Nativity sets

I went to my local thrift store and found some fun nativity sets for a great price. THis first one is  the playmobil set, I was going to buy this one for Natalie but then saw that it has way too many little bits and pieces, so it is mine now. Then I got one of those sets that someone has sewn and hand-stuffed. The round porcelain one had no lights so I inserted a strand of battery operated led lights. They stayed lit for days. Mom painted the chunky wood ones for me years ago as well as the set of three elegant painted figures. On the top we see a fun children's turned wood glossy painted set from China, which no grand baby of mine will gnaw on due to the lead paint scares. The last top left one came in that felt box with a creche on it! Inside were little polymer clay figurines, which was a super price because one sheep was missing! At least everyone else was there. So for the last 25 years I have had 2 nativities and now I have 8, 9 counting the box! So now I have a collection of nativities, or something new to collect and display.

Quilty Christmas stuff

Here is my new Christmas king sized bed quilt. These blocks are really big and this worked up quickly. I won lots of different quilt fabrics at a Four County Quilt Guild event in MD years ago and finally found a great design to use them all together. Reds and whites, greens and golds all together. I finished the quilt  top in Canada when I lived there and had it quilted in Texas this year, on my bed this year for the holidays--Yeah!! It is much prettier in person. Lisa did a really creative custom quilt  design in the blocks that accents the floral feel. Plus, there are stars in the borders, hard to see until you are very close. Mom made me this runner for my table for Christmas this year. I had some big quilt plans of my own for my grand babes this year but I have been sick for over a week now and I guess they may get them in January...

Necklace making with Judy

We made many more pieces than this, and even took pictures for the blog, but the photos have disappeared! These are all we have--

Florist Flowers

I do not know, what are these flowers ? And what are these alien yellow things? Look some handcrafted brooms..

Swiss Hot chocolate

The Swiss make a hot chocolate that is very dark and bitter sweet. Here is a outside cafe at the Stork Hotel with fur robes to cover your lap and wonderful swans swimming by and a river view. Richard drank three or four chocolates a day and usually mine too. The whipped cream is so high in butterfat that it sits on top of your hot chocolate like a pile of mashed potatoes. See it on the little saucer behind the croissants? This is just a mean post, you can almost taste it...

Nascar not Crafting

Last month Judy and I went to the O'Reilly cup with Richard and Zack, our first ever Nascar event for the 4 of us. We were totally surprised at how many fans there were, and how loud it was. Duh! We had to buy earplugs. We won these tickets at a charity silent auction. Never say that I am not the hostess with the mostest when you come to visit me. Judy and I drove to Houston for the big quilt show also. I was not enamored of this sport though and wished for some embroidery or a book---Now if this blog only had "loud-o-vision" You could hear the swoosh of the lapping cars. Notice way past the score pole the miles of parked campers, the second farther rows back? That's where we parked. Luckily, there was a trolley to get nearer before the race. and a nice lady drove us back in her golf cart afterwards, stars in her crown in heaven, kind stranger!

My husband and son said they could understand the lure, they found the whooshing of the laps to be strangely mesmerizing.

Wooden boat models

Look at these great models at the Wooden boat museum in Clayton, New York. If these are children's toys they were lovingly kept. A man here in our neighborhood is building a big wooden boat in his garage. I keep meaning to get over there to ask him if I can see it, I just catch tantalizing glimpses driving by when the door is open, another friend said that the neighborhood man builds boats for Disney, But until I talk to him myself that's just a rumor!

Painted bear garland

Mom painted all these different themed bears over several years, This year I hung them on my stair bannister. There are LOTS of these cute guys.

More Christmas stuff

Mama's great Christmas winter village quilt with pearl snow. and a snow man with button legs and a my favorite rudolph the reindeer trophy head--

More Santas from my collection

Some more great painted santas; tall ones, short ones, fat ones and even skinny ones-- and many in a santa forest!

Hand Painted Santa collection 1

My Mama Painted a Santa for our family every year since I was married up until 2005, I continued to paint some myself. It makes me happy to put them up every year. These are not in chronological order.

Mysterious crafting

What is she doing with construction paper stars and a big ole' bottle of Frank's hot sauce? hmmm? In Maryland a while ago---