Shop Ship Shape!

The wee girlies are all aflutter...

 ...recently listed...

...and awaiting new adventures!

Serving Up Some Sweetness!

Bit by bit the Pinelopes are coming together.  

The plan is to take their photographs tomorrow and begin listing them in the shop

Thursday, October 15th  

somewhere round about the 5 o'clock hour.

They are quite giddy with anticipation to say the least!!!

The Fun of Making a Mess

Even with my little fuzzy friend I was finding it a bit lonely.

So I decided to make a mess.

A mess of Pinelopes that is!

There was cutting and drilling and gluing galore.

Sanding and painting and a little bit more....

...as I put my hand to the task of attempting a signature.

The results were shall we say "interesting" but no worries...

...as wardrobe production will cover the results!

Out and About and Back Home

At first there were pins,

thimbles,

Lucys,

and Pinelopes in a row.

 

But then they were gone...off to good homes of course, yet it left me feeling a little empty.

Lucky for me I was in the perfect location for a bit of retail therapy!

A hop, skip, and a jump away from my own booth I found a treasure trove
of miniature millinery.

I am truly delighted to now be the proud owner of a Judith Phelps creation.

It cost me a dip into my penny purse and a promise to Judith herself that I use it as inspiration to finish my Hitty who will be expected to attend next year's doll show along with me!!!

Several bundles of trimmings also hold the promise of future inspiration.

But my greatest find of the day....

...a puppy hugging lovie with red shoes!

I snatched her up quick as could be and headed home to give my real life fuzzy friend
a hug of his own.

Stormy!

Home Sweet Home

There's been a bit of construction work under way.

My mom put her handiwork into these sweet cottages over the summer.

Feeling inspired to a little housekeeping as well, I painted up several sets of wee wooden colonials of my own.

All that remains now is to see who moves in!

It's My Pleasure to Introduce You to .....

.....The Pinelopes!

They are my newest obsession. 

I could spend all day making them!

They're actually a mash up of two of my favorite things, pin toppers and penny woodens, 

which I suppose means my new friends could be called Pinny Wooden Dolls.

I'm hoping to box them up with a few Itty Bitty Blossoms for the show this weekend....

....and even thought it would be fun to come up with a little label for the lid.

Now, if only I could locate a source for more of these little boxes!

 Joann's and Micheals were always a sure bet in the past but alas their cupboards were bare today.

I've got one more possibility to check out tomorrow but beyond that 

I'll just have to put my thinking cap on!

Piecework

An ever growing pile of petite pillows.

Thimble Full of Fun

Thinking it might be fun to have something special to go along with my new itty bitty version of the blossom pin I turned a few extra thimbles into little pots.

Now the tiny pins can easily be planted....

...and bloom away for days on end!

Pick Your Own

A few dozen Bitty Blossom Pins have been "growing" and will be ready for 

hand picking by the big day.

And just in case some dolly friends wants a bouquet of their own a smaller variety has been cultivated as well!

It's the Little Things

Indulge me in a bit more pincushion love here if you will!

 Considering the event I'll be attending is doll related what better excuse could I have to make up some miniature versions of the Yo-Yo Flower?

A whole bitty batch of them are now ready to go...

...hope these itty bittys bring some big smiles!

The Moment at Hand

In the spirit of letting go......
I've decided not to play catch up with the events of this past summer. 

It happened. 

The end.

And so, instead, I'm going to jump right into the moment at hand which just so happens to involve oodles of fun preparations for an upcoming event.

First up on my plate of goodies are some tried and true

Yo-Yo Flower Pincushions!

Letting Go

Today I threw away my red wellies.

I loved my red wellies and cannot say they will not be missed.

This past summer, however, did them in.

It was a time filled with ceremonies and sickness,

lessons and licenses,

college prep and car shopping,

  applications, apartments, and new jobs all around.

Some was good and some was bad and some was downright exhausting.

One constant through it all was the summer necessity of yard work. 

  I won't say it wasn't a welcome escape.

 A tired body is much preferred to a tired mind, or at least I have come to believe it to be so. 

My dear departed wellies may beg to differ of course....

Up at my parents house one day I searched out some old photos from a time when my obligations and responsibilities were at a minimum. This one was taken in front of my grandparents house in Wyoming.  I see the inspiration for my current love of both red and gingham in my outfit and I wonder who it was that selected my clothing back then. 

It could have been me although I doubt it as I was no more than four years old at the time. This was the same house in which my grandmother, Doris Emily Clark,  painted the set of seasonal pictures I now display. She was always up to some sort of creative project so it could very well be that she made the my dress. Gingham would have been fairly easy to acquire and the red tights readily available through the Montgomery Ward's catalog.

Another photo revealed a Christmas gift I had totally forgotten,

 my first sewing machine!

 The "cuppa" mugs scattered across the table, however,  I actually did remember....

...so fondly in fact that I nearly tripped over myself  at the thrift store several years ago while trying to nab this one for myself.  

Of course the sewing bug has hung on through the years.

 Funny how things change and yet stay the same at the same time isn't it?

Kids become adults and yet will always be your children.
Grass, although possibly greener in your neighbor's yard, continues grow and need  attention.
And, for me at least, the act of putting needle to cloth will always make happiness bloom.