I’ve been a die-hard eBay user for years, but through viewing others blogs I’ve been investigating Etsy more than I have in the past. I have always loved crazy quilts but just can’t see having a full-sized one. But, the other day when I was looking through some embroidery items I ran across the following. It is absolutely fantastic. The workmanship is extraordinary and is one of those things that is just perfect. I think I’ve found a new thing to collect – ATCs made with fabric and embroidery. I’ll most likely try doing these myself – I’ve done some silk embroidery long ago. Anyway, it’s a new “prize” possession and I thought I’d share it.

Here’s a link to Beedeebabee’s Shop on Etsy.

Thanks to Kelli for offering the Friday Show and Tell – click on the image above to see the other blogs who are participating.

I started making dolls in the mid-seventies. I made cloth dolls to sell at a few places around town. Then, one Saturday morning, I was out looking for ceramics and wondered into what could only be described as a truck garage behind this rather dilapidated house – and a whole new world was opened to me – porcelain dollmaking. I’ll save the whole story for another post, but I eventually got to the point where I produced my own line of original dolls. These are a few of them.

This is Allison. She’s about 24″ tall and most everyone who knows me and has seen her says she’s “me.” Well, most artists work tends to look like them, but I have always appreciated it that a friend said Allison was my “soul.”

This is Kayla. When I was creating these three dolls I wanted them all to have a different look – so she became the redhead in the group. Perhaps I somehow tapped into the Irish heritage on my father’s side when I created her.

And the last of these three is Tessa. She is such a “pretty” doll and has such a peaceful air about her. I always think that she’s daydreaming about being out by a babbling brook and maybe reading a book.

It’s been awhile since I did any dollmaking, but my goal for 2009 is to get back into it. I no long have my kiln so won’t be doing porcelain dolls, besides, there’s just so much heavy lifting and such with having to make molds, pour the dolls, etc. So, I’ll be working on getting back into doing dolls made of polymer clay and I would also like to learn how to make felt dolls.

I’ve got my studio almost finished. My son will come over this weekend and help me put up the shelves I need. Then all I’ve got to get is a comfortable chair for one corner and decide if I’m going to put a dresser I have in there or go out and get a new one. Or maybe I should go out to the resale stores around here and see what I can find.

Thank you for stopping by – and I’d appreciate a comment if you have a moment.

Sandra

This is my first time participating in one of the many “special” days sponsored by other bloggers. Today is Blue Monday sponsored by Smiling Sally. Right now I don’t have a camera, but I do have an image of the dinnerware I bought as part of my remodeling and redecorating that I started last year.

This is Laura Ashley’s Mayfair pattern in blue. It’s a wonderfully heavy stoneware that has held up for about a year with only one chip on a soup bowl. I think I might have hit it with another dish or something when it was in the sink. The pattern is no longer made but I did see the completer set and a tea pot on eBay, but I’m not really sure I need those pieces. They would be nice, but shipping is more than the price of the pieces.

I debated between getting the pink and the blue but settled on the blue – I think my son is a lot happier eating off blue plates than pink ones. There’s enough pink around my place to make me happy.

Thank you for stopping by and I look forward to truly getting involved in this community of bloggers.

From the Editors of Romantic Homes

Product Description:

“If you love something, there is a place for it in your home. Follow your passions, whether displaying heirloom pieces connecting you to your childhood or a love for cooking, and translate them into your surroundings.”
—from the Introduction

We’ve all walked into homes that inspire us and tell us something about the owners’ personality and style. They contain those comfy, romantically stylish rooms where a petal-soft chair and a good book await, or where a cheerful row of aprons seems to dance along a wall. These homes draw us in, urging us to walk around wide-eyed at the eclectic blending of antiques and modern pieces, funky accessories, thoughtful collections, and interesting color combinations. Sometimes, they leave us thinking we could never be so creative or bold.

This book proves otherwise.

What is “Vintage Vavoom,” exactly? It’s a sleek glass table decorated with mismatched china, tarnished silver teapots filled with calla lilies, an antique chandelier hung unpredictably in a bright apple-green powder room. It is the items you love—many steeped in nostalgia—effortlessly combined with a fresh, modern sensibility.

Think textured fabrics, family heirlooms, clever little accents, and well-crafted furniture, linked together with a sense of playfulness.

Yet while the rules are loose, Vintage Vavoom is not about clutter or haphazard mismatching. Instead, seemingly disparate items are pulled together by an underlying motif—a punctuating color, a themed collection, or an era—that will subtly keep a room in check, even as you add personal flourishes throughout.

My son is in his early thirties, lives not too far from me, though is here nearly every day to have dinner – and of course pick up Bootsy to take him to his place. Dave works in IT, loves to play video games, is a gadget geek, and if he could be anything in the world he’d be a film director – but right now IT pays better.

I was divorced when he was six so since then it’s been the two of us, though for years my parents lived close to us so Dave always had a great male role model (my dad.) Now Dave goes down to Florida to see my parents every few months.

Below is what has to be one of my most favorite photos I’ve ever taken. It was a very cold afternoon and we had a fire going in the fireplace at the house we lived in at the time. Dave had been playing and then decided a nap would be a good idea.

And now almost 30 years later:

Yep, I’m a proud mom.

Below are two picturs of my daytime companion. During the week my son drops off Bootsy so he can have someone to keep him company and to keep me company.

Bootsy is an adorable 5 year old Chihuahua that, as with most little dogs, has no idea he’s as small as he is. On a good day he can eat an entire cheeseburger (no bun, please) and a few strips of bacon. Yes, he’s terribly spoiled. Dave got him when he was still living at home – before he moved into his own condo.

He has his own MySpace page, loves to snuggle up with me or Dave for a nice long nap, or will burrow under as many blankets as he can find and sleep for hours – especially on a cold winter afternoon. His favorite toy is “Chippy” – a well-worn chipmunk stuffed toy. He has one at Daddy’s and a duplicate at Mommy’s.

These pictures are about a year old. Seems my son took so many pictures of Bootsy that now when he brings out his camera the dog goes and hides!

It’s taken me a day or so to find a template I like and then another day to find a graphic on my hard drive that I liked and then another day to redo the template with the new graphics – and I’m so happy with it.

I prefer having a blog on my own domain so I can do whatever I want. I’ve been doing websites for over ten years now. I really like WordPress and have quite a few domains I’m developing using the blogging program. I’ll list the ones that are worth visiting.

Well, now to see if I can find my digital camera – it’s gone missing in the last six months after the majority of the remodelling was done. I thought I saw it once – but then it vanished. lol

And so a new year begins and a new blog. I’m still putting the finishing touches on the layout – trying to figure out if I like this or that template. But, I figured it was time to get the first post launched and then get on with things.

I’ll post more about this on the About Me page, but for now I’ll just say this blog is being set up for me to keep track of the process of turning my condo, where I’ve lived for 23 years, into the cottage (at least the interior) into something I’ve been dreaming about for years. Thus, the genius of the name for the blog – Cottage Dreamer.

Last year I spent about six months living with my son while my condo was almost completely remodeled. The only room left to do is the back bathroom, but I’m still not sure what I want to do in there. Maybe when I get everything else done I’ll be ready for that room to be done. Until then, I’ve got a kitchen, dinning room, living room, the front bath, and three bedrooms. Currently I like the paint color on all the walls except the kitchen – I’ll get to the later. The crown molding is up, the new hardwood floor is down, new tile in the foyer, bathroom, kitchen, and a new light fixture in the dinning room. What isn’t done is getting all my “stuff” out of the garage and sorting through boxes of “stuff” in my “dayroom.”

So, I’m hoping by journaling what I’m doing I can get more motivation and maybe even get a few suggestions from anyone who might run across my babbling.

More later, at least I got the first post up so I can now get going with getting this blog set up.

Sandra