Sugarwings – Page 36 – Karla's Cottage

The right way to get the day you really want!

antiques/junking, celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, give away, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / May 6, 2009

Thanks for all your happy birthday wishes! It was a fun day, I invited some pals over for a tee shirt embellishment day and for birthday cake. There were some issues with the transfer paper, we never did figure it out. But I had bought a bunch of different types of printable fabrics to try too, and those worked out well. For this brown tee, I added a copy of one of my favorite vintage paintings, then some velvet and lace trim under it. To finish off, it got old seam binding around the neck. The shirt is Lycra, so I stretched it as far as I could and straight stitched the ribbon to the neckline. When I let go of the pulled fabric, the ribbon ruffled just like I hoped that it would!

Everyone brought their own shirts or bags to work on, and then I had an assortment of goodies for them to go through and add to them, as well as a bunch of pictures I had downloaded and printed onto fabric. Of course, nothing was exactly right for what they needed, and we spent most of the day going through my supplies and my folders of images to see what they wanted to use for their pieces. Isn't that how it always goes? The stuff set aside for a project is never quite what you want, something buried or squirreled away is much more intriguing.

The crystals and glitter pens were popular though. Well, dur! Of course crystals are great to use!!

After the group left for the day, I sat down and worked on a couple shirts for myself, it had been hectic earlier with so much going on and I wanted to wear a new shirt when my boys and I went out for dinner. Ryan and Sugarwing's Daddy took me to my favorite Italian place, then we went to see Wolverine. Hugh was my favorite Xman before, but after this movie, I love him even more! And Ryan Reynolds is a fave of mine too, so it was fun to see Van Helsing take on Van Wilder.

Thanks also for your get well wishes for poor little Twinkle's toes. She is no longer whining and whimpering, and is back to running around, so I'd say she is feeling better.

Especially after a visit from one of her puppies, Bella.

Sugarwings (who by the way, is an excellent helper when it is time to blow out birthday candles) was glad to see Bella too.

Are you noticing anything different about my blog today?

Guess what came as my birthday gift! The CANNON REBEL!!!!!!!!! yep, that one. The one I've whined about and wished for. And you know who gave it to me? I did.

The best way to have a wonderful birthday is to throw it for yourself. I bought a cake, invited friends over for a craft day, supplied the crafts, picked out the restaurant and movie to to take my sons to, and bought the gift I wanted for the last year. The perfect birthday, perfectly orchestrated by me. Everyone was happy to have the burden of what to do for mom lifted from them and I had exactly what I wanted. Now, why did it take me 51 birthdays to figure that out? I guess wisdom comes with age.

Good camera, huh? What a nice gift!!!

I realized that I never showed you the goods that I bought last week at the flea mkt, so I'll leave you with a few photos from my OLD camera of my finds.

Can you see the difference?

Now, that wasn't a horrid camera, and I will still be using it quite a bit. It fits so nicely into my jeans pocket. But I love my new Rebel XSi!!!

Well, that photo sure isn't very good. I wonder what makes me show them any way, when I know they are bad?

Last week's shopping trip was a day for figurines and babies, as well as millinery and jewels. Lots of small things, I liked not having much to carry in at the end of the day.

Before I go, I need to announce the hand painted Birthday Cupcake Charm-

Claudia

And to say thanks again for helping make my day special with all of your kind comments!

Finally photos of the April Giveaway, before May comes!

give away, housework, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / April 24, 2009

Finally, I have a photo of the April Giveaway. And how far am I into April by now? Just about May?

If you have left a comment, you entered the drawing for this two sided charm. One side says "Inspire" the other is a rose that I painted. I used metallic paints, so it is kind of a unique effect. You can add it to a charm bracelet, use it as a pendant, or tie it onto a craft project. Like an altered bottle or tag.

While I am at it, I'll show you a teeny tiny cupcake charm too. These are less than an inch long and are painted onto paper added to an existing charm, then coated with Paper Glaze for a durable finish.

The cupcake will be part of a giveaway for my 51st birthday on May 5th. 51 doesn't seem as fun and exciting as 50 did, so I'm going to have to create some fun for myself. And you know I enjoy wrapping and sending gifts!

All comments between May 1st and May 5th will go into a drawing for the cupcake. The rose is open to all comments the entire month of April.

And why was I too busy to take a simple photo of a gift all month? Well, Miss Frenchie's was sure taking up some time. And after that I decided to treat myself to a new cabinet for the studio with some of the loot I made at the sale. This great storage piece is over 8 feet tall and has sooooo much space in it!

Of course, it inspired a full studio redo. I'm still in the middle of that, but did take some time today to get photos of things I'll be listing soon, as well as getting purchases packed and shipped. Usually I am more on the ball than that, and get them out faster. But this week, I've mostly been on a cleaning binge. First, the house, then a bit of the yard, and now the studio.

Uhm, it might have needed a bit of cleaning….

This is the after for the sink area in my storage corner of the studio. I am taking all those half cans of paint to the Habitat for Humanity store for reuse and I rearranged the rest so I could get to the sink without scaling a junk pile.

The other end of the room was just as bad.

But is so much better now! Not exactly gorgeous, but hey, it is storage. The best I can go for is functional. I'd let it really get away with me, and hadn't taken the time to put anything back in its place.

One cute thing that I have in my closet (which really isn't a closet, it is just a corner of the room, that I blocked off with doors and furniture) is this old postal cart. I store my shipping supplies in it, seems fitting for that purpose.

The studio is coming along. I really didn't think I'd spend so much time on it, but you move one thing, that starts an avalanche of other things that need moved too. So, day three of the big clean up and I am close to done, but not quite.

Of course, I've had this little person helping off and on. Right now, she is sound asleep, napping on the floor of the studio, but I hear her stirring. I'd better run, its probably just about time for a play dough break.

Hoppy Easter!

celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / April 12, 2009

Happy Easter! We've had a fun one so far, lots of egg hunting excitement, and we've decided that instead of Sugarwings, the fairy grand baby's new name is "Sugar Rush".

She might have had one too many jelly beans today! Although, her Daddy did buy organic ones and only hid one treat in each egg, she was insistant on opening them up and devouring the treat the moment she found it.

After all the eggscitement, she has been tucked in for a nap (well, we HOPE she'll take a nap- tucking in Miss Sugar Rush was like trying to convince a Tasmanian Devil to get some rest).

We are having a small dinner tonight, only about 9 of us, so we'll fit in the dining room. I didn't have to clean the studio after all!

My Handsome Husband is smoking a pork tenderloin, stuffed with apples and brown sugar plus a turkey breast, I am making baked mac and cheese, and Sugarwing's Daddy has whipped up vegetarian beans in the crock pot. My sister-in-law is bringing some other dishes. Aren't pitch ins the best meals ever?

Sugarwings did her part of preparing dinner by helping to decorate this cake. And it has taken over her mind, even with all the jelly beans she has consumed, all she can think about is this cake she created. Every other sentence she speaks includes something about Easter Bunny Birthday Cake.

And I don't blame her! This cake is a candy lover's dream! Sprinkles in the batter, as well as 3 kinds of sprinkles on top, 4 colors of sprinkled sugar, edible glitter, peeps, and little coconut nests filled with Cadbury eggs. I can't wait either!

Here is a tip for making coconut nests, I had never done it before, but figured out how to do it.

Mix one cup of sweetened, flaked coconut with a few drops of green food coloring

Add a splash of milk

Stir in a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar

The trick to make it work, was the powdered sugar, that and the milk make the coconut easy to form into nests. Kind of like play dough.

My home is now covered in pink Easter grass, but I think I kind of like it. I was going to clean it up before dinner, but its festive, so I'll probably leave it all over the floor. But I do need to go and put together my mac and cheese casserole and set the table. I hope you are having a wonderful holiday too!

Presents from the Lollipop lady, Loot from the trip, and a SALE in the Boutique

antiques/junking, Etsy Goodies, Miss Frenchie's, Moving to DC, Sugarwings, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / April 6, 2009

There is no place like home! Especially when I come home to this little girl. And waiting for us was a lovely box from my pal, Barbara. It was filled with fairies and treats and crafting supplies, and on and on and on!! She really went over the top on this "Just Because Box". Sugarwings and I will be serving PINK hot chocolate at our next tea party, thanks to Barb.

(There is nothing wrong with the fairy grand baby's eyes, that is a weird editing problem that happened when I tried to get rid of red eye, so don't worry that she got into some horrible glitter accident and was blinded)

Did I mention that I found a couple of hats in Virginia? The Hat Whisperer strikes again! I swear, I can sniff these little vintage nuggets of blooms anywhere I go. And JACKPOT, these are mostly roses. And all were bargains.

Of course, on Wednesday, I had the help of another hat lover, Andrea. She took me to all of her haunts in Frederisksburg. I was able to snag a couple there, but most were found in Manasses.

One of the very first things I unpacked when I got home, was the floral egg that Andrea gave to me. Its under a cloche in my bedroom now. Bethand I always say that things look more important under glass, but this little poof of foof looks very important even without the dome!

Another of my favorite purchases was thanks to Andrea too. She took me to a shop that was holding a pink sap bucket for her, and after she picked the one she wanted, she was fine with me buying the rest. Have I ever mentioned that I can't stop at just ONE of anything? Or did you notice without me mentioning it?

I'll use these buckets at my Miss Frenchie's sale, and what ever is left over, I'll be happy to keep in the studio.

By the way, Deb has updated the Miss Frenchie's Blog! Check it out for new photos and a list of the artists and dealers.

Andrea sent me this photo of our luncheon at Pinkadillys. Next time I go, I'll want to play dress up with the stash of millinery in the back room that is available for tea parties. And yes, I'll be going back, for sure!! Maybe I can organize some sort of blogger tea party for a group of us in that area? If you live out that way, let me know if you are interested.

On our way to Gettysburg, I was able to squeeze in a sneak visit for a few minutes each at Luckettes and at that pink polka dotted shop down the road from it.

Sorry, I can't remember the name of the shop, but I know that if you have ever been to Luckettes, you have also stopped at the polka dotted barn. If not, you must be so excited to be heading toward Luckettes that you have tunnel vision. Not that I blame you, that place is special, but look at this one!

Every time I go, I see the prettiest stuff. But this time, I noticed (as leaving, and already too late) a sign that said NO PHOTOS. oops…. I'm thinking that these are grandfathered in, since I had already snapped them??? Rude of me?

On the other hand, why would they object to me telling hundreds of people how beautiful their shop is? Maybe because I can't remember the name of it?

Downtown Leesburg, on the way home from Gettysburg, I mentioned to the other people in my group that there was a cute little Irish pub around the corner. They all immediately were ready for a break and pulled over. I ran down to the antique mall that Sue has a spot in and had a few minutes there before it close up at 5:30, while my traveling companions were swigging their beers.

Sue (Vintage Rescue) had the BEST daily blog postsfrom Rountop.

Well, I'd better get back to work. Today is my catch up day. Looks like I will probably need a few more, one doesn't cut it.

I'm adding to the Etsy Shop and to the Boutique, but mostly, I have been marking sale prices. To get ready for Miss Frenchie's and the aftermath (lots of new listings from that huge pile of inventory) I'm clearing things out of the Boutique. Today, I marked clearance prices on over 30 items.

That Sewing Blog

give away, how to's, jewelry, Sugarwings, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage

By Karla Nathan / March 13, 2009

Yep, I sewed some more. Hmm. Something weird is going on here.

While going through my stash of old aprons for a swap I joined (details later, I only have a short time before the baby gets up and we start our day) I came across this gingham check one. Sugarwings is Dorothy's biggest fan, sings all the songs from the Wizard of Oz, and sleeps with a Dorothy doll. So, when she saw this, she wanted to wear it and "be Dorothy".

Whats a Grammy to do? I had no choice, it was sewing time again! That apron was way too big for her as is. So, I cut off the waist band and tie first, with pinking shears Beth left over here. I need a pair of those, they really are wonderful to work with.

But no, I don't!!! What am I saying??? NO MORE SEWING, I do not need more sewing supplies. What does it man when I start wanting my very own pair of pinking shears???

After cutting off the waist band, I cut the skirt part almost in half and sewed the waist band and tie back on. Then cut around the pocket, and used that square as the bib of the pinafore, sewed to the top of the replaced waist band. To that, I sewed scraps that I had cut into straps to go around her neck. That was the most simple way to do it, to attach straps that just tied behind her neck like a halter.

Sugarwings was pretty happy with the outcome. Of course, she isn't a big critic, anything she sees that is gingham sparks her imagination and transforms her into Dorothy. The other day she found a pair of pink gingham shorts that were about 5 sizes too large for her (in the hand-me-down box of things she will grow into someday) and was wearing them on her head, dancing around and singing Over the Rainbow. Apparently any scrap of gingham will do to "be Dorothy" as she calls it.

The short cut pinafore didn't take long to make, and I spent the rest of the day piddling around getting a few (not many) things listed in the Boutique.

Here is something you might like. As I work on a collage project, I can't bear to toss the scraps of vintage papers. I keep a box near my desk, trim the bits up and save them. Its handy to flip through the box for small projects, so I don't have to cut into a large sheet of old wallpaper if I am making something like a tag or greeting card.

I thought some of you might like having a scrap back of ephemera too, so wrapped up a couple of mixed bags with bits from what I made my journals from last week. They are $6 each, and I have two listed.

There are also some wallpaper journal kits, and folders listed. The journals will be in the next Somerset Life and the folders were in an issue last year.

Thanks for all of your kind comments about the necklace that I have offered as the March Giveaway prize. Its one that I made. This week, I have made a ton of jewelry and will show some photos later. I also came up with the PERFECT display idea for selling the jewels and was cackling out loud with glee last night after the fairy grand baby went to sleep and I was able to tag all the earrings that I made.

But for now, I have to run, I hear some one stirring over the baby monitor.

I feel like I deserve Dorothy’s house to land on me

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / February 27, 2009

One last puppy post. All the babies are gone, and gone to good homes. Brenda, who was in our Puppy Love swap, and who I met through this blog drove all the way down from Minnesota to pick up Millie yesterday. Her plans are to train the pup to be a Hospice dog and comfort patients. This baby will be well loved, and is going to do a lot of good in her life.

But that didn't seem to make it any easier for us.

We dressed the puppy up in a polka dotted ribbon foofed up with a Kansas Sunflower and planned a going away party for her with home made muffins and tea. Sweet Brenda and her adorable family came bearing gifts, to take Sugarwing's mind off of losing the dog. It worked for a while, the new baby doll and balloon kept her pretty happy till we waved good bye as Millie drove away.

Then, Sugarwings laid her head on my shoulder, with tears rolling down her cheeks and said, "I sad."

We held each other and cried a bit. She surprised me, it wasn't a typical, 2 year old's dramatic tear fest. This was quiet, and deep felt.

She then, lead me over to the puppy pen, pointed to the bed and said, "Puppy go there now, please". In a toddler's world, "please" is a magic word. Great things happen when they say please. But not today. She sadly and softly said, "Please, please, please, please". But her wicked witch of a Grammy couldn't bring the puppy back at that point. I have never felt like such a horrible person in my whole life. What was I thinking??? She is way too young to understand losing her pets.

I've raised many litters of Yorkies in the last 10 years and while it is not fun to see the pups leave, sometimes it is a bit of a relief after the weeks of constant care they require. Not this time. My sons were in high school when I first found homes for litters of puppies. But a teenager's reactions can't be compared how a toddler feels about losing a fuzzy little baby dog.

It was heart wrenching to see that little girl stand in front of the puppy's bed and ask gently, "Please" to have her puppy back.

These little girls sure stole our hearts. We loved every second of having them here and I am so glad they all went to such loving homes. All the money we got from selling them is going into Sugarwing's college fund, since Twinkle is her dog.

So, lots of good came from the pups. That is just hard to remember today when we are all missing them so much and the house seems so empty without them.

Chasing Sugarwings

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / February 20, 2009

Whats better than hugging a fuzzy puppy on a sun shiny day?

How about a whole armload of them?

Yep, not much is better than snuggly puppies.

These guys are becoming such fun, and I am losing them! We are just getting to the good part, where they come running at the sound of our voices and want to play. Even though Sugarwings tends to be a little rough (she's only 1-1/2), these babies were still following her every move when we took them all outside to play today. They are either really brave, or really stupid, because they keep coming back for one more, too-tight squeeze from her.

Two more girls leave on Sunday, then I will only have one until the 28th when her new family arrives to get her. Trouble is, she is my favorite, and a week alone with just her is going to make it even harder to give her up!!

Well, once all the girls are gone, I will have more time for actual work. Right now, a lot of my studio time is spent playing with pups.

I did sort out more of the loot from yesterday and make a couple of little crowns.

One box had a bunch of these old metal trim pieces, and I can see all sorts of tiaras being formed with these!

Soon, everyone in the studio will be sporting their own crown. Hmm, I still have a couple of days to make puppy crowns, don't I? Or as Sugarwings calls them, "corns".

This is some more of the loot that I am keeping for projects myself. I'm not sure what I'll make, these bits and pieces are all great materials, though!

And thanks to all of you who filled up shopping carts at Etsy!

This is another collage/assembly kit that I added to Etsy today.

Details, of the kit.

I hope to add more of the vintage loot packs to Etsy, but right now, I hear Sugarwings getting up from her nap.

She's worn me to a frazzle today, too bad the nap wasn't a little bit longer, I've enjoyed my little break in front of the computer. That is one BUSY kid!!

A Noodle Flinging Sweetheart

celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, give away, Sugarwings, swaps

By Karla Nathan / February 15, 2009

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentines Day! Mine was great, I can't imagine a more fun day. We had Sugarwings till noon, then I played with puppies and afterwards, went junking a bit and met up with my husband to go see a movie (Taken- very gripping and scary) , then pick up Thai food (there was no way we could fight the lines to go to a restaurant!!) and ate it while watching a rented movie (My Best Friend's Girlfriend- predictable and stupid, but had its fun moments, I like dumb comedies).

This photo is from Bella's new family. Yes, one puppy is gone already. It was hard to let her go, but she is just down the road at Teddy's house, so I will get to keep up with her and see her as she grows up.

These roses are a custom order for someone, I thought they'd be pretty to show for Valentine's Day, even though that was yesterday. I usually consider a holiday to last a bit longer than just the one day. We celebrated Friday night too, and I guess I will just consider this "Valentine Weekend".

For Friday night's celebration, we took the whole family to a Japanese steakhouse. Sugarwings thought the fire was a little scary, but really got into the chef throwing shrimp into everyone's mouths. She was kind enough to share too, and thought she'd toss him one of her noodles.

We've had to move the puppies out of their pond and make a barricade for them in the studio, they have already gotten big enough to climb out of the wading pool! I made a couple little videos of them if you'd like to see the fluffy babies in action, go here.

I also made a studio tour video, but it was too big to load. I need to figure out just how long they can be, because it really was pretty short. But too long for Flickr I guess. Maybe YouTube allows more time, I should try there.

This little noodle flinger was her Daddy's Valentine Sweetie.

Oh- I forgot to announce the winner of my 2 year Blog Anniversary! It is

LYNNE

Please send me your address, Lynne, and I will get your gift in the mail. Thanks everyone for commenting and coming by to visit! Please remember that you can still enter the February giveaway by leaving a comment on any post.

If you'd like to visit some blogs who are featuring photos of our Puppy Love Tag Book Swap, here is a list of swappers who have sent me links. If you are showing your book on your blog, please let me know and I'll add you to the list.

Sheila-

http://www.blessedanddistressed.blogspot.com/

Cheryl –

http://insidethebubble.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/02/the-puppies-have-arrived.html#comments

Gretchen –

www.mimitoriasdesigns.blogspot.com

Meleen –

http://passionatedetails.typepad.com/

Robin –

http://thriftymissprissy.typepad.com/thrifty_miss_priss/2009/02/puppy-love-and-friday-the-13th.html#comments

Kana –

http://kanacreates.blogspot.com/2009/02/puppy-love-arrives.html?showComment=1234533240000#c5418216385443080485

Andrea –

www.vintagebellastudio.blogspot.com

Dawn-

http://gahangirls.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-tags-are-here-my-tags-are-here.html

Christa-

http://chloerosedesigns.blogspot.com/2009/02/sweetheart-of-package-in-mailbox.html

Nancy-

Http://wwwnancymatters.blogspot.com

Marilee-

http://rose-brier.blogspot.com:80/

Jenny-

http://fatedfollies.blogspot.com:80/2009/02/romancing-blog-valentines-day-party.html

Marilyn-

http://marilynbutler.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-puppy-love-tag-book.html

Carla-

http://myvintagevignettes.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-puppy-valentines.html

Karoline-

http://cherishedvintage.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-very-own-puppy-love-tag-book.html

Tiffany-

http://shabbyscraps.typepad.com/shabbyscraps/2009/02/americas-got-talent.html

Jeanie-

http://themarmeladegypsy.blogspot.com/2009/02/puppy-love-and-one-world-winners.html

Cheryl-

http://fromthepines.blogspot.com:80/2009/02/puppy-love-book.html

I’ve lightened up

antiques/junking, Chandeliers, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Sugarwings, swaps, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / February 11, 2009

Typepad just ate my post. A LONG rambling post, like I tend to do, and with LINKS. Lots of links that took me an hour to do. I'm so sorry I don't have time to replace them, but I will show the photos with apologies to the artists who contributed.

This is the book I made for myself from the tags, and cards I got as gifts in the swap. Robin did this one, and it has a "K" stick pin on it, how cute.

Many people made extra tags for me, and I really enjoyed collecting them into a bundle. This one is from Susan Goffman.

Some were vintage tags tied to the packages, others were extras from the swap.

Then others were made up special as a gift! Like this one from Marilyn.

This is from Brenda.

For the swap, we were each meant to make 6 tags to share. I added my six to various books, (plus I made the 65 covers). So, I picked out 6 tags from the group to keep for my own book. but one of them, I kept out to tie to the key for my new cabinet. I saw this one from Andrea and scooped it up immediately!

Once, again, I am sorry that Typepad erased all my work in adding links to artists who made all of these. Tell you what- if you were in the swap, have a blog and are going to show photos of your books- please send me a link to the post and I will post the list of them all together so everyone can come and visit each other and see their work spread out into all these little tag books.

All of the tag books are assembled and sent! So, my table is now cleared, but here is the view I had for a few days, tags and booklets everywhere.

That is my new cabinet, found last weekend at my favorite second hand store for only $150. I'd love to redo the whole studio with "fancy" furniture.

Especially pieces like this that are so functional.

Plus, this one has space for display too.

This chandelier ($130) is from the same store. I'd had my eye on it for a while, and finally went back to get it, and the cabinet had just been brought in. So, I ended up with both. Happily!

The best thing about it, isn't the bouquet of porcelain roses, it is that it has SIX bulbs, and makes a huge difference in the lighting above my desk!! I can see!!!

Now the swap is over, the studio is illuminated and all cleaned up. I'll be excited about getting back to work. I've neglected my Boutique and Etsy shop while working on the tag swap. As soon as I get them re-stocked, I'll let you know.

But Sugarwings comes tonight, and we will need to do some coloring, that has to come first! She got the cutest crayon carry all from Ele. This weekend, we'll be playing with all the art supplies she received in the swap, thanks again, everyone!

That is, when we can get a break from these guys!

Here is a link for a short puppy video on Flickr. You know how I say, that Twinkle thinks the camera is always out just for her? Here you can see what I mean. And please ignore the dirty floor….

Also, all swappers are welcome to add any puppy love photos to our flickr group and everyone is welcome to look through the photos. I might have added more than a few myself…. I hope others add also!

Blown Away

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, Sugarwings, swaps, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / February 9, 2009

The wind began to switch, the house to pitch, then suddenly the hinges started to unhitch!

Well, it wasn't quite that windy today, but it sure felt like it. Enough that Sugarwings quoted Dorothy and also the Big Bad Wolf a LOT today. And I was able to open all the windows and blow some of winter's funk out of the house.

This is February??? Wow, what a gift this last week has been. And I had a bonus baby day, Sugarwing's Hippy Chick Mommy called to ask me if I could watch the fairy grand baby for a couple of hours. And even though I had a pile of tag books waiting to be assembled, how could I say no?

It was the kind of day that had us both jumping for joy.

We decided it was a great day to take Millie and Tinker Bella out for some fresh air.

Sugarwings is always attracted to this tree out in the field. Maybe because it is the perfect shape for a beginning climber? Or because silly Grammy tied a chandelier to it for a photo shoot and left it out there in the woods like that? She always wants to go out to see this tree and seems to get a kick out of it, so I guess the chandelier will have to be a permanent feature.

Poor pups aren't quite big enough to go running across the field with the baby yet. Its sad to think that by the time they are ready to run and play, they will be at their new homes, and not here to chase us. I miss them already, just thinking about it.

Tinker Bella and Millie went back inside to their nest in the Puppy Pond, and the rest of us decided to explore the back yard and the creek a bit.

These are the kind of days that keep me going through winter. Last year, it was so harsh and cold, we didn't get a single one like this. This winter has had its share of harsh days, but at least we have had these breaks of shiny sun and crisp breezes.

Yes, the day was well worth it, even though I will have to burn the midnight oil to get these packages made up and ready to mail. I sent out about 15 tag books yesterday, and have most of the books made up. I'll be addressing them tonight and getting them to the PO tomorrow.

But there is no rush. I am taking my time and wrapping them all up pretty. No two are alike, these books and the packaging they go in are all unique.

Of course, I have company while I work. These guys have the run of the studio now, and have found some hats to play with. I've posed them in hats enough, that I guess it just comes naturally for them to climb in one when they see it!

OK, back to work. Be watching for the books, if you are in the swap! Some are already on the way.

And remember, if you want to enter the February Giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment and the winner will get one of my glass heart charms. I had 30 of them, and have been randomly attaching them to Puppy Love Tag books too, as well as giving them out as prizes for the Name that Puppy Contest.