Welcome to A Favorite Thing #16. I’m so glad you’re here.

Before we begin, I feel I must express my heartbreak over what has happened this week – in Clackamas, OR and today, in Newtown, CT. The horror of these tragedies is too much to comprehend. Such loss, such heartbreak for so many. I know that area of Connecticut fairly well. Both my husband and I spent a great deal of time in CT this past year due to our work. I cannot imagine the shock, the grief that so many families are feeling. I’ve spent a good portion of the day watching the coverage of the Newtown tragedy on our local networks. Say a prayer for everyone affected by these unspeakable events. Two of my former students are close friends with a family that lost a child yesterday. Another friend lost a close friend from childhood in the Clackamas tragedy. Hold your loved ones close.

Now, let’s look at some of last week’s highlights.

This amazing tree made out of beer bottles and acrylic shelves blew me away. My goodness! It’s beautiful. Thank you to This Green Life, for sharing this wonder with us.

This made me laugh out loud:

Fairhope Supply Company shared her one-of-a-kind manger scene with us. Notice anything different? Elvis is in attendance. Love, love, love it.

And finally, Maureen from It’s All Connected showed us how she can change up her lampshade for the holidays:

Adorable.

My favorite thing this week is the Doily/Industrial Swag Lamp I made last year from an old lampshade frame, some doilies and a swag lamp kit. Why is it my favorite? Because at this time of year, I turn it on in the late afternoon and it fills the room with the loveliest glow. It’s beautiful and it’s one of my favorite DIY projects.

Next week, we will share our very favorite Christmas things. I know some of you have already been sharing them in this party and I love that. Keep them coming! And then, we’ll take the December 28/29 off and we’ll resume again on January 4/5.

Okay. Now it’s your turn!

You can link up anytime from this evening through Sunday. Make sure you enter the URL of your post. If you’re unsure how to do that, just click on your post title after you’ve published it and copy the information in your browser address window. Come back here, paste the URL into your link entry and there you go! If you have any problems, drop me an email and I’ll help you out. Please link back to this blog on your post. That way, those that read your post and are interested in reading more can do so.

One of my concerns about link parties is that the very reason for them has somewhat gone by the wayside. They’ve become so big and there are so many of them that many bloggers don’t take the time to visit any of the other participants. Link parties are a way to meet new bloggers and share with each other and the only way to do that is to visit each other. So, please, take some time to visit everyone over the next few days. No rush. Stop by, introduce yourself, and leave a comment. It’s the neighborly thing to do. It’s also nice if you leave a comment here, as well.

Have fun!

Welcome, friends! It’s time for another A Favorite Thing – this is week number 15! I so look forward to this part of the week and the chance to read about and see your favorite things. I thank you so much for taking the time to post and share a little of yourself each week. Let’s look at some highlights from last week:

Diane of Lydia’s Post, shared the details of her Advent Calendar. Her mother started that tradition and Diane has happily carried it on every year. I love the illustration/graphics. She got it from Bronner’s –  a famous Christmas store in Frankenmuth, Michigan and one I used to love to visit when I was living in my home state.

Martha, of Poetry and a Cup of Tea, shared some of her Dicken’s Village with us. She has collected these pieces over the years and lovingly sets up her display every Christmas season. (We have several DV buildings here at the cottage, but alas, they are stored in the shed as we have no room to display them. So I will enjoy Martha’s!) In fact we have that very gate and stone wall. Martha’s display is magical and wonderful.

I had to add this photo. Judy, of 20 North Ora, shared this photo of her dog Bella wearing (not very happily) a Christmas wreath! Love, love this! The things we do to our dogs! You look beautiful, Bella.

And Melanie, of Comfy House, shared her love of paper crafting and mixed media, a skill I am sadly lacking in. Isn’t this lovely? You are very talented, Melanie!

Thank you one and all.

My favorite thing for this week is my great-grandmother’s syrup jug. This was used on the family farm in Orillia, Ontario. It was passed down to my grandmother, then to my mother, who gave it to me several years ago. This piece is in immaculate condition and I’ve admired it since I was a little girl. The top is made of pewter. I’m happy it now has a home here at the cottage.

Now it’s your turn!

You can link up anytime from this evening through Sunday. Make sure you enter the URL of your post. If you’re unsure how to do that, just click on your post title after you’ve published it and copy the information in your browser address window. Come back here, paste the URL into your link entry and there you go! If you have any problems, drop me an email and I’ll help you out. Please link back to this blog on your post. That way, those that read your post and are interested in reading more can do so.

One of my concerns about link parties is that the very reason for them has somewhat gone by the wayside. They’ve become so big and there are so many of them that many bloggers don’t take the time to visit any of the other participants. Link parties are a way to meet new bloggers and share with each other and the only way to do that is to visit each other. So, please, take some time to visit everyone over the next few days. No rush. Stop by, introduce yourself, and leave a comment. It’s the neighborly thing to do. It’s also nice if you leave a comment here, as well.

Have fun!

Welcome to the fourteenth week of A Favorite Thing! I’m writing this as fast as I can because we’ve been having trouble with the internet all day long and I’m afraid to wait until the last minute to write this! I was so flummoxed by my slow connection – especially when trying to do anything with this blog – that I called my server (all was okay there) and finally my cable company. They said there were problems with the internet in my area so, though I can get online, I don’t have 100% of it working. Okay. Hopefully, all will be fixed soon.

Let’s look at some highlights from last week.

Gardenbug World’s son had returned home with his friends to spend some time working on enhancing the software on the One Laptop Per Child computers that are used all over the world. How neat! This is such an honorable endeavor and they are to be applauded.

Cozy Little House shared the little Sugar House she found at Pier One – for $5. It looks right at home near her coffeemaker.

Olive Out shared her beautiful wax ornaments made from German molds. They are truly lovely and remind me of some wax ornaments that were on our Christmas tree when I was a child.

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My favorite thing this week is:

Mabel, my gorgeous Featherweight. Mabel was my birthday present this year, delivered two months before the actual day. One day I was antiquing with my husband and, recognizing the familiar Featherweight case, zeroed in on her. After careful examination and several minutes of  ‘should we?’ Don and I decided timing is everything and that she should be my 60th birthday present. I love her. I have waited many years for my own Featherweight. The only frustration is that with all my necessary crocheting, I haven’t had much time to spend with her yet. Soon, Mabel, soon.

Now it’s your turn! Share a favorite thing of yours with us!

By the way, the December 21/22 edition of A Favorite Thing will be all about favorite Holiday (Christmas or Hannukah) things. I’ll remind you again as we draw nearer to that date.

You can link up anytime from this evening through Sunday. Make sure you enter the URL of your post. If you’re unsure how to do that, just click on your post title after you’ve published it and copy the information in your browser address window. Come back here, paste the URL into your link entry and there you go! If you have any problems, drop me an email and I’ll help you out. Please link back to this blog on your post. That way, those that read your post and are interested in reading more can do so.

One of my concerns about link parties is that the very reason for them has somewhat gone by the wayside. They’ve become so big and there are so many of them that many bloggers don’t take the time to visit any of the other participants. Link parties are a way to meet new bloggers and share with each other and the only way to do that is to visit each other. So, please, take some time to visit everyone over the next few days. No rush. Stop by, introduce yourself, and leave a comment. It’s the neighborly thing to do. It’s also nice if you leave a comment here, as well.

I’m sorry but I had to remove a link from this post as every time I tried to visit it came up as a Web Threat in my Virus Protection software. I want this party to be safe for all those involved.