MoosecraftUSA

Valentine Tree

2012-01-22T15:04:00.003-05:00

Here's what all those velvet hearts were being made for! A Valentine themed wool feather tree!

Thanks to Joanne for the gorgeous neutral colored wool and thanks to the Cinnamon Stick for the gorgeous red cotton velvet!

The hangers for the hearts are a creamy pearl cotton and I added a simple mother of pearl button to each for an extra touch. The tree is firmly anchored in the bucket with the help of some paper clay. It could use some moss to cover the clay, but I can't seem to find mine? Anyways, I think this little Valentine tree brings some happy to the grey days of Winter...

I've started on a Valentine needle punch this afternoon... hoping to share it with you soon...

Until next time... stay healthy and keep on smiling!

Snowmen, Snow Days Block 6 and Velvet

2012-01-08T15:22:00.003-05:00

Have you ever seen something and said "Hey, that's nice!"? I'm guessing you said yes to that... we all have seen nice things. Now... have you ever seen something and said "Hey, that's nice!"... and smile every time you think about seeing it... day after day... until FINALLY... it is listed on Etsy and you can purchase it nearly immediately and make it yours? *big smile*

Well... that's what happened when Ginger posted a picture of this guy on her blog primitivesbythelightofthemoon! It was the bashful smile of this snowman, along with the way Ginger hooked the hearts into the background...

...that made me start clicking like a madwoman when I had seen it listed in her Etsy store prairiemoonprimitives! Ginger and PatiJane both make and contribute fantastic handmades to their store! Stop by and take a peek!

Ginger and PatiJane are also members of the eBay group An American Primitive Gathering that I belong to. And, sometimes they get together and hand craft the best happy surprises and mail them to every member in the group. We were all smiling big when these packages of Happy New Year wishes arrived!

The snowman is a paper wrapped Hershey Bar (with a snowman face drawn on it) and his hat is a pair of knitted gloves!!! Now, how cute is that?!?!? Also included was a woolen needle minder and a Happy New Year card! These ladies are so creative, thoughtful and generous! Thank you both so much!!!

And now... I bring you Block 6 of the Snow Days quilt that Jacque and I are working on... this was a fun and relaxing block to stitch...

I think Jacque is nearly complete with the embroidery of the 14th and final block... next comes the pieced parts of these blocks... and more embroidery on the pieced sections! This really an awesome design by Crabapple Hill... I can't thank Jacque enough for twisting my arm to stitch this! It's a long work in progress... but it is very enjoyable!

What's on my bench now? Well... here's a peek... those are little velvet hearts... sewn by hand as I'm sure my sewing machine would LOVE to gobble up this yummy velvet... more about these hearts to come in the next post...

After making a huge pot of chicken soup yesterday and a huge pot of sausage and peppers today... there will be plenty of leftovers remaining to enjoy during the week... so when I get home from work... I'll have some time to create!

Until next time... Stay healthy and keep on smiling!

:-)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T13:39:00.004-05:00

I'd like to start 2012 with big thank you to everyone that checks in here to see what's stitching, hooking and needlepunching! This is all part of a creative sanity that I thoroughly enjoy. Hopefully someone reading these posts has learned a new technique, short cut or entirely new craft they would love to try! Thanks for letting me share! And, thanks for taking the time to stop by here and read... and leave comments... it's comforting to know that there are kindred spirits among us, though we all may be miles apart.

One thing that is for certain this year... is that the completed projects posted here during 2012 will all be from patterns and supplies that I currently have! The mailman was very busy delivering quilting "Blocks of the Month" programs, cross stitch "Girl's Clubs", cross stitch "Mystery Samplers", yards of quilting cottons, pounds of soft, fluffy over dyed woolens, silk threads and linens throughout 2011... and did I mention patterns? Yep.... I have wooden crates and wire baskets full of patterns for rug hooking, cross stitch, wool applique, needle punch and quilting... and the one thing all these have in common, is that I'm still as excited about working on that pattern as I was when I first decided that I "needed" that pattern... so, it will all get stitched, hooked, quilted and punched before something new is brought to my mailbox...

So, before I start stitching on this first day of a brand new year... I'd like to wish you a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2012!!! May you always have opportunities to live, love and laugh each and every day!

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned,

earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the

spiritual experience of living every minute

with love, grace and gratitude."

~Denis Waitley

Until next time, stay healthy and keep on smiling!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T14:41:00.003-05:00

Wishing everyone a very happy, healthy,

joyous, laughter and fun-filled

Merry Christmas!!!

A Dog's Christmas Story

2011-12-22T06:22:00.000-05:00

Very Fortunate

2011-12-18T18:46:00.003-05:00

I feel very fortunate to have talented friends that take the time to send some stitches my way! VERY fortunate!!! :-)

Just this past week I received an absolutely stunning mini quilt and ornaments from Debbie of woolensails....

The embroidery on this piece is absolutely fabulous!!! I love it!!! I think I sent her half dozen emails about how excited I am that I can call this piece "Mine, mine, mine"!!! lol! Really, it truly is an amazing piece... the design, the tiny stitches, the aging of the fabrics... I'm just plum crazy over it!!! Debbie also sent along some snowman ornaments... stitched to perfection with a wonderfully soft pine scent to them... ahhhhhhh... smells like Christmas!!! :-) I still can't believe these are "Mine, mine, mine"!!! Thank you, Debbie!

I also have some finishes to show... I made these for a Secret Santa swap. Finished them at nearly the last minute... and barely remembered to take a picture before adding them and a few extras to the package and run them to the post office...

First is "Kringle's Crow" by Nan of Threadwork Primitives. It was stitched with Gentle Art threads 2 over 2 on 32ct. linen. Stuffed with wool snippets and backed with a dark red wool.

Next is "Christmas Tree" by Jenny of Country Rustic Primitives. This was stitched with DMC threads 1 over 2 on 32ct. linen. Also stuffed with wool snippets and backed with same dark red wool and then I added a tiny rusty jingle bell on a rusty safety pin.

And... just to keep the red theme going... I stitched up a little woolen Christmas bird...

A lot of stitches both to and from this week! :-)

I'm a very lucky (and happy) gal!

We did pick out our Christmas Tree last Sunday... spent yesterday decorating the tree and adding a little bit of Christmas here and there throughout the house... I hope I can get some good pictures to share with you during the next couple of days!

Until next time... Stay healthy and keep on smiling!

Many More Thank You's!

2011-12-10T17:12:00.004-05:00

I've been a lucky gal these past two weeks! The mailman has been bringing packages that are full of fun instead of just silly ol' bills and catalogs! :-)

Our eBay group hosts a few exchanges over the year... this time it was a "Secret Santa". One of the details of this exchange is that we don't know who will be sending to us... well... boy was I happy that PatiJane was chosen to send my way!

PatiJane knows I LOVE snowmen... so she created a few real great ones for me to display throughout the season! :-) The guy that is front and center is a little over a foot tall! He's made of wool and is holding a sparkly wreath and some candy canes... His tag is a cross stitched santa moon! PatiJane also stitched the bestest pillows with trees, snowmen and "Peace"... they are all simply beautiful! Love the little wool bird... his wings are made of "Silent Night" sheet music! The white tart is actually a heavenly "Sage & Lemongrass" scented soap that was hand made by Patty Cake Originals. Also included in the generous package of treasures was some chocolate (been devoured already!), a prim tea light in a metal holder, a mini wool feather tree, a list pad, some red sparkly garland and a handmade Christmas card... everything... and I do mean "every stinkin' stitch" is PERFECT!!!! Thank you so much PatiJane!!!!

And, as if that wasn't enough... I was also the lucky winner of a Little Drummer Boy hooked rug that was a giveaway on the blog of Ginger from primitivesbythelightofthemoon. Can you say WOW!!!! I tried my best to capture the soft prim colors that Ginger hooked into the rug... but, my picture seems to be a little on the bright side. Trust me when I say the colors are the softest of prims and adds to the peaceful spirit of the season! The size of this Little Drummer Boy is about 12" x 20"... he is proudly displayed in my living room for this Christmas and many Christmases to follow! The tag, envelope and card are also hand drawn by Ginger! She really is a talented gal! Thank you so much Ginger!!!! I will treasure this guy for a long time! :-)

And, one more good package came my way this week! This was from Kathy of rugsofmineintime! Kathy was generous enough to send along some of that "sparkly wool" that I've been dreaming about... I had seen it on her blog when she was writing about one of the hook-ins at Grant Street Woolworks! Linda (owner of Grant Street Woolworks) hand dyed some pieces and mine is a beautiful Christmas green! I can't wait to hook this into a rug! Kathy also sent along a rolled wool pinkeep and a beautiful needleminder with a Hibiscus on it! Gorgeous! Thank you so much for being so thoughtful and generous Kathy! I love it all!

Now... receiving gifts sure is a lot of fun... but I've been working on some items for GIVING too! A couple of items started their travels this afternoon... and as they arrive to their recipients... I will share some pics here... just know one thing... I am so slow with my stitches... I intend to have stuff there by Christmas... but, at the rate I'm going... my next gift creation should be an Easter bunny! lol! :-)

Until next time... stay healthy and keep on smiling!

A Primitive Place Magazines

2011-11-27T14:31:00.006-05:00

We had a glorious Thanksgiving and have been enjoying 4 continuous days away from work and responsibilities! Can you say BLISS? :-)

A good amount of my time has been spent catching up on the homefront. You know, the bigger tasks that usually get put to the side during the 5 days on / 2 days off schedule. Washing windows, curtains, cabinets and floors... actually moving the furniture and breaking up those dust bunny parties... lol! And, lots of organizing! During this process I have also found some items that may interest you... some are listed on eBay right now... and I will continue to list for the next day or so, so check back often...

(Auction Pictures Removed 12-10-11)

Some crafting and stitching has been enjoyed over the last 4 days too! Some are gifts and can't be shown just yet... and some aren't quite finished... I'll share with you what I can in my next post...

Until next time... Stay healthy and keep on smiling!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T16:55:00.004-05:00

It's a proven fact...

Day after day...

Same thoughts

Same actions

Same Result

So...

If you're not happy with the same results...

Try something

DIFFERENT

Yep... me and Mr. B have plans to have the best Thanksgiving ever!

And... it has nothing to do with that outfit pictured above! lol!

We wish you and your family all the health, happiness and delicious memories that life has to offer!

Kringle Frost

2011-11-13T15:55:00.003-05:00

Wanted:

S*N*O*W

You can keep the real stuff! I'm looking for glitter snow... I think Kringle Frost here needs a little sparkle! :-)

*** Kringle Frost ***

~Keeper of the Forest~

Original Pattern & Design by The Cheswick Company

This was my first attempt at a dimensional pattern. I had visited the website of The Cheswick Company and fell head over heels over this little guy! Snowmen are a favorite of mine. Anyways... they offered just the pattern, or a kit. I went for the kit as the pattern called for wool felt (which I don't have any of)... and a few accent pieces that would take some time for me to find around here. One would be the tree branch. The one that came with the kit is of high quality and looks pretty darn real! The other item would be the lantern. Anyways, these little details are what really finished the piece off nicely... methinks. Oh... and from his steel shot weighted bottom to the tip of his top hat measures about 14" tall! So, he's sure to be seen all throughout this winter season!

I'm putting away all the pumpkins for another year... feeling the urge to get decorating for Christmas!!! I'm seeing evergreens, shiny ornaments, candy canes, santas, reindeer... and more snowmen!!!

Until next time... Stay healthy and keep on smiling!!!

Redbud Cottage and Snow Days Block 5

2011-11-03T18:58:00.004-04:00

These are my two stitching updates since I don't know when... I thoroughly enjoy the process of stitching and hooking... it just seems some things should go a little faster? ;-)

This cross stitch pillow is called Redbud Cottage. It's a Stacy Nash design that is offered through the Girls Club at Country Sampler Quilt Shop in Spring Green, WI. It is backed with a homespun that is mostly browns with some red here and there. I stuffed this pillow with wool snippets. It's a solid, heavy pillow.

The one thing I added to this project was sewing in a piece of muslin directly behind the stitching. I did this because the linen was light and most of my wool snippets are dark. The muslin kept the linen bright so that the integrity of the stitches stayed clear.

My other finish is another embroidered block from the Snow Days quilt that Jacque and I are working on together. This is Block 5 for me! It's a biggy! In fact, I could almost classify it as two of the regular blocks. I think some of the next ones are smaller...

That's pretty much it for now. We survived the snow last Saturday, maintained power throughout the storm, raked some wet leaves today and now I'm looking forward to a wonderful, sunny, cooler weekend... that is full of wool, cotton, needle and thread! :-)

Until next time... stay healthy and keep on smiling!

More Thank You's and Some Shopping

2011-10-30T14:24:00.003-04:00

It's been a lovely two weeks here! First to arrive in my mailbox was a beautiful hooked rug that Pat was offering as a giveaway on her blog Hook, Hand and Heart. The star runner is skillfully hooked in the most prim shades of gorgeous wool... a generous gift that I will treasure for a long time! You should visit Pat's blog... not only does she have many talents (such as knitting, weaving and hooking)... but she has the cutest kitties and also knows where the best local restaurants are!

Thanks so much Pat!!!!

The next surprise to arrive in my mailbox was from Merrie! Merrie is another sweet gal with plenty of talents! She hooks, she knits, she needle punches and she is a fellow coffee fanatic! :-) She is also a member of the group AAPG that I belong to on eBay. Anyways.... Merrie was generous and thoughtful enough to knit me a pair of woolen socks so that my toes could be toasty during the winter months ahead! I could not believe my eyes when I opened the package! Not only are the colors and stitches perfect.... but, I know full well how much time goes into making these! Last year, Merrie had sent me a pattern and some yarn as I was really wanting to learn to knit socks... but, try as I might, I could not learn knitting to save myself... lol!

Thanks so much Merrie!!!

And, I also did some shopping on some prim pals blogs!!! I started with Lauren over at Rugs and Pugs... She was making these awesome necklaces from antique spoons that are stamped with "Rug Hooker" and "Wool". I had to have two as I could not make up my mind which one I liked better.... the little sheep charm is just the right added touch to these! Well made too!

Then I hopped over to Tammy's blog at Rock River Stitches! Tammy always creates the most beautiful hand made treasures and also offers patterns of her creations. Well... it started during the Summer when she offered the little piggy... and then most recently I was lucky enough to purchase a Mr. Jingles the snowman! They are both superbly handcrafted and I love them both! Tammy has two more snowmen offered right now on eBay. Mr. Jingles and Mr. Jangles... and they both are sparkling with the first snowfall of the season! Click here to visit the auctions.

I did manage to get some stitching done too! The Stacy Nash pinkeep is complete and I have another block of the Snow Days embroidery just about finished... pictures of those soon to follow in the next post!

We had an early snowstorm yesterday... has me totally confused as it rarely snows before Christmas here, never mind having it snow two days before Halloween? So, I don't know what I should do? Hand out candy? Dress up as Santa? Shoot me a Turkey?

Oh my...

Tomorrow is October 31st.... I am wishing you all more TREATS than TRICKS!

Until next time... stay healthy and keep on smiling!

Smiles Across the Miles and Some Rugs

2011-10-16T19:05:00.010-04:00

Friday was a wonderful day! I had taken a vacation day so that I could attend a meeting of the Hunterdon County Rug Artisan's Guild.

Well... the day started with a visit from the mailman! He brought me a surprise package from Jacque! Inside the package was a beautiful quilted tote and zippered purse that she made for me from the Iced Mocha fabric collection...

LOVE it! I especially like the way one side has the squares and the other is stripes. I've already sent her many, many thanks... but, one more couldn't hurt...

THANK YOU JACQUE!!!!

:-)

Then, it was off to Flemington, NJ to attend the meeting. Lots of topics were discussed as this was actually two meetings in one as hurricane Irene had caused last month's to be cancelled. I'll save the details and just show you the rugs that were there for show and tell... Some were finished and some were in progress. Each person explained a little about their rug and then the rug was placed in the center of the meeting area so all could see. So many talents and different styles of hooking...

I hope you enjoyed these pictures... and hopefully you now have some inspiration to get hooking on one of your own rugs!

I would like take a minute to say THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time to leave comments here... I really do enjoy reading them all! I also want to thank those that have emailed me their comments because blogger was giving them some technical troubles... and also, a big HELLO to those (recent and from the beginning) who have decided to follow my blog. I hope you continue to read and enjoy the adventures and creations I write about here...

:-)

Until next time...

Stay healthy and keep on smiling!

I Just Could Not Help Myself

2011-10-09T19:39:00.004-04:00

Saturday and Sunday were two of most picturesque autumn days I could imagine. The sun was shining... there was a soft warm 70 degree breeze during the day that cooled to a cozy 45 degree breeze during the night... the leaves are starting to turn... the sky was a brilliant blue with big, white puffy clouds... so, how could I in my right mind sit in a chair and stitch all day? lol!

I could not help myself... Saturday I opened the windows and did my indoor seasonal cleaning (well... most of it)... haven't gotten to the windows and curtains yet... Sunday I did my regular bakery and grocery store run... followed by some yard work (trimming the hedges in the front yard)... followed by washing and drying my car and my hubby's SUV... then we had a nice Sunday dinner and now I am relaxing...

This is my favorite time of year... the time when I am most comfortable and have the most energy to do just about anything.

I will sleep like a brick tonight... I am sure of it!

But, since I did promise a stitching update to you... I will share the progress on the piece that was hoping to have finished by today. It's a Stacy Nash Girl's Club cross stitch that is offered through the Country Sampler Quilt Shop. The club ships four kits a year. The kits have the pattern, linen backing, threads, and the fabric to finish the stitched piece into a pinkeep. This was the first kit I had received... I think it's supposed to be the Summer one... It's called "Rosebud Cottage"

It's stitch over 2 threads on 32 count Platinum Linen. I'm nearly finished with the stitching... just need to put in the lettering on the bottom of the design and assemble into the pinkeep. And yes... I do have the Autumn kit already... you think I might get that done before Christmas? lol!

Seriously though... with how fast this year zoomed by... and how quickly winter is approaching... you can bet your last nickel I'll be outside wandering around somewhere during these gorgeous, colorful, energy filled days of autumn, every stinkin' chance I get! :-)

Here is a picture of the hubby and I tailgating during the Kutztown, PA Antique Radio Show and Sale...

Do we look like we just celebrated our 12 year Wedding Anniversary last Sunday? Well... we did! Had a fun time at the Sands Casino and a delicious meal at the Carnegie Deli... good stuff! :-)

You can bet that next weekend will include a whole lot of relaxing...

Until then...

Stay healthy and keep on smiling!

Getting Ready for the Weekend!

2011-10-07T06:09:00.003-04:00

I'm so happy I could sing!!!

The weekend is finally a few short hours away....

to sing along with me

Click Here

You won't be sorry... promise! :-)

I'll be back Sunday with stitching updates!

Stay healthy and keep smiling!

Videos from Kutztown Radio Show

2011-09-22T16:03:00.004-04:00

For the folks who enjoy a visit to the show via videos... here are two short ones from my Mr. "Radiowild"! Enjoy!

Next post will have some stitching updates!

Kutztown, PA

2011-09-18T18:35:00.004-04:00

Yes, it's that time of year again... time for the Antique Radio Show at Renninger's in Kutztown, PA. Bob and I had a S*U*P*E*R*B 2 days at the show! He sold, he bought... I shopped... and I shopped some more... lol! :-)

Simply put... I could not resist the treasures that were to be had at Sharon Renninger's booth that is located inside the main building...

A Jack O' Lantern, a handmade fabric pumpkin, a towel embroidered with Jack O' Lanterns, some autumn colored boxwood branches, and some brown & cream coverlet remnants... were some items that I could not leave behind. In fact... I had admired the white JOL last year... but last year's was triple the size of this one... this one is "just right"... ;-)

Next was leaving through the side entrance of the building...

Little did I know I was nearly gobbled up by an angry Jack! lol! Beautiful mums and gorgeous gourds and pumpkins for sale there!

Next, I wandered over to the outdoor flea market area. They have this every Saturday at Renninger's... not just this time with the radio show. Usually the vendors have the same old fare... but, this visit was different. I had found two original, screen printed on jute rug hooking patterns... still sealed in it's original packaging. It was neat to see the graphics on the insert as well as the original price of $1.99... but, I did not buy them as the designs were not my style...

I also found a few treasures that needed to come home with me...

I always look for unique glass items... This glass vase is a light yellow that fades into a light green base. Really pretty! It does need to be cleaned up a bit... but there aren't any chips or scratches in it. I thought the enamel container was nice... I'm used to seeing white with red or white with black... this one is cream with green...

And last is the glass bottle. I do collect glass bottles... but only very unique pieces. You can't see it too well in the picture, but just below the indent on the neck is a glass marble. This is a free moving marble that is actually part of the bottling process. The vendor explained to me that these bottles were filled upside down... and when the glass marble pressed against the rubber ring inside the neck, the bottle was sealed. To drink it's contents... you pushed the marble down and it would fall into a groove that is under the indent... which would allow the liquid to flow freely from the bottle. Difficult for me to describe without pointing at and moving the bottle... but, hopefully you get an idea of it's mechanics...

And lastly, is Bob's massive radio acquisition! lol! He had been looking for one of these for awhile and finally found one nice enough to part with the money for! It's a 1938 Zenith Shutter Dial Console Radio! Aint' it gorgeous?

The overall condition of the wood on this is about as perfect as a 70 plus year old radio can be... the dial is fabulous with no real flaws... see the green light? That's the tuning eye... the band on it narrows as the station tunes in clearly... the grill cloth is the original... and the chassis (where all the electronics and tubes are) is super clean. And yes, it does play! We've been listening to it most of the day today... I'm glad Bob bought it home... because I like it too! :-)

So, an A*W*E*S*O*M*E start to the Autumn season! And, to top it all off, a cool front came through our area late Thursday afternoon... so we have been having sunshine and mid to upper 60's during the day and down into the low 50's during the night.... ahhhhh... sweet perfection!

Cooler temps are making me want to bring out the wool and get hooking! As soon as I finish up this cross stitch I've been working on... I'm going to start a hooked rug! Probably some pumpkins... a gal can never have too many pumpkins!

Stay healthy and keep on smiling!

Hello September

2011-09-06T06:18:00.003-04:00

Christmas in August was very uneventful. When the month began, I started out with high hopes... because I was starting the month with a week's vacation... and during that week I managed a really cute snowman punchneedle... but, still haven't finished the back and edges yet.

I went to start another Christmas project... but got side tracked with a Stacy Nash Girl's Club cross stitch... I'm half way finished stitching that one... I'll have pics next post...

We had a visit from Hurricane Irene... Irene brought buckets of rain and some good gusts of wind... some trees came down and pulled power lines down with them... our home went 40 hours without electricity... the town and building where I worked went 4 days without electricity... many areas suffered severe flooding... but, thankfully, no one I know was hurt in the storm... and no one I know lost any belongings or suffered damage to their homes... good bye Irene...

My hubby's Birthday was in August! Yep... the day after Irene's visit. So, we celebrated with eclairs and ice water... by candlelight...

Right now I have a severe craving for Autumn... and all that comes with it! The brilliant colored leaves... a sliver of frost in the mornings, bright full moons in the evenings, apple pie, pumpkins and cornstalks decorating the porch... and some wool. Yes... I hope to be getting back to hooking some rugs...

This is a rug I hooked several years ago. It's a design by Dierdre Wilson.

Hello September... I am ready to cool down and relax!

Until next time...

Stay healthy and keep smiling!

Happy Sunday!

2011-08-14T17:58:00.004-04:00

This was back to work week for me and boy oh boy did it wear me out. Managed some overtime too, so didn't have much time or enthusiasm during the week to get any stitching done.

So I made sure to make some stitching time yesterday! Made great progress on one of the "Christmas In August" items!!! The punching was finished last night... was planning on putting the backing and finishing touches to it today, but got a little side tracked...

It's a Country Stitches pattern that was gifted to me by my friend Pam (no blog) a little more than a year ago. So, I think it's high time I get it stitched! ... I'll give all the details on the pattern in my next post when it is completely "finished". :-)

If anyone has an AC Moore near them... RUN, don't walk there and stock up on DMC floss! They have it on sale this week for 5/$1.00. That's nearly half price! I spent some time picking out some prim colors...

and kept the girl at the register busy for awhile too! :-) Do you know they have to ring them up by color? And, did you also know there were only TWO registers open while I was there? Yep... not a good "friend making day" today... lol! That's OK... I bought enough to last me at least a year... they might forget who I am by then? ;-)

We are also getting a good, soaking, much needed rain today! Local brooks, rivers and the canal are at or near flood level. I can hear the flowers, trees and grass drinking this stuff up though! Should help to make for a beautiful Autumn display of colors this year!!!

With the days getting somewhat cooler and the daylight getting less and less... and the crickets singing in the night... I've had pumpkins on the brain for at least a week now... :-)

Have a great week everyone!

Stay healthy and keep smiling!

Giveaway Winners!!!

2011-08-05T19:55:00.003-04:00

Nothing fancy about picking winners here... it's the old name on a slip of paper and into a cup it goes...

Friendship Strips & Scraps

goes to

woolensails

Rug Hooker's Bible

goes to

weaverpat

Simple Home Solutions

goes to

Orange Sink

Good Things for Organizing

goes to

Orange Sink

Wool Rug Hooking

goes to

Courtney

Mercantile Gatherings Magazine

goes to

Joanne

Congratulations to the winners!!!!

I'll be sending you an email requesting your addresses... I'll get them packed up tonight and (hopefully) shipped out tomorrow!

A big thank you to everyone that entered this contest!

My first Christmas~Winter themed finish during the month of August will bring another giveaway... so stay tuned! :-)

Stay Healthy & Keep Smiling!

Finishes and AAPG Anniversary Goodies!

2011-08-05T13:30:00.005-04:00

As promised... some pictures of a couple of finishes that were left from July... the first is "Spring Pillow Tuck" which is a design by Primitive Betty's. I chose to stitch this 2 over 2 with DMC 3866 on natural linen. The fabric for the pillow is a piece of the "Whitewash" fabric line that is new from the gals at "Crab Apple Hill". The strawberry was made of same fabric, with the leaves cut from the cross stitch linen... and tied to the pillow with a piece of linen thread. Overall finished size is about 7-1/2" x 7-1/2".

Next up is this Stacy Nash Pattern titled "October 31st Pincushion". I followed the recommended DMC floss colors in the pattern and stitched 1 over 2 on a 28 ct natural linen. The piece finishes up at about 4-1/2" x 5-1/2". The back is a burnt orange colored cotton fabric. All this heat we had during July... stitching an Autumn design was very comforting! :-)

Another package of treasures arrive the other day from Ginger!!! This was due to our online group, An American Primitive Gathering (search USAPRIM on eBay) is having it's 3 Year Anniversary during the month of August. The members that wished to participate in a "Secret Swap" each received a name. The main requirements were that one of the items needed to be a sunflower (and you can see the beautifully hooked rug Ginger made of a sunflower in the picture), and there needed to be 3 pillow tucks or ornies. Ginger made me a mitten from a cutter quilt, a stocking with a snowman embroidered on it and a cute Jack O Lantern on a pillow! She also included a "Smile Often" magnet, a milk glass hen dish (my camera won't pick up the details in this great piece though), some denim blue wool and a snippet catcher that hangs over the arm of your chair! I love all of it, Ginger! Thank you once again!

You see? I told you this week was full of fun stuff! There's more too... but that will have to wait until later today... as some of you already know... there are some winners to be announced for the Giveaway in the previous post! All entries up until 7:00 tonight will be included in the drawing... and the winners announced at 8:00.

Stay healthy and keep smiling!

Follower's Choice Giveaway!

2011-08-03T16:31:00.005-04:00

You know what? I'm on vacation this week! And when on vacation... so many things happen that to write them all in one post would make for a very long post!

So, I've decided to break things up a bit into a couple of different posts... this post being dedicated to only the giveaway!

In hopes that people get something they really want... I am going to offer a choice of the following books. These are all great books... I've just had my use of them and they are ready for someone else's reading enjoyment...

Here's what you need to do... Decide which books you are interested in... each person can choose one, two or all of the books. I have each book marked with an A, B, C, D, E or F. You must leave a comment on THIS post that contains your first name and the letters of the books you are interested in. I will then put your name into each container with the corresponding book's letter. And draw one winner for each book. Got it?

The guidelines for this Giveaway are simple... you must be a follower of this blog... you must have an email that I can contact you at when you win (either through blogger, or post it in the comment)... and you must have a US or Canada mailing address. That's it.

Here's your choices...

Friendship Strips & Scraps

A Quilting Book by Edyta Sitar

The Rug Hooker's Bible

by Gene Shepherd

Simple Home Solutions

a Martha Stewart publication

Good Things for Organizing

a Martha Stewart publication

Wool Rug Hooking

by Tara Darr

Mercantile Gatherings Magazine

Summer 2011 Issue

Hopefully you will see something in this post that you like... if not... perhaps the next giveaway will entice you...

I will be picking the winners for this giveaway on Friday, August 5th at 8:00 pm... with hopes that I will be able to ship on Saturday...

Good Luck & Have fun!

Christmas In August

2011-08-02T10:42:00.002-04:00

Once again... I am teaming up with my buddy Jacque to accomplish something BIG. We've been cheering each other on through the "Snow Days" quilt and now, we have started...

"Christmas In August"

I know...

It's hot...

Don't rush the seasons...

BUT

The goal for us is to take the month of August to create our handmades that we will be gifting family and friends during the Christmas season. Because you know what happens every year... rush, rush, rush... last minute sewing the seam closed as the recipient is walking through the door...

Not THIS year though!

(we hope)

This year we have already planned which gifts go to who... purchased our supplies and are ready to get creating!

I do have one or two more items I need to finish from July... and when I return here to post those pics... I will also announce the giveaway I have been promising for a few posts now... next post... promise! :-)

Soooooo, enjoy the days of Summer... I'll be back before Friday...

Stay healthy & keep smiling!

Dang Nabbit & Some Stitches

2011-07-24T14:21:00.005-04:00

So.... anybody that knows me.... knows that I dream (maybe even obsess) all Winter and Spring for the arrival of that first juicy, backyard grown Jersey tomato.... I've even shared some pics of the small, freshly planted tomato plant... and most recently, the pics the 7 ft. tall tomato plant loaded with heirloom beefsteak green tomatoes...

wait for it...

You see this little guy?

He's been helping himself to my tomatoes! Sure, between the two plants I have about 50 tomatoes... enough to share... but the thing that's really annoying me is that Mr. Squirrel eats the perfect ones... and leaves me with THESE...

Funny, right?

Certainly not funny ha ha... not to me anyways... anybody have an owl that I could hire for the Summer? Something has to keep him away so that I can get to the good tomatoes... don't mention sprinkling hot pepper around the plants... remember... these are Jersey Squirrels... ;-)

I had once seen a t-shirt that read, "Jersey.... where only the strong survive". It's truer than most may think...

So, with the heat wave we all have been enduring... I have been spending most of my free time indoors stitching... yesterday I finished up the stitching part of primitivebettys "Spring Pillow Tuck"... I stitched it 2 over 2, using DMC 3866 on 32 ct. raw linen... I should have it finished into a pillow some time during the week...

There's more stories to tell... I will be back soon! I may even have a giveaway, so be sure to check back often!

Have a wonderful Summer Sunday!

Happy Birthday, Snow Days & Tomatoes

2011-07-10T17:01:00.008-04:00

Yippeeeeeee! I'm a year older!!!! lol! I celebrated a Birthday yesterday and have plans to celebrate another one next year!!! lol! *grin*

It was a great day! It started with presents! The mailman brought me a package from my buddy Ginger over at PrimitivesByTheLightOfTheMoon! So much care was taken in wrapping everything!!!!

And, what was in each package was WONDERFUL!!! A Christmas embroidery pattern, vintage fabrics, gorgeous variegated dmc floss and a notepad...

And so many handmade items!!!! A wool covered notebook with strawberries appliqued on it, a quilted pillow tuck (in my favorite colors), a watermelon pinkeep (velvet ~ ohhh-la-la!) a pillow tuck stamped with a girl in her garden, a wooden painted sheep tag, a dress ornie and a beautiful house and flowers appliqued to a wool pillow!!!!!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE every stitch of these!!!! Thanks once again, Ginger! You really made my Birthday!

What else to do on a Birthday? Well... how about sit peacefully and stitch! Yep... the big band music went blasting on the stereo and a few hours later I had another one of the Snow Days blocks embroidered! This has to be my favorite so far! Maybe it's the General Store... or maybe it's the truck? I don't know... but I do like this design a bunch!

Snow Days Block #4

A Crabapple Hill design

Offered as a Block Of The Month by The Quilted Crow

Speaking of trucks.... and cars... we went to a couple of car shows too! Last week was at our local Outback Steakhouse. And, the following week was at a Chick-Fil-A that's about an hour from our house... well worth the trip! Lots of gorgeous and shiny classic cars on display! What's that? Do we have videos of these shows? Of course we do!!! These are short.... but a good sampling of what was there...

With Summer in full swing... we are finally getting a fireworks display of flowers in the garden! :-) Here's a couple of close ups...

And here are those tiny tomato plants I put in the garden way back in April. These buggers are pushing 6 ft. tall!!! There's tomatoes on them all right... quite a few... but none red to eat! I'm guessing maybe a couple more weeks?!?!?!?!?

Well... back to stitchin'! Next update should be a cross stitch that I started some time in March? lol! Yep... I'm going to finish my starts... before starting another...

I hope everyone is enjoying their Summer days! Keep smiling and stay healthy!

:-)

Happy 4th of July!!!!

2011-07-03T10:17:00.003-04:00

I hope you all have long weekends to enjoy celebrating the Independence and Pride of America! Picnics, fireworks, car shows, stitching, needlepunch, cross stitch, rug hooking, quilting!

Yep... it's in there!

Happy Sunday!

2011-06-19T18:17:00.004-04:00

I've been stitching on some projects... but, since I have too many going at one time... there hasn't been any picture worthy progress on any of them... so, thought I'd give an update on a couple of the goodies I purchased awhile back at the Cinnamon Stick in Hereford, PA!

The Drying Rack made in onto the wall in the front entry room of my home. And inside the rim, I tucked a few items that I think go together pretty well! From left to right... a beautiful prim dolly made by Betty Dekat of primitivebettys! She made her for me as a Birthday gift... has my initials stitched on her apron and a bundle of sweet annie in her arms... :-) Next is a coffee pot that says "I won't be seen until I have me caffeine"! My dh has seen me before caffeine... man o man... does he have some stories to tell!!! lol! Next is a "Home is Best" cross stitch pinkeep made by Betty Dekat. This was part of a swap we had participated in with our eBay group AAPG... and next to that is a little egg basket that was part of a giveaway from Kansas Troubles Quilters. Pinned to the back of the drying rack is a sewie roll that I stitched... it is a design called "Blue Tulip and Bunny Sewie Roll" by primitivebettys. You can purchase the pattern in her Etsy Shop if you'd like. Are you seeing a theme here? lol! Betty always designs and makes beautifully prim items and irresistible patterns! :-)

The other item I had purchased from the Cinnamon Stick was this Shutter Basket. Well... that finally made it onto the wall in my sewing room! When I purchased this, I knew I liked it very much... but wasn't quite sure of what I would use it for. Well... the answer is... to hold all the BOM's that keep arriving in my mailbox that I can't seem to keep up with?!?!?!? lol! Yep... there's a couple of the "Wisdom House" blocks as well as one of the "Snow Days" blocks... lol! I'll get to them... sure enough!

Anyways... you can see plenty of pattern and instruction books, and wool, and quilting cottons and quilt kits also in the pic. Yep... so many hobbies, so little time to do them! I think if you're reading my blog... you know exactly where I'm coming from! ;-)

Have a wonderful week! I'll be back next weekend with some stitching updates...

Snow Days Block 3

2011-05-24T15:09:00.005-04:00

Jacque and I have been having a ball cheering each other on while stitching this Snow Days quilt! We came up with the idea to add a cross to the top of the church's steeple. Other than that, this block pretty much stays with the original design...

Snow Days Block #3

A Crabapple Hill design

Offered as a Block Of The Month by The Quilted Crow

Has anyone ever gone blog hopping... only to discover that the blog owner also has an Etsy Shop filled with stuff that "has your name all over it"?!?!?!? Hmmmmm? Well, that's what happened when I visited Stitchin' Thyme! Jennifer has an Etsy Shop filled with gorgeous quilt fabrics and great handmades! Take a quick visit... ;-) Here's what happened during my "quick visit"! lol!

Yummy! Go ahead... click on the picture to enlarge... LOVE these fabrics!

And just so ya' know... I haven't forgotten about those tomatoes I planted waaaaaaay back when... there is progress! After flower... comes tomato! *grin*

Take a minute of today to say a prayer for everyone affected by the recent destructive weather events. So much devastation... so quickly taking lives and turning lives upside down.

Take a minute of every day to count your blessings and be thankful.

Shopping at Renninger's

2011-05-16T16:13:00.005-04:00

Here is the video of Joanne and I looking through the goodies in the consignment part of Renninger's Antiques. The scary picture in the beginning of the video is a picture of my hubby after his coworker ran his picture through an iPhone app called "Fat". I told him he looked like the Nutty Professor... thus, the "Nutty Radiowild" reference...

And, here is a really short clip of another good place to visit when in Kutztown, PA...

Also, a quick picture of the goodies I found while rummaging through Sharon Renninger's booth at the market. Always such prim and lovely finds there... I found two sock kitties, some lemon verbena sachets, this double tiered tin display, a ceramic flower pot with a cute bird in it and also some super grunged cheese cloth to use in some of my stitching finishes. The little kitty on the bottom of the tin display is a gift... he'll be traveling in a month or so... I just need to make a couple of items to go along with him...

So, that's it for the weekend! I have some stitching updates coming soon...

And, I've also been collecting some ideas for a giveaway!

Stay tuned!

Spring Radio Show, Kutztown, PA

2011-05-15T19:13:00.003-04:00

This past Friday and Saturday was the Delaware Valley Historic Radio Club's antique radio swapmeet. It took place at Renninger's Antiques & Farmer's Market in Kutztown, PA.

Joanne met up with me and we spent the day goofing around while my dh sold radios, radios parts and vacuum tubes...

For those of you who are interested in seeing some of the radios there... here is the video that my dh put together...

Another video of what's inside the main Renninger's building will be coming soon!

And for those of you that want to see some more stitching... some pictures of that is on the way too!

Hope you all had a chance to relax today! Sunday is a day of rest!

Snow Days Block 2

2011-05-10T18:55:00.003-04:00

I'm still amazed at how time flies while stitching... I sit down, thread the needle... relax the mind while pulling this loverly Cosmos thread through the Kona cotton... and the next thing ya' know... 6 hours has vanished! Granted it was 6 BLISSFUL hours... but, geesh! I still have so much more to go on this quilt! lol!

So here's the embroidered block area of Snow Days Block 2. Clicking on the picture will enlarge it so you can see it better. Full day tomorrow, so I'm looking to stitch up the pieced blocks that go with this embroidered block during the day on Thursday...

Since my last post, some sweet surprises have arrived in the mail! In the lower left of this picture is a sweet strawberry ornament and nest with egg ornament. They are both made of wool and thoughtfully stitched by my friend Mimi! They are both being displayed on my little german twig tree that I keep out all year 'round...

The fan of Red Violet is a swatch set of wool that was hand dyed by my friend Jo! Aren't they a beautiful color? The mottling is perfection! I have a floral rug in mind that I plan to hook these values into. Hopefully time will allow during this Summer. Jo has always hooked fantastic rugs... but now she has found a passion for dying the wool for her rugs and she is inventing the best color formulas. Visit Jo's blog to see her latest color experiment!

And, I will end this post with a pic of my Spirea bush I planted when I moved here 14 years ago. It's covered in bouquets of tiny white flowers for about 2 weeks each Spring. Had to get a picture of it before the wind blew them all away... I have this picture set as wallpaper on my computer desktop...

Next update might be some pieced quilt blocks... or maybe a hooked rug... or maybe a cross stitch?

Or... maybe... a giveaway?

:-)

Wisdom House Block 4 and 4a

2011-05-04T18:35:00.008-04:00

The days just keep whizzing right on by...

Now that we have started having warmer and sunny days, I've been outdoors in the yard more often than I have been indoors stitching. But, to each week some rain must fall and to each day, night will arrive... and that's when the needle and thread get to work...

Moving right along with this Wisdom House BOM... I really do enjoy the applique type of quilting... seems to be getting easier and a bit quicker too... the colors of this set of pics are pretty close as I just managed to catch the last bit of daylight out on the back patio...

Wisdom House Block #4

12" x 12"

I like the fabric that is the shutters... reminds me of the fruit stripe gum I used to buy when I was a kid!

Wisdom House Block #4a

12" x 18"

I've had "tomatoes on the brain" since I pulled the last one off of last year's vine... Home Depot had these Heirloom Beefsteak variety... purchased two plants... they've been planted for two weeks now... still no stinkin' tomatoes yet though... lol! ;-)

Heirloom Beefsteak

Next will be some more embroidery on the Snow Days quilt... and I'd really like to hook on a rug I have started... but, I really should get caught up on the Snow Days quilt... but, I really want to hook for a bit...

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T18:21:00.002-04:00

Wishing you all the blessings of a joyous Easter!

Fudge

2011-04-21T16:12:00.004-04:00

FUDGE is a word that sums up my day in the quilt factory... :-)

I was determined to achieve perfection in my traditional quilt block piecing!!!! I measured five times, cut once... marked all of my seam allowances very carefully with pencil before I placed each piece under the needle of the machine... where I slowly and precisely allowed the feed dogs to grab the material through and stitch at a scant quarter inch...

I then opened each piece and used my finger nail to crisply help the seam to the dark side... then I grabbed my trusty new helper (a Clover Mini Iron... more on this later)... and permanently set each stitch and pressed each piece to flat measured perfection...

Ummmm... not really... it's more of a FUDGED prim-fection! lol!

Seriously no matter how careful I was with the measuring, cutting and sewing... my squares seemed to shrink a bit. Even get a bit wonky at times... especially the "Cut The Corners" pieced block. That's when FUDGE became an expletive...

:-0

So, when it came time to piece the blocks together to make the one big block that is the Inside Section 1 of this "Snow Days" quilt... I FUDGED some of those seam allowances down to an eighth of an inch to compensate for a few inaccuracies...

This is what was created after about 6 hours...

Phew!

See the Clover Mini Iron? LOVE it! One of the biggest difficulties I had with the first "Cut The Corners" block was using my regular iron with steam... lots of FUDGE that day when I burned my finger tips and then messed up all my pressed seams one right after the other... lol! There are mixed reviews on this Clover Mini Iron. But, I can honestly say that it heated up quickly and was hot enough to press those seams and keep them there. A lot easier to control than a full sized iron... and I have yet to burn a finger tip!

Here's a quick pic of my sewing area. I don't have a big house... so my machine isn't always out and available to sew. It's generally stored in a carrying case. So, when I do bring it out, ALL sewing gets done... including sewing backing on cross stitched and punchneedle pieces...

Today, however, I have had enough with machine sewing...

I just might trace off the embroidery for Block #2...

Cat Tricks

2011-04-18T18:37:00.007-04:00

I did it! Through the marvels of a very bright light and pot after pot of coffee... not only did I complete all of the stitching... but I finished it into a pillow too! The scalloped edges were part of the original design. They are cut from an antique black piece of wool and whip stitched with a black/grey variegated Valdani pearl cotton. The back is the same antique black wool. All firmly stuffed with wool snippets. This finished up to about 5" x 4.5"

As I mentioned back here... this is a gift for somebody... they don't know to expect it, so I can show it here... I hope to be mailing it out next week... :-)

"Cat Tricks"

a pattern by

Brenda Gervais of Country Stitches

Being as I had my sewing machine out... I went ahead and finished this Peace wool applique pillow today too. It's backed with the cotton that was supplied in the kit... and stuffed with wool snippets for a good firm, lumpy feel! :-)

"Peace"

a design by

Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings

So which direction to head now?

I have another cross stitch already started... 3 blocks of the Snow Days quilt to catch up on... 1 block of the Wisdom House quilt to catch up on... an Autumn wool BOM that I haven't started yet... sure would be nice to try another punch needle piece... I'm going to stop the list right here... before I embarrass myself... lol! ;-)

Wisdom House Block 3

2011-04-12T20:15:00.003-04:00

I've been stitching some too... been going back and forth between the cross stitch and the quilt blocks... here is a block completion...

Wisdom House Block #3

12" x 20"

The colors in the block updates are off... way off... the fabrics are warm and faded homespuns... it just seems that I finish a block in the evening when the natural light for the day is gone... I'm thinking you will be surprised when the entire quilt is completed and pieced together and photographed in the yard on a sunny day... ;-)

Yesterday was a gorgeous 80 degrees with sunshine and humidity! It was a perfect day enjoyed in the garden... getting the flower beds ready for a Summer of blooms and tomatoes!!! Oh YUM!

I've Been Shopping...

2011-04-09T12:28:00.006-04:00

When the chance arrives to grab something unique... I say "Go For It"! :-)

My first find was from Lori Rippey of HomeSpunPrimsByLori. She is always making so many beautiful items... and approximately once a season she updates her picture trail and offers some items for sale. When I seen Mr. Wabbit, I knew I had to have him! :-)

Betty Dekat of PrimitiveBettys is not only one of my most favorite cross stitch pattern designers... but she also makes items that are irresistible! So when it came time for her to update her Early Work Mercantile page.... I ran over there and quickly grabbed up this beautifully stitched Olde Strawberry Pinkeep which is resting on Mr. Wabbit's lap!

And yesterday... I was finally rewarded the opportunity to venture out to Hereford, PA and meet up with Joanne and Judy at The Cinnamon Stick! Had a great stroll around the shop and a lot of laughs!!! What a great way to spend a rainy day than with a couple of real kewl gals! :-)

I purchased some goodies... first up is a make-do Shutter Basket! Very unique! I have plans for this piece... a little bit of this and a little bit of that... I'll share pics when it's all done and hung up on the wall in my hooking room!

Next is this great Drying Screen... this one will also be hung on a wall in my sewing room... and, once again, there will be some touches added... it's fun to find unique stuff and then personalize it with some goodies here and there... right now I just placed the two pieces of fabric I purchased just for the purpose of this pic. I have plans for the fabric too!

Lastly, is this primitive bunny named "Sage" She was "Handmade In Ohio" though I did not see the artists name on it anywhere... but, she is stitched wonderfully, aged just right and has a solid weight to her! So cute!

You will notice all of these items from The Cinnamon Stick have great tags on them... Judy is always taking that extra bit of time to present the items in her store "just right". There is even delicious snacks about the store. Visit her blog, The Spice Cupboard to find a recipe for a really yummy dip! Heck, visit the store itself to meet Judy and see all the great variety of items she offers!!! I personally guarantee you will find something "just right" for your home!

Joanne and I also visited an antique mall... lots of stuff in there... but, nothing came home with me... I did find this neat RCA sign... I did not know RCA made telephone systems too...

And, here's a quick update on "Cat Trick's". I'm thinking that my camera is getting a bit tired. I really should borrow my hubby's camera to get a clear pic of all these tiny stitches... maybe when the piece has been finished into the pillow tuck it is meant to be...

Enjoy your weekend! Hopefully you have some sunshine and daffydils and tulips to smile at!

Cat Tricks

2011-04-04T16:45:00.003-04:00

"Cat Tricks"

a pattern by

Brenda Gervais of Country Stitches

Actually... I think the "trick's on me"! LOL! I started this cross stitch way back in September of 2010. Just like the picture says... it's stitched on 32 ct linen... the real test of patience is the one strand of floss over one thread... first time for me stitching this tiny... kinda slowing me down... BUT, I am totally liking the finished product! You think this will be finished before the leaves start to fall! lol!

Steam A Seam 2 Review

2011-03-31T16:36:00.003-04:00

I've always wondered what technique people used to keep their wool applique pieces in place while stitching. I've tried a couple of different techniques... first was regular straight pins... ouch... then smaller applique pins (for cotton fabric)... ouch... then quilters safety pins (the slight curve made for easy pinning, but the thread always got caught on them)... then I tried some fusible webbing. The first brand I tried simply would not fuse the wool pieces together no matter how long I held that iron on it. So, I gave up the idea of fusible webbing.

But, I kept on hearing about the Steam A Seam product line and how it had been getting rave reviews. So, I figured I'd give it a try. There are different varieties... so be careful which one you choose. I meant to buy the Steam A Seam Lite... but accidentally picked up the Steam A Seam 2 instead.

As we know... experimenting costs money. So, I figured I'd try this stuff out with a FREE wool applique kit. This Christmas Pinkeep is designed by Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings. They gave these away to their customers during their Winter Open House in 2010. Lucky for me, they included the online customers too! :-)

To my amazement, the Steam A Seam 2 did a wonderful job of fusing the wool pieces together. This kept everything in place so that stitching was a breeze! The product was easy to use, did not mess up my iron, did not leave sticky residue on the needle and was pretty easy to sew through... The only drawback was that it did add some rigidity to the appliqued pieces. Hopefully you can see what I am referring to in the following picture...

This is fine (for me) with this pinkeep piece as I will most likely fill it with cotton and use more as a pillow tuck anyways. The Steam A Seam 2 would also be good if making small, unstuffed wool ornaments to hang from a tree or garland. But, for pieces that will be handled more (like a quilt or table runner) I think I would prefer not to use the fusible webbing... and just stick with the small applique pins and be more mindful that they are there.

Or, maybe I will try the Steam A Seam Lite one day...

Paranoia Is Very Time Consuming

2011-03-30T18:28:00.003-04:00

I am so new to quilting it isn't even funny. All of the two quilts I have finished have been entirely made of simple squares. Never tried the "official" quilt blocks... until today... these are two pieced squares that are to be part of the Block 1 shipment to the Snow Days quilt.

First up was a "Cut The Corners" pieced square. As you can see... things are not exactly lining up the way they should... but it is a first try... and the overall size of the finished square measures as it should.

Next up is a "Churn Dash" pieced square. This was a bit easier as the pieces are a decent size.

Me and my sewing machine "ain't the best of friends" lol! I am sure any malfunctions are the responsibility of the operator rather than the machinery itself... ;-)

And, the final picture for this post is the completed embroidery block! Now, this is something I can get used to! It's very relaxing... and the thread... oooooh-la-la smooth to stitch with! :-)

The next update will be these pieces (plus another little one) all sewn together to complete the first official block. Wait until you see what happens with the embroidery... :-)

Click on any of the pictures to get a closer look. Any and all constructive criticism will be welcomed and appreciated. This is a HUGE learning process for me... maybe others are learning right along with me too?

Did you try something new today?

Happy Spring!

2011-03-22T06:43:00.003-04:00

Just a quick little update... I've been keeping pretty busy with all of these BOM's that I have signed on to! Trying to fit in stitching time with all the other life stuff's is getting to be difficult... but I am determined! lol! ;-)

As you may have remembered... the whole reasoning behind me signing on for BOM's is so I can try something new without going into total information overload. Well, it seems I'm still a bit too chicken to jump right in with a few of these new techniques... which is what is taking me awhile to get the ball rolling here... *blush*

The BOM I am specifically referring to is the "Snow Days" quilt from Crabapple Hill. I promised Jacque that I would enjoy the process of making this fabulously embroidery intensive quilt right along with her... ya' know... like a support group. Well, if you read Jacque's blog, you will know that she is way ahead of me... but, I will be catching up soon! ;-)

Here's the progress I have on Block #1. Since the entire amount of Kona (the background fabric) was included in the first block's shipment... I went ahead and cut all the squares to be embroidered. Also, cut the muslin, which is doubled up with the Kona on all of the embroidery blocks. Now, with the (fear of) cutting my fabric behind me, I went ahead and traced off the first design (using a brown Pigma Micron pen)... and then started stitching away! I have to tell you that this Cosmo Seasons thread is like a drug!!!! *grin* Once I started using it, I just simply could not stop! It glides through the fabric with ease (no knotting) and the coloring is simply dreamy!

I'm so very much looking forward to the next time I can sit down and stitch!

Gotta go now... gotta get ready to go to work... 'cuz I hafta makes more monies... to buys me more of that THREAD!!! lol!

Have a glorious day!

How Many Radios?!?!?!!?!?

2011-03-01T07:01:00.001-05:00

Another Block ~ Wanna Win A Radio?

2011-02-27T19:24:00.009-05:00

Another block further on the Wisdom House BOM. This is a good thing as it is getting around the time when the next block should be shipping... not only for this one... but the Front Porch one I haven't started yet... as well as the Snow Days quilt... I must learn to function on less sleep... :-)

"Wisdom House"

Completed Quilt Size: 69" x 89"

Block #2 Size: 12" x 12"

Also, many thanks to "weaverpat" for the great tip on making my berries more round! I did manage to try this technique on one of the berries (the one on the far right) and I can see a big difference! Still some imperfections... but, that is my stitching... much more practice is needed on my part.

For those of you who are interested... Pat's tip was...

"To get nice round berries, trace around a coin or whatever is the size you want for your berry on a piece of cardboard (cereal box will do). Cut it out and use it to trace around on the back of your fabric. Cut around your fabric circle leaving an approx. 1/4 seam allowance outside the circle you drew. Baste around the circle in the seam allowance. Place the little cardboard circle on the wrong side of the fabric and draw up the basting thread and tie the ends together. Press the fabric circle with the cardboard inside. Carefully snip the basting thread and slip out the little cardboard circle. You should have a perfectly round fabric berry."

Another fun thing you might want to give a try at... if you would like to win one of my DH's refurbished antique radios... give this video a look-see...

Remember... you must be a subscriber to his "Radiowild" YouTube channel... you must leave a comment on his radiowild page below the video (any guesses left here will not be a valid entry)... AND you must tune in to the video that will announce the winner! That would be this Tuesday night, March 1st... sometime after dinner...

That's about it for this weekend folks! Always feels good to get some progress on a creative project accomplished... the daylight is getting longer... more song birds are in my area... and most of the pooey snow has melted!!!

Keep on smiling!

Three Days Later...

2011-02-21T19:25:00.006-05:00

It was a great weekend! I did manage to get quite a bit of creative projects accomplished and then some! You know... even with the bestest of plans... there is always something extra sneaking in here and there! :-)

Thank you to everyone that left some tips and encouragement on the first block hand appliqueing process!!! I did purchase a box of those tiny, tiny, applique pins. And, after tracing the pattern right side up on the freezer paper and the ironing it to the right side of the fabric... I then flipped the piece over (after cutting) and used the iron to get a good crease to keep the seam allowance tucked under a bit easier. I then positioned each piece onto the backing and proceeded to pin and pin and pin some more... this kept the seam allowance under control and held every piece in it's place so that the blind stitching went smoothly! :-)

With that said... Let's start with a Wisdom House BOM update... This shipment had a Block 2 and a Block 2A. Pictured here is Block 2A. Methinks a bit more practice with berries is needed. Had some difficulty keeping a nice roundness to it. I might just pull them out and stitch them when I find the secret to appliqueing nice round berries... anybody have any suggestions? The Block 2 of this shipment is still in progress... I should be finishing it up tonight...

The next project was actually a test run. I was doing my usual blog hop one morning and found someone that had crocheted a blanket using a stitch called the Basketweave. I wish I could remember who's blog I had seen this... she did a really nice blanket using this stitch, and I was inspired to try this stitch as not only did it look really kewl... but it was different from any other stitch that I have crocheted! So, I pulled out my testing yarn which is an acrylic Red Heart Super Saver... the whole skein was like 50 cents on sale?... and acrylic is easy to handle, so good for learning... Anyways, with the help of a video on YouTube... I was crocheting the Basketweave in no time! This pic is a close up... a little difficult to see the details, but see how it looks woven? So, with this successful test run... I will next be starting an afghan using some Payton's Wool blend I've had in totes in my closet for a couple or five years... lol!

And the super FUN news is another BOM project! If you follow Jacque's blog... you already know the details... You see... I had wanted to make a quilt this year, but was chicken to try a big quilt just from a pattern. So, I signed up for this Wisdom House BOM that I have been updating you with. Well, I had liked another BOM offered by the same quilt shop... so, I signed up for that one too. Then, I shared this info with Jacque as she has this passion for quilting that is very contagious! So, Jacque visits the quilt shop web page to see which one's I signed on for... but then notices another BOM called "Snow Days".

I said, "Yah... I like the colors in that one, but... I don't know about making churn dashes and geese and whatever other quilt shapes are on there" Jacque says "Did you notice all the embroidery in there?"

Ummmm... embroidery? So, I head back to the webpage and take a closer look... oooooh my....

So... a couple of days later I get an email from Jacque... she attaches a picture (close up) of the thread that is used in the embroidery... oooooh my...

Sometime later in the week... along comes another email... this email has an attachment of the patterns for the embroidery in this quilt.... ooooo my....

And so... I caved... I signed up for the BOM as I have very little experience with quilt patterns and figured the tips that come along with BOM's would help a great deal... and, since I was attracted to the original color plan... I would have the material all picked out for me already... all I need is the time now... :-)

So, as Jacque requested on her blog, wish us luck! So many embroidery details in this one!!! I was hoping to start it this weekend... but ran out of time... so, it's looking like next weekend for sure!

Here's a pic of the first shipment... so pretty!

I do have to mention something here... The BOM's I have signed on to are all offered through The Quilted Crow. The gals do such a wonderful job of fabric selection and preparation and the attention to detail with instructions are simply superb!

Here's a funny in the Manly Man Hobby Department... *snicker* Yep. You all know that my DH's hobby is restoring antique radios. You may also know that these radios are powered with the use of radio tubes. Well, about this time last year me and the DH went on a road trip to Upstate NY to buy a load of tubes. He enjoys the sorting, testing and labeling of the tubes... What I enjoy about these tubes is the vintage retro graphics that are on the tube boxes. You know... RCA, CBS, GE, Tung-Sol, Sylvania... you know... Manly Man Radio Tubes!!!! (insert Tim Allen grunts here)... So, imagine the surprise when he found a radio tube in THIS box...

Can you hear the Homer Simpson... "DOH"! :-)

Keep on smilin'!

Three Whole Days

2011-02-19T14:00:00.002-05:00

Well... two and half really... I spent the morning getting some chicken soup simmering on the stove and some brownies baking in the oven. Now will be the time I start with sewing, hooking, punching and crocheting!!! Yep... I have big creative aspirations for this three day weekend! I'll check back with you all on Monday with some progress pictures and details...

Until then... this is a picture of the Simplify pillow I made for our Winter Cheer Swap with AAPG on eBay. Rebecca Lindquist supplied some designs with the Simplify theme and we were to create a little something for our partner using any medium we were comfortable with. So, I stitched this with DMC threads on prairie cloth and added some wool pennies for the flowers.

Whether it be cold, warm, sunny, windy, rainy or snowy... enjoy your weekend!!!

A First For Everything

2011-02-06T16:47:00.002-05:00

A first BOM (Block of the Month)

A first attempt at needle turn applique

"Wisdom House"

Completed Quilt Size: 69" x 89"

Block #1 Size: 26" x 12"

I've always wanted to try a BOM... so, I guess 2011 is the year to do it! This block actually shipped to me the end of December... but, fear of messing up had delayed the actual stitching of it until this month. Yes, I do have two additional blocks waiting "in the que" so to speak... lol!

I got past my fear of messing up by admitting to myself that "of course there will be mistakes in this quilt... it's a first try... nothing finishes perfect on a first try!" I'll just take this a block at a time and enjoy the learning process. :-)

One thing I am a bit clumsy with is holding the seam allowance under the applique piece while stitching. The stitching (blind stitch) is pretty quick once I get going... but, holding the fold under is what's making this a slow process. This try I traced the image to the freezer paper and then folded the seam allowances under as I was stitching... the next block I will once again use freezer paper.... but I will iron the seam allowances under and then pin in place before stitching. I'm hoping this will make the process a bit less clumsy, which in turn will make it more enjoyable. Any tips or tricks on cotton applique would be appreciated...

As you can see, I still have yet to add the little bird... but, he will have to wait until the block above this one arrives since he overlaps the next block...

Are my stitches even?

nope

Are my stitches invisible?

nope

Are my points sharp?

nope

Are my corners square?

nope

Am I having fun?

yep!

:-)

What have you postponed trying because you were afraid to "mess it up"?

Skippy's Shelf & Some Spring

2011-01-30T14:32:00.005-05:00

A big Hello to Tisha & Skippy! Way back here was when Skippy sent me a Thank You for giving him a name... and it was just this past week that I now have his generosity properly displayed. This beautiful handmade barnwood shelf is in between two windows in my sewing room... and has some of my favorite treasures nestled inside! The bonnet, apron, star and mini twig wreath are also gifts from Skippy & Tisha. Thank you so much!!! This is such a beautiful and generous gift! And I always enjoy hearing about Inspector Skippy's adventures over here on the Loafer Mountain Primitives blog! :-)

I had quite a few ideas as to where this shelf would be displayed. Thought about repainting the room, but then decided that I like the color of the walls just fine... and instead just rinsed the walls with some borax and water and freshened things up a bit. This is where I will see this shelf the most as I am always in this room stitching on something!

Since we have about 2 ft of snow over our entire yard with snow mountains about 4 ft tall along the curb of our yard and surrounding our driveway... I thought I would bring some Spring out of storage and brighten up the inside of the house a bit... more on the way...

Time to get back to some stitching... I have so many projects in progress that my head is spinning!!!

Ain't life grand? :-)

I'm busy stitching... brb

2011-01-27T15:10:00.000-05:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Winter Cheer

2011-01-25T20:20:00.006-05:00

Our online eBay group is having a Winter Cheer Swap. One of our members (Rebecca) created a variety of designs all with the theme of Simplify. Each person that wanted to join the swap entered their name and was emailed a partner to send to. One item needed to be one of the Simplify designs done in your choice of medium... and then we were to add anything we thought our partner would like.

Well, Joanne received my name! And I am SO HAPPY she did! She hooked me the MOST BEAUTIFUL rug!!! I tried my darndest to get the color right in the picture... but you really hafta see it in person to appreciate the soft, muted, perfectly prim spring color she chose! It's GORGEOUS! And I LOVE it! Joanne also sent the fabric heart pillow... it has a little wool heart appliqued to it! :-)

And, if that wasn't more than enough.... she also sent me some black bean chips with CHEESE dip! Me luvs CHEESE! :-) Some pumpkin pretzels.... a good size thermal cup for my coffee, some wonderful fabrics and a garden themed card with promises that Spring will (eventually) get here! :-)

Thank you so much Joanne! All of these goodies are wonderful.... but that RUG is just top notch perfection! :-) LOVE IT!

I did take pics of the handmade I sent off to my Winter Cheer partner... but, she hasn't received it yet... so, I've got to wait a couple of days before I can share a pic of it with you here... :-)

I've been involved in some redecorating in my home this past weekend too... Tisha & Skippy will be the first to know when I have everything just right! :-)

AND, I've been getting into so much trouble with Jacque!!!! More details on that to follow... yes, it's all legal...LOL! ;-)

I Won!

2011-01-16T14:46:00.004-05:00

My secret little addiction is reading blogs! I hop from one to another each and every morning as I am drinking my coffee... and, sometimes again in the evening to relax and daydream. I have, and I am sure you have too, entered quite a few contests and giveaways often offered on some blogs. Well, I just happened upon Kansas Troubles Quilters blog last weekend... and entered a giveaway Lynne was having... and much to my surprise and delight, Lynne drew my name as the winner Monday morning! :-)

The prize was a good sized tin from Moda that was designed to look like a well traveled suitcase! All of the "travel labels" displaying quilt designers, and fabric designers... caught my eye right away! It really is such great piece! It will be displayed among my other addiction which is collecting sewing themed tins! ;-) Lynne also added some goodies to the inside of the tin like a ceramic pie bird, a wire egg basket, some note cards, a sewing themed note pad and some Ragspun Quilting embellishments! Thank you so much Lynne!

I have been working on some projects that I hope to share pictures of soon. The one I just finished today is for a Winter Cheer Swap that is going on within our online group "An American Primitive Gathering" (USAPRIM on eBay). Once the recipient receives her gift, I can share a picture of that... until then, I will try and share some pictures of the other small stitcheries I have been working on...

Have a warm and wonderful weekend!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T15:54:00.004-05:00

Honestly... I've been trying to think of a post to ring in the New Year with... but, the only thing I can think about right now is....

T O M A T O E S

That's right... the one's that grow in my backyard... you know... during the Summer months when there is warm air, brilliant sunshine, extended daylight hours... did I mention WARM AIR?

I know, I know... don't wish my life away... try to enjoy each season for what it is... I did all that...

December was a glorious Winter

*grin*

Now... can we move on to June?

*snicker*

Okay... iffin I can't skip all the way to June... let's at least wake up to February tomorrow... then I can dream of a...

Valentine Tomato?

*grin*

Here's to a year filled with an over abundance of good health, ambition, love, contentment, and laughter...

Dig Dug

2010-12-27T14:49:00.003-05:00

That's what I did today... I got out the snow thrower and cleared the driveway and sidewalks from 18"-22" of snow. I usually like using the snow thrower.... but not this time. 35-50 mph winds made for a "what snow you throw comes right back at your face" kinda morning. :-) I was a frozen, wet, snow covered popsicle when I was done.

Good thing there is a Texas Weiner serving chili dogs and hot chocolate just blocks from my house.

Mmmmmm... Thanks Bob!

I must have been naughty...

2010-12-26T14:36:00.003-05:00

Really naughty...

Why else would Santa leave our town with a Blizzard Warning?

That's right... 12"-18" of the white stuff is due to blanket our area by Monday at noon time. Can't remember the last time we had this much snow before the New Year. Better button up... because I think it's going to be a looooooong winter. Bah-humbug! ;-)

With all kidding aside... I really did have a wonderful Christmas! I took a different route this year. I did minimal decorations. I did not put up a tree. I did not sit in traffic to push through a parking lot filled with angry people to buy things that will soon be broken or forgotten. I did not bake 20lbs of butter cookies to plump out my already big butt.

This Christmas... I simply took a deep breath... exhaled... and enjoyed the peace of the season. Add to that... a couple of meals with friends and family... lots of Christmas music... and some quiet time to reflect on how thankful I truly am for everyone I share my life with and the good health we all have...

If some chocolate managed to get mixed in with that? Well... then I guess I am thankful for the chocolate too!

May the Magic & Peace of Christmas stay with you and yours throughout the year!

Giggle With The Goats

2010-12-22T07:00:00.001-05:00

The Final Chapter

2010-12-19T15:16:00.005-05:00

Yes. I've been working on this rug for such a long time now... it almost feels like a very long (and wordy) novel! But, rest assured.... with the binding completed just last night, this post will hopefully answer all the questions that have been asked during the progress posts.

The rug was designed by:

Susan Feller

of Ruckman Mill Farm in West Virginia

Her inspiration was a

"Circa 1812 Bookplate"

The final size is 28" x 54"

I purchased this pattern (on linen) at the 2009 Brandywine hook-in. I did check Susan's website and can not find the pattern... but she may be able to draw one out for you if you give her a call.

I did have a couple of people ask how I went about my color planning on this rug... I can give you a "sort of explanation".... but I can't guarantee that it will make a whole lot of sense.

This pattern had never been hooked before, so I did not have any influence on what should be what color. In one way this was good... and in another way it was kind of frustrating (at times)... but overall... this rug was a lot of willy-nilly fun!

First was the leaves. Leaves grow in so many different colors and change throughout the year... therefore, my thought was that I had creative license to pick just about any color. And so, I did. Most of the colors are just soft primitives that blend in with the neutral decor of my home. Every once in awhile there is an "off-color" leaf.... but it simply is a leaf that was hooked with one of the background colors. Just to kind of bring things together... there really are many leaves in this rug. Which, is another reason why I did not choose to do all the leaves the same color. Monotony... blech! Do you see an occassional light blue leaf? Fun... something different... a whispered poison...

The flowers? Well... I rarely (if never) use pink in my rugs. So, I did. I picked a pink that was kind of muted. Actually, it's a Heaven's to Betsy wool. I had some in my stash, was gifted a few pieces more and thought this a great place to use some... the wool takes on a similar appearance to a paisley wool after it has been hooked. The orange flowers? Well... I just like muted and spiced oranges... it's different yet similar to the pink... Am I making any sense yet? LOL!

The background... well, let's see... I wanted a dark background as this rug is the first rug I've hooked that will actually be used on the floor. *grin* My next thought was that, this being an 1812 design... would certainly qualify as being a candidate for a "cost effective make do" appearance. So, I followed the theory that a well worn pair of wool pants might offer a few strips to fill a grey area... a tattered and torn wool skirt might offer a few strips of brown to fill in the next area... and, since I didn't know which color I would have available next.... I did it in patches. I've seen some antique rugs done this way and really liked the look of it. The blue that is popping in the background is actually more muted grey when viewed with the nekked eye...

Lastly... the binding technique I used is the ol' wool yarn whipped over cotton cording. I've heard it gives a good strong edge... and has been recommended as the binding of choice for rugs that will actually be walked on.

I've tried to get a picture of this rug on the floor of where it is going to rest....but, my camera will not allow it. It either shows too blurry, too yellow or too dang "anything but what it should be"... so, alas... my last and final pic of this rug is once again... on my back patio.

So, there you have it! Hopefully you have enjoyed reading about and seeing the progress of this rug... I know I had a fun time hooking it! And, it sure is sweet to admire it all finished (on the floor) as I sit in my squishy-cozy recliner! lol!

Have a blessed week! I'll be checking in again before Christmas Day!

All Hooked Up!

2010-11-27T12:18:00.004-05:00

Yes, I knew it would happen (eventually).... the last loop has been pulled on this big rug! :-) I just finished the stay stitching a minute ago, and am getting ready to steam it.

A note on the stay stitching.... one tip I had mentioned awhile back is something definitely worth repeating. That tip is to "Finish before you start". That's right.... if you plan on whipping the edges of your rug... it is much, much easier to stitch the edges before you start hooking the rug. I waited until I finished this rug... and the weight of the wool sure made for a cumbersome time of running this through the sewing machine. This tip is especially helpful when it comes to larger rugs... I really don't think it would make much of a difference on a mat or smaller rug.

Last weekend was a fun time washing the wool I had purchased at the Brandywine hook-in last month! It's always so fragrant and soft and fluffy right out of the dryer! Makes me smile! Anyways, I've got it all folded... just need to find a space to store it! ;-) I think I seriously hit stash overload status... time to hook more rugs... faster!

I still have this little cross stitch I started working on in September! Yes, I do plan on finishing it.... and yes, it still will be shipped to the person I was originally making it for! lol! I don't think a person would mind a pumpkin for Christmas? Do you? :-)

And, to answer a question from the last post... no, we did not adopt a kitty... I simply have acquired the need to check out the funny captioned pictures at icanhascheezburger.com every morning! :-) These cats and kittens really can make a person laugh!

Well, that's about it for today! I hope everyone had a very thankful and full Thanksgiving! Time to get your needle and thread out and start making some Christmas gifts! That's what I'm doing this weekend... I'll share pictures of these projects after the recipients have received them!

Have a warm & cozy weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T10:14:00.003-05:00

Be Thankful...

Be Blessed...

Be Healthy

Be Happy...

Be Full

:-)

See you all tomorrow with some updates...

Optimism

2010-11-15T06:46:00.005-05:00

Yes! ... Indeed they do! And, during my drive home from work Friday night, those voices were full of energy and plans and optimism!

They said "YES!!!! We really CAN fit 10 pounds of _______ in a 5 pound bag!"

When I got home, dinner was waiting for me on the dining room table.... Bob cooked (with his wallet) a shrimp parmesean over linguine. Yummy... hop in the truck... radio meeting... sleep... grocery shopping... Black Jack success at Sands Casino... Dunkin Donuts coffee (and a sugar filled donut) for the ride home... sleep... breakfast, laundry, ironing, bedding, cook dinner, football, football, NASCAR, football, eat dinner, bills and paperwork to sort through... tired... wait a minute?!?!?! It's Sunday night already?!?!?!?! But, wasn't I just stuffing my face with shrimp parmesean 5 minutes ago?!?!?!?! ;-)

Yep... another weekend whizzed past me without having pulled a loop on my rug... BUT, I sure did have some FUN!!!!! I finally did get the last color selections for that last bit of background chosen... and they are stripped... so an hour each night after work should finish her up by this coming weekend!

If you like the silly cat pic in this post... visit icanhascheezburger.com to enjoy some more!

Have a great week everyone!

Brandywine Hook-In and Other Updates

2010-10-31T18:27:00.006-04:00

Happy Halloween to everyone! It was a good day here... we had the most kids visit our neighborhood than we have had any other year prior. And, each kid wore a great costume! I mean, they really went out of their way to look great this year! Starting to quiet down here (with the doorbell).... so, I can have a minute to give ya'll an update on some stuff!

First, is the progress on the big rug I've been working on. I was supposed to have had it finished by now... but, by some gracious stroke of luck, I have re entered the workforce! Yep.... been a couple of years unemployed here. And, even though I am enjoying my new job... it took a couple of weeks to readjust my hometime schedule to fit in all the "want to's" and "have to's". I should be able to finish hooking this by next weekend. And, when I do my final post on this rug... I'll write about all the details like size, color planning and types of wool used, etc...

Yesterday was a fun day out to Wagontown, PA. The Brandywine Rug Hooking Guild was having their annual hook-in. Or, maybe it was a eat-in? LOL! Kathy was generous enough to bring in a basket of candies.... and Jan brought along some bread and sausage and crackers and cheese dip and chips and banana cake... Oh my!

Here's Joanne trying to look innocent...

But, Kathy knew she was up to something...

Rebecca Erbb's booth.... ooooooh-la-la! Did I ever spend a lot of time over there!!!! :-)

Here is a general view of the whole area where everyone was sitting and chatting and hooking (and eating)... LOL! It really looked to me like more people attended this year than last.

Here is a quick picture of my stash building I did yesterday! On the left is from Rebecca Erbb... in the center is from The Wool 'n Gardener and on the right is from Olde Peddler Wools. I only go to one hook-in a year, so I allowed myself to buy what I needed. It's a real pleasure to be able to see and feel the wool before buying it. So.... these are ALL some fabulous quality pickin's!

My Birthday Celebrations were extended until yesterday too! Kathy was nice enough to bring along a gift she had for me! A really uniquely shaped basket filled with Snickers that has a plaque attached to it that says... "Chocolate Fixes Everything"! LOL! It does... it really does... :-) Kathy also gifted me some gorgeous chocolate colored woolens and cottons and a note pad with my initial on it. Thanks so much Kathy!!!! Love it all!

My navigation unit decided to take me on a scenic route for the drive back home. I was glad for that too as I was able to stop on the side of the highway and check out this fun 1960 ElCamino that was for sale! It's in really super clean condition.... it just could use a different color paint, don't ya' think? It's greener than a jealous frog.... and would look a bunch better if it was a dark silver or an anniversary gold? Anyways, if anyone is interested in purchasing this beauty... the owner is asking 14k or best offer... :-)

Whew! That was quite an update! I hope that everyone is hooking and stitching and enjoying this season of color and cool! Many designers have been releasing their Christmas patterns!!!! I think I'm ready!!!! How about you? :-)

Until next time.... fill your days what what you love best!

And now...

2010-10-05T18:24:00.005-04:00

...for something completely different! :-)

Another video for your viewing pleasure... but first, let me give you some background information...

Every year, the company my husband works for hosts a family day event for all that work in his office. Every year since Bob has worked there, it has been a semi-pro ball game at our local ball park. We'd have a section of seats blocked off in the picnic area and we'd have burgers and hot dogs and all the soda you could drink. Well... someone in the office had suggested we do something different this year... and out of all the suggestions, it was decided that we would all go to Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, NJ and enjoy a real renaissance tournament and dinner... and you know what? It was FUN! Here's a picture of some of the artwork that is painted on the ceiling when you first enter the "castle"...

And here is a short video to give you an idea of what the performance consisted of. We were lucky enough to be down in the front seats right on the edge of the arena. You might notice some reflection in the plexiglass that is in front of us for protection... and so the horses don't get spooked...

And this part totally cracked me up! The arena is set up into sections. Each section is identified by a color and that color section would cheer on their same color Knight during the tournament battles. Well, about half way through the show, it was the Knight's duty to "honor a lady" in their cheering section. So, all the Knight's came out horseback with a silk scarf on the end of their lance and when they pointed it to the lady of choice, she was supposed to take it off the end of the lance. Well... when our Knight pointed the lance at me I about froze "like a deer in headlights" (Bob said)... and with a bit of fumbling... I got the darn thing off! I never seen a Knight laugh so hard in all my life!!! LOL! And here is what the scarf looks like...

... feel bad for Bob... my ego was too big to fit in the car during the ride home!!!! LOL! *grin*

I'm back to normal now... sitting at the frame and hooking... just like the "Queen of Love & Beauty" should be doing... *wink*

One more thing... the night of the show also happened to be our 11th Wedding Anniversary!!! So, that made it all the more fun!

I hope you enjoyed our silliness... I'll be back in a couple more days with a rug update!

Raceway Park, NJ

2010-10-01T13:48:00.004-04:00

I'm still hooking on my rug... almost finished!!! I hope to be sharing pictures of the completed rug with everyone within the next couple of days.... in the meantime, maybe you might be interested in viewing another video that my dh made... Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ has a car show and swap meet twice a year. This video is from the most recent show which was last weekend...

And, I'm really happy to say...

HAPPY OCTOBER!!!

My favorite time of year!!!

Have a GREAT weekend!

Nuthin' I'd Rather Do...

2010-09-25T10:00:00.005-04:00

...on a 90 degree swampy humid day... than cover my legs with wool while I pull some loops! LOL! All kidding aside, this rug has become quite an obsession for me lately. I think that once I get more than half way through completing a rug, pulling loops starts to get more relaxing. Maybe it's because my mind has already colored planned the remaining areas...

Wishing you cool creative thoughts all day today... :-)

Thank You Skippy!

2010-09-22T09:13:00.006-04:00

Tish over at Loafer Mountain Primitives was recently adopted by the cutest kitten I have seen to date! Naming a new friend is always difficult as you want a name that sticks, is fitting for his personality and is easy to shout out the back door when that little someone is late for dinner! LOL!

Soooooo, Tish had posted the cutest pictures of her new found friend and asked for some suggestions as to what to name him. Between the pictures and a few written details and hints of what this little guy is always up to... I offered the suggestion of "Skippy".

Well... Skippy loved his new name and as a thank you he sent me the following...

A gorgeously prim shelf! This shelf is made from recycled barn wood and milk painted a beautiful blue and accented with old square head nails. Simply beautiful!!!! Along with the shelf are some great items to help me begin decorating! A prim bonnet and apron.... a really nice wooden Treasured Friends sign and some wonderful autumn potpourri... along with a small twig wreath and metal star... The pictures are taken with everything laid out on my living room floor... but I will be getting these treasures on the wall in my front room by this weekend! I just wanted Skippy to know that I have received his gifts and absolutely admire and appreciate all of them!!!! Thanks so much Skippy! Hugs to you!

Do you want to see what Skippy is up to today? Visit Tish's blog over at Loafer Mountain Primitives. He's really a sweetheart! :-)

Radio Show at Renninger's, Kutztown, PA

2010-09-19T17:49:00.005-04:00

We took some video of the show yesterday. They aren't all that long. So sit back, relax, and see for yourself why we're always so excited to attend this event!

Some Autumn Decorations

2010-09-17T18:13:00.006-04:00

Since the weather is cooler and the days getting shorter... I thought I would take some time to cozy up the house a bit. I don't really put out too many decorations for any of the holidays. Just enough to show bits and pieces of the season. The autumn decorations are getting more and more each year though, as I just can't seem to resist another pumpkin!

Here is the area on top of my tv cabinet. I mixed in the bitterwseet garland and pumpkin make-do that I recently purchased at the Cinnamon Stick along with an old fashioned grinning cat and jack in with my daily glass bowls and flask.

This is a sweet scarecrow shelf sitter made by Pati Jane of patijanesprimitives! She gifted it to me last year as part of an Autumn swap we had with our eBay group An American Primitive Gathering (USAPRIM on eBay). I have it displayed on the back of a sofa. He's enjoying the nice, soft quilt that Kelley made! LOL!

This area here is on top of the Philco radio I had shown in an earlier post. The two needlepunches are from Kelley and the basket and glass ball jars are from my recent NC trip. Add some colored leaves and wah-lah! Instant autumn! ;-)

The sweet mousie in the jol cupboard hanger was made by Chris of mysticalprimitives (eBay name). She gifted me the redware pumpkin last year too. The owl I made last year. It's a cross stitch pattern by Country Stitches. The strawberry, though not autumn, is staying out because I really love it! LOL! It was made by Ginger from primitivesbythelightofthemoon. The jol np on the right I made last year... just not quick enough that I could display it last year. LOL!

And here is my little german twig tree... I try to put seasonal items on him throughout the year... this is how Halloween is looking so far this year... The pillow at the base was made by Debbie of woolensails. The Wicked ornament was a freebie chart from Betty of primitivebettys. And, the pumpkin I bought from eBay last year. I'm thinking I should put some time aside to make some ornaments... I think I have some bottle cap ornaments around here somewhere too...

Here is our tiny front (sorta) foyer area. The "window" I have had since I moved here. It's a catalog purchase, and I loved it because it was made out of old wood and the window panes are actually mirrors. Adds a bit of light to an other wise dark area of the house. Mixed in with my regular every day items are just some putka pod stems, leaves, sticks and hooked sunflowers.

And lastly, is a corner in our living room. The bag on the top of the picture is hanging from the door of the clock face. In the bag iare pipe cleaner spiders! I left them in the bag so as not to scare my squeamish readers! LOL! I tucked a gourd jol into a basket that was gifted to me by Chris and placed it on top of a spider web doily that has been draped with a grinning cat garland. And the pumpkin in the carrier is made from a coverlet. I found that on eBay last year and thought it was pretty clever!

I'm sure there are a few items I forgot to mention the details on, but you get the idea. It's mostly just some seasonal accents, rather than an all out wall to wall boo-nanza! LOL!

I did some more hooking on that big rug today! Progress pictures to be posted soon... hope everyone has a gorgeous weekend!

Fun Week!

2010-09-14T15:11:00.004-04:00

Last week was pretty durn kewl! The only complaint I have is that my camera kept staying back at my house! LOL! Yep... goes to show ya'... I really don't get out much! ;-)

Wednesday was the day that I finally made a trip out to Hereford, PA to meet up with Joanne at the Cinnamon Stick! I've been following Judy's blog for some time now and it was always fun to read what's going on there and see what goodies are being stocked in her shop... but to talk with Judy in person and actually be in the shop? So much better! If there is anybody that's been thinking about making a trip out there... hesitate no longer! You will have so much FUN!

Here's a quick picture of a couple of the goodies that had to come home with me...

I've always wanted one of these old wooden carriers. And, this one was in fantastic condition with just the right amount of worn paint on it. I'm still making what I will display in it, so look for some more pics of it in the near future. The other thing that caught my eye was an old wooden drawer! Was it the glass knob? Who knows... but I brought it home with me and now it is being used as my napkin holder on my dining room table! LOL! And, last but not least, is a little pumpkin make-do! A gal can never have too many pumpkins! :-)

Oh! And right next door to the Cinnamon Stick is a store called Homespun! This store is filled wall to wall with hand dyed woolens, quilting cottons, homespun, prairie cloth, weaver's cloth... *insert deep breath here*... rug hooking patterns, needle punch patterns, books and completed wooly projects... eye candy! I wanted to take it all home with me! :-)

The next great day of last week was Friday. Our local rug hooking guild had a regular meeting. The whole reason why I wanted to go was because everyone was to bring their rug projects from the summer. There were so very many gorgeous rugs!!!! And I was kicking myself for not bringing my camera... I can give you the link to the guild's website... hcrag.com I'm not sure if they will be posting pictures of the rugs that were at the meeting... but, there are plenty of rugs to look at there!

I did also get in some hooking and stitching time. Though, did not really get far enough to post pictures of an update. Hopefully next week will bring a good progress report on the rug at least!

For everyone that is in the area of Kutztown, PA and enjoys antique radios... this coming weekend is a super great radio show on the grounds of Renninger's. Finished radios, project radios, parts and tubes galore!!!! This event is also along with the regulars in the Renninger's Antique Mall and Farmer's Market. That way, when you finish with the radios, you can buy some antiques, fresh meats and produce, and some fall mums, corn stalks and pumpkins too! So, fill the tank on your biggest vehicle and drive out for a fun day! :-)

I'll be talkin' with ya' soon! Have a great week!

Projects in Progress

2010-09-05T14:41:00.004-04:00

On the tails of Hurricane Earl came some super gorgeous, cool, crisp, clean air!!! Makes a person feel human enough to smile while being outdoors! We have windows open and fresh air whisping through the house... ahhhhhh... good bye soupy days of August... hello September and it's crisp apples, clear blue skies and touches of autumn color tinging the leaves....

And, cooler air brings back the urge to pull out the wool and get back to hooking. I've gotten a little further on the large rug... trying something new with the background. I'm also enjoying just grabbing what's near me and hooking it in... very relaxing! I hope to be pulling more loops on this piece this weekend...

One of the things I like to do is have a project in progress that fits different areas of my home... and also fits the different mood I might be in. So, on days I'm feeling really lazy, I plop into my squishy recliner in the living room, turn on the TV and engage in some mindless crocheting. I haven't ever crocheted anything with too many detailed instructions... I usually just keep with one or two different stitches and stay pretty square in the design. Again, crochet, for me, is just something to keep my hands busy... I really don't want to have to think too much while doing it. LOL! So, since I had two skeins of a Red Heart Super Saver oatmeal colored yarn, I decided to make a simple shawl. It's 16" wide and 70" long. The entire piece is crocheted using a half double crochet stitch with a size N crochet hook. Very basic. But, will serve it's purpose during the cooler days ahead.

I've also been cross stitching... my thoughts were to make two of this design... one to send as a gift to a friend, and one for me to keep. But, with this design being one strand of floss over one strand of thread on a 32 ct. linen... looks like I'll be making just this one and mailing it off to it's new home. I'll make one for myself next year... only it'll be one strand of floss over 2 strands of thread on 28 ct. linen! LOL! Maybe... have to see how big the finished piece would be... ;-)

Many thanks to everyone that bid on my auctions! I now have some change in my pocket... and some space in my craft room to create! Looks to be a win-win situation for all as some great deals were had by the winning bidders! Enjoy your quilt projects, books, cross stitch and wool applique projects!

As for me... I'll be enjoying some loops this evening...

Until next time... :-)

Nearly Nine Pounds of Knowledge

2010-08-28T15:29:00.004-04:00

Yep... After fussing and figuring on weights, classifications, destinations, and actual rate vs. flat rates... I've decided to list a lot of 6 quilting books as one item. All together, these books weigh nearly nine pounds... so I will be packing them into a USPS Priority Flat Rate Box for $10.70. All are great titles for the beginner to advanced quilter to add to their library.

And yes, this auction will also be starting at 99 cents.

I'm just really needing to narrow down my hobbies a bit so that I can concentrate on the hobbies that I really want to spend time doing. Quilting is enjoyable to me... but I prefer doing the simple primitive square ones... these books have an abundance of information for the individual that really wants to learn all the details of "fancy" quilts... "fancy" meaning different shapes, traditional patterns, applique, perfect piecing... and different patterns for hand quilting...

Click HERE to see all of moosecraft's current auctions

This will be the final offering for this set of auctions for awhile... happy bidding!

Must get back to hooking so I can share some creative updates with you... have a wonderful weekend!

Two More Auctions Added

2010-08-27T11:10:00.003-04:00

I've collected some of the cross stitch and wool applique/penny rug patterns that I have stitched up already... both lots are starting at 99 cents... hopefully you see something here you would like to stitch up as well?

Click HERE to view all of moosecraft's listings

More listings to come... so check back often... I have a few quilt books that need a new home...

Auction Listings - Starting at 99 Cents

2010-08-26T11:59:00.002-04:00

During the next couple of days I will be listing some of my quilting and cross stitch supplies and kits. All will be starting at 99 cents... some great deals to be had! Take a peak... you might just be able to get some of these projects completed in time for Holiday gift giving season... which is (actually) right around the corner!!! ;-)

Moosecraft's eBay Offerings

Check back frequently as listings will be added many times over the course of the next day or so.

A quick hello...

2010-08-22T12:38:00.005-04:00

I've been keeping busy with hooking that big rug, stitching a Halloween cross stitch and trying to get my lawn back to some sort of green this past week. :-) Yes, we are finally having some rain today.... but I'm hoping that it will rain more and for a few days more. Without rain, the Autumn display of color won't be as vibrant... and I'm looking forward to Autumn more so this year than any other year before...

I did receive a wonderful package of goodies in the mail last week! These are all from Kelley. She does some wonderful handwork! The quilt is all hand pieced and hand quilted and the colors are so soft and prim. I have it displayed on the back of my favorite relaxing chair. The Harvest needlepunch has a beautiful deep blue and black background that makes the pumpkin and sunflower just pop right out at you! And, to keep me hooking and stitching... she sent along some wool and cotton... Thanks so much, Kelley! I love it all!

Hopefully this week I will be updating here with some pictures of the rug progress, a shawl that I crocheted and a completed Halloween cross stitch.

Stay tuned...

RCA Video

2010-08-16T15:08:00.002-04:00

If you were wondering whether or not they liked the radio....

click here

The video starts with a quick narrative of the history of these two radios by That Radio Guy himself!

Enjoy!

1946 RCA Revisited

2010-08-12T09:25:00.004-04:00

That Radio Guy has been creating some very appealing eye candy again! While we were rummaging through the 127 Yard Sale a couple years ago, Bob spotted a 1946 RCA 65X2 radio. These radios were either originally brown bakelite or painted black using a technique called thermoset. Nothing really exciting to look at really. But, this was a good deal, and a chance to learn while troubleshooting the electrics to get it singing again. So, Bob bought it.

While going through the electrics and fixing it up to playing order... Bob was thinking, that maybe this radio would be a bit more appealing if it were brightened up with some new, retro color scheme... and, he was right!

His first combination was white with teal which now sits (and plays) in my kitchen...

Then, while showing his creation at a "Show & Tell" session at the NJ Antique Radio Club meeting... someone fell in love with that radio... but wished she could have one in Coca-Cola red... to match her kitchen! She probably didn't think that she would actually ever receive one... but, she will this Friday at the meeting! :-)

Just another fun way to keep radio history interesting and enjoyable in the eyes of today!

Asheville Treasures

2010-08-05T19:17:00.005-04:00

This past Saturday, Bob and I hopped in the car and headed south to Asheville, NC for a visit with his Mom... and to see if we could find some treasures! I did good!!! :-)

Funny thing is... all but the pink bottle was found at the first shop we stopped at! The basket in the background of this picture was labeled as a "Honeysuckle Basket"... I bought it because I liked the shape and it seemed pretty durable. The ball jars I picked up because I love glass, but only have a couple of jars with the zinc lids on them... these with the clamp and glass tops are new to me. That should be enough for my Ball jar collection.

These other two bottles (did I mention that I love glass? LOL!) caught my eye because they are different from anything I have seen before. The pink one is stamped made in Italy and is actually a wine bottle. The design that is pressed into the glass caught my eye as a something that could easily be adapted to a rug pattern to be hooked! Kind of has that primitive padula look about it... or (with the the right colors) might even be interpreted as a fraktur. The other bottle is a milk bottle and what I like about it is the picture of the man on a stool milking a cow that is pressed in the front! :-) It's fun stuff like this that I seem to be attracted to... and it's glass! LOL!

And lastly, is this crock! My heart skipped a beat when I spied this tucked away in a corner behind a bench... I have always, always, always wanted one of these crocks with the bee marking on it... but never wanted to pay the price they usually command... believe me when I say... I got a deal on this! It has a slight surface crack (probably only in the glaze)... and that's about it! I'm almost considering it my "trophy" for the whole trip! LOL!

So, with sweaty palms and racing heart I ran these treasures up to the counter to wheel and deal... and after all the dust settled... Bob picked up the tab! Whoo-hoooo!!!! Was this an awesome trip, or what?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Yah... I'm sky-high-in-the-clouds-ecstatic right now... and will be for a long time!!! :-)

With One Day Left...

2010-07-30T14:52:00.008-04:00

... of July... I'm squeezing in my "Christmas in July" in the "Nick" of time! ;-) Oh yah... It's been so HOT here this Summer my brain got a little warped! LOL!

So, just like the last post stated... I was in front of the air conditioner stitching away on a project for cooler months. Last year, Stacy Nash had hosted a class during the Country Sampler's Boxwood & Berries. As much I totally would have loved to have attended the class in person... Wisconsin and New Jersey are a few miles apart, you know? Lucky for me, when Stacy Nash returned home she posted a few of the leftover kits on eBay... and, I was able to purchase one before they quickly sold out!

The kit arrived with a prim fabric covered box filled with four sets of instructions, the linen to stitch them on, and beautiful pictures of what the finished pieces should look like. One was for the sampler that is sewed to the top of the box, two were for the ornies and one was for the pinkeep. Beautiful colors in these pieces that were an absolute pleasure to stitch up!

Here is a picture of the finished sampler stitched on to the top of the fabric covered box...

A closer view of what the sampler looks like...

And, here are the two ornies and the pinkeep. The pinkeep was stuffed with cotton as I will more than likely place it in a bowl with some evergreen potpourri during the Christmas season. The ornies will definitely be on the tree this year!
That's about what I have been doing the past couple of weeks. Had a few nice days where I was actually able to go outside for longer than five minutes without melting down to a puddle on the pavement... it was nice to spend some time in the yard admiring the flowers and feeling a cooler breeze against my skin! Today is pretty nice too! Might just grab a cup of coffee and read a bit out on the back patio...

I wish you all happiness and contentment in the greatness that life has to offer!

Thank you for visiting!

In front of the air conditioning...

2010-07-13T15:48:00.003-04:00

stitching and dreaming...

Summer can go now... I'm kinda done with it...

A Fun Forty!

2010-07-09T15:43:00.002-04:00

Yes... it's true... today is my 40th Birthday!!!! And, thanks to some dear, sweet people in my life... I've been celebrating for two weeks now!!!

The celebrations began mid-June, when Bob surprised me with some cash and took me for a day out to the Sands in PA. We had a super delicious meal at the Carnegie Deli and did some gambling. It was a super fun day! I even ended the day there with some cash left in my pocket!

So, I took that leftover cash (yes, it was burning a hole in my pocket) and had a party (this past Monday) using my 20% off Birthday Club at Colonial Crafts. The goods haven't arrived yet.... but boy oh boy will there be a whole lot of stitchin' going on when it does get here!!!

We also had a super delicious and large meal in Chinatown of Philadelphia last Saturday. That was my official Birthday Bash and it was GREAT! We brought a long a couple of friends with us and shared a meal that I kept referring to as "Thanksgiving In July"!!! Yep... I ate SO much (it was just THAT good) that I not only had to undo the button on my pants for a comfortable ride home... I also did not get hungry again until the next day at dinnertime! Oh YUM!

Yesterday and today's mail brought some beautiful gifts from some great friends! This first picture is from Chris of Mystical Primitives. The needlepunch sheep make-do is a show-stopper! Just love that it is on a glass door knob! I love glass! There is also a little mousie in a prim pumpkin... Autumn is my favorite time of year for weather and for decorating! And some gorgeous wool (which will be hooked in to the current rug I'm working on), a notepad and a wonderfully scented Pumpkin Spice candle...

This next picture is a super cool pillow from Joanne!!!! It's wool hooked directly onto a piece of wool!!! She added some rusty jingly bells and buttons in all the perfect places! It's a pretty big pillow (about 2 ft. by 1 ft.)... and it just screams "Hug Me"!!! Plus, I adore snowmen... and this was sent with perfect timing to keep my thoughts cool during this wicked heatwave we are having! :-) Yep... he'll be sitting in my living room for the remainder of Summer, all through fall and on into Winter... he just makes me smile every time I look at him!

I've also received cards with Birthday wishes and some pretty funny emails!!! All in all it was the bestest Birthday I've had in 40 years!!! LOL!

I'd like to end this post by thanking everyone that helped me to celebrate the day! You have no idea how much your humor, talent and generosity mean to me!

100 Degree Wool

2010-07-06T15:30:00.004-04:00

Yep... we are in the middle of a heat wave here in Central Jersey. Today's temperature reached 100 degrees and the heat index was 105. I'm thinking about the 2 feet of snow I was complaining about back in January! LOL!

Anyways, not much you can do outside... we also have a "air quality alert" here... meaning the levels of ozone are at unhealthy levels and could cause breathing problems... ask me again why I still live here?

As I was saying... since it is safer to be indoors in the air conditioning here, I am downstairs in my hooking room pulling loops on my rug... I've gotten a little further, though not a whole bunch... because for about a week we had the most perfectly gorgeous (sunny, breezy, 70 degree temps with low humidity) weather... and that's the kind of weather you HAVE to get outside and enjoy... knowing full well that it wouldn't last long! :-)

Thanks for taking the time to check in here... stay cool!

The Thing About Leaves...

2010-06-30T14:28:00.007-04:00

"Circa 1812 Bookplate"

28" x 54"

Susan Feller

www.ruckmanmillfarm.com

...is that they come in all colors. Depending on the time of year, weather, etc... they can be spring green, dark green, yellow, burgundy, golden orange or rust. Yep... sometimes brown too. Maybe even grey? But when you color plan a rug that has close to 100 leaves in it, how do you decide on what colors to hook the leaves? If all the leaves were the same color, it would look visually boring, no? If the leaves were too many colors, when would it reach the point of being confusingly Crayola? Let's not talk about adding a dozen flowers to the mix here...

And so... I've started hooking another rug... how much reverse hooking do you think my linen backing can tolerate? Hmmmmmmmmm?

Summer is here!

2010-06-21T19:19:00.015-04:00

With today being the longest day of the year... I thought I'd share with you one of my longest posts! LOL! I did get a tremendous amount of outside stuff accomplished today. It was sunny, hot and humid... but I had to get outside and celebrate the first day of Summer with some flowers! On to the garden center we went! Trip number one filled a cart... planted them all... trip number two filled a cart... planted all those too! Did some fertilizing and watering... now we wait until they full out and make a fireworks display of color for the rest of the growing season! What a SUPER HAPPY day!

Let's start with an update on those much anticipated tomato plants... they even have flowers and some golf ball sized fruits on them! Oh YUM! Won't be long now!

The next few pictures are of the garden in sections so that you can see the different plants. Most of the larger ones are perennials that have been established for a couple of years. I did manage to get a half dozen more perennials added this year... but a lot of these are annuals. Color. It's all about the color, baby!!!! :-) Remember... it's Summer... not gray blah pooey winter! ;-)

This next little trinket is something I made for an exchange that our online eBay group (An American Primitive Gathering) was having to help celebrate summer. One of the items had to be a strawberry pinkeep. Never made one of those before... so I searched for a free pattern online... and from the basics in those instructions, plus a little bit of alterations... I've been going nutso making strawberries!!!! So, for the exchange, I took a handful of said strawberries and tucked them in a Polaner jelley jar... cut two squares of prairie cloth for the "lid" and secured it with linen twine. Kinda gives them that old fashioned strawberry jam look, don't ya' think?

Then, I made some more for me... and this time just tucked them in a mason jar to display on a bookshelf I have in our front room. The clothes you see in the background are crocheted wash clothes. I've made about 4 so far using Lily brand crochet cotton... one I'm using as a face cloth, but most of the others are just being tucked in a bowl to display with some ornies and pinkeeps. Just adds some visual texture, I think.

And, the other part of an exchange is the goodies that a person receives! LOL! And, here are the generous gifts from Ginger of primitivesbythelightofthemoon. Stop by her blog and see what she's up to! Always many great hooked rugs, penny rugs, stitcheries and adventures with her Grandson being written about there! Thanks so much Ginger!!! I do love all of the treasures you sent me! Especially that strawberry! :-)

Well... Let's see... I think that about it for this week... I hope everyone is having a great Summer. Today might officially be the first day... but we all know we've been outside enjoying warmer air and sunshine for a couple of months now!

Ain't it GREAT?!?!?!?

Shoppin' and Stitchin'

2010-06-14T16:26:00.005-04:00

When I need a dose of "normalcy", I head out to Pennsylvania! So, last Friday, I hopped in my car and headed out to Kutztown, PA to meet up with Joanne. Destination...Renninger's Antique and Farmer's Market. Spent a lot of time eating, browsing, and shopping. My favorite place to visit is right when you walk in there... Sharon Renninger's Gatherings... Ahhhhh... so prim and dreamy! Click on the link and check out what her Spring Open House looked like! Lots of beautiful and perfectly prim handmades!

On the way back from Renninger's I stopped for some chocolate and ice cream... if you are ever in the area and NEED the best ice cream ever made... stop at Premise Maid... enter the Ice Creamery and order a single scoop of "Triple Chocolate Sin" ice cream... OMG! It's the most fun you can have with your clothes on! LOL! Really... *grin*

The weekend was hot and humid here in Jersey, so a lot of time was spent indoors in the air conditioning. I finally managed to finish up the cross stitch I was working on. I finished it into a flat pillow that is approximately 6" x 10". The back is a complimentary red cotton fabric.

Love and Be Loved

A Brenda Gervais design available at Country Stitches

I also stitched up a couple of smalls... but I can't share pics yet... I'll explain in the next post. ;-)

Thanks for stopping by!

A Little Bit of Fun...

2010-06-06T18:30:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a very hot and humid day here in Central Jersey. So hot, that our air conditioners (window units) were barely keeping the house cool. Sooooooo, rather than spend the day melting into the floorboards... we hopped into our air conditioned car and went to our favorite air conditioned casino in Bethlehem, PA! LOL!

Every once in awhile the Sands has special events going on. Yesterday was a book signing by Emeril Lagasse! The hours were from 10:00 am through 2:00 pm... and you needed to purchase a ticket. We arrived at 1:45 pm... so, we missed that.

Emeril has two restaurants in the Sands. One is Emeril's Burgers and More. We've had a meal there... and it has to be THE BEST burger I have ever had in my life! Just so juicy and full of flavor! His other restaurant is Emeril's Chop House. This is a more formal dining experience with some great items on the menu. We haven't tried this place yet. But, yesterday was a special event going on where Emeril (the man himself) will be cooking at the restaurant. Ticket sale in advance would get you a 5 course meal (did I mention it was to be cooked by Emeril?) and a chance to meet him. Well, we did not get tickets for that... but just as we were leaving the casino, I had decided to wander over near the restaurant to see if I could see him! And, sure enough, there he was! Out in the open, speaking to his chef's through the open window area! As I was pointing him out to Bob, Emeril looked up, so I waved and smiled.... and then Emeril smiled and waved back to me!!!! Yay!!!! A small gesture... but it was my celebrity star struck moment of the century! LOL! Something to keep smiling about for a long time!

That's my big story for the week... and I'm sticking to it!

Pictures

2010-05-26T08:37:00.003-04:00

I just figured out that I was composing my posts backwards... and because I was typing first, then adding pictures, then copy/pasting the pictures where I wanted them to be in the post... the "click to enlarge" feature had been disabled.

So, I have fixed the last post about the quilt so that you may "click to enlarge" to get a closer view of the quilting as well as the crinkly goodness of a just washed quilt!

YAY!

Quiltie Officially Finished!

2010-05-25T16:10:00.010-04:00

Yupper! The hand quilting took some time as it was my first try at it. But, I picked a leaf looking motif and quilted one into each square... then stitched on the binding... then (very nervously) placed the finished quilt into the washing machine... when the washing was finished I closed my eyes, reached into the machine, grabbed the wet lump and hurredly tossed it into the dryer... set the dry cycle and ran upstairs. When the buzzer went off, I very slowly opened the dryer door and peeked inside... there was my quiltie... ALL IN ONE PIECE!!!! Neither a stitch fell out nor did a seam bust! AWESOME! This first attempt at quilting just might lead to another attempt at something larger? Mebbe...

Right now I have a cross stitched pinkeep to finish...

And I really need to get out the hook and pull some loops on a rug... yes... NEED TO! :-)

Thank you!

2010-05-19T16:01:00.003-04:00

Bob (That Radio Guy) and I would like to say many, many thank you's to everyone that left comments for healing... and strength to knock the smoking habit! All prayers and helpful advice are very much appreciated! Bob is getting better each day and has actually been able to spend some time at the radio bench! Fixed a couple of radios for friends... :-)

A note to Pat... the Philco radio is about 36" high.

We are officially 2 weeks into the smoke free lifestyle! It's been difficult, but each day brings another opportunity to succeed. I still feel the urge to have a cigarette... but quickly remind myself that I can't light up what I don't have! LOL! That's right... not a one butt in the house... I still have the Nicorette gum "just in case"... but that stuff tastes pretty durn awful! So, I've been crunching on M&M's... Going to have to start crunching on watermelon, celery and carrots soon, as my pants are getting tight! LOL!

Some happiness arrived in the mail during the last couple of weeks! It seems that sometimes folks send gifts "just because", but it seems to arrive at a time when it is needed! First to arrive was a wonderful card from Kelley! Very nice saying on the card... and she also wrote a note that it would make a great design for a hooked rug! Pumpkins, saltbox house, sheep and a crescent moon... perfect!!! You know I'm going to give this a try! Kelley sent along some prim sheep tags too... Thanks so much!

The next to arrive was an early Birthday present from Debbie! Debbie is always creating such gorgeous pieces and posting about them on her blog. I think I may have commented (one time too many) on her blog that I want all of the quilts she creates! LOL! So, she sent me a mini quilt she made! *smile* Beautifully prim stitches and love the wide border! Simply perfect! Debbie also sent along a prim cross stitched pinkeep and a little ducky basket! This little basket will soon be a pinkeep... I just have to get my concentration back long enough to create one for it! LOL! Thanks so much for everything Debbie, I love it all!

I have been quilting and stitching to keep my hands busy. The little brown quilt I started is finished... just needs rinsing and fluffing and then I will post a picture of it. In the meantime, I'll share a picture of a cross stitched piece I have in progress. It's called "Love and Be Loved" by Country Stitches. Absolutely love the recommended DMC color choices for this. Very enjoyable to stitch!

And, in the gardening department... I'm happy to announce that the backyard tomatoes are in place!!! All 4 of them!!! LOL! Planted them Monday as it was supposed to rain all day yesterday... and it did! So, good roots should be forming on these little buggers... and should make for some plump, red and juicy 'maters when the end of July is here... Geeeeeez... that sounds so far away... I want one now! ;-)

So that's about it from the Joisey homestead! It's peaceful, it's warm, it's HOME!

Sunshine smiles being sent your way!

Five Stressful and Scary Days

2010-05-11T08:47:00.002-04:00

It all started last Wednesday, the 5th. "That Radio Guy" woke up with pain by his navel... slowly moving to the right... pain so bad he could not stand up straight...

9:30 in the morning we were at the docs... 12:30 we were in the ER... drinking contrast solution and getting a full gastric CT...

Appendicitis.

By 6:00 pm he was in the OR... and by 6:25 the surgeon was shaking my hand saying the appendix had been leaking for some time... but was removed laparascopically with no problems whatsoever!

Yay! I was doing the happy dance in the waiting room!

Then the anesthesiologist pulled me into "that room"...

When "that radio guy" was put under for the surgery, they inserted a breathing tube. When the surgery was over, and they went to take the tube out, my dh started having bronchospasms... so they left the tube in...

I'll save you the details... but my dh was sedated and on a respirator from 6:30 Wednesday night until 12:00 noon on Friday. Did you know that the world really can stand still? Very scary... to people in the medical field, this might be a normal every day occurrence, but to the wife of the person on the respirator... it's very traumatic.

The facts behind this instance is that my dh had bronchitis the day he needed surgery, so his lungs were a bit weak. They kept the tube in so that his lungs could heal while getting some "rest" and quite a few inhalation treatments to prevent the spasms. He has been home since Sunday... we have a huge cocktail of inhalers and pills for him to take while he heals his lungs and heals the incision from the appendectomy.

Whew! *smile*

Soooooo, because smoking does not help a person lungs much... and we were locked in a hospital for 5 days without being able to smoke... well... we are quitting!!!!! I purchased Nicorette gum, just for the big time nicotine cravings... but so far it has been better than I thought it would be. Not easy. Just better. Ice water and deep breaths help. And, changing up the routine to avoid the usual "triggers". "That Radio Guy" is doing well with it too... Prayers that we can keep this smoke free lifestyle going would be greatly appreciated!

That's where I have been... today I have packages to take to the post office and some stitching to do. Other than that, I'll be staring at my husband... because he's home, breathing on his own, playing with radios and smiling!

Have a blessed day!

My Hubby's Hobby

2010-04-27T15:07:00.005-04:00

Many people don't know his "real" name... that's because he's often referred to as "that radio guy"! LOL! He had always enjoyed radio and tv as a child. But, it wasn't until we moved into our home in 1997, that he actually had the space to refinish, repair and tinker.

One of the radio shows we attend twice a year is in Kutztown, PA. The main building is Renninger's, where they have a farmer's market section and a section where folks have booths where they sell their goods. Some stuff is antiques and some of it is just stuff they hope someone will buy and repurpose... you get the idea! ;-)

Anyways, about 2-3 years ago, "that radio guy" found this 1937 Philco console at one of those booths... the Lady at the booth said... 20 bucks takes it!... And so, he did!

After testing and repairing the chassis... sanding and refinishing the cabinet... cleaning up the dials and knobs... and some fine tuning... I'd say it looks fantastic! All dressed up to be a family heirloom!

This is a picture of the top of the cabinet. How can a person not find beauty in and appreciate the attention to detail that was put into these radios when they were "made"?

This is a closer picture of the front to show the dial and the original knobs.

And here is the chassis... the parts that make it sing! Yes, those are genuine vacuum tubes!

There are some folks out there that enjoy the sheer beauty of these radios, and place them about their homes as decorations and pieces of fine furniture. Then, there are the folks that also enjoy the unmistakable warmth in the tone of hearing it actually play their favorite radio station! Most antique radios can be restored to their original beauty and function. An important note, however... should you buy one... PLEASE have someone test the electronics BEFORE plugging it in. Age has taken it's toll on some of the electricals in some of these pieces, and plugging them in (without testing) could cause more damage to the chassis, or may even cause a fire. Local radio groups exist in every state and would be happy to help you get your radio back to the way it was "back in the day".

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm Quilting!!!

2010-04-26T14:22:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, our online group, An American Primitive Gathering (USAPRIM on eBay) hosted a Mini Quilt Retreat. It was for all that knew how to quilt, to enjoy a couple of days of quilting... and for those that never quilted before, encouragement to finally take the plunge! So, after a couple of years of collecting some fabrics and tools (most of which have been donated by friends).... I finally cut my squares and began to stitch! My original intention was to hand piece... but then decided I wanted to have something to look at by the end of two days... so I brought out my machine and pieced the squares together. Some points match better than others... but it is my "first" go at it, so I let well enough alone. Here's a peak of what it looks like in the hoop...

After the piecing was complete, I basted it together with a one piece back and some warm and natural batting. I've since started hand quilting. I wanted a simple motif that would accent the prints in the fabrics. So, I chose a leaf shape. Hopefully you can see some of the quilting in the pic (I have yet to figure out how to make the pics "click to enlarge").

I'm having some difficulty with marking the shape before stitching. After reading the directions on some of these marking pens, I was afraid most of them would not wash out and the quilt would look icky when done. Managed to narrow my choices down to a taylor's chalk pencil and a quilter's soap stone pencil. So far, I'm finding it very difficult to see the soap stone whether it's a dark fabric or not. Seems kinda hard. Haven't tried chalk yet... what do you use to mark your quilting templates?

After getting this far with this 21" square quilt... I can say that I really do enjoy the piecing part of making quilts... I'm just undecided about the quilting part... maybe next time I will try machine quilting... though I've never used that darning attachment... hold onto your socks folks... this could get ugly... LOL! ;-)

Have a great day!

The What's, Who's and How's

2010-04-17T17:53:00.005-04:00

I had a day all to myself today! Whoo-hoo! Managed to finish the three projects from my last post... what a wonderful feeling it is to pronounce a project "finished"... and then tuck them into places about the home for display!

The front views...

The back views...

The details...

On the left is a cross stitch pattern by Primitive Betty's called "Spring's Tweets". I stitched this 2 strands over one thread on prairie cloth using the pattern's recommended DMC threads. I then took a piece of complimentary fabric from my cotton stash for the back, stuffed it lightly with cotton fill and whip stitched them together using two strands of the brown threads that are in the design itself. Finished size is approximately 4" x 5".

In the center is another Primitive Betty's cross stitch design! This one is called "Tea Thyme In The Garden". I stitched this 2 strands over 2 threads on prairie cloth using the pattern's recommended DMC threads. I then took a piece of complimentary homespun from my stash and stuffed it lightly with cotton fill. Finished size is approximately 8" square.

And lastly, on the right is a needle punch make-do pattern by Brenda Gervais of Country Stitches called "Home Tweet Home". This pattern arrived already drawn onto the weaver's cloth, so I just started punching with the recommended 3-strand Valdani's! I then backed it with osnaburg and stuffed lightly with cotton. The original pattern called for an antique oil can for the base... but I did not have one of these... so I "made-do" with a silk thread spool I had purchased at a flea market a couple of months back. I then stitched my initials and date into a wool heart and attached it to the back of the bird. The final touch is a weathered tie of osnaburg. It stands about 8" high. Actually... looking at the pic, I can see I forgot this little birdie's button eye! LOL! I'll stitch that on later... maybe... ;-)

So that is it in a nutshell! I'm getting ready to have a nice bowl of hot chicken soup for dinner. It's been cloudy, windy and cool all day... 'tis the ever changing weather of Spring...

After dinner, I hope to get stitching on a lap-sized quilt I have in mind. Simple squares... keeping it "low stress" for my first official quilt!

Thanks for stopping by!

Spring Stitchin'

2010-04-14T16:36:00.003-04:00

Not too much happening here... just been soaking up the warmer temps and sunshine! I've been spending some time on the back patio enjoying some needle punch and cross stitch. Every once in awhile I take a break to stare down my garden... seems a bit bland... trying to get some sort of a design plan going and then drive to the local greenhouse... So, for now, here is a pic of what I've been working on...

Just did the stitching and punching for now... will share all the who, what and hows when I post the "official finish". That is, when it's finished into an ornie, make-do or pillow...

Until then... Happy Spring!!!

Happy Easter!!!

2010-04-03T20:16:00.002-04:00

You see this picture?

It's me in my bathing suit after I finish what's in my Easter Basket... LOL!

Enjoy a blessed day filled with friends, family and celebration!

Happy Easter!

Radio Rabbits & A Winner!!!

2010-03-27T13:04:00.007-04:00

Happy Saturday to everyone! It's sunny but cool here in Central Jersey. With Easter being next weekend... I decided to finally finish some bunnies I've been working on...

Here's a close-up of one...

Silly, right? These all started because my dear hubby is an Antique Radio enthusiast. He buys the radios that need help... refurbishes the exterior and also fixes the technicals inside the radio to make them play. One of the parts we have an abundance of is TUBES! Boxes of them! And, when he buys large amounts of tubes from estates, sometimes some TV tubes are mixed in with the radio tubes... and rather than throw them away, I am "repurposing" them in a whimsical fashion! LOL!

I came about this idea last year, when I wanted to send a little funny handmade gift to Kathy. We have rug hooking and primitive crafts in common... but both Kathy and myself are married to Ham Radio Guys! So, the Radio Rabbit was created as a silly kinda Easter gift! Simple wool pieces all blanket stitched with pearl cotton... attached to a genuine antique TV vacuum tube... This year, my hubby asked me to make a couple more for his friends and also for him to sell when he vends at local radio swap meets. I even added a couple to my Etsy shop. They are just so silly to look at! :-)

And now, I remember that I promised to announce a winner to the pattern giveaway on the day of my next posting of a finish! Using the old fashioned method of writing entries on small pieces paper and giving them a good mix up... the winner that was selected was...

Ann of 1803 Ohio Farm Baskets

Please email me your mailing address Ann, and I'll get these patterns out to you as soon as I can! Enjoy them!

Thank you to everyone that entered the drawing! Look for more pattern giveaways in the near future... remember, as I finish the pattern, I will give the pattern away for someone else to enjoy!

Sunshine smiles to ya'!

Pattern Giveaway!

2010-03-25T10:51:00.004-04:00

I've been spending a lot of time organizing and decluttering. Doing a pretty good job of it too! One idea I had that can also help a fellow stitcher is to give away a pattern after I finish it! So,today we are starting with a group of patterns so my stash can be up to date!

Just by leaving a comment on this post, you are entering to win...

Patches n' Posies Wall Hanging

Penny Rug or Hooked Rug Pattern

by Kindred Spirits

Scrappy Penny Rug

Penny Rug Pattern

by Little Thistle Designs

Americana Button Collection

Penny Rug Pattern

by Sew Fabulous Designs

Bunny Tails

Cross Stitch Dimensional Bunny Pattern

by Country Stitches

Wooly Easter Eggs

Wool Applique Pattern

by Country Stitches

It's A Hoot

Cross Stitch Dimensional Owl Pattern

by Country Stitches

The winner will be announced on the day I post my next finish! Guidelines to this giveaway are that you must check back to see if you have won (within 7 days of winner being announced). And, this giveaway is open to US residents only, please.

Thanks much and good luck!

Glass Insulators

2010-03-18T15:52:00.003-04:00

You find them all over in antique shops, flea markets and maybe along the rail road tracks during your afternoon walk. But... what to do with them? I used to just place them on my window sill and enjoy the way the sunlight shines off of them ( I love glass!)

Well, one day I turned one upside down... and you know what fit in there? A votive candle! So, I pulled out the rusted wire, Swarovski crystals and metal jewelry findings and this is what happened...

A hanging glass votive candle holder! Fun, huh? I had received some inspiration from a Better Homes and Gardens e-mailed crafting newsletter, but I haven't been able to relocate that info... Try one yourself, or visit my Etsy shop as I have this one for sale.

I also accomplished another finish... It's my first try at making a dimensional stuffed animal. It's a bunny holding an Easter Egg. Does it look like a bunny to you? The picture that came with the pattern sure does look a whole lot better! :-) But, at least I tried it, right?

Bunny Tails

a pattern by from Country Stitches

There is supposed to be some homespun tied around his neck... and maybe some sweet annie or lavender tucked in his arm with his egg... I just haven't added those finishing touches yet...

So that's about it this week! The weather here in Central NJ has been looking up! Sunshine and warm breezes and some perennials poking their heads up in the garden!!! Gotta LOVE it!

I'm starting to feel human again! LOL!

Sunshine hugs to all!

Pin cushion

2010-03-10T17:48:00.005-05:00

While wandering around Michael's craft store last December... I spied these cute little tin gardening tools. They had watering cans, pitchers and tubs. I thought they were the right size to make some ornaments for the tree... but, then we never got around to putting up a full sized tree for Christmas.

Now, with Spring right around the corner. And gardening and flowers constantly in my thoughts... can't forget about stitching either... this morning's project was to make pin cushions out of these little gardening tools. Added some paper flowers I made, just to make it all the more Spring! I have a few more I made up, and hope to get them in my Etsy shop in the next day or two.

I did create another little something... needs a little bit of tweaking though... perhaps the next day or so might bring the ideas I need for the finishing touches...

Sunshine smiles to ya'! :-)

Incentive

2010-03-09T15:50:00.005-05:00

Sometimes it's that little bit of something that just makes you say "I'm going to do it NOW!" And then... it happens!

It was exactly this month, about two years ago, that I learned how to make "feather trees" from wool. Our local rug hooking guild (Hunterdon County Rug Artisans Guild) was featuring a tutorial of the how to's, and Joanne was our teacher! What a fun class it was, as each person made a tree with different colored wools... and by the end of the class, there was a forest of wooly feather trees! I got so excited about how easy and fun it was to make these trees, that when I got home, I promised Joanne that I would make one for each season... and then some! Well, she keeps poking me that I should have a National Forest constructed by now! LOL! However, I only made two so far. And, both were for Christmas.

So, last week, an incentive arrived in the mail! It was from Joanne... a box of Easter Egg feather tree ornaments! Yippeeee! They were so cute, I just HAD to get going on an Easter feather tree!!!! And so... I did!

It's about a foot tall. The wool is one of the new wools from Heaven's to Betsy. The base is a wooden bucket (from AC Moore) that has been painted a milk paint blue. Don't you think those little eggie ornaments are the perfect finishing touch to this tree?

What a happy addition to our Easter dinner table... :-)

Rug Binding & Finishes

2010-03-03T14:09:00.006-05:00

I spent some time yesterday and today binding the edges of two rugs. Thought I'd share with you a "little helper" I discovered just today that makes whipping the edges of your rugs a bit more relaxing...

It's something as small as a quilter's safety pin! These safety pins have a slight arch in them, so it is easier to pin together many layers of fabric or firm fabrics. When I whip the edges of a rug, I stay stitch (or serge) about 1-1/2" around the rug. Cut away the excess backing. And then, roll the backing over a cotton cording. I then take wool rug yarn and whip over the cording. I like this finish the best as I feel it gives a good durable edge to the rug, especially if it will be used on the floor and walked on. At times, I had difficulty keeping the rolled backing straight over the cording... the cording would roll to the edge of the backing... the backing would bunch up and make a lump in the edge... stuff like that. So, today I took out a trusty quilter's safety pin and just pinned the backing around the cording about 6" from where I was whipping. The loops then "held" the linen edge within that 6" length. It was like having an extra hand to hold everything together while I whipped down that length...

This technique became all the more appreciated when it came time to whip around a corner...

Whew! Turned that corner with relatively little fiddlin' and cussin'! LOL!

Anyways, the rug in the pictures is the Midnight Silhouette. The rug has been blocked and the edges have been bound.

Adapted from "Midnight Silhouette"

A quilt pattern by Blackbird Designs

Another finish is this Scrappy Hit-n-Miss rug. I took a scrap piece of linen backing and drew a little doodle on it. The color planning was limited to using only the wool that was already cut into strips (leftovers from previous rugs). The finished size is approximately 28" x 13".

That's about it for today's finishes... more to come in the next day or so...

Thank you for visiting! Warm sunshine and clear sky wishes to everyone! :-)

A couple of finishes...

2010-03-01T19:23:00.005-05:00

Those two days that are the weekend seem like a lot of time when those days are ahead of you. Now that it is Monday, I wonder where those two short days went? :-)

Most of Saturday was spent in Bethlehem, PA. That Sands casino they built there sure is a fun place for us! The dh and I went for the day to get away and forget about the snow! He was winning some good dollars... then he'd share them with me... and I would lose those dollars for him! That's team work at its finest, right? LOL! ;-) In the Sands are quite a few awesome places to have a meal... we dined at the Carnegie Deli this time. Pastrami reuben with a potato pancake! Oh heaven!

Sunday we enjoyed some company at our home for a couple of hours. The dh had the opportunity to discuss radios with his friend. And, I enjoyed some crafting talk with his wife. Cross stitch, knitting, embroidery... and she wants to learn rug hooking! *smile* Sure, I'll help another person acquire an addiction to wool! *wink*

I did manage to get a couple of projects finished and thought I'd share the pics this evening. The first is the Olde Pewter Letters pattern from Primitive Betty's. I finally mustered up the courage to cut around my finished stitching and sew the strips of material to it to make a pillow! That's what takes me so long to finish items into something... FEAR of cutting wrong and ruining what took me about a month to stitch... but, this one managed to take the form of a pillow without any major mishaps... so, here's the front...

And here's the back...

Finished size is approximately 8 inches square. Thought I'd add some decorative prim hand stitching on the back to mimic all those cross stitches in the front sampler area. And, you can't have something totally finished unless it has a button, right? LOL!

These fabric covered boxes were a first try for me. A little on the bumpy side... but with some practice, I just might get a little better... I moved them to the dining room table to get a picture. But, I have them displayed on top of a hutch... they look good there as they are a distance away from the eyes, and slightly in the dark! LOL!

That's about it for today! I do have a couple of other projects that I will be finishing tomorrow. So, check back for more!

Have a great evening!

Let's Just Say...

2010-02-26T19:14:00.004-05:00

... I've been doin' a whole lotta startin'... but not a heck of a lotta finishin'! LOL! So, during the next two days, I will be stitching, stuffing and binding a few many things! :-) Monday looks to be a good day to share some pics with you... here's what on my bench now...

Have a superb weekend! Hope that everyone gets in some relaxing creative time... and may there be abundant sunshine warming your shoulders!

Smiles!

Bingo!!!

2010-02-13T15:12:00.004-05:00

Our online group An American Primitive Gathering, had a Bingo game last week... a real, laughter filled, down to the nitty-gritty, pie throwing, enthusiastic Bingo Game! LOL! So much enthusiasm, that 5 people called Bingo all at the same time! :-) I was one of those five winners... and today I received a prize! I'm so excited at the beauty of it, that I have to share some pictures with you!

The artist behind these gifts is Chris Moore of Mystical Primitives. Chris is one of the most talented and generous people I know. She sent me a gorgeous antique stained basket that has teal accents, some drab green woolens, a shopping list pad, a lavender sachet and a beautiful needle punched pillow! Notice the difference in the pillow between the two photos? That's because Chris finished the back of the pillow with a complimentary wool applique! GORGEOUS!!! I love it all! Thanks so much!

Chris doesn't have a blog or website... but she does sell her creations on eBay! Search for USAPRIM on eBay... you're in for a real treat!