December Edition of The Humble Arts is now available

Greetings of Christmas Joy to all!! The December Edition of The Humble Arts is now available for viewing. This Click will take you there.http://www.thehumblearts.com/

Lollishops officially open!!

Lollishops officially opened for business 11-28-08 to a lot of excitement! It was decided that stores would slowly be added onto the site over a period of time to prevent overloading it and crashing the site. Sadie Lou and the web designer team have been working endlessly to get this site setup and it is absolutely beautiful and worth the wait. I am extremely proud that I will be a part of this site. I'm working very hard on a new style of doll Bringing my love and hearts desire to life!! OOOOOHHHHhhhhh this is SO exciting! ,Come Take a peek LollieShops and come on join in the fun http://www.lollishops.com/

Make a 19th-Century-Inspired Ornament

OoOo just in time for our Christmas holidays..I felling in love with the vintage look of these ornaments!! I found them at
http://www.bhg.com/holidays/christmas/ornaments/make-a-19th-century-inspired-ornament/

What You Need
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper
Celluclay instant papier-mache
White glue
3-inch-diameter green plastic-foam ball (body)
Resealable plastic bag
Thin palette knife
Thin wire
Acrylic paints: antique white, brown, black, pink, and silver
Brush-on water-base clear finish
Mica flakes
Crafts glue
Silver glass glitter
Pink tinsel garland

How to Make It
Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Mix a few handfuls of instant papier-mache with warm water, following the manufacturer's

instructions. It's best to mix small batches of dry papier-mache and keep the mixture in a resealable plastic bag while you work. Knead the mixture with your hands until it's a smooth, workable consistency. Keep a small bowl of water handy to dip your fingers in as you form the snowman on the cookie sheet.

Apply a thin coat of white glue around the foam ball before coating it with the wet mixture. Note: The mixture adheres better if you use the glue.

Apply a generous layer of the mixture over the entire ball for the body, smoothing out bumps and ridges with your hands. The finished ball should be about 3 1/2 inches in diameter.

Place the wet ball on the parchment-lined cookie sheet. Gently press down on the body, creating a flat bottom so the snowman will sit upright.

Complete the paper-mache sculpting as follows: Roll a 1-3/4-inch ball of mixture for the head. Set the ball on the top of the body, gently smoothing the ball into the body at the neck area. Insert a toothpick through the center of the head to secure it to the body.

Roll tiny balls of the mixture for the nose and cheeks. Press the balls onto the face. Use a palette knife to smooth the features and a toothpick to shape the eyebrows, eyes, and mouth.

Shape a small column of the mixture for the hat and attach it to the top of the head. Smooth the edges into the ball. Cut a 3-inch length of wire and fold it in half to create a loop. Twist the ends together. Insert the twisted end into the top of the hat. Smooth the mixture around the base of the loop.

Place the cookie sheet with the snowman bauble in an oven set at a low temperature and bake for at least 2 hours or until hardened. Remove the snowman from the oven and let sit on the sheet until cool. Lightly sand the figure until the surface is smooth.

Paint the head antique white. Paint the cheeks and nose pink. Use antique white and pink to paint stripes around the body and to add words, dotted borders, and stars. Paint the hat and wire loop silver. Use black for the eyebrows, eyes, and mouth. When the paint is dry, create an aged patina by mixing a small amount of brown paint with water; apply this mixture to the figure.

When the paint is completely dry, brush clear finish on the areas that you want to sparkle. Immediately sprinkle mica flakes over the wet finish. Allow to dry and then brush off the excess mica flakes. Apply bands of glue around the snowman's body; immediately sprinkle glass glitter over the glue. Add glass glitter to the hat in the same way. Apply a band of glue around the neck and press a length of tinsel garland into the glue.

HOLIDAY edition Rusty Tin Roof is now available

HOLIDAY edition and there are some fantastic articles as well as a full page Lemon Poppy Seeds ad!!! Check it out and share it with your friends and family!!!!http://www.rustytinroof.com/

Happy Thanksgiving To ALL

The First ThanksgivingIn 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. This harvest meal has become a symbol of cooperation and interaction between English colonists and Native Americans. Although this feast is considered by many to the very first Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. Native American groups throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Creek and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America.

The Pilgrims' MenuFoods That May Have Been on the MenuSeafood: Cod, Eel, Clams, LobsterWild Fowl: Wild Turkey, Goose, Duck, Crane, Swan, Partridge, EaglesMeat: Venison, SealGrain: Wheat Flour, Indian CornVegetables: Pumpkin, Peas, Beans, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes, CarrotsFruit: Plums, GrapesNuts: Walnuts, Chestnuts, AcornsHerbs and Seasonings: Olive Oil, Liverwort, Leeks, Dried Currants, ParsnipsWhat Was Not on the MenuSurprisingly, the following foods, all considered staples of the modern Thanksgiving meal, didn't appear on the pilgrims's first feast table:Ham: There is no evidence that the colonists had butchered a pig by this time, though they had brought pigs with them from England.Sweet Potatoes/Potatoes: These were not common.Corn on the Cob: Corn was kept dried out at this time of year.Cranberry Sauce: The colonists had cranberries but no sugar at this time.Pumpkin Pie: It's not a recipe that exists at this point, though the pilgrims had recipes for stewed pumpkin.Chicken/Eggs: We know that the colonists brought hens with them from England, but it's unknown how many they had left at this point or whether the hens were still laying.Milk: No cows had been aboard the Mayflower, though it's possible that the colonists used goat milk to make cheese.Source: Kathleen Curtin, Food Historian at Plimoth Plantation

~*SympleTymes~*Blog~*List~* Links~* Page

Just want to let you all know,I have not stopped following my favorite blogs ect..OoooooO nope not me,BUT: I have moved my Favorite Blogs and my favorite links that I follow also,Informative,Inspirations, selling, Magazines, and more on to their very own page

~*SympleTymes~*Blog~*List~* Links~* Page

On my right side bar you will see the above picture, If you click on it it will take you to all my blog lists, links,and all my favorite sites to visit...I like this much better because it is so organized, its like walking through a library! A Library that will always will be growing.

Also on ~*SympleTymes~*Blog~*List~* Links~* Page http://sympletymesbloglist.blogspot.com/

on the right side bar you will see a SympleTymes Banner

click on it and it will bring you back to our main blog here.

Hope you all enjoy and have fun looking at other fantastic artisans.

Hugs Sherrie

New Techniques!

A good friend my mine Nadine was kind enough to send me pictures of what she has done using

selvages- you know those little maker marks on the very edge of fabric,The above picture is how she used the selvages on her own T-shirt.Pretty cool isn't! I love it!

Nadine sent me the place where she had seen the project ideas.

Below are picture from the "The Big selvages Project" http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/2008/10/big-selvedge-project.html

http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/

Jodie is a very out standing creative person!Here she has taken the selvages and created pillow!Jodie has taken selvages created a bagJodie has taken selvages magnificent full dress!wow!

What fun it would be to wear this dress!

I was thinking if we saved our selvages what different and awesome Pinkeeps or Aprons or Doll Quilts or clothes for our dolls we could make! Start saving those selvages!! ugh I just cut and through away about 12 selvages ..That day day of throwing away selvages is over for sure! Also on Jodies blog http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/ be sure to check out her

The Evolution of a teacup - series..scroll down to bottom of the page.talk about becoming a pinkeep WOW!

Cloth N Clay

This doll is created by: Cloth N Clay

Greiner Inspired Doll ~ to be listed on ebay 11/16/08

http://clothnclay.blogspot.com/

I have been doing research on Yesteryear dolls, I came across Cloth N Clay and just have to blog about this gal's dolls.Their beyonds words to say AWESOME is a under statement.

It is a must for you all to go her blog and see her dolls! I have no favorite, Their all just incredible..She dresses them to perfection also.What a talented lady she is.I so badly want to create Yesteryear dolls, I just don't have the talent/skills to do so.But I love to reasearch and drool over others that are sooooo talented in their yesteryear dolls.Hugs Sherrie

Today's Primitive Home

Today's Primitive Home

New issue is out please stop by this is a amazing Traditional American Folk Art & Crafts Created By Contemporary American Artists

Hugs to all Sherrie

http://todaysprimitivehome.com/

Sweet little apron Ornament Tutorial-

Oh my gosh this is the sweetest Sweet little apron Ornament Tutorial ..Just perfect for our holiday trees..Or how about Quick to make..great to give as gifts!

Aunt PittyPat has created this awesome tutorial on her blog and it is so wonderful step by step I'm loving it..

Go visit her fantastic blog and read all about it!

http://auntpittypats.blogspot.com/

Edith Flack Ackley Christmas Tradition

Edith Flack Ackley

Edith Flack Ackley Wengenroth Born :June 6, 1887 t o November 28, 1970 residence: Greenport, Suffolk, NY

Edith Flack Ackley a legend now and in her own time.

Dedicating remembrance here on my blog to one of my favorite cloth doll makers Edith Flack Ackley.

Edith Flack Ackley a cloth doll designer and maker. Inspiration to cloth dollmakers now, past, and future generations yet to come.

In the early 1900's Ackley studied portrait painting after finishing high school.Following the death of her husband she gave it up for marionette making which provided the subject for an early book

"Marionettes Easy to Make Fun to Use"

In 1936 she met and married Stow Wengenroth an artist lithographerrenouned for his beautiful prints of the New England coast.

During her life time Edith Flack Ackley made hundreds of dolls...all cloth stuffed with cotton.She took great pride in her dolls and encouraged others to make dolls for fun or profit as well.

During the 1920's and 1930's, many artists and crafts people published books and patterns for making rag dolls. In 1934 Edith Flack Ackley released doll kits which included unbleached muslin

Edith Flack Ackley's ~1934 Magazine Pattern~Lovely CHRISTMAS DOLL~"FOR A LITTLE GIRL'S CHRISTMAS"..prepared expressly for the Readers of Woman's Home Companion Magazine

with the doll pattern stamped on the fabric, along with instructions and patterns for the doll's clothing.This doll was to have yarn hair and embroidered features. The kit was offered through the magazine Woman's Home Companion.Ackley had several different books published during her lifetime. She wrote several childrens books along with her daughter Teckla Ackley and was also an accomplished poet.

Edith Flack Ackley sure touched my life in a big wonderful way.

I have been creating many different types and styles of cloth dolls over the years. Each doll has been a true joy to create and to see it come to life, Each one taking on it's own personalitie...But there still isn't the magic and yesteryear feeling you get when creating a EFA cloth doll.

I have been collecting EFA books, and I really love my doll book library

Some of her books : Paper Dolls _ Their History and How To Make Them; A Doll Shop of Your Own; Marionettes Easy to Make and Fun to Use; Dolls To Make For Fun and Profit.

Every Year for the last 5 years I make a EFA coth doll for our own personal Christmas. It has become a Christmas Tradition

I usally create them in a historic style, Victorian, or Civil War era

neither words I haven't done a christmas theme yet,But as I work on this years 2008 Christmas I'm thinking of dressing her in a early 1900's era Christmas,

Seems I have also started a spring tradition of creating EFA just for spring..

Here is one of my real vintage EFA type cloth dolls,I bought just as you see her..I have ordered real vintage 1930's fabric and I just can't wait to get it get and dress her..isn't she a sweet heart..as I hold her I think of the woman who made her..wonder what she was thinking, was it her little girl she was making her for for? Think of the 70yrs plus of history this little doll has seen..

Below are some links to others who love EFA dolls and their own creations.also there is a smalll but wonderful group on yahoo

Click to join edithflackackleydolls

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/edithflackackleydolls/join

http://tenderarts.blogspot.com/2007/03/i-want-you-to-see-this-pretty-thing.html

http://dollzandthingz.blogspot.com/2008/10/holiday-dolls.html

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/46514831thRPMH

http://www.heirlooms4tomorrow.com/twins.htm

Aunt Daisey's Cottage I Won!!!!!!

At Aunt Daisey's Cottage http://auntdaisyscottage.blogspot.com/

Cathy was having a 100th post give away!!

and guess what!!!!!!

I was one of the winners YES!!!

Cathy creates gorgeous pinkeeps be sure to check her etsy

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6168261

and her blog..

http://auntdaisyscottage.blogspot.com/

I'm just in shock and so Thankful and doing the HaPpY DaNcE!!!!

Thank You Cathy!

My 100th Post Giveaway!
**THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED**
YAY!! This is my 100th post.
I have been excitedly waiting to do this giveaway. There are two prizes ~
If your name is picked first in the drawing, you will have a choice between
the pincushion of your choice from my shop ~
Cathy's Pincushion Shoppe

Slipper Swap open for Sign ups until Nov 13th, 2008

While on vacation I was Boo-ed by Aunt Pitty Pat!!

http://auntpittypats.blogspot.com/

Speaking of Aunt Pitty Pat

She is having a Slipper Swap open for Sign ups until Nov 13th, 2008

She even gives you two free slipper patterns to pick from..Oh what fun! You sure don't want to miss this swap!.Think how cute these slippers will be! Also a great add on to add to your Apron partners and extra Christmas gifts too Thank You AuntPittyPat!!http://auntpittypats.blogspot.com/

Ponderings from Prim and Proper Folks Give Away!

Ponderings from Prim and Proper Folks is having a Holiday Give Away...Look what Susan is giving away! Isn't he just the cutest! In her own words"This handsome fella is one of my early cloth and clay creations...He was featured in Create and Decorate Magazine and has such a sweet endearing face and message. He reminds us all to take time to chase the flakes".

Just stop by Susan Walker's wonderful blog and leave a comment!

http://primandproperfolks.blogspot.com/2008/11/happy-holiday-giveaway.html

Just in time for 2008 Christmas Season

SympleTymes Newest E-Pattern!!

Annie Jingles 17 inches of Joy Peace Love of the Christmas Season. Christmas is a special time and with Delightful Annie Jingles under YOUR Christmas tree or as a gift. You will love this sweetie under your tree, and everyone who sees Her under yours will want one as well, so be ready. Annie Jingles has a nice curvy body,No pancake here! The cutest ears and legs oh my .

Individual fingers ..She truly has that mischievous twinkle in her eye,

That only The Season Can bring.

For more info please go to
http://www.patternmart.com/patterns/search/section/All/SympleTymes+Cloth+Art+by:Sherrie+Nordgren/All

November/December issue is now available. http://www.oldeprairieregister.com

Creative Times Magazine - Nov/Dec Issue

Creative Times Magazine - Nov/Dec Issue

is out and ready for you to down load!!!

http://www.creativetimesmagazine.com/

The Vintage Moth

WhOhoOO I found a blog http://thevintagemoth.blogspot.com/The Vintage Moth that posts
free vintage clip art ect.. I LOVE this picture and will really enjoy using it..I also have placed The Vintage Moth badge on my right column of my blog.
The Vintage Moth says:
FREE IMAGES FOR YOU!
This blog is devoted to providing mixed media and collage artists original, OOAK images. The antique/vintage images I have collected/created are just perfect for all your artistic needs! A new, free, clipart image will be posted daily. Subscribe so you don't miss out!xoxo~Abbie



Here is another awesome blog The Vintage Moth says she also uses!!
A few of my favorite resources...
These are some images from my most favorite resources on the internet for art, photographs and pure inspiration. Viola and Dawn are amazing mixed media artists who post their creations regularly. Please visit them!
http://saray-viola.blogspot.com
Feel free to use the image for your artwork.

Drinks for Hot Mamas Apron Swap

Drinks for Hot Mamas Apron Swap

This is the Apron I made for my partner from the

Drinks for Hot Mamas Apron Swap

http://yarnigras.blogspot.com/2008/09/hot-drinks-for-hot-mamas-apron-swap.html

This side is a paisley, I made the Tea Pot, Sugar Bowl,Spoon and Two Cups

and appliqué them to the pocket.

On the reversible side It is a pinstripe, I made the Tea Pot, Sugar Bowl,Spoon and Two Cups
and appliqué them to the pocket.

I really stepped out of comfort zone on this Apron,

I had a blast making it!! What Fun!

You just don't know what your missing

if you don't make aprons!!!

Back From a Dream Vacation!

Hi every !! We are back from a wonderful dream vacation to Tennessee!
Living in Florida and vacationing in Tennessee
we really got to experience all four seasons all in a week!
We had glorious Fall colors,The pictures just don't do justice
to the beauty of the fall colors!

YES! We also experience SNOW!

We just sat in the mountains and listened to the silence

and watched it to begin to snow!!
Wonderful family time.Enjoying each other.

Sharing the new wonderful wonders we had each day.

We had a picnic every day under wonderful Fall leaves

We hiked every day..Going around corners of God's awesome nature not knowing what we would see..Always just breath taking..

We saw in person in the natural and close up

Mama Bear and her two cubs..Wild Turkeys.. Deer's and a Buck..Chipmunks..

This is our son-law Gary..these trees were just gorgeous!

Every where the shops were decorating for Christmas ..

The Morning we were leaving we stopped and took more pictures of the new snow!

Now back in Florida and back to reality! But our thoughts are still in Tennessee

still smelling the mountain air, Hearing all of natures wonderful calls, Thinking of all

the people we talked to ..Feeling the love of God and Love from each other..Hearing all our laughs ooo's and awes too!

Handmade Holidays 2008Posted October 30th, 2008 by Beth

I missed this last year..So I wanted to be sure to share it with you all for this year..Be Sure to go to Sew-Mama-Sew blog http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=636 and join in all the fun!--- Sherrie

We hope you’ll join us throughout November for our 2nd Annual Handmade Holidays extravaganza! Every day we’ll bring you the very best gift ideas, tutorials & products for each person on your holiday list. This year we are determined to out-do last year’s fun. Here’s what we have in store:
Each day is dedicated to a person you might find on your shopping list. We included grandparents, babies, sports fans, cooks and many others.
We rounded up 30 days of sewing tutorials, all different from last year’s tutorials.
We found some amazing craft tutorials, including crochet, knitting, paper crafts and more.
In case you can’t make all your own gifts but still want to give handmade, we highlighted many of our favorite indie shop products.
Since the holidays aren’t complete without festive treats we gathered lots of fabulous recipes, most of them perfect for gifting.
We’re dedicating every Friday to Holidays at Home, a collection of decorating ideas, recipes, ornament tutorials and other inspiration to help you make the days extra special.
Finally, we have a ton of gifts for you! We have books, magazines, patterns, fabric and gift certificates to give away every day of the month, so be sure to make reading and commenting part of your daily routine. We look forward to your feedback!

http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/