Wallpaper Wednesday - Emma

This is gonna be a quickie, 'cause I have a "date" with my dog to watch Nancy Drew: Reporter before bed...

 

I created a few wallpapers for Emma the other day...

 

{full size image located on the Graphic Design page}

 

{full size image located on, you guess it, the Graphic Design page}

 

{yup, yup, yup - full size image located on the Graphic Design page}

 

And last, but decidedly not least...

 

{no, no, don't laugh - full size image located on the Graphic Design page}

 

Mr. Knightley has arrived...on horseback, no less! not in a coach like a gentleman;)

 

Oh, dear...please pardon me while I swoon...

*looks around to see if Mr. Knightley will magically appear and catch me*

He didn't.  Maybe I'll skip the swooning bit...

 

Ok, so I love, love, LOVE this adaptation of Emma.  It is hands down the BEST.  In my humble opinion, of course:)

In fact, I just ordered it off of Amazon yesterday.

I was soooo sick of attempting to watch it on YouTube on our very slow computer. 

You know what I'm talking about?

Also, it's an early birthday present for my mum.  

Um, why are you all snickering?

Really, it is.  

*snort*

 

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Psst!  Next weeks wallpaper just might feature a certain girl detective...

Stay tuned!

 

 

A Spring Ramble

Gonna see what we can find today...

 

 

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Darling, stupid Ingrid. 

 

She has a habit of sticking her head through the fence and getting it stuck. 

 

Just now I heard her baaing.  So, I had to pull on my boots and coat, grab my flashlight (and bear spray, just in case) search unsuccessfully for the wire cutters in the garage, grab a hacksaw instead, and walk outside in the cold to get her unstuck.  Thankfully, I didn't have to use the hacksaw.

 

Oh, and the hacksaw was for cutting through the wire, not sawing off Ingy's head.

I wasn't that desperate;)

 

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Dear, sweet Calvin.  He absolutely adores me.  I have no idea why, but he does.  He follows me around like a dog and wags his tail when I pet him.

 

And no, he is not a goat.  Calvin is a Barbados Blackbelly sheep.

 

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Two of the expectant mothers - Lady Jane and Sweet Pea, with Ingrid standing.

 

And the lambing pen - cozy, isn't it?:)

 

I have a light clamped to the rafter this year, so I won't have to try and handle lambs while holding a flashlight.   That doesn't work very well...

 

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Meet the boys...

 

Dewey, my brother's horse.

 

Freckles, my mom's pony - he thought I was going to give him a treat;)

 

And last, but definitely not least...

 

Bob, my handsome, albeit somewhat muddy, prince charming.

 

 

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Logs from our property, waiting to be transformed into a log cabin someday.

 

The view from the upper sheep pasture.

 

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Having fun with our old pick-up truck...

 

 

 

 

 

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Happy Trails!

Cuteness

I'm a sucker for a cute face...

 

Bow Tie Dog Collar on Etsy

 

I added this to my favorites on Etsy 'cause the puppy is just too cute;)

 

Something about the eyes remind me of my dog's eyes. 

I think it could be a boxer/lab mix. 

So cute.

 

"It's so cute (fluffy) I'm gonna die!"

(name that line!;)

 

Nuff said.

Wool & What-not Grand Opening and Giveaway!

~ This giveaway is closed ~

 

 

Wool & What-not is now officially open!!!

 

*applause*

 

Currently offering hand made, one-of-a-kind, crocheted granny square laptop sleeves and iPod cozies (in all honesty, 1 cozy;), as well as vintage handkerchiefs.  After sheep shearing in April, raw wool for your spinning and crafting needs will also be available.

 

 

Browse through the shop to see my other treasures!

 

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And in honor of this momentous occasion, I'm hosting a giveaway!

None of you saw that coming, right? ;D

 

Enter for a chance to win one of these three items...

 

 

A beautiful vintage handkerchief with lovely blue roses and pink ribbon printed on it...

 

-and-

 

 

A darling vintage reproduction coin purse...

(Don't think I wasn't tempted to keep this;)

 

-and-

 

 

 

A granny square iPod cozy!

{iPod cozies are now in the shop!}

How to enter:

-Please leave a separate comment for each entry-

 

1. "Heart" my Etsy shop (if you already have, it still counts)
2. Visit my shop, "heart" your favorite item, then come back here and tell me what your favorite item is. (if you've already hearted your favorite item, it still counts)
3. Tell me which item you would most like to win in the giveaway - the hankie, the coin purse, or the iPod cozy.
4. Follow my blog (if you already follow, it still counts)
5. Blog, Facebook, Buzz or Tweet about this giveaway.

 

-Please remember to leave a separate comment for each entry-

 

The giveaway ends on Sunday, April 3rd, at 12 o'clock midnight.

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Happy Trails, y'all!

Wallpaper Wednesday - The Young Victoria

I had Wednesday's wallpaper all ready to post yesterday, but I ended up cleaning out the sheep shelter.  

 

It was not pretty. 

 

The matted hay, straw and muck that had been accumulating all winter was heavy.  It was about 5 inches deep.  It didn't smell very good.  And furthermore, the shelter is about 16'x6'.   I cleaned it all by myself.

 

=)

 

I was sooooo tired by the time I was done, and I didn't feel like typing.   But the shelter is clean.  And that feels good.

 

Now the ewes may lamb whenever they please, because I also got the lambing pens all set up.

 

They should be lambing any day now.  It's to the point where every time I go down there I half expect to find newborn lambs waiting for me.  Then again, it could be a week from now.  I can only guess as to when they'll actually lamb according to their behaviour - not eating, pacing, lying down and getting up, and whether their milk bag has filled.   Lady Jane and Esther's milk bags have both filled, so it won't be too long...I hope.  The suspense kills me.

 

Ok, I'm sorry to ramble on about my sheep, but once I get started I have a hard time stopping;)

 

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Now for the wallpaper I should have posted yesterday.

 

I decided to do one of my favorite movies...The Young Victoria!

 

{full size image located on the Graphic Design page}

 

I love, love , LOVE this movie!  The costumes - oh, the costumes!!!   *faints*

I've always loved reading about Victoria and Albert, so it was simply wonderful to watch a movie about them.  I seriously need to add this movie to my collection.

 

You'll probably be seeing more wallpapers for this movie, as I found some beautiful, high quality pictures the other day=) 

 

Note: I do skip a few scenes in this movie mainly because they're just too mushy for me, and there is also a wee bit of language.

 

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Happy Trails, y'all!

Mint Chocolate Chip

My recently completed peasant style blouse/tunic top, graciously modeled for y'all by Betty the dress form;)

 

 

 

I used Simplicity 3750, but made a few "improvements", of course.  

 

• I didn't want a big sash around the whole top, so I made simple ties instead. 
• I also made my own cuffs because I didn't like the buttoned ones they had - ok, so I'm lazy and didn't want to make button holes;)  They ended up a bit tight (I always do that!), so I need to rework them at some point...
• And I added elastic to the back neckline - it gaped open and looked really weird without it.
• Oh, and I raised the neckline by 2" and seriously shortened the front neckline elastic - uh, talk about not being able to bend over otherwise;)

 

On the whole, I love this blouse!  It'll probably be worn out by the end of summer;)

Grocery Lists

This is a short article that I typed up for the Home-makers in Training book group that I belong to on Shelfari.
I thought I might as well share it with my blog readers to:)
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Hello, ladies!
For this month’s 101 I thought I’d talk about grocery lists.
I’ve only recently begun to realize how important lists are.  Not only do they help you to remember what you need to buy or do, but they’re a time saving device.   A nice, orderly list can save you a lot of time which might have been wasted wandering from one end of the store to the other.  Lists can also aid you in saving money – if it’s not on the list, then you probably don’t need it…unless, of course, you forgot to write it down on the list in the first place;)  Also, if you live far from town like we do – we’re 30 minutes from the store – then you won’t have to make as many trips to town to buy forgotten items and you’ll save on gas money.
I have four tips for making grocery shopping and list making a wee bit easier.
1) The Master List
Ever since I can remember, my mom has had a master grocery list typed up on the computer.  It includes all of the items which we buy on a regular basis.  Bread, milk, vegetables, laundry detergent – you get the idea.  All of those items are categorized as to type, such as “fruits and vegetables”, “bathroom supplies”, “breads”, “dairy” and others. Leave space in each category for you to write additional items down that you don’t normally purchase.   When we need to go shopping, we simply print off the list, and then go down the rows highlighting the items that we need to buy as we come to them. 
2) Write ‘em Down
The master list is great, but what if you forget what you've run out of?  Don’t wait till right before you go shopping to make your list.  You’ll probably wind up forgetting most of the things you’ve run out of by then.  I keep a piece of scrap paper and a pencil in our kitchen for jotting down stuff down when I notice we’re running low on something.  You could also print off your master list ahead of time and highlight items as you run out. 
3) Categorize
When I don’t categorize my list according to where in the store everything is located, I spend a lot of time backtracking.  Not only is this a waste of time, but it sure makes me tired:)
There are lots of ways to categorize your list.  On your typed master list, as I’ve already said above, categorize everything according to type.  For a hand written list, you can put a number in front of like items.  Let’s say #1, for example, represents milk, eggs, yogurt, and other dairy products which are generally in the same area of the store.  Simply put #1 next to all of those items on your list.  It won’t matter in what order you write everything down that way.  You could also use highlighter pens and assign a certain color to each section.  
4) Check It Off
I highly recommend checking things off as you add them to your cart.  You’ll be less likely to overlook something or think that you’ve already got it. 
In summary, a well organized grocery list can save you time, money and energy, and you will seriously cut down on forgotten items and extra trips to town.
Thank you for reading!
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P.S. BTW, I'm addicted to list making - it's an "illness" that my cousin and I share;)

Costume Inspiration

Being the costume junkie that I am, I am simply enraptured with the beautiful dresses worn by Arwen and Eowyn in the Lord of the Rings movies, especially Eowyn's.

 

The Victory Dress -

 

I'm in love - in LOVE - with this powder blue dress of Eowyn's.  

 

She wears it at the victory celebration in Edoras in The Return of the King.  In the movie, you don't get to see much of it (all head shots), but I finally found some good pictures of it here (and the rest of the pictures in this post).

 

Above is both the over and under dress, but it's the under dress that I'm particularly interested in...

 

 

I love the buttons on the front.

 

You can see the pattern on the fabric better in this shot...

It's so sweet and delicate.  I love it!  I already said that, didn't I:}

 

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The White Dress -

 

 

My favorite elements from this dress are the embroidery around the neck and the laces on the sleeves.

 

 

 

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The Green Dress -

 

The velvet is so sumptuous=)

 

I'm really, really liking the collar...

 

 

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The Shieldmaiden Dress -

 

Like the white dress, I really like the lacing on the sleeves and the sleeves themselves...and the bodice.  And, while I'm at it, her sword - the curved hand guard is shaped like two horse heads:)

 

Here it is with a brown skirt.

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Arwen's Periwinkle Dress -

 

This dress was not used in the movie, unfortunately, but it is beautiful!  I love the colors and the beading...

 

 

 

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I have visions of beautiful medieval gowns swirling 'round in my head.  What bliss.

 

Actually, I have a medieval gown already in the works that I started about a year ago, but I was having some trouble with the over dress.  I haven't even started the under dress, and I am so thankful now that I didn't!=)

 

Now I'm planning to incorporate the button front into the under dress and incorporate the laced sleeves into the over dress.

 

But, I am extremely hesitant to experiment on the nice fabric I bought.  That makes sense, doesn't it?  Yes, yes it does. :)

 

So, I'm planning a fabric store trip for Friday, which happens to be my birthday.  I thought it would be a nice way to spend the day, fabric store and then sewing:) 

I want a lighter weight, less expensive fabric to play with (I've run out of old sheets;), but I still want it to look nice so I can wear it.   No point in buying fabric if you're not going to wear it, right?!

I'm thinking linen at this point, in cream, brown, or blue. 

 

I'll keep y'all posted;)