My Awesome Giveaway Winnings

I have to tell you that I am so unlucky. If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all. I never win anything accept in blog land. I won another giveaway last year too. But this time Julie from Country Girl at Heart had a fabulous giveaway. She spoiled me rotten. :) When I opened the envelope she had wrapped everything. I don't know about you, but I LOVE opening gifts! OK ignore my other mail in the picture. LOL. I just couldn't wait.



She not only gave me this fabulous table runner, BUT she posted how to make it on her blog as well. Ha what awesome Christmas ideas!!!! I can't wait to get out my Christmas stuff at the end of the week. I now have this to add to it. Check out the directions HERE. AND it's a better picture than I took. LOL.



Next was this beautiful stitchery. I took this pic before I put it in its new home. I'll show that when I post some Christmas pictures.



I have no idea how she new I LOVE cookie cutters. I don't think I've ever posted about them, but I collect them. Then she sent me a recipe for Sugar cookies. I have thrown away a lot of sugar cookie dough because it doesn't roll out to well and sticks to everything. I'm going to try these this year. She also included a Utah truffle. Yum!!!!!



Thank you so much Julie! I just LOVE everything. I also have a beautiful primitive stitchery Julie made me too when I was going through my divorce. I just blog friends. They are just so generous and kind.

Well, friends I may not be back until Friday of course with the holiday and all. So have a Happy Thanksgiving and take time to think about what all you have to be thankful for. I know I do each and every day.

A SALE at the Homestead

Just a quick post today. I have decided to have a sale inside my home. I decided on Saturday. LOL. It has been a mad rush to redecorate my dining room in preparation. So if any of you are wanting to come send me an email and I'll give you the address. I haven't had time to invite anyone so they will be seeing it here. I will have it today and Friday (Black Friday). This sale is called "Come and let's make a deal." There are no prices and I am motivated to sell. All of this would be great for gifts for yourself, friends, and family. If this goes well I will have another at the beginning of the year. This is in WAYNE county Ohio...

This is a sampling...

























I will be back tomorrow with my winnings of an awesome blog giveaway!!!!

Crafting Day...

This morning was very windy and cold. It rained all night long and I could hear the wind hitting the homestead. I just snuggled down in bed and smiled because I knew I didn't have to go into work today. LOL. Don't get me wrong I worked today, but on stuff I really wanted to do. I told you yesterday Stacie was coming over today to craft with me. We had decided to dry some oranges and make sweet potato garland. Everything I did I got from KM Primitives. She does a great job explaining and in a way even I can't mess up. LOL. I started out with my oranges because they do take awhile to dry. I cut them into thin slices patted them with paper towels to get the extra juice off. I put them on my cookie rack with a cookie sheet underneath and popped them in my 200 degree oven.



A few hours later I had these.... I'm going to put hangers on the and put them on one of my Christmas trees this year when I get them out.



While those were in the oven Stacie and I put together some sweet potato garland. Okay it is a yam garland. LOL. They were on sale at the grocery store. Note to self get smaller ones next time. They were so big I had a hard time cutting through them. I did two garlands with only two yams!!!! I tell you what they smell awesome!!!! I used cinnamon, ginger, cloves on one. Then cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg on the other. So you just cut up the taters, throw them in coffee mixture, then coat in your cinnamon mix, string, and hang to dry.





I was on a roll so I strung some of these little cherry looking things from a tree. LOL. A girl at work cut them off her tree and brought them in for me. Along with some more dead sunflowers. Anyway, I LOVE the colors. I'm going to wait to see how they dry to see if I will through them away after Thanksgiving or keep them.



I have some more oranges in the oven. They probably won't be ready to later this evening. I think I might try some apples this weekend.

While Stacie and I were crafting my sister is pic messaging me from a local Goodwill store. She was asking me if I liked or wanted stuff. She knows my taste so she always has an eye out for me. Plus she saves me money because I am not actually there myself buying even more stuff. LOL So she stopped by after she picked up her son from preschool and brought in all her treasures. I should've taken pictures, but I didn't. I'm sure she'll let me come over and take them when she is done redoing them. She has more of a traditional taste, but she got some awesome stuff today. Btw Becky (my sister) you could put your topiaries in those two bucket urn thingys or tall skinny evergreens. Sorry I digress. LOL Anyway, she got these for me...

$8.00 for this jug!!!!! Woohoo!!!!! My sister pointed out there was a chip in it. ummmm it is only from use. It is prim awesomeness.



Then this great candle holder for $2.50. This will be perfect for Christmas with my pewter wares already.



I even got my stitchery done. I coffee stained it a little and need to press it, but I can't wait to put it in a frame.



I had some awesome new ideas for Christmas ornaments that I want to try. I don't want to show or tell you until they are done. Just think Olde Fashioned Christmas. I need Steve's help for some of it though. Well, I just thought I'd stop in and show you how things came out. Thanks for asking Renee.

I owe a bunch of you apologies... Your comments went to my spam box in my email. I just now found them. I will try to answer your questions those of you who asked them. Oh and before I forget Carmen and Primcatshouse I have tried replying to your comments and they keep getting bounced back. I am not sure if you have received them or not or if this is an error. I do try to get with those who leave messages, but I am not able to get your email addresses from some of your comments. So I apologize for that. I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Christmas Crafting

I told you last week that I would be back this week with some new projects. I got busy after I posted my last entry. As much as I like fall, it was time to move on to Christmas stuff. I have a bunch of things I would like to make for Christmas, but it's just finding the time to do it. I have a theme for one of my little trees rolling around in my head full of marbles. But I'm not decorating for Christmas yet. It is just too early for me. It is my tradition to decorate the day after Thanksgiving. One of my Facebook friends put it best... we all have a lot to be thankful for so let's not rush Christmas and take the time to remember how lucky we are. And many of you know I am very thankful for where and who I am today and for the people in my life. Yes this means all of you in blogland and Facebook. OK I'm not going to get sappy. Let's move on to the good stuff.

I finished my candle box finally. I just love this color I found by accident. It was a left over bottle at the thrift store. I can't wait to fill it with greens and a Santa I hope to make. LOL.



Next I hunted in my stash o' goodies for something I could redo. So I found these wood boxes. They are done in hunter green, barn red, and antique white. These will be one of my items for sale on my blog when I start listing things here soon.



Then I decided to coffee stain up some fabric and make pillows. I stuffed the Christmas tree with wood chips and will do the same for the other two. I just haven't had time until today. I think they turned out really cute. Again, they will be for sale too. I'm just giving you a heads up about some of the things I will be selling so you can save some money first. LOL.





Then last but not least I started another stitchery. I know you are rolling your eyes at me. You are thinking to yourself really??? I thought you were done with the stitchery thing. You told us last week you were tired of showing us stitchery stuff. You are right, BUT I justified spending $.20 on a pattern book last week. LOL. This was one of my finds at the thrift store last week. I started it Saturday at work. I am almost finished. It was a quick and easy pattern. I used thrift store cloth, thrift store thread, and thrift store pattern. So there :P LOL.



Tomorrow Stacie and I are getting together to try do dry some fruit. I think I'm also going to try to make a sweet potato garland too. And for those who live around Wayne County our next BFF gathering is Nov. 30. We will be making salt dough ornies, but you are welcome to just come and bring whatever you are working on or just come and observe. The more the merrier. Send me a quick email and I will email you the info. I need to get moving and clean up around this place. It's starting to look like a thrift store in my dining room. LOL. Plus Stacie is coming I can't have all this stuff laying around. Though she has seen my house a mess. I swore I would never have visitors in my home if it wasn't clean. But you all know how anal oh wait funny about how my house smells and looks.

I Was Bad...

My addiction and curiosity of thrift stores over took me yesterday. I certainly didn't want to disappoint you either. LOL. I just had to go to the Christmas open house at MCC Connections in Kidron. I arrived around 8:45 and there was already a line waiting to get in. Of course my BFF Pam and her husband were already there. I was so excited because I had a shopping buddy. We also got to chatting with some of the other ladies waiting in line. It was actually really fun waiting. Anyway, as soon as the door opened we all went in. I'm not sure where she went first, but I went to the pattern section and craft area. People were grabbing shopping carts and baskets. Not me I didn't want to waste time. LOL. I got to the bin and started digging. I got all these patterns for $.55 a piece. There are snowmen, Santas, and quilting patterns. I may use them as is or I might change them up a little.



oh and I got this bag a sheep wool to use for Santa beards or doll hair. Now I just need one those felting needles(I believe this is the name) to punch it in to the fabric.



I walked around and found some cross stitch sampler patterns in magazines and books, and some old quilting magazines and books. Some of the patterns looked easy enough that maybe I could attempt them. For as cheap as they were I figure even if I only use one pattern it was worth it.





Then Pam and met up and discussed what we both had. Her husband said he could hear us from across the room. LOL. OK we weren't discussing I was trying to get Pam to buy some plastic canvas patterns and finding some really ugly stuff for her. She on the other hand found some great stuff for me and proceeded to put it in my basket that a really nice volunteer gave me to hold all my stuff.

She found all this for me...I found the candles...









The rest I found on my own.

I think the cross stitched thing was to be a pillow because there is no backing to it. I think a little coffee stain and a frame would be nice. Notice the blue? What did I tell you yesterday. LOL





I am not into hooking yet. I figure I can flip them over and add some fabric to the edges and make table runners.









I bought this for my sister's friend who wanted Steve to make one. I figure $1.50 is a lot cheaper. Plus I'm going to make a pattern off of it to make a gameboard for my wall.



This fabric is so awesome. I think it will be my tree skirt.



Last but not least... Pam found this first. It was so awesome. Her husband picked up after much pleading between Pam and me. We told him one of us would take it so until then he put it in the cart. Lo and behold as I'm checking out Pam brought it to me and said that I could have it. I was so excited! $7.50 was a bargain on this beauty. Oh and Pam I apologize for not saying goodbye, but I misread my calendar and was suppose to be at an appointment at 10a and it was already 10:30. OOPS!!!! I had a great time shopping with you. See you Nov 30th. I think I might get rid of the shelf on the bottom and put a dowel rod to make a quilt rack. Of course and paint it too.



OK most of this I really didn't need. But they were all bargains. Even if I decide I don't want something I can always give it back. I am going to try so hard to not go to any more Christmas Open Houses this year. You know me though... I can't pass up a bargain. Have a great weekend everyone. I work the next three days but would like to have some more crafting things to post.

I Found Some Motivation

Instead of working on my sticheries on Tuesday I found the motivation to work on some different projects. I knew you were tired of seeing the same stuff. Quite frankly so was I. LOL. So on Tuesday I made up some coffee stain went through my mega stacks of fabric and got to work.

I've had these paper mache boxes for ages. Yes they were already prim, BUT I wanted something different. I don't know why I have been leaning towards blue and browns recently. I found though that most of my fabrics are those two colors in many different shades. Anyway, since it had been awhile since I coffee stained I mixed the stain up quite dark. I plopped my fabric in it and then put it in the oven to dry. I found that the fabric was not taking the stain. hmmm... I am wondering if the sizing that is sprayed on fabrics has something to do with it. I should have washed the fabric first? Anyway, so I decided to take some brown paint mix it with my coffee stain and viola it worked much better. Ok until I got to the middle box. This fabric just wouldn't take the paint/coffee mixture. So, I put some paint on my painting cloth rubbed my paintbrush in it and painted some dark spots on the fabric. I think it turned out ok. So quit talking and lets see them Mary right?

After...



Before...

See the boxes behind the crock? These are the ones I redid...



Then I tried my hand and a fabric covered book... OK I was trying to use up fabric...notice the brown again... LOL



Of course I painted the candle box. It is not done as I need to sand and prim it up. I ran short on time. Today in between all my appointments I am going to do some more crafting. I hope...



I have a question for you. At this point in the fall do you still buy fall decorations or have you moved on to Christmas stuff? I am asking because I'd like to put some fall items up on my selling blog, but I don't want to if people are done buying for fall.

Today there is a Christmas open house at one of my favorite thrift stores. I am torn because I'd like to go, but I really don't NEED anything. Uggghhh... I'd better be a good girl and just use up and create my own things this year. Homemade is much better than store boughten sometimes. I guess come back tomorrow to see if I gave in. LOL.