Remember These?

They were called "Liddle Kiddles" and they were tiny little dolls. Some came inside of a plastic locket, some in a perfume bottle. I remember wanting one for the longest time, and one day at "The Dime Store" (I think the name of the store was Kresge's) my mom must have had a little extra money and let me buy one. Gee I wish I still had it! They sell them on ebay now and I love to look through them to see if I can remember which one I had. Does anyone out there remember these??

tschotske swappin...

with the red lead yahoo group...must keep going and make a few more...

back to the trip pics...boys will be boys

One of the highlights of the vacation for Ed & the boys was our stop in Gettysburg. They are all Civil War buffs, and seeing the battle sights (the 3 hour car tour with audio cd commentary), getting out and exploring Little Round Top, Devils Den, and lots of other places they've read about and seen depicted in movies was thrilling for them. They walked around,talked, pointed, and climbed, and would get back into the car all excited, talking about the battle. (I got a whole lot of knitting done in the car that day!) But I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing this male bonding time that I know the 3 of them will never forget.

"antique ancestor" atcs

it's been awhile since i've made a set of atcs. i felt kind of rusty at it, actually. it was a good project for me- it really forced me to think outside of my usual "art box" since the guidelines for this particular swap were tight. this is a swap with the red lead yahoo group, and the quality of the atcs coming in really made me need to do my best work...not sure if this is it, but here is the finished set.

Abraham, Martin and John

"Has anybody here seen my old friend Abraham? Can you tell me where he's gone? He freed alot of people, but it seems the good they die young... "

These pics are of the Lincoln Memorial, the Ford Theatre where President Lincoln was shot, the steps of the Lincoln Memorial overlooking the grand basin where Martin Luther King,Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, and the gravesite of John F. Kennedy and his immortal flame at Arlington National Cemetary.

what an incredible honor it was to stand in these sacred spaces.

heartwarming

the best thing about our vacation was having all the kids together. the boys enjoyed hanging out together in the evenings (until wee hours in the morning), and mary grace LOVED being with both brothers. i love this pic of her with justin on the metro- ed & I were sitting in the seat behind them. grace filled moments...

me & my kiddies

walking to the Lincoln Memorial from the Washington Monument...

trying to catch a glimpse...

we could only get close enough to see the back of the White House due to tight security, but it was still breathtaking! mary grace & I were hoping to see the faces of the girls looking out the window, but no such luck! this was taken at about 9pm as we were walking around dc... when all the buildings and monuments are lit up at night, it is just SO magnificant!

we're back...and look what we saw!

we just returned from vacation in washington dc. it was our first trip there (although the boys have been there before). what a site to behold! we were surrounded by the magnificance of our nation's history...what a vision of lovliness the capitol building is- both inside and out. it was an amazing trip...i'll share more pictures soon!

taking a little family roadtrip...

be back soon!

the birdcage

i have a few old birdcages that i've collected from estate sales...although i am afraid of real birds if they are up close and personal, i do love looking at them, and i love bird art. i also have this tendency toward "unique" collections. i love "kitschy" owls- you know, the ones from the 70's that were usually done in bad colors! many of my pals know of this collection, and always find just the perfect little owl to send me... as i was reorganizing my studio recently, i decided the owls needed a home...here are a few of them in their new digs.

more treasures

a few estate sales this morning...and a few fun finds! the dollie has a bit of a lazy eye and could use a fashion makeover...her name is mary...and of course i can't leave a pretty floral tin with a lid behind... the ornaments were too much kitschy fun to pass up...and then of course i hit the milinery motherload! my husband has long learned not to ask "what are you going to do with THAT?" i guess because he prefers i not ask HIM the same question!

more sweetness

mother's day sweetness from my sis- some pretty white hobnail glass, which i love! the perfume is called "flowers" and smells heavenly. aren't sisters great? they know just what you'll love!

sweetness x3

the adorable knitted bunny is from becky, the sweet baby (NOT scary, susie!) i rescued from an estate sale, and the vintage bunny was made into the cutest-ever pin cushion by my friend heidi! a trio of sweetness!

a special day

Mary Grace was Confirmed (a "coming of age" sacrament in our church) this week. She asked her big brother Justin to be her sponsor, so he came home from college to be with her on her special day. When did she grow up? Where was I??? And how could this man be my little blonde headed boy?? I wish there was a "rewind" button in life...or at least a "pause"...

may projects

i've got a few things goin' on in the studio this weekend...tags for a tag swap on follow your bliss, my itty bitty page for the red lead book, and an rak chunky page...

I won!

I'm so excited! I won the Earth Day Giveaway at The Salvage Studio and will be receiving a copy of their book! I can't wait! I LOVE their style, and since their studio is in the state of Washington, I won't be able to visit any time soon...so now I'll be able to "visit" anytime I want by paging through their lovely book. (Maybe my luck is changing...I never win anything!)

Tag Book Extrordinare!

I just received my finished tag book from the Red Lead Yahoo Group Tag Book Swap. Wow! is all I can say. There were 44 participants so we each made 44 tags, so the book has 44 different, incredible tags! What a sight to behold! I notice something different each time I look at it! Special thanks to Debbie for putting it all together!

Spring Fling Treasures from Julie

I participated in the Spring Fling Swap at Vintage Ephemera (see swap badge in margin) and look what Julie aka Cupcake DD made for me! It is a paper mache box that is so very sparkly and springy and absolutely lovely! And she send all these other goodies too! What a delight to open!

Couldn't leave her behind...

Look who came home from me from an estate sale last week! She has scared a couple of people, and our dog barks at her, but I think she's sweet!

Got Any Jelly Beans ??

Happy Easter!

Happy 50th Birthday, Eddie!

My sweet husband turned 50 years old today. He still looks like this though. I'm so glad he was born!

RAK

i made these to contribute to some rak chunky books for cyber sisters...shhh...can't say more...

precious gifts

my friend linda sent me these hostess gifts from the Vintage Spring Sweetness Swap. she has an amazing ability to choose just the perfect things for people she has never met. i like to refer to her as my cyber soul sister! thanks again, linda for the joy you add to my life!

be still my heart...literally!

these are my boys. Boy #1 just arrived safely back to school from spring break trip to denver... Boy #2 just arrived safely back home from spring break trip to texas. spring break trips used to mean family vacations, now they mean gray hairs and worry worry worry. they are great young men, and I am so proud of them...and so thankful to God for their safe travels!