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!

Danger Will Robinson!!

Oh my.....I bet some of you are too young to remember that quote, and others haven't heard it in a long while, but it's been running through my mind ever since having a mishap w/ this Antique Iron Corn Cob Dryer yesterday.

I love my primitves, but I'll tell ya, I'm not lookin at this piece w/ nearly as much admiration as I once did! In fact, I'm downright scared of it now!

With October soon approaching, I've been doing a bit of Fall decorating, and was eager to get my corn cobs onto this primitive cob dryer for a nice colorful Autumn display.

The dryer is made of heavy iron, and is a bit rusty, but in overall great sturdy shape. The ends of the prongs are sharp like an arrow in order for a fresh ear of corn to positioned on each one and hung to dry. You do have to work at it though, and getting those suckers on there isn't an easy task, especially when your corn is Indian Corn, and already dried, as mine was.

I got a few ears in place, when I was working w/ that one there pictured below. I was pushing and screwing and really working hard to get this one on, and it was particularly difficult, and I wasn't making much headway when all of a sudden, a piece of the cob broke off, and the tip of the sharp metal (and rusty) prong plunged right into the palm of my hand!




At first I felt nothing, then all of a sudden BURN like fire! It is a pretty nasty puncture wound. I realized a bit later that I couldn't recall when I had my last Tetanus shot, so off to the clinic I went.

Needless to say, there it sets, half empty, still needing some cobs added to it, but I'm not feeling the need to today. I'm gonna take a big step back, and give it a couple of days for me to get over the fear......lol! I think I'll get out the trusty drill and pre-drill the holes in those cobs!

The good news? It's my right hand, and I'm a lefty!

Anyway.....if you've one of these neat prim contraptions.....


PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!!

Happy Happy Birthday Baby!

Today is my baby girls 29th birthday! She's in Vegas havin the time of her life, but will be flying back home tonight. We celebrated her special day last Friday by going out to dinner at her fav Mexican restaurant, then it was back home for Cake.....homemade Tres Leche, at her request.

I just love this candid shot of her and Zoey blowin out the candle!

Her birthday has me reflecting back to the day she was born. Like sooo many of us think to ourselves...."if only I knew then what I know now"...oh my, that is ringing oh so true. I was only 19 years old, and my whole life was ahead of me. I was soooo naive!

Anyway....the day she was born, was a beautiful warm and sunny day, much like today here in Michigan. I had gone to the Docs, and my due date was the 20th. She said if I didn't go into labor by then, she was going to induce labor, as she was going out of town. Well....no need for that!

After leaving her office, I went to the Laundermat, and as I was folding clothes, I started having "cramps", no biggie, I thought. I went home, hub was gone, and all of a sudden, little squirts of water.....(no water breaking), just little occasional "squirts", so never having a baby before, I still didn't realize I was in LABOR!!!! I was speaking w/ my cousin on the phone, and she could hear in my voice when the occasional "cramp" would come, and she said "YOU ARE IN LABOR GIRL!". I was reluctant to believe her, b/c there was no massive flood, and no terrible labor pains, but I finally said, OK....maybe I am. Hub came home, I told him, "I think I'm in labor"...and he said "Nah, I don't think you are", and he would know, right??? After pleading my case, and convincing him we should go to the hospital, he finally said OK, but the whole way there he refused to believe I was in Labor. We got to the hospital, and even they were sceptical. I rememebr the nurse saying "Ok honey, we'll check ya, but usually your water breaks when you're in labor, but we'll check ya anyway to be sure". HUH!!!! To their surprise, I WAS in Labor!

Needless to say, that insensitive man is now my ex, and my current man would never doubt my word or judgement at such a crucial time.

Happy Birthday Shannon :)

Coming Soon.....

to an 'Eye Candy' Store near you!

Yep, TDIPT Mercantile will be updating tonight between 9 and 10 ET as always. We've got some of the tastiest eye candy you'll find anywhere, so be sure to come visit us.....and soon, b/c the treats don't last long!

Here's a peek at my offering