Pictures for my Friend....

These pictures are for my partner in crime....she doesn't have Facebook anymore.  Lucky you - you get to see my new stuff twice if you follow me on FB.

We both love transferware...and red is our favorite.  But we really like all transferware colors but not when there are multiple colors.  Friends are like that.  

She lives on a real farm and I live on a wannabe farm...we have many common things in our lives but are still different.  

I am so glad to have her in my life.

Take care,

Bonnie

A Collection of My Crowns...

 I think the above crown was the first chicken wire crown I made.  Working with chicken wire is masochistic.  But they are fun once you work through the pain of being constantly pierced.

I'm glad I walked back through history to review my creations....I think I need to go back to these kooky, crazy creations.

  
Using phrases keeps the crowns grounded....in silliness!  I like that.

Recently I've made them out of lace and stiffener.  I do have some new vintage wide lace that I'm going to try next.  So I guess I'm still in the crown business.
 

 My newest crown...

Remember to always wear "your" crown - sometimes they are invisible you know.

Take care,

Bonnie

So I Changed My Mind...Again!

I'm glad I changed my mind and stained the woodwork around my French doors.  My original idea was to paint the doors and the woodwork off white.  Then I looked at all the windows in the doors and thought - maybe not.

So it took me a while to actually get to the project but I found the Colonial Maple stain and within a couple of hours the deed was done.  I knew I wouldn't be able to match the doors or the other woodwork but we do have different colors of wood in the room.  It will be just fine.

Now I have to figure out how to add a closet in our bedroom to house my clothes that are scattered throughout a couple of closets and rooms.  Ugh!

Now I see that I need to add additional coats of stain...looks better in person but this is still a work in progress.  Maybe add a little red oak to the maple...we'll see.  Dang!  Never done!


Take care,
Bonnie

Mother Nature Has Gone Bonkers!!!

I don't want to spend my winter months in the South - I don't mind winter in a normal year.  However, Mother Nature is frazzling my nerves now.  We had about 10 inches of snow since yesterday and now the winds are blowing at about 30+ mph.  

So My Hero had blown a path for us and our dog, Annie, that allowed us to get to the pole barn where our vehicles are parked so if we wanted to venture out we could.  Not so much anymore.  Annie was able to run for a short time...not anymore until tomorrow maybe.  She loves to run...

With the fierce winds, we're back to square one and the terrain has changed once again.  It's drifting in different areas now with drifts at 3 feet deep and more!

I'm just saying if its still windy in the morning, I'll just hunker down here for the duration and mosey on out in the spring.

Oh yes - the snow plow hasn't ventured down our road yet and it started this craziness at about 10 a.m. yesterday!!!

Hubby making his way through the snow with Annie trying to follow.

Annie did not want to come in even if she couldn't move in the drifts!!!

Hubby making his way inch by inch when the drifts were higher than the blower!

Success!  A path!  But not so much any more...

So tomorrow is another day with more snow blowing and it will be colder - like only 18 degrees or less. 

We know spring will come but she definitely is not in a hurry this year!!!

Take care and think positive thoughts for us up north!

Bonnie

 

Finally Addy's Barbie Quilt Is Complete...

Why you ask would it take me so long to complete a relatively small quilt?  

1.  The quilt didn't actually take that long to piece.
2.  The tying/quilting took forever because I used velour as the backing.

First, I tried to tie the quilt - I couldn't pull the yarn through the quilt sandwich.  My hands aren't as strong as they used to be and pulling yarn through the top, the batting and then the velour back apparently isn't easy!!!

Then I maneuvered the quilt in a small space where sometimes the quilt ended up over my head as I repositioned it and stitched in the ditch and echo quilted.  A video would have been a priceless comedy!

So here she is with her matching pillow.  The quilting is primitive because I'm a piecer not a quilter.  I love the piecing of the blocks but not the quilting of the layers together.  Not enough patience is my diagnosis!

I hope Addy likes it...and that she still likes Barbies!

Take care,
Bonnie

 

Stitchin' Chicks Quilt Camp Jan. 2014

View from the back...

Back seat view...

And the front seat!!!

Ready to leave and go to camp - when hubby packs it looks better but his back was hurting so I did it all by myself!!!

Three sets of coasters...

One clothesline red bowl...

One spring wreath...

One typewriter vinyl bag...

Frenchie pillow and table mat...

Two Mary Engelbreit table mats...

Embroidered pillows for John and Addy...

And I sold a couple of things at camp and now I'm home and ready to set my machine back up to embroider and sew some more!!!  Tomorrow is another day!

Take care,

Bonnie

Finishing Up a Few Projects

I hoped to get a bunch of stuff done over the holidays.  Not so much new was created but I did get the bindings completed on three quilts.  Whew!  Sometimes that final step takes forever!!!

So here are the long, lost quilts:

This quilt is a sampler quilt of blocks made in a swap with friends!

This is my new nap quilt that it took me a year to finish!!!

A simple design but I love the colors!

My friend Pam quilted this for me...

I love using checks for binding!

So this is part of what I accomplished on my Christmas vacation.  Yay!

Take care,

Bonnie

Crafting and Recycling Almost All the Time!

It seems that my kitchen table is always full of projects.  (The two of us always eat in the living room in front of the TV - bad right?  The marriage is almost 20 years old so it works for us!) 

Anyway - I was just realizing how much I reuse/recycle...as we speak I cut a plastic cover to fit an old metal spring project I'm working on.  The jute wrapped tree is made on an empty thread cone and of course the spring is from a chair I guess.

In the dish drainer is a Pringle's can drying so I can Mod Podge scrapbooking paper on for a treat can for a Christmas present.  I thought I'd finish it so you could see...

I just finished using a sheet of music from an old music book and parts of an old doily to decorate an old ice skate that will hang on someone's door or wall or lamp post.

A choir of salt and pepper shaker snowmen are sitting on a mantel or a table.  Each year I whine about making more but once I start rolling the clay, sprinkling the glitter and otherwise decorate their cute selves - I feel joy in their faces gazing to the heavens!!!

And yes, I do keep toilet paper and paper towel rolls, too!  I have some ideas...

Take care,

Bonnie

It has been 50 years...

My tears fall every time I see the films of the events of November 22, 1963.  It's been 50 years today that our President was murdered.  I weep for what could have been.

I was a senior in high school - I was in Art class.  It was an awful day and the days after were spent in front of the TV.  I didn't think I could shed another tear but every part of those ensuing days brought more tears and sadness.

Every one was in disbelief...President Kennedy was so young - he was our hope for the future.  Our first President that was regularly in our homes on our TV's.  His beautiful wife and precious young children were familiar to us.  The pictures of our first family in the White House and his kids under his desk in the Oval office  - we felt like we knew them.

Fast forward 50 years...the sadness is still there and the tears still fall for our loss.  He never saw us get to the moon...his challenge was met but he wasn't here to see them take that first step on the moon for the USA.  And then again, we can hope that he did see what went on after he left this earth too soon.

We remember him today and remember the risks and threats our President faces each day.  Even with his loss 50 years ago, we can't protect our leaders 24-7.  I am thankful each day for our President and his ideals that are so hard won.

Take care,

Bonnie

Kicking It Into Gear Again!

Picture taken when it was almost dark out and misty!

Time to gear up again...just picked up a load of auction winnings and pickings at an occasional sale in the town I used to live in.

We met my old friends for breakfast - funny how you just pick up where you left off years ago.  Fun to ask how this friend or that friend is doing.  So much to talk about that we interrupted each other...

Since we moved to our farm in 2000, we have met many new friends.  Some I met while quilting and some at church and some at exercise.  I can't believe how easy it was to slip into this community and settle down here knowing no one!  Good times with old and new friends.

We just had out last sale in our little red barn - it was a difficult decision but seems to take too much energy now to have sales here.  We still have an outlet for our stuff so we will continue to make our repurposed and recycled things.  The stress level will be more level - the pressure more evenly distributed through the year instead of a heaping load of it when we have all the responsibility of our sale at our farm.

Fun things a-brewing in our barn now that she's retired from sales!

So now its time to get working again - the supplies keep coming in with the UPS and FedEx trucks so I better be creating stuff right and left!!!  After all, the Holiday Open House is only 5 weeks away!  Yikes!

A great day of fall colors and old friends and new treasures!

Took this picture way past dusk...

Take care, 

Bonnie

 

 

Two Projects Completed! So many more to go...

Close up of distressed finish...

With a little more than a week to go, I'm busy, busy and more busy sanding, painting and varnishing furniture.  Both my hubby and I work together in this adventure...he fixes and I finish...well, he finishes too!

Here's a couple of projects that are now ready for the sale.  The side table is actually a vintage sewing cabinet...but now its a great side table and opens to make a nice serving table or maybe a mini bar!!!

Chair with cushion removed for recovering...

Finished chair and side table

Fall Activities...

Annie and I spent the better part of the day in the barn getting stuff ready for our Farmgirls Country Sale Sept. 26, 27 and 28.

Annie - my faithful assistant and friend!

 
I hauled paint out to paint things where they are!!!  A huge table is on her side so I can paint her legs Country White while leaving her top wood - I think.  You just never know how things will turn out until paint brush is in hand dripping some sort of paint color.

The other day I painted 5 chairs and today I began recovering their seats.  I finished 3 seats with 3 more to go - I know - the math is off - there's an extra seat for a rocker that Hubby painted.  Yay!

The first seat I recovered today!!!  

 

Red rockers and a tray with new red legs!

Time for supper - chili dogs and refrigerator pickles and hash browns!  Then its back out to paint - so nice when everything is set up and I just have to open the paint and brush!!!

Take care - I'm going to try to regularly blog again - we'll see with 15 days left before our sale!

Bonnie

Pretty and Spunky too!

My new ride!!!

Today I said goodbye to my little bright red HHR.  She served me well on my quest to travel my world and find junk.   

I've loved each and every car I've ever owned...well, I didn't care for my Buick Terraza so much but  I'm not a mini van kind of gal.  Lots of women are but I like odd car models.

Remember the Pontiac Aztek???  It was so different looking that I was stopped after getting out of it more than once to have a guy tell me how odd looking it was...like something from outer space he said.  Love those opinionated guys...not!  Anyhow it became my badge of courage or something.  I called her my SUV wannabe.  When I wanted to buy another one, they had stopped making them.  Referred me to a Buick Rendezvous...but I wanted a new Aztek.

So I tried a mini van for less than a year and then I had two Chev HHR's in a row.  I called them the poor relation to the Chrysler Cruizer.  Now they don't make the HHR anymore.  I sound like the kiss of death to a car model...but this time I decided I needed something a little bigger/taller with more cargo space.

Today I walked into the Chevrolet dealer and drove out with a new 2013 Chev Equinox...red...a pretty candy apple red kind of color.  Now I owe my soul/pension to the company store - again.

She handles very nice and I can pack in a few more things when I'm out and about gathering junk and treasures!!!  Wait until my grandkids see the rear view screen - put her in reverse and I can see - no! I can literally see a screen with the view behind and 6' to each side of my backside!!!  Woo hoo!

And i have OnStar for 6 months and my dear car salesman hooked up my dumb phone to my car so when you call me, I can talk to you thru my dashboard and not fumble in my purse for my phone!  I won't have to call everyone back because they hang up before I answer!!!

I do have love affairs with my cars...she's pretty and spunky too.  She handles some decent curves at 55 mph...which is one of my priorities.  This gal still has some spunk left too!

Take care,

Bonnie