Blue Ribbon

I won a blue ribbon at the South Carolina State Fair!! It really has taken a little while to sink in. I had to go see it for myself to really believe it. I entered my first doll in the soft sculpture category and I got first place! I was really surprised. Here are a couple pictures of me and my doll. Please ignore my mismatched outfit (it was raining cats and dogs outside).

My Halloween Display

Here are my Christine Crocker - Deerfield Farmhouse dolls and a mourning doll by Julie Bailey. I love this time of the year. The nights are getting chilly and the leaves are getting ready to change colors. I have been putting my Halloween displays out. Here are a few photos from this morning. My terra cotta Jack O Lanterns waiting to be lit. Old maple syrup sap buckets that have been cut into JOLs.

Here is my cupboard with my Nicol Sayre dolls, one by Christine and a mummy by Kelly Bell Hartley, vintage paper mache JOL and cat lanterns, and vintage Beistle cutouts. My new Halloween items from Target. I love that store!! Skeleton candlesticks that I made. Art by Laurie Meseroll of Mudcakes and a Theatre Magique by Nicol Sayre.

Marie Antoinette Fan

Beautiful antique French fan painted in gauche with ornate embroidery. Embroidered with a cupid between two lovers. The lady has stolen the gentleman's sword leaving him totally disarmed. Could have been a personal possession of Marie Antoinette the Queen of France. This lovely piece came from the Mrs. Horace Dodge estate in Detroit Michigan. Here is an article about Mrs. Horace Dodge and her purchases with the art consultant Sir Joseph Duveen. The fan was sold by Frank Boos of the Antiques Roadshow. It was purchased in the 1970's at his shop in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Could this be the Queen of France Marie Antoinette and Count Axel von Fersen the Swedish ambassador ca 1784? Could this be a personal treasure of the Queen of France Marie Antoinette., the fan appears to be executed during her Private Village time frame approximately 1784.

Daily Inspiration -

I found this on ebay today and fell in love. It is the sweetest little bisque doll in a shoe ornament. Her shoe is made of compostion or wood with a mohair covering. The bisque doll is an early flat top type with jointed arms and bent knee legs, and is wearing a diaper. It dates to about 1880.

Daily Inspiration

I found these beakers on Ulla's blog today and instantly fell in love. They are by Anja Lubach.

Live your life with a purpose beyond yourself, and you'll find that the world is as bold and broad as the interests that brought you here today. Bryant Gumbel

Tiffany Blue Cake

Look @ this cake!! My dear friend Leslie is pregnant and this

is the cake that Melanie had made for her. Isn't it beautiful?

It tasted as good as it looked.

and here is a picture of Leslie's breakfast. Only a pregnant woman could eat a combination of marinated olives and orange juice.

To Have Principles First Have Courage

I found this quote in a Chinese Proverb book and really thought it had a lot of meaning. Here are a few more pictures from my summer flowers. Day and tiger lillies.