Bluemuf's Corner

TAST Week 2 Buttonhole Stitch

2012-01-16T13:40:00.000-05:00

This week it took me a little longer to finish the Buttonhole sampler. I tried to do a bit more embellishments on the stitching this time. Right now I'm keeping my samples in a small photo album to keep them safe until I decided to make the fabric album

Karen

TAST Week 1 Fly Stitch

2012-01-08T17:15:00.000-05:00

I have finally finished my sampler for Week 1 of TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday)

The first stitch was the Fly Stitch and I'v tried to do a few variation of the stitch. I am going to do all my weekly samplers in a 4 x 6 format and later will make a fabric book.

I'm looking forward to the new stitch next Tuesday

Karen

Happy Holidays

2011-12-26T13:44:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone has had a peaceful and enjoyable Christmas and are looking forward to a New Year.

I have been MIA for a very long time and decided to start posting again this coming year.

I have join TAST (take a stitch Tuesday) hosted by Sharon B. from Pin Tangle. The challenge starts on Tuesday, January 3 and runs for a year.

I'm looking forward to starting this new challenge.

See you in the New year
Karen

A Little Blogging Break

2010-05-15T14:52:00.003-04:00

Lately I have been finding it very hard to post. Due to some health problems and and upcoming vacation I think I will take a little blogging break. Hopefully, I will be back soon.

KarenOX

Today is 33 Years Together

2010-04-23T13:51:00.004-04:00

"Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit."
Kahlil Gibran

I was gifted with a beautiful sculpture that I had admired a few weeks ago. I also thought it was very appropriate as yesterday was Earth Day.

KarenOX

It's Been Awhile

2010-03-21T17:20:00.001-04:00

It has certainly been awhile since my last post. Due to a few little things happening and our new little family member I have been busy.

We lost our beloved Muffin at the end of August last year. We had her for 18 years and she was the sweetest little pet. Petrina was missing her as much as we were and after Christmas we decided to look for a little kitten.

We found a litter of Flame point Siamese for sale and went to see them. The kitten would be ready in two weeks and we picked up Bailey the first week of February. We were told he was 8 weeks old, but our Vet figured he was only 6 weeks. The poor little guy had and cold and was only one pound. We had meds for him and when he visited the vet again in two week he was much better and had gained another pound. Because of this cold his little nose is so sensative, but he will grow out of it. Tomorrow he goes for he second needle and I would think he has gained more weight.

Here are some pictures of our new little friend.

Petrina and Bailey are starting to become friends. Here is a picture of them having a nap.

KarenOX

My Little Amineko

2010-01-16T13:50:00.008-05:00

I have been so sick this past week and a half. Finally, I'm starting to feel a little better. Between sleeping and just feeling terrible I did manage to finish up my Amineko. This little cat is from a Japanese designer and she has kindly translated her pattern into English. It can be seen here at her website.
In Japanese Ami means crochet or knitting in English and Neko mean cat. This little cat is poseable so you can display him in all sorts of neat ways.

I just love making these little animals and I look forward to making more.

KarenOX

Welcome to a New Year

2010-01-08T11:55:00.005-05:00

A new year has begun and I always find for the first week I just like to recover from the holidays. It gives me a chance to make lists of what I would like to accomplish in the coming year. Projects to finish and new ones to start; places to visit and maybe some new skills to learn.

I made some of my gifts this past year and would like to increase the amount in the coming year.
Here are some of them

This little fairy jar was made for my young cousin as a Christmas gift. The jar is an adaptation of the tutorial Nest Baby Project; from Dawn Edmonson. Another great tutorial that was offered on Nancy Green's Artist Class.

Fairy Jar Details

The text on the tag is as follows:

This little Fairy Jar is a very special jar with Magical wishes for Mommy and Maddison. It also contains loving remembrances from past generations.

The Little fairy is Maddison at 6 months old
The little gold charm was gifted to Grandma from Maddison's Mommy.
The pink crochet lace was made by Maddison's Great Grandma Stanton
The white crochet lace on the lid was made by Maddison's Great, Great Grandma Bartlett

The Magical Jar represents five Generations of Women

I made three sets of these wrist warmers using a pattern I bought from BellaMcBride's Etsy shop. They were Christmas gifts.

Some beaded bookmarks, cell phone charm and charms for Saucy's Christmas Charm swap

And my second crochet Amigurumi Pup that is now the proper size.

Wishing everyone a creative new year

KarenOX

Merry Christmas

2009-12-22T12:25:00.004-05:00

My Christmas wish for all of you
Photo courtesy of the Graphics Fairy

I hope everyone has a Joyful and Merry Christmas. May the New Year bring you happiness and peace.

Blessings

KarenOX

Memories of Christmas Past: The Christmas Fruitcake

2009-12-05T16:04:00.007-05:00

The Christmas Fruitcake is a popular treat for many. The History of “The Christmas Cake” can be found here
When I was young and living at home, one of our many Christmas traditions was the making of the Christmas cake. These were always made during the first week of November. Mother made two cakes one light and one dark. Both were good and they never seemed to last past New Year’s Day.
The cake was prepared in her large canning kettle and we all took turns stirring the batter, this was considered to bring luck. The batter was very thick and heavy so my Father did most of the mixing. After the cake had ripened and before cutting my mother would put a layer of almond paste on the top. It was difficult waiting until December to finally taste these delicious cakes.
Even after I left home my mom and I still made Christmas cakes together and eventually, my sister-in-law joined us. The first Saturday in November became Cake baking Day. We did this for many years, right up until my mom was unable to help anymore. I made the cakes for a few years, but then there just weren’t as many people who enjoyed fruitcake. Now I usually just buy a small cake.
While catching up on my blog reading the other day I found the most delicious sounding Christmas cake over at Storybook Woods. It is called Chocolate Cherry Fruitcake. She is also sharing this recipe and the link is in her posting. This is one cake recipe I really want to try. You can check it out here

KarenOX

Artist Class: Making a Digital ATC with Joy Ott

2009-11-25T13:40:00.002-05:00

One of the projects in "Artist Class" is Joy's tutorial for Making Digital ATCs. Her instructions and great photoshop tips were very easy to understand . Also included is a mini kit Joy put together using the fabulous 1905 French Dictionary/Encyclopedia images from Green Paper Packages. I had so much fun with this tutorial and here is the result.

KarenOX

Welcome to November

2009-11-01T13:27:00.003-05:00

Today is the first of November and after the scary winds we had yesterday, many of the leaves are gone. This year the fall colour was absolutely spectacular. I have not seen colour like this for many years.

On Thursday we went to the yearly chrysanthemum show. On the way home we decided to check out two local areas with water falls. The trees were gorgeous and we managed to take some great pictures.

Here are two pictures I took at Webster's Fall

Fall is my favourite time of the year, I just love everything about it.

In Autumn
by Fannie Montgomery

They're coming down in showers,
The leaves all gold and red;
They're covering the little flowers,
And tucking them in bed.
They've spread a fairy carpet
All up and down the street;
And when we skip along to school,
They rustle 'neath our feet.

KarenOX

Halloween "A Hauntingly Magical Celebration"

2009-10-16T23:33:00.003-04:00

To-day a special Halloween Celebration is being held by Vanessa over at A Fanciful Twist

In honor of the Celebration, I am, with a little help from Photo Shop, providing some Halloween poems for your enjoyment.

I also copied a page and a tag from my Cat themed altered book.

I hope you enjoyed my little bit of Halloween. Please visit Vanessa and check out all the other participants

Credits: Christine M. Stone, Shabby Pumpkin, Kubivet and Woolman

KarenOX

I'm Back

2009-09-30T10:40:00.003-04:00

I have been home for two weeks after our fantastic Baltic Cruise. The places we visited were amazing and the crown jewel was St. Petersburg, Russia. We spent two days touring St. Petersburg and only touched on the splenders of this historic city. I will be posting in small posts of all the wonderful sights and Russia I will leave until the end.

I really got hit with jet lag this time and it took a little over a week to get back to normal. In between sleeping I had a swap to get ready for and was so happy to see that my Etsy orders of supplies had arrived while I was away. And I did manage to get my swap items out on time. Last week was full of catch up appointments and of course the never ending chores we sometimes have to do.

My husband took over 2300 pictures and I have been trying to upload some of my favourites of each city.

Our first stop was Stockholm, Sweden. We visited City Hall. This is the place that the Nobel Prizes are presented each year except for the Peace prize which is presented in Oslo, Norway.

The interior of City Hall is beautiful. This only gives a little taste

Next the Vasa Museum, this was one of the places I would have loved to have spent much more time at. Vasa was a Swedish warship built between 1626 and 1628. The ship sank on it maiden voyage after sailing less than a nautical mile in 1628. She was salvaged almost intact in 1961 and the museum was built around her.

Old Town in Stockholm is a lovely place to wander around with it's many shops and places to eat. It is also the only place that I found a gargoyle

I have been trying to catch up with all the wonderful posts I've missed and will be around visiting soon.

KarenOX

Dotee Dolls and Holidays

2009-08-31T12:20:00.004-04:00

Just recently, I discovered the wonderful little dolls called Dotee Dolls. I did some research and found they are tiny handmade dolls between 4 to 6 inches and have a hanger made of ribbon or beads and a beaded tail. The doll are made for swapping and gifting. the original Dotte Doll was created by Dot, an Australian doll designer. Dot also has a shop on Etsy where you can purchase Dotee kits to help you get started. Or you can so a search and find all sorts of instructions and variation. You will be amazed at all the little dolls you will find on Flickr. There is also a flickr group

My first Dotte Doll was made for a friend and I am now working on another.

I decided to make a few faces to have on hand.

These little dolls are so much fun and make up fairly quickly.

This week I am flying to Copenhagen to start a Baltic Cruise. One of the highlights is two days in Saint Petersburg, Russia. I am so looking forward to this trip and will post some pictures when I return.

KarenOX

My First Amigurumi Dog

2009-07-27T17:10:00.002-04:00

I have been working away on some projects and just finished my first Amigurumi. I had been looking for a pattern for a pug and came across a crochet pattern on Etsy. Jaravee sells some of the cutest patterns and the pug is so sweet. The pug was to be a Christmas gift, but I decided to make one for myself first. This way I could work out any problems I came across. I used worsted weight yarn and a 3.5 mm hook. The crochet needs to be tighter, so next time I will use a smaller hook.

Here are some pictures of my finished dog and a picture from a couple of days ago while he was in progress.

I have a few more projects that I have finished and some I'm working on.

KarenOX

The Mad Tea Party

2009-06-27T00:40:00.000-04:00

Today is the Mad Tea Party being held by Vanessa over at "A Fanciful Twist"

The girls finally finish getting ready and are so excited to start the party. Only five could attend today and I will introduce you to them now.

Chloe, a pretty little white Persian wearing a diamond necklace and a pink pearl head piece

Strawberry, an elegant pink & white cat who is showing off her pearl collar and diamond pin. She is also wearing a diamond tiara

Jasmine, a saucy little black poodle who loves wearing pearl bracelets as collars. She is also wearing a pearl and gold pin just above her delicate ear.

Fifi, and exquisite little white poodle who loves wearing diamonds anytime. She chose a simple necklace and tiara

And last, but not least, Little Tia, a gorgeous little pink poodle. Unfortunately, she likes very flashy adornments and her choice of neck and head piece are very vibrant. She maybe should have gone with pearls??

The table is set and I was able to get them together for a group photo.

Thank you for visiting with us today and be sure to drop by Vanessas and all the other participants that are joining the Mad Mad Tea Party.

KarenOX

It's Almost Time for the Party

2009-06-24T16:47:00.004-04:00

On Saturday Vanessa over at A Fanciful Twist is having her second annual Mad Tea Party

There has been total excitement at our house. The girls have been running around trying to find the perfect adornments to wear to the Tea Party. Here are few of the girls are trying on some jewels.

We hope to see you all at the Party.

KarenOX

OH MY!!! Time to Catch Up

2009-06-02T12:58:00.000-04:00

Oh My, It's hard to believe that so much time has past since my last post. I need to do some catching up.

Back at the end of April I attended a Quilt Show that was held at our Botanical Gardens. The Halton Quilt Guild has some very talented members and this is a few of the quilts I liked. You can click on any of my pictures to see them in a larger format.

On Mother's Day we went to the Botanical Gardens to attend the Tulip Festival. I just love being in the gardens when they have music playing. The tulips were in their prime.

I also attended the annual antique show that specializes in sewing implements, fabric, clothing, linens. and other beautiful items. Here some of my purchases: Pink leather gloves from the 30's; silk dresser scarf; cosmetic bag from the 20's; pink hosiery keep; velvet orchid and a thimble holder.

At our last camera club meeting we all went out to practise taking night shots. We were working on Street Scapes. It was my first time doing night photos and working with manual settings and a tripod. Here are some of my first efforts. The Twilight photo was auto and hand held. I also managed to get some streaks from the cars passing by. I would like to go out again and get more practise doing these fun shots.

KarenOX

When I am an Old Cat

2009-04-20T10:56:00.005-04:00

My sweet little old lady Muffin will be turning 18 early this June. She is still healthy for a cat her age and other than a bit of dementia and deafness, she can still keep up with our younger (ten years) Siamese. Because of the deafness, she tends to scream to tell us what she wants. In her early years you very rarely ever heard her meow.

I found this poem quite a few years ago and decided that my Grand Lady needed a Diamond Collar. Because of her long fur, I had to settle for a necklace so you would be able to see it. (Don't you just love Photoshop) Click for a larger view to read the poem

KarenOX

Romantic Vignettes Party

2009-04-15T00:02:00.002-04:00

Today is the Romantic Vignettes Party hosted by Louise over at Whispering Poppies.
I had planned on putting together all sorts of wonderful little vignettes all around the house and taking multiple artsy pictures of said vignettes, but due to a heavy duty weekend and house guests, that didn't happen. I did manage to capture some of my favourite items that are on top of my desk.

I am looking forward to seeing all the beautiful photos that others have posted.

Head over to "Whispering Poppies and take a look"

KarenOX

Happy Easter

2009-04-10T14:59:00.002-04:00

Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter

Here are some gorgeous Easter and Spring Baskets from my Flickr Favorites.

1. Mini Easter basket, 2. Easter Basket, 3. easter kittens 3, 4. Miss Peepers, 5. Muffin in a Bucket, 6. Vintage Jello Molds, 7. Hand Painted Roses Easter Basket with Bunny, 8. Easter basket, 9. Frilly Easter basket, 10. Frilly Easter basket, 11. Little Chicks Easter Card, 12. Vintage Easter #21, 13. Mini Easter Basket with Birdie, 14. Sweet Robin's egg easter baskets, 15. Vintage Easter Nut Cup basket, 16. 104_6056

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

Enjoy
KarenOX

A Bit of This and That

2009-03-28T23:26:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it has been two weeks since my last post. Life really has a way of getting away from you. I have been trying to organize all my pictures and prepare some for printing. Walmart had a sale so I needed at least 200 to take advantage of the 12 cents a print.

Thank heavens my husband is the king of organizing his pictures. I went through all of our Egypt Photos and he had them all in folders by date and where they were taken. Believe me, this made it so much easier to find the ones I wanted. I am long past due getting my album together since we took this trip at the end of October.

Here are a few of the Egypt pictures

The Great Pyramids with Cairo in the background. The city has 12 million people living in it and has extended right up to the Pyramids.

The temples at Abu Simbel

The entrance to an Egyptian Bazaar

A photo taken from our ship as we were sailing between Dendara and Luxor. The banks of the Nile are very lush, but beyond is all sand. In the forground is a felucca

Thursday we celebrated my grandson's 10th birthday

And last, but not least, two baby fairies that attended my Fairy and Wizard Party last July. (another album that needs finishing and now I have the pictures printed)

KarenOX

I'm Off to the Carnival Soiree

2009-03-14T00:22:00.001-04:00

Lisa over at Faerie Enchantment is holding her Carnival Soiree today. I have been looking so forward to attending and dressed up for the occasion. I'm wearing my new crown and found the most elegant mask to take with me. And, of course, I also needed to bring my little cat Fluffy.

Cat courtesy of Sandra Evertson (Instant Memories Birthdays)
Mask courtesy of Creative Victorian

I also thought I would bring along a few photos of my husband's Mechanical Banks as they seem suitable for a Carnival.

The Monkey Bank

Trick Dog Bank

Acrobat Bank

Clown Bank

And I also have a Glass Clown that I believe is an ashtray

I hope you have enjoyed my Carnival photos and now you must head over to see all the fun things happening at the Soiree

Have Fun

KarenOX

"JUICY" Sweetness

2009-03-12T11:10:00.004-04:00

Saucy over at Bloggedy blog blog had some lovely charms left over from her daughter Loopy's Birthday Party and made a fantastic charm bracelet to give away. I was the lucky person picked and this gorgeous Juicy Inspired Birthday Bracelet is now mine. It was presented in a beautiful brown and pink box

Inside this lovely box was a piece of paper chocolate cake nestled in some pink "Juicy Couture" tissue paper

And then... the most gorgeous "Juicy Inspired Birthday Bracelet" to view this lovely unique bracelet and see all the wonderful little details just click go to all sizes.

I love charm bracelets and this is a wonderful addition to my collection. Thank you so much Saucy and Loopy for your kindness.

I have almost reached my 100th posting and decided to have a giant give-a-way to celebrate. I have been gathering goodies and I'm looking forward to this milestone post. But, first I will see everyone on Saturday March14th to celebrate "The Carnival Soiree" held at Faerie Enchantment

Until then
KarenOX

Vintage Slumber Party

2009-03-10T00:10:00.000-04:00

Today is the Vintage Slumber Party being hosted by Phyllis over at "For the Love of Vintage"

What fun to be invited to a Slumber Party, I haven't been to one in years...many years. I'm sure there will be lots of delightful surprises in store.

I decide a nice bottle of Sparkling Pink Lemonade would be perfect and a Salmon Pate with some crackers. I also tore the recipe page out of my book and brought that along as well.

paper and frame by Kubivet

As I was leaving for the party, one of my dolls, little baby Stella wanted to come with me. As it was well past her bedtime I had to say no. She just couldn't stop yawning.

Last, but not least I have some party favours for everyone. If you would like any of these pictures just click and you can download a larger file on flickr.

I have this wonderful book published in 1944 called a Child's Prayer. Here is the prayer and two of the illustrations.

Children

Shoes

From another little book call "Prayers and Graces for a Small Child" this one is called Off to Sleep

I hope you will be able to use some of these pictures and have enjoyed your stay. Please go to "For the love of Vintage" to visit with more of the guests.

KarenOX

A Tiny Valentine Swap and a Couple of ButtonFairies

2009-02-27T10:59:00.004-05:00

I participated in a little one on one Valentine swap with Mrs Staggs over at A Happy Miscellany. The Valentine had to be really small. The one I received is so very tiny. 3/4 x 1-1/4 inches in a tiny little envelope.

The one I sent was not quite as small 1-1/2 x 2 inches

I have my grandmother's button tin and after seeing some beautiful examples of button fairies out on flickr I thought this would be a great way to gift some of these buttons to my cousins.
I used the mother of pearl buttons and a picture of my grandmother when she was eleven years of age. There were also some pearls in the bottom of the tin so I added them with a bead for my grandmother's birthstone and my cousin's birthstone. As almost everyone in our family loves butterflies, I chose butterfly wings. Each of my first cousins will receive a button fairy this year in their birthday card

Helen's Fairy

Lillian's Fairy

I still have three more to make which will include one for myself

KarenOX

Flickr Hearts

2009-02-20T09:45:00.004-05:00

Here are some of the beautiful shabby hearts I found on Flickr.

1. Journey Heart, 2. Lace Heart with Tatting, 3. My Antique Heart, 4. Ivory Victorian heart, 5. This Heart is Pink!, 6. Vintage Heart Pin Cushions, 7. Coeur en lin ancien / Vintage linen heart, 8. coração vintage - vintage heart - detail, 9. Vintage Lace Collage Heart, 10. Broken China Mosaic Heart, 11. 100_5722c5, 12. Valentine Love, 13. HANDPAINTED HP HEART AND PINK ROSES PILLOW, 14. CQ Heart, 15. Heart and Pearls, 16. Shabby Chic Rag Quilt, 17. ACEO filagree heart, 18. shabby chic rose petals, scented sachets hearts, 19. Shabby Chic Heart Stack, 20. Shabby Chic Heart Shaped Pillow, 21. Shabby fabric Hearts
Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

Enjoy
KarenOX

Happy Valentines Day

2009-02-14T12:34:00.007-05:00

Wishing everyone a lovely day with their loved ones.

I made this little Valentine last year using some elements from Derek Mecham

KarenOX

Unicorn Magic

2009-02-03T10:50:00.002-05:00

A number of my cousins get together every year for a Christmas gift exchange. This past year they asked if I would like to join them. Of course, I said yes. The rules of the exchange are; the gifts have to be hand made and you can only spend around twenty dollars on materials. My secret partner was a young women still living at home who loved unicorns. This is what I came up with for her gift.

One of the two Unicorn Cushions

A Unicorn Rosette

Magical Unicorn Star Dust

Close up of the bottle

KarenOX

Blogging Kindness

2009-01-11T10:18:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that it is now eleven days into the new year. I spent the past week just resting trying to get over a little cold. It never amounted to anything big, just enough to make me feel under the weather for a few days.

I thought I would recap some of the lovely treasures I won on blog giveaways. I received these while still on my extended blogging vacation/leave of absence.

Miss Sandy over at Quill Cottage had a month of Christmas goodness filled with wonderful craft tutorials, giveaways and her very special Advent celebration. I was so lucky to win one of Sandy's special snowman. I received the pink one and she also added a little surprise, a beautiful blue crochet snowflake.

The parcel was wrapped so pretty and tied with "let it snow" ribbon.

Thank you Miss Sandy for helping to make my Christmas so special.

Back in September I won two more giveaways. One from Louise at The Whispering Poppies
She was giving away one of her gorgeous Mermaid brooches and I was the lucky one picked.
This lovely brooch is crafted on a shell encrusted with vintage lace and pearls.

The parcel also contained many more lovely treasures. A sachet made from vintage fabric, beautiful handcrafted tags and a collage, owl beads and vintage milk cap pins.

Thank you Louise for all your kindness.

Sandra Evertson had a celebration for her first year of blogging. I was the winner of this exquisite piece of art "The Risque Mannequin".

Also included in the package was some wonderful extras, a lovely card and a fanciful collage on a stick.

Thank you Sandra for having such a wonderful giveaway.

I was also very fortunate to be able to purchase a pair of beautiful blue doll shoes from Nancy at Fete et Fleur. These lovely shoes crafted with vintage wallpaper and sparkly gems also came with a companion rosette picturing Marie Antoinette.

The parcel was beautifully wrapped

Attention to detail on back of parcel

Close up of all the little extras Nancy used

Nancy, I am so pleased with my little blue shoes.

I am so overwhelmed with the generosity of the wonderful people in our blogging community and hopefully this year I will be able to give something back to this great group.

KarenOX

Happy New Year

2008-12-31T08:55:00.003-05:00

Wishing all my Friends a Very Happy New Year.
I am looking forward to 2009 and all the new adventures waiting to be experienced.

KarenOX

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T08:56:00.003-05:00

A Very Merry Christmas to all my friends. I hope your day is full of loving moments, happiness and peace.
KarenOX

Scrappy Jessi's Cookie Swap

2008-12-04T23:08:00.003-05:00

Scrappy Jessi is having her 2ND Annual Cookie Swap

The recipe I'm sharing is one I have made every Christmas for years. This candy is an all time favourite of my children and my sister-in-law, who always receives a batch every year. Click on the picture to get a larger view.

The recipe is from the Better Homes and Garden's recipe book Cookies and Candies. 1966.
The digital frame frame and bow are courtesy of Ivetta over at kubivet.blogspot.

Thank you Jessie for hosting this exchange and please pop over to her blog for more yummy recipes.

KarenOX

A Vintage Christmas

2008-11-24T12:20:00.001-05:00

Awhile ago I started a Christmas doily from a vintage pattern that my grandmother had. I'm really not sure how old it is, but probably late 40's, early 50's. All the crocheting was finished and I just have to finish sewing on the holly leaves and berries. I've been working on it the past few evenings and should have it finished soon. This year I would like to decorate using vintage type items.

Here is the pattern I used. If you click on it you can view it full size on flickr and I have also provided the parts that are in the creases.

KarenOX

First Snow

2008-11-20T10:17:00.003-05:00

This morning I woke up to this beautiful, peaceful sight.

"The first fall of snow is not only an event,It is a magical event;

You go to bed in one kind of world,And you wake up in another."

J.B. Priestley

KarenOX

It's Been So Long

2008-11-17T08:13:00.009-05:00

It seem like forever since I've posted. What was suppose to be just a lovely summer break turned into so much more. There were some lovely highs and some very, very lows. And, as we all know, that is what life is all about. In the next little while I will be sharing some of my wonderful adventures and many surprises that the summer and autumn season offered. It's been a very busy these last three and a half months. I have been trying to keep up with some of you, Google reader is such a help.

One of my saddest times was the loss of my dear mother at the beginning of October. She was not only my mom, but a very special friend and we shared a very close bond and relationship. I thought I had prepared myself for her passing, but I suppose you are never ready. I'm still having some rough times. Every day gets a little better and all the good memories are starting to ease the hurt. One thing that comforted me the most was when others would share their special memories of my mother.

I have so many special things to share, but for now I will leave you with one of my favourite prayers and a lovely quote that I have used often.

KarenOX.

A Few Fairies and A Summer Blogging Break

2008-07-27T13:14:00.006-04:00

After much thought, I have decided to take a summer blogging break. My bog isn't being updated in a timely manner and it needs some new ideas and excitement. I need to make some changes and thought this would a good time to work on the direction I want my blog to take.

I will still be dropping by to see how everyone is doing and may occasionally do a small post.

I will leave you with a few pictures from my fairy party last week and hope to be back in the fall with some interesting changes.

Hugs KarenOX

Fairy Party Pictures

Working Hard

Tired Baby Fairy

Gift from my Cousins

A few Bits and Pieces

2008-07-14T00:39:00.004-04:00

It's been an interesting two weeks. I was blind sided by a nasty little cold virus. At first I thought it was an allergy, but by the second day I was really under the weather. I didn't have time for this nonsense. Summer colds are so annoying and the hot humid weather just makes it worse. It has finally ran it's course.
My brother was here for the weekend and it had been awhile since we have all been together.
And, I've been getting ready for the Fairy/Wizard party next weekend. I have been working on all the preparations and hope the weather is nice on the party day. I will post some pictures soon.

One of my grandsons turned six a few weeks ago and unfortunately we weren't able to go and celebrate with him. We plan to go next month and spend a couple of days. I sent a birthday party in a box with fun items to help make his day special. Here is the box

This is a little vignette we put together in the side garden. I just loved this little yellow snail when I saw him.

Last month we went down to the beach and I took this picture of a lady bug.

The weather has been very hot and humid but, this year we are getting more rain. So now I'm continually finding mushrooms growing in my gardens.

And last, but not least, our router got zapped by lightning and fried my Ethernet card. Surprisingly, it only affected the desk top connection and not the wifi so the laptop would still connect to the Internet. I haven't used the laptop much and was so glad to get my computer back.

KarenOX

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-04T11:38:00.004-04:00

Happy 4th of July

To All my American Friends

KarenOX

Vanessa's Mad Tea Party

2008-06-28T00:30:00.002-04:00

Vanessa over at A Fanciful Twist is having a party to celebrate her 200th blog post. I wasn't sure I would be able to attend, but I found a hat, mask and some balloons, plus a gift wrapped parcel full of lots of good wishes. So I'm now ready to party. I wanted the little girl inside me to join all the fun (I was around three when this was taken)

Congratulations Vanessa on your 200th blog post and I look forward to many more enchanting posts. I'm now off to visit with the other guests and have some fun.

KarenOX

Birds&Bonnets and Fairies&Wizards

2008-06-20T12:07:00.004-04:00

How's that for a title.

We will start with Birds & Bonnets. I received my gorgeous panels last week and can't stop checking them out every time I pass by. I keep one side facing one day and then turn them around the next.

Here are some close ups of my lovely panels.

Jeanne Szewczyk

Karen Benson

Ann Tatum

Kim Morris

Beautiful work ladies. I also was one of the lucky ones and received an extra tag from our sweet hostess' Karla & Beth

I would like to thank Beth and Karla for hosting this wonderful swap. All the time and energy they put into making these great swaps a success is very much appreciated.

Now on to the Fairies and Wizards. I am hosting a Fairy/Wizard Party for all the sweet little boys and girls in our family. Though the wonders of fairy post (aka e-mail) All the moms and I finally found a date that everyone was able to attend."July 20th" I have been gathering enchanting, magical items for this party and have now finished the invitations and will be mailing them the first week of July. I am also including in the invitation a blank name tag so every child can choose their own Fairy/Wizard name and decorate the tag. I will supply a magical pin when they arrive at the party. Here are the two invitation cover cards.

The fairy invitation have two sweet little fairies from the book "Birthdays" by Sandra Evertson and the white fairies are dover. The little frame is by scrap artist Khamisi

The Wizard invitation has clipart from dover and microsoft clipart

I am having so much fun planning this party and right now I'm working on some little charm bracelets for each of the fairies.

Have a beautiful weekend

KarenOX

Flea Market Treasures and Two Special Tags

2008-06-08T20:54:00.004-04:00

Last week I went to the local Sunday flea market. It's one of those places where you only need to go every couple of months as things don't change to much from week to week. It's not the best one around, but sometimes you can find some treasures.

I had a great time and picked up all sorts of goodies. A lot of cut glass bowls and serving plates that I will be using in my redecorated sewing/crafting/studio room. Those I will show when they are in their new home. Some sheet music and little ornaments to use in projects

I found some great poodles and as I was paying for them the sales lady asked if I collected dogs. I said no...I collect cats. She paused for only a moment before informing me she had lots of cat ornaments. As she was saying this I spotted two of the cutest cats on a shelf to my left and of course bought them too.

The two cute Kitties

I found a glass terrarium for three dollars and thought I would make a fairy garden

Then I came across this beautiful Hat Form or Head and fell in love. Unfortunately this lovely lady was not for sale, but at least I got a picture of her.

I had asked one of my friends if she would make me a tag. Well this week I received two in the mail. Both of them are fabric tags one embroidered with a Siamese cat and the other with an Egyptian motif. The cat for my Siamese and the motif for our up coming trip to Egypt.
Thank you so much Tonia.

I'm looking forward to finding a creative way to display all the sweet tags I've collected so far.

KarenOX

Birthday Memories

2008-05-30T15:38:00.004-04:00

As I read all the creative blogs, out in blogland, sometimes pleasant memories are brought to the forefront of my mind. One in particular was childhood birthday parties.

Back in the 50's there weren't as many birthday parties as there are today. But, every few years we would be allowed to have a little party. Invitations would be delivered, and everyone would look forward to the special day. The guests would arrive dressed in their Sunday best carrying a pretty gift. We would start by playing games like "Simon Says", "Musical chairs" and "Pin the Tail on the Donkey", to name a few. Then the presents would be opened. Some of the gifts might be a book, board game, skipping rope, new rubber ball or paper dolls. After the gifts everyone would gather around the table for cake and ice cream with a party hat and a balloon for every child. These parties usually lasted an hour to an hour and a half. As the guests left they were given a pretty little party basket filled with tiny candies.

I just loved those little baskets and have been hunting for some. A few weeks ago, Beth from Gathering Dust listed some of these baskets in her Etsy shop. Of course, I had to buy them. Each basket came with some vintage buttons and a ballerina cake topper.

I was so pleased on how quickly the parcel arrived, usually customs and Canada post is very, very slow. Little extras that Beth included in the package were Vintage scrap, White vintage mop and plastic buttons. and two sweet plastic girl cake decorations.

I am so happy with all these precious goodies. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with the baskets. Maybe I'll use them to store pretty bits and pieces of craft materials.

KarenOX

2008-05-25T01:09:00.002-04:00

Rachael over at The Rose Room is having a party to celebrate her 100Th post. She has asked that we show a picture of where we blog and answer ten questions about ourselves.I do my blogging in our computer room still using a desktop model. It's a fast little job with a great sound system so I can listen to my music while getting my flickr fix.

And now the Questions...

Relationship: Happily married for 31 years this past April
Children: Two boys and four grandsons
Pets: Muffin my 17 year old Blue Persian and Petrina my nine year old Lilac Siamese
Age: 62, but I'll always be a kid at heart.
Star Sign: Aquarius
Fave Food: Seafood
Fave Drink: Diet Coke
House Decor Style: Same as Rachael... Vintage Clutter!
Collections: Angels, cats, dragonflies, pansies, glass baskets, small purses, and just about anything else you can think of.
How Did You Get Into Blogging: When Yahoo photos changed to flickr I started searching through all the great photos and then had to have my daily flickr fix. It seems I kept going to the same peoples photo streams and found they had blogs. I spent a few months reading all the different blogs and then decided to start one of my own.

Happy 100Th Post Rachael and I hope to see another 100.

Karen OX

Tranquility

2008-05-19T00:12:00.004-04:00

Last week we spent a lovely afternoon at Crawford Lake Conservation Area. The weather was perfect and the walk around this beautiful lake was very peaceful.

Tranquility

"The calmest and serenest hours of life,

when the passions of nature are all silent,

and the mind enjoys its most perfect composure."

~Isaac Watts~

KarenOX

A Swashbuckler Soiree

2008-05-03T00:12:00.002-04:00

Today is A Swashbuckler Soiree hosted by Donna over at The Ribboned Crown. This is going to be a grand affair with over 60 guests. Thank you Donna for hosting this lovely ball.

Now on with the show...

A list of my favourite Pirates

First is Captain Barbossa from Pirates of the Caribbean He is my very favourite pirate.

Next is Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean

The McDonald version of Jack Sparrow

And of course Captain Hook from Peter Pan

When we were in St Lucia last year the ship that was used as the Black Pearl, in Pirates of the Caribbean, came into port. Here are two pictures of the Black Pearl, aka the Jolly Roger.

Last is a few pages from a book on Pirates that I picked up in Tortola. There was a chapter of a Pirate Club on the Island.

KarenOX

My Favourite Childhood Toys

2008-05-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

Scrappy Jessi is hosting "Favorite childhood Toys" today and I had a great time preparing for this.

I found Google to be a great place to find what I needed and have really enjoyed finding pictures of some of the toys I played with as a child. It was definitely a nice walk down memory lane.

Here are a few pictures of me with some of my early toys

Miss Emma is one doll that I still have. She was refurbished about 10 years ago and is approximately 55 years old. The poor dear lived in a box for a very long time.

My very favourite toy was my doll house. I would play with it whenever I could and was so please to find a picture of one like I had.

Another thing I liked to do was roller skate. I would spend hours skating over at the school yard and always wore the key around my neck on a shoe string.

Skipping rope and playing with a rubber ball was also something I liked to do. We had little songs that we sang while playing with the rope or ball.

More Games...Chinese Checkers and a Yo-Yo

When I was in Grade one and two I played the triangle in the school band so my parents bought me one to play at home. And, of course everyone in my neighbourhood had a view master.

I also had a Campbell Soup doll that looked very much like this one. My mom had sent away soup labels and got the doll for me. I really wish I still had the doll.

A few other items that I really enjoyed playing with was my mother's button box and a kaleidoscope. I still like to play with both of these items.

I hope you have enjoyed coming along with me down memory lane.

KarenOX

Enchanted Treasures

2008-04-29T14:53:00.005-04:00

Sarah over at Gypsy Mermaid Life hosted an Enchanted Swap. My sweet partner was Michele from The Craftypreneur . Yesterday I received my package in the mail and it was full of lovely, beautiful enchanted treasures.

First was a fantastic Karen Princess Crown that Michele made for me. I am so pleased and it's my very first crown.

Next we have a Cinderella dress up doll with accessories. The little doll is so pretty and will make a nice addition to my toy collection

She also included Three princess purse notepads. I have a thing for paper, notebooks, cards, stationery and will be using these little notepads in my purse.

Michele made a beautiful decorated clothes pin using a rose and pretty ribbons. And of course sent Princess stickers

Here is another little pretty that she put together for me a pink organza bag full of ribbon roses and some pink princess ribbon.

And of course she sent me a bag of Gourmet Jelly Beans, which happens to be my favourite candy and some Cinderella stickers.

Thank you Michele for making my life a little more Enchanting. I am so happy with all my sweet treasures.

Here are some of the items that I sent to Michele

KarenOX

Blogging Goodness

2008-04-27T12:05:00.003-04:00

I was so fortunate to win a giveaway from Shannon at "Paint Mine Pink" I couldn't believe the lovely handcrafted items she sent me. The little birds in the gorgeous heart box is so beautiful The picture doesn't live up to how it looks in person.

Next was a beautiful angel that Shannon made for me. I have a collection of Angels and this will look great with the others.

Shannon also made a beautiful tag and a glass music charm for me. I am starting to get quite a collection of tags and must find a way to display them.

Thank you Shannon for all the lovely pieces. I really appreciate them.

KarenOX

Show and Tell Sunday "Vintage Jewels"

2008-04-19T23:01:00.004-04:00

This week Show and Tell Sunday is being hosted by Cerri over at Little Pink Studio and the topic this week is Vintage Jewels. I love vintage jewelery, and over the years I have aquired a very large collection. As time was not my friend this week I only have a small sampling to show you. I am really going to post a catch up on some of these topics some day soon.

This is a necklace my father gave my mother back in the 50's. She gave it to me a few years ago.

This Vintage Pearl and Amethyst necklace was give to me by my MIL

Another vintage necklace given to me by my MIL. She had been given this as a young girl by her Uncle.

More Vintage jewels

Old and New Jewels

Vintage Orchid earrings

Another Vintage Jewel

Jewelery box that belonged to my husband's Great Aunt

Some Odds and Ends

I would like to thank Cerri and Analise for hosting this wonderful challenge each week.

KarenOX

Show and Tell Sunday

2008-04-13T10:55:00.004-04:00

Today's Show and Tell Sunday is being hosted by Analise over at Sugar*Sugar. The theme this week is handkerchiefs. I was a little late with my post this morning due to computer problems, but finally managed to get it uploaded.

I really like the idea of show and tell as it is inspiring me to find all my treasures and store them so I can use and display these little items.

All of the handkerchief in my collection, belonged to my MIL , Mother, a couple that were given to my brother(which I will give him for his memory box) or myself. The tatted or crochet lace on the handkerchiefs was done by my Mother, aunt or Grandmother.

There is a basket with still more of my MIL's handkerchief that I didn't get finished ironing, I will get them done this week and do a catch up at a later date

I also have all my grandmothers crochet books and here are a few of the covers from some of them. The pictures are out on flickr, feel free to download for projects if you like. The books would be from the 20's and 30's so I think they are fine.

I'm now off to visit and enjoy all the other participants

KarenOX

Do I Have to get Up??

2008-04-11T12:27:00.008-04:00

I find it very difficult to take Petrina's picture as Siamese eyes shine red. She was sleeping with her head resting on the arm of her pink chair and opened her eyes just as I took the picture. I used the macro setting without flash so her eyes didn't turn red. Petrina sleeps in a pink chair, with a soft pink blanket and pink cushion. My elderly Persian, Muffin, likes to sleep in a cardboard box. Go figure !

KarenOX

Dolly Day

2008-04-08T09:30:00.003-04:00

Today is the doll challenge hosted by Lori over at Faerie Window She has invited us to show our doll collections.

We will start off with Miss Emma. She is one of my oldest dolls and is made of hard plastic. Emma is approximately 55 years old. The poor dear lived in a box for a very long time and finally I took her to be refurbished and she now has a place of honour in my collection.

Next up is Sally Lou, a sweet china Doll I received a few years back

She usually is taking baby for a stroll in the little buggy. The buggy was a gift from a dear friend.

I picked up four of these little babies at a garage sale a few years ago

Betty Jean is another china doll and also a music box. She is a very unhappy little doll as she has pulled the head off her bear. She spends her days sitting in a little Radio Flyer red wagon

Lovely Anna was a gift from my sweet daughter-in-law.

Mary Ruth is the tiniest little china doll, no more that 2 inches. She lives on a little shelf

Last is a china cat doll that I picked up at a flea market

I hope you have enjoyed the few dolls from my collection. I will have to do a revisit to this theme sometime in the near future. There is a box somewhere in the basement full of many more dolls and wonderful crocheted dresses that my aunt made back in the 50's. I'm now off to visit and enjoy more collections.

KarenOX

Blogger Craft Challenge #3

2008-03-31T08:02:00.004-04:00

Louise over at Beachys Cape Cod Cupboard is hosting her third "Blooger Craft Challenge." She has given us another wonderful picture from an album she bought at a sale last summer. The pictures are dated around the 1930'sThis picture was called Whitby 1935. I found out that Whitby is on the North Shore of England. This time I decided to make a memory jar of treasures one of them might have collected from their day at the Sea Side. I used a very old canning jar that was my grandmothers, and filled it with sand, shells, beach glass, and beach stones. I wrapped a shell necklace around the jar (maybe she bought it from one of the venders) made a tag and added a gold edged shell. I called this piece "Seaside Memories"

The contents of the Jar

The back of the Jar

I am finding these challenges so much fun and would like to thank Louise for hosting this for all of us.

KarenOX

Bling Your Birdhouse

2008-03-27T00:54:00.001-04:00

Today is the day to unveil our blinged birdhouses. Karla and Beth are hosting a challenge to take a birdhouse and bling it up. Then post a comment on one or both of their blogs including your blog address.

I had started painting about 5 different bird houses and then decided to just work on this bigger one. I haven't decided where I'm going to put it yet, but it definitely won't be going outside.

I tried a new technique (for me) of using one ply of a paper napkin with Golden gel. It didn't turn out too bad, but I did have a backup plan if the napkin didn't work. I also didn't have enough pink paper roses so I used white and highlighted them with pink pearlescent ink.

So here is my contribution for
"Bling Your Birdhouse"

I had a wonderful time decorating this little house

KarenXO

Easter at Quill Cottage

2008-03-20T16:08:00.008-04:00

Miss Sandy over at Quill Cottage is hosting an Easter Parade today and you're all invited to visit and join in the fun. Thank you Miss Sandy for a fun Start of Spring Party.

The first Easter item is a crazy quilt egg I started a few years ago. I have finished all the hand work and just need to applique it to the background fabric. I scanned the piece and with the help of photo shop added lace, a border and a green background.

Mrs Bunny will now show you a few of the decorations I have around the house

I hope you have enjoyed the little tour of my Easter decor. I would like to wish everyone a Blessed and Happy Easter.

KarenOX

Work and Play

2008-03-15T00:06:00.005-04:00

This past week was full of all the usual boring things that need to be done, but it was sprinkled with some fun and interesting times.
I got to start working on my birdhouses for Karla and Beth's Bling your Birdhouse

and I had a wonderful day out with two of my friends for lunch. We went to a place called The Dutch Mill. They had a wonderful buffet and a beautiful gift shop

The huge gift shop was set up very nicely. Antiques were used to showcase the items for sale. Lots of old stoves and some antique washing machines.

They also used other interesting items as well

And of course I had to buy this Christmas wreath for 50% off

KarenOX

Yummy Mail and a Six word Memior

2008-03-05T16:50:00.001-05:00

Back on February 23rd. Betty from She's Sew Pretty had a draw to celebrate her one year Blogaversay. I was the lucky one who won...my very first win. I have received the box of goodies she sent and had a wonderful time opening all the little packages. The box was full of special items, including some her faux cookies with her handmade exquisite roses. There was a lovely pincushion, a cupcake box, and all sorts of lace on vintage pegs, trims and crochet items. Thank Betty for a lovely box of treasures.

Mary Isabella over at Daisy Bouquet tagged me for the six word Memoir. The rules are you post yours and may post a picture and link it back to who tagged you so we can follow it. Then you tag five more special people to play. I will tag anyone who hasn't already been tagged

My Memoir is "Happiness Is, my sons and theirs"

KarenOX

A Winter Morning

2008-02-28T11:53:00.005-05:00

“The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event”

Author Unknown

A Winter Morning, originally uploaded by bluemuf.

This past Tuesday we were hit by more snow. When I got up in the morning it was so peaceful and beautiful I just had to capture the moment . These pictures were taken from a back window, side and front door.

KarenOX

Swapping Goodness and The Glitter Award

2008-02-21T22:08:00.004-05:00

I was so excited when I received my Sweet Treats and Roses Recipe Book yesterday. The book is so beautiful, the artwork and recipes are wonderful. I have looked through it at least four times so far. This is an amazing collaboration of artistic talent. A big thank you to all who participated and especially to Karla and Beth for organizing, making the unique covers, assembling, mailing and just making sure everything ran smoothly. This was an enormous undertaking for them an much appreciated. It was fun seeing how they assembled the books, gave us sneak peeks of beautiful covers and some of the recipes. Thank you again to both of you.

Here is the picture of my Yummy book. I love the Chocolate cupcake on the cover.

And the beautiful tag made by Kathy over at Country Chintz

I have sparkled someones day. My sweet friend over at Catiean & Company has passed this award on to me. Thank you Catie. The award was originally made by Barbara from 123lavendarlollipoplane I will have a hard time choosing so I would like to give this award to all the lovely blogs I visit everyday. You all sparkle my day and make me feel happy.

KarenXO

Fun with Photoshop

2008-02-17T09:36:00.006-05:00

This past week has been a challenge for me, but with some lovely highlights. My birthday celebration, a few days out with friends and Valentines day. And, having my hubby home on vacation was the biggest plus. A couple of my new toys are; a new iPod that I'm slowly filling up with my favourite music and Photoshop Elements6. I was using PSE2 so this has quite a learning curve. Also, one of my very special gifts was a poem my husband wrote for me on Valentine's day. We were also hit again with extreme cold and another major snowstorm. We are running out of space to put the snow. I thought I would post a few of the projects that I've been playing around with.

This is a lovely little tearoom that I went to with a friend last week. The stained glass hanging in the window is made mostly with heart shaped plates and bowls with added red and clear glass hearts. The overlay is from Digitalscrapbookplace.

During the extreme cold Jack Frost painted our windows with beautiful ice crystals. My hubby took some really good pictures so I used one of them as an overlay for this next project. The three snowflakes are from Scrap Girls. I had a terrible time finding the stroke command to outline the text. Finally I found it by accident under Edit.

I made this Valentine card using some elements from Derek Mecham

All of the pictures can be viewed full size by clicking on them.

Enjoy,
KarenXO

Snow, Inspiration and Magazines

2008-02-08T00:12:00.001-05:00

Today was one of those stay at home days. It was cold, snowy and just the type of day to play or work inside. But, I did venture out to take some pictures in the back yard.

I spent the afternoon doing laundry and working on my art book of inspiration. I had a stack of magazines to go through and have now decide to cut out interesting ideas and paste them into my art book.

There was one magazine that I had to keep. The Martha Stewart Living December 2002 is so full of wonderful ideas and recipes I couldn't cut it up.

Valentines and Muffin

2008-02-07T00:03:00.000-05:00

Last week while I was roaming around our local bookstore I found a book of reproduction vintage valentines. It is published by Golden. The book has many punch out cards and some are flocked. There are also envelopes to cut out and assemble. What I would love to find is a book of the valentines you cut out. I just loved doing valentines when I was young. It was so much fun making our valentine box and getting all the pretty cards.

I keep trying to get good pictures of the cats and Muffin with her dark colouring is very hard to capture. This picture turned out, not too bad and you can even see her eyes. She is very healthy and still has a lot of energy for an old girl. She will be 17 in June.

January Favorites from Flickr

2008-02-01T17:57:00.001-05:00

Click on the picture to see a larger picture

January Favourites, originally uploaded by bluemuf.

Blogger Craft Challenge

2008-01-29T10:14:00.000-05:00

Louise over at Beachy's Cap Code Cupboard put out a Challenge to create an item using this vintage picture. This time around I decided to do a shadow box of special items from the wedding. I've included this picture, a reduced copy of the invitation cover,lace from the brides handkerchief, pearls, a representation of the bridesmaids flowers, ribbon from the bouquet, and odd bits of wedding day jewellery. I had a difficult time trying to get a good photo with the glass reflecting, these two are the best of the lot. The first one with flash and the second without. You can click on the picture for a larger view.

I have really enjoyed this challenge and look forward to the next one in March. Thank you Louise for hosting this challenge and sharing the beautiful pictures from your vintage find.

Glass in the Garden

2008-01-26T12:24:00.000-05:00

The weather has been so cold and dreary lately, so last Thursday hubby and I decided to visit our local Botanical Gardens. January is the prime season for the green house Mediterranean Garden. When we arrived they were setting up for an exhibit that was starting this weekend called Glass under Glass. We spent an enjoyable hour and took many photographs. Here are a few of the pictures.

My Yearly Winter Visitor and the "Spread the Love" Award

2008-01-17T23:17:00.000-05:00

My little visitor first showed up just before Christmas in 2001. I heard his sweet song and finally spotted the little owl sitting on the hydro wire. After doing some research we finally realized that he was an Eastern Screech Owl. My husband found directions for a nesting box on the web and built one a few days after Christmas. No sooner had he put it up in the tree and the owl moved in. He stayed for almost three weeks and then went on his way. Awhile later and couple of squirrels moved in and we figured that was the end of it.

Now, surprisingly, every year since, an owl has showed up just before or right after Christmas and stays two to three weeks. I would like to think it's the same one, but I'm not sure. This year he showed up a week before Christmas and left last week. And, of course, now a pair of squirrels have taken over the box.

These are some of the pictures we took that first year.

This one shows how tiny he is

They like to soak up the sun in the late afternoon

A close up

If you would like to hear their sweet call you can follow the link below
Eastern Screech Owl - Megascops asio - Information, Pictures, Sounds

Rachael over at The Rose Room has kindly passed the "Spread the Love" award on to me. Thank you so much Rachael, it is very appreciated.

Finally, 7 more things about me and an Award

2008-01-12T18:19:00.000-05:00

I would like to thank Catie from Catiean & Company for giving me the Amazing Blogger Award.
It is much appreciated and I will now list 7 more items about myself

1: I'm a cat person and have always lived with one or two
2: I have an addiction to jelly beans
3: My favourite flower is the pansy
4: I love dragonflies
5: I collect stuff...lots of stuff, probably too much stuff
6: My favourite beverage is diet coke, but I also love a good glass of Australian Shiraz
7: I really enjoy children's literature.

I have been busy trying to re-organized my studio, and I use the word loosely. You would not believe the condition, stuff everywhere. I see all the lovely work areas posted by other bloggers and wonder why my area never stays neat. I was hunting for a pair of fancy scissors two days ago and you would not believe the things I found. Items I didn't even know I had. Now, how scarry is that. The one resolution I have made this year, is to go through every box and shelf in my work room, as well as, the rest of the basement. It should be fun to see what treasures are lurking down in the dark recesses of my home.

A Winter's Evening and Catiean has a Give a Way

2008-01-03T18:42:00.000-05:00

I always find the few days after the holidays to be very peaceful and a good time for reflecting on the previous year and planning for the new. My favourite time of the day is at dusk. This evening the sky was so beautiful and I just had to take a picture. I also added my favourite winter poem to it. If you click the picture will be bigger.

Catiean over at Catiean & Company is having a double give a way. You must check this out as she has some wonderful items already prepared for the winner.

Happy New Year

2007-12-31T12:21:00.000-05:00

I would like to extend a Happy New Year to all my blogging friends. I hope each and every one of you have an happy, peaceful and creative year.

Some Victorian Sentiments to send you on your way into the New Year

All pictures found on the web
Enjoy,
Karen XO

Christmas Wishes

2007-12-23T17:26:00.001-05:00

My wish for everyone is to have a holiday season full of friends, family, laughter and love
Merry Christmas

Karen xxo

Christmas is Coming and Brenda's got a surprise

2007-12-20T09:31:00.000-05:00

Its hard to believe that Christmas is coming so quickly. I have to settle right down to preparing for the company that will be starting to come on Friday. I have a dinner Friday night, a Saturday Brunch and Christmas day. Lots of work, but I love it.

I have be out and about the last two day going to movies and having dinner with girlfriends. I have seen "Enchanted" and "This Christmas" I thoroughly enjoyed both movies. My friends and I do this every year for our Christmas day out and exchanging little gifts.

I was just over at Bren's blog Brenda's Little Cottage and she is having a Christmas giveaway. All you have to do is answer the question and you might win a Valentine box full of goodies.

I will leave you with a little heartwarming picture of an ornament on my niece's Christmas Tree that I called Christmas Love

What I love about my Holiday Home

2007-12-12T09:38:00.000-05:00

Karla over at Karla's Cottage is having a party today and wants everyone to show some of the things they love about their Holiday Home.

Here are a few of the Christmas decorations I enjoy

A Christmas Collage Kit

2007-12-04T10:25:00.001-05:00

I was one of the lucky ladies who got to test drive a Christmas Collage kit from Beth over at Gathering Dust. What fun time I had making the two collages.

The package arrived very quickly . The kit was beautifully presented, wrapped in seasonal paper and tied with red and white poka dot vintage bias tape. Beth attached her business card and a lovely Chirstimas playing card under the bow.

The kit was nicely packaged and contained everything one needed to make two Christmas collages. Also, Beth included two photos of the finished collages and clear detailed instructions. I enjoyed having all the supplies ready to go and put the two of them together in very little time. I would definately buy kits from Beth and I hope she does them for all the holidays and also just because.

Beautifully presented
Great packaging

All the supplies

My finished collages

Goodies in the mail

2007-12-04T10:10:00.001-05:00

Last week was a wonderful mail week. I received my Vintage Stocking Swap package from Bren over at Brenda's Little Cottage and she certainly spoiled me. It was surprising how she knew just the items I would enjoy and a pink stocking...I love it. Thank you so much dear Bren. Here are all the extra goodies she put in the parcel. The box was just packed with wonderful Christmas items and even a gifts for my sweet cats.

I also received this beautiful paper doll dress from Catie over at Catiean & Co. She is another sweet lady who also spoils me. Thank you dear Catie for the lovely dress. When thing calm down after the holiday I want to do a special display of all my dresses.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T11:16:00.000-05:00

To all my American Friends, I would like to wish you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving

Public Domain Images .

Prom Night Remembered

2007-11-19T23:12:00.000-05:00

Natasha had invited us to a Vintage Prom. As I have never been to a formal prom I decided to invent one. Sixty years ago Miss Emma Parsons went to her Senior Prom and is now reminiscing about that wonderful time.When the invitation came, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much fun this trip down memory lane would be. I hadn’t thought about the Senior Prom in so many years and now we were all going to get together and share our memories of that wonderful time in our lives.

Adeline, who was my very best friend all through school, was also taking part. It will be so nice to see her again. After high school she got married and I left for College. We wrote for many years, but as time went by it became only a little note at Christmas.

Trying to decide where to start I pulled out my scrapbook and found the Prom pictures.. There was the whole class of 1947 and a picture of my special friends. Adeline was on the right with Ross beside her. I was right behind Adeline and Harold was on my right.. I had also saved the dance booklet. After Harold and I had gone on to different schools we finally lost touch with each other.

I was almost positive I had saved more from that wonderful night. I went looking in the cedar chest and found the beautiful Steinman gown that Daddy had bought for me. I remember having so much fun finding the perfect shoes and bag to go with my new gown

The pretty shoes

The perfect bag

On the day of the Prom Mommy and Daddy gave me the most beautiful necklace and earrings to wear that evening

When Harold picked me up he had brought a lovely wrist corsage. The corsage was made up of beautiful pink roses. The flowers faded away, but I had used some of the pink ribbon and fashioned some roses to keep as a souvenir.

The Prom was all I anticipated and more. It was a magical night, the kind that doesn’t come along very often. I look forward to sharing all the wonderful memories that the other girls experienced

Credits:
Dover graphic
Internet pictures
Necklace and earrings that my Dad gave my Mom in the early 50's
A corsage that Catieann gave me

My Purse and Bag Collection

2007-11-16T19:10:00.000-05:00

I have been making and collecting small fancy purses and bags for around 10 years now. It all started with a small crocheted thimble pouch and slowly progressed from there. The only criteria that I have for my collection is the purse has to be handmade by me or I receive it as a gift. This first picture is my collection this is the little thimble pouch that started it all

The is the second little purse I crocheted.

A little beaded amulet bag. I ended up making six more of these for gifts

This little purse was bead knitting. I really enjoyed making it.

A beaded cross-stitch bag on paper canvass

A little beaded change purse that was a gift from my dear cousin Dianne

Another little purse that was a gift from my sweet niece Tamara

A beaded purse from my friend Joyce

This beaded purse belonged to my mom

The next two purses were given to me by my husbands Aunt Thelma

This purse was given to me by Catie over at Catiean & Company She was my partner in the art doll swap. I had pictures of my purses on Flickr and when she saw this one at a sale,she bought it and sent it with my doll.

Unfinished Purses

2007-11-16T19:09:00.000-05:00

Right now I am working on two more little purses and hope to have them finished up soon

Paper Doll Swaps

2007-11-02T23:59:00.000-04:00

A few of us got together for a one on one paper dress swap. Rachael from the Rose Room, Liz from Lizzie's and Catie from Catiean & Co.

Here is the lovely wrapped parcel from Rachael. She also included a handcrafted fan card and the dress is absolutely beautiful, crafted with lace and fancy fabric, it is so lovely. Thank you Rachael

Next is the lovely wrapped package from Liz. She also made me a lovely decorated clothes pin and the dress is so beautiful. Notice the smocking on the dress. Thank you Liz.
Here are the dresses I sent to Rachael and Liz

The backs were covered with copies of an old catalogue and the card I enclosed the dress in. These are the two dresses I received from Gwen over at Big Daddy Seashell for The Paper Dress Swap hosted by Heather over at Jeweled Elegance Thank you Gwen
These are the two dresses I sent to her

I must say these little dresses can become addictive as they are so much fun to make. Keep tuned for more to come.

(For a closer look at these pictures, check Flickr on my side bar)

St. Mary Mead Garden Club

2007-11-01T00:22:00.001-04:00

Louise over at Beachys CapeCod Cupboard issued a challenge to use a photograph she found in an English album. Here is my offering

All graphics were edited by me in Photoshop and obtained from Dover and Memories of a Lifetime

My name is Thelma May Littleton and I'm so excited. This year at our annual election meeting, I was voted in as President of The St. Mary Mead Garden Club. Having been a member for the last five years this is a great honour and one I will treasure always. I hope to live up to the expectations of the club and with the help of all our members, we can work towards entering the national flower trials in London next spring.

When I received my copy of the group picture I just had to record memories of this special day in my scrap album

Here is the text from the scrap page

Membership

Front Row
Secretary Lydia Rose Crompton

President Thelma May Littleton

Treasurer Sarah Ann Emerson

Back Row

Violet Eileen Greenwell

Abigail Hope Renshaw

Marie Louise Pendell

Elizabeth Grace Barrington

Margaret Bella Alderson

Halloween Hat Swap

2007-10-28T23:21:00.000-04:00

In the recent Halloween Hat Swap my sweet partner Svenja over at Art Creations sent me the most amazing hat. It has a tinsel sparkly top and black feather rim. The hat is trimed with vintage Halloween scrap. I just love it.

And, added to the parcel were some fantastic treasures. Tinsel garland, perfect for Christmas projects; beautiful old book pages and the German recipe pages. They will be great in collage projects. Lovely green and white paper, a pink paper doily and a charming little album . Thank you Svenja, so very much, I love it all.

This is the hat and some extra items I sent to Svenja in the swap

The You Make me Smile Award and Seven(5) Unusual Things About Myself

2007-10-18T23:37:00.000-04:00

Sweet Rachael over at The Rose Room has awarded me with the You Make me Smile Award. Thank you Rachael. I find that all of the wonderful blogs that I visit each day leave me with a happy feeling and I find myself smiling.The rules are to pass this award on to 10 other ladies and since there are so many special ladies that always make my day I nominate all of you for this award.

Rachael has also tagged me to list seven random or unusual things about myself. I have only come up with five so far and will post the other two later as well as passing it on. Here are my five.

1. I absolutely love Heinz canned spaghetti, usually with toast.

2. I really don't care for chunks in certain food items. ex; the strawberries in strawberry jam. or crunchy peanut butter, or thick lettuce veins. Now, I can eat these, but would prefer not to. I was thrilled when one of the companies started making strawberry jelly.

3. I have a collection of many webkinz animals and play webkinz on-line with my grandsons.

4. I have all "The Cat Who" books by Lilian Jackson Braun. They are my very favourite book series and I've just started them again for the fourth time. (I do read other books in-between)

5 I'm a big movie buff. I just love watching movies, at the theater, at friends or at home. And a perfect evening is dinner and a movie.

I will try to come with another two.

Christmas stockings, Spider Webs & Fall Colour

2007-10-13T23:30:00.000-04:00

Now that all my current swap commitments are finished I can concentrate on the Vintage Christmas Stocking Swap. I have been jotting and sketching various ideas in the small book that I carry everywhere. Finally the stocking was planned and I headed over to the fabric store. While carefully checking all the different fabrics one jumped out and called to me. It had Heather's name written all over it. I just had to buy this fabric and now there is a redesigned stocking pattern. This fabric is so amazing that another little item is planned for it as well.

In the last while I have found two different spider webs that I had to take photos of. The first one I found when we visited the Botanical Gardens a couple of weeks ago. A metal sculpture of a spider in it's web.

The second picture is one of those that only come along once in awhile. I was walking through the living room and saw something sparkling in the window. The sun was just at the right angle to show off two spider webs attached to our awning. The were so beautiful I had to try and take a picture. Surprisingly, the picture show the webs very well. Click the picture for a closer view. The last four pictures are fall colour examples. The colours haven't been as good as other years and slower in coming. We have had an extremely hot, dry summer and the trees are very stressed. The first picture was taken out of the car and the other three were snapped through the window while we were driving.

Halloween Black Cat & Pumpkin Swap

2007-10-03T11:36:00.000-04:00

Monday evening, after a very tiring day, I came home late to a package sitting on my doorstep. When I opened the box it was full of all sorts of Halloween goodies and treats from my sweet partner Liz over at Elizabeth Gwen Originals. Every item was carefully packed and I had such a good time opening each packet. The fragrance coming out of the box was fantastic and I finally found the source, a candle called "Frosted Pumpkin", yummy. Liz also made my one of her beautiful bags and this one is quilted and for Halloween. I am going to be using it for the rest of October. Among the other treasures there was a very soft black cat, A teddy ornament dressed up like a pumpkin with a black cat and treat bag. Also, another springy, metal black cat and Halloween stickers. There are Halloween peeps, now I've never seen the pumpkin one only the ones at Easter. And, a pumpkin Pez dispenser, Halloween Chinese takeout box, and a lovely card. Thank you so much Liz, you have spoiled me terribly.
This is a close up of the lovely bag, the black cat, (notice the cobweb and spider on his pad) and the bear ornament.
A close up the the container, Pez, candle and card
Close up of the black metal cat
Close up of the peeps, Pez dispenser and stickers.
Next are pictures of the items I sent to Liz. This is a Halloween Tussie with some goodies on sticks

A close up of the inserted items
A Primitive black cat sitting on a pumpkin and a primitive pumpkin magnet

A hand made pumpkin pincushion and a handmade Black cat needle book
Halloween towels and Halloween cookie cutters
A Halloween panel with Black cats and Pumpkins.

I really enjoyed putting together these items for my partner. and I would like to thank Debra over at HopHopJingleBoo for hosting this fun swap.

Vintage Children's Book Swap

2007-09-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

I received my swap package from my lovely partner Jenny aka The Polka Dot Pixie. The wrapping was so special and of course had polka dots on it. She made me a beautiful books mark to use with my new books (please click the pictures to get a larger view)

The books Jenny chose are really special. Interesting stories and beautiful illustrations two of the books were published the year I was born. How is that for coincidence.

Also, one of the books from the early 70's still had the library card in it. How special

Thank you so much Jenny for the lovely treasures and hosting this fun swap

A Romantic Country Party

2007-09-24T13:33:00.000-04:00

Today Karla over at Karla's Cottage is hosting a Romantic Country Party. She has invited everyone to post some of the things they love about their home.

I decided to start in the living room with my fall centrepiece on the coffee table. The candle as well as the potpourri surrounding it are scented with a pumpkin spice.

Next is a set of nesting tables with my pink flower lamp and angel collection

I just love the flower display on top of the picture

The view from our Kitchen window is non existent. I have filled the window with cats and plants

Another view of the kitchen window sill

A little hanging self with more of my cat collection

Two arrangements in my bathroom that I just love
I hide an air freshener in the white covered pot
And once again my dresser tray
Thank you Karla for hosting this fun party

A Study in White & Victoria Magazine

2007-09-12T12:49:00.001-04:00

A Study in White Originally uploaded by bluemuf
The other day I thought I should check out my old Victoria Magazines and I started with the premier issue. As I went thought the magazine I found notes of things I had liked back in Spring '87. Surprisingly, I chose the same things again 20 years later. The "Favorite Things" segment was called All Whites. Three beautiful pages full of dreamy white objects. During one of my Flickr fixes the other day I searched for vintage & white and here is what I came up with. I also learned how to make a picture collage with fd's Flickr toys. This is the result and I hope you enjoy.

The Postman Rings Twice & Books Galore

2007-09-06T11:38:00.000-04:00

Last week was one of those special mail weeks. I had ordered one of Karla's beautiful charms with a hand painted rose. I have wanted one of these for awhile now. I also ordered three of the oval pieces of wallpaper with hand painted rose, cupcake and fairy. They are exquisite in person.
And...the extras she put in with the order, a beautiful K tag, it is so sweet. plus vintage buttons and the blank tags to make my own special tags or bookmarks. I loved how she wrapped some of the items in a page from an old garden book. Thank you Karla for a lovely package. I am so happy.

The next special mail day was the three books I ordered. They are all wonderful books and I can't stop reading them. Unfortunately, I sometimes read them in bed and then can't sleep because my mind just won't shut down

The first is; Fanciful Paper Flowers by Sandra Evertson, It is just an amazing book and the directions are very clear and concise. A nice companion to go along with Fanciful Paper Projects.
Next; Vintage Paper Crafts by Anna Corba. This book is filled with wonderful eye candy and beautiful paper projects.
Last; Vintage Christmas Crafts by Sara Toliver. She has chapters on Vintage, Victorian, and Shabby. The book is full of glitter and wonderful decorating ideas. There are also instructions for a multitude of Glitter houses.

Yesterday I order three more books and hopefully they will arrive sometime next week.
Crowns and Tiaras by Kerri Judd and Danyel Montecinos
The French-Inspired Home by Kaari Meng
French Inspired Jewelry Creating with Vintage Beads, Buttons and Baubles by Karri Meng.
Both of the French Inspired books are by the French General

Swaps Revisited

2007-08-27T10:09:00.000-04:00

As summer is slowly coming to a close and the signs of fall are showing up everywhere. Back to School, the fall and winter clothing collections and of course Halloween. All the decorating and craft shops are displaying Halloween in full regalia and one must shop early to get the best items.

Here in blogland the swaps are also reflecting the changing of the season. There is a "Vintage Storybook and Crafty Bookmark Swap" over at The polka dot pixie with sign ups ending Sept.2

After spending some enjoyable hours scouring the used book shops I have found some delightful early children's books.. Ideas for the bookmarks are waiting in my sketch book and I should have them finished up by the end of the week. Preparing for this swap has been so much fun.

I have also signed up for the "Black Cat & Pumpkin Swap" over at HopHopJingleBoo sign ups ending Sept.1
What fun looking and thinking about ideas, buying bits and pieces of Halloween and planning all the wonderful items to send in the swap.

A couple of other swaps I thought I would like to try are:

"Halloween Party Hat Swap" over at the Speckled Egg Sign ups are until Sept 8 and there is a "Trick or Treat Swap" coming in early October hosted by Crafting by Candlelight

To get into the Halloween spirit I bought a little orange pumpkin sweater at Dollarama and put it on my stuffed pug. She needs a Halloween hat so I will have to see what I can do.
A few Halloween items I bought in the little town of St Jacobs.

Tussie Mussie and Goodies

2007-08-24T10:38:00.000-04:00

Don't you just love receiving special mail. I now wait for a quiet moment and with coffee in hand, spend some leisurely time opening these exciting parcels. This week I received my lovely Tussie from Maija. I opened the box and there was a beautiful Tussie filled to overflowing with goodies.

Maija told me that almost everything on and in the Tussie is vintage. We had decided that the Tussies would reflect our own tastes and personalities, that way we would have something of the other person. But, surprisingly enough, the colours and items are also me. The pinks, flowers, vintage wallpaper, and of course the glitter K. Every time I saw a glitter initial, I wanted one of my own. Thank you Maija. There are two pretty envelopes full of fun vintage collage items, pink vintage tinsel surrounds the top, vintage ribbon and ties with a butterfly and one of those coveted tickets stamped with a bird and a crepe paper round medallion.

Gracing the bottom is a blue vintage ribbon bow with crystals

The Tussie is full of wonderful vintage collage items. Wallpaper, buttons, metal pieces, tiny glass items, scrap, and the list goes on.

Thank you Maija for all the sweetness you have put into my Tussie, it is much appreciated.

My Art Doll Hat Arrives

2007-08-17T23:35:00.000-04:00

More Swap goodies arrived this past Wednesday. This is the beautiful Art Doll Hat that Catie sent me. I just love her. Thank you Catie
Close up picture

Not only did she send me the doll, there were other goodies in the box. Catie makes reproduction Victorian Chrismas ornaments. I am the lucky recipient of one of her beautiful Santas.
There was also a beautiful vintage purse with a change purse to add to my collection.

More goodies from Catie. She has totally spoiled me . Red Glass Glitter, Vintage Button earrings, A drop crystal and roses flowers and ribbon. Plus, a 1916 vintage postcard with pansies. My favourite flower. Thank you so very much Catie, everthing is lovely and much appreciated.

Swaps and More Swaps

2007-08-13T19:46:00.000-04:00

I've just finished up with the Art Hat Doll Swap and the Tussie Mussie Goody Swap. After having so much fun with these swaps I've now signed up for another.

The Polka Dot Pixie is hosting a swap called the Vintage Storybook and Crafty Bookmark Swap

I love children's literature and the artwork in some of these old books is amazing. This will be a fun swap.

And of course, I'm also looking forward to some of the Halloween swaps that will be coming in the fall

Nice Matters

2007-08-10T15:14:00.000-04:00

Amy from Petticoat Lane has tagged me with the Nice Matters Award. Thank you Amy, I really appreciate it.

As I am new to the blogging community, I am not as well known as others, which really makes this special.

All of the beautiful blogs that I visit everyday would deserve this award and probably have already been tagged. I have a few that haven't been tagged, as far as I know.

Malady who hosted the ArtDoll Hat swap
My sweet partner for the ArtDoll Hat swap Catie
Maria who hosted the Tussie Mussie swap
My lovely Partner for the Tussie Swap Maija
And of course all the other wonderful bloggers out there

My Blog is loading oh so slowly

2007-08-09T19:53:00.000-04:00

All of a sudden this afternoon my blog funny and now it is loading so slowly. I don't have trouble with any other blog on Blogger, just mine.

Will keep working away at it.

*sigh*

More Fun Mail

2007-08-02T23:04:00.001-04:00

I received some extra special mail yesterday from Beth at Gathering Dust. We were swapping artmail and she sent me a wonderful art envelope and goodies.

Thank you Beth

Another Good Mail Day

2007-07-27T12:12:00.000-04:00

I just love it when the mailman brings me fun mail. I received a lovely art envelope from Karla at Karla's Cottage. There were also a couple of surprises in the envelope

Thank you Karla

Sandra Evertson has a New Blog

2007-07-27T11:51:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm a big fan of Sandra Evertson's Books.
http://bluemuf.blogspot.com/2007/07/photos-books-glitter-and-friends.html

Sandra now has a blog
http://www.sandraevertson.blogspot.com/

It's wonderful and full of fun whimsical articles and pictures. Well worth a visit.

I've just ordered her new book "Fanciful Paper Flowers: Creative Techniques for Crafting an Enchanted Garden" and I'm patiently waiting for it to arrive.

Bookmarks from Amy

2007-07-23T12:28:00.001-04:00

Amy and I had a side swap of bookmarks and this morning her wonderful contribution came in the mail. I just love good mail days.

The book marks are beautiful and I've all ready put one of them in my current book. I just love the vintage feel and the lovely quotes.

Thank you Amy