CHRISTMAS AND OTHER EXCITEMENTS

Today I added another pretty to my blog. It is a 'count down' til Christmas. Couldn't help myself. Christmas is my favorite time of the year. Living in the South all my life, we never have a white Christmas. Had a white New Years Eve back around 1963. But, that is as close as we have ever come in my life. In December 2008 I was lucky enough to get to spend Christmas in Wasilla, Alaska. Just down the road a ways from Sarah Palin, no less. Anyway, it was breathtaking. They were measuring the snow in feet up there. On Christmas Day it snowed all day. Not a blizzard, but 7 inches. Just steady. It was beautiful. We played, we cooked, every window shade was open so we could see outside. Just beautiful. When I find my disc that has those pictures, I will post them. I had a computer meltdown last year and almost lost them. Oh, in case you are wondering. My brother Owen and his family live up there. Moved there in 2005. Took a cruise to Alaska, fell in love with state, and when an opening in the company he works for came up, they jumped on it and moved north to Alaska. He had never lived outside of Alabama, either. And yeah, I have thought about it, even looked for a job up there while visiting. Interviewed, but the folks kept messing around and never seemed to make up their minds. Anyway, if I had moved up there, I probably would not have met Don and wouldn't have gotten married last year. Things happen the way they are supposed to. As much as I loved Alaska, I love Don more, but, it is still the most beautiful place (with or without snow) that I have ever seen.
Guess that is about it. If you want one of those 'count down' buttons, just click on it and follow the site. They have them for all kinds of holidays and events. They are fun if nothing else.
Happy Sunday,
Mary

Well, it's the end of the week. Already. My mother (in her late 80's) said it seemed to her that "they" had figured out how to speed up time. It sure seems to me that the days are shorter and pile on top of each other faster than they did when I was younger.
Today Don and I went to a birthday party for a friend of ours from church that was celebrating his 80th birthday. A really nice man. Walter has been in and out of my life for the last 20 years or so. He had his family (a whole lot of them and not all were there) around him tonite and he seemed pleased with them and his life. Oh, all of them have had their heartaches and ups and downs. Life has not been easy for any of them. But they all seemed happy to be together. Happy Birthday Walter and many many more.
That get together seemed a lot like the family reunions my family used to go to when I was growing up. I loved them. Didn't know the names of half of the cousins but it didn't matter. We knew we were all related and that was all that counted. Just a fantastic time spent together catching up on what had happened since we last met together and enjoying each other.
On a different note. My Aunt Mary is having her 89th birthday next Wednesday. Over the years I have made her vests (with pockets, she had to have pockcts for her hankies) out of all kinds of fabrics . She loves vests! Well, she has lost weight and wanted me to take all of them up. I have 8 that I am working on. The good thing is they are all fully lined. I used the same pattern for the outside and lining. So it will be easy to take them apart and recut them and sew them back up. I will have to move the pockets a little. When I made them it took only 2 to 3 hours start to finish to make each of them. Lining them is a whole lot easier than doing facings. One of them I beaded some of the pattern of pumkins and such on the fabric and I may do some more if I can work fast enough. She likes the beading. I'll put some pictures out tomorrow. Til then hope all of you are enjoying God's Grace.
Mary

COOL AIR AND SUCESS

First, a huge THANK YOU !! to Debbi at Marionberry Cottage for walking me thru the badge problem. I now have a real pair of badges on my blog. One is a link to Debbi. Be sure and check it out. It links to her web site and blog and etsy site. This lady is reallllly talented and has the prettiest cottage chic items and sites. http://www.marionberrycottage.com/

Second, it has cooled off here in central Alabama. Faint and fall out. (I just about did!!) Sunday was beautiful but so hot you could not breathe. I felt like I was trying to breath under water it was sooooo humid. Then we got up Monday morning and it was cool. Like we looked at each other and wondered if an angel might have left an airconditioner in our window. Stunning. We have not had a single day since the first of June that was out of 90's. We didn't know how to act!! Don and I did absolutely NOTHING all day. Just layed around and enjoyed the cool air and read books. Both of us love to read. He likes WEB Griffin and such although he also likes to read romances. This is my Special Forces (12 yrs). Smoke jumping , forest fire fighting husband and he enjoyes the same romance books I do. There is a God and He loves His children. Never in a million years did I think I would find such a macho man that is a romantic. Of course I didn't "find" him. God sent him to me. Thank you Lord. Anyway, we are going to enjoy this weather as long as it lasts.
Guess that is about all for today. Thank you Lord for the beautiful COOL weather.
Mary

RAIN AND WIDGETS-BADGES AND WHATEVER

I got up real early this morning (5am) and thought I would try some more to worry with the badge/ gadget/widget (what ever they are) problem. Yes if you think you detect a hint LOL of frustration you have only hit the tip of the iceburg. I spent the whole morning reading helps (if you can't ask the right question, you don't get the right answer). I was in tears and finally signed off the computer, fixed my self another cup of coffee and watched the rain.
While my husband (he just shakes his head and from a cautious distance) asks have you got them figured out and fixed yet?? I just growled. I should state at this point that I am a redhead, born and raised, and this problem is really getting me down. It just can't be that hard. Everyone has them on their blogs. What am I doing wrong????

On a brighter note, while Don was on the computer this morning, I cut lace to put in bundles and get ready to post on http://www.MarysFabricNStuff.etsy.com later today. I also have some beautiful fabrics for altered art, crazy quilting, mixed media and scrapbookking I will list later today. Be sure and check them out.

For now I guess I will say bye.
Mary

PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS

Today has been frustrating. I have joined a cottage group and would love to add a badge? to link to the group, but everything I try does not work. This has to be the only time I every really miss working in an office. I could always ask the IT folks how to do anything. Now I have no one to talk to. It can't be too hard since it seems everyone but me has them on their blogs. I tried the gadgets thing here and it kept saying there are errors. I will keep trying sooner or later something will work.

On a brighter note here are some more pretties I have made.

I made my own fringe on the strawberry purse. It is dangling strawberries that are beaded.

The nautical tote has beaded dangles with beads and real shells.

The turquoise ribbon rose brooch has 3 ribbon roses that I made, plus beaded dangles.

I really enjoy making ribbon flowers. It is better than taking a tranquillizer. It just calms my soul to sit with a needle and thread and a piece of ribbon and create something pretty.

Be sure and check out a really cool cottage chic place at http://www.etsycottagestyle.ning.com

Lots of talented ladies showcasing lots and lots of beautiful things.

Peace to all of you. Mary

MARY'S RETURN

It has been almost a year since my last post. Life has been a roller coaster. Financial insecurities have abounded. We have had them and our friends have had them. All I think to do is PRAY AND PRAY HARD. I have a loving husband and we stand together to face everything. This is the first time to have the loving husband and he is truely a blessing. To know that someone is covering your back no matter what happens.

I have joined some groups online. The first is ETSY COTTAGE STYLE. I have never been a part of a group of artists before. This something totally new for me. I have three shops on ETSY and to be honest none have done well. It is totally my fault. I have not given them the time and effort they deserved and hopefully that will change. So much has gone on at home with my adjusting to married life and trying to find a balance there plus having to learn to keep house (a nightmare for me), I have just ignored my crafting life. I don't even keep my sewing machine plugged in all the time. Once upon a time I could truthfully say I never went a DAY without sewing something. That is going to change. I have started going thru my stash (a couple of mountains) of fabric and have been selling and giving away tons of fabric. Anyone involved with making service quilts and such for charities like children's hospitals and for our service men and women, just contact me. I have lots and lots more to go thru and I am willing to contribute good first quality cottons to such groups. Email me at marysrosecottage@yahoo.com and we will talk.

I have a new computer and am still learning how to navigate thru Windows 7. That has been an adventure. I am not a computer nerdette and will never be one except in my dreams. With me it is hit, miss, and PRAY. The more I learn the better I like Windows 7.

Back to the group. Back when Mother and I were doing shows, we had each other and we talked to other crafters at shows and that was fine. Now that she is gone and I have been alone and not doing shows I have felt very isolated from the crafting and fiber artists. I read on line a lot of blogs and comments but have never felt that comfortable joining in.

I am going to give it a try. At my age the is no longer "later" to do things. It is now or never. I have tons of designs in my head and on paper. I am going to try to create all of them. I love the challenge of solving problems, creating fancy from the bare bones. Recently I created a sleeveless "tuxedo jacket" in gold lame fabric for a really large man using a vest pattern. It had tails and everything. I did it in one day. All I had was his measurements. I wish I had a picture of that, but the batteries were dead in my camera and I didn't have time to get any extras. This past February a lady called right out of the blue and asked if I could make a handbag with cats and teal colors in it. I had the perfect fabric, but the cat fabric had denim blue accents instead of teal. So I took teal and gray embroidery floss and mixed them and over stitched the blue parts of a tapestry weave fabric. I do have pics of that. The one of the fabric shows the different blue colors. The lady was happy and that is really all that counts. I think I have rambled on enough for one day . Have blessed day and remember "PRAYER REALLY WORKS!!"