As Promised....

I wanted to share some photos from our craft show back in November. Holly and I had a great time selling, making new crafter friends

and loving what we do.

Here are some photos of our booth…

Shabby Chic~ness

Here’s the beginnings of building my snowman

with a hook nose for hanging something on…..

And here’s the final look guaranteed to melt your heart…

yes I know I sold it cheap!

More sock monkeys….pink and brown *swoon* my favorite colors!!

My Christmas-tree-in-a-teacup! So cute in the kitchen!

One of my favorite things this year~”Family Rules”! I have taken orders on these and I’ve got to get them done before Christmas! Oh my!

Here’s some of the cutest little deco-wreaths for the kitchen or your back

door….made from good old utensils, egg beaters, spoons, etc…..

Here's my preppy pink glittery decorated Christmas Tree with lights!

Holly's booth with her deco pin cushions, crayon rolls, and crayon bags! 

Oh and don't forget the cat-nip yarn balls! 

A big hit in sells and with the kitties!

Holly's handmade aprons; vintage and new, clothes pin bags,

and another BIG hit was her Dress-up TuTu's! So adorably cute!

...and here's my Santa Cookies and Milk Trays

For details on this tray go here and here for a closer look!

Thanks for letting me share with you as I get over a terrible bad cold and sore throat! 

I have not been sick in a long long time, so it really got to me this time!

I guess I was over-due! haha I wouldn't wish this on anyone!

Another reminder:  don’t forget about my Give-Away….go here to leave a comment so you will be included in the drawing on the

8th of December, which is just around the corner......

I'm working on the "surprise" part of the gift.

"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."

~Maya Angelou~

I look forward to each day with you!

Polka Dots and Moonbeams

Rumbling thunder on a gloomy day, warm muggy and sticky……

with very little time for getting the camera out and shooting away……

I’m currently reading a good book: Fannie Flagg’s
"Standing in the Rainbow".  She is also the author of
“Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café”

and we all remember just how good and

wonderful that book and movie was is.

"Standing in the Rainbow" is a novel which depicts small town living beginning in the late 40’s and moving forward. Wow what memories it has spurred, even though I was not living during the 40’s and early 50’s; things had not changed much on into the 60’s when I grew up. Fannie’s broad sense of humor adds such a delight that keeps you wanting more and more. I have already found myself looking to see what else she has written so I can get my hands *or should I say my eyes on them* and stick my nose into them for more good reading. Fannie is from good old Alabama….

maybe that’s why she is such a great author…good roots!

More good reading that I have completed: the Beverly Lewis Series~ The Courtship of Nellie Fisher; book 1~ The Parting, book 2~The Forbidden and book 3~The Longing…….

 In this series of Amish community life writings, Lewis draws on her own mother’s Plain family heritage in the Pennsylvania Dutch country. There is Amish history, traditions, new beliefs, modern changes, romance and cultural details wrapped into each book as the story continues from one to the other. A very enlightening read. 

Still busy working on my crafts for the upcoming bazaar………………….

 Sneak peek …..A little monkey business.  Aren’t they just the cutest, funny looking sock monkeys? Sock it to me baby!
I think these are kin to the smurfs!  So fun to make!











Got out my Cricut Expressions machine….Oh boy…what fun to cut and create! *after wasting a few pieces of good paper….ugh!*  I really do need to watch the instructional CD but I hate doing that….so I’ll probably waste some more pretty papers!

 Paint, paint, paint, and more paint. Every good crafter should have an ample supply of paint in many colors. Thank goodness for Wal-Mart’s marked down rejected paints…when you repurpose a junk piece you need lots of different colors. People actual go in Wal-Mart and have a color custom mixed and then stand there and have the gall to say…."I’ve changed my mind…I don’t like that color any more!"   Well good for me! Because WM, out of the goodness of their heart will mark it down half price….works for me! I also have this friend that can never decide what color to paint a room in her house, so she buys the samples of every color (big generous amount in a sample if you ask me) and when she makes her BIG decision, she gives me all the samples! Hooray for her indecisive shelf! Oh…her name is Becky…my bestest! She is simply the best!

This is the makings of something really nice stay tuned in to see the final result!

Well I’m off to paint, clean, make the bed, bend some wire, cut some Christmas greens- artificial of course; tie some bows, plan supper, and put on a load of wash!

Leaving you with this:

~Polka Dots and Moonbeams~

Now in a cottage, built of lilacs and laughter

I know the meaning, of the words: "ever after"

And I'll always see polka dots and moonbeams

When I kiss my pug-nosed dream.

PS…I read at night in bed before going to sleep....zzzzzzzz!

Save The Date..

November 14, 2009

9:00am to 5:00pm

Fort Rucker Community Spouses' Club Annual Hollyday Mart

A Ft. Rucker tradition for over 30 years

Held at Daleville High School Daleville, AL

just outside the Ft. Rucker gate.

There is an admission fee of $2 or the

equivalent of a non-perishable food item.

Children 12 & under admitted free.

This is the same Bazaar which has been located at Yano Hall, on Ft. Rucker, in the past years.

Please join the fun and find my booth "JunKitty" located here along with my daughter Holly's booth, "The Polka Dotted Pig".  I will have lots of my usual items along with some new creations.....creations from junk to treasures~My junk, Your Jewel!  You'll love them.  Holly will have baby bonnets, unique clothes pin bags, aprons and some baby items.  I will be sharing photos for you closer to the date.

Mark your calendar and save this date!

"Happiness: it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort."

Vincent Van Gogh

Hope to see ^..^ you all there!

Faith Matters

faith

1. confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, an idea, or a thing.
2. belief which does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.
3. loyalty or allegiance to a person or thing; especially, holding to a promise.
4. the theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God's will.

Hebrews 11:6 describes the meaning and the practical role of faith: "Without faith it is impossible to please [God], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." KJV

“…if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” ~1 Corinthians 13:2 NIV

A preacher was caught in a horrific flood, and a man in a canoe offered to evacuate him. "No, I put my faith in the Lord to save me," he said. After being forced to the roof of his porch, another man in a speedboat offered assistance. "No, I put my faith in the Lord to save me," he again responded. Eventually forced to the highest point of his chimney, a Coast Guard helicopter attempted rescue but was turned away in the same manner. The preacher drowned and went before the Lord. "Why didn't you honor my faith and save me?” he asked. "What do you mean, I didn't?" the Lord replied. "I sent you two boats and a helicopter!!"
Moral of the story~"through faith we will know when God is speaking to us".

Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast." NIV

Have a little faith, it can go a long way!

Saying My ABC's

Faith is for "F"

Nifty and Thrifty

Holly and I shopped the local thrift stores in the New Orleans area during my visit with her…….we found some great stuff. I like the simple things…things that I can recreate, repaint, repurpose, etc…. I also have a great love for retro and vintage items. Here are a few of the items:

This vintage doll bed with the cute little cow decal is filled with wooden items which will be repainted and repurposed and the metal tray…….another Santa Cookie tray to be made! (See earlier posts)

The old bowls….oh how I love them! Beautiful junk beauties themselves!


Christmas…..it’s never too early! The large jar has a clasp sealed lid, great for gifting homemade cookies and candies at Christmas. The green muffin tray will become a multi candle holder…country style! I’m a collector of metal cookie cutters. I love them and you can do some much with them from decorating your Christmas tree to displaying in your country kitchen. You may even want to actually use them! I found the giant snowman and also a giant Santa.

Junk junk junk…..all kinds of junk. The missed matched saucers and tin cupcake holders will become candle holders after adding old silverware for a handle. I am currently working on this project to sell them at local craft shows. Oh the love of junk and how your imagination can run with it.


Cookbooks, cookbooks, cookbooks…galore. I bought several, but this one is my fave, Williams Sonoma Grande Cuisine. It originally cost $24.95. I purchased this beautiful hardback, in perfect condition for $2.92!! There is one thing I require of a cookbook….a photo of each recipe, and this book as photos of each one with most of them full page! How grand is that? Loving it!




So here's to happy thrifting! May you find the treasures of your own heart. It's true what they say.....One's trash is another's treasure. Let your imagination run wild.

Christmas In July....The Completed Project!

My Christmas in July project continues to completion…(See earlier post). The rest of the story: After I gathered all my Christmas pictures and cut them out (time consuming), I put them in their own unique place with decoupage and covered the whole tray…..the ugly tray that it is! When I got to a pleased point with my project I polished it up a bit and put a finishing coat on it! Now it is ready for Santa! Instructions for use:
1.Place near or under the Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve.
2.Add fresh cookies, brownies, cold milk, or hot cocoa.
3.Try not to eat the goodies while you are doing this.
4.Send the kiddies to bed and cover their little heads.
5.Get ready for Santa!
6.Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Christmas In July Project

Sharing a trash~formation project with you.....Turning an old metal serving tray into a Christmas tray for Santa's milk and cookies. I started with old magazines and books that you can cut up......searched for and cut out small Christmas related pictures.....clip, clip, clip. I then began the tedious task of cutting out the pictures, making each a separate picture...snip, snip, snip! You gotta have good eyes for this and a lot of patience. It's never to early to get started on those Christmas projects and the shopping. I do my shopping all throughout the year using a list of pratical things from which my daughter provides to me for her and her husband. It makes shopping so much easier and you can spread the expense over 10 or so months. It also gives you time to search for the item and get the best price. Be watching for my completed Christmas in July Project. I also sell this item at craft shows.......Happy shopping and crafting!

Old Trunk-formation

I purchased this old trunk at our local rescue mission store. It was in horrible shape. So sad....someone had attempted to paint it, spray paint it....haha. They had also put duct tape over parts of the metal finish to cover sharp edges. To top it all off...it smelled really BAD! Starting with some good old soap and water and a scraper, I began working to transform and save it's life! The inside still had the original paper lining, but it was too far gone and was shredding to pieces. After the clean up, I painted it with several good coats of love and relined the inside bottom and the tray with a old quilt which I purchased...you guessed it...on the Antique Alley Yard sale. I think it turned out beautiful!

JunKitty ~ Trash to Treasure......

This was an old wooden bucket with an ugly design on it...

This was a old wooden tool tray...

This was an old ugly black lunchbox...

This was a discarded wooden wine

gift box...

These are a few of the items I have done. They are junk and all purchased from yard sales or thrift stores...sometimes I am able to obtain them for "free". Recreating something and using it for a different purpose is great...a great form of recycling and I love doing it! Thinking out side the box. I sell these items at local crafts shows and bazaars. Follow me as I continue to share these items and ideas. I will be featuring an on going "Christmas in July" project in segments as I work on and complete the project. Be looking for it.....