December 2025

Just the best

family, Food and Drink, jewelry
By /

While my boy was here, we did some beading.  I did not get photos of all the necklaces he crafted, there are a few more.  Then the last day, we had a crimper failure, every one we finished that night, slipped apart.

At first there was heart ache and doubt- did we do the whole week’s worth of creations wrong and each would become a series of beads escaping across the room when worn?

Then, we tried the tool on the crimping beads separately from a necklace and watching closely how they closed.  It looks like we simply wore that tool out and the crimping beads were no longer closing correctly.  They came out twisted and smashed.

There is some worry about when this began.  Were the previously made ones getting progressively worse as we went along, or  did it happen all at once?  There was one moment when the tool locked up pretty hard, maybe that was it?

I advised Adam not to wear one of the pieces on his flight today, that maybe he should only wear them around his house until he knows they won’t break, and keep a bag in his pocket to gather up beads just in case.  He also filled bags with the bits and pieces of the ones he created that the closures failed on, so he could buy a crimping tool and recreate them at home later.

A lot of my time went into making bracelets to sell at Good Juju.  I put together a couple necklaces, my last one is where we discovered our catastrophe with the tool.  Luckily, it fell apart in my hands as I was finishing it, so I didn’t have to crawl under the table looking for gemstones.  I put some tape on the ends of the wire, will go buy myself another crimper, and repair it later.   But I’ll be fixing it alone, Adam will be back in North Carolina.

I’m going to miss my babies when they leave.

Not just me, the furry side of our family will be thinking about Dewdrop when she is gone.

They got lots of attention from her

You know what else I’ll miss?  My jeans.  I doubt if they will fit now.

We had over the top, magnificent meals every night.  A friend had given us a cooler full of t-bones, lamp chops, roasts, and more, all grass fed and raised on his farm.  Our dinners each featured a a delicious selection along with fresh veggies,  I made bread and cinnamon rolls multiple times.  Sugarwings perfected a recipe for coconut sugar brownies, and kept busy making them every couple of days.  Adam doesn’t eat cane sugar, so I did some experimenting with how I made cookies and rolls too.  Probably a more healthy choice, but hey, handfuls of cookies and plates full of meat every day still is a lot of food.

We had a BIG and utterly wonderful meal like that every single day.  Plus, Adam took charge and my participation was minimal.  Not only will I be missing the wonderful food, I’m losing the chef too.

He has a good life in the mountains, and I know he loves being there.  But it’s very far away from the plains of Kansas.

We were blessed to have this time with our family, and I treasure each moment.

Thoughts of Ryan were with me throughout.  I wore his pj pants, watched some of his favorite shows, and closely noted things he would have loved.  Losing him makes every moment with his brother even more precious.

It was a beautiful week.

Merry Merry

celebrations, family, Food and Drink
By /


My boy is in town with Dewdrop and Jacquelyn, and we’ve had some holiday adventures.  I was jealous about their ice skating fun, since I couldn’t join it, but I got lots of joy watching them. They were a delightful show.

Adam and his sweetie have some enviable  skills that deceptively make the sport look easy, but I was smart enough to know that my clumsy, concussion prone, bad shouldered, just recovering from two viruses, self, really should not attempt the ice rink.

The kiddos had a good time, but were ready to sip some tummy warming Starbucks with us and let their dad glide on without them for a while.

Not only are they graceful skaters, my boy and Jacquelyn are excellent cooks and have been treating us to spectacular meals each night too.

Our first day was iffy, we me still being under the weather, and our plans shifted a few times, trying to figure out the best way to go.  Instead of picking them up at the airport and spending the day, we sent Sugarwings as chauffeur and I rested til it was time to go so we were able to keep our evening plans.

And the show was so cute.  Silly, with less drama than most Cirque programs.  Just right to kick off our holiday week.

Each day we have been crafting late into the night!  I’m still a bit worn out and my creativity isn’t at its peak, but Adam’s pieces have been magnificent.  And we still have days to go, with time for more beading.  Along with cookie making, a ping pong tournament, and watching some holiday shows.  Plus, as an added bonus, Santa has delivered some 60 plus degree weather, so we will be getting in lots of dog walks.

I hope the week brings you joy, also.  Merry Christmas!

A much needed night out but I should’ve been more patient

family, Food and Drink
By /

After my busy week of First Friday at Good Juju, tearing down my booth for a redo, hosting two parties, and Christmas shopping, I caught a cold.

It was unpleasant, but not bad.

It was the kind of cold where I wanted to curl up and rest, but didn’t really have to, I could keep going, getting my work that I was behind on caught up.  I’d spent most of November suffering from a horrid case of hand, foot, and mouth disease, where all I could do was rest.  Too sick to consider anything else.

So I was way behind on most of my life.

I’d been staying away from the kiddo to prevent passing on the cold, and after all of those weeks of isolating from the family with the HFM disease then a week of this new ailment, I was plum sick of sickness and being alone.  So on an evening when I thought I might be getting over this pesky cold, Sugarwings and I decided to go out on the town together and hang out.

We had such fun!  23td Street Brewery is festive for the holiday, and I got hugs from the grand fairy.   But as the evening rolled on, I got a bit run down.  And while shopping, I realized the candles had no scent. I thought they were defective.

Then it dawned on me that I could have covid for the very first time.

Yep, that’s what it was.  My taste buds were fine and I loved the meal, but my nose was not doing its job.

And I’d jumped the gun by snuggling the grand a bit too soon.  Now my biggest worry is did I ruin Christmas by spreading this?  My son and his people are heading this way, I should be fine by the time they arrive, but it would be just awful if his child is sick while he is here.

I guess I’m lucky to have avoided Covid this long.  And very lucky that it was mild when I finally got it.  The spin I’m trying to put on this is about as believable as Sugar’s fake smile.

Right now, I’m pretty sad.  But fingers crossed that we will all be healthy together for the holidays.   I’m lucky my boy is on his way here, and that we can be together.  Even with masks.

Party number two

holiday decor, We're having a party
By /

I always say that the best time to host a party is when you already have one planned that week.

The house is already cleaned, extra tables and chairs have been carried in, sometimes you can even make enough food to serve two times.

That part of the plan didn’t work completely., but sorta.   I made fresh quiche for both days, but I did sautee all the veggies and meats ahead of time so I could assemble the pies easier.

For the second get together, I didn’t set the table, it was served buffet style.  The earlier Bookclub gathering was a set number of people, this 2nd one was more open ended and I wasn’t sure how many we’d have.

I’m always looking forward to throwing a bash, setting up for a party is every bit as much fun as redoing my booth at Good Juju.

We had a festive day, and a lovely group.

Angie made a peppermint pie that is now up there on my list of all time best foods.

And aren’t these roses from Beth full of holiday cheer?  Everyone was very thoughtful, and generous.

Like I said, a lovely group.

Our annual Bookclub holiday party

paintings, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party
By /

I have no idea how long we’ve held this tradition, 20 years, maybe?  Hmm, Sugarwings is 19 now, so maybe not quite 20.  18 or 17?

I tend to date events by the ages the kids or dogs were at the time.

It’s an evening I always look forward to.

Each year I try to make a gift to set at each place setting.

This year, it is hand painted book marks.  I thought of doing Christmas ones, but I thought flowers might be more practical. 

This is what I wrote for the backs.

Since they are watercolor, the paint needed protection.  Originally I’d planned to laminate the tags with clear packing tape, but oops!  It was too narrow!

The party was that night and I didn’t have time to get extra wide tape.  So I experimented by using an acrylic clear coat.  It went on fine, no smearing.  I was surprised and happy.  I hope they hold up.

The Cottage at Christmas

holiday decor
By /

My holiday decor is a bit lighter this year.

As I was setting it up, I started to feel ill.

So some boxes were left unpacked.

Even in that scenario, I seem to have set out plenty, huh?

As I pack it away January first, I typically fill a tub per tree, so when it is time to set it out again, it’s all sorted into different categories.


Such as nature…

Pastels…

Handmade with vintage paper…

Sentimental or family items…

It’s a loose system, with variables.  And when I unpack, I don’t exactly use the items the same as the year before.

It makes things go a little quicker for set up, even when I’m changing it up for the season.

It also makes tear down time go more quickly too.

Set up is a full day, because I have to pause, admire, reminisce, and enjoy all the baubles.  But tear down is usually one afternoon.  My record time is under 3 hours, but that was because we had an emergency where the floor needed ripped up and major repairs handled so those trees needed to be gone.

I guess my antique dealer past is helpful training in doing a redo quickly.   Plus, it makes me happy to do it.  An enjoyable task can just zip by, huh?  Well, unless you have guys with saws and tools waiting for you to get your precious pretties out of the way so they can tear up the floor to get to the foundation.  Not quite as much fun.

A faux cloche

how-to projects
By /

My pal, Beth, and I have always said, since our early days of junking together, “everything looks better under glass.”   We used that line as a joke sometimes, but it also was a good sales tool.  Plop a cloche over some odd item and all of a sudden it is elevated to a highlighted piece that gets a customer’s attention.

I use glass domes around my house, to sell at Juju, and in holiday crafts.  Though this find wasn’t exactly a cloche, it was transformed into one with an abandoned silver sugar bowl lid and some ribbon.

There were three of these lampshades, one broke, the other got a similar treatment with a Santa display inside.  (That one sold before I snapped a pic.)

Too bad that the 3rd one broke, I was looking forward to making more.  These could be used as free standing cloches, if not glued together on a stand with a scene inside like I’ve done with this one.

I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for interesting shades and lids to piece together so I can make more domes to place over items in my booth.

Jingle time at Juju

antiques/junking, Good JuJu, holiday decor
By /

November’s First Friday Weekend at Good Juju was all about the holidays.

And for me at least, so is the upcoming December sale.

Opinions among dealers vary, with some thinking November is for shopping to decorate your house and December is shopping for gifts.  Which I agree is valid, the same theory holds true for selling Halloween decor in September, not October because most people have finished decorating their homes by then.

 So while a lot of dealers still have their gorgeous displays for the season and the mall is festive and sparkly, they can subtly up the non Christmas goods for sale too.

I added my crazy quilt stuffies in my own spot. Plus, if you look around, you’ll notice many of my display pieces such as bowls, plates, books, etc are normal every day pieces that I use to hold my items for sale.

I include functional or household items (as well as jewelry and clothing) in the mix.

But for me, I’m probably still at 90% ho ho holidays in the back part of my area.

Part of the front of the space is all jewelry, all the time.

But for now, there is a Yule tide glow over everything.  Simply because I adore every thing related to the season all so much.  I love making pretties , collecting old Christmas stuff, fixing it up, treasuring it, displaying it, loving it.

Will my sales in December be as good as they were in November?  Maybe not, but my set up makes me extremely happy!

Don’t get me wrong, I take my business seriously.  But I also am there to enjoy the work, doing the displays, indulging myself and my joy in styling the pieces I make or find.

There is a chance that I go a bit over the top for our two day sale……. it has been mentioned to me.

And when my love of Christmas collides with my tendency to over do- I am not just in my happy place.

I’m sliding into my domain of exhilaration!

Simple stars and roses

holiday decor, Uncategorized
By /

I mentioned in my last post that I’d been under the weather.  Way under.  Before getting sick, I was planning a dinner party and decorating for Christmas.  I had to cancel the guests but I was left with a sparkling clean home and twinkly lights to cheer me as I recovered.

How nice!

Well, I almost had the house decorated.   I didn’t quite have our large, white tree finished.   It honestly had plenty on  it, unless you compare to previous years.

While hanging the baubles, I’d suddenly got worn out.  So I slid the remaining tub full of shiny brutes into the closet and cleaned up the mess that comes along with decking the halls, and called it good enough.

Now, after feeling better and living with the half done tree for a week, I decided it needed a little more.  But I still wasn’t up to dragging out the tubs and going through the trouble of hanging the delicate, vintage balls.

So, I dyed some coffee filters in coffee, seemed fitting.

Then turned piles of six filters into roses, and painted the petals with glue then drizzled glitter onto them.  They were quick, easy, and were simple to tuck into the branches of the tree.

The roses were ideal to solve the issue of the tree not being quite full enough.  Or they would’ve been if I’d had more coffee filters.

I ran out.

To finish it, I folded sheet music into stars and used the same glitter on them.  It’s a nice change up for me, I’m enjoying the new look.  Don’t get me wrong, I adore vintage shiny brites and my lovingly collected, special pastel ones in various shapes took years to accumulate.

But after being sick, I just was too tired to hang them with the care they require.  So they will stay safely tucked away until next year and for now I’m happy with my hand crafted paper pretties.  Plus, it was good for my soul to have a little craft project to work on.

Scroll to Top