STRETCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tablescape Tuesday (19th)

OK! I stated that I was ready to stretch myself in 2009. Well, my friend Susan http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ has been doing Tablescape Tuesday & I have so enjoyed them. Last night at 10:30 I was reading her wonderful Blog & commented that I wish I had gotten my act together & joined the Tablescape Tuesday (the deadline to join was 8:00) but, never thought that I would be able to join. SURPRISE!!!! Upon turning on the computer this morning Ha Ha she said "Get crackin girl you're in" So, although I said I was done with the Merry Merry... It is not packed up yet & my first Tablescape Tuesday is my breakfast table with the Santa candlesticks , plates, & mugs still smiling & smug. Overlooking the whole scene is the Jolly Elf himself in the picture behind the table. The chandelier is hung with snowflakes, candy & a pretty garland. Enjoy! Thanks for the push Susan! Can't wait to visit all of you. Happy Tuesday & aren't we all blessed to have tables with pretty things & food to eat (although I'm not jumping into the food prep!)

Ugggggggg Another Bug

Yep! Another bug bit me!!!!! YUCK! I have missed all of you but, have been under the weather with another stomach bug. I am so tired of this! I am better now. Mom has arrived from California for her Christmas visit. She got here Friday & we did have fun with the little ones on Friday & Saturday. I wanted to share a few more Christmas photos with you. First I wanted to show you two of my Fitz & Floyd cookie jars(that didn't make it into the home tour) that I love...one is Santa in a plane & one in a motorcycle with a sidecar. There is a third one that is not out, it is a car. They are so funny. And so big, oh the storage delima of all the treasures. How do you all store yours???? Maybe you can give me some ideas.

Also, I am showing you a few of the photos from a previous year of the ice sculptures that are done at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine Texas. This year our whole family will go to view this treat the day after Christmas. In the past it has only been my myself, my husband & oldest grandchild that has had the pleasure of this event. This year it is our gift to the family. These sculptures are done in ice carved by artisan's from China. They use over 3 million pounds of ice for this event & all of this is viewed in a chilling 9 degrees. I am showing the animals (note that the bridge has LED lights inside the ice)on the pond, a couple of the colored ice images with my six foot tall husband next to them to show you the size & scale of these huge carvings & then EXTRA HUGE nativity. They use three types of ice #1 clear ice which has no air in it( for the nativity) #2 colored ice #3 regular ice which is white & dense (because there is air in it). I hope you enjoy these photos & I will post this years version later. Hope you are having a Happy Holiday Season.

Merry Christmas from My House to Yours

I have been busy working & just went out of town. So, I am late posting photos of my home decorated for Christmas. I am going to share a few photos with you today & more will follow. I took some with flash this morning & some without. It was still dark outside & that is when I like the decorations the best. The lights cast a warm glow. So... those photos that are "white" are with flash. The others are softer but, a little harder to see. The kitchen table is set with Santa dishes as a picture of the old elf himself oversees things. Mrs Claus & a red tree sit atop my refrigerator. And the beautiful reindeer box was stitched for me by my friend Pam.

Under my tree you will find my Dept 56 North Pole Collection. Or I guess I should say, you will see a part of it. It is kind of an addiction of mine that I have had to do serious therapy for. I am no longer buying any pieces but, I do love them. Usually I put this collection on my kitchen counter top in front of my sink so I can enjoy it while I look into the family room. But, this year I put it under the tree so that my grandsons will be able to see all the details. As they lay on their tummy & play with the Santa Train (that my sweet husband got me & has added to many for many Christmas's past) they can see Mr & Mrs Claus, the elves, the reindeer, and all the adorable cottages. In Christmas's past I felt I needed to protect this little fantasy world but, they are 8, 7, & two 3 year olds this year & they are very careful when playing under the tree. So, as I share with them I want to share with you. Enjoy. And please visit the other girls that were particpating in this event at Kimba's http://asoftplacetoland-kimba.blogspot.com/

Aren't Grands Grand!

I have been trying to decorate, shop, wrap, & work. Things that so many of us are trying to get done this time of the year. And with all the hustle & bustle you wonder... WHY DO I DO THIS???

I did not have the village under the tree but, the tree was up & the Santa Train was together & our oldest grandson came with his Daddy after school one day this week. In no time he was found with an elf "jumping aboard the train". Then a couple of days later his brother was by for a visit & to see the wonder on his little face as he looked at the candy tree in my kitchen answered all those questions of WHY! All I can say is GRANDS ARE INDEED GRAND! Enjoy your little ones wonder. They grow up so fast! Blessing to all.

Tiffany Marshall's Christmas Sale

Well, I can tell you that Tiffany http://wwwbeyondthevintagepath.blogspot.com/ is one talented little angel! My friend Susan & I went to her Christmas Sale & it was Divine! As promised there are many photos. I bought a whopping big $60 & got a ton of GOODIES! I will share the stash later. Today I wanted to share a few of the photos. Tiffany had every room (except her husband's study) decorated & full of items for sale. The house smelled wonderful from the candles & the music floated through the air like magic. Every surface was covered. I had to walk through MANY TIMES! And even after we paid Susan & I found another thing or two we overlooked & had to repay in line again! She had a mixture of vintage finds (things from her stash that she had finished with or decided she didn't need) or items that she had handmade. Her husband Doug had made pecan pies & there was lemon cake & brownies! The weather was wonderful. Now her shed was chilly but, worth the cold fingers for I found MANY wonderful items out there too. I will start with the entry hall & then onto the kitchen with vignettes everywhere. She had some wonderful cabinets that I bet (I didn't have a chance to ask) Doug built for her. They were FULL of vintage vignettes too. Enjoy!

THANK YOU TIFFANY for asking us.

Frozen Charlotte

Last week Dawn http://the-feathered-nest.blogspot.com/ posted about an artist that she had found & fallen in love with... Well girls that is enough for me! I scurried over & YES, Diana http://dianafrey.blogspot.com/ & her work are more than Divine! Her style spoke to my soul. I don't believe I have shared the fact that I took soldering classes this summer from Heather Ales http://heatherales.blogspot.com/and really love it (YES, I NEED a lot more practice)so my first goal of the New Year is to take a class in March from Diana. I hope to arrange to fly from Texas out to California & take the class. Does that tell you how much I want this!!!!! Anyway, Diana has a piece she shows on her lovely Blog that is called Frozen Charlotte in a Cage. In visiting with her I asked "why do they call the doll Frozen Charlotte" & her reply was "I don't know". Also, in visiting Beth Quinn's lovely site I saw another Charlotte. I asked both artist's if I could share their work & do a post explaining Frozen Charlotte. Both agreed so I did some research & want to share this with you:

Frozen Charlottes are a type of unjointed china doll popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The name came from Fair Charlotte, a well-known American folk ballad attributed to William Lorenzo Carter. It is believed to have been composed some time between 1833 and 1860. The ballad tells the tale of a beautiful young woman who set out in a sleigh with her lover, Charles, on a bitterly cold night to attend a ball fifteen miles away. Her mother warned her to wrap herself in a blanket to keep warm, but:
"No, no, no," fair Charlotte said And she laughed like a gypsy queen "To ride in blankets muffled up, I never can be seen."
The couple rode off into the cold and, after traveling a mere five miles, Charles remarked:
"Such a night as this I never knew, The reins I scarce can hold." Fair Charlotte said in a feeble voice "I am exceeding cold." Away they ride through frozen air In the glittering starry night Until at length the village inn and the ballroom were in sight. They reached the door, Young Charles stepped out And held his hand to her "Why sit you there like a monument that hath no power to stir?" He called her once, he called her twice She uttered not a word He held his hand to her again And still she never stirred Then swiftly through the lighted room Her lifeless form he bore Fair Charlotte was a stiffened corpse And word spoke nevermore.

Of course there was a lesson to be learned from this tragic tale, and many young girls who later played with Frozen Charlottes probably were warned:
Now, ladies, when you hear of this Think of that dreadful sight, And never venture so thinly clad, On such a winter's night.
Most Frozen Charlottes ranged in height from one to four inches. The one-inch-sized dolls, displayed here, were commonly known as "penny dolls" because they generally sold for one cent. The popularity of Frozen Charlottes can be attributed, in part, to the fact that their relatively low price allowed children to accumulate a collection of dolls with which to play.

I hope you enjoyed this little snippet. Isn't Bloglandia full of different wonderful mind stretching things. Have a beautiful Friday my friends. xoxoxoxo

Award! Who ME?????

My sweet friend Shannon at http://faithandchocolate.blogspot.com/ sent me the Marie Antoinette Award. It is an award of inspiration. I was sooooooooo surprised! I am so new to this world of blogging & so thankful to have just made so many wonderful friends I was shocked to receive this. Shannon was one of the main people that encouraged me to try blogging. So, when she sent this to me it made it special.

In thinking of who I wanted to pass this award too I had to choose Vicki http://vickichrisman.blogspot.com/ whom I met at the Crafty Secret Booth at the Scrapbook Convention in Arlington, TX. She encouraged me to start the blog & has remained faithful in checking back in with me from time to time. She shares so much art with us on her wonderful site.

#2 Has to be Dawn http://the-feathered-nest.blogspot.com/ who has inspired me with her constant sharing of love, talent, images, & kind words... not to mention helping me with the Banner (yes, I know I need a Christmas one)& background on my Blog. Her tutorials are Divine! Gift yourself with one. Thank you for everything my supportive friend.

#3 LuLu http://coastalsistersnews.blogspot.com/ who was the first person to send me at Pay it Forward with the gift of beautiful earrings. Since then, her inspiration has been given in her wonderful often FUNNY Blog & her beautiful work. She too is such a sharing, caring person. She stops by often for a visit & we have gotten to the place we really enjoy visiting with each other. Give The Commander a hug & tell him to keep the goodies coming to sustain you in this busy season.

#4 Tiffany http://wwwbeyondthevintagepath.blogspot.com/ My local (aren't we lucky) Blog Friend that has such talent & beauty. Just pop over & enjoy her site & be inspired! I can't wait to see you this weekend at The Sale sweet friend.

#5 Madai http://forgetmenotsfromwrencottage.blogspot.com/ I have been inspired & loved her beautiful world from my first glimpse. And then disaster struck & she has emerged as wonderful as before. When my Blog grows up... I want it to be as beautiful. Thank you Madai.

#6 Selia http://downtherabbithole.typepad.com/my_weblog/ Who is a new friend. Her blog reminds a bit of Madai's & I have enjoyed it a lot. She shared a couple of lovely photo's with me & has had a bit of a bug. Hope you are on the mend my friend.

#7 Last but not least is Diana http://dianafrey.blogspot.com/ One look at her jewelry & I was smitten. I want to have my jewelry be of this level of talent. I am in the planning stages of taking her March class in California. Hope it all works out... It should tell you a lot of the inspiration if I will travel from Texas to California to take a class!

Thank you ladies for all the inspiration & JOY you bring to me. Hope you are honored by being chosen for this award. And thank you Shannon for your faith in me.

Here is what you do now post the guidelines...
1. Please put the logo on your blog
2. Link to the person from whom you received the award
3. Nominate at least 7 or more blogs
4. Put the links of those blogs on your blog
5. Leave a message on their blogs to tell them.

And now, I hand this award over to:

Christmas Charms & Lunch at Sanford House

I thought I would share with you the pictures of my new charm from Joy at http://cupidscharm.blogspot.com/ I bought this a few weeks back & have been saving it to show after Thanksgiving. She is such a talented sweet gal & I know you would enjoy her blog & her goodies that she sells. I have a THING for Reindeer (ever since we saw them at a Reindeer Farm in Alaska... selling for a mere $4,000.00 each... think shipping & handling fees :o )& HAD to have this charm. I wish my camera took better closeups but, I think you can see Santa & his friends. Thank you Joy. I have taken soldered jewelry classes from Heather Ales & can make some items but, I still need a bit more practice & again saying... I HAD TO HAVE THE REINDEER! So, it is now mine & I love it. Hope you do too.

Saturday I took my friend Susan to the Sanford House B&B for Lunch & a Holiday Fashion Show. Here a few photos of the house (I wish the stupid street sign was not in the way but, no angle could be found without it. Sorry) & a picture of Susan on the steps with her Mom (whom is 87 years old & came up from Houston to join us).