Crafter Thoughts

My daughter makes cakes.

2010-05-20T10:31:00.008-05:00

My younger daughter, Kelly, has been making decorated cakes for some time now. She doesn't do it for a living or anything. As a matter of fact, she does not do it for money at all. She does not even want compensated for them. She doesn't think her cakes are good enough to accept money for them. I, myself, thinks she does an excellent job. Of course, I am not partial or anything.

Here are a few pictures of some of the cakes she has done over the years. Mostly, she does them for family and friends. They are all done with buttercream frosting. She hasn't got the nerve to try fondant yet. She did use some fondant on the cake with the butterflies because she couldn't think of any other way to make them.

This is a cake done for a couple of girls. It is their school mascot. She drew this on the cake freehand with icing using the refrigerator magnet pictured behind the cake as a pattern.

These were groom's cakes for my niece's wedding. Her new hubbie is a football and baseball coach in the school where he teaches.

My grandson's birthday cake. This is the cake that inspired my niece to have the sports oriented groom's cakes at the wedding.

My daughter did these two cakes for her friend's daughter's 14th birthday. It is her cell phone complete with edible picture and her ipod. By the way, that is the same picture she has on her phone as a background.

The butterflies and flowers are made of fondant.

The cow, pig and lamb were cupcakes that went with the barn cake. When Kelly took a picture of them they were in a carrier so the picture has a reflection of the flash. Also, the cover was exactly clear either.

That is all the pictures I have at the moment.

Have a nice day.

Take care.

Pictures of the grandbabies.

2010-04-23T11:13:00.007-05:00

It has been so long since I posted. I thought I should at least post some picks of my darling grandbabies. They are getting so big. It seems like yesterday when they were born.

Josh is in kindergarten this year. Last night they had a program at school. It was a "Moosical" about Old McDonalds farm. Josh played a farmer. Some of the kids were animals. It was so cute. Josh really got into the singing and hand gestures that went along with it. That is him, third from the left, bottom row. He is the one in the plaid shirt with glasses.

I can't believe he is already in school.

Miss Olivia is 21 months old now. She will turn 2 in July. She is talking a blue streak, if you can understand her language. My daughter calls her language, Livvonese. Every once in a while she says a word or phrase that is recognizable. She just jabbers. It makes me smile.

She just loves Kollin. She calls him KaKa.

She is very inquisitive too.

Josh loves this puzzle and he is learning more about the states and capitals every time he puts it together.

Little Kollin didn't escape the eye problem. He got his little glasses a couple weeks ago at the ripe old age of 8 months old. He looks so cute in them.

He is really starting to get mobile. A week ago he was scooching forward a little on his belly. This week, he is going great guns and takes no time to get where he wants to go. He isn't quite up on his hands and knees but it is close. He is doing what I call the army crawl when they go under fences in the obstacle course. And he is fast!!!

So there is a little update on my grandbabies. See how they have grown.

Take care everyone.

Popcorn snowmen and snowman nugget

2009-11-04T07:54:00.008-06:00

Here are a few of the things I have been working on for the craft fair I am doing on November 14. This little snowmen contains a package of microwave popcorn. In addition, the hat is a pair of gloves. I rolled and stuffed one glove inside the other. I then tied up the fingers with a ribbon and placed a little snowflake embellishment on it with some double sided tape. These will be great stocking stuffers. I found the free graphic download for this project Here.

This little guy is a Hershey nugget. I cropped the face from the snowman graphic and centered it on a standard address label which measures 1 inch by 2 5/8 inch. These labels fit perfectly around the Hershey nuggets. I cut a finger off a glove and rolled the botton edge and placed it on the top of the nugget and embellished it with a little snowflake sticker. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Have a great day.

Trick or Treat!!!

2009-11-03T16:14:00.004-06:00

I know this is a little late, but I just had to share the pictures of my favorite trick or treaters.

Here is little Kollin in his first costume. This is the same costume that both Josh and Olivia wore for their first Halloween. Now I have a picture of each of them in the same pumpkin costume. I guess it must be a tradition.

Here is Miss Olivia in her Kitty costume. She was so cute walking around going "Meeeooowww."
She just loved going door to door.

Then, of course, we can't forget Josh who portrayed Darth Vader from Star Wars. He did an excellent impression if I do say so myself.

A good time was had by all.

Take care.

I am not ready for this!!!

2009-10-10T09:48:00.009-05:00

This is what I awoke to this morning. I took this picture at around 7am. It is now 11am and it is still snowing. I think we have about 4 inches out there now. The temperature is nearing 32 degrees now so maybe it will start melting soon. I am so not ready for this.

This is looking out the front door.

This is looking out the back door.

Here are some updated pictures of the grandkids.

Cute little Olivia. She is 15 months old now and toddling all over the place. I think they are so cute when they first learn to walk.

Here is Josh who is 5 years old now. He is holding his little cousin, Kollin. I can hardly believe he is in Kindergarten already. It seems like yesterday he was the size of Kollin.

Here is Kollin the latest addition to the clan. He is growing by leaps and bounds. I am sure before I know it, he will be toddling all over the place.

Take care and have a nice day.

The new Grandson has arrived!!

2009-08-21T11:40:00.003-05:00

I would like to introduce my new grandson, Kollin Laverne. He arrived on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 9:16 pm. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 4 oz. and measured 19 1/2 inches tall. His mom and dad are Kelly and Kevin. He is their firstborn. Kelly is my younger daughter.

I think he is quite a handsome fellow.

He is for sure a gift from God. Kevin and Kelly have been married for 14 years and have been trying to have a baby for the past 11 years with no luck. Then, in December, just one week after I was hospitalized and found out I had a spot on my lung, she took a pregnancy test with a positive result. She didn't want to tell anyone until she had confirmed the results with a doctor, so she kept it quiet until the day before I started chemotherapy, then she told me. I think it really helped me to withstand the treatment knowing what I had to look forward to in August. Then just less than two weeks before he was born, I found out my cancer had gone into remission. What perfect timing. God is good.

Take care everyone.

It's a celebration!!!

2009-08-03T16:40:00.010-05:00

It is hard to believe that little Olivia turned one year old on July 8th. It seems like just yesterday we were at the hospital watching that nurse weigh and measure her for the very first time.

And Josh, who is becoming quite a little man, turned 5 years old on July 20th. He is pretty excited to be starting Kindergarten in just a few short weeks. He and his mom went shopping for school supplies on Saturday. I remember shopping for school supplies for his mom. Golly, I swear that was just a year or so ago. Where does time go?

As much as my daughter Kim wanted their birthdays to be separate occasions, it just wasn't going to happen. There were so many things going on in July, she was lucky to find one Sunday afternoon to have their joint birthday party.

Olivia loves to tear paper, but for some reason she decided she didn't want to tear the paper on her presents. And she loved her cake. She actually had two cakes, one to share with guests and one that was her own personal cake.

Of course Josh had no trouble opening his gifts. As a matter of fact, he helped Olivia open hers too. His cake was a chocolate Scooby Do cake.

It was a great party.

We have more to celebrate. My younger daughter Kelly is expecting a baby. It's a boy and he is due tomorrow!! Although, I just talked to her and she said she is feeling just fine. But you never know. Those babies will come when they are ready no matter how you feel.

On another happy note, I finally finished the last round of chemo the doctor ordered in May and I had a PET scan on July 24th. My doctor informed me at my appointment last Tuesday that the cancer is in remission at this time. I am so thankful. I finally get a break from chemotherapy. I have been getting chemotherapy every 3 weeks since December 29th. Now I pray the cancer will stay away for good!!!

I met with a radiation doctor Thursday who explained the benefit of having my brain radiated. This type of cancer is notorious for going to the brain. With this treatment, it will decrease the chance of the cancer recurring in my brain from 60% to 5%. I think it is worth it. I have to go in for an MRI on Wednesday to make sure there is no cancer lurking there already, then I will start radiation treatment next Monday. I will have 10 treatments. One every day for 5 days, two weeks in a row.

Hopefully, now I can start building up my strength again. I am pretty weak. This last chemo drug really took me down. I don't know what I would have done if the doctor had told me I needed more treatments. Thank God, I don't have to wonder about that now.

So, I have all kinds of things to celebrate. As soon as I feel good enough, I am going to celebrate by going on a shopping trip. I think I am going to need a new comb!

Take care.

This blog was never

2009-06-10T15:24:00.003-05:00

supposed to be about me! It was supposed to be about crafting, sewing, cooking, family, fun activities with the grandkids....things that are fun. I hate it that I am sick and I can't do what I want to do. So I have been ignoring the blog. But some of you are asking how I am doing, so I have decided to give a little update on my condition.

I had 6 rounds of chemo which ended around the middle of April. The first of May I had a PET scan which shows how active the cancer is. It showed the cancer was still present although it was much smaller. Originally I had a spot in both lungs, but the doctor said the spot in the left side was showing very little activity and was probably just scar tissue by now. The spot in the right side was smaller but was still showing moderate activity. He recommended another course of chemo which I began the week after Mother's Day. Each round of this chemo consists of 5 days of treatment in a row, then I am off two weeks. So, basically, I have treatment every three weeks. I will have at least 4 rounds of this drug. I just finished my second round last week. I have to say it has really taken me down.

The good news is that the cancer is still contained in the lungs and has not spread to other parts of my body. Hopefully, this new treatment will put it into remission so I can have a break. That is where I am right now.

The other thing I wanted to blog about today is a dream I had this morning I need to share. I dreamed about Heaven. I guess it was Heaven. It seemed like Heaven to me anyway.

I don't know where this dream began but suddenly I was lifted up and carried to a place that was higher than I had ever been before. There was a light shining on my face. It was bright like sunlight, but not hot. There was a gentle breeze hitting my face and blowing my hair (I haven't had hair since mid-January.) It was very peaceful and quiet. I was looking down on everything I had known my whole life.....people, places, things. It made me smile and when I woke up I was just so happy. I can't explain how happy I was. I just know that this has to be the Lord letting me know that no matter what happens to me, everything will be ok. I was very comforted by this dream.

Ok, that is enough about me. Now the grandkids. They continue to grow and thrive. My little Olivia will be one year old in just one month....how time flies. She sure gets around quick. She doesn't actually crawl on her hands and knees. It is more like the obstacle course crawl on her belly with her arms pulling her. She almost looks like she is swimming. Anyway, she is fast. She is not walking yet, but she is starting to pull herself up to a standing position next to things.

Josh will turn 5 years old next month also. He is pretty excited now that he is a pre-school graduate and will be starting Kindergarten in August. He recently started playing T-ball. I love T-ball. Everyone gets to play, everyone gets to bat, everyone gets to run, everyone gets to score. I love this game. Those little kids are so cute running bases and chasing the ball. I get a kick out of it.

Have a great day everyone.

The Grandbabies are getting so big!!!

2009-04-23T18:22:00.006-05:00

I just wanted to share a few new photos my my grandbabies. They grow so fast!!! Olivia is nine months old already. Time flies. It seems like just yesterday when I watched the nurse weigh and measure her for the first time. She already has her first pair of glasses. Unfortunately, she suffers the same eye problems as her brother, Josh, which they both inherited from their mother.

Josh loves to help in the kitchen. He is getting good at it too. I have high hopes he will be a great chef someday, although he has set himself higher goals than that. He has a couple ideas as to what he wants to be when he grows up. He alternates between wanting to be President of the United States or a doctor, so he can take care of Grandma.....awwwww, how sweet.

Have a great day everyone.

Take care.

I am still here!

2009-04-04T07:54:00.009-05:00

A few people have commented that I haven't blogged in a while and were wondering how I was doing. I decided it was time to give an update.

I am doing ok. I finished my fifth round of chemo a week ago. I have been fighting a cold all week this week, which of course always manages to go into my chest. So, I spend a lot of time coughing. Needless to say it really takes the steam out of me. I am afraid that by the time I start feeling better, it will be time for my next round of chemo. I guess that wouldn't be a bad thing. I would hate to feel this bad and have a chemo treatment at the same time.

After my next round of chemo, I will have a break. I am ready for it. Every round seems to be a little harder on me. Then, I will have more tests and maybe some radiation.

I have really been wanting to do some crafting, but I can't seem to get up enough energy to do anything. So I spend a lot of time perusing other blogs. I have accumulated a lot of good ideas. There are a lot of creative people out there. Thank God for the internet or I would be spending my days on the couch watching reruns of old sitcoms.

My grandbabies are getting so big. I can hardly believe how fast they grow. Josh will soon graduate from preschool. He is so excited he will be in kindergarten next year. Then he will really be a big man on campus. Olivia is almost 9 months old. It seems like just yesterday I was at the hospital watching them weigh and measure her. She has learned to pat-a-cake and she is even trying to say it. It comes out something like paw-ta, paw-ta .... She is so funny.

Here are a few pictures since I don't have anything else to post.

Have a good day everyone.

Update

2009-03-04T17:53:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I had a ct scan last week to check the progress of my cancer treatments. I saw my doctor on Tuesday to discuss the results of the scan. Both tumors have decreased in size. The larger tumor had a significant decrease. At least things are going in the right direction.

I started my fourth round of treatment on Tuesday also. I go three days in a row for treatments. Then I am off for three weeks. I will have at least six rounds of treatments. They may do some radiation at some point in time also.

I do know they are going to radiate my brain. So far the scans show no cancer in the brain. I am told that when they radiate the brain it will decrease the chance of the cancer reappearing there from 60% to 5%. Those are odds I can handle. The only side effect to that treatment is that I will lose my hair, but it is already gone, so nothing hurt there.

I want everyone to know I really appreciate all the thoughts and prayers and I know they are helping. I have seen miracles and I just know if I have enough people praying I will see another one.

Thanks everyone.
Joyce

This and that.

2009-03-01T09:22:00.007-06:00

My hubbie has been especially nice to me lately. A couple weeks ago, I had a birthday. For most of our married life, soon to be 38 years, my hubbie has done nothing for my birthday. But this year, he decided to make me breakfast. It was very good, but apparently he thought I was hungry because he made me an immense amount of food.

It was funny watching him prepare this meal. He had a hard time finding the pots, pans and utensils he needed to use. Does that tell you how often he uses the kitchen. We have lived in this house for over 25 years now and the location of everything has been the same since day one.

He really did a good job. Along with the scrambled eggs, he served a concoction of sausage, potato, onion, mushroom, green and red peppers. Everything was quite tasty. I will have to have him help me more often.

I have been sorting through some things lately and I come across some projects that seemed to get thrown back and never finished, such as my daughter's quilt top. Here is another project that was actually completed. The only thing I need to do it frame it so I can display it. It is a counted cross stitch that I did over 10 years ago. It is a Paula Vaughn design titled Rose of Sharon. The finished design measures 12inches by 15 inches.

I just know when I placed it in that tube and put it in the drawer, it was with the intention that the next time I went to the craft store I would buy a frame for it. Oh, well, I still have time.

I also found another counted cross stitch in progress. I started this one shortly after I finished the other one. I am not quite half done with it. I did start working on it again. I forgot how much I love to do cross stitch, although I think I need stronger glasses.

This is from the Stoney Creek collection called A Visit from Father Christmas. I had hopes of doing all the designs from the book...lol. What was I thinking!!!

I am off to cross stitch. Have a good day everyone.

Take care.

Unfinished business

2009-02-22T08:55:00.003-06:00

While digging through my closet a while back I come across a project I started more than 15 years ago. It is a quilt top I made for my younger daughter. It is my first and last attempt at making a full size quilt. It seemed like such a simple task while I was planning it in my head....not!!! I guess that is why I never finished it, I was too overwhelmed.

I know a perfectly lovely lady who owns a quilt shop and does machine quilting. I think I may give her a call . I really should have it finished.

Sorry it is so wrinkled. It has been folded up in a box for all these years.

Take care.

Joyce

My babies are getting so big!

2009-02-21T07:02:00.009-06:00

It is hard to believe how big my grandbabies are getting. It seems like just yesterday Josh was born and now he is in pre-school. Plus his little sister, Olivia, is 7 1/2 months old. I swear just yesterday I was holding their mother in my arms.

Unfortunately, I haven't seem too much of them lately due to the fact that they have been sick a lot this winter. Olivia is on her third ear infection since the first of the year. Josh has had a cold and strep throat since then also. I am supposed to avoid sick people because the chemotherapy weakens my immune system and I am prone to infections.

I did finally get to see them one night this week. Here are a few pictures I managed to take while they were here.

I had a tough time getting Josh away from the Wii long enough to snap this picture. Yes, Grandma has a Wii. The kids bought us one for Christmas because they thought it would be good exercise for me. He was playing with Grandpa. I think they were boxing.

Olivia is growing like a weed. She isn't crawling yet, but she sits pretty good. She is such a cutie.

Take care.

A little bump in the road

2009-01-27T07:44:00.006-06:00

Wow, it seems time slips by so fast. The last time I posted was the day before Thanksgiving. So much has happened since then. I really didn't know if I was going to tell this story here on my blog, but sometimes I think it helps just to get everything out.

In case you don't know it, I have COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and I am on oxygen full time. This is a result of many, many years of smoking. So, if you smoke, quit it!!!

I was diagnosed over 10 years ago, at which time I quit smoking. I have been on oxygen for the last 4 years part time. I only needed it with activity, such as walking. Then in February of 2008 I came down with a nasty case of pneumonia which landed me in the hospital for 5 days and I have been on oxygen full time since.

On Thanksgiving Day, 2008, I started coughing and coughing. Within a couple days, I couldn't breathe and it was off to the emergency room. They did blood work and chest xrays, same routine as in February. I remember my doctor coming in to the exam room in emergency with a concerned look on his face. "Why don't you plan on staying with us a couple days."

"Is it pneumonia again?" I asked.

"Yeah, probably," was his reply.

What he didn't tell me at the time was that he had seen something on my xray that was out of the ordinary. It was a spot on my lung. He wanted to wait until the radiologist had time to review the xray to confirm what he had seen.

Later that same day, I had a ct scan which not only showed the spot my doctor had seen but also another smaller spot in my other lung. Immediately they called in an oncologist who set me up for more tests.

They ordered a ct guided biopsy of my right lung, which is a test where they put you on a ct scanner and take a picture, then decided where they are going to stick a needle in your lung to get a piece of the spot for testing. They give you some drugs, so you don't really care what they are doing. One of the risks, they told me slight risk, of this test is the possibility of a pnoeumothorax, which is a collapsed lung. Of course, this happened to me.

It was so scary. Suddenly, I could not breathe. The poor doctor had to put me back on the scanner and take another picture so he could insert a chest tube to reinflate my lung, all the while I felt like I was suffocating. I remember him telling me step by step what he was doing and all I could think of was "Just do it!!!" I couldn't really speak because I was concentrating on trying to breathe. I knew right away when he inserted the chest tube because it was like a relief and I could take a breath again. Although, he still spent some time with this big syringe looking thing sucking air out of my chest. Like I said, very scary. I was admitted into the hospital until they could safely remove the chest tube, which was about 3 days. Needless to say, they did not biopsy the spot in the left lung due to the risk of another collapsed lung.

On Tuesday, December 23rd, I had an appointment with the oncologist to discuss the results of all my tests. Sadly, my results were not good news. I have small cell lung cancer. It is fast growing and the most aggressive kind. To my advantage, it seems to be contained for the moment in my lungs, although they can't confirm the spot in the left lung to be the same type since they did not biopsy it.

The doctor explained that this cancer is not curable but responds well to treatment. The treatment may take care of the tumors, but at some point in time, the cancer will return. Hopefully, it won't return for years and years.

My treatment for now is chemotherapy, but they may add radiation later. My first treatment started on December 29th. I go for three days in a row. The first day lasts about 5 or 6 hours. The second and third day is only about 2 hours. I will have this treatment every 21 days for an undertermined amount of treatments. After 3 treatments, they will run more tests to see what the drugs are accomplishing and then will decide how many more treatments I may need.

Last week was my second treatment week. I seem to be having a minimum of side effects so far. The only real side effect I have had is that I have lost all my hair. Now I need to get busy and design some nifty looking hats. I will view this as a crafting opportunity.

On a happy note, I am going to be a Grandma again. My younger daughter announced that her and her hubbie are expecting a baby. I am so excited. They have been trying for 11 years with no luck and had all but given up the notion of having children. The due date is August 4th.

I will leave you now with some pictures I received for Christmas from my grandbabies, Joshua Stephen and Olivia Grace. If I would have known grandchildren were going to be so much fun, I would have had them first.

Take care.

Grandparents Day at preschool

2008-11-26T16:15:00.007-06:00

What fun I had today. It was Grandparent’s Day at preschool.

The festivities began at 9am. First, they performed a little musical program consisting of 3 different songs with hand gestures. Some of the children were a bit shy, but not my Josh. He loves an audience. He is the third from the left in the pictures, next to the girls, of course (he is quite the ladies man, by the way.)

The kids had done some Thanksgiving crafts including a turkey head dress, a placemat and a turkey puppet. One thing they did that I thought was especially cute was a little turkey made using cardboard tubes from paper towels and some construction paper. There little handprints cut out of paper were the tail feathers.....cute.

There was also a craft in which the grandparents were asked to help. It was a Christmas ornament made by stringing a bell and some pony beads onto a piece of wire. We finished it off with a piece of ribbon tied into a bow at the top. Then we wrapped it around our finger to make it spiral.

This all ended with wonderful brunch made by the preschool children and their teachers. Each preschooler was asked to bring something. Josh brought crumbled bacon and banana bread. There were all kinds of muffins, egg and bacon and sausage casseroles, hash brown casserole, banana bread, coffee cakes, fruit and much more. It was very tasty.

After we ate, the preschool was dismissed and the kids were sent home with their grandparents. A good time was had by all.

Happy Thanksgiving.

I found my blog again!

2008-11-23T09:14:00.007-06:00

My craft shows are finally finished for the season. Now maybe I can get back to this poor neglected blog. I didn’t mean to be so scarce the past couple of months, but I just couldn’t seem to get motivated to post anything.

A lot has changed since I last posted.

Josh has started preschool. He loves school. That first day he was beside himself with excitement when that big yellow bus pulled up to pick him up for school. So far he still gets on that bus with the same gusto as the first day of school. I am so happy. I just hope he keeps that attitude for another 13 years or so.

Waiting for the bus on the first day of preschool.

The bus is finally here. Time to go, but first we better take another picture.

There he goes into the big yellow bus. He is the one with the blue batman backpack.

Back home after the first day of preschool. What an exciting day!

Every other Friday, there is no preschool, so Josh comes to visit Grandma for the day so his mom and dad don’t have to pay extra daycare. We have great fun. Josh loves to help in the kitchen.

He is a good egg breaker. Not one shcll went into the cake.

Yum!

Olivia is growing like a weed. She is 4 months old now and just chatters and laughs all the time. She is such a good baby. She has been sleeping through the night since she was about 2 months old. How did my daughter ever get so lucky?

A picture of the group. My daughter Kelly and her hubbie Kevin on the right are Olivia's godparents.

Olivia in her beautiful gown.

Last Sunday, she was baptized. She was adorable in her baptismal gown and she just loved it. It was a satin under dress with an organza overlay. She would grab the skirt in her little fists and pull it up to her face and grin......so cute.

As for myself, like I said the craft shows I do are finished for the season, so now I can concentrate on other things, like getting ready for the holidays. We go to my brother-in-laws for Thanksgiving, which is a good thing. I only have to take a broccoli/rice casserole. Christmas Eve is usually a soup supper, also with my hubbies side of the family, at a location yet to be named. But Christmas Day I have my girls and their families at my house and we have a wonderful prime rib dinner followed by Christmas presents. This is my favorite thing.

I think it is time for me to get busy with the decorations.

Have a great day everyone.

Crafts

2008-09-05T07:52:00.008-05:00

I apologize. I am sorry to say that I have been neglecting this blog. Everyday I think I am going to get around to posting but something always seems to happen to lead me astray. I am determined to get something posted today. I am going to keep it simple. Just a few pictures of some of the crafts I do. A lot of these pictures are of things I did last year (I can't even get anything new done to photograph....lol).

I love totes. This tote is a summery pastel floral with a large divided pocket on the front side made from a striped fabric and lined with a mint green polka dot. There are a couple pockets on the inside also.

The following picture is the back side of the tote.

This tote is done in a floral with at green divided pocket in front. It is lined with a mottled black fabric and has inside pockets as well.

Follow is the backside of this tote.

This next picture is the inside of the above tote.

This next tote is identical to the floral and green tote except I used the mottled black fabric where I had the green on the other tote and the green fabric is used for the lining.

This is a little family of snowman ornaments I made out of white fleece.

This quilted Christmas ball is made using a strofoam ball for a base and small pieces of Christmas ribbon pinned in layers in such a way as to form a pattern.

Another picture of some of the many Christmas quilt balls I have done.

There you have it. A glimpse into my world of crafting.

Have a nice day and happy crafting!

Fun at Grandma's house

2008-08-08T08:29:00.008-05:00

Here is a glimpse at the fun things that happened at Grandma's house this week.

Josh helped Grandma do a little crafting. He had his very own scissors, paper and glue. What fun!

He called his creation "A Flower Garden."

He finished it with his signature in the lower right hand side because, as you know, all good artists sign their work. Now it is ready to join his other creations on Grandma's refrigerator.

We can't forget Olivia. Another one of my internet friends sent me a package with four little outfits for her. What a thoughtful friend! Thanks, Rhonda.

So, we had to have a little baby fashion show. I love it! It is like playing with my dolly.

Have a great weekend everyone.

I am a material girl

2008-08-03T07:09:00.007-05:00

For some reason, I cannot get motivated to do anything. I have craft fairs coming up in the fall and I have hardly anything done. I seem to be easily distracted these days. It doesn't take much to pry me away from my craft room.

I am sure a lot has to do with my daughter being on maternity leave right now. I am either at her house or she is at my house. I just cannot get enough of holding that new baby or playing games with my grandson. My daughter had doctor's appointments 2 days last week, so I got to watch the kids. Of course, if I am watching the kids, I can't get any crafting done. But that is ok, because I would much rather babysit.

Olivia is such a good baby. She only cries when she is hungry. Otherwise she spends much of her time sleeping or just looking around. She is pretty mellow, unlike her mother who was so colicky as a baby, I don't think she ever slept.

Josh is easy to take care of also. He is so mature for his 4 years and so smart, I am awestruck. He started talking when he was 10 months old. He knew his alphabet by sight when he was 18 months old.

I used to have these alphabet books I would read to him. There was one little 4 page book for each letter of the alphabet. One day when we were reading them, he handed me the "B" book and said "B". At first I thought it was a fluke that he happened to get it right, but soon after, I discovered it was no fluke, he knew everyone of them.

I will probably get more crafting done when my daughter goes back to work in September, but for now, I will cherish every minute I can spend with the grandchildren.

I have been doing a little in my craft room, although I have not actually made anything. Recently, I decided it was time to sort through my fabric stash. I have boxes of fabric. Lots of boxes of fabric. You would think I have enough fabric to do most any project, and I probably do, but when I get near a craft shop or fabric shop or even Walmart, I have to buy fabric. It is an obsession.

I thought I could reduce my stash somewhat and get rid of some of the older fabrics I hadn't used in a while. I am sure some of my fabric is so old it almost has to be on the verge of being vintage. I thought it would be a great idea to give it away to the church ladies to do their quilts for Lutheran World Relief. However, once I started pulling the fabric out of the boxes, I couldn't decide which ones to give away! I might need them someday! I didn't realize I would have such a bad case of separation anxiety for my fabric. I guess I am just a material girl.

So, I have devised a plan in which I will reduce my stash and still have all my different pieces of fabric. Some of my fabric pieces are very big. If I have a piece that is 3 yards, then I will cut off a one yard piece to keep and give the other 2 yards away. I think that would work. Who needs so many yards of the same fabric anyway.

Here are a couple pictures of some of my fabric. This is 2 boxes of fabric. I still have 3 more boxes in the closet yet.

Well, we will see how that works anyway.

Have a good evening.

It's time to start crafting!

2008-07-24T16:37:00.009-05:00

I love to craft, especially Christmas crafts. Here is a sample of what I have been working on in my newly redone craft room.

Take a pile of craft sticks.

Make a few stategic cuts.

Add a few well place toothpicks.

The result is a neat little wooden sled ornament ready to decorate.

Here is one I painted. Don't look too close. I am not a great painter, but I have fun.

Have a great day everyone.

My little birthday boy turns 4

2008-07-21T16:39:00.004-05:00

How time flies. It seems like just yesterday my little girl was just a tot and now she has two children of her own. Where does the time go?

Yesterday was my grandson's 4th birthday. He was so excited. Yesterday morning when I called his house, he answered the phone. I sang the Happy Birthday song and when I had finished he said "Thanks, Grandma. Where are my presents?" You got to love them.

Here he is with his Birthday crown he made with his mom.

Yum....birthday cake. Time to blow out the candles.

Finally, the moment he has been waiting for, time to open the presents.

This is what Olivia thought of the whole ordeal.

Such a good baby.

Have a great day everyone.

Meet Olivia Grace

2008-07-09T11:25:00.007-05:00

I would like to introduce my new granddaughter, Olivia Grace. She was born by Caesarean section on Tuesday, July 8, 2008 at 8:53 am. She weighed in at 7 pounds 10 ounces and was 20 inches long. Her mom is my daughter, Kim and her Dad's name is Steve. She has an older brother Josh who will be 4 years old on July 2oth.

Hmm....where on earth am I now and what happened to that nice lady that has been carrying me around for the last nine months?

I think I will take a little nap and maybe things will be better when I wake up later.

Oh, yeah, this is much better. I am all warm and cozy now and I just love my hat.

Getting ready for my first bath. Sounds like fun.

Mommy Kim happy that it is over.

Proud Daddy Steve.

Big brother, Josh.

Aunt Kelly

Uncle Kevin

It's been a long day.

Naptime for the whole family.

Have a great day everyone!

More Internet Friends

2008-07-05T07:35:00.008-05:00

Here are a few more things I have received from online friends. It never ceases to amaze me how nice people can be.

What a nice assortment of things I received from Rhonda for my kitchen. There is a beautiful hanging basket arrangement, a towel to hang on my cabinet door, and some refrigerator magnets and a recipe book. She must have known cookies are my one of my favorite things. I don't think I will wait for Christmas to try some of these recipes.

Thanks, Rhonda!

My friend, Linda, makes some of the cutest ornaments I have ever seen. She is so talented. These two little snowfellas appeared in my mailbox unexpectedly one day. They will surely brighten up my tree this Christmas.

I love this little snow cloud. How clever. See the little snowflakes falling out of him.

This little guy is tucked so nicely into his hat. It is a "Perfect Fit!"

Thanks, Linda!

I consider myself very lucky to have found such good friends online! Thanks to you all!

Have a great day!

Internet Friends

2008-07-02T17:51:00.002-05:00

I love the internet. I think it is the greatest invention since sliced bread. Not only is there a wealth of information online, but also there is the opportunity to make friends from far away places. Friends you would never have known if not for the internet. Friends who go out of their way to do something nice for someone they do not know except for an occasional online chat. I cannot express how deeply I cherish each and every one of these friends.

Recently, I won a blog contest sponsored by Lettie at the Polka Dot Pineapple. The prize for the contest was a pillow. Not only did she send me a pillow, she sent me an entire box of her beautiful creations. I posted these gifts in a previous blog. Such a great friend she has become.

I have another internet friend I met from New York. Her name is Janet. One day while I was chatting online with her, I happened to mention my daughter was expecting a little girl. She was due to have it on July 8th. Today I received a package in the mail from this friend. What a surprise I had when I opened the package.

Along with a beautiful handmade card was a precious little pink sweater, hat and bootie set, all hand crocheted by her.

What a nice surprise!!! I am sure it will look beautiful on my new little granddaughter. I will treasure it always. Thanks, Janet.

Have a great day, friends!

Who is that biker chick?

2008-06-24T20:38:00.003-05:00

Where does the time go? It seems like yesterday I posted to my blog, but I find it has been over 2 weeks. I just have so much going on right now, I can’t seem to find the time.

In two short weeks I will become a Grandma for the second time. I am so excited. My daughter and her hubbie are expecting a little girl to be born on July 8th. Her first little boy was delivered by C-section, so this one is already scheduled. That is if she makes it that long.

On Friday the 13th, I received a call at around 9 o’clock in the morning from my daughter. She asked if I could meet her at the hospital, her boss was taking her. She was having some serious back pain. I called my younger daughter who happened to be on vacation that day and away we went.

Imagine this, not only are you 8 months pregnant but now you discover you have a kidney stone. A most painful malady. They say kidney stones are more painful than labor pain. I hope I never find out.

It was so hard for me to see her in so much pain and there was not one thing I could do to take it away. They finally gave her something to take the edge off the pain about 1pm. They did keep her in the hospital overnight to monitor the baby. Sometimes things like kidney infections will bring on labor. I hope we don’t have to go through that again.

I have been doing a few things in my newly organized craft room when I have time. I made this chicken for a friend. It is a holder for those plastic bags you get at the supermarket. Her kitchen is done in primary colors with a motorcycle theme. I also made a couple of pot holders with the fabric that was left over. I thought they turned out kind of cute.

I do have a few other things in the works, if I could just find time to work on them!

Have a great day!

Awards

2008-06-09T15:23:00.004-05:00

A couple of days ago I was the recipient of these three awards so kindly given to me by Sew Delish. I am honored to have been chosen to receive them. Thank you, SewDelish.

I shall now pass them on to three bloggers who have been a real inspiration to me.

Polka Dot Pineapple
Aunt Jo's Corner
The Southern Mom

Display your awards with pride, ladies.

Have a nice day!

And the winner is......

2008-06-05T11:24:00.010-05:00

ME!
A few days ago I won a blog contest over at Polka Dot Pineapple. I come across this blog one day while searching for something crafty and I have to tell you this lady is definitely crafty. Her name is Lettie and she lives in Hawaii. She makes some of the cutest things I have ever seen. I check her blog daily just in anticipation of what she will come up with next. And she never fails to delight me with her creations.

She was offering the giveaway of a pretty little polka dot pillow to all those who left a comment on her blog on May 19th. The drawing was to be held on May 31st. Imagine my surprise when I was the one chosen by a random drawing to receive this cute little pillow. I rarely win anything. I am so unlucky that if there were only 2 names in the pot, mine would be the last name out……usually.

Today my prize arrived in the mail. But as it turned out, the pillow was not the only prize I received! The box was filled with all sorts of goodies. This woman must have a sixth sense because some of these things are just what I needed.

This is what I saw when I first opened the box. Even her packing is pretty.

When I pulled back the pretty tissue paper, this is what I saw. There is more than just a pillow in this box!

The pillow which was the actual prize that I signed up to win.

This cute little angel ornament made from fabric yoyos. How did she know I collect angels?

An eyeglass case which will definitely help me to keep my glasses safe. I have 3 pair of glasses (my bifocal glasses, reading glasses and sun glasses) I carry in my purse and only one eyeglass case. You probably wonder why I carry my bifocals and reading glasses. If I have to do any computer work, my bifocals are useless.

A notebook with a cute cover embellished with yoyos.

I always carry a notebook in my purse. I am a list person.

A beautiful new pin cushion. How did she know I needed a new one of these?

This is the pin cushion I am currently using. See what I mean when I say I need a new one.

A mug rug for my coffe cup. I could use a bunch of these. One by the computer, one on the end tables, one on the headboard of the bed.......

And last but not least some goodies. I love nuts, any kind of nut, but macadamia nuts are one of my very favorites. I don't get them very often because they are sooooo expensive here. The last time I bought just the plain macadamia to make some white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, I had to pay like $2.00 for 1 1/2 ounces. That is not very many nuts!

So I want to thank you , Lettie, for making my day! And I would like to suggest everyone visit Lettie at Polka Dot Pineapple to see just how talented and creative she is. She totally amazes me!

Have a nice day everyone.

Garage Sale Goodies

2008-05-30T20:27:00.008-05:00

I happened across a garage sale today where a lady was selling her craft supplies. I could not resist buying. I know I just took three weeks to clean my craft room, but this stuff was cheap. Most items were 25 cents and nothing was more than 1 dollar. I got some great stuff!

See all the pretty ribbons, laces, buttons and trims! Try to resist that! My total purchase was $39.25. I don't think that was too bad.

These trims are pricey if you buy them at the fabric shop.

A beautiful array of ribbon.

Spools of lace.

Yards and yards of beautiful lace.

Bags of buttons.

I had to dump them out to see what I had. I just love buttons.

This was a smaller bag of buttons. Most of these were gold, pearly white, clear and some very interesting shapes.

Some very small ribbon trims.

More ribbon trims.

I probably should not have bought so much (by the way, the lady still had plenty of stuff left) but if I had to buy this at a fabric store, I am sure I would have paid in the 100's of dollars. Besides, since I cleaned my craft room, I do have about a half of a shelf in the closet that is empty, or should I say, was empty.

Have a great weekend!

Surprise!

2008-05-28T18:15:00.008-05:00

I had a nice surprise this last weekend. A nice young college girl looking to earn some extra cash had time on Saturday to start painting my craft room.

I decided to try painting over the old wallpaper since it seemed to be fairly tight on the wall. I figured that the worse that could happen is the old wallpaper would fall off the wall and that would have been all right too. It worked out real well except in one corner where the wall was cracked and the wallpaper had separated from the wall. Hubbie thinks he can repair it without too much problem.

She, with the help of my #2 daughter, put a primer coat on Saturday. Then on Tuesday, they came back and put on the final coat. It is a soft golden yellow. The name of the color was called Apple Crunch. Doesn't that sound yummy! I just love it. I can't believe the difference it made!

I would like to make a Roman shade for the window. I found the perfect piece of fabric in a bag of stuff someone gave me (yeah...a freebie!) I am sure I can find instructions somewhere online to make one.

I think this room has really got my creative juices flowing. I can think of all sorts of decorating ideas for this space. This is going to be fun!

Mission Organization Complete

2008-05-21T13:34:00.005-05:00

After several weeks of sorting, purging and cleaning, I have finally finished organizing my craft room to my satisfaction.

This is the corner where the treadmill used to be.

This is where the copy machine and my old stereo was located. Note the tribute to the King on the wall.

My new sewing table. I still have a shelving unit I will be putting either on this wall or the wall adjacent. This shelf will house things such as my paints, sewing notions, glues and other misc items I use on a daily basis.

This is the corner where my scroll saw was located. Since I don't use it daily, I moved it to a spare room upstairs. I will still be able to use it when needed, I will just have to go upstairs to do it. I need the exercise anyway.

I would have liked to have painted this room, but I am not able myself due to a respiratory problem I have. But there is a young college girl who is looking for some work and I might pay her to do it for me. I actually have a gallon of a pale yellow that was left over when I had my hallway painted a few weeks ago. I have a nice piece of fabric that will make an excellent curtain that would match the paint perfectly.

If you missed it, my clean and organized closet was pictured in a previous post.

Ahhh....I feel so much better. Now I just need to get motivated to get some crafting done! But first I think I will take a nap.

Have a great day everyone.

Bells, bells, bells, bells

2008-05-20T15:16:00.007-05:00

I have always loved the poem The Bells by Edgar Allen Poe. This poem came to mind the other day as I cleaned and sorted the craft supplies I was hoarding in my dreaded craft room closet.

It seemed like every container, bag, basket and box I sorted through contained some sort of bells. Apparently every time I needed bells for some craft I was working on, I would buy some. Probably because I was unable to locate the stash I had hiding in amongst my other stuff.

Now they have found a nice home in their own container. I had enough to fill a shoebox sized container, which is a lot considering some of these bells are pretty tiny. So next time I need a bell, I can go to my neatly organized closet and pull out the container marked “Bells” and find one that is just right for the project!

I will now leave you with the first verse of this famous poem.

Hear the sledges with the bells -

Silver bells!

What a world of merriment their melody foretells!

How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,

In the icy air of night!

While the stars that oversprinkle

All the heavens, seem to twinkle

With a crystalline delight;

Keeping time, time, time,

In a sort of Runic rhyme,

To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells

From the bells, bells, bells, bells,

Bells, bells, bells -

From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.

Have a great day!

Sneak Peak

2008-05-14T16:48:00.004-05:00

Ahhhhh....order restored!

Now, I just have to do a little furniture rearranging and I will be ready to start crafting.

More to come...............

Angel Ornaments

2008-05-08T07:35:00.003-05:00

I have been making some pretty good progress on organizing my craft room. Hopefully, I will have some progress pictures to post by this weekend. In the meantime, I come across some things I did at the beginning of the year I would like to share. I do some fall craft shows, so most of my crafting is geared toward Christmas.

Just after Christmas, I was doing a little after-holiday shopping when I happened upon some cute little ornaments at the local dollar store for 50 cents a box. They were very colorful and sparkly and I knew I could think of something clever to make with them. I bought several boxes knowing that if all else fails, they could still be used on the tree just as they were.

Of course, as I stated in an earlier post, I see angels everywhere. So, after I got home, I went to my infamous craft closet and starting to pull out some items I thought I could use for embellishments. He is a sample of the heavenly transformation.

I have to apologize for my pictures. The ornaments were so shiny they were a little difficult to photograph.

Have a nice day!

Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose!

2008-05-06T08:44:00.004-05:00

I seem to be making a real effort to clean my craft room. Although I have threatened to do this before, I think since I actually published pictures of my mess, it has given me the incentive I need to really dig deep and get it done.

It is funny the things you find that you totally forgot you had even though they have been sitting there in plain sight for something like 20 years. One wall I didn’t picture in my previous post has my copy machine which rests on top of my old console stereo. It seemed like a good place to put it at the time because I no longer used that stereo, one of the speakers was out and I think the needle for the record player needed replaced.

After some rearranging, I found a new home for my copier and since I sold all my record albums at a garage sale last year, I found I no longer had a use for this stereo which was taking up precious space. I hate to send things to the landfill. Although it is of no use to me doesn’t mean someone wouldn’t be thrilled to have it. The am/fm radio still worked and the cabinet itself was in good shape. After all, they no longer make turntables to play old vinyl albums anymore. Maybe it could be restored to its original 1969 condition.

So now what? I thought about putting it on eBay, but I really didn’t want to hassle with trying to ship it. I really didn’t care about getting money for it. That is when I remembered a website my neighbor had told me about.

This is the Freecycle Network. It is a global network with the sole purpose of bringing owners of unwanted items together with people who have a use for these items. Here is an excerpt from their webpage:

Welcome! The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,353 groups with 5,055,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box above or by clicking on “Browse Groups” above the search box. Have fun!

I suggest you take the time and check out this website. Always remember to recycle, reuse and repurpose.

Have a great day!

Time To Get Organized!

2008-05-01T12:16:00.007-05:00

For some reason, I cannot keep my craft room organized. It seems like every time I turn around, it is a mess. What usually happens is this, I wait until the last minute to start crafting for my shows in the fall. Then I work like a mad woman to get things done and somehow, nothing gets put away like it should. That and the fact that I am always at the craft store buying more supplies(I can’t turn down a sale item!), and I am running out of room to put things.

The craft closet(I am sure OSHA would declare this a hardhat area.)

I definitely need to get it organized. I can’t work in such a mess and there are some things I would like to do(like finding my sewing machine). I have been procrastinating since the first of the year. In the meantime, I learned to shop victoriously online adding to my ever growing pile of stuff(I always think of George Carlin’s bit about stuff.)

My craft table(my sewing machine is there somewhere)

I thought maybe if I published pictures of my messy craft room that would give me some incentive to get it cleaned. The plan is to try to do a little bit each day. That way, maybe it won’t seem like such a daunting task. Now my problem is, where do I start.

There is a scroll saw way back in that corner.....somewhere.

A closeup of a couple of shelves in the notorious closet.

I am going to try to post updates every so often to show my progress. Hopefully this is the push I need to get me going. Wish me luck!

Have a great day everyone!

Banana Bread

2008-04-30T17:03:00.005-05:00

I love bananas but I like them a little on the rare side. You know when the skin is still green and you have to use a knife to peel it. My husband, Al, on the other hand is not that particular. He will eat a good ripe banana.

But there is a point in a bananas life when even he won’t eat it. You know what I talking about. When the skin is completely black and when you pick it up it squishes in your hand. I used to throw them away when they got this ripe. But not anymore.

I have found the most delightful, delicious, dessert to make using over ripe bananas and it is so easy even a caveman could do it.

Start with this

The recipe:

2 c. mashed bananas

3 Tbsp. milk

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c butter, melted

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 c. sugar

1/2 c nuts (optional)

Combine bananas, milk, eggs, vanilla and butter. Add sugar, then dry ingredients. Can add nuts if desired. Beat until smooth and well blended. Pour mixture into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Here it is ready for the oven

All done……yum.

How simple was that!!!

I can eat it just plain or with just a little butter on it.

Now remember this ladies, next time your husband asks, just tell him….

IF YOU WANT BREAKFAST IN BED, SLEEP IN THE KITCHEN!

Have a good day!

Satin Angel

2008-04-29T07:58:00.007-05:00

I love angels. I have been collecting angels for years. As a matter of fact I decorate a 7 1/2 foot Christmas tree every year with only angel ornaments, most of which are handmade.

Angels are everywhere. They don't always look like angels in the beginning, but if you really concentrate, you can see them. That is what I saw when my hubbie was finishing a home improvement project and he had all these little pieces of 2x4 lumber he was going to toss. I didn't see trash, I saw angel bodies!

I immediately knew what I had to do. I painted a wooden ball with an angelic face and attached it to the top of the wood block with a dowel and some glue. Then I proceeded to dress my angel in the finest satin dress.

I then gave her some beautiful blonde curly hair and a pearl halo. I fashioned her wings from some 2 inch wired ribbon and, voila, there she was.

So you see, angels are all around us. You just have to believe and you will see.

I would like to leave you with these words of wisdom today:

LIFE IS SHORT, EAT DESSERT FIRST

These are words to live by.

Have a nice day.

The Most Handsome Man I Know

2008-04-26T17:48:00.012-05:00

I have to share some pictures of my little grandson, Josh. I am not bragging or anything, but I am sure he is the most handsome 3 year old that I know.

He was just 2 years old when he was the ring bearer in my niece's wedding. I just loved his little tuxedo He was quite the little man. He was also quite smitten with the bride and to this day has a thing for blondes.

He will be 4 years old in July and is looking forward to preschool in the fall. I think I will be even more sad to see him go to school than I was when my own children started. I would have liked for him to remain a baby for the rest of his life, but, alas, that is not going to happen. He will always be my little Sweetiepie.

I bought a set of water color paints a while back for a craft project I was doing.
Last weekend, I asked Josh if he would like to paint a picture. "Sure, Grandma." was his reply. So I used one of Grandpa's old shirts and put it on him backwards to act as a smock because Mommy would be mad if he came home with paint all over his clothes and we proceeded to paint. In some upcoming posts I will publish Josh's works of art. I just know he will be another Picasso someday!

Have a pleasant evening everyone!