Preparing for a show!

Good morning this last day of June!

I wish I could say summer was here but again the weather just doesn't cooperate - 

hot then cold and 'repeat'.  

Summer decorating here has been sparse - didn't put out as many geraniums this year as 

I usually do. I lost my mojo for some reason but that's not a bad thing...

less to take to the basement in the Fall.

We didn't do much for outside potted plants either and the few we did buy are getting pelted with downpours - I like rain for the flowers but it really beats them down.

I may change out some of my 'placement'of geraniums each Spring/Summer season but this one will always be in our long wood trencher on the dining room table - 

it is my favorite grouping.

Normally I would put real geraniums on this bench along with the birdhouses but couldn't find a potted one that looked nice - may have to assemble one myself.

I love this arrangement of flowers that we bought at the Mukwonago flea market a few weeks back.  When the sun is out it is gorgeous but the rain pushes it right down!!

Last week a very dear friend and I had a wonderful lunch and visit in our screen room -

I love this lady with all my heart.  We worked together for 20+ years and she's part of our 'former' co-workers  'luncheon' but this time I wanted it to be a

one on one with her and so did she.

She lost her 16 year old grandson on Memorial weekend in a horrible car crash that claimed his life and 2 of his friends.  The car hit a tree and exploded and they literally burned to beyond recognition.  Her heart is so broken and she needed to talk, so we did.

This community was so awesome - it pulled together for these 3 families - the high school held the visitation and funerals and the local food market donated the meals.....you have no idea what this community did for these families...it was beyond amazing.

I love you sweet Darlene Lemmon!!

Last month we went to the huge flea market near us and for some reason I was taken in by this beautiful pine box....it is actually a fruit crate

and I loved the patina on it and will use it at the show we are doing

in September as a display prop....isn't it great!!

For now I have it sitting in the dining room next to a cupboard and I'm putting my 'finished' penny rugs and other smalls in it for safe keeping for the show.

It does have one crazy screw in the handle that Doug will most likely take out and try and replace with something not so ugly....but I still love it anyway even if he doesn't get it fixed.

And this past Sunday we went to the same flea market and FINALLY bought a weather vane for our now, 10 year old screen room cupola - it's a weathered copper...

isn't she a beauty and just in time for the 4th...she flies high!!!

It was worth the wait.

All of this month I have been making canvas board prints for the September show.

These are two of them that we tried over our fireplace...a tad small for the space (16" x 20") so I am in the process of making two larger ones with an older looking couple (20" x 30").

So far I have made 14 different people.

Here are some of the ones that I have finished

These are the two I am making for us for over the fireplace as a 20 x 30 -

plus there is a pair in the 16 x 20 size for the show.

Even though their backgrounds aren't the same I still like them together.

Last week we celebrated our grandson Aidan's 9th birthday and tomorrow we will be celebrating our granddaughter  (his sister) Miranda's 4th birthday.

(Darren and MaryAnn's children) 

Here's the show we will be vending at.
I will post updates every now and then and when it gets closer
I'll hopefully have a list of vendors.

I can't think of anything else to chat about today so I'll say good bye for now and hope you all have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!!!

Fall Greetings!

So - we had lots of HOT weather and then FALL came,..but ONLY for 3 days. Now we're back to the heat and humidity.
I so want to get my fall things out but the feeling just isn't there.
Plus...we are making gourd garlands and sweet potato garlands in the dining room and I can't see beyond that at the moment.

Hope some of you are feeling fall and I think you are from the pictures I see on FB.

Not too much has happened since last month when I posted but I'll put a few pictures on just so I get a post in this month being it's half over with already

Last month I showed you a picture of some finds - well I found more!
I love butter paddles for mounting my punch needle and rug hooking on.  I really got lucky last month at the Elkhorn, WI flea market...I scored on a few.
Most were in ruddy shape as far as the patina so I cleaned all of the ones I had - stained them and then put tung oil on and now they are gorgeous!
So now it's punching time.  Most will have Christmas or Winter designs.

This is what most of the paddles looked like

(I showed you them last month)

I did finish a punch needle although it isn't a holiday design.

I'm either going to make a med. size pillow or mount it on a basket...just can't decide.

I do need to make the 8 and 9 brighter first though.

It has become one of my favorite pieces so far.

It is a great size too - 9-1/2 x 6-1/2

It's called MORNING CHATTER 

by Jan Goos - Goos Nest

Okay - this just isn't like me to do this but I got lazy or maybe just 'casual'....

We have family dinner night the first Wed. of each month but with summer everyone had something going on so for this month I asked everyone that could make it 

to come here and we'd have a casual easy hot dog supper.

It went over big...we had hot dogs (chili dogs), french fries, tuna pasta salad, fruit

and brownies for dessert.  Even ate off of paper plates, why not, right?

Our son Brett and granddaughter Emily were the only ones who couldn't make it this time.

There was a 3 yr., two 4 yr. and one 8 yr. old and after we ate they

must have had to run off some steam because there was

a running screaming session happening - maybe too much sugar!

Being we're making garlands this week and next we have been looking for natural

things to put with the gourds and sweet potatoes.

We got some Buckeye's from a cousin. Never really knew how they grew before this.

I love how beautiful and shiny the surface is on them - they look like mahogany.

Some pods had 2 and 3 nuts in them.

So the dining room table is set up to get started making gourd garlands,

I need to soak the bay leaves yet so they are pliable and won't snap when we string them on.

Doug drilled holes in everything yesterday so I guess we are set to start tomorrow!!!

I am taking them to a couple shops by me to sell but if anyone wants either the gourd garland or sweet potato garland email me.

I will get details to you - and they will most likely be on my other blog.

My sweet Niece Tina let us cut some corn stalks so they are drying in the screen room until we can tie them up outside.

Thanks Tina!!!

That's all for this week - time to get ready to meet a former co-worker for lunch!

Happy week everyone - and COME ON FALL!!!

Karen

So much going on!!!

How does one start when there has been such a lull???
Well I guess I back up to last month - and this month is already half over.
I don't know about you all but time goes so fast and you really don't realize it until you look back...scary!  It's like you don't have a feeling of 'time' - a week or 2 weeks seems like it was just a day or two ago...okay, I won't go there anymore...but it just seemed to hit me this past few weeks how fast time does go by.

So what has been happening in my neck of the woods - well, not a lot of interesting things but we did go down to TN to visit my sister again and it was so nice seeing her and her family. I miss my big sis being close but I don't have any control over where she lives...so we travel to see her.  
While there we stopped in at a wonderful place called 'The Gallery' and I found a wonderful large basket that is going to get some Geraniums in it.

(remember you can click on the pictures to view larger)

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Two weeks ago we went to Springfield, IL for a wholesale trade show and we had time when we arrived the day before so we went to the Abraham Lincoln Museum and it was the BEST!!!  I love this kind of history and the museum left me with wanting more.
If you get to Springfield, go to the museum and his home - you won't be disappointed.
I won't show more than these three pictures as there were several.

Lincoln's Home

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I did find just a couple things at the show and one is this doll that is for sale on my other site 'KM Primitives'.
http://kmprimitives.blogspot.com/

She has beautiful red hair and carries a key around her neck.

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Well, Spring does not want to come and stay with us here in the mid-west, but we did take advantage of it last month to get the mulch down and trees trimmed and one cut down.  Good job done and we have our sons and grandsons to thank for it.

We had an ornamental Pear tree in the back corner and it seems to grow up so straight and ugly so we had our son Brett take it down....plus it was in the back and we never got to enjoy the flowers anyway.

All finished and deciding who did the most work - no, they all worked themselves bone tired.

Eventually the flowers on the Service Berry bush came out but it was so windy and rainy that they fell of almost as soon as they came on. (these are not this years Service Berry's)

There are now flowers planted in this area

Our son Dan caught this shot of Aidan under a bush - he quietly peeked around the corner of the house to get the shot - I love it.

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And again it is Rhubarb season and yesterday I baked my first 
Rhubarb cake (recipe is above under 'Favorite Recipes')

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Oh my gosh - I think my mind has kind of gone wonky as well from those pain meds...Know what this is?

It's one of these!!!  The little plastic drip tray for under the George Forman grill that I use for making Panini sandwiches  :(

I went to make Panini sandwiches Saturday and after I turned it on we smelled this plastic odor - hummmm - lifted the lid and sure enough - a perfectly formed tray totally melted but fortunately it pulled right off - and YES, I let the grill get hotter and hotter to burn off any odor.
But the sandwiches turned out delicious as usual

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Aidan did take his First Communion and it brought tears to my eyes - we were so proud and blessed by it.
He was chosen to carry the wine.

Taking Communion

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And lastly - I have Two more Punch Needle designs on my KM Primitives site and am almost finished with another.
http://kmprimitives.blogspot.com/

This one is Peahen & Posies

And this one is Watering Can & Purple Coneflowers

Thanks again for stopping by - I will hopefully get some time to do some Blog hopping later today and visit you all!

Karen