HAPPY VETERANS DAY

THANK YOU to all who have served their country (past, present, and future). May we always teach our children how fortunate we are to live in the USA with our very precious freedoms and to respect all those who sacrifice for our safety (EMTs, paramedics, firefighters, and police too!).

Kitty Christmas November Giveaway

I thought I should get busy and get my November giveaway posted!  I hope you all like it.  I modified a little pattern from Kitty Kringle's Pattern Book.  This little ornie was stitched on fiddler's cloth and backed with wool.  I aged it with my very own "secret" technique that I will share with you all someday. 

Now for the giveaway rules:
1. You must be a follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post only (new followers welcome).
2. You can post about my giveaway on your blog (additional entry).
3. You can tell me the names of your kitties (additional entry).
4. The giveaway will end November 30th at midnight.
5. I will draw the name of the winner by December 3rd.

Cat Haven Crafts November 2011 Giveaway

Good luck to all who enter!  We are having a wintery day here ... drove to work in snow, sleet, rain, and 35 mph winds! All at the same time.  It can really mess up a girl's hairdo!  My kitty's refused to go out on the porch this morning! I don't blame them.  I would love to be home stitchin' on a day like today!

Christmas Ornaments Made from Felt

Good morning! Whew, I have been busy.  My daughter and her husband have bought a house (only 1/2 block from me) and will be moving at the end of the month. So we are all caught up in boxing up and moving things around.  I have been stitching a little, but not as much as I hoped.  However, I did finish my Christmas giveaway that I will be posting about soon.

Today, I just wanted to share some sweet "free" Christmas felt/wool patterns  from Better Homes and Gardens that I came across. There are over twenty to choose from. Here are a few that caught my eye!

It's rainy here today and blustery. The perfect day to whip up some home-made chicken soup, corn bread, and to spend the evening stitching with a kitty curled in your lap.  Sending wishes for a peaceful Tuesday.

As part of my November giveaway, I asked you all if you used blog templates and if you did, whose did you use? I got many responses and thought I would provide information about some of them.  Please take some time to visit the blogs of these creative gals.

Twin Creek Primitives

Twin Creek Primitives is also known of TCP. The blog templates and graphics here are all free and the templates come with directions on how to use them. TCP also sells her creations on eBay at Twin Creek Primitives eBay. Quite a few of my followers use TCP graphics and templates.

The Cutetest Blog on the Block
Another site for finding free templates is The Cutest Blog on the Block. You can find all sorts of freebies here: background, banners, blinkies, and buttons to name a few.

Amybug's Primitive Attic

The graphics and templates at Amybug's Primitive Attic are not free, but they are beautiful.  One very helpful item that Amybug sells are "Selling Templates: that may be useful for those of you who are thinking about selling your primitives via a blog site.

Scrap-e-Blog

Scrap-e-Blog provides free blogger backgrounds.  Currently there are seven Thanksgiving backgrounds available that are very prim and cute. You can also request custom headers.

Well, I'm signing off for today, so here are wishes for a purrrrrrfect fall weekend!

Herbs and Free Kitty Halloween Cross Stitch Pattern

I wanted to share with you all a really cute (free) cross stitch pattern I came across today from Silver Cute Dwarf which is called "Boo" and something I'll be stitching this week! I love it.

The other thing I'd like to share is a bit about herbs. I love herb lore! They have along history as a natural remedies—and many other more unusual uses, too (especially if you’re bothered by a pesky witch or two this Hallow’s Eve!). Here are a few!

Basil - A cup of basil tea after dinner helps digestion. Ease a headache by drinking tomato juice blended with fresh basil.

Chives - Bunches of chives hung in your home were used to drive away diseases and evil.

Dill - Romans made wreaths and garlands out of dill. Dill keeps witches away.

Fennel - Bunches of fennel were used to drive off witches. It was used in love potions and as an appetite suppressant (don’t you wish!).

Garlic - It was thought to give strength and courage. Aristotle noted garlic's use as a guard against the fear of water. It's also been widely used against evil powers.

Marjoram - The Greeks believed it could revive the spirits of anyone who inhaled it.

Mint - It was believed to cure hiccups and counteract sea-serpent stings (especially important to those of you living by water!).

Oregano - Also used for scorpion and spider bites.

Rosemary - Rosemary in your hair will improve your memory. It will protect you from evil spirits if you put a sprig under your pillow.

Sage - Thought to promote strength and longevity and believed to cure warts. American Indians used it as a toothbrush.

Thyme - Burning thyme gets rid of insects in your house. A bed of thyme was thought to be a home for fairies.

Folk lore aside some herbs do help fight winter colds and flu, especially herbs known for their strong scents—rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, oregano, lavender, and others. They have high concentrations of volatile oils that have antiseptic and antibiotic properties that bolster the immune system. To ease sore throats, make your own gargle by adding a teaspoon or two of any of the following to warm water: cider vinegar, sage, chamomile, lemon juice, or raspberry leaves.

Have you ever heard of Cats Ear? It’s also known as False dandelion. Historically, dandelion was prized for a variety of medicinal properties, and it really does contain a wide number of pharmacologically active compounds. Dandelion is used as folk remedies in North America, Mexico and China. Cats Ear and dandelions are completely edible and if you ever get a chance to visit The Amana Colonies in east, central Iowa, try their dandelion wine!

Selling Poll Results and Some Fall Photos

Good morning all! I hope you are having a glorious fall day! First of all, I would like to share the selling poll results that I received during my September giveaway.  The majority of you indicated that you would prefer to purchase prims from me from a selling blog but a close second was from Etsy and lastly (and not many) preferred eBay.  So, with that information in mind, I am working on creating my selling blog (any tips would be greatly appreciated) and hope to have it up and running in a few weeks.

The second thing I'd like to share today are two purchases I recently made.  A little while ago I purchased an herb rack from Firecracker Kid Primitives and this weekend I finally got it up on my wall.  Here is a photo of it with some of my Halloween ornies. I really, really like it!

The next item I purchased was from Wicked Faerie Queen -- a cute little painted Halloween box.

I also wanted to share with you some of my Halloween decorating (I don't do too much anymore because of working full time and the time it takes to put up and put away things) that make me smile!

And lastly, little Mr. Nicky trying out the new throw blankets (they weren't out 5 mintues before he climbed up here!).  Take care and remeber to hug those kitties today!

For Kathy at Tolentreasures

I was reading Kathy's post at her blog TOLENTREASURES and while I enjoyed reading about her weekend, her "scarey" story kindof gave me goosebumps.  So, as I was browsing around the Internet today (and BTW, this post has nothing really to do with crafting), I came across this photo:

It was taken in 1950 and shows the image of another "creepy" guy. It was taken by a National Park Service photographer during massive renovations of the White House (yes, the one in Washington DC) in 1950. In the background, a group of men stand to the left. But there is an odd, translucent figure, standing alone, to the right. I'm not saying what he/it is, but here is a larger image of the photo.  Kinda weird, isn't it.