The sun never came out but on Saturday morning the rain stopped long enough for me to run outside with Emmie. It was breezy but somehow we managed to not have too much hair flying in the wind, and got some pictures I could use for the Ebay listing. Marilyn… I DID call it “Promise of Blue Skies” and it fit on the title line on Ebay! It was listed Sunday evening and will end Friday evening. You can see it by clicking on the picture at the right side bar or you can click HERE.
Here are a couple pictures of our outdoor adventure… You can see the natural lighting color of her dress…
That’s all from me… now it’s Anne’s turn… She has been making purses to sell at her market in New Zealand (I’m guessing it’s kind of like our craft fairs here in the US) and sent me a few pictures of some already done… They are SO SO adorable and I know you will all love seeing them too…If you click on the pictures they will enlarge.
Then Anne sent me some pictures of her grapevines… not only can she SEW…she can GROW… grapes, that is! She said her green grapes will be ready to pick next month and said she’ll have SO many she won’t know what to do with them… I say we all get on a plane and head to Anne’s house and help her out! I LOVE grapes! :o) OR she better learn how to make grape jelly if she doesn’t know how already! She can take JELLY to the market then! :o) Thanks Anne!
We might have some other pictures tomorrow…
See you then,
Blessings, Jeanne
Emmie’s outfit is just beautiful; I know she will be sorry to take this one off, when the time comes!
Anne, your purses are so cute! Although I do LOVE the colors in the kitty purse, I think my favorite is that bird, the last one shown. For some reason, that one just really appeals to me.
My husband would love to come and help you eat those grapes!! We both like grapes, but he especially does (with me, it’s blueberries!). They look just wonderful.
After several days of sunshine and warmish temps (we got to 61 on Sat.) today it was back into the low 40s and we had about a half inch of rain today. It was dry when I left for church at 9:30 this morning, and pouring rain when church got over shortly after noon. Of course, my right hip and knee are letting me know they don’t like it!! (My foot, though, is doing quite a bit better.)
Thanks Charlotte,
I’m glad you like it!
Yes, aren’t Anne’s purses adorable? I just love the animal ones! I told her to use coloring books for great pictures of animals.. I used to use them when I did appliqued animal prints.
We finally got some sunshine today…and it’s in the 60’s… but too late… I already took my pictures of Emmie… Oh well…
Thanks Charlotte,
blessings, Jeanne
Emmie looks adorable, Jeanne, and I like that last outdoor picture of her against the tree the best! Everything about that outfit is just so perfect, and yes, makes me think of the blue skies that we hopefully will see someday! It has been gray skies for too long here!
Anne, your purses are darling! Where do you get the ideas? What little girl wouldn’t love one of those for Easter?
And grapes! I love grapes, especially grape jelly too! One of my favorite snacks is grape jelly on rye bread, which my grandmother always gave us when we visited her house, since she had grapes, and made her own jelly. I never outgrew my love for jelly bread Our neighbors had grape vines, and when we were children, just playing around, we often just picked a couple of grapes and ate them on the spot! Thanks for the memories!
HI Linda,
I wanted to put her down on the ground for some pictures, but it was TOO soggy and I sure didn’t want her falling over in the wet grass. I do like the outside pictures I was able to get.
I think Anne should have been making purses like this all year long. I think they are adorable and I think they would make great gifts… for Easter and beyond!
Another grape lover…
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
I like the last picture of Emmie the best, too, with the tree for contrast.
The purses 👜 really show off your creative streak, Anne. They must sell very well. Do you cull the grapes to get them to grow that big? That’s the way the Japanese grow such huge grapes that are very expensive and are given as gifts. They look delicious. Thanks for sharing your pictures.
I, too, remember my mother making grape jelly in the basement on the old retired Magic Chef stove. It would certainly have made a great antique by now, kind of like me!
Thanks Susette,
Emmie is definitely an outside girl, isn’t she?
I just love Anne’s purses… aren’t they adorable? I think she could come up with a million different ideas!
I think Anne’s got a “bunch” of grape lovers on here! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
No blue skies here. We have more snow and ice. Emmie will bring her own blue sky in her cute outfit!
Your bags are really cute, Anne. How big are they? I would happily use one even if they are meant for children!
HI Julia,
We finally have some blue skies here…it’s in the 60’s and a bit breezy so it feels cooler, but at least it’s not gray! :o)
I should have asked Anne how big they are… maybe she’ll tell us…
Thanks Julia,
blessings, Jeanne
I looked a couple of times yesterday to see if Emmie’s dress was listed and when it was not, thought maybe there was still an Ebay problem. Glad to see it posted. Love the outdoor photos and Emmie’s dress looks so pretty.
Anne’s bags are very sweet for kids and adults. Fun. And her grapevine is such a producer. Is it a Concord grape? Maybe not. We have a Concord in our yard that I planted many years ago. Most of the time, racoons end up with the grapes. Around here, grapes are everywhere on the hillsides. It would remind you of Italy, as it did for other person’s grandparents who were from there, when they visited many years ago. 🙂
Time change has us behind schedule. Didn’t want to get up.
HI Joy,
When I was listing Emmie’s dress last night, I got to the point where you had to upload your pictures for the gallery on Ebay and was a little bit nervous, hoping it would work…and it did. I was so happy and ran into my hubby and told him, “Ebay worked… my pictures loaded!” I was thrilled!
I’d love to see a picture of the grapes on the hillsides… I watched some movie about the grapes on a hill and they caught on fire… I don’t remember if I liked the movie or not, but just remembered that part…
Thanks Joy,
blessings, Jeanne
Yay, I see the border is back on your EBay listing! It really sets it apart from the run of the mill auctions !
HI Linda,
Yes, I was happy when I listed Emmie’s dress last night and the border and my gallery pictures loaded without a hitch! I was truly a happy camper!
Thanks for noticing…
Blessings, Jeanne
I also notice you got the border working again. That is a really nice touch always because it gives such a clear view of the fabric.
Emmie looks so sweet in that blue dress. Some little dolly will have the perfect spring and summer dress.
No sunshine here today either. Last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday we were up in the 60’s and this morning it was 30. Brrr. My pansies got slightly nipped on the front porch, but they will bounce back, they always do.
Your purses are just adorable, Anne! I love the kitty and puppy one and the owl one with the feather fabric.
Wow, your grapes are fantastic. You have plenty to make juice, jelly, grape sorbet, and Waldorf salad with fresh grapes instead of raisins
I found this recipe quickly and It looks good and interesting
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/concord-grape-cornmeal-cake
HI Laura,
Yes, the border is working and my gallery pictures on Ebay (which was the absolute most important thing for an auction!) worked too! I was very happy when I was doing this listing and things were back to normal.
I bet you’d like one of those Kitty purses, wouldn’t you?
I think we have 100% of the readers here who like grapes and grape jelly! Let’s all meet at Anne’s house for Peanut Butter and Grape Jelly sandwiches! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
I wish I could grow grapes. My daughter-in-law had them for a few years, but raccoons kept eating them.
HI Debi,
I guess we blog readers aren’t the ONLY ones who love the grapes!
Thanks Debi,
Blessings, Jeanne
Your yard definitely looks different than mine, which is bright white with sunshine and snow. We didn’t get 20″ but we did get more than 12. The trees are shedding huge lumps of snow. Anyone driving today needs a snow shovel in the back seat.
Emmie’s dress would be beautiful against the white but she’d certainly be out of her depth. I don’t think she’d like to stand in the snow. Your outdoor pictures are especially nice. The natural background sets off the blue and white nicely and gives us a promise of spring.
Tomorrow we’ll find out who’s up next.
Anne’s grapes are a promise of summer. They are so beautiful that it’s a shame to pick them, but if you don’t, they’ll be a feast for wasps. It looks like you are going to have a lot of grape jelly, but there are grape pies and tarts, and grapes are wonderful for picnics. I searched “best grape recipes” and got more than expected — smoothies, jam, jelly, salad, and cake, to start with. The beautiful leaves and grapes should provide inspiration for more purses, though t looks like you have plenty of inspiration already.
HI Marilyn,
May I share the pictures you sent me of the snow there? It was beautiful but DEEP!
I only wish on the pictures with Emmie, that the sky had been blue that day so I could have at least gotten a snippet of it in the pictures… but it was gray and almost white…
Yep, tomorrow, I’ll try to have my mind made up as to who is next…
I thought Anne’s grape vines were wonderful and I think they add so much character to her home… I love seeing them in her yard… and like you say, ALL those recipes for grapes… she’ll be busy for the rest of the year working on grape ideas!
Thanks Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne,
Emmie’s dress is lovely. “Promise of Blue Skies” is a perfect name for such a sweet little dress. The photo’s taken outdoors really make the beautiful fabric shine. I love Liberty of London tana lawn. Best wishes on the auction. Did Rebecca buy the car? Inquiring minds and all that.
Anne, good luck at the Market, those purses are adorable. I’m sure you’ll sell out in no time. I’m loving on that sweet little dog one but then they all are so cute. Wow those are some good looking grapes… yum! We live in the country across the street from a vineyard.
-> https://arrowheadspringvineyards.com/
Thanks to the birds we have grapes everywhere. Wine grapes aren’t as large as table grapes but they are sweet. A few years ago hubby decided to pick some and make wine with them. (we make wine but usually from juice) He ended up with a bad case of poison ivy (hands, arms, neck and face.. it was bad!) later that day after realizing what had happened I made him throw out everything he picked. Since then no vine is safe from his snipper. LOL
Crazy weather here, last week we saw 70 this morning it was 18 degrees. Spring has sprung in western New York yeah!
Hugs
Ingrid
Hi Ingrid,
I was looking back at an archived post and saw your name in the comments and realized you had been missing and was so glad to just now see your comments… I hope you are all back to normal now…
Thanks for your sweet compliments on Emmie’s dress… I’m sold on Liberty of London Lawn fabrics and might have to keep an eye out for some prints on sale as the spring gets here and winter passes…
Yes, Rebecca did get the car… and it’s a wonderful car… a 2008 Toyota Rav 4… blue and almost in mint condition! She was super blessed to have gotten it…
Oh what a horrible poison ivy story for your hubby… that sounds terrible…
We’ve had some crazy weather too… today we had to wear light coats and now it’s up to 63. Don’t know what tomorrow holds… :o)
Thanks Ingrid,
Blessings, Jeanne
Your Ebay site is lovely Jeanne, it really shows off the outfits. I am pleased you got the border back is does make it look extra special. I see that Emmie already has a bid on her dress so you will need to break it to her gently that she has to take it off soon.
Thanks for all the kind comments about the bags. the basic larger bag (the owl with feathers) is from a pattern I got a long time ago for a completely different style. I just use the main piece for the body. I made another smaller pattern from that one for the body of the smaller bags. Other than that they are all ideas I have seen on Pinterest. They all have zip pockets in the back and a pocket on the inside divided into 3. The faces on the cat and dog are pockets and the latest owl I made yesterday has the eyes and beak on a flap that goes over the top zip and covers a pocket on the front. They are all unique, I try to make sure I don’t use the same combination of fabrics. Even the smaller ones would be big enough for an adult. I have tried to make all the adjustable shoulder straps at least 50inches long which sounds a lot but it is only just long enough for me across the body.
As for the grapes, I don’t do anything to them. I didn’t even know the vine was there until we had lived here about 5 years. I saw the leaves in the tree nearby but thought it was from next door! Last year I decided to train it across the front of my deck, it obviously likes that ( it is very sunny there) and has completely taken off. The skin is a bit sour but when you squeeze them gently it just pops off and leaves the very sweet grape. I gave two bunches to Sam and Caitlin ate them all, skins as well but she eats lemons like oranges so not surprising !!!
The green grapes (that I didn’t show) are much smaller and sweeter. When Mum and dad moved into their house 40+ yrs ago we gave them a grapevine that we had picked up at a garden centre for a dollar (as I said a long time ago) and Dad had trained it all around an ugly brick wall the backed the property. When we moved to Medway St in 2004 I had taken some cuttings which I planted and gave Sam one as well. It took a while to take off and just had a wonderful lot of fruit in 2011, We didn’t get to eat any though as we had to move out in Feb that year because of the earthquakes and so the birds had them but I managed to take some more cuttings and planted one here. The first fruit we had from that was just after Dad died so he never was able to enjoy them much. If we lived in the country we would probably have a problem with possums (which are an imported pest here, they kill our trees and eat the eggs of our native birds) but here in the city our main issue is with birds. My young cat is pretty good at keeping them away though!
Lots of people have suggested grape jelly, I have never made it but may have a go, I will certainly check out the cake you suggested Laura.
Looking forward to seeing who is up next Jeanne.
HI Anne,
I already have taken Emmie’s dress off… by bribing her with some candy… she doesn’t actually “get” the candy…it’s an extra treat for the dress winner, but I told her she could guard it… (from my hubby!) She has been standing beside it ever since…
I think you will sell out in no time with those handbags… they are just so cute and unusual… they really catch your eye and “that’s all it takes” to be sold! :o)
The way your grapevines look, I was certain you must be an expert at them… but if not, you certainly have a green thumb… your vines look wonderfully healthy! Thanks for sharing them with us…
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Anne, I agree with Jeanne. We are coming to visit you. I hope you have a sofa large enough to accommodate all of us (laugh). Is there a nearby tearoom? It would be lovely to take Afternoon Tea.
Great pictures of Emmie outside. And you are so right Jeanne. That Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabric is absolutely amazing. The colors are beautiful and the feel of the fabric is wonderful. Since I only bought 1/2 yard of the three designs I’m going to have to make it up into something really special. I’ve got a few thoughts on that.
Anne’s purses are beyond adorable. She should have no problem selling them. Really too cute. And all the grapes. Yummy!! I can’t even imagine having so many.
I just had the most exciting thing happen. I’ve been printing some doll clothes patterns today and didn’t get to my e-mail until a few minutes ago. There was a message from Magalie saying she was ready to paint my LD Greer Adele and she should be on her way within a week if I was ready for her. Ready?! I’m more than ready and so are her two LD cousins and the rest of the dolly family. They are all dressed and ready for Easter Tea and Greer Adele should be able to join them in celebrating. I can’t wait!
Thanks Barbara,
Oh, you got your Liberty fabric already… isn’t it divine? I just love to touch it!
When I bought mine, I only got 1/4 yard cuts… so I had to make smaller doll dresses from mine.. I still have one I haven’t used yet… the Wiltshire in the blue berries.
I just finished eating a big bowl of grapes a while ago.. .I love the things… and always take a baggie of them when we go on a trip.
Well, HUGE congratulations to YOU and Magalie for getting your doll on the painting table. Oh my goodness, how excited you must be… you’ll be stalking the mailbox in about a week! You have her Easter dress all made? I can’t wait till your girls meet her and then we all get to see her too! congrats again…
Blessings, Jeanne
I’m trying to decide whether to make Greer Adele a new dress or let her wear one of the other pretty dresses that don’t seem to get much wear. I put one of those on my Maru Savannah since I didn’t have time to make her one. Stella is next and she doesn’t have any other dress to wear. Sometimes I think I like making the clothes better than changing the dolls into them from time to time. Each time I make an outfit it and the doll wearing it sit on my coffee table for awhile so I can really get to see it, since unless I’m sewing I don’t see the dollies every day. Then once they get a new outfit the one they’re wearing gets put in the designated “closet”. I really am trying to get it so the dolls get changed more often, but getting them ready for Easter has taken over a week so far and that doesn’t include the new dresses I just made. This doll collecting and sewing for dolls can be really time consuming. I’m planning a Dolly Easter Tea photo shoot. They are all excited about that and want to know if an egg hunt is included.
HI Barbara,
I hope you get it all figured out…and YES, dolls can be time consuming! I don’t even dress mine, except for when they are modeling, but just finding the time to get in my sewing room seems to be problematic lately… March is a busy month for us generally… Lots of birthdays, anniversaries, and more…
I hope you get your girls dressed… you have a few days till Easter… :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, I love Emmie’s dress, inside or out! She is such a pretty Little Darling.
Hi Dorothy
I couldn’t agree with you more!! Emmie is truly a beautiful doll. I guess it really was worth that 3 year 3 month long wait on her !
Thanks so much!
Blessings, Jeanne