Woodcrafts and Wood Furniture My Brother Made Me

My family comes from a long line of crafters. Whether we sew, craft or build furniture we all love to create and work with our hands.

My sister and mother sew - as did my paternal grandmother and aunts. My paternal grandfather was a carpenter and he handed done his knowledge to my Dad who in turn handed it down to his three sons. In fact, my eldest brother has all my grandfather's handmade tools.

One of my brother's has had a keen interest in woodworking since he was a young boy and has become a skilled craftsman who makes wood crafts and furniture and always makes all his Christmas gifts.

So, I thought you might like to see a few of the wood crafts and wood furniture pieces he has given me as gifts over the years or has made for my home from time to time.

Happy Holidays To All!

To all the readers of my Linda's Blog I would like to say:

Have a Wonderful Holiday Season!
Happy Holidays To All!

My Christmas Pin For 2008

Before I tell you about my Christmas Pin for 2008 I'd like you to know that today would have been my Dad's 83rd birthday. So, I hope you're looking down and smiling on us, Dad. Wherever you are - "Happy Birthday, Dad! We love you and miss you."

If you're a reader of my Linda's Blog then you know that I love Christmas traditions and have been posting for a couple of years about a Christmas tradition my Dad started a very long time ago.

My Dad wanted to give "his girls" meaning my Mother, myself, and my sister something special for Christmas. Back then the term "his girls" did not imply the possessive chauvinistic implications that it does today. To my Dad it was nothing more than a term of endearment. One that separated us from "his boys", my brothers.

So my Dad decided to buy each of "his girls" a special Christmas pin to wear during the holidays. He bought us pins the first year, and then the second, and so on and so on and so on. My wonderful husband decided to carry my Dad's tradition on after he passed away. So, every year he gives me a Christmas pin. Sometimes he can't decide which one he likes best so I get two special Christmas pins. That's okay with me as I cherish each and every one of them.

Every year I take them all out and look at them. What always amazes me is how they have changed in design from the first pin I received (the little Bambi deer shown in the picture to the right) to my latest (the blue Christmas bells shown above).

And, believe it or not, I don't have any duplicates. Also (and I know this will be hard to believe), I don't have any "dollies." So, a heartfelt thanks to you Dad for starting this tradition and a heartfelt and sentimental thanks to my husband for continuing his pin tradition.

If you don't have your own special tradition, perhaps this little article will inspire you to start one. May each and every one of you have a wonderful holiday season.

Some of My Holiday Decorations

I just love decorating for the holidays for a couple of reasons. The first is I love the bright colors of the holiday season - especially the red's. The second is that it gives me an opportunity to display some of my handmade dolls and some of the caroler and Santa collections I have acquired over the years.

And, yes, given my age and the number of years I've been collecting - I have quite a few items in my collections.

And, thirdly - it gives me the opportunity to display some of my floral creations.

You see, I'm not only a doll maker and doll pattern designer, but I'm a floral designer as well and love to create pine cone baskets, silk floral arrangements, decorated Christmas trees, and wreaths.

I thought some of you might be curious as to how I decorate my house and my fireplaces for the holidays. So, I thought I'd show you a couple of pictures.

Now - don't be surprised. There are a few dolls and a few floral arrangements.

I hope you enjoy a little glimpse into my holiday decorations.