Worry Woos

The Easter Bunny visited and brought the kids some of the most fabulous books! I really need to share them. Each of kids got a different book and they all loved them, even though their ages range from 2 and half to 11. The books are The Monster In The Bubble, The Nose That Didn't Fit, The Lonely Little Monster.

Absolutely endearing! The images are so cute!! and the story lines are rhythmic and tender. So original and just very nice books.  I absolutely love them and, even more important,  the kids love them! They will be books we keep for years to come.  The Monster In The Bubble would be great for a graduate gift too..

Lovely! Lovely!

xoxo~

Abbie

What a time, but we survived!

It is the time for resolutions, change, renewal and reaffirming. How about survival? My resolution is just to survive the next year with my three kids, three dogs, husband and mother in law. Survival of my Etsy shop. Survival of my creative spirit. Currently my creativity is being strangled by the heaps of laundry that are waiting for my attention. The survival of my youth... perhaps some exercise and diet changes are necessary for that one. The survival of my children. Right now they are cruisin' for a bruisin', (as the saying goes) and my two year old will be lucky to make to three. (I am speaking purely out of frustration and of course, would never actually hurt them, but I can now see how some parents snap.) So my resolution this year is simply to survive 2008."
(-my resolution for last year)

I survived! (so did my children..) Who knew? I have found a quiet pace to life this year which is nice. Something that is really helping, I have started planning out the meals for the week on Sunday. I check the flyers, coupons, recipe box, and get thoughts from the family, then grocery shop once, for the entire week. It is working nicely and it is so nice not to fuss over what to make each night. I know that I'll have everything on hand. With six in the house, it makes a big difference in my time management.

I am so happy that the holidays are over. It is a heavy weight off my shoulders for some reason. The halls have been un-decked and I spent way too much money at HomeGoods today buying lovely things to freshen up the house. Feeling very tired of red right now. Anyone else? Not sure how to handle the upcoming day of love, but I'll have to find some other color to show off my passion. Going with bright, sunny yellows and limes. I want to say a quick Thank you!! for all of you who visit my other blogs. (The Vintage Moth and Button Floozies) Between the two blogs we managed to raise $100 for The American Cancer Society!!! Whhoooohhoooo!! I am so excited! It is nice to see that the time I put into them can help someone other than me. That was in about 6 months so hopefully 2009 will be an even better year.

The only creative endeavours that I have tackled lately have been holiday related. A quick tip for those of you who have started following my blog since last Christmas, is to use your holiday greeting card pile as gift tags. I have mine all set to go for next year. In fact, there were so many tags, I didn't need to buy anymore this year. Recycling at its best! (see above image)

Happy New Year, things are brewing in the pot and I have lots of new changes around the home to share!

xoxo~

Abbie

Well needed break from the depths of the internet..

A few of my favorites from Etsy. I plan on taking a well needed break from here until after the holidays. I hope everyone has a fabulous holiday and enjoys it with their friends and family!
xoxo~
Abbie

GIVEAWAY! Sweet Abigail and Sweet Sophia

Abigail and Sophia had a photo shoot today. All their clothing is finished, the editing is done and the pdf files are all ready to go! Wooohoooo!! Sophia and Abigail really were quite camera shy at first.. but after a little bit these ladies relaxed and we had fun with it!

As we photographed, clothing went flying, littering the floor of their mock studio.

I think it was the hats they enjoyed the most.. there are four different hats, one to match each dressing gown.

There was also jewelry, gloves, flowers and hair to be done. Oh, it was just exhausting trying to keep these ladies composed.

Abigail is on the right in the shot below, with the blond hair blue eyes. She is the original Raphael Tuck design. Sophia is the dark haired, brown eyed beauty on the left. Mysterious isn't she? She is my recreation of the Abigail doll.

Such lovely gowns! Oh, the places these two have seen! Sweet Abigail is, after all, 114 years old. She looks fabulous for her age, don't you think?

Both dolls and all the outfits in these photos were printed from the doll kit pdf files. I wanted to test them before offering them to you. The details and colors are fantastic!

Lovin' the blue hat.. very casual.. perhaps for a picnic in the park.

Oh, the elegant gold toned gown is a must for any fashionable girl from the 1890's. Pearls, a fancy feather fan and fleur de lis finish it off just perfectly.

On to the prize! Below is the portfolio I created to keep Abigail and Sophia safe. I used antique sheet music and the original box cover design from 1894. The girls and all of the their outfits tuck in nicely.

This is a lovely idea for giving Sweet Abigail as a gift. Print out the doll set, which includes the cover page and helpful hints, and tuck her into an embellished handmade envelope, folder or box. Wallpaper or scrapbooking paper would work nicely too.

Tie it with a ribbon and embellish with a glitter letter.

What a lovely gift to give, or to WIN!!! This exact portfolio, the two dolls shown in the above pictures and all of their outfits are my giveaway prize! But don't fret, Sweet Abigail is available to purchase as a pdf from my Etsy Shop for only $5. Print her as many times as you would like, use her in your art and please give her away!

Recreating this Sweet Abigail paper doll has been a project on my 'to do' list for almost a year. Now that she is finished, I am almost sad. I enjoyed playing with her and, to me, the design work for the kit is the most fun of all.

Little details add so much. Giving a handmade gift for Christmas, Birthdays, or just because means the world to those receiving them. Try to make more gifts this year, give your love and a little bit of your time. Reuse, reduce, and upcycle. Who knew vintage ribbon, vintage flowers and old sheet music could look so good?

I will be drawing a winner for Sweet Abigail and Sweet Sophia on Monday, November 17th. You may leave a comment here, on this post or on the original giveaway post. You may enter TWICE!! ( to do that all I ask is that you mention the giveaway on your bog/site.) You can post a comment on both posts if you would like and both entries will count.

Thank you for your patience!

xoxo~

Abbie

The way the other half of one percent lives..

Has anyone else seen this catalog? It is absolutely fabulous! We get one for the holiday season, and I love flipping through the pages.

Gorsuch has some of the most marvelous images, the ski slopes, the models, the staged living areas. You should check out their website just for the fun of it.

It reminds me of when we used to ski in the Alps as a child.

Mind you, we never wore $2000 ski jackets or $300 sunglasses but the essence is there. I love it! Will I ever buy something from it? Perhaps some socks, when I feel rich. But at $36 a pair, probably not.

Dream with me...
~Abbie

listed on Ebay...

I just listed some paper punches on eBay. I don't care what they go for as long as they go!
I used them to make the tags on the antique key... and the fancy up the corners on my string tags..

Click HERE to take a peek! (just please ignore my spelling.. I forgot to spell check before posting the listing.. and the 'double' listing description.. eBay's not so easy for me!)

xoxo~
Abbie

(right now they are at $0.99!!)

Pink

Here are some pink images for Sara's Shades of Inspiration. All of these are older images that I found shuffling through my files.. hope you like!

Blooms from my SIL's garden last summer.

Blooms from last fall.

My daughter's closet shelf. I used to sell the lace paper in my shop, if you would like some for yourself, here is the LINK to my source. the vintage kitty was mine as a child.

A birthday present from my mother two years ago (the tea cup and flowers).

Bits and pieces I sold in my shop last year.

Have a lovely, pink day!

More Mantels...

The fireplaces were a huge factor when my husband and I built our home. A three story New England colonial, it had to have fireplaces. the home plans actually called for three, but the budget didn't allow for it, and one wall in the great room had to house the TV, so we have two hearths to warm our tootsies at. The decorating of said mantels has had me stumped for two+ years. We'll start in the 'formal' living room, that currently houses nothing more than a beat up leather couch, tons of built in bookcases and a Disney princess castle. Yes, a castle. In my living room. Aren't I the luckiest girl? another house to clean, inside my big house.
The walls are red. A deep saturated red that I absolutely love. We are still waiting the funds for curtains, I have my heart set on a red and off white toile, country scene. With 6, 6 foot windows its gonna be while.

Isn't the pear topiary fun? I found that at HomeGoods the other day for $2. You can't even get a good coffee for that anymore!

In a huge contrast is the kitchen fireplace mantel. Bright and cool it feels very different. The boat and 'birds on sticks' were other HomeGoods finds. I thought that they 'worked' with the loon print hanging on the wall. Not my first choice, but the man pays the bills so he can put whatever he wants on the walls.

So, there you have it, the hearths of my home. One red, one white. One warm, one cool.

New bits added to my shop..

Damsel Designs at Etsy

A quick tour..

View from the great room looking into kitchen/dining area. The room beyond with the transom is the old dining room. It is now my MIL bedroom. It was open to kitchen, but when she moved in we had it closed off and added doors. It turned out really well and it is as if she was just meant to be here! :)
I didn't do anything special for you this time. Most times I stage things to look extra nice but this is the way my kitchen is all the time. The bulletin board is full, our bill box is over flowing, and there is still a plastic cup on the table. (a staple in a house with three kids.. if you come over you get plastic and/or Correll.. no fancy China, no pretty drinking glasses.) the Crock pot is going beside the fridge.. we are having BBQ pulled pork tonight) We have a mish mash of chairs as I only bought 4 Windsor with the oval table. Now that there are six of us, two sit in Shaker Ladder backs until I can get some more Windsor chairs. The Co. I got the original 4 from is now out of business and I am having a horrible time finding the right match.

some up close peaks at the knick knacks above the cabinets. Bottles, we have bottles everywhere. My inlaws were avid antique bottle collectors so now they adorn every space in our home. The funky rooster in the middle pic is an old clay liquor bottle. His head is the cork. I'm not sure of his exact age, but he's no spring chicken! :) The turkey tureen also came from my MIL, the top half of him is in about 6 different pieces, but you'd never know. He is taped together on the inside. lol! I wouldn't use his for his original purpose as he is quite old and chipped around the rim, but I love him sitting up there, and he adds a wonderful touch of white!

Bonnie, one of my min pins, was quite put out by me photographing everything and disturbing her nap on the back of the couch. Her ears say it all. "Will you get that camera out of my face! I want to sleep!"

An antique desk that I am carrying for until one of daughters is old enough to inherit it.

our bed, (uh..duh..) in the master. I just bought this comforter and pillow set at Marshall's yesterday. I rarely splurge on things like this, but we were in desperate need of a face lift in here. The small side lamps I got at Michael's 75% off, so they were $10 each. I just love a bargain!! Hope you liked peekin'!