YART SALE!

Oh my! Where has the time gone?
First, my apologizes for not visiting your blogs of late, and for not keeping up with my own!
I promise to be by for a visit soon!

I have been remiss while time gets the better of me.
My days begin with promise of a long list of things to get done during the day and night, but somehow, at the end of the day, it seems I find myself playing catch-up with my own agenda!
I never seem to have the time to finish all of the many projects I have going on, and just wish I had a lovely workroom with loads of storage and works areas. It would be so nice to have everything organized just so!
But, I usually work out of the guest bedroom and EVERYTHING is in there:
twin beds, closets, computer, 2 printers, 2 sewing machines, tons of fabric and sewing supplies, paper, board, pens, trims, tissue and wrapping, envelopes, patterns, books, graphics, oh my!
And it seems lately it is all just taking on a life of its own and dragging me along for the ride!
I have now emerged from the room to take over the dining room table with my trimmers, and cutting boards and slicers!
So with that said, I know it is time for a clear out and also time for some cleaning up and organization.
Which brings us to the Yart Sale on Etsy this weekend.
Etsy is sponsoring a sale this weekend and everyone is invited to participate.
One of the conditions of the sale is that the seller includes free shipping.
So do stop by for a peek and get some bargains!
It is NEVER too early for holiday shopping and Father's Day is soon upon us, too.

I have already listed and relisted some items in SweetScarlett for the sale but I am getting tired.
So it's bedtime for me but I will be back on-line tomorrow, listing more things for the sale.
Ooooh - I have some fab vintage buttons and fabric to list in EnglishPreserves, and some other unique finds, too. So please stop by and have a browse, won't you?

xxx
Maggie

The Reveal!!!

OK so now I am all set and ready to go with my latest little creations!
They have been months in the making and I am delighted to be able to introduce them t you in time fr Mother's Day (US) and Graduations for students at University and High School.

Drum roll, please . . .
Introducing Wee Lucky Penny Books and A Penny for Your Thoughts books!!!



Wee Lucky Penny Books feature greetings similar to those found on greeting cards. Messages like, Happy Birthday, Congratulations, New Baby, New Home, Success, Good Luck, appear in their pages.
A Penny for Your Thoughts books feature poems, sayings, quotations, and thoughts.
Both book sets have all of the following:

• fabric covers
• string, ribbon, yarn, or trim closures
• acid-free end papers identifying the monarch and years of reign
• an over-sized vintage British penny with one of the following monarchs: Queen Victoria; King Edward; King George V; King George VI; Queen Elizabeth II
• pages with greetings and vintage illustrations or decorations

The wee little darlings can be custom ordered, and/or personalized.
Additionally, most of the books you see can be ordered in your selection of pennies.
Just email me with your requests at: luckypennybooks[at]gmail[dot]com

Watch for more styles coming soon and please take a look at my most recent Treasury!

More to come!
xxx
Maggie

PS - I have listed five Lucky Penny Books tonight and will add more tomorrow.
Today's additions include: Congratulations New Baby; Congratulations Graduate; Mother's Day; and two inspirational cards: one with a quote from Queen Victoria about overcoming obstacles, and the other about aging gracefully.

I Have a Secret . . .

This is a sweet little bird's nest found at my old home in Williamsville, New York

Thanks to all of you faithful followers who have been checking in these past few days only to find no new posts!

My apologizes are humbly given.

I have been working on something new - feverishly trying to have it ready for my Sweet Scarlett shop in time for Mother's Day in the United States. And graduation day, too!
Universities in the US typically have graduation ceremonies in the month of May, while High Schools celebrate their graduations in June.

My little secret has been in the works for a few months now, and although some of you are aware of it, no one knows for sure exactly what it is.
Well, except my sister in Florida! And two special ladies in California!

Please check back again soon . . . a a surprise will be waiting!
In the meantime, I will try to get to your blogs to catch-up with all that has been happening in your lives, soon!
xxx
Maggie

I call this the 'Daffodil Pub'. We came across it in our travels, on our way to Ledbury, two years ago. I have wanted to return ever since, but so far no luck!
Isn't it spectacular?

Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny arrived last night, bringing baskets to hide and jelly beans to scatter in baskets and candy dishes.


Jim and Kate had to search for theirs in the morning, (you are never too old to have a basket!) as did the grandchildren when they stopped by in the afternoon.
It was so much fun watching them all hunt for the little baskets filled with treats.


Libby found her basket first, and the look on little Ethan's face, was priceless!
He was so dismayed at not being able to find his!

Because Katie is here with us this Easter, we had no one to send us our Buffalo Easter treats of Niagara Candy chocolate rabbits, Merckens foil eggs, & Peeps. (also look at the peep show - it is unbelievable!)
But we did find some rather pleasant substitutes, so all was not lost.

Calls came in from our son in North Carolina and our daughter in Brooklyn, New York. It was so good t hear their voices.
We found out that Jonathan has found a new job, so we are pleased and happy for him and his girlfriend Stephanie, as they begin their lives together in a new city.
Our day was calm and easy-going, filled with family visits and laughter food and a bit of baking, too.

But my special Easter present actually came yesterday and during the week.

My sister sent us a lovely card, bringing some of the Florida sunshine with it.
And two dear friends sent us Easter greetings via snail mail, which were totally unexpected, and such a nice surprise.

Our friends, Maria and Frank, sent a fun Hoops and Yoyo card along with a gift. Their squeaky, high-pitched voices drive our Border Collie crazy, so there is an added element of fun for the dog, too!


And my dear blogging friend, Natalie Jo, sent me a darling kitty card with a special kitty fabric inside, too!
She said the card reminded her of me after she read the piece on Sugar Mice so she had to have it for me!
I am humbled by the generosity of others.
It is nice to think there are people out there who care so much about us and are thinking of us.
The true blessings of Easter are the friends and family we cherish and hold dear.

Blessing to you all,
Maggie

For the Love of . . . Peanut Butter!

Being an American, living in England, it is sometimes necessary to explain our love of the peanut and all of the derivatives thereof.
Trying to explain the joy of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on fresh, preferable squishy, white bread, gets to be quite the challenge! (Most Brits crinkle up their noses at the description.)
Not to mention the deliciousness of peanut butter cookies, and oh yes the all-time-favourite: the Reeses Peanut Butter Cup.

Now here is the rub: you can buy Reeses PBC here on this fabulous island - you see them right there at the end of the counter as you wait in the queque in Morrisons, but sadly, they are not the same as those in the US. In fact, they are made in Canada, do not taste the same, and often are stale, probably sent via surface mail in a boat right up the Welland Canal, to the St. Lawrence Seaway, to the Atlantic Ocean!
Mind you - when you are deprived of them for ages, they will do in a pinch as a substitute, but nothing beats the joy of a tasty, fresh Reeses Peanut Butter Cup right from the good old USA.
And it gets even better at holiday time.

Each holiday brings with it the tasty cups in new and lovely shapes: the egg at Easter; the pumpkin at Halloween; the tree at Christmas. These are particularly good because the have more of the filling and less of the chocolate.
They come six to a pack and are gone in a flash!
Because once a bite is taken from them, you only want to have another and another!

Now here is the point of all of this: You know someone really loves you when they send you these special treats in the post all the way from America. Postage costs are astronomical and probably are more than three times the cost of the product, so it is true love when you find the postman at your door, first thing in the morning, holding a package that bears one thing and one thing only- the coveted Reeses Peanut Butter cup, in egg form, in a MULTIPACK of INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED eggs!
I have been away so long I didn't even know they were sold like this!!!
Complete with an Easter 'Cat' card, and creatively shipped in a cereal box, what more could someone want?
A huge 'THANK YOU' goes out to our son, Jonathan, and his girlfriend Stephanie, in North Carolina for thinking of us and treating us to such a wonderful tasty delight!
We love you and miss you!!!