It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Hello dear friends! I have taken a break from painting for the shop and concentrated on some decorating for the holidays. The tree is up and rivals the Griswolds' for the number of lights and ornaments that it holds. There are so many wonderful memories hanging here and there.... clothespin reindeer that Megan made in Kindergarten, all the school photographs with tinsel around them she made through the years and the various mementos we have gathered on vacations here and there. I also have some old ornies from my own childhood on the tree that remind me of the Christmases that my sweet brother and I would spend trying to guess what we would find under the tree.

The nutrackers are attached to the columns on the front of the house. This is the second year for them and our friends and neighbors are still asking about the flying angels that we had hung for the previous 20 years. Each window has its wreath and candle so we are finished with the outside of our home.

I love my snow village and how it looks inside the old oak cabinet. This is a treasured family heirloom piece that my dear father and mother-in-law started housekeeping with. I can't bear to pack the village away so it will stay up for a week or so after everything else is packed away.

That Jolly Olde Soul's elf (ME!!!) still has some last minute shopping to do but I am waiting for some last minute inspiration before I dash out into the wild masses. Yesterday's trip was an adventure to say the least. You would have thought it was Christmas Eve from the terrified look on some of the shoppers' faces. Dearest and darling Megan love to go to the Malls and be in the hustle and bustle. I prefer to stay home and make a lovely Brunswick stew to feed my hungry sweeties when they return.

I pray each of you are enjoying this most special time of the year. Try to make time for yourselves and soak up all the warm feelings that you can to tide you over through the winter months ahead. My love to each of you!!!

Another Thanksgiving Memory

We just returned from another simply wonderful trip to a little piece of heaven on earth, Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. Our little family has been going there ever since our precious Megan was a toddler to celebrate Thanksgiving as well as our wedding anniversary. We are never disappointed and, although the streets are crowded with people, everyone is always in a holiday mood and having a glorious time. Christmas lights are everywhere and all the decorations are simply stunning.

We ate at all our favorite places, especially the Old Mill in Pigeon Forge. Our Thanksgiving dinner there was served "family style" and was absolutely delicious. Breakfast at the Apple Barn Restaurant is also a real treat! An added bonus is all the cute shops on the premises... a bakery, ice cream shop, Christmas shop and winery. The winery is fabulous and we always bring home several bottles of our favorites. The apple orchards are on the surrounding hillsides. It is such a picturesque setting.


Now it is time to complete my holiday decorating and get ready for Christmas. I do hope that each and everyone of you had a lovely holiday with those you love. We are still talking about what a wonderful Thanksgiving we had and already making plans for next year!

A Happy Thanksgiving to All of My Dear Friends!!!

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, For love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Sincere and loving best wishes to all of you for a lovely and blessed Thanksgiving. My family and I are off to the Smoky Mountains for our annual Thanksgiving holiday trip. I promise to share pics with you when we return.

HERE I AM!!!!!

Oh, my friend Diane had it right when she said I must be up to my elbows in painting... I have indeed been a busy girl in my studio and simply loving every minute I spend there. The sawdust has been flying and brushes working their magic as the holidays approach. As many of you know, I simply love finding unusual things to paint on so I decided to share a few with you.

One of my most recent pieces is this beautiful doll trunk that I "altered" with a page from an antique hymnal, one of my little wooden angels and some of my saltbox houses painted on the bottom. I think it would be a great place to store all your Christmas cards and stamps, don't you?

Another great find was this antique saw. I have only painted another saw and it was one my dear father-in-law had used over 60 years ago. I decided it would be a fabulous gift for my dearest and so painted the family farm on the blade. The saw pictured here was the perfect piece for me to try out my new snowman pattern. I am most happy with it and thrilled that my sweet friend, Natalie, is going to use it in her beautiful prim home. You might remember that I featured her in one of my older posts...

I have saved the most unusual piece for last! These bellows are just huge and so lovely. They, according to the antique seller, were used on a farm years and years ago. I painted my new design for a Father Frost on this amazing piece of Americana and couldn't be happier with the outcome.

So, dear blogging friends, I am off to paint a bit more. The clock is ticking and I have to get busy. My warmest regards go out to all of you!

By the Light of the Candy Cane Moon

I just love this design by Terrye French. I have painted it on two different pieces and have orders for two more teapots painted with the same cute scene. I never paint a design the same way twice... I just can't do it! I have tried, but it goes against my nature. Do you feel the same way? I even vary recipes each time I prepare one over and over. The problem is, I don't write down the changes I have made so when one turns out really well and my dearest just loves it, I have already forgotten what I did to make it better. I guess the lesson here is to always keep a pencil handy!!!

So many things to paint, so little time!!!

Once again I must apologize to all my wonderful blogging friends for not being attentive to my blog. I have been painting away in my little studio like a mad man (woman!!! LOL!). My favorite season is fall but my favorite things to paint have got to be anything Winter and Christmas. I have more ideas than I will ever be able to produce into reality. I was always puzzled when I was a little girl and I would hear my friends say they were bored. My goodness, I have never been bored a day in my life --- how can you be when there are so many wonderful things just waiting to be painted on, glued together and assembled?

Here are a few of my latest pieces. Thanks for taking the time to look --- I welcome your comments!

The first is an old cabinet that I painted with a Candy Cane Snowman (design by Katrina Roncin). He is one dapper fellow, don't you think?


I have a passion for vintage cheese boxes and here is one I just finished today. The inspiration for the flying snowman came from Terrye French and I added my own twist.

Finally, here is an old kerosene can, painted with the sweetest little angel ever. The penny rug border has black snaps for centers to give extra dimension to the piece.

Old Farmhouse Gathering on Etsy

I belong to a wonderful group of artisans on Etsy called Old Farmhouse Gathering. We just welcomed our 200th member!!!! Currently many of the artists are featuring Autumn and Halloween items in their shops. Just type OFG in the search bar and you will find treasures galore!