A Very Simple Montana Christmas

My sister and I started a new life in Montana this past July. We live right on the Bitterroot River where I see the bald eagles fly almost every day and hear the grand chorus of coyotes singing at night. The glorious snowy mountains are right out my front door and I feel the presence of God all around me.

We have no Christmas decorations, no lights, no dinner to make. But on a whim last night about 7 p.m. we cut some sprigs of thyme....

placed them in a vase and found some pom poms, kitty beads and bells...

 I made a tiny tree skirt....

Mary Sue added this one little very old rudolph ornament that she brought with her (that she glued a shiny red nose on - and it even glows in this pic!) 

and voila!! A LOVELY tree - and OH SO fragrant! 

Here is the night version.

And here is the absolutely stunning kaleidoscope version that we almost fell out of chairs over when we saw it! (I use Pixlr - a free online editor and had never tried this effect before!)

Then we sang and laughed until our bellies ached. Only my sister and I would ever be able to have such a spontaneous joyful moment together. The love runs deep in our blood and we thank God we share the essence of Christmas together - a love for our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

When all is stripped away at Christmas, and you have nothing but the simple beauty and depth of relationships to glory in, it's not hard to see the importance of that One special baby born this day long ago. 

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas. And a kinder 2013 to America. 

I love My Pets Jubilee Teammates !!!

I received my fun and practical giftie yesterday from my secret Santa and it couldn't have been more perfect!! 

This is part 2 of Carole's gift that arrived today (12/24)! Look at ALL these handsome piggies! And I was just complaining to myself the other day about not having enough magnets on the frig! Ha! Thank you SOOOO much - such a perfect gift! 

lovely modeling by Tooey and Chubbs!

I'm looking forward to another wonderful year with my true BFs in 2013!

Felt Christmas Doggies For Your Tree!

Here's a few Christmas items I've been adding to my Dogbarks shop!  

Isaac

Angel 

Bing 

Some day I hope I have a whole Christmas tree decorated with little felt dogs and cats! 

Charlie Brown and The Guinea Pig

Yes - Charlie Brown and the Guinea Pig. 

You all know this tree. Sad, wimpy, a loser, if trees are classified as such. 

And yet this tree probably graces more households this year than ever before and will become one of most remembered in years to come. I know it will for me. 

I have a wonderful husband who loves me more than anything. We both knew we were going to get a Charlie Brown tree this year. I had planned on going to a local field to try to find a scrawny 2 foot something that would suffice. But he said he would go to his parents and bring one back. I said that would be fine, of course. And so in the interest of eco-friendliness, he and his dad enjoyed a moment of father-son togetherness as they picked out this dandy, dug it up, and placed it in a biodegradable pot so we could give it to someone else to plant in the hard frozen ground when we are finished with it.  

(click photo to see a larger version)

I have decided to call it Herman because "Her" (that's me) "man" (that's hubbs), got it for me. 

This is Violet, my guinea pig. Isn't she sweet looking?

Don't let that face fool you!

She can be WILD!

I have 5 guinea pigs that each have their own cage. Violet and her son share the table top where Herman now sits. So I placed her underneath my desk on the rails. 

I have had several piggies sit here with no trouble....

until NOW! This is what I came home to after running. She apparently was doing a little running of her own! But I will commend her for staying IN her cage in spite of the opportunity to run off!

***

And while I am on the subject of guinea pigs....

I received these lovely prints from my dear friend and Petsjubilee teammate, Pauline from PaulinesFashions on Etsy. I LOVE them! 

Thank you, Pauline! I love you!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas whether you have a Charlie Brown one or not! And try to stay out of trouble....

Small Cat and Dog Art Work

For those who collect ACEOs and little works of art. Some great options for your dog and cat loving friends! Just click on the picture to go directly to the listing. 

How to make a Wiener Wonderland!

I had a fun week creating  a  wiener wonderland here. I was constantly thinking about the next wonderful wiener I was going to make, whether for Halloween or Christmas. I started with some Christmas wienies.   

This is my very warn, holey pattern for the minis.

A close up of how bad it looks! I really need to make another before this totally disintegrates! The tail is about off.

These are my sophisticated stuffing tools. They were free. 

Berthold

I started with Christmas doxies. If you have a red wiener dog...

Bertram

you must also have a green. Unwritten rules of wiener creating. 

Burchess

And then because I had brown and pink felt , I made this one, which is my fave. 

All my Itty Bitties start with a "B"

The Welcoming Crew

I then added some Hallowienies. Boo....

and Batdog. Here is Batdog's description:

"Every wiener dog has large dreams...dreams of being able to look those Great Danes in the eye, of running with the grace and speed of a Greyhound, of flying to the rescue of all fellow wieners and small brothers. Every wiener dog wishes he were BATDOG! "

Now for the bigger boy. This pattern is a stubby version that I just lengthen when I cut. The pencil line is for the leg placement.

Willy

Willy was a bit time consuming as I had to sew together all the pieces (placemats in a former life) and change thread constantly. Then I gave him felt eyes to see with. No one wants to be blind - not even a Hallowiener. 

Finally, I decided to make a dachshund skirt. I have plenty of kitty skirts in The Cat Rack, but wanted to add one to Dogbarks since I sold the only one last week. This two piece pattern is also the one I use for pillows. I randomly cut out legs, tail, and ears. 

This fabric was a nice find at a thrift store. An unused bit of  yardage made of some natural blend fiber. It bled quite a lot when I washed it in hot water. But a cold water wash should be just fine now. The doxie is a wool houndstooth in black and white. Handsome little fellow! 

You can click on any picture to see them in my shops. 

Hope you all get a chance to have a Wonderful Wiener Week, too! 

My Gift for CHRISTMAS 2010

Since our family is so large with seven children, four married, we draw names for Christmas. There is only one rule…the gift MUST be home made. We have had the most unique, funny, interesting and awesome gifts over the years. Every year just gets better. This year my son, Caleb, drew my name. He has learned the art of graphic design this year, and I remember saying at the time we drew names that whoever Caleb draws would be a lucky one. I had seen the kinds of things he was creating and knew that whatever he made would be awesome. Needless to say, when I found out he had drawn my name, I was thrilled! This is what he made for me!

These are two of my three guinea pigs, Tooey the white, and Thea the gray. Cody, another son, sent him pictures and he made this vector drawing for me.

I LOVE it!!

Thank you, Caleb!

This is the BEST!!!

It now hangs above their cages. Right where I can see it!

Caleb works for ZigZap Technologies. He designs websites, makes business cards, and does these cool vector drawings. He does any pet for about $20. You can reach him at Caleb@zigzap.com

To my wonderful cyber family at Petsjubilee,

You have put life, love, and meaning into the Etsy endeavor. Thank you for all your encouragement, support, wise words, prayer, and FUN! Wishing everyone a spirit-filled, prosperous, and healthy new year. I love you all!