Time

Hello there, Friends. It's been a while and Time has a way of flying!
Life threw some 'hard knocks' our way in the form of our daughter's health since I last posted.

I know I've told you about her. She's mentally handicapped with the abilities of an 18 month old toddler....in a body of a 32 year old woman. And she has to have everything done for her. She also has a seizure disorder that complicates things. Medications help somewhat but we still have issues to deal with. Mostly, side affects of the medication and controlling her moods. Needless to say, when she suffers so do I. Actually, that's a little selfish seeing as I don't live alone. So I'll just say we all suffer.
Although it's important to prioritize her needs along with responsibilities, it's also important to not neglect yourself. SO, once again I am painting and stitching and selling in my Etsy. I have LOTS of unfinished projects I'm working on and will only get a few listed before Christmas. Spring items are looking good, though, and I hope to have some new bunnies to show you.
Hope you haven't forgotten me. Does anyone actually blog anymore?
Stay tuned. More to come.

😊Vicky

Any. Thing.

Easter is around the corner. I'm not doing anything. ANY. THING. I have some softies sewn and stuffed. That's it. Cannot find my Mo Jo. I'm not sure it no longer exists. If you have any extra, please send it my way. Well.....one can hope.

Meanwhile, I received a message from my son. He took my Grand Dog to get groomed yesterday. They took Easter photos. This is what greeted me this morning in a FB message.

I laughed so hard.

}}Hugs{{
Vicky

Lots To Show You!

I've been meaning to get by here sooner. I've got a pattern to share with you but it will have to wait just a few more days as I'm well into "Turkey Day Prep" mode!

Here are a few items that I've made recently! Lots of pics so beware!

 I will have this pattern for these 'Snow Guys' to share with you soon!

 Made using a vintage metal spool.

 The one with the green vest is gone now but his buddy is still available!

(SOLD)

Snow Angel Ornies!

Mini Make Dos! They stand on vintage spools!

These are available in my Etsy shop except for the ones marked sold.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/paintspotsnsplinters

************************

I LOVE this time of year and having family and friends gather! My best to each of you and if you are travelling, I hope you do so safely.

}}Hugs{{

Vicky

I've Been Featured!

Stop by "By Your Hands" blog and read my feature!

https://byyourhands.blogspot.com/2016/11/featured-artist-paintspots-and-splinters.html

}}Hugs{{
Vicky

Harvest Gathering Swap Goodies!

I participated in Amy @ Bumble Bee Lane's Harvest Gatherings Fall Swap. My partner was Sandi @ The Primitive Skate. Sandi is so generous and I LOVE my Fall Treats. Here are some photos of my goodies!

 Everything was packaged and wrapped so nicely!

 My handpainted Treat Basket! The twins LOVE this!

 She had these nice digital tags on everything!

 We had to include a Pumpkin in our package. Love this one she made me!

 Some candies, Fall cookie cutters and a delicious Apple melting Tart!

 Some wooden Halloween ornies and a note pad!

 A Wooden Crow that looks perfect on my Peg Board!

 A flour Sac Tea Towel!

 LOVE my goodies, Sandi! Thank yo so much for your generosity! Thank you for hosting another great Swap, Amy!

*************************

Hurricane Matthew 'came and went' here in my neck o' the woods. Lots of wind and yard debris and a few loose Pool screen panels. All in all, we were good. CANNOT believe that we never lost power! We ALWAYS lose power in a Thunderstorm so I'm quite amazed and VERY thankful. Our son had to evacuate from his condo near Jax Beach. He was very lucky as there was only minimal water damage to a downstairs bathroom. All of the other surrounding condos were wind and water damaged with loss to much of the windows/interiors. His condo sits up a bit higher which saved him. Again, we are all very thankful!

*********************************

Because of the 'downtime' during the storm, I was able to take care of a few more crafts from the bottomless UFO bin!

These items are now available in my Etsy shop! You need to stop by my shop and see the great shop Banner and Icon that Deena of Ewe N Me Designs made for me! She is so great to work with! I JUST LOVE IT!

******************************

A bit cooler in temps here so we're happy! Looking forward to cutting back on the AC.

I'm sewing some dolls today. It's another gorgeous day and I'm sure I'll make time to walk down to the lake later on.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

}}Hugs{{
Vicky

FALL Giveaway!

Awwwwe, FALL, right?! Not here so much as we're still pretty warm but maybe there is hope for us in October!

I'm having a FALL Giveaway on my Facebook page if you'd like to participate!

Go HERE for more information and to sign up!

*****************

We're decorating for Halloween around here! It's one of our most favorite things to do!

I've been finishing up some of my Witches and should have them posted in a few days Etsy store. Also did some baking, hehehe.

Not sure you'd like to eat these although they are calorie free! Sure do smell and look like the real thing! Fooled my 34 year old son when he came to visit! They're available HERE in my Etsy also.

************************

Worked on some of those UFO's in my bin, too. Slowly clearing it out.....and I do mean slowly!

You can find these HERE.

Getting a new fridge this week as our 11 year old one has decided to die on us. It is currently processing ice cubes in the freezer when it wants to get cold enough. I'm not complaining as the old, ugly white one is past it's prime and doesn't match my other appliances. The new one will!

*********************

Hope you're cooling off where you are. Looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer for our cool down! Have a great day!

}}Hugs{{
Vicky

SEW Much Going On!

 

Are you like me or the other girl? Or are you both?!

*********************

I'm still trying to finish all of those UFO's that I have sitting around in bins.....very FULL bins I might add! However, that didn't stop me from sitting down at the sewing machine.

Of course, it also didn't stop me from going back out to my saws!

I bought a couple of organizers. I actually went through my 'other' organizers and managed to get rid of quite a bit of rubbish. You know, a left over piece of ribbon, etc. that you might can use on another project....that sort of thing. Well, instead of getting rid of one of the 'organizer' that's a little old and missing it's wheels, I just added these.

Yep, they're already full . The top one is for my sewing and 'almost finished' projects and the bottom for my wood pieces and odds and ends. I have a lot of those odds and ends :/

************************

Here are a few things I've managed to get done and listed in my shop.

 (Pattern by Cedar Creek Primitives)

(Pattern by Patti's Ratties)

 (Pattern by Chestnut Junction)

 (Pattern by Chestnut Junction)

(Pattern by Soft In The Head)

ALL of these pieces can be found HERE in my Etsy shop.

Our OFG Team (Old Farmhouse Gathering Team) is having a week long On-line Craft Show from Sept. 9th-16th. You can type in FIFOFG, OFG, or OFG Team in ETSY'S search bar for more fabulous work from our Team members!

************************

I'm down to my last school order for now. Love having 1 or 2 items in my shop that sell continuously. I'm getting good at cutting them out and having them ready for painting and customizing.....especially here in this heat! Did you know we reached 100 today?! Someone please tell Mother Nature to get over the HOT flashes! I have enough for her!

Wishing you an early FALL and relief from this very long summer that we've had. CANNOT believe it's already September!

Have a great weekend!

}}Hugs{{
Vicky

Another School Year Started!

 School is back in for us. We're on our 2nd and 1/2 week and life is settling back in to our normal.

The kids just had their 11th Birthday and are now in middle school. They don't have to be there until 9:25 a.m.

Kind of nice to not have to beat the pots and pans so early in the morning any more.

(Me, Anna, & Tate)

They seem to be coming home not nearly as tired as they used to so, hopefully, this will be beneficial. I know it already is for me. I hate waking up early and having to be everyone's alarm clock.

***********

I'm in my FALL mode now. Still working on a few Teacher orders but also busy with some Black Cats and Witches.

I've already dyed and stained these. They are awaiting their embellishments and then I'll list them in my Etsy shop.

*********

We have a really nice Hospice Thrift Shop in The Villages. Every now and then when I remember to stop by, I find a little treasure or 2. This past week I was able to find this.

The wooden spools will make great bases for my meeces. The large board was a great find at only $3. Saw a few pieces of furniture that I might like (some storage cabinets). I'll go in on Friday and see if they are still there. If they are, they'll be calling my name!

*********

We had our last "Hoorah" at the lake on Saturday.

The Youth of our church came out to tube, play V-ball, and swim for the day. We had 81 kids from the ages of 14-18 and approx. 30 adults from 10:00-2:00! That's the biggest group that we've had out here. We got a Port-a-Potty to keep our sewage system from any overload problems which was our main concern. We had it cleaned out last year and added new pipes for the drain field so all is working well. Still, one worries especially when you've had problems in the past.

**********

Well, I have no excuse to not get out the mop so I'd better go and do that while Audrey is resting.

Fall will be here soon and I'm looking forward to being back in the 80's instead of the 90's.

My best to you as you get the kids (and grands) back in school!

}}Hugs{{
Vicky

Summer Swap!

I participated in Amy from Bumble Bee Lane's Farmhouse Summer Swap!

 I received my swap gifts from Becky at Ginger Crème Hollow

Everything was wrapped up so nice and Prim!

 Such lovely goodies!

 I collect Rag Dolls and Becky made me such a cute one holding her pet crow!

Her fabrics are so pretty!

The pillow is quite lovely, too!

 A pin cushion, a silver star ornie, a note pad....

 ...some bowl fillers with the same material as the doll and pillow!

She also included some melting tarts that smell wonderful!

Thank you, Becky for your generosity and thank you Amy for hosting yet another wonderful Swap!

}}Hugs{{
Vicky