Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year in 2012!

Hugs...susan

How about a yummy cookie recipe?

I just made these delicious cookies and had to share the recipe with you. These are Cran-Pistachio cookies and the recipe is courtesy of Betty Crocker.



Look at these delicious cookies and, honestly, they could NOT be easier to make.

Cran-Pistachio Cookies
Source: Betty Crocker

1 pouch Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
1 box (4 serving size) pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup dry roasted salted pistachio nuts, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
optional - green food coloring (I didn't add any but if you wanted them extra green you could)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl stir cookie mix, pudding, and flour. Add melted butter and eggs and stir until incorporated.

Add pistachios and cranberries and mix well.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. The only way you can ruin these cookies is to overbake them! If you bake them too long you will lose the soft texture and they won't be as green. They will not look done but take them out and let them sit on the pan for about 2 minutes. Trust me.

Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Enjoy....Susan

Glitter and Tinsel Ornament

Hello everyone! I'm a little late with this next tutorial, but for good reason. My son graduated from college Saturday! We are so proud of you Patrick! Our family started arriving Tuesday and we've been celebrating all week!



Now for today's Christmas fun..I found this beautiful ornament tutorial that Karen over at My Desert Cottage has created and generously shared. Isn't it a beauty? Her instructions are very well written and so easy to follow. Thank you Karen! I hope you will enjoy creating this beautiful ornament.



Cathy over at Hazleruthe's has generously shared some Santa paper doll puppets on her blog. If you get a chance, pop on over. These little Santa's are adorable and I LOVE Cathy's idea to include them in her Christmas cards this year.

Well, I'm signing off...we're watching The Polar Express tonight....

Blessings to you...Susan

All that Glitters Christmas Ornaments

A big Thank You to for the tutorial to make these wonderful Glitter Christmas ornaments. So creative and none of the mess you get from the ornaments. I can hardly wait to get started on mine...

Hugs...Susan

Candy Christmas Tree

Aren't these the cutest little trees? Just click on the photo to go to the tutorial on Hershey's site. I'm going to make three of these and use them as part of my centerpiece in the dining room....hope they last until Christmas day! hee hee

Hope you have fun with this quick and yummy project....Susan

Bleaching and Dyeing Bottle Brush Trees Tutorial

Hi everyone!!! Here is a really easy and fun project for the holidays generously created and shared with us by Terry Heinz of Artful Affirmations. I cannot wait to get started on my own little 'forest' of bottle brush trees!



Blessings to you...Susan

Christmas Stocking pattern

Aren't these cute Christmas stockings? Ms. Martha offers a free pattern to create your very own that you will find when you click on the photo. I love the traditional red and white, but can't you just see these in some other color combinations?

I hope you have fun with this one...hugs...Susan

How about some holiday tutorials?

Hi everyone! I love holiday crafts, don't you? Especially sharing them with friends and family, so I'm going to be posting a few of my favorites with you over the next couple of weeks.

First up? These sweet snowflakes. I love the simple and sweet arrangement of these handmade snowflakes. Here's an easy to follow tutorial from The Vintage Junkie . Wouldn't these be sweet with a little clear or antiqued silver glitter? Definitely something fun to do with the kiddos and grandkids!

Wishing you holiday blessings...Susan

In loving memory of the victims whose lives were taken on 9/11/01

Candy and Elsa are home!

Well, these two Halloween girls have been on quite a ride. They've been temporarily living at the offices of Stampington Magazines for the past several months getting ready for their 'close up'! I was honored to have my girls selected for this issue of Art Doll Quarterly. Stampington is a class outfit and they took great care of the girls while they were with them. I couldn't be happier. To take a closer look at the girls, click on their picture below: Blessings...Susan

Happy 4th!

I hope you and your family are enjoying your summer. Its been a busy, busy summer here for us...a wedding, a graduation and lots and lots of driving so far this summer! We are having a blast so far and there's more to come. Of course, all this fun means not-so-much designing and creating, but sometimes we just have to push the work to the side and have some fun!!

Our son, Patrick, was married in May on Tybee Island! We are so happy for Patrick and Courtney and Sawyer. We love, love, love this happy little family!



A definite bonus to this weekend was being able to celebrate Mother's Day with our Moms. We all had a nice breakfast together and lots of hugs!


Home sweet home for a couple of weeks and then Alyssa, our daughter, purchased her first home. Didn't I say it's been a busy summer? haha She's the proud owner of a gorgeous townhome and only MINUTES from work, shopping and friends. Location, location, location!!

Then, we were off to Pittsburgh in June to celebrate our neice, Leah's, high school graduation! My sister and her hubby are definitely the ultimate hosts! We swam, ate, played games, and visited from 1pm until 2am!!

Sunday, we celebrated Father's Day with Dad. It was such a treat to be able to spend his special day with him this year. This is the first year in several years that we have all been together for both Mother's and Father's Day....such a treat!!

I just setup my blog to format for mobile updates so those of you that get your updates on your phone will be able to read it more easily. The bonus for me is that I can now update using my Blackberry! This will definitely make it easier for me to update since we have a few more trips and family events planned for this Summer and Fall.

I hope you are having as much fun as we are this Summer. Enjoy your Fourth of July celebrations tonight. We're off to a cookout...

Wishing you many blessings, my friends....Susan

Gwen - for the love of bluebirds New Pattern Release

I'm so excited to be able to share my latest pattern with you. She's available now in my Etsy shop and on PatternMart. I hope you'll swing by and take a peek!


Wishing you many blessings...Susan

Emmitt and Elsee Bunny Pattern Now Available

It has been so great to be back in the studio. I'm having so much fun getting caught up on my pattern writing. I didn't realize until after Bella and Bethany were released that it has been THREE YEARS since I've released a new pattern!

I'm happy to share my third and newest pattern release for 2011 - Emmitt and Elsee Bunny Candy/Trinket Boxes. I hope you'll 'hop' on over to pick one up for yourself.



Wishing you many blessings...Susan

Finally...time in the studio!

I'm so excited to share my two newest patterns with you. Just released...

Bella - love is all that matters


Bethany Bunny


Both patterns are available as an epattern and a mailed pattern in my Etsy Shop and on PatternMart.

It feels so good to be working again. I sure have missed chatting with all of you. There will be more coming soon...I have a new dollie I'm working on and hope to have listed on The Prim Nest by the end of the week.

Wishing you many blessings...Susan

Prim Nest Grand Opening

Hello and Happy Tuesday to you! The Prim Nest Grand Opening is today. Kudos to Kelle Arvay and her team on this new endeavor, which is sure to be a great sucess. The offerings by the artists are wonderfully prim....I sure hope to see you there. Blessings to you...Susan

Moving from sketchpad to design table

I'm busy working on some sketches for new dollies for the launch of the Prim Nest site, March 1st. I have so many sweet dollies on paper, and I'm having a hard time moving from the sketchpad to the design table. I'm not sure what the hold up is, but I've found that rushing it is usually a mistake for me. I'm going to continue sketching and I'm sure one of these sweet dollies will push me to the table to get started sewing. lol

Other than sketching, hubby and I have been enjoying helping our son and his fiancee get their new home ready for their big day. They purchased their home January 21st and are busy painting and performing minor repairs. Congratulations, sweet family!


I hope all of you in the midwest and northeast are staying safe and warm after that big snow storm hit. I would love to hear from you...write when you can...wishing you many blessings...Susan

2011 is going to be a good year

2010 was a little less than fulfilling for me due to a back injury, but I'm determined to feel better this year. I'm committed to finding relief so I can get back to my joy...creating. It's been difficult to sit for more than 15 minutes at the sewing table or my painting table, so my dolls have been nothing more than sketches in 2010. Those sketches are ready to come off the page! I'm excited to announce that I have been accepted to participate in a new selling venue..The Prim Nest...which will be launching March 1st. I will share more when we get closer to the launch. For now, I'm busy creating again and I'm loving it!

Here are some recent photos of our Sweet Sawyerbug! He's getting so big....check out all the snow we had over Christmas. It was a wonderful White Christmas in Georgia!



Wishing you many blessings, my friends...Susan

Welcome 2011!!!

Wishing you a Happy and Blessed New Year!!! Susan