Happy New Year!

(¯`´•.¸(¯`´•.•´´¯).•´´¯)

 HAPPY NEW YEAR

(_¸.•(_¸.•´´`´•.¸_)•.¸_)

I'm wishing you a wonderful happy New 
Year.  May all your hopes, dreams 
and wishes come true for you!  

I am offering free shipping in my Etsy 
shop for the month of January.  
Please visit as I will be adding 
vintage jewelry, fabrics, 
and MISC vintage finds.  Use coupon 
code Sweet2013 for your free 
shipping at check out.

In the next few weeks I will be having 
my first giveway for 2013.

Wishing you a wonderful week!

Sharon

Christmas Goodies

I hope you had a wonderful

Christmas holiday!

I am trying to get
caught up with some of

my December postings.

Deb (Garage Sale Gal) and

I exchange goodies

through out the year.

She sent me some wonderful

vintage Santa finds, 

handmade stocking collage

 and local chocolates.

The chocolate pretzels

didn't last too long.

Here is a vintage Santa

penny bank.  Love it!

She made the stocking collage

using vintage goodies. 

She also sent the vintage

Santa teacup.  Love it!

Deb, thank you for your

kindness and friendship!

I am trying to get all

the Christmas decor down

and packed by New Year's

Day.  AAHH nothing like

starting the New Year

fresh, clean, and

organized.  Well,

maybe not so organized!

What did you get for

Christmas?  I received

a new iPad 2.  I have

been playing around

with some new APPs.

Wishing you a wonderful

and safe weekend!

Sharon

Christmas Past

Christmas is just a few

days away.  Are you

ready for Christmas day?

This evening while searching

for my "new" camera, I found

these family Christmas photos.

Hilarious!!

What is so funny?

First photo...take

notice of the little

blonde girl on the

right holding her 2

new dolls. Just look

at me all prissy 

with my dolls and

OMG I have my legs

crossed! No socks! 

The second photo take

a look at the outfits!

Who is out of season?

Me!!!

I can't stop

laughing!!!

The third photo is not

a Christmas image.

But just look at

my expression!

I think I was a

worrier at 2 years old!

The fourth photo is

of my mom.  This is

one of my favorite

photos of her.

Well I must get back

to cleaning for our

company to arrive

tomorrow.

This week I will

be sharing some photos

of Christmas goodies I

received from Deb.

She is such a good

friend.  We exchange

gifts several times

a year. Thank you

again Deb! 

Wishing you a wonderful

Thursday!

Sharon

Our Home at Christmas

Hope you are having

a wonderful week.

Thought I would

share some images 

of our home at 

Christmas.  This 

year we kept the

decorating low key.

Morning views of

our kitchen area.

Photos of my

Santa collection

Our vintage tree top

~ gold angel & star.

Made in Italy. 

Some of my handmade

Christmas cards.

This weekend Don and I

will be volunteering at

the Memphis VA Hospital

to share Christmas goodies

to the vets.

Wishing you a wonderful

weekend!

Sharon

Welcome December!

Where has the time gone this year?

I hope your Thanksgiving was

a wonderful time for

you and your family.

December comes way too early

with all the fuss for

decorating our homes and offices,

Christmas shopping, planning meals,

attending to our home nesting,

and not to mention if we have a FT job.

We have completed all of Christmas shopping.

 Just need to get those packages

 in the mail. Our Christmas cards

are made...just need addressing

and mailing. We have almost

completed our home decorating. 

I will share photos of our

Christmas cards and

home later this week.

Thank you for your visit

this week to my blog. 

I love hearing from you. 

I will catch up with some

of my favorite blogs this week.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Until next time, Sharon

PS the digital collage
is made by me using digital
art by Gina Marie Huff at
Weeds and Wildflowers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you a wonderful

Thanksgiving Day with

your family and friends!

The following two images

were from Facebook this

week.  I cannot remember

who or what location I

found them.  But I just

thought they were great

for Thanksgiving cheer.

I am so behind in my holiday

creating and decorating!  But

I have almost completed our

Christmas shopping. Maybe

that is better...no crowds

at home.

Please accept my apology for

not posting as much on my blog.

I will be sharing some sneak

peeks of my handmade cards

and creative gifts.

Thank you for visiting!

Until next time, Sharon

Getting supplies ready

for holiday projects!

I am not making Holiday

items this year for

my Etsy shop. If you 

have purchased from

my shop in the past...

and would like handmade

gift tags or Christmas

cards made for you. 

Please send an message

through my Etsy shop.

I will be sharing some

of my handmade holiday

greeting cards and gift

tags on my blog.  These 

goodies will be sent to 

family and friends.

I have scanned a few

vintage images that I

purchased in 2007.

Enjoy!  

 

More doctor appointments

this week. It seems to

never end.  But I do think

I have one week in

November so far with

nothing scheduled!

I finally got a new

camera.  I have several

mail goodies to share

with you next week.

Thank you for visiting

my blog and leaving your

kind comments.

Wishing you a wonderful

week!

Sharon

what a weather change!

what a weather change

in just a few hours!

yesterday is was all

about carpi's and t-shirts.

today it is all about

sweats!

it is cold and raining

here today.  so I am

taking advantage of this

weather to make some cards.

here is a vintage cabinet

photo I scanned for your

art projects.

ENJOY!

have you started your

Christmas shopping yet?

I have purchased a

few gifts for family.

I have so much to catch

up with house cleaning,

art studio organizing,

laundry (but do we really

ever get caught up?),

and garage cleaning.

so it is all about

"to do list"!

wishing you a wonderful

and safe weekend!

until next time,

Sharon

ps notice I changed

my format in typing?

I am still here!

I just don't have the energy to post as often any more. I miss visiting your

wonderful blogs. But I promised I will

visit and leave a comment!

Hope you are doing well dear friends.

Vintage Postcards

Here are a few vintage postcards from my collection. I will be sharing more in the next few weeks. These images would be great for holiday projects...

gift tags, greeting cards, and maybe a hanging garland.  Just a few ideas.

Wishing a wonderful week!

Until next time, Sharon

Hello Fall

Hello Fall!

The weather here has been

beautiful for the past week.

I have posted a vintage Halloween 

postcard I purchased in 2008.  

I have not cleaned or altered

the image.  Please feel free to 

use in your artwork.  This image

would be wonderful for gift tags

on goodie bags.

Enjoy!

Not much going on here today.

Don is watching the college 

football games.  

Wishing you a wonderful

weekend!

Sharon 

WIshing You a Wonderful Weekend!

I hope your week has been a good one.

Thank you for your kind words in 

regarding my earlier post this

week.  I didn't mean to say I 

didn't have any blogging friends.

I have met so many friends through

blogging.

We all get busy during different 

times of the year with work,

home, and most importantly

taking care of family.  But 

please remember to give

your self some special time 

for your personal pleasures!

I have included a vintage photo

I had purchased in 2007 for 

you to use with your art work.

Enjoy!

I wish you a wonderful

weekend!

Until next time,

Sharon

This Week is National Invisible Illness Week.

When I started blogging, it was a way to journal my digital art. It was intended to document my digital art and see how different I could express my art using Photoshop.

If you follow my blog, you know I have a chronic illness. Some days are good but most days are bad. Good days can consist of being able to run an errand, may be visit an antique mall, or even go to one of favorite stores TJ MAXX or Marshall’s, and now we have a new Home Goods store.

Bad days are different for me. Each day can be a different type of pain, different location of the body, or even spending most of the day in bed. Weather can really affect how my body reacts. Which could mean an additional medication for pain. These medications I take very carefully and only when I really take the pain any longer. When you are diagnosed with a chronic illness, it can become an “umbrella” to other chronic illnesses.

Before being diagnosed, which took about nine years, I worked as a Senior Contract/Cost Manager. Traveled a lot which was not always fun. Could concentrate…meeting that deadline that was needed last week really was my favorite part of my job. I enjoyed my job very much. It was challenging, having to research historical accounting/budget information, analyzing the data, and prepare current and forecasted budgets for senior management. To most of you, that may sound so boring, but for me was a dream job. Most importantly about working, were the friendships made all those years.  An identity.

Now to the present ~ invisible illness.

Since diagnosis, I have years spent on many daily medications. These have altered my appearance…weight gain, inflammation, fatigue, “moon face”, “moon stomach”, and skin rashes just to name a few. Doctor appointments are too many to count each month. A near death medical episode where I was in ICU for a couple days, and many more hospital stays than I would ever wish on anyone.

When I do out or we go on a vacation, the whispers of “she is so fat”, really hurts but that is why it is called an invisible illness. They don’t know the amount of medications I take daily, the house work I cannot do, the meals I have no energy to cook for my husband, missing social gatherings, or even taking that morning walk.

I miss not working. I miss having friends. Life is very lonely.

I have always been creative. Just now I spend more time in our home creating. The past few months I have been gathering art supplies. I will continue to make my holiday cards and gifts tags. But I have told myself that this illness will not keep me from learning and going outside my comfort zone. I am hoping in the next few months to take some art classes.

I just wanted to share with you some insight what living with a chronic illness means and what it takes to manage this illness.

Slowly

I am getting order back

my to art room.  Word

emphasis on slowly!

I have been working

on some new designs

for the holidays.

So those may be in

my Etsy shop in the

next couple of weeks.

I still have too many

doctor appointments

these days. So there

is a lot of frustration

with traveling to them,

arrive on time, and you

wait sometimes for 2

hours before you are

seen by the specialist.

The above cabinet card

that I am sharing with

you today is from my

collection.  It was

purchased in 2007 I think.

Please enjoy for your

art projects.

We have been busy with

house training a very

stubborn girl ~ Abbie!

So Jake and Gracie are

feeling left out a bit.

Don takes Jake for car

rides.  I give Gracie

some alone time of

playing and hugging.

Wishing you a wonderful

week dear friends!

Hugs,

Sharon

Introducing Abbie

This is our new addition!

Introducing Abbie.

She is 10 weeks old.

Our niece was here over

the weekend. She is on a

road trip with a college

friend.  It was great

having them visit us.

I have been getting my

art room ready for some

creating!  I have purchased

some beautiful vintage laces

and buttons for both art

and sewing projects.

Hope your week has been

a good one.  Thank you for

visiting my blog dear

friends!

XO,

Sharon

I am still here...

I am still here.

I really haven't had much to

share on my blog.

I am hoping to get some

art and sewing projects

completed starting in

September.

I am hoping to visit

your blogs and leave

comments in the next

few weeks.

Blessings,

Sharon