~MERRY CHRISTMAS 2014~

My Yorkie, Mollie

(She'll be 12 on 1/7/15)

Merry Christmas to all my Blogger Friends.  Wishing for you a day a peace and a New Year filled with only good things.

I hope in 2015 to be back to blogging more.  I've been missing connecting with you...but truly had a tough and busy year.  Doing well, but looking forward to better days ahead!

 Trusting God for

Fresh Wind

and

Fresh Fire.

Blessings to you all with love...

~LET THE CHRISTMAS CREATING BEGIN~

 Another year of creating handmade Christmas keepsakes has begun!  I can't believe it.  This year has flown by for me!

I'm actually late getting started.  In the past I've tried to start my holiday sewing in September.  But...with my larger booth at Serendipity Market here in Edmond, Oklahoma, I'm always hoppin'!  There isn't as much extra time to work far in advance like before!

Thought I'd give you a peek at what's new!  The Angel Pillow at the top is already sold.  Yeah....

Thanks to all of you who continue to lift up my family in your prayers.  When I'm able I will share more of our journey.

Blessings and love to you...

~MERRY CHRISTMAS 2012~

Dear Friends...

Today is the Sunday before Christmas and I'm excited about attending church with my family for both the early morning and candlelight evening services.  I love singing all the old Christian Christmas Hymns and hearing the choir sing special holiday music.  I love hearing our Pastor speak and I always feel honored to partake in Communion.

I love Christmas and everything about it.

I love the baubles, bangles and beads and even the hustle and bustle that goes along with hunting down and choosing the perfect gifts for those I love.  I love the decorations and the sparkling lights and the hanging of the greens.  Mostly though, I love celebrating the birthday of my personal Savior, Jesus Christ.

I have all of what I need.  I hunger only for more of Him.

I have so much to be grateful for this year.  God has been so good to me and I'm thankful and so appreciative of His blessings.  I'm not quite sure just where He is leading me right now...but I'm trusting Him with my future days just the same.  I know He has placed a hunger deep inside my heart for something new, something different, I just can't put my finger on just what that is!  So...as I said I'm asking Him to lead me as I seek His purpose and direction for my life.

In early January I'm on track to begin my 5th year of blogging and honestly, at this moment, I believe I've shared all I can and all I know.  With both my hands scheduled for surgery on the 28th I'm hoping by the time I'm healed up (sure to be a few weeks plus!) I'll feel better about where I am, where I've been and where I am going.

While at church this morning I'll be praying for you!  May your Christmas be beautiful and your New Year blessed.

I wish for you good things and promise to share more soon.

Love to you...

~CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS for ADRIENNE~

~STOCKINGS in BERRY VELVET~

You would think with all the Christmas Stockings I make each year that my own child, my daughter Adrienne, would have a pretty pair for their home.  Not so.  What is it they say about Plumbers?  They always have clogged sinks or something like that!???  Actually...I think it's more about her not being able to decide WHAT she's wanted more than me not getting on with making them if you want to know the truth...

~REMOVABLE PIN~

Since I know she's cramming on last minute work for college (she and her hubby graduate in May!!!) I'm pretty confident she's not going to see this Post.  So...I'm sharing with you the "By Special Request Christmas Stockings" fashioned just for her and her handsome hubby.

 ~PIN EASILY REMOVED~

My girl doesn't do WHITE like I do, nor did she do PINK like I did.  She's a fairly traditional girl and favors comfortable and yet classy decor.  Not too frou frou even though she's very girly.  Her Christmas colors are berry (a light burgundy) with silver, gold and soft white.

 ~PRETTY VINTAGE LACES~

Last Winter while shopping at Penney's I found a gorgeous soft berry velvet drapery panel on clearance for $7.  It had originally been priced at $98 and since I loved the color (and so did she) I decided to  bring it home.  At the time it matched the sofa we had in our home.  Well...my girl now has that couch and so I decided to use the fabric to fashioned her Christmas Stockings.

 ~LOVELY TATTED LACES and CROCHET~

 I tucked the remainder of the fabric back for the BABIES I know she's going to have some day...like ONCE SHE'S OUT OF SCHOOL! :)  (I can't wait!)

~INSIDE VIEW~

Just a few more days and Christmas will be here.  Can you believe it?  My Miss K is coming today and we are baking cookies this afternoon and then going to see the LIGHTS in Chickasha, Oklahoma...  Such a fun tradition for our family.

Love to you...

~WRAPPING IT UP - SWEET CHRISTMAS CONFECTIONS~

~CHOCOLATE ALMOND BRITTLE~

Christmas will be here before we all know it and so just like every year I've been busy in my kitchen creating yummy holiday treats.  Now that my three "S's" are done (Shopping, Selling and Shipping) I can finally get my head back into a wee bit of Christmas baking fun!!!

~IT'S IN THE BAG~

I've shared with you in the past how we've gifted either homemade ALMOND BRITTLE or SUGARED PECANS to our co-workers, neighbors and friends for many years.  It's become a little tradition and we love remembering the special people in our lives in such a SWEET way.

~ALL JARED UP!~

Finding containers to hold our goodies is a yearlong process (think thrift stores!) and this year proved to be no different.  Year after year I hunt down glass jars to hold the most delicious and easy to prepare confections possible and when I can snag jars for .25 or .50 I'm sooo happy!  If you'd like to read my Almond Brittle post from last year you can go HERE.   Sugared Pecans (from 2009) you can go HERE.

 

~SWEET LITTLE TAG~

Incredibly I found just enough jars this year to make twenty separate gifts.  I opted to do Almond Brittle again this year because it's our personal favorite and unlike the Sugared Pecans they have CHOCOLATE.  Who doesn't like CHOCOLATE????

 
Instead of wrapping the jars up with cello wrap I decided to place them into decorated bags!

I'm lovin' how they came out!

 ~ORIGINAL SHEET MUSIC~

A few days ago I was in BIG LOTS (do you have those where you live?) and I found gift sacks in natural paper for 5 for $2.  I opted to decorate them up with a ruffle of doily shelf paper (edging) and then attached a sweet customized tag.  The edging was hand pleated and stitched like a fabric ruffle and then hot-glued to the bag.  

 ~PAPER SHELF EDGING~

The graphic was originally the cover of some antique/vintage sheet music and I just changed it up a bit!  Reworking the graphic took a little time, but it was fun!  Just added more of the paper edging to the bottom of the tag before tying it onto the bag's handle.

A little white tissue inside and DONE for 2012!

~SWEET and SIMPLE~

Here it is again!  I've had the edging for years and I'm sad to say I'm clueless as to where it came from!  If I can hunt it down I'll let you know! 

Blessings as the Joy of the Season continues!

Love to you...

~WHITE FARMHOUSE CHRISTMAS PILLOWS~

Working in my studio today and still having fun creating a few new designs.

Loving this vintage wreath graphic with added Christmas sentiments!  Fashioned in vintage soft white linen with a flirty ruffle.  I made a set of these for my own home this year...

HOW I squeezed that in I don't know!

NOEL...

MERRY CHRISTMAS...

SILENT NIGHT...

In just a little bit I'll be uploading each of these French Farmhouse looking Pillows onto eBay!  I'm pairing them with a Christmas Stocking Sachet Hanger to make a sweet little set!

Loving these tattered little Angels, too!  It's amazing what you can do with paint!

Are you having a wonderful Christmas Season?

I still have lots of shopping to do and tons to wrap.  SUCH FUN!  Tonight I'm making treats in my kitchen for family and friends and I'm going to TRY not to eat any...  I'm focused on saving my SPLURGE TIME for Christmas Eve Night!

Blessing for a great day.

Love to you...

~A WINTER WHITE CHRISTMAS - A TREE OF WHITE~

~OUR FRENCH DOORS~

If I will quiet down my spirit and allow myself a few moments to reflect upon the goodness of God's grace in my life, something wonderful happens to me during the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

Christmas comes.

Today while I worked in my studio on my 87th Christmas Stocking for the year (yeah...that's a lot of stockings!) I popped in my favorite Christmas CD and was amazed at how peaceful I felt.  The rhythm of my once familiar life is returning to normal and for the first time in months I feel myself giving into rest.  Not the physical kind of rest, really~  I like to be busy.  But emotional rest.  You know, the kind that comes when you know you are blessed and content with where you are in life.  Not that everything is perfect, mind you. It isn't.  But life is good and I'm happy.

 ~PLEASE COME IN~

It's been my goal to de-pink the downstairs space of my La Chaumière de Briarwood for over a year now and the change of color has brought with it a true sense of calm to our home.

   ~OUR FAMILY TREE~

We are still working on a few areas...still want to slip cover my beautiful black and soft white chairs and cover that amazing French Settee I found last summer...but that will come in time.

~FAMILY PHOTOS and KEEPSAKE ORNAMENTS~

With the opening up of a main wall inside our home we really had to move things around!  It's been YEARS since our family's Christmas Tree has been in the front window and today I'm happy to tell you she's right back where she belongs!

~GORGEOUS VINTAGE LACE SKIRT~

This 100 year old net lace looks sooo beautiful!

 ~MY BABES BACK IN 1987~

Dainty little frames hold family photos and they are scattered all over our Tree...

~FAVORITE PHOTO OF MY PARENTS~

Wedding picture 1955.

 ~SOMETHING NEW THIS YEAR~

Hand fashioned ornaments with a French/Tattered look and feel.

~GORGEOUS GERMAN HAND PAINTED HEARTS~

I've owned these ornaments for over twenty years now.  Wish I could buy more.  They were purchased wholesale in 1991 and were once featured in the old Victoria Magazine.

~MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS PILLOW~

My hubby finally got around to cutting out about ten Christmas Tree Baskets for me.  Shown is the smaller of the two.  If you want one email me...  Made from his original 1986 pattern I'm loving how they look, simple and white!

In a few days my home will be buzzing with family and friends.  After my Mr. AGPMan graduates on Saturday we are having a celebration party afterwards here at our home...  I almost decided to have it somewhere else because our kitchen is still under construction.  But...we wanted to have it at our favorite place...and that's HOME.

Promise to share more of our Christmas 2012 decorating soon!

Hope your day is lovely...

Love to you~   

~POISON ETTA~

For years I've wondered what happened to Etta!  Now I know...someone poisoned her!

I love sharing stories with you about my Miss K and today I have a brand new one for you.  She was only six when I started blogging and now she is ten.  Once a tiny thing she's growing up to be so lovely and I adore her more than ever.  

As my Miss K has gotten older she continues to just crack me up.  I'm constantly laughing out loud over something she has said or done and yesterday she once again had me in stitches.

 I had a few errands to run Saturday afternoon and for my only grandchild that means a trip to ROSS and maybe new shoes (she LOVES new shoes)!  Right next to our destination store was a Tuesday Morning and so we decided to step inside for a look around.  The TAKE an EXTRA 25% OFF REDUCED ITEMS sign on the door called out my name.

Anyway...after looking around the only thing I found that begged for my hard-earned cash was a dozen white Christmas flowers.  Originally valued at $4.99 they had been marked down to .69 and with the ongoing sale they were only .52 a stem.  WHAT A DEAL!  My girl and I checked out and went about our way.

A few hours later while I was busy decorating the China Hutch in my breakfast room my Miss K played upstairs.  Hunger pangs must have led her back into the kitchen because after an hour or so she reappeared.  While munching on White Cheddar Cheese Its (such a nice, healthy Holiday Treat, don't you thinK?) she sat down for a chat while I continued to work.  Now...this girl can talk a lot!  I mean a lot!!!  And so she began a partially one-sided conversation with me saying
UH-HUH and WOW and AWESOME 
every now and then.

Then she said something that REALLY caught my attention...

Miss K:

"I love decorating and maybe when I grown up I'll be a decorator, too!
 Wow, Nana!  I see what you did with that
POISON ETTA!"

Me:

"Yeah..... (LONG PAUSE.......)

WHAT did you SAY?"

Miss K (very seriously this time!):

"I said I like where you put the POISON ETTA!"

??????????

Obviously she was referring to the Poinsettia Flowers I had just purchase at Tuesday Morning.  I laughed soooo hard I couldn't speak.  I told her they were called Poin-Set-Ti-Uhs  and NOT POISON ETTAS and of course she thought she was just soooo funny.  That made me laugh all the more!

Reminds me of the story I shared a few years ago about her confusing
HOSANNA with OH SANTA!

Today I'm thanking God for her beautiful little spirit and the sweetness of her soul.  I pray everyday she never loses it.

Blessings as you celebrate Advent.

Love to you...