Calico and Winners!

Picture courtesy of Thanksgiving Buffet.
Visit this website to record what you love about Thanksgiving!

When I think of the word calico, I immediately connect to Little House on the Prairie, Calico Ghost Town in California, calico cats and goldfish, Knott's Berry Farm, and the Old West. I understood calico to be distinctly American, stemming from the simple cotton fabrics of our pioneer heritage. Perhaps you will be just as surprised as I was to discover the true origins of calico.

calico

If it's simple cotton cloth, heavier than muslin, and brightly colored, you can probably call it calico. It's one of a small but select group of designations for fabric that are derived from their place of origin — in this case, Calicut, on the Kerala coast of India. -Visual Thesaurus

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I HAVE 2 WINNERS IN THE "CHRISTMAS SHOPPING GIVEAWAY!" THEY ARE...

• Miss Shabby of Shabby in the City
• Cindy of My Romantic Home

Congratulations, Ladies! Here's what you need to do... 1.) Click on this link: Restaurant.com. 2.) Once there, enter in the zip code of where you would like to dine. 3.) Choose a restaurant that captures your fancy. 4.) Then come back and give me the zip, name of the restaurant, and city in the Comments section of this post.

I will have the card sent directly to YOU! Thanks for participating and for checking out my new website! Be sure to bookmark my website for your Christmas Shopping. My family will be supremely grateful!

Free Digital Scrapbooking Downloads

Bloggers are all too familiar with digital scrapbooking and the magic of pings or png's (Portable Network Graphics) which allow for transparent backgrounds. I've found that Blogger is "ping" friendly as long as the image is not reduced in size. Otherwise, a white background is automatically inserted.

I have been an avid papercrafter for years and when I began blogging, the thought of translating my passion into digital mode was attractive. However, Macs are often discriminated against by software developers. Frankly, I had trouble finding an application that was Mac compatible and affordable. Once I decided upon a purchase, Miss Crow's Magickal Emporium was one of the first designers that I embraced.

This month, Miss Crow is giving away free digital scrapbooking images—such as the one shown above—for FREE! There will be 31 days of freebies! Click HERE to visit her site.

NOTE: Today is the last day to enter the
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING GIVEWAY!

Matthew Mead Style

Matthew Mead Style

In my "20 Little Things to Treasure in Autumn" post, I listed Matthew Mead Style. I believe that his creativity most represents how I think and create. There is a plethora of imagination elegantly displayed on his website.

This month, he is featuring the above Walnut Jacks. Aren't these fun? The site describes the project as...

Jack-Be-Littles will be jealous of these tiny Jack-Be-Nutty pumpkins you can use to adorn cupcakes, shelves, your desk at work, and more. -Matthew Mead Style

The How-To can be found HERE.

NOTE: There's still time to enter the Christmas Shopping Giveaway. Just 3 posts down.

Snapshot

In the midst of our turbulent money market, 2 of my banks received name changes this week. Yesterday's banking was like returning sugar to a neighbor, only to wonder if I had knocked on the right door.

Today's Bouquets

Affirmation strokes the soul. It doesn't resolve the major "stuff," but it encourages one to stay the coarse. For instance, on Sunday, my friend René surprised me with a Mickey Mouse pin, collector's penny, and a mug big enough to hold seasonal soups! The occasion? I took a quiz that identified me with Mickey.

Yesterday, an English transferware gravy bowl arrived from Miss Shabby! Included was a vintage photo of 2 bitter looking biddies. Someone should have prodded those women to make them smile. Well, at least I smiled.

Then, like luscious-butter-frosting on a chocolate cupcake, Arlene of The Tea Room gave me the "I love your blog" award. Not only am I honored, but I'm pooled together with ladies whom I admire tremendously. Arlene runs a classy blog with boun-tea-ful inspiration and trimmings. She has been extremely supportive on what I do here. Thank-you, Arleen!

And, so I pass this award on to:

• Bittersweet Punkin
• Miss Shabby of Shabby in the City
• Beverly of How Sweet the Sound
• Joyce of The Secret Gardener
• Rosemary of Roses Petite Maison
• Mary Isabella of Daisy Bouquet
• Judy of Fabric Art and Crafts
• Jeanne of Backyard Neighbor