Thrifty Miss Priss

We got some snow here last weekend.....just enough to make everything beautiful and quiet....

 Just look at her.....both back feet off the ground!  You'd never know Heidi is 13 years old (91 in dog years!)  She's as frisky today as she was as a pup.  I know our time left is limited but if she can stay active and healthy like this until her time comes I will be grateful!

This is what Sunday afternoon was all about.....laying around enjoying the sights of snow out the window and relaxing.  Does this look comfortable to you?  Who needs a snuggi when you've got this? 

We recently got a new computer....an apple...and it's a whole new way of doing things.....so just when I had mastered downloading photos and editing them...I have to learn a whole new way of doing it.  This computer is supposed to be the cream of the crop but I just sit here and cuss at the monitor when it won't do what I want.

I finished my Christmas shopping!  This is the earliest I've ever finished!  I'm even catching up on some projects I left incomplete when I left Silver Bella.  Pam Garrisons Holly Days class was supposed to be an advent type wreath and I started it in class.  I couldn't get my holly leaves to look right so I gave up.  I recently found several white poinsettia silk bushes at the thrift store.  I bought them not knowing what on earth I'd do with them besides put a few around the tree.  I dumped them in my craft room and then I had the light bulb moment.

since I was not too good at cutting out the holly leaves in class, why not use the white silky-velvetish leaves from the poinsettia?  This way I can leave it out all year too...it's not really a "Christmas" wreath.

  

 I started this project around 10:00 on a work night.  I just kept adding more and more stuff to it....and was determined not to leave it unfinished.  I'm really happy with the way it turned out and nothing new was purchased for it....all stuff I had already.  I have enough leaves left over to do two more wreaths so I might make another one for my etsy shop..which is EMPTY now!  YAY!  My little wallpaper packs all sold out!

OH!  The fat books are finished and in the hands of their owners!  We had 12 participants and one dropped out at the end, so we all made 12 pages.  Which means I have an extra book.  Haven't decided what to do with it yet, but may auction it on ebay with the proceeds to go to my animal shelter for Christmas.

 

 

 

The theme was "Winter Whites".  I was happy with all the pages and the way they all looked together in the book.  I will definitely host one of these projects again someday....with trial and error I now know what is involved in doing this!

I hope you all get the chance to slow down and enjoy the season and soak up all the beauty of it!

lots of Christmas going on! 

   more sugar houses that I painted and glittered this year

 

  I hope your weekend is full of Joy!

Christmas

DSC_0165, originally uploaded by thrifty_misspriss.

Wallpaper, Thanksgiving and Christmas!

I was able to get a few wallpaper packs listed tonight!  If you want some beautiful paper and some BONUS vintage sheet music from the early 1900's check it out here!

  This is one of my favorites!  It reminds me so much of Pam Garrisons Journaling style!  I got to see her journals and hold them and feel them at Silver Bella!  That was on my top FIVE of all time "Moments" at Silver Bella! 

And this last one...so hard to capture the true mint green color on digital-

 After work I shopped for Thanksgiving....made Chili, dragged up several boxes of Christmas decorations and took several boxes of knick knacks back down to the basement.  I fee like I'm in Holiday mode now and don't want to go to work tomorrow!  I've been listening to Christmas music all the way to work everyday and it puts me in the BEST mood.  At work I have pandora playing on my computer and it puts everyone I work with in the BEST mood!  I've never decorated at Thanksgiving time for Christmas.  But the way I see it, if you wait until December to decorate, it's just not enough time to enjoy the sparkliness of it all!

The tree is the only thing I did not get up yet.  The family will have to help with that.  Then I'll be taking it all down on New Years Day by myself, as my husband and daughter watch and call me Mrs. Grinch.  Maybe this year I'll let them decide when it comes down.  We may still be looking at it all by Easter!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving...I hope you get to spend it in a warm house, with family and friends and an abundance of food to eat.  Anything over and above all that is gravy!

Silver Bella Projects and Wallpaper to share!

 This is the sweet little book that my "Big Sister" Karla presented to me at Silver Bella.  She volunteered to be my big sis back in the Spring when I signed up.  The role of the big sis is to show the little sis around and help them navigate all that is Silver Bella.  Since there is nothing "big" about Karla (other than her wonderful personality) and there is certainly nothing "little" about me...I've been teasing her that she's my LITTLE big sis.

Anyway....she found this sweet book on one of her trips to Virginia last year.  I was with her when she bought it but she kept it a secret!  She took it apart and made it especially for me!

Even the way she wrapped it was special.......She must have an abundance of vintage sheet music with my name because she has gifted it to me a few times!  The "Robins Egg" blue ribbon and the bird feather were a sweet little touch!

Vintage wallpaper, little embellishments everywhere....even the little girls have little crown on their heads!  (click to enlarge)

"Once there was a big sister and a little sister....."And they took a trip to Omaha!"

I think everyone almost fainted in the glitter lounge when they saw me opening each page!

Even though Karla didn't have to tie a rope around me, I DID willingly follow her wherever she took me!

I just love all the little details..

Karla was the BEST big LITTLE sis anyone could have ever asked for!  Thank you Karla and to all the other wonderful girls I met for making it a perfect weekend!

This is the cone I made in Anna Corbin's class.  It was one of the few projects I actually finished.

And this little wool felted snowman.  He was one of my favorites!  Jennifer Murphy was the instructor and she's been making the most adorable little felted creatures since the age of 12! She brought several of them along for us to see......they were adorable.  Just like her!  

(Jennifer and I)

My other projects are almost completed...I thought I would rush home and dig right in, but after getting sick and having to go to work anyway I just didn't get around to it yet.  I did manage to cut some of the fabulous wallpapers and get them ready for my neglected Etsy store.

These papers are so incredibly delicate.  They almost feel like chalk drawings when you run your hand over them.  They do tear very easily also.  The colors just blow me away.  I got all florals....four different patterns.  I'm excited to share these because it will justify my purchase, and maybe one day allow me to buy MORE!  

I've also dug head first into a glittery mess....

I have a huge supply of little metal stars and never knew what to do with them.  Thanks to a very generous gift from Jocelyn, I was able to finally try using the REAL German Silver Glitter!  Oh it's just beautiful!  I will have a hard time going back to regular glitter after this stuff!

So now I have a bunch of glittered stars.....what do I do with them?  

I made these cuff bracelets!  They are not quite finished yet...I have to add the snaps but I love the way they turned out.  I will list these in my neglected Etsy store as well.  I hope to have everything listed by Tuesday evening. 

Thanks so much to all my blog friends who stop by on a regular basis and leave such sweet comments!  It really brightens my day to hear from you!  And if you're a reader but don't comment.....please say Hi!  I'd love to come to your blog to meet you too!

More Silver Bella.....

The Bella fun continues....

Vendor night was spectacular!  So much to choose from!  My "big" little sis Karla had an adorable booth and I found some glittered goodies there.

Everyone was supposed to wear an apron as the theme was night of 100 aprons....and wouldn't you know, my sewing machine broke a week prior and I had to use heat and bond to make my apron!  I ordered this fabric off etsy last year, it looks like an old feedsack.  I really hated to cut it but I really loved the graphics and it said "Red Tailed Robin Bird" so I just HAD to use it!

I'm just going to show you random pictures of different booths....such beauty!

 

 

 

 

and here is a picture of Karla's Booth

It was fun to see her in her own element....usually I only see her when she comes to Virginia, so it was a treat to see her booth, along with Beth and Mary....they all have such incredible things!

Karla and Carol and Shelly hosted a "glitter lounge" prior to opening night of Silver Bella.  Everyone packed into two joining rooms and drank pink champagne and ate Karla's glitter cupcakes.  It was the perfect start to a fabulous weekend!

Karla Carol and Shelly standing on the couch toasting all the Bella's!

Looks like a press conference!

Joanna and Jenn

I'm still unpacking all my fun things.  I didn't get home until after midnight on Sunday because my plane LEFT me in New Jersey.  I got up and went to work Monday and Monday night I was sick as a dog.  I've had a fever and cough all week and I'm finally feeling back to normal.  I can't wait to dig in to all my stuff!

I hope to find some daylight tomorrow and take pictures of the fun things I brought home!

Silver Bella hangover!

Still basking in glitter....

(this is the glitter lounge in which you will hear all about later)

So hard to put into words what an experience it was.........meeting people who you feel like you've known for a long time....but really just meeting them.  

I flew out of Virginia into Georgia for a connecting flight.  There I met Suzanne and Jocelyn.  We talked the entire rest of the way to Omaha!  We dropped our bags fast  and Suzanne took me immediately to Second Chance Antiques.  I can't even describe that place.  It's loaded with everything under the sun with new arrivals every hour.  The entire basement was vintage clothing, hats, shoes and jewelry.  I was so overwhelmed I came out of there with just a tiny package......it was just SO much stimulation!

Thats a "Bella" concentrating hard on a purchase!  See what I mean?  Every nook and cranny of this place was stocked.

Even the outside of the buildings were gorgeous.  

                                              

Since I arrived a day earlier than I'd planned, my "little sister" Karla treated me and several others to a trip to an exclusive online Vintage Wallpaper hideaway in Iowa.  Hannahs Treasures Wallpaper was a site to behold.

Every available surface was decoupaged with the most beautiful papers.  

It was quite hard to decide on which rolls to choose.  We certainly all came home with lots of beautiful wallpaper.  (Karla and Tiffany)

left to right:

Jenn, Marilyn, Lori, Suzanne

My precious wallpaper was carried safely back to Virginia in my arms the whole way.  Which wasn't an easy task since when I landed in New Jersey to make my connection there was a two hour delay.  So I grabbed a bite to eat and came back 30 minutes later WELL before my flight and the plane had arrived and left without me.  So I had to sit in New Jersey until 9pm and didn't get home until after 12:00.  Then it was up bright and early to work this morning. 

I'm still on a glitter rush.  I have lots more pictures to share, but I need to collapse and sleep for about eleventy hours first.

More fun pictures of lots of goodies and gifties to come!

On My way to Silver Bella

So.  Imagine my shock when I checked my e-ticket on Saturday.  The e-ticket thats getting me to SIlver Bella on Thursday.  I pulled it out because it was with my supply list for Silver Bella.  I glanced at it and

My ticket was for WEDNESDAY not THURSDAY!  When my husband booked my flight for me he didn't hear me say THURSDAY.  I was not looking at a calendar at the time and I told him "Thursday the 11th".  Well if I'd looked i'd have noticed the 11th is WEDNESDAY.  So.  I get to go  a day early!  Yippee!  That means an extra day of fun!  My "big" little sis Karla already has big plans for lots of bellas, including a shopping spree at a fabulous vintage wallpaper place and a guided bus tour sponsored by Jessi!

If I had not looked at that paper, and waited until Wednesday night, I would have missed my flight!

I can't wait to share this experience with all of you! 

Lots of pictures when I return!

Did you go to class today?

Artist class is in full swing!  I'm up to my elbows in projects and can't wait to start more!  Time is just flying and before you know it Christmas will be here.  There are a lot of cute projects in this class to use as gifts too.

My project is scheduled to appear this week.  It's the "Pocket full of Treasures" scrapbook.  Here's another peek

It's a scrapbook created from an old record album book.

Here is my "bio"

In this workshop you will learn to make a keepsake book, full of pockets to hold your little treasures!  You will receive instructions on building your book by using a vintage record album book, or plain card stock.  We will be using lots of scrap fabric, hankies, trims, laces and jewels to add interest to you pockets.  You do not need to know how to sew to do this project!  You can use glue or stitch tape, or machine stitching.  The fun part is adding all the decorative embellishments to the completed pocket page!  Once completed, your book will hold all your special treasures for years to come.  Special occasions……...love notes from your spouse or children…….Christmas or Wedding Memories…..all held together in little pockets.  The beauty of this project is you are not altering your special keepsakes, but merely tucking them into the pockets to hold forever!

 
I'm hosting a giveaway of one of my Holiday Houses if you sign up for artist class in November using my coupon code "thriftymisspriss" and I'm also going to offer a bag of bits and pieces to use when you create your own "pocket full of treasures"  So thats $10.00 off for you, and a chance to win some great prizes!  Its a win-win situation!There will be other giveaways on the other artists blogs; as well as on the Artist Class blog itself. 

Check out the bio's  and see what this class has to offer! So many talented artists in one place showing us step by step instructions.  The blog will be open until February and I plan on using all that free time after Christmas to create a bunch of these projects, after life slows down a bit.

Have a terrific, creative week!

 
 
My sister and I forcing my mom to dress up again...this time as a Witch in Target.

My mom plays along and mentioned that her hair looks like a witch's.  She hates it now that it's gone natural grey.  We don't color it anymore and occasionally she will catch a glimpse of herself and be shocked at her reflection.  Her disease is progressing so much that she can barely walk.  On our outings now we have to struggle with a wheel chair.  This won't stop us from getting her out of the house and seeing new and different things.  It's hard to believe that 17 months ago she was living in her own little apartment in an assisted living facility, walking to the store, taking the elevator up and down to check her mail and eat her meals.  Now sometimes she barely recognizes her room or the people that take care of her.

When I started to write about my mom I felt a little as if I was betraying her, writing about her disease; because she has always been such a private person.  I knew if my mom were not affected by dementia she'd have a FIT if she knew I was posting pictures and stories of her all over the internet!  It gave me the opportunity to hear stories of so many other moms that are suffering from this horrible disease.    I met Rosemary through my blog and we've shared so much about our sweet moms. Kim is another sweet blogger that has shared her moms journey with me.  We've had laughs about the silly things and also shed many tears. Being able to share with others that are going through the same experiences has brought me so far.  I'm lucky to have my two sisters that are going through this right along side me too.  I no longer burst into tears after I leave her on Saturdays, or lay awake at night questioning if we are doing the right thing for her.   

 I'm so sad to say that both Rosemary and Kim lost their beautiful Mothers recently.  I know they are finding comfort that their sweet Mamas are finally at peace.