Hedgy the hedgehog plushie.

(please forgive the poor quality photo I just couldn't wait to show you my new "friend"!!)

While pulling out the Christmas ornaments this year I discovered something... my hedgehog is missing.  You see I have been enamored with hedgehogs ever since I was a little girl and we were stationed in what was then West Germany.  So one year at the Kris Kringle Mart my mom bought me a sweet handcarved hedgehog.  He was all of 2 inches long.  A number of years ago Chris went on a TDY where he had a layover of sorts in Germany.  During the time Chris was in Germany he was able to visit some dear friends of ours and do a little sightseeing.  On one of his trips he found a stuffed hedgehog which promptly made its way into his suitcase.  Each year my dear friend comes out and enjoys the holidays with us.  Well this year I can't find him....  But while visiting a friend's blog I discovered she had made this porcupine.

Once again Kirstin had come to my rescue without even realizing it.  One thing led to another and before you know it I was making plans to myself a hedgehog.  It just wouldn't be Christmas without my dear sweet friend under the tree or in the tree or next to the nativity! You see my dear little Hedgy has always had a penchance for travel.  So this afternoon I grabbed the sewing machine, zigzagged the yarn onto an old felted black sweater, and stuffed him with filling from an old pillow.  Its crazy as even the thread is from my super duper yard sale sewing notions find.  Oh I did buy the yarn but I had a 40% off coupon at JoAnn's.  I have to admit the lighting isn't all that great horrible as it already dark out but I just could not wait to show you my new friend!

Once again thank you Kirstin at kojodesigns for inspiring me!

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Merry swap show and tell

I want to thank Carrie and Monica for hosting this year's Merry Sister Swap.  Debbie was my partner and I must say Carrie & Monica did a wonderful job matching us up!  In fact I really wish Debbie and I lived closer together because we would have such a fun time crafting together.  She is such a dear, sweet lady!

I forgot to take a picture of the goodies I sent Debbie but here is what she sent me:

After I took the picture I realized a few items were missing such as the delicious hot cocoa mix, the most adorable card, and the inspirational book.  Don't you just love the notepads and crocheted flowers Debbie made!  I love making notebooks/pads and am always tickled to get new ideas!

It was truly a pleasure being able to participate in the swap and I am so blessed with the new friend I have now made!!  Thank you so very much, Debbie and I look forward to many, many years of friendship!

I WON!! BIG Time!

Okay I know I've been missing for a while but well by now you know thats how it goes with me.  Its usually a case of feast or famine.  But right now I want to give some folks a seriously big THANK YOU!  You see I won a giveaway recently.... and when I say it was big, well ya'll I am talking super duper BIG!  I mean we are talking I seriously squealed/yelled out "NO WAY!! Seriously?"  okay so I didn't exactly squeal but when I am super duper excited I do get a bit squeaky when I yell out "NO WAY!"  Don't ask.... and Mr. Lurker (yes I know who you are!!) do NOT give the guys a hard time about this.  (yeah I know you go on your mom's account and read my blog, ha ha! Didn't think I knew, did you? hee hee!)


So I want to thank the folks at Calphalon and Lauren from Laurens Latest!  You see I won the Calphalon 3-in-1 immersion hand blender and the new Bronze Edition 3 qt Non-stick saute pan in this giveaway.  To say I am in love is an understatement!  Now I am asking for utensils so that this lovely saute pan does not get scratched.  It is simply stunning in its performance and beauty!  And you know me, I LOVE to cook (ok maybe you don't realize that but I DO, I just don't photograph it or even talk about it too much!)!!  

Once again I would like to thank the folks at Calphalon and Lauren very much!!  And I was shocked at the turnaround!  Never and I never have a won a giveaway where I had the product in hand in such a quick time.  I mean it was under a week from the time I submitted my info to Lauren to the time Calphalon had it on my doorstep!  (it may be silly but I saved the box so the saute pan can be wrapped up and put under the tree for Christmas because as far as I'm concerned this is one of my Christmas presents!!)

6th Annual Freshly Blended Holiday Ornament Swap

This year I participated in the

                                                                                                                               

Well the pieced Christmas tree ornaments are completed!

Do you remember when I showed them to you here?

I just had to show you a few of the completed ones!

Do you see the adorable Canary yellow rickrack with the metallic zigzag running through it?  Well....

You know that I really like a bargain, right?  We are all on the same page here, yes?  Well last summer I found a cute little plastic 1950's basket/tray... for $.25 and..........it was filled with notions.  1950's to 1970's sewing notions!!  seam binding, unopened packets of rickrack, buttons, zippers, needle threaders, snaps, etc.  And in that sweet little basket was not one but TWO unopened packages of Canary Rick Rack.

(This is the actual label!)

Okay now that we have gone down that rabbit trail....  I really don't know the purpose but I just had to share.  I mean its not every day you find unopened packages of 19 cent rickrack and its definitely not everyday you end up having a use for said rickrack.  Yeppers, I was tickled pink!  Still am for that matter.  And do you know what?  I still have a package of pink metallic rickrack!  I am thinking my  niece might enjoy a pieced Christmas tree with pink metallic rickrack because you know she is all about the bling.  :)

Have a great day!

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Pieced Christmas tree ornaments

In our effort to downsize and organize I discovered something... containers of this

(scraps won in a giveaway last year)

and this

(remnants from the same giveaway)

which was turned into these.

All that is left to do is add the trunk (ribbing off an old sweater), snowflake bead for the star (part of yard sale find) plus a hanger and they are done!

I LOVE repurposing!

(all components in this project were either remnants won in giveaways,  part of "package deal" at a yard sale or a from an article of clothing that was no longer usable.) 

Total cost: $.50 for the entire yard sale package deal which included many other usable items such a a bin of embroidery thread, needles, beads, and various other notions.

Hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!!

Happy Thanksgiving and a giveaway winner!

I wanted to wish each and every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving!  

I am so very blessed to be able to spend the day with my loving husband and "man children"!  

A simple meal enjoyed by all!  

A mocha pie for dessert many hours later.

and my "new" holiday table cloth.  Thank you very much Goodwill!  I love a bargain!!

(wow it sure does need ironed...)

And do you see this young man?  He just got accepted to IU Bloomington!!

(isn't it just wrong that the "boy" can grow a beard in a week?)

And now for the My Memories Suite giveaway winner...

Congratulations Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking 

Please contact me and we will get you set up with your very own copy!  I hope you enjoy it!

Once again Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't forget... MyMemories Suite giveaway ends Tuesday, Nov 22

Hey there!  I just wanted to remind everyone that the MyMemories Suite giveaway ends tomorrow at noon, EST.  Stop by here to leave a comment for a chance to win your free copy of MyMemories Suite.

More craft posts later this week....

Mon Petit Ouiseau bleu (my little bluebird) ornament

I have a confession to make... Remember how I always say I am not a girly girl?  How my idea of sparkly is old mercury glass and chrome?  Well there is a teeny tiny bit of girliness to me... I LOVE glitter!  Especially Martha Stewart glitter!  It makes me swoon.  Yes you read that correctly, SWOON!   But do I use it... nope! Not normally.  It sits on a shelf it its teeny, tiny little canisters catching the light, sparkling until November.  Yes, each and every November I bring out my minuscule canisters of Martha Stewart glitter when the conditions are just right.  Its normally a cold, windy day where the sun shines brightly so that it will glisten and sparkle even more.  And I make birds.  Doves, bluebirds, birds from old Christmas cards, cardinals, jays, and birds from pretty papers that once lived their lives as shopping bags (thank you Starbucks and Panera for such attractive wrappings!)  Out come the jars of clear glass beads to adorn birds made from old linen skirts, cast-off Carhartts, and sweaters long ago out grown.

So today I give the first in 2011's bird series.  My little bluebird who hangs askew but makes my heart sing!

mon petit ouiseau bleu

Version deux of mon petit ouiseau bleu living outside our room.

And mon petit ouiseau bleu back lit.

My Memories Suite and a giveaway!... ended

Recently I was contacted to try out some digital scrap booking software.  Years ago I tried my hand at scrap booking... the old fashioned way.  And do you know how many albums I completed?  ZERO!  Yes you read that correctly.  So I have to admit I was a bit nervous at first.  I mean I have all these papers and stamps and cutouts and letters and decorative thingies but could I make heads or tails of them.   It was a case of: does this border look good with this background?  Why is my handwriting always so wonky?  Does that sound corny? Ah man... I just wrote down the wrong date!  Yes sirree I was my worst enemy!!

Here is an example of what all you can do.

Well let me say I AM SOLD!  I love this.  Now all I need to do is have the first 10 or so years of our married life converted to digital and we will be in with Flynn! (so where exactly did that expression originate?) I love it as you can make scrapbook layouts, photo books, cards, and even videos!  Do you know what I think is one of the best features??? Their customer support!  I can not believe how quickly they responded to my questions or how thorough the responses were!  

So now for the giveaway.... one of my readers will win their very own copy of My Memories Suite digital scrap booking software.  (You do NOT have to be a follower on my blog to enter!  I just want you to have the opportunity to win a wonderful product!!)

To enter to win:

1. Please visit www.MyMemories.com and choose your favorite digital paper pack or layout, then leave a comment telling me which one you chose.  


For extra entries you may follow the MyMemories blog, their FB page and Twitter page.

2. MyMemories Blog
3. Like  MyMemories Facebook page
4. Follow My Memories on Twitter

So there you have it, 4 chances to enter.... one for leaving a comment and the other three for following MyMemories blog, FB page and Twitter page.


The giveaway is open until Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011 noon EST. 


Also once the are 10,00 fans on the MyMemories FB page an iPad will be given away.  All you have to do is LIKE their page to be eligible to win!



And for all of my readers who would like to purchase the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software I have a special Share the Memories code that provides a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com
store - $20 value!)





Just click on this link for MyMemories Suite and copy and paste this code STMMMS41020          

Garden dress form to craft room beauty

Isn't she a beauty?  I have to admit I LOVED her our first summer here.  She looked so lovely wearing a dress of lavender clematis... and then IT occurred our second summer.  She became a hideous blob, her fine lines and delicate shape overrun with in a tangled web of vines.  And to be honesty my family did not appreciate her. In fact they found her to be rather creepy/freaky.  Hmpph.. what's a girl supposed to do?  I ripped her out!  Yes you read that correctly!!  We moved the clematis to a much more user friendly are and this lovely lady, well she had a little makeover.  Last night.. while it was raining.  But now...

Isn't she stunning?!  

where she sits primly in the corner awaiting adornment.

Here is what has been going on the past several weeks.  Lots of painting.  The cabinets to the left of the desk were part of this find. You just heard about the desk and shelf just the other day.

I am so excited as this room is closer to completion.  See I share this room.. at the moment it is with the musicians in our family but we haven't moved their things in yet.  The next phase of the project is to finish sorting fabric, craft supplies, and packaging supplies.  After that, its researching how to build a drop down table for sewing projects.  If you have any ideas or have ever made one I would love your input!

yard sale desk makeover

Do you remember when I mentioned all of the great yard sale finds here?  Well later in the day we went back and bought this beauty.  She was a bit rough looking as her top was bubbled, blistered and peeling (which was my bargaining chip as many people had passed her by for that very reason!!)

(I forgot to take a picture of her prior to chipping of all the veneer... I know bad blogger, bad! ha ha!!)

Well here is my lovely after a good cleaning with her new top and her handles all spiffied up.

(please disregard the colorful cabinets on the left... i think they are getting a little makeover as well)

We will see how well the paint on the handles hold up as I did a minimal clean on them and then it started to rain.  I was getting a bit impatient so I rushed things a bit....   I can hardly wait to have the "spare" room completed!!  Here's a sneak peak of a little something else for the room.... it was a shelf my father-in-law made over 20 years ago back when he was getting back into wood working after a 20 year hiatus.  I am amazed at how far he has come in the past 20 years!!

(I don't know if I mentioned it before but this is a truly a minimal budget project.  The only thing I've purchased new is the paint and it was with a voucher from some returned items.  Everything else was to be under $10 for furniture pieces or something we already owned and repurposed.)

I hope you are having a wonderful autumn and are taking time to reflect on the season!

Linking to:

Thrifty Decor Chick

Wild/old fashioned cottage roses... handmade home

 (actual size)

Yes you see the fruit of my latest obsession.  

Wild roses, cottage roses, and french knots!

Okay in all honesty it is nothing new.  I have loved wild roses and old fashioned cottage roses for almost as long as I can remember and french knots were one of the first embroidery stitches I learned as a child.   And to be able to craft them and see them lying about when they are out of season, well lets just say it makes me VERY happy.  The one thing I almost forgot to mention is the fact that this fabulous little rose is made from none other then... a polyester shirt I found at a yard sale for... $.25, yes 25 cents!  Not only did I save a dated blouse from the landfill but it was quite the savings as well.  I love a bargain!

joining in at:

         





linking to:

Thrifty Decor Chick

Autumn... a time of changes

Sorry for the absence... wow I really say that a lot don't I?  Okay I'll have to be honest with you here.  My blog takes a backseat to everything else in my life a LOT.  In fact a number of things have taken a backseat to... to what you ask.  Unproductive busyness to a degree but mostly day to day living,  You see we have a number of things going on in our lives right now that are not ready to be revealed and a few things which are personal.   You know things like gathering information, research, accounting, and well, stuff.  I know so eloquent! ha ha.  And yes there are a few possible major changes in our lives.  Here's just a few.... our eldest graduates from high school in May/June, we are about to finish up Dave Ramsey's FPU, the on-going battle with clutter (we are starting to win!), the prospect of writing for a new e-zine with the possibility of a regular column,  the reworking of this blog (to include a name change!), and last but not least.... the possibility of opening an etsy shop.

Below is a comment I left on a blog recently and it describes my "home" loves because my family falls far above all of these things.

"OKay I have to admit I love to be in the kitchen... not just cooking but creating and recreating! Funny since I avoided the kitchen like the plague growing up. See I have champagne tastes on a shasta budget (super cheap soda)! So I love to recreate all the exotic jams, jellies, spice mixes, sauces, cookies, candies, beverages, and breads that I can. I love the sights and smells of freshly ground spices and fresh herbs. But that is not all... I love canning jars, bale jars, and wood... old terra cotta, glass bottles converted into drinking glasses, homemade pasta, crocheted washcloths, embroidered flour sack towels... basically a handmade home! So I guess if I were to ever even consider writing an ebook it would be about those very things I LOVE... you know this may even be an inspiration for a new blog makeover!"

After much discussion with my husband and much prayer, this is exactly what I am going to do!!  I will be working hard to document OUR handmade home! passing on ideas and projects of the things I enjoy...
  

but for now I am leaving you with some of my inspirations via Pinterest.

(no link on pinterest)

kitchenisms.com

injennieskitchen.com

harbourbreeze.blogspot.com

http://homeremediesrx.blogspot.com/2010/12/vignette-on-cheap.html

hartsdesire.wordpress.com

via pinmarklet

And I would like to welcome everyone who is visiting from