Halloween Wreath

I'm so excited to have finally finished my Halloween wreath!  I have a Scarlett O'Hara complex.  You kow, the whole "I'll think about it tomorrow" kinda gal.  I usually get in the mood to do Halloween crafts right about November 1st.  Seriously.

This year I was determined to complete my take on Piccadilly Peddler's Christmas themed wreath but for Halloween. 

I am so pleased with how it turned out that I may have to make another for Christmas.  It took a lot of time to cut the circles, but I think the final product was worth the effort!

Also, a few of you have asked me how my dog is doing after her eye injury last month.  Sadly, she ended up losing her eye due to a condition called a melting cornea.  Trust me, is just as gross as it sounds.  The good news is that she is 100% back to normal and is dealing well with the loss of her left eye.  I thought I'd share a before and after pic of her.

***WARNING: The after picture is not gross, but it is a little shocking, so stop right here if you are the slightest bit squemish***

Blair before:

And after:

By the way, her eye does not always bulge like that, but she hates having her picture taken and gets all wide-eyed when the camera comes out!  Our gal is a real trooper and it's so good to have her back to her playful, loving self.  (I know my sister will disagree with the loving part, but honestly, her son only had to have 2 or 3 stitches and that was years ago!) She just turned 11 on Sept. 11th, so to bounce back so well at this age is a huge relief to us.

We are thinking of dressing her as a pirate for Halloween...eye patch and all!

I still have a few projects in the works, so I'm planning to do some crafting today and hope to post them later this week!

Always,
K

Linking up to:

Sunday Sundry

It's been awhile since I took the time to sit down and browse through all the wonderfulness that is Flickr.  I found so many things that inspired me today that I thought I would share some. 

Rick Cheadle Art and Designs wowed me with this wall mural painted on paneling: 

I think I love it most of all because I rent a house that has the tacky 70's paneling and I dream of doing something like this to it.  Alas, my landlord is cool...but not that cool.

I love these adorable pincushions from mamacjt:

And this sweet wall hanging was also made by mamacjt:

I am amazed by this life-sized quilted Pink Panther shared by King Kong 911:

Big B always inspires me with her sweet embroidery work.  I already bought both her "Merry Christmas" set and the "Gingerbread" set from her etsy shop!

And last, but definately not least is this wonderful softy created by Kell Ingram from the Melly & Me pattern "Magoo".

I absolutely adore Melly & Me patterns and vow to one day attempt one.  I'm afraid that my limited sewing skills wouldn't do it justice.  Magoo is my favorite, but the mushroom backpack runs a close second!

So you can see my mind is mostly on sewing right now.  My sister's and I are headed to Lancaster on Monday to shop for fabric and donuts.  We cannot go to Lancaster without going to Shady Maple Farm Market for their awesome donuts!

Always,

K

We Will Never Forget

Three days after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 I wrote this poem. Every year, I post it and I still light a candle.

Tonight I Lit A Candle

Tonight I lit a candle, for the souls of those that died

I left the candle burning bright, to celebrate their lives.
We lost some treasured loved ones, their faces near and dear
We never had to know them to miss their presence here.

Tonight I lit a candle, for the souls of those we lost
To let them know we love them, are sorry they paid the cost.
We won’t forget your bravery, in the face of trying times
We vow to hold your memory close engraved upon our minds.

Tonight I lit a candle, for the souls of those we mourn
For it took your needless passing, for unity to form
Our nation vows its vengeance; your deaths were not in vain
Our flag still flies, our bells ring loud, freedom will still reign.

Tonight I lit a candle, for the souls for whom we pray,
Remembering your sacrifice with each and every day.
God Bless your souls and those of all the ones you left behind
And I pray that one day all will rest in any peace that they can find.

Tonight please light a candle, and add your prayers to mine
Let our silent blessings shout beyond the boundaries of this time.
Do not forget in months to come of how we feel today
Let September 11, 2001 become an Unsung Heroes day.

KAH 9-14-2001 (In memory of the many victims of the terrorist attack on the United States 9-11-2001)
(This is my original work, please do not duplicate it unless credit is given. Thank You.)

Pretty Painted Jars

A quick and simple idea I saw on another blog a few weeks ago inspired me to try these painted jars. 

What I love about them is that instead of the mess of painting the outside, you just pour some paint on the inside and shake, shake, shake it (with the lid on, of course!) to spread the paint around.  After shaking, I added a little more paint and then kinda of turned the jars to cover the places I missed.

I will warn you that the jars take several days to completely dry, at least mine did. They probably would have dried quicker if I had set them outside, but I didn't.

I'm not sure what I will do with them yet, but the blogger I borrowed the idea from added vinyl letters to the outside to label the jars and it was adorable!  (If you are that blogger or know that blogger, please let me know and I will definately give you credit for inspiring me and link up your blog!)

I'm linking this post to the Power of Paint Party over at Domestically Speaking.  I love all the inspiration found there!

Please check back soon, I've just finished my first Halloween decoration and I can't wait to share it with you!  Here's a peek to tease you a bit:

Always,
K

P.S. I'm still collecting donations for my walk to raise money for Alzheimer's research.  Click on the donation graphic on the side bar if you can spare a dollar or two.  It will take you to my fundraising page and you will be able to dedicate your donation to a loved one if you'd like.  Your donation is made directly to the Alzheimer's Association when you use a credit card.  I do not see your card, your name or any of your personal information!