a wonderful wolf

A little bit ago, I shared with you this crochet wolf that I found on Etsy.  Isn't he cute?



On Saturday, he became MINE!  Robin sent me this little fellow, and I can't tell you how cute he is in "real life".  Extremely well made, and large!  My newest grandbaby is going to love him.  That is, if I can bear to let him go, lol.  Now y'all need to visit Robins shop REcreations to see all her wonderful creations.  And they are all her creations, all her items are her own original designs.  Here's a few more to look at, just to get you started.

 

Ginger the cow                            super soft Bunny Rabbit             colorful pinata

 This was hard, I could be here all day, her items are that cute!!!

 

Now for all you readers out there, I got a new blog follower from Saturdays blog hop, and so I went to check out her blog.  Well, let me tell you, there is only a few blogs that I actually subscribe to so I don't miss anything....and Black Ink Paperie has just become my newest favorite read.  With my blog being mostly a craft blog, and most blogs I follow are craft blogs, it is so refreshing to read something that has nothing to do with crafts, or on-line selling, or search engine optimization.  That's what this blog is, just a great read.  I'm not sure if what Bev is writing is her actual real life, or her imaginary life, or a mixture of both, but I am hooked!  I was trying to come up with a word to describe Bev and her writing, and all that came to mind is "quirky"....check it out....I bet you'll love it too.   So, that's it for my sharing today.
Be blessed,
Debbi

meet and great blog hop #12

Want to make some new friends?  Come and check out the weekly blog hop on 2 just B you's blog.  I've met some great new blogs that I follow, and really enjoy.  And it's a great place to get your blog out there for others to find.  So I'll see you there!
Be blessed,
Debbi

 



The 10 day you challenge!

There is a challenge going on over at BlogLoveTherapy.  BlogLoveTherapy is a great place for bloggers to get together for support and fun.  So here is what is going on this week...



 

Here are my 10 secrets...

1.) I have a shoe obsession.  Of course if you have ever seen my closet, you already know this secret.  BUT I have found that as I get older, my shoes have become more sparkly and with higher heels.  Which hubby is not crazy about because now I am taller then him. lol

2.)  I dream of being an author.  I have dreamed about this since high school.  So to make my dream a reality (hopefully) I started writing short stories on my blog here, and last night Amanda shared with me a link to Amazon's National Novel Writing Month. 

3.)  I love to read, and I do my most reading in my bathroom, with the door locked. (yes, I have kids).

4.)  I dislike cooking.  But I do like to bake.  And I hate to clean up after both.

5.)  My blonde hair comes from a bottle.  My blondness comes naturally.

6.)  I am not afraid of snakes, but spiders make me scream and run.

7.)  Despite growing up in snowy Buffalo NY, I can neither skate nor ski.

8.)  I do not wish to learn to skate or ski.

9.)  I have imaginary conversations with myself.  Sometimes I find myself having them out loud, and when I get caught, I pretend I have one of those bluetooth phones.

9.)  I wear a size 16, but I feel like a size 6.

10.)  I am naturally extroverted, so thinking up 10 secrets was very difficult.

 

There...done...now it's your turn.  Blog about your 10 secrets, and then link it up at BlogLoveTherapy.

 

Be blessed,

Debbi

versatile blogger award

I was pleasantly surprised last week when Katie from Running With A Glue Gun honored us with the Versatile Blogger Award.

Now to receive this award, there are a few things I need to do...the first is to encourage you to visit Katie's blog, Running With A Glue Gun.  I love her blog, it's full of vintage inspiration, crafty diy's, and just plain fun.  And now the rules...

1. Add the award to your blog.
2. Thank the blogger(s) who gave it to you. A very big thank you to Katie.
3. Mention 7 random things about yourself.
4. List the rules.
5. Award to 15 bloggers.
6. Inform each of those 15 by leaving a comment on their blog.

OK, random facts....

1.  I hate random facts.  Mostly because what may be random to you, is normal to me, lol.  So this could be difficult.

2.  There is a 19 year difference in the age between my loving hubby and myself.  I never even think about it, again this is normal for me.  (especially since Chuck is 71 going on 15, or even 10 sometimes. lol)

3.  Amanda is 5 years older than her hubby Brandon.  (neither one of us is good with math ;p )

4.  I play several instruments and sing,  Amanda does neither.  I have been know to burst into song in the middle of the store, and it embarrasses my kids.  Which is precisely why I burst into song in public.  Amanda is a whiz with computer stuff, I sometimes get stuck turning it on.

5.  We have always been politically independent.  This year I became a registered Republican.  But now I am getting soooo many recorded political phone calls, ugh!  That must be my punishment for joining a party?

6.  I spoil Owen.  Of course, that's not really random.  Anyone who has ever read this blog probably already figured that out. teehee

7.  I love to can, but hate to cook.  Amanda hates to can, but loves to cook.  So we work well together.

SHEW.  I'm glad that's done.  Now to share with you 15 great blogs....

Reef Botanicals                       Island Buzzy                      Absolutely Kismet
Tams Jewelry           Mosaic Art by MyEuropeanTouch          2justByou
LlamaMama                   LaBellaIronia                Lisianblue'sArtWorld
SweetPosyDreams             BitsandOddPieces         Cerlandia
ReleaseMeCreations          Number1           CrochetHooked

Ok, now pick a blog above, and see what random things you may learn from them.  And just so you know, I picked the blogs above because I like them, so I'm pretty sure you'll like them too.  :~D
Be blessed,
Debbi

In the interest of Pinterest

Pinterest seems to be the latest bandwagon, and one I have never jumped on.  It just seemed like one more site to take me away from my other business pursuits...like crafting.  Now I'm glad I never got hooked, because it seems like it is not the wonderful site we all thought it was, so if you like to pin, you need to read this article from Technorati, "Pinterest Users Need To Read The Fine Print".  And just so you know, please do not pin our stuff, just tweet it and facebook it, and love it! heehee
Debbi

what is it??

I saw something yesterday morning that caught my eye so I ran and grabbed my camera.  And this is what I shot.  Please comment and tell me what you see.

Now I'll tell you what it is...I was stepping off my back deck to check on the horses, when I looked into our rain barrel.  There was a layer of green tree pollen (super heavy here in NC) and it was just floating on top of the water in our barrel.  When the drops from the down spout hit the surface of the water, it reminded me of those swirl art pictures we used to make at the local fairgrounds.  I didn't have my glasses on , so I just pointed and shot.  I used my zoom so you wouldn't see the blue barrel sides.  When I downloaded the picture, this came up....I think the green was washed out by the reflection of the blue walls.  Pretty cool, huh?

Debbi

I LOVE CATALOGS!

I know that the latest greatest thing is shopping on-line (lucky for me) and reading via e-books, but there is nothing that will ever replace the printed word on paper. Books, newpapers, magazines, catalogs, handwritten letters delivered by a mailman. The feel of the book in my hand, turning the pages by licking my fingers, the being a bad book lover by turning down the corner of a page when you can't find a bookmark, catching up on the local news, connecting with far away friends and family. And making wish lists for future purchases. It's such a shame that future generations may never know the simple joy of sitting down with a real book, or visiting a library. But for today, we still have the printed word, and for that I am grateful. Which brings me to my joy for today, catalogs that come in the mail. Today I received my Fire Mountain Gems catalog, and ohhhh the joy! hahaha. The colors, the beads, the findings.....I guess you just have to be a jewelry fanatic to understand :) I used to make jewelry years ago, and just recently re-discovered the fun of beads and started to list some pieces on Our Home To Yours, mine and Amanda's e-shop on Etsy. Like these 2 pieces:

Now back to the subject of catalogs....I remember as a child getting the Sears Christmas Catalog and just spending hours with my sisters making up our Christmas wish list.  I think those were the only times we weren't fighting.  When I started my own home, the Brand Names catalog was essential.  And of course, FingerHut.  Today I watch my kids fight over the catalogs I get,

and it makes me smile. 

Debbi

Besteam feature on Designs by M'Ayanna

Where do you go if your a plus-size fashionista looking for the right jewelry pieces to complete that knock-em-dead outfit?  Straight to this weeks Besteam feature, Designs by M'Ayanna.  Patrice Kelly, from Chicago Illinois, is the proprietor of this wonderful Etsy shop.  Patrice started designing jewelry with her young daughter, who soon became bored and moved onto other "fun" things.  But Patrice was hooked, and luckily for us, she continued to design her jewelry.  The name M'Ayanna is an abbreviated form of Mommy and Ayanna, and it's the kind of name that just sticks in your head.

I love this black and white watch, made just for a plus size woman.  My husband has almost as many watches as I have shoes, and he would approve of this classic look.  Patrice is continually learning new techniques and is evolving in her types of jewelry available.  The latest being bead weaving, but you just have to wait to see what else she might come up with, like metal work and this wire wrapped and beaded necklace (also a plus size) .

You really need to go to Designs by M'yAnna to see the full close up of this necklace.  It is gorgeous!  What a great gift to hide in your honey's Easter basket, or to give your mom on Mother's Day.

And now for my favorite piece of jewelry from Designs by M'Aynna....

drumroll please.....

This bold, bright, and beautiful Amber Crystal Cuff.  If you like it, you better grab it now before someone else snatches it! 

And since designing great pieces of jewelry is not enough to keep Patrice busy, she also has a blog you can read, and a facebook page you can "like".  Just click on any of the pictures or links about to be taken away.....to Designs by M'Ayanna.

And don't forget to tell her that Debbi from Our Home To Yours sent you!

The Tapestry

My life is but a weaving, between my God and me,

I do not choose the colors, He worketh steadily.

Oftimes He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride,

Forget He sees the upper, and I the underside.

Not till the loom is silent, and the shuttles cease to fly,

Will God unroll the canvas, and explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful in the skillful Weaver's hands,

As the threads of gold and silver, in the pattern He has planned.

anonymous

alphabet craze

If you homeschool, you know what a challenge it can be to find good curriculum, especially if you child does not particularly like paperwork.  But there are so many sites out there designed to help you keep your child excited and interested.  I follow a blog, A Heart For Home, that has some great resources in it for teaching and guiding your children.  This Monday they are hosting an Alphabet Craze, with great blog links, ideas and games, plus discounts and giveaways.  So be sure to check it out!

waltz on by wednesday blog hop

Come join me as I search for new and interesting blogs to follow.  The Waltz on by Wednesday blog hop is hosted by my Creating the Hive buddy at Home Sweet Farm.  So here's the link http://ourjourneytoasimplerlife.blogspot.com/2011/03/waltz-on-by-wednesday-blog-hop-39.html?utm_source=feedburner
hop on by and say Hi!

Besteam feature on Beader Bubba

Agnus is the owner/creator of Beader Bubbe, an Etsy jewelry shop, and a BESTeam member.  Agnus hails from Brooklyn NY and is a school secretary.  Agnus loves to craft and dabble in all sorts of mediums, but really enjoys beads.

While browsing her shop for items to share, I was immediately drawn to this rainbow necklace.  I just love the colors.  It is made of polymer clay.  Unfortunately, most of Agnus's creations are snapped up before they even hit her Etsy store.

Lucky for us, this crazy agate beige bracelet did make it to her shop.  The large shapes, and cool colors of the beads will make this the perfect accessory for that special night on the town.

And lastly, these pretty butterfly earrings are so delicate, you can expect them to just fly away.  So be sure to stop by her shop and grab some of these great pieces for yourself.

And when you're done shopping, stop by her blog.  Agnus and her husband are getting ready for a cruise (I'm jealous, lol) and she has promised to give us all the details.

You can also follow BeaderBubbe on facebook.

wordless wednesday a day late

plus, I just can't keep quiet.  So this is actually a talkative Thursday.  And I thought I would share some fun family moments.  Last month, my tootsies were tired, so I decided to have a spa night.  Not to be left out, Hannah and Owen joined me.  It was going great till they decided to make waves, lol.

Blog awards!!!

This past week, we were honored to be given these awards from Off The Wall Expressions!! Off the Wall Expressions is a great Etsy shop featuring decals, a great blog, and a BESTeam member! Please stop by her shop and blog to see their great items.

Here is what I now need to do:

- Link back and thank my award giver. Thank you again to Off The Wall Expressions.
- List 7 things about ourselves that you may not know.
- Choose 15 blogs deserving of these awards, and let them know.

Our 7 things are:
1 - We love, love, love Monty Python and The Holy Grail, and can recite most every line.
2 - Mandy cooks most meals, and I clean the kitchen.
3 - We love horses.
4 - We both watch old black and white movies.
5 - Mandy is right handed, and I'm left handed (so I'm the one in my right mind ;p)
6 - We both love chocolate, and will eat most anything covered in chocolate.
7 - We both enjoy bowling.

Now for our 15 blog picks:
aPearantly sew
ChristieCottage
Handmade Shopping Guide
My European Touch
Polymer Playtime aka Fluttering Flowers
Pop Art Minis
Decorablesart
Waterwaif
cksilver
artonbehalfof
wayfaringmagnolia
danizabeth
FromShirlee
Your Truly Dear
The adventures of Sandy Vern

Besteam feature on Bit's and Beads by Gilliauna from Etsy

We are a part of a great Etsy team, the BESTeam. We are dedicated to promoting each other thru our blogs, twitter, facebook, flicker, and any other way available. Our team blog is a place to meet all our team members and view their shops. We have a wonderful forum where we exchange support and help, and coming in November, we will be hosting craft challenges to get our creative juices flowing. A team full of great artists just waiting for you to join us.This week it is my pleasure to feature Bit's and Beads by Gilliauna. Leal and Zoie handle the twitter duties for the Besteam, while still creating georgeous pieces of jewelry for their customers.

beaded gothic necklace

Something new I learned about Leal and Zoie is that while they both live in the northeast, they are actually in different countries. Leal calls Seattle, Washington USA home, while over the border in Canada, Zoie lives in Vancouver, BC.  

bronze floral choker

handmade mother of pearl

gemstone cluster bracelet

Leal and Zoie are all over the world wide web, with shops on etsy and artfire, a supply shop, 2 blogs, and their own webpage.  Here are directions, LOL
Their Etsy shop - http://www.etsy.com/shop/Gilliauna
Their supply shop -  http://www.etsy.com/shop/BitsnBeads
Their web page - http://www.bitsnbeads.com/
Their shopping blog - http://www.handmadeshoppingguide.com/
Their design blog - http://www.colorfulartisanjewelry.com/
Another blog - http://gilliauna.tumblr.com/
Their facebook page - http://facebook.com/BitsnBeadsbyGilliauna
Their twitter page - http://twitter.com/gilliauna
Their other twitter page - http://twitter.com/twisttheleaf
Deviantart - http://gilliauna.deviantart.com/
Their tumbler feed - http://gilliauna.tumblr.com/
And their artfire shops - http://www.artfire.com/users/gilliauna
The other artfire shop - http://www.artfire.com/users/bitsnbeads

WHEW!!!!!  I think I got it all.  They are some very busy artists, with wonderful items, so now y'all have no excuses to find them and enjoy their creations for yourself.
Their flicker photostream - http://www.flickr.com/photos/gilliauna/

Besteam feature on Mysticwynd from Etsy

Wow, what a long week I've had. Amanda and clan are back from Kansas and all moved in with us. They arrived Sunday, and now it's Friday and I haven't done anything!!!! Yes, I'm spending all my time playing with Owen :) but now it's time for work. But this isn't really work, because I get to tell you all about Karen, the creative power behind MysticWynd. She is my hero, always helping everyone else. She's taken over the mind-boggling chore of the feature assignments for the Besteam. What team you ask? ;p well, I'll tell you. The Besteam stands for "Boosting Etsy Shops team" and it is the best team out there. We we all promote each other via our blogs, twitter, facebook, and treasuries. Visit our team blog to learn how to join us. Now back to the star of this show....MysticWynd.
Karen was born in Chicago, but now lives in Arizona with her blended family, and 6 grandkids. I'm sure she would agree with me that being a grandmother is a wonderful thing! And she's a grandmother with an abundance of energy. She has 3, count'em 3, Etsy shops. The first one is her main shop, MysticWynd, full of beautiful jewelry, and 180 positive feedbacks. Here are 2, "This neckalce is so beautiful! Super fast shipping! Thank you!"

"very fast shipping - ring was even better than I imagined - I look forward to future purchases"

Here are a few of my personal favorites from this shop.

Her second shop is M&W Elegance

She set up this shop to showcase her bridal and special occasion jewelry. Such beautiful pieces to choose from, but here's 3 for your viewing pleasure.

Her 3rd shop "The Crafter Cabinet" is for destash and supplies, for all you beaders out there.

And you should definitely check out her blog. It is stuffed full of ideas, promotions of other shops, and has 604 followers. Then there's her twitter and facebook pages, and something I never heard of, handmade spark. She's just busy, busy, busy! Plus she introduced me to a great arts and crafts social site, Creating the hive. So be sure to take the time to check out this great jewelry artist, and a woman of never-ending energy. You'll be glad you did.

SBS for June 12, 2010

It's a beautiful sunny day here in North Carolina, and time again for Saturday Blog Shopping! In case you don't know what that is, let me explain. On Saturday mornings, Debbie from Quilts Galore and more blog hosts a bunch of etsy shops on "the hub". Pick a blog, check out their shop, take advantage of the sales, then go back to the hub, and start all over again. A virtual mall without looking for a parking spot. LOL

So what is my sale today??? Good question. Wish I had an answer, I've been trying to get my wireless network working all week, so my brain is fried and useless for new ideas. So I've decided to honor any offers I have made in my previous Saturday Blog Posts, you just have to scroll down to find them :). But here are highlights:

BOGO, free shipping, 15% off vintage, 15% off total order. All you have to do is convo me with the date of the blog that you want the special on when you place your order. Kind of a game while shopping. :)

Here's some pics of our stuff, complete with links to our shop. And remember, when you're done playing my game, go back to the hub and check out my friends.

taylorhouse from the Besteam

Chaucee from Taylorhouse on etsy has a great blog she would like you all to visit. On The searced and found, Chaucee promotes Etsy shops, and giveaways, and all kinds of neat things. If your a buyer or a seller, get the scoop on The Searched and Found. Read more about her by scrolling down and reading yesterdays post.

Saturday Blog Shoppers

I'm trying something new this week, it's call Saturday Blog Shoppers. And it works like this...every Saturday I will post on our blog a sale from our shop on Etsy. Our readers use the hub from Saturday Blog Shoppers to bounce from blog to blog to see what our group of talented artists are offering their readers. Sounds like a fun day at the mall :) So here's our first sale, ourhometoyours is offering 15% off each and every item. Just send me a note with your order stating that you saw this on the Saturday Blog Shoppers. Your discount will be refunded to you after you place your order. Sounds easy, huh. Now comes the hard part, deciding what to buy! So grab your coffee, sit back, and shop.

You can get this cute little bunny for only $6.37, what a perfect baby shower gift.

This vintage 1970's chip and dip glass bowl would look perfect on your picnic table, and you'll save $3.00.

It is the seasons for weddings, and you can get both the crochet ring bearer pillow, and the quilled invitation frame for only $21.25 each.



And for the piece-de-resistance (ok, so I don't know how to spell in french, LOL) this full size hand quilted butterfly bedspread. Purchase it today only and save a whopping $30.00. WOW.

Click on any picture to be taken to that item's page. And don't forget to leave a comment here and let us know how you found us. We'd love to hear from anyone and everyone.

~Debbi~