Autumn Traditions

Our family does not really have a Halloween tradition.  We have never been a family that participates in Halloween activities, unless they were of the large group party type. Mostly when my children were young, we attended civic or church events that were designed for a safe, fun environment for the kids and the family together.  I guess this got started when  my children were little, because I didn't want them to experience the sadness, and the danger, of trick or treating that I experienced as a child.


My hubby helping with last year's Pirate Party!

That said, now I am older and the only tradition that I observe now, is to totally enjoy the autumn scenes as we travel outdoors in our car or on a walk.  I am blown away by the colors in the trees, bushes and foliage!  Such beauty! Thank you God for creating such an awesome world for us to enjoy! 

Not just the beautiful browns and bright yellows . . . .

But the various reds . . . .

and combinations of colors; orange and brown, purples and greens, reds and yellows:



Gutter decorations!





Autumn Diversity!

So . . . .hubby and I invited our young grandsons to go for an autumn walk with us on Saturday!  I not only loved the leaves on the ground, but the canopy overhead with the mix of colors . . . .


Grandma's Autumn walk with the grands


What is your Autumn tradition?

This piece is for Etsyblogger Team Carnival.

Sweetness in Pink

Little toes dressed in Pink

This is for Pink Saturday.  It's my grandchild, Vivi, outside in her yard.  She had been using markers, inside the house--obvious from the stain on her fingers, when we decided to go for a stroll out in the yard.   She was looking for bugs under every rock.  Sweetness in pink!

Stop by  Beverly's Blog  and see what the other participants have to offer for Pink Saturday!  Thanks!

Friday Blog Finds

Hi everyone!  Happy Friday!  I usually do a 'Friday Finds' article about some cool items that I find on Etsy, but today I want to tweak that a bit.

I have found some great articles on blogs that interest me and instead of just enjoying them myself, I want to share with you what I have found.  I hope you visit these awesome ladies and their blog posts too!  Here goes:


First and foremost is a blog post written by my own daughter, Suzanne!  This post is about the Get Dressed Challenge, and her own experience. I think you might enjoy it, especially if you are a young mother.  Suzanne is a writer but only writes in her blog occasionally, since her boys are still little and she is busy with homemaking tasks.  She has two blogs: one about her own musings about mommy hood and life--in fact, called "Musings"




 . . . . .and one about her healthy food and recipes, called "The Housewife Chef". Current post is a recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate chip cookies!  There is a another post about how to prepare a pumpkin, and 'tis the season!!! If you love food, this blog will be a delight to you! She's an awesome cook!

Another blog, which I recommend, is by my niece.

(OK, I know nepotism . . . but I do have an awesome family! I promise, next Friday Blog Finds will not be family ;-)  

Kari (husband Jeff) is the mother of nine children, three by birth and six by adoption.  She has recently had her life threatened because she was testifying in Haiti (she's been there several times, and has a child from Haiti) about orphanages that were trafficking children and (to remain unmentioned here) doing other horrific things to the orphans.  She writes for an organized ministry in Colorado that promotes international adoption, and if you are interested in this subject, you might like to follow her.  The Blog is called 'Welcome Child Orphan Ministry'.  The current post is about a local fundraiser, but if you check out some of the older posts, you will glean some awesome information. 

Challenge: 
Get out of your box!  We, Etsyians and crafters, sometimes get stuck in our genre, and only read blogs that are similar to our own.  Read something new today!

A blast from the Past!



Recently I took a trip to see my sister and my mother.  We had lots of fun sight seeing, and visiting and looking at old photograph books.  We also went thru some old books, old sewing patterns, and a huge stack of music from our childhood.  I brought home some patterns and some of the sheet music.  It brought back a lot of memories.

I don't write much about myself in this blog. I don't feel that I am a very interesting subject, but I do know that I am interested when a blogger friend posts pictures of her childhood life and family. So maybe someone is interested in the life I led----years ago. 

No, that's not me--I'm not that old! 
(Just threw that in for kicks, since I was talking all about 'old' stuff!  hehe!)

When I was a little girl, my mother said that I loved watching the musicians play at church.  At that time--a long time ago--there was a pianist, saxophonist, a percussionist and a couple of people playing accordions--I know . . you young folks probably don't even know what that is!  Mom said that I was fascinated with the accordions.  I was pretty little at the time, so when I got old enough, she decided to get me some lessons.  Kids now days usually learn music at school, to start with.  They play a recorder with their class and then graduate on to specific instruments of their choice, if desired. That not being available to me, she called an Italian gentleman that had a music studio teaching the accordion to kids. 

I went for lessons every week, and practiced after school for 30-45 minutes every day before heading out to play in the yard with friends.  My little sister also took lessons.  We had "band" (all accordion) rehearsals with the other students and we learned to play solos, duets, and ensembles.  We practiced for the BIG recital all year long. 

(I was very shy and didn't like the thought of performing, but that is another story!)  



Little sister DeLynn, Myron Floren, me and the band.



I found this picture among my mother's photos.  It is of the year that our invited guest performer was Myron Floren.  He was the man that played the accordion on television for the Lawrence Welk show.   He was a very accomplished musician, although he mostly was only called upon to play polka's on the show.  He played several music selections for us and the audience.  Then he played with us when our "band" played a number.  This particular year, he knelt down right between my sister (with the small black accordion) and me!  As you can see by the picture, I was biting my lip, trying not to steal the show with a great big grin on my face.  I was overjoyed that the TV "star" was so close and playing with us!  And he was soooooo handsome!

Here's a video of Myron playing a song that I learned too! Bet he played it better than me!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqURmXMEGFI

      Did you ever meet any celebrities when you were a child?

Pink Saturday!

I have just found a new linky party that I really like!  Pink Saturday!  Since I am a Breast Cancer Survivor I am partial to pink!  So here is my pink for today:



BC Apron available at PruittCreations on Etsy


Maybe from the picture, you can't tell, but it is an apron--a half apron!  This picture shows the pocket decoration.  I make these for festive activities, and give a donation to the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer program for every one that is sold!  Since this is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I thought I would feature them again, in case anyone is interested.  And if you are not interested in the apron, please remember to make a donation to the cause!

Susan B. Komen  or American Cancer Society's Making Strides program links are provided for your participation! 

Have a great Saturday!

Don't forget to visit Pink Saturday on Beverly's blog and view some of the other submissions!  Thanks!

Nine days till Halloween!

Only nine days left till Halloween day!

Several items left in my shop to make sure your halloween celebration / party is the BEST! 

 

Holiday items on sale thru the 26th



Smily faced Pumpkin Table runner

Decorate for the holiday! I have a table runner on my foyer table with a couple of small pumpkins setting there.  It's very festive and welcoming to my guests!

Fabric Coaster for the Season

Only nine days left till Halloween day!

What are you planning for your celebration?

Family Chaos

Family is the better part of life! Recently we visited our two sons and their families in the Seattle area. Between them, my sons have seven children all under the age of eight!   (Without the commotion of little ones, life would be sterile and one dimensional.)  Chaos is not only tolerated, but is invited in these families because Chaos is creativity!  Each person has their own perspective, whether they are two or thirty-two.  We certainly celebrated an array of differences on this last trip.



Messy face!



Funny faces!

 There were watercolor painting sessions; building block towers to be tumbled; Candyland games to be played; a reptile show to attend; split pea soup to be consumed; a neighborhood walk pushing the stroller and exploring; church clothing and play clothing and sweaters for the cool days; baths for messy babies; discussions and football for the adults; a library visit and finally a stroll on the Puget Sound waterfront. 

Needless to say,
we had a wonderful time!

When was the last time you had a family gathering that you enjoyed?

WW Purple Tomato Leaf

Like this?  You'll like this too--A giveaway.  Check out the link!

Sale and GIVEAWAY!

It's that time again!  Halloween! Time to decorate for the holidays!

So I decided to celebrate!  I'm having a GIVEaway!  And a SALE! 



Wizard of Oz pillow



Everything in my 'holiday section' of my handcrafts shop is on sale!  This includes my halloween items and my Christmas items!  Check it out!

Christmas Paper Bag Art



Right after the sale--- to help you get started with your gift shopping--- I am giving away

this Happy Pockets half Apron  (wouldn't it be a great Christmas gift for someone in your family????? ) . . . . AND . . .  one set of fabric coasters of your choice (check out the entire coaster set inventory in my shop)!

How do you enter?  Visit my shop, check out the holiday sale section, then visit my Facebook page and leave a comment about which is your favorite sale item.  Or you could leave a comment about your favorite set of coasters.  (If you choose to "like" my page in the process, I would appreciate it!!!!) Winner will not be based on the 'like' process, but will come from the comments that are left on my page.

Here's my facebook page:

http://facebook.com/PruittCreations 

On the 27th, I will randomly choose a winner and notify the winner thru facebook!  Or you could check back here on my blog on that day, to see who won! 

Good luck!  

Making do! Part 2 of Baby Quilt in Progress

I've been experimenting with my sewing machine.  I don't have a quilting machine, nor do I have a walking foot for my regular machine, so I have improvised to actually quilt with it.   It's an older machine, and the feed dogs are stationary and do not lower, so I made a plastic cover for them. The cover is taped over the feed dogs, and obviously, it has a hole in the plastic for the needle to descend down to the bobbin thread.  This plastic plate allows me to move the quilt sandwich around easier, without the feed dogs trying to pull on the fabric.  It is not the best way to do quilting, but it works.  It does not give a "professional" look, but it does the job.  I'm still working on the technique.



Here's an update on the baby quilt that I have been working on. (Earlier post.)  I am using my sewing machine and the technique listed above to quilt this project.  I have added some bright patchwork pieces to offset the subdued pink, lime, blue and yellow of the backing.



Quilting using Pink Thread

The quilt is not finished, needs the quilting and the binding to be finished.  Also, I have enough flannel left to make a matching pillow case for a small pillow (toddler sized).

Backing is a fun giraffe flannel



This is for Fabric Tuesday over at QuiltStory blog.  Please visit some of the other links to see some other wonderful quilt projects.  Thanks!

A Good Report!

Last week was a long one.  Hubby had a seminar the first three days last week.  I attended a seminar the last two days of the week. There was a doctors appointment in the middle and a lot of life in-between, like trying to keep up with my Etsy shops, promotion and sales-- not to mention my blog-- which all brought me to a place of exhaustion on Sunday morning!  So . . .  lost in the middle was a bit of good news that I want to share!



Breast Cancer Awareness Cuff by pruitthandcrafts on Etsy



I am a Breast Cancer survivor--5 years+-- and last week I saw my oncologist.  I had been going thru a battery of tests, bone density, mamo, blood work, etc to see where my body was standing at this point in time.  All the tests were good, except two that were expected results--not bad and not cancer indicators-- just indicators that my body is reacting as expected to the cancer meds--which we are managing.  Anyway, my doc says that I now have the option to go off of the meds because I have responded well to the 5 year program.  NO sign of any more cancer!!!  YAY!!!!  They had originally told me it would be 5-8 years on the meds, and as of now, there is no definitive testing to say that more than 5 years is beneficial . . .but . . . there is no definitive results that say more than 5 years is NOT beneficial.  So . . . I have a decision to make.  Do I stay on the meds a little longer, if they are doing me no extra harm, or do I quit the regimen that has become a daily habit for so long? 

There are so many questions, lots of think about.  Although I don't know what my decision will be, I write this so all of you can understand a part of the process that many, many others are going thru.  When you support a cure, you are supporting people like me that deal with these questions everyday for the rest of their lives. So . . .
I thank you all for your support and your donations to the cause for the cure!  Bless you! 

Wagon Dolls

Recently, in a blog thread discussion, I mentioned wagon dolls.  A friend wondered what they were.  So. . .  here they are.  Although the picture is not the best and is taken from an old snapshot, maybe you can see what these cute homespun dolls look like. They were originally designed by Vicki Lauritsen out of Geraldton, Western Australia in 1994.  She fashioned them after reading a library book about children's toys on the wagon trains. Thus the name!

These are lovely soft dolls for playtime. They stand about 22 inches tall. I made several of these for my grandkids some years ago. They are made of muslin with an embroidered face and the best part about them is their hair. It's strips of fabric and buttons. The strips are cut with pinking shears. The fabric strips make for a floppy head of hair and the most adorable part of the doll, in my opinion. (Although it takes a lot of time to finish this part.) Clothing is a simple dress of homespun fabric with cute little striped bloomers. 

I originally found this pattern in an international quilt shop series book called The Calico House by Joanna Brazler.  It features the creative talents of a group of women who work and frequent The Calico House quilt shop in Perth Australia.  I have made several of the projects in this book and highly recommend the book (if you can find it--it was printed by That Patchwork Place in Bothell Washington, 1995).

Love Doves Wordless Wednesday

This is for Wordless Wednesday link party at aquirann's  the art tree and chatter blog.  Lots of other WW posts to see!

New Baby Quilt in Progress

Several years ago, I made a quilt for a child's bed.  I recently found that I had quite a piece of flannel left from that project. One of my favorite animals in the zoo is the giraffe.  The flannel that I chose was a colorful array of juvenile giraffes in teal, green and pink on a yellow background.

So, I decided to make another quilt, this time a smaller one--a baby quilt.  It's not finished yet, but I thought that I might share with you the process that is going on now.

The new quilt's main block is the basic nine patch.

I have repeated the same colors of the flannel.  I am quilting the sandwich now and will show it to you when it is done.   I have a small space in my apartment in which to work, so a smaller project is easier for me to quilt with my sewing machine.   Larger projects are sent out to my friend who has a studio and a long arm machine.    Here's hoping the project turns out to be comfy and cute! 

What are you working on? 

This post is for Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday meme!  Please visit the link party on Quilt Story blog.  Thanks!