A Little Painting and Foofing...

Hey there Chickies...  And, Happy Saturday!

Have I told you lately how much I appreciate y'all?  

I love it that you'll pop on over to my little blog for a visit.   :-)

So, on one of my thrift shopping trips I found this hideous little handmade and heavily painted tote.  Naturally I forgot to take pix until the re-do was mid stream...  but you can trust me on this one...  It had really thick white paint...  I think the intention was to cover the HUGE nails it had been assembled with..  I took it apart, glued it and used finishing nails to hold that little dandy together.

So much better.

It's been on my island for a few seasons now...   and I just change out what's inside.  Love the pretty robin's egg blue.    :-)

We're actually having pretty decent weather here, in the Pacific Northwest.  The weather report said we'd have a 90% chance of rain today, but so far so good.  I've even seen the sun a few times today..  WooooHoooo!

The Hubbs is out on a bike ride........that guy is so stinking healthy..........  he just got a new bike......  I don't know how many miles he had on the old one, but he does about 1,000 miles a year!  Whoa baby!  

Anyway, when he gets home we're going to put the decorations up on the front porch.  We don't do a lot...  but just a little greenery and a wreath make things look pretty festive, right???

I bought a new ipod and have it all loaded up with enough Christmas music to play for FOUR days without playing the same song/artist.  Sweet!  A bigger ipod was a necessity, all the music wouldn't fit on the old one anymore.  I'm thinking some nice hot, spiced cider is in order too.  YUMMY!

Stay warm dear ones and have a great day as we enter into the Christmas season, celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Huggies and Lovies!

Spencer

PS...  I have no idea why some words are underlined...  I didn't do it and I can't fix it either.. I think Blogger's having a glitchey...

How Precious

I am CRAZY about my grandson.... He's so much fun, very smart and artistic too.... He made little snowmen at school last year....so I asked him to make me a snowman nativity..... honestly, isn't it the cutest thing ever? I will treasure it forever...

Thank you so much Honey Lamb... You're the bestestest.

I love you!

Hemma

(He wasn't here when the clay finally dried, so I added the faces and sparkles).

Wishing You ALL A Very, Very Merry Christmas

Hey Sweet Chickies!

Things are really movin' around here at the Cottage. Lots of last minute fluster.... and some flour flying around too. That's just how it is at Spencer's house on Christmas Eve!.... Next year I'll be done by Halloween... *wink*.

The simply precious little art piece above was done by my darling little grandson.


Title?

Zebra masquerading as Rudolph.


How cute is that?


See the paint bucket and brush?


This is one clever kid.

This was actually the outside of my Christmas card this year. I use a bit of his art every year. It makes me smile.


I want to wish each of you the sweetest Christmas ever.


May the Jesus I know be in your hearts and homes too.



Huge Huggies and Christmas Lovies,


Spence

Happy Pink Saturday.....Dollies, A Sweetie And A Question??? :-)

Well Girlies.... Pink Saturday sure sneaked right up on me! I can't believe it's already January 8th! Wow!

Our dear Beverly hosts this wonderful MEME.....You'll find her and all of the other sweet and creative girlies at www.howsweetthesound.typepad.com

I'd like to introduce you to the dearest little peach today. Her name is Gwendolyn at acharminghome.blogspot.com

You really must pop over and meet this sweet gal. You'll love her. Promise! You'll be uplifted and charmed, I'm sure. ;-) She's having a GIVEAWAY too! You know how we love a giveaway, don't we girlies?


Now, for my little pink today. Yep, I know..........I've posted these dollies before. It was so dark and dreary all day here in the Northwest I just couldn't take any decent pictures.

No problem I told myself.......I'll just dig into the archives. :-) I hope you don't mind.

My daughter collects all things Dionne Quintuplet and this is one of her dolls. Several years ago she asked me to make her a new outfit as her Christmas gift........she was nekkid! :-)

I loved making this for her...........I could sit and do handwork all day long if I had time.

And, this is Betty Sue. No, she wasn't marketed as Betty Sue, but that's what my girl named her when she was just a little gal. I think she got her for Christmas when she was about 4 or so.

She got her AGAIN for Christmas when she was about 6 or so......she LOVED her and had played with her so much her cloth body was shot............we didn't have much so I made her a new body and tons of clothes, quilts, blankets, and a little bed. She was just as thrilled the second time around.

The little outfit above was the THIRD time around! She asked for a new outfit for her too....

Mama does love making doll clothes. :-) And, pleasing my girl............she's VERY sentimental!



Ok..........I have a question too!

How would I go about making a little Bellamere Cottage button for my blog? Maybe, just maybe somebody might want one?

And, I've been trying to do another blog for my favorite girlies and can't figure out how do it? I lost nearly all of you when I was dinking around on my blog one day. I can't figure out what happened there......I'm so sorry. And, I want to add you all back.

It just keeps popping up with THIS blog. I'd like Bellamere Cottage Two?

Oh how I'd appreciate your help.



Have a wonderful weekend dearhearts.

Big hugs and lovies!
Spence


xoxoxoxo

It's The Big Countdown! Four More Days!

Happy, happy Monday Chickies!

A few presents wrapped and under the tree, the cards are finished and I'm frazzled.....

But, today I'm going to make a little bit of progress........I am PROMISING myself!

A bit of sewing and a bit of handwork.....I LOVE handwork.....so I'm looking forward to that.

Yep, more plates under a candle.........I'll use plates under ANYTHING and EVERYTHING.....Don't you think it gives that little candle a bit more presence?

Oh how I'd love to take credit for this little wreath surrounding those adorable little posies......yeah, it was a total accident...........but a happy accident, don't you think?

That pretty little hurricane is actually Waterford crystal. I think it's their basic line and I got this piece after Christmas for a SONG!

I love this beat up old cabinet............I bought it years and years ago for about seven dollars at the Goodwill.............I'm not kidding........I don't know who built the darn thing, but it weighs a ton and is so sturdy you could use it for a house foundation. :-)

It's been many colors over it's life with me, but I'm liking the black the best. Someday I'll be brave and actually show you the inside. It's my china/nic-nac overstock cupboard. It is VERY messy. I try so hard to keep it neat, but I'm always pulling things from it and then replacing things that it loses it's organization in about five minutes.


Alrighty sweet and busy chickies......

I'm off to work!

Wishing you all of the joys of this wonderful Christmas season...

Huggies and Lovies,
S

Eight Days??? YIKES!

Oh Girlies! Time is zipping by, isn't it? Are you up to your eyeballs too?

I did actually finish the Christmas cards last night.....still have to address them, but at least they're all made.

And, just in the nick of time too! My printer breathed it's last breath yesterday. Pooooof!

Well, first she made this HORRIBLE noise and then NOTHIN'.....NADA......ZIP!

After a little chat with a very polite little fella named David, in India, a new printer is on it's way.

Whew........Good NEWS!

Well, except I just spent over 120 dollars to replace the cartridges!....Actually, only one, the magenta, the others aren't even opened yet.....and one black one out of a two pack.......

You guessed it....new printer? Yep, different cartridges.

DANG.

That little girlie? Yes, that would be me. It must be Christmas 1952, I had polio the next spring....

I LOVED this panda.....and they're actually STILL my favorite animal. Are they not the cutest things ever? Have you ever seen video of them playing together as little cubs?

That's a picture of my sister, Donna on the right side table. I think the big doll was hers....

See how much I loved that panda? I had this little stuffed fella until I was about ten. My Mum had mended it many times. It had straw inside..........whew, that shows 'ya how old I am doesn't it?

I got the spring cleaning tradition from my Mum.

I came home from school in the middle of spring cleaning one day...........and..............my Mum had THROWN IT AWAY!.................Noooooooooooooo!

Now, my sweet Mum just couldn't take it anymore. She hated that pooped out panda.....but she THREW IT AWAY!

My little heart was broken.

My Mum was the "if you're not using it right this second" it's history type. She didn't like extra things around "just in case"......there were empty places in cupboards and closets.

Let's just say I'm NOTHING like my Mum in that department. :-)


I hope your planning and preparations are coming right along and you're enjoying the blessings of the season!


I'm off to do some work on presents today.


Huggies and lovies!
S

PS......I'll be back visiting all of you like crazy as soon as I'm finished!


xoxoxoxoxox

Happy Pink Saturday......I'm So Glad You're Here....

Good morning Sweet Chickies!!!!!!!!!!!

I will be asleep, I'm sure, if you're a happy, early girlie. It's 2:15 right now and I'm totally rummy, so I'll be sleeeeeeeeeeeeping late tomorrow.

I'm soooo hoping this is going to make any sense at all. I've been struggling all night trying to re-do my header for Christmas....and then there was the music. Oh my gosh that was frustrating. I wanted to put a skin behind it, but darned if I could figure out how to do it. I had one on my old Playlist, but nada....nothin'........zip.......here today. Maybe I'll try to address that once I'm awake!

Ok.......'nuf complaining.

Our wonderful Beverly had a wonderful idea for the next few weeks for Pink Saturday to celebrate Christmas. We can post any color and each week she assigned a special subject...

This week:
Childhood Memories



I think most of you know that Barbie is 50 this year, right? Well, when I was 9 years old the ONLY thing I wanted for Christmas was a Barbie. At that time they were only $3......wow, what a deal! :-)......because I had watched this commercial over and over....


Click right here to watch...it's quite different from today's commercials, that's for sure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8-avPUxyno

Yep, I spent at least 30 minutes trying to do the little link thing again to no avail. How the heck do you girlies do that?

Anyway, being the little scout that I was, I made a beeline for the tree on Christmas morning. I knew the exact size box my new Barbie would be in.

I looked, and I looked and I looked..........NOTHING. Surely my wonderful Mummy would never disappoint me on Christmas? I did have lots of presents....I kept opening them...and opening........and opening.....no Barbie. Finally, I was to the last gift.....near tears. Heartbroken.

The box was way too big to be my Barbie.....I opened it and there, in the center of that box?....Sure enough...my Barbie....part of a very large set. It was Mix and Match Barbie with a lovely wardrobe. I remember she had an orange twin set and gray skirt...I think it had pants too.......and maybe jammies and some other things, including several pairs of shoes. Now, that was a REALLY big deal.

Sooooo..........Fifty Years ago and I can still clearly remember where the tree was and how thrilled I was to open that gift. :-) Ahhhh.....my wunnerful Mummy. :-)

I so wish I still had that Barbie. I have no idea what ever became to 'ol Mix and Match Barbie....but she gave me hours of enjoyment as a kid.....and even then I was designing homes for her.......and furniture.

Now......I'm just certain there are some REALLY wonderful stories from our Wonderful Pinkies out there.....

Just zip on over to see Miss Beverly.

Her link is missing off my sidebar since I had that disaster, but her blog is:

www.howsweetthesound.typepad.com

I'll bet we're in for lots of fun today.


Thanks so much for coming and for hanging in there with me.

Lovies and Huggies!

A Really Pooped Spence

xoxoxoxo

Sweet Rebecca's Having The Most Delish Giveaway!

If you've never been over to visit Rebecca at a Gathering of Thoughts, you really must zip on over. She has the sweetest little blog in blogerville....you'll leave feeling all girlie and inspired, I promise...

Plus......she LOVES PINK. It just can't get any better than that, can it?

And, you just might win this glorious pink stocking for your Christmas decorating pleasure!

But, I'm tellin' ya....I'm praying you DON'T....because I REALLY want it myself.


Just click on the button on my sidebar and you'll be right there!

Big Monday hugs to you!

xoxoxox
Spencer