New Things To Share

I did get to the class on rug hooking. I am still not sure that it is "my thing" but I did finally last night finish the hooking on the project. I will tell you that I have a deeper respect for those who do rug hooking. It is much harder than it appears. I am probably going to continue doing it as it is beautiful. I will most likely do it for myself or as a gift (okay it would have to be a REALLY REALLY special friend to get this as a gift !LOL!)

I did not buy the more expensive hook, which I may do if I do another project. The other thing I found difficult was trying to hold onto the hoop and the wool and the hook. Well there are tabletop/laptop hoops, I may have to save up and get me one of those; the teacher showed us hers and it seemed to be much easier.

It is a bit of an expensive hobby as the wool and supplies are a bit more than cotton for quilts. But there are ways around that; wool can be harvested from old items; such as from the TS.

I was shocked that the base material with the patterns drawn on were so HIGH! Apparently it is a bit of difficulty to trace the patterns on; but the teacher showed us a shortcut. The pattern I liked that was drawn on, a prim angel, was like $70.00 WITHOUT any wool! Yow!

But it was nice to get out; the class was small and we were able to stay as long as we liked. The class was at the quilt shop the Hen House. The teacher is the owner Nancy. She is great and offered to provide ongoing help for everyone. All in all it was a nice opportunity to meet new people and learn something new.I would recommend trying it; the teacher said if you have no shops in your area try the videos and you can order supplies. I'm sure she would be glad to UPS you whatever you need. You can email me or leave a comment if you would like her contact info.

After class, I decided to go to a shop another blogger recommended. The Old Granary in Quincy,MI. It was so prim! I loved it.(She has a picturetrail of her home!) I bought that book by Judy Condon; Of Hearth and Home; mainly because another blogger said it had instructions on how to make shutters.(and that is another WHOLE blog post!)

There were many nice items there; some were a little higher than I can afford, but folks were in the shop buying lots of things! I am hoping to go back again soon. I did not know that my card on my camera was full or I would have pictures!

I have been working on the rug; DONE!!! I will post a photo soon! I have also been sewing up some gingys and grungy-ing some piggies!

The gingys before their grungification; LOL!

The piggies Step One!


New Goodies!!!!

The crock for $6.00!

The benches $10.00

My new candle lamp!!!!$10.00!!!

I also was able to get to the flea market south of here in Lapeer,MI. My farmer's market friend has a booth; it is only open on Sundays so finally I was able to go and see her. It was so nice to see her again and I found other vendors who are also at the farmer's market. In addition I was able to find my other fave seller who owned a prim store until the economy swallowed it. She made the scale lamp; it was $10.00!!! I also bought the stack of lil benches for $10.00 from her! AND a cutting board($2.00!) that I forgot to take a photo of! Darn!

The yellow bowl; it is very heavy; sorry about the flash! It is a beautiful yellow!

The wee lil crock!!!It is more grey than it shows!

The snowmen and the bobbins

Little vintage hopper!!! I just love him!!!!

Now the crock comes from a place my friend from the flea market told me about; a consignment shop in Fenton,Mi. The crock was $6.00, I also got a cast iron mold; snowmen,($5.00) a vintage hopping bunny($3.00!!) and old bobbins($4.00 for all). I found a beautiful old yellow bowl($12.00)and a little stoneware crock with blue decoration around the outside($2.00!!!). I am in love with this store; they have furniture and housewares as well as other odds and ends. It is a bit of a drive, but not too bad.

I am trying to get my dopey back to cooperate with all my grandiose plans; but it keeps acting out!!! And I have NO common sense and keep pushing myself to do more and more , so I keep making it hurt more. I have also been making Dogster pages for the babies, so check them out! They are so much fun to do; I'm sure your furbabies will love one too!

An Award and a New Blog Friend

I received an award from my friend Meg at Lucchese to Louis Vuitton; now I am not an award free blog; I just kinda do 'em my own way! So anyone who reads this probably has a fabulous blog too, so please feel free to take and display this on your blog. I am all about doing things your own way! Thanks Meg,you rule! Go visit Meg, she is a hoot and you will love her blog too!

For my second item; I have been looking at the hooked rugs for a long time. Now I would love to have a whole house full of them, but sometimes they are pretty pricey! Yikes. Well I have been getting Create and Decorate for a long time and they always have hooked rug patterns, as do many of the quilting books I have bought. So I decided to look into this a couple of years ago, but there is no one in this area that teaches these classes. I have found a shop that I talked about before :The Hen House in Charlotte. This is a couple of hours from me, but the owner is having a class at the end of the month I am hoping I can go.

Well in that light, I began looking at rug blogs and found some places that are great for rug hookers. On one of the boards I have met a very sweet lady named Sunnie; isn't that a great name? She looks like she has a very sunny disposition! She has a blog Old Crow Farm. I don't have any pictures to share as I didn't have time to contact her for permission to use her photos, but please visit; I believe that she also sells her work and she has some beautiful work displayed on her blog and on the board Rug Hooking Daily. There is also another board called The Welcome Mat that is also for rug hooking. Please visit, you all will love it whether you hook,want to hook or just love the rugs for your home.

Have fun visiting these folks, I think you will love them as much as I do.

Murphy says thank you for all the wonderful comments you all left for him and he appreciates all of you! He sends a big bulldoggie hug to each and every one of you!

The Wisdom of Murphy

This is my baby Murphy. He possesses great wisdom and great love. He is my 'baby-baby" my Schmoo, my Catty-Wampus, my Yella-Fella and the keeper of my heart. He is such a kind and loving fella even though early in life he had many struggles with his health. Even now, we must be careful with him. But all in all, he is filled with love. He is my sweet angel.

Well there is much more to my Murphy than good looks and a big heart! He is such a smart lil guy. Murphy has the wisdom of the world.

Case in point; we were watching tv one evening recently and the Weight Watcher commercial came on. You know the one with the orange monster ( he puts me in mind of Gossamer on Bugs Bunny!) Well, Murphy saw this commercial, took a look at me and began to raise holy hell at the tv; "woo,woo,woo,Murph,Murph,Murph" he says. He fussed until the commercial went off.

We were howling. I said that apparently Murphy is telling us just what he thinks about dieting and WW! LOL; In speaking with the Murph, I asked him why didn't he like this commercial?

This is what he said;" Well, Mom, I love you just as you are, and we don't need no stinkin' diets 'round here! Besides, you know how crabby you get on those things, then you will want me to join you and be miserable too; hey, there is a reason the first three letters of diet are DIE!!!" He is right about that!!!

Point number two; Mr Murphy has long been against peanut butter! Yes, I know, some doggies love PB, but Murph will smell things before he eats them and he will usually turn up his nose to PB! I bought these Paul Newman PB treats for dogs; Niles loves them as do the girls. Murphy has only been known to eat the PB once in a blue moon, and I think that was because he had a cold and didn't smell it. So now when all the news about poison PB comes out, he looks at me and says, "I told you so" Yes, my Murphy, you were right about everything!

I know it is hard for some folks that do not have a Murphy to get such good advice, so he says that he will offer consultations for the cost of a mere plain flavor MilkBone to those of you who have need for his services, He says "You can reach me here through my mom" He also says he is thinking about getting his own blog! Yikes!

Just Had To Share This With You All

I found this over at Cat Nap Inn Primitives; I just had to share it with you all. I sooo agree!! And I have always said I am in shape because ROUND is a shape! LOL!


Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.
Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!
Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! .... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the bestfeel good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have hadabout food and diets.

AND.....For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health.It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.
1. The Japanese eat very little fatand suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fatand suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wineand suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lotsof sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacksthan Americans.
CONCLUSION; Eat and drink what you like.Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Late in Posting and a New Find for our Furry Friends

I forgot to tell y'all; I won Diane's December Giveaway(Where the Foxgloves Grow) AND I FORGOT TO POST IT HERE!!!!! Well I am so sorry Diane. I love the wee lil' dress and it is so super special to me because it is from Scotland. Woo-Hoo; I cannot tell y'all how much I love to listen to the men from Scotland talk; well it just makes me go woo-woo;0 Here is a picture of the lovely dress; and she sent me a beautiful card as well. I will cherish this dress always!! Thank you again Diane. ( I had to use Diane's photo from the giveaway as mine just won't flip right today!)

Look at this tshirt on this handsome doggie; nope he's not mine, but he sure is handsome!!

Hey y'all; I just found this really cool site called Furry Twang Dog Tees; they are a riot; shoot I would wear 'em if they made them in my size! Check these out; I think Miss Shanda would LOVE this one;" I Like my Tea Sweet" This handsome guy's says "I'm Not Fat I'm Big Boned" Hey, me too; that is the shirt for me!!! LOL! Check out the site, you will love it!!! Its what ALL the best country/Southern dogs will be wearing this season!!!

I'm BAAAAACK!!!

(AND THAT IS WHAT I THINK ABOUT EXERCISE AND DIETING!!!LOL)

Well it has been a bit of time since I last posted, but rest assured I have been lurking on y'all's blogs! I have been working on some things here; I have made some stuffed bears, and a pink raggedy ann breast cancer awareness doll. I also have been working through some personal things too which will most probably be an ongoing issue throughout the new year.

I will try to be better about posting ; this is my only New Year's resolution. I have decided to post a blog rule; after reading many blogs and feeling guilty because I have often neglected awards and tags; I am just going to say that I LOVE that you all send me these things and I know it takes time to do so. I also love to send things out, but I am trying hard to balance crafting,blogging and the general life things.

I also hate to miss someone when giving out an award, so I guess I will say that I will accept things as they come in, but I may not always be able to get to them, and the ones I do, I will just post for anyone who reads my blog to take. I think that it is nice that so many people are so thoughtful and I don't want to offend anyone.

Well here is my Raggedy Ann I told you about; she is from a free pattern I found on CS; I made her as a Christmas gift for my daughter's McDonald's store owner Johanne; they do a lot of fund raisers during the year for breast cancer awareness and research in addition to other charities, so my daughter thought that she would really appreciate this doll. (Chrissie recently told me that Johanne loves the doll and often plays with her in her office; arranging the doll's hair to suit her (Johanne's) mood. How funny and great is that!) I hand painted her legs because I could not find any pink striped fabric that I liked; I also used a doily for her collar. She was quick to make and turned out so nicely.

I have been out to a few prim stores recently; Blackbird Primitives in Marshall,MI and the Wren in the Willow in Goodrich,MI. They are both nice stores; I did not get any photos,but I did talk to the owner of the Wren in the Willow and I will be going back and taking photos of the store and her sweet greyhound,Toby! I love it when there are doggies in the store; I think I will also pay a visit to my two favorite ladies in Saginaw and show you their beautiful shop and their two doggies. I am also planning a giveaway; but that is for later!!!

It has snowed here again last night and some today; but the cold is just getting bitter; they keep predicting 9! And for my Canadian friends; that is 9 Fahrenheit~~~which sucks!

So as usual I am in with my doggies; but it is SUNNY!!! At least that is a good thing; the grey days suck the life right out of me!!!!

Hope you are warm where you are!!! See you soon!

Help Is Needed Here in Blogland

HOME IS WHERE THEY LOVE YOU AND GIVE YOU A MILKBONE

Happy Sunday! I have been out lurking on blogs again and I found these things on some blogs I visited. The first one is very near and dear to my heart.


The first one is about this sweet precious dog Hope;

Hope is in desperate need of sponsors. She was found emaciated and will die. She came in from the Auglaize County Pound and is heartworm positive. A temporary foster has come forward, but the money for her treatment must be raised. If you can help this girl, please donate by paypal or send a check to APLMC, P.O. Box 663, Celina OH 45822. Please mark that is it for HOPE!!

My friend ANGIE of Love the prim look is trying to help this poor dog. Angie is graciously donating the cost of her wonderful lights (100%) of all funds received to this poor baby. They are scented and primitive wonderful! You are going to want some for your tree and year round prim decorating; she has colors and scents that are fab!!! This is what Angie has said; "Any light orders 20 count brown cord ($6.50 plus shipping) and any 35 count brown cord ($9.99 plus shipping ) will be 100 % donated to this dog. Please contact me at angiek32@roadrunner.com with any orders. Please let me know what color and scent you prefer. Thank you so much in advance and God Bless you for helping !!! "

Also Sue of OODLEKADOODLE PRIMITIVES is making donations from the sale of her patterns also; please visit her for more details;

And PEA PICKER'S PRIMITIVES has offered a free pattern for posting this to help Hope; visit patternmart for her pattern offerings. She will also give you an entry into her contest as well for posting this on your blog.

The SECOND THING I FOUND: While you are at it please stop by PEA PICKER"S Blog and help her find her new name for her creative endeavor; she feels that she needs a new spark, so let's help her find her new name; she is also offering goodies as a prize; so hop on over, she'll be waiting.

Please patronize these ladies whenever you wish to buy an item as they are very generous ladies that are trying to help the world whenever and wherever they can; one at a time. If each of us did one little thing, can you imagine how much real change and good we could do. Most of us can't afford to do a lot, but if we each do a little we sure can do some great things, what an inspiration these ladies are!

I hope that HOPE finds a new forever home and that she is healed. All dogs (and cats) deserve a loving,forever home. Please let people know about this, post it on your blog and let Pea Picker know as she will put it in her giveaway as one entry for you. And I know that the reason we all do this is not for the prizes, but for the love of a dog.

Dogs are very special to me; they give us unconditional love; they look to us for the basics really; shelter,food,love. They give us their all. They serve to protect us daily on the police forces and armed forces of this country. They risk their lives to protect and save us. They ask for nothing, yet give us all they have and all they are. We need to protect them in return. Hug your doggie today. If you need gifts for Christmas, please consider shopping at the Animal Rescue site on my blog; they have fantastic gift itmes that are priced great and often they will offer free shipping. The money from this site goes to shelters to help dogs and cats,horses etc.

You can buy immunizations for a shelter dog as a unique gift there too; and if you can't really afford to spend anything extra; put the button on your blog and click it daily, by doing so, you are funding a portion of food each day for a shelter animal.

My babies are just that; my babies. I get really upset and often cry over stray dogs, it is such a committment to have a dog; people don't realize that these are NOT fashion accessories; and they are NOT for sport! FYI: DOG FIGHTING IS NOT A SPORT: IT IS TORTURE! If I had my way Michael Vick would be spending the rest of his life in a prison; even that seems too good for him. What kind of jackass says "it is my cultural heritage to fight dogs" ? If that is your cultural heritage then you need to find a NEW CULTURE! Oh what a shithead! Whoops! My lil ole' redneck is showing again!!! LOL!

Okay back to sanity; lets do all we can for our babies and help those less fortunate!

This one makes me laugh;

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This one makes me cry! But it is so true

HOME IS WHERE YOU ARE LOVED!

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