Cookie Cutter Christmas Ornaments

I make Christmas ornaments every year for my kids and a few family members. It all started as making ornaments only for my kids, but then I started making two or three extra to give as gifts, and that has now grown into a yearly family Christmas Ornament Exchange!

It usually takes me lots of thought and planning to settle on just the right ornament to make. 

A few I've made in the past are Vintage Paper Ornaments,   Beach Ornaments with sand and shells from St. Augustine, Florida, a Flag of Ohio ornament, and Felt Snowman ornaments.

Vintage Display Shelves

My daughter Alexis and I decided to try a booth at our local farmer's market.  We decided to sell our fresh eggs, garden produce, and vintage kitchen gadgets, while also advertising our farm and showcase Alexis's beautiful Champagne D Argent rabbits she breeds.

We decorated the booth with a "Farm Vintage" look so packed up my DIY Chalkboard Signs, vintage tablecloths, burlap banner, vintage tags, baskets, and all the items we wanted to sell.  

Retro Recipe: Chicken A La King

I love old kitchen utensils, vintage aprons, and old recipes from family and friends. I fondly remember this dish from my young adult years but haven’t had it in ages.

I decided to track down a Chicken A La King recipe that would bring back the deliciousness of the dish and this one nailed it.

Many really good recipes have been ruined over the years by all sorts of shortcuts and substitutions and this dish is no exception.

Grandma Elder's Carrot Cake

This is a moist delicious carrot cake that's not too sweet and gets rave reviews when I make it. 

I usually make it as a sheet cake but it is so much prettier as a layer cake!

My mother-in-law Coy Lynch handed down her mother's Carrot Cake recipe to me many years ago. Her mother was Annabelle (Sharer) Elder from Alexis, Illinois. 

I never got to meet Annabelle but the cousins all talk fondly of visits to her house. Annabelle and her husband John H. had 5 children, one of which is the famous and highly successful high school coach John K. Elder. 

Thanksgiving Paper Craft

I got my idea for a Fall Decorated Christmas Tree a few years ago after seeing my sister Kathy's tree while visiting her in New Jersey.  
My fall tree is just 4 foot tall and in my kitchen bay window. 

I decorate this little tree for fall with autumn leaves, acorns, pumpkins, etc., and then add Halloween ornaments towards the end of October.  In November I use a Fall/Thanksgiving theme.

Since my Christmas Vintage Paper Ornaments turned out so well last year, IMO, I decided to make Thanksgiving ornaments too!

 

Look What I Found: Antique Handmade Quilt

I like going to second-hand stores, thrift stores, and antique shops whenever possible.

This is my latest find, a beautiful old patchwork quilt!

I know very little about old quilts or dating them, I just like them and collect them if the price is right.  

This is one of my best finds yet at $8.99.

I found this quilt especially interesting because of the quilt pattern and the stitched names.

A patchwork quilt is a quilt in which the top layer consists of pieces of fabric sewn together to form a design. Originally, this was to make full use of left-over scraps of fabric.

If you are reading this post and can shed more light on this quilt I would really appreciate it!