In case you're wondering...

...where I've been....I've been right here crafting my little fingers off. Alot of pics to show you, so sit back relax and enjoy...
First off, I've been trying my hand at a prayer shawl. Ran out of yarn so I need to get more but the pattern is the half moon shawl pattern on the Lion Brand site. I thing it's turning out really pretty. Done with a N hook so it works up fast using worsted weight yarn.
Second pic, is a cross stitch I've been working on. I started it awhile back and put it away then just recently pulled it. It's a Mastif and I think it is turning out wonderful.

This little fella is a snowman my neice found for me....he/she is knitting. Isn't it adorable???

I'm in a paper doll swap on swapbot and this is the one I received. Can't show you the one I sent quite yet but on this one, all her clothes were attached with ribbons and the hair is so cute and feathery.

Still doing my dotees and this one is one I received for a mermaid dotee swap. I just love her. You can tell alot of work was put into her!

My niece made these adorable butterfly towels for me but I really think that in the Spring I'm going to lay them out as table runners. I love them. The picture doesn't show how colorful the butterflies really are.

My niece, the crafter, did this awesome bracelet for me in a little swap we did between the two of us. I love bracelets with lots of beads and she does jewelry so well that I couldn't wait to see what she had made me.

Sweetie man was the lucky receiver of these SO cool painted peppers my niece made for our Christmas tree. She said the idea was from the Martha Stewart site. I fell in love with them! What a great idea!

I also did a I (heart) ______dotee swap. Of course, since I love crafts, that was my theme. Does she scream crafts or what. I even put a little ball of yarn and needles on her head for a hat (Sweetie Man's idea).

These were the mermaid dotees I made for the swap. I made one and then saw I was supposed to make two for two partners. Didn't turn out too bad, eh??? Check out the shell bikini tops!

I made this for my niece's family. It's a needlepunch penquin. This is almost as much fun as cross stitching.

Pulled out the old quilt that I never finished quilting. With all the dogs gone but two, I thought it would be safe...

This was the swap item that I gave my niece in exchange for the bracelet. Two tea bag cozies so she can carry her tea in her purse. Learned how to do this in a swap recently.

Had to make something for my great nephew and since he is so into dinosaurs I crocheted this Triceratops for him. Not too many patterns out there. I'm surprised he could make it out...at first he did think it was a Christmas tree tho.

While digging through my craft stash, I actually found this T-rex pattern I bought and cut out a long long time ago but never sewed together. Had to make it for my dino-crazy great nephew. It turned out great!

Last but not least, I made this one up myself. Sweetie man wanted me to make a wine bottle cover that had a rooster theme. I put some different patterns together and came up with this. It was a Christmas gift for friends of ours...they loved it!

And this, my friends, is the reason I've been crafting so much. 25 inches of snow in PA this past weekend.....well, I didn't do all my crafting this weekend, but it certainly helps to be stuck in the house.

And that's about it....I'll end with a picture of Sweetie Man with his buddy Eros. Took this a few weekends ago before he went out to travel and got stuck in another state due to all the snow....can't wait till he gets home!

Till next time, yinz crazy guys...................

Some New Year updates...

Hope everyone had a great New Year and is off to a crafty start like me. These Winter days really put me in a crafting mood so I'll show you a little bit of what I accomplished so far.
First I have to show you this hilarious pic of turtles. We gave our turtle to a friend of mine who already had a turtle and she was kind enough to send me this pic of the two together. Ours is the big one on the bottom.


Is it just me or should there be a cartoon bubble coming out of the bottom one's mouth with something like, "Whadda you lookin at?" or something like that. She just looks so annoyed that this younger turtle insists on climbing onto her shell. I just love it.
Okay...to the good stuff. Made this wine bottle cover from a pattern I happened to find online. I stupidly did not check my gauge and it was a little big but still cute for a fun wrapper for the wine.

I also knitted two hats for Christmas gifts with a basic #10 needles and bulky yarn. It ended up being flat of course with a nice ribbed brim and you just sewed it up the side. For a beginner knitter like me, it was perfect and still looked like I knew what I was doing. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pics of them. I think I'm going to make another, so I'll be sure and photo it.
Next I finally did a finish for this cross stitch I did awhile ago. I thought the flat fold turned out great and my sister loved it. She's a bit of a Wizard of Oz fan.

Finally had to show Sweetie Man with his new Christmas present...a Cuisinart Vertical Rotesserie. That's a deer roast in there which turned out superb!!

That's about it for now. Working on a few things I'll have to show you once certain people get their presents, so till then, stay warm and keep crafting. Till next time, yinz crazy guys....

HAPPY NEW YEAR, YINZ GUYS!!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all my blogger friends! May you have a wonderful time with family and friends, may you get all the stitching gifts you asked for.....and most important, may you never ever forget the REASON for the SEASON!
God Bless....yinz guys!

Finally a working camera...

I'm here....just couldn't get the darn pics uploaded from the camera. I finally did so now sit back and enjoy cause I got lots to show you.
First off is our precious new grandson (my step-grandson) with his bib that I cross stitched for him. Isn't he absolutely adorable?

Next it was my great nephew's 2nd birthday and being as he loves trucks soooooooo much I had to make one of this blankets...this material was just calling his name!

I also cross stitched this card cute card for him also. Not that he knows it's hand stitched....but his mom liked it!


I was so bummed as I mis-placed our 50+ year old manger scene. It's somewhere in this house but with the kids moving in then out, it got put elsewhere. So I came up with this quickie one made of glass blocks and manger scene silhouettes from sticky paper. Saw this on the web somewhere and thought it was very clever. I did it in an evening.

My LNS owner had a Christmas Party at her house for a few of the gals who go to her Wednesday night stitching group. I decided to whip this up from the 2009 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament Magazine for her tree. So easy!

I was in an ornament exchange and this is the ornament I sent. It's the second time I made it and it's from a very old magazine from the 80's. I just love it even tho it takes forever to make.

Did I tell you it was my birthday last Wednesday (9th)? I had a dear friend of mine bake me a cake which I took to my stitching group that night. Check out the needle and thread. It was sooooooo delicious!!

And this is the awesome ornament (3 sided) that I received in the ornament exchange. The pictures don't do it justice....incredible stitching!!!

Well, that's it for now. Back to more cross stitching and crocheting for Christmas. I love this time of year for crafting. I wish I would start earlier (like January) doing this for the holidays so everyone I know could have something homemade from me....but yinz guys know how that goes. Till next time....

I'm here....

Been busy stitching and stitching and stitching! Plus my son and DIL moved into their own place so that left me with getting our house back in order for the holidays. I'm finally caught up for the most part and plan on posting some stitching pics, but till then, enjoy this little reminder for the busy holiday traffic out there on the open road.....


Till next time, yinz crazy guys....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey be plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have never a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, YINZ GUYS!!!

A Recipe for Turkey....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING..........Here is a recipe I thought you would like for the holidays

Ingredients: 1 whole turkey

1 large lemon, cut into halve

salt and pepper to taste

butter or olive oil, whichever you prefer

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Rub butter or oil over the skin of the turkey until it is completely coated.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you prefer.

Take a knife and gently separate the skin from the breast meat;
Slide lemon halves under the skin with the peel side up, one on
each side. This way the juice from the lemon will release into the breasts.
Cover and bake for 30-45 minutes.

Remove cover and continue to roast until juices run clear, basting every 15-20 minutes.
If you've followed these steps correctly, your turkey should
look like the one in the picture.Bon Appetit!

As you prepare your pies.....

Been sorta hectic in the Folk-n-Fancy household with two down with the flu last week in my family and one turning into pneumonia. Unfortunately the two with the illness were my son and DIL who were supposed to be moving into their new apartment this past weekend. Needless to say, with help they got moved in about 2/3 and I'm itching to clean up after the moving mess. So while patiently waiting I have been stitching (no pics yet I'm afraid). So while YOU patiently wait and prepare those delicious pies, I thought I would just give you a little reminder of exactly how those pumpkin pies are REALLY made.....ENJOY, YINZ GUYS!

Monday Night Football....

Being it's a Steeler Monday Night Football night for us Steeler Fans, thought I would give yinz guys a little treat with the Steeler Dotee I put together for a swap.
Dotees really push me to be creative as I don't think much on them just start with some material and keep adding. I'm great at following patterns but not at making things up if you know what I mean.
Okay...that's it for now....back to regular scheduled programming yinz guys...till next time! GO STEELERS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OWEN!!!

Just gotta say a great big shout out Happy Birthday to my great nephew, Owen, who turns two today!!! Tho the family lives in Chicago and we are in the 'burgh, my wonderful niece manages to keep us updated regularly on her blog with videos and pics.....it is so awesome!!!
So, here's to you little guy.....when life gets me down and I take things for granted, just thinking about you enjoying and laughing at all the little things in life like funny songs and running through leaves and watching big trucks go by, brings me back to earth! You are truly a gift to us all!!! We love ya, buddy!!! Have an awesome day!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween yinz guys! Had to post this pic of my son in his halloween costume...do you believe this???

It's a little Rocker...my son is actually 6 ft tall.
He and DIL went on a Halloween Cruise on the River last night. She dressed as a student from Harry Potter. Last year they were Adam and Eve....that was funny!
Anyway...like everyone I'm battling the tazmanian poopies...AKA bad head cold. I think I'm on the last leg of it cause at least my nose is not tickling and maybe I can at least get back to stitching. Had to stop for a day due to constant sneezing...UGH!
Anyway, wanted to show you a couple of pics of the Stitch Fest I attended a few weeks ago.

This is like the highlight of our stitching group when our LNS holds this at a local country club. All day stitching and buying goodies with a great lunch and loads of freebies. I even was able to sell some of my ort catchers....tho the money went back into buying stuff.
Oh, well, gonna relax a bit more today and hopefully I'll be back to almost normal tomorrow. Sweetie Man is spoiling me cause I'm sick (I secretly love it!)....so till next time, yinz crazy guys!!!

I love Maxine!!!

HAPPY FALL, YINZ GUYS!!!

Some updates...

Fall is here and so is my favorite time of year to sit in the house, watch some football or a favorite TV show and craft. Could be the reason I haven't been blogging as much....cause I've been crafting. Anyway, I finally finished one of the "Just Another Button Teapots". I've done the teacup for February which I posted awhile back. The whole year of Teapots and Cups in this series is definately on my "to do" list. I just love the colors.

Still need to add the buttons to this one. Not sure how I'm going to finish it, but I'll worry about that later.
Next off I was in a swap in the HOE group and received this beautiful needleroll from Holland, along with the little pumpkin candles and leaves and a special treat of the fall cross stitch pattern minis.
The needleroll is fabulous, isn't it?

Next swap was on Swap Bot with Frankenstein Dotees. This cutie is the one I received. Love the stitched face!

This one is the one I sent. The screws on the side of the head are my favorite.
The "boo" buttons of course were not backwards...it's a camera thing!

And last but not least....I crocheted this little blanket for a special little fellow who we will be meeting for the first time this coming weekend...shhhhh...it's a surprise!
I love the hood on these baby blankets.

Well, I got another football game to watch in about a 1/2 hour so I'm off to more stitching! So, till next time, yinz crazy guys.....

Welcome Carson Edward....

An adorable little man came into our world yesterday....my new step-grandson....CARSON EDWARD! Sweetie Man is poetic so enjoy the little poem below that he wrote to his new grandson!



Till next time, yinz crazy guys!!! (PS...unfortunately for you crafters, I didn't make the hat...but I wish I had...it's really cute!)

Preview of things to come....

What are these, you ask? They are mini ort catchers. Someone in my cross stitch group had one and I couldn't find it online so I measured hers and made one of my own. One turned into two, into three.....and next thing you know, my LNS wanted to sell them. I started off with only nine but I am anxious to try different combos with all the fabric scraps I have. They measure about 3 X 5 on the base and have a pincushion and a little detachable bag. I'm hoping to sell them on my etsy shop soon.....I'll let you know so keep an eye out if you are interested.

And did anyone get these yet???? OMG...this is the highlight of my cross stitch year....I love these mags when they come out. I liked last year's Halloween one better as it had more things my style, but the Christmas one is fantabulous!!!

I did start a large cross stitch project I pictured in a past post but I'm putting that one aside for some upcoming things I have to get done. First off is this one I'm sure you've all seen. It's going to be for my sister who likes the Wizard of Oz (actually the dog Toto) but I thought this would be fun for her to put in her office. I think I'm going to make it into a flat fold.

I've never done a needleroll but am starting this autumn one. The pattern didn't call for it to be a needleroll but that's what I'm going to make it into. The stitching is one over one on 32 count...OUCH!!! That's tiny for me! I'll keep you updated on this progress.

I was in a swap for polymer clay that could only be around one inch. I decided to make some charms and this is what I came up with. It's was fun....I love playing with that stuff.

And lastly...I think I've been possessed by Julie Childs. I've been wanting to bake and cook. Tho hubby loves to cook, he is so enjoying this new me. Thought I would show you one of my desserts. Very simple yet delicious. Angel Food cake with Cool Whip and strawberries in the middle and all around. It was so good! I also discovered the Kraft Food website. Wow....it is so for people like me who don't really enjoy cooking but would like to, if that makes any sense. The best one is the 1 in 5 meals....one bag of groceries gives you five meals. I'm trying that this week. Very simple if you want good meals but don't have the time to make them...(cause you're crafting).

So, I think I fed you enough for today. Hope you enjoy your day and rest of the week. Fall is not necessarily my favorite season, but boy to I get energetic this time of year! So, off I go, yinz guys...till next time!

Never forget....