THE MOSSY ROSE

Oh My Goodness! Today I discovered the most unique shop right here in Coos Bay!
It is called the Mossy Rose and I actually went in there because one of our Etsy members said they had wonderful handmade paper.


When I went up to the front door this was right outside.
This beautiful dress that you would probably see Laura Ingles Mother wear.

This store looks so small outside but inside there were rooms and rooms of so many neat things.
My eyes couldn't look fast enough.
Just look at these beautiful dresses and wigs.


Cloaks, dresses and shirts that look like they were from the days of King Authur.

Oh yeah...here is a handsome gentleman. Just look at the things in this room!
Knights in shining armor.

This room was full of flowers hanging from the ceiling to dry.

Can you just picture yourself in this outfit?

Oh I just love this lace blouse and umbrella !

I just love this Victorian lamp with the black tassels

Wow what beautiful green glass. This store has such wonderful displays.

Oh I am just in love with these beautiful lace umbrellas! Hanging from the ceiling of course.

The sewing room. Neat stuff in there.

Another gorgeous corner of the store. Check out that lamp with the feather trim.

Tassels lamp. Beautiful crystal pieces. Check out the dress. Love the waistline

Masquerade mask anyone?

Pretty fairy #1

Pretty fairy #2

Fur capes, coats and more

A lovely green silk gown

A beautiful damsel looking out the window, Her top reminds me of Wendy in Tinkerbell

Well there you are. I hope you enjoyed the visit to the Mossy Rose as much as I did.
I will be stopping by this wonderful shop often.

Oh by the way...I did find the most beautiful handmade paper I have ever seen. Made by someone right here in our small community of Coos Bay.

WHAT THE HECK IS SHE DOING ??

You have probably notice for the past 2 days that the look of my blog has changed many times and said to yourself What the heck is she doing ?

Also you may have noticed that Blogger has updated their site. Since this has happened I cannot change my background to whatever I want. I am very frustrated and think it is unfair that they have as far as I can tell prevented this.

If anyone out there can help me I would appreciate it. I used to be able to go into the HTML and find where the background color code was and change it. Now there is no code to change. I am not a computer guru so I probably am overlooking something here.

I don't like the choices I have for background from Blogger so if anyone can tell me what to do I would reallllyyyyyyy appreciate it. I spent all day yesterday trying to figure this out. Soooo, it's black for now until I can change it.

Love you all
Thanks for listening and for being such good friends

THE FUTURE PASTOR TONY

This is my youngest son Tony. His dream for the past 10 years has been to become a pastor. He has been studying Theology and taking classes online while working at Quest Phone Company . He said to me not too long ago that he wished he could go to school full time and become a pastor and have his own church and congregation. Well the Lord heard his prayer. Here is his story posted by my daughter in law Mica over at Garb-oodles this morning.

I am so proud of him and excited for his future.

Leap Of Faith...

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

I never thought I would be saying this... But we are actually moving to California. I was originally born in Washington yet raised almost all of my young life in California. That's where Mr. Darling and I met, that's where we had our first child, that's where we lost our second child. Life became turmoil for us so we moved to Washington 10 years ago to start over. Things were set in place, Mr. Darling got a great job for the Phone Company, found an awesome Church, started a Church Plant, I gave birth to our daughter here, we bought our first home, Mr. Darling got his degree and started Seminary over the internet. Things have been great.

Yet, in our prayers and dreams Mr. Darling had always said it would be great to just quit his job and go to Seminary full time. Yes, we thought that was only a dream. Until three weeks ago when we found out that a dear friend of ours named Leonard

( who passed away three years ago)

left a will... one in which he left his Theological books to Mr. Darling and full tuition to live his dream and go to Seminary FULL TIME !!!

Yes dear friends, a man of God our friend Leonard was. He was fond of our family and had a sort of kindred spirit with Mr. Darling. He saw great potential in my husband to become a Pastor.

Will somebody please pinch me... are we dreaming here???

No, we are not. This is truly an answer to our prayers. The good Lord has shown favor in Mr. Darling... He has opened the doors wide... and we're going to walk right in. Okay so, I said all these years I would NEVER move back to California. Not me, no way, no how. But, truly the Lord has softened my heart to a wonderful future for not only my husband , but for all of us.Opportunity like this does not happen all the time.

Yes, I will go, I will leave my comfort zone, my little homie home which I will truly miss, my many friends from Church and my dad, I will miss dearly.

This is what the Lord has willed... we are humbled, we are greatful for this gift.

So now Mr. Darling is working his very last day at the Phone Company and will soon be a Westminster Seminary Man in California . I am so excited for him. He is tickled with joy and jubilee like a school boy.

One thing is we still don't even know where we will live there... A leap of faith, indeed. Our faith is in the Lord. I trust that the Lord will open a doorway to a new home.

Please keep us in your prayers. I will keep you updated on the coming events as we endeavor into a new chapter in our lives.

Blessing !!!

*******************************

It sometimes takes a leap of faith

To give your life away

To someone that you cannot see

To whom you blindly pray

Faith is built on things unseen

The knowledge that He's there

To guide you through this potholed life

Away from satan's lair.

Knowing what He's done before

Should fill you full of hope

No matter what the world may bring

Together you will cope

So carry on that journey dim

He's with you all the way

To where your destination lies

To where your future lay.

WE DID IT !!

We did it!
The Black Berry Festival was a hit.
We worked as a team having a dry run in the park a few days prior to the festival on setting up our tables and canopy's. We set up on Friday evening and then we all put our things out early Saturday. The weather was perfect for the festival and we had a wonderful time.

We all had sales as well as much exposure to Etsy. Not to many people have heard of Etsy so there were plenty of questions from the customers.

Our team really got to know one another better and I think we have all bonded with each other.

There was quite a big crowd both days. There were many vendors there and a band and food court where they of course had black berry shakes and black berry pie.

Here are a few pictures of our booth and our team.



Kae makes the most beautiful jewlery as well as the display to show them. She is a very talented lady.
Hop on over and take a look at her shop at Kae 1 Crafts

Jann and her twin sister make these unique ornaments as well as many other items. You will have to check them out on Etsy at jantasticcreations.etsy.com

These are my collages, collage note cards and clay art. I got lots of complements on my collages.
You can see my work at Patricia Creations


This is Pamela and one of her quilts. You can see all her work at Pamela Boatright Quilts


Pamela is a quilt maker and she does the neatest things with her talent. Here are pictured quilted post cards, pot holders, wine bottle bags and the most wonderful journal covers.


This is our booth...all ready for the weekend.




Lynn's note cards were a big hit.

As well as her handmade jewelry

This is Lynn...she is amazing!


She is not only a jewelry maker and graphic artist but she also belongs to a group of ladies that sing harmony and boy are they good! You can see her work at byLynnea
The Sweet Adolines

These cute little eggheads were created by Nadine and Kathleen. Check out their shop at nadineandkathleen. They also make wonderful note cards.
Sadly Kathleen was a little under the weather with a swollen leg and had to be hospitalized during the festival. We called and sent our love and wishes for a speedy recovery.



These wonderful pieces of jewlery were created by Brenda Salzano. She has some really unique pieces made with beads and glass from all over the world. You can check all of her pieces at Salzano's Design and Decor

LAST MINUTE DECISION

A few months ago we had dinner here at our local casino and I noticed a billboard advertising Creedence Clearwater Revisited. I really wanted to make note that I was going to call and get tickets for the show in August. I forgot!

My neighbor told my husband last night that they were going to concert this evening at the Mill casino. I said oh who are they seeing? When my husband told me Creedence Clearwater I almost had a stroke. They were one of my favorite bands in the 70's and I realized that I had not remembered to purchase tickets. I immediately called the casino and got tickets and we went to the concert tonight.


It was so fun. My husband is an old stick in the mud when it comes to rock and roll but by the third song he was standing and clapping and singing and swaying with the rest of us.

Most of you know I am sure, CCR broke up at one point years ago. There were the Fogerty brothers and Stu Cook and Doug Cosmos. Stu and Doug started the band over 50 years ago and it is as good if not better now as it was then. The new singer that took the place of John Fogerty after his death sounds just like him. Following is the article I found online about the band today. It was a great evening and I feel like a 25 year old again. What memories. The people were dancing in the isle and some of them were in there 60's I would guess.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revisited today
PLEASE CLICK ON THE PHOTO'S TO SEE THEM CLOSER

These are the 2 original members of the band, they started CCR over 50 years ago.
Stu and Doug

blurry but wonderful...I was on my way to the rest room and walked right up front
I was so excited. I didn't want to miss anything but my bladder was about to burst and I blurred the photo as I rushed by the stage.
Darn it!

THE STORY I GOT ONLINE ABOUT THE BAND TODAY

Stu Cook and Doug "Cosmo" Clifford may not have intended it, but their band Creedence Clearwater Revisited has taken on a startling life of its own. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rhythm section (bass and drums respectively) from the legendary group Creedence Clearwater Revival launched the Creedence Clearwater Revisited project in 1995 to once again perform live Creedence Clearwater Revival hits - touchstones of a generation. Though the pair initially only planned to play private parties, Creedence Clearwater Revisited now performs up to 100 shows a year and has released the album "Recollection."

"We never really had any intention of playing for the public," says Stu. "But a friend wanted to promote a couple of concerts. We got talked into it, but didn't know how it would go over."

Since then, the reaction to Creedence Clearwater Revisited's concerts has been astounding, and driven in part by a generation of kids who, as Cosmo says, "weren't even born when the music came out." Likewise, the release of a double-live CD on Universal's Hip-O Records label, which features passionate, authoritative versions of 22 classic hits - was the result of public demand. "It was generated by requests of the people who came to the shows," Stu acknowledges. "Over and over they would ask, "'do you guys have a CD?'" Creedence Clearwater Revisited's "Recollection" has proven so popular that it was certified as a gold record by the RIAA in 2002 and is well on its way towards platinum record status.

Having now toured North America, South America, New Zealand, Europe and Asia, knocking out audiences with astounding concerts jam packed with songs that are still a staple of radio and movie soundtracks, Creedence Clearwater Revisited has come a long way. "In the beginning Cosmo and I decided that if we could find the musicians that could capture the sound and recreate what the music was about, we'd do it," recalls Stu.

As fans who have experienced a Creedence Clearwater Revisited concert can attest, Stu and Cosmo found the right players. Lead singer/rhythm guitar player John Tristao, a powerful tenor with the energy to power songs, initially rose to prominence as lead singer for the band People when their hit "I Love You" bulleted into the top ten. Lead guitarist Tal Morris has been described as "the quintessential Bay Area guitar prodigy" and his monstrous talent unleashed live is what a rock 'n' roll concert is all about. Talented multi-instrumentalist Steve Gunner rounds out the group. As Cosmo puts it, "Gun provides live all the overdubs that were on the records. He plays keyboard, acoustic guitar, percussion, harmonica and sings the high harmonies."

With this new lineup, Stu and Cosmo and their band Creedence Clearwater Revisited add a new chapter to their legacy with vibrant and exhilarating energy and pure American spirit. As the Hollywood Reporter's music critic John Lappen wrote about a Creedence Clearwater Revisited concert in Los Angeles, "Their set was an amazing list of hit after hit that was done serious justice by the players involved. If anyone in the cheering crowd was disappointed [anyone] wasn't there, they hid it well behind their big smiles and whoops of joy at hearing live some of the best American rock ever written and recorded." "People don't want to be involved in an endless debate," Cosmo sums up. "They want to hear the music." And Creedence Clearwater Revisited always delivers.

I'M READY FOR THE BLACK BERRY FESTIVAL

Here are my newest creations! I had so much fun creating these little paper doll collages. Using my littel face cabs from Lin's Art and Clay
They are done on heavy cardboard and could be used as wall hangings.

This is the finished product of my butterfly. I added a genuine opal in the center.
I'm happy with it for my first textured stand alone clay butterfly. It stands about 3 inches and is about 4 inches wide.

So anyway that's it for creating for awhile. The festival is Saturday and Sunday. I am excited. Our Etsy team OCEAN (Oregon Coast Etsy Artist Network) is all ready. We had a dry run on Tuesday to see how long it would take to set up the tables and canopy and lay out our products. It took about an hour. We have so much talent in our team from quilts to jewlery to note cards to paintings and clay art. Of course all handmade. Wish me luck!

Our Visit to Marysville, WA

Hello my friends. We returned from our trip to Marysville where my son Tony and his family live.We had a very nice visit with them. It was so good to see them all and give hugs.

On the other hand...we drove for about 45 minutes just to find where Freedom was and when we finally found her the Wildlife Reserve was disappointing.

There were a couple of eagles, a couple of owls, a red tailed hawk, some other small birds and Freedom. There was no one around and the cages were not marked. I happen to see a young man eating his lunch in the shade and ask if that was Freedom over there and he said yes, otherwise we would have never known that was Freedom. We ask if Jeff, the man that saved her was there and he said Jeff had been there but left for the day.

I don't know what I expected but I thought that maybe there would be more animals. I am glad that there weren't because these birds were all to crippled or not able to be in the wild. I thought that at least there would be some information on cages. Especially Freedom since she us such a special bird. I am glad we went but wish Jeff would have been there to tell the story about how he found her and the love she actually showed him when he found out his cancer was gone. Anyway...here are pictures of our visit .

We stopped at a blown glass factory and saw so many beautiful pieces.

I had to laugh when I read this sign..Mixed Media...he used it for an abstract piece he did. Guess we aren't the only artists that use that term.

Just look at these pieces!

This is me with my handsome son Tony on Saturday afternoon just before he left for Westminster Seminary College to observe where he will be attending in just a few weeks.

I am so proud of him.

This is a Hoot Owl

Barn Owl

Redtail Hawk

This eagle has lost a wing. Poor thing will never be released to the wild.

White Owl...he was very pretty.

Here she is....Freedom!

She greeted us with a nice skreech!

What a magneficant bird!

In this picture I was talking to her and she looks like she is listening. She is pretty large and very sweet. I am so glad she and Jeff found each other.

Of course we left a donation for the reserve. My husband is going to try to contact someone there about better identification or a guide through the reserve. We were just a bit disappointed that's all.

The last evening we were there, my wonderful daughter in law, Mica of Gar-boodles taught me how to make jewelry. This is the piece I did.

Here she is making a green tea smoothie. She is so cute and such a funny lady. We did a lot of laughing!

Anyway, glad to be home. Our dogs were very happy to see us. Now I have to get back to reality and do the laundry, cooking and cleaning.....after I read my emails and do some visiting of your blogs.