New item and another Pineapple

Well this week flew by and I don’t really know what I accomplished.

Seems I was busy the entire time but not much to show for it that was on the fun side that is.

My aunt is back in the hospital so we went to Janesville to see her a couple times and I also finished up some orders and today the one customer sent me a picture of it on her table. And she really loved it too – I was so nervous sewing a design without a pattern but it turned out quite cute.
She wanted a barn, cow and some sunflowers and this is what I came up with.

Barn close-up
 

And here it is on her table. I think it looks larger on my chair for some reason. But I love the cute little Milk bottle crate with votive candles in them that she set on it – that’s why I did the design on the bottom and left her room to angle her milk crate.

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Last week when we came back from our cousins reunion we stopped at the Crafter’s Mall at the Wisconsin Dells and I found this stuffed Pineapple – it doesn’t look very big but it’s a whopping 15 inches tall including leaves and I see I need to fix the leaves. 
It was handmade by The Spinning Wheel.

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Here’s the group from our reunion last week…unfortunately 3 of the cousin couples couldn’t make it so our group was small….but a good time was had with lots of chatting and wonderful food.
Phyllis and Ken hosted it and we had Pulled Pork, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Broccoli/Cauliflower Salad and lots of extras plus wonderful desserts.

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I’m just killing some time here before we head on into Milwaukee to pick up our friend who is flying in from St. Kitts via Raleigh, NC – that was his first stop today before heading up here on another flight….and they didn’t get his luggage on his flight!
Soooo the airline is going to Fed-X it up to our house.
We’re keeping our fingers crossed that it reaches here Saturday sometime before he has to get ready to leave for the class reunion – if not he’s going to have to wear something of Doug’s.
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Only10 more days and we head out for Lancaster, Pa and I get to meet Lori from http://loritheblackcrow.blogspot.com/
  
I’m driving to Lori’s place on Wednesday the 11th to her town of Littlestown, PA and she has the day completely planned for us from shopping to eating and hopefully getting a tour of her wonderful farmhouse.
My husband decided to stay back in Lancaster and golf with his cousin so it’s just me Lori!!!!

Here are a couple photos of her house in the snow….I’ve seen photos of the inside but I can’t wait to see it for real.


And if you want to see more of Lori’s house go to her Picturetrail:  http://www.picturetrail.com/theblackcrow

I think this is enough for today – I’ll check in on my blog friends now.
Karen

Pineapples and Quilts

   Nope, they don’t relate to each other…just a heading…lol

I guess I’ve run out of things to post about, at least for awhile.
Nothing real interesting happening so I got to thinking of what I could take pictures of because I know you all love photos instead of long paragraphs just like me!

I looked around the house and thought of my Pineapples – one of my favorite things to decorate with although I don’t have too many and they aren’t ‘in your face’ – just a few here and there.

I really don’t know when I fell in love with these fruits as decorative accessories but they sure go hand in hand with Colonial/Primitive decorating.

The Pineapple is the symbol for Hospitality and Welcome, so that works for me….I love people, I love company, I love to entertain and I love my home, what more can I say.

My first pineapples were two that I purchased in Pennsylvania. One is on a scale in my kitchen, the other is in a round jar on my kitchen counter and it took off from there but like I said…there aren’t many.

 

This Pineapple is actually an ornament but I use this one in a box on my pie safe

Hard to see this one but it’s on the left side of my 2 gallon lighted jar that sit’s on my other pie safe

Just a little stuffed and stiffened Pineapple Make-Do
 

Wool stitched framed Pineapple 

This is a Resin one I purchased at JoAnn’s many, many years ago…it measures 13 inches tall and sits on a square base…one of my favorites.

And this little one is on a long pick that I bent up to fit in this large wall basket

One of my runners I made

And last….my kitchen soffit border paper…very subtle but love, love, love it.
 

LET US SEE YOUR PINEAPPLES!

(Edited: A customer just sent me photos of the Chair Doilies she ordered.
Aren’t they wonderful?  And they’re Pineapples…lol)

 

  Yesterday (Thursday) we went back into Janesville to meet my Niece to pick up the quilt she made for me for our daughter in-laws birthday (which is today!) Happy Birthday Heather!

Now the pictures just don’t do justice to the colors Tina used – we both picked them out but she chose the print which I didn’t like at first when she showed me the fabric but after searching for something else it became a favorite….Tina has a good eye for working fabrics and colors together.
Guess that’s why she makes quilts and I don’t.

Up close
 

The backside

We’re heading up north very early in the morning for Doug’s Cousins Reunion and won’t be back till late Sunday night so i won’t be on here – no internet up there where we’re going

Have you been over to Primfills yet…oh my gosh what a fantastic website.
Jobeth has talent not only for creating but for writing…please go on over and peek at her website….it’s not just a shopping experience – you will be delighted and entertained as well.
You won’t regret your trip and visit….believe me….and if you could…why don’t you help her by posting on your blog sidebar…everyone should see her site! And if you have a website – trade links with her!

http://www.primfills.com/primfills_002.htm

Hugs, Karen

With Friends and Family!

Well remember I said that we were meeting friend of ours from AZ?
We met at our favorite restaurant for lunch – always seem to choose this one because we know we’ll get a wonderful meal.

Emily and Joe were the perfect little lady and gentleman…they greeted Mare and Jim properly – which I knew they would even without prompting. I can always count on them!
Joe brought along his #2 Harry Potter movie so they could watch it on the ride to and from.
An hour in the car each way gets a tad long when you are 10 and 12.

Here they are in the car…not sure what Joe was doing with his tongue.
 

Won’t bore you with detail…so here’s the gang!
We had a super wonderful hour and a half lunch and caught up with so much from the past year.

When we headed back home we stopped for gas and who should pull in as well but them! I caught Mare off guard with the camera when I realized it was their car….I think I took her by surprise when I yelled her name…

 

So there you have it!

It’s pouring out right now…and badly needed. The grass everywhere looks like late Summer.
We’re heading back into Janesville today to meet my Niece Tina and her husband for lunch at Applebee’s.

She made a rag quilt for me for our daughter in-laws birthday so we’re picking it up…I wish Tina would make and sell these on the web because she’s fantastic at putting the right colors together but she said she likes doing it for friends and family instead.

I’ll take a picture of it later tonight and put it in my next post.
Till then take care, stay safe and be happy

Hugs, Karen

Barn Quilts

Morning Everyone…when it rains it pours…so they say! lol

As if it wasn’t hot enough outside and all you want to do is be inside…that’s not where I want to be right now – OUR AIR WENT OUT AGAIN but this time it’s really not the air, it’s the fan on the furnace – the air turns on but doesn’t blow any air out– so we tried the furnace and the fan isn’t working. Did all we could to find the problem but nothing!
So…a call to the furnace people…not for $150 an hour am I having someone come out…I’ll use fans!
Hopefully they will be here the first thing tomorrow but we have a feeling that parts need to be ordered…nothing more to say on this subject!!!

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Well I was treated with something special over this weekend…I found Barn Quilts…now I’m sure most of you have seen these but I never have…WOW, have I been missing something.

A couple weeks ago while driving up our highway I noticed a quilt square on a barn (the one above)…these are so huge you just can’t miss seeing them and what a glorious site…it must have gone up recently because I never noticed it before.

I was intrigued by it but never said anything to my husband but yesterday when he was reading the paper he saw an article on Barn Quilts and read it to me….WALLA…we have them right here in our own town!

So I proceeded to look them up on the internet and found a blog with all these links to Barn Quilts.

Here’s the introduction to the link I found for my county:
And the link: http://www.quiltsonbarns.com/

“Visitors traveling the rural roads of Racine County in Southeastern Wisconsin this Fall will see even more color than what Mother Nature is offering when they look for bright quilt patterns mounted on historic barns. Fifteen barns, starting in October 2008, along with six new barns in 2009, will be sporting 8 x 8 foot square painted plywood quilt patterns, all visible from the road, to launch Quilts on Barns-the Beauty of Rural Art. The ambitious project, cosponsored by the nonprofit Racine Arts Council in conjunction with the Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau, will include 45 quilts on barns during the next three years.”

Now I’m not sure just how many more were added since 2009 but I’m sure there are many more.

I won’t bore you with any more ‘words’…just pictures and link so you can see these beauties for yourself and check out the links in her blog for a County in your area.
http://barnquiltmemories.blogspot.com/

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

So how’s that for beauty????  Aren’t they just gorgeous.

Well tomorrow we have the two little ones for the day and we’re going to Janesville to meet some friends from Mesa, AZ who will be traveling through on their way to their sons place in Wisconsin Rapids – we meet every year for this couple hour lunch and then they are on their way. One of these winters we’re going to make some serious plans to go visit them in Mesa.

Mare and Jim have been friends since I was in high school…she lived in Wisconsin Rapid, me in Janesville but we met through my 3rd cousin who worked at a hotel where her mother worked in Wis. Rapids and we were introduced one summer when my mother and I went up there for a visit….been friends since. We were in each other’s weddings as well.
Love ya Mare, can’t wait to see ya!

I can’t find the current photo from last July…this is the year before.

 

Well guys – not much else to add here.
It’s another hot day and supposed to rain.
I know it’s this way all across the US so we’re all suffering together (or loving it! But not me!).

Hey, I forgot to mention….I changed out the look of my Popular Selling Blog…it’s very Americana and works better with the header/logo…..go check it out.

I might have a short week here because on Friday we’re heading up north to a cousin’s reunion and won’t be back until Sunday night and no computer.

Oh….we get to see Billy ( from St. Kitts) he’s flying in a week from this next Friday to stay with us because it’s my husbands and his 50th class reunion so he’s staying with us through Monday….yeah!!!!
Linda isn’t making the trip because their house is up for sale and they don’t want to miss out on a hopeful buyer. We’ll miss ya kiddo!

I know….that’s information you needed to know, right?…sorry – you know me when I get rambling….things just come out, I can’t help myself.

Hugs, to all
Karen