If you click on the card to make it bigger I think you will see it says Merry Christmas on it. These are tatted ribbon bows that I made to help my grandson Timothy decorate a pine weath he made in school. Right now I don't have a picture of the actual weath but I did take this scan of them and thought it made a festive looking picture.

Wow Where do I start??? Well first I hope you all had a very nice Christmas.

Santas, secret or those of the friends and family were very good to me this year. I guess that means I must have been a very good girl. Can it BE??!!

Here is a picture of my family. They really hate it when I want them to pose for the family picture...but they do it anyways.

My little movie star Girly Girl is now walking. She turned 10 months on Christmas. Here she is...my little movie Star Kiara. This other picture of Kiara is so cute too...I don't think she likes the flash from my camera.

Everybody here knows I love the "Wizard of Oz" movie and I like to immitate the wicked witch around here. Of coarse if you ask Gary my husband he would tell you there is NO immitating of the witch...I am the witch. But from Chrystal and Gary ( her significant) I got the "Wizard of Oz" musical snowglobe with both the good witch and the bad which ...so I have been heard to be saying "Am I a good Witch or a Bad Witch. I love it.

This year must have been the year of the hats...look at the pictures and you can see why.

Michelle got me this very nice hat,gloves and scarf. The hat reminded me of a hat that I saw Sue Hanson wore when she came to my house years ago. It kinda looks a bit Brit to me. I also posed with my head down like Micheal Jackson did in "Billy Jean" music clip so you could see the top band of my hat better. I love it and my kids actually thought it looked good too. I wonder how it will look with my New Jets Winter Jacket though...LOL

But WAIT....here I am in another hat......WHAT!!!! A witches' hat on Christmas you say....but I got this hat from my friend Carol Amich this year. I had mentioned I didn't have a witches hat....can you believe that....me immitating the Wicked Witch of the West without a witches hat...well that will no longer be the case....Here I am posing again in my very own Witches Hat. And take a look at my shirt. It is a skeletal person walking a skeletal doggie and it says Happy Halloweenie.

Now this leads me to my other Christmas exchanges presents.

From Carol I got this really cool and I mean cool Christmas witch that she named Chriselda. Isn't she cool??? I told Carol she needed to make me the Christmas elf too that she sent to Karey for her exchange so I could play the "Odd Couple."

Here she is!! And I love the fact she used a plastic Christmas bulb instead of a glass one. I don't have to worry about it getting broken. She will be out and about all year and not packaged away. I keep my gifts that are hand made out all year in displays for I so enjoy looking at them.

As I mentioned she also sent me the cool Witches hat. Here is a picture showing whatelse Carol sent to me. Take a look at the hedgehog ring and the heggie squeeky toy.

Thank you so much Carol for my lovely fun Christmas package.

Then from my Secret Santa exchange from the Tattinggoddess list I got this pretty beaded glass ornament. In the other picture you can see what else my Secret Santa sent to me. I also like that she sent me a chocolate box to store the ornament in...but I will be keeping the ornament out year around. I know I will enjoy the Christmas CD since I am a music lover and the earrings will be fun to wear...and oh I forgot to add the White bark Pepperment bar into the picture...but she also sent me that. I haven't eaten it yet...but I will. Have no fear when it comes to chocolate and me. I wish I knew who she was. All I know is her return address is Everett, Wa.

And yesterday I got another surprise in the mail. A box from Tatman. Wow was I surprised. Anyhow...Here is what she sent to me. Isn't the penquin cute? I have to admit when I first saw the little box I was wondering what that was ontop of the box...and then the lightening bolt hit me right in the hear and turned my hair all which and more wiry than usual. It was the little Christmas tree that he tatted out of that tiny itsy bitsy thread he likes tatting with. So Ha Ha...I have the little tree. HEHe. But seeing a Zales box...I was wondering...does Mark actually shop at Zales...I myself stay very far away from Zales. I can't afford anything in that store...but when I opened the box inside was a cute leaf done in bobbinlace wire. Mark mentioned on his card that he should do more bobbinlace wire...and you know I should too. But I so need more time in my life. I really do!! Mark said I could wear it as a pendant. We will see...we will see...If I had another one like it I could have a pair of earrings. I am also showing close ups of the leaf pendant and the tatted half ring Christmas tree. Thank you so much Mark.

I have been doing some Cross Stitching and I made these ornaments up for my kids this year. I was gong to put tatting around the outside but I just couldn't find the time to do it. These are all Pairaie Schooler designs. They are alot of fun to stitch up. I plan on doing more of them.

From Gary and Chrystal I also got the chart called "Paradise Lost" designed by Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers designs. I am going to so much enjoy stitching this design. I love all the cute elements of the design. Like look at the birds in the leaves of the one tree for instance. Paulette also design the "Tis Halloween" design that I changed into "Tis Christmas" that I gave to Carol Amich and since then I have just finished another one. This time I used metallics in my snowflakes and did the lettering in red and green...then I was thinking I could also do the snowflakes in red and green. I have to say this is one of my favorite designs. IT is so much fun. So here are more pictures.

Can't let myself get too stale huh??? I have got to write once in awhile ...Right? So here I am writing ...but I don't have much to write about....but I do have a picture to share. I have been working on cross stitch and tatting ornaments for my children this year. This design is by Country Cottage Needleworks and ws in 2008 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue. The edging on the cross stitch piece is "Black Magic" design by Mary Konior.This is slow going...for I don't have a ton of time. ....Yeah...I know I am home 24/7...but I watch my grandchildren almost everyday...and that takes time....and lots of interruptions.

Christmas is coming...are you ready?? I am not. Since we are so broke right now because of my husband being out of work since April things have been really tough this year...but we are surviving. My husband has found a new job. Isn't that great news. He has just started so not too sure how things will go...He will not be making what he did at his old job,but at least he doesn't have to drive about an hour one way to get to work like he did with his job of over 30 years. Now it takes him an half of the hour so we will save some money with him not driving and burning so much gas getting to work.

I did get a surprise in the mail today. Some cross stitch charts that the designer was so nice to send to me as a gift. I couldn't believe it when I got them. There were five in the envelope. And I really wanted these patterns too. What a shock!! They certainly brightened up my day. I got the envelope this afternoon but I was really busy today and so I decided I would wait to open it (though I didn't know what the envelope was) after I got my work done and the Grandkids when home so I could have my cup of International coffee and put my feet up and sigh...and then open the envelope. So I am in a pretty good mood still. :)

Earlier this week I also received two packages. One is from my Secret Santa from the Tattinggoddess list. I picked it up...not too heavy, I do hear a bit of rattle when shaken...but I didn't do that too hard...and I have put it by my Hershey Ornament tree that I have sitting up on my husband's old fold down or rolled down desk that his father made when he was very young. I think that desk means more to him than anything else in the house.

I also got a package from Carol Amich. Carol and I always do exchanges on Halloweenie...and Christmas. That Package is also next to the Secret Santa package under the same tree. This is a shoe size box. Nothing rattles...hmmm...it isn't too heavy but I would say heavier than the Secret Santa one...Yup...I compared the two as far as weight goes....LOL...

Christmas is coming and we haven't even started our Christmas shopping though we do have one gift for my youngest son...otherwise...nothing has been bought and I don't know where we will get the money to buy anymore gifts but we will do the best we can.

Christmas will be at my house for the family celebration as usual. I always make Christmas cookies...and HOmemade and I mean yeast and dough rising Cinnamon rolls. Both of these goodies have become a tradition. I did say that maybe I wouldn't make the rolls since it takes me all day and I end up with flour in my hair to got with my already gray hair. I do need to get the dye in my hair again....but it is finding time to do it...Of coarse besides the goodies I will bake...I always do the dinner too. I will do the dinner always though if that means I can get all my children and grandchildren here...I BRING out the food and they come.

Now I will leave you with just a couple pictures. One is one of ornaments I made and in the other picture is a picture of me and my youngest Grandson Peyton at Eastview Mall. Chrystal wanted me to come with her to the Mall but Peyton just wanted to go home. Come to find out he has another cold and pressure behind his ears. I took him to the Doctor's yesterday morning for Chrystal since she had to work.

Enjoy the pictures.

Hiya everybody in Cyberland. Not too much to report here except to say...I have been really, really busy in getting stuff done for my exchanges. Busy...busy...busy....but I did take some time out to do this cross stitch picture. The design is called "Tis Halloween" and it is done by the "Plum Street Sampler by Pauline. ......OH did you get the name...but it says Christmas in the picture doesn't it. Well...you know me....I always like to do something different. I love this picture design. I love the witch in the sleigh going along and take a look at those snowflakes...now those are what I call different looking snowflakes from the usual ones you see cross stitched. Check out those colors too...Anyhow...this design was originally for Halloween. It was done on orange color linen and it did say "Tis Halloween". Since I am so poor these days...I took a piece of scrap evenweave material. I don't know if it is linen or cotton. Anyhow...I painted it green, red and a sprinkling of gold to get that Christmas look and then I changed Halloween to Christmas. I love this design and I think I will make it again down the road. Check out the other Plum Street Sampler designs. I want to do "Paradise Lost" eventually. It is a sampler and a really cool and colorful one at that.

Right now I am thinking...what should I do with it...any of you got any suggestions out there in Cyberland.

I have also finished my one square knitted shawl from Goddessknits

http://bopeepswoolshop.com/

My shawl was a Kal a group of knitters on Yahoo groups. This shawl might even be one of the shawls she is selling the pattern for now...but I don't know what she has called it. Anyhow...I don't have a picture of that shawl yet. But I will hopefully soon. I am really happy with the way it turned out.

I can't show anything else right now because....sssshhhh....it is all a bunch of twinkling secrets right now.

Until next time...keep dreaming those wishes.

Hiya again,

Just a few pictures to show you all today. First I will show you my Janey,O Janey ornament. This is her new one. I made mine out of size 40 Lizbeth thread and the color numbers are :silver 605 and Wedgewood Blue dk. 656. This was a nice restful and fun pattern to do. Thank you Janey. If you would like to have this pattern to tat or if you would love to see her other patterns ...go here

http://www.e.n.e.btinternet.co.uk/

Her patterns are great. I have made alot of them over the years.

In past week I have been playing with leaves. I took this picture of Mark Myers Leaf that he designed when I saw him in 2005 at the Palmetto Tatting event. There is no pattern for this leaf but I do like it...so decided this week to play and see if I could copy it. In the first leaf I used some hand dyed thread that I got from Palmettos last year. It was done by Hope Bates I think. The colorway was called Sunflower. I also mixed in some green and oranges from the Lizbeth thread from Handy Hands. The last leaf I made using King Tut quilting threads. It is the one with the pink in the center of the leaf. Some leaves actually have pink on them. Now I know there are many different types of Maple Trees. I have Royal Red Maples in my yard and some I guess they are just regular Maple Trees. I went out side and gathered a bunch of them and sandwich the leaves between two layers of contact paper. I am using them for the Fall look around my house...but I noticed that the lobes of the leaves were not really as deep as the one Mark designed so I made my more compacted with no lobes.

Anyhow...I was just playing and having fun.

Wella.....enjoy the pictures. Now I am going back to work on my Nina necklace that I started when I took her class at the Palmetto's event this past September.

Today is November 1st and my oldest daughter Chrystal's birthday. She was born 34 years ago just after midnight on Halloween night. She is one of the reasons why I love Halloween so much as a holiday. This leads me to what I received in the mail from Battatter aka Carol Amich who also loves Halloween so much. First of all she made me this really cool crochet hedgehog which Carol told me she only knows how to single crochet. I think he is cute and sweet. It is meant to hold your knitting needles and crochet hooks in.

But Carol had to make the Hedgehog look Halloweenie....so she made Bat wings to put on the hedgehog. I haven't yet named my hedgehog...maybe some of you would like to help me come up with a name....I am thinking of naming him Dracula...what do you think of that?

So here is a couple pictures of my hedgehog...one with Halloween costume on and one with it off. She also make me a stick pin that you see sticking in the hedgehog. She said I could wear it as either a hair pin or a shawl pin since she knows I knit shawls too.

She also sent me some candy which I passed on to my two Grandboys that are here this morning and a Scooby Doo toy. She also sent me some writing things.

In the box was also some small pieces of fabric for my quilting endevenor to help raise money for Palmettos Tatting Event.

Speaking of fabric Linda Mageske of New Mexico sent me a business size envelope with some fabric scraps with a Christmas theme. Actually...that is all you have to do if you want to contribute to the cause of helping me raise money for Palemettos is stick some fabric and maybe some trimmings if you have any in a business size envelope. Just your small amounts can go along way into making something creative. I hope you will help me with that project of making the Halloween and Christmas quilt blocks. These blocks will be crazy blocks in style. Just write to me and I will give you my mailing address.

I also spent the past few days doing something fun with a Halloween theme and that is the cross stitch picture you see here. The chart is a freebie that I got from The Primitive Needle designer Lisa Roswell. I love her designs and I want to get the chart really bad for the design she called "Witches Hallow". I think once that sampler is done...you can still use the chart to make individual items that are in the chart in other projects. Here is her url for her designs incase you are interested in seeing her other designs. Http://www.WitchStitchO.blogspot.com/

The url for her website where you can order her designs is

http://www.theprimitiveneedlehome.com/storeDefault.asp

As far as getting the "Witches Hallow" chart....I will pay a bit at a time for it since I can't spend that much money all at once. ...But "Witches Hallow" is definately calling my name.

And in the last picture here that I will share with you is a tatted tree I made about a month ago. I was trying out some metallic thread that I received to see how good the thread was for tatting. I have to say the thread failed the test...but since I have been tatting so many years...I can tat with just about anything so I made this tree. The picture really doesn't show how the tree sparkles unless you can click and enlarge the picture. The tree is very pretty. The pattern came out of an old "Anna" magazine that I have.

Well Halloween is just about here. I want to wish everybody a Happy and Safe Halloween. My card pic that I am showing is a light ceramic scene I did years ago. I have others here like this. I even figured out in Illustrator how to Put Happy Halloween in orange on it and save it so I could put the picture here as my card to you all that stop by my blog here

I have some pictures to show you. About two weeks ago I took the Grand boys to the Pumpkin Patch to select a pumpkin suitable or carving and to have some fun. First I will show you some different kinds of pumpkins. I didn't know there were so many kinds and these are just the iceberg. I think I like the Cinderella one the best.

In the next few pictures are the boys having fun. The boy with his thumb in his mouth with the Cinderella pumpkins is Peyton my youngest Grandson.

In the next few pictures Chrystal and I took the boys to Wegmans ( the Western New York State Grocery Store) to trick and treat in the store. Here is a couple of pictures of them doing that.

I carved Peyton's pumpkin and Timmy did his own and I don't have pictures of their finished pumpkins because the pictures are on Chrystal's camera. But I also carved Kiara's Pumpkin. Here is a couple pictures of her with her pumpkin. Isn't she cute?? I now find not only do I call her my "Movie Star" but I also have caught myself calling her " Girlie Girl". I think she thought it was something to eat right NOW!!

And here is the last picture I will share with you. Some of you might remember the Christmas Tatting Exchange on Gina' Tattinggodess list. Last year my exchange person was Vicki Clarke from Canada. I had gotten an advent package which means I had a package to open for 25 days until Christmas. Vicki was so clever and I really loved what she sent to me. Two of the things she sent to me was one a Halloween bracelet. Take a look at the black pumpkins and the Green scaredy cats on it. I wonder if Vicki made the bracelet or found it somewhere. I would love to get more buttons like what is part of the bracelet. The other cool thing she sent to me was this cool orange beaded tatted amulet bag with the bat hanging down. This is the perfect time of the year to be wearing both of these and I am ...so much fun Halloween is. Both of Vicki's present are sitting on top of the box I got from Battatter (Carol Amich). I know she has already opened my exchange to her...but if you came here to see what she sent to me...you will all have to wait until tomorrow...Halloween.....LOLLLLLlllllll