Truth or Dare....

I gotta 'fess up! Gotta let it all hang out! Gotta tell the truth even if most of my loyal followers run in disgust and cancel their subscriptions to my blog posts.

I am a blog junkie!

There! I've said it. Finally my deep, dark secret is out in the open for everyone to see!

I...am...a...blog junkie....!

I started by reading one. I was happy. My life secure...
Then one day I was reading a posting that had a link to another blog. Oh the shame of it! My eyes lit up. My trigger finger twitched...before the realization of what might happen dawned on me, I clicked that link.
Instantly I was transported to another realm. I read! ....every post from the newest to the last. I was hooked! I just didn't realize how badly at the time.
That was the first. But quickly a second followed, then a third & before I knew and could still help myself my blog subscriptions numbered over a hundred. That's when I stopped counting.
OK, I know what you're going to tell me....Yes I admit I should have gotten help while it was still early stages. It's a disease, I tell you. Now even my emails contain links.
I read blogs about polymer clay, about building dollhouses. I even read blogs whose owners write about fancy woodworking tools, about turning wood on a lathe....even tho I'll never own any of those tools or ever make a miniature wooden bowl. I read foreign language blogs to keep up my language skills. Blogs about real size basket making; blogs about cloth doll making. I'll never make those baskets or those dolls... Blogs about shabby chic...about Russian village houses with fancy carved window frames. Blogs that only show items made to be sold on etsy. I read blogs about this and blogs about that.....
It never dawned on me how badly I was hooked! This morning someone slipped me a link about wrecked cake decorating. I couldn't help it. I had to look.... and that's when the realization finally hit....and I saw myself for what I really am...

....a blog junkie!

It doesn't matter that I'll never buy an angry toilet paper cake or a Halloween cookie with happy sperm on it..


never have one where a spider is doing disgusting things to an icing dog's behind.
or a cupcake whose decorator went mad with the icing
I snickered. I tittered. I went from posting to posting ever more avid for the next cake photo...and before I could help myself, I subscribed!
I don't know how Ken can stand living with me. Please, please, pleeeease don't tell him. I think he already knows. But when I look him in the eyes, I don't want to see his disgust written inside each eyeball.
I asking for help from each & everyone of you. Here's the link to cake wrecks. If you have any pity at all, stop me before I click again.

this N that...

I always love to read comments that are left for me. Here's what Cate, of Solet Luna Studios wrote about my mouse:

Oh Karin what a great idea! And I think your sculpt is coming along beautifully...but I just melted when I saw that sweet little ratty face! That is a ratty...a dear little dumbo-eared, black-eyed, pearl-coloured and possibly rex-coated ratty! :D But you can keep calling him a mouse if you like. ;)
(as you can tell...I have quite alot of affection for these wee little rodents...!) :D
Can't wait to see how he develops!

This from someone who dresses their pug up as a pirate! LOL Luna, on the other hand....
Now Cate, as a fellow Canadian, you should know how prejudiced the rest of the world is or how long it takes minorities to become recognised. Excuse me while I just pat myself on the back...
I mean afterall,I'm a woman of the world; I know what's what! I've watched Ratatouille twice....at least once all the way thru without falling asleep... a major feat for me! Think about how much trouble that poor little rodent chef had just because someone called him a rat. Had he been a mouse it would have all been so much easier. At the very least, it would have meant less time spent under a chef's hat worn by someone else.
Rat conjures up rat-fink, rat-arsed.....but mouse inspires the words: innocent, cute, quiet. Besides now that it's flocked no one can really tell. It actually looks better than what you can see in the photo:

This is my first flocking. I began with a bit of trepidation since I really didn't want to have to pollute the lake if all went wrong. If nothing else the geese would never forgive me.

When I first started, I wondered how I would get the fur to fall properly but once I started cutting, it was all I could do, not to see Ara's dryer lint monster
So as you can see, my rat errr I mean mouse needs no french-english dictionary or culinary talent

to complete the phrase: "not a creature was stirring, not even a rat errr ummm mouse.

Now getting back to Cate's pirate pug....I happened to be in the pet shop on Saturday to order some new jammies for Luna. Here's what she looked like when her current PJs were new: I ordered red & pink long johns and the cutest little yellow flannels. No way could I ever get her to be seen in public dressed as a pirate. She's insisting on changing her name to Martina Navratilova when she goes out Sat night in her tennis whites.

Halloween

Happy Halloween, blessed Dio de los Muertos, Happy All Saint's Day and/or Samhain to one and all!


Remember the Halloween swap that I entered. I made a Fantasia mop for Jodi Creager and in turn my item was going to come from half way round the world. Susan finally wrote from Singapore to say it was on its way.
Well, I waited & waited.....and then I waited some more.
Gee could it be that the immigration laws had been toughened? Could customs be keeping my whatever? Presumably marveling, possible playing with it? Was there no end to Canadian rules that were keeping me and my swap item separate!!

Then on the 23rd, as I again frantically checked with Canada Post, I found the key to the larger package box laying within our little rural mailbox. Would it be just another eBay purchase? Or could it be.....

It was with great trepidation that I inserted the key. Slowly as the door creaked open.... I couldn't help but think with all the wet weather we'd been having lately, they really should make their mailboxes more weather resistant.
I should have known! Should have felt the foreboding in the air!
Two packages lay within! ....when would I ever learn to keep my trigger finger off that confirm bid button that eBay so conveniently offers. But wait....surely no eBay seller would mail out his package using such wonderfully colorful stamps

I raced home. Threw the rest of the mail at Ken; went into my craft room and closed the door. With trembling fingers that would hardly do my bidding, I tore at the paper. A note held closed with a red seal came to light:

oh my! Did you see? "Palace Treasures"!!
Did my swap item come via a long forgotten maharajahs treasure chest? Would I become rich beyond my wildest dreams? We all know that in Asia lies the riches of the modern world. Even their poor sit on chests filled with rubies and pearls and eat their meals from golden plates.
Inside lay a card, identifying me as owner of.....the HalloWitches! Huh????

I looked up in confusion... Did I need to set extra plates for supper? Just what had I gotten myself into!
If you thought my hands trembled opening the outer wrappings, you should have seen them now. But wait....how confusing!
my brain was addled! I didn't know what to think...
At the very moment where I sat back in confusion, the bubble wrap started to move. Slowly it began to writhe and I was sure I could hear a faint hissing sound coming from within. Suddenly steam erupted...
Knowing that it would play havoc with my sinuses, I frantically fanned the air. It was over in a moment....and there in it's place sat a cauldron!
This was no ordinary cooking pot used at an outdoor corn roast. Although it still sat on a campfire, the wood must have gotten wet in transport and the fire recently gone out. Some sort of steam was still emerging from the pot but already jungle vines encircled it and the hissing that I heard came from two gigantic and extremely colorful snakes. I felt like a rabbit caught in their unblinking stare.

I felt compelled to reach out and touch....
...but before I could do so, from deeper within the bowels of that infernal packaging came chanting. Softly at first. Then ever more loudly and clearer...

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble....
I'm sure I'd heard those words before! They came from somewhere in my distant past!
I began to wish that I'd never brought that package home! Why did I ever enter that damn swap! Why couldn't I have been happy just to buy from eBay? There, sellers aren't allowed to list dangerous or toxic goods!

Again the package erupted in smoke. Again everything in the room became hazy. Again I frantically fanned the air. Again I could hear that chanting......

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble....
Suddenly with a loud poof, the package disappear and in it's place stood three beings gathered round their(?) cauldron!

I sat transfixed! I was horrified! I knew where I'd heard that chanting before...
I was sure the Macbeth had encountered those same three witches just before his tragic end! Even the words rang familiar:
Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
What kind of witches were these? They couldn't even get the words right!

I was sure I'd remembered the quote correctly from my high school English classes . Had they been hiding out too long in Asia? That since sending Macbeth to his doom, they'd forgotten the correct words to their own spell?
It might be my only chance! Quickly I sent a message to Susan! Yes, to the cause of all this anxiety... there was still a chance she hadn't known what problems she'd created! It could be that those snakes had grown up eating pig flesh....Even now they could carry within them, the deadly snake flu!
Just as quickly came her response. I won't go into details here! I'll let you read her story for yourselves: Susan's story!

In the meantime what do I do now? That chanting is going to drive me crazy!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's been seven days now....count em 7!
Altho I haven't dared to open my craft room door, I can still hear the chanting! It's slowly driving me mad! Every day it gets a little louder.
I'm going to leave tonight to go housesit while the grandkids and their parents go out to 'trick or treat'. Maybe if I ooh and ahhh enough over the little tricksters as they come to the door for their treats....maybe if I shell out enough candies...
Then maybe, just maybe...those witches and their snakes will take pity on me and quieten down! Keep your fingers crossed!!!
.....if you don't get any more posts from me, you'll know it hasn't worked. OMG I don't even want to think about it!!!

Fire, burn; and cauldron, bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Fillet of a snake that lived in a bog,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
A black snake’s forked tongue, and its cousin’s sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth, boil and bubble.

Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witch's mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark,
Root of hemlock digg'd i’ the dark,
Liver of blaspheming Jew,
Gall of goat and slips of yew
Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse,
Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips,
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,
Make the gruel thick and slab.
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.

Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witch's mummy, a gulf-like stomach,
Of the rough sea salt glisten,
Root of poison hemlock dug up in the dark,
Liver of Christians not baptized,
Gall bladder of goat, and slips of pine trees
Cut off the tree when the moon eclipsed,
Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips,
Finger of a baby born dead
Delivered in a ditch by a prostitute,
Make the gruel thick and gooey.
Also add a tiger's guts,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.

Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Ever since I had long commutes to and from work, I've gotten into the habit of not having the radio on while driving. Back then the silence enabled me to chill out by the time I got home. It was my time out to think with no distractions around me and has remained so since then.
So when I went to visit my son and his family on the weekend....an hour's drive away....I spent my driving time thinking about completed as well as upcoming Christmas swaps and going over all my ideas of what to make. ....at least that's where my thoughts started off.
From there my mini brain jumped to ideas for presents that need to be sent to distant friends who've sent things to me. I sort of feel obligated to return the favor. So I started off thinking of something to buy.
Then I thought of something to make.
Then I thought that if I make a roombox, I could just as easily sell that.
And somewhere in this long silent discussion that I was having with myself, I thought of all the vintage cup and saucers whose market price have hit rock bottom and even then aren't selling.... And suddenly the light bulb went off!

Take a cup. Stuff it with a tiny pillow. Add one sleeping mouse made of clay. Hang a tiny scroll from the cup's handle that reads: "Dear Santa, I've been a good mouse all year......". Glue a mini plate containing some cookies and maybe a piece of candy (all things that I've made plenty of and will most likely have leftovers of, once all the swaps are sent off) to the real size saucer.
If the mouse is covered with a little blanket then all that needs to be made is the head, at least one paw (clutching the blanket) and a tail hanging down.
Simple enough to complete by Nov 7th when I'm selling at a miniatures show. Simple enough to make more of. Some to sell, some to give away!

So start with this:
And make it into this:
We'll see if I actually get one completed.... He may end up in the lake along with the pumpkin head that I just couldn't properly flesh out. At the moment his nose is off center and one eye is larger than the other.
I'm sure I've seen a gif of this scene but for the life of me can't think where. (I know that someone else made a mouse sleeping on a piece of bread & covered with a slice of cheese for a blanket)

...cheezs think of all the work I could have saved myself if I had driven with the radio on.
I'll keep you posted.

more to do....

....and as if I won't have enough to do before Christmas. I've joined a gift exchange with Kathi. She's calling it the Five Star Christmas Swap. Come and take a look
So far only Jill and Jaime have signed up. Along with Kathi and myself that only makes a 4 pointed star. We only need one more that complete it. Whatta ya say......?

time....

.....8 days til Halloween and 62 until Christmas.

I used to bake a lot when my kids were small. Now that it's just the two of us, it doesn't make sense to go to all that bother. Ken's watching his food intake and most things that I love to eat go straight to my hips.
So this'll be the first Christmas in a long time that my oven will get a work out.
I'm all set!
I've loaded up on lollies and red Christmas mints...
...got some fancy green mints and some candy canes...

...got lots of chocolate chips for baking and a cookie jar standing by.

Now did I forget anything? hmmm...oh yeah! I'll need something to put my baked goods in...

Halloween Fun

I'm going to post this on both sites because when I first saw it, my first thought was how brilliant and how easy!
My thanks to Nancy Cronin for her permission to post it. Here in her own words is the tutorial:

I was playing around with one of those easily available skellie and unfinished boxs that you can find at Micheals.


1. cut the skellie at all of the joints
2. drill a hole in the joints
3. glue a wire in the joints. Now you can reposition him any way you want.


4. I fleshed him out a bit so that his clothes hung better
5. the box is covered in faux cement blocks. I tore apart an egg carton , glued them to the box, and dabbed paint here and there. He has a mask in his hand but its hard to see in the picture.

Here's another skellie rising from his grave. Guess it's hard to keep a good man down!

If you'd like to see some of the other things that Nancy's done, here's the link:
http://www.picturetrail.com/nancyc1938

Just when you wonder why....

...you bother writing a blog, someone comes along with an award.

....and all the way from Russia, no less! Thank you Victoria!!
Victoria is making a traditional Russian village and describing the process on her blog. Take a look!

Several years ago I spent a few days in Russia. This was shortly after the borders were open for tourists and we came via a Scandinavian cruise ship to St. Petersburg. This city was built by Peter the Great when he was tsar, modelled after the great European cities of his day. What makes it all the more spectacular was that the land he used was the very worse kind....very swampy!
St. Petersburg has canals just like Venice that wick the water away from under the houses. And what magnificent houses there are! Here is where you can visit the last Tsar's winter palace, now turned into a museum. The grand staircase is all gold & white...extremely impressive.
At the time that I was there, my choice of day excursion was either shopping or an art gallery visit. As shopping was almost nonexistent then & I didn't feel like looking at dusty old pictures, I snuck away from my group & tagged along with a different one, some American doctors on a convention. We all got on a bus and travelled to the Tsar's summer palace. In this way I got to see some of the Russian countryside that I would otherwise not have. The summer palace is every bit as gorgeous as Versailles.

I just wished I could have spent more time exploring it's beauties! But we did stop at an 1800s dacha which had been turned into an arts and crafts cooperative and when I got back to our ship, my other fellow travellers were moaning about their boring day!
Anyhoo,......

Here are the award rules:
1. post the picture of the award and publish the rules.
2.Post the links of the winners
3. Give the award to 10 other bloggers.
4. Notify the winners;)

В такой дождливый день нет лучшей новости,чем получить награду!:) (Victoria, I assume this was your thank you to the person who gave you the award. So in the hope that I'm right, I've posted it here as my thanks to you!)

I'm passing this award onto:
1. Deb, at http://debbiestinytreasures.blogspot.com/
(Consider this as my contribution to the get-well package that I didn't add to as I didn't have anything home-made that was good enough to send.)

2. Nancy, at http://nancycroninminaturedolls.blogspot.com
3. Jain, at http://giddykipperdolls.blogspot.com
(because both are impressive dollmakers)

4. http://grumblerandpoppet.blogspot.com
(just because, it's a great read)

5. Nell, at http://nell-miniminis.blogspot.com and
6. Karin, at http://karincorbin.blogspot.com
(both these ladies are fab at their craft of building dollhouses)

7. Mags, at http://mags-nificentminiatures.blogspot.com
(she makes the most incredible food....all calorie free!)

8. Elly, at http://ellyinamsterdam.blogspot.com
(she takes needlepoint commissions with payment made to worldwide animal rescue agencies)

9. Jodi, at http://creagerstudios.blogspot.com
(she is still the lady, I'd most love to learn sculpting techniques from)

and last but not least, to
10. Ara, at http://murderatbentleymanor.blogspot.com
(keep those fantastic swaps coming!)

Now comes the hard part, notifying all ten people.....



P.S. No good deed ever goes unrewarded. When I went to mail out my notifications, I discovered that I have another award waiting. But more on that another day, Ken is waiting for his afternoon coffee...

T'was the night of Thanksgiving, and I just couldn't sleep
so I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned - the dark meat and white
but I fought the temptation with all of my might.
Tossing and turning with great anticipation,
the thought of a snack became a huge infatuation.
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
and gazed at the fridge, filled with goodies galore.
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
then pickles and carrots, and beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
then all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling and floated into the sky
with a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But I managed to yell as I soared past the trees.
Happy eating to all - pass the cranberries, please.
May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump
May your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump
May your yams be delicious, may your pies take the prize
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs.

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving

Here's a bit of Thanksgiving history from the Canadian point of view....

While Americans begin gearing up for Thanksgiving in the days following Halloween, Thanksgiving celebrations in Canada are long since over by October 31st.
That's because here in Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. This is, in fact, our Thanksgiving weekend coming up!

Unlike Americans, whose holiday recalls the Pilgrims landing in America, our Thanksgiving traditions began by giving thanks for a successful harvest, which typically ends by early October and traces its roots to an old European farming custom of banding together to toast a plentiful harvest.

Thanks to Ontario Protestant church leaders who in the mid 1800s decided to turn Thanksgiving into a nationalistic, religious event. They felt that particularly after Confederation, it was their moral and historical duty to shape the Canadian identity in the Christian mould and saw the adoption of the Thanksgiving holiday as a way to do this.

They successfully lobbied the Canadian government to create Canada's first, national Thanksgiving in 1859. But it was only proclaimed sporadically in the ensuing years, as church, state and commerce each wrestled for control of the holiday. By the 1870s, holiday traditions, such as family gatherings for turkey dinner and stories of American pilgrims, took hold in Canada.

The Protestant clergy lost exclusive control of Thanksgiving Day when in 1908 the government appointed Thanksgiving to a Monday rather than a Thursday. Transportation companies had asked for the change, feeling that a long weekend would increase holiday travel. Churches opposed the move, fearing that it would hurt church attendance, as it did!

In 1957, Parliament passed legislation to make Thanksgiving an annual holiday celebrated on the second Monday of October, eliminating the need for annual proclamations.

Our Thanksgiving meal is similar to the feast served at the American counterpart: turkey (although ham or other roasts may be substituted), gravy, stuffing, autumn vegetables and fruit desserts...especially pumpkin pie! In some homes a cornucopia is placed at the center of the table; the cornucopia is a curved ram's horn filled with fruits and grains....harking back to the successful harvest tradition.

THANKSGIVING IN CANADAIn 1710 at Port Royal, N.S. a day of thanksgiving was held when the town passed into English hands for the last time.

In 1760 a day of thanksgiving was held in Halifax to mark the victory of General Amherst's troops at Montreal.

In 1762 Halifax held a day of thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest.

After World War I it was combined with Armistice Day for some years.


Here turkey, turkey, turkey!Turkeys are able to adapt to a wide variety of habitats. However, most turkeys are found in hardwood forests with grassy areas.
The best time to see a turkey is on a warm clear day or in a light rain.

They what?Turkeys have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys would drop dead.
Turkeys can drown if they look up when it is raining.

Eat, sleep, gobbleTurkeys spend the night in trees. They fly to their roosts around sunset.
Turkeys fly to the ground at first light and feed until mid-morning. Feeding resumes in mid-afternoon.
Gobbling starts before sunrise and can continue through most of the morning.

Eyes in the backs of their heads?A wild turkey has excellent vision and hearing. Their field of vision is about 270 degrees. This is the main reason they continue to elude some hunters.

And they're fast, too! A spooked turkey can run at speeds up to 32 kilometres (20 mph) per hour. They can also burst into flight approaching speeds between 88 kilometres per hour (50-55 mph) in a matter of seconds.

I think I've mentioned that right now I'm involved in a "build a bed & dress it" swap with 2 Christmas swaps following closely behind. I've finished the bed a week ago and today I've gotten my first pillow done but of course I can't show you any pictures or the pillow tutorial until my dressed bed has been received by my swap recipient. However I will be working on the tutorials as I finish each pillow. We're talking fancy pillows not your run of the mill rectangular ones. LOL

So in the mean time, here's what Orr Lake looks like on a bright and sunny October morning:

You have mail......

Just received this email from Jodi:

Dearest Karin...

I just received my WONDERFUL WONDERFUL little 'surprise' swap gift from you.... and I must tell you that I am madly in love with it!!!
It arrived in perfect condition , flawless... and I just can't stop marveling at how wonderful it is....

Thank You for remembering that I love Brooms so much...and I adore the gloves!!

I will proudly display it on my Nightmare before Christmas Shelf ...from this point forward...and each time I look at it I will smile and think of you ...

Thanks so much for my wonderful Gift...you did a SUPER JOB!!!!!

Big Warm Hugs,
Jodi

So I guess it's time to let my creation see the light of day after that long wait in the darkness of the basement:

He was based on the Fantasia mop, made entirely of clay with a wire armature underneath, and is supposed to be yawning & stretching...

I think I got the yawning right. Maybe the stretching needs more work...

On the other hand, maybe it's surprise that he's showing after Mickey turned the wizrd's magic wand on him.

Ara, this has been such fun! I can hardly wait to do it again. Oh, ah....maybe we should wait until after Christmas.

To celebrate her one-year Blogoversary, Coralie is hosting a Giveaway! The winner of this Giveaway will receive a copy of her first book The Wishing Years shown above! To enter, just leave a comment at her blog with a link to your blog so she can reach you if you're the winner. Bet she'd even sign it, if you asked.

Another Freebies, Give-aways & Contests

This sweet little box is in need of a magical home! Just leave a comment on her blog (and way to contact you if you don't have a blog) and you will be entered to win this original piece of holiday art. If you facebook, twitter, blog etc, you'll receive an extra entry for each! Contest ends Saturday, Oct. 10th! So hurry over to Cat's blog.

Freebies, Give-aways & Contests

I might not be counted on to update this blog as frequently as I update my links blog but at least I can be counted on giving you guys as many notices of contests & give-aways as I can.

Halloween Contest over at Betty's. Wander on over with your shell out bag & leave a comment!

Here's what originally caught my eye.... Betty wrote:

It is that time of year again: beginning of the holiday season for us American folks. :D Technically I always feel that those things start in August after Independence Day when all the fake Christmas trees come out in Costco and the Macy's decorations are up already. However, since I spent most of August working with my parents, I kind of missed all that. The last time I went to the mall it kind of hit me like a sack of potatoes with Christmas hopefuls when it is not even Halloween yet! Come on! Let us at least enjoy the other US holidays like Labor Day first. That also tells ya when is the last time I went to the mall.

...I had to laugh. Does Costco everywhere start off the Halloween season
& the Christmas season in one go? The Barrie store does and every year you can count on overhearing at least one customer complain.
I'm too new a miniaturist to combine two seasons....I have nothing stocked up and readily on hand so I'll forgo Halloween this year and get right into Christmas. I have several UK friends to whom I feel that I should send Christmas presents; months ago I signed up for the Happy Holiday swap over at AllThingsMini and now I've signed up for the Christmas/Hanukkah swap at the Miniature Collectors Club.
So I think I need about 20 -25 presents! I've already started shopping. I have 10 biscuit tins, 60 glass preserve jars and now I've added 10 clear glass teddy bear cookie jars to my stash.
I was thinking about making cookies (Christmas and chocolate chip) and cranberry jelly. I have mini holly to make wreaths with. I have vintage Christmas images to make advent calendars with....all I need to still buy is the double sided foam tape. I have red beads to make ornaments with. If I could find wing-shaped beads, I could also make tree toppers. ....maybe someday Michaels will update their bead supply!
On the other hand, the MAKE swap (a homemade dressed bed) is going well. Close date is mid-November and I've already finished my bed, 2/3 of my bed skirt and I checked out every pillow making book from our local library. LOL
I wanted to make a pillow that looks like the silk Tatiana pillow that's sold at Macys.
Isn't that gorgeous! I found a pattern to make the face of the pillow but then would I want to make the sides that fancy on a 1" pillow? If my pillow face comes out looking that well, I'll be happy.

I'm still waiting to hear that Jodi Creager's received my Halloween swap so I can show it to you. Ara just sent out her two-weeks-to-go notification. Hope my little guy didn't get lost in the mail! Maybe customs is still playing with it.