What treasures do you suppose we will find in 2010?

Do you wonder, like I do, what treasures await us this upcoming year? Little treasures at yard sales, thrift stores, antique shops....Can't wait! My hubby says the first sign of spring is the Daytona 500, but to me - it's the first outdoor yard sale. I think I'll just keep busy working on a few creations until then. I have been making few new tags and such, and I've got some ideas churning for using coffee filters....did you know that Somerset Life has an upcoming challenge for creations using coffee filters? Cannot wait for that issue to see what everyone comes up with.

Merry Christmas!

A very Merry Christmas to all!
Here are a few wonderful giveaways:

A wonderful blog I have found, Heather at Shabby Vintage Bliss has this gorgeous stuff -

Rebecca for Vintage Living has a drawing on Christmas day for 7 lucky winners, one of whom will win this gorgeous star -

.. and a Crystal Winter giveaway to be drawn on Saturday at Robin's Egg Blues - love these colors!

Joyeux Noel Garland....from coffee filters!

Have you heard about the garlands made from coffee filters? Well, Pamela Garrison posted a pic of one she made and apparently it started a craze - I love it, so I tried a small Christmas one with a French theme. The coffee filters are dyed, scrunched up (as they start to dry, or after), and strung in bunches on ribbon. You can add circles of sheet music in with the bunches if you like. You tie knots in the ribbon before and after the bunches to keep them in place. I dyed my coffee filters with food coloring, but as they dried they took on a tie-dye look (if I mixed colors) which I didn't like. I picked out the best of the mauve ones to make the garland. You can also tea-stain them, and I did read a post about some people dyeing them with watered-down acrylic paint. I'm going to try that next. I cut mine into circles and fringed the edge with scissors. One poster had a pic of lovely pom-poms hung from ribbon. Lots of possibilities with this little idea. I used a French sheet music graphic from The Graphics Fairy, and a French postcard image from Shabby Chic Papirskatter.

A Blanket of Snow!

The weatherman was right this time. He told us it was coming. And come it did. It started snowing last evening and the power was out for awhile last night. This morning I snapped some pics of our valley here in East Tennessee.

Christmas is almost here!

A heartfelt thank you to all of you who left sweet messages of encouragement yesterday.....you are simply lovely friends.

Today I'll be busy filling orders from my webstore..........Here are some pics of my mantel decor for Christmas - I'm still adding to it, for it seems to need some more "stuff." Hope to get some painting done sometime this coming year, a neutral shade as a good backdrop for my whites. The wall color looks okay in the pics, but it is more yellow than shown - I'd like a faint taupe color, or varied shade of white.

Have a blessed day, all of you....

I miss you, Momma.......

DANA RUTH BOWEN

4/24/1937 - 12/15/2008

Do you remember these storage jars?

I bought them in the summer at a tag sale -

Do you like this better? I painted the wood cream color, added pretty paper with vintage script, and then gavethe wood a bit of an aged look with antique stain. I added a vintage gold button on the front.

AND, I'd like to announce a great giveaway at French Charming - Pearls! Check it out!!!! And another giveaway at A Charming Home - vintage pink ornaments! Hurry over!

It's not Christmasy, but......

Hello all, I know it's not Christmasy, but I had to show you some new things I've made. Remember the bottles a friend gave me? Here's the first. I plan to do a series of 4 ocean-themed bottles over time. This one is in aqua - it has a vintage seashell charm with rhinestones as the stopper. I used a sheet music image, By the Crystal Sea, from The Graphics Fairy.

And some Contemplation Spools I have made. I decorated them with pretty paper, vintage button, and text from vintage books (that were too far gone to salvage); text such as:

-the girl who can dance like a dream

-Strong and content, I travel the open road

-just stand and watch yourself go by

They were so much fun to make.

Blogger's Poem

I asked the Lord to tell me
why my house is such a mess.
He asked if I'd been blogging,
and I had to answer yes.

He told me to get off my fanny
and tidy up the house.
And so I started cleaning up...
the smudges off my mouse.

I wiped and shined the topside.
That really did the trick...
I was just admiring my good work
I didn't mean to "click."

But click, I did, and oops - I found
A real absorbing site
That I got SO way into it -
I was into it all night.

Nothing's changed except my mouse.
It is very , very shiny.
I guess my house will stay a mess...
While I sit here on my hiney.

Do you get a sick feeling when you do something stupid, like....

.....mess up your website template? I was wondering why my Google Analytics wasn't working, so I went into the template on my website to make sure the code was there (just as instructions said). It was there, so I just clicked update, and my whole site reverted back to the prior template!!! I've sent out an urgent SOS to my website designer, and I do hope she can fix it - without costing me... Drat! I'm wondering if technically challenged people like me should even attempt a website. (Sigh). Oh well, while I'm waiting for her to answer my e-mail, I'm gonna post some pictures of me and my family that were just done. Hope all of you are having a wonderful Sunday afternoon.