Nutley, New Jersey

The very first time I became aware of Martha Stewart's Living was while waiting for a friend to gather her things together at her home so that we could go out for lunch together. I noticed a blond haired woman smiling at me from the cover of one magazine among many upon a coffee table.

Knowing my time was limited, I quickly thumbed through pages that were unlike any I had ever seen. As I reached the very last page, a title "Nutley, New Jersey" caught my eye along with a tiny old-fashioned photograph of a woman in her kitchen. A page of words, I began to read.

The words painted so clearly for me the members of a large family bustling about a tiny kitchen as they packaged fruit cakes in tins to give as Christmas gifts to their neighbors. I was enchanted. (Hot glue head bead to pine cone base.)

I didn't need to know anything else about the magazine except that I wanted to read more about the family at 86 Elm Street, Nutley, NJ. A subscription card pulled from within the glossy pages made it's way home with me. (Cut two inch square, cut curve. Match long edges, trim until opening is right size. Apply bead of hot glue, press edges together,

before glue dries, flatten seam by pressing between fingers.)

For many months and many years to come, I would await the arrival of Martha Stewart's magazine among the stacks of bills and letters my children would retrieve from our mail box. I would always turn to the last page, first, (Apply hot glue to end of pipe cleaner and position for each arm and leg cutting stem as you move along.)

and read about the every day patterns of the Kostyra parents and their six children.

I knew the stories were romanticized tableau's of  Martha's childhood, but to me they meant everything as my own childhood was not at all typical. The stories became a framework for the home life I wanted for my own children. (Slip shoes onto leg stems. Bend stems at right angles. Apply hot glue to top and bottom of created foot, press shoe bottom to top.)

In every way we were a family who created traditions to remember always the loving home we shared. (To position elf to stand, place two fingers at bend of foot. Lean elf towards fingers until able to stand alone.)

When I began my blog, I made a conscious decision to write in such a way that would evoke the feeling I had when reading about Nutley, New Jersey. (Long strip of felt is positioned to create scarf, hot glue applied to keep in place, trim to correct length.)

I love to come to this place I call Creative Breathing filled with it's pages of childhood remembrances and things made to celebrate holidays with friends. Martha Stewart will never know how her stories of Nutley, New Jersey have touched my life, but I know; and I am thankful. (Apply hot glue to both sides of arm stems, press mittens to both sides.)

How absolutely sweet Martha's elves are posed with my Happy Birthday sign from Diane's Etsy shop. I was suppose to wait until my actual birthday to open, but you know how that goes....

Birthday Wishes and Nutley Elves, now THAT'S A GOOD THING!

Shopping at Macy's

Diane's Etsy shop, Saturday Finds, is my go to place for crafts featuring the holiday images I so love from days gone by.

There are so many vintage things I would not know about if it were not for Diane's use of them in creating the most adorable crafts. My Cute as Can Be Mr.Snowman would not be wearing his dapper red ice cream hat

if I had not purchased one of Diane's St. Charles Elf Cups. I absolutely adore him and can't wait to display him again this year.

The Queen of Pink has definitely influenced my color pallet for this year's holiday fare. My vintage inspired snowman wears pink and blue as he stand in line to meet Mr. North Pole.

Oh, now these shoppers are, as Vivian would say, "too stinkin' cute" for words! It looks as though their front doors will be decorated ever so ringingly.

  
Lest I give you the wrong impression, Diane does dabble in the traditional reds and greens that I so love. I am adding one of these cute kittens to my Must Have List. They are just so mE!

I know I will bore you to tears with with Christmas before the temperatures even drop below 70*, but I just had to share these wonderful characters that are appearing before me in my beloved craft room.

There are so many of you whose style is now reflected in my own art that I hope now speaks as my own. I strive to have a very simple style that reflects my own personality with just a hint of all that sparkles to reflect the women who shine so brightly in my eyes.

Please do not Pin pattern to Pinterest.

Have Truck, Will Move

At the time my father passed away and my mother became a Room Renter, she also began working as a bookkeeper for Gosnel's Gardens. A place to purchase all your gardening needs. During the winter months when the company's truck would make it's long trek to Plant City, Florida, for Christmas poinsettias, an advertisement would go out in the local newspaper offering to move Snowbird Furniture at a reasonable price in the going south empty tractor trailer.

Phil, one of my mother's Room Renters, was the driver for the long haul. A HANDSOME young MAN in his twenties, Phil was also someone who kept to a tight schedule when transporting perishable plants. Home for the Holidays, it was decided my brother John would ride along as help to earn money for college.

The ad to move Snowbird Furniture was answered by a recent college graduate of Georgetown University Law. The always punctual Phil expected the student with his belongings to be ready for a 7am pick-up. The student would also be making the trip with his furniture. No one on the curb, the boys were astonished at the sight of a clearly hungover graduate rather rotund and in his boxers answering their persistent knocking on his apartment door.

Not at all contrite the student arrogantly asked the fellas if they would help load his belongings into their truck for $20.00 apiece. "For $100.00 here and $100.00 in Florida, we will. Now lets get moving!" The decision having already been made by Phil.

The truck nearly filled, all that remained was a heavy as can be solid oak government issued desk that would not fit through the door of the apartment. "Use your tools to take the desk apart." ordered the student. "We haven't got any tools!" replied Phil. "Lets lower it over the balcony!" my ever resourceful brother offered.

The truck backed underneath the one-story apartment, my brother holding onto the legs of the desk began to lower it over the balcony railing to the outstretched arms of the student. "Have you got it?" yelled my brother. "Just a little lower!" replied the student, "A little more, a little more!"  One to many "little mores" and gravity got the better of the situation. The legs of the desk were all that remained in my brother's hands.

The desk in pieces lay before the student. "Load it up, Move it out!" could be heard from Phil over the starting engine. They were not even at the end of the street before the student asked could they stop for a restroom and breakfast break as he had not had the chance to attend to either. "We'll stop when we get gas." Phil called out over the ROCKABILLY music he would SING to for the next 22 hours.

The truck didn't need refilling until North Carolina.

Destination Florida in the dark morning hours, it seemed the student's Snowbird parents were not yet at their winter home. The student said he would walk to the gas station around the corner and call them to see how much longer they would be, could they wait to help move his things into the house.  The second $100.00 paid, the student barely out of sight, the boys unloaded at record speed box after box and one broken desk onto the driveway. As they drove pass the stunned student in the telephone booth, Phil tooted the truck's air horn and called out his window, "I'm on a schedule!"

I absolutely love when my brother shares one of his childhood stories with me. They are as big as his personality and always make me laugh. We both adored Room Renting, Truck Driver Phil who had another very unique attribute about his personality I have featured before in stories I have shared about him.

Wreaths use mushroom top as pattern.

The Countdown Begins!

The vestiges of summer days nearly gone, the excitement of Newlywed Love it's own climate here in the Heart of Ohio. Puppy Babysitting begins tomorrow leaving a final day for the bride and groom to pack for their excursion to Hawaii where they will be married.

My husband and I dropped off TSG's very twirly wedding dress and shoes at Joe's house warning him not to peek while Kellye is at work. Grinning from ear to ear, we could tell Joe was eager to share the itinerary of the Wedding Party. Joe's oldest sister and youngest sister will be accompanying them to Hawaii.

Joe gleefully produced for us a map of Maui to peruse as he said these words to the Mother-of-the-Bride, "I'm a little worried about Kellye handling the 3,000 ft descent into the volcano."

Suddenly the list of pre-wedding shopping items my daughter ticked off to me begins to make sense. Cargo pants that unzip, Indiana Joes fedora, heavy duty sunscreen ...... "VOLCANO!!!!!" I exclaimed. "You are hiking into a volcano the day BEFORE you get married????"

I swear to you  Joe's grin became wider. "It says in the guide book the temperatures can be extreme. From sudden heat bursts over 100* to torrential downpours. I'm trying to decide if we should choose the SEVEN mile hike or the TEN mile hike." At this point visions of "Joe VS the Volcano" are flashing through my mind with my daughter as the virginal sacrifice to the volcano gods.

"We're going to be camping out overnight!" continues Joe. "There's a hotel at the bottom of the volcano?" I hopefully ask as Joe unrolls before me a rubber mat. Apparently not hearing me he responds, "I've got one for each of us. They're nice and cushy!"

As my husband helped me get into our car to drive away, I was already mentally making a list of questions to ask my daughter about her upcoming nuptials, "Do you have hiking boots and band aids?"

"Aloha!" Joe and Kellye. We love you with all our hearts!  Mom and Dad

Elves, Mushrooms and Desktop Backgrounds

I adore screen savers! They play a huge part in my own creative process. A certain composition of colors in a photograph will greet me with each visit to my blog as I mull over how to interpret what I am seeing into a craft.

From Paper Dolly's kitchen composition, the thought came to me that certain things just go together naturally. Every cake has it's cake plate, every whisk it's mixing bowl.

Elves and their go-togethers has become the thought process behind Christmas ornaments. Elves and mushrooms, Elves and reindeer, Elves and wreaths.... you get the screen saver!

I absolutely adore screen savers and save them in a special file to reference.  I will often call my husband close to me to show him the latest; and I will say something like, "I'm going to do a whole vintage camping series of crafts!" He says, "Nice screen saver." and leaves the room.

I am busily making easy as can be Peppermint Elves. I have basted the three main body pieces together before using the button stitch to join them together.

"To hang or not to hang..." I always fold under the tip of any pointed hat before catching my hanger inside. Stuff your elf as you go along. Note the color of thread changes with the color of felt. Make slits in sides of body for pipe stem to slip through for arms. Continue stuffing and closing with button stitches, don't cut thread.

 Button stitch base in place. Pierce base with the tips of pointy scissors to create leg openings. Insert pipe stems, bend to create ankles and feet, trim stems.

Make sleeves and slip onto arm stems. I use a few tacking stitches going from side to side to secure. Nearly done, make your shoes and slip them on stem feet.

Oh my gosh! Are these ever cute Elves!

They are so tiny, and dare I say CUTE once again!

And personality! They are filled with personality! There is not such a thing as a shy Elf. This must be why I adore them so.

So I do hope you give your screen saver another thought to see what it is saying to you creatively. If it's a good one, be sure and share it with me!