~Missing Yankee Peddler...and A Give-Away Winner~

Our Monday Give-Away Winner this week is Heather! Check back next week for another Give-Away~

As much as I hate to admit it, I miss that we're not doing Yankee Peddler this year. We participated in the YP Festival for so many years, that it became a part of our life. For those of you who don't know, I was so bombarded with shows/orders last fall that I became very ill. Yup, this A-type personality-Workaholic overdid it and then couldn't recuperate. The good thing that came out of all this is that with all the tests I had done, they found a splenal-aneurysm that could have been fatal. God was with me though, and everything turned out okay. Nonetheless....we decided not to do any art shows this year.

When I mentioned this about Missing Yankee on Facebook:

Missing Yankee Peddler...missing making my dolls....sigh. I chose this. I must be crazy~

To which my sister, who helped us do this show and many others over the years commented:

"Let me remind you.... rain, cold, mud, soggy feet, 'lookers', sunburn, frozen toes, heatstroke, running out of change, mud, "does this come in ?, and "I want the doll that was right HERE about four hours ago---did you move it?", oh, and the cold, the mud, the heatstroke, and clever thieves----let's not forget them! But then again.... the smell of woodsmoke and fall leaves, the swishing of skirts, the crunch of dry leaves underfoot, the hot apple dumplings.....the aproned dresses and long woolen capes mom made for us....Yeah.... guess I miss it, too."

So...we have the wonderful memories of many many Septembers standing in the woods, meeting over 100,000 people each year. sigh. Yes....we are missing it. We will miss our dear customers who have become friends over the years. We watched their children grow up....and they watched ours, too.

We wish all our artist friends there a wonderful September 2011 show. To next year........

~Calgon........................~

Things have been crazy-busy at RoseCreekCottage. We celebrated Jackson's 2nd birthday here, and found out from our sweet Ella that her "Mommy has a baby in her tummy". We will be blessed with this new precious granchild in the spring.

The leaves on the trees outside my studio are just beautiful. It's not difficult to see the Fingerprints of God in all the lush fall colors.

In between the studio and show happenings, I'm looking very forward to an upcoming quality R&R at a Girl's GetAway Weekend with eight dear friends from all over the country. We chose an exciting city to meet for some great food, laughter, hugs, and lots and lots of shopping~



My Etsy shop is picking up momentum as customers begin their Christmas Shopping in plenty of time to avoid the USPS mail delays that will come once December hits. Stop by and take a peak. I'll be adding more things as the weeks go on.

Cheeky Monkeys are hangin' around the studio, waiting to be packed for the next show. I've been working on some new charm bracelet designs and will have some fun new displays for the upcoming shows......the Christmas Hares as well as Christmas Dolls and Santas are ready to strut their stuff. My friends and family know that they won't find me these days on the computer....but in my studio finishing up all the odds and ends for the remainder of my Holiday shows. I have 8 down and 8 to go! For a complete listing....email me at rosecreekcottage@hotmail.com. I'll be happy to send it to you~

~Adventures Of A ShowGirl~

We are all set-up and ready for the beautiful St. John's Festival of the Arts, in Westlake, Ohio. If you're anywhere in the area tonite or this weekend, please stop by to booth #167 and say hello! I've enjoyed meeting lots of Etsy sellers and customers at my recent shows.

St. John's is a fine juried show set in the lovely grounds of St. John's hospital. It winds through the trees and walking paths surrounding the pond. The food is delicious....and the arts and crafts breathtaking. It's a show that's well-worth the trip!





RoseCreekCottage Studio has been humming away into the wee hours of the morning to prepare for the many shows scheduled for the upcoming fall and winter months. I've been working on my Ragamuffin dolls, rabbits, santas, and my whimsical jewelry line. I have lots of new designs in the works, and have some things to finish up before tonite's show begins at 6 pm....so I'd best get off this computer and get to my studio! See you next week!!

~Balancing Act, Part II~

There's no simple formula for balancing work-life. It's a matter of trial-and-error. I've found that the following works for me:

Pray - Really. Very important. I begin and end my day with it. It's the single-most-important thing to keeping balance. Always make time for it.

Get Organized - I can't function in chaos. If my studio/workspace is in order, I accomplish more in a shorter span of time. Though I hate spending time doing it....it's worth it!

Focus - When I'm in my studio, I focus on work. When I step back into my home, I focus on home and family. This part is a curse for those who work at home. You have to know when it's time to step back into that work-world, without procrastinating! After all....there's no 'boss' standing there next to a time clock!
And there's no paycheck at the end of the month, either, unless you produce!!

Make Lists - I make a list each nite for the next day. I cross things off as I finish each task. This not only makes me see that I am indeed accomplishing things, but keeps me organized as well. Things that do not get finished go on the next day's list.

Prioritize - The most important things to be done for the day are listed first, etc.

Set Boundaries and Learn to Say 'No' - This is a hard one. People think that since you're 'at home', you can do their 'favors' and meet their demands. You cannot. (unless you have found those elves I've been waiting for!) There is no paycheck unless you produce. This includes learning not to be a slave to emails and phone calls. (and blogs!) Work comes first.

Take Time For Yourself - This is a hard one for many people....including yours truly. I have a tendency to be a workaholic. It's good for my business, but not for me. I fit in exercise when I can, and try to remember to take mini-breaks. These can simply be walking out into the woods with my puppies and an iced coffee...or returning a phone call to a friend. The secret is to keep the breaks short. I also try to fit in lunch with friends....which doesn't happen very often during show season!!

Ditch the Guilt - It's a useless emotion. You just can't do it all. Really. I have a hard time convincing myself of this one.

Be flexible - Change is imminent. And good. Those who accept and embrace change and work willingly within the new parameters are more productive and better-adjusted. And less frustrated!!

All that said....I struggle with some of these. Balancing it all just isn't easy. Seeing my Mom is a priority. I fit it into my week with the help of my Uncle Joe....who goes to see Mom when I can't. We touch base each morning and discuss who will visit that day.

I also struggle with not working too many hours. I start my days early, and finish late. Sometimes way too late. It's just the way it is right now, and although I was used to working this way when my business started 20 years ago, I struggle with my lack of physical stamina now. If I could just 'clone' myself. Or find those elves!! Fortunately, Jim will often drag me out of the studio. I don't go willingly. There's usually kicking and screaming involved. But he's always right!

I'm off to the studio with lists, puppies and coffee. Have a glorious Wednesday wherever you are in the world~

~Classic Love Story~

I met this beautiful young couple the year I did my very first show: Yankee Peddler Festival 1990. They selected one of my large Ragamuffin dolls, and they asked me if I would sign it for them. I can remember how they looked. The smiles on their faces. I could tell how much they loved each other. It was all there. Shining.

I saw them again, each year. Standing there with their most recent purchase. Waiting, patiently, for me to sign their newest “baby”.

I thought about them often. There was something about the two of them that touched me. I couldn’t get them out of my mind.

I continued seeing Mel and Garry through the years. This happy young couple seemed to become happier together with each passing year. One day, I received a beautiful pillow from Mel. She made it herself. I cried. It’s on the sofa in my living room. It will always be there, where I can see it. And then one day, Mel began doing shows! When I saw her booth at EJ Thomas’ Christmas Show, I knew she had ‘arrived’. Her booth was filled with pillows and dolls. Dolls!! They were all so “Mel”. She was so happy. Smiling. Shining.

Then one day, she and Garry got “called” to China. By a little girl they named appropriately, Hope. They were in their glory, raising this precious gift. Their “baby”. And then came another “call”. Her name is Claire.

They arrived on Saturday, and stood in the middle of my booth. I couldn’t believe it. There they were. The four of them. Years later. Just like they had always been. Happy. Smiling. The difference this time was huge. Not only were the two of them smiling, but there were two precious china dolls smiling along with them. All of them, together, shining. Their smiles were bright enough to light up the world. Mel and Garry plus two!

What I haven’t told you about Mel, is that she has incredible faith. Perhaps greater faith than anyone I have ever met. Ever. And that faith is something I have always admired. It’s just ‘there’. You can’t see it, but you can ‘taste’ it. It’s like an elixir that encompasses the air around her. Even when you aren’t in her physical presence. It’s there. Hovering.

A while back, I wrote a post called, My Mother's Smile. I talked about how Wendy's Frosties is one of the few things that makes my mother (who has alzheimer's) smile. Mel and the girls were at Wendy's shortly afterward, when Hope noticed writing on the side of her bag of French fries, and asked Mel to read it to her. It said: “It’s impossible to frown while eating a Frosty.”

Back to Saturday: Mel handed me a beautiful gift bag. Inside, was a pillow she had made for me. And there, embroidered in the center, “It’s impossible to frown while eating a Frosty.”! I cried. Mel cried. I will treasure it always. It has a place of honor in the living room. On the sofa. Next to the other pillow I treasure. Just like her!
And the cardinals on the border fabric: that’s a story for another day!

Have a glorious week, wherever you are, whatever you do. Be sure
to notice all ‘treasures’ in your life. You'll find them everywhere!

~The Road Back~

I really didn’t have any great expectations for my first show (Ohio Mart at Stan Hywet) after being absent from the show circuit for 6 years. After all….that’s a long time. I really didn’t expect to see people I knew. But, the past four days were beyond my wildest dreams.

Thursday began with cold temperatures and lots of rain. But…people came. And they came to buy.

Friday’s crowds uplifted the spirits of the 120 artists, and ended up to be a record-breaking day. With Saturday and Sunday’s warm sunny weather, I couldn’t even get OUT of my booth!!

But beyond all that, were the stories, the hugs, and the tears. One by one, they would come up to me. One by one, they would relate their stories. “You’ve been gone a long time. I’m so glad you’re back”. My customers, who over 14 years bought Ragamuffins for their daughters, nieces, grand-daughters. For their mothers, grandmothers, aunts. For themselves.

More often than not, we cried.

“You’ve been gone 6 years. While you were gone, I battled cancer. And I won”

“While you were gone, I lost my mother”

“Four years ago, I lost my husband, Fred. Do you remember him? He was always with me at Yankee Peddler.”

“My daughter is battling cancer. She’s 36. Remember her? She was 12 the last time you saw her. She has four of your dolls. Today, I’m buying her the Star Angel. Please keep her in your prayers.”

“I buried my mother 3 years ago. She carried your doll til the day she died. We buried it with her”

And there were the happy stories:

“I’m so glad you’re back. All my daughters have your dolls. Now I have grandbabies, and they need Ragamuffins, too!"

“I bought these dolls for all the girls in my life. Now, I’m buying them for ME!”.

“Your blog touches my heart.”

“I couldn’t wait to meet you. I read every word of your blog. I love it.”

And then there were the babies….now all grown up. Young ladies. Who stopped to hug me and thank me for making their dolls. Now, in their teens, twenties, and even older, they still cherish them. What more could I ask from something that I started so long ago?

So, to all my dear customers…..the many old ones, and the many new ones, I thank you for sharing a piece of your life with me, and for leaving with a piece of mine. My heart is overflowing.

The top photo is a path of birch trees at Stan Hywet that ran parallel to our tent, and led to the mansion.

**This post was nominated as Post Of the Day over at David's authorblog. Take a peak at the other winners!** Thank you, David!

~Amish Innovations~

My little Amish friend, Katie, spent last Thursday with me. I find myself constantly marveling at how she can walk into a situation, size it up, and begin re-prioritizing and re-organizing the most mundane tasks in order to work more efficiently. And the good Lord knows with upcoming shows on the horizon, I could use all the help I can get on that front! The studio had managed to explode into most rooms of the house!

With only 8 grades of formal education, I used to think that the Amish were not as bright as the ‘average’ schooled American. Boy was I wrong! I continue learning that not only do they think everything through before acting on it, they do it with passion. That’s a totally ‘win-win’ prescription for Life 101.

By the time I drove Katie back to Middlefield, my home and studio was in tip-top shape…..and so was my soul. We talked about everything: Caroline’s recent passing and her widowed husband's struggle to continue on, her group of “Travel Girls” who get together monthly for pot-luck dinners, how the canning and wood-chopping is coming along for the upcoming winter months, the differences between her and her siblings….just everything. No topic is off-limits, and emotions flow along with the unending chatter and laughter.

She was excited for me to see her newly-sided house. Her brothers got together and not only sided the home Katie bought recently with two of her sisters, but also built the girls a spacious back porch, complete with railings, rockers, and planters filled with colorful flowers.

When we arrived, I could see why she was excited. The ‘almost’ century house now looked brand new. Her sisters, Fannie and Emma, were sewing in the huge great room. Fannie, working on a quilt, Emma, on doll clothes for her neighbor’s little girls. No matter how intense the task at hand, when they talk about them, their faces ‘light up’. Chores to us, but acts of love to them.

After chatting about our recent loss of power, my upcoming shows, how many dolls I’ve completed, how my Mom is faring, etc, my escape from the world was over, and I was ready for the 30 minute ride back to ‘my’ life.

As the girls waved good-bye, I rolled down the window when I noticed three cows in the pasture behind their house. Hmmm. I knew about Socks, the horse they recently purchased along with an Amish buggy, but cows??

“Hey…..when did you get the cows?” I asked.

“They’re not ours. We ‘borrowed’ them from our brother”, was the reply…..grins of delight and mischief evident on each of their ‘plain’ little faces.

“Why?” I asked.

“Oh….we got tired of mowing the pasture. They’ll eat the grass so we don’t have to mow it!”. I must say that the giggles erupting from those three sweet girls tickled me to the core.

Can you just picture Brother Daniel, hooking up his team of horses to the flat-bed wagon loaded with his three cows, traveling the 2 miles down the dirt roads to deliver those human lawn mowers to his sisters? Priceless!

Have a gloriously innovative Monday, wherever you are in the world!

**This post was nominated as Post Of the Day over at David's authorblog. Take a peak at the other winners!** Thank you, David!

~Ohio Mart at Stan Hywet Hall ~

I'm working on Halloween things this week in the studio, and creating things for Ohio Mart, which is October 2-5 at Stan Hywet Hall in Akron. It is a juried show of all hand-crafted art featuring 120 artisans. Held on the magnificent grounds of Stan Hywet Hall, in huge white tents which are strategically placed between the gardens, it's one of the finest shows in Ohio

In the past, it was one of my biggest shows....so I'm hoping I will run into lots of my past customers. I'm very excited and honored to have been invited. The jury process for this show is in person, and takes place in February. I've listed some of them in my Etsy shop. Take a peak!

~Witchy Women~

Oh no! It's almost September, and there are Witchy Women hanging around my studio. Everywhere. They won't get to take flight until the beginning of October, when I pack them up for my first big juried show. It seems I can never make enough. They're my own design. No two are alike. Their whimsical faces appeal to both children and adults. It's difficult to see the bauble at their necks, but they say BOO! They have hand-painted faces, skinny legs, and silly floppy slippers. Oh...and they really fly. At nite. When everyone's asleep. How do I know that? Because each morning when I turn on the light in my studio, they aren't where I left them. And they have these playful grins on their faces. Really.

This morning I was up early (again!) and had to laugh when I turned on the lights in my studio to see all these Witchy Women staring back at me! I swear one winked. Yeah, I know....I need more sleep. Or more coffee. Probably both.

I'm off to make more. I need about a hundred...and I'm not at the half-way mark yet.

If anyone sees those elves I've been waiting for, please send them to Ohio. To RoseCreekCottage. I'll gladly pay their traveling freight!


I'll be listing some Witchy Women in my Etsy shop in September.

If you need them sooner, just email me!

I'm off to make a second pot of coffee.

Have a wickedly-wonderful day in your little corner of the world!

~Katie: Part 1~

I first met Katie when she was barely sixteen. My business was doing well, and my little Italian mother proclaimed that I “needed help with the cleaning”. I was shocked. MY mother suggesting I needed help? But being a good daughter…..I listened! We live near a large Amish community. My friend, Cheryl, had been using Elizabeth to help her clean for a number of years, and Elizabeth suggested her 16-year-old niece. That's how it came about that Katie entered our lives, arriving early one snowy Tuesday morning.

I loved her from the start, and it wasn’t long before she was like a member of the family. Katie is one of the oldest of her 11 siblings. She arrived each week at 6:45 am, kicking off her shoes and socks the moment she walked through the back door. And when Katie cleaned, Katie sang. Always. Religious hymns she learned as a small child. Before too long, Katie was not only cleaning, but cooking meals, packing orders, and filling in wherever she was needed. She filled the house with unabandoned joy. She had such a 'crush' on my son, Jeff, that she blushed whenever he was around! She teased Tommy incessantly. Gently.

Things went well. I had the much-needed help with just-about- everything, and Katie loved us as much as we loved her. When she asked if she could stay overnite, I readily agreed. I could take her to her next job in the morning. First, she had to get the permission of her community’s “Elders”. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I wasn’t tickled at the thought of being judged by a group of bearded Amish strangers. What had Katie told them about us? Would we be deemed ‘appropriate’ for this young Amish woman to spend more time with?

We were approved. But I was worried. I had a real heart-to-heart with Jim. He needed to clean up his act! He was not to say “damn” or “hell”, take even a sip of beer or alcohol…and NO television. Did I mention that I was worried? Well… so was Jim. “What are we going to DO with her all evening?”. I told him not to worry, as I knew Katie goes to bed at 9PM.

Things went well. We decided to pop corn and play Monopoly after dinner. And then to my disbelief, Jim offered Katie a beer, and as I heard her response of “Sure”, I was afraid we were going straight to hell! When she asked if she could sleep in Jeff’s waterbed (it's not what you're thinking...he was away at college!), I was sure of it!

Spending time with Katie taught me what was important in life. She lives a “no frills” existence. She doesn't have the encumbrances of material things to weigh her down. She lives a simple life. Her only goal is to help others whenever possible. She fully intends she will go to heaven when her time here is done.

I had to let Katie go 6 years ago when I abruptly ended my business to take care of Mom. She called me every week, and stopped in whenever she could.

Now at the age of 33, she is no longer the shy young Amish girl I met 17 years ago. But now, she brings tranquility to my life that is unequaled. She has taught me patience. And most importantly, she has taught me what it means to have faith.

Katie started back with us last month. She still sings while she cleans. And she still brings peace and calm to my life. But more than anything, she's taught me that life is fragile.

Next: Part 2

~Too Many Ideas...Too Little Time~

I've been busy producing lots of Truffles and Trinkets for my upcoming shows, and came up with yet another product to add to the line: Birthday Age Necklaces. Now...if you thought I was going nuts trying to figure out how to display the custom initial pendants....this one may just put me over the edge! But they're SO cute, and when I found the perfect little numbers print, I just had to add them in to the mix of the other Truffle products. I think I'll take as many as I can, and take orders for any I run out of!

Then there's Halloween.....which is right around the corner, and a holiday that every store owner will tell you is the second biggest money-maker next to Christmas....so, I'm making lots of these, too!

My house looks like Halloween and Christmas exploded, as many of the designs seem to creep out of the studio and into the kitchen. Jim never knows what he's going to find each nite when he walks through that back door! Thank goodness he's understanding and has a great sense of humor and unending compassion for the hours I'm putting into all this! If not....I'd surely be divorced by now!
And my Mom's comment when I showed her my latest creations: "You're nuts, Carol. Really nuts! How on earth are you ever going to produce the hundreds you'll need by October?" Remember Mom helped me with dolls through all the years I did shows. And no one knows as well as Mom does that once I make up my mind about something, there's no stopping me!

Let me know what you think of them!