rain rain go away...

All of the dreariness of the day has me wishing for more motivation than just trying out different settings on my camera... but there you have it.

along with the rain, John has just left to go back to school and I'm not going to mince words here people, as I watched him and Cam pull away the tears flowed like the rain outside.

I think the idea that he graduates on Sat. and then will be moving across the country has hit home and hit home hard.  :(

that is life and I want nothing more than to see my birds spread their wings but it doesn't make it any less painful when they do.

(sorry just keeping it real.)

back to the collage...

All four of these shots were done with the manual setting.

I am ashamed to say it (but I will anyway) but I didn't even know my camera could take a sepia or B&W shot without editing on the computer!

I bought some dill from Aldis and thought I would use it for Easter dinner. I was unsure what I was going to make with it at the time but it just smelled so good!  Then wouldn't you know it,  I made my "moms famous dilled carrots" but used the dried dill I always use in the recipe because I FORGOT that I had bought fresh dill.   ugh.

I should be ashamed to say that too, but there you are... apparently I have no shame! LOL
so now I have a little pitcher of it to use as a photo prop!

(the carrots were delicious by the way)

you are welcome Boo! xoxo

While I was playing on Picnik I made a couple of thank you cards to go in my packages from

the old white house

I actually turned them into collages so that I could print off more than one at a time.

For some reason (the reason being that I need MY computer fixed because I had that one figured out when dealing with the printer and I don't have Cam's figured out at all!) I can only get Cam's computer to print one at a time so the collage worked great for the cards.  I will just cut them apart to add to the package.

There are a few things I would change about them and I could dr. them up a bit but I can only justify so much play time on the computer.  And I NEEDED to talk to all of you today, it has been a week since I posted last!  Where oh where does the time go?

So do you all PICNIK? 

I still haven't upgraded to premium but have been tempted on more than one occasion. For now the free version works just fine.   (I like anything that is labeled FREE)... just saying.

 and just in case you thought that maybe I haven't had my hand in any creating... I did manage to make a couple of market totes.   I had an order to take care of and while I was printing on that miracle transfer paper I thought I would make something new.  Love the bees, of course not really fond of them when I'm relaxing outside, but they are cute with crowns, are they not?

Then I went crazy big with one of my flowers.  

That's how I roll, once I make enough of something I have to play around with all of the sizes it could be!

So this one is enormous!

Guess what?  While we were visiting. the rain stopped!

thank you. I needed that!

Come by and work your magic anytime!   ;)

love, Theresa xoxo

I am linking up to , White Wednesday,  Wow us Wednesday, Link Love, Running With Glitter,

Transformation Thursday

spring and silver, a great combination...

A while back I made this metal cone/ tussie mussie out of an old screen, I liked it a bunch but there was just something about it that I thought needed a bit of tweeking. So I pulled the ribbon off of it that I had used to cover the raw edges and the construction bits and as soon as I did I knew that was the problem... less is more!

Oh and I took off the ribbon that I had used as a hanger and added this silver chain instead.  I dusted it with a bit of glitter and when the glue dried and the glitter stuck it looked a bit like sparkling white paint. 

 and now it hangs in the kitchen on the china cabinet with a little primrose giving all who see it a sign and hope of spring and I just needed to share it with you!  I just adore it and will definitely be making more, I just needed to work out the kinks :) 

I have also been soldering again, and I had my brother Wil over to play last week, these are almost finished, I just need to add the jumprings.

These are the backs, I made my MIL a bookmark out of one for her birthday and I plan on doing the same with these.  I will show you again when I have them finished ~  consider yourself warned!

I made another one with a bit of crochet trim enclosed inside, they are a bit trickier but I do love the results.

Have I ever told you I have a thing for older men?  I do!  I can't help myself, I see these old pictures of a man in a suit and his lil hat and I just NEED to create something with him!  I have put a piece of a dictionary page behind him from the letter O... original, just because you just know he was one!

And last but not least, just in case you thought my sewing machine was sitting idle, Danielle was going on a whirlwind trip to TX. for a comedy festival ( which is why she was missing from the b-day trip pics) and she asked me to make her a small tote to have with her at the festival.  You know I can't hardly say no to my kids, so there I was as she was packing to leave,  sewing and ruffling her new bag :)  She found the graphics and I ironed them on.  This one was really quick and simple, even the handle is made of drop cloth, we skipped the rosette,  and no snap (only because she already had one foot in the car!)

So there you have it... I wanted to assure you that I haven't been sitting on my duff watching the world go by!  

O.k. o.k.... I've been doing a bit of that too :)

I am linking up to White Wednesday, Wow Us Wednesdays, and Link Love... 

what can I say, I'm a creature of habit!

Thanks for stopping by!

Theresa xoxo

Why I love my chalkboard...

This is what Duane and I woke up to on Saturday morning... Hannah stayed up later than we did (go figure) and wrote this on the dining room chalkboard for us to see when we woke up!

See why I love my Little Boo?

This is the funny part, and yes we did go to the movies!  :)

and this is a bit of what I have been up to... how cute is that little dachshund with the crown?

(sold)

a close up of the ruffle and rosette made from black and tan homespun.

It's listed as of this morning, I have been working like a crazy person to get  The Old White House filled up, and today I am making more flowers and really am resisting the urge to start on a new project, like Mom always said...one thing at a time, one day at a time.

Thanks for stopping by, I thought you'd get a warm fuzzy from Hannah's msg.

Theresa xoxo

I am linking up to White Wednesday, Link Love and Wow Us Wednesdays

A giveaway for my Birthday! xoxo...

That's right... today is my 50th birthday!  I know I seem so much younger, what with my youthful typing over here, but that's right I am now 1/2 way to 100, as was pointed out to me by Max yesterday!  I'm hoping to make it all the way there, but I'm also hoping he gives up on teasing his mom and pointing out the obvious to me by then!   

Now, having been born in the 60's  you know I didn't grow up with the whole, I'm going to a birthday party and I'm getting me a treat bag, right?  I'm guessing most of you didn't either... we put on our best and most favorite outfit and we went to our friends house for a rousing game of pin the tail on the donkey and hide and seek, but the birthday girl or boy received all of the presents! 

Well, I'm about to rectify that for someone at my party today!

Cuz, I'm having a giveaway, that's how!  Throwing a little Junie B. Jones atcha!  Is it bad when a childrens book is a good read for bedtime because it makes you giggle? :)

(with Max ofcourse)

So for the rest of this week, I am going to add a little something to this bag that I made and then one lucky party guest will go home with their very own treat bag!

It is made with our favorite material... drop cloth with a matching ruffle and then I crocheted the strap and the trim out of another utilitarian material, butchers string and added a vintage bakelite belt buckle for a bit of vintage goodness!

So stop on by this week and see what else I toss in the treat bag and add me a comment or two on any of the upcoming birthday posts and become a follower if you aren't one already for your chance to win the Birthday Treat Bag!

I'm linking this up to White Wednesday, Link Love, and Wow Us Wednesdays and Transformation Thursday!

Thanks for coming to my party!

Theresa xoxo

not a scrap of wool wasted...

Of all of the fabrics that I work with I have a special fondness for wool.   Raw, roving, yarn, but most especially felted vintage goodness.  I love the feel of a beautiful skirt or sweater felted and ready to cut. 





There is just so much to create with it and once I get cutting there is no stopping me!  

After I felted this cable sweater, the gorgeous pattern in the center screamed "make me a bag" to me and so that is just what I did (mostly because I find it hard to ignore the screaming in my head!)

Another favorite material of mine is ... ANYTHING VINTAGE o.k. there I said it!  I have a hard time ignoring vintage, I try... I turn my head... I walk away... but eventually I find myself coming back for more!  It makes the coolest bag linings, and well the coolest EVERYTHING!  The colors are wonderful and the patterns so lively...

Here is another little peak, gorgeous greens, orange, poppy reds, beautiful blues in the best aqua tones...

Sorry, the inside of a bag is really hard to take pictures of...

 I even added some to the handle, two pieces of the arms that were connected and then the (what was once a tablecloth) vintage material was sewn to the bottom for added strength so that the handle doesn't get stretched out when the bag is full.

Which I did,  with doo dads for creating art, and vintage religious medals, a flower brooch and anything else that I thought my sister Molly would like!   A little belated "I love you, your special and by the way, "Merry Christmas" gift  from me to her.

It's not too late for that, is it?

I mean, I did get it to her before the next holiday arrived, right?

I have so much more to share with all of you!  My computer is not working though, ugh.  so I have confiscated Duane's while he is out this morning.  I am going to try to get a few posts finished and saved for the week so that I have something to share this week :)  I also have so many things to list in theoldwhitehouse and so have to scurry before he comes home and needs this for his paper that is due tomorrow!

Have an AMAZING weekend, full of love, and all of the goodness that it brings!

Thanks for stopping by!  Theresa xoxo

o.k.... now where was I...

Oh my gosh, it has been 2 weeks since I posted....lets see,   I went to the barn, I brought in a few treasures, the tree went to the road last Sunday, and I have been trying to keep up with life ever since. there it is in a nutshell, well kinda.

SERIOUSLY!  I cannot even believe it's been 2 weeks!   To be honest, life has been busy and  I felt like I was spinning in circles I just didn't seem to be able to actually complete a single project.  It didn't help that my creativity add has set in BIG time, so I have no less than 12 projects going at any one time, but I am happy to say that today I actually completed a few of said projects and even got some pictures!  WOOHOO!!!  So here we go...

 I really love how this banner turned out.  Felted wool heats all prettied up with scalloped script paper and vintage white buttons, stitched to a roping of crocheted chainstitching.  so stinkin sweet.

I think the different textures is what has my heart... sorry I couldn't resist ;O

On to the next finally completed project...

 

A tote bag for around town all gussied up with a vintage image from Karen and one of my all time favorite symbols... the red cross.  I don't care what country you live in, it is there. how perfect.  I added a ticking rosette with a vintage red cross pin in the center. 

Sorry, I know the pics are kind of dark, this good ole winter weather isn't really cooperating for me!
But what did cooperate for me today was one of my favorite of all time people, my brother Wil... this is how fun, and cooperative he is.
1. he was a willing model for my new boutonnieres for etsy.
2. he was a willing model for my new boutonnieres for etsy in the Goodwill dressing room, (with the door open)
3. he let me take pictures of him at the Goodwill with strangers wondering what the heck we were doing and who were WE calling strange(rs)?
o.k. are you ready to me him?  really, if you could meet him in person I promise you would love him instantly, everyone else does.  He has so much charm and such a  fun-loving-life kind of spirit.

adorable, right?

this was his "action shot" as he put it! Oh my gosh, we were laughing so hard!  I had to keep composing myself so I could keep the camera somewhat steady!

You see we had a little get together and ate wonderful food provided by none other than Wil, and played some silly games, all for scratch-off lottery ticket prizes again provided by Wil. Then a few of us ventured out on a scheduled trip to the local GoodWill.  I brought my camera and boutonnieres along so that we could do this.  He pulled the clothes off of the rack stepped into the dressing room, left the door open so that I could get the pictures, and we had our Good Wil  photo shoot!  hilarious!

I am filling  theoldwhitehouse with all sorts of goodies and combining the two stores, so look out for more new creations and lots of vintage surprises in the shop!

Geesh, I started this post yesterday, Saturday, and like  my projects i couldn't finish it all in one sitting.  Well I better get busy again, I have so many more things to share with you and it looks like the sun might even be out today so another photo session is in order... I wonder if I can get someone here to model for me in the  frigid outdoors... "Oh Wil".

I'm linking this to Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy, and  Tea Rose Home'slink parties.


I've so missed our little chats, and all of YOU and am thrilled to be back!

Thanks so much for stopping by, Theresa xoxo