Silver Bella . . .

First off, let me say that Silver Bella Vendor night was fabulous!  Those who are actually Silver Bellas look like they know how to have a good time!  They all had aprons on - fancy aprons - and badges that told each other that they were there for the whole thing.  I saw some ladies in person whose blogs I read!  Exciting!  Most vendors were very friendly and had some way cool stuff to buy.  More ephemera than I ever saw in one place.  (Why couldn't I think of a single thing I needed?  Now that I am home why do I wish I had bought more?)  The following are some things I did bring home with me . . .

Pink bottle brush trees from Analise at Sugar*Sugar (she was nice enough to watch my coat while I shopped) and Christmas bingo cards from THE Jenni Bowlin.

I purchased the vintage graphics CD (images to die for!) from Mary of Green Paper.  What a sweetie!  And her sister too! Really kick myself for not getting more from her. 

Glittery bird ornament from Birds of a Feather and below is a paper ornament from Curious Sofa.

Our ticket said that the Vendor night started at 7:00.  We were there at 7:01.  The crowd was already starting to dispurse and EVERYONE had dozens of packages!  There was supposed to be hors d'oeuvres and a dessert bar included in the $30 ticket.  THERE WASN'T EVEN A CRACKER LEFT!!  At 7:01!!  Now, I'm thinking this --  the real Silver Bellas, the ones that paid almost $600 to be there, got to go into the room first to eat and shop.  I guess that is only fair.  Would I go to Silver Bella Vendor night again?  Honestly, I don't know.  Would I love to actually BE a Silver Bella?  YES! YES! YES!  (One of the vendors told me that they all know in advance when the reservations for the weekend are going on sale and they sit pretty close to the computer that day.  No wonder it sells out so quickly!)  Anyway, we had a good time and a special mother/daughter weekend!

We did find a couple of new places to shop in Omaha. 

Le Marche'.  Very French, very pretty!  Loved everything they had hanging from the ceiling . . .

A tree branch with paper flowers!

Strips of muslin hung with chrystals!

The walls are antiqued and decopaged with torn pages from books!  Lovely!

Also found Beyond the Vine but didn't get any pictures.  My hands were too full of Christmas ornaments for my new kitchen.  Every year I say 'no more Christmas stuff' and every year I either buy or make more and more!  It's an addiction!

Tomorrow is the first of a series of Tour of Homes.  I always come home with lots of ideas and wishes for lots of money to implement those ideas!

Another giveaway that needs to be spread around -- Julie at Prairie Thistle is celebrating two of her blogging buddies.  You just need to read her post to understand.  Such loving friendships!

An early wish that you all have a great weekend . . .

xo --  Connie

If you don't play, you won't win . . .

Just a heads up of some good, good giveaways.

Linda at Robin's Egg Blues to celebrate her 100th post.  If you love blue (and I DO), go here!

Donna at Brynwood Needleworks has posted 200 times!  Check out her crazy mitten disaster but everything else she does is fabulous!

The Brocantess is going all the way to France to purchase a gift for the winner!  Now that's what I call beyond the call of duty!

Kathy at Creative Home Expressions (wonderful blog!) is offering one of Christina's signs from Signs of Obsession.  What she can do with a little wood and paint!

Can you believe that I haven't gotten the things I bought at Silver Bella out of the bags yet?  Or taken a picture?  Or told you my thoughts about the whole Silver Bella thing?  I will -- tomorrow!  Been sewing like mad to get an order out so I can move on to other, Christmasy things! 

Until I find my camera . . .

xo --  Connie

Farm lesson #1 . . .

Thought you might like to see what I see during this time of year.  This is farming in Nebraska . . .

This is a bean field.

These are the beans in the bean field.

This is the combine that harvests the beans in the beanfield.

This is the bean head on the combine that harvests the beans in the beanfield.

These are the beans being 'picked' by the bean head that is on the combine that harvests the beans in the beanfield.

This is the bin where the beans are stored after being 'picked' by the bean head that is on the combine that harvests the beans in the cornfield.

Next lesson -- CORN!  It really is the same as beans only different so I think we will skip that lesson.


Now, on to some giveaway goodies . . .

Leann at The Old Parsonage is having a fantastic giveaway to celebrate over 100 followers!

Lynn at Trash to Treasure Art is celebrating her 1 year blogging anniversary with oodles of good stuff!

Paula at Castle and Cottage is having her 1st giveaway ever and it is a fabulous one!

Elyse has just opened a Lollishop shop that is so cute.  Check her out at Cottage!

Tami at South Street Shabby has posted 75 times and is having a wonderful giveaway!

All of them have awesome blogs that are definately worth visiting even if they aren't being so generous!  Oh, how I wish I knew how to get pictures of their lovely giveaways here!  If you have simple directions, please let me know!  (Remember, I am still in the learning process of this blogging stuff and sometimes I think I am completely computer illiterate!)

Until tomorrow my friends.  Cuter pictures, I promise!

xo  --  Connie

Generous . . .

Everyone is having a giveaway!  Are there blogging rules about months that giveaways are required that I don't know about and because I don't know, I will soon be kicked out of every blogging community for not playing nice with others?  Or, is it that those who blog are the most generous people of all!  I believe that this is really why there are fabulous giveaways galore out there right now!  (But really people, if there are blogging rules that I am missing out on, please let me know!)  I struggle about posting about these giveaways because I sure don't want anyone to think that I just visit blogs to sign up to win a prize.  But the ones I post about are ones I 'lurk' at regularly anyway and most are on my 'favorites' list.  I now think that bloggers who give back to their followers are the nicest people, so wonderfully creative in so many ways and are so generous that why shouldn't I rave about them and encourage others to their blogs that are so lovely to look at!

So, to get on with the goodness . . .  Cheryl at Zany Mayd is celebrating a thankful Thanksgiving with loads of goodies; Melissa's Heart and Home has been blogging for 1 year and is giving away a bunch of really fab stuff; and The Design Girl's giveaway is the cutest snowman ever!  If I don't win and you do, send me a comment saying you saw it here!

If I find any more giveaways, I'll be sure to let you all know!  Such a good way to find new blogging friends!

Saw my first Christmas commercial the day after Halloween and have already seen Christmas decorations on some blogs so I guess it is time to think about it.  I LOVE Christmas and look forward to lugging all of the boxes out of the closet and basement.  (The loving Christmas part is true!)

Sorry no pictures or any news of new creations but maybe next time . . .

xo  --  Connie

'BOO' y'all . . .

To all of you Halloween enthusiasts - here are pics of a few things I've made to decorate my house for the holiday.  I can't say I am a BIG spooky lover but it seems that Halloween is becoming as big as Christmas as far as cute decorations.  My daughter loves it and I buy/make more things for her than for me.  I always disliked finding costumes (we NEVER bought any, just made them from what we had around the house) and I refuse to spend 15 dollars for a pumpkin that always freezes and flattens on the sidewalk.  But before you think I am the biggest party-pooper ever, I do play the Halloween 'game' for my grandson and try to get him excited about trick or treating.  Trying to teach him the 'trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat' to say at each house. 

(Made these from Picnik  - fun!)

Anyway - hope you all have a scary, spooky, witchy, ghostly, dark, dank Halloween! Oh, and always, ALWAYS save back enough candy for yourself!

Here's to eating chocolate in the dark and watching scary movies . . .

xo  --  Connie

PS -- Teri at A Little Bit of this and that is celebrating her first ever giveaway.  Her prize - a wonderful bunch of stuff from her stash.  And we all love 'stuff', don't we!

We will build a snowman . . .

I had to promise the J-man that we would make a snowman with his new mittens.  I hope that is far, far in the future (or maybe not at all!)  Western Nebraska got over a foot of snow today!  Please, please don't let it come this far east! 

We farm and there are acres and acres of un-harvested crops in the fields.  It is such a shame to grow bumper crops and not be able to get them in the bins.  We are usually close to finishing by this time any other year but we have had nothing but wet, cold weather for the last 4 weeks.  Even if we could get to the fields, neither the beans or the corn is dry enough to store.  Why do we farm you ask?  Sometimes we don't even know! 

Getting back to the mittens . . .  I am a very novice knitter.  But after unraveling and starting over so many times, I am proud to say that I can now knit something other than a straight scarf!  Everyone is getting mittens for Christmas!  Next project to tackle -- SOCKS!

I'm off to get our church directory pictures taken (and me having a very bad hair day) . . .

xo  -- Connie

A day in the country . . .

First let me tell you, we NEVER have good sales around here.  There are very few antique stores anymore and what there are, they think their stuff is made of gold!  No such things as estate sales and the household auctions are almost a thing of the past (and who wants to sit for hours waiting for that ONE special thing to sell).  So, I was thrilled to find an advertisement for 'A Day in the Country' close to where I live.  A few towns with antique stores that are never really open, but they all opened for one day!  So off  I went on a road trip. What fun!

The above pictures are on a local farm where the gal has LOADS of furniture in her hay loft.  Definately going back next year.  Gotta get me some of her treasures!

These pics are from Cammie at  Daffadowndilly's.  So much fabulous stuff!  I would like to call her every week to open just for me!  She is a vendor at Junk Bonanza so you know she has great junk! 

My daughter bought the globe (it lights up) and I got one of those chalkboard signs.  Love it!

Also came home with the cool keys and a WHOLE BUNCH of lace, already tea-stained! 

I really don't want my blog to just be advertisements for giveaways, but when my favorite blogs have giveaways as fabulous as these, I have to mention them!  Theresa at Garden Antgs Vintage is celebrating her blog anniversary.  Andrea at Vintage Bella Studio is lovin Audrey Hepburn and has made the cutest handbag with Audrey's image.  Lori at Wildflowers is announcing that she has accomplished 100 posts.  Anne at Fiona and Twig is at a whopping 200 posts and 200 followers (201 counting me).  All of these blogs are to die for!  Go see them!

I would love to have a giveaway.  Maybe I should set my sites lower than 100 posts or 100 followers.  Maybe 50 posts and 25 followers.  Or maybe to celebrate a post with more than 1 comment!  Keep checking to see what I come up with!

Here's hoping we are all winners . . .

xo  --  Connie

PS -- how do I get cuter fonts to use in blogger?