Old Fashioned and Country at Heart

I love simple things. (My husband jokes that's why I like him! ) True, but when I say "simple", I mean things that aren't complicated, that you can look at and tell what the message is without a bunch of yabberty gibberish...



That's why I like this shop on Etsy called Stickle Creek Store.
(http://www.sticklecreekstore.etsy.com/)





Shop owner Vicky Stanifer, ( who just happens to be my much OLDER sister) , quilts and stitches these darling pictures that will guaranteed bring a smile to your face, if not an out loud chuckle! Her designs are whimsical and they tell a story. You won't find something like these in any store and for the price she has them at, they are an artistic bargain.





These are just a few samples of the story pictures she has designed on her own , you really should visit her shop to see what else she has, you will really enjoy seeing her creativity!

How it All Began...

Whenever I go to a fabric store,or craft store...I nearly always get asked what I am buying my items for. After all, who goes up to a cutting table and has a stack of material and asks for 1/4 yard please on all of these...maybe some, but I must be a little odd becasue I always get asked.

I usually have to go into a long explanation of what I do and how I got started...and it's interesting to see what kinds of reactions I get. I really don't even know how I got the idea to do my character creations ...it started as a seed idea and has developed over the past few years...

My mom gave my husband a dollhouse kit about 5 years back, hinting that she would like him to put it together for her. My husband loves doing that kind of thing, so in his spare time that was what he did...worked on the house. It was a large Victorian style...and it got me to looking. I looked for dolls to put in it. I started having a bit of sticker shock when I saw the priciness of dollhouse dolls...and that got me to wondering what I could do to contribute to the Victorian dollhouse. Basically after searching the net, and seeing clothespin dolls that others have made, I took off with the idea and started learning by trial and error. I actually made my mom over 50 dolls that year to go with the house Hubby made....

I shudder to think about my first dolls...I thought they were really good then, but when I look at them now it reminds me of when you look at a photo of yourself..."Did I really look like that???"

Ugh! Well, I have learned a lot since then and taught myself along the way some tricks, techniques, and things not to do when designing. It is quite gratifying when you realize you have overcome some bad ideas with some really good ones, and developed enough that you have a lot more confidence in what you do.

I truly love what I do...and it is so fun for me to feel that I can make just about any person if I give it enough thought. I used to avoid things that I thought would be too hard ....but now I make myself try it. If a few go in the trash, so be it...that's how we learn and stretch ourselves, isn't it?

Now, off I go to see what new character I can challenge myself with!

In Honor of the Warmer Weather Sure to Come

There are some things I love about winter....

I like the coziness of sitting inside watching the cold wind blow, the snow falling, the pinging of ice pellets hitting the window, the howling of the wind outside while I sit and do my art work while I mock the bitter weather as I stay warm and sip hot tea. And I like sledding, yes, even at my age!

I like the way snow looks on the plowed fields where I live...sort of looks like white icing on chocolate cake! And when ice coats the trees and plants all around...I can't help but admire the way it makes everything look as if it is coated in sparkly glass, sort of magical looking!

The things I don't like about winter? Driving in it, the high heating bills, going out to retrieve my mail and nearly freezing to death just to find out I got more bills and no one sent me any money to pay them!

At any rate, I thought I would share a few finds that will make you think of spring and perhaps add cheer to your drooping heart. Check these out!

This sweet and soft bunny pillow found at http://www.norajane.etsy.com/ :

From http://www.sugarandflour.etsy.com/.sugarandflour.etsy.com/ , these adorable and tasty looking bunny and carrot sugar cookies:

A pretty and inexpensive touch of spring from http://www.sallyrags.etsy.com/ :

And finally...everyone needs a new piece of clothing to wear to remind them it's nearly spring!

From http://www.sewinggeek.etsy.com/ :

Make sure to stop by these shops and see if it doesn't make you yearn for spring!

Since it is Almost Valentine's Day...

When I began dating , (long ago) I knew there were certain qualities I had to have in a potential husband. A sense of humor was one of them. I tested every guy I seriously dated to see what kind of person they were in this capacity. My sister and I to this day call it the "dirt clod test."

Why? Because there once was a guy I dated in college who traveled over 8 hours to come see me one time. Since most of my family happened to be there and we all went out to the front yard to watch everyone practice golf swings. As they bent over, I would take tiny little clods of dirt and try to hit the obvious "target."

Everyone was cracking up except this guy. He kept a complete and expressionless face the whole time. Not even a slight smile....and he was like that the rest of the day. Ok, not everyone thinks things like that are funny. That's fine, but I knew then he wasn't for me.

When I began dating my husband of 20 plus years, we had just dated a short time when I decided he needed to be tested. ( I lacked dirt clods at the time, so I tested him another way... )

We sat in his living room and he got up to go to the restroom.

I saw a coat closet by his front door and saw it had slatted door. I got up quickly and hid in it and waited. Sure enough he comes back, looks startled, and begins wandering all over the place looking for me. He even went outside. I was terrible...I stayed in that closet for at least 15 minutes and watched him going and looking and looking so puzzled.

I finally called to him from behind the door and told him I was in the closet. He laughed and sort of shook his head at me. I think that was the beginning of what was to be a pattern in our marriage.

He still does that head shaking and chuckling at me , and with good reason I must confess. But at least I knew and still know he has a sense of humor, otherwise he would have never married me!

Wishing you all a special Valentine's Day with those you love!

Incredible Knitting

Someone shared this link with me and it was so fascinating, I just had to share.

This lady knits with the tiniest knitting needles I have ever seen and makes exquisite knit wear in miniature size.

It's a must see if you do knitting, love miniature, or are into crafting of any kind!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT5MFdAB7fI

Let Me Rephrase That !

Have you ever said something and soon as the words came out you realized how bad , funny, or dumb it sounded? I know I sure have, more times than I care to admit..but I guess that's why we are supposed to think before we speak..something I really need improving on...(which is why I am careful about what I say in my blogs! :)


An example of this was when I was in a church business meeting once. I sat in the back in case I fell asleep, or wanted to make remarks to whomever I was sitting next to without being overheard...not that I would have said anything bad, mind you....


The pastor got up and made a solemn announcement, "There was a break- in in the church office last night ..." Everyone looked at each other tsking and tsking when he said this.


Someone asked if anything was taken. The pastor said, "Well, they did break into Mrs. Franklin's drawers, but they didn't take anything." (Mrs. Franklin was the rather prim and proper staunch church secretary...)


(Drawers??? Which kind of drawers???)







I overheard someone whispering rather loudly to their seat mate, "Bet they didn't find anything in her drawers they wanted!"

By that time several guffaws were heard, and a few even had to leave to collect themselves from laughing so hard. The funniest thing was, the pastor had no idea that what he had just said sounded so funny. At any rate, I never forgot it and still laugh about it to this day.



It did serve a purpose though, it made me rethink about saying things and having them come out in a way I never intended! It's great if it comes out and makes others laugh, but not so good when it makes someone mad!