Crafty Stitchers

Happy 3 Day Weekend Everyone

2012-05-25T22:30:00.002-04:00

Well, I really had a four day weekend, I took off today and went to Orange Park with my son, he had a dental appointment and then he took his mama shopping, we went to Kohls, Sports Academy, Joanns and Bells and had a yummy lunch at Red Lobster. I spent lots of $$$ at Joanns, but needed to stock up, they actually have a lot of holiday fabric already.

Didn't get much done this past week, I have been having low blood pressure for the past week and so got that tired, don't want to do much feeling.

Last weekend, hubby and I went antiquing near Mount Dora, didn't find a lot, but I did pick up an old Pepsi crate for $8 and 3 bobbins for $1 each. These are some pics of some of my favorite booths there

They have a lot of small shops, If only I had lots of $$$

Would have loved to bring these all home ....

I did get two pilgrim couples made--this is a new pattern by Homespun from the Heart and ...

another Sweet Meadows Farm set....

I was going thru some of my old craft supplies and found the braided wool roving, so I needlefelted to her head on the bagholder I just finished, I tried to make her a little more prim. I have several more bagholders almost finished, some Halloween and Christmas ones.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day!

Snakes, Panthers and ....

2012-05-13T19:43:00.001-04:00

I hope everyone had a Happy Mother's Day, my hubby fixed Creole tonight and it was yummy.

Our library cat "LC" was in a cat fight and he got bit, and of course it got infected, so my son helped me take him to the vet and while we were there, my friend Eileen who works there, came and got David. When I came out David was petting a Florida panther. He was beautiful. They rescue wild animals. LC is fine, he just had to go on oral antibiotics for a few days.

My finished projects for the week.

Made lots of little dolls, they are my favorite to make.

I purchased this sign from Dee at Ice House Crafts, it will be perfect for my display.

This was a sign she made for me when we were in a swap, my very favorite!!!

You can definitely tell summer is here, we see snake tracks everywhere when we walk, we have sandy roads and you can see their tracks and coming home the other evening, there was a very large snake crossing the road and of course, son has to stop the car and get out to look at it, I HATE snakes. And then there are the love bugs, if you live in Florida, you know what they are, if not, they are black flying bugs that mate and stick together, they are usually hundreds or thousands of them, and if they stay on your car very long, it eats thru the paint, stains your clothes, the joys of living in the south!

I have also started a Crafty Stitchers facebook page, if you get a chance, please stop by and LIKE ME, thank http://www.facebook.com/craftystitchers1

Hope everyone has a great week!

Back to work again....

2012-05-06T20:36:00.001-04:00

Another weekend is gone. It has be hot!!! down here, in the 90's already. A storm has been trying to come in for the last hour, hopefully it will wait until Game of Thrones is over. Hubby and son went to see the Avengers this evening, so I had the house all to myself. I went to McDonalds and got a crispy chicken wrap and a small M&M McFlurry, a very nutritious dinner! I was able to finish up several projects this weekend. This is another of the raggedy with glasses, I added a flower made from one of the yo-yos I won from Jennifer @ hoodies and flipflops, in a mini clay pot. I adapted a Missy Balance pattern for this doll.

Found another mouse body from last year and made her into an Americana Mouse.

Made a few rounds Santas and the mice on the candy cane.

Some stitchery stars and raggedy heads....

And some scarecrow tucks.. because you know, it will be here before you know it!

I found this fabric at Wal-Mart and just had to have some, I love anything sewing-themed ....

So far I have made two Raggedy Bagholders with vintage sewing cards. I am so glad that Wal-Mart got their fabric back, but it is expensive, some of it is $7.97 and up. They do have the cheaper fabric, $1.50 yard, but it looks cheap. I am used to using those Joann's coupons.

Congrats to Vicky of Vicky-myart, she won my first FB give-away. I have finally created a Crafty Stitchers
page and if you get a chance, please visit and LIKE me. I hope everyone has a great week. Cyndy

Great Give-away

2012-05-03T21:03:00.003-04:00

Cynthia of FloweringAngel is looking for some new followers and has a great give-away, $30 towards a custom piece from her ETSY shop. This is just one of the items you can choose from

P.S. Be sure to tell her I sent you, you get an extra entry for sending someone over. Good luck! Cyndy

Stitchin' away ...

2012-04-30T20:44:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend, as usual, not loong enough. We did some shopping on Saturday and spent the rest of the weekend at home. It was HOT, in the low 90's and fires all around, my son has been out to 4 fires in the last 3 days, one they spent over 6 hours trying to put out. We keep hoping for lots of rain.

I have been busy working on stuff for the fall shows, organized a little and have a lot of stuff draw out, just need to sew and stuff. This is the shelf where I store my dolls until its time to pack them up, need lots more, I am way behind this year.

My new elves, from a Kat's Kountry Prims pattern. I love these guys.

Made up another trio of small Raggedies, from a Sweet Meadows Farm pattern. These are great for using up fabric scraps.

And of course, just in time for Mother's Day, one of my favorites, Mama Raggedy and her baby. From a Happy Hearts Pattern.

I have to say, I am really liking the new blogger, uploading pictures is so much easier and faster. Hopefully, they won't change anything for awhile. Hope you all have a great week. Cyndy

2012-04-22T19:30:00.001-04:00

Where oh Where Did the Weekend Go????? and a Give-away Win!!!

Going to try out a new post with the new blogger and see how it goes -- so here goes.

We had all these great plans to go south for an Antique Extraganza but 80 and 90 percent chance of rain with two rain fronts, so we stayed close and of course, it didn't rain like they said it would. We did go to the local Strawberry Festival, a lot better this year, my hubby also buys from this one potter and luckily he was there. This is a picture of him, holding one of the pieces my hubby bought from, an alligator. His wife is a dollmaker.

We then headed to a large antique mall, just a few pics of some of the things, I would love to have brought home with me----

They had a section called the Old General Store, a lot of real antiques and some repros

Every type of kitchen item you can imagine ...

just a few of their rolling pins ...

Reproduction feed sacks

I finished up this couple this afternoon, the Pilgrim Couple, from a Sweet Meadows Farm pattern.

And one of the my favorites, I purchased a doll from Sugar and Spice on ETSY and she had glasses...so I took an old pattern that I had, not sure who the designer was, and added glasses and dark blonde hair, I named her after me---Cyndy, I told my hubby and son that I made her to look like me, but they weren't too impressed.

And finally, a big thank you to Jennifer of hoodies and flipflops and her friend Patsy Littrell, who doesn't have a blog. I won a beautiful sewing bag made by Patsy and filled with yo-yo's from Jennifer. I have plans for the yo-yo's, I saw some flowers made from them and I think some of my dolls would love them. Thank you ladies for a great give-away.

Well, until next time, hopefully the week will fly by, but probably not. Hope everyone has a fun-filled week. Cyndy

Well, Christmas has officially arrived at my house...

2012-04-15T18:03:00.000-04:00

Not a lot going on this weekend, spent the weekend at home, did 6 LOADS of laundry, how can 3 people have so much dirty laundry! We went to Wal-Mart to do our weekly grocery shopping, I needed camera batteries and guess what? Wal-Mart no longer sells camera batteries, they sell the cameras but no more batteries, according to one of the workers. My hubby checked at CVS and guess what, they didn't have them either, we are going to order from Amazon, so stock up just in case.

I have been working on some Christmas items, made this little elf from a Kat's Country Prims patterns and dressed the Santa, he had been running around without clothes since last December. I ran out of the green felt I needed for the booties for the elf, so he is barefoot now. But, I really love how he is turning out, I see lots of elf-making in my future.

Finished up another prim-ugly Americana doll

These are from a Sweet Meadows Farm pattern

Another Sweet Meadows Farm pattern, these I can use up my scraps.

A custom order for a customer-Irish couple

And then another custom order--not prim at all, small dolls in bathing suits and sundresses, I am even making flip flops for them,

Not much news this weekend, next weekend we are going to Mount Dora (if it doesn't rain), they are having a big antique extravaganza and then on Sunday a small local craft festival.

I hope you all have a great week!

Happy Easter Everyone---Guess what I have started on?

2012-04-08T21:01:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone had a happy Easter. I had a nice long weekend, I got alot of sewing done, worked on several orders, but would love another day off.

I had several coupons, so we made a quick trip to Joann's and I saved $24.00. Then we stopped at our favorite junk store, I didn't find much, my only purchase was 2 pairs of sock monkey socks for $4.50.

I was the lucky winner of Kim of Barn Hollow's give-away, I received it just in time for Easter, she sent me two adorable rabbits. Made of warm and natural and then grunged perfectly. She even shared her grunging recipe with me. Thank you, Kim!. Her work is perfect. This is not the best picture, I should have taken a picture of them in the bowl. She had each one of them nicely packaged.

And, I did it, I started working on my Christmas items, see those little elves peeking around Santa. I plan to have lots of them for this year. Last year at the show, I sold all of them before the show began and I have had some inquiries about them already, so --my goal to do at least 3 a week. I made a couple of the Santas last year, they at BitterSweet Folkart patterns, I love her patterns. These sold before the show began too.

This is a pattern from Katies Homespun Stitches, I added the bonnet and stamped the word Believe on her apron.

Another make-do and 3 little patriotic girls. I used an Oh Sew Dollin pattern for them. Some are for my ETSY and the others for the show.

And a new doll, a Candy Striper raggedy, the nurse doll have been popular, so I did a different version. Of course, the box is upside down.

We have had beautiful weather, it had been in the upper 80's, 90 one day and a cool front came thru on Friday, in the low 70's. We finally got a new riding mower and got the front yard finished and the back picked up, hopefully mowed tomorrow.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Another month gone .....

2012-04-01T20:28:00.000-04:00

Where did March go??? It went out with a bang here, a day of rain, over 2 inches and thunderstorms off and on all day. We needed the rain, but not the lightning. Lightning struck several homes, my son responded to one call where the lightning made a hole in the roof all the way to the flooring and left a big hole, everything was fried, but no fire. And it was hot here, in the high 80's. Summer is already here.

I have noticed that several have already started listing fall items, which means that I better get myself started too-because we all know it will be here before you know it.

I have been making several of the Annie pinkeeps, I used a Polka Dot Primitive pattern for this, they make up quick and are great sellers.

I had a small amount of this fabric left and made up this Americana make-do.

A new doll for me, from a Sand Plum Primitives pattern.

Another bagholder, my new printer prints the images on fabric great. I just hate ironing the freezer pattern to the fabric.

I found this material and thought it would be cute on a doll's apron, I had the little giraffe and perfect.

We have a 4 day work week and I am looking forward to a day off. I want to go to Joann's this Easter weekend, as I have 4 coupons I can use, one is 25 percent off your total purchase, love those coupons.

I am so glad that Game of Thrones starts tonight, it is probably a good thing that Walking Dead ended, since they would have both been on at the same time. I made some chocolate chip cookies and have my stitching and the couch all ready for the premiere, I hope everyone has a great week!

Give-Away Winner is....

2012-03-29T16:44:00.000-04:00

Hi, I don't have my camera with me, but I put everyone's name in a bowl and drew a winner--and that is Darlene of ThreeDStyle in Florida, Darlene please email me your address. Darlene is another Florida girl and great crafter. Thanks everyone who entered.

My great find and a thank you ...

2012-03-25T14:03:00.000-04:00

We had a stormy Saturday, but today is beautiful, not a cloud in the sky and mid 80's. Yesterday, hubby and I went shopping, we went to Circle K, in Jacksonville, one of my favorite stores, if you are buying furniture or decor items. I have been looking for a standing chalkboard to use at my shows and what did I see as I walked in the doors--- my chalkboard. Now I need to find chalk, checked a couple of stores and no chalk, who sells chalk now?

This is a view of some of their decorative items ---- I could spend 100's of dollars in this store..

A view from the second floor, it is like an old barn that is filled to the brim with stuff.

I actually made a few things that weren't dolls, this week, I had this mouse left from last year, added a cap and painted a book and wooden oval black then surfed the internet for an old patriontic song image and this is what I came up with, I thought she turned out pretty good.

My sister-in-law asked me the other day why I didn't have many cat items, so I found this pattern that I had from Olde Homestead Barn and made up a couple of barn cats.

I used an Raggedy Old Annies pattern for another one of these dolls, added a vintage Raggedy Ann and Andy vintage image of a pattern and put in a little ziplock bag and an old spool of thread in the other (the cost on the top of the spool is .15 cents, unbelieveable)

This was a custom order for one of my customers--using my favorite pattern-Sweet Meadows Farm.

A mini patriotic Annie-I have a box full of scraps and I am trying to use some of them on the smaller projects.

Finally, started some Christmas dolls, these are tagged and being put back for the shows.

And a big thank you to Jean @ Prim Crafts, she sent me a box of toys to use with my dolls, my favorites are the Mickey mouses and the Disney toys. Thank you, Jean, they are just what I wanted.

I am watching American Pickers right now, I thought that show was about pickers who picked on the farms, and someone told me the other day what it really was--do I feel dumb! I guess when I go junking that is considered "picking" now. I am already missing my favorite show "Walking Dead", we will have to wait until the fall season to see what happens. But another favorite of mine starts next Sunday, "Game of Thrones", it is almost as good as Walking Dead.

Don't forget to check out my give-away, just click on the bunny image at the top of the sidebar and enter. I hope everyone has a great week!

Dolls, Dolls and More Dolls ... And an Easter Give-Away

2012-03-18T19:21:00.001-04:00

Well another week flew by. I hope everyone had a great weekend, it was very warm here, in the mid 80's, 90's probably on its soon. We didn't do much, my son had dental bone grafts done on Friday, he is getting ready for implants, so we stayed home and I did my favorite thing to do---SEW. I am realizing that I don't have much for my show, just one pitiful bin, so I need to do the make one for sale and one for the show. So I cut out about 10 dolls and this is what I started out with .... a whole bunch of naked bodies

and this is what I ended up with, several were for orders, some for ETSY and some for my show in May or November. I actually made a couple of Christmas ornies too! Because you know "it will be here before you know it"

I found these slinky dog candy containers in Wal-mart and if you cut the plastic away, you end up with a little slinky dog. So now he is Annie's toy.

Another one using the same fabric above, I found this at Wal-Mart, loving the polka-dots. My favorite pattern to use, Sweet Meadows Farm.

These were a special order, I used a Polka Dot pigs doll body pattern for this, a pinkeep on a small wide mouth jar. These are fun to make

This Annie is about 26 inches tall. I found the Raggedy Ann material at Hobby Lobby and couldn't wait to use it. Since the print is large, I had to make a large doll, this is a Raggedy SMiles pattern. I may add a small Raggedy Ann to her hand or something else to go with her.

These were a special order from a friend/customer of mine, she is doing a Princess/Ballerina birthday party for a three year old and needed some party favors. I found the crowns at Wal-Mart in the party favor section.

I have been very lucky lately winning some give-aways and now it is my turn, I am giving away an Easter Bunny nodder. the pattern is from Country Friends. The rules are simple : be a follower of my blog, new followers are welcome, leave a comment on this post only. For an extra : post on your sidebar or blog or FB or ?? Just let me know in your comment. That's it. The last day to enter is March 28th, so that I will have time to mail out to you before Easter.

Hope everyone has a great week!!!

Working, cleaning and getting ready for Monday

2012-03-11T15:07:00.000-04:00

Well, this is my second post today, I lost the first one, how I don't know, so here goes again.

I have been busy working on orders and trying to do a little cleaning in the craft room. Here is, yet another picture of the bright haired little Annies, this was a special order for one of my great customers. The green haired ones have been the most popular, I am still amazed at the response for these.

Another prim Annie with a sewn monkey and monkey print apron. A Raggedy Old Annies pattern.

A large Annie with a teddy bear, she is on her way to Virginia tomorrow.

Another order for a Annie with monkey

Two more, using a Minnie mouse and Hello Kitty theme, the kitty is actually a PEZ container that I added a little dress to. If anyone has any small mickey mouse, minnie mouse, hello kitty, disney, etc. small plush toys or small vintage raggedy anns and wants to sell (cheap!!) or swap, please email me, as I am going to do more theme dolls.

Another Easter dollie, with a prim chick from a pattern that I won from Woodland Primitives. The little doll is an Oh Sew Dollin pattern.

Finally, made myself go into the craft room and clean a little, it was and still is a disaster. This is my sewing table, which actually is a drop leaf table that belonged to my grandmother. The table runner is from a swap with Gina at Cat Nap Inn Primitives.

Some swap dolls , the large Raggedy is from Jean at Prim Crafts and the small Raggedy, from Lil Raggedy Angie. The cat pillow is from Gina also and the Button pillow, I bought from Jennifer at Stitchin Thyme.

These two girls are from EBAY, and the little black church doll is one of the late Janice of Black Creek Primitives, the shoes are from a swap with Linda of Parkers Paradise and the primitive sign from Cynthia of the Flowering Angel

the other end of the craft room, as you can see, needs lots of work, I need to get rid of some books and add storage baskets.

and on the other side, notice Lecia's bonnets and dress.

Well, guess I need to start dinner, we are having chicken t etrazini (spelling?) and get my stuff ready for the Walking Dead tonight. I hope everyone has a great week, Happy Sewing, Cyndy

New Annie and some goodies in the mail....

2012-02-26T18:22:00.000-05:00

We had a dreary wet cold day here in North Florida, in the 50's and rainy. We desperately need the rain, so I am not complaining. I worked on some orders and finished up a new doll. I now have a new favorite, this little Annie with her pet monkey. I found this yarn at Michaels a few months ago and used it for the first time, it is nice and thick, I made the monkey out of felt. I saw the fabric at Joann that I used for the apron and really liked it, so I used a Sweet Meadows Farm pattern and changed it up a little. I am looking for a sewn monkey pattern that I could use in place of the felt one, if anyone knows of one, please let me know.

I received a package from a new blogging friend, Cynthia. She has a blog and is looking for some new followers, she is also having a giveaway for one of her wreaths. I got an Easter table runner, jewelry rabbit, doll clothes, miniature teapot for the wall, paper covered photo album and a primitive and antique signs. Thank you, Cynthia, I love it all.

I also won a give-away from Vicky, I just love this, already have a place picked out for it. Thank you, Vicky. Your work is awesome.

Made up a little Easter Annie with her prim Easter egg.

I also bought these from NinnasAttic on Etsy, I used to do a lot of felt work and saw these, I thought they were so cute.

Not much else going on, getting ready for the Walking Dead tonight, so gotta get my couch ready. Hope you all have a great week! Cyndy

Well It's Almost Monday again....

2012-02-19T20:22:00.001-05:00

Another weekend gone---been a busy week, got lots of orders done, won 3 give-aways in the last 2 weeks and a great swap with Gina.
First my swap with Gina, ooh a box full of goodies, the fabulous little kitty (or should I say kitteh) wool pillow, the pieced cat print tablerunner (that is going on my sewing machine table, so I can see it everyday), books, socks, slouch hat (which fits perfectly), notebook, tarts and a great stitched heart. Thank you, Gina. You made my day, love to swap again in the near future.

And another give-away win, from Traci @ York Mountain primitives. A robins nest in a jar and a sweet little card. This one is going to work with me, I have a large window in front of my desk and this will be perfect, thank you Traci!

and from Debbie @ debbie's dodads, thank you Debbie, a great little basket, ribbon and some fabric, which I am going to use for a doll's apron and of course, so of my favorite candy, NIPS. Thank you, Debbie.

Made another doll, she has a patriotic chicken print wrap-around apron and is holding her chicken. And of course, this is another Sweet Meadows Farm pattern.

This was a custom order, the Annie Shelf sitter is a pattern by Craftaholics, and she wanted an Andy to go with her, so I adapted it a little I thought he turned out cute.

another blogger mentioned that she got boxes of Morning Glory thru Walmart online, so I ordered a box for $11.97 and paid .97 shipping, then went to Hobby Lobby, had a couple this time, and paid about the same for it, hubby used one coupon and I used another for the muslin. I wish they were like Joanns's and you could use more than 1 coupon. I have several order for the the bright haired little Annies so bought some bright fabric, more muslin and some bird's nest for the rabbit make-dos. Since my hubby went with me to Hobby Lobby, I went to Gander Mountain with him . He bought him some kind of handgun that was on sale.

What I did this week--the little ballerinas are really popular along with the rabbits.

Hubby is off tomorrow, but not a holiday for me, so it is back to work, he is going antiquing!

I also added the Linky widget to my sidebar, not sure how all of that is going to work, but I do know I have some Google Friends Connect (is that right?) followers.
Hope everyone has a great week.

Another weekend is gone ---- and a Give-Away win

2012-02-12T18:18:00.000-05:00

Hi, well another weekend flew by. I would like to thank everyone for their kind comments and concern after the death of my FIL. We had a good trip, the funeral was really nice, but so glad that is over.

I told my hubby that I didn't want to do anything this weekend. I needed to catch up and rest after last week. The only thing we did was buy a new dryer,(ours is barely working), buy a bag of fiberfill and groceries. Nothing exciting. But, of course, I did get to craft some this weekend.

FYI, We had a day that we waited for a nephew to fly in for the funeral and we went into Pensacola to do some shopping and we stopped at Hobby Lobby.And what did hubby spot-- Morning Glory fiberfill on the shelf. I didn't buy any because I didn't have any coupons, it was $19.99 a box, so I am going to check out the Hobby Lobby here with a coupon!

We are having our second cold spell, in the mid-20's last night and again tonight, so I have my fire going. Made a big pot of vegetable soup and broccoli cornbread. Perfect for a cold night.

I finally finished up the bright haired little Annies, they are on their way to S.C. tomorrow

Made another little prim Raggedy

The new pattern I bought from Raggedy Old Annies, A Raggedy Ballerina. I got two of these made, One is on her way to New Jersey tomorrow.

I made my first Easter item, a rabbit make-do. I used one of the $1.00 bobbins that I bought last year at MacKintosh. This one was blue. His ears have wire in them, so they poseable.

I also won a give-away from Laura at Cave Creek Primitives, a sweet little cow doll with a prim heart. She will join some of my other dolls from other swaps and such in my craft room. Thank you Laura!

Not much news, have to get ready for the new season of Walking Dead, I love that show. Take care and hope everyone has a great week, Cyndy.

Winner and some Sad News

2012-02-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

Hi, I had to draw the name a day early, as my father-in-law died this morning and we are headed to Pensacola early in the morning. He has been sick for a long time and he is at peace now. So, Barb of Barb's Heartstrokes you are the winner. Barb please email me your address and I will get her out to you as soon as we get back.

I managed to get a few dolls finished this week-- I found a new doll designer, Raggedy Old Annies. I made this one up and have another started. I ordered her ballerina doll pattern last night. Hopefully get one of those made next week.

I finished the Annie with Purple hair, she is sitting by her green-haired sister, I still have one more, a pink hair Annie. They remind me of of those dolls years ago that were popular, Cupcake or Strawberry something ...

Off to pack, take care and have a great weekend, everyone.

New Projects, Give-Away ....and more

2012-01-28T21:44:00.002-05:00

Hi, hope everyone is having a great weekend, they certainly seem to go fast. We got up early and took my car into Gainesville for servicing, then went to Kohl's, my favorite store (I saved $41.00, but spent more than that) and then onto Michaels, to pick up some yarn.

I have been working on a few custom orders this week. I have one custom order for some whimsical Raggedy Anns. I have one almost finished, she wants one with pink, one with lavender and one with

green hair, . Here is a pic of one of them, I still have shoes and stripes on her legs to do. She was fun to make, definitely different! but I think cute.

I am on a make-do craze right now, have all those bobbins to use! I am doing a swap and Mama kitty is going to live with Gina.

This one is my favorite, I used a Polka Dot Pigs pattern for the body. I am still loving that new hair that I found.

I finished another one, I call her Firecracker Annie, she is holding some wooden firecrackers. And more of that hair.

I have one these little Valentine girls left and if you would like to win her and a sweet surprise, just leave me a comment. This will be a quick give-away. Ends Feb. 3rd, so she will have time to arrive for Valentine's Day.

Hope everyone has a great Sunday, I need to finish up another order for some small Raggedys and Angel and then maybe another make-do.

Please stop by and help welcome a new blogger, Cynthia http://floweringangel.blogspot.com/ . She has some great stuff.

Happy Crafting.

Manatees, Craft Festival and ....

2012-01-21T21:49:00.001-05:00

Hi, hope everyone is having a great weekend. I was so ready for the weekend, this was one of those weeks at work, that you couldn't wait to end.

On a happy note -- I wanted to share this make-do that I purchased off of EBAY, for some reason I just had to have her, so I bought her and she arrived yesterday. I just love her. She is currently residing on the old wooden ironing board in my sewing room.

Hubby and I got up early and headed to Crystal River, where they were having the Manatee Craft Festival. We had never been to Crystal River, so thought we'd go. The craft show was disappointing, very commercial, only had a handful of good booths. Hubby found another pottery piece and I found some bobbins, I paid $2.00 for 6 of these.

We took one of their boat tours, there are 100's of manatees in their waterways.So tourism is very big in this area and with the show going on, lots and lots of people.

This is picture of 2 baby manatees, this is one of the few places that it is legal to swim with them, supposedly they love people and love to play with the humans, hubby and son are planning a trip back soon to swim with them. Manatees only give birth once, which is something I didn't know.

More manatees, the light areas are the manatees, they stay under water for 15 to 20 minutes, so you very seldom see them come up for air

A pelican watching us, as the boat drifted by .....

Notice the vultures--they have a roost in the tree next to the house and hang out on the house, in the yard, etc.

My favorite booth, lots of vintage spools, crates, etc.

I got a few new things finished this week, a mama cat make-do on a wooden bobbin.

And another of my favorites, the Americana Raggedy Bagholder.

A new friend Cynthia,that I met thru ETSY has opened a new shop, when you have a few minutes, please stop by and take a look http://www.etsy.com/shop/floweringangel?ref=pr_shop_more. She is super sweet and talented.

Hope everyone has a great Sunday, take care, Cyndy

It's been awhile ....

2012-01-15T21:01:00.001-05:00

I didn't realize it has been two weeks since I last posted. Hubby went to Pensacola to visit with his dad, so I had all these plans, things to do.... but good intentions sometimes don't happen. Thursday I felt fine, went out to eat dinner, an hour later chills, pain when I touched my elbow and sick in stomach, I thought I had the virus that was going around. The next morning I stayed home and thought I was on the mend, but my elbow was still sore, then on Saturday noticed a red patch on my elbow and red streaks and my elbow was swollen three times it's normal size and thought oh no!I had surgery two years ago and ended up with lymphadema and have to be very careful, so I called my doctor and they decided that I had cellulitis, luckily it was caught in time so now on heavy duty antibiotics, slowly getting better.

But I did get something sewing done, not as much as I would have liked. And I also bought myself something--A Kindle Fire. I have to learn how to use it, but I think I am going to enjoy it.

I also made up one of the snowmen, from Sweet Meadows Farm, I bought the pattern in December and just never got it made, so I made him a Valentine's Snowman. I also used a rusty nail for his nose instead of the embroidery.

Finished another mama doll for a customer, she is one of my favorites to make, but she takes me several days to complete.

These little girls have also kept me busy, I have had orders for lots of these.

We've been having great weather, low 30's at night and high 50's and 60's during the day. Need some rain desperately. Well, I guess I have rambled enough, we have tomorrow off and then back to work on Tuesday. I hope everyone has a great week. Cyndy

Brrrr---It's cold in Florida

2012-01-03T18:58:00.000-05:00

Well, what do they say, Be careful what you wish for, for me, it was cold weather! We had mid 20's last night and it was in the low 50's today (and yes, that is cold for us) and around 20 tonight. Our coldest weather in over a year. This was my last day off and I spent it inside, had a nice warm fire going. Fixed a pot of chili for dinner. And sewed and sewed and sewed!!

The hooked cat pillow in the chair was one of my Christmas presents, the colors were perfect for my living room. Notice the cat doorstop next to the fireplace, RJ a.k.a. "Whiskers" (the neighbors scruffy little dog) thinks it is a real cat and likes to bark at it. Both items came from Country House, one of my favorites mail-order stores.

I had this pile of bodies to stuft,dress and finish, I got quite a few finished. I discovered that if I sewed up a bunch at one time, they seem to make up faster, so I try to make 2 or 3 of each item. It seems to work for me.

A new little Valentine's Dollie, adapted from a pattern by Oh Sew Dollin. I love these little girls, they are only 8 inches tall.

another, for Easter with her basket of peeps!

Another Raggedy Smiles pattern, with her dollie.

Another Valentine's doll, pattern by Homespun from the Heart

A new dollie, I used a Craftaholic Creations pattern for the body and she is holding some of the new little dollies that I designed.

I had gotten several requests for little dolls for the bigger dolls to hold and this is what I came up with. They are only 4 inches tall. A little tedious, but they do turn out cute. If you are interested in the instructions and pattern, just email me and I will send it to you, I haven't figured out how to add it to my blog for a free download.

I am working on a prairie doll next, I have her almost done. I've had the pattern for a while but put off making it, because of the bonnet, but I found out that is was really easy to do. I should have her ready for a picture next time.

I've almost got the craft room done, most everything is put up, still need to vacuum and get a few more storage totes and hopefully be done until I find the new shelving I want for there.

Wishing everyone good luck with their New Year's Resolutions. Have a great week and stay warm! Cyndy

Back to Work Tomorrow

2011-12-26T18:53:00.001-05:00

Well, it is back to work tomorrow. Being off 10 days was soooo nice! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and looking forward to a NewYear.

We (Mary, Debbie, Me) got up early on Christmas Eve and went shopping, hit Kohl's, Kirklands, and Michaels. My husband thought we were crazy to go, but the stores were almost empty, most of the Christmas items were gone. I did pick up a few things though---like this lighted twig tree at Kirklands, half off, then I had a coupon for another 15 percent off. It looks much better than in the picture.

I started working on cleaning out the craft room, it was a mess, well, it still is, but I'm slowly throwing out, consigning some things and rearranging.I think my big splurge will be some new storage cabinets for the craft room, I want to be able to close the doors and not see everything.

I also took down all of the Christmas decorations today, did some rearranging in other areas too. As warm as it is here, I think spring cleaning has hit me already.

I been working on so new dolls, these are from a Raggedy Smiles pattern, I am loving the wool yarn that I found. I have another almost finished, but she is for the show next year, (this year, I am going to start earlier and for every two I make, I will make a third for the shows, we'll see how that works) she is wearing a gingerbread skirt and holding a gingerbread man.

A couple of the craft show dollies pattern by Sweet Meadows Farm, and another Penelope. Getting started on Valentines Day dolls now, then some Easter and St. Paddy's Day.

Another bagholdler, we had some time to kill before the cruise and stopped at a Joann's, they had lots of Christmas fabric left, found the white flannel with big red buttons. So I used it for the apron.= on this bagholder.

I also made a new mini Valentines Doll, from a Homespun from the Heart pattern, she has a little love letter and a felt heart.

I got a new cash register for Christmas, my other one died the day before the show, so we had to use a calculator, not fun! I really like this one, I was able to program within 5 minutes and it was ready to go.

Another present, a wireless printer, this works great, too. The color is fantastic.

I hope everyone has a great week and Happy New Year's. Cyndy

We're Back .. Merry Christmas from Florida

2011-12-23T15:33:00.001-05:00

We are back from a 5 day cruise to the Grand Caymans and Cozumel. I am glad we went, but sure am glad we're back. Weather was great, except for the winds, had 50-60 mph winds one night and that boat was rockin', so guess who got seasick? Me--luckily we weren't far from shore. This is our ship-Freedom of the Seas, it held over 4200 people.

David and Me poolside.

Inside view of the interior of the ship, a Christamas tree and glass elevators. There were 12 floors, we used the stairs when we had to go only 4-6 floors, but after that, elevators! You find out in a hurry how out of shape you are.

David played the slots the first night and won $15.00 , after that, no more luck.

A glass walkway

You can't really tell it by the pictures, but this area had lots of little shops and eating places.

My new home in the Grand Caymans--$15 million....

David couldn't wait to get to Mexico, he was legal there, he ordered his first Margarita at Senor Frogs. I got my one and only drink there too, a Banana Nana, it was good!

Mexico is a very poor country, this is typical of the shops they had and they would all run up to you and try to get you to go in their store. I did not enjoy that.

Their beaches are beautiful, no building is allowed, due to possible destruction by hurricanes.

Their police were everyone, they all walked around with semi-automatic rifles. They openly take bribes, our taxi driver paid one that was in the middle of the road.

The little shacks were bathrooms!

We saw several Iguanas, they were sunning on rocks or hiding in holes under the sidewalks.

We ate way too much. The food was great. One of my favorite appetizers--Shrimp Cocktail,yum

I didn't get a picture of my favorite meal, it was large herb crusted shrimp, the largest shrimp I ever saw, the waiter took them out of the shell for me before I could snap a picture. My favorite dessert, Mississippi Mud Pie

David got red velvet cake, with the large wedge of white chocolate, I got the chocolate, delicious!

I don't know how many of you remember, Whiskers, well guess who is back? I don't know the why yet, but he is here and back to trashing my backyard and begging for food. We missed the little guy.

It is in the 80's here, was wishing for cold weather for Christmas, but it is not going to happen. Mary and I are going to hit the stores tomorrow morning and see what bargains we can find.

I hope that everyone enjoys a very Merry Christmas and New Year's. And that Santa visits each and every one of you, because I know that everyone has been sooooo good! I hope to catch up with everyone's blog this weekend and see what I missed. Merry Christmas! Cyndy

Christmas Goodies in the Mail

2011-12-14T16:43:00.001-05:00

Hi, just a quick post to show off some goodies I received this week. My first was a Secret Santa Stocking swap, hosted by Prim Pals. My secret Santa was Jessica from Blessings in the Country. We were to fill a stocking with goodies, the stocking was made by another member, Kookie. Well, let me tell you, Jessica did more than fill a stocking, she filled a box.

lots of Chocolate, tags, ornies, notepad, tarts, etc.

Thank you, Jessica, you are an awesome secret Santa! (Note the stocking, that we were to fill.)

And then a good friend, Tina sent me a little surprise, a yummy smelling tart and a Hot Buttered Maple Grits and Honey candle, cute little reindeer holder and more candy! Thank you, Tina.

Every year, we sponsor a Senior Reading Tree at the library where I work. People select tags and provide gifts for local nursing home seniors (books, dvd's, games, etc). Well, our little helper L.C. (Library Cat) decided he needed to help or maybe he wasn't getting enough attention.... He's our baby.

This a group shot of the staff who worked on the Senior Tree this year, we were able to provide gifts for over 70 seniors this year.

Finally, I got to make a new doll pattern, this is a Raggedy Smiles pattern. I used wool yarn for her hair, I love the look of it. There is a lady that sells it close by, so very easy to get. I need to add a little something for her to hold and add some shoelaces. I found the rick rack trim at Michaels for $.99 a roll.

And finally, my boy graduates from the EMT class on Friday. He still has to take the National Exam after our trip, but so far, his grades have been great. He then takes Fire II next year and then onto Paramedic. Thank goodness we have the Florida Prepaid Tuition! David is the second one from the left on the top row.

Hope everyone has a great week! Cyndy

Winner of Give-Away

2011-12-11T16:39:00.000-05:00

First, I would like to thank everyone for entering in my give-away, I had a total of 96 entries and I put them all in a bowl (I forgot to take a picture) and the winner is Debbie K. from GoatCreek Bakery. Debbie, please send me your address I will get her right out to you. Thanks again everyone for stopping by and entering. I'll have another give-away soon.

We made a quick trip to Joanns yesterday, had some more coupons I wanted to use. I wanted to get some Christmas fabric before it was all gone, well too late, there was not one piece of Christmas fabric left, there was plenty of Easter, Valentines, St. Patricks Day and Americana, but no Christmas. So I bought some of the upcoming holiday fabric. By using my coupons I saved over $50.00, you gotta love those coupons.

Then we hit some antique stores and mall in High Springs and near Lake City. There were a couple of dolls that I really liked, a little pricey, almost talked myself into the next one

She was my favorite, I can't remember the dollmaker's name, but she was from Illinois.

These were my only purhcases, a total of $8.00. The M&M container is for a present, the Radio Flyer sled I will use with a snowman or doll next year and I couldn't resist the hat for $2.00

I used some of the green fabric and made another doll. The green fabric is really nice.

I also have started on some different holidays, made two Americana bagholder. FYI, that star print is a new fabric at Joann's and it was $9.99 a yard, fabric prices are going up!!!!!

I had enough fabric left from last year to make one more of these, she is on her way to Alaska.

I made up some more of the little dolls, this one was the last Christmas doll that I made for this year. She will be headed to Canada tomorrow.

Once again, thanks for following and entering. After this week, my hubby said no more crafting for a week, as we are going on a cruise to Mexico. (I may have to sneak in a small project and take with me, I just can't sit without something in my hands to do) I do plan to take a book or two. Tonight, I plan to catch up on everyone's blogs and do my Christmas cards. Hope everyone has a great week! Cyndy