This is the nicest note !

Below is a note that a customer sent me about my Stella Swampbottom froggie doll. This really makes a doll artist's day !

Hugs,
Linda

Stella did arrive and I haven't stopped smiling since she got here. I can't even tell you how much I like her - it makes me happy every time I see her. It is everything about her but especially the mask - it's just too much : ).
This is truly one of the best things I've ever purchased for myself. And, I have to tell you too that was the most fun I've ever had opening a package - ever!
She's taken up her post and she's the first thing you see when you come in the front door. I've got an army of people coming in next weekend so they'll all get to see her too! They'll be very envious : ).
Thank you so much for bringing this entertainment into my life! She'll be treasured.
Thanks for the bonus pumpkins too! This has been so much fun!!

Meet Stella Swampbottom ~ Debuting September 1st on TDIPT Mercantile

Click on photos to enlarge.


Caught in the spotlight !




Stella is masquerading this year as a witch. Wearing this *spooktacular* costume and toting her spider leg (beaded) trim bag, I am sure she will win first prize for the best attire! :o) She is 17 inches tall with her witchy hat. She is a tad plump with a round heavy weighted rag ( fabric scraps )and plastic poly pellet bottom, but please don't tell her I said that ! It must be from eating all those lollipops !

There is quite a lot of detail on her little witchy costume, her bag and mask. In the lighting, her color looks a little washed out; she is a warm coffee stained and cinnamon sage green and ivory.

She will be listed the evening of August 31st on TDIPT Mercantile for the month of September. Unless a handsome prince comes along and sweeps her off her feet ( little round bottom ) !

Enjoy your day and have a pleasant weekend !

Hugs,
Linda

** New ** Table and Chairs ! from the Antique Store

The print above the hoozier was a gift from a friend. I made a vingette from the vintage finds that I already had to complement the print.



This is my vintage kitchen and my **new** table and three chairs that I found a couple weeks ago in an antique store. The table has a porcelain top with leaves and has a drawer in one side. Even though I love the primitive look, I have a soft spot for a vintage kitchen and breakfast room. I made the cushions for the chairs from a piece of Longaberger ( basket ) fabric.

I made the long tiers on the windows from a store bought vintage style tablecloth and made the tiebacks with rick rack trim. The store bought valances match the tablecloth curtains.



The hoozier was a find 11 years ago for $200.



The white china cupboard was another steal at only $40.



The only thing missing from the photo is a homemade pie sitting on the hoozier !

Hugs,
Linda

Another reason to love Ocean City, MD

Ocean City, MD is not afraid to praise the Lord ! These photos were taken on the beach at Ocean City at night. These sculptures are permanently on the sand and lit up at night.

Hugs,
Linda

The Cathedral of Learning and Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh

Click photos to enlarge..




In the background of a couple of the photos is the Cathedral of Learning at Pitt University in Pittsburgh. These were taken in front of the Phipps Conservatory this past weekend. My sister and her boyfriend and my sister and me. My hair was blowing every which way but loose from the strong winds and is covering my face as you can see. The glass sculpture is hanging in the foyer of the Phipps Conservatory.

The photos were sent to me from my sister's camera as I totally forgot to take mine.

If you get a chance, please take a peek at www.tdiptmercantile.com to see the new creations for the 15th of the month !

Hugs,
Linda

Ocean City, MD. and Assateague Island

My son and grandson at the Assateague Island National Park.



We saw the Assateague ponies on our way out of Assateague.



The ocean on Assateague Island. It's very relaxing here at Assateague. No stores, no huge crowds, and no noise except for the sound of the waves and the seagulls.



Sunset on the bay of Ocean City from Talbot Street. In the foreground is the Angler Restaurant. Behind the Talbot Inn Motel, where I am standing on the second floor porch, is the M.R.Duck's Restaurant. The drawbridge is behind the post of flag but it is difficult to see. The Angler Restaurant has been in Ocean City for 70 years, I believe.



This is one great sign that is displayed in Ocean City !



My grandson, with the boardwalk in the background. The boardwalk has been in Ocean City since 1902. It has grown to three miles long.



This is Dumser's Dairyland Factory. It's been a part of Ocean City history since 1939. Of course, I had to try the original orange swirl cone.



My grandson is standing under the boardwalk sign.



A fishing pier on the inlet of the bay at Ocean City. You can fish here all day for a small fee.



My grandson, who was tired of having his picture taken...also, a little 11 year old atttitude showing.



Can you find my grandson in this photo ? This is taken on the boardwalk.


The throw away camera worked, but I sure missed my digital camera !

Hugs,
Linda

I'm Back ! from Fourth of July Vacation !

This is a photo of some fireworks taken with a cellphone on the 4th on the beach at Ocean City, MD.

I hope to have more photos to share ...that is if my throw away camera took some decent photos that is !.. I didn't take my digital camera as I didn't know what the salt air might do to it.

We stayed on the bayside and I actually enjoyed it.. I have always stayed in an ocean front room before when vacationing there. Seeing the boats in the bay and the drawbridge open up were a treat. Also, some very pretty sunsets ! I could see the ocean from the porch at the motel. ( The Talbot Motel is a very nice and clean motel and reasonably priced. ) It was only two and a half blocks away. I loved walking the boardwalk in the mornings ! And looking at the ocean ! How I wish I could do that everyday !

We had lovely weather while there. It's hard to believe six days without rain. It sure beats the PA. weather ! I live in the wrong area of the country ! They have some local corn there in the area ready to eat already.. The magnolia trees were in bloom and the blue hydrangeas were beautiful !

Here I am back in reality and dirty dishes... !

Hopefully I will have more photos soon !

Hugs,
Linda

Sneak Preview ~ upcoming July offering for TDIPT

This is Molly !... It looks like she can't wait until Halloween to show off her new costume and goodie bag! And her Mommy has just polished up her saddle shoes, so the scuff marks don't show ..:o)



She is one of my offerings to be listed on TDIPT Mercantile July 1st.

She is adapted and inspired from a dollie I made last year. The hat is inspired by an antique vintage one found in an antique store.

Hugs,
Linda

It's in There ! Spaghetti and Meatballs

In between making dolls and doing everyday mundane household chores, I do cook once in a while. I thought I would share my meatball and sauce recipe. The spices added are not measured, so I am giving a ballpark figure with the spices that I add..




The meatballs:

1 3/4 pound of ground chuck
2 eggs
2 pieces of Italian bread, torn in pieces
2-3 minced/chopped up fine cloves of garlic ( not the whole bulb )
Added about:
3 tablespoons of seasoned italian bread crumbs
2-3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon of oregano or so
several dashes of onion powder
"" "" "" garlic powder
dashes of black pepper
dashes of Italian seasoning
about 2 teaspoons of parsley flakes

Mix all together with clean hands and roll into little balls and place in a skillet with a little olive oil in it. Saute' on low and turn until brown on all sides.
Add meatballs to sauce with a tablespoon or two of the drippings. Makes about 24 meatballs.

Sauce:

28 oz. can of whole tomatoes, chopped up
28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
12 oz. can of tomato paste
I add a little chopped up fine garlic..maybe half of a clove
add a little water ..maybe a cup or so
maybe about 2 teaspoons of basil flakes
a teaspoon or so of sugar, optional
a "" " "" italian seasoning
dashes of garlic and onion powder
just a dash of oregano

Bring sauce just to boil then simmer on low all day long ! well, until dinner anyway. I have a gas stove and use two heat diffusers under my pot. Photo of a heat diffuser shown under red teapot.

I use the thin spaghetti ( San Giorgio ) and I usually make a big tossed salad to complete the meal. I use Good Seasons Italian dressing mix. You add your own vinegar and oil and water. And then at least you know where most of the ingredients come from.

Wear a bib and enjoy your dinner !
Hugs,
Linda

We Are The Champions ! Pittsburgh Penguins !

We WON !

I am so happy.. they won and now the hockey games are over for a while and maybe I can watch something on television instead of hockey ! My dh is a Pittsburgh Penguins fan !

Hugs,
Linda

Ringing in Freedom ..

This handsome fellow is now listed on ebay. Click the link below to take a peek of more photos of this prim patriotic cupboard hanger.
http://meadowbrookcabinmercantile.blogspot.com/

I have been busy making this eagle and enjoying the warmer weather. I have even enjoyed trimming and pulling the weeds from the yard. Boy, it must have been a long winter ! I have done some vegetable planting in the garden and have sown some leaf lettuce seeds in a window box on the deck.

Dh and I took a ride to Altoona on Sunday, and, of course, had to stop at a craft store. A few miles down the road from Altoona there is an antique mall, and I found a few goodies. Buttons, an old tape measure and vintage antique hat pins.

May you have a wonderful warm evening,
Hugs,
Linda

Meadowbrook Cabin Mercantile's New Selling Blog

It's been a long time coming, but I finally have a new selling blog. To view my blog, click on http://meadowbrookcabinmercantile.blogspot.com/

My first offering is a pinkeep shoe complete with a pair of vintage looking scissors and a few hat pins and vintage buttons.

May you have a pleasant evening !
Hugs,
Linda

And the Winner of My Giveaway IS.....

Good Morning,

Today is June 1st ! June has started out on a chilly note ! Right now it is 39 degrees ! The sun is shining and today's high is 74, so it will be a little warmer.

If you get a chance, please take a peek at all the creative offerings on TDIPT mercantile. Just click the chicken photo on the left hand side of the page.

So, without further ado, I am going to draw a name, since there is no one here but me at the moment, and I don't think my dog could pick just one slip of paper out of the basket...

Oh, wait a minute... I have to get my camera ... hold on... I may as well get a little more coffee, too...



(The names were in the basket and it is not included.)

And the winner is...........Tammy, of scrappingonthego.blogspot.com ....

Congratulations Tammy ! I best be contacting Tammy !

A big Thank You to all of you who participated in my giveaway ! It was nice hearing from new bloggers and readers and my dear regular blog friends. I have enjoyed reading about all your favorite things.

May you all have a pleasant, warm and sunshiny week !

Hugs,
Linda

County Fair Theme for June at TDIPT Mercantile

This is part of my June offering for TDIPT mercantile. To see the rest of this gathering please click on http://tdipt-meadowbrook.blogspot.com/ on the evening of May 31st.

There is only a couple days left to sign up for my giveaway ! Scroll down to the giveaway post below to enter.

May you have a pleasant weekend !

Hugs,
Linda

Pittsburgh Again --- and scroll down to sign up for giveaway

Another view of Pittsburgh! The photo was taken while crossing the McKee's Rocks bridge. It's so nice to get away for a weekend...again ! I went to my niece's baby shower over the weekend and helped my sister prepare for it.
We also did a little shopping.. Robinson Town Mall and over to East Liberty to Trader Joe's.. somewhat an organic grocery store. There are so many neat suburbs of Pittsburgh !..

The May/June issue of Pennsylvania has an article on the Strip District in Pittsburgh. You can find this magazine in most grocery stores/book stores if you are from Pennsylvania.

Friday evening we ate in Bellevue ( a suburb of Pittsburgh on the North Side ) at a little homestyle restaurant called The Rusty Nail. Great food and great prices. There was so much stuffed flounder on my plate I couldn't eat all of it.. A full meal for only 10.00 - Bread basket, salad, choice of potato, vegetable and the flounder. My sister ordered the crab cakes and she had three great big crab cakes on her plate.. which was 10.00 also.. You can get a good meal and eat cheap in Pittsburgh if you know the right places to go !

We also tried a new restaurant for the first time ( new to us ) called Bahama Breeze by the Robinson Town Mall. The menu was not your ordinary menu.. The decor and atmosphere was fabulous.. like a tropical vacation .. We both had an oak fired chicken sandwich and for the side, a fresh fruit salad that had a scoop of sherbert with it. Great food and very tasty.

It is a day for errands, so got to run !
Hugs,
Linda

My First Blog Giveaway !

This is my first blog giveaway to celebrate one year of being in blog land, my new blog and also to celebrate being a new member of TDIPT Mercantile.
Lots of goodies to the lucky winner !... A log cabin note pad/magnet set, three bags of potpourri tarts and a cupboard light ( made by my friend, Mary ), a bag of Hershey's Bliss Dark Chocolates, and a *chimney* shoe pin keep I just made. Also, a little bit of history about concealment shoes that I printed out on heavy document paper. The shoe pin keep is from a pattern by Hazelruthe.

You can click on the photos to enlarge them.


To enter the blog giveaway, just leave me a comment about some of your favorite things.

For an additional chance to win, just post my blog giveaway on your blog. Please let me know if you post the giveaway on your blog.

If you don't have your own blog, please leave your email address so that I may get in touch with you if you win.

This giveaway will be shipped free to the continental United States only.

The drawing for the giveaway will be on June 1st.



The shoe pin keep is made from painted and sanded heavy muslin, has three antique vintage buttons sewn on the flap, a brown wool pin cushion sewn atop the shoe, and antique vintage pearly shell buttons stacked on top held on with pins. The shoe is weighted with plastic poly pellets.

Please don't forget to mention some of your favorite things ! It can be a place, something you like to do, food, what nots, color, etc...

Good luck to you !

Hugs,
Linda

Hearts in the Park Walk ~ Pittsburgh

The one and only...Pittsburgh Pirate Parrot & my sister !



" Ready, set, go" ...said the beagle, by the looks of him ! Yes, the owners' dogs were also able to come along !

Walking for the heart !


Doves released in memory of the doctor, James A. Magovern M.D.



This past weekend I participated in the Hearts in the Park Walk. The Pittsburgh Pirate Parrot also participated !

We went to *The Strip* in Pittsburgh.. a Wonderful marketplace ! If you like to cook and or eat... it's the place to go in Pittsburgh ! Plenty of little shoppes ( and vendors along the sidewalks ) for the gourmet cook ! Fresh Italian bread, cookies, coffee shoppes, assorted cheeses, spices, fresh fish, lobster, crab, etc. Great little restaurants ! Also, there is a world wide chocolate shoppe, little boutiques, arts including pottery, stained and blown glass, paintings, etc.. Too many shoppes to mention ! Musicians along the streets playing the trumpet, accordian, and flute. It's a day long adventure, for sure !

My sister and I ate in an Italian restaurant there featuring hand tossed pizza.. You could even see the chef tossing the pizza in the air ! For three dollars, you received a piece of pizza too large eat with a nice thick crust and very delicious ! One salad is big enough for two people to eat. It's a nice mixture of assorted lettuces, olives , tomatoes, etc... Wish I could remember the name of the restaurant ! For dessert, we had a coconut macaroon from an Italian cookie vendor ... oh, it was wonderful !
More photos...

A part of the skyline of Pittsburgh..as we are driving across a bridge on the North Side.

A beautiful German Shepherd.

The lady in the green puts this walk together. The man talking is a Channel 2 newscaster.


Considering it was supposed to rain all weekend... it turned out to be a pleasant one with warmer weather and sunshine !

So ..now it's back to work ! I want to get a little creation made for my blog giveaway..

Have a wonder filled day !
Hugs,
Linda
P.S. Alina, the Sailor Dollie has been sold. Thank you to a dear customer.