the french bear

Belle

2010-03-17T20:31:00.004-06:00

This is my granddaughter Belle. Usually she is outside playing or dancing, or skating, but for her piano competition, she wowed us her beauty. From the inside out..... she is my Mom all over!!!

Celebration of green!!!!

2010-03-17T10:10:00.004-06:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! For more green hop on over to Jamie's blog Him, Me, and our Three.

She is having a celebration of green.... actually it was yesterday, but better late than never!!!

These are from my days at Funky Petals........ I loved being a florist...... sometimes I miss it..... but then I remember the days that I don't...... lol!

Missing my Mom and Sister......

2010-03-15T20:06:00.013-06:00

Mid March and into Spring is a bittersweet time for me..... my sister Karyn passed away seven years ago yesterday; March 14, 2002. My Mom passed away on Good Friday April 12, 2001. Both of them celebrated birthdays with me in March, my Mom on March 11 (2 days after mine) and Karyn's on March 19......... you can read my tribute to Karyn here and the one to my Mom here...... I miss them both so much and I am always floundering around this time...... even though I come from a family of ten children, the connection is fuzzy now and the contact is not really there.

My sister and I were very close, she was an artist, a teacher and my mentor... we did a lot of artistic creating together......

I saved this card.... it was from the last bouquet of flowers she gave me.......

Karyn and Mom......

Here is my Mom and my Baba.....

She was beautiful and kind.....

I am glad I kept this little note........

Another year slips by and yet it is just like yesterday........ all the memories in the world can't take the pain away...... I know that life goes on and time will ease the pain.

I also know in my heart there's this little piece missing........

Silver Sunday, I made it!!!

2010-03-14T09:58:00.004-06:00

It's time for another Silver Sunday with Beth over at Gypsy Fish ..........

Hop over to see who is joining in the fun!

This is my silver...... alphabet noodle cutters, I use them to spell out the children's names when we make chicken soup and homemade noodles..... even though it is a lot of work, it is worth it!

These are the silver straws I purchased from Papermash....... so cute! I keep them in my Dutchman Dairy bottle......
My sweet little silver olive picks from my daughter Rhianon.........
A silvery gold bottle..... for the most beautiful bottles you need to see Beth's, they are simply gorgeous!!!!

The kids and the violin......

2010-03-11T19:46:00.005-07:00

Even just sitting around the table with the grandchildren brings laughter and fun.....

I am so glad these sisters love each other..... and their brother!!!
Isabella brought her violin to share some music, she is just learning, you may need to scroll down to the bottom to turn the music off if you really want to hear her play! I repeat, she is just learning, sorry about the TV in the background..... lol!!!

Sophia's "Alice"........

2010-03-11T08:13:00.003-07:00

After seeing the movie Alice in Wonderland, I had some time to spend with my little granddaughter Sophia. We really enjoyed the movie, so I bought this book and the evening was spent reading and discussing "Alice". Here are some of her expressions from some of the characters.......

This is Alice, with a pretty smile.....
I think this was the Mad Hatter..... ha ha.....what a charmer..... Gramma's little monkey!

Alice was fabulous!!!!

2010-03-07T18:42:00.003-07:00

It was so good! I loved it, of course I will have to go back and see it again just to see the costumes! I was trying so hard to take it all in...... wonderful! I was delighted to see Alice wearing a pair of knit wrist warmers...... and happy to make Isabella a pair!!

I do believe she liked them, she hasn't taken them off yet......

Fresh air and a whole day to play.......

2010-03-06T11:27:00.003-07:00

The windows are wide open, the air is fresh and crisp.... I am waiting for my grandchildren to come visit........ it is so beautiful outside and I have the whole day ahead of me......... I pulled out my wooden tray that holds some of my many projects..... hmmmmm.... I think I will knit some cuffs, maybe add a flower or two..... a button, or maybe a rose from some muslin that has been dyed pink and stamped with a french word or two.....

What are you doing today?

When my daughter and her children get here we are going out for dinner (the Dutchman, his cousin and I have birthdays) to celebrate and then off to see "Alice"!!!!!!!

where the wild things are....

2010-03-02T21:16:00.003-07:00

Whether you have ever read the book or not you will want to see this movie..... I loved it! It reminded me of when children used to play with their imagination..... the times when you played outside.... all day! I am not sure if it is meant for little people to watch, it's more of an adult movie that takes you back to your childhood. The characters are so interesting and the costumes amazing..... I am definitely going to buy this one....

A Gift for a Friend.........

2010-03-02T07:22:00.003-07:00

I am having lunch with a friend today, I always try to take something little and homemade......

At five thirty this morning I leapt out of bed when I realized I had forgot all about my lunch date....... ahhhh..... what to do?!!!! Then I remembered I had this wonderful pink teacup and a small scrap of beautiful pink wool, it's okay........ you can always make a pin keep for a friend. I know I love to get them and there are so many ways to decorate them.

This made me wonder, what do you do for your friends when you need to whip up a little gift?

I would love to know what kind of things you create!!!!

I added some hand dyed muslin roses I had made a few days ago.......
Made a little strawberry for a sweet touch..... love those little strawberries....

My favourite cup....and a giveaway!

2010-02-26T22:05:00.008-07:00

Mira over at Belle Blanc is having an action giveaway!!! This is where you show and tell everyone about your favourite cup and she will pick the picture of the one she likes the best.

This is my favourite cup.....I love to have a hot green tea or maybe some chocolate.....no matter what it always feels special in my "M" mug......

Green Matcha Bundt Cake

2010-02-25T18:34:00.005-07:00

A little while back, Bakerella had this recipe on her blog and I wanted to try it..... I had to find the Matcha green tea powder first. I may have used a little too much for the color, but the taste was great........ I made a lime glaze and that gave it just the right tang. If you want a great blog to drool over check her out!!! Her cake looks a lot better than mine but it still disappeared well enough!!!

Little Bird to Make for Spring.......

2010-02-23T08:48:00.007-07:00

There's something about little birds that make me happy, maybe it's the promise of spring.....

I wanted to share with you how I made this little chirpy fellow.

I drew the shape on some coffee filters, then I used a stamp, except I made this one upside down! Oh dear, next time I shall pay attention.

After you stamp it, or dip it in tea to stain, you just sew him up, stuff it with a tiny bit of stuffing and then embellish it with whatever you want. Already I can think of so many variations....... I will have to post more pictures, I think I have a few more ideas!!!!

I know Valentine's Day is past but I just received these sweet cards. This is from Donna over at Brynwood Needleworks. If you haven't been to visit her blog, please go and check it out, I am always amazed at all the projects she is working on, I don't know if she sleeps!!! I love this hand made ATC card, thank you Donna!

Here's a Valentine from my friends Amy and Alfredo..... so cute! Check out Amy's blog, Inspireco and her Open Sky Store, she has a sweet doll pdf that you can download.

Beautiful giveaways and I won!

2010-02-22T07:46:00.019-07:00

I am so thrilled that I won these giveaways! I am sorry it took this long to write about it, I have been a little under the weather..... It was so exciting to come home and read my emails telling me I won this beautiful hand stitched pin keep from Susan at "Contemplating My Needle and Thread", she has the most wonderful cross stitching works of art.

How wonderful to find that I also won this stunning cake plate and silver server from Laura at "Decor to Adore". I feel so blessed, thank you ladies!

This is my Valentine card swap from Cathy at Hazelruthes. Isn't it sweet? It was so nice to exchange a pretty card with a friend!!!
What a gorgeous picture.......
I just had to share this sweet fellow, not that I won him, the Dutchman actually bought him for my birthday (it isn't until March). I happened to mention that Susan was creating again and how much I love her work and I wanted this one, and he could get it for my birthday? Of course he said yes, thanks Honey!!! You really need to go to Susan's blog, "Mouse Droppings" her work is incredible! She makes the most amazing pieces, you just want to kiss them....well I do, but then I am weird that way!!!

Isn't he just the sweetest bunny? Thank you Susan, I love him!!
I do have some more sweet things to share but I am off to work...... need more money to keep going, darn! I just wanted to share my goodies, and say a big thank you for the giveaways that I won...... have a happy Monday!

Thoughts of love and red......

2010-02-11T19:48:00.003-07:00

It's almost Valentines Day..... thoughts of red and pink, some swap goodies...... what are you giving to your sweetie?

French Charming Giveaway!

2010-02-07T20:08:00.005-07:00

Karyn over at French Charming is having a giveaway, and wait till you see the goodies!!

This is an amazing bounty of deliciousness...... and you will love her blog! Please go and enter your name and don't forget to check out some of the other great giveaways from Brenda, here and Donna, here!!!

This must be a month of love, all these generous ladies having such lovely giveaways!!!!!

Silver Sunday #6

2010-02-06T16:39:00.006-07:00

This is the last Silver Sunday, hosted by Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal. What a fun and wonderful time it has been. There have been so many gorgeous silver treasures, Beth has a mosaic on this Sunday's post. be sure to stop in and check out all the names!!!

I wanted to share some silver fabric and lace and a few goodies......

Silver keys to decorate..... lace to adorn something special....
Pretty felt flowers.....
Lovely silver silk.....
Maybe a new dress for my antique doll......
Thank you to everyone who visited my Silver Sundays, I was so touched by all the thoughtful comments friends made. I also wanted to share something about the silverware from last Sunday's post...... I looked at the back of the silverware and it read, "True Love".... isn't that sweet!!!!

Beautiful Pinks...

2010-02-06T09:55:00.006-07:00

I have been feeling a little blue, so I decided I needed a little pick me up, nothing like pink to pick a girl up.........

This is my new wreath from The French Garden House........Isn't it beautiful? All those pretty pink roses........
Thank you Lidy, I love it!

Another Giveaway!

2010-02-05T07:02:00.003-07:00

Brenda from with Thy Needle and Thread is having giveaway! She also has finished this beautiful piece of stitching....... you can purchase her patterns from her online store Country Stitches. There's also a complete line of charms and lots of other sweet things!!

Valentine Giveaway At Brynwood Needleworks

2010-02-02T06:46:00.003-07:00

Hurry over to Donna at Brynwood Needleworks, she is having a wonderful Valentine giveaway!!!

She has a handmade wool pillow, that is absolutely divine! There's beautiful ribbon, thread, buttons and a sweet journal and so much more........ take time to read her posts and check out her blog. You will not be disappointed, this is one talented artist and a lovely friend!

Cheers,

Margaret B

Silver Sunday #5

2010-01-31T14:45:00.002-07:00

Here we are, another Silver Sunday! Thank you to our hostess, Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal, she has a whole lot of participants this weekend joining the fun. It may take me all day and most of the week to catch and visit everyone, but that's the fun part. Grab your coffee and sit back and enjoy. Beth has a wonderful post about her Grandmother's chatelaine, it is so beautiful, you will want to see it.

This is my husband's Auntie Limer's silverware....... I don't know much about it, except it is very pretty and she had it for a long time. The Dutchman tells stories about riding the bus to visit her for tea.

It is so interesting to think of the tales the silverware could tell...........

Still here, hanging in so far!!!

2010-01-30T21:21:00.002-07:00

After a good cleaning and backing up all my files, the computer has been running okay......

could be the threat of another computer sitting ready to take over if things go wrong.....
I am sure I heard my Mac promise to behave, maybe even whisper a promise to be good!!!

Computer Issues

2010-01-28T08:18:00.002-07:00

is⋅sue

[ish-oo or, especially Brit., is-yoo] Show IPA noun, verb, -sued, -su⋅ing.

I am having issues;

computer......the fan sounds like a 747 taking off.....

Back as soon as I can be.....

Book Page Wreath

2010-01-25T07:56:00.004-07:00

After seeing this wreath made from book pages on Dawn's blog I decided to give it a try. It's not bad, I like it, I wish the pages didn't look so yellow, I may have to try and find an old book with whiter pages. It was fun, took awhile to make but well worth it in the end.

Any ideas on anything more I could do? Have you tried this yet? Maybe spray it with coffee....

The link to the tutorial is here.

Silver Sunday #4

2010-01-23T21:32:00.003-07:00

It's Silver Sunday #4........ join Beth over at Gypsy Fish Journal and everyone else.

There are so many unique and wonderful "silver" goodies.

I have a few more favourites here, my sewing tin.......

Some funky wool, not sure how or where to use this yet.......
Cute little silver words.....
Silver organza rose.....
Silver Tulle, hmmmm, what to do........
Check it out and have fun!