Vintage Linen Dolls and a Secret

I have been busy making these dolls, and I went to lots of Goodwill shops and many many yard sales, garage sales etc.. to gather the linen.It always amaize's me that ladies would sell their antique linen for 25 cents and tell me(( Ohhhh that belonged to my mother or my grandmother or my great grandmother)).Would you sell your grandmother's vintage linen for a quarter?? ,has it so little value to you???

I love old linen I have trunks of it,and never pass up a doily or anything crochet into edge lace or something with exquisite embroidery work.I love the feel of it, so soft and snowy, the embroidery work is so lovingly done.Just beautiful things to hold and look at.

I could visualize the dolls dress ,and went to work creating them. I kept the loveliest the most delicate doilies and linen's of course I wont cut into them to make other things , they are too pretty, and someone worked so hard to create them all those years ago.They tell a story , they really do.

Want to know a secret??? I also collect vintage jewelry !! I have..... ...... not one .......... not 2.......... not 3................... but ~~~~((((4)))) trunk size rubbermaid containers full of it!!!!!... Oh yes I do !!
My most prized treasures are the rhinestone brooches , oh how I love those brooches!!
Some day I will take pictures of it, you won't believe it, you will think I am a pirate !!!

I have made many little boxes for little girls filled with earrings and long beaded necklaces who were just delighted with their bounty for playing dress up.
I don't wear it personally , I just like having it,and again it just amaize's me that some ladies will sell me their mother's jewelry for a quarter or a few bucks and say with tears in their eyes, ....(((That was my mother's jewelry!!!)) Why why why would you sell your mother's things like that?? I don't care if it is just costume jewelry if it was your mother's why would you want to get rid of it???

Some years back I was at an estate sale and it was a DIL selling off her MIL's things, all kinds of jewelry and clothing, right down to her old Sunday best gloves remember those?? That lady had every color of glove you could imagine with jewelry to match, wow I thought I had died and went to heaven, I bought it all, every last piece, I asked the lady selling it who this all belonged to?? She gave me a smirk that ~~ said it all really, and told me it was her MIL and they were getting ((rid)) of all of her things.Kinda breaks your heart when you hear that esp. with the attitude and smirk she had telling me all this.

All my vintage jewelry tells a story about a lady who owned it and wore it and enjoyed it.Same thing with my vintage collection of linen,they were cherished pieces of history, that ladies washed ironed and in some cases starched and kept for years and years and years until they sold it to me for a quarter.Lucky me I get to enjoy and cherish it for them!!

What do you collect??? What can't you pass up ????

Snow !!!! Oh Yes Its Snow !!!

Do you believe it???? First it rained ,it really came down hard,good thing we didn't get that kind of rain a while back it might have flooded our Mattagami River that goes through town.Then a little while later there it was ....................... that darn white stuff !!!!!!!!!!!!!
What your looking it is part of my back yard and the neighbors house,its covering the Bishop's Weed just starting to come through over our rock wall.And my poor cold little car,I had put away my scrapers and things for the summer,gosh I hope I don't have to retrieve them from the basement.
The weather is so depressing !!
Last Saturday we had one nice warm day, everyone was outside working their yards and gardens etc..
No one wanted to be indoors, everyone wanted to soak up that warm sunshine,now today were back at +3 and the furnace kicked in all night..................sigh........................
Oh well.....I started our day with porridge for breakfast I will make a nice pot roast with mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner, that should help everyone feel warm!!
Such is life when you live this far north, you must accept what God gives you.

Pergamano

Some time back when I was in Ottawa I came across a little shop with lovely stamping things ,and in it I found all manner of Pergamano products.Houray for me!!!!

I have been wanting to try this craft for a long long time so I kinda went BESERK and bought lots and lots of everything,not knowing if I will be good at this or even enjoy it, just a craving to try it.Does anyone else do that too ???
Better yet has anyone out there tried Pergamano?? Any hints or tips??

Today when we went out for a little drive and a nice hot Timmy's cuz its such a wet raining day, I took my camera anyway because I spotted a huge crow's nest a few days ago , one of the bigger one's I have ever seen,I saw 2 crow's attending the nest too but not today naturally because I wanted to show you.....sigh.......
Would you believe they are calling for 2 cent of snow to fall today.................I hope not!!!

Bear in the Neighborhood !!!

Do you see the bear on the neighbors front steps?? That big fella rummaged through several yards looking for food, made a huge mess everywhere he went.He dosen't look so big on the picture but my hubby says the it weighed upwards of 400 pounds.
The police would have nothing to do with it saying it was just a cub!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WOW I would hate to come across Mama Bear !!!

Pysanky

Someone asked to see some of the pysanky I have done in the past ,these are just a few, I usually give them away not to mention the many many that got broken too. One year I had them all hung by silk ribbons on a branch I had painted white for Easter,and of course as I walked by I couldn't resist straighting one or two well....... then some would just jump off the branch I tell ya..... sigh.... not to mention the many many my daughter just helped herself to because she liked them so much........sigh................. then my best heart breaking story I saved for last.....sigh....... I had about 60 eggs all finished and ready for shellac and I was kinda new at this art and I was still in the process of finding the right shellac for the eggs I bought a plastic spray thinking I had just the right one...........right!!! ..........wrong.....................sigh,..... as I was spraying I saw all of my 60 eggs just dissolving before my eyes ,why you might ask???

I will tell you why its because the special dyes we use for the eggs is water soluable I didn't know that at the time , I was still a nubee at pysanky.I have learned a lot since then some 20 years ago.

I learned this ancient art because of my husband who is Ukrainian on his Father's side of the family, and near our home was a Ukrainain Museum that offered the course on pysanky for children , my daughter then was about 10 at the time, so I took her and asked if I could sit in for the day, so that was the beginning of my love of pysanky.My MIL often said that my FIL 's mother would have loved me because I could write her special eggs.

The first picture you see of the family is my FIL's family he is the little baby boy sitting with his Mother, its thanks to them I owe my love of pysanky. I have been married 37 years I figure some of that Ukrainain has rubbed off on me !!

Some things I bought in Ottawa

I got an urge to do bead embroidery incorporated with some silk ribbon embroidery,I have a box full of silk ribbon that I am just dying to play with.... someday...

And I got a few new semi precious stones to do new necklaces with ,as you can see they are not put together yet I will show you when I am done but what do you think of the colors ?? Do you like them??

The big round green stone I will do a sort of lace effect with it using delicas it will look sooo nice I saw a few pictures with instructions and and I am confident I can do it... we will see hummmmm.

I bought a few more stamps I just love the big flower with the little flower , I will place them together on some cards I will work on, the sales lady did a good job of selling me the idea, she showed me several displays using them , they looked quite elegant! I need another stamp like I need a new head but who can resist .................. right???

All I did today was clean out my craft room ,I bought several see through containers ,I should of bought more ............sigh.................. oh well next time I will overide the urge to get less and get more !! HA a woman's dream right!

Peyote Beading

While I was in Ottawa I learned a new beading stitch, its called Peyote,once you get the hang of it,its a snap literally the delica beads snap into place,but they are tiny see the pin on the right side the beads are smaller than the size of a pin head,I did about 2 inches that you see then I had to stop my eyes were tired,but I really enjoy doing it,this will be a bracelet when I am done, its a delicious color of rose, I know the picture dosen't do it justice but I wanted to show you anyway.

Starting a New Journal

I have been writing in a journal almost every day going back many many years,and on my recent trip to Ottawa I saw a very pretty little green journal in a book store,beside it were matching pens (( OK I confess I collect pens,I love pens ,I have a pen fetish and I need to go to Pens AA,if there is such a place I seriously need to go!!))

Well I decided to buy them both and start writing in a journal again.I stopped in November 2007, it was the day my mother was diagnosed with cancer, from that day forward I had no time what so ever, it was the furthest thing on my mind,caring for Mom was all I could think about,it was a night and day commitment that carried me till she died.

And for some strange reason I cannot write another word in my old journal,I think its because my life will never be the same without my mother.Hence the new journal.I loved my old journal, it was so pretty ,it made me smile just to pick it up and hold it, the cover front and back had lovely pysanky eggs everywhere on a beige backround.

I started writing in a journal when my mother in law moved in with us,I needed a sounding board without talking it out loud to anyone,most times re-reading my notes helped me a great deal ,I felt like another person reading the words and I would work out my everyday problems myself that way.I love my little french mother in law,she is so sweet,you could not meet a sweeter person on earth if you tried,~~~ BUT it was not easy living with her at the beginning.The road had many twists and turns and was rocky,~~~ there how's that for being diplomatic.!!

You get use to writing your two bits worth in a journal, which I made totally sure of keeping in a very discrete place away from snooping eyes (ahem) .Its a stress release for me and not just that but a journal of my life and my families life and how I felt on certain days good or bad.

I gave my very first one to my daughter it was filled with frustrations that little journal,and I told her that when I gave it to her,and it had lots of goodness in it too,it held 5-6 years worth of living in it,I must really trust her to have given her such a thing such a personal object.She asked me for it and I simply just gave it to her wrapped in yards and yards of ribbon, with intricate knots,I told her not to read it but to simply just have it.She was happy to have a piece of me.

Do you ladies write in a journal like I do or am I the only nut out there that likes to see it in writing???
Here is my new journal isin't it pretty ?? I just love the color and pattern.

Things I made in a jewelry bead shop

This necklace is special to me !!
My daughter made this one for me for Mother's Day,
Citrine is my favourite stone,this one is made with
nuggets of citrine and sterling silver spacers.
I love love the look of this one on me,its the second necklace she
has ever made for me the first one was made out of
tissue paper flowers made in kindergarden.I will cherish them
both !!

I enjoyed that day so much,we spent it together, the bead shop,
was so cute and well stocked with all sorts of wonderful semi
precious stones and fresh water pearls,and really just about
anything your heart could desire.It was a very crafty !!!

These two bracelets I made using smokey quartz and
green jade and yellow citrine, I wear a lot of yellow in
the summer.
This one is totally nothing special,I just liked it to wear under the
collar of a blouse,I wish the picture was better for you to see how nice
the colors look.
This little bracelet I used some cloisonee leafs
isin't this adorable for summer??!!
To me this is a little summer bracelet,I made it with mother of pearl
and I cannot for the life of me remember what the little green stone is,
it might be jasper,not sure now.
I love this one,its a mix of turquoise,fresh water pearls,mother of
pearls,jade,sterling silver and swarovski crystals,I made an identical
one for my sister in law,she will just love it,this one is very much her
taste too.
With this one I used a carnilian circle again with a turquoise stone in
the center,little sterling spacers and mother of pearl rectangles.Simple
but still stylish.
I love this one too,the red stone is dyed jade and the clear stone
is smokey quartz, and the little purple round stone is amathyst,with a
little sterling spacer here and there.
I love this bracelet I made it with carnilian and turquoise,
very effective isin't it !
I made this one using green quartz and little round blood stones in between,what you can't see is the round stones are 2 colors,a bit of green and a bit of wine color.

Ottawa

I just spent a week in Ottawa with my daughter,what a lovely fast fun week it was.I always always enjoy myself and I always enjoys pending time with my daughter.

Ottawa is in the middle of the Tulip Festival, gorgeous tulips everywhere the colors were vivid and the tulips themselves are huge,and fields of daffodils just sprouting everywhere.

I shopped my little heart out, all the lovely stores my home town dosen't have and little boutiques,with ohhh soooo lovely things.

We eat at wonderful restaurants, we eat internationally every day, that's so much fun trying different foods, my favourite was called Japanese Village, the food is prepared right in front of you, with flourish and flames!!

I came home tired but happy,I have been spending a lot of time in Ottawa this last month or so, I will go back at the end of June,can't wait, its always exciting to go away for a while.Different scenery,different lifestyle I love it in short bursts.

I made lots of jewelry while I was there in a bead jewelry shop,I promise to take pics for you today or tommorow.Something to look forward to!!

A week in beautiful Ottawa

Spider called Maman in front of The National Gallery in Ottawa

Kayaks in the rapids of the Ottawa River
Fields of daffodils everywhere!
Simply Beautiful Canadian History
Moi in front of the Eternal Flame in Ottawa
Beautiful Tulips in front of Parliament
Canada Goose on the Ottawa River

Ottawa

Parliament Buildings in Ottawa,Canada

Happy Spring to You !!

First sign of spring !!
Every year I would take my mother for a car ride in the rural areas to hunt for pussy willows,it was tradition in the spring for both of us.She loved them so much,and always had some in her house year round,this spring my mother is not with me, she died last December just before Christmas,and I didn't want to go out looking for pussy willows,my heart just wasen't in it.I don't think I have recovered from her death yet,I may never be over it.

My hubby and I were out for a nice car ride last Sunday and I knew it was pussy willow time,I asked him to take me to a specific place that Mom and I loved to go,and there was Mom's beloved pussy willow tree,I made up my mind then to cut a few branch's ,I came home and made this little nest made out of the pussy willows,the little birds are cute aren't they peeking out from the nest,I would of given this to my mother if she were alive.I will enjoy it for her,she would have been just delighted to see this little representation of new life.

Life goes on, its spring time the pussy willows are out.Happy Spring !!!

Santana Concert in Montreal April 2008

Ottawa in April

Ottawa in April