Woke Up To Winter~

It was no surprise to wake up this morning to snow on the ground....we knew it was coming as part of the big storm hitting the mid-West.
I thought how different the landscape can change in just a few hours from green grass to the white snow.....
This snowfall did not last long....not even long enough to take a quick picture. By noon it was mostly melted and gone...but, to the West it is dark and I am sure the rest of the storm will be catching up with us....
This is the time of year when one storm after another rolls in off the Pacific and building to lots of snow by the time it reaches us....I am just so glad we do not live on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for as beautiful as it is, they get so much snow. I am not a winter time, snow loving gal!
I am working on a pillow and a tea cozy and this is the perfect weather to stay inside and work....no gardens to worry about or trim to paint or any of the other spring and summer pursuits that while a pleasure to do, take so much time away from creating.
I hope all of you that are like me and winter bound, are having a cozy day, too.

Here are a few more pictures of our trip to Chazy, NY. One of my favorite places to visit....of course, my daughter and her four have something to do with this!!! :-)


I love the roof lines of our daughters house and that wonderful deck wraps around the back of her pretty home. Her home was built during the Revolutionary War and her old barn, in the next picture, is said to have hidden our soldiers during the war. It is in sad shape and will be torn down shortly...the back wall completely caved in one day when her husband just kicked it. It was a stroke of real luck that it did not cave in on him!


A striking difference between the ancient barn and the new van.....

Of course, thru the years, the house has been redone and updated. She could not stand the brown tiled bathroom as it was when they purchased the house....they gutted it completely and here it is today....simply charming with the antique claw foot tub to relax in...note the pretty candle chandelier above the tub.


I found these bars of soap for her.....How well I remember both....


Now to find a couple for my bath, in the same like new condition....

Well, I need to go and get busy.....
Keep warm and cozy!

PINK SATURDAY AND HOLIDAY MEMORIES

Happy,Happy Pink Saturday! I am so glad you stopped by and be sure and go to Beverly of How Sweet The Sound... to visit this Saturday's blogs all about pink and memories....Thank you Beverly for hosting this looked forward to weekly event!

We had the most delightful time with our daughter and her precious four in Chazy, NY! She is an amazing cook and so Thanksgiving dinner was to die over! H1n1 complicated with pneumonia did not slow this girl down much....I helped with what I was "allowed" to prepare as she is truly a gourmet cook. Cooking is her creative outlet and she does it deliciously and with ease! Thank you, dear daughter, for a Thanksgiving to remember! (Click on the picture to see my youngest beauty.)

And, playing soccer with her team in Plattsburg, NY...they made her the goalie because she was not up to the running, yet.

And, her daughter, Allie who plays often with her and is on her schools team.

I have lots of pictures to share with you from our trip, but today, I will share the "dreaded bridges" over the St. Lawrence River/Seaway, first. If you read the post before we went to NY, you know I am deathly afraid of those old, rusty and narrow and extremely high bridges! But....I have to tell you that the view from the top is spectacular!!!!

The approach is UP HILL and over all the water and you can see the covered span in the distance....that part is over land. Strange! (Click on the pictures to see them better) On the other side of the bridge, and not in these pictures, you can see the locks that the ships slide into to get to the different level of the river....



Beverly has planned for the next three Pink Saturday's to have different little stories about our special holidays and memories.
Here is the first one from me.....
Growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, holidays were always highly anticipated events. My Mom was an artist and she was very creative and so whether it was the Fourth Of July or a birthday the house was decorated with touches for that event.
Since this week is a memory of any holiday, I am going to share with you May Day at our home.
On the first of May, when I was growing up, my Mom would get out colored paper, scissors, crayons, paper doilies and anything else that might inspire her. She would show me how to make pretty pastel baskets and tussie mussies from the construction paper and then we would decorate them with the cutest cut out flowers....she was amazing with scissors and with what seemed a few snips, would create a pretty dimensional posie and leaves. Needless to say I was fascinated with all she could make and my attempts were far from I had in my young mind, but it was such fun and perfection was not what the day was about!
After the table was covered in these cute baskets, some square, some cones and all with handles and little hand written notes wishing the recipiants a Happy May Day, we would go out to the gardens and pick sweet spring flowers. We had Lilly Of The Valley and Lilacs, which were my favorites as well as all the other spring flowers. I do not remember how we kept the flowers fresh in the baskets, but we filled them full and they were a delight! I loved them.....after they were full, we would go and hang them on neighbors doors and when we would return, there would be many baskets at our door.
As I got older, the tradition of making and filling pretty baskets to leave on friends doors faded away. I am so sorry my children did not have the fun of doing this, but by the 60's, where we lived no one ever celebrated May Day.

I realize now, more than ever, that seeing such happy wonderful traditions come to an end is really a sad thing. :-( This one, in particular, as it was so nice for many reasons and kept you connected to your neighbors and friends in a sweet way!
~*~

One more thing to share with you....I just have to show you this darling teapot I found in an antique store in Plattsburg. The bottom says Japan and you can tell by the crazing and the wear on the bottom edge, this is quite old. It is in pristine condition other than that...Isn't her face just beautiful? I purchased it to sell, but.....




I know this post got to be quite long, so thank you for hanging in there and do come back soon as I will have more pictures on from our happy trip to NY.
Warm, Fuzzy Hugs,
Jil
PS Here are two things I did get made this week and they are on my EBAY
A Panne Velvet Pin Cushion with ribbon embroidery and other pretty touches..

SOLD
And, a cute pillow with a glittered vintage image of an old world Santa...

SOLD

~Off To New York ~But, First......

We are almost ready to go...I have a couple of shirts to still iron....but cookies are baked and all my saved magazines for my sweet girl are in the car. (She has been so ill with h1n1 and pneumonia) I have my camera ready and this time I remembered the card! lol! I hope to take lots of great pictures on the trip thru Canada and upper NY state....We go up thru Ontario, thru Toronto, almost to Montreal. We turn at Cornwall and cross the highest, oldest, rustiest, narrow and scary bridge over the St. Lawrence Seaway to Cornwall Island and then up over a newer bridge over more of the Seaway...Hubby has to drive these bridges and he has to go exactly 30mph (the speed limit) or I will come unglued. Can you believe on that narrow bridge people will come whizzing around you??? They do!

There is a sign on the Canadian side that says "The Cornwall Bridge is coming down." We had the girls with us, on one trip, and they became alarmed as they thought it to mean it could come down anytime! hahaha! I think those bridges unnerve them as well! I notice their Father was rather quiet about his drive over on them, too. I try not to dwell on them going as we are about 8 hours or more before getting to them and then I relax coming home after we get over them as they are at the beginning of our trip....

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.....I am so ready for the turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy and pumpkin pie....I will have to be careful not to gain back the weight I have worked so hard to loose!!


Here is a pretty Cottage style chair cozy that I have listed on EBAY
The measurements are on the listing as well as a picture of the shape of chair back it will fit....I love making these as I think they are the sweetest addition to a sweet cottage room.

I take orders for these to fit most styles of decor and I am happy to work within your budget!

If you like pink and feathers, glitter and fru fru in general, you might take a fancy to the pink
tweet" ornaments I have listed on EBAY

These are so fru fru and cute....they are all in pink and frothy feminine! With their flat little bottoms they will romance a shelf with their tail feather falling over the edge....Of course, they look wonderful on the Christmas tree, too.....

Back to the packing...
Jil

~PINK SATURDAY~

Warm and cozy greetings to all my Pink Saturday friends....I want to thank Beverly of How Sweet The Sound... for tirelessly hosting this wonderful event each Saturday! We have so much fun thanks to her! And, please, use the link to find lots and lots of beautiful pink blogs to visit today.

The pink treasure, below, I found at TJ Maxx....You do not know the excitement I felt when I found this!!!! I looked and looked for another, but this was the only pink one....we are leaving for NY, next Wednesday, to spend Thanksgiving with our daughter and her family and I will be heading for their TJ Maxx for some treasure hunting....they rarely have the same thing in each of their stores, but with a little luck, maybe I will find another.










These are a few of my pinks around the house....the bowl was my first piece with my beloved transfer roses...I acquired it while living in Manassas, Va. at Laws Auction House. I will never forget the thrill when I won it and I have carefully packed it for each move we made across our country.....
The header over the door was done by a dear friend in California several years ago. Roses have always been a lovely part of my life. It all started with my Mom's beautiful rose garden when I was a girl in Omaha, NE. I knew the names of all of her many bushes and used to love looking over the catalogs with both my parents....such a sweet memory! I try to have many of the same roses in my garden today, but I have a hard time with roses here. I think it is all the humidity and it promotes many of the molds....today even, our humidity was 93%.......
And, here is a bit of work I did this week....they are available at my EBAY and I invite you to take a peek....




And a few pieces from a large custom order I just finished:






Happy Pink Saturday! Thank you for visiting and thank you for all your nice comments....it is such a joy to read them!
Have a wonderful week.....I will be gone next week so I will see you all the first Saturday in December.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Jil

~ PINK SATURDAY FUN~

A warm welcome to Pink Saturday! Please visit Beverly of How Sweet The Sound... for the list of this weeks marvelous pink blogs to visit for our day to honor the beautiful color PINK.

I have been so remiss in not sharing a blog each week that I had not visited before. I guess I had brain freeze, as I simply forgot, so here is mine, finally, for this week. Run over and meet Jany of Look In The Nook Her blog is simply gorgeous with all the warm colors...like rich velvet. It just warms you to be there! She is an artist and over to the right is a link to her Fine Art....be sure and visit to see her work. I am going to be following this blog....she has so much to offer and I know you will love it, too!

I found this sweet pot bellied pink teapot at one of my favorite places to shop, TJ Maxx. I originally thought I would sell it with a tea cozy, but it is such a pretty shade of pink and looks so sweet sitting in the kitchen, that I decided I can't part with it....atleast for now....

The dried roses are from my Mothers Day bouquet....they were the loveliest shade of salmon-y pink....pale and delicate. I had never seen roses that color before and I have been searching catalogs to find one for my rose garden. They had a lovely fragrance to them, too. I was surprised that when dried, they are a dark red.... The beautiful little girl in the picture, (click on it to enlarge) is our precious and so dear to my heart Alexandra or Allie Rae as we call her....she is almost 15 years old now and even more precious!! She is one of our darling granddaughters..

Below, a favorite little shelf of mine with a pair of eye glasses from one of my grandfathers offices. Both grandfathers were doctors, but this one was an eye, ear and nose specialist, as they referred to them waaaaay back then. I simply adore those old glasses! They were a sample. How styles have changed.. ;-)



Enjoy Pink Saturday and have a wonderful week....
Happy Smiles and a Cozy Hug...
Jil

No One Told Me.....

This was a day that if something could go wrong, it would, and it did....one mis-step after another. It started with my bringing my Ott lamp back upstairs...I use it for taking pictures on dark days....and the bulb fell out and shattered in a zillion pieces. I was not happy about getting another, as those bulbs cost an arm and a leg. Well, not to worry about that.....they don't make that bulb any longer!!! :-(

I purchased my lamp last April at Jo Ann's Fabric store. It was originally $229.00 and was on sale for $69.00. You can imagine how thrilled I was and with no thought as to why such a reduction in price, I gaily carried it to the checkout counter. You can bet that the next sale with that great of a reduction in price....I will ask many questions before I buy!!!!!

There were no signs that said these were discontinued models and, in fact, they are still selling some of the same ones. The catch is, that the bulb that comes with the lamp is the last you will ever see. Why? Because most of their bulbs will now screw in rather than push in with contact points.

I need that good, natural light for my close work and was wondering how I was going to do without it when my caring and extremely nice hubby came upstairs and said Home Depot carried them.....By this time I had combed the internet as well as making another trip out to Hobby Lobby and Mary Maxims. So back into the car and off we go only the bulb is not anything close to mine.

You will be happy to know that hubby solved the problem by purchasing me a lamp with the same type of True Light bulbs and....the good part? On sale for $19.99! :-) It works perfectly! The light is the same...so amazing and only $19.99!!

So, if any of you, like me, picked up an Ott Lamp at JoAnn's this year during their sale, and it has the square push in type of base on the bulb.....handle with care!!!

I think this is enough "problem talk"....you don't want to know the other small catastrophe's, but I will say I am exhaused and ready for that warm bath and bed with the TV on HGTV!

Hope you all had a better day!
Smiles....really!
Jil

~Just Listed Snow Lady

SOLD

This will most likely, be one of the last warm days 'til Spring returns...I had planned to be out in the yard working....maybe tomorrow, but, today..I have been putting the finishing touches on a special order and have another small order to start, but I have just been itching to get something seasonal made and on....This little gal with her weighted bottom (with clean, new plastic pellets ) will stand securely...she has snow and glitter....vintage rhinestone earrings....her shawl is a vintage hanky and her bonnet is full of blooms and a sweet pink bird.....you can see her on my EBAY
If you get a chance I hope you will pop over and take a peek!
Hugs and Smiles,
Jil

~PINK SATURDAY FUN~

Hello and Welcome To Pink Saturday. Please be sure and go to Beverly of How Sweet The Sound... our host for our weekly event, for a list of many lovely and entertaining blogs that celebrate the beautiful color PINK. Thank you, Beverly!

All week I have been enjoying the Burning Bushes that we have in the front of the house....I waited almost too long to take a picture as the leaves are falling fast now. They are lush and green in the summer months and then turn this lovely red in the Fall. Our red leans to the blue tone of red, my favorite, and I see many with the more orange tone too,.....I am sure it has to do with the mineral content of the soil, but no matter what the hue, they are all one of Fall's gorgeous gifts to us as they are truly a beautiful sight mixed with the golds and browns of fall!

And, while out in the yard I spotted a few sweet pale pink Geraniums still pleasing me with a few pretty blooms.

...And, truly, the last rose of summer giving us a gorgeous final show...
I cut the rose with the buds and it is opening prettily in the house. I am enjoying it so much and will sadly miss it when it is gone and will look forward to it's Spring return..
and one little Dianthus, or Sweet William not ready to give up for Old Man Winter....
The temperatures have been in the 40's this week and starting tomorrow we are supposed to have near 60 degree temps for a few days, so hubby and I will be out raking leaves, cutting back roses and making ready for Winter.....

Happy Pink Saturday and thank you to all that come visit and leave me such nice comments....
Enjoy the weekend and have a marvelous week!
Toasty Hugs,
Jil

A Lovely Saturday Jaunt~

The older I get, the faster the days go and I am not sure what this is about. I took these pictures from the car as hubby and I were on our way to Marine City and the fabulous Vera Grace Emporium and The Antique Warehouse, last SATURDAY! I ment to post them the next day! and here it is late, late Friday night!!! These are just a very small example of the gorgeous homes overlooking the wide and beautiful St. Clair River which runs between Michigan and Canada
on our way to the antique stores. We always drive down by the water rather than the freeway as it is such a pretty drive. On the way home, close to shore were many beautiful and graceful Swans...There was, sadly, no place to pull over to take pictures and I was not quick enough to get my camera out of its case....
Hubby and I had such a nice day, doing something we both love....prowling around not knowing what we will find.Such as lots of lace and doilies which is why we were taking this little jaunt.. These pretty and intriguing little corners of hankies with tatting, a friend and I have concluded, were lessons in tatting....they are all numbered and that threw us for a bit...numbered maybe for the style of lace? And, some hankies with tatted lace all washed and ironed and ready for a project...
Now I am looking forward to our next trip and will be taking lots of pictures inside these fabulous stores to share....
Smiles,
Jil