Vintage Post Card and a Sweet Sentiment

My hubby and I had a nice day out and about yesterday, hitting some antique and craft stores and then we had a nice dinner at Outback before heading home. While hubby was looking at a civil war cannon I found this sweet postcard. Being a hopeless romantic I just had to share this bit of the past with you! What sweet words written from a gentler time! Feel free to click on the pics for a larger closeup of the pics! Written in March of 1917~~~In his words~~~

“Dear Grand Momma, how are you and Grand Papa & Aunt Flora? I am a little cranky you ought to see me go upstairs. Papa is a little better. Momma is all Ok only a cold. I wish you a Happy Birthday
From your loving Grandson Hamilton”

I wonder why he was cranky? I wonder why the problem going upstairs? What a gentle soul! A beautiful letter like this is such a treasure. Notice their is no street address, just name and city and state.

Here are three other postcards that I could not resist! The one has a beautiful dark blue velvet opening that looks like it might have had some type of ribbon work that is peaking out from behind the card. I thought I would do some ribbon work or maybe put a piece of antique jewelry on it.

Thank you so much for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this little piece of the past as much as I did! Blessings! Shirl

Crafting Day With Friends & Lunch

Hello, thank you for stopping by! I get together once a month with some friends to do a craft and have lunch. This month we decided to do a quilted wall hanging with an appliqué spring bird house with roses. It was a such a nice day, it was warm enough to open the windows and listen to the birds sing. The birdfeeders are right outside my sewing room window so we were close enough to hear their songs! Below is a pic of my sewing supplies all ready and waiting for my friends to arrive. Please feel free to click on the pics to get a larger and closer look. We were able to get the tops of our little wall hanging quilt done. So now we just have to do the machine appliqué, and quilt it. I did mine in very soft pastels. My friends did theirs in lavender. The size of this little wall hanging is about 20 x 30. Lunch was simple but oh so good! I made old fashioned macaroni and cheese, fresh broccoli and French bread, with chocolate trifle for desert.

Here’s the recipe for the macaroni and cheese.

Old Fashioned Macaroni & Cheese
¾ Lb. of Elbows (Not quite a whole 1 LB Box)
Half Stick Butter
2 TBLS Flour
4 Cups Milk
1 LB White American Cheese
Make a Rue Sauce:
Melt a Half Stick Butter over
Medium heat
Stir in 2 TBLS Flour
Gradually stir in 4 cups of milk
Wisk, do not leave or milk will curdle
When sauce begins to thicken add
1 LB. White American Cheese (I love Land O Lakes)
Continue to stir
After melted and creamy divide among two
Baking dishes with cooked elbow.
Sprinkle with Paprika, Salt & Pepper to Taste
Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 Min. Till Bubbly
And a Little brown around edges
By not using the full pound of elbows this recipe is
Very creamy, Just the way I like it. It will seem like
a lot of sauce but the noodles absorb some of the sauce.
It will bake fine.

Here’s the recipe for trifle~~~

Dark Chocolate Cake mix baked and cut into cubes

(I put milk in place of the water in mix for a more moist cake)

One Pint Heavy Cream Whipped with Sugar to Taste

Cherry Pie Filling

Layer in a Trifle bowl alternating.

Top with some sprinkles or fruit if desired.

This can be made with any type of cake and fillings, use your imagination!

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed peeking into my crafting day. Be sure to stop back again, for our next craft day we are going to make another quilted wallhanging of a teapot and strawberry shortcake. It's so sweet, I can't wait to get started! I'm already picking out fabrics.

Blessings to You! Shirl

~~BOOK CHALLENGE ON PAGE 123~~

Last week Celestina Marie over at La Rea Rose tagged me for a book challenge. The idea is to find a book you enjoy or are currently reading with at least 123 pages. Turn to page 123 and read the first 5 sentences, then post the next 3 sentences on your blog, and go on to tag 5 more people to take the challenge. I chose one of my favorite books titled “Victorian Chic” by Anita Louise Crane. I love this book and have read it many times. I get such inspiration from this book and never leave home for a getaway with it. I call this my comfort book!!!! The decorating ideas in this book will make it possible for you to have the romantic Victorian sanctuary you’ve always longed for-just follow your heart and the rest will happen.

When turning to page 123 I came to the chapter on “Victorian Outdoors“.
Page 123 reads after the first 5 sentences~~

“Outside, find new spots for wicker furniture, which moves effortlessly from sitting room to veranda. Plump up wicker chairs with soft cushions in pretty floral prints. Top a well-aged and weathered table with a lacy white tablecloth and an assortment of favorite things, all arranged for an afternoon’s refreshment or teatime snack.”

A pretty setting from the pages of "Victorian Chic"

Another paragraph in this chapter is~~

“A sun-filled breakfast room, an inviting screened-in porch, a charming potting shed, a rose-covered gazebo-these are all examples of a Victorian outdoor “garden room,” designed with the simple pleasures of life in mind. Regardless of their size, shape, or location, areas in the garden are all spaces of delight. Here, one can entertain family, talk away the hours with friends, or sit quietly alone, all the while surrounded by the sights, scents, and sounds of the garden.”

Another chapter that I love is “Summer Cottage” and a paragraph from that~~

“Your next excursion may be to a quaint cottage filled with sunshine near the ocean, or a holiday in rustic alpine cabin surrounded by drifts of white snow and the scent of pine. Perhaps business demands a weekend in an uncomfortable hotel room. No matter where your travels take you. Or how long you’ll be gone, it is easy to pack along beloved treasures that bring friendly remembrances of home, to make anyplace you find yourself more familiar and cozy.”

The author goes on to tell you how to transform with squares of laces and shawls, pillows, embroidered linens, snug blankets, sachets, scented candles and any treasures from home to make your rental cottage a cozy familiar place.

"A few boxes of lovely linens and pillow shams, favorite books, and fresh flowers will create a softer place."

This is a wonderful book that I highly recommend. Perhaps you can find it in bookstore or on eBay.

Now I must tag 5 more people for this book challenge~~
I tag~~ Amy ~~ Bunny Rose Cottage

Steph~~ Angelic Accents
Ele~~ A Bit of Pink Heaven
maryjane~~ The Beehive Cottage
Lynne Laurie~~ A Romantic Nest

Remember the rules are:
Pick a book with at least 123 pages.
Open the book to page 123
Read the first 5 sentences
Post the next 3 sentences
Tag 5 people!
Have Fun! Shirl

Happy Birthday To My Sister

Happy Birthday to my Dear Sweet Sister Elizabeth! I Love You and wish we lived closer so we could go to a tea room today!


Thank you for stopping by, please wish my sister a happy birthday! Shirl

Holly Hobbie Tote & Flowers

I thought I would share with you today some projects I worked on this week. I love Holly Hobbie and have alot of finished needlework in baskets waiting for me to do something with them. I thought this week I would try to get some of my Holly Hobbie's done and out where I can enjoy them. The one I finished this week is done in crewel embroidery in the late 70's. I made this cute little stitching couple into a market tote bag. It does not have a flat bottom, just a plain little carryall.

I made the handles long enough to use as a shoulder bag.

I choose the blue and yellow, because it matched the threads in the needlework but I also needed a blue tote. In the summer I like to change bags to match what I am wearing.

Of couse I had to have some bling. I bought this daisy charm a few years ago, it remined me of my dear sweet Aunt Jean, she loved daisies!

Here is a close up, I just the love the sweet face on the student, she looks so interested! These two girls remind me so much of my sister and I. She was always teaching me while I was growing up and she still does!! LOL

Below is the other project I worked on this week, I bought this pretty green wicker vase from Katie's Rose Cottage . She always has something new and interesting on her website. I filled it with pearls and pretty roses in shades of pink and white.

Here is a close up of the roses! I can't wait for my roses to bloom in my cottage garden! I'll be sure to share pics with you!

Thank you so much for stopping by, it was so nice to chat with you. Be sure to stop back I have so many fun posts in the making! Shirl

Dolly Day

Good Morning and welcome to Dolly Day! I just found out about Lori’s Dolly Challenge and I decided to join in even though I’m too late to get on her list. These two beautiful dolls belonged to my mother. They are very old as you can see, my mother bought them and the wicker stroller just before she passed away from cancer. She loved dolls and grew up during the depression and her family could not afford to buy many dolls. She had one doll while she was growing up. She treasured this pair of dolls so now I treasure them. My sister made the clothes they are dressed in, I am thinking about making new clothes in pink for the girl and white for the boy to match my guest bedroom. The wicker stroller also needs a new coat of white paint. I don’t know what kind of dolls these are, but I wanted to share them with you.

Their are some cracks in the faces but I still love them!

Here are two closeups of them.

I hope you enjoyed looking at my mother's dolls! If anyone know anything about this type of doll I would love to know. Have a great day and enjoy Lori's Dolly Day. Shirl

Pretty New Cards

Hello, I’ve been doing some crafting this week and thought I would share some of the things I’ve made with you. We have had some crazy weather in WV this past week. Some days warm, some days cold and raining. Today I’ll post pics of some handmade cards & tags that I made using vintage postcards, some vintage and some new trims and millinery flowers. I've listed them all in my Etsy Store. You can click on the pics so you can see a larger version of the pic! If your like me you like to see all the little details.

This sweet girl below reminds me of a doll that my Mom had. I'm making a new dress for her now for the new guest bedroom. I wanted to dress her in pink but there's a boy doll too, maybe I can dress him in white! What do you think? They are both setting together in my Mom's wicker stroller.

I love her and the pearls around the border are just so sweet! I put a flower at her neckline.

Forget me nots are one of my favorite flowers. Doesn't she has the sweetest face?

This lady looks so elegant so I put a rhinestone at her neckline! She looks like my husbands Great Great Grandmother! I'll post the family's vintage photo's one day.

Birthday greetings with pink roses and a bow at the heal!

They all have german glass glitter on, have to have that bling!!!

Birthday card and tag for a sweet frind in my PRH group. Her birthday was on Easter this year!

These's are some store bought cards that I embelished with german glass glitter and vintage trims. Also little lavender sachets to put in gift boxes. I always like to tuck a lavender sachet in the box when I give clothing, it's so nice to have a sweet smelling sachet to tuck in your sweater drawer. I've also made them from an antique hankie!

I enjoyed making these and I hope you enjoyed looking at them. I have alot of vintage trims from my husbands Great Aunt, it's nice to work with them. It makes me think of her! Thank you for stopping by! I will post some of the sewing that I did this week in my next post. Have a great day! Shirl