Friday, August 28, 2009

TESTING NEW WINDOWS WRITER PROGRAM

Good morning bloggers!
It was recommended to me to try using Windows Live to compose my Blog posts and so here I am - hope this turns out the way I want it to.


Okay all you 'texture' gals out there - I tried my Macro setting last night and was kind of pleased...I don't know why I never used it before but I think I got a few good ones.


This post is way close to my last one but I think that's okay...I try to do one at least once a week but here's two in one.


Textures Part 2
This will be the last of my Textures so enjoy - I want to go on to other topics and not bore you with all my photos - if I don't keep it interesting I just might lose my followers....which I can't believe is all the way up to 233!

 
 



 


























  














  


















 

































  


















  












  










































So that's my textures and I do hope it was fun for you because it was for me.

It's a rainy week here but the temps are low and I love that so I'm getting a lot done inside.

I'm almost finished with my Special Order and hopefully I can get it mailed out on Monday and then it's DESIGNING for the Christmas holiday.

I'm so way behind this year and I can only thank Country Sampler for that...lol THANK YOU 'C.S. - because of you my business skyrocketed and is still going strong so that's why I'm behind on designing but I do have to get going - we figured out there's only 9 weeks for me to get it all done in...YOWZER...anyone want to sew for me?


After all this typeing and importing photos I pray this format works - if so I'm really sold on it and I would suggest you all using it as well because Blogger Editor can be such a pain...I haven't had a problem yet so if you want it just download WINDOWS LIVE and you can have an easy to manage program that imports it right into blogger.

I have a feeling you all might think I'm saying I don't like the texture thing...'I DO', it's just that I'm running out of textures and my posts are photo heavy and I really want to add other things.

Well, as I keep typing I'm making it 'word heavy' LOL, so on that note I'll say HAVE A GREAT DAY!

Hugs, Karen

P.S.  IT DIDN'T WORK - look how messed up this is....I had no idea how to get my blog post into this one...so I had to copy the html and paste it in here and than had to format it!

NOW WHAT?   lol

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

FLEA MARKET FINDS/TEXTURES

I might mess this post up because I selected the NEW BLOGGER EDITING....so bare with me! I don't even know how to get type below my pictures with this setup!!! ARGGGGG!!!
Anyway....on Sunday we went to a flea market and I got  4 place settings of Pewter handled flatware - it's not the very early style but it is Pewter so I bought it - I paid $12 for the set plus a sugar spoon and butter knife.
The man had them in this red caddy and I bought it for $5.00 and I just love it. We have Doug's grandparents caddy from 1908 and they are almost identical...they were used in most home back then.
My brother and his wife know I want to make some Pantry Cakes so they found this tin with the molds in them and some single ones as well and brought them to me....aren't they they the nicest relatives?
We bought this great Pewter creamer and sugar at the flea market for $5.00 - I thought that was a great bargain!
I have been searching for reasonable mache boxes to cover with fabric and found these at different vendors - each for $1.00.
Over a year ago she started putting TEXTURES on her blog and I was so intrigued with her results and now I see several of our wonderful bloggers have been doing this....WHAT A WONDERFUL IDEA...one just doesn't appreciate the textures, colors and look of the everyday things we have in our homes. Thank you Jen for starting something that is taking off!
I have been taking some close-up  pictures of TEXTURES but not sure if they'll turn out. My close-up on the camera makes things blurry so we'll see what I get here.
I will post more next week but for now I think there are enough photos in this post!
Hope you enjoy....

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Out at the Lake

What a busy weekend we had but first the end of the week was working on orders, getting them shipped out and cleaning house plus grocery shopping.

Saturday we went to our youngest son's 40th surprise birthday party put on by his wife and 2 children out at the lake and what a wonderful time we had. There were lots of relatives and friends and our middle son Dan and his wife brought their ski boat out and took the kids for rides and tubing and the little one's also enjoyed wading in the channel.

Isn't this just the prettiest little park? It's a private park just for the residents of the Lake.

Here's Darren with Aidan in the tree


And then a neighbors dog came over to see all the fun and look at the size of this little gal! lol

Isn't this just sweet - all the little boys sitting and planning something....cute!

Joseph our grandson
Picking up rocks to skip across the water


Waiting for uncle Dan to take them out in the boat
Deciding who's going and who's waiting!
someone got lucky to go first!!!


Isn't this huge Willow tree just beautiful...several houses along the lake and channel have these gorgeous trees.

Another view of the lake homes


Bridge across the channel

We had lots of wonderful food and chatting and then came home to relax.
My brother and his wife came to the party and then to our house afterwards for the weekend and so today we headed for Illinois to the flea markets and I got a haul! I'll post pictures of what I got in one of my next posts but thought there were enough pictures this time around.
I found a Pewter creamer and sugar for $5.00 as well as a set of Pewter handle silverware that I got for $12.00 and the adorable silverware caddy for $5.00 - a bargain for sure!!!
I also got 3 different size mache boxes that are going to be covered with fabric...they were $1.00 each. So I think I did some good bargain shopping today.
After the flea market we went for lunch at one of the Golf courses and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and then off to one of our favorite shops that closed just 10 minutes before we got there!
And so we drove up the road to the Apple Orchard and it was closed - not much luck so we headed back home but first to the store for more food for Monday because we have 12 cousins and friends coming over for the day and evening to play cards/dominos and whatever else and then we will have dinner and my brother and wife will be here for that as well.
I'm making 3 different casseroles and the rest are bringing things....it's an End of Summer Get-
Together.
So after going out to dinner tonight we relaxed in the screen room with Brownie Sundaes! And now everyone is in bed and I took this time to play catch up on the computer.
Guess that's it for me tonight....now I'm off to do some blog surfing.
Karen

Monday, August 17, 2009

GLUE OVERKILL????

Maybe some of you read this on the forum I'm on but I just had to share it with the rest....

Okay, now don't laugh...I have been waiting for this wonderful SALE at Walmart all summer long!

I use the Elmer's School Glue Sticks to lightly hold down my design pieces instead of pins that stick me everywhere.

Last year at this time I bought 2 cases at this sale - I believe that was 270 sticks....well, I just ran out like in June.

So yesterday we saw they had the sale...instead of the .55 cents they had for the last month and the 1.19 at regular price all year long.....WE GOT THEM FOR .20 cents PER DOUBLE PACK...that's .10 a tube!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They didn't have any cases available....all packs were on the shelves but the girl did find the boxes thay came in....SOOOOOO Doug and I stood there with all these loose pkgs. of glue and put them in the boxes....there were 69 boxes with 6 double packs in each one....THAT'S 390 pkgs or 780 GLUE STICKS!!!!

I'm in glue heaven!!!!! This should last me 2 years instead of the one!!!! LOL, LOL





SUNFLOWER HUGGER
I'm making a Sunflower Candle Hugger and can't make up my mind if I want to do a raised dimensional grungy one or a stitched flat plain one....have two here that are examples - they aren't stitched or anything...just sitting on fabric. What do you think????



PUMPKIN JAR TOPPERS
And now my adorable littel Pumpkin Jar Toppers!
We are selling the toppers for $8.00 each and they fit all Mason/Ball jars.
We started out with 12 and just in 4 days we sold 10, we now have 2 available.
Here we have them displayed with Halloween candy......cute huh????
You can find them here: http://www.kmprimitives.com/
Have a super wonderful day!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

SPECIAL ORDER

A while back I was asked to do a special order for a dear customer of mine....remember the chair mat and little table mat with the sheep/apple cart and apple trees??? Same lady...I also made here a shower valance awhile back as well....
So she wants a header for her french doors and I am enjoying working on it so much....it was intimidating at first because of the different measurements it's 21 inches deep by 51 inches wide - getting the checkerboard edges equal was the dilly!


She sent me the small original hanging that she wants me to copy only in a larrrrrrg size.
So here's the progress....I'm doing this free hand with no patterns to cut by but it's coming out pretty darned good if I must say so myself...

You can click on pictures to enlarge them

GETTING IT MEASURED FOR BORDER
The backing is Coffee dyed Onsberg cloth and I got the color to match the original quite nicely.

HOUSE PIECES AND SHEEP ALL CUT OUT

CLOSEUP OF HOUSE....pieces are just sitting - not tacked or glued yet

TREES....the original has brown Herringbone wool for the trees and I had black Herringbone so I used a brown shoe polish rub and they turned out perfect! Yes, they look like Palm Trees...but when the leaves and apples get on them they won't.

OKAY....HERE'S A DON'T DO.....Don't walk in front of a blowing window air conditioner with your piecework!!!!! LOL

THIS IS THE ORIGINAL PIECE - Pretty isn't it....now the one I'm making is double this size and will have a rod pocket on the back so she can hang it over her French Doors

Hope you enjoyed my show and tell today!!!!
Karen