Handmade Journal Handy..

Back in 2006 I decided to try my hand at making my own book.  I have since learned that this is not the "exact" way to do it, but I love my little book just the same.

 As I was gathering things to take to the Ingram Art Show I came across this little book and decided to take it with me.  What a wonderful thing that turned out to be!

It occurred to me that several of my relatives that I had not seen in a while were there and this was the perfect time to have them write in my book.

 Signing the poems that they wrote.. ;)  The bird is taken from a photo of Squirt that Aunt Edna sent me..  Didn't quite get it, but the gist is there...lol
 (You may have noticed that the poem is scrambled.  This is to protect their intellectual property.. )

 When I put this book together I wanted to put things that were special to me into it... like this poem written by my Aunt Betty.  I thought I wanted things to be perfect and then somehow they didn't come out as perfect as I thought I wanted them to be.  Now as I look back thru the pages, they are exactly as I wanted them to be.  I would encourage everyone to make their own little book and put in it whatever they find special to themselves in it..

Now I realize it doesn't have to be perfect or perfectly thought out... it just has to be you.  Mine is just a collection of little ditties that I thought were good.  There's a notation that my first great grand daughter was expected.. another for the day that she was born.  Now there will be another notation about my first great grandson that will be born in May.  Another about my oldest son making the Dean's Honor Roll in college.  So many things...

And the opportunity to have my family write in my book was just too good to be true. 

Another good thing from the Ingram Arts and Crafts Show... ;)

Have a wonderful day....

Teapots and Treasures

I like tea. And this tea is some wonderful stuff. This tea, called White Pearl of Fujian, has been in my cupboard for a while. It was a gift that our sons brought back from Canada for me. I think I was a little set back when I read on the ingredient label that it has gunpowder in it.... lol (If anyone knows why gunpowder would need to be in tea, would you let me know?... ;o)














The other day we were in Tuesday Morning shopping for something or another and came across a Zarafina Tea Maker... It has settings for whatever kind of tea you are making and will brew the correct time for each kind. I love it. This tea was not the first steeped in this maker, but it has been regularly made ever since the first time. I have never tasted a tea as good as this one... just makes me wish I had brewed it when it was first brought home..lol The only problem is that when it is gone, I'm not sure I will be able to replace it....







Talk about a great week... Uncle Bobby and Aunt Edna came this week and we all had lunch at Cracker Barrel. The best part was the laughing and having fun visiting. The rain had stopped and it was a nice sunshiny day...


Uncle Bobby has already whittled me a deer antler and a cedar naalbinding needle. (Click to see them) This time he brought me this bevy of beauties...

The tin is a Glenfiddich Scotch Whiskey tin that was in my grandmother's things ... I have to laugh... She would never allow a drop of alcohol of any kind in her house. This had to have come from one of her sons returning from the Army...lol She was like me..could never resist something she thought was pretty, so I can see her ignoring the Glenfiddich part and keeping it because of the lovely graphics. A treasure in itself..


The pen and pencil set he made from corn cobs that came from their garden. Both write perfectly and fit easily in my hand. I had never seen any like them before...


The heart necklace is whittled and has a gemstone inserted. It turns out that it isn't my birthstone as was planned, but it is lovely anyway... and I told them it was okay because I have at least one child with that birthstone... :o)


The clay colored token that is beside the necklace is a ration token. There were several kinds and each one was a different color. They are called points and were used during WWII to make change for ration stamps. This clay colored one was used to buy meat. Amazing... another of those things I had not heard of and had never seen before. A note here.... the rationing stamps and points were not used as money... you still had to pay for whatever you bought. But if you ran out of stamps or points, you could not buy any more until the next month or whenever the next ration stamps were given out.


And the horn... well, that is a needlecase... handmade. And I love it. My naalbinding needles won't fit in it, but my other needles will.


Definite treasures all.....

Deer Antler Nalbinding Needles

Here we are on Friday... can't believe it's been a week.

Have I told you about my uncle who can whittle anything... and I mean anything... from wood just using his pocketknife. Well... he whittled a bas relief sculpture of his granddaughter from a piece of wood at least 8x10 and I think more like 11x14... Talk about being wowed.. I was! Anyway, I digress.

I sent an email to my Aunt Edna to see if Uncle Bobby might whittle me a nalbinding needle. She emailed back and said yes, he would and he was out looking for a piece of cedar. I spend the next couple of days thinking about how pretty the red color of the cedar would look in a needle... with the added plus of cedar needle stuck in wool... hmm.. no moths.. You can't imagine my surprise when I received this photo in my inbox of two deer antler needles... and asking me which one I would like to have!

I recall once upon a time in a land far away trying to whittle a bone... it was a stew bone and I wanted to try scrimshaw. I could not do it. Couldn't even make a scratch. And here he is ... made two needles in no time from deer antlers... I need lessons in whittling..obviously.

What a treasure this will be. I can hardly wait to hold it in my hand.