testing the waters with my soul sister...

i did say 'grand news' didn't i?

of course after i said it, i began to think about the word 'grand' and what it could mean.

perhaps my thoughts of 'grand' are quite different from somebody else's 'grand'.

therefore you could be popping by today, thinking "oooh, that's right... Tif had something really grand to tell us" and then when i tell you, you may very well think "well that's a load of pants, by 'grand', i thought Tif was going to announce she was eloping with Colin Firth, or perhaps having Johnny Depp's baby"...

now i fear i may disappoint with my 'grandness' of yesterday.

perhaps i should reset the words to 'breaking news', then again perhaps not... for that would imply my news is on the level with eloping or having a baby.

so i think for the purpose of my 'unveiling' i will go with not 'grand news', not 'breaking news' , or even 'earth shattering news' but just good old 'news of the utmost kind'.

i think that's perfect, it sums up exactly what i'm going to divulge to you and probably right now you are wishing me to stop 'twitting' on about whatever blimen' news i have and just go ahead and spill the beans...

but you know me dearest readers, and you know i cannot possibly do that without 'telling a tale'.

so if you have rediscovered your patience with me and are sitting comfortably, then i shall begin...

i am the youngest of four, my three elder siblings being brothers.
although i love them dearly, as a small child i wished for a sister.
i am not sure if i ever voiced this wish to my parents, and i am quite sure even if i did, to comply with such a wish was not top of their list of 'to dos'.

i was nearly 12 when i found my sister.

she was in math class sitting up front, with her pens all color co-ordinated, her hair long and perfect, she stood a foot above the rest of the class and she was beautiful.

i was in awe of her ability to sit up front of class, her non frizzy hair, her color co-ordinated pen set, her 'underlining of relevant' information with said 'pen set' and most of all, the way she carried herself so beautifully.
for close to 30 years this wonderful person named Debbie has been my soul sister, through good times, crappy times and downright funny times... we have been together despite the miles between us.

as we step into our 40's together, she is still organized with her pens, makes fabulous lists in pretty notebooks and remains beautiful, standing a foot above the rest...
i have marvelled over the years as to why i had the good fortune of finding my sister so early on in life and that best of all, she should want to go through her life holding my hand and being the sister i never had. after all, i am 'total pants' at keeping my pens in order, never 'underlined' in my school books, i need my hand holding nearly everyday across cyber space and as is often the case, nearly 'pee my undies' whenever we get together. (and yes, it was a close call for both of us, this past week in my grocery store...)

"so why is Tif telling us this tale?", i hear you wonder and i do feel it is a relevant question, after all i am apt to wandering off when i ramble...

but today dearest readers, i feel my little tale is most relevant, for without Debbie i would not have pushed the envelope so to speak (is there such a saying, where did that one come from?)

Debbie left her little brood in old blighty, to visit moi and my little brood, stateside... so we could plot, devise a plan, map out our future.

she bought notebooks,

i provided the pens.

her notebooks were pretty,

my pens were crappy,

(you know the sort... with the dentist's telephone number on.)

typical.

and our plan?

apart from opening a shop one day together,

apart from growing old and laughing about it together,

apart from ending up in the same retirement home together,

our plan is

to put dottie angel 'out there'...

no 'eloping' or 'celebrity babies' involved,

just paper, pictures and my ramblings.

now of course, technically a few sets of 'every eventuality' cards is hardly taking the world by storm, even if they cover such important sentiments such as

"so sorry you are feeling crappity crap"

and

"thinking you are quite peachy perfect"

but me and my soul sister are going to test the waters by placing some cards in the store next week and see how they are received...

in the meantime our little cogs are turning and we hope to take bigger 'paper' steps in the future,

until then, i shall put in a call for some 'elves' to visit my studio at night for card making purposes

and continue to think myself most lucky to have found my soul sister all those years ago...

she will be back tomorrow with a new series (oooh, the suspense! )... that's if you are still awake ~ Tif

a 'whatnot' garland giveaway...

i have counted the garlands in my life...

2 in the front yard

6 in the back yard

1 in the front hall

2 in the studio

2 in the kitchen

2 in our bedroom

i think it possible to say

i like garlands.

it's also possible to say, 15 is too many.

15 may appear to passing strangers that i am in fact a little obsessed with garlands

and so there is nothing for it, but to give away my 'whatnot' garland from last week's tutorial, thus giving the impression that i am downsizing my collection of 'finery' for the shed and surrounding acre of moss

if you fancy a chance of winning my little 'whatnot' garland with the wise words

"shine a little light on me"

then all you have to do is ponder for a bit and then leave me a comment, either here or in my inbox (tif@dottieangel.com) telling me what you favorite holiday season is.

and i will pop your name in my crock pot :)

now of course i use the word 'holiday' because i am bilingual, being able to converse both in english (my mother tongue) and american (my adopted tongue)...

if i were to say "holiday" in the UK, most people would presume i was packing my suitcases and heading away for a few days... here, everyone would think i was talking about a 'celebration' of some sorts, be it, hanukkah, christmas etc.

so i think you have the idea, i am not wishing you to tell me about your favorite vacation trip but about your favorite 'celebration'. for me that would be christmas, hands down it's my favorite time of year... my parents made it magical for me and my brothers, year after year, way up until we left home and even afterwards.

i have in turn, tried to emulate that lovely feeling of 'family time' for my own little clan. i see my christmases as 'stopping still' and spending time together, made even more so by our #1 being born on the 26th and our #3 being born on the 27th. i also see it as an opportunity to 'decorate' the shed with yarn balls, crocheted trees and of course, more garlands... so it's a no brainer for me. christmas it is!

this year i am being super prepared and instead of running around like a 'headless chicken' one week before, i am thinking way ahead of time.

thus the 'holiday' banner tutorial,

thus me completely bypassing halloween,

thus conveniently forgetting about thanksgiving

and thus heading straight towards Christmas...

already my little cogs are turning and pondering, a handcrafted thrifty tree.

i think it might be rather lovely if you also mentioned your reasons for your favorite holiday celebration, because i know we all like to know these things, at least i do.

the winner of this giveaway will be announced on wednesday 21st october, i plan to have a passing chicken help me choose the winner. which i feel will add an element of excitement to my wednesday morning, knowing the shed will feel lonely with my best friend gone.

and before i leave you for a week or so, to spend quality time with Debbie, i must just report that my 'thrifty dry' spell has come to an end.

("hallelujah" i hear you chorus)

yes dearest readers, there is a thrifty God and yes, he shone done on me saturday evening.

i was most excited to stumble across a little swedish horse (no doubt last years from ikea, but i'm going to pretend otherwise) in a beautiful deep teal color.

along with a pretty tin tray

and if that wasn't enough, a little set of free standing bathroom shelves for the downstairs loo 'makeover'... which i shall reveal to you upon completion of 'said' makeover.

("oh that's lovely Tif, something to look forward to on your return".

"why thank you, it will be nice won't it?")

she is looking forward to reading your 'favorite holiday' comments, and being '41 going on 13' for the next 7 days ~ Tif

footynote: and just incase someone may perhaps miss me, i will still be a 'twit' over here everyday :)

footyfootynote: i am wondering if a passing chicken would be willing to put her head in a crockpot to pick a winner, do they have an inbuilt fear of such a pot. it will be most interesting to find out.

a 'dottie' give away...

it would appear dear readers that i am not alone in the 'receiving gifts that miss the mark' issue...and as i got to reading a few of your comments, enlightening me of your own 'what were they thinking' gifts, a little thought struck me...

it has been such a long time since i did a 'give away'...so long in fact i can't even remember what it was (pause, while i recollect...ahhh, that's right it was this), that it's time to throw caution to the wind and give away a 'thing or two'...

it's so easy, all you have to do is leave me a comment telling all about your most 'horror of horror' gifts (if loved ones names have to be changed to avoid hurt feelings, i quite understand)...in return i will enter your name into a mitten...if i get too many and my mitten becomes bulgy (oooh, that would be something eh!) then i shall go onto my other mitten.

up for grabs, out of my little mittens are

(drum roll please...)

1st prize: a nora cushion cover

measuring 20" x 20"

(here's the back for your perusal)

2nd prize: a nellie book bag

12" x 15"

(close up of nellie bag for your perusal)

so there we have it, quite simple, nothing too stressful for the old brain cells on a monday morning (actually it's the afternoon, but i liked the sentence with 'morning' in it)...

i shall leave this little 'give away' open until Sunday 5th Oct and on Monday 6th, a lovely little assistant will pick the winners.

"what lovely little assistant would that be Tif?", well since you asked, i am very excited to say my besty oldest pal from way back when (okay from when we were 11, sometime in the nineteen hundreds) is coming to stay and bringing a 'wee child' with her...

in a few hours, i must summon up my courage and drive to the airport in rush hour...i have managed to avoid the 'airport pickup' for eight years (quite a feat i can tell you), but alas my man has put his foot down and told me now i am of a 'certain' age i need to branch out and over come my fears.

so there it is, i hope to enjoy a lovely week with my friend (that's if i don't end up in Oregon, never to be heard of again) and with a bit of luck will be back on Monday for the results of my

'dottie give away'

she's practising her deep breathing skills for freeway driving ~ Tif

friday, thirtysomething...

on my last 'friday of youth', okay...let's just get it out there, my last 'day of youth' (deep breaths) i am feeling sick...sick with nerves, what made me think it would be jolly to have a '40th birthday party' in those 'lazy hazy days' of this past july, i will never know...i can only imagine it was something to do with being 'carefree' and 'young'...

today the 'mizzling' has turned to 'drizzling', (good job i am made of british genes)

to add to this, i have discovered our #1's music player is not functioning as it should (i.e. broken)...i had visions of a never ending play list of well thought out music choices that my guests would marvel over (how i would have achieved such a thing, i don't know as i am not 'technical minded' but one can dream)...alas this is not to be. i will stick in a CD and hope i remember 30 minutes later to change it. (mental note made to one's self, stay off the booze for at least the first 30 minutes)

my 'party' frock which i was planning to wear has been removed from the closet, and horror of horrors i have discovered that my 'lotion with a hint of summer' has done wonders at adding a nice tan line to my little frock's neckline (and yes i had washed it, i'm not that bad...but it's linen and thus requires gentle attention which obviously does not remove fake tan stuff)...there is only one thing i could do at this late hour, delve into my lace stash and do a bit of customizing. interestingly i think i like it better now...

i have also had a thought...shouldn't a birthday party have a cake? now if i was Nigella this would not be a problem. but i'm not lovely 'Nigella with a magic mixer', no i am 'Tif with a crock pot'...i am hoping this little detail will be over looked by my polite guests and also put paid to 'happy birthday' being sung by some 'tipsy' types that are bound to come...

i am now off to decorate my canopy with the help of some lovely friends who are stopping by in my 'hour of need'...

in a few hours i will be slugging a 'Tifini', thanks to my friend Jeff (life must be pretty good to have a drink made after one's self)...

and so it just leaves me to say...

it's a little bittersweet to be celebrating my 'big day' knowing all my family and some good friends are so far away across the pond, they have watched me grow from a skinny little scrawny kid with frizzy hair, through some interesting teenage moments and a crimping iron...onto my years of populating the earth with mini me's and an 'annie lennox' hair do.

and now i stand here on the eve of 'growing up' holding onto my youth, sporting pigtails...i thank them all kindly for 'loving me' just the way i am...

and you, dear readers...where would i be without you in my day to day life, i wish you could be here as well, oh how we would have a blast. so do me a favor...have a little drinky on me and let's toast 'the good times ahead'....

she's breaking her 'vow of silence' on a weekend and will see you tomorrow for the big day ~ Tif

'giving thanks' with a little 'give away'...

you are all too kind about my 'kitschy' lamp cushion...our #4 cannot for the life of him see it as a lamp, he said

"oooh, i see you have started making some monster cushions"

"no" says i "it is a lamp just like the tea towels"

"no, it's a monster with a square head, skinny neck and look he has one eye, two feet and a tail"

can't really argue with that...

so we have reached the week of thanksgiving and what better time for me to say a few long overdue "thank yous"...so here goes (you might need to make yourselves a little more comfy, this could take a while)

thank you for the 'smile' award from here,

for the 'nice manners' award from here (which is ironic as i have taken so long to say thank you),

plus all the lovely comments from you dear readers, that you send my way,

the parcels that turn up unexpectedly in the mail...

the support of my new ideas

and on going 'trials' of trying to move...

you are patient, forgiving and very kind.

when i decided to 'swim' a few weeks back, i did not let on that i am in fact a rubbishy kind of swimmer, the type that flays around the minute they realize they can't touch the 'bottom' and do some kind of strange combination of the 'breaststroke' and 'doggie paddle' all with head stuck right out of the water...so you have truly been my 'water wings' over the past weeks and i really must 'thank you' all...

and as a little reward for 'good behavior', i have a 'give away'...my birdie house tea towel is looking for a home. this little number was the first 'off the press' and if you fancy a chance of winning it then here's what you need to do...

1. locate your 'thinking cap' from somewhere in your home, if you have lost it, i would consider borrowing someone elses, just for a while...

2. make a cup of tea (or maybe something stronger to get the creative thought process warmed up)

3. now here's the deal...you need to think about 'who' your alter ego is...you all know mine by now, and i know Janet has one too...so i am quite sure you all have one hidden away.

4. leave your 'alter ego' in the comments, or email me and your name will be given to Ruby to take care of, who is very responsible...(Ruby comes from a lovely etsy seller called clang clang...she now owns a crocheted pinafore as she was complaining about feeling chilly in my echoey studio...)

5. Ruby with the help of our #4 will draw a name out of the bag on Monday 26th Nov, giving you lots of time with your 'thinking caps'...

so there it is...a little 'give away' to make up for my lack of "thanking you kindly" in the past few days, weeks and quite possibly, months...

she's looking forward to reading all the 'alter egos' out there ~ Tif

janet clare ~ part two...

obviously if you mention a 'potential buyer' is coming to your house before it happens then you jinx it...not fifteen minutes before they were due and just as i was scrambling to get all kids out of the place (in might i add the pissing rain) the phone rings and i'm told by the realtor "sorry, we're not going to be able to make it now"...what do you say to that. i know, if you are a Brit then you say "oh thank you very much"...WHY would YOU say THANK YOU when you have spent the best part of the day ferreting away pets, pet hair, pet beds, kids, kids crap, cleaning loos, vacuuming etc etc...that's what i asked myself when i got off the phone, "Tif" i said in my head "why do you thank someone when really you want to scream i have a life, could you not have told me five hours ago, or better still why the frigging **** did you call in the first place to make an appointment"...

well now i have got that off my rather flat chest i am feeling much better and quite ready to get on with today, and part of getting on with today involves me being a rebel...yes that is right dear readers I AM NOT GOING TO VACUUM or SCRUB THE SINKS or PICK UP USED DOG'S HAIR. and you know what that means don't you. i am guaranteed to get a call from a realtor...let us test this theory and i will get back to you on it tomorrow...

in the meantime we must talk about the lovely janet as she is a two parter remember...yesterday we marvelled at her sewing and knitting talents, well today i have to tell you that she inspired me greatly with her dish cloth. when i read the post and then clicked on the link for patterns, well that was it..."HURRAH" i said to myself, there solves my 'christmas pressie' dilemma. every year i try hard to make our christmas presents for our family members across the pond...it is just perfect because we don't see them, they are able to groan and roll their eyes at another handmade squishy gift and i am none the wiser. so it works out just fine for all of us.

i announced to my man that i had found the perfect gift, thanks to janet...i told him i am going to knit every one dishcloths and not just any old dishcloths, oh no i am going to use eco friendly yarn in the hope of making a positive statement. my man did not leap up from his laptop and twirl me around the kitchen exclaiming "you are amazing, you are so clever, what a fantastic idea" (i am quite sure that would have happened in little house on the prairie) nope, he questioned whether people would really want, NEY use knitted dishcloths (i know you are feeling rather faint at the coldheartedness of his comment, it took me a while to regain my composure i can tell you) then he quickly added "i am concerned for you having to knit so many and how your wrists will hold up"...(yeah, right)

so i found some eco yarn from here, it turned up two days ago, i printed off some patterns and now i have completed one dishcloth, yes that's right one down and god only knows how many left to make (i have a largest family)...i am already trying to calculate what my average turn out has to be per week for me to get them done and mailed in time from Christmas, plus i have plans to make tea towels (not knitted but out of recycled linens)

as our #1 pointed out "who on earth would use a knitted tea towel to dry dishes" i wanted to point out "who on earth in my house knows what 'drying dishes' is"...

i'm off to school (worried about getting an allergic reaction) to teach art to a bunch of 12 year olds with my friend Beth and wondering how i was mistaken as somebody that has 'art knowledge'...i think the word 'craft' sounds too similar to 'art' and there lies the mix up...

she's earning her halo ~ Tif

janet clare ~ part one...

yep that's right dear readers, the lovely janet clare is a two parter because i just can't fit in everything i need to say in one post...

so let's just jump right in...last week janet asked me if i would like to do a swap...it was a perfect day to ask me, it cheered me up no end. i was feeling as 'dull as dishwater' and her mail came at just the right time...so i packaged up and sent my 'swap' along with a few other goodies and then sat and waited for the mail man...

i have to tell you it really is like being a kid again, getting all excited knowing something lovely is coming your way but you don't know what...well i didn't have to wait long as janet did her 'thing' that she does so well and sent it on its way...

and now i am the proud owner of a portrait of myself, my stripey tights and used dog...all stitched on to a lovely piece of blanket...i can not wait to put it up on the wall in our new place. i showed it off to all members of the family and also used dog, who seemed to be most impressed.

janet also sent me one of her beautiful knitted face cloths that i have been admiring from a far...and that leads me to part two...

but you'll have to wait for that until tomorrow as i have to vacate the house because we have a viewing...yipee! now let's not get our hopes up but we must think positive thoughts here...i have checked all bathrooms are clear of dodgy smells and i have also caved in and bought a bedspread for my bed.

i know it sounds odd but i am going to have to hide away my 'britishness in the bedroom' and cover up my bedlinens. i stood in 'bed,bath and beyond' with my 20% coupon in my little 'paw' looking up and down the aisles desperately trying to find a "grown up" bedspread that i liked enough to spend money on and that was neutral enough for viewing purposes...isn't that the most ridiculous thing you will ever read, but you read it right...i am buying a bed cover to sell my home. the person that buys my house will not buy my bed cover and yet my bed cover may very well be the thing that makes them want to buy my house...

she is feeling a little light headed over the nuttiness of it all ~ Tif

hey good looking what ya got cooking...(not me, Allysa!)

the next of my parcels came from the lovely Laura, it actually landed on my doorstep in September. i can remember bringing it in and just popping it on the side because although it was addressed to me it was in an amazon box and from past experience near Christmas or a Birthday i have opened amazon boxes and seen things that i shouldn't have seen...(completely accidently you understand, teehee)

as it was close to my birthday i just presumed that my man was thinking ahead...so later that night when he got home i told him of the parcel. "i didn't order anything" (silly me)...how strange i thought, so i opened up the package and inside was a cook book, "at home with magnolia by Allysa Torey"...just for me.

Laura is another one of my lovely cyber pals...she obviously felt my anguish over cooking and more to the point probably lay awake at night worrying for my children and the horrors that lay before them at the table...

as you can see from the pictures it was easy to fall in love with the book, i read the recipes and took note of important things like..."try to only cook with what is seasonal" very sound advice i felt after all it just stands to reason that anything in season is going to taste so much better than something that isn't...

after reading all the text i then concentrated on the pictures...i knew then and there i wanted to live inside of this cook book...and as i pen this post today and glance at the pictures i have a little pang of regret at cutting off my braids, after all Allysa looks great in every picture and i am sure it is something to do with her hair...

i am getting all excited now about the thought of growing a few veggies, herbs and flowers in our new garden. there are three rather neglected kitchen garden patches that with a bit of tender loving care may come back to life...thank you Laura for inspiring me.

and i am happy to report that i did manage to cook an edible (don't click on this picture Tracy or anyone else that doesn't eat meat) roast chicken in my crock pot a few weeks back. the only problem i am encountering now with my cooking (apart from making it look attractive and appealing) is the fact that our #2 is vegetarian and our #4 has given up eating chicken on the principal that you don't eat a future pet ( i swear i've told you that one before...i think i'm losing my 'razor sharp' memory skills, must be something to do with being 39).

she's finished her blankie ~ Tif

a friend in need is a friend in deed...

autumn is upon us, the leaves are dropping fast on the maples and pumpkins abound the neighborhood...(gosh that sounds very poetic)...
my mailbox over the past few weeks has been heaving with goodies (slightly exaggerated but it sounds so exciting)...there is nothing better then going to collect the mail and finding something unexpected amongst all the dreary stuff. i bring it in and then our #3 and #4 always start asking "is is for me? who's it addressed to" and i have great pleasure in saying "nope, it's for me"...so i thought dear readers, this week would be a great week to share a few of the treats that have come my way. ("why's it a good week Tif ") well since you ask, i will admit that i am coming down with the dreaded condition that bloggers near and far fear...i have "bloggers block"...i hope it is just a small dose and that i will be up and raring to go before long, but in the meantime i am going to concentrate on some of the lovely people out in cyber world that have come into my little world through my blog...

it is the one thing that constantly amazes since i started my little blog earlier in the year, i really had no idea that just penning a few words each day would lead me to so many wonderful caring people...i liken my cyber friendships to old fashioned pen pals...people that you probably will never meet, but you connect over common interests and before you know it they become a part of your life...i find myself thinking of my 'invisible friends' all the time, i might see something and think "oooh, so and so would just love that" or "what a hoot (do i really think 'hoot') i know the very person who would be laughing at that with me"...it truly is one of the best things in my life...

so the first of my parcels to kick start our week is from the lovely gigibird...

i like Lynn a whole lot, she is not a stranger to many of you i am quite sure...the first think i liked about Lynn was her wise straight talking ways and the damn fine cupcakes she whips up at the drop of a hat. with her 'partner in crime' Stella, she becomes Florence Hope...and together they craft the most beautiful creations which you can find here

the parcel contained a beautiful vintage nightie (sadly photographing the color blue is not my forte, the nightie is more aqua than blue)...it fitted me just perfectly. she also very considerately sent me some pretty dusters to make light work of my cleaning (which is all i seem to do these days). what a thoughtful friend...now to spare anymore blushes i shall just say, "thank you gigibird"...you made my day with your kindness

only four more rows left of her blanket ~ Tif

me and my bad hair day...

i planned to spend the whole day beavering away in my studio...but alas it did not go as i had hoped. i think the problem started early on because i had chosen to dress in an outfit the same color as a 'Nestle Mint Aero chocolate bar'...proceeded by a hairstyle that would have made any bird happy. we have run out of conditioner in our house...not surprising as i have two teenage daughters. Instead of going to buy a new bottle, my man insisted that we use up every little bottle of stuff in the cupboard first.

now i am sure all you lovely ladies out there realize that if you pay a ridiculous amount for your hair, that you also have to buy the right product to put on it! my man says that isn't true...how he would know is beyond me, after all the minute his hair grows beyond an inch he claims it is attacking him and i have to razor it all off...

so he hands me a large bag full of all those samples you pick up in hotel rooms...do not be under the impression that i spend a lot of time loitering in hotel rooms. oh no, this is what my man brings back when he has travelled on business trips...i knew it was risky and i have learnt yet another valuable lesson. hotel shampoo and conditioners do not help you if you have a tendency to frizzy, fried hair...they contain some unique formula that doubles the thickness and volume of your hair so that it is completely unmanageable and you stand a good chance of losing your car keys, purse, even a small child in it..

i think the outfit, mixed with the hair issues was enough to cause my lack of creativity, but added in there was the problem of waking at two in the morning in a cold sweat saying "crap" because i realized the order i had placed for 'one thousand business cards' late last night, is missing one vital ingredient, the address of my etsy store...

so there we go, try as i might i could not seem to apply myself today...i did do a bit of this, a bit of that and of course some of these. but it was all a bit of a struggle...

on another note (in the vain hope of distracting myself from the 'business card' horror) i give you a package, that landed on my doorstep yesterday afternoon...it was sent from the lovely Luna1171 aka Laura, who had scoured her local thrift store and sent me a ton of slips she had found...

i really do wish i lived near Laura, not only does she seem to possess a lovely and kind spirit, which i hope would rub off on me, but she also has a wonderful knack of finding great bargains while thrifting...like this sewing machine, it is just so perfect even down to the color blue..and if i lived near her, she might let me look after it for her every now and then

and one last thing, i have a cyber pal ( i know, i actually have a few now...it sounds so exciting)...i love to read the comments she leaves and the emails she sends...she is witty, she is blunt and she makes a mean cupcake...gigibird this is for you..."squeak"

feeling the growing horror of 'top tips' and looking forward to 'show and tell' ~ Tif

the missing door ~ part 2...

remember this dear readers.

well, today i left my little studio and Tasha left her little cubicle and we ventured forth on a 'door hunt'...our travels took us to RE in Ballard, thanks to some top tips from some trusted sources. (ie. Tasha's mom and Knittingiris)

to my delight a whole aisle of doors awaited us and as i 'ummed' and 'ahhed', Tasha very patiently shifted and sorted through all the categories. you see dear readers, i was faced with a dilemma , after not finding any doors, i now had the choice of 'screened', 'panelled', 'glass' and the list goes on...

plus, my plan to move the door around my house according to the light was becoming pretty unlikely as my little weakling arms could hardly lift any of them.

after a while (Tasha, i am sure would inform you it felt much longer) we settled on this screen door...it seemed perfectly 'dottie angel'...

however, as we rounded the corner to seek out any other treasures that might need a home... gleaming, sparkling, with a chorus of angels around her (ask Tasha, she heard them too) was "THEE DOOR"...dressed in 'vintage old ladies knickers' colored paint, perfectly proportioned and requiring only a wipe down. the best bit of all, she was in the 'bargain section', so the price for my "nobody loves you like i do" door was only $10...

so here is a sneaky peek, but that's all, 'cause this little beauty is being revealed in all her glory in 'show and tell'...

she was lacking in the handle department and so we poked around in a cabinet... actually i did the rummaging while Tasha ever so patiently propped the door up...what a grand way to spend your one day a week free from a cubicle...but my eyes did alight upon this, just perfect for 'Miss Lady Love'...

thanking you all for your lovely comments yesterday (and your understanding of my allergies, remember it is all a bit of "silliness really") ~ Tif

the prettiest thing...(courtesy of Miss Nora Jones)

at the age of six, our #4 was asked by the doctor..."do you have any allergies?" to which our #4 replied "no, but my mum does". "oh" says the doctor "what is your mom allergic to?" and he replies "children"...

dear readers, let me tell you from the moment our #4 could talk he had a canny knack of saving up things his mum would say and proceed to announce them at the best possible moment for maximum impact...this special quality he possesses will, i am sure take him far in life...

if the truth be known i have for many years claimed an 'allergy' to children...i love them, not just mine but any others i come across.

however, after a while of being in a small space with a large amount of them, i do start to get a reaction...for example, 1: a terribly tight head, proceeded by a thudding 'headache' and on occasion feeling nauseous (ie. migraine)...2: 'eyes streaming' and 'nose running' from sheer exasperation (ie. crying)...3: 'throat constricting' from having had to shout so loud to be heard in our noisy household (ie. anxiety and stress)...once again that is relevant to what i am asking at the time. i never seem to have to shout if it involves fun things, only when it involves chores, helping out and sorting disagreements..(trust me i have tried the 'talk quietly' method, but either way, it all falls on death ears)

and so the list goes on...but on the positive side, i do have allergy type symptoms such as 1: 'eyes streaming' from just loving them... 2: 'throat constricting' from trying to stop the tears of emotion and 3: 'swelling up' and 'breaking out' with pride at certain moments in their lives

my most recent example of this was yesterday, seeing our #1 ready for her 9th grade graduation dance looking beautiful in a vintage slip...

having one of her 'good' allergic reactions ~ Tif

one friend, two parcels and a whole lot of gorgeousness...

i have a friend (actually i have more than one, all equal in quirkiness and loveliness), however this tale is about my friend Kathleen (the hair is just like it!). we met three years ago and it was like we had known each other all our lives, you know how it is...kindred spirits. I shan't bore you with details, but is enough to say, we shared a passion for Noa Noa and Anthro , our boys were best friends and we spent most afternoons chatting over a nice cuppa tea. Kathleen knew the answer to any homework question my kids had, she knew more history about my home country than i ever knew. basically a really great person to be around, in fact our #1 once said "mum, how did you ever survive before Kathleen came along?" and quite honestly i didn't know...then one day my happy little suburban life was shattered, Kathleen moved to Beijing (imagine dramatic music going on in the background right now)...

anyhow, i have rambled on and you are probably half asleep ( a bit like me right now)...the point of this waffle is to paint the picture for what happened today...

out of the blue, not expecting anything at all, not one but two big parcels turned up with the mail man...and out of them came this gorgeousness

and look at those beautiful clasps for bags and purses

and these trimmings

all of this beautifulness came from the market in Beijing and it will be used for my autumn/winter collection, thank you Kathleen and next time i get a fortune cookie, i hope the fortune says "a business trip to china is on the horizon"...

before i head to my bed, ( a sofa downstairs under the sky light) i'm afraid tomorrow i will be breaking my promise...

Tif

knowing me, knowing you...

i love it when you meet new friends when you are least expecting to...i had two such chance meetings this week

#1 meeting ~ on friday, i was pushing my cart around Target, picking up boring items like cat litter and trying to avoid the usual 'Target Traps' that they set for me, eg. clothing, bags, shoes, homewares, you get the picture. just as i was heading towards the checkout, feeling very pleased with myself for avoiding the said 'traps', a small word caught my eye...'BOOTS'. now any Brit living in the States would immediately stop in their tracks if they saw that word. i dared to look down the aisle and gleaming from every shelf was No7 and Botanics beauty products from the UK. (do you hear the chorus of angels) and standing right beside them was an angel herself. that's right, a british Boots employee who proceeded to spend the next hour giving me a make-over, boosting my flagging moral and making me feel young and british again.

i left with a 'miracle cream' (i shall report on that another time), a new eyeliner, a lip gloss and another 'Target Trap' to be avoided...

#2 meeting ~ saturday saw me sitting in the bank, hoping to sort a few things for dottie angel. the girl that helped me turned out to be a fellow crafter (the best kind of chance meeting), we got talking and talking. Tasha turns out to be a self taught crafter (just like myself) and is a very talented textile artist. we both share a love for embroidery and embelishing fabrics...what a fantastic chance meeting...

right, i am off to my sweat shop up the stairs before i have my yoga lesson, which will then put production down by an estimated 50% this week, so i had better get a move on...

i have no interesting pictures for you, so i have dug deep into my 'favorite things' pile and given you this one...a great way to start the week.

happy monday Tif

if you could see me now...

so there is lots to catch up on from the last few days, first i need to let you know that my header on my blog page had defeated me, i could not get the design up onto the page. that's where my knight in shining armour came in...thank you for staying up so late and thank you for tolerating my need to put my title up "right now and no other time will do" attitude, it's all good...

anyhow, on to more events in the life of moi. took my haul down to show Tes at Velouria, accompanied by my friend Suzanne, who ever so sweetly spent an hour knitting in the local starbucks, while i did my thing. it really wasn't too much of a hardship as the sun was shining for the first time in a very long while.

sitting in the sun, knitting and watching the world go by is a great way to pass an hour or two...

my haul to velouria

anyway, Tes liked my designs and as of today, dottie angel is stocked in a very nice store amongst all these great handcrafting designers, lots of smiling going on around here. another piece of good news is, i will be having my textile pictures featured in the autumn for a whole month, you can just make out one of them to the right of the above photo...this is something that has really made me happy :)

the shop front of Velouria

so it just leaves me to let you know that my family and i are off to the beautiful islands of the northwest for 5 days of recuperating from our busy, but good lives...i shall be sure to be posting some great pictures of our trip and coming back refreshed and ready to tackle the last few months of school, my business and most interestingly our #1 child learning to drive!!

wishing you sunshine where ever you are :: Tif