Happy News!

Wow! What a roller coaster ride these past few weeks have been. Luckily, there seems to be good news happening!


Colleen, the uber-sweet and cool doll artist of Loopy Boopy, and my sweet friend actually nominated this little doll for the Etsy Voter!

WOW COLLEEN! I am so humbled! Thank you!

Basically, the vote is to get this doll on the front page for Easter, so the more votes I get, the better chances this bunny has. The voting ends tomorrow, so if you didn't mind, would you please hop over to THIS LINK and vote for me? She is listed as Spring Queen (at least I think she is! Under vagabondcreations, my shop name. I appreciate it! :)


By the way, Colleen herself has been profiled on ETSY herself! It's so well deserved as she makes some amazing dollies and is a sweetheart to boot. Read more about Colleen HERE, on Etsy (congrats, Colleen!)

In other random, but fun news. You may remember some time ago that I managed to win some wonderful vintage enamel pots on Ebay, only to have the crazy UPS folks LEAVE THEM OUTSIDE THE BUILDING where they subsequently disappeared (Feel free to check out that post HERE). I use that term loosely, since we don't KNOW that they were stolen, but they just didn't end up in my little hands.

Anyway, I was refunded the money! Yay! But after several weeks of looking for a new set of pans online, I just decided to treat myself....which in this case, means something old...either old kitchenware, dolls or BOOKS!

So--here is my book! It's from the 1890's and is a Household and Receipt book---and this, by the way, tells you how old it is, as "receipts" here, mean RECIPES! (yes, there was a time they were called receipts!)

Inside offers various diagnoses of illnesses, preventative medicine, "Diseases of Women and Childen." And then various recipes, as given by the author Dr. Chase, who seems to be of some note at the time.

Nice portrait on the left, huh? Click to enlarge for the table of contents.

I love this stuff. I really love glimpsing into life in the past. Of course, there are interesting subjects, some of them curious, some of them laughable given what we now know. For example "Pain Killer, Truly Magical, for All Purpose and Places of Pain" (yes that is the title!), it lists morphine heavily! Yikes. At the same time, I'd be curious to make "orange pie" and "lemon raisin pie".....so many interesting things to read up on!

My one lament--I just wish there were more pictures in the book! But still, I won't lie and say I'm not doing a happy dance here!

What about you? What happy things go on in your world?

Hares, Hares, Everywhere!

You might have remembered these cuties from last year....

Well, their little bunny cousins are springing into action! Meet these wee Spring Hares!

However, these hares are a bit different.....

They come with their own BASKETS!


Or, as they prefer to call them...carrying cases!

I haven't truly named them as I was rather concerned over finishing them in proper time! Where does the time go? It seems I'm barely ever on time anymore!

And they are tiny enough to fit in your hand!

Their mission: SPREAD JOY!

And, you can use the carrying cases to put other wonderful things in!

And if you take them home by April 4th (Easter!) then I'll add extra candies and goodies into their carrying baskets, just for YOU!

You can find them waiting for new homes at my Etsy Shoppe (CLICK HERE)!

And remember, the Spring Queen is still there, waiting as well:

So hop on over to take a magical creature home with you today!

Imagine the wonderful tails...err, tales, they have to tell!

Until next time Friends!

Hare Ye, Hare Ye...Spring is HERE!

The sun has finally come out, as have the flowers and birds....

SPRING is finally here. The Spring equinox is actually on March 20th...

So I thought I'd celebrate it with THIS beauty:

TA - DA!

She is the high Queen of Spring! I couldn't think of a particularly regal name for her.

but perhaps you can name her once you bring her home!

I have to say, she's one of my more complicated dolls, and I'm pleased to say that she came out exactly as I saw her in my head.

Button jointed arms.....and legs:

Subtle expression:

Lovely dragonfly charm (it's been awhile since I've done jewelry, so this was fun!)

Vintage lace skirt:

She's in MY ETSY SHOPPE (CLICK HERE) now. Her highness wants to go home with YOU!

And tomorrow, more tiny hares will join her in the shoppe...




So off I go to continue furious painting, decorating, and other enchantments

The Heart of One World One Heart...

Hello Friends!

For awhile, I've wanted to show you all of the lovely happenings from the wonderful, recent blog event known as One World One Heart. Lisa Swifka is just an imaginative genius and I thank her for such a great idea!
I've met so many friends AND, this year, I've won an embarrassment of riches!

So......
A few weeks ago I managed to send off these lovelies to their new owners:


The WISH Vagabond (left) went to Jules of MoonCat Farms
The Forest Faery Vagabond (center) went to Regina of Southern OOAKS
The Heart Vagabond (right) went to Bea of Dog In The Hole Studio

Feel free to click on their links, in red, next to their names and visit them, as they are some wonderful and inspiring people. I hope they are enjoying their wee Vagabonds!

Jules was so sweet, she even sent me a card (thanks Jules!):

And all of my new Vagabond parents were so lovely and sent me lovely emails! I am always so happy when people seem to love my creations! Thanks guys!

NEXT....
I have to say I'm a bit embarrassed AND gleeful at the same time (is that wrong?) to show you THESE boxes that came in the mail:

Look at this tower of goodies!

ALL of them contain a OWOH winning! I won four giveaways! If you know what my real karma is like, you'd say this was resolutely impossible!
Mostly I just want to say THANK YOU to all of the wonderful artists who graced me with their lovely items.

So---onto the unwrapping:

This first box is from Eva of Lady Artisan. She is an amazing artist, and is also a fellow Art Dolls Only member. I love her work and strongly respect her because she not only makes wonderful whimsical dolls, but she makes THE MOST AMAZING JOURNALS I have ever seen. No, really!
When I opened the box, here is what I got!

Eva calls these "Sheepicles"! Toooo cute! What a face! And I love the heart! THANKS EVA! Check out Eva's lovely work HERE!


Next, I opened this gift from Debra of Manitoba Stitches. They make wonderful pincushions, little purses and so much other well crafted practical and whimsical stuff. Here's what I won:

This wonderful pincushion!

I have to say, I was really impressed in that I thought I was getting a much smaller piece, based on the picture on the Manitoba OWOH website pic. But NO! It's large enough to cover my palm!

And look at this lovely embroidery!

Amazing wonderful stuff! Check out other Manitoba Stitches work HERE! So amazing, even my OTHER pincushion is jealous!

(Do you sense a rivalry?)

The next box was from the darkly enchanted world of Ametista! Cariann and Kathy run this amazing gothic/faery/fantastical world! I love it! Even the little sticker emblazoned on the box is high theatrics! It definitely spoke to the secret gothy part of me!

AND, I loved this beauty!

A Fairy Wish Bottle! Along with all of the little wonderful notes and such!

....and the fairy message, inside!

And just look at this beautiful work on the front.....

And top....

Just lovely! THANK YOU SO MUCH Ladies! To view their work click HERE!


Finally, I won a cute little Hubert Heart doll from another fellow ADO member, Pattee of Odd Dolls! Pattee makes wonderful, whimsical and weirdly interesting dolls, mostly of polymer clay, and much more. Even her package carried a touch of whimsy!

Just in time for Valentines day! A heart shaped note and heart candies!

Plus, there were more goodies inside the package......

Finally, I took Hubert out of his little heart shaped box. Just look at this kissy face!

THANK YOU PATTEE! I love him! Check out all of PATTEE's lovely work HERE!

Whew! I am very blessed to say the least and my little home is singing with happiness! Thank you everyone!! Lovely readers, please support these wonderful artists! They will make your heart sing, also...as art generally tends to make me a very happy human in the long run :)

Next up ---Hares and...hairs! Have a great day everyone!

Acts of Kindness Friday...

Hello Friends!

Well, today I had meant to post the comings and goings of the One World One Heart Prizes, because I had sent, and then won, some interesting gifts....but sometimes one can get sidetracked.

I don't know if you're like me, but I'm sort of a "big picture" kinda person. It occurred to me, long ago, that this little community I have met through blogging has really be wonderful. I have met many friends, gotten myself into much mischief, learned many things, and have found a vast array of shiny, beautiful folks along the way.

Lately, though, it's become clear that sometimes life isn't all sunshine, and that people sometimes do need help. Awhile back, I started an idea on my long ago farm blog, Wild At Heart Farm, about what I called "Lovemongering". Since a war monger is someone who exploits war and suffering for their own gain, why not LOVEmonger...right? I think the world needs more of this.

Anyway, since then, I thought: why not start a weekly post that celebrates people, and aims to help those who might need help? I mean, there are Wordless Wednesdays and Pink/Vintage Saturdays that seem to be observed commonly throughout the blog-o-sphere. So why not add a regular that might do a little good? So here I am, doing this little Friday thing. If nothing else, it might spread a little sunshine, or help someone in some small way.

So here's the first, official, small attempt at Acts of Kindness Friday:

1. Renee, of Circling My Head. I doubt I have to tell many of you about what is going on with this extraordinary human. But for those of you who don't know Renee, you have missed out knowing a generous, sweetheart of a woman. She also is in the final stages in her fight with cancer.
To be fair, I wasn't familiar with Renee except for the last couple of years. She had stopped by and commented here and there on my blog. I think I truly realized the enormity of her life and circumstances once I received the "Renee Award" from various kind friends and realized that

it was "our" Renee that the award was named after. She has had a profound affect on many. At this point, I don't know what to say other than perhaps pray for her remaining days to be painless, and for her family. She is a mother and a grandmother, and I can't imagine bearing so much grief. Even now, it's sort of painful to type this, but I wish her friends and family LOVE.

2. Then, I was browsing a blog of an artist I admire for her papercutting prowess, Elsa Mora. Truly, her artwork is amazing (CLICK HERE to see her site). I was shocked, however, when I last went to view her site (I hadn't visited in awhile) to hear that her niece lives in Chile and her house was completely destroyed in the havoc of the earthquake there. So, she is collecting donations to help her niece out her precarious situation. Again, even if you don't have a dollar to donate, perhaps some prayers are in order. In any case, please visit her site to see her touching words about her family.

Alright, so that's my little post. I hope I haven't bummed anyone out. I think the most dangerous thing we can do is to start to believe all the negativity out there. I've always felt like we each have the capacity to connect with our fellow humans on our short, but amazing time here on Earth (hokey as that may sound).

Hugs, everyone!

A Weird and Wacky Week!

Hello Lovelies!

Have you ever had one of those days? Where everything seems upside down and just plain strange? Could you imagine a whole week like that?

I am so sorry to just now be rejoining the posts, but last week was the kind to knock your socks off. I sort of thought it might, since I've sort of booked myself for an eyebrow high list of daily projects. But then the SNOW sort of spun everything out of control, it seems!

First, I managed to catch a cold from going house to house for 5 hours each snow day, caring for animals, although it all wasn't bad, as you can see by THIS cute face, below:

You can see more snow adventures on my post HERE.

But, then, the weirdness really began.

On February 12th, I decided to treat myself to a few vintage enamel pots (which, I think, you can see at the bottom of the page HERE)and they are just the sort of farmy-kitcheny goodness that I love (you do know I have a fascination with all things farm, right?) So, because we were decidedly low on cooking utensils, I decided to hop on Ebay (which is dangerous for the antique addicted, like myself) and try to find some cheap, quality pots. They were really beautiful pots--I mean, a set of BLUE enamelware (very rare) and yellow ones, and a nice double boiler. Who could resist?

Anyhow--long story short, I won them! What’s so weird about this? Well, in the four years of near perfect buyer-seller transactions, the poor guy who sent them used FedEx. FedEx promptly delivered them, alright, but the delivery guy, as it turns out, LEFT THE PACKAGE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING. IN NEW YORK CITY. Yep, I found this out once I contacted the seller after having “not received” the package in 10 days. Needless to say, someone VERY LUCKY is enjoying using vintage cookware for free, and I am still working with the seller to figure out why FedEx pulled this “very interesting” move.

In other interesting mail events. The near constant snow over the next two weeks made it impossible for me to actually get to the post office to mail off these beauties that were won by various recipients of OWOH.

I kid you not, my local post office was blocked with snow until it was impassible. It did not help that the snow plows just pushed the snow from the roads right along sidewalks and in front of certain businesses…like the post office. So the entrance of the post office went from “cross at your own risk” proportions to “Get out your mountain climbing gear and see if you can get over this big heap o’ snow.”

So a couple of days later, I gathered all my little packages and headed for another, central post office, only to be told by one of their workers that it might take “longer than usual times” to deliver the mail because of the strange weather all over the country. So folks, if you are not getting your dollies, let me know!

And the final, strange thing of the past week is a very "interesting" email I got from a total stranger with some very strong words, who apparently thinks I cannot possibly be a real person. No, really. Apparently the word "hoax" came up several times, since I suppose real persons cannot make dolls, care for animals, dare to DO THIS, write and write some more, at the same time.

Hmmm...I don't know what to say to that, but last I checked, I pinched myself, and I'm definitely not a dream! :)

Speaking of "unreal".....I have some more swap plans, which I will share with you soooooon! So stay tuned!

Until then, I bid you "No More Snow," and a great day!