Da da dum da

If you like Indiana Jones or Legos, go visit Anna's blog today. Very cute video. Yes, it's 5 minutes long...but hang in there...you can look at something that long. It's very worth it.

It's beginning to look a lot like Valentine's Day!

I've been making Valentines, haven't you?

I'll send them out very soon. I'm ready to put the Valentine paper away! I'm hosting some Valentine Banner Swaps and just waiting on a few more pennants to arrive and then I can send these out..... I love banners!

Look at this Itty Bitty Valentine Banner that Katie sent me as a hostess gift....

Mrs. Jessie Utt

I've been wanting to share this little book with you for a long time. I don't remember if I bought it in Warrenton or in Canton, Texas. It apparently belonged to Mrs. Jessie Utt. She lived in Chickasha, Oklahoma. It's basically an altered address book!

Looks like she did some doodling! She kept minutes it appears...for her Sunday School Class and bought the cards for the members' when they had birthdays or were ill. A job I have had before. And..in this same little book...she made lists of gifts she gave. I do that! I just have a separate book for it. I can tell you what gifts I gave for Christmas over 20 years ago! We would've been BFFs - Jessie and me!! She even sometimes wrote upside down in her book. That is helpful if you are in a group and flipping through your book... people can't read it as well. Smart!

Here is her shopping list.... guess what.... she sewed! Of course she did...didn't everyone "back then"? She wanted a "piece of black ribbon"!!! And I love how she wrote (hand) after "bag".

She must've had some "journal prompts" cause here's an entry where she was journaling about a school experience in 1916 and 1917.

...and here is one more shopping list. I didn't copy all the pages for you...just a sampling.

I don't know what to do with this little book. I guess I can colorcopy the pages and use them. I think I should find some old photographs that could be Jessie and do something with all of this. Any ideas?

I googled her...found this:

Rosehill Cemetery - Chickasha, Grady County, Oklahoma

UTT, Hubert, 8 Apr 1886 - 16 Jan 1967 (burial 18 Jan)(SS/W Jessie May Utt, Block 10, Lot 14)

UTT, Jessie May, 17 Nov 1870 - 4 Jun 1957 (burial 6 Jun)(SS/W Hubert Utt, Block 10, Lot 14)

Makes me wonder about the school journaling....maybe she taught... or her children were in school those years. Don't know...

Some beautiful pictures...not this one..

When I was in Warrenton/Round Top for the Fall Show....I visited the Willow Nest booth. I sooooooooo loved this booth. I asked the lady working in it at the time if I could take pictures and she just asked that they not appear on a blog. So I haven't put them here...but I want you to now go to their blog..which has been up a few months... and see it. Willow Nest has a B&B in Burton, Texas and they show their wares at antique shows all around. The Texas Antique Week next happens.... SPRING SHOW 2009 TUESDAY MARCH 31 - SATURDAY APRIL 4 There is lots of info out there on the web about it, but here is one link if you are interested in coming:

Antique Weekend

and another

Marburger Farm

and if you are in the Houston area...

The Urban Market

Whose your Tara?

You have to watch this. I've always had good friends...

Inauguration stitching

I gathered supplies yesterday so that I could sit on the sofa today and watch the inauguration and everything surrounding it today and stitch.

Thought the above simple little heart expressed the theme of the day.

Above is my favorite picture to use in art.... it's my mother-in-law as a young girl. I can't decide if I should put a word on there. But if I add this to a larger piece.... I just don't know what I'm going to do with any of these. I really like the above. Nathalie shared this image with me... I think it was on her blog once. And I know she's sent me art with her. Below includes some other snippets. Snippets is Virginia's word. We sat and stitched last Thursday at her house and I made some of these. She's inspiration for getting going. And you will love what she's making. As soon as she's finished, I'll take a picture for you. Lesley Riley was my original inspiration for this kind of stitching. Her Fragments and Memory Quilts are the best. Rebecca Sower is the one I've had classes with the last two years that inspires me constantly in this. I iron a piece of muslin to a piece of freezer paper and then I tape them to an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper... just at the top... and put it in my printer. I do a sheet full of images and words. French knots are hard to do on such loosely woven linen. I am going to do one large piece soon. I'll show ya........ eventually! Have you stitched anything lately?

Catching up with the mail

I've been wanting to upload some pictures for you of some recent mail I've received. So finally I got it done!!!! Don't you love getting art in the mail.... it's the best thing ever. When I was a young girl I wrote so many letters. I've always been a letter writer and I have a few boxes of letters around here. Of course, they are all OLD now since no one writes me offline anymore. So I do save the few I get now....even the handwritten cards that arrive with goodies. I'm trying to write more letters to friends this year. I wrote to my aunt in Georgia last week. You should write a letter to someone today, too. Nathalie's mother actually writes to me sometimes. I need to definitely send her something today..well, tomorrow....no mail today. Gasp...I hate postal holidays. God Bless the Post Office...even tho they charge me an arm and a leg.... Okay...I'm digressing. As you can see in the sidebar, I adore Viv's stuff over here at Hens Teeth. I ordered one of her needlecases on New Year's Eve 2008. Wanted to get my order in before everyone had their copy of the current issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors and discovered her. I ordered one of her needlecases. She uses old envelopes for her base! So you can understand why she caught my eye! And I love embroidery, too.....so here we have the perfect combination. And she makes these wonderful cases for the needlecases!

Below is from Wanda and her Rat's Pajamas blog! Wanda is a Silver Bella friend. I won these on her blog as we are all winners. Gotta love that concept! She is a sweetheart. Check her blog! And considering my recent art projects (unphotographed so far)....these supplies are thrilling.... I got this pack a month ago at least....I'm so behind!

And..then...there is Margaret... Alice and Camilla blog.

She is such a treasure! I love her and all her stuff! We are members of In This House Yahoo Group and that's how I found her. We agreed to trade envelopes full of goodies. Here is what she sent me.....from Switzerland. There is a handwritten note on the back of the fruit card.

Updated Blogs Make Me Happy!

This morning I feel the need to just say thank you to God for giving us blogs! Isn't it a wonderful world we live in? I could just weep for joy sometimes over the things I see and read about from my blogging friends and their blogging friends. I am so blessed by all of you and what we share. I was running through my blog list that appears to the left here... and saw a few things that I don't want you to miss. It's a struggle for all of us to get back in our glorious routines in this new year.... so we gotta look out for each other. Go see Carol at Raised in Cotton. She features Anette... who makes me want to throw all my stuff out and start over in my house. And she has the cutest dog. My Art Dog says I could just try decorating in the color of champagne and get the same look centered around him. I'm considering it. Hopefully my children won't read my blog today. Joli-Paquet with Cindy from Junque Art is starting back up. I love that site!!! Pam Garrison has been blogging again and she has a free download of her design for a sewing machine cover ... that I am SO making .... It appears in Somerset Life that is out right now and happens to be ONE of the Stampington magazines that I resisted buying yesterday. I did buy the Art Journaling one and the Somerset in Love. Incidentally, are you aware that Michael's is NO LONGER accepting their coupon for magazine and book purchases? I was livid. I told them I would be going to Barnes and Noble to get my 10% off. So...I'm sure the policy will be adjusted due to my comments. Let's all do our part! Ali Edwards' has her updated office online. She has a typeset tray on the wall with rubber stamps in it. I have a typeset tray in the attic!!!! hmmmmmmmm....

Where oh where did my inspiration go?

Apparently I can't create in a neat and tidy (do those mean different things) room!

So after many hours of fretting and cutting out and making a FEW stacks around me, I was finally able to do something worth showing or at least mailing out!!! I have two swaps coming due involving valentine banners .... and I have been totally BLOCKED creatively. But I think I do like my little floral bouquets. I just stopped and thought "what is it that I've done that I really like...just go with that and stop trying to create the wheel." So I reflected on a Pam Garrison class at Silver Bella and found some inspiration.

Then I also whipped up a little birthday gift for a friend and popped that in the mail (talking to those British people a lot is effecting my vocab) ... hee hee!

Someone's Giving Something Away!!! Hurry!

Joanna of Moss Hill Studio is having a giveaway of the above sweet angel! You must enter today as entries close at midnight on the 12th. I just discovered it today and yes, I get an extra chance by putting this on my blog!! If you win and want to send this to me, I will understand and accept. I'll even feature your blog on here for it!!! Smile!

This just in....

I know there are people wondering what I'm doing and why my blog hasn't been updated.... I do read my email. ha!!! Well, my DH gave me a certificate for Christmas that said I could buy whatever I needed to organize my art room. I didn't really need for him to tell me that or give me that.... being the independent, stubborn woman I am.... but it definitely helped get me going!! He is so supportive of my art, crafts, needlework, junking. I am very blessed. But then he plays GOLF...so there ya go.

So last Saturday we made a trip to The Container Store. Now let me say this... my room is in no way finished.... I haven't organized everything yet...but the furniture is all in place and I just needed to update my blog and I have nothing else to show you. !!! BEFORE

AFTER BEFORE

AFTER

The Art Dog is so happy to have a large area to lie in... because he is going to be in the art room if I am in the art room and he WILL find a place. So... my shelves are not organized it will all be better soon and I'll post an update.

My BFF Virginia came over on Tuesday and we moved furniture! One of her God given gifts is the Gift of Organization.... below is a picture of her helping Pam Garrison organize her class at Silver Bella in November. God Bless Virginia!

It's 2009!

Heidi

has these on her blog...all kinds...

go have a look and grab some they are her gift!

I hope you are having a good year so far! DH took the lights down outside! He did it without me even asking! I think he's playing golf tomorrow... the man does understand how the world turns.

And I spent some time in the art room...made a couple of things....not finished yet....but almost. I even shopped on Etsy...yesterday AND today!

Life is good!

I'm catching up on some blogs tonight. Malisa who lives just up the road a piece from me.......talkin local now.... has a great poem on her blog that I want to steal...but I'll just send you there to read it. The one on December 26 is the one I'm referring to!