES

DECEMBER 1

WOW . . . I cannot believe that we are already in the month of December . . . it seems that the older I get the faster time goes by and the slower I move . . . I mean I do not have one, not one, Christmas decoration out yet . . . usually by this date I have started decorating the house, I have baked at least two different types of cookies, the tree is up and we are beginning to trim it (this takes a whole month), and I am beginning to wrap presents (you know all those special gifts that you purchased/made during the past year and that are hidden throughout the house). . . welllllllll I have done NOTHING, NADA! . . . I am going to have to have my dear hubby start bringing in the decoration boxes tonight as I have a little girl (my precious granddaughter) wanting to help me decorate (this has become a yearly tradition with her & I). . . I should have taken this week off from work!!!!! Oh . . . and throw into the mix that I am hosting a sit down potluck dinner party for 16 people in my tiny tiny tiny home (945 sq. ft)Sunday, December 12th!!!!!!!!

Well I had better get started and in the meantime you should check out a couple of blogs for inspiration . . . these talented ladies are Christie Bryant (she is on the Graphic 45 design team) and Irene Tan (she is on the Tim Holtz design team) . . .

Soooooo HI HO - HI HO it's off the decorating I go!!!!!! . . . thanks for stopping by . . .

WISHING YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES A SAFE AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

HAPPY HALLOWEENIE

SPOOKY SPOOKY
SCREAMIE SCREAMIE
HAPPY HAPPY
HALLOWEENIE!!!