We are…really! N-O… not by aliens, but by ladybugs! They are particularly bad in our master bathroom. That’s where these pictures were taken. We vacuum them up by the hundreds and 15 minutes later they are back in full force again. We have vacuumed the window, and the floor and the walls, and the mirror and then stood watch… and it seems like we finally think we have won… then you blink or look away for just a second and all of a sudden out of the corner of your eye you see movement and there they are again. I sometimes think they have called their cousins and are having some kind of ladybug convention! Seriously, it’s pretty bad…It’s rainy outside today, so they aren’t in full force, but on a warm, sunny day, look out!
My hubby has caulked all around this window and has finally told me they aren’t coming in from outside; they are hatching out inside and coming in from the walls somewhere. I don’t really need an explanation of “where” they came from… I just want them “gone” so they aren’t walking around the mirror as I curl my hair, or landing on my face at night, or even crawling under the covers… EEEEWWWEEE!!!
They are adorable little bugs as charms for jewelry, on party decorations, in storybooks, and on fabrics… let’s see what I’ve done with them in the past…
This fabric was called Lady Bug Trails and I made it into a fun dress and pantalettes set for Molly…
Here is another little girl’s dress I made from it and sold it when I was selling little girls dresses on eBay back in 2000.
…and Rebecca was 10 years old but was already making jewelry for my dresses…
Another of my favorite sets was one for Isabelle, my 13″ Dianna Effner Little Darlings doll. This was so much fun to make and whenever I think of something I made with ladybugs, this outfit always comes to my mind first.
I made another set that Patsy Tonner and Elin, my Iplehouse doll could share. It had a fun lady bug sitting on their shoulder…
I made a set one time, many years ago with a red and black and white lady bug theme. It was all pieced together with various red and black fabrics and I made the little girls set with a matching doll outfit. It took quite a bit of time to make… The only pictures I have of it are these…
Okay, I guess that’s all the lady bug things I have to show you… I better go vacuum up some more bugs again…if this doesn’t start working soon, I’m going to ask my hubby to bring in a few hens and lock them in my master bathroom… Oh, now that would be a “POST” wouldn’t it???
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
I rented a place once that had bees coming in like this — they were in the walls. I was glad to leave. I’ve seen pictures of ladybugs thick (as in a solid mass) on tree trunks, so I think it’s time to consult an expert.
I forgot to mention it, but I liked the pink flowered fabric with that lovely white lace that you showed us yesterday, but a solid color might also be nice. Someone commented that most of the sketches we looked at yesterday showed solid colors, and solid colors do show off precision sewing very nicely.
Google images has some pictures from the Disney Pollyanna movie — also nice inspiration.
Good luck with the ladybugs — it’s very hard to sew and vacuum up ladybugs at the same time, and we all know which you prefer.
Hi Marilyn,
Just as I was writing to answer you comment, a ladybug was crawling up my arm! I’m in my bedroom….
I’d rather have ladybugs than bees! I have talked with an expert….his name is “honey!”
I did change the fabric to Rebecca’s 1900’s dress. I cut it out last night… I hope everyone likes it better. I do…
My sister is coming in today, so I’ll shut the bathroom door and go visit over at my mom’s house… (Not that a shut door will keep them confined in the bathroom…. But maybe….)
Thanks Marilyn, blessings, Jeanne
I would rather see them then not. We had them like this one year, then the stink bugs came. The stink bugs are still here but the lady bugs are just starting to show up in small numbers again. I plant things to attract them and bring in the eggs when I can find them selling locally. They are great for the garden. They do not give off nasty odors nor make me cringe.
Love the dresses…yes they do make cute subjects. I think I just bought more fabric with them on it.
Hi April,
Well I suppose ladybugs are better than stink bugs…still I want mine gone…it’s too early for our garden, so someone else can have “my” ladybugs!
There are some cute ladybug prints in the fabric stores.
Thanks April,
Blessings, Jeanne
Did you try saying this?
Ladybug, Ladybug
Fly away home,
Your house is on fire,
And your children will burn.
Cruel–yes. But certainly worth trying. 😉
Hi Deb,
No, I haven’t tried saying this little ditty….but I certainly will now…. :o)
Love you, me
I’m wondering why everyone’s post (or the ones I’ve seen this morning seem to be missing the letter I. (Eye)??
Strange and quirky. Just wondering.
Hi Deb,
I just got an update from WordPress (the program that my blog is written on) and there was an update to a plugin…I updated it and now I see the small letter “i” again! Yay!
See you soon!!!
Love you, me
Those bugs certainly are an irritation and they do seem to be prolific.
As the saying goes, when the world gives you lemons, make lemonade….the “world” gave you “ladybugs” so you showed us your lovely creations with them on them. What a clever person you are to make “use” of what you’ve been given in abundance! Thanks for sharing your past creations with us.
Take care.
Hi Becky, it’s nice when I can relate a post with something that is going on in my life.
It’s a good thing we’re not being invaded by snakes, because I don’t have any pictures of “snake” dresses!
Blessings, Jeanne
Thank goodness!
Hope you solve your bug problem soon. Guess they can get in under clapboards or just about anywhere and spend the winter, emerging when they want out. I read that if they are stressed they release a yellow substance, their blood. So, don’t disturb them too much as it can stain. They like the south side of houses and prefer white walls. Go figure.
Anyway, loved your bug creations. Perfect.
HI Joy,
I hope the ladybugs just find some way out of my house on their own… I guess if not, I’ll seal up my window somehow and look through “saran wrap” and see if they move on. They get on your feet from being on the floor, they land on my hairbrush, and get all over my bed… ICK…. I just don’t want them in my house anymore.
They have a funny smell to them too. If you touch them and then smell your finger, it’s sort of this dry musty smell and it’s nasty smelling to me. You have to wash your hands to get the smell off. My bathroom window faces west so maybe they don’t just like south sides… but my window and beadboard is white… oh well….
I guess it means Spring is coming soon!
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, I love ladybugs!! I would much, much rather see them than not. We get them each year as well. I put them in a plastic containers with a wet paper towel, holes punched in the lid for air and then every couple of hours when I have a number of them, I take them outside and put them in the garden. Our garden does really well I think in part to the ladybugs . Ladybugs are so helpful in the garden eating the bad aphids so we can have vegetables etc. A single ladybug can eat 5000 aphids in its lifetime. I hope that you release them out of the bag!, please! Ladybugs, butterflies, and bumblebees are the only insects I don’t mind crawling on me. I’ve even had honeybees on me, and if you don’t bother them they just fly away
The ladybug outfits are very cute.
HI Laura,
Well at this point, with hundreds of them in the vacuum bag, they are probably having a party in there… but so far, I haven’t released any…our garden isn’t tilled up yet, so I have no need to put them anywhere… sorry!
I’m hoping they find their way outside on their own…
I know about them eating the aphids in the garden… my hubby likes them on his tomatoes… well, not ON his tomatoes when he’s eating them, but ON his tomatoes when they are growing…
Thanks for your thoughts, Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
You poor people in Carbondale! Last year it was cicadas. now ladybugs! We have had a very few ladybugs in the past years, nothing like yours though! We have relatives in Cape Girardeau and they also have ladybug problems, so I guess Carbondale isn’t alone, but gee, it seems like one thing after another!
I love the jumper outfit you made for Isabelle, is that who she is? I can never keep it straight, since I don’t have Little Darlings, and do you change up the wigs and their names too? Or is that for other dolls? All I can say is, that little denim jumper is just like one I made for my daughter when she was small, and I even had a ladybug on it! Red, white and blue were all the rage in the 70’s, so she had a red and white checked blouse, but still your outfit made me remember!
HI Linda,
Yes, us poor people in Carbondale… it sounds like we have all the problems… but really I guess it’s pretty harmless…at least the ladybugs aren’t loud like the cicadas were!
Yes, it’s Isabelle in the denim jumper. I don’t change Isabelle’s wig…only Janie and sometimes Lian’s. Isabelle was the name given to this particular looking doll, by Dianna Effner. I changed Janie’s name when I got her, and Lian was the name given to her by Joyce Mathews, who painted her.
I was so thrilled to find the lime green and ladybug fabric yesterday for one of my readers.
She had been looking and I had been looking too and found it in an Ebay listing yesterday. Needless to say, the lady was thrilled so now she can finish her Ann Estelle outfit.
It’s fun to have something remind us of something we made or wore a long time ago. I like those memories!
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne,
So sorry to hear about your little pests. I’ve seen clusters of them on the boulders around Marblehead Lighthouse on Lake Erie, but to have them invade your house…eek!
Your outfits shown today are so cute. I love it when you show us creations from the past. The little girl outfits are darling. Now that’s another collection I’ve seen a few people enjoy – ladybugs in all sorts of items.
*Joy, I’m going to look up where the Pollyanna house is. I’m so glad you mentioned that. Thank you ! How exciting that it is a real house somewhere. Also, it’s neat you knew some people who were extras. What a memory they must have.
Some years ago, there was talk of tearing down the McDonald Mansion (Polyanna’s House). There was a group raising money to save it. Probably in the early 70’s. Some friends and I attended one of the fund raisers. I wore a long period dress as did a few others and ate lunch on the lawn of the mansion. Made the front page of the local paper. Fortunately, the mansion was saved and returned to it’s former beauty. It is quite spectacular today.
HI Paula,
I’m hoping the ladybug “issue” will be resolved like the cicada (locusts) problems of last year were. Maybe when it gets warmer outside the ladybugs will rather be outside than inside my house! :o)
How neat about the Pollyanna house…I hope you get to go visit it sometime.
…and Joy, what a memory you have…dressing up in your long dresses and eating lunch on the lawn…. I’m going to look it up too…
Blessings, Jeanne
That reminds me… did yo ever find the green lady bug material for that lady that was looking for it? I looked in my stash but didn’t find any… I think mine was a ‘purple’ version. Lady Bugs in the house are irritating – but, that skunk that woke up and got run over outside is just *nasty*! :-/ Oh, the joys of spring! LOL!! We’re at 50 degrees so far…:-) Good luck dealing with your ‘invasion’… :-/
Hi Mary,
I DID just find the fabric yesterday for the lady. I knew it would show up one of these days and yesterday was the day. I emailed Ann and she was thrilled beyond thrilled! Now she’s able to finish her Ann Estelle outfit.
EEEWWWEEE…a skunk has to worse than anything…. keep your windows closed!
It’s pouring down rain here…
Have a good day,
Blessings, Jeanne
Anything in the house that is meant for outside is not fun…I remember walking in my kitchen and seeing one of our cute chubby Squirrels on top of my refrigerator…OMGosh.I got out of there so fast…he was definitely not cute IN my house!
Good luck getting rid of them….I don’t know what kind of vacuum you have but if it has a hose spray some Raid in it before you shut it off so the ones in the bag won’t get out
Good luck de-bugging :0)
HI Kathie,
Today it’s rainy outside so I think they are all taking naps somewhere… there aren’t nearly as many as there were even yesterday… maybe they read my post and decided to go to someone else’s house! I hope so…
EEK… a squirrel… I’d of freaked out!
Thanks Kathie…
Blessings, Jeanne
Ladybugs are a real menace,,iin a few southern states.
Daughter in Atlantadeals with them each spring. Some use Camphophenique to keep them off door and window frames?
HI Jan,
As long as it’s rainy like it has been today, they are staying in the walls, I guess. I didn’t see quite as many today as I did yesterday, although I did see 3 on my bed already..ick!
Thanks Jan,
Blessings, Jeanne
Years ago we had a bug similar to a lady bug that infested our windows every spring….I finally wiped the window frame with ammonia and that seemed to keep them away…
Good luck..it doesn’t last long, and it means that Spring is here (almost)….:)
HI Kathy,
I have some ammonia… guess I might give that a try… my sister’s poem about their house being on fire did no good! :o)
Thanks Kathy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne!
No fun to have too-many ladybugs. But I agree with Becky! I love your inspiration to show your ladybug designs!
They are just lovely!
Jano