Happy New Year!

From my little house to yours, i wish you all a Happy New Year!

Our First Snowstorm

We knew it was coming! But so far, every snow storm that has come thru here has just missed us...until this one. I woke up this morning and it was still pretty dark out. I went to the front door and found this....

We got a snowy white blanket of 14.5 inches of snow overnight.

But inside all was warm, calm, and bright. Within minutes Lola's "fairy tree" was lit

Here is a close up of the fairies and mermaids she has loved since she was a baby. I love those chubby little figures!

and the little ceramic Christmas tree was lit...the one that belonged to my Grandmother Mary. And the three little angels standing over the baby Jesus live on the altar year round.

Our little Christmas tree is a tiny one, but covered with special ornaments either given or made just for us.

and here is the little Nativity my Parents bought for us years ago. Lola loves to play with the figures. You never know where you'll find the Baby Jesus !

And here is the tree i made for my husband Bill when we were first dating so long ago. I really don't mind being snowed in. I'm surrounded by so many lovely things this time of year....I hope you are happy and warm today and surrounded by the people and things you love!

Christmas Happiness

Lola decorating her own ornaments here with me to be given as gifts. A simple little gift that can become an heirloom... I did this same thing with my daughters and now i am doing this little art project with my granddaughter. I still have the ornaments and refrigerator magnets my girls made for me all those years ago. They are my treasures. I see life repeating itself in a good way and all i can do is smile. This is Christmas Happiness to me...

Merry Christmas Everyone

I love Santa Claus...Especially this one! My Dad dressed as Santa that year a long time ago at the daycare center where i worked and my daughter Katie(now a grown woman)attended class, and is pictured here sitting on his lap. She never knew it was him...

I love this time of year. I love Christmas and celebrating Jesus' birthday. I want to wish all my wonderful friends and family out there and Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Christmas Chaplets

I made these little Chaplets for two of my Loved Ones this Christmas. For those who are not familiar with these prayer beads, chaplets are little rosaries specifically dedicated to a favorite Saint or cause.
This one i made for our friend Pat. It is called The Chaplet of Our Lady, The Star of the Sea. The prayer that is said with this Chaplet is said to protect Loved Ones at Sea. Pat's grandson Danny is in the Navy, and is on his way to dangerous waters. I hope when Pat holds this little rosary, she finds peace of mind...

And this one i made for my best friend, my Mother. It is The Chaplet of Saint Patrick. My Mom has always been very connected to her Irish heritage, and has had many hard losses in her close and loving family lately. I hope she likes it.

Ever since i was a child, i have been fascinated with prayers beads of all kinds. It gives me pleasure to make them and give them as special gifts to those i love.

Gipetto Gets a Haircut

Our Gipetto is the only dog left here that ever needs a haircut. He is part poodle and part maltese, and when his hair gets too long it is a groomer's nightmare. Our friend Chiloe at The Animal House has been my groomer for many years now, and always gives our old Geeps such tender loving care. But it sure does tire him out!

Oops! Something or somebody just ran by, disturbing his sleep

But he is used to the action around here and curls right back up for his nap. Gipetto will be 19 years young in June. What a Blessing to have our old friend with us for so long...

Sitting Under Someones Christmas Tree

These two little bunnies are ready to go and sit under someones Christmas Tree! I sure do hope they make their little girl happy! Pat, they are ready to go, and the girl bunny now has a soft pink dress with a hot pink scarf! Merry Christmas!

New Critters in the Etsy Shop!

New critters have been added to the Etsy shop, just in time for Christmas!

There's Puddin the bear

and Petal

and Freckles too!
All bears are hand knit with love, in either acrylic or a wool /acrylic blend yarn, and stuffed with polyfil. Their faces are hand embroidered on so that they are safe for children of all ages. All new critters are about 9" tall, and made with Love.

And introducing my "Sweater Scrap" dolls! I purchase old wool sweaters from the Goodwill shops, and wash them so that they are clean,soft and felted just right. Then i cut out the shapes and sew them together without a set pattern, so each doll is one of a kind.

This little Bun is the first of many more to come! AND i just found out he is featured in an Etsy Treasury called "She's Such a Doll" (Thank you Trashy Diva!) I think any of these guys would love to be nestled under a Christmas tree....

Hangin with the Pack

Here's a typical scene in the kitchen around here. Safou, our African Grey, is a "free range" parrot, and seems to be bound and determined to be a dog and join the pack. The problem with that is, if one of the dogs gets too close he or she will be nipped in the nose or butt, depending on what end presents itself to Mr. Grumpy
(the feathered "dog")

Never a dull moment around here...

Holiday Busy-ness

I haven't been very good at keeping up with my blog on what is going on around here this year... I have several "experiences" documented in photos that i meant to put up as posts, but never did get to it! We had a mini vacation in the Fall, a trip to Lake Placid, and some nice trips to Indian Ladder Farm to visit the farm animals with Lola too. Maybe during the dark cold Winter months i can add those to the blog. But for now, I have been so busy with making special things for the Holidays that i haven't had time to catch up!

This past weekend i was asked to put some paintings up on the walls at The Marketplace Gallery (thank you Samson) and my daughter Kate and i participated in a holiday craft fair there too. Between making hats and cowls and scarves and dolls for the craft fair and the shops in downtown Troy, there hasn't been much spare time to sit and post or read my favorite blogs.

Of course, i know right after the Holidays things will slow down and i will be able to stock my Etsy shop and make some things i have been wanting to try out.. Here are just a few of the dolls i had for the craft fair, and right after we packed up and left that show, most of the dolls went right into inventory in the brick and mortar shops downtown. I hope you are busy doing things you Love and are getting ready for the wonderful Holidays ahead!

A new member of the family

This is little Stella...She is the newest member of our family. I'm sorry about the dark and grainy pictures, but i was in a rush to introduce her to you all, and she seems to be a bit camera shy. She actually ducks and turns away when she sees me with the camera pointed at her. So these are the best pictures i have of her so far. She was a much loved member of my cousin's family, but when her four legged friends passed away (she is 7 years old) she became a bit depressed and her loving humans thought that maybe she would be happier in a place where she could be with other dogs.At first i wondered if this place would be TOO much for Stella. That blur in the picture is Zinnia and Little Honey playing with each other... And we have an Open Door Policy here at the house, so we have folks dropping in all the time, day and night. It is a lot for a body to get used to if that is not your normal way you know.

I was especially worried about Thanksgiving Day. We were having everyone here for dinner and there were at one time about 16 to 18 people of all ages, shapes and sizes in this little house. But you know, those people are all dog lovers, and very loving people in general. And little Stella, who i call Stella Bella, found plenty of laps and arms to be sheltered in, and she did just fine. I have a feeling she will be a special friend to my Mom and Dad, who make a big fuss over her for sure.

As the days go on and Stella becomes part of the pack here, she also becomes a part of my heart. Thank you Mand and Celie. We love her very much. And i promise better pictures soon!(IF she co-operates! ;)

Let there be Peace on Earth

My painting "Peace" was featured in an Etsy Treasury today! What an honor to be featured in a treasury, and especially one about Peace on Earth...Thank you LulaBelle! Click on the link to check it out!
Let there be Peace on Earth by LulaBelle143 on Etsy#4cf56c944f746d91ff207b74

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends out there! I thought i would share a treasured piece of art with you ~ Lola's first "hand turkey" Have a great day everyone!

It's Getting Cold Out There...

Yep...We are seeing signs that the weather is changing around here!
Like a bit of snuggling against a hot radiator...

or finding a little patch of sun to stretch out in...

piles of dogs in the dog beds snuggled together and getting that old body heat going....

or just laying in front of the fire...Winter is coming. And this year i find myself looking forward to it, which really surprises me. How about you? Are you ready for the snow to fly?

Baking Bread with Love

I'm still making the bread i started over a year ago with this recipe . It truly is a sourdough bread now. Lola calls it "Gumma Bread" and eats a lot of it when she is here. And she loves to help me bake. We've recently started making cookies together with her favorite cookie cutters, and bought all kinds of "sprinkles" to top them with. And we are using some of the treasured cookie cutters that i got from my Grandmother Mary too...Some of them are very very old.

I hope all of these little things we do together stay with her as good memories and cherished traditions, just like the ones i have kept with me from my time with my Grandmother and my Family. I think we have a good start at it!

It's Me!

In all the photo albums that clutter up my computer storage space, there are very few pictures of me. That's because i am usually on the other side of the camera lens, and am the one who tends to take all the pictures around here!

The other morning Lola was visiting and picked up my camera and started taking my picture while i was on the phone with my Mom. And you know, they are some of the nicest pictures of me that i have! (please excuse the bathrobe!)

And as you know better than anybody, there is no shortage of pictures of this girl!

My Little Helper

My house is filled with green growing things. Every windowsill and table top is occupied. I have almost as many trees on the inside as i do on the outside! So feeding and watering the plants can be a full time job.

But with help like this

the job gets easier!