My Selling blog

I've started a blog to sell my dolls on. It's still under construction, but one of my friends already found me and stopped by for a visit. What a nice surprise it was.

Anyway...I hope to add some small items for sale for the holiday season, so be sure to stop by and check out my new selling blog. :)

Thanks as always and Happy H0lidays!

A Very Special Auction

I don't usually promote other's auctions, but for a good cause, i'll do just about anything, especially where the animals are concerned. This auction is certainly worthy and is very near and dear to my heart, and let me just say, the work of this gal is exceptional!

Pam of Goldiloo Woodworks is donating 100% of the sale of this auction to

The Humane Society of Marion County in Arkansas.

Pam is a friend and fellow animal welfare advocate, and she has a big big heart. And although she loves all animals, like me, she has a special fondness for dogs. She lives in rural arkansas, and she is always finding unwanteds along side the road, or at peoples homes, and she and her husband will always help, by bringing them home, and finding a shelter to take them in. Anyone who works in animal rescue knows this is not an easy task. Most shelters are full, and are not always eager to take in another animal. It's not that they don't want to, it's that they only have so much room, and limited help, and very limited financial funding. That is why this auction and the charity it represents is so important. So many people love animals, but do not realize that the shelters are so limited in their ability to help b/c of lack of funds, especially in today's economy, the animals and the shelters are really suffering.

Anyway.....if you love dogs, and you've ever lost one, this auction is for you. Perhaps you know of someone who has lost a beloved dog? What a nice gift this would make, and you would be helping out an animal at the same time. Again, I cannot say enough about the quality of Pam's work.

If you're inclined to help for a good cause, then please take a look at this

very special auction!

Thank you!

Happy Belated to you Mim

I wanted so badly to pay tribute to my late Grandmother last Friday for her birthday, but I was under the weather, and then playing catch up w/ sewing. I know she won't mind me being a little late.

Yep, Halloween was my Mim's Birthday, but if she was a witch, she was the Good Witch of the East! We always had a party for her every Halloween, and it was always so much fun to celebrate w/ her! We called her Mim, which is French for Grandma. She was the best Grandma ever, and I do mean ever! Warm, loving, and caring, like all Grandmothers should be.

As a child I spent my weekends and summers at her house, along w/ my cousin who was the same age. I lived for Fridays! I have so many fond memories. She taught us how to sew, and when we were real little she would order little crafts through the mail, and we would always look forward to coming to her house to create whatever she had gotten for us. She enjoyed it as much as we did, and she was so very patient w/ us. She made everything fun!

She used to can everything from pickles to peaches to mincemeat, and it was nothing like they sell in the grocery store! Mmm, I can still remember the smell.

She loved to reminisce about the old times, and we loved hearing her stories.

Christmas was always spent at Mim and Pip's house, and I just cannot tell you how magical they were. She loved to decorate her house, and it looked like a Christmas Wonderland, w/ those old Putz houses, and twinkling lights, and tinsel, and the blanket of snow on the mantel, oh she had so many decorations, I sure wish I had them now. She bought a Santa suit and stuffed it full and dressed up for us kids. She would make her voice real deep, and I can still hear her say "Ho ho ho!" she was such a kid at heart! She loved RED, and there was plenty of it in her home too. Oh, what I wouldn't give for another Christmas Eve spent w/ her when we were little and she was in good health, when things were so simple, or so they seemed to us.

She lived a good long life to the ripe old age of 85.
She always told me that I looked like her when she was little, and now when people see pics of her, they comment on the resemblance.

Here she is on her Wedding Day in 1928, that's my Pip on the left.

And here she is holding my Mother in 1930

Lovely...inside and out! I love you Mim, and I miss you every day.

My latest custom order

A sweet gal asked me for a black Santa door hanger, fashioned after my Snowfolk hanger from last year, and I was so very happy to oblige!

I considered it an honor that she would ask me to create a Santa for her, but not knowing exactly how he would turn out, I was a bit nervous, but I'm relieved and happy to say that after showing her the pics of him, she is pleased. I like him too :)

Thanks for letting me share!

I love Autumn, and this time of the year makes me want to bake up a storm!

I came across this yummy sounding recipe from the

Crown Point Bed and Breakfast in
Crown Point, New York and just had to share it!

Pumpkin Cheese-Filled

Pecan Muffins

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin-pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sour cream
3 ounce package cream cheese, cut into cubes

In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, pecans, pumpkin-pie spice, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl mix eggs, pumpkin, sour cream and melted butter. Add to flour mixture. Stir until blended only. Fill greased muffin tins half full. Place cream cheese cube in the middle and top with more batter.
Bake approximately 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Enjoy :)

TDIPT's Dreaming of a White Christmas

Be sure to join us for our TDIPT Mercantile's Christmas Open House celebration during the month of November!

We've got wonderful door prizes created by some of our very own TDIPT artists, as well as a $50.00 gift certificate up for grabs. To be entered into the drawing, all you will need to do is sign up for our TDIPT Newsletter. It's a 2 step process, so be sure to follow through and get confirmation. Anyone who purchases an item from the Mercantile will have an extra chance, w/ every purchase made.

We're celebrating this fun and festive event w/ our second annual

"I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas"

theme as well. All of our artists will create Christmas Treasures in hues of white, off white and lovely creams!

Hope to see you there on November 1st!

Happy Birthday to my Nunny!

Today, my Nelly Girl (we call her Nunny or Nuh Nuh) turns 8! I think that's 56 in dog years! No wonder she's so grouchy.

No worries Big Nel.....you're not getting older, you're getting better!

She refuses to smile or don a party hat for her special day, and this is nothing new, this has been the case since her very first birthday back in 2001.

Well, I guess every party needs a pooper, thats why we invited her!

I could hardly get her to look at the camera this morning for a birthday pic. In fact, I couldn't, she just laid there quite aloof, ignoring me and yawning. She's so board w/ me :)

I love my Nelly, she is the oldest of my 3 dogs. She came to us at only a week old. Her eyes were not even all the way open. Her Mommy had been hit by a car, they think. Anyway, she was found in a field full of mosquitos. Some of our friends and neighbors each took a puppy. I took my Nelly to the Vet right away, and he said she was one week old, and we had to bottle feed her round the clock w/ a special puppy formula. We would wrap her in a blanky, and hold her like a baby and feed her w/ the bottle! we even burped her.....hehe!

I'm so glad I chose Nel. You couldn't ask for a better dog. She is like Lassie, so intuitive. She's a bit of a Nervous Nelly at times though, and is terrified of thunder storms!

She's gonna be one pampered pooch today, and I have a feeling it's gonna be a long day!