WELL, NOW THE CHRISTMAS FUN CAN BEGIN~

I joined a group called Bella Creations Group a while back. http://bellacreations.ning.com/ is a really nice group of artists with really varied interest.  Friendly folks willing to post free tutorials of many varied techniques for lots of different mediums of art.  If you haven't noticed it yet, give it a check out to see if you might be interested in joining, it is FREE!!! There is one group that is dedicated to all things fabric and they have a monthly challenge *** WITH PRIZES***. So here is my entry: these trees are 12 to15 inches tall and 6 to 8 inches wide, and light in weight. I designed these to sit on an office desk, or hospital table or nursing home room.

Come on by and join the fun at Bella Creations group.  There really is something for all types of artists.

I am also linking with Pink Saturday over at How Sweet the Sound blog http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/12/pink-saturday-december-3-2011.html

God's blessing to all of you.
Mary

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!

On this Thanksgiving Eve, Don and I want to wish all of our blog followers a Blessed Thanksgiving.  We are spending today remembering the Thanksgivings from our past.  Cruising thru Google images we found some pics that reminded us of those days long gone.

The Norman Rockwell image was closest to my past.  Thanksgiving was usually at my Grandparents Nelson. There would be as many as could be squeezed around their dining room table. Although they never put the 'uncut' turkey on the table, it would be a hugh one (20+ pounds) sliced on platters (one for dark meat and one for white meat, [I am a dark meat person]). There would be cranberry sauce and a cranberry congealed salad (both homemade and oh so gooood!!). Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top,cornbread dressing,  greenbeans out of one of our gardens, sliced tomatoes,giblet gravy, hot rolls with real butter, ice tea, and for desert would be Aunt Mary's chess pies, Grandmother's pound cake, Mama's chocolate cake, and chocolate covered mints. 

Now tomorrow Don and I will have turkey (20+pounds) (I don't know how to cook any other size), turnip greens, canned cranberry sauce, dressing (Pepperridge Farms Herb dressing mix), cornbread muffins, mashed white potatoes ( I never had these for Thanksgiving or Christmas until I married Don and he never had one without it!!), giblet gravy, coffee or lemonade. Pumpkin pie for desert. Following in the American tradition I will spend the morning in the kitchen (starting around 6am) and we will eat around 2pm. The first Thanksgiving I fixed it took Don only 17 minutes to eat dinner.  8 hours work for me and 17 minutes for him to eat.  That's about right for us. HoHum.
I hope all of you are with your families and do take your time eating dinner even if it is only tacos or hamburgers.

I added Charlie Brown and Snoopy because I always watched their Holiday specials. And I am adding this next pic just because it is pretty.

I am linking this post to Vintage Thingie Thursday
http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/2011/11/vintage-thingie-thursday-vintage-recipe.html
and here is my thingie.  This little turkey dates back to the 1980's and I bought it go in a flower arrangement for Thanksgiving. Been using it every year (not always in a flower arrangement). To be mostly styrofoam he has held up pretty good over the years.

Enjoy the meal and remember to give thanks for all our blessing. We are looking forward to some peace and quiet.
Don and Mary

MADE IN USA GIFTS ~ BIRTH OF A NEW TRADITION ~ BORROWED FROM DONNA

I have never just stolen a blog entry from someone else, but today starts a new era in my life.  I borrowed this from Donna at GG Creative Corner blog.  It  concerns a subject very dear to my heart.  When my mother and I started doing craftshows on a regular basis we used Palencia broadcloth by Springs Fabric Co. in  solid colors to make our aprons and bonnets. It was not expensive, we could buy it at Hancocks and WalMart. It come in dozens of beautiful colors and the biggest plus was you could sew bright Christmas red with white fabric and guarrentee the customer that when washed THE RED WOULD NOT FADE ON THE WHITE. It did not wrinkle bad when washed and dried in a dryer and it DID NOT SHRINK!!  AND ALL OF THE FABRIC WAS MADE IN THE USA.  This was in the 80's and 90's. Then in the later 90's I noticed a change in both the quality, limited colors and low and behold that some of the bolts of fabric were made in far off countries.  It has been years now since I have seen any made in the USA.
 Used to be at Walmart when you walked in the door there were banners proclaiming " WalMart supports
America ~ Buy Made in the USA" !! I have not seen one of those signs in over a decade.  You are hard pressed to find ANYTHING at WalMart made in the USA today.  And don't let them tell you 'we (Walmart) can't find that item made in the USA'. WalMart either owns the companies outright or they control them financially because of the sheer volumn of orders from WalMart. If WalMart wanted it made in the USA, it would be. They are the 10 ton elephant in the room.  So are Target and a lot of other retailers.  They have the control.  Well, so do we as the buyer.  If we had the guts to do without a little while and refuse to buy the JUNK made in other countries we would NOT have the trade deficits that are killing our country economically.
 All of this brings me to Donna's post which she received from a friend. Donna's blog is a collection of pretty photos of home, family and her artwork.  I have enjoyed reading it.  Here is her post from Nov 6, 2011

So, here is the Birth of a New Tradition.

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!

It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down the Benjamines on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift
certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.

My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.

OK, you were looking for something more personal? Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre.

Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.

THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

Post it to discussion groups -- throw up a post on Craigslist in the Rants and Raves section in your city -- send it to the editor of your local paper and radio stations, and TV news departments. This is a revolution of caring about each other, and isn't that what Christmas is about?

Now, I don't know who wrote this, like I said, I received it from two sources and figure I'll have more in my inbox as it get's closer to Christmas.

Let's not forget all of the wonderful blogging people we know who have Esty shops. There are some breath taking items in these shops. And, we'd be supporting each other. Prayer is our biggest gift to another, in my opinion.

Do what you like with this post. I took it from my email to share with all of you. Feel free to share this as well!

Abundant blessings, and may you have a Merry Christmas!!

Donna 

Here is a link to her blog. http://grandma4five.blogspot.com/2011/11/birth-of-new-tradition.html
I hope you will read the entire post. And check out the rest of her blog. If you like hummingbirds she had a great post (with pics) of 'her' hummingbirds and feeders. Fantastic!
Think about what is written above. It is OUR LIVES, OUR FAMILIES' FUTURE at stake here. Our children and grandchildren are going to inherit this mess. It won't be fixed over night, it took decades to get where we are now, but it will never be 'fixed' if we don't start today. 
I hope you all have a great weekend.
May God shed his blessings on each of you.
Mary

YELLOW CANARIES ~ FREE IMAGES ~ A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE

You know it is really strange the things that will trigger a walk down memory lane.  I was visiting some of the free image sites I have collected looking for some interesting Christmas vintage images and happened across this image on BUMBLE BUTTON (she has beautiful vintage images that are free, a lot I have never seen anywhere else).  http://bumblebutton.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-10-10T19:02:00-07:00&max-results=7 

Now, everyone is crazy about birds and birdcages, and I am one of the devotee's of that passion.  But this particular pic brought back some memories that have not been dusted off in a long time.  My Grandmother Nelson had a yellow canary when I was a young (6-10 yr old). The cage hung in the kitchen on the wall opposite the windows. I can remember it was round and kinda fancy like this one. Grandmother had made a little cover that was gathered and could be pulled around the cage.  The canary was female and named Bobbie.  She could sing so pretty, but sometimes Grandmother got tired of her singing and would cover it up so she would stop singing. 
 I had to call my Aunt Mary (at the nursing home) to find out what the bird's name was and I also found out that 'Bobbie' was Aunt Mary's bird orginally, and my Grandfather Nelson (Aunt Mary's and my mother's father) thought she (the bird) was so great that he talked Aunt Mary out of the bird and that he was the one that actually took care of her. Aunt Mary couldn't remember how long they had Bobbie.  I don't either, but I do remember that when Bobbie died, we (the grandchildren) had a funeral for her in the backyard at my grandparent's house. Near Grandfather's prize winning dahlia's.
That was something else we did as children.  We thought enough and cared enough for our pets that we took very good care of all of them when they were alive and when they died (be it dogs, cats, turtles or birds or goldfish) they were all given a respectful funeral in the back yard.  So many people today throw away animals (and children) and have no feeling for anything. Alive or dead. I am glad I grew up 'in the old days' when a few people still cared for others (animal or human). 
The funny thing is thinking about the canary and the cage got me to thinking about the Thanksgiving dinners we had at my grandparents house.  I guess the tie in is that usually after dinner we kids would play under the kitchen table and could hear the bird singing.  Funny how memories are.
I hope each of you are having a great week.
May God bless each of you.
Mary

I AM GLAD HALLOWEEN IS OVER ~ BRING ON THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS!!

I am glad Halloween is over.  I used to enjoy Halloween. It was a fun holiday where folks (adults and kids) would dress up in costumes and just have fun.  Now it seems to be soooo violent and gory.  I have to admit that I skipped a lot, no all of the challenges that I was beginning to have fun with because I just don't like the dark, bloody, gory violent themes.  I have gone back to visit some of the blogs that I really like only to find that 2 weeks after Halloween is over they are still decorated with the dark gory stuff. Some of these are some of my favorites that most of the year have really pretty romantic cottage chic decorations and themes. I am not into witches and goth punk looking pics and themes.  I was disappointed to find that they still have not moved on to Thanksgiving and Christmas themes.  If I want to see blood, gore and violence all I have to do is go to any news site.  There is plenty there for everyone.  I realize everyone has the freedom to decorate their blog anyway they want to, but if you wonder why I haven't be by lately it just might be the witches and gore.
I will now step down from my soap box and go back to making Christmas decorations and planning my Thanksgiving dinner for my darling hubby.

As far as I know these 2 pics are public domaine. I got them from a free vintage clip art site. Enjoy.
May you have a blessed week.
Mary

OH MY GOSH!! TODAY IS VETERANS DAY!!!

I cannot believe I posted TODAY and FORGOT to mention VETERANS DAY!!!!!!  To ALL the members of my family, friends and loved ones who served, to ALL THE SOLDERS AND SAILORS AND YOUR LOVING FAMILIES,  YOUR GIFT OF YOUR TIME, AND MOST OF ALL YOUR GIFT OF YOUR LIFE TO PRESERVE THE FREEDOMS AND PEACE we have in this country, I THANK YOU. YOU will NEVER be forgotten in my PRAYERS.

May God Bless you and Keep you Safe and may HE have mercy on your souls.
mary

COULDN'T HELP MYSELF ~ TRASH TO TREASURES GIVEAWAY!!

Lynn at http://trashtotreasureart.blogspot.com/2011/11/three-year-blogaversary-giveaway.html is hosting a beautiful giveaway. It ends Nov 18, 2011. It is one of the easiest to enter, just leave a comment. That's all, no hoops, just leave a comment. And she has Four (4) seperate prizes so atleast four winners. The 4th gift is a surprise gift, nobody knows what it is.  Plus she has a bonus gift. She has this huge stack of rubber stamps. The bonus is seperate. If you win one of the other three prizes and mentioned you liked the bonus gift in your comment you receive the bonus PLUS the gift. If none of the winners wanted the Bonus she will draw a 5th time for the Bonus winner. I myself want the bonus, since I have so few stamps and little money to buy them with. I would love any of the gifts they are all fantastic works of art, but I really want that stack of stamps. Maybe this time I will be lucky.

and then my favorite

What more could you ask for ?????

   On a different note, the weather here is cool and beautiful, the trees are in fantastic color, almost fading. I have seen my red fox twice in the back yard (and no I don't have pics!!! It is tooooo quick for me to capture with my camera (as in 'wiley as a fox' LOL). Used up a whole set of batteries leaving the camera on hoping I would catch sight of it. But no luck. I haven't seen a fox in this area in over 30 years.  Too many cars and way too many houses even though there are still maybe a half dozen 100 to 300 acre farms close by. 
Well until next time ( I have been busy trying to clean house before dragging out the Christmas stuff). And if either of my brothers are reading this, fan yourself and quit laughing, I really am housecleaning!!!
May God Bless all of you and take care of you.
Mary