Introducing Zach

Here the announcer is pumping up Zach for the crowd...Zach has a finger lifted...I am going to say this is for Jesus. This place was terrible for taking pictures...they pour this smoke into the room when the fighters enter, so this is why it looks so smokey. Plus it was dark and I was not close enough to really get very good shots...most them had to be deleted.

Zach and Me

Here is Zach after he won his fight, wearing his medal. How I got such a good looking son, I'll never know. Congratulations son! I am proud of you. Keep up the good work!

Zach on the Ultimate Cage Fighting Poster

Here is my son, Zach, on the Ultimate Cage Fighting Poster. He is the one on the front left. Last night was his first match and he won. Piece of cake for him. He is not someone to fool around with. He loves to be fit and works very hard at it. I am proud of him and my prayer is that he will bring lots of people to know Jesus through this means. The Lord showed me a long time ago that he had a special calling on Zach's life. I did not know just what that meant, other than he would be a leader and minister to many people. So this may be what God has in store. So please pray that Zach will heed the calling of Jesus and turn this area of his life he is good at into a way to reach the lost.

Little Green Goober

Not sure what this little guy is, but I'll call him a goober. He was a find from the thrift shop. I thought he kinda looked like my grandson, Elijah. No, Eli is not green, but he has a round little head. This guy looks like he is waiting for some kind of trouble. Check out that hair! He likes sitting in the window sill in my studio.

Sewing Chair

This is a pinkeep that was probably made in the 1950's. I am not all that crazy about the print, but like the cute little chair. It sits next to my sewing maching and I do use it for straight pins while I am sewing. Since I prefer a more Civil war style fabirc, I may replace the fabric on this one day...one more thing on my list of "to do's." I tell ya, that list is long. I am sure I will never live long enough to do it all.
I did get some pillows recovered these last few days. I had this great fabric, found at the thrift shop, of course, and decided it time these pillows had gotten a new covering. They look so nice with my leather couch. Plus they fit in with more jewel colors I use in my home.

My Vintage World

Yep, this is my world...and it is vintage. This 8" world globe was bought at a yard sale a few years ago. I have been looking for a larger one where the ocean is black. My grandmother had one like that and I liked it. I do not know what happened to it. I have asked different relatives, but nobody seems to know where it went. This little one will just have to take it place until I can find one that is "just like grandma's."

Here she is again

This is a closer look at the pinkeep.

Victorian Pinkeeper

This romantic pinkeeper has graced my sewing machine cabinet for a couple of years now. I bought it at a local store called "My Favorite Things." This place has vendors booths with a variety of goods for sale, with most of them being antiques or vintage items. It is a fun place to browse or pick up something from time to time.
I think this pinkeep would be an easy one to copy, so if you want a closer look just click on the pic to get a better look at it.
I believe some of the flowers are not original, likely there were added to replace more worn flowers. The ribbon is vintage.

Victorian Box

Jar of String

I found a package of red and white string at my thrift shop the other day. So since everything goes into a jar in my studio I crammed these guys in one too. They are vintage, but I am not sure what they were used for. The labels are in Japanese. I do love string and have been using it more. Rubber bands are more convenient, but they do wear out and string has much longer life to hold things together.

Going Green with GUMBY

Isn't he oh so cute? I loved watching Gumby and Pokey on television when I growing up in the 1950' and 1960's.
I found this guy in a large banana box of semi-collectible toys I have been saving for my grandchildren.
So out came Gumby to be in his new home...my studio. Since the studio is a place for the odd and quirky, as well as
crafting supplies he will fit in nicely.
So welcome, Gumby. The other good thing about Gumby is that he is GREEN...so he is in style since everyone is going GREEN. Now, I need to find a Pokey to hang out with him, something to watch for this summer when yard saling.

Sew what?

I found these 'olde' wooden letters at a quilt sale back in the fall.
The vendor had a few letters in a basket so I was also able to get the initials for
my first and middle name, which was PJ. My mom always called me "PJ"
when I was a child and still does.

I loved these letters because they spell out one of my hobbies: to SEW.
They have found a home in my studio...reminding me to SEW from
time to time. I seem to have so many projects going on at any
given time I sometimes need a reminder.

The next project is to finish a family quilt that was started about 23 years ago.
So...sewing I will be!!!

Lovely new draperies...well sorta

These heavy duty draperies are new to me. I got them at my local thrift shop for $1.99 per panel.
So this made it only $3.99 to cover the bedroom window. They are a soft, dark gold with a slight pattern.
They are a soft brushed upholstery fabric that looks very Victorian.
Here they are displaying the tie backs that came with them.
This is actually a new window as well. But when we had the tree fall on the house
last winter, things in this room never got the remaining repairs done.
So the window is now in and I was able to put up a curtain. Yippee!
I am so glad to have this done! Now for remaining repairs to get finished.
But who knows when it will be, this is the way it is when you are married to
a home improvement man...you are the last to get things done around your house.
Since they have done it for everyone else, they are tired of working on houses and
so things get let go alot. But he is a good husband, so I will just be glad for that and thank God for him

Keeping the cold out

This is how they look down. They have done a good job at keeping the cold out. This has been important this past winter with the frigid days we have had here in the Northwest. So I no longer have a quilt covering the window. I can use it on the bed! Novel idea.

Sacred Harp Singing in Seattle

I had a new experience this past weekend. I went to my first Sacred Harp Singing. This style of singing is not to preform, but for the enjoyment of the singers themselves. The tradition goes back to the beginnings of our country and the need for people to learn to sing harmonies. Why? Well there were no or little instuments. So songs were written in part for people to sing. I have been to alot of singing events in my life, but nothing like this. The sound is heavenly, litterly. If you can stand in the middle where you can see the leader of this song is, you can get the full experience of the sound. So, I am hooked! It is AMAZING!!!
I will be making more trips to these singings, as they are all over the US and Europe. They are predominate in the south. If you have a chance check it out at: www.awakemysoul.com
It is also called Shape note singings or fasola.

Valentine Cake for My Sweetie

Here is my Valentine for my honey buns...he loves sweets...so this is what I gave him. He loved it! I had a piece too, even though I am not eating sugar these days. But we celebrated together, so I sat and had some with him. But back on my no sugar again today. I am heading out of town and there is a promise of a feast where Iam going, so I will need to behave myself!

Wire photo display

This wire photo holder is a Martha Stewart product. I bought it by mail order some years ago (Martha's pre-prison days) from her catalog. I liked that catalog and I saved them! They had some good decorating ideas in them as well as things for sale. Anyways...it is a great way to display some old photos and have easy access to them. I can just take one down for a project here and there. You can't really see the wire holder because I obviously have it totally covered up. This is in my office and very handy for my picture projects.

Vintage Tea Party Invitation

I found this little handmade tea party invitation in a book I got at the thrift shop. I love paper craft, so I thought I would use it as a sample and make some up for the next tea party I am having. Oh, I know you can buy nice ones these days...but they just aren't the same as the handmade ones. This was a Japanese tea, so they used a Japanese style cup for this. I will probably add a handle and make it more Victorian. But the basic idea is darling and worth repeating!

February Banner

We made these February banners last year in a Mary Janes Farm Chapter meeting that I hosted in my home. I kept mine to use again this year, so it is hanging on the front of the refrigerator. I copied a page out of an old book onto parchment like paper, then I scalloped the edges, glued it onto red paper, and embellished it. It has little festooning flowers on the corners with red glass glitter highlighting parts of the page. Last was a red tinsel pipe cleaner as the hanger. This old book had pretty pages for each month of the year.

Life is not measured...

Life is not measure by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.

This plaque was a gift to me from my son, Zach and his wife, Tina for my birthday. I have loved this saying when I have seen it around. I think the warm colors used on the matting and frame are great and will fit into my home very nicely. It will be hung in our office above the window. Once I get it hung I will reshoot it and show you. Thanks so much Zach & Tina.

Old Victorian Standup Valentines

These two old Valentines had belonged to Tim's grandma, his dad's mom. She had a nice little box of them collected from her childhood.
So last night Tim's mom gave me these two for a birthday gift. One of these is from a girl with the last name Atkinson, which is my children's last name. So she felt it appropriate they go to me. They are very delicate. These are the standup style, with three separate lithographed pieces that fold down flat. I love old Valentines, so this will be a nice addition to my collection. These are probably the oldest ones I have. Thanks mom in law. I love it when she gives me old things that had been in the family. I will treaure these always.

Me and My Sweety

Here is Tim and I at Nate's Pizza last night. We do love each other and have worked very hard to make our marriage work. God has been good to us.

Happy Momma with Her Darlin' Sons

Here I am with my great sons, Zach, on left, and Tyler on right. This is after we had Nate's Pizza for my birthday dinner. I try to get my kids to let me get pictures at every event and I am so glad I do this. Then I can pick through them once I get home and see them on the computer screen. I like to have a lot of pictures to choose from. We took about ten of the three of us, but this one we all had our eyes open and are smiling...yeah it really takes that many shots sometimes to get a good one! I am proud of my boys!
No daughters here tonight, one working and one in Alaska, sadly.

It has arrived!

Well, I got a wonderful surprise on my birthday, yesterday, in the mail. A large envelope was carrying my DAR certificate. So other than the swearing in, which will happen on Friday the 15th, I am officially a member. I have my national number. All of my hours of research have paid off for me. In this picture I am holding the certificate and sitting at my desk, which is where the greatest part of the research too place.
You can the screen saver on my laptop has an old market on it. This market was owned and ran by my grandparents in Chico, California back in the 1940's. It is still there, although my grandparents have moved on to heaven.
Behind me (you cannot see it in this picture) is the three drawer laterial filing cabinet that holds my genealogy files. It has been a blessing because of it's convenience. The book shelf you can see behind me is an old lawyer's book shelf. It is missing the glass pull down doors, but I love it anyway. I got it at a yard sale for $100.00 a few years back.

Pumping Iron

The iron foot peddle that is! Tim is testing it to make sure it works.