When Dogs Get Mad ~ Dora Especially

You guys know I have four dachshunds. That is no surprise, but what you may not know is the fact that these four are used to getting their way....most of the time.

Sunday afternoon, I was working on finishing up a quilt and had it spread out on the living room floor. All four of my dogs know they are supposed to stay off the quilts when I lay them on the floor to work on them. They KNOW the difference in a quilt I am working on and a regular ole blanket laying on the floor.

My husband called me outside to help him do something and we closed the doggie door to keep the dogs inside as we had the side gate to our backyard open and did not want the dogs to get out.

That was not a popular choice for the dogs, in fact they were really not happy to be left indoors while we were outside. Dora especially. Dora is a toot, and knows how to really show you her displeasure. Believe me, she gets her point across.

When I walked back inside after helping my husband, I headed back to the living room to finish with the quilt I was working on.....and this is what I was greeted with.....

Dora had gone to the laundry room and picked up my husband's dirty sock off of the floor and plopped it right down in the middle of that quilt and just stood there looking at me. Just the look on her face alone speaks volumes. (glad I had my phone in my hand so get a picture)

It was as if she was saying...."yes, I did that because  I wanted to go outside with you guys and I got mad at you for a minute, now what are you going to do about it."

Sometimes, I swear the dogs are becoming smarter than we are. Do your dogs let you know when they are mad? Dora has no problem with it....at all!

.....and if you are wondering what I did about these antics....I just opened the doggie door and let the dogs out, I mean after all, that is what they wanted to begin with. ahem.

Did Your Dachshund Rescue YOU???

Do you ever feel like you were rescued by our Dachshund instead of it being you who rescued them? I do most certainly feel that way about mine.

With Sophie being the first one, I wrote about that very thing HERE and absolutely believe she did in fact rescue me from a very dark place. Of course, each and every one of them hold a special place, but Sophie, was the first, and well, she really is my heart.

Sophie, Dora, Bailey and Sammie......they all rescued their momma in one way or another.

Dusty Puddles Rescue is having a fundraiser by selling these adorable shirts you see above, that any dachshund lover would love. The goal is to sell 100 which, by the way they are almost there, but I have a feeling we can do better than that and smash that goal!! I already have ordered mine, and can't wait to get it!! 

Follow the link HERE to purchase you perfect Doxie T-shirt and help a good cause while you are at it!! 

Help save the lives of more dachshunds in need of being rescued from shelters,  so their new owners can feel the love and know it was the dog who actually rescued them after all.

Vintage Thingie Thursday: A glimpse of A Vintage Big Tex

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday

If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

It's State Fair time in Texas....and as you can imagine, it is a pretty big deal here in this state. Big Tex has always been a noticeable icon of the Texas State Fair.

He is the beloved greeter at the gates leading in to the state fair. Of all the icons of Texas, I would be willing to bet, he is the most recognized.

Big Tex has looked like this photo for as long as I can remember. His shirt might change from year to year, but he has always looked like this. However, his origin was far removed from the front gates of the fair.

Big Tex was originally from Kerens, Texas. The Kerens Chamber of Commerce built what they claimed was the world's largest Santa Claus, a 49-foot-tall figure constructed from iron-pipe drill casing and paper mache with 7-foot lengths of unraveled rope for a beard. The thought behind this huge Santa was to attract Christmas shoppers to shop locally in Kerens and not travel to neighboring towns to spend their money. 

The promotion was a big success during the 1949 holidays, but the novelty wore off the following year, and community support waned. In 1951, State Fair president R. L. Thorton purchased the Santa's components for $750 and hired Dallas artist Jack Bridges to create a giant cowboy out of the material. Thus the birth of Big Tex and he has stood proud overseeing the guest at the fair ever since.

Tragically, last year, there was a fire which destroyed the beloved icon in a matter of minutes. The Big Tex we have all known and loved for years is no more.

But like everything else in the times we live in today, the Fair, and the City of Dallas has promised a new and improved Big Tex. Mind you, there was nothing wrong with the old Big Tex and many felt he should have been made like he was for all of those years, however it was not to be.

The news media is all hyped up as the unavailing of the "New Big Tex" will be Friday, opening day of the State Fair of Texas. The news covers this story each and every day, as you can expect that is how they cover a story....it takes days to lead up to an event and you have to hear about it each and every day. ahem. 

So, this is my vintage thingie today...the vintage Big Tex.....as the new one steps up to the gates this Friday to do the job the old one did for years, greet each and every guest with a BIG OLE HOWDY FOLKS. 

Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday! 

Vintage Thingie Thursday: Vintage Decals

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday

If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

I stumbled upon some new old stock of vintage decals. I remember these types of decals from when I was growing up and had to get all I could find.
I may put some of these in my etsy shop soon, as I know many crafters love working with these types of decals.

I love these birds....so cute and happy.

I found several sets of these pretty pink floral ones. I think I remember these being on wooden purses back in the late '70's. 

What about you? Do you remember people crafting with decals back in the 70's or 80's? I wish I could think of something creative to do with them now!

Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday!

Something About The Rain

Here in Texas, we are as dry as a bone. We need rain in a bad way, and some parts of our country it is flooding and they can't catch a break. It seems to me that there should be a balance in the powers that be and spread all of that much needed water to the places that need it most and give the areas that can't catch a break from all the moisture. I am sure someday, someone will figure out a way to manipulate the weather and everyone will be happy. Ahem......

Click photo to get a great shot of this.

After the rain, there is always a promise of hope and renewal. Pray for the people of the great state of Colorado who are experiencing devastating flooding. The weather in the mountains can be catastrophic and it comes sometimes without much notice and quickly.  

My husband and my brother are at our cabin in Colorado. They have had some rain but nothing like what other parts of the state are experiencing. Last night, my brother sent me these photos they took while on their way to dinner. 

I always love to take photos of the rainbows in Colorado, and my husband sometimes gets annoyed because I will have him stop a hundred times for me to get the "right" shot. I am sure he was relieved that my brother just took the photos from the car and with his phone. Not bad....but I would have stopped and snapped several shots because that is just how I do it!  This is on the highway by our cabin, if you look closely on the edges of the main rainbow, you will see the double rainbow on top. Very pretty.....wish I had been there to see it in person.

At the foot of those hills, is the road that leads to our place.  This is the place that calms my soul, the place where we recharge and detach ourselves from the rest of the world. A real treasure. I am most thankful we share this little piece of  Heaven. Please remember the folks struggling with disaster and pray the rains move on. The one thing about the rain, even if it's flooding...if you look up, you will always find the rainbow and the message of hope in the end.

“Gratitude is the real treasure God wants us to find, because it isn't the pot of gold but the rainbow that colors our world.”
~ Richelle E. Goodrich

Vintage Thingie Thursday: The Creepy Vintage Dachshund

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday

If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

I happened upon this little dog at an estate sale several months ago. As you might expect, I could not leave her behind. I brought her home and put it in my cabinet with all my other "doggie treasures"

My husband took one look at her and wanted to know why in the world I'd buy something so creepy. He said that the dog had creepy eyes and he did not like it.

I told him he better watch out...she is watching him. He just looked at me funny! My favorite part is the sweet little flowers on her head....the eyes, I have to admit are a bit much, but that is just the way they were! He says we have everything there is to have, including a few creepy things thrown in for good measure!

Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday.

Baby Girl Quilt ~ Baby Lattice Quilt Pattern

My husband most of the time happily does his part in the quilting process. You know what I mean, he holds the quilts up high in the air until his arms hurt and muscles burn from me taking too long to take a picture. What?? you don't know what I am talking about?? Oh...come now!!!

There is a girl who works in his office having a baby in a couple of weeks, and he sorta mentioned earlier in the summer maybe I could make her a quilt for her new baby. It was a subtle hint, but I picked up on it right away.

I was happy to do it for her. One of the things that made this one so fun for me as the colors she had chosen for her nursery were colors that are not in my typical colors I often work with.

Now, not knowing the lady personally, I was not sure what she might like. I sent my husband several styles of quilts via text to get an idea on her taste. He then, showed the pictures to her mom and we came up with this quilt. It is a nod to traditional quilt blocks in a way and that is what the new mom likes.

My husband sent me a picture via phone of the fabrics she used in her nursery. The colors were pink, bright green and the teal blue. In fact, hard it it is to believe, the fabric used for the name is the exact fabric she was using in the nursery bedding.  The pattern for the quilt is Baby Lattice Quilt and the pattern can be found on the Moda Bakeshop website. 

I added a border that changed it up a bit from the original pattern. I wanted to add the babies name to the quilt border, so I added diamond cornerstones in each corner. I love how this quilt turned out. 

Here is a close up of the quilting. The teal blue thread was used and it is just adorable on this quilt. (click photo to enlarge and get a better look)

I posed a question on facebook about the backing when I was trying to choose a backing fabric. I had this fabric in my stash, but only had enough for ONE quilt. I love this fabric, and was torn between using it, as it was perfect for this quilt or hanging on to it for a maybe project one day. I decided to use it, and love, love, love it.

I added the binding using Sweet Divinity stripe by Riley Blake. I am proud of this quilt, and can not wait to  hear what the mom says  when  my husband gives it to her.

Baby quilts are so much fun to make. I can't help but think about how precious a new little life is and all the things that are sure to come for the whole family. Best wished Brittany, as you welcome your new little girl to your family, babies are such gifts from above.

**Last night, Brittany sent a photo by text of the quilt in the new nursery. She had it draped over the bed along with her bedding. It was really special and fun to see how it worked in her nursery. 

It really does look so good with her colors. I was so excited to see the photos and happy that she loved the quilt. 

The colors are so rich and vibrant and really lovely for a baby girl. I have seen a lot of baby bedding in these colors this summer, so I am guessing it is the popular color scheme right now. I am really glad I used that wonderful fabric for the backing....it really was perfect in every way.

This is one of my very favotite quilts to date. This pattern was fun and easy, and it used up a lot of 5" charm squares I have aquired in various swaps online. I was fortunate enough that I had so many prints in my stash that worked in the colorway I needed for this quilt. This pattern may be my new go-to for future baby quilts. I really love the finished design and feel. I am excited for baby Blake to make her grand entry into the world very soon!

Summer 2013 ~ Graduation Quilts Part Two

Today, I want to show the other two graduation quilts I made this summer for a couple of special graduates. You may recall the other graduation quilt I post about this week, well, these two recipients graduated from the same town, just from a different high school. In fact, they were a part of the very first graduating class from Centennial High School which is also in Burleson, Texas. Both of these girls are cousins and daughters to my long time best friends in High School.

I chose the chevron pattern for these quilts. The design is trendy, and very popular among many this year as you see in in everything from home decor to clothing. I was in hopes these two young girls would love the pattern and not thing it too old fashion.

The purple and white chevron quilt was made for Victoria. I did not make it in her high school colors but instead made it in her new college colors.

I thought it would be great to take with her to her new dorm. Here is a close up of the quilting.

Here is a snapshot of the backing. I did not piece the backings on these quilts, but found a cute fabric that coordinated with the front.

Since these quilts had a lot of white fabrics up against such dark colors, I prewashed all the fabrics first before cutting and sewing together. I found that worked out better than I thought it would. However, I am still on the fence about doing it all the time.

Here is Victoria with her quilt. She is so cute and such a sweet girl. It was so much fun thinking about the bright future she has coming her way!

Victoria is off to Abilene Christian University this fall and is going to be a nurse. Best wishes to her and all that lies ahead in the coming year!


The second Chevron quilt was done in the Centennial School Colors. This quilt went to Brenna and I love this quilt done in the blues. 

I chose blue fabrics, one of them has a little darker coloring in it. I did not put any black in this quilt, which may be in the original school colors, but used a darker blue in its place. I thought to use black, but it was too harsh with all the white.

Here is the quilting in this quilt, I love how it turned out. If you have made one of these chevron quilts, you know how many half square triangles are in these quilts. Let me say, if you turn one the wrong way when putting the top together, it makes for a lot of resewing! ahem.....

Here is the back of Brenna's quilt. And the fabric with the darker coloring is that stripe on the right. I loved that piece of fabric.

Here is Brenna with her quilt, she was surprised over the weekend with her quilt and look how cute and happy she looks. Brenna is going to Tarrant County College ~ Trinity River  Campus and has a bright future ahead of her as well. Best wishes to Brenna and all that the future holds for her as well.

It was a lot of fun to make these two quilts for two special girls. Both of them are daughters to my long time best friends in High School. I was happy to be able to do that for them as their gift for graduation and give them something that they can keep for years to come. 

 I loved that there was a pattern for the chevron print and a design that was so popular this year.  I think it might always date the quilt back to around this time in the future and the year these two girls graduated from high school. 

Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday

If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

I love vintage creamers, and I have more than I really need. Imagine that one!! Here are a few of my favorite to date.

This one is my favorite I must say. I love the colors, and it has a matching little saucer with the same flower design in the middle of the little saucer.

I really have never seen one like this before, and here is the marking on the bottom.

This little green one is so sweet. It has a really delicate feel to the handle of the pitcher. If you enlarge the photo (by clicking) you should be able to see all the little air bubbles in the glass. This one reminded me of the green creamer I found at an estate sale a few months back, but the color is a bit lighter, but the delicate feel is the same.

Now, I know sometimes the photos make it hard to gauge the size of things, so I had to put ole' Abe in this photo so you can get a good idea of the unusual size of this one. This is so tiny, and sweet I was super excited to put this in my basket for .50 cents. I have not ever seen a little creamer so small, there are no markings or stamps at all on this, but the look and feel of the creamer reminds me of McCoy.....just similar in the feel and look of those types of pieces.

Well, that is it for today, I have lots to get done and hopefully get some sewing done this evening. We will see..... Have a great week everyone, and have a Happy Vintage Thingies Thursday.