CHRISTMAS IN JULY SWAP

Whoooo hooooo! It's off and I am doing the HAPPY DANCE! lol....As a member of the yahoo group C-R-A-F-T, I participated in the latest ....Christmas in July. swap....where we each make and exchange (9) gifts representing each letter in the word CHRISTMAS! I decided to actually handmake each gift and here is a picture of them all wrapped for posting! I hope you enjoy them Sharon!!! This was a fun swap!

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

Today I found another fantastic giveaway at BarbsCreations...she is giving away a very lovely group of red and white (my favorite) gifties as a CHRISTMAS IN JULY! Hop on over to her blog and sign up for this fantastic group - see the button on the right for a peek at the giveaway; CLICK ON THE CHRISTMAS IN JULY TITLE to go to the GIVEAWAY and sign up....drawing will be July 25....DON'T DELAY!

F-R-I-E-N-D-S SWAP

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late for a date! Is that a familiar phrase...one that you don't want to use when swapping and especially when you have received the exchange waaaayyy before the deadline. Well, these lovely boxes were mailed off on July 11...Now, aren't those some pretty packages....let us hope that my swap friend will enjoy the little gifties inside the boxes!

HAPPY 4TH!!! Have a safe and wonderful holiday!




.....and enjoy the festivities!

BAGSTOBRAFABOUT Summer Swap

Thank you Kit....
She sent me this wonderful red SILK DUPIONI, black and white polka dotted silk lined bag with a beautiful velvet rose closure....to top that, the handles are made from onyx and ivory beads! Ooooo LA LA! So beautiful!

Kit is a glass artist and she included this beautiful peace sign ... how did she know that it is among my favorites?



I only hope that she liked this bag of my own design! NOT a glass designer myself, but merely a glass lover, I wanted to give Kit something special...look closely at the glass closure of her purse....hope she liked it~

Friends of Cloth Dolls Doll Challenge

WHOOHOO! HOORAY!!!! My crazy zany orange-headed doll, Diadairro, tied for third place in the recent Friends of Cloth Dolls Penny Doll Challenge.


How it all started? Claire Pruitt made a cloth doll pattern in the likeness of the antique wooden penny dolls of days gone by... FOCD challenged us dollmakers to make the "Penny Doll" using Claire Pruitt's pattern and ... the garments were to be our pattern. Here are the pictures of my dolls... I love this pattern with its really rounded head and jointed limbs...they were fun to make!

Here is a pic of her in her cute little skirt.....



ElanaMarie is the opposite....she is dark-haired... I love silk dupioni and boy is she all silked out! Here she sits in her outfit
She has a cute face, doesn't she!


Here is a picture of her showing her jointed limbs. Her camisole top and bloomers are made from white silk dupioni!

ElanaMarie in her gorgeous undies.....

FRIENDSHIP SWAP

UPDATE****************** SENT JULY 11 *********************************************



I know that I've not posted for most of the month....LIFE was in the way....teeheehee... not to mention that the computer was a problem and my hand IS a problem! Just get on with it! Okay.... I am participating in the F-R-I-E-N-D-S SWAP
from my friend Khris's blog and my friend sent my goodies ... well way early and here is a picture of the loot... I love this handbag! and oooo all the goodies inside it! Thank you Linda!!!!

Art Doll Challenge

I'm making an ART DOLL next!!! (whatever that is) ... lol! CLICK ONTO THE TITLE HERE IF YOU ARE INTERESTED ALSO!!!! LOTS OF FUN!

STUFF I DO!

Hello, I know that this is June's first post....what gives? How about having so much fun, no time for posting....yes, that sounds good! So here, without further prattle, is the newest primitive....Delora Mae....sister to Jada Mae...



And then there's this....an ANNIVERSARY MYSTERY QUILT by Carol Doak!
These are the fabrics that I chose and step numbero uno!

The Experiments of Dr. Pamenstein

STILL UNDER C-O-N-S-T-R-U-C-T-I-O-N !


The test subject has been prepared for experimentation




Our goal is to create the perfect doll, and then...





then we shall TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!!




MWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!

Lovely jewelry is a must! Kate Erbach made this bracelet for me and I love it...what a TALENT you are Kate!!

WHY I DISLIKE MY POST OFFICE!

Most of the time, I don't go to the Post Office that my address is assigned. Today I had to pick up a delivery and while there, the lady informed me that there was another box there....has been there since April 3rd...I picked up a parcel on that date and of course since inefficiency is the rule of the day there, one of the packages was about to be returned to the sender. Well, it is the rest of a swap exchange from Pat ... thank you Pat, she is sooooooo C-U-T-E! teeheehee, it is a cute little wall hanging with the hanger and some wonderful handquilting ... hearts, I love hearts! THANK YOU!

"PENNY DOLL" from a MASTER DOLL ARTIST!

First just let me say what a TALENT Kate Erbach is. I am sooooo happy to have found the F-I-E-N-D-S OF C-L-O-T-H D-O-L-L-S yahoo group. Amongst the members are some of the world's most talented dollmakers! KATE ERBACH is one of them and for some reason we have made a connection. Her work has inspired me and I realize that dollmaking is what I've always wanted to do! So I shall.... I am posting pictures that I took of ALEXIS... She is made from Claire Pruitt's "Penny Doll" pattern for the FOCD "Penny Doll" challenge. Alexis was withdrawn from the challenge however. That is my gain...heeheehee.... Alexis is consructed from Silk linen...in a buff color for the face, neck, arms - the torso and upper legs made from a turquoise silk linen. Her legs are constructed from a stiped turquoise cotton fabric. Her eyes are skillfully embroidered onto her skillfully needle-scuplted face as well as her pink lips...Her hairdo has been beautifully embroidered ... WOW! these pictures do not do this girl justice! Now her dress is simply g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s topped off with a beautiful lace collar and she is wearing lovely shrimp-colored cotton pantaloons trimmed in lace. She is sporting a beautiful pair of painted-on boots...her period dress is made of a delicate cotton print tied with a luminous pale greenish-turquoise silk ribbon and trimmed with a turquoise/cream cotton lace at the elbows and hem. Lets get to another favorite....her MONSTER GORGEOUS B-O-N-N-E-T! It is made from a heavy cotton lined with shrimp colored silk dupioni and topped off with feathers and flower arrangment! She is topped off with a beautifully made cape of the same heavy cotton. This is truly a M-A-S-T-E-R-P-I-E-C-E ! ! ! Thank you Kate...

A "PRIM" FINISH...maybe

I love diversity! In keeping with my love for at least trying new things, here is a picture of my newest creation. My good friend Khris at http://www.sewprimkhris.blogspot.com/ gifted me a pattern. Sometimes I am not sure if my "stuff" is good enough for others. My girlfriend wanted me to adjust her 13 yo dd's dress (graduating from the 8Th grade). While fitting her, she saw "Jada Mae" sitting tucked in between my larger dolls and wanted to see her....it was love at first sight! Looks like I have a winner...I told her that the doll was for someone else and today sent "Jade Mae" along with her finished dress....She was ecstatic! called me all HAPPY!!!! That makes me smile...really big!!!

SCHOOL ALMOST OVER!

The kids have been in exam status for the last two weeks....the college kid is home and waiting for grades; high school junior finished up today and high school freshman is still plugging along with one more exam scheduled for tomorrow! High school junior was inducted into the National Honor Society last month and I would like to tell all my children that I am proud of them....a special hooray for the honor student.

MY OWN LITTLE OWL!

Whoooohoooooooo! My friend Khris has gone owl crazy.....click on the title and fly on over to her wonderful blog! Thanks girlfriend.... I love this owl siggie!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY HONEY!!!!
It has been a year since we tied the knot! This year was the most challenging year yet....from your successful battle with cancer and my crazy health issues to other relationship stresses. Married life has always been full of ups and downs and God has truly blessed us. We have been able to celebrate the ups and weather the downs. I am very happy that we got married....so I just want to say HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DEAR HUSBAND!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL OF YOU WHO GAVE BIRTH AND/OR NUTURED CHILDREN... I would like to mention my girlfriend who passed some twelve years ago....Marlene, who mothered me....I remember you girlfriend! You were one of the most spectacular people to walk on my path, even though it was only for a short time! You taught me so much about being a MOTHER! Wisdom comes from the most unexpected sources...

PAY IT FORWARD

I believe in paying it forward....so many people have been kind and shown me kindness throughout my life and I always try to share my good fortune with others. I first encountered the pay it forward in the quilting world when I first starting blogging...happened upon a blog full of wonderful art and quilts and primitive dolls. The prim dolls were totally new to me. I joined the blogger's yahoo group and within a year, I met the wonderful lady in person. I did post the pay it forward challenge that she had on her blog on mine; however, no one took the challenge and I've subsequently decided to take up the challenge myself. A few month ago, Kate Erbach, doll maker extraordinaire, gifted me a wonderful, beautiful doll(along with some other very valuable doll making patterns)! We participated in a doll swap last year. I absolutely love her (Blush, pictured here) and in the spirit of paying it forward, I am sending out a pay it forward gift to a totally unsuspecting individual and when that person receives the gift, I will post a pic of the gift on my blog. This person is going to be very surprised! I would post a corner of the gift, but no....I will wait until it is delivered! SUSPENSE.....

PAY IT FORWARD CHALLENGE
is an act of kindness done with no expectation of anything in return but the hope that the recipient of the gift will continue the challenge.....
I start by promising to make and send (3) gifts for the first(3) FRIENDS who post a comment to this post....I hope you will promise to post the challenge announcement on your blogs and carry forth the promise to gift (3) friends with a gift each!

MY PROMISE
I will send out the (3) gifts within 365 days! You will not know when....please don't forget to leave your email so that I can answer your post! lol....

PRAYER FOR THE DEAR DEPARTED

I don't want to be morbib or anything, but recently a few on-line friends have died or had family members that died. I decided to post a prayer that I found that really expresses my thoughts on the subject....the author is unknown...but he or she speaks directly from my heart!

Prayer for the Dead
God our Father,
Your power brings us to birth,
Your providence guides our lives,
and by Your command we return to dust.

Lord, those who die still live in Your presence,
their lives change but do not end.
I pray in hope for my family,
relatives and friends,
and for all the dead known to You alone.

In company with Christ,
Who died and now lives,
may they rejoice in Your kingdom,
where all our tears are wiped away.
Unite us together again in one family,
to sing Your praise forever and ever.

Amen.

BLACK & WHITE +

Here is a "Margaret bag" that I did for a challenge conducted in our C-R-A-F-T online group...the lining of the bag is black and white....teeheehee...and the outer fabric is lavender! Wonder if I should post it on the Black&White plus blog!