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

Caramel Apple Pound Cake!

This weeks cooler and less humid days have put me in the mood to bake.  So thinking of fall, I surfed around the Internet and landed on a blog called Served Up With Love with some delicious sounding recipes and the first one on the page caught my eye.  Caramel Apple Cake.  Something about fall makes me want to cook with apples and cinnamon and all spices warm and fuzzy.

The best thing was that I had everything I needed in my pantry, other than the apples.  Have you priced apples lately?!?!!!  Good Heavens they have gotten high, but I forged ahead and got me some Gala apples and was ready to go.

As I was pouring the mixture into my cake pan I was thinking, this is too much batter for this pan, but went on and finished pouring.  The smell of this cake is heavenly.

While the cake was baking, I was in my craft room, crafting away.  I had the timer on the oven so I would hear it beep when the cake was done.

After about 45 minutes my husband came in and said "Uh, you might want to go have a look at that cake you have in the oven.  Something doesn't look quite right".   Yeah, something was wrong all right.  It had risen out of the pan into the oven and then sunk in the middle!

I scooped up what batter was in the bottom of the oven an threw that away, stuck the cake on a baking sheet and said "Finish cooking, for better or worse"!

Somehow, I guess the cake gods were smiling down on me, because once the cake finished baking and I carefully slid my knife around the pan and released the cake which came out slick as a whistle, it actually looked fine!  A little bit dense, but you really couldn't tell that it had fell!

I know why it fell.  When I was little my Grandmother used to make the most delicious pound cake ever.  However, my Grandfather loved cakes that had fallen because of the denseness of them and I loved my Grandfather.  So.. when Grandma was baking her cakes he would get me to jump around in the kitchen to try and make the cake fall.  I jumped vigorously!!!   That is until she caught me and made me leave the kitchen!

Anyway, here is a photo and the recipe for this very delicious cake.  Hope you make it and try not to jump around in the kitchen while it's baking!

Caramel Apple Pound Cake

2  cups granulated sugar

1 1/2  cups vegetable oil

2  teaspoons vanilla

3  eggs

3  cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoon apple pie spice

1  teaspoon salt

1  teaspoon baking soda

2  medium apples, peeled and finely chopped (2 cups)

Caramel Glaze

1/2  cup butter or margarine

1/2  cup packed brown sugar

2  teaspoons milk

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube cake pan. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in flour, salt and baking soda until smooth. Stir in apples. Pour into pan.

Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack.

In 2-quart saucepan, heat all glaze ingredients to boiling, stirring occasionally. Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Spoon glaze over warm cake.

Make sure you use the right sized pan!!!

Original recipe from http://www.servedupwithlove.com/  Check out her blog!  It's Delicious!

Linda

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

Good Monday Morning!  This weekend was one of those rare weekends that bring me immense joy!  The ones where you have nowhere you have to go and no commitments.  I had done most of my housecleaning during the week so that meant a weekend of crafting at leisure!

I pulled out ALL my Halloween crafting bits and bobs!  There was scrapbook paper, fabric, paint, chipboard, pipe cleaners, ribbons, you name it, if it was orange, black, green or purple, I drug it out of the closet and just piled it up on a table!  What a sight to see!  I wish I had taken a photo of the whole mess.

I got my Witches Hat for Vivian's swap totally finished and  I love the way it turned out and I will share it with you once it's on it's way to my partner.  But it was so much fun that a trip to Michael's is planned this week to pick up another form.

I am loving making peg dolls and decided to do some witches!

Middle witch needs some work on her hair!  I was trying to make it look scraggly but only succeeded in making it look messy.  She will have an appointment with the hair stylist tonight! 

  Those cute little decorations on their dresses came off some wine glass charms I found at the Goodwill for .50 for 6!  They are the perfect touch!

Speaking of witches, this sultry little witch had glitter all over my room and snips of paper flying everywhere, but I love how she turned out!

She sit in an old metal jello mold that I glittered with some beautiful orange, red and gold glitter I found on sale at Michael's that is made by Recollections.  I love how fine it is and it goes on so nicely..

Wonder who she turned into that frog?

I have 3 more of these molds, I think she needs company!

More paper ornaments for my Halloween tree!  i just love making these!

I can't wait to get that tree up!

Trick or Treat!

Then there is a PURPLE glittered skeleton that is still in progress!  Oh my, how much fun he has been!  Hopefully I will get him finished his glittering process and into some Halloween finery this week. 

Long weekend next week may find me pulling out my Fall and Halloween decorations! I am getting antsy!

Happy Monday!

Linda 

Up a Tree

Good Thursday Morning! 

The weather is finally cooling down here in SW Virginia, we have only been in the 80's this week and the mornings have been just delightfully cool!  I am so thankful!!

Last night while I was sorting through some old photos, I came upon several pictures that had something in common..  Let's see if you can tell what it is!  LOL!!

This one is dated 1967.  I would have been 6 years old.  Check out those high water pants and Pixie hair cut!

This one is dated 1969.  8 years old in this picture.  That's my Grandma's doll I was holding, still got on high waters!

This one's not dated but I think I am about 16 in this picture.  I remember those shoes.  I had to have them for track and they cost $15.00!  Dad was appalled!  He said I better make them last until I finished high school.

This one is dated 1980.  I would have been 19.. Ha!  I still have on those shoes! 

This one says 1985.  That's my sister with me.

Apparently I had a "thing" for that tree!  It lived along the creek bank at my Grandparents farm and I spent a great amount of time not only at their farm, but walking the creek banks with my Grandmother who loved to get outside and walk.  We would fish, swim,  pick up interesting rocks and plants, and maybe grab a pail of sandy dirt for me to take back to the house and make mud pies with.  Sometimes we went looking for teaberry plants.  We loved chewing them and sometimes Grandma would make tea from the leaves to settle my stomach.

I would give anything to walk along that creek bank today and get my picture made in that tree.  Wonder if it's still there??  The farm was sold when my Grandfather passed away and Grandma moved closer to town to be near us. 

Just a trip down memory lane today or rather down Kimberling Creek!!

Blessings

Linda