turkey feathers

Simply Marvelous Mail

The mailman was smiling when he brought the big pink polka-dot box with butterfly stickers all over it, around to the back door.  I'm sure he thought it was someone's birthday.  I thought it was mine when I saw it, but then I remembered it was only May, and not September.  I did a little swaparoo with Calamity Kim;  a mini-quilt for an apron, and this is what she sent me.  Oh my.  Such sweet generosity from one of the nicest (and sometimes most hilarious) blog pals on the planet.

Every package held something special.  Packages within packages, all wrapped in delicious scraps of cloth and yummy trims.  This treasure box was for Mother's Day.  (How sweet is that?) It was packed with many, many delightful things too.  I was (and still am) so touched by it all.  There were...things like....

...vintage hankies, seed beads, mica glitter, a flower pin, darling little miniatures for the dollhouse, a tiny paper umbrella, alpha deck of letter cards;  I just sat on the floor and took my time opening every little thoughtfully wrapped present and feeling totally spoiled.

Another package held a very cute heart-shaped pincushion on a stand. Everything seemed to be sprinkled with flowers and butterflies.  And I hadn't even gotten to the package with the apron yet. 

Which was exquisite...and was sprinkled with flowers and butterflies...and fairies, and birds, and lace, and yo-yo's, and all kinds of the sweetest things.  After I calmed down and stopped screaming, I just sat and held it, staring at every minute detail for the longest time.  Grace happened to walk into the room then, wearing the perfect outfit (I thought), so she got to model for me.  I think I'm gonna have a heck of a time wranglin' this sweet nellie away from her though.  Especially now that she's noticed it's reversible, with CUPCAKES on the other side.   Yes, I may have some trouble on my hands people.  Maybe we can share it.  Um...Yoo-Hoo...Gracie-e-e-e, do you think I might have a turn wearing it now?  Pretty please...

 

Well.  I just couldn't be more pleased with this.  Thank you so much, Kim!  (I owe you big time now Dearie.  Need any vintage embroidery patterns?)  Check out the apron in more detail over here.  And while you're at it, take a gander at the new flickr group Kim started, appropriately called, Doll Quilt CrAzY, and add your wee-quilt pix if you have them.  (I need to go do that now.)

Cheery Harvest Greetings

I know Halloween is over, but I wanted to share this very special something that arrived this week and took me completely by surprise, from the always delightful and sometimes hilarious "Mrs. Staggs" who keeps a wonderful little blog called A Happy Miscellaney which she calls her Household Gazette.  A visit to her site is like falling into the pages of a Victoria magazine.  Some of you may already know my fondness for that long ago published, but ne'er forgotten fantasy world of goodness and grace.  And that's just what you will find in "Merryville", a charming place to land when you need a respite from the harsh realities of life.  Like having tea with a dear friend and so much more. 

So, with great pleasure and abandon I tore open the box she sent me to find Miss Penelope Pumpkin (a truly amazing creation that she made!) along with assorted other lovelies to decorate my new buffet table.   Can you believe how sweet that is?  But I have to tell you; our very own Miss Gourdelia was absolutely greenish-gray with envy when she saw her.  Indeed, she cuts quite a striking figure, does she not?  Every detail is perfect and I simply LOVE HER!   I now feel like I have a little piece of Mrs. Staggs right here beside me, to remind me of all the good things, and especially the good kind people in this world that go out of their way to spread a little sunshine.  Thank you so much for that!  It truly warms my heart. 

It's been a busy week and I regret that I haven't been able to respond to all the kind comments left about Smokey and the Fuzzy Pink Monster.  But I hope you know, that I do read and enjoy each one so much, and am grateful for every word.  Thanks for visiting.  Have a great weekend!

Late Bloomers

As I'd mentioned in the previous post, our Club Little House goodies had just arrived and we had a blast opening all the cutest little packages of handmade miniatures.  As usual, everything was done up perfectly with style and flair by Miss Amy of Inspire Company.  It's always such a treat to get anything from her because of the wonderful attention to detail and cute packaging.  This time she made the sweetest little lattice top cherry pie, and a lunch set with a sandwich and french fries on a plate (that are missing from the picture because they were being closely inspected by my team of helpers who just could NOT believe their eyes or those minuscule olives) but you can see hers here and read all the details about how she made them.  And see other amazing stuff from the Early Bird CLH round too.  My girls and I almost fainted when we opened this box of presents.  I did a double-take at the calendar to make sure it wasn't Christmas.  No, still September, but now we are ready for Christmas with a pretty decorated mini-tree from Jamie.   I already have the perfect spot for it too when the time comes.  Ginger especially loved the bassinet made by Lauren, the toy chest and teddy bear from Monica, and the braided chenille rug from Janet.  It's so sweet how well they all go together and they were perfect for her own little house.  A joggling board from Maggie and some miniature magazines and records from Emma were also fascinating things; along with the bird cage and stand from Rosanna.  That tiny glass bird is really something.  Cerri made the shabby chic trunk with a vintage quilt inside, so sweet.  The apron and peg rack is from Alicia and it couldn't be cuter.  Such tiny stitching and details.  The gift basket is from Debra, she filled it with the most darling spa and bath items.  I wasn't ready to open it yet because of the tiny pieces, didn't want to loose them in all the excitement.  And believe me there was some excitement!    It's complete with towels, loofah, bath sponge, nail file, herbal soap, inspirational stone and a lavender neck wrap.  It's just the most adorable thing and the lady of the manor will surely be running herself a bubble bath in no time when she sees this.   Thank you everyone!  All very well done and happily received!  I'm gracefully bowing out of the next round to give a few newcomers a chance to get in on the fun.  May do a few individual trades IF I have time.  Must get back to work on the bakery too.

Update on Mr. Cat: 

Well it wasn't love at first sight, 

but they're growing on each other.

They touched noses!

Don't they make a cute couple?

I think Lily's got herself a beau.

Mailbox Friendship

My mailbox has been brimming with the sweetest treasures from afar.  This package arrived all the way from the UK.  A wonderful surprise from Simmy who's blog, Echos of a Dream I've come to know and love.  She's been experimenting with natural dyes and wool recently with pretty good success; the results of which (along with some tutorial) you can read about here.  The colors that she's been able to achieve from things like dahlias, carrot tops, logwood and comfrey just to name a few, are really wonderful.  Soft, natural, muted colors that are so pleasing to the eye.  I was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of some of the spoils and can't wait to work with these.  Right now I'm still just staring at them in awe and feeling so happy, not to mention getting ideas about my own wool blanket project again.  Plus there was other fun stuff too that had the girls jumping for joy, like the sweet vintage book, pretty origami papers, foreign postage stamps, craft scrap, and even feathers from her Golden Laced Wyandotte hens, that I'm sure will inspire lots of crafting around here.  Grace and Simmy's daughter are about the same age and have been sending hand-written letters back and forth, kind of a casual cultural exchange of ideas and friendship across the pond.   The impact of which cannot be discounted.  After forty+ years I still correspond with my 4th grade penpal who lives in Canada.  She's my longest enduring friend even though we've only actually met in person twice.    I have a feeling that many of the bloggers I've "met" during this past year are going to become similar long-distance friends too.  Can't even begin to tell you how nice it is to read all the comments from those who keep popping in here.  I wish I could respond to each one, but time is pretty short these days and I'm often running to keep up.  Like um, now.  But before I bounce outta my chair, I have to show a couple more lovely things that arrived recently. This wonderful package was from Lauren, who makes the most incredible collage pieces. We did a swap for this garden apron.  She also included some fun candy, paper and stickers for the girls. They still can't believe that people they don't even know would send them such cool stuff.   And would you look at this collage. How sweet is that?  The colors are perfect too.  She also included a huge box of sewing things from an estate sale that I'm still going through.  So much neat stuff I can't tell you.  Look at that teensy embroidery hoop!  This was great because I haven't been out thrifting in ages.  Not much around here sometimes, but mainly I haven't had any time for it, so this was especially fun.  Thanks again everyone!

In Another World

I thought it was time to take another peek inside the dollhouse to see what kinds of things the dolls have been up to.  It looks like the Mistress of the Manor has returned from her shopping trip to Paris and has brought home a sweet little hat.  This is my Club Little House submission this time around and I'm really pleased with everything now that it's done.  However, I'm still waiting on two hat stands to arrive by post, but the rest is all packed and ready to go, so I shouldn't be holding up the show long, as I feared might happen.  The pink valise was made by Amy herself, it's so cute and has travel labels on it, and even a little button & loop closure.  Just right for those weekend get-aways.  The yo-yo quilt works on the bed and as a little rug.  It was made by Debra, along with the bed pillows, complete with crochet lace and a sweet lavender bouquet.  I hope I have that right.  Once I took the tags off  and started "playing" with all the things that came out of that wonderful box it was hard to remember, but I think that was from her too.  I love how it ties in with the theme I've got going in here.   That tiny embroidered pillow was a commissioned piece from Rosanna over in Italy.   I've never seen anything so small and charming as this, all done so perfectly.  The pink bear was also another piece she sent and just look how cute it is in the nursery.  The children are having a party today.  Jenny made the teensy flag banner and it couldn't be more festive.  I love it.  The dollhouse children got so excited when they saw it they ran around the room in wild abandon.  They were finally sent outside to play by Nanny Nellie, who has her hands quite full at the moment and didn't care for the noise.  She hasn't noticed that little Bettie has snuck back inside to play with her new teddy.  And where is the Mistress of the Manor anway?  I thought she was busy working in her studio, but apparently she stepped out to visit a sick friend.  It appears she's made something to cheer her back to health.  Wonder what it could be?  Her well-stocked craft cabinet is certainly full of interesting bits and bobs, compliments of Cerri.  Chest of sewing lovlies made by Glenn and Victoria, post-mod table from Emma.  More Club Little House swap pictures here.   I can't wait to see what comes next!

Thursday's Follies

Yesterday was the summer solstice  marking the longest day of the year, and summer seems to have arrived right on cue because it's been absolutely beautiful here.  There's a nice breeze coming in through the open windows this morning and the trees are full of birdsong.  All this makes it easier to face the mess I'm making in the sewing room.  But look!  I found Thursday in that pile with some other UFO's that I may get to finishing soon.    I'm also making much more progress on the Flower Pots quilt than I ever thought I would and am actually seeing light at the end of the tunnel.  I'll post a work in progress again tomorrow.  And for those who asked, you can find the transfer pattern for the Prissy Poodle towels is here.  But before I get back to the Unfinished Objects pile, I want to share some of the delightful dollhouse doings around here.  As I've shown you, dollhouses can take many forms.  They can be as simple as a twig & moss structure from the garden (for fairies of coarse), fashioned from a wardrobe cabinet, or made from a kit like this Victorian dollhouse that I'd previously shared about here.   We found this was the perfect setting for a few more of our Club Little House swap goodies.  Here is the sweet china cupboard that Alicia made, which you can see fits just perfectly in our little kitchen here.   How nice is that?  We love it!  And all the plates and things are so cute too.  Plus we finally have a place to put this tiny toaster, which I love.  Grace made the scrumptious cake.  Upstairs the bedroom got a make-over and the yellow bed was replaced with the pink bed to match this adorable little night stand with drawers, that actually open, made by Alice.  I couldn't be more pleased with how these fit right in here.  It's all so wonderful. Thanks guys! 

Tiny Treasures

In an old house in Paris, all covered with vines,  Pepito and friends celebrate good times.

Another Birthday!  It seems the fun and games just never stop around here.   This time it's Pepito who is celebrating with his friends; Madeline, Harry, Danielle, and Hermione in the dollhouse kitchen.  The adorable party favors are compliments of Club Little House Member Janet.  Thank you for such a sweet surprise!   We love everything and so do the dolls!  And again, thank you Amy for getting all this together so beautifully and without a hitch.  Here's a bigger view of the "old house in Paris", our largest doll house.  We made this when Ginger was a baby, and crawling around Grace's bedroom and finding tiny things to put in her mouth.   I was worried about choking hazards and found this unfinished media/clothes closet was the solution.  The dolls essentially live upstairs above the bakery/toy shop.  How very lucky and convenient for them, right?  The two drawers are perfect for storing other accessories.  We've found that the 8-inch Madeline dolls are the perfect scale for this, and that Barbie furniture works well too.  More dollhouses and Club Little House swap goodies to come.

Flower Garland Apron

I'm pretty happy with this linen garden smock, made for this sweet gal.  She's making me a little art piece in exchange.  I love her work and was really excited when she agreed to a swap.  Lauren's blog (Alice Lands) is no more, boo-hoo...but hopefully she'll resume things once she's found more time for it.  (These blog updates do take a fair amount of time.)  We are also missing Amber's blog.  This is my oldest daughter who lives abroad. Awhile ago, she was doing a little editing on it and accidentally deleted the whole thing.  (Don't you just hate when that happens?)  No telling when she'll get it back up either because soon she'll be headed to Shanghai for a month of Chinese lessons, then a trip to Beijing after that, and in the meantime a few short scuba diving trips in Taiwan. Yes, we do live vicariously through her travels.  Amber keeps a wonderful online photo journal of the places she visits though, so we can at least follow her journey across distant lands.  So.  I guess I should explain a little more about this apron smock, which is just another one of these, with tucks instead of gathers, and with the addition of an embroidered garland of flowers that I sketched out and embroidered using a satin-stitch. For the straps and armholes I used 1-inch wide cotton twill tape folded in half.  The back is open and ties at the neck.  And there's a big pocket on one side.  Which you can see is empty.  But not for long...I will be including a little surprise inside it now that I outted this!

Fab Fabric

I couldn't be happier with this big bunch of pretty fabric that Kat  aka teenibanini  swapped me for.  You have to check out her "Cherry Sunday" dress set...it's truly amazing.  I'm not sure if it's color-starvation after coming out of winter or my taste for bright colors is changing, but either way, these are exactly what I needed right now.   I've been really staying true to the idea of use what you have, but something new is always nice.  Thank you so much for providing fresh inspiration,  I can't wait to start working with these. 

And this brilliant idea from Soozs;  she started another flickr board for organizing swaps with other crafters.  It's a place to post for specific crafting materials and other needs.   Go take a look, maybe you have something  to share or pass on that someone else can use.   

Yellow Bird Bag

Orange Friday...and using what I had. . . .I just put the finishing touches on this dainty little bag that's going out to Didine who's been waiting a very long time (and very patiently I might add) to do a swap. Used this same bird motif again, but did the embroidery in different colors to blend with the warm golden yellows here. I'm really having fun making these little tissue pouches, which are making the rounds again on lots of craft blogs. The super talented and generous Cassie aka Bella Dia had this tutorial for one. And I thought I saw another one on craftster too. They're quick and fun, and make use of scraps left-over from bigger projects. I've made about a dozen so far. This one's going along with the bag, that will have a few more surprises tucked inside. Now, off it goes to the shipping post.