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).