Who is a neat crafter???

So who is a neat crafter? Can you stay organized, keep a neat area while crafting? Certainly not I! I have been a busy girl this week. Iam trying to get some Holiday items done for the shop's open house a week from tomorrow! To say I am behind is a understatement! LOL

Of course there was the finishing of the gathering room, so I didn't do any crafting, then a family party, mom's surgery and infection. So I got a little behind... Though I work well under pressure! LOL.... it also helps my sons car is in the shop this week, so I am without a car, so I am stuck home!

So back to my problem, I am a PIG when I craft! I have stuff everywhere, it takes over the house. There is a coating of cinnamon all over my counters, fabric scraps all over the floor... fabric hanging off chairs, clothes drying in the laundry room..... So if one is a neat crafter, how do you do it????

Though I really don't have my own craft room... My home is not that big, I need one of the boys to leave to have that, and I am NOT ready for that day! Soo... this is what happens..... If I was going to show the mess I should show a few of the finished goodies ready to go... These guys are my own design... big boys too!

Some ornies just about ready to go, just need their tags & strings for hanging....Most are my own designs....

hard to tell in this box, but little gingerbread garlands and a few more frosty heads....

Off to finish the Santa's in the chair and to try and clean up the work area just a bit! Have a great day. At least the wind has died down to about 15-20 MPH today! Though it's chilly, I need my winter coat today walking Knuckles! OLM

Tuesday Display Chain.. SOUVENIRS

I have been thinking so hard, there has been smoke! LOL... So it's Tuesday Display chain that Misi over at the 1890 gable house musing is hostessing. Today's theme, Souvenirs....mmmm..

Thinking,I was still thinking this AM... No idea what way I wanted to go...

Some many treasures I have already shared at one time or another...

MMM... finally a thought or 2...LOL. So here I go, my first 2 pictures, have a special place in my kitchen... First are these salt and pepper shakers that belonged to my mom's mom. She passed away before I was born. I have always been told what a great woman she was, I feel I was cheated by not getting to know her. So I have a precious few things that belonged to her. Dust on the shelf a extra bonus.. One knows dust is a primitive accent! Now this bowl was given to me by my MIL before she passed away. I said many moon ago I was going to start collecting yellow ware bowls, out she came with this bowl and gave it to me. Now, I did not have a spot for in my kitchen before it was remodeled. It was one of the first things I put in the kitchen when it was remodeled the first time many years ago. It usually holds fruit. Right now it's holding my glue gun & phone chargers

Lastly is my dough bowl raiser I purchased this year on the "bags" trip. There is a few things I had not shared yet. I wasn't sure where I was going to put it, until this weekend. So it will sit on top of the jelly cabinet in the kitchen with a few pumpkins and a little mouse popping out... This was a great find at $12.50! Not in the best condition, but who cares... $12.50!!!!

So there you have it! nothing to grand, but just a few special pieces out of many in our home! Have a great day, today we are having wind gust up to 50 MPH... So there goes the last of the leaves on the trees! OLM

A very exciting call yesterday!!!

Just around busy day in the neighborhood! I was working at the shop for Sandy yesterday. Always enjoy spending the day there. I take some crafting, talk to other customer who love prims, what more can one ask for???? oh ya, maybe pretend for the day it's really my shop? LOL ( just kidding Sandy)

Well how about a call from Country Sampler.... Now before you get too excited, its NOT for a feature... :(.... 2ND best is to be use for a product shot. Country Sampler was here scouting our home last Friday, another reason last week, I was running around with my head chopped off! LOL... though when they left I wasn't "feeling" it. Really didn't think they would use me. They commented on my antique pieces took a bunch of pictures. I have learned a lot from my other girlfriends with their homes being used, they really have to plan out the shot's. Make sure the product that is being advertised matches with home etc.... I got the standard response, they will file the pictures.....

Hubby is picking up phone messages after we both got home and there is the message, YES they do like me! LOL... would love to use our home!!! CS was looking for a call back, of course I picked up the message after 6pm on a Friday. They have a couple of questions on angles they want to use, but if everything works out, they would be here Friday. November 19Th! That is good, so it's before I would start decorating for the holidays! Poor hubby, he will be VERY busy this weekend finishing those last minute details from all the remodeling that we just haven't gotten to, UNTIL NOW! LOL... So I am off to start! Have a great day! OLM

OMG!!! Look what I got in the mail today!!!

YEAH! It's here, my Christmas issue of A Primitive Place. I have only been able to glance at it. I have been busy varnishing trim for the house, and crafting like a good little girl! I love to read before I go to bed, so 2nite, I will curl up in bed early and read it from cover to cover!!! OLM

Tuesday Display chain, Make-a-dos.....

YEAH! It's Tuesday and that means is Display chain day. Misi has been coming up with some great ideas. For me at least it has really got me thinking outside the box. This one was a hard one for me. I really was stumped. Didn't know which way to go with this one....

On Saturday I was sitting down for a few minutes out front of our home, enjoying the great fall day we were having, then it just came to me. Make a do.... Well somewhere there is a fun display in my home.... But Make a do, going back everyone had to make do with what they had. There was no running to the store with a great idea, or a wonderful prim shop to find just the right item for their home. They made do..... So I am sitting out front, in my make-a-do front porch, Light bulb, this should be my display for the day.

I have always wanted a front porch. When we first started talking about some remodeling last year, the first thing on my list was a front porch. The home we were passing over had two. I drive by some beautiful homes with great porch's with nothing on them, such a waste, I want to go slap that homeowner! LOL, at least put a chair or 2 out there......So anyway to add porch onto our home was too much $$$, so it was the first thing crossed off my list. :(.....

So instead I have done everything in my power to create my porch, I have made do. Someday we will change everything out for nicer paver bricks and new wall path, until that day, I change everything out for the seasons and make it my own little porch. So here is my make a do porch decorated for fall. OLM

Few of my treasures from my trip....

I hate weeks like this! There is no rest for the wicked! LOL.... I have been trying to get so much done before it gets really cold here. I should learn to never wait to the last minute to do things! Oh well, I work well under pressure!?

We took mom for her consultation for starting treatment again. They have a game plan, I don't think she will ever be long without some type of treatment, at least for now, they are not throwing in the towel and she is a fighter!

Then there was my little sale, that went well, just took time to get ready and have it. I really wanted to get that done before bags, but it just didn't work out. So yesterday, I packed up what baskets & stuff didn't sell, sent many things to goodwill, then it was off to Menard's. Now it's time to varnish the last of the trim needed. When the addition was finished last November, it was to cold to do this, then the garage was filled with other household stuff while the gathering room was being finished. Then there was my bright idea to paint & redo our bedroom in that mess and I ripped out the old icky trim. So once this is all done, all the trim in the house has been replaced. Next will be all the window trim, NEXT YEAR!

I'm also trying to get as much Holiday/Christmas crafting I can get done for the shop's open house in early November! YIKES, I am behind!!!!

So needless to say, most of my "bag' goodies have just sat there. No time to play or find them their new homes..... I am getting there, need hubby to change out a couple of things. I am starting to think about it. So most of my pictures are just groups of what I purchased, not everything, LOL, but some of it!

Yesterday I received my giveaway from Misi, from the Tuesday display chain! OMG!!! the minute I opened the box, it smelled soooooo wonderful!!! Love it! Misi you are so kind to do this, I know you said it was items could couldn't sell, but I love the box & the pumpkins! Thank you!
So here are my goodies.... First from Misi....

OK, now some bag goodies......

Love this box, I think I will leave it were it is for awhile. I put my bittersweet I received from "bag" Kathy, she grows it on their farm... I loved that this box looked like a dough box to me, don't think it is one, still love it!

This seed box was a great find at $20, the dividers are long gone, the lid has part of it broken off, yet the paper advertisement is in great shape!

Just loved this little old jar, I have a thing for old jars. Then there is what they called a restaurant sugar bowl.. I don't think that is what it is. I think it's ironstone, I should of turned it so you could see the faces on either side, very interesting, only $7....

Then there is the chalk board, with the eraser and a old box of chalk, this was on my list to find, and it was one of the first things I purchased at Harvest Moon, in Broadhead....

Oh ya, then there is the little glass baby doll bottle, how cute is that?

MMM... more fly screens in the making... Found the little one as is, they had a different name on it, but I forgot what they called it, then the bigger one was a sifter I was able to pop apart.

Then this old 3 arm towel bar, this is what hubby will switch out 2nite for me, it is so interesting, the hardware is different on it, with 2 little hooks on the bottom. So that is it for now, off to move pumpkins around. We were able to go for a little drive this morning. Went apple picking, which was pretty hard to do, most orchards are done for the year. Then stopped road side to get a few more pumpkins! It's another great fall day here, I need to go out and enjoy it for a bit! OLM

oops...one more picture... Forgot about this. I uploaded most of the pictures a couple of days ago, then got side tracked and just now getting back to my post.... OK, I had a list of a few things I was hoping to find on this trip. One being a old advertisement sign to hang above my stove. Well, they are so spendie! I never saw this sign, we were at the school house antiques in Hixton. It was not what I was looking for. The other 'bags' kept telling me it was prefect, it was calling to me, and I was going to be sorry if I didn't get it. I still walked away. They started again in the car before we left, it was only $25, I wasn't feeling it! LOL.... See I live in Bartlett..... so now that you see the picture, you see why they felt I needed to get it. It was very grey, so I grungied it up some, and that I did hang up, and Yes, I do like it, again not want I wanted, but this is unique and it works..... OK that is all I have for now....LOL....

Tuesday Display Chain, 2 colors

My twist on 2 colors, fall and prim... Love Misi's ideas it gets the old brain thinking! Enjoy the day! Another wonderful fall day here! OLM

I'm BACK!!!

Back to reality! No more shopping, eating, laughing, shopping, antiquing, garage saling...

Of course all my money is gone, so I needed to come home! LOL this is a quick post, everything is super crazy and nutty here... I will share why later....

Though I am doing a private garage sale/ basket sale on Thursday and Friday so I need to get ready for that as well. ( I'm and never happy unless my plate is super full... Ick I hate weeks like this one!) I have some antiques & crafts I am parting with along with a big part of my Longaberger collection... I sold for 12 years and some just need to go, cheap! Painful to do, but they are doing no good in tubs in the crawl space, or the crafts I have since I no longer do craft shows.... Anyway... Onto the fun stuff!

So the "Bags are Loaded" trip was another success. Great time, lots of laughs and a few treasures along the way. I will share more as the week goes on. To much to share all at once and I shouldn't sit at the computer to long when hubby is helping me clean for another possible project... (I will share those deals if it all works out later)
Then I find out I won the give away over at Misi's for the Tuesday display chain last week! How fun is that!

Finally, I will share a few pictures from our trip... First is the SIL the "Queen" and me.. OLM in Tomah on Wednesday. This our meeting place for everyone one to meet up, and of course do a little shopping.... See the bags.... Her tote, "Queen Bag", and my new tote, just purchased a few hours before at our first stop in Brodhead at a great little prim shop called 'Harvest Moon"... Here we are antiquing in Winona Mn at Sugar Loaf Antiques, a few goodies were found here by all of us!

The Bluffs had a lot of color in La Crosse, we had wonderful weather....almost too warm

The whole gang of "Bags"... From the left, Darla, Punk, Kathy, The Queen, Mary, and OLM

Packing up is never fun... This is us four that travel from IL, & WI , Myself, Mary, Punk and Kathy... Thankfully Kathy lets us use her Suburban for the trip! It has carried SO much! LOL

Just the beginning of loading up, one has to think how to get everything in... though this year we were a little light....

One can see out the back window, Mary our drive can use the rear view mirror. There have been years when that was not the case! LOL...oops never mind, I just deleted the picture of the back ended packed up... I am such a Doofus!

OK, maybe one more stop on the way home... at Yore Country Home in Gotham, WI... so worth the stop...

Ok, just a tease of a few goodies I decided to give a home too! Great old cutting board from Harvest Moon, great old plaid cooler from Hixton, Wi.. and the great little medal tray from Sugar Loaf....

And then this great new piece, I got this in Gotham... A wonderfully prim child's farm table! I have never seen one, probably won't again, love it!!! It is probably my favorite piece I purchased this week!!!

so more to come, later. Have a great day! OLM

GONE BAGGIN!!!!!

It is time to get serious and finish packing! Time to pack up my car and get ready for our annual "bags are loaded" trip. The girls all look so forward to this trip each year. No guys, no cooking, good laughs, behaving like teenagers and a practical joke or 2..
I thought I would share a couple pictures from last year. Some not appropriate to post, LOL!!! Next week I will share our trip and shopping adventures! Have a great week!!! OLM Sign of a good trip is a car packed full of antiques!!!!

Our mascot.....

The BAGS......

MMMM....ice cream again!!!!

Goof Balls!!!

Tuesday Display Chain

Happy Tuesday everyone! I am getting ready to go "BAGGIN" tomorrow in the early AM! After this stressful month, a little R&R with my "BAG" BFF'S is just what I need. Helps I have a little cash in my pocket for a new treasure or 2!!! I will be sure to share once I get back!

OK, now onto the fun stuff.. I Love this Tuesday Display chain idea of Misi's! It's great to see what everyone comes up with or treasure's most. Today I am going to share 2 pictures with you. First is my baby doll I got when I was 6 years old. I have managed to keep her looking pretty good all these years. Still in her original outfit no less, Amazing! Of course I have cut her hair.

I received her as my main Christmas gift when I was 6. I went to Catholic school, right after break my teacher, (I remember this so well) a nun, Sister Cashmerea, said we could have show and tell and to bring our favorite gift. Of course I wanted to bring her. Now, mom wasn't going to allow that. She was expensive for a doll 38 years ago at $25. (you can't get a Amercian Girl for that now! LOL) and she didn't want anything to happen to her. I promised I would be careful, so off school she went with me..

Now, there was a table where everyone could pill their toys on. I wasn't having any of that. I was told to take good care of her, she was not a outside doll. So I went and got a small chair and sat her next to me... Now I don't remember playing with her during class...(selective memory I suppose), but that mean old nun, SO remember her, threatened to take her away and give her to her niece that would be more deserving! YIKES, I am 6, told to take good care of her, I was in tears!

So, today all my friends call her the "chuckie" doll after the horror movie. Some ask, why do you have that doll??? Every time I tell the show & tell story. I don't have a name for her that I remember, but she sits proudly in my kitchen on her own chair, well, you can see she shares it! Now for this piece. It was my first major purchase when I started going prim probably 7-8 years ago. I purchased it with my SIL the "QUEEN" while visiting her up North in MN, where she lives. I so wanted a pie safe. I was on a mission. Now the "QUEEN" lives in a small town of 500... Though at the time there was a nice antique shop. We of course had gone in there, I am asking if they have a pie safe. They had another store with one there, and he would bring it to me later in the week...

So in we go to look, OK, I admit, I liked it, not sure I loved it. IT was prim, but for that moment it was not what I had in mind... ("QUEEN", don't think I ever told you this! LOL) So off we go for the day antiquing. I ask him to hold it & I will make up my mind later in the day... Well of course as the day goes on, what am I thinking???? The price is great at $250, it's like nothing I have ever seen before, or again! Of course I am going to take it... I take hubby back to pick it up, and this is what I get... now this is a direct quote.. " How much did you pay for this rickied piece of shit?" LOL.... It is my most talked about piece, the one everyone wants if I was ever to part with it... Like that would happen... Now I admit, it is very fragile and we have to be care when we move it. So there you have it. 2 special treasures! Have a great day! thanks for listening! OLM

Back home for some home cookin!

Alex came home for a little R&R from college and some home cooking.... Really it was homecoming for his old HS and he wanted to see this game. He played football in HS, and after his freshman year a 2ND HS opened up that split the town in almost in half. So for this game of course was both HS playing each other, and South Elgin is ranked 5Th in state right now.... They were 5-0 coming into this game, we were 3-2..... So in a upset we did win!

Anyway.... Alex brought home is roommate for some home cooking as well. Apparently Alex has been bragging about my cooking... Nice UH? So I spent all weekend cooking his favorites...I need a break from cooking now! LOL.... Thankfully "BAGS" is just in 3 days, so there is my vacation!

SO they are getting ready to leave soon, but here they are at the table for one last snack before hitting the road! Alex needs to make this one last, he won't come home now until Thanksgiving...

So here is Alex with his Bowl of "gook"... I suppose I should explain. This is one of my boys favorite desserts.. This is so easy to make, not pretty looking but very yummy. More times then not this is what they will ask for their birthday cakes or a extra treat growing up...
So here is the recipe, again so simple it's almost embarrassing! LOL....

One German Chocolate cake mix, prepare in as directed in a 13x9 pan.....
2 boxes instant pudding, chocolate, I mix that up with 3 3/4 cups milk,
2 containers cool whip, I use lite and a bag of heath pieces..

Now, you need a XLarge bowl. I use the Xlarge mixing bowl from Longaberger, this is a big bowl and it will be filled up. (back when I sold Longaberger for years, I made this many times even at shows, always a hit.) Take half of the cake and crumble it up in the bowl...layer 1/2 of the pudding then a container of cool whip, top with heath pieces. Repeat. It is like a giant HOHO. Very tasty!

Alex and his roommate Tony reading the funnies and having their last snack... Of course the Carmel brownies I made are all gone too....

Alex just being Alex! Now they are on their way back to school... Hard to believe this is his last semester at school. After the holiday he will start his internship and will live at home during that...YIKES, then he will start testing for police departments, were did the time go?

Now I have 2 days to get things ready for my girls trip. Now that things have settled down with mom for the time being, I can get excited that I can go! For awhile there, I didn't see how I was going to be able to go. Now, let the fun begin, I really need this break & trip!

Have a great Sunday! OLM