Tolentreasures

So, they have not asked me to do this commercial, and just for the record, I am not getting paid for the endorsement. But, that being said, I so often complain about things that happen that I need to give due time to GOOD things that happen. Let me start by saying that I am certainly qualified to compare sweepers. I have had almost every brand in my thirty something years of adult vacuuming life. . And I have also pretty much annihilated every other brand. At least 15 or so of them that I can count. To be fair, I am not careful with a sweeper. They are pretty much treated like shop vacs at my house. So, Two and one half years ago I bought a Dyson. The Animal. I don't have animals, but it was the biggest and the best and the most $$$.  It had better be good. I cost more than several of the cars I have driven in my life.   I was sitting in Best Buy on the floor trying to tear it apart when the sales associate approached asking very nicely what I thought I was doing. "O...

I bet that you are really wondering about that title. Well, hang on, you have to hear some other stories first. The boys were at work, they were restless, they wanted to play in the snow. Always ready to take off work early, I volunteered of course! Don't they look cute with their snowmen we built? And a pic of the three snowmen builders together.   And one picture of us trying to roll the biggest snowball ever! Well, at least I was trying to roll the biggest snowball ever. That is Logan laying on the ground making one of the 35 or so snow angels that he made and Tyler forming yet another snowball to pound me with. But before all that... We went sled riding. Up and down this huge hill over and over. Pulling tired little boys UP the hill on the sled.  The best moment of the day.  Walking back up the hill, holding my hand, Logan says. "This time all three kids ride." I ask who the three kids are? He responds,  "Gramma, Tyler and Logan!"   Now I h...

I just found these directions this morning.  I am not sure how I misplace things, but this magically was found this morning. I used these directions with pearl cotton and a #7 steel crochet hook. http://www.allfreecrafts.com/crochet/crocheted-butterfly.shtml

A little glimpse into how my mind works. It can be a scary place. I am sure most of you are the same way, so you should understand. Time and Day; 9:30 Saturday morning. Place: Church Kitchen Activity: Making coffee for Ladies Bible Study Scenario: The first pot of coffee does not work. Honestly, I make coffee every day, but something about the coffee pot, the water..whatever, it does not work and it takes FOREVER to make it so while I am waiting for the second pot, I look over and see these crocheted butterflies on the refrigerator. In the trance of staring and thinking of what all I am going to do with my day later. Bad Habit, I know, but, I had a sick husband, I had to get groceries, meet with a customer, make some deliveries, print a shirt for a customer, do a little cleaning, other misc. odds and ends, all before the boys arrived for a sleepover. So, back to the butterflies. Everything goes out of my head and I think.... Wouldn't those be cute crocheted out of pearl cotton, I...

 You will need: Poster board or lightweight cardboard Freezer or Butcher Paper Scraps of felted wool Two buttons Embroidery floss Small amount of Wool Roving Small amount of polyfil Tools: Scissors Embroidery needle Felting needle Trace this pattern and cut out of lightweight cardboard.  Trace onto freezer paper, two of body, two of head and one of blanket. I flipped the head, but that is not necessary if your wool is the same on both sides.  Iron onto wool with the wax side down, hot setting on iron and no steam.  Cut out pieces and blanket stitch the blanket onto one piece of the body.   Beginning at the right side of the blanket start stitching down the top of the back and around the foot area.  Sew the button on and then stitch up to the middle of the bottom and stuff that side with polyfil.  Finish stitching around, repeating adding the button to the other side, leave a small opening at the blanket and finish stuffing the other leg and close u...

Wow, I am not even sure where the weekend went or if I got anything accomplished, but here is is Monday morning again and back to another work week. I have been on a bunny kick, painting and sewing the little buggers, and in true bunny fashion... they are multiplying!  So I am offering this collection for a giveaway. The square box and the little round daisy box and this little wool bunny. I thought that I was making bowl fillers of these bunnies, but now I am not sure if they aren't too big for bowl fillers, guess it depends on the size of your bowl. So, Here are the rules to sign up. (because you have to have rules) 1. You have to sign up on this post only. 2.  You must be a follower of my blog (new followers gladly accepted) 3.  You must be a US or Canadian resident (you know for shipping purposes) AND Here is how you get extra entries. Please let me know what you did and what your total entries are in your post...might as well make this easy on me. 1. Sign up.....

I'll bet you think that this is going to be some great cooking tips. This is my organic Basil the Bunny. Wendy at Ravenwood Whimsies offered this challenge. She provided the pattern for Basil and you made it your own. If you are interested, Click Here she may still be taking entries.  This is how he started.  And this is where he became ORGANIC. JWS caught me in the pantry grabbing a bag of rice. I needed some extra weight in the bottom of the bunny. Rice...the normal item that I go for. Patiently, he explained this was ORGANIC brown rice, not your normal, run of the mill, cheap,  white rice. Impatiently, I explained that I wanted to get this finished. Patiently, he tells me that he will go to the Bent and Dent Amish store today and buy me a huge bag of cheap rice. Impatiently, I walked right past him and took the expensive, organic rice right up to my sewing room and stuffed Basil with it. Hey, I don't even like rice, that can be my portion.   Basil, patiently wai...

First of all, if you have not been to the Sunburnt Cow Blog, you need to run (or click) right over there. The link is on my sidebar or Click on the title above. I am honored to have my items for sale with this wonderful group of artisans and artists. I was so surprised to see my penny rug from my selling blog right up on top there. Below is a board that I painted for a customer.  Fun to do and I even had stripes of gold leafing on the edges, but with limited photography skills, I missed them in the photo.   And another lazy susan.  And some chickens. And now for the story part of the post. I guess that I didn't even think of how silly this sounded until my friend Molly was giggling away at it. Chickens led me to this story, Healthy Eating was what led me to tell Molly. We were having lunch on Sunday with friends, talking about eating healthy when I casually mentioned, "We are trading chickens for the fencing that is left over from the house next door." Barter system. ...

Yesterday was my day with Kendall. I picked her up and had to stop at our church for something on the way home. It is in the middle of nowhere. No cell phone service, no close neighbors. I had this thought.  What if I fell on all this ice, with Kendall, and no one around?  I was so careful. Later in the day... I left the shop with Kendall in arms and banking and mail to go the post office and bank. Not. Being. Careful. I fell. Legs out from under me, smack down on the tailbone, Fell. Kendall cried.  Wallowing around on the ice, I checked her. Scared, not hurt. Her, that is. Me, on the other hand. Instant headache, nauseated and dizzy. It was a good hit. JWS, on the phone, in the office, missed it. I went back to the shop to check my wounds. He told me about his fall and showed me his elbow. I might or might not have said something bad to him. In my dizzy, sick, pained state, I could not be held accountable. Thankfully, I think a quick trip to the chiropractor might have...