Meet Sadie

Remember last month when I made Hildegard?  If you don't here is the post: Hildegard

Last weekend I made her sister Sadie. 

Boy she looks like she has some gigantic feet is this picture!

Sadie didn't want to be a Halloween doll.  Once I painted in her mouth she asked me in a very Cockney accent if she could just be an "every day doll".  I said no problem.   Then she asked if she could have a mushroom on the pocket of her apron.  I said sure and found this cute transfer. 

As I was stitching this up I heard a very french voice say "Mademoislle, if you wouldn't mind, could I have a red and pink hat?"   So I made the hat pink and red to please the mushroom.  After all, he's the one who has to wear it everyday. 

This weekend I am going to work on some kind of shoes for Sadie.  I'm thinking some brown felt. 

She already looks right at home!

Have a great Hump Day!

xoxox

Linda

The Tale of Lori Walker- Part 2

Several years ago I did a blog post about my favorite doll I had when I was growing up.  Her name was Lori Walker and she was a 36" walker doll.  Santa brought her for Christmas one year.

This is a photo of her the year that I got her!  This very blurry photo of my family was taken in 1969 when I was 8 years old.  We had decided at the last minute to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house on Christmas Day and spend the night.  Grandpa went out and cut a small pine and Grandma cut out Christmas cards to decorate it with!  Just so we would have a tree when we got there. 

Lorrie had the most beautiful blonde hair and I took very good care of her.  I would save my allowance and my Great Aunt would take me to rummage sales and I would buy her clothes and shoes.  She wore a toddler size 2 or 3.  One day I decided that her hair needed to be washed.  I took her to the bathtub and washed her hair, rolled it up in curlers and set her under the hair dryer.   The kind like this:

Little did I know about nylon hair!  When I took her out of the hair dryer and unrolled her hair.  She was a mess!  Her hair had burned to a matty mess!  Her long blonde hair had gone from midway down her back to up to her ears.  I was so upset and cried and cried, but I kept working with it and thought I had gotten it looking pretty good.

So I set her on the kitchen table that night with a note for my Dad asking him how he liked her new hair style.  My Dad worked 3-11 and got home around midnight, so we would leave notes for each other since we didn't see each other during the week.

The next morning when I got up for school,  Lori was still on the table but with a brown bag over her head!  I was so upset.  I cried and cried.  But there was nothing that could be done. 

She was still my favorite doll, but I was sad every time I looked at her hair.

After I grew up, Lori Walker was delegated to the attic where she has been for over 30 years. 

Until a couple of weeks ago.  I pulled Lori Walker out of the attic when I got my Halloween/Fall decorations out.  She was naked so I found this little dress that I made for my neice, but it was too small.  It fit Lori perfectly.  Then I started thinking about her hair. 

That afternoon I happened to go to the drug store and passed the Halloween wigs and spotted a long blonde one... I wonder if that will fit Lori Walker?  I checked the price.  $5.99.  I'll take it. 

Oh my!  She's good as new! 

Really long hair!  My son thinks it's creepy!  But I love it. 

I love her new hair!

Now I need to get her some shoes and she is good to go!

Do you still have your favorite doll? 

Blessings

Linda

My Witches Hat..AKA.. Chris NO PEEKING!

Good Monday Morning! 

Hope everyone had a great weekend.  I did!  Number one reason...No migraines! They seem to be getting better. 

Saturday morning, bright and early, DH and I headed over to an auction that was being held about 2 miles away from home.  This was the estate of a farming family that has been friends of ours for over 40 years.  We went to school with their children, and they plowed my garden when needed.  The last remaining one passed away this winter and the kids took what items they wanted and decided to hold an auction to sell the rest.  There was a lot of farm equipment! Tractors, plows, discs, etc...

An old time country auction with the auctioneer whom we went to school with too, standing on a wagon calling out bids.  That cute redhead is my cousin.

Lots of old furniture that needed some TLC..  I love that the back of that chair was held together with a woman's dress belt!  I wish I had taken a photo of the seat.  It was a Parcheesi board! 

I really wanted the Brownie drink bottles but who knew they were so collectible?  There was 5 of them and I bid up to $15.00 but they sold for $30!  The most amazing items of the day were a pint milk bottle with the cardboard lid.. it sold for $380!  Then there were the yearbooks of the local school from 1950, 1957, and 1958, they sold for $80 each! 

Anyway, all I ended up buying was this green depression glass dish

There were a few other non descript dishes in the box with it.  DH bought a brass fire extinguisher for his shop and a box of old bottles.  But all in all it was a fun day with our neighbors and friends.

Now, if you are Chris from Perfectly Printed you need to click off my blog right now because I am posting photos of my Witches Hat from Viv's Witch Hat Swap!

I used the paper mache hat form from Michaels and Modge Podged black and purple scrapbook paper that I had cut into irregular shapes. 

Scrapbook paper medallion, silver tinsel, glittered letters and metallic pipe cleaners, all incorporated into this hat. A small Christmas ball of Halloween green, sits right on top.   Of course my witch would be very feminine too so....

The back of the hat has orange and purple flowers over a wired orange ribbon with a rhinestone spider hitching a ride.

This has all been packed up and is being mailed today!  Thank you Vivian for hosting such a fun swap! 

Have a great day!

Linda

Rockin' Around the Halloween Tree

Good Friday Morning!  T.G.I.F!!!

What a long week!  I think after you have had a holiday week with only working 4 days, the next week with 5 days, seems like forever...

Last weekend I put up our Halloween tree!.  This is a new tree that I just got that is black and silver with orange lights and I just love it.

Don't you just love all the orange and black and purple colors of Halloween? 

This little ornament is several years old.  I made this from the top of a cardboard box that a necklace came in.

This happy witch was a paper doll that I downloaded and then I just made her dress with different colored scrapbook paper.

This funny fellow is new this year.  I love making those medallion ornaments.

Then there is some of my friends left over from my girlhood who still visit each Halloween and sit under the tree.  Don't you just love that little owl?

Do you have a Dollar Tree in your area?  Our Dollar Tree has these adorable little houses that I have filled with pumpkin shaped Peppermint Patties.

What a cute Frankie!

This is my latest craft.  I've seen several "decorated" crows around pinterest and when I unpacked my Halloween things I found this crow and decided to give him a fancy collar and a party hat. 

He feels so dressed up now! 

Tomorrow, Good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise, I am heading just up the road to an old time auction.  It's been a while since there has been an auction held on site in our area.  Dear Husband and I used to go to auctions almost every weekend when we were first married.  This one is extra special because we knew the people who owned the items being auctioned off.  I have my eye on a Brownie drink bottle!  Remember those??

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Linda



Pumpkin Gooey Butter Bars

Good Wednesday Morning! 

A couple people asked me for the recipe for my pumpkin bars.  I use Paula Deenes recipe for these.  Top them off with some freshly whipped cream and you will be in heaven!

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes

Cake:

1 pkg yellow cake mix

1 egg

8 tbls butter, melted (That's one stick)

Filling:

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin

3 eggs

1 teas. vanilla

8 tbls melted butter (Yep, another stick.  It is Paula's recipe!)

1 (16 oz) box powdered sugar

1 tea. cinnamon

1 tea. nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine the cake mix, egg and butter and mix well with an electric mixer.  Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 x 9 baking pan.

To make the filling:  In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth.  Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together.  Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and mix well.  Spread the pumpkin mixture over the cake batter and bake for 40-50 minutes.  (I baked mine 45 min).  Make sure you do not over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

While you will want to eat one of these while they are still warm, (and you should), they are best when they have been chilled for a few hours.

You can find the orignal recipe here Paula's Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes

Super easy and delicious!

Linda

I should be sewing!

Good Monday Morning!

Hope things are cooling down in your hometown like they are in ours.  I am loving this little taste of fall.  Sleeping with the windows open, I made pumpkin bars this weekend, the leaves are starting to turn and I am loving it!

Last weekend I went to an estate sale just down the road from me and picked up some great sewing stuff!

Some adorable cross stitch kits.  I don't do much cross stitch anymore because of my eyesight so I am sending them on to a friend that loves stitching.

Who remember Charles Chips?  Or Charlie Chip as we used to call him.  I got this tin full of buttons!

Buttons on cards

And tons of loose buttons.

A Bobbin lace kit.  I have seen this done before and I seriously have my doubts about me being able to do this!  Looks way too complicated but I may give it a go before I give it away.

Cute ornament frames that have never been used.

An oriental tray and little packet that has paper in it.  Does anyone want this?  I don't have anything oriental in my home.  If you do leave me a comment or email me with your address and I will send it on.

Some great "how to" books! 

And then there are my favorites:

This pattern is clothes for a 21" doll.  Look at those skates!

I really like this doll and doll clothes pattern.  I think this is what I am going to make and give my great niece for Christmas.  The rag doll and the outfits.

pretty clothes for a 14" doll.

I have absolutely no use for this pattern but I think it's hysterical!  She even cut out a photo from a magazine and pinned it to the pattern.

clothes for a baby doll.

The pattern for this doll and clothes!  Maybe she is Martha Washington?

I love this doll!  She ordered it from Parade.

And last but not least.. the pattern for these hats!  I love these.  I made my sister and niece hats for Christmas last year and I may make these to add to their collection.

The best part about all this glorious stuff is that it set me back $4.00 whole bucks!

Hope everyone has a great Monday!  (Is that a oxymoron?  I think so!)

Linda

"Hildegard" The Good Witch

Good Tuesday Morning,

With a long weekend ahead of me and the weatherman's prediction of rain, I was looking forward to some shopping and some crafting.  But as usual lately, life through me another curve. 

My beloved 14 year old Chocolate Lab passed away on Saturday.  She had had some breathing problems that the vet said were related to old age and there was really nothing that could be done.  She was outside and apparently had an attack.  I had gone to the drug store and when I came home my family was looking for her.  We looked for hours and we didn't find her until the next day and she had passed away.  It breaks my heart to think she was alone when she died.  And it was her birthday.  She was exactly 14 years old Saturday.

So Sunday, I was just to upset to do much of anything.  Yesterday I decided the best thing to do is just stay busy.  So I made Hildegard, The Good Witch.  The pattern is the Tilda doll pattern from Tone Finannger.  These dolls make up pretty quickly and I really like how she turned out.  She is going to live with a lady I work with who is always bringing me craft supplies that she finds at yard sales. 

Her little "pinnie" sports a cute little felt pumpkin.

I looked for something I could make her a broom with, but couldn't come up with anything.

I also pulled out some Fall decorations and decorated my buffet in the dining room.

Hildegard looks right at home there.  I think I am going the make her twin sister because I really like how she looks.

Even with the high temperatures we are having, at least it's starting to look like fall.

Welcome to the pumpkin patch.



Hope everyone has a good week.  I did go to a yard sale Saturday morning and got several goodies that I will be sharing with you this week.

Blessings

Linda