AND ON TO THE NEW YEAR...

 Even though 2020 was a bust, we had some blessings along the way...one of them being our little Catherine born in April, so far, my family and I have stayed healthy, & after 30 years, I was finally able to get our kitchen remodeled (ok...that's not a blessing, but a positive).   Christmas came and went so quickly, as it does every year.  I'm amazed at the folks that take down their Christmas tree the very next day...I have never been able to do that.  It's nice having the house back to normal, but I don't have the heart to take everything down quite so fast!  Here's a few pictures of my house....not much...so many totes in the basement, that were, once again, unopened.

In between on-line shopping and wrapping...I did manage to stitch a couple of cross stitch designs..the first is from Notforgotten Farm...

This second one is from Brenda Gervais..I actually started this two years ago and finished it this month...

I crochet'd seven scarves (two are not pictured), two shawls, and a pair of mittens.

And because I didn't have enough to do, I found this pattern on Etsy and made this cute Santa pocket.  It was super easy to make!  Bits of Cloth on Etsy...she has some wonderful designs!

Sorry to say, I'm either going to have to turn off my comment button or delete my blog.  I can't believe the spam and advertisements I get in the comment section.  I'm not going to post any pictures of my family here anymore for fear someone will copy and paste them somewhere else.   It's a shame blogging has come to this and there's really nothing you can do.  I've tried all security & privacy measures, but the last post, I had four spam comments..some in different languages and one from a not so nice website (wanting you to click on the message for more information...UGH!) 

Anyway...on that sour note....I wish you all a happy week, a Happy New Year!  Say safe and mask up!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends!!  Please stay safe, mask up & pray that this pandemic is nearing the end...hoping we can at least, see the light at the end of the tunnel....God Bless...

 

IS IT MAY OR NOVEMBER??

 Hard to tell with the beautiful weather we've had in Michigan.  I love seeing the snow in certain states.....this was last year, on my street, I believe November 9 or 10th....what a big difference from then and now!!

We came back from our trip to SC after visiting with my son and his family.  It was a nice visit and the weather was much like it is here.  We went to a few antique shops, but found nothing.  I think I spent a total of $6!  I did go to Fire Poppies which is a fairly new needlework shop in Summerville SC.  It's a beautiful shop, but they don't carry a ton of patterns so the selection is small, but the fabric and flosses, and accessories she offers are wonderful!

I haven't really been to too many places since getting home.  I wanted so badly to go to a Christmas open house being held by a fabulous antique/farmhouse style shop...but the line was wrapped around the store, down the block and then wrapped around another block.  No way was I going to wait for that...so I came home.  I stopped at the local thrift shop and bought this beautiful little gold toned bowl and decided to put my stone fruit in it.

I started taking down my fall decor mainly because I've had it up since the middle of August and I'm tired of it.  I added just a touch of red and white for the start of Christmas decorating.  I was so late with it last year I decided I'm going to start a little early this time.  Maybe the week of Thanksgiving or before..we'll see.

A couple of pictures from our visit with the three little Southern Belles:

 That's our youngest grandchild Catherine who is five months old...

And then the three sisters...they are so much fun...nothing but laughs and giggling in my son's house!  They are so sweet...but can be so tiring...LOL!!!  We were exhausted when we got home but loved every minute of it!!

Well...have a great week.  I hope this week brings us peace and less anxiety.  I'm having two friends over tomorrow morning for a day of hooking and I can't wait!!!  Take care & please be safe!

A STUDY IN BLUE STITCH

 Wow...yesterday it hit a high of 80 degrees, then we had some really strong storms come through & the temps went down into the 50's within the hour.  Last night it was 38 degrees and today is really chilly.  No sun, gloomy, and chilly...but I love this kind of day, actually.  I've not done one darn thing!  

I finished the stitching part of "A Study in Blue" by Sue Hilis.  It's stitched on 32 count Zweigart (my favorite linen) in Vintage Country Mocha.  I used a different blue from the called for.  I used Crystal Lake by the Gentle Art, instead of Dungarees.  The Dungarees was a little too dark for me.  The line around the design is the cutting line for placement.  It will be the top of a 7 inch box.  

I decided to coffee stain about three yards of really, rough and homespun-type linens I purchased last spring.  This fabric will be used to stitch some really primitive samplers for the Christmas season.  I'll show the after in my next post.

I'm back to crocheting another shoulder shawl.  I love this fabric, but I don't know how warm it will be.  It's a great yard to work with, and at $3.99 a skein, you can hardly beat it!  I've ordered two more silver spoon pins for shawls I'll be making for my daughter and another DIL.  This is such an easy stitch.  I found the gal on YouTube under Fiber Flux.  She has so many beautiful and easy projects.  I have followed her for years.   Great videos and great instructions.

I found another little vintage print for $5 at a local antique shop a few days ago.  I love that little girl that must have been a bit naughty, with her mother looking at her...so sweet!!

Today, I am going to watch this classic while my husband is glued to the TV watching the news stations.  I'm so sick of the news & it may be ignorant, but I'd rather sit in my happy little room, watching entertaining & funny movies than being drawn into the dismal world we're now living in.  What they say is true...ignorance IS bliss!!!  Have a wonderful Saturday and weekend....enjoy and do more of what makes you happy!!

ANTIQUES ON MONDAY...

Howdy!  Today was rainy and yucky out.  I had done all my chores over the weekend, so this morning my hubs and I set out for the Livingston AntiqueMall in Howell MI.   I love this mall...I swear I could go twice a month and never see the same things twice!  It's always busy.  I wish I lived closer, because I would definitely rent a booth there!  It's my husbands favorite mall as well, so it's a win win for me!

I'm always looking for brown transferware...and there is one booth, Fragments, that has everything I love...vintage, turn of the century stuff.  I found this big mug in his booth today with words of advice printed on it.  I've never seen a cup like this, so, of course it came home with me:

It's the one in the middle.  The mug on the right was also a find at the mall today.

I've never see a mug like this in brown, with all the wording on it.  Apparently, the father in the picture is giving his young son advice.  It was dated from the late 1800's, and made in England. 

And then I saw this....a beautifully, hooked primitive rug.  Age unknown but pretty sure it could be from the early to mid 1900's.  The backing was burlap and had some very worn areas throughout...by my oh my!!!  What a beauty it was!!

And look at the price!!  $67.50!  5 X 6...it was too big for me to spread out and take a good picture (the booth itself was so small), but can you imagine the work that went into this?  It, at one time, was probably the shining star in someone's beautiful home.  I  loved the colors and everything about it...except the holes!  Hopefully, someone will rescue it and bring it back to it's original state.  

I hope everyone is having a good start to the week.  I'm super lucky this week...no appointments and basically NO plans...just the kind of week I love!!!  So take care, stay safe, mask up and thank you for taking time to read my blog!!

TOO MUCH "MARS" GAZING

 Mars is really putting on a show this month.  Beautiful, reddish twinkling planet, that until last evening, we were unable to see because of cloud coverage.  So...at 1 am, my DH & I decided to get out his telescope.  It was so bright and gorgeous! Which, in turn, meant....I couldn't get to sleep until approx. 4:30am....I think my adrenalin kicked in!  Sooo...this morning I was moving pretty slow (still am).  

I've been doing a lot of crocheting. This is my haul of yarn from Hobby Lobby.  I am stocking up on it this year, just in case we go back to a shut down because of COVID.  

I made this shoulder shawl for my daughter in law.  She's always cold, so this little shoulder wrap should help to keep her warm.  It's also yarn from HB, it's 80% wool and something else.  It hooked up really nicely.  The shawl pin is a silver plated spoon from the 1940's, purchased from "Olive Spoon Studio" on Etsy.

I really love the design on the spoon handle.  It's even prettier in person.  I hope she likes it!

My husband & I went out antiquing last Friday to Allen MI and I was able to find another little vintage, pastoral print in an old gold frame.  I love it and it was only $5.  I had to dim the gold on the frame just a bit, but I love the young mom watching over her little boy.

I was also able to find some brown transferware a really low price.  The cup was $5 and the large tray, which is in perfect condition was $15

And then of course...my cupboard full of transferware....

And then I found this little beauty in a local antique mall.  It's an oil on canvas, dating back to the 1890's.  The frame is kind of beat up, but I love it!

Just when I thought I couldn't fit one more thing on the wall, I was able to squeeze the picture in!  Now I'm done...I think...who knows??

Well...that's all my adventures for the past few days.  I'm staying home today (too tired to do anything else).  I 'm trying to figure out what to do with some no longer needed furniture that is just taking up space and driving me nuts!!  So...have a great day and rest of the week!!  Thank you again, for taking time to read my blog and comments are appreciated!!

STITCHING ALONG.....

 After I put my Mayflower project in time-out, I decided to bring out one of my old WIP's.   I had started this little sampler back in July,  it's simply called, "1861-Antique Sampler" by Blackbird Designs.  It's from their re-released book, "In Friendship's Way" which is one of my favorite books by them.  So many smaller projects in this book...lots of strawberries, pinkeeps, and small samplers for box tops.  I love that BBD uses mostly 32 count linens, minimal floss colors, and items that are easily found at either Hobby Lobby or Joann's

I did change some of the floss colors because they were a bit too bright.  I am using 30 count linen by R&R, but I don't remember the name.  I love R&R linens...the holes are loose enough for my old eyes to see, which makes it s much easier to stitch. 

I am currently working on "Mary Stead 1824" by Nicola Parkman.  It is one of her reproductions from her "Little Gems" samplers collection.  They are downloadable and for $10, they are a steal!  Nicola gives a detailed history about every sampler she reproduces.  And I love that she gives the sizes from 14 count Aida to 40 count linen.  Her website is: hands-across-the-sea-samplers.com.

On Tuesday, my husband took me to Findlay OH to my very favorite needle work shop, The Craft Gallery.  Here are the things I bought:

Two new re-released BBD design books

Some yummy 28 count linens by Lakeside Linens...which, anyone who buys linen, knows that Lakeside is extremely hard to come by...

A sweet little notebook by Needlework Press (it's a gift for a friend at Christmas) and some floss for the project I'll be working on, for the gift.

And the design, in a book, "A Study In Blue" by Sue Hillis.  I'm only stitching the box top sampler.  The circumfrence of the box will be wrapped in antique indigo fabric.  I'm waiting for the called for linen to use.  It is a beautiful book!  Full of gorgeous designs!

Last, but not least, is my project bag.  I wanted a Christmas themed bag (don't ask me why) and I love these with the handles. They are made by a gal in Findlay.

Well...it's Saturday.  We had a fun day antiquing yesterday, but I'll post my finds next time.  Take care and stay safe!  Thank you for reading my blog and the kind comments.  I have to moderate my comments because of the spam I get...UGH!