The best gifts from God!!

Kaitlin got her car stuck in our ditch! The boys came to her rescue!(with alittle help from Sim!) 

Ok, so I put myself on sick leave from the 17th to the 3rd of January. Telling myself not to do anything! Just rest! But the holidays came and it was so great! I get tired easy, but I loved being with our families! We are a blended family so lot's of gatherings and eating! This year I got the best presents, I love the way family knows what you love! (besides them!) I got to see my son Danny for Christmas Eve. Great present! I got a new printer, so now I can learn and get my Etsy going and kick out some creations. Sim got me lot's of organizing tubs, shelves, etc. I've been working on using them! My new years resolution! Kaitlin got me new cookie sheets, cuz when she went to use mine for her Pumpkin rolls she makes, she found out I've been using them to coffee dye my tags! Opps!! My step-son Ryan, Christine, and Caylee got me a New York and Company gift card! OMG my favorite place to shop! I wear their clothes all the time! But I decided after yesterday going to this big mall called Great Lake Crossings with Sim and Kaitlin, I'll be going by myself for that one! They shop really fast and they're done! Me I have to look at everything!! So here are some random pics of my best gifts!!!

This is my oldest daughter Brooke on Christmas Eve!! and below is Danny and Kaitlin!!

 

The day after Christmas we celebrated with Sim's family! It was Caylee's first Christmas! We were so excited!! Lot's of love and fun!!!

This is Caylee-Bugg eating the DVD we got her!

Christine is Ryan's fiance' and Caylee-Buggs mommy! We love her alot!!

My step-son Nick and his new girlfriend Tara!!

Papa Sim and Caylee-Bugg!

This is Ryan, you can't see much of his face, but he's showing "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to Caylee-Bugg. Great Grandma, Sim and I read it to her and it's the one from Hallmark that records it!

 Well, "Happy New Year" to my blog friends and family! I am so excited to see what 2011 will bring to us here on the land of blog!! I know lot's of fun, swaps, and friendships! Thanks to everyone who has been holding me up in prayer! God is awesome!! Love ya, XO Fran.

It's Christmas time!!!

This is my morning coffee break friend! This squirrel is so darn cute! It will look right at me, when I talk to it. I don't think that makes me crazy, does it? But if you ask my family they would probably say I am! LOL We are having a winter storm right now here in Michigan. All of our schools in our county are already closed for tomorrow!! It's the first big real snow of the season for us! But that means we'll be having a White Christmas! Yay!!

I haven't blogged in a super long time, but I thought I'd show why! I've been doing Santa Workshops and Craft shows and working like a little elf!! Here are a few pics from my last craft show of the season, I did yesterday. It was my best one I did as far as selling! I had a few people come back from last year hoping I was there!

This is a cute little gift bagg I made up with bubble bath, etc. the bagg it's self is so adorable!

These candies were a hit! Most people got them for stocking stuffers, and some got them for themselves to eat!  They are very good. I sold quite a few of my little shoe pin cushions! 

These are little baggs I made up for people to give their dogs. I sold out of these. I made a few cat goodies too. A couple of ladies were buying them for their grand-dogs!! Too cute!!

This is the end with my gift baskets. Can you see the berry baskets I put teapots, teas and candy in? I just love how they turned out! You can't see it, but I have them on Sim's old sled, he had as a kid. I like the way it gives height to the table.

I realize that people like the unique little things I make, like my gift tags, and little gift baggs too. They also like my display pieces! I usually just go out in my yard or potting shed and get something to use. These two are my favorites. The one in the back is an old berry picking crate. I got it at an estate sale. The one with the greenery and ornies, I found in the trash. It is part of an old desk drawer. 

Now the rush is on for Christmas. I really have to kick it out and have pretty much everything done by this Thursday. I have been having problems with my bladder and alot of pain. So, I will be having surgery on Friday again. I am praying I will be feeling good by Christmas Eve. I'll be spending that with my son Danny, and the rest of my family and cuzins! I've done that ever since the year I was born! We have alot of fun, and food!! We stay home for Christmas day. But the day after Christmas we will be spending it with our little cutie pie Caylee Roxanne!

It is her first Christmas and I can't wait!!

  

I hope everyone has a great Christmas. It probably won't be til after the holiday that I blog again. I have missed you guys, but have been checking in.

Love ya, Fran. XOXO

Wow it's been a long time!!!

I guess I've kinda been in a funk lately. I kicked my own butt physically but I am getting better. I lost a good friend to cancer very fast and his funeral was this week. His nic name was "The Harmonica Man" and his wife had one of the bands he played with do the music at his funeral. Our church was packed and the house was a rocking! What a tribute to a great man who will be missed greatly.

I thought I would show you the little owl candy holders I made out of toilet paper rolls a while back. They turned out so cute!!

 I want to show you guys the Halloween Shaker I won from Jill http://www.buckscountyfolkart.blogspot.com/. Her daughter Mary picked my name. There are better pictures on her blog. 

 She has opened a new etsy shop, http://www.buckscountyfolkart.etsy.com/, where she sells these wooden sewing thread spool ornaments and much more. Jill is self taught and very talented .

I feel so blessed and thankful to all of my blog friends. Such giving and caring talented ladies. Thanksgiving is a time to count your blessings and I count each and every one of you as a part of my blessings this year!

I am working like an elf getting ready to do more craft shows and a couple of Santa workshops at the schools. I will try to post more pictures of them as I do them. I am also trying to get to the cool sales the stores are already having!! I've been using alot of coupons I've gotten in the mail. Kaitlin and I have been doing our grocery shopping using coupons too. Our last trip to Krogers we saved $76.00. It is a great feeling to do it. It takes a little more time but well worth it. I hope you all are getting in on the savings too. But I don't think I will be getting up real early on Black Friday! LOL How about you? 

XO Fran. 

thebagglady's day out!!

I thought I'd share a few pictures of some of my other things I make. Saturday was our Craft Show at the church. It was not as good as the one last year. But I did alright and plus I love the fellowship. These are all that is left of my "Raggedy Fran's" I make. I sold one, her name was Vivian Viola. And I know the lady who bought her, so she went to a good home! The very grubby prim bunny on the left side is made from two men's shirts I thrifted! I named her "Marigold". I put a few marigolds from my yard in her little pouch. The bunny on the right side is the first ever "Raggedy Fran" I made!! She is from vintage material. 

                       

As you know me by now I love the primitive, grubby, and grungey look. Here are my "Barn Kats". I sold  one of them. They are really cute and have a little hand sewn vase on their cheek with sweet annie in them! The two faces I call "olde raggedy" and they are very prim!!

 These are my Christmas ornies. As you can see they are very grubby too. The Santa faces are about 6x3 inches, and are made out of grubbied up flannel. The little Santa hats are 4 inches long by 3 inches at the bottom. The love material I made some of them out of is retro and I got it at an estate sale. Oh how I love the estate and church sales to find unique material.

Here are my primitive hand-sewn candy canes. They are sewn out of red ticking like material and tyed with strips of Kaitlin's old prom dress! By now you probably know I use anything and everything!! LOL They are 7 inches long.  

 Below are my prim stockings. I have more of these. The cream colored ones are made out of grubby flannel with cutter quilt pieces around the top, and the other one is from grubby camo flannel. They are 18 inches long. This one has fuzzy fur like trim. I have one I made with black trim from my friends jacket sleeve she cut off! She got a laugh out of it. But that's why she gives it to me. She knows I'll eventually use it!!

And  I wanted to show you how that same friend of mine who was running our cafe' presented her home-made from scratch carrot cakecups! The little grubby doily under the vintage glass tea cup is  one I primmed up. 

One of my favorite things I did at the show was bartering!! This lady who makes really cool hand made soaps that comes every year, came over and asked  if I ever bartered and if I wanted to! Of course I did!! Alot of my things are one of a kind. She got two of my prim jars I recycled into sewing pin cushions on the top, and had prim clothes pins and smaller flowers I hand sewed in them. I found these cool jars in my barn and the rims were all rusty for me!! Maybe now you know why I call myself the bagglady!  LOL You never know what I'll find or I'll come up with next!! So if anyone sees something here they would like to barter with me for, just let me know!! Or something you want to buy! Oh I have more goodies in the making! AND the room is all painted "macaroni"!! It's sunny and yellow and I love it!!! The computer is back in place and sitting on my husbands old desk from his Navy days. Now the fun begins!!! Decorating, but I also have to organize!! Both fun things to do!!! XO Fran.

It's me again!!!

 

Well, I thought I'd share a few pics of another swap I was in this summer! It was Lori's from http://www.perfectisboring.blogspot.com/  "Polka Dot Swap" she has the neatest swaps and I always look forward to them!! My partner was my friend Jessica from http://www.jessicarodarte.blogspot.com/. She herself loves polka dots, and she is so talented. I did hers in colors she loves, aqua, pink and yellow. Let me tell you I had a blast thrifting and antique shopping for her!! She has more pictures on her blog. She loves images of little children so I got her a few books. The dotted swiss material I got from one of my favorite catholic church sales I look forward to every year. I got alot of the vintage items at one of my favorite antique shops in alittle town not to far from here. I had alot of fun putting this together for Jessica. I wanted it to be special, as she is pretty great herself.

Now check out what she sent me and made me!! Can you understand why now I love these colors!! Orange and brown!! She made this awesome pretty pocket organizer with brown dotted fabric and cool orange flowers! She did a swap for these organizers, I was alittle scared to try to make one, but now I know I can and will! I was so excited to get one!! and she makes the covered matchboxes too and put a coffee tag distressing kit together in it! Love it! There was a button jar with orange and brown buttons in it, with a large orange flower on top. One of her empherma kits, and a bingo card wrapped in trims! and can you believe even my favorite candy matches!! I borrowed these pics from Jessica. She posted about our swap on her blog. Check it out, she has more great pics on there. I love Jessica she is a rockstar.

Sim and I went to my nephews wedding on Saturday night. Ok I hate to have my picture taken. Sim's cuzin Denise took this from across the table with her cell phone. It's not to bad. I am my own worse critic, I needed to fix my bangs!! I noticed I am hanging onto his tie. In our wedding picture I am hanging on to his sleeve! lol I don't know why!! It was a beautiful wedding all done in fall colors and decorations. We got to see Caylee our grandaughter!! We even danced alot!!

I am crafting away as much as I can. My first craft show is in two weeks! Oh boy! I am co-chairing it again at my church. I said I wasn't going to but they needed the help! I'll show ya some pictures of my goodies soon!  XO Fran.