M.E. Paper Dolls and a ME Give-Away:

I did this post last fall, but that was before I knew about Vicki's "I Love M.E. Mondays".   So, it is a rerun for some of you, but the first time for others.  Plus, I am giving my paper doll idea up for grabs.  I'm too busy right now to host it, but would sure enjoy participating in it.

It is Vicki's birthday too (over at Cherry Chick Jewelry) ... so please head on over to say hello and to see lots of other neat Mary Engelbreit stuff when you get a minute:  I Love M.E. Monday. 

Do you guys still have your Mary Engelbreit paper dolls?  Anne Estelle and her friends?  I wish that someone would begin a Paper Doll Linky Party!  I was going too, but now I have to much on my plate.  In my mind, all paper dolls would be fine to feature, not just M.E. ones. 

In the meantime, this morning, as I was gathering my other ME things for an upcoming photoshoot, I found my basket of paper dolls.  They come in the back of her Home Companion magazine, and I was pretty good about cutting them out, way back when.

This was the fun part.  I got out three sheets of photo paper and a ball of sticky tack.  I dressed some of the dolls, and put them on their own page with sticky tack (I figured that it was easier on the dolls than tape would be).  Then I scanned and cropped them, and posted them on here.  How fun!

I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

~ Kathy

 Geralyn from Greetings from Geralyn
is having a contest and giving away everything above!
The contest closes on March 7th, so you still have time to enter.

If you miss a day, you miss a lot!  Don't miss out on the news ... Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.

True Confessions of a Hard Water Victim:

Source:  Bing Images

Of a Hard Water

Photo Courtesy of Cafe Press

One of the beauties and benefits of blogging is that you only have to show what you want to show, and say what you want to say.  You can sit around in your p.j.'s on a Sunday morning with dirty hair, and nobody knows. 

You can clean your house and do a photoshoot of things set up just as nice as you can make them, and people think, wow, it sure looks pretty over at her house.  You don't show how it looks the rest of the time, when you are spending all of your time blogging, and there is dog hair all over the carpet, and dust covering your tables.

You leave out the stories not fit for publication, or, which would be awesome for publication, but would be embarrassing for somebody that you know and they would hate you forever if you did post it, so you don't.  That is the hardest part, leaving those juicy stories out!

But today, I am going to show you something that not many will:  how hard water makes your dishes ugly and how to fix that particular problem, easily and cheaply.  Today, while the other nice ladies on Susan's Between Naps on the Porch's Metamorphosis Monday are showing you their special projects and beautiful decorating, I am going to show you my before and after coffee cups and drinking glasses.  Because I am brave!  Or, because it was finally time to clean them up, and if I can get a blog post out of it, well, why not?

Before.  These dishes are all clean and fresh from the dishwasher.  Our water is hard and has a generous amount of iron.  It has probably been a year since I have cleaned these with Stain Bully.  It only takes a few minutes, but it is kind of like needing to get your bangs cut.  One day you wake up and think, oh my, today is the day I HAVE to trim my bangs, or in this case, take care of those coffee cups!

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

I know, they are gross.  But they are very clean.  Just badly stained.

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

These Jimmy Buffett cups cost me $15.00 each.  They are awesome, and have lasted a long time.  I got them on two different trips to Las Vegas. They bring me such joy each morning.  And also in the evenings, when I sip a bit of Merlot from them.  They definitely deserve better treatment than they have gotten from me recently!  Cary enjoys the M.E. cups for his coffee and tea.


After.  I used the casserole dish and a microfiber cloth as my cleaning tools.  I took my rings off, but I didn't even need to use gloves.  You may want to use gloves though, if your skin is sensitive.  Stain Bully has no smell, and it doesn't bother me in any manner.

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

These glasses look a little filmy, but are no longer rust stained.  I just popped everything back into the dishwasher, and they will come out clean and shiny.  I really like Stain Bully, because, unlike some other cleaners, it does not remove the finish off of your sinks, tubs or dishes.  Stain Bully knows nothing of me, so I didn't get paid for passing on this valuable information to you.  I might send them a link to my blog though, just in case they want to buy advertising on here.   Hmmmm....

For information on how to purchase Stain Bully, please contact D.A.S.A Products at 503-998-1561.

So there you go!  For prettier things than this to look at, please check out Metamorphisis Monday.

If you miss a day, you miss a lot!  Don't miss out on the news ... Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.

Shadow Shot Sunday #145 : Shadows on Snow in Our Front Yard

 

I am submitting this post to Tracy at Hey Harriet's  Shadow Shot Sunday.  Please check out some beautiful photography over there, when you are done here at Oregon Gifts. 

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

It looks as though the snow is thinning out a bit. Aren't you glad?

MANY SHADOW-SEEKERS SAY

Many shadow-seekers say,
“Oh, the one that got away!”
Why are you so uptight, folks?
Can’t you take light’s little jokes?

© 2011 by Magical Mystical Teacher

Shadowy Tequila Maiden

Thanks, MMT!  We always enjoy your rhyming comments.

If you miss a day, you miss a lot!  Don't miss out on the news ... Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.

Vintage Tribute: Sewing Teapot, Wooden Spools and Grandma Johnson

Though I posted this on Saturday and entered it into Pink Saturday, it got such a great response that I wanted to go ahead and enter this post into Lady Katherine's Tea Time Tuesday and  Marty's "A Stroll Through Life" too.   If you have now seen it twice, well, I hope you enjoy it the second time around. 

All of the photos on this blog are copyrighted.  Please ask permission if you want to use them.  Thank you.

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

When I posted these photo's last night, Blogger was acting up, and it took me a long time to get them loaded on here.  So, now I am adding on to tell you about the things in this photo.  

I mention my Grandmas frequently throughout my posts.  I feel as if they are always nearby.  We have many of their things in our home, I am reminded of them frequently.  Grandma Johnson is my Dad's mother.  I gave her that little sewing teapot in the 90's for Christmas, and it ended up coming back my way.  Not all of these things belonged to her, but they reminded me of her.

The yellow thread caddy was given to me by an old man who lived up the McKenzie.  He made it for his wife, and she died in a tragic accident.  He was staying with some people that I cleaned house for, and he knew that I was working hard on my crafts business and wanted me to have it.  I do treasure it.  Some of the wooden spools came with it, but others belonged to my Grandma J.  I'm sure that the thread is rotten and would break easily, but they look great.

The little pink jar was my Grandma T.'s and so was the teacup.  I can't remember who had the gloves before me.  The miniature vase and bowl came from my Dad.  He won it at a Christmas gift exchange when I was in high school, and I decided that I needed it more than he did.  He did have it on his dresser until I got my hands on it though.  I think he kind of liked it.

The 80's curtains were given to me by my friend Adrienne years ago.  The necklaces were made by, and given to me by my two college friends Lynn and Marie.  They have some pink in them and fill in the blank spaces on the thread caddy.  Necessity is the mother of invention!

This post turned out kind of cool, so don't be surprised it I enter it into Table Top Tuesday, Tea Time Tuesday and Vintage Thingie Thursday next week.  I think that some of those ladies will enjoy seeing it too.

I am submitting this post into Beverly's Pink Saturday.  If you love pink, please visit there by clicking here to see what my friends are doing with pink on their blogs this Saturday!

At Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy, if you miss a day, you miss a lot!  All material on this post is copyrighted and not for use without my permission ...Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.