karissa ♥

meet karissa, my pow wow poncho blythe
she arrived on christmas eve
darina and i are thrilled to have her!
more photos this weekend
happy new year!
xo,
joleen

Promise.

Wow! I'm pretty sure this is the longest I've gone without an entry. I haven't really had the opportunity to write. We've been entertaining family for the holidays and they're here until tomorrow. Tomorrow night we're driving to Las Vegas to spend the New Year's holiday with my family. I have changes and plans for this blog in the new year and am looking forward to sharing my goals for 2006. Soon. Promise.

{Vintage Valentine}

I will post updated information here and keep a link in the left column, so you can bookmark this page! ♥ UPDATED: Feb. 03, 2006

Joleen Thiessen - $ - pages
Aimee Bartolotta - $ - pages
Julie O'Neil - $ - pages
Marilyn Healey - $ - pages
Chantal Simon - $ - pages
Evaly Jerome - $ - pages
Katharine Licht - $ - pages
Karyn Lynam Cook - $ - pages
Jan Roberts - $ - pages
Marissa Vidrio - $ - pages
Sherry Kochen - $ - pages
Lisa Skeels - $ - pages
Ashley Gunn - $ - pages
Brittney Young - $ - pages
Gwynn Thoma - $ - pages
Ruth Steinhagen - $ - pages
Alexis Leatherwood - $ - pages
Holly Riedel - $ - pages
Vivian McDonald - $ - pages
Anne Chase - $ - pages
Shauna Thornton - $ - pages
Helene Quigley - $ - pages
Jessica Wilson - $ - pages
Erin Roberts - $ - pages
Christine Miller - $ - pages
Judy Wise - $ - pages
Cindy Arthur
Jill Hadley - $ - pages
Wendy Woodby
Hanna Andersson - pages
Priscilla Schrock - $ - pages
Angela Hoffmann - $ - pages
Rita Bellanca - $ - pages
Allison Revetta - $ - pages
Geri Lamer - $ - pages
Geri Goeransson - $ - pages
Tina Ajdukovic - $ - pages
Marilyn Brandfass - $ - pages
Cornelia de Brabander - $ - pages
Kelly Angard
Heather Simpson- Bluhm - $ - pages

{merry christmas}

busy the next few days! be safe & have peace!
merry christmas & happy holidays! ♥

major chunky book update

It's been a chunky week! Teeheehee. Oh man! ;) Last week I recieved the FABULOUS Vintage Christmas book hosted by Joan on Chubbyville. This book is to die for! I just might keep it on display all year long! :) Seriously, I love it! The photos simply do not do these books justice!

And look! Our {take flight} skinny fat book has flown the coup! Isn't she a beaut?! It was a fun book to host. I've made a list for myself of things to do differently with future swaps but all around it was a really good experience. I hope you all like your books!

I was going to hold off on announcing the next swap but I decided just to get the ball (aka sign ups) rolling. If you click on the image above it will take you to the full size page of information. I figure having sign ups now will give you plenty of notice & time to work on your pages. Have fun! ♥

hung by the chimney with care

One of the projects on my Christmas to-do list is to make three stockings. Alex's family is joining us this year and I wanted to make them something special. Heather found a great idea on Posie Gets Cozy (fabulous stuff!!) to make them out of old wool sweaters. I went to my local Salvation Army and bought three sweaters in red, pale yellow, and dark green. I brought them home and washed & dried them so they'd shrink. The first one I made using the red wool sweater but didn't think about embellishing it until after I'd machine stitched the two pieces together. Er der! So I cut holly & berries using part of two of the sweaters and had to hand stitched them on. The bottom is a bit lumpy which really bugged me at first but now it isn't so bad. The second stocking I made using the pale yellow sweater. This time, I appliqued the top piece before sewing the two together. I used polka dot craft felt and embroidery thread. I'm pretty happy with this one. I still have the third stocking to make which I'll hopefully have time for tonight. Being sick last week really threw me off and I have a ton to do this week! Eep!

♥ less than a day left to bid on the house wristlet
♥ don't forget to check out the yummy my paper crane yarn I'm selling, here

yummy yarn ♥

I'm trying to raise money and have permission from heidi of my paper crane to resell her GORGEOUS yarns I haven't used yet.

description: handspun, handyed wool yarn, thick and thin in a variety of lush, vibrant colors! top, left yarn has white sparkly pom poms throughout it and the yarn on the upper left has big fluffy green bits. these yarns are incredibly soft and i've made many beautiful scarves using them! i don't recall the exact lengths but i believe they're 70 + yards.

$35 each - email to buy SOLD

thanks! ♥

Oh, Christmas Tree!

We got our Christmas tree today and it's so gorgeous! It smells so yummy and believe it or not it's soft and doesn't shed! :) I decorated it and put the gifts under the tree. I still have more wrapping to do but we're well on our way to being done. Woohoo! ♥

♥ Don't forget to bid! Only 2 more days.

home is where your wrist is! ♥

I am auctioning this fabulously fun wristlet on ebay! It's item number 6831940010 or go here to bid! Auction ends Dec. 20th and with immediate payment can be sent out the same day in hopes to make it by Christmas!

This auction is for a handmade one of a kind wristlet by love, joleen. It was inspired by a Japanese craft book and made with lots of love! It was created in Mid-June using wool felt, vintage floral fabric, grosgrain ribbon. It is lined with a red and white polka dot cotton fabric, and topped with a tangerine colored zipper. Thank you for your consideration! ♥

we have a winner!

thanks to this random number generator we've determined that elizabeth has won the contest! congratulations! (email me at joleenieweenie AT hotmail DOT com with your mailing address) thanks to everyone that played! stay tuned for more! ;)

darina got a wee trim, a mini makeover (painted lips) , and new clothes! isn't she pretty?! ♥

it's a girl! ♥

hehe-not a baby but my first blythe doll! she has arrived and i'm so excited to have her! she loves her wee felt owl i made for her, too! her name is darina and she's a lounging lovely! ♥

ps- don't forget to leave a comment by midnight for the holiday contest!

i'm sick. bleh!

♥ DRAWING! ♥ chalkboard tags/ornaments ♥

holiday contest- leave a comment by midnight tuesday, dec. 13th to be entered! includes four blackboard painted woodchip shapes- snowflake, circle, snowman, and tree, tinsle ribbon, and chalk. ♥

♥ holiday cookies ♥

for those who don't know- i'm a nanny. my bosses brought me home these fabulous cookies last night! they're so cute i didn't want to eat them but they looked so yummy, so i did (and shared them!!) ;) they're big too- this is my holiday dinner plate. :) yummmmm....

went to my parent's tonight for an extended family holiday get together and took some photos which i'll share soon. ♥

shop for your tot ♥

unique gifts in a wide price range

♥ "these cards are old school" alphabet wall cards by land of nod
♥ noddo croquet set by land of nod
♥ go fish! magnetic fishing game by land of nod
♥ scribble doll by manuella found at totshop
♥ handmade troglodyte doll by jill penney found at sparkability
♥ baby uggs at nordstrom
♥ astro kids mini suitcase by you're such a baby found at totshop
♥ camouflage bag by diaper dude
♥ girl's flannel bags by bunni goods
♥ dwell baby alphabet crib bedding at velocity
♥ retro kitchen stove & ice box by pottery barn kids
♥ teepee frame & cover set by pottery barn kids
♥ bowling safari set by babystyle
♥ classic cruiser pink racer by babystyle
♥ nifty children's tee by scarlet beautiful
♥ long sleeve lounge set by paulina quintana found at totshop
♥ two in one bib by funkie baby found at totshop
♥ diaper cover and tank set by paulina quintana found at totshop
♥ pewter baby spoons by land of nod
♥ polkadot rooster bag by lizette greco
♥ sippy cup by babygags found at totshop
♥ frog pod by sparkability
♥ hand knit stuffed cat doll found at land of nod
♥ personalized paper doll art found at land of nod
♥ cozychic recieving blanket found at oh baby!
♥ "apples" wall decals by sparkability
♥ go dog go! suitcase by room seven found at totshop

p.s.- fab finds under $25 & stocking stuffer ideas
p.s.s.- 3 more days to bid on my framed faerie of love mixed media collage painting

♥ fab finds under $25

how is your holiday shopping going as the "shopping season" begins to wrap up (teehee)? i hope you ♥ all these fab finds (and that they're helpful)! have you found anything fun, fab, or funky that you'd like to share?!

♥ glitter dot necklaces from glamscience found at plain mabel
♥ blueberry boucle knit scarf by copacetique
♥ robin's egg dot ribbon belt by lindsay designs
♥ winter catgirl print by the black apple
♥ bead kit by earthenwood found on crafters for critters
♥ apple wrist cuff by coffee drinker found on plain mabel
♥ milk dolls by my paper crane found on plain mabel
♥ shuffle peels by lime
♥ freckle berrr by axelhoney found on cut + paste
♥ "i'll keep you warm" art print by momomoogie
♥ selfless stationery by three snails
♥ red hood glass mirror by axelhoney found on my favorite mirror
♥ wish tags by maize hutton
♥ faceted smokey quartz earrings by adorneya
♥ herbal, fruit, and rooibos tea by herb + ginger

p.s.- don't forget to check out these stocking stuffer ideas!
p.s.s.- have a great weekend!

ho ho ho

♥ stocking stuffer ideas ♥
act fast! a lot of these shops will stop shipping for the holidays very soon.

listed top to bottom, left to right:

♥ swing up like a rocker collage flats by the paper princess
♥ mini pile of paper by one good bumblebee
♥ alice in wonderland slide box puzzles by hannahgrey
♥ official collector card albums by the small object
♥ c.o. bigelo menthol lip shine by bath and body works
♥ handscreened birdy pin cushion by tania howells
♥ owl notecards by boygirlparty
♥ heart tampon case by frau liebe
♥ owl hat pins by snapcrafty found on cut x paste
♥ animal glass pins by happy owl glassworks found on cut x paste
♥ play with your food button set by my paper crane
♥ spin-spin zine by my paper crane
♥ antique paper magnet set by paper relics
♥ lucky acorn necklace by sparrow goods
♥ sheepie knitting cards by sewing stars
♥ the lost in transition coin purse by blissen
♥ doe-a-deer by the walrus and the carpenter
♥ word bundles by kim kutner
♥ many magnet choice pack by kim kutner

thank you, kim!

kim surprised me with my absolute favorite of her gorgeous hand painted pocket rocks! oooh, i'm so special! thank you, kim. i ♥ it! be sure to check out her website and blog!

{take flight} update

Hi friends,

Sorry it's taken a while to get back to you all! Rest assured that I have recieved your comments on my blog and your emails. I've been quite busy this holiday season as I'm sure most of you are! I just wanted to give you an update on the book. We had a few drops from the book and one person who didn't send enough pages but in the end we had just enough pages to make the right amount of books! I had hoped to have your books to you already as the week after the pages were due I stayed up late collating, counting, and bagging each of the books to take to the printer. As some of you know I had a major issue with my local kinkos. They've bounded books for me in the past (be it only one at a time) so I brought in my big box of books feelings proud of myself and confident. I was there for quite some time only for them to tell me that they couldn't (wouldn't if you ask me) bind the books. So we called a binder who said they also couldn't. I don't get it. Binding is what they do..it's not hard! Anyway, my gusto was deflated and I set it aside for a week. And then it was another week and next thing I know it's after Thanksgiving! I'm sorry guys. So here's where we are. I want you to have them BEFORE Christmas.. I'm sticking to that goal. I took a book to Office Depot to see if it could be bound and she wasn't exactly sure but seemed a lot more confident. I will know today if they will do it. A couple of you had requested in the beginning to just be sent pages and those will go out this week. If they can bind these books then I will have them early next week and will send them out right then and there. Today I am getting the boxes ready to ship to you. If for some reason they choose not to do the books, I saw that Jan had offered to bind them.. and that's awesome - thank you. I'm going to TRY TRY to find a way to get them done this week! Promise! I will be sending another email in a couple days for another update on status and if for some awful reason I don't please feel free to berate me via email. :)

I hope you're all well! I can't wait to get these books off to you- they're beautiful and you'll love them!

♥ joleen

{joy to the world}

I am so sad! I took photos of each step of making this garland. I accidently used a damaged CD in my digital camera and none of the photos came out. Sorry the colorization is off on these photographs- bad lighting. I cut and sewed each of the ribbons together and included a glittery "joy" that I purchased a couple of weeks ago. It's inspired by Teresa's garland. I think it's really cute and whimsical! It matches my Christmas decorations very well and I can't wait to get everything else up!

♥ I am only a few gifts away from being done with my Christmas shopping!
♥ 1/2 my Christmas cards have gone out and the other 1/2 will when I buy new stamps.

utter randomness

The last few days have all sort of blended together. I've been busy but I couldn't really say doing what. Part of me feels like I've not done a thing but I know I have. So weird. I cleaned and did laundry, made lots of pretty ornaments, sent out most of my Christmas cards, went Christmas shopping online, worked... Tomorrow is my day off and I'm meeting my Mom and Grandma at South Coast Plaza for Christmas shopping and lunch. I've not seen my Grandma in a while so I'm excited to spend time with them.

This is from one of my many pattern books sharing awesome 1972 crochet & knit children's wear. In this photo there are designs for both crocheting and knitting. I think these are such classic outfits and hope to someday make both. Aren't these chubby babies sooo cute?! To think they're in their 30's now.. hehe

This is a stock shot of the Lounging Lovely Blythe doll. I won her on ebay! :) Right now she's on her way from Hong Kong and I can hardly stand the anticipation! I've already made plans for new outfits.. *wink to my mom* (think crocheted wear- poncho...scarf...hat). ;) I'm almost 100% decided to name her Darina. I plan on having some light customization done- her face sanded to a pretty matte, a haircut, and slight makeup changes. :)

I've relisted the {Faerie of Love} framed mixed media collage as it didn't meet the reserve before. The starting bid is HALF of the previous reserve so I hope you'll check it out! Also there is FREE shipping within the US. Item Number 7372820696 or click here to bid!

♥ blythe ♥

A lot of people are a little freaked out by Blythe dolls but those who love them are crazy for them. I've been adoring them from afar for about a year now. I've made up my mind to get a couple for myself. Alex and I have come to an agreement that I can purchase them with any money I earn in my shop. Last night I set to work on creating lots of beautiful glass ornaments to sell in the next couple of weeks. I hope to earn enough for my starter doll and possibly set aside some for my dream doll. I am so excited about earning a Blythe doll!! I cannot wait to make little clothes for her and wee objects and take photos of her. Some of you may roll your eyes but that's okay. ;)

♥ History: this is blythe
♥ Forum: this is blythe
♥ Patterns: xoxo, blythe; puchimadam; orrietta cat
♥ Shop: dreamsavertoys; cherry soda; goody blythe; simply kir; happy dolls; squeaky monkey
♥ Customize: puchimadam; happy dolls; blythe rescue mission; meet the sweetles; blythe studio
♥ Misc: noellie; blythe is go

pretty purple purl

I've heard most people find it easier to knit than purl. I must truly be a freak then. :) I've actually never knitted a thing.. everything I've made so far has been purled! After the new year I will strive to become a better knitter!! :) This is a sneak peek of a Christmas gift. You won't see the rest until after the holiday. ;)

i ♥ yarn

Since learning to crochet and knit late last year I've put off learning to actually read a pattern. I made up my own pattern when making this purse and otherwise stuck to basic things such as this scarf and this clutch. In the new year I am determined to learn to read the many pattern books I've acquired and create fabulous items such as those in this mosaic I've compiled above. Below are a handful of projects I've seen recently that I would just LOVE to do if I had the talent, money, and time.

Finally, here are some knitting blogs for your enjoyment. :)
♥ misocrafty
♥ yarnstorm
♥ 6.5 st
♥ knitty blog
♥ making
♥ needles on fire
♥ little purl of the orient