Happy 4th of July!

Links ~ 
             Home of the Brave ~ The Golden Sycamore

            America the Beautiful~ Original work by Meg Gleason

     
           

Wishing you a Blessed Easter ~

To all of you Dear Friends ~



I wish you a beautiful Valentines Day!




The beautiful Swan Photo was done by Photographer "Mozzercork"

So gracious to allow me to use this beautiful photo!

XO, 

Mary

XO,

Mary

... I had a moment to play around with sprays at the top of this wreath. 



It has not been often this fall that I have found time to re-charge like this.



Putzing around, fluffing the nest.... a favorite activity of mine ~ in need of restoring.





Here is a link to a new friend who has done such a lovely and sentimental job of getting
her nest feathered!   Do please stop in to say hello to her.

Merry Christmas!

xo,

Mary

Nativity

Hello!  Is everyone feeling nourished.  The joy of loved ones, laughter and
favorite family foods all combine to make a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.
Caitlin shared with us the Target "Black Friday tips" video series with us.  Very Funny.

The Christmas spirit kicks into high gear for me Thanksgiving weekend.
So to keep busy at home ~ A Nativity was made! 


"Sweet Baby Jesus" is a nice name.  All of the pieces are hand painted in soft
vintage  shades and a tiered table is made  and fine silver glitter is added.
This is designed by me for You!  Do stop by my Etsy Shop, Oh Merci :) 
I am helping Caitlin again but I do want to get a few pretty necklaces made for you also!

Oh, visions of sugar plums danced in my head just now... thinking of the marshmallow brownie
short cut desert I  made for the chocolate lovers on Thanksgiving Day.
I will make some this week and take a photo and give you the steps to quick chocolate delight!
I hope you like my new design!

Hugs,

Mary

The Shop is Opened!

 

A season of calm and bright.  

That is my wish for us all, dear friends.

For now ~ wreaths, peaceful and joyous.... indeed, ready for a celebration.

Indeed! I did get carried away!



These petit vintage style wreaths have been a favorite of mine for several years now.


I just made mine with a wee loop to place a wire hanger 
within so to dangle from your tree.

A gallant deer, a brilliant candle and ~

Glistening pine cones.


Then, the petit cottages designed by myself for YOU!

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It is a time to be so grateful for all of the love we have.
It is an "Oh Merci" Christmas!

***  Please stop by my shop!   ***

With Kindness,

Mary

I hear Christmas music!
I am almost ready to add to my shop, which has been neglected for sometime!
So sorry about that and Thank YOU all for waiting so patiently!
I will see you Tomorrow, Sunday Evening... shop fluffed up a bit.

Here is a little peek ~
~

With Kindness,
Mary

What happened on Mothers DAY!

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Mothers Day with Your Mom and with your children.
I cannot think of a better gift than a hug and an "I Love You". 

I had a very nice Mothers Day.  My Daughter could not make it.  *** I must say that both of my kids have spent every Birthday and Mothers Day with me.  I am very blessed to have such wonderful children! (now young adults).  They think of me not just on special days but throughout the year.

My husband, K.c. and Son, Doug and I  went to mass early, and then to breakfast at a favorite place that we have not been to in a number of years!  I like the scrambled eggs  and dry wheat toast :)  It is tempting to get the fancy blueberry pancakes but they are too rich for me.  It was so lovely to sit and talk without worry of schedules.  This was the best gift of all.  The card my son gave to me with his special message in it was WONDERFUL!   We went into Naperville and had a Hot cocoa and coffees as we strolled around in the sun a bit.  Naperville is a pretty town with a river running through it... a park and walkway with  MANY activities in it runs the length of town.. and that is quite a distance.  One of it's features is a wonderful swimming hole.  Formerly a rock quarry, now a "real swimming pool' of extreme size... zero depth ending with sand.  Such a wonderful family place. 

SO, back at home later in the day... I look out my kitchen window and see a bunny busily digging in our back yard.  And I know what that means!
She was getting herself ready for her OWN Mothers Day!!!

She dug and dug for quite some time.   I came back later to see she had moved on to the next portion of construction... feathering her nest!  More like laying down layers of fresh green grass.
When I woke this morning I found this ~



Can you see the medium brown area in the grass? to the right?


Mother Bunnies make their own home I guess. They also are not "on" nor "in" the nest with the babies. They do not want to draw attention to the nest so they spend there time nearby watching. Early in the morning and in the evening they will place themselves over the nest and the babies will raise up to get milk from their mother. They sit their for about 5 minutes. Their milk is very rich. I did not know what the babies ate prior to researching this last night.



I have a wonderful link you can share with your children that follows a family that has domestic bunnies ... 2 litters at the same time... wonderful photos and facts!

Links ~
Baby Bunnies

It was a great mothers Day all over our home yesterday!
I wish all of you a blessed year!

Hugs,

Mary

It's easy to set the Thanksgiving table... Rachel Aswell shows us how with a video via Target. Don't forget to also raid your own cupboards for forgotten treasures to welcome guests to a table that is truly your own.



Hugs,
Mary

Studio Time

Since I have some moment to breathe I am going to play in my studio... I may add a few ornaments and a cottage to the shop.
The above photo is one of my new wreaths while it was "in the making" in my studio spot. I love these shining gems for our homes this Holiday Season! If you put them over a mirror you get two times the merriment!

Hugs,
Mary

Roads traveled. I took the road home through downtown Naperville yesterday, after an appointment. As I was approaching one of the High Schools I noticed a sea of Red White And Blue. A beautiful sight of hundreds of Old Glory waving in the afternoon sun.



"First known as Armistice Day in recognition of the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I, the holiday was first proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919. In 1938 Congress declared each November 11th a legal holiday and in 1954 replaced "Armistice" with Veterans."

From those first Patriots who helped to form this great country of ours to those who are serving today. And to those who gave their life last week at Fort Hood.
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.... Thank you.

The Shop Is Open!

It has been a long fall. A bit of Christmas has made it's way to YOU at My Shop!
I have some Deer Diorama's I still have to photograph... hopefully tonight.
I think the photos are a bit grainy, I am not used to the sophisticated equipment
of my Son's camera... I did the editing. But believe me, I love these items at the shop!



Oh Thank You So For Your Patience!
xo,
Mary

Hi!
I was able to snag my Son, Doug, for a quick photo shoot this morning! It is sooo nice to have my very own personal photographer! So I am working on loading my Christmas items to the shop today! I did forget to photograph three items... sigh. Oh well. I will have my camera back soon I hope.

I will update my blog today as soon as I am done listing at my shop :)

Hugs,
Mary

Ho Ho Ho~ there is a lot of soft, sparkling Christmas making going on in my studio!
I have some New things and some wonderful special Heirloom items being made.Thank You for being patient!

Do you hear jingle bells in the distance???

Hugs,
Mary

A bit of a peek at Christmas. A bit of changing up and adding to...
in my petite work space. ~
Christmas 2009 :)

HO*HO*HO

Hugs,
Mary

A whirlwind of events and emotions.
A wonderful visit from Kathy and Pete (K.C.'s sister) a few weeks ago. We all met up with our son, Doug and his girlfriend, Monica for dinner. I am not into bars or their food but this was a new Irish pub and the COMPANY was my highlight. :) We all had a great time and everyone did enjoy their dinner. Oh, Kathy and Pete are both of Irish heritage and have gone to Ireland for a wonderful trip!
Before dinner we met up in Geneva, a wonderful town also along the Fox River. We popped in and out of shops dodging the rain settling into our favorite antique shop WHERE Kathy bought me THIS~



Am I lucky!? :) Yes :) They were able to spend the night with us before heading back home.

We all found ourselves on the other spectrum of emotions the past weekend. My husbands Father's wife's son, lost his wife. A beautiful memorial mass at his parish in Michigan. The priest was amazing and best of all he and Mike have a good friendship for some time now. It is nice to have such a person when you are faced with such ... loss of love.

Now back at home, I will be doing my best to visit all of you and post while I help Caitlin to get ready for the Renegade Craft Fair... almost here!


Hugs,
Mary
P.S. Is my post coming out correctly for all of you??? I see empty white boxes and... the wrong placing... of course it is correct in my "preview" box. Please let me know if all is ok or wacky with this post format.
Thank YOU

Thank You

This is a day late, but truly any day is a good day to remember.
Mercy Me... I love this song.



Thank you so for stopping by.
Mary

"Walking In A Winter Wonderland"

Today is the day!
You waited sooo patiently while I worked away like a little elf. A lot of love has been filled into each of these homes and packed into Santa's sleigh. I took a lot of care in designing and hand creating these pieces and I hope that you fall in love with each of these soon to be family heirlooms.



1) “Comfort And Joy”
Just outside of town, nestled in the countryside sits a cozy church ready and welcoming 'Comfort and Joy'. Oh, I hear the church bells ringing now! Every bit of this sweet little church has been lovingly made by me for you! I've adorned this building with Faux stained glass windows, a quaint bay window, “stone” work detail, arched windows and a beautiful round tower that holds a golden bell which actually rings. This will definitely become a family heirloom.
12” long X 8”wide X 13”high
$98







2)” Let It Snow”
“The weather outside is frightful, the fire is so delightful...”
But there is a place to go- Let your eye scurry past the Christmas tree and up the front stairs to the welcoming front porch. Then, let your mind dream over the cute deer in the front yard. Everyone's cozy with Christmas cheer inside this little home.…"let it snow, let it snow, let it snow".
This home was dreamed up with an amalgamation of friends and homes that I love in mind. A bay window, covered porch,,a chimney,shutters,sparkling snow, and custom trees and wreaths! Has snow ever looked so welcoming!
11” long X 9” wide X 8.5” high
$98






3) “Christmas Time In The City”
The city is all a hustle and a bustle with winter’s finery on display. The snow has fallen softly over the rooftops and trees are iced with sparkling snowflakes. The home has been dressed in the finest holiday trims, ready to delight each passerby and greet loved ones for holiday festivities.
This home is packed with details ...it’s Christmas time in the city!
This was the first Christmas home I designed for this year. A townhome/brownstone sitting ready to welcome in holiday cheer. Three levels of windows and a nice welcoming stoop at front door. This home is crowned with pretty roof details.
Holiday cheer surrounds this home from the custom Christmas trees and wreaths to the golden garland drapped around the top. Do not forget to check out the back porch :)
8’ wide X 12’ long X 13” high
$98





4) Santa Claus' Sleigh
Santa is ready for his world tour!
From the hand embroidered blue snowflakes on his coat to his adorned sleigh packed with Christmas goodies. Santa is ready for his special flight with a beautiful, strong reindeer. This was great fun to design for you!
“Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas!!!”
$35





"Have yourself a Merry little Christmas"... just follow these few steps to Pre-Order
1) E-mail me @ marykholcomb@hotmail.com with the name of each piece that you would
like.
Shipping is $10 per building and $7 for Santa's Sleigh, each shipped separately.
2) I am ready to make 15 buildings... what ever the combination that is desired by all
of you. :) AND at this time 3 Santa Claus' Sleigh.

Ho~Ho~Ho~ Have fun and Thank You!

Hugs,
Mary