Vintage Bubble Lights Found

I've been in search for bubble light replacements without having to go to Home Depot or Amazon. The only store that had them in stock was the Ace hardware store in Mt View. I have a vintage set I got while I was down in Carmel years ago. Lucky for me a NIB vintage set came in. Was purchased at Woolworths years ago. I also scored a fake Christmas tree for only $5.00!  Now I have to decide if I should keep it outside on the front porch or bring it in my place. 

 

Coffee Surprise

I make a big cup of coffee every morning using the pour over method. Not that I want to do anything fancy but that it takes a lot less room on the counter. I add oat milk and coco power first. Read that heat activates the chocolate to be more chocolatey. Having the hot coffee hitting the coco first thing should in theory work. Really, I don't notice the difference. 

This morning my coffee did this layering thing. Never has happened before so I just had to take a picture. Coffee didn't taste any different after I whipped it all together. 
 

Persimmon Time

 

It's that time of year! Like zucchini, persimmons pop up everywhere. It's so nice to see such a bright spot of color when the trees drop all their leaves. I like to make cookies with these when they get nice a squishy = over ripe. Now I just have to find a gluten free recipe. Baking isn't something I do well so improvising never works out. Persimmons are a very popular image in  Japan. I have a small collection of ceramic ones to go along with the ones I mom gave me. 

Crafting Haul On the Cheap

Do I need more craft supplies? No, I do not but did that stop me? :)

A large crafting stash came into Cottage Craft on Saturday and priced low enough that I just couldn't resist. I do plan to make more photo journals for the kids as I hone my book binding skills. I've been looking for a larger alphabet stamp set to personalize the journals. That's one thing I never had in my crafting stash. 

Sandy Allnock (check out Sandy's video "Favorite Fives of '25) and the Frugal Crafter, Lindsay Weirich have been using gel plates a lot lately. It's inspiring me to gather up more collage type stamps. I haven't purchased a wood mounted stamp in years but it was only a $1.00. Every crafter should check out Cottage Craft's ZZ booth for the best deal on craft supplies. 

 

Christmas Tree the Dutch Way

This is how one gets a Christmas tree home in Holland.  

They don't have access to cutting a tree down like we do here. That is one thing I miss doing with the kids. I know they loved running up and down the hills and climbing the big oak trees. Family tradition I wish we could continue. 
 

ATC Swap 2025 - Sandy Allnock

I joined Sandy Allnock's (artist I follow on YouTube) ATC swap and the theme is winter. I came across a big bag of  larger beads  I normally use at the thrift store. Since they remind me of those little jelly candies, I gave them a try. I knew I wanted to make a Christmas tree and have a watercolor background. Sandy is an amazing watercolor artist and always inspiring. I wanted to have some type of  watercolor on my card in her honor. Didn't turn out the way I wanted after many attempts but I'm still a newbie.

My finally version looks more like a Christmas card and thicker than the standard ATC but I'm going for it. Each part was fun to make and I use what I had in my huge stash of craft supplies. 

Warm and Sunny In California - 2025

It was such a beautiful day that I decided to tackle trimming back the neighbor's tree that hangs into our yard. It makes a hot mess with dropping leaves everywhere. They have a gardener come every week so it's no big deal for them. Filled two large recycle bins and still there's a pile of branches waiting to be chopped up. 

Not sure if this praying mantis was in the tree but it showed up after I was done getting what I could in the recycling bins. It hung around for a long time enjoying the warm weather. I like to think it's a positive sign of good things coming my way. :) 
 

Very Big Santa

I picked up this Santa at auction last month. I didn't realize how tall it was until I blew it up. It was a crack up when I saw that it kept getting taller and taller! Had to redesign where it was going out in the yard. That lead to having to trim back the overgrown bushes that we've been ignoring. I since have trimmed back a neighbor's tree that has been hanging over the main house's roof and raked that millions of leave from a very messy peppercorn tree. Seriously thinking of cleaning out the gutters but I'm not quite tall enough to do that without getting on the very top step of the ladder.