New Jack O' Lantern Ornies!

I managed to finish a set of 3 realistic, flicker light jack o' lanterns this weekend. I soooo love the way these turned out. They are hollow and have a little flickering tealight inside. They only measure about 4 inches tall without their stem. I think I may have to make a set for myself!

ETA: This is my altered version of a Sweet Meadows Farm pattern.

eBay Powerseller Status!

Well it was official last week and now my little powerseller sign is finally showing up next to my name. I worked very hard to achieve this and has been a goal of mine for the past couple of months!

Just wanted to share my excitement with you all!

PAYPAL & EBAY USERS BEWARE!!!

So I thought I would give you all a heads up to make sure you check your paypal account daily and compare all transaction.

While making a bank deposit today, I discovered that my account was off by over $400! And not in my favor!

So I get home, check my bank account online and there is a charge pending for $417 and some odd cents. It says that it's from paypal.

I go into my paypal account looking for the $417 charge and find a UK charge for $230 yesterday. Knowing that I did not purchase anything from the UK, I clicked on the details link. The conversion from 230 UK dollars ended up being $440!!! $417 of which was coming out of my bank account!

It showed that it was an ebay auction so I clicked the link for the supposed auction. It was for a nokia phone, there was 1 bid and the winner was NOT my ebay ID. On top of that, it asked me to log in, but I was already logged into ebay.

I immediately called my bank, filed a claim through paypal and changed all of my passwords and security questions.

By the time I got done with all of that, the seller sent a full refund. He said that he was thinking that the payment was fraud because the shipping address was in Lithuania!!! THANKFULLY, I had a seller that was very compliant and quick!

So now I have a full refund pending. I just couldn't believe it!

Please beware and pay attention to all of your transactions!!!

New Witch & A Christmas Start?

Well I told myself that I was done with Halloween items and was starting on Christmas. But that didn't last long! LOL I came across some black & white diamond pattern fabric and I couldn't pass it up! At first, I thought I would make a jester with it. After all, that is exactly what I thought of when I saw the fabric.

I really wanted to make a witch with it but the black and white just wasn't appropriate. So, I stained the fabric into an orange & black...much more suitable for a witch! I finished the witch but had no clue what to make for her.

Running with a combination of mine and Zoey's ideas, I decided to make her a jack. I have this wonderful pattern from Sweet Meadow's Farm that I have altered and used for several projects and thought it would be just great for this one! I always wanted to make a jack like this only I never thought of shrinking it down for dolls. So I tried it and I LOVE it! A little time consuming but well worth it! I'm wanting to make a set of ornies like them now! LOL

Anyway...this was my end result and maybe I can finally get a go on Christmas items.

Meet Sydney & her jack...





I should also add that I did up another 5 dozen apples for another round of apple butter! It should be done and ready to can tomorrow evening! Most of the last batch was given away...LOL So I figured we needed more because there are some family members and friends that still haven't gotten theirs yet. And of course we need some here at home!

Apple Butter & Snowmen

So, a guy asks if I want some apples from his apple trees cuz he's got a gazillion laying around. I tell him i'll take a few dozen so I can stock up on apple butter (that and my family had been hounding me to make more).

Let me tell ya...three 5 gallon buckets is NOT a few dozen...more like 10-12! So I used 5 dozen to make up 4 batches of my slow cook apple butter this weekend. It made just over a dozen pint jars. We love to eat apple butter with pork chops! Ever try it? Oh it's sooo scrumptious!

You can find the recipe in the September issue of The Olde Prairie Register.

I'm still debating on if I should make more with the ramining 5-6 dozen apples...lol.

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I finished up a snowman yesterday. She is musical just like my last snowman (who is now back on ebay due to a nonresponsive/nonpaying bidder). She has some ice for sale! I love the colors and found the fabric this weekend and knew exactly what I wanted to do with it! I will be working on the pattern for her in the near future.

I've Been Tagged!

I have been tagged by Gina of Cat Nap Inn Primitives and I have to give you 6 things you don't know about me. This is gonna be kinda hard but i'll do my best...

1. Like Gina over at Cat Nap Inn, my phobia is water. I can swim but im terrified of water. And not just any water, it has to be a certain something that I haven't figured out yet. I cannot even LOOK at the tv if there is a photo of a submarine going down or coming up out of the water. In fourth grade, our social studies book, chapter 4, had a photo of a Christopher Columbus type ship sailing in the water and I couldn't even look at it. While in the Virgin Islands years ago, I refused to do anything in the water...LOL.

2. I have had an undiagnosed health condition since April 29th, 2007 and have developed Fibromyalgia due to it.

3. I started "Aunt Mannys Creations" in 2000 and my main product then were candles. The name "Aunt Mannys" came from my now 16 year old niece who couldn't say "aunt mandy" when she was little.

4. I have two associate degrees (computer programming & network administration) and a certificate in Crime Scene Investigation and a bachelor degree in Criminal Justice.

5. My passion used to be modeling. It took years and a lot of work to get there and I finally signed with OTM in North Carolina. As soon as I signed, modeling didn't appeal to me anymore. I now believe it was only the thrill of the hunt that kept me going!

6. I live in Iowa. Always have and probably always will...lol.

Ok....now I need to pick 6 others to send this to. It's so hard because there are soooo many wonderful people I have met. Let's see...

1. Lily of French & Country Chic - She is a WONDERFUL supporter and so very kind!

2. Carm of Shweet Potato Designs - She is a hoot, does the CUTEST graphics and she has even been inside my head before! It was kinda eerie...LOL

3. Dena of Piney Woods Primitives - She has been one of my biggest supporters. She is such a wonderful gal I can't even begin to express how great she truely is!

4. Kathy of Palmetto Prims (otherwise known as chatty kathy) - She has been a true friend for many years. She is one of the few online that I can trust in and talk to just about anything!

5. Jen of Prairie House Primitive - OMG I can't say enough about her! She is so witty and comical and a genuine friend & supporter! And I would love to be able to afford to buy all of her prim wood furnishings!

6. April of April Harres Artwork - I have known April since back when I first started my business and she is a true friend. She pays attention to detail, always makes you feel welcome and is all around very genuine.

Product Swap!

You may have seen here on my blog that I love to swap products! Here is a photo of my newest swap creation!

She's actually a candy dish! Her head is hollow so if you lift her hat, you can store lotsa goodies inside! Her new home will be with Gina at Cat Nap Inn Primitives!



I just got the approval on her and will be shipping her out this week! She was so fun to make!