Sorceress' Apothecary

Typical Halloween decorations around our home include

pumpkins, scarecrows and good witches.

Inspired by all of the creative blogs I have been reading,

this year's decor includes some some items on the darker side.

A corner of my kitchen has been devoted to an apothecary of items

to be used by only the master sorceress.

You may have seen these labels on other blogs.

Seasonal potion bottles seem to be a popular topic.

Thanks to the creative minds at Love Manor and KarenCookieJar

 you can download their free labels from the links provided

and make your own display.

Here are close-up photos of some of my favorite ingredients.

A scrap of green fabric repeated the color in the Zombie Virus label.

I like the effect of tying a few knots into gold elastic cord.

The black cat button looks like he could be a Zombie kitty!

After my clematis blossoms dropped their petals, the remaining flower centers seemed to resemble something that could be a filling for my Zombie Virus jar.

While exploring the scrapbook section of the craft store, I spied this paper with a scene of tree branches under a full moon.  A few rectangle cuts of the paper covered a powered seasoning mix packet.

Colorful ribbons secure a label to document the contents.

A small box features a wrapper of heavy paper stock.

A coordinating border and some ribbon make these 

earthy contents look like something that is almost good enough to eat.

Empty Pistachio shells appeared to resemble vampire fangs.

A bit pointy and a bit yellowed -- PERFECT!

The empty pepper tin looked a bit plain with only a label.  A couple decorative buttons glued to the top added more interest to this container.

This label was the right size to convert an empty baking cocoa container into a seasonal delicacy.

The Life Renewal bottle started as a maple syrup bottle.

It's small curved handle was perfect for threading a decorative tassel.

Some dried seed pods and a small piece of pleated fabric top

a trio of individual-sized jelly jars that now contain more deadly ingredients.

I didn't purchase any special products for this project.

A glue stick worked fine for adhering the labels to the glass bottles.

I just wrapped a few strong rubber bands around the bottles overnight

to help the labels conform to the curve of the bottle as the glue dried.
My labels were printed on photo paper which gives
them a crisp professional look but they do need to be coaxed
to curve around the shape of the bottles.

A crystal drawer pull and some black and gold cord transform a plain wine bottle

into a more elegant container for pouring Vampire Blood.

The lovely bottle earmarked for this charming spider wine label isn't quite empty yet.

This tassel to pair with the spider wine label
was a great bargain at only 50 cents from the dollar store.

A small cloth-edged journal was transformed into a reference for the sorceress

to document her successful potions, spells, brews and curses.  

Of course, the back cover needs to provide a warning

in the event this guide falls into inexperienced hands.

Hope you enjoyed a sampling of my not-so-scary apothecary.  

You will find my version of Halloween potion jars include

a dash of sweet and a pinch of elegance.

What else could you expect from a witch with sparkles in her hair?

Until next time, live and love well.

Joining Weekly Link Ups:
Be Inspired at Elizabeth & Co.
Cottage Style Linky at Lavender Garden Cottage
Share Your Cup at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

This forum reveals random thoughts and reflections on topics of interest and events impacting the life of the founder of Doll in the Looking Glass.  Our boutique specializes in custom designed dolls that look like your child. We also design toddler and baby dolls that look real using vinyl doll components manufactured in Midland, Michigan USA by Apple Valley Doll Works.  The goal of Doll in the Looking Glass is to delight our customers with our creations.  We would love to create a special doll for you!

Harvest Pumpkin Stitchery

In a September post I shared a photo of my Autumn

foyer decor that includes a pumpkin wall hanging.

Today I'd like to show you more details

 about that project that was stitched this summer.

The pattern was created by Crab-apple Hill

and was purchased from a quilt shop I like to visit

when traveling to Northern Michigan.

Look at all of the rich floss colors used in the stitching!

To transfer the pattern to my fabric,

large plastic paper clips secured the fabric to the pattern.

Since I have a glass top table, a lighted flashlight 

was placed under the table shining upward.

A colored pencil was used to trace the pattern onto the fabric.

The pumpkin outline was created using the fly stitch.  

The left half of the pumpkin features sunflowers.

Multi-color oak leaves and acorns

are a focal point on the right half of the pumpkin.

The Autumn themed words were the most difficult to stitch.

The letters were fairly small so extra care was necessary

to assure crisp, legible words.

My fabric stash included some striped fabric

 that repeated the floss colors so this was used

for borders and binding.

 A hand-written label on the back 

documents the history of the work.

Once the prep work was completed, 

this was a great project to carry when away from home

 and stitch when a few minutes were available.  

Thanks for letting me share this stitchery with you!

Until next time, live and love well.

Joining the fun at these parties:
Be Inspired at Elizabeth & Co.
Cottage Style Linky Party at Lavender Garden Cottage

Fall into Fall at DIY by Design
Share Your Cup Thursday at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

This forum reveals random thoughts and reflections on topics of interest and events impacting the life of the founder of Doll in the Looking Glass.  Our boutique specializes in custom designed dolls that look like your child. We also design toddler and baby dolls that look real using vinyl doll components manufactured in Midland, Michigan USA by Apple Valley Doll Works.  The goal of Doll in the Looking Glass is to delight our customers with our creations.  We would love to create a special doll for you!

Window Shopping

Remember those bygone days when you would 

stroll down Main Street in your community

to do a bit of window shopping?

You can recreate that relaxed browsing experience

 with your on-line shopping.

Victorian Heart Shoppe has brought together a group of 

web-based merchants who provide an assortment of 

Victorian inspired products that are certain

to satisfy your gift-giving needs.

Participating merchants provide personalized service

 that small businesses are uniquely 

capable of offering.

Doll in the Looking Glass is privileged 

to be included as a member of the

 Victorian Heart Shoppe community.

  The display we have in our storefront window

 features our two newest dolls

 that are available in our boutique.

Wouldn't you love to stroll through the

Victorian Heart Shoppe on-line shopping community? Simply browse the storefront displays and when you find something interesting, enter the shop for a closer look at the treasures that are available.

  Please visit soon!

Until next time, live and love well.

Joining the conversation at:

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday at Kathe with an E

This forum reveals random thoughts and reflections on topics of interest and events impacting the life of the founder of Doll in the Looking Glass.  Our boutique specializes in custom designed dolls that look like your child. We also design toddler and baby dolls that look real using vinyl doll components manufactured in Midland, Michigan USA by Apple Valley Doll Works.  The goal of Doll in the Looking Glass is to delight our customers with our creations.  We would love to create a special doll for you!

Autumn's Arrival

The crisp air certainly heralds today's arrival of Autumn.

This week, the rich hues of the season

became evident in my home's decor as well.

My seasonal doll is attired in her favorite back to school dress

and she carries her lunchbox as well as an apple for the teacher.

Silk sunflowers and an embroidered wall hanging

welcome you in with some of Fall's favorite colors.

I'll share more on the wall hanging in a future post.

Colorful leaves swirl across a field of blue on the quilt

that is displayed on the stairway banister.

Muted colors fill the dining room.

The arrangement is simply three long sunflower stems

tied into a spray arrangement and embellished

with berries, leaves and ribbon.

I used two complementary ribbons -- 

ribbon stenciled with Autumn leaves and a muted plaid.

A white pumpkin is wrapped with the same ribbons.

Rustic natural elements surround the candle

 that is centered in a crystal pedestal bowl.

An angel carrying a pumpkin

 is featured on a side chair's pillow. 

This small heart pillow was purchased from a Christmas store. 

The color never fit in with my Christmas decor

but it seems at home with my Autumn color palette.

Bows and leaves add a bit of festivity to a display of candles.

Although the stores have been promoting Halloween, 

I'll wait a few more weeks 

before displaying that holiday's spirit.

Until next time, live and love well.

This forum reveals random thoughts and reflections on topics of interest and events impacting the life of the founder of Doll in the Looking Glass.  Our boutique specializes in custom designed dolls that look like your child. We also design toddler and baby dolls that look real using vinyl doll components manufactured in Midland, Michigan USA by Apple Valley Doll Works.  The goal of Doll in the Looking Glass is to delight our customers with our creations.  We would love to create a special doll for you!

Looking Up!

The weather Saturday morning was a cool 37 degrees.

But the sky was blue and the wind was calm.

Perfect weather for the annual RE/MAX Balloon Festival.

A wave of balloons launched filling the sky with color.

I was surprised to see some of the passenger baskets

 were triangular shaped.  I had not noticed this before.

The balloons in the next

three photos feature this shape of basket.

A favorite is the Sugar Bear balloon.

 The next two shots capture the plume of the burner flames warming the air to keep the balloon inflated. 

All of these photos were shot with a simple

point and shoot camera.

The balloons were directly overhead

providing great photo opportunities.

We enjoyed viewing the balloons from the parting lot

of our local home improvement store.

This was the 22nd year this festival has been held in Midland.

This event is the kick-off for

the United Way campaign in our community.

I particularly like the way the clouds frame this balloon.

A big THANK YOU to the corporate sponsor

for this annual event -- RE/MAX!

Until next time, live and love well.

This week I'll be sharing this post with

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday at Kathe with an E
Share Your Cup Thursday at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

This forum reveals random thoughts and reflections on topics of interest and events impacting the life of the founder of Doll in the Looking Glass.  Our boutique specializes in custom designed dolls that look like your child. We also design toddler and baby dolls that look real using vinyl doll components manufactured in Midland, Michigan USA by Apple Valley Doll Works.  The goal of Doll in the Looking Glass is to delight our customers with our creations.  We would love to create a special doll for you!

A Day to Rally

Today I'd like to share some images to mark Rally Day.

Antique Postcard from my Personal Collection
Copyright 1911 The Curtis Publishing Company
Copyright 1912 FM Braselmann

Are you familiar with Rally Day?

Before I started collecting Rally Day postcards,

I never heard of a Rally Day event.

Let me give you some clues:
It has nothing to do with auto racing...
Not even close to an event related to football...
Art festival?  No.
It is not a collegiate award ceremony.

These are all good guesses.

All these things come up on page 1

 if you do a Google search for Rally Day.

Antique Postcard from my Personal Collection
Form 2, The Westminster Press
Philadelphia, PA

Rally Day is a festival

that originated at the turn of the last century.

It typically occurs after the harvest has been completed 

and is used as a means of rallying students

 -- from cradle roll to senior students -- 

back to Sunday school.

According to the Congressional Library, 

children would receive pins, badges, postcards,

buttons, flags or ribbons

to spark interest in Rally Day 

This is the first Rally Day postcard that I acquired.

Who could resist these charming faces?

Antique Postcard from my Personal Collection
Copyright 1910 by Geo W. Wilmot
The Methodist Book Concern

Carefully note a couple of things from the back of this postcard.
First, look at the postmark
Next, look at the date of the event

What do you think?

Did the card reach the recipient in time for the event? 

Today it seems unthinkable that a piece of mail

postmarked on November 7, 1914 at 5 PM

would be received in advance of an event

held the very next day on November 8, 1914. 

But, depending on location,

 mail would be delivered 3 to 5 times per day.

Yes, you read that right.

So this reminder would have been received just in time ... 

on the evening before the event!

Hope you enjoyed this bit of Rally Day memorabilia!

Until next time, live and love well.

This week I'll be sharing this post with

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday at Kathe with an E
Share Your Cup Thursday at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

This forum reveals random thoughts and reflections on topics of interest and events impacting the life of the founder of Doll in the Looking Glass.  Our boutique specializes in custom designed dolls that look like your child. We also design toddler and baby dolls that look real using vinyl doll components manufactured in Midland, Michigan USA by Apple Valley Doll Works.  The goal of Doll in the Looking Glass is to delight our customers with our creations.  We would love to create a special doll for you!

Back to School Scrapbook Pages

Back in June, I was the lucky winner of 

sponsored by Kathe with an E

Since that time, I have been playing with learning the software
and thought it was time to give you an update.

Now that the kiddos are back to school,
there are certain to be lots of exciting events
to be documented with photos.
 And that means everyone will be in overdrive to add
 this wealth of photos to a scrapbook to preserve the memories.

How about some First Day of School photos?
Since I don't have any children or grandchildren,
I used one of my dolls as the model 
for these back to school snapshots.



One of the best features of My Memories software,
is that you have access to pre-made scrapbook pages.
 You just pick a layout, add your own photo and you are done.
Talk about a time saver!

Oh, I didn't mention the best part.
The pre-made pages used in this post were all FREE.
And they have major cute factor!
Of course, you could add extra embellishments
-- like a name or a grade --
if you wanted to personalize the pre-made page. 

Simply subscribe to the My Memories Newsletter

and every week they will send an e-mail featuring
some of the scrapbook kits they have available.
Most do have to be purchased, but as a reward for looking
through their newest kits featured in the Newsletter,

there may be one or two that have a FREE price tag.
The fun is in the hunt for these freebies.

I wanted to make a page to accommodate a larger size photo.  

The next scrapbook page was made totally from scratch.

A large selection of papers and embellishments are included

with My Memories Suite software.

This option is a bit time consuming because you need to

look through the inventory to see what elements

would fit the theme of the page. 
But that time will probably be reduced

once you become familiar with the materials.

If these sample pages have piqued your interest
in this digital scrapbook software,

you can receive a $10 discount
if you purchase through Kathe with an E.

 Follow this link for a promotion code and soon

you will be on your way to creating a variety of scrapbook pages.

Until next time, live and love well.

This week I'll be sharing this post with

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday at Kathe with an E
Show Off Friday at What-About

This forum reveals random thoughts and reflections on topics of interest and events impacting the life of the founder of Doll in the Looking Glass.  Our boutique specializes in custom designed dolls that look like your child. We also design toddler and baby dolls that look real using vinyl doll components manufactured in Midland, Michigan USA by Apple Valley Doll Works.  The goal of Doll in the Looking Glass is to delight our customers with our creations.  We would love to create a special doll for you!