A Rose Without A Thorn

VINTAGE CUPID POSTCARDS......

2012-01-27T17:03:00.004-05:00

VINTAGE VALENTINE CUPIDS

These beautiful vintage postcards images of Cupids are now available in my Etsy store YOUR CRAFT POSTCARDS and you can find them HERE. Just image the wonderful Valentine creations you can make with these fully restored images.

DIGITAL EPHEMERA......

2012-01-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

These are some of my latest digital designs from my Etsy store YOUR CRAFT EPHEMERA click HERE to visit my store.....

Britannia Rose Print......

Britannia Cupid Print......

Large print size, high resolution......

Perfect for card making and ideal for Valentines Day......

Gift tag size ideal for many different occasions, friendship, birthday, anniverrsary......

There are many new designs in the development stage at YOUR CRAFT EPHEMERA. These can be embellished with added details such as glitter, roses, stamping, ribbons and charms. Have fun making them your own......

VALENTINE FREEBIES......

2012-01-17T16:48:00.001-05:00

Valentine freebies for you to enjoy and use for your crafts. Click on image and right mouse click to save. I have downloaded these with a higer resolution so that you get a great quality image, enjoy!!!

These vintage Valentine postcards have been repaired and remastered by me for you to use. Please do not sell these images as a digital collage sheet or on their own. Otherwise use and enjoy for your Valentine creations......

For more freebies go to YOUR CRAFT BOOK please click HERE and HERE, enjoy!!!

BIG CONFESSION......

2012-01-16T11:47:00.000-05:00

Okay, I have to confess that this big lump of a tree only came down......

YESTERDAY!!!!

I know, I know, how can it be, this is the longest that I have ever taken. I just could not seem to get my act together this year and finish the job. You will notice it is already cleared of ornaments but the lights still remained and the tree had yet to be dismantled.

My daughter in love, (I have completely and uttlerly stolen this lovely title from my dear friend Rebecca, I will fully admit with full dsclosure) But what a lovely term, so much nicer than Daughter In Law, UCK!!! Sorry I digress, dear Tiffany came to my rescue and began winding off the lights and dismantling the tree. This luckily enough spurred me on to greatness and I finally put all the bits and pieces away!

YOUR CRAFT BOOK BLOG GIVE A WAY......

2012-01-11T11:57:00.000-05:00

Blog Give A Way at www.yourcraftbook.blogspot.com. Full details of this blog Give A Way are available HERE.

The winner of the blog Give A Way will receive a PDF copy of this Spun Cotton Paper Doll Tutorial from YOUR CRAFT BOOK, available HERE.

SUSAN ARNOT......

2011-12-09T15:58:00.001-05:00

Beautiful Santa sleigh waiting to deliver gifts!

1880s German Headed Doll Candy Container

Antique doll picture frame

Antique baby bootie with snow baby!

Collection of Antique dolls in vintage candy containers

Wonderful Chrismas wreath full of vintage goodies!

Beautiful large doll and friends

The doll at the back is one of my all time favorites!

I am about to divulge one of my favorite secret must have's.......... drum roll here!!!

Susan Arnot hand crafted decorations!

I have been merrily collecting Susan for three years now and to put it simply I love her work. Most of you know that I make spun cotton ornaments but I feel a bit odd about displaying my own creations. So in the nick of time along came Susan and her truly spectacular holiday ornaments. I now have over 19 pieces in my collection and each year I add a few more.

My favorites are of course the Christmas decorations though I do have some other pieces that I display thoughout the year in my home. Susan is an artist and uses mostly vintage and antique pieces when making her often one of a kind creations.

Be sure to go to her Etsy shop and take a look at some of the goodies that are left they never last for long and many a time I have been pipped at the post when trying to buy something for myself. You can hear teeth grinding and sobbing when this happens.

I will show you some more of my Christmas decorating another day but until then feast your eyes on Susan's creations. She is one of Ety's best kept secret's, oops I think I have let the cat out of the bag!!!

www.aftermidnightfolkart.etsy.com

BEFORE AND AFTER......

2011-12-06T23:00:00.001-05:00

BEFORE

AFTER

I was inspired by a friend of mine to show you a before and after shot of one of my antique postcards. This wonderful old postcard is French and I fell in love with the beautiful cupid. I suppose the fact that Christmas will soon be upon us and then before we know it, it will be Valentines Day. I know, I know, maybe I am rushing things a bit here.

There is a growing group of fellow lady digital graphic artists and I just happened to pop over to the blog site of a very talented lady Rebecca at http://www.rebecca-gatheryeroses.blogspot.com/ and loved her before and after. Make sure to visit her truly beautiful blog.

I myself can be very spotty in regards to blogging and should really be more diligent in my endevours. Maybe this should be a New Years resolution. Or just one of many!

Still I hope that you enjoy seeing this before and after for more of my digital artwork visit my etsy strore http://www.etsy.com/shop/fadedtatteredroses.

I look forward to you visiting, have a wonderful holiday season, Maureen......

CARDS BY COLETTE.....

2011-11-12T14:27:00.009-05:00

If you have ever wondered what becomes of the images that I sell on Etsy I just wanted to give you a little sneek peak at some finished designs by Colette......

Colette is fairly new to the digitally created card market but I think her designs are so lovely that I could not resist sharing them here with my blogging friends......

Beautiful, creative and whimsical are the words that come to mind, enjoy this viewing of her pretty designs......

You will find colette at this link, enjoy!!!! http://www.victorian1920.etsy.com/

LET'S TALK ABOUT WEIGHT......

2011-08-29T23:33:00.007-04:00

Ok, lets talk about the elephant in the room and I don't mean me. Though I could make a good stand in for Nelly the elephant. Like so many of us out there weight has now become a daily struggle and something that I wish I could do something about.

Wait everyone is saying, "You can do something about it" and yes I can. Though I have to say that I do not have great willpower. Sometimes I wish I could literally staple my lips shut and do a juice only fast. That said having bought the juicer we are now juicing on a regular basis. I can now proudly say that I have in fact already lost 7lbs which in Enland would be half a stone.

Now about this stone thing, in England we do weight by the amount of stones you are and pounds. Where the stone thing came from historically I am not sure and maybe it relates to your weight in real rocks, who knows. All I can say is that 1 stone equals 14lbs for everyone that wants to know.

Here in the States it is all lbs related which for me lulls me into a false sense of security. If you say the weight in lbs it just feels less to me than the actual stone weight. I suppose that is because I am conditioned to the stone thing.

When I was a young woman I was 7 and a half stones which is 105 lbs and I was that weight for years. I had a tiny 18" waist (I still have the skirt), it would fit my thigh now! Yikes!!! Even when I had my son I only gained 20lbs and lost it pretty quickly afterwards. So I was used to being the skinny one in the family.

Boy does life change with the slow passing of the years. Now at the age of 55 I feel I really want to make a life altering change. A great inspiration has been Kirsty Alley who at the age of 60 has hopefully turned a corner in the weight wars.

I am taking things very slowly and working in 5 lb increments. I would be happy to be down to 120lbs which should be attainable. I am only 5' tall and have a small frame. My body does not need to lugging around this extra 40 lbs. I have been wearing a 14 which is not huge but I do not feel happy at this weight. So for me now is the time to begin making the change.

My first five pounds increment has now been passed and I am now on my way to my second five pounds. I might even go out tomorrow for a bike ride, that is a big deal in this heat. So tomorrow will see me wearing loose pants and taking off for the park. I wonder if I should issue a public warning first. A bit like a hurricane warning with different categories. I think a bike ride for me might be a Cat 3!

In less than two weeks I am off to England again and I will be away for a month. When I went last year I gained 8lbs because the food was fabulous and I could not resist a good pub meal. Plus I love a great fish and chips and a good hot curry.

This year I want to come back the same weight that I went, I will let you know if I succeed or not!

Keep following this space to see how I do, I will be juicing tomorrow for sure, wish me luck.......

FAT, SICK AND NEARLY DEAD......

2011-07-20T16:52:00.006-04:00

Wow, that is just about all I can say about this documentary. It was such an eye opener for myself and my husband and we sat spell bound for the duration of this program.

To go back a few days ago I was searching through the Netflix streaming list and stumbled across this documentary. I am always on the look out for things to watch with my husband and it is just about always through Netflix.

By the way on a side bar I am totally in love with Netflix streaming and my husband and I do 90% of our viewing in this way. For one thing we get to watch what we want, when we want and can avoid all of the awful mind numbing reality shows. So at least once a week I will take a look at the new programs on offer from Netflix.

Having explained that I have to say that the title of this documentary caught my attention. How could it not! So after sitting down and watching it my husband and I will be the proud new owners of a juicer by next week. I also took the time to buy a juicing recipe book also as I did not want to have something that was so foul I could not stomach to drink it.Will we be avid juicer's probably not but I think it would be good to try having a least one meal a day that is freshly juiced fruits and veggies. I will let you know how it goes and what I think of the experience. I am hoping that it will be a good addition to our health routine, fingers crossed!!

A GIFT FOR TIFFANY......

2011-07-11T17:30:00.008-04:00

I just had to take a moment to show off a wonderful pair of earrings that I purchased from Etsy for my daughter in love Tiffany. When I saw these on one of my searches I put them into my favorites folder and went back time and again to see them. I knew that one day they would be gone so I eventually took the plunge and bought them.

I am so pleased that I did! Tiffany wore them yesterday and they were stunning on her. I am going to make her pose for me wearing them and take a pic for the blog. I now regularily take a peek at some of the offerings that are listed on Etsy.

Wonderful artists sell their lovely often one of a kind creations and they are so much better than anything Made in China and massed produced.

If you have never bought from Etsy before I heartily recommend taking a look at their website. You will find hand knitted beauties, one of a kind earrings, bracelets and everything in between.

I love the fact that these items are not mass produced and you will have something that is different from what is out there in the shops.

Stop by http://www.janetdavies.etsy.com/ as your first port of call and I hope you stop and visit the other artisans of Etsy a truly one of a kind website!

CURLEW COUNTRY ONE OF MY FAVOURITE BLOGS......

2011-04-21T15:14:00.015-04:00

Every so often I like to share one of my favourite blogs with you and Curlew Country available at http://www.curlewcountry.blogspot.com/ is one of my favourites. I am British and this lovely bloggers site makes me so homesick but in a really good way......

This lovely young mother and wife lives in a beautiful area of England and I hope that you will take a moment to check out her wonderful life. Warts and all she is a very blessed lady and I love nothing better than catching up on her life and living vicariously through her. It makes me think I am back in England, I can just smell the fresh air of the countryside and hear the sound of the birds in the background, sigh!!!

I am including a peek at this weeks blog entry, her family were lucky enough to visit an old railway station where there was a 1940's revival going on with the most wonderful things to see. I hope some of the attached photograph's will make you want to check the occasion out. I also hope Steph does not mind me borrowing some of her images, enjoy!!

I hope you enjoy taking a peek and maybe signing up and following also. You will not be disappointed......

Have a great weekend, blessings, Maureen......

By the way does anyone know how to remove these large breaks in the text I have deleted spaces unti I am blue in the face but they keep coming back. This has been going on for a while on Blogspot and it drives me nuts. They need their IT guys to sort out the code that that they are using, does anyone else have this problem or is it just me......

ARMADILLO RESCUE......

2011-04-18T23:06:00.007-04:00

For the last week or so we have been watching three baby armadillo's that have been happily foraging around our neighbours house. They are now about half their normal size and have been very entertaining, they can really eat a lot......

So imagine my son's suprise when he was sitting at his computer when something just happened to catch his eye. Looking at the neighbours pool he could see something swimming in the water. Taking a moment to look closer he realised that it was the three armadillo's paddling rapidly and going round and round in circles along the edge of the pool......

After a loud yell for me to come running from the other side of the house, Jonathan, Tiffany and I ran out of the back door and over to our neighbour's gate. We did not wait for an invite but cranked open the gate and ran to the edge of the pool. There was three fairly young armadillo's with their little heads held high paddling for all of their worth. Yikes! talk about pathetic and sorrowful. We already knew this pool well and realised there was no route of escape for them......

Thinking ahead Tiffany had grabbed from the garage a large red plastic plant pot to use as a scoop. Let me tell you they are squirmy little suckers! The first one I tried to rescue rapidly swam for the middle of the pool thinking he was in danger. I am not kidding when I say it was like Michael Phelps and his turn under the water was spectacular. They are very good swimmers but even I do not think they would have lasted long with no where to go and no way to get out. Tiffany luckily enough came up with a game plan and was able to trap her first rescue to the side using the plant pot and scoop him up. I have to say the little armadillo rapidly headed for the bushes, not a thanks in sight! Now I do not know how smart armadillo's are but these ones in particular seemed pretty bright. The second one sensing he was about to be saved put up very little struggle, but the one that I had tried to scoop was still gamely swimming for the middle of the pool. But once he saw the second one rescued he began doggy paddling for all he was worth to the side of the pool and came up right next to Tiffany and stopped for her to scoop him up. Pretty smart armadillo if you ask me......

I must say we all felt pretty good after this little bit of excitement and agreed that this had been a great part of our day. Sometimes it is enough to know that something or someone is better off because of a small kindness that you took a moment out of your day to do.......

If you ever find yourself paddling madly around a pool (figuratively speaking) I hope that there is someone with a big plastic plant pot to pull you out......

Have a great week everyone! Blessings, Maureen......

THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR......

2011-04-13T20:02:00.006-04:00

Once again I am taking a moment from my day to catch up with some much needed blogging. I want to take a moment to say how grateful I am for some of the most wonderful and dear friends......

Life will often throw us a curve ball and just when I think things are at there darkest a friend will send me a wonderful email and brighten up my day......

I am so grateful for my life right now even though it is not perfect I feel the Lord is guiding me on a new and wonderful path. I am also happy to say that I am off to England again in a few months for a another visit to my mother, sister and dear friends......

When I went to England last year it was as if time had stood still since I left and my friends and I picked up where we last set down our coffee cups. I had the best time going for some of the TASTIEST pub lunches and catching up with everyone since we last sat face to face. Don't you just love the sheer joy of meeting up with people who will always be your dearest of friends and that it requires no effort because you are just there for each other no matter what......

One thing I love most is Skype, could there be anything better. My friends and I all over the world sit down and chat with our tea or coffee and catch up. Dear Beverely in Spain, we talk way like it was yesterday in her house in Gerrards Cross. Wonderful Dee in Hazelmere, Torbin and Heidi in Sweden and all of the other coutries in between. This sort of technology I embrace with open arms, it brings us all together and it feels as if we have never been apart......

So for today I want to take a moment or two and say how lucky I am to have some of the best friends in the world. Be they from Blogging, local ladies here in the States or from all of the places around the world where I have been lucky enough to live. Thank you, thank you one and all!!!!!

I am gifting to all of you this wonderful image to do with as you wish. There are no strings attached, you can print or use it digitally. I have made it a really big image so that you can get the best results from it and also print it in a larger format for that bigger project. Have fun with it and happy creating, blessings always, Maureen.

VICTORIAN BEAUTIES......

2011-03-31T20:08:00.007-04:00

I hope that you enjoy getting a peek at some of my latest creations. I find it hard to believe that it is now over a year since I first tried my hand at photoshop. I was so terriefied and drove my husband nuts with the continual questions.

I found one of the best things that I learned was not to be afraid and go ahead and experiment. From those trails and errors I discovered what works for me and it has been a great journey. I would love to take this new found skill in another direction and look into new ways to use what I have learned.

I also want to take a moment to thank all of the wonderful graphic altered artists out there who come back to me time and again. Each and every sale is so important to myself and my husband.

So from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU, blessings and hugs, Mauree......

MY LATEST CREATIONS......

2011-02-28T12:57:00.012-05:00

Sorry for having been away from my blog for so long. I could not believe that it was late December last time I put pen to paper, so to speak. I get so caught up in what I am doing that time just seems to fly by......

I have been working for many hours and days on my photographic restoration and re-mastering of old images that I now have a very stiff neck. Too much time spent in one position staring at the computer screen. Of which I am mighty glad that I no longer have to wear glasses for, it was such a pain. The lasic eye surgery was the best present that I gave myself!

I thought you might enjoy a moment to see some of my latest vintage images, I just love the one with the little lamb......

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend and spent time with there loved ones, blessings always, Maureen......

HAPPY TO SEE MY BROTHER......

2010-12-21T11:53:00.004-05:00

MY BROTHER AND I WHEN WE WERE FAB!!!!

(with my son Jonathan in Groomsport, Ireland)

On Saturday my brother, his wife and our nephew arrived from Indiana and we are having the best of times. It has been a really long 17 years (would you believe it) since we had seen each other. My nephew was a toddler when I last saw him and now he is all grown up!......

Where has the time gone, I blinked and it had passed!......

One thing I know for sure is that I am not going to wait another 17 years before we get together, life is way too short......

DUSTING OURSELVES OFF......

2010-12-10T20:18:00.007-05:00

My husband and I have never been the type of people to stay down for long and now is no exception. We have had our low point and come up the other side. Christmas is around the corner and life is at the end of the day is what we make it......

We finally have some light at the end of the tunnel, we have sorted out Medicare for my husband and I am going to go onto COBRA and then we will see if anything is available for me. I have the dreaded pre-existing condition called Athsma so that tends to put a blot on health insurance. But until then we have some time and I am not going to spend it moping about......

Reubs and I have spent time together watching T.V and drinking tea, what could be more British than that. Also finally we are having some cold weather here in FLORIDA. Ok, for the sake of full disclosure I will say cold weather for Florida!!

I am setting myself the task of having a really good clear out through the house and I am going to begin listing everything and anything on my Etsy store http://www.tatteredroses.etsy.com/. I have far too much stuff and I need to continue letting it go. If we decide to go back to England I want to have the majority of clearing done and not leave it until the last minute......

My husband and I feel lighter of heart and have some hope for the future. We do not know what direction his disease will take but we do know for sure that we can go back to England to friends and family......

I am going to begin a new section on my blog and list for you some of the things that I am downsizing. I have been an avid collector of all things old and vintage for thirty years so I have lots to list. I hope that everything finds a new loving home......

Anyway I just want to wish everyong a wonderful and blessed Christmas from the bottom of my heart. I hope that your home will be full of faith, love and family, none of these blessing cost a penny but are the most precious......

Please accept the above image as a thank you gift from me, I have digitally repaired and restored the image and it has a high dpi. Enjoy working with it, there are no restrictions it is yours to do with as you wish......

IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND......

2010-11-29T19:46:00.005-05:00

Well some days have now passed since our huge disappointment and we are beginning the process of dusting ourselves off. I suppose the hardest thing for us both is mourning the loss of our lives. I know that seems strange to say as we are both still living but on that day nearly eight years ago when my husband was a young 47 years old our life came to a halt as we knew it......

We were never party go'ers and in fact the opposite was true. For us the joy was in a small dinner with dear friends, going to the movies, a nice restaurant or walking with our dog. Simple stuff really but so missed today......

One of the things that I miss the most is walking beside my husband and holding his hand. It is never to be again, the simple pleasures of life become a distant memory and the one thing we have learned from this is never and I mean never put anything off until later on in life. You never know when later on will be gone......

I want to leave you with the words from one of our favourite songs, when we used to listen to these words I never dreamed that my husband would be the one falling behind. I always thought he would be waiting for me......

IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND by Bruce Springsteen

We said we'd walk together baby come what may

That come the twilight should we lose our way

If as we're walkin a hand should slip free

I'll wait for you

And should I fall behind

Wait for me.

We swore we'd travel darlin' side by side

We'd help each other stay in stride

But each lover's steps fall so differently

But I'll wait for you

And if I should fall behind

Wait for me.

Now everyone dreams of a love lasting and true

But you and I know what this world can do

So let's make our steps clear that the other may see

And I'll wait for you

If I should fall behind

Wait for me.

Now there's a beautiful river in the valley ahead

There neath the oak's bough soon we will be wed

Should we lose each other in the shadow of the evening trees

I'll wait for you

And should I fall behind

Wait for me

Darlin' I'll wait for you

Should I fall behind

Wait for me......

If you have plans with your husband do it now, don't wait, don't walk, simply run......

JUST ANOTHER DAY......

2010-11-22T22:56:00.009-05:00

It is well nigh impossible to image how it is when ill health comes into your life and home and steals away slowly in tiny pieces the person that you love with all of your heart. We all say glibbly "I can image how you feel" but to be honest, you cannot. Until you have walked in the shoes yourself you can never image the devastation and sorrow that a disease like Multiple Sclerosis leaves in its wake......

My dear Reubs has now officially had the disease for seven years now, it will be eight years in the spring. I can still remember the dread and fear that locked up my stomach for days on end and did not let go. When my husband was in hospital for the very first time I can remember standing in the kitchen of our home trying to force down half a weetabix. I had always thought of myself as a comfort eater but when real tragedy struck I could not eat a mouthful let alone a meal. Head spinning I wondered where we would go from this point on, little did I know how the disease would progress and how quickly. We both tried to put a good face on it and sat in the hospital talking about how for some the disease moved really slowly. Oh, God let it be like that I prayed!

But no, my husband was to prove to be one of the very small percentage that plunge off a cliff to never to climb back up the other side. In the seven years since his diagnosis he has progressed at an alarming rate. My once tall handsome husband has been ravaged by the disease and there seems no end in sight......

We tried not to get too excited by CCSVI and hoped for a small miracle with at the least a slowing down of the disease. It is funny when you are first diagnosed you pray for a cure and a miracle, but as time progesses and the disease takes its awful path you change and pray for just the little things. Please let him be able to hold the strings of a guitar down again so that he can have the joy of playing. Small stuff in the midst of big things but a great loss for him none the less. One of life's little pleasures that made the day just that little bit better and easier to bear......

I am sorry to say that the CCSVI treatment is not going to be any use for my dear, dear Reubs. When they went into his veins they could not find anything to correct. What a blow, I cannot begin to tell you the depth of our despair and grieving, this last thing taken away......

We have all talked about our husbands on our blogs but my Reub's is beyond measure. We struggled greatly when we were first married and everything came by the sweat of his brow. Our first home was a little rental two up, two down that had been derelict and vandilised for a year, we moved in as is and were very grateful. We had cardboard boxes cut up on the floor for carpet and also had it nailed to the bottom half of the bedroom window so that we could get dressed and undressed in privacy. My husband walked to work which was about ten miles round trip each day because we could not afford a bicycle. He did this rain hail or shine and never and I mean NEVER complained. One year we upgraded to a bike for him that we bought from a catalogue and paid it off in monthly installments for two years. Luxury indeed, he could now ride the ten miles and not have to walk, we had arrived. We finally at the age of THIRTY got our very first car, think about it, THIRTY......

We lived in our little rental house for eight years and bought a truly ugly second hand carpet that I laid myself up the stairs. The design could only be called paint ball splodge and it was thread bare. There was only enough carpet to go to just around the bend of the stairs but we did not mind because anyone standing at the front door would think the carpet went all the way up to the top. That carpet was still there on the day we left eight years later, I was pleased to leave it behind. There was no toilet in the house but there was an outside loo so whenever it snowed or rained you had to remember to put your coat on. This is were we started from and I would gladly go back there today if I could heal my Reubs, the footage of this tiny postage stamp house was about 600 square feet......

Thanks to everyone who has been kind enough to contact me with wishes for him, I am so sorry that I cannot give happy news. It seems there is not any left for us just now, we will get our act together and put smiles up on our faces once again, but not just yet. I want to have a moment to feel very sorry for us both and have a private cry in the solitude of my home......

I also want to take a moment to thank Motorola for cancelling medical insurance coverage for their disabled ex-employees and their dependants beginning January 2011, this includes ourselves. This is a move that they can feel very proud of as they accept their large bonus's and stock options. Well done guys, it must have been a great year for you, have a wonderful holiday season......

CCSVI UPDATE......

2010-10-29T15:10:00.010-04:00

CCSVI UPDATE......

Just to let everyone know that during my trip to England a wonderful thing happened. Firstly a lovely woman by the name of Michelle went beyond the call of duty and found a Radiologist more local to us in Miami that was considering doing the procedure, though it would be some months away......

On the basis of this she suggested that my husband go and get the various tests required for this procedure ahead of time so that we would know if there was any blockage in any of the veins. Michelle kindly contacted our own General Practitioner and sent him the necessary protocols required for the test in order to gain the most from the imaging. From this a small snowball of sorts started rolling!

Our wonderful long term G.P called the necessary Imaging Center to request the required tests and to let them know exactly what he wanted in the protocols. As our G.P was decribing to the young man on the other end of the phone what he wanted the young guy replied, "this sounds like the test for CCSVI The Liberation Treatment".

Our Doctor was suprised that he had heard of it and went on to question the young man further. It transpired that he knew of a Radiologist locally that was looking into doing the procedure. To say that this was great news was an undertaking. Our Doctor quickly got from him the name of the Radiologist and promptly called him directly......

The up shot of this is that last week my son and I rounded my husband up and took him to see this Radiologist last week and he has agreed to do the procedure. He took a look at hubbies scans from his neck and it turns out that the left jugler is completely blocked and the right jugler is severly narrowed, more than sixty percent for about five inches or more. Plus he believes there is another blockage elsewhere but will be able to judge better when he does the full procedure......

So the wonderful news is that on the 16 November my husband will be going to have the CCSVI procedure done and it will only be 10 miles from our home. This has all come about in a matter of four weeks which is honestly amazing. My husband is still on waiting lists but it could be months before they get to him and now he is first on the list with a wonderful Radiologist. All parties have asked us to not mention their names until they give us the all clear......

To say that we are happy is to put it mildly, though we are not expecting a miracle cure. For my husband if this just halts the disease then that will be miracle enough, we have learned to be very grateful for very small things and not wish for too much......

I will keep you updated on what happens after the procedure, but for any of those out there suffering from M.S please take moment to look into the CCSVI procedure......

Here are some websites that I have found to be very helpful:

http://www.msrc.co.uk/ this is the website that we first found out about CCSVI.

www.thisisms/forum-40.html this chat room is a fantistic source of reference with many doctors performing the procedure listed......

NOT A HAPPY FLYER......

2010-09-02T13:51:00.005-04:00

Virgin Atlantic here I come, ready or not......

Well in a few very short hours I will be up in the plane and on my way to England. This picture pretty well decribes how I feel about flying. I think I would rather have a root canal......

Flying and myself have never gone hand in hand and I wish it were like 'Star Trek' where I could say the immortal words "Beam me up Scottie" and seconds later I would arrive at my destination. I will of course be taking a sedative that would in normal circumstances fell a horse and the wonderful Breath Rite nasal strips. These little miracle workers are a must if I am going to prevent a hatch somewhere on the plane being opened up and myself ejected into the wide blue yonder! To say that I snore is being polite, it is more like a cat going through a wood chipper!! I am not kidding, so for the sake of the other passengers I will be sticking super industrial strength Breath Rite nasal strips to my nose and hoping for the best......

In normal circumstances my husband always travelled with me and this is the very first time at the old age of 54 that I will be flying on my own. I intend to befriend the poor sod next to me and tell whomever it is to dig me in the ribs if I become too vocal......

So until I get back please spare a thought for the many passengers on a 747 that will have to listen to me tonight and hope that we manage to land without an international incident......

Bon Voyage!!!!!!!

CCSVI UPDATE.......

2010-08-22T23:08:00.004-04:00

First of all I want to take a moment to thank everyone that has contacted me in regards to my husband's up coming procedure for M.S Liberation. Currently we are on a waiting list for Glasgow, Scotland for The Liberation procedure but it is now currently on hold for the moment. The current delay in one of co-ordinating the test and the procedure. As we have to travel overseas it needs to be that they can both be done within a short period of each other. At the moment it could be a few months between both and my husband does not feel up to two trips on a plane......

Do not worry though I have been hotly searching the web for alternatives and I now have two! So as of this moment my husband is on the waiting list for two places in the U.S. These would both be so much better for him as driving him to either would be a possiblility and save him having to struggle with a flight. I will keep you all up to date and let you know the moment that I get a firm appointment date. He is on the waiting list and hopefully soon we will have more details......

I am still going to England though and will be visiting my mother and sister. I will be in Yorkshire and also close to London, it will be so nice to see them both as it has been too long since I was there. If an appointment comes up for my husband while I am away my son is going fill in my shoes and take his father. I know that he will do a great job if needed and I know I can depend on him......

Well I will be off to London on the 02 September and will be away at least for a month, I will let you all know about my trip when I get back. Until then have fun and be well......

SEEING CLEARLY......

2010-08-15T15:27:00.012-04:00

Today for the first time in a very long time I am sitting in front of the computer writing this short ephistle without reading glasses!!!!

Last thursday I had Lasik Eye Surgery and I was given what they call Mono Vision! That means one eye is for distance and one eye for reading, how weird is that. I remember when Lasik Eye Surgery first came into play they could only correct people who had problems with long distance. For people such as myself who had Presbyopia we were sort of stuck until science caught up......

Suddenly about two weeks ago I decided that enough was enough! I was so tired having glasses constantly decorating the front of my tops that I decided to check out Lasik. I needed reading glasses but I had also graduated to distance as well. I spent a small fortune on progressives but found them next to impossible to read with as the reading area was so small that I had to continually move my head from side to side to scan a page. For someone that used to love to read it was very frustrating. I bravely and I mean bravely (really I was completely chicken) made an appointment for the initial testing......

I can honestly say it was completely nerve wracking just getting tested, anything to do with the eyes is just horrible. They stuck some contact lens in for Mono Vision and off I went for an hour shopping and giving the eyes a trial run. It was weird being able to read a coke can ingredients and also to be able to see the street signs. Something that I had completely taken for granted years before!

They scheduled me in for a week later as my left eye needed to settle down. It had taken four attempts to get the contact lens in and another four to get it out. I heartily salute all of you out there that put those things in on a daily basis. How you do it I do not know! My eye was now a puffy mess and looked like it had been in a prize fight......

So last thursday I went in for the procedure. I was pretty good until I went into THE room. Also because I was having Mono Vision I had to go onto two separate machines. I will in all honesty say that the actual process was painless but freaky and that there is a point when you literally cannot see anything. That is scary! Also because I had to go onto another machine they had to take out the things that open your eyes and stop them from blinking. I can only think that they had to take them out so that my eyes did not fall out as I walked across the floor to the other machine. Believe me I am not kidding on this part. The second lazer is where I could smell burning and I am not talking about the good smell of a Sunday barbeque. More the smell of a cat that has it's tail too close to the fire. You know the smell! :)......

The entire process for both eyes took a huge, just kidding 10 minutes or less and after the procedure my son drove me home and I went to bed. For about an hour afterwards your eyes sting really badly and water a lot. It feels a bit like getting a ball in the eye, you are blinded by the light and it really stings. But in all honesty after an hour it quickly dies down and you then walk around looking like Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder. Even when I went out and it was dark I had to put the shades on......

By the way they talk about the halo's that you see around lights. I thought that these would be fuzzy things but they are not they are beautifuly prism lights that are like a clock face. Truly beautiful and like a firework display. This I gather lasts for a number of months, they are not horrible but I think they would be frustrating when driving at night. I am going to avoid that as much as possible until they have settled down more......

So the final outcome should be that I can ditch my glasses forever and for that I will be truly grateful. No more fussing about which pair I need. I can also say that any discomfort was totally worth it. I will keep you posted on my progress. I am not doing much on the computer until they settle down more, today is only day four. But it will be nice to go to England and forget about the specks for once.......

One last footnote it is a shock to see your wrinkles and flaws in full high definition, presbyopia was always very kind to the face!......

PAMELA ROSE......

2010-08-10T19:16:00.018-04:00

Sweet Pamela Rose......

Original Vintage Image......

This latest digital artwork of mine is dedicated to my mother Pamela Rose, there was something about this little girl that made me think of her. My mother is now in the grips of Alzheimer's and I can feel her slipping away from me little by little but this image was a joy to create......

I wish I had spent more time talking to my mother about her life but we always think that we have tomorrow. There is still a lot that she remembers but I know that time will slowly take that away from her. So for that reason I wanted to create something that makes me think of her......

Often we have talked about the second world war and how it affected my grandparents and my mother. My grandfather was caught by the Germans in the second world war and spent a number of years in a German prisoner of war camp. My mother talks about how things were in London during these times and about the children that were sent from the city to the country for safety......

This pensive little girl represents all of those boys and girls that went off to the country with their little brown leather suitcases clutched tightly in their hands along with a favorite toy or two......

I hope that you too like my Pamela Rose image and that you grab every chance you can to sit down and talk with someone that you love......

Blessings always......

You can find the digital postcard of this little girl at http://www.janetlangman.etsy.com/ stop in at her shop and take a peek. By the way Janet is lucky enough to actually live in France, this is the point that I wish the postcard said "Wish you were here"!! This lovely image was my starting off point for this latest digital art creation......

ROMANTIC CUPID DESIGN......

2010-08-06T16:47:00.002-04:00

Check out my Etsy store for my latest line of vintage wallpapers and a sweet cupid......

HOW TO GIVE A CAT A PILL......

2010-08-03T20:44:00.005-04:00

I did not write this but I thought it was so true and funny that I just had to share!

HOW TO GIVE A CAT A PILL......

1. Pick up cat and cradle in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of the cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding the pill in your right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

3. Retrieve cat from bedroom and throw soggy pill away.

4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.

5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse in from the garden.

6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with on hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail. Get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vase from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.

8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.

9. Check label to make sure pill is not harmful to humans and drink one beer to take taste away. Apply band-aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

10. Retrieve cat from neighor's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.

11 Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw tee-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

12. Call fire department to retrieve the darn cat from the top of the tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.

13 Using heavy duty pruning gloves from shed tie the little *&#%^'s front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining room table. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of filet steak. Be rough with it. Hold head veritcally and pour two pints of water down throat to wash pill down.

14. Consume remainder of scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room. Sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.

15. Arrange for RSPCA to collect mutant cat and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.

HOW TO GIVE A DOG A PILL......

1. Wrap it in bacon.

2. Toss it in the air.

PAPER ROSES......

2010-07-30T16:12:00.014-04:00

Paper Roses, to quote the old Marie Osmond Song......

Taking time out to photograph, scan and edit some of my vintage, textiles, wallpapers and ephemera is a monumental task but I am determined to get it done. I am trying to set for myself the goal of photographing or scanning five a day. I know this does not sound a lot but when I get busy it is so easy to end up having not scanned or documented a single item......

So today I got my trusty camera out and photograph five items. Which in itself can equal thirty to forty photographs that I carefully sift through trying to pick out the best one. My latest digital artwork is made up of a number of vintage papers and wallpapers and I like how they turned out......

There are many days that I create nothing that is worth showing, you are lucky you do not get to see the ones that I discard. Believe me they are truly awful but even so I still love sitting down in front of the computer with a new blank page. The digital art that works out and ends up in my Etsy store makes it worth while......

For all of the digital artists out there I know how much labour and love goes into each and every creation. Have fun with it even on the not so nice days when nothing seems to work!

OLD FASHIONED CLOTH DOLLS......

2010-07-29T17:56:00.017-04:00

The Wonderful World Of Cloth Dolls......

One of the things that I love is old fashioned cloth dolls and I have a couple of my own. These very simple dolls were very popular well over a hundred and more years ago and I don't think they have lost any of their charm......

So for that reason I have recreated the look using my vintage collection of paper dolls. The images above are just a few of my favorite dolls. I do have to say though that the original paper dolls are not in the condition of these doll images. I have spent many hours and sometimes days repairing and restoring a doll back to it's former glory......

All of these images are from authentic original paper dolls and not images of reproductions. The reproductions although good do not have the clarity and look of the old ones. I have had to recreate feet on a doll that was missing its feet. Replaced a missing arm and hand and removed many years of abuse and play. Torn necks and scotch tape being just a few of things that I had to lovingly remove from these time worn images......

Now they are ready to be turned into wonderful new cloth dolls to be enjoyed affresh by a new generation. These and many others are now available through my Etsy store http://www.arosewithoutathorn.etsy.com/. This is just a small sample of the paper doll images that are available. I am very picky about the ones that I use! The doll image that you will receive will be on a white background.

I am including with the purchase of a digital paper doll image a website that you can send the graphic to that will print and enlarge the image for you onto fabric. Image a whole collection of these sitting on a favorite chair. I like to print these on cream fabric as opposed to white to give a more vintage look. You can decorated and embellish these wonderful dolls to your hearts content......

Enjoy a trip down memory lane with these wonderful little cloth children......

I am also making these dolls available as a PNG file (clear background with no white) so that they can be used in digital artwork. The only stipulation is that my Etsy store must be listed in your description as the source for these images. Have fun!!!

DECORATIVE PAPERS......

2010-07-26T21:46:00.008-04:00

These are some of my latest digital creations for you a pretty selection of decorative papers for lots of crafting uses. From these you can paper a box, cover a journel, embellish a scrapbook and many, many other decorative uses......

Have fun coming up with some pretty ideas for these decorative papers. The great thing about buying a digital image is that you can print as many as you like to finish a project. No having to run out to the craft store because you have run out only to find they no longer carry the design you need......

You can find these at www.arosewithoutathorn.etsy.com and each design is available in six colors. They are currently sold in packs of three......

Have fun! :)

WOODLAND PRINCESS DIGITAL STEAMPUNK ALTERED ART......

2010-07-17T10:48:00.003-04:00

These digital images are my latest artwork that is now available in my Etsy store www.arosewithoutathorn.etsy.com. Please stop by for a visit I would love to see you......

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE......

2010-07-14T22:57:00.012-04:00

This is a little peek for everyone at the mannequins that I used to create. I do say used to because they were very labor intensive to do and also packing them for shipping was a nightmare......

I made many of these over a period of a number of years and I thought you might like to see just three of them. I have not kept any for myself so I get to enjoy them again looking back over the photograph's. The fabrics I used were vintage fabrics from the 1940 -50's and I loved being as creative as possible. The one really great thing about these is that the covers were completely removable for washing. Just unlace the ribbons and voila, off they came, just like dresses......

The mannequin in the middle was made using a different method and was equally as lovely. I have been very honored to have had these in a few national magazines and also in a hard backed decorting book......

I sometimes think I will do one more for me, I will see, until then I have fun taking a trip down memory lane......

I hope that you too also enjoy looking at some of my creations......

FAVORITE BLOGS IN BLOGLAND......

2010-07-12T22:32:00.008-04:00

The latest fantastic antique image from http://www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/, be sure to check out the original digital image on The Graphics Fairy website......

I think we all have blogs that we like to check in on and see what is going in their particular blogland. So I thought that I would one at a time introduce you to some of my all time favorite blogs to visit and enjoy......

These blogs are not in order of favoritism but more a case of which blog speaks to me and gives me joy. I hope from these blogs you will find a new love as well......

The first blog I am going to start with has been very special for quite a while now. I have to say that I honestly stumbled across this blog by accident but it was quick to become a big favorite of mine. Karen the lovely lady that runs this blog does a fantastic job for all of us Altered Art Graphic Artists out there and I honestly do not know what I would do with out this wonderful source......

So my first favorite blog that I hope you will take the time to visit is called The Graphics Fairy and you can find her through the above blog link. Karen tirelessly hunts down graphic images for us all to enjoy and use and I have happily passed her name onto many other digital artists out there. I do realise that she is probably known by most of the ladies but if not I honestly recommend that you take a moment to check out the wonderful library of images that she provides for us all......

You will find some of her images in my graphics and if ever something is missing from my current creation I always take a moment to see what is new and different on Karen's blog. So if you are an expert at graphic altered art or a newbie I am sure that there will be something on Karen's site for you to use and enjoy......

Happy creating everyone and above all have fun with Karen's wonderful collection......

LATEST CREATION.....

2010-07-06T16:55:00.009-04:00

Art Print 265......

This is my latest Digital Art Print and it is now available in my Etsy store. I love working with vintage and antique images and I have a huge collection to call upon when I need inspiration. It is funny to think that when I began collecting ephemera more than thirty years ago that one day I would be able to use these wonderful old images in art work......

I have long adored old photographs, postcards, die cuts and anything else that was pretty. When I first began collecting you could pick up these lovely paper goods for pennies. To be honest no one was really interested in someone else's family photographs and old chromolithographs were picked up really cheaply......

Many of these images are displayed in my own home and I have a large collection of antique chromolithographs to enjoy. These stunning images were bought at the start of my marriage. When they began to gain in popularity they rapidly became too expensive for my humble budget. Having said that I have really loved owning these and enjoyed their company. My mother and sister were bitten with the same bug and between the three of us we have a wonderful collection of antique beauties. I have begun letting many go but I still remember them and before they go off to their new owners I either scan them or if they are really big take a photograph which then ends up on the computer......

One of the chromolighographs that I sold a few years ago on Ebay was a spectacular Zoe Mozert with the most beautiful romantic woman. It was a very big vintage print but is now remembered on my hard drive. I think one day soon I will be working with her beautiful face and enjoying her image anew......

Happy creating to all the digital artists out there......

NETFLIX AND THE JOYS OF DOC MARTIN......

2010-07-06T13:00:00.010-04:00

I am not one to promote a product but I have to say something about Netflix. To be honest I find the selection on T.V to be awful. I cannot bear to watch reality shows and most programs at the moment are not great viewing. My husband and I over the years have loved to watch some of the great American shows such as Frazier, Friends and Everyone Loves Raymond but I can only watch so many re-runs......

So for that reason Netflix has been a huge life saver, Reubs and I love to watch documentries, movies and for me I love foreign films. Now I have to say in all honestly that for most foreign movies I would have to sedate my husband, tie him down and tape his eye lids open in order to get him to watch. The same goes for a period piece, I love most period costume dramas but my husband has to only see a crinoline and he heads for cover......

The wonderful thing about the Netflix service is that they now do streaming and that is the way we watch just about everything. At the moment of writing this blog I have on my computer screen a Netflix programme running on a separate Explorer and writing this blog on another. I love it!!!!

One of my all time favorites is a wonderful British series called ' Doc Martin', this series has been a pure delight from beginning to near end. I say near end because I think the series next year will be the last, it seems to be coming to a conclusion. This wonderful series is held in a Cornish town on the English coast called Portwenn though it's real name is Port Isaac. This has to be one of the most beautiful places to live and I have googled it to look at properties for sale it is so lovely......

So the service of Netflix and the stunning quality of programmes that it provides is one of our families great joys. I barely ever watch the normal television since the arrival of the Netflix envelope on our doorstop and also the advent of streaming programmes directly into the home......

No more do we scan the T.V programme guide to come away with the words "there is absolutely nothing on at all". We eagerly scan the instant downloads of Netflix and pick and choose what we want watch. I love, love, love it......

So if you ever become a member of Netflix be sure to start off with the wonderful, charming and funny series called Doc Martin. You will not be disappointed!!!!

BLOG GIVE-A-WAY WINNERS......

2010-07-03T11:03:00.004-04:00

I have three cupcake picks and toppers winners and the first is THE HAPPY HOMEMAKER, have fun with these Wendy!!!

The second winner is MARYDON, these should keep everyone busy over the summer!

And finally winner number three is ELYSE, thank you so much for entering the give-a-way. I hope that you all have a great time baking cupcakes and decorating with these fun picks and toppers!

Try not to get too nostalgic!!!!

THE BRITISH TRADITION OF THE DONER KEBAB......

2010-06-18T00:07:00.014-04:00

Doner Kebabs......

Now as many of you know I am Bristish and I thought I would slowly introduce everyone to some time trusted traditions in good old Britian......

Now one thing we love is food, doesn't everyone you say! Yes that is true but we have a great love of spicy food and I remember the day well when I ate my very first and last doner kebab. The doner kebab is Turkish and literally translated means "rotating meat" which you can see in the second photograph. The meat is usually lamb and cooked by rotating around a heat source slowly. Slices of the meat are cut away and it is often placed in a half shell pitta bread with veggies and sauce......

Now I am these days a strictly chicken and fish girl and will eat nothing with four feet, I know, I know, I just feel they have the potential to be my pet. I have to be honest I have more than a problem with the chicken and the fish also but I try to not think about it!

Now the one and only time I had a doner kebab was when my sister talked me into one......

We had spent the day going round the local shops in High Wycombe and were now feeling a bit peckish to say the least. Quite frankly at that point if there had been a slow moving animal it might have been in peril of it's life. Lucky to say most of the wildlife and local pet population was fleet of foot and they were allowed to live for another day. My sister decided that she was going to take me for a local doner kebab and I was going whether I liked it or not. Now I have to say that the site of those horrendous chunks of meat cooking away would normally have sent me into a swift retreat, but as I have said I was fit to eat anything at that point......

We stood checking out the menu, my sister being the expert and swearing they were delicious made the order. It all seemed harmless enough at the time, the half of pitta bread, sliced meat, loads of lettuce, tomatoes plus some interesting looking orange sauce!......

It was starting to rain so we happily sat in the front of my sister's car steaming up the windows with our hot breath and munching away like a couple of contented little hamsters. Both our cheeks were nicely filled and silence ensued for a number of minutes. Unable to contain herself my sister turned to me and said "What do you think of the kebab". To be honest it was pretty tasty and with mouth full I turned to her and said "Great, but I can't feel my face". When I turned and looked at my sister we could not stop laughing. A large portion of our faces was a lurid orange color, it was the magic HOT sauce that had been liberally added to the meat and veggies. We were both completely numb and could feel nothing with our faces, we grinned away like a couple of fools and happily carried on munching!......

Talk about a great day!!!! I miss my sister......

BLOG GIVE-A-WAY......

2010-06-16T10:07:00.015-04:00

Cupcake Toppers & Picks......

This is a sample of the toppers you will receive, enjoy......

I think by now many of you know that I am doing a huge clear out and de-stash and that I have been going through it for the last two years or so. It is funny how a clear out starts with one little thing and then ends up with a pile the size of a small mountain......

I have for a long time held onto the principle of getting ride of 10% of things at a time and that has worked well for me for most of my stuff. Every few months I go through a drawer or a cupboard and get rid of the things that I can now let go. When I first started on this journey there was much that I did not think that I could part with, but with time I have come to realise that if it is sitting in a drawer it is benefiting no one......

I have honestly loved the whole process and not been as upset as I thought to de-stash. Time makes a big difference as to how we view things and also what is important to us. I realised one day that I did not want to be like an Egyptian and have my own version of a little pyramid. I do not have to worry about tomb raiders but honestly what was I keeping this stuff for!......

Now I realise that at then end of my days my son is going to go through the bits that I have left and shake his head. He will find things like his first teeth, lock of hair and special little outfits that he wore as a baby and a child. These are the things that I am unable to part with, other bits and pieces are just that, STUFF!!

He will wonder about some of the other things that were special to his dad and I that have no monetary value at all but still mean something, in fact mean a lot. I also have to smile as I catch he and his wife keeping the same sort of stuff that I have. The torn half of a favorite movie seen together and the entrance ticket to somewhere special. One day he will be going through his stuff and shaking his head and wondering where it all came from! Life goes full circle......

Now onto the huge giveaway, I am letting go in one full sweep my entire collection of mostly vintage cupcake toppers and picks. The only ones as far as I know that are not vintage are the ballerina's. This is a great collection and perfect for the avid baker or altered art queen. There is honestly loads and I am sending it to one or two lucky people to have fun with and begin baking or creating......

So for each and every artist out there or devoted mother or grandmother it is very simple, either leave a comment on my blog, become a Google Follower or both and each comment or follower status will become an entry into the give away. You could if you want to split these up and give away to friends with a yummy cupcake attached to the bottom. What nicer way to bring a smile to a face, who does not love cupcakes!......

I truly hope that the person that wins this giveaway has the time of her life creating and baking with these cupcake memories, have fun......

THE BLOG GIVE-A-WAY WILL END ON 30TH JUNE, 2010, so there is plenty of time to leave comments on any of my blogs......

FLOWERPOT......

2010-06-03T19:03:00.003-04:00

This is the only way at the moment that I can get a picture of Flower, when she is snoring her little head off cradled in my husband's arms. Life does not get any better than this......

MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE RAT TERRIER......

2010-06-03T12:57:00.014-04:00

The Truly Adorable Rat Terrier......

My love affair with the Rat Terrier as a breed began a little under three years ago. Now the fact that we even own a dog so small is nothing short of a miracle in itself. Our little dog looks like the one on the right.....

We as a family always had a great love for big dogs and I mean BIG DOGS! In fact our last dog was a beautiful 140 lb Rottweiler called Beau, he was truly magnificent and glorious and not fat just enormous. After he passed away we were sworn off dogs and decided that because of my husband's ill health with Multiple Sclerosis that we would now forgo any future dog ownership. My husband and I had seriously sat down and weighed up the pro's and con's for us and come to the conclusion that our dog owning days were now far behind us. Our Beau was beautiful but huge and as my husband could no longer take part in the daily care of a dog it was decided in a sensible and democratic way that there would be no more dogs in order to try and relieve me of the inevitable work that comes along with such a commitment......

That was until a cold evening in late January of 2007, even here in Florida it was considered a cold spell as it was in the 30's at night time. I had come to know a little dog that used to run around our lake and visit our house in the evening. My son had taken on a new dog (that is another story, as he and his wife live with us) and this very sweet little dog came running around to visit my son's dog who was on the screened in patio enjoying the cold weather. On one of these visits I opened the screen door and let the little dog in in order for it to get closer to Mowglie the German Shepherd (Believe me it is a good story about Mowglie). The up shot was that Mowglie and this little dog got on like a house on fire. At the end of the visit I opened the screen door and off it went back to its home......

Go forward about two months and my son happened to tell me that the people whom owned the little dog were leaving the development that day. So needlessly to say I thought that was the end of the visits from the little dog. That night at 10.30 my son and I went out with Mowgli for his last walk of the evening, when low and behold the little dog appeared from out of the bushes. She followed us home and we brought her in for a moment in order for my husband to meet her. My husband took one look at her and uttered the famous words "She's not staying" and said that she had to go back to her home. We thought we had the date wrong that the owners were moving, so off she went back around the lake......

Later on that night we were all still up at 1.30 in the morning and commented on how cold it was outside. The talk then got around to the little dog and my son said that he thought he would just take Mowglie out for another quick walk before finally going to bed, he was worried about the little dog. Needless to say as soon as my son got within a short distance of the house the little dog came running out again from under the bushes. She was very cold and scared and again followed big Mowglie home. We brought her in and she stayed the night and was so grateful to be out of the cold. We found out the next day that the owner's had in fact moved away and left the little dog behind. Can you believe it! I just about had a fit!......

At the time we thought the little dog was a Jack Russell and called the Jack Russell rescue society (remember we were having NO MORE DOGS). They arranged that they would come and collect the little dog in three days. Needless to say long before the three days were up we could not let this sweetheart of a little dog go, so Flower or Flowerpot as I call her is now an active member of our famiy along with big FURRY Mowglie!!!

One thing I have come to learn is that there is a number of differences between a Jack Russell and a Rat Terrier. We in fact now own a Rat Terrier and now I can spot one a mile off once you know the breed. The breed comes in FOUR sizes and we are now the proud owners of a Standard Rat Terrier. She is now a slightly chubby 22 lbs (blame my husband) and is truly a joy to own. She was named Flower after the head meerkat of Meerkat Manor as she will sit up just like the meerkat and survey everything around her. She has sweet little tipped ears and uses them to great affect......

I can honestly say with hand on heart that I believe this dog to be a gift from God because of the joy she has brought my husband. She will happily spend all day on his lap and receive her little treats, I said it was his fault. At night time she will plaster herself along his side and keep him company when he has trouble sleeping. We now have a list as long as our arm of people who want her but my husband says it will be over our cold dead clammy bodies!!!!

I cannot imagine a day without our dear little Flower and I will try and get a photograph up for you one day. She is terrified of camera's, thunderstorms and any bang noise and will quiver for ages after. This gives my husband an extra reason to give her lots of cuddles, not that he needs any. Maybe this dog will be our last dog and we could never have seen ourselves owning a twenty two pounder but she is a little dog with a big dog's heart!

So thank you God for sending little Flower over to this house, I believe she was interviewing us and looking for a new home. She was not looked after by the previous owners and they had been reported for cruelty (we found this out after she became ours) so it was truly meant to be......

I will tell you about the cat that we now also have in another post, I know, I know, I cannot help it!!!! I will have NO MORE PETS! put on my gravestone!......

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE......

2010-05-27T13:22:00.006-04:00

As a small thank you from me to you I am including for free two of my digital images for you to use and enjoy. You can creat tags, cards or a picture for your home from these images. They are a small gift from me to you. I only require that you do not sell these images or include in a collage sheet......

SOMETHING VERY NEAR TO MY HEART......

2010-05-15T11:05:00.013-04:00

I am by nature a very private person but I did want to take a moment and talk about something very near to my heart and that is about the disease Multiple Sclerosis!

Those that know me well know that my husband is disabled with this disease and that as of yet there is no cure on the horizon. Multiple Sclerosis is a dreadful disease and will with time rob you of everything that you may have taken for granted up until that point. It is a very difficult disease to diagnose and can take many years before a final diagnosis......

This was the case for my husband and also for many others. When my husband was in his thirties and early forties he experienced odd little episodes that would be perplexing. Things such as deep tiredness, tingling in the fingers and episodes of numbness in the face, neck and legs. Many tests were done and the outcome was that it was probably just stress. He did have a very stressful job and flew all over the world so we were happy to believe that this was in fact the case......

This continued until he was 47 when his legs suddenly stopped working correctly and he had a lot of trouble walking. This was the point that an MRI showed up the first lesion and a spinal tap was performed. We then had the diagnosis that we had known in our hearts for years, he had Multiple Sclerosis!

Many people do not know but more women than men have M.S, but when men do get M.S their progression is usually more rapid and a lot more agressive. This was the case for my dear husband. The disease rapidly striped him of all of the things that he loved to do, walking became a memory and holding hands was now long gone (he cannot feel me holding his hand and it is painful for him to do so). This is one of the things that I miss most is walking alongside of him and simply holding his hand. You do not appreciate the simple things until they are gone. By the time my husband was diagnosed he was by then in the Secondary Progressive Stage......

The only reason that I am taking time now to talk about something so private to both of us is because there is something new on the horizon and it is a small hope and possibility. An Italian doctor called Paulo Zamboni decided to take action when his wife was diagnosed with M.S eight years ago. He did lots of research and decided that M.S was not a neurological disease but a narrowing of important blood vessels to and from the brain. This is now getting a lot of attention around the world and clinics are opening up everywhere and are now offering the treatment procedure that Doctor Paulo Zamboni designed......

I have spent many hours on the computer and I honestly mean many, going from website to website and now the crux of it is that I am taking my dear husband to Europe in September for what is called The Liberation Procedure or CCSVI to give it its medical term. If anyone wants any information about CCSVI they only have to Google it, go onto Facebook and also Youtube. There is more and more information coming out daily......

We are not looking for a miracle at this point but we are hoping to stop the progression of his disease. If you know anyone with M.S. get them to take the time to look up CCSVI and also Doctor Paulo Zamboni. We have the support of our doctor here in the States to go to Europe and he has taken the time to read the information on this procedure......

So come September I will be taking my dear husband on a plane to Europe and he will undergo The Liberation Procedure. We are scared and excited at the same time and our miracle is just to halt the disease. Keep your fingers crossed for him when the time comes, blessings......

FREEBIE IMAGES FOR YOU......

2010-05-12T22:32:00.008-04:00

Beautiful butterfly......

Is it just me but this sweet image reminds me of Princess Diana......

Pouty little girl......

This is a little gift from me to you. Please feel free to copy and use these images from my collection. I have loaded these up with a high resolution for you in order for you to have a great quality picture......

Just click on the images and you will get a larger picture to download, enjoy!

MY EARLY DECORATING ATTEMPTS......

2010-04-30T16:23:00.023-04:00

The Master Bedroom (mid eighties) A Homage To Laura Ashley And All Things Floral......

This is the master bedroom of the very first home that we bought together. We were so proud and had waited a long while before we could buy our first home and jump onto the property ladder. This three bedroom little house was in Tylers Green, Buckinghamshire, England and the village dated back to Henry VIII. In fact the village duck pond was created during Henry VIII reign, the soil there is very heavy clay and a pit was dug to provide the roofing tiles for Henry's Hampton Court Palace. Once the roof was complete the hole that was left eventually became the village duck pond......

It was so daunting the thought of buying our first home and I remember the mortgage was three times my husband's salary, yikes! In those days that was the limit that you could get and we struggled to get the deposit and be able to afford the house......

This was the second house that we lived in as a young and green married couple but our first true home of our own. Because of this I went all out on the decorating and was happy to give Laura Ashley a whirl with roses, roses and more roses please. This was the eighties, the true hey day of the fabulous Laura Ashley and all things floral and any young married couple or country gent had their home decorated with these fabulous wallpapers and gorgeous borders. Prior to Laura Ashely there was nothing much in the way of borders and any that you would find would be little 2" strips. Nothing like the bountiful creations of roses and garlands Laura Ashley would then come to make their trade mark......

I was so pround of this room and thought it the height of romantic elegance. Today I would never use so many roses together but in the 80's it was the height of chic decorating. I like things simpler but at the time it was my dream bedroom. The duvet bedding even matched the wallpaper and was by Janet Reiger with more roses and dripping with lace to top it off. I must have loved it as I stood and slavishly ironed it and all of the frills to within an inch of its life!!! Those were the days......

The top wallpaper was a divine little darling rosebud and the bottom was a faint pale pink stripe called Cricket Stripe. I was slowly starting to collect my first few antiques and thought I had died and gone to heaven. The pink fluffy and puffy festooned shade was the final glorious flourish, this was made by Laura Ashley and it measured 14' long when it was not gathered. I even ironed this thing, I can only think that I was missing a few marbles at the time. I continued to own the brass bed with baskets of inset mother of pearlflowers until last year when I decided to donate it to charity. I know I could have sold it but I decided that a charity shop could do more with it than I . To be honest I don't think it ever arrived at the charity chop because the driver and his little buddy were talking 100 miles anhour in Spanish about it. So I suspect it is now happily in one of their homes and I say enjoy!!!

This humble little corner is to show you my brick red chest of drawers. This and two others were given to me and they were ugly dark brown stain, made from cheap plywood and had very little going for them. I painted this a truly high gloss brick red called Salamander and just loved it. It happily remained that color for years and years and continued to shine and look fabulous. A couple of years ago I did a repaint and it ended up looking completely different. I will hunt out a photograph of the old and the new for you. It is amazing how much a color can change the look and feel of a piece of simple humble furniture......

I came across these old photographs a little while ago and had forgotton those early decorating hard earned skills. I hope you enjoy your own trip down memory lane with your first attempts at making a house a home......

BABY COLLECTABLES......

2010-04-02T22:48:00.007-04:00

Sweet Baby Shoes......

I have always loved collecting vintage baby clothes, shoes and accessories. I love the tiny size of the items and the feeling of nostalgia that waves over me. They are more often than not made by very loving hands and have a quality about them that is missing today......

I love the little tiny baby shoes meant for little tiny toes and feet and cannot pass by a pair of mint condition felt baby shoes. These nearly always have pretty embroidery on the toes and beautiful silky laces......

On my latest downsizing foray I came across my final stash of these wonderful little shoes. These are my final five pairs, and yes I did have more than five pairs. I loved nothing more than stuffing them with tissue paper and decorating them with vintage forget me nots. All of my shoes date from about the 1940s and are in near mint condition. Most have their original little baby shoe box with them which makes them very special indeed. It is so hard to find these delicate felt shoes in unused condition and these have been collected over a number of years......

I am finally letting these beauties go and I love the thought that they will grace someone else's home. Perhaps sitting on a pile of vintage children's books or on a beautiful etched mirror. What ever way they are used and displayed I know that they will be loved and appreciated......

These last little baby collectables will be in my etsy store, enjoy!

www.arosewithoutathorn.etsy.com

A SNEAK PEEK AT MY HOME......

2010-03-31T16:23:00.012-04:00

MY FAVOURITE GUEST BEDROOM

I think we all have one room in our home that is a favourite and that really speaks to us. For me this room is my pale Tiffany blue guest bedroom, to put it simply I love this color and it makes me feel happy every time I walk into this room......

I am not a true shabby chic type of girl, I could never and I mean never paint an antique piece of furniture just to have it a cottage white. Now let me be clear if it is vintage and not a good piece then I can happily give it a spiffy re-do but it has to meet the criteria of not being great quality and that age and time will not increase it's value. I have a home that is full of antiques and my earliest piece is about two hundred years old and these wonderful old pieces I just cannot paint. It is funny I don't look on them as mine but rather that I am a custodian for the duration of my lifetime and then someone else will take over the job later on......

This bedroom has a wonderful bedroom set of an antique 1880s high back carved golden oak bed with it's original high mirror dresser. I love that the dresser still has all of its orginal hardware and that these pieces have long stood the test of time. Furniture like this was made in the days when a craftsman took pride in his work and there was no partical board to be seen. A gentle polish every so often keeps these wonderful old pieces gleaming and loved......

In the eightes and early nineties I used to be into Laura Ashley rose wallpaper and pretty borders with a vengence. But as I have grown older I find myself enjoying a quieter look. Gone are lots of floral tributes and in it's place are wonderful colours with a touch of roses in my accessories. I will hunt out some of my old photo's one day for a comparison in decorating style......

When I look back over some of my past bedrooms I cannot believe how much stuff I put into each and every room. All I can say is I must have enjoyed dusting an awful lot and moved things quite happily. Those days are long gone, I am paring down and simplifying. No longer do I have twenty pillows on a bed, now I try to stick to just a few really jumbo pillows that take two seconds to hurl onto the floor, not kidding about that either! Is this change because of age, I don't know all I do know is that I am happier not being a slave to the things that I own. Years ago I would have a fit if something antique was broken or damaged now I realise it is just a thing and I enjoy it while it is here but if it is broken then it was simply it's time to end......

I love that my friends think my home is like a lovely english bed and breakfast. As I am english these rooms remind me of home every day and I do not think about the palm trees swaying in the breeze outside my windows. May your own homes fill your hearts with joy and happiness and make you smile when you enter a room, enjoy......

PALM SUNDAY......

2010-03-28T21:55:00.005-04:00

Mark 11:1-7 (King James Version)

1And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,

2And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.

3And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.

4And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

5And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?

6And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.

7And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.

CONGRATULATIONS......

2010-03-24T21:22:00.014-04:00

First of all I have to give credit for the photograph's to Crystal and I hope she does not mind me using them......

For those that do not know Crystal of http://www.vintagebycrystal.com/ they are in for a treat. A while ago I carefully went through Crystal's website and listed down all of her creations that I would wish for. I rapidly realized that I would have to raid a bank, my list was sooooo long! That said I am lucky enough to own some of her enchanting pieces and love their whimsical nature......

For all of us that are lucky enough to have a creation or two in our homes we all feel as if we know her. She is very talented and has been featured on the Martha Stewart Show twice with her most recent show on the 23rd March, 2010......

For those that missed her show segment I am sure it will be on her blog soon, I hope so. I like to watch more than once. This show was particularily special because Crystal's boyfriend suprised her with a marriage proposal. I just want to take a moment to wish Crystal and her new fiance congratulations and all of the best wishes for their future together......

Hugs and blessings to you both......

WHO KNEW......

2010-03-23T14:45:00.014-04:00

FLOWER FAIRY......

THE MERMAID......

BABY IN A TEACUP......

I have always been a bit of a non conformist, ok, ok I have always been a huge non conformist.

This I know to be true about myself if there is a different drum to dance to the beat of I will always find it......

As a young girl this got me into more hot water than I can count and made life very difficult on many occasions. That said I would not change a thing and I love being in the 2% of thinking outside of the box......

Now on the subject of thinking outside of the box, I am really getting into this digital altered art form. It is honestly the best fun I have had in ages without getting into trouble. I began working with this software about 9 months ago and was doing the more every day stuff but this last while I have really let my imagination lead me. These three lastest creations of mine are the direction I find myself going in......

The first picture is my idea of Cicely Barker's flower fairy and if I were to see one in the garden this is what I hope she would look like. The second is a beautiful mermaid, as a little girl I used to dream that I was a mermaid and would imagine myself swimming with the fish. My last digital picture has its inspiration from the hot air ballons I see in the park behind my home. This is how I would like it to look in my minds eye and I think it would be fun to fly off in a cup and saucer to ventures new......

One of my favourite author's to read to my son was Enid Blyton and I would read to him The Wishing Tree and The Flying Chair. I think this has had a great affect on me or maybe I need to take a sedative......

Anyway I hope you like these new digital pictures and enjoy the flights of fancy they take you on, happy journey......

A NEW LOVE......

2010-03-16T09:49:00.012-04:00

Digital Art......

I have always loved beautiful antique chromolithographs and over the years I have collected more than forty wonderful examples. During one of my documenting phases for insurance purposes I photographed many of them before they were framed. Sad to say the ones that are framed I cannot get a decent picture of because of the reflection of the glass......

With these wonderful old images sitting around for years doing nothing I eventually did do a blog on collecting antique prints. After my blog I was asked if I would ever sell some of the images for others to enjoy and now ta dah!!! I am doing so......

So that now brings me to the wonderful art form called Digital Art. I have been mucking around with this for about the last nine months and most times getting into a mess. I originally had a simple version to work with and it was not too bad, suited my simple brain. The one problem I had was that everytime there was something I could not figure out my poor husband had to try and work it out for me. Now I can safely say that this drove him nuts! He had a professional package and knew how everything worked with his own but mine was different. So when I would whine about something on mine, he would try the commands for his to no avail. In the end he went on strike and downed tools and told me that I had to get the same package that he had. My many chins hit the floor!!!

Yikes, tell me this is not so! I had seen and heard the beast that he worked with and the groans of frustration. He had many and I mean many disks on how this beast worked, I mean really from the bottom of my heart was I capable of even slightly conquering this monster......

Before I could say the words "Maybe" he had ordered my own copy from the internet. Now I am very much a creature of habit and like to stick with what I know. I will be honest to say what I know is not a lot, but this new software came into the house whether I liked it or not. I can understand why, let's face it he could now yell at me (gently inform me) the same commands that he knew worked......

So now after after many hours of gently yelling (is that an oxymoron or what) I now feel confident enough to begin some artwork. With that in mind I remembered my wonderful old prints and decided to "Give it a bit of a go" as we say in England......

These first three digital art prints are my new babies and are now up on my Etsy store http://www.arosewithoutathorn.etsy.com. I have made these a really high quality print and they can be taken to a store such as Kinko's and enlarged even more from my original size. I am so proud of my new found skills and my husband does not look at me like the complete idiot that I am in regards to my hard earned computer prowess. Even my son Jonathan is looking at me with a new found respect, this will last until my next meltdown on the computer. So now at the age of 54 I am finding myself removing wrinkles and flaws like a pro and also using and editing html. Who would had thunk it!!!

Thanks Reubs for taking the time to teach your computer illiterate wife these new hard won skills and still loving me at the end of it. I know it was not easy!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JONATHAN......

2010-02-21T15:10:00.025-05:00

Jonathan age three......

Jonathan age nine......

Jonathan as he looks now......

When I look back it now seems incredible that 30 years have passed by since the birth of my son 20th February, 1980. THIRTY YEARS yesterday!!!

I honestly do not know where the time has gone and how I became so old. When you have a thirty year old son you can no longer kid yourself that you are still a young thing yourself. When I had my one and only child in 1980 I was 24 years old and was considered Mature for a first time mother. Boy have things changed a lot since those days. All the way back then they wanted you to have had all of your children by 25 and I an old lady of 24 was only having my first......

I cannot believe that this great young man is my son. If I could have come up with a wish list everything he is would be on that list. One of my favorite things about my son is his choice of wife. When Jonathan was only 18 years old he dated his FIRST and only girlfriend Tiffany. She was only fifteen at the time but perfect in every way for him. Now today they are happily married and have been for the last three years. I love the fact that they have dated no other and were blessed to meet THE ONE the first time around......

I wish my son Jonathan all the blessings that life has to hold. I would walk over hot coals for you and do it with a smile on my face. Ok, Ok, I agree, that was a bit much, remove the bit about the smile on my face!!!!

Luv you lots son......

P.S I have to add a last note and that is that my son has been holed up in bed with a stinker of a cold and a temperature. His request for his birthday had been one of my roast dinners (you can read my blog about cooking for the story of the roast dinners http://arosewithoutathorn.blogspot.com/2009/09/just-call-me-julia.html). Now it is postphoned until next weekend when he will then hopefully feel like eating......

PAPER MACHE GOODIES......

2010-01-14T11:50:00.014-05:00

Sorry for having been off from blogging for a few days, I took a little time for myself and it was honestly lovely......

But now I am ready to chat again and show you some new things. I just wanted to come back and start off with a fellow Etsy seller that I have bought a number of things from. This wonderful lady makes paper mache figures using copies of old antique chocolate molds. The thing that I love best is that you can either buy the figure in the unfinished paper mache form or if you do not feel up to the hand painting buy one of her finished figures......

I have given you a sneek peek at a few of her Valentine and Easter creations. For me I love to buy the unpainted paper mache figures and paint them myself. But if you do not think you can undertake the painting or are in a hurry and want the finished figure quickly then Linda's beautiful figures are for you either way......

You can find Linda Hill on Etsy under the sellers name of http://www.pawprints49.etsy.com/. Take a look at her wonderful antique style creations, you will not be disappointed......

VALENTINES DAY DELIGHTS......

2010-01-01T10:42:00.012-05:00

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME WOULD STILL SMELL AS SWEET......

Valentines Day is just around the corner and I wanted to begin the new year of 2010 with some sweet new Valentines Day pretties. This little girl whom I am calling 'Rose', (mmm, I wonder why?) is all prepared and has her bouquet of vintage red roses clutched in her hand, ready to give to her true love. I love these little girl spun cotton figures and dearly wanted to commemorate Saint Valentine with one of my own......

'ALWAYS KISS ME GOODNIGHT'

This has to be one of my favorite sayings and I always give credit for this lovely phrase to my dear friend Rebecca at A Gathering Place. I do not know if this is original to Rebecca but she was the first person that I heard using this wonderful saying and to me it will always remind me of her, thank you Rebecca......

'TRUE LOVE WAYS'

Just you know why

why you and I

will by and by

know true love ways

Sometimes we'll sigh

sometimes we'll cry

but you'll know why

just you and I

know true love ways

Throughout the days

those true love ways

will bring us joys to share

with those who really care

Sometimes we'll sigh

sometimes we'll cry

but you'll know why

just you and I

know true love ways

Buddy Holly

One of our favourite songs......

I hope you enjoy looking at these Valentine Delights and the sentiment behind their creation. They can all be found at my online store www.arosewithoutathorn.etsy.com, enjoy......

A HAPPY NEW YEAR......

2010-01-01T00:09:00.007-05:00

May you all have a wonderful 2010 and be surrounded by those you love......

AMOUR VALENTINE SWAP......

2009-12-30T10:08:00.006-05:00

Cathy of Treasured Heirlooms is thrilled to be hosting her very first swap and what better time to share the love than for Valentine's Day. Please join in the fun, make a new friend and create a beautiful "Amour" gift box for your partner.

***Sign up starts now and ends Friday, January 8th at 12 midnight***

Here's how the swap will work.

1. Grab the "Amour Valentine Swap" image and place it on your blog sidebar linking it back to Cathy's blog at http://www.treasured-heirlooms.blogspot.com/.

2. Post on your blog about the swap and encourage friends to join in.

3. If you would like to participate, email Cathy at atreasuredheirloom@comcast.net

Subject line: Valentine Swap ~ with the following information.

a. Your name and home address

b. Your Email address (where I can contact you with your swap partner)

c. Your blog URL

d. Your choice of what color you would like your "Amour" swap box.

e. Choose one of the following:

*Shades of Pink
*Shades of Red
*Pastels
*Shades of White
*Any color is fine

4. Would you mind shipping outside of U.S. if necessary?

HERE ARE THE SWAP RULES:

1. You will need to purchase a LARGE (appx. 8"wx6"h), heart-shaped, cardboard box from your local craft store (Michaels, A.C. Moore, Hobby Lobby).

2. Be sure your box has plenty of room to fill up with "Love Treasures".

3. Email and introduce yourself to your blog partner.

4. Create your "Amour box" with your imagination and your own particular style. It doesn't necessarily have to be a Valentine theme, but it has to be pretty and it has to be made with the color choice of your partner.

5. GENEROUSLY fill your "Amour Box" with lots of treasures from your heart. Most of you have participated in many swaps over the years so you already know what to put in the box. If this is your first time, email Cathy for suggestions on filling up your "Amour Box". If you have something that doesn't fit in the box, wrap it pretty and send it along with your package.

6. Beautifully wrap your creation before packing so your Partner will be able to take lots of pretty photos once she opens the outside box.

7. Take lots and lots of photos for our reveal day, Sunday, February 14th.

8. You have three weeks to create and mail your "Amour" box. Make sure your package arrives to your swap partner NO LATER THAN, February 5th so she can enjoy it for awhile before Valentine's Day arrives.

On Sunday, February 14th, Valentine's Day, post all your photos and the name of your swap partner.

I am taking part in this fun giveaway and would love to have a Valentine exchange with someone out there in Blogland.

If you would like to participate then don't forget to email Cathy at atreasuredheirloom@comcast.net

OUR SAVIOUR......

2009-12-25T12:09:00.003-05:00

Almighty God became a man

By lowly, humble birth;

And Mary treasured in her heart

This Gift of boundless worth. —Sper

God came to live with us so that we could live with Him.

HAVE A WONDERFUL AND MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE......

2009-12-23T00:01:00.008-05:00

I just want to take a moment to wish each and everyone of you a very Merry Christmas. May your day be spent with those that you love and may your heart be full of love, joy and peace......

May God Bless you and keep you safe, Maureen......

CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS......

2009-12-22T00:14:00.007-05:00

Christmas Stockings From The Past......

I thought that with Christmas now just around the corner you would like a peek at some of the Christmas stockings that I have made and designed. These are all in homes other than mine and being enjoyed for the holiday season......

I used to sew all of the time and loved nothing better than creating beautiful one of a kind designs for the home. I think the stockings have to be up near the top for me and were such fun to make......

I have always loved sewing ever since my mother taught me to sew my first skirt when I was eight years old. Now before I go any further it would be true to say that the skirt was simply awful. That said I of course thought it was wonderful. My mother has in her collection somewhere a picture of me wearing this hideous brown gathered creation with an orange trim at the hem. It was the sixties, that is all I can say in my defence......

From that point onwards though I was hooked and went on to make my first full trouser suit when I was eleven. It was a purple check with bell bottom trousers and a jacket that had a zipper all the way up the front, very trendy. I felt like Emma Peel from The Avengers. By this point I was pretty much sewing all of the time and everything that I wore was sewn by myself.......

At the end of every month my mother would take my sister and I to Bangor in Northern Ireland and let us pick a pattern that we wanted to make up and with great thought choose the fabric. This was very important and could take a while to get exactly the right colors and pattern. I love this memory and love the fact that my mother took the time to teach us both how to sew.......

I have since travelled all over the world and one of my favorite things is my hand cranked antique sewing machine. The reason for loving it so, is that it never required electricity and I did not have to worry if the voltage was correct or not. Just take the case lid off and it was ready to go. Obviously it was a simple straight stitch machine with no other stitches, but that was OK, I could manage to make just about anything on that old machine. I still have it today and would not part with it.......

It is sad to say that I very rarely sew anymore and have probably not made anything for over a year. I still keep my old machine though and know that it will be dusted off and used again when I feel the desire to create something special.......

I hope that you enjoy looking at these pretty stockings and never feel afraid to try something new. You never know when it will begin a life long passion......

MAKE A JOYFUL SOUND......

2009-12-20T11:31:00.003-05:00

Psalm 100 (King James Version)

1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

SANTA CLAUS AND COCA COLA, as American as apple pie......

2009-12-19T10:53:00.015-05:00

In 1931 the Coca-Cola Company began using Santa Claus in it's Christmas advertising. These images are now part of the fabric of American Christmas holidays and hold a place in the hearts of many......

It was Haddon Sundblom, an well-known illustrator, who was commissioned by The Coca-Cola Company in 1931 to develop an advertising image for the holidays. Inspired by Clement Clark Moore’s 1822 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” which described the toy maker as “chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,” Sundblom created the modern day image of Santa Claus......

Through this image and the power of the mass media, nearly every household in America became familiar with Sundblom’s Santa......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANE AUSTEN......

2009-12-16T20:54:00.014-05:00

Well you could have knocked me down with a feather when I happened to see on another blog posting that today is Jane Austen's birthday and that she was born on December 16th, 1775. Seriously 234 years ago!!!

I cannot think of any book that I was to write still being read, enjoyed and loved over two hundred years later. I am sure that if anyone had told our Miss Austen that she would go on to become a cherished story teller to women the world over two hundred and more years later, she would not have believed it to be true......

I first discovered Miss Austen when I was a young girl and immediately fell in love with the heaving bossoms, vapours, dashing hero's and young and foolish heroines. My first book was typically 'Pride and Predudice' and I fell in love with the dark and brooding Mr. Darcy. What is it about haughty and proud men that we love......

'Sense and Sensibility' was published in 1811 and was her very first novel. She did not add her name to the book but used a nom de plume of A Lady. This first book introduced us to the Dashwood sisters and lead us through their romance, heartbreak and then romance again in the final chapters......

'Pride & Prejudice' was to follow two years later in 1813 and is her most famous and widely enjoyed novel. The dashing, brooding and proud Mr. Darcy was introduced to us all and from that point onwards we have all collectively swooned......

'Mansfielf Park' arrived in 1814 with the main character of Fanny Price. This is I have to say one of my least favourites of Miss Austens but she redeemed herself with 'Emma'. This was published in 1816 and we all loved the interfering Emma Woodhouse......

Jane Austen died July 18, 1817 age 41 and her last two novels 'Northhanger Abbey' and 'Persuasion' were published posthumously in 1818. I think no one would have been more suprised than Miss Austen to know that we would still be reading, discussing and enjoying her novels today......

Jane Austen quote: "I do not want people to be agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them."

PRAYER......

2009-12-13T23:10:00.002-05:00

To face life’s many challenges

And overcome each test,

The Lord tells us to take the time

To stop, to pray, to rest. —Sper

PRETTY MAIDS ALL IN A ROW......

2009-12-12T11:13:00.005-05:00

PRETTY MAIDS ALL IN A ROW......

Now available at my website www.arosewithoutathorn.com

SPUN COTTON FLOWER GIRLS......

2009-12-12T10:57:00.005-05:00

I love the art form of spun cotton batting ornaments and collectables and have bought a number of these over the last year or so. There is something so nostalgic and charming about this style of ornaments that I had decided a long time ago that I would eventually make some of my own. I never thought it would take me as long as it did to get started on some of my own creations but life had a way of getting in the way......

The other night I finally decided to create some of my own and these have been made with my own method which was a lot of trail and error. I love how these wonderful little girls turned out, they are everything that I hoped they would be. They are all dressed up in the best dresses and waiting for their new homes......

They were great fun to make and are labour intensive but that was ok I had time on my hands. I know I will make more of these charming vintage style collectables when I have some more spare time......

I hope you like them also and they can now be found on my website www.arosewithoutathorn.com. Happy creating and may you find your joy and passion also, blessings at this wonderful time of year......

The birth of our Saviour and Redeemer......

CHRISTMAS DECORATING......

2009-12-11T15:32:00.016-05:00

Christmas in our house involves getting out the big boxes that store our holidays ornaments, and I mean BIG boxes. I have shown the last photograph in order to try and give an idea to the size and scale of things. Over 80% of our house has ceilings that are 12 feet tall, this means that things tend to become dwarfed in comparision. The large piece of furniture is 7.5 feet long and 7 feet tall and still struggles to compete. Many of my decorations are 2' feet tall so they take up a lot of space when it comes to storage.

When we first moved here I happily unpacked our tree from England (artificial of course). I always have an artificial tree because I cannot bear to see a tree cut down and then thrown away. So apart from our very first tree which was real I have always bought great fake trees. But I digress, I unpacked our tree that had come all the way across the pond and set about putting it together. When it was complete I proudly stood back and looked at this tiny, spindly little piece of nothing in our front family room. My English tree was 6 feet tall and looked great in our English home with it's 8.5 feet ceilings but here in Florida it could not cope with a 16 feet size room with 12 foot ceilings. I braved it through that year and promised to buy a bigger tree the following year. I swear the tree looked like it was from Gulliver's Travels!!

I love my collection of vintage Santa's and my dear friend Barbara gave me three of them, the only one that I added to the collection was the one on the chimney on the far left. I especially love the tall Santa that lights up from about the 1940's, his face is just lovely.

When I was unpacking the ornaments this year I found on it's own the little paper mache snow baby. After hunting around I found a box that I had begun to paint in red and green and never liked it enough to finish. A couple of bottle brush trees later, vintage holly berries, mica, vintage tinsel and voila I had a little box created that I now love. It was meant to be!

OUR DAILY BREAD......

2009-12-08T23:04:00.005-05:00

How blest is he whose trespass

Has freely been forgiven,

Whose sin is wholly covered

Before the sight of heaven. —Psalter

THE HOPE OF CHRISTMAS......

2009-12-06T22:51:00.004-05:00

The hope of Christmas is the song

Of angels in the sky,

And Christ within a manger laid

To bring salvation nigh. —Campbell

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME......

2009-12-04T19:01:00.009-05:00

Free Image......

Today is my birthday and I would like to pass on a birthday gift to you. Here is a FREE IMAGE from my collection. This is one of my favorites and she is so beautiful.

Click on image to enlarge her and then copy her to your computer.

These images are wonderful for birthday cards, altered art and picture transfer onto fabric for pillows and all sorts of creations.

Enjoy......

SNOWMEN......

2009-12-02T11:38:00.009-05:00

I love snowmen (and women) figures and have collected a few favourites over time. This is a peek at some of my figures. My absolute favorite of all time is the tall lady in the background, she is not the most expensive and is in fact the cheapest but I just love her gummy grin. I first saw this snow figure three Christmas's ago in Homegoods and immediatly fell in love with her. I had pledged to buy no more decorations and I passed her by very reluctantly. My son was with me at the time and was rapidly trying to get me out of the store as guys of a certain age do. Imagine my suprise on Christmas morning when this lovely lady was all wrapped up under the Christmas tree waiting for me. My son had told my husband about her and between the two of them they hatched the plan to suprise me. When my son went back to the store he could not find her and walked up and down the rows. Then he remembered that she had long skinny striped legs. By just looking at the legs he eventually spotted her tucked away at the back. She will always be my favourite because she was bought with love for me......

Nicole Sayer Snow Family......

I bought these sweet Nicole Sayer snow people because they reminded me of my husband and myself and the little snow clown at the front represents Tiffany our daughter-in-law......

Nicole Sayer Figures......

I bought the 'Spirit of Christmas' to remind me of my son Jonathan when he was a little boy and still believed in Santa and the 'Jingle' snowman is to represent Jonathan when he was older. Am I the only one that does sentimental stuff like this......

I love this roly poly figure, a bit like myself!!......

This is a large snow figure and I love the fact that it looks just like the early scary snowmen and that he lights up (looks great in the evenings). Another great buy from Homegoods last year, they only had the one so I was like a Ninja and grabbed it quickly :)......

NOVEMBER BLOG GIVE-A-WAY WINNER......

2009-12-01T00:28:00.004-05:00

I am happy to announce that my blog give-a-way winner for November is Amy of Bunny Rose Cottage, congratulations and I hope that you love your little gift......

HELP WITH A HOME RUN by David C. Egner

2009-11-29T17:04:00.003-05:00

Sara Tucholsky, a softball player for Western Oregon University, hit the first home run of her life in a game against Central Washington. But she nearly didn’t get credit for it. As she rounded first base in excitement, she missed it! When she wheeled back to correct her mistake, she injured her knee. Crying, she crawled back to the base. By rule, she had to touch all four bases on her own for the home run to count. Her teammates could not assist her in any way.

Then Mallory Holtman, the first baseman for the opposing team, spoke up. “Would it be okay if we carried her around?” After conferring, the umpires agreed. So Mallory and another teammate made a chair of their hands and carted Sara around the bases. By the time they were through carrying her, many were crying at this selfless act of compassion, and Sara was awarded her home run.

The lesson for followers of Christ is clear. When fellow Christians stumble and fall, we need to follow the example of these ballplayers. Reach out. Lift them up and carry them along. It’s a wonderful opportunity to “minister . . . to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God”

(1 Peter 4:10). — David C. Egner

When a fellow Christian stumbles
And he needs some help to stand;
Don’t ignore his circumstances—
Offer him your outstretched hand. —Sper

No one is useless in this world who lightens
the burdens of another. —Charles Dickens

IN REMEMBRANCE OF MY OLD STOVE......

2009-11-28T09:46:00.016-05:00

Ah, Thanksgiving, the time for roasting turkey, gathering family and friends close to give thanks for all that we are grateful to have in our lives. That is what it should be but it nearly did not turn out that way in our home......

Re-wind back to Tuesday, I was feeling pretty comfortable, safe and secure in the knowledge that I had everything in hand and that everything was going according to my plan......

Then I uttered the fateful words "I think we should put the oven on a clean cycle to make sure that it is all ready for the dinner on Thursday"......

That seems a simple enough request, boy did I wish I had kept my big mouth shut. First of all none of us could remember what you had to do in order to accomplish this act. It had been quite a while since I had cleaned the oven. This system of cleaning is not used in England so I was not that familiar with it......

Off my son went to search through our large collection of User Manuals. We are very organized and keep instructions to EVERYTHING! Not kidding and I mean everything. So after a bit of fruitful searching my son Jonathan found the booklet and presented it to my husband. He had been given the task of reading THE MANUAL, and a very important task it is too!......

After a few minutes of reading he told me that he had it figured out, which was great so off he trundled into the kitchen. After a couple of minutes of turning dials the task was accomplished......

We sat down to watch some episodes of 'House Hunters International' with cups of tea and biscuits in hand. I must just say at this point that we have a large open plan kitchen to the family room where we were happily watching T.V. After about an hour my eyes are beginning to smart a little bit and I asked my husband if he was having trouble also. There was a horrible acrid smell and the room was also looking a bit foggy. Having ascertained that he too had stinging eyes I opened the patio doors and the dining room window. This gives a lovely flow through of air and quickly made things a lot more palatable......

My son wandered back into the house at this point and taking a look at the stove asked it it was supposed to have sparks and small flames. I happily in my ignorance and without looking said, "that's OK, it is just a bit of old food at the bottom of the oven that is doing that"......

After about ten minutes I decided to go and check things out myself, the way you do. And I must say that there was a glorious display of sparks, small flames and arching coming from the oven. Now even I at this point realised that this is not what an oven does when it is 'Cleaning'. Too scared to even touch the beast at this point I calmly walked into the garage to hunt for the trip switch to this appliance (imagine at this point a headless chicken). After peering at the stupid board for a couple of minutes I realised that I could not figure out which switch was to which appliance. So I wandered calmy (you get the picture) back again to the kitchen......

When I looked at the oven again I noticed that the sparking and small flame was following the shape of the element at the bottom and also figured out that it was just about time for it to finish it's cycle. So I stood there and watched the pretty display and waited for it to end, which it did. Boy was I pleased. Now I do know enough to know that you cannot open the door straight away or there will be an explosion. Not wanting to lose my eyebrows or bits of hair I had to wait for it too cool so that the door could be opened and we could take a look at the damage directly......

There at the bottom of the oven was a sadly burned out element and scorch marks, no more cooking on this stove. It had at this point given 15 years of loyal service and had cooked many family roast dinners, read my Julia Childs blog. I am now at 9 o'clock in the evening with the realisation that I no longer have an operating stove and I had two guests coming for the Thanksgiving dinner. If it had just been the family I would have rolled out the Bar-B-Que, chucked on a few chicken breasts and said "Buon appetito" but I knew I had to try and fix this somehow......

Cut now to Wednesday morning and I am on the phone calling around trying to find a new oven element. Amazingly enough I was successful and tracked one down but horror of horrors it was $61.00. Now normally that would not be a problem but this is a 15 year old greatly delapidated stove that had long seen better days. I just new that I did not have it in me to spend that on an old stove that needed to be sent to that great recycling plant in the sky......

Heading rapidly into my son's bedroom I bellowed into his ear, "We have to go to Best Buy"! So old trusty Explorer in hand (I do not know what we would do without this SUV, we have literally had everything but the kitchen sink in it) we head off to Best Buy. My words to the sales assistant in the appropriate section was "Show us the stoves that you have in stock". At this point he grinned and called to his associate "We have someone who needs a stove today". It seems they had all been saying that there would be at least one today and it seems my number came up. At the checkout he happily told the other worker bees, "This is the one that needed one today". I have to believe they had some sort of little side bet going for the glee that was on their faces was disproportionate to the fact that I had just purchased a stove. Ten minutes later we were loading into the back of the SUV our new stove on a year's free interest and heading back home......

Jonathan called his best friend Tony (another English bloke) and they with a bit of work got the stove into the house. After wiring the new stove in things were up and running, I had opted this time for a nice ceramic cook top which was what I had in England. I love those and was now feeling quite chipper and ready for the meal on the Thurdsay. Though I was nervous about cooking a Thanksgiving roast as my first meal in the oven, I mean they are all different and I am sure my 15 year old was not accurate any longer. A bit like myself!.....

I am pleased to say that the roast dinner cooked to perfection, though I am lucky we had any meat at all as I also forgot to buy the turkey and chicken and had to rush out at 4 o'clock on Wednesday evening to get them. I swear I felt as if I had gone through a labotomy! Thank goodness I had gone to put something in the freezer and it suddenly occured to me that there was no turkey or chicken in there. Imagine Wednesday night after the shops have closed realising that you had not bought the poultry. I think I might have thrown myself under a bus at this point......

I created a British version of a Thanksgiving dinner and roasted a turkey breast (none of us eat the brown meat), a large chicken (son and husband like chicken), roast potatato's, roast parsnips and onions, peas, carrots, brussel sprouts, stuffing, cauliflower cheese and my secret weapon gravy followed by dessert......

All in all we had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed great company but I do not want to have to go through all of that again for at least another year or at least until Christmas......

Keep your fingers crossed for me that everything goes well for Christmas as I do not think I can handle another day like that. Blessings to you all and I hope you had a wonderful day......

"Buon appetito"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE......

2009-11-25T21:07:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving......

May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by all of those whom you love, take care and enjoy......

TWO MITES......

2009-11-22T22:23:00.006-05:00

Mark 12:44

Jesus sat in the temple near the treasury and watched as people walked by and deposited their gifts for the temple. Some made a show of it, perhaps so others could see how much they had given. Just then a poor woman came by and threw in two “mites.”

A mite was the least valuable coin in circulation. Thus the widow’s gift was very small, amounting to nothing in most folk’s eyes. But our Lord saw what others did not see. She had given “all that she had”. The widow wasn’t trying to draw attention to herself. She was simply doing what she was able to do. And Jesus noticed!

We mustn’t forget that our Lord sees all that we do, though it may seem very small. It may be nothing more than showing a cheerful countenance in difficult times or an unnoticed act of love and kindness to someone who happens to pass by. It may be a brief, silent prayer for a neighbor in need.

Jesus said, “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. . . . But when you do a charitable
deed, . . . may [it] be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly”

(Matt. 6:1-4). — David H. Roper

May our gifts be sacrificial,
From our hearts, and full of love;
Secretive and never showy,
Pleasing our great God above. —Sper

God looks at the heart, not the hand; the
giver, not the gift.

CHINA PIGGY BANKS......

2009-11-19T10:14:00.007-05:00

This time of year brings back memories of my china piggy bank and its contents of squirreled away pennies, threepenny bits, sixpence, shillings and half crowns. The wonderful rattling noise that it would make when it's little tummy was filled with coins......

I would swish the coins from side to side and try and imagine how much money was hidden away from my eye's. I would find myself trying to peek into the narrow slot and see how many coins were a silver color and how many were the humble copper penny......

Now don't get me wrong the humble copper penny was wonderful, it was a large coin that felt very substantial in your little hand. For three of these pennies I could buy a bag of chips (french fries). Hot and steaming with the perfect amount of salt and vinegar......

In fact when I look back you could buy a lot for one penny, gob stoppers, bull's eyes, frying pans, sherbert dabs. Ah! those were the days, simple fare for a whole penny. So believe me if I had twelve of those in my pocket (which equalled the old shilling) I would feel very rich indeed......

I think even I managed to save an entire 5 pounds once and that was a small fortune to my grubby fingers trembling with the thought of spending it. Just think of all of the goodies I could have bought with that stash of money. I can still remember the thrill of my piggy bank, the chinking noice and swirling it around upside down in order to get the money to come out of the slot. The joy as each coin made an appearance and if there were brand new shiny coins, even better......

My dear piggy bank is now long gone and finally 'bit the dust' on our move as a family from England to Ireland. At least that is what my parents told me and I have to believe them and that they did not pull off one the greatest heists of the 'sixties'. Who know what secrets it could have revealed if my little piggy had only been able to spill the beans!.......

BLOG GIVE-A-WAY......

2009-11-18T18:59:00.011-05:00

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas......

Ho!, Ho!, Ho! I think Christmas is now on it's way here in sunny Florida. Now before you all laugh at me we are only now beginning to have a drop in temperatures. This is always an excuse for Floridians to become a little hysterical......

We have had temperatures in the 90's for so long with high humidity that when ever we get into the 80's never mind the 70's we suddenly throw caution to the winds and begin hunting out the winter gear......

We have even dipped a bit lower than that for all of two nano seconds. Whenever that happens my son and I head off into the park with the dogs and our collars are up against the wind with our long sleeves on. We are all such hot house flowers here that any change in the heatwave and you would think we were about to hit the ski slopes. This is always the time that we can spot a tourist from 100 yards, they are the ones in the t-shirts and shorts and we are running around with sweaters on warding off the winter chill :)! I know it is a bit insane......

So in celebration of some slighty and I mean slighty cooler temperatures I am doing a blog give-a-way of one of my little Putz style houses. This little house has been made with aqua decorative card, vintage wallpaper, glitter and flowers......

MERRY CHRISTMAS

The rules are very easy for you to follow:
The blog give away will run from tonight November 18th, 2009 until 3oth November, 2009 11.59 pm Eastern Time......

Any or all of these, the choice is yours......

(1) For every comment left on any of my blogs from November 18th, 2009 until the closing date and time you will be entered into the give away. The more comments you leave the more enteries you will build up and increase your chances of winning.

(2) Placing my blog give away button on your blog will count as an entry (you will have to notify me that you have done this).

(3) Following me on Google will also count as an entry.

(4) Adding my A Rose Without A Thorn link button to your blog sidebar will also count as an entry (Again let me know that you have done this) this is on the right hand side.

(5) Lastly adding my blog to your Favorite Blogs List will also count as an entry.

Have fun and the best of luck......

ASK, SEEK, KNOCK......

2009-11-15T17:59:00.004-05:00

Matthew 7:7-11 (New International Version)

7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the
door will be opened to you.

8 For everyone who asks receives; he who
seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

CORNERS OF MY HOME......

2009-11-14T09:48:00.009-05:00

I love the top of this vintage dresser enormously and this vintage pin up beauty is one of my all time favourites. The colors were perfect for this room and I really like how the black and red framing turned out. I love everything vintage......

We English have a love of plates going back for hundreds of years and I like to display them on my walls. They make perfect little works of art and are ready to go once you have found the right size hanger. This little lamp is one of my all time favourites and the colors in the hand painted glass shade are beautiful when it is all lit up. I bought this many years ago in a consignment shop and had to have it, I am so pleased I did not pass it by as I still love it today.

Isn't this young lady just beautiful, all the make up in the world would never have made me look so glorious. The plate clock on the wall is another favourite of mine and plate clocks are very British. I could not believe my luck when I found this one online and now I have three in my collection. They are made by a lovely lady called Becky and you will find her at http://www.beckysrosecottage.com/.

I love the lamp in this room and I am lucky enough to have two of these. They are not vintage but really look like they should be. When I bought the pair they had horrible white nylon ribbon decorating them and it just had to go. So with a sharp pair of scissors I cut the ribbon off and armed with glue gun went around the top and the bottom of the shades and glued on masses of vintage mother of pearl buttons that I had in my collection of buttons. So much nicer looking, the burned fingers were completely worth it!

The corners of my home are some of my favourite places to display some of my sentimental collectables that I have gathered over the years.

What do you keep in yours?......

ARMISTICE DAY......

2009-11-11T17:25:00.023-05:00

The meaning of Remembrance day and the origin of the Poppy flower symbol.

It was on the eleventh hour of the eleventh month on the 11th November, 1918 that World War I finally came to a close, after four long years of fighting, battles and bloodshed with the loss of millions of lives and millions suffering injury and permanent disability. I wish I could say that this war would be the war that would end all wars but this was not to be the case. During the passing years since 1918 many have given their lives for their country and made the ultimate sacrifice. We have now lived through World War II and many other wars since and I hope that I do not live long enough to see World War III.

In many countries across the world we show our unity and respect with two minutes silence and this takes place on the 11th November, this date was chosen in 1919 as the day that we would not forget those that had laid down their lives for us. It seems impossible to think that in nine short years we will have seen the passing of 100 years since the end of World War I.

In the beginning November 11 was known as Armistice Day because 'armistice' is the word used for an agreement between enemies to stop fighting. Nowadays it is called Remembrance Day or Poppy Day.

The story of Poppy Day begins back in 1915, during World War I when the battle fields of Gallipoli, Italy and Flanders Field, France were covered with wild poppies. A doctor called John McCrea, who was working to help soldiers in France, wrote a poem in 1915 about the poppies growing on the graves of dead soldiers.

In Flanders' Fields

In Flanders' fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders' fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high,
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders' Fields.

John McCrae, 1915

An American poet called Moina Michael read the beautiful poem and it gave her the idea of using poppies to remember the dead but also to help the living at the same time. Moina bought real poppies and gave them out to friends, she also sold some poppies and gave the money to surviving, needy ex-soldiers. The first official Poppy Day, organised by a charity called The Royal British Legion, was held in 1921.

Poppies make a very good symbol for remembrance for several reasons. They were the only flower that grew easily on the battlefields after World War One and the color represented the blood on the battle fields.

From 1915 to this day Poppies are the symbol of lives lost in battle and are given out to loved ones in memory of lives lost from war......

'DANIEL'S GLOVES'......

2009-11-08T10:26:00.019-05:00

Anonymous

I sat, with two friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town-square. The food and the company were both especially good that day.

As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town, was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying, a well-worn sign that read, 'I will work for food.' My heart sank. I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief.

We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car. Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: 'Don't go back to the office until you've at least driven once more around the square.'

Then with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square's third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the store front church, going through his sack. I stopped and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town's newest visitor.

'Looking for the pastor?' I asked.

'Not really,' he replied, 'just resting.'

'Have you eaten today?'

'Oh, I ate something early this morning.'

'Would you like to have lunch with me?'

'Do you have some work I could do for you?'

'No work,' I replied 'I commute here to work from the city, but I would like to take you to lunch.'

'Sure,' he replied with a smile.

As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions.

'Where you headed?'

'St. Louis'

'Where you from?'

'Oh, all over; mostly Florida.'

'How long you been walking?'

'Fourteen years,' came the reply.

I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, 'Jesus is The Never Ending Story.'

Then Daniel's story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life. He'd made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona.. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought.

He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God.

'Nothing's been the same since,' he said, 'I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now.'

'Ever think of stopping?' I asked.

'Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me But God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles That's what's in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads.'

I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a moment and then I asked:

'What's it like?'

'What?'

'To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?'

'Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn't make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people's concepts of other folks like me.'

My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused He turned to me and said,

'Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I've prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in.'

I felt as if we were on holy ground. 'Could you use another Bible?' I asked.

He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite.

'I've read through it 14 times,' he said.

'I'm not sure we've got one of those, but let's stop by our church and see' I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.

'Where are you headed from here?' I asked.

'Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon.'

'Are you hoping to hire on there for awhile?'

'No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that's where I'm going next.'

He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we'd met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things.

'Would you sign my autograph book?' he asked... 'I like to keep messages from folks I meet.'

I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah, 'I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you; Plans to give you a future and a hope.'

'Thanks, man,' he said. 'I know we just met and we're really just strangers, but I love you.'

'I know,' I said,' I love you, too.'

'The Lord is good!'

'Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?' I asked.

'A long time,' he replied.

And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, 'See you in the New Jerusalem.'

'I'll be there!' was my reply.

He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bedroll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, 'When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?'

'You bet,' I shouted back, 'God bless.'

'God bless.' And that was the last I saw of him.

Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong.. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them, a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle. I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them.

Then I remembered his words: 'If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?'

Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. 'See you in the New Jerusalem, 'he said. Yes, Daniel, I know I will.

'I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.'

Author Unknown

Although I do not know whom the writer of this piece is I felt it was something that I would like to share with you all. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did the first time I read it and the many times I have read it since.

45 LIFE LESSONS......

2009-11-07T12:19:00.008-05:00

45 Life Lessons.....

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone/everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Written By Regina Brett

CRACKING YOUR BONES......

2009-11-06T21:31:00.004-05:00

Chiropractor Anyone!

Ok, I have to admit it and I am not ashamed to say that I was terrifield at the mere thought of going to a Chiropractor for the first time. Don't ask me what it is about it that scares me so, I cannot tell but I think it is the fear of my head ending up in his hands, sans body. So for this reason I have been avoiding it like the plaque and suffering in the extreme......

I really knew I had a problem when I met someone a few months back and they asked what the problem was with my neck. I have been struggling to turn it from side to side and been in general very stiff and sore. What has caused this I do not know but it has been building up over the last year or so. "Last year or so" I hear you saying and yes I am sorry to say it was over that long a time. If I had not been so terrified I might have gone sooner but I just kept pretending that the discomfort was something that I could live with......

It got to the point that if I needed to reverse or even just turn my head to check out the traffic in the car that I was saying to passenger's "Is the road clear". Not a good thing!!!!

So finally my son made an appointment for me with his Chiropractor Dr. Pachter. I know, talk about some names being appropriate! Anyway I finally decided to go because I realised that I could not in all honesty carry on......

So little chicken me took my courage in my hands and headed off to get my bones cracked. Not a pleasant idea!! My son and his wife came with me to see me through the entire experience and hold my hands. I really think it was to see that I did not make a bolt for the door, but still it was nice to have them there to ease my terror!!

Lucky for me Dr. Pachter had a great and warped sense of humour and literally cracked me up in more ways than one. The first time I went my neck only cracked a little bit and I think he was being gentle with me as I was a newbie to all of this. The best part afterwards was the heated neck pads and the electronic neck massage to follow. Delightful!! Nice and toasty warm and cooked to a turn, flip me over I was done......

I have now had three sessions and even managed to go on my own for the last appointment, big break though. I am going again twice next week and then we will see how my neck is doing. I have to say that already I can feel a difference when I am driving, I can turn my neck more and now my passengers are not so terrified. That must be a good thing......

So for any of you that have yet to have your bones cracked, do it. I can honestly say that the thought was far worse than the actual deed. I am feeling so confident about this whole thing that I am even considering going back a couple of times a year for a tune up. Who would have thunk it!!! :)......

Keep yourself well and take care......

MY SECOND BLOG GIVE-A-WAY WINNER IS......

2009-11-02T10:16:00.004-05:00

My second blog give-a-way winner is Janice and I will be contacting her and sending the sweet fake cupcakes her way, enjoy!

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL......

2009-11-01T17:30:00.005-05:00

This hymn was written after two major traumas in Spafford’s life. The first was the great Chicago Fire of October 1871, which ruined him financially (he had been a wealthy businessman). Shortly after, while crossing the Atlantic, all four of Spafford’s daughters died in a collision with another ship. Spafford’s wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone.” Several weeks later, as Spafford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daughters died, the Holy Spirit inspired these words. They speak to the eternal hope that all believers have, no matter what pain and grief befall them on earth.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!

Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

Written By Horatio G. Spafford

WHIMSICAL FAIRY COTTAGES......

2009-10-31T14:41:00.013-04:00

Home Sweet Home......

More often than not the things that end up on my website and Etsy originate from something that I decide to make for myself, and these are no exception......

Last year I made and decorated so many little cottages and they were very popular but in the end I did not keep any for myself and so with that in mind I decided to make some for our own home. These little English vintage style cottages are just the sort of house I can imagine fairies choosing as their home. I know if I were a fairy I would have my little bag ready to go in a heartbeat. I think they definately have an English influence and are once again in my favorite colour scheme of pink and aqua......

I think most of us love and can remember the little vintage German Putz houses that are very collectable and popular today so with that in mind these pay tribute to the early German Putz cardboard house. They have been made with a mixture of new and vintage accessories and are pretty enough to stay out all year round......

I am going to display my little English country village with a few of my favorite spun cotton ornaments. I have collected these over the last few months and the two creations go together so beautifully. They are a perfect match that I had to buy some more of these wonderful little figures......

I will be listing these little houses up onto my website and Etsy over this coming weekend and hope you will stop by to take a look. If you would also like some of these wonderful little figures of your own please check out www.thepinktulip.etsy.com, the little fairy sitting on the toadstool is one of my all time favourites!......