Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Handing-down two baby dolls

Hey friends. Pictured above are two of my own baby dolls from childhood. They are Madame Alexander© company, issue ca. 1970's. On the left is Eleanor, on the right is Kelsey. 'Wish their original clothing items were still on them. Didn't most of us lose the original clothing way back when, not knowing that some day this would actually decrease the doll's value? Oh well.. 'Makes me so happy to have sewn new clothing for these baby dolls and to gift them to my daughter and granddaughter. Keep reading for more info, and comments.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Granddaughter's Christmas dress

Hello friends. 'Hoping that you all had a very nice and safe Christmas. It was so good to spend time with my twin sister and her family, and Mother. My daughter and her family also visited. Pictured above is a 100% cotton red velveteen jumper and blouse that I made for my darling granddaughter Macey. The pattern is a now-discontinued one: McCall's 3531. For the blouse, the jumper pattern with the collar was simply shortened. It is made of a white-on-white cotton with a snowflakes print. The monogram applique initials are of an ornaments-print fabric, and were custom made by: Dee Appliques' Etsy shoppe. There's just something about these fabrics that is so holiday-ish. Both fabrics came from Hancock Fabrics. Dee Appliques was willing to use the ornaments-print cotton for the monogram initials, so I simply mailed her enough of that fabric to work with. How nice is that? Awesome!



McCall's 3531 is a fairly simple pattern to construct, with three back button fasteners and a lined bodice. Gpotta have a matching hair bow. This earns the pattern a difficulty rating of:

Fairly Easy

Friday, December 26, 2014

Sunbonnet Sue= success!

Hello friends. 'Hoping that you all had a wonderful Christmas. Pictured above are my lovely daughter Amanda and granddaughter Macey, with the Sunbonnet Sue ensemble that I quilted for Macey. The patterns are from an older book titledSunbonnet Sue Visits Quilt in a Day®, ©1992 by Eleanor Burns. Yes, they both love it. My daughter had not seen the quilt on this blog, and was totally surprised. By the way, 'recognize that red peppermint dress on my granddaughter? 'One that I made last year for Macey (McCall's M6781). My son-in-law could not attend the festivities, as he had to work. We all had a great time, but he was really missed. Alabama got somewhat unusual Christmas thunderstorms, complete with lightning, instead of snow. To see more photos of the Sunbonnet Sue ensemble, choose the Label or Category "Sunbonnet Sue".

Someone commented on a recent post as to how to get the white background on my photos. Well, after many hours of attempts at good photos, lol. The photos are shot outdoors before the sun is at it's peak. The camera flash is disabled, and the scene selected is "outdoors." Actually, the items are sitting atop of an old table in my backyard against the house. The "white" is only a simple sheet of white poster board (dull side showing). Being careful to not crease the poster board creates the illusion that the items are "floating" on a white background. The free Picasa photo editing software allows choices such as sharpness, auto color, and even special effects for photos. Most of my photos have been Picasa-edited with the "I Feel Lucky" option, which auto corrects color, contrast and lighting all in one fix. "Color Boost" option is usually used as well. Awesome! Remember to always make a copy of the original photo beforehand in case the changes are not what you wanted once made. For the good indoors photos, using the "People- no flash" setting along with red-eye correcting works great. For Christmas, Santa bought me a new Nikon© camera. Even with the simple GE© $40.00 point-and-shoot camera, similar results can be achieved. Prim winter blessings.

Thursday, December 25, 2014

*Merry Christmas and a sleigh*

Good morning, and merry Christmas to you all. Today is also Thrifty Thursday, so here are some holiday-related finds. The metal sleigh is in like-new condition and was only $2.50. It is nearly 10" tall. 'Caught my eye immediately. The red and green wicker basket and the box of green glass tree ornaments were also a real finds at only $1.00 each. See how one green tree ornament is missing? That is OK, since all items were purchased at a thrift store. Total cost: $4.50 for all three items. 'Still cannot beat those prices. Hoping that all of you are well-fed, warm and healthy on this winter day. Prim holiday blessings.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Surprise Christmas RAK!

Good afternoon friends. 'Hope you are all happy and well. Today the winter solstice began, and the cooler weather has definitely arrived in Alabama. Pictured above are some lovely RAK gifts that: Laura of Rhodes Creations sent to me. Beautiful snowy deer scene in a box with a hanger, kitchen towel with cows images on it, bottle of Lavender Thyme Catnip, bottle of herbal Elixir, Vanilla Clove lip balm, Citrus Garden blend herbal bath salts, bag of Evening Repose herbal tea (Tisane), and a holidays Draw Me Nearer DVD. There is also a beautiful Christmas card. Wow! All are wonderful gifts that I really do appreciate. Sending many thanks to Laura. Prim winter blessings to you all.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Win from Cynzplace

Hey there friends. It's a cold day here in our town. Winter seems to be sneaking in a couple of days early. Pictured above is a darling holidays pillow that I won from: Cyn of Cynzplace Blog. She had asked us to suggest words that remind us of Christmas. The backing of this pillow is a pretty plaid in soft colors. Thank you so much Cyn. This pillow already has a place with my decorations. The stitching is so neatly done and beautiful. The embroidered words say it all, don't they?

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Thrifty Thursday: Snowman Make-Do

This week's Thrifty Thursday item is the vintage brass candlestick pictured above. It was a real find at only $1.00 in a local thrift store. 'Love the tarnishing, don't you? The Snowman decoration is from a free tutorial by Willa at: The Old Cupboard Door Blog. The head is made from a styrofoam ball covered in joint compound and painted. Very crafty, right? Sending many thanks to Willa for this tutorial. I love how the snowman's neck is painted red & white like a candy cane. The great thing about snowmen is that they are nice decorations for all of winter, not just during the Christmas holidays. 'May have put a bit too much mica "snowflakes" on him though. What do you think? Prim autumn blessings.

Monday, December 15, 2014

*Merry Christmas Swap 2014 w/ Cindi*

Hi friends. I am so happy to share with you all the lovely gifts from: Bumblebee Lane Cottage's Merry Christmas Swap 2014. My partner was; Cindi of Cindi's Country Corner Blog. She really spoiled me! Pictured above are the items she sent: metal Christmas sign, green metal punched candle holder, metal "Freezie" snowman ornie, big santa wearing a knit suit holding a Christmas tree, prim box with a tree painted on top and filled with yummy candy, snowman doll holding a little black crow, orb with a snowman painted on it with a little pip wreath, and a green wooden block with "Believe" painted on the front. All such festive items- thank you so very much Cindi. Sending thanks to our Swap hostess, Amy, as well. Be sure to go check out and follow their awesome blogs. Another wonderful Christmas Swap makes me so happy. To see what I sent to Cindi, visit her blog, and you can also continue reading.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Look at this Christmas tree!

Hey there friends. If you like decorating it super-sized for the holidays, this Christmas tree in our local downtown park fits that bill! It appears to be at least 20' tall, and is covered in lights and other decorations. Every year, the city decorates this whole historical park. This year's large tree just adds to the festive spirit, doesn't it? Are your local parks decorated for the holidays? Prim blessings.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

*Winner of Homespun Holidays giveaway!*

Good morning to you all. Wow, it is only 2 weeks till Christmas. Guess what? It is also time to announce the winner of the *Homespun Holidays Giveaway*. Random Number Generator© selected #8, which is: Heather of The Country School Marm Blog. Heather said, "...the snow just blankets everything." Emailing you in a sec, Heather, to get your physical mailing address. Thank you all for entering. It has been another great year with blogging friends and happiness. Thank you all so much for the joy you bring to my life. Prim holiday blessings.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

*Homespun Holidays Giveaway*: only 4 hrs. left!

There is only 4 hours/17 minutes CST left to enter the: *Homespun Holidays Giveaway*. Y'all better hurry on over to that post. Prim blessings.

Monday, December 8, 2014

*Decorating has begun*

Good morning friends. Have you started to decorate for the holidays? 'First thing we usually do is hang the door wreaths. The photo is of the wreath on my front door. It is similar to the one from 2012, but this one has the large bells on it. I tend to use the more simple wreaths. The blue shades are a color palette that I plan to use one year, as they remind me of winter snow. Some people prefer the pinks and purples, the more "glitzy" colors. What is your style? Traditional or contemporary? Prim blessings.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Thrifty Thursday: red wicker sleigh

Hello friends. It's that day again: Thrifty Thursday. Pictured above is a festive red wicker sleigh. It is quite large, approx. 12" in length and 7" in height. This will look so good filled with pine cones from our yard, or even a prim santa or snowman. 'Know how when you see something that makes you say wow? This sleigh was a great find at a local thrift store, clearance priced at only .10¢ See the price sticker? The sleigh was once $1.00, which was a really good price. The clearance price made it an even more thrifty find. What would you put inside this sleigh?

Oh, and there are still 6 days to enter my: *Homespun Holidays Giveaway*. Go enter- you may even win! Prim autumn blessings.

Monday, December 1, 2014

Santa ornie

This is a darling pattern from: My Primitive Saltbox's Etsy shoppe. This santa is a quick and easy make, and per the instructions the hat can be painted red, green, or mustard. Red was chosen for this one, as it was a gift ornie. I had some trouble gluing the beard on, though. 'Glued a lot to my fingers, lol. Any suggestions on how to better do this would be appreciated. Don't you just love making ornies for the holidays? Prim Autumn blessings.