Catching up!

Boo!

Pumpkin patch!

Jurnee starting early on Christmas gifts!

CRAZY around here!

Working on some CRAZY squares before they get made into pillows and sent to live in someone else's home. I spent some time this morning browsing the web. I revisited some of my favorite places, Wise Craft & Heather Bailey to name a few. Check out the awesomeness there.

A quick craft and Sophia's friends!

This is a Quadropus, from the current issue of Family Fun magazine. This was a very fast craft, and fun to do! Jurnee came home from school sick yesterday, and I had just finished this and I could barely pry it out of her hand for a photo!

December 2006, Guang Zhou China Ella, Sophia, Sydney

Wisconsin, USA January 2009, Ella, Sophia, Sydney. How they've changed, and how beautiful is adoption? We are so blessed!!!!!!!!

Weekend Retreat

So, Where was I this past weekend? I went on a scrap booking retreat. Mainly I went not only to get away for a weekend, but to see if I am still as passionate as I once was about scrap booking. I did answer my question, but I went away with so much more. Our speaker was Tricia Morris the owner of CLUB SCRAP.
This company is amazing, but Tricia herself was an incredible teacher/speaker. WE learned some fast layouts, (which is the premise of club scrap,) but we also learned book binding and I very much enjoyed this workshop! In fact I plan to do more soon.

This pillow above I finished last night with the help of my mom's button stash and it turned out pretty good, but my photos are not the greatest, as usual. I am trying to finish what I have started. So you will see more in the very near future! I have been adding to my Etsy shop.
I could not resist this photo op. This is my little Sophia, with two of her babies, and her cousin Jake's graduation photo placed precisely in that position by her on her lap. I must have giggled for 1/2 hour about this one.

I am crafting...really I am!

I really am trying to get a handle on my Christmas crafts. I have so many ideas, and so little time. I have recently taken a second job, which I actually enjoy, but with Rusty hunting who knows how many days a week, and the girls, and the youth girls from church--- that I love dearly...Wow I am spread thin. Plus I have 2 different friends that have contacted me with business proposals. So my head is spinning, but I am diligent, and motivated and my crafting life will prevail!

Just want to let my blog friends that I am still here, and I have been reading your blogs at night!

AUTUMN

This one of my latest creations. Autumn pillow. I crocheted a motif and sewed it on, to be a flower. I was pleased over-all. I have a few more in progress and hope to get them on Etsy. This one is sold though.

So many things going on here, Rusty's dad has his cancer surgery on Thursday and it went well. So, hopefully he might be coming home sometime this month. He has bee at UW hospital since the middle of July. We are all ready for him to get home.

Jurnee got 5" of her hair cut, hopefully I will be able to post pics soon! I also, reinstalled Windows on my computer on Saturday night, so I needed to reinstall the photo program I used, but I couldn't, and whatever my computer used for the photo above, it worked slicker than I could believe. So now I can get back to posting photos.

Owl swap-What I sent

This a photo (with my questionable photography skills) of the owl apron I made and sent to Lori in the recent "Owl Swap" hosted by Crafty Carnival. She finally received it, so I am able to post it. So, I have finished another project, and many more on the way, I will try to post it later tonight... The thing is I sold it, and forgot to photo it, but I will go to the recipient's house for a visit later!

1969 Blogging

As you may know I went to my hometown last weekend with the girls for a visit. My grandma, (the source of much of my stash) gave me some old craft books. These are real treasures! The yellow copy of "Dolls" I found so interesting, published by a woman in Wisconsin in 1969, the cost $1. This publication includes numerous addresses and short bios of doll crafting women from all over the US & Canada. On the table of contents page it reads:
"I am happy to present this book of patterns which have been sent by readers. To the 'Doller' these patterns should prove interesting. Happy Dolling to all, and may you find the contacts you hoped for in these few pages."

I am amazed that the need for "crafting" contacts and fellowship that the bloggers enjoy today was made a reality through "snail mail" in the 1960's. These patterns are great too.
All of the books I received from my grandma have some very interesting patterns actually, and I plan to share more once I get through them fully. My grandma is the BEST EVER!!!!!!

SWEET 16

My dear friends got me motivated for this sweet treat. Jean needed a quick sweet 16 gift add on, and Lisa gave me the verbal tutorial at a park playdate, so here is the finished product!

Sunday morning...Ahh

Crazy Quilt diamond-------

Crazy Quilt diamond detail...

Today is going far better than the last two days. I checked with our local quilt store, Karen's Quilt Corner, and yes, I can lay out my quilt on the felt wall!!!!! I feel so relieved. Once I get my fabric swap squares, I will be compelled to get started right away, so I am finishing up on the many other summer projects I have going on.

This is a sample of the "Patriotic" projects I have been working on. They are almost all three completed, I have to stuff one more.

Think Award Nomination? - ME?

So call me crazy, but what do I do exactly? Anyway, with all of this nominating and tagging going on, I was thinking just last night about how surface my blog writing is. So I think I should step it up and I intend to now.

I have to tell you that I love spring, (photo to the right explains it) I think I love everything about it, especially the anticipation of the next 8 months...I love the change of seasons, but January, February and March in Wisconsin are absolutely heart stomping. Especially when the temps are too cold to go out often, or there is no snow, so what can I do? Craft you say, ahhh yes, but I need natural light, sunlight. So with that said, I love EVERY morning and day coming up until around January 4-5 when reality sets in.

I really do have feeling in my day, and I do come off cold and uncaring with much of the world, but that's not it, I just do not want to be caught and I do mean caught up in many actions of the world. I think deep down, I am an analyzer and maybe an over-carer ( if that was a word I would be more confident in using it.) But I thrive on making my own decisions, designs, friends and conversations etc...I think it forces me in some weird way to grow and not be stagnate.

My very dearest friend recently told me that what she didn't like about me much in 8th grade when we met is what she most appreciates about me now. My honesty, "no grey area with Dawn" etc...Comments by loved ones like that, deep down honest ones are the ones that keep me going.

Now for some craft...Love Craftsanity's latest podcast, and I am thrilled Jennifer is back! I think I might have to find "the" crochet pattern for the summer.