Day Twelve - Special Delivery

 I do believe it was a miracle of Christmas...mid-morning at the post office and no line!

Not only was I able to waltz up to the counter and give the wee birdie a proper send off but I also acquired some of....

 

 THESE!!!

I had so wanted some of the sweet holiday versions of the Priority mail boxes but every time I went they were out of stock. Not sure what I'll use them for yet but they sure are cute and have such

 a happy vintage air about them.

 

I also got the gingerbread house stamps I had my eye one. Just like little dollhouses they are! I'm so excited to put them to use that I think it might be the inspiration I need to actually get those cards written and posted out this year. We shall see...

 



Not Fun But.....

 Having your printer die on you is NOT fun. Having to reconfigure the technical hoopla of wirelessly connecting a new one to your system is even less amusing. The biggest bummer of all, however, is having to print out your tax returns on said printer in order to have something upon which your "payment due" check may be attached.

 

 BUT.....

....if on the way to the post office you also take along with you an order of bitty blossom pins to ship out to someone sweet the day soon becomes a bit brighter.

 

 AND.....

...if upon popping into the post office with your deliveries, you find the nicest postman in the whole wide world just happens to be behind the counter your smile becomes a bit bigger. 

 

 SO THEN.....

...with your mouth in mind it's no wonder you take a hop, skip, and a jump across the parking lot to Lil' Peach. I know the sign says Tedeschi but I first knew it as Lil' Peach and so it will always remain as such to me. Besides isn't Lil' Peach much more fun to say than Tedeschi?

 Anyhoo...this is where you will find a never ending supply of.....

 

...the best macaroons EVER!!!

And at 50 cents a pop these little delights are still quite affordable even after paying your taxes!

 



The Fun Starts Here!

So.....it started as something fairly routine, the packaging of an item for shipping. In this case it was a tad on the fragile side and needed a bit of "cushion" in order to err on the side of caution. Seems, however, my stash of supplies was raided during some one or another holiday wrapping endeavour. There was no bubble wrap, no peanuts, and no tissue paper!

 

A trip to Walmart was required but the thought of leaving our cozy little house and heading out into the single digits was not in the least appealing. Thinking there must be some cushy scrap somewhere I began to dig through the Christmas wrapping supplies (yes we still have this stuff hanging around along with a good assortment of VERY dusty holiday decorations.) Lots of ribbon but no bubble wrap. Lots of bags but no tissue paper. Lots of deconstructed magazines from this but no peanu....wait....stop right there! Magazines....hmmm....I felt inspiration glimmer, spark and then burst into flame. All I needed was my paper shredder.

 

Now I've had my fair share of shredder activity throughout the years and considered it nothing more than one of those mundane must do activities. But let me tell you.....there is a world of difference between shredding boring financial records and shredding magazine pages. I had not anticipated the explosion of color awaiting me inside the bin. I quickly realized I could control the the results by selecting choice pages rather than randomly ripping and spent the next 30 minutes or so doing just that. Control in this case was good.

 

Hours later, after the package had been shipped and the shredder stashed, I realized I'd had my first really "Fun" adventure of 2013. It wasn't the fun I had planned to orchestrate and post on. It was unexpected, exciting, and nothing more than a silly bit of nonsense but it sure made me happy. So now I'm thinking, while control can be helpful in some instances, control in all aspects of your life leaves very little room for surprises and that dear friends would not be fun, in fact, I imagine it could become downright funky!

  

 

 

#13 Made Me Smile!

I'm afraid the eggcups are due to be quite neglected today because look what came in the mail...my very first ever Tasha Tudor Museum Newsletter!

Once I get all the kiddies rounded up from their school day I'll be making myself a pot of tea, put my feet up, and thoroughly enjoy each and every page. What a sweet treat!

New Arrivals!

A hearty welcome to Miss Lily Maud who made her first appearance earlier this afternoon. She was soon followed by our mail delivery in which I discovered a small parcel just for me! Inside was the most delightful copy of Rumer Godden's book The Doll's House, an absolute all time favorite of mine. The story centers on Tottie, a little wooden doll, and the dollhouse that arrives into the lives of her and the small family of dolls to which she belongs. The illustrations, by Tasha Tudor, are charming of course but the fact that some of them were originally printed in color something I never knew until today!

Inspirations

It's that time of the year when I find myself hunkered down and working in production line fashion on special orders for the upcoming holiday season. A fair majority of them are based on previous creations which gives a familiar "old hat" feel to the process. The bits and pieces here, for example, went into making dear little. . . . .

. . . . . Lily Beth, a brown-eyed version of Lily Olive. Lily Olive is actually the only Pick-a-Lily doll I have kept for myself. Having been lucky enough to have herself featured in the pages of Art Doll Quarterly last spring, however, has made her the inspiration behind several requests for such kissing cousin versions.

Other times special orders lead me to discover new frontiers. A request for a "Pick-a-Kitty" inspired me to purchase my very first package of paperclay from which I'm now attempting to sculpt the perfect head for the job.

The stuff is actually quite fun and has me pondering a plethora of possible paperclay projects for the future!

Often times the receipt of something special inspires me into action. This sweet mini quilt and coaster set, gifted to me by my dear quilt swap buddy over at Humble Needle, was the motivation behind. . . . .

. . . . .the hosting of an Autumnal Tea Party!

And this purchase of a vintage address book, in such perfect condition only its lack of notation columns for cell phones and e-mail addresses shows its age. . . . .

. . . . . is proving to be a wonderful incentive to get my Christmas cards out on time this year!

One of my favorite spots to visit for inspiration is over Flutterby Patch's way. She has always got something creative up her sleeve and is such a dear to share all the delightful details of her endeavours with us. Most recently she offered up a free pattern for a wee topsy turvey doll. Being that she designed it with the beginning knitter in mind and that I happened to have both the yarn and the needles required. . . . .

. . . . . how could I resist giving it a go? And with a bit more perseverance. . . . .

. . . . . I have no doubt I'll soon have a new dolly to hold up in my hands as well!

Miniature Quilt Exchange...for the Second Time!

After a week of great anticipation and excitement Karen and I have received our swap quilts from each other. My little package arrived on Friday and look what a treasure I found inside!

Do you recall the hint I told you about? Well, she also shared with me the fact that I would probably recognize the pattern of the little quilt once I set eyes on it. For the last few days before its arrival I racked my brain trying to guess what it could be, knowing it must be something quite familiar to me. Within minutes of having it in my hands, however, she was oh so right! In fact, I had only a quick trip to my bedside table to confirm my suspicion in the pages of Kathleen Tracy's delightful book, Prairie Children and their Quilts. Sure enough, there I discovered the vintage photo hint that had so haunted me as well as the Game Board Quilt I now had in my possession! Such a meticulous job she did in her fabric selections and placements one would have to do a double take to determine whether or not it was in fact the exact quilt featured in the book!

It wasn't until yesterday's photo shoot that I discovered this additional little tidbit of "coincidence?" For there, pictured on the back cover of Tracy's book I found not only my recently received Game Board Quilt but also an image of the Broken Dishes Quilt which inspired my piece to her last year! Have a look see for yourself!

And the similarities don't stop there. . . . . see this snippet of calico Karen placed in the corner here?

Well. . . . .in the early morning hours of those horrid, hot, and humid July days. . . . .

. . . . .as I sat down to my quilting and hoped for even the slightest breeze to pass through the window. . . . .

. . . . .I seem to recall a similar snippet in a corner awaiting my needle! Truth be told they both came from the same cut of fabric. I had found a bolt of it several years ago and fell in love! It was amazingly reminiscent of a favorite calico dress I'd worn to absolute shreds during college. I bought far more of the fabric than I needed and so eventually used up a good portion of it on quilt backings in some kits. When Karen caught sight of it in one such of these quilt kits she expressed a similar fondness for the print and asked if I might have some extra to spare, which of course I did! How funny that we both now re-shared the print with each other in our new quilts when it very easily could have turned out otherwise.

We first set up the terms and conditions of this second quilt swap in April. The following two months were abundant with false starts and numerous trips to the quilt store. While any excuse to buy fabric is most welcome I found I was unable to settle on a collection of prints or even a pattern to work with. I was becoming a Goldilocks of sorts. . . . .too bright, too dark. . . . . too abstract, too traditional. . . . . too disjointed, too much the same. And then, by chance I happened upon a reference to Russell H. Conwell and his most popular lecture, "Acres of Diamonds." Conwell retells the story of a farmer who, in his intense desire for riches, sells off his property and heads out in search of diamonds only to meet with misfortune and death in the end. Meanwhile, the man who purchased the farm from him spends his days tending to the work at hand in the fields and in doing so soon discovers his beloved acres are literally filled with diamonds.

Now, farm girl wannbe that I am, I took this "dig in your own backyard" philosophy to heart and promptly headed not to the store but to my fabric stash instead where numerous treasures were awaiting my discovery!

A sweet blue polka dot by Moda that so matched Lily Red's skirt that she promptly sent me right back to Candlelite to purchase two more yards of it just because we might need it someday!

My cherished "Red Daisy" print that arrived from who knows where but that I've carefully divvied up in order to have enough to someday complete a tiny hand stitched log cabin quilt featuring the blossoms in each center square.

The sage green and floral print fabrics used in the creation of Miss Lily Olive.

What I affectionately call "Periwinkle Rose" was acquired not from a bolt but by scavenging every last fat quarter from each of the three different Jo-ann Fabrics within driving distance of my house. I REALLY loved this print! You can imagine my excitement therefore when I purchased a bundle of vintage scraps off Etsy only to discover a small piece so similar I can't help but wonder if it wasn't the direct inspiration behind this newer version.

The green micro check was picked up long before I had received my Gail Wilson Hitty kit in hopes that it would someday serve as the perfect dress upon which an assortment of pinafores could be featured. Alas, almost a whole year has gone by since my birthday and poor Hitty is still awaiting my attention. Assortment of pinafores. . . . ha. . . . . the poor thing hasn't even got a body!

Along with collecting fabrics I've always enjoyed picking up bits and pieces of assorted dishware. After sorting through more than twenty boxes of the stuff stashed in the basement this week I have since decided I need to put a limit on this habit once and for all. Lids without sugar bowls, saucers with out cups, pitchers in duplicate (and I'm afraid to admit the occasional triplicate) have got to go. We are going to have one doozy of a yard sale next week! The one china pattern I won't be parting with is my Blue Willow, although I was more than happy to share a morsel of some matching fabric for Karen's quilt. I purchased a yard of it at the Lowell Quilt Festival more than seven years ago but can you believe this was the first cut I ever made into it!

I was amazed at how many fabric "gems" I found stashed away, more than enough for a miniature quilt. There was of course no question by this point as to the pattern choice and so the cutting began...in the shape of diamonds of course!

Summer Fun Item #16 - Go to a Wedding

The family wedding has come and gone. Amazingly the weather cleared and the sun made a rare appearance in honor of the special occasion. The umbrellas gathered with all good intentions to shield us from rain were instead employed as parasols as we made our way over the sandy dune.

Greeting us on the other side was a lovely musical duet.

A sweet conclusion to the ceremony itself involved the presentation of a flower to each guest. . . .

. . . . .which were then tossed all at once into the ocean.

It was so lovely to be outside on the beach. . . . especially after an eight hour car ride the day before! Forty-five minutes into it my youngest, Jackson, began the proverbial "Are we there yet?" I hate to admit it but we actually stopped more than once to buy snack foods in order to keep his mouth busy, for he didn't seem to be able to chew and whine at the same time! Construction work, wrong exits, and endless traffic jams added to the tension but all was forgotten while looking for sea shells in the sand.

Being the very last of the wedding party lingering on the beach we had to hustle to catch up with everyone else. Even so I couldn't help a quick peak at these. . . .what I assumed to be beach plums. I love beach plum jelly! Someday I want to attempt to make my own but first I imagine I should learn to identify the fruit for sure.

Finally we arrived at the restaurant for the reception. The tables were beautiful and the food amazing. . . .shrimp cocktail, clam chowder, lobster tails, prime rib, and. . . . .

. . . . .chicken nuggets? Yes, somehow our little shiny eyed Jackson had charmed his way into the good graces of the wait staff and managed to get a platter full of nuggets and french fries delivered to his seat. The ketchup was not far behind as his consumption of the sauce is pretty much an ounce for ounce equivalent of whatever he dips into it! Too bad we couldn't have saved his meal in a doggie bag for the ride home. . . . busy hands + busy mouth = quiet car ride!

But to home we did return. . . . .tired, cranky and with oodles of laundry in tow. In addition, our dear little Stormy returned to us from the vet, where he boarded in our absence, with a case of stress induced colitis! I'll spare you the details! On the lighter side, however, our awaiting mail pile had a couple exciting tidbits buried deep within. It seems Gail Wilson will be having a booth at the Sunapee Fair this August where she will be displaying one of her dollhouses, lots of wee collectibles and of course her very own Hitty! And following on the heels of this event will be a tea party for which I was lucky enough to receive an invitation along with the likes of Lucy and Miss Prim Rose! So while summer fun item #16 has been crossed off the list, a fair, a tea party, and a promise to finish my Gail Wilson basic doll kit (thus giving me the clear conscience to buy something at her booth) has been added!

Summer Fun

It's hard to believe almost two weeks have past since we said goodbye to teachers, school books, and homework! Can't say it feels as if we've got off the treadmill yet, however, as our days have been filled with the hoopla of holiday celebrations and all the preparation that goes into them. It starts with the birthdays. . . . . both the boys, dear hubby, and my mom all have their special days within a three week span of time. Needless to say we are getting a bit sick of cake around here! Throw into the mix the 4th of July and a family wedding to attend and the days of alarm clocks, buses to catch, and after school activities are beginning to look quite peaceful in retrospect!

As has been our tradition for many years now we did find time to sit down as a family and create our Summer Fun List. We always gather at the kitchen table where everyone takes turns announcing activities they hope to participate in or places they would like to go during the course of the summer. Not all of them are ever completed or even realistic but we try to make sure each person gets to do several of their special choices. It's actually a good thing we've been so busy with all our little celebrations as the weather has not been very conducive to summer fun. A sunny day here or there but otherwise rain, rain, rain, and more rain. And chilly too. . . . would you believe we've still got our quilts and the beds and its July!

I've found the best activity for cold chilly weather is a bit of sewing. It's especially fun to do a bit of hand quilting while snuggled in a cozy chair with a cup of tea. Pop Little Women or Miss Potter into the DVD player and I'm all set! Most comforting of all, however, is the feel of a thimble on my finger. . . . . it's actually my favorite accessory, more so than any piece of jewelry! I keep it in my sewing nook, usually on tiny tray or plate along with a strawberry keep full of betweens.

You can see how uncozy handwork would be without one's trusty thimble. Unfortunately this was my reality not so very long ago. I had been working up in my nook at the ironing board finishing a Lily doll when the thimble slipped ever so gently off my finger and onto the ground. . . . or so I thought! I bent to retrieve it by feel only as I had assumed it was right there. When my hand came up empty I got down on all fours for a more thorough look around. Under the bookcase, behind the shelf, and across the hall. . . . . it was nowhere. At this point things started to get ugly! Baskets of fabric were emptied, books were tossed aside, and storage drawers turned askew so that within thirty minuets of time my oh so neat Where Women Create sewing nook of last fall was totally unrecognizable! And all for nothing because that thing had apparently been sucked into a black hole of never to be seen again items.

The next day found me at the store looking for a replacement. UGH! They were horrible with their angular designs, surface shine to the point of distraction, and a one size fit all roominess. Lucky for me Etsy has a wonderful selection of vintage items and I was able to order up not one. . . . .

. . . . . not three. . . . .

. . . . . but an assortment of 15 thimbles! And all for a pittance of the price of the ones I'd seen at the store. Each one of them is different in size, shape, and appearance but they all have a well worn coziness that money can't buy. Quite a happy ending to my thimble story. . . . .or so I thought. Believe it or not, it gets better! The very same day of their arrival I was back up at work in the nook adding bits and pieces to a project, when I reached into a basket of scraps and my hand came out with none other than my original thimble wrapped in a wee bit of fabric! Now I swear I went through that very same basket more than once during my frantic search days earlier. . . . in fact its contents were scattered across the room at one point! Why is it you can never find something when your looking for it and yet casually happen upon it once the urgency is over?

Speaking of looking for something. . . . . I been a on a quest for romantic ephemera for weeks now. I recently discovered the work of Virginia Cole over at Galloping Pony Studio and am in love with it. With the family wedding coming up I thought it would be wonderful to attempt something similar as a gift. I spent days envisioning the outcome and I have to say it was quite a lovely vision! Unfortunately the tokens and trinkets I desired to include in the work were no where to be found. Multiple consignment shops and antique malls were scoured. Finally this past Sunday the sun decided to make an appearance and we were able to tramp on up to the Hollis flea markets for the first time this season. I had very high hopes for making headway on Summer Fun items #10-Flea Markets and #16 Go to a Wedding!

There are actually three or four separate fields of vendors off this little stretch of road. We always park our car at the first field because it only costs a dollar and the lady there hands out a pile of sweet tarts to boot! The first field was a treasure chest of star wars figures and sci-fi DVDs which kept the boys well occupied. Good for me so I had all the more time to dig deep and find what I needed. By the time I crossed the street into the second. . . . .

. . . . .and third fields I was more than a bit concerned about the lack of ephemera available! And so the project is on hold as the days tick away far too quickly. What do you want to bet I stumble upon a trunk full of collage worthy trinkets come August!

Look at the surprise find I did make however! What a perfect addition to both my chair and pincushion collections. It needs a bit of a scrub down and a day spent out in the fresh air but other than that its good as new. It even came with all the thread and. . . . .

. . . . . a drawer full of old buttons! Once the buttons are sorted and stored with my others I think this little drawers will be perfect for my new thimble collection! The little slot in the back to store your scissors I didn't even notice until I got home and was taking pictures. What a great spot that will be to keep my pinking shears.

Not quite as exciting but still lovely were a bluebird postcard and necklace I just couldn't pass up.

We returned home to find the sun still shinning so we decided to try another Summer Fun item, #13-Go to the Lake and Swim. We live in a tiny lake community so it's only a hop, skip, and a jump from our house to the beach.

What we failed to take into consideration were the endless days of cold and damp weather all though the month of June. As a result the water was still freezing! There were plenty of boaters but not a soul swimming. A quick rinse of our dusty feet was about all we could muster!

Finally after a day full of fun in the sun an early bedtime was more than welcome by all but one small doll. I was only able to get a quick sneak peek at Lily Red from around the corner but it appears she has some grand plans in the works! It seems as if even more celebrations are in our future!