basketsnprims

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T12:48:00.002-05:00

Happy St. Valentine's Day to all of my primitive friends, faithful customers and loyal followers. May this day be special for you.
til next time,
pam

busy, a few pictures

2012-02-07T17:11:00.001-05:00

Hi, everyone! Sorry I’ve not blogged in awhile but it has been a busy winter here so far. I’ve spent alot of my time in the shop weaving and then in the evenings I’m enjoying my time stitching by the woodstove. The winter here has been fairly mild but we did get a couple of nasty snowstorms. I think the local schools are going to run out of snow days soon. Here’s a hug pile in our side yard where Simon has pushed it with the plow.

The boys have spent a few nights here and what fun we had. Grandpa loves playing outside with them. We bought them new fold up shovels so they would have just the right size for digging tunnnels and building forts.

I was so lucky a couple of weeks ago and won Misi’s giveaway from 1890gablehousemusings. As soon as I opened the package the wonderful aroma of “sugar bucket” hit me. It’s Misi’s signature scent and it’s awesome. She is currently selling these primitive hearts on her blog gable house goodes and you need to buy one.

She also sent me this fabulous sugar mold made by Art Haber from old colony primitives. My picture does not do it justice. The patina is gorgeous.

She also included a fabulous fabric covered box which is in my favorite colors, blue and brown. Thank you so very much, Misi. Everything is wonderful

I got a new fowl rack from Hickory Hill Primitives and it’s perfect. I so love it, it’s distressed beautifully. Not sure I will keep it as is, still tweaking but I wanted to share a picture.

I will just share a few pictures of what I’ve been up to.

thanks for stopping by and have a very Happy Valentines Day.

til next time ~

pam

This and that

2012-01-17T14:07:00.001-05:00

Hi, everyone ~ I just snapped this picture outside our door. This past Friday and Saturday we were bombarded with our first real winter storm and today we are expected to get 6 – 8 inches of new snow. Needless to say, I’ve been staying home and weaving or stitching. I should be cleaning but we all know how much fun that is. At least I can say I’ve finally started on the laundry. I have spent several days in the shop working on orders and below you can see what I’ve accomplished. Most of these are in the mail. I did a 30 inch shaker cheese basket by special request and it’s become my new favorite although the shipping on it won’t be cheap even using parcel post. I have done several 14 inch tobacco baskets, the rectangular tobacco baskets and a few different sized cheese baskets. For early work mercantile for February I have a new special basket in mind and I so hope it works out.

I’ve been playing with my blackened beeswax as well and did a few hearts for sale. I just listed them on my selling blog.

I also made one shaker heart basket and I placed a needle punch I made a couple of years ago from a Pineberrylane pattern in it with a wee bit of flax.

I wish I had more to share with you today but this is it. I did mention last time that i was joining a new selling blog but I just could not do justice to it so I have regretfully dropped out. I’m hoping time will permit later on. I’m so thankful for the orders I have been receiving. Weaving is something I love to do and have been at it for 24 years now. I have several new ideas in my head, now to just get them to work, lol.

Thanks for stopping by and stay safe and warm.

til next time ~

pam

What’s new besides the year?

2012-01-03T21:19:00.001-05:00

Hi, Everyone! We are finally getting some snow in our neck of the woods. It’s unusual that we are this far into winter and are just now seeing it pile up. Isn’t it pretty clinging to the trees? Simon has plowed our drive twice in two days. We did have a couple of inches of snow on Christmas so at least it wasn’t a green one.

I’m back in full swing on basketweaving and cross stitching and I am again taking orders if anyone has been holding off, now is the time to order.

I got a special request for 2 24 inch shaker cheese baskets and I love how they turned out. I must make one for me when I get the chance. I have the perfect spot to hang it.

The picture below was taken next to an antique child’s chair ~ I wanted to show you how big the basket is in comparison. Huge, isn’t it?? If you have a big empty spot and you don’t know what to put there, this would be just right.

Here’s a 19 inch one ~

I bought Wendy’s new pattern (Pineberry Lane) for the awesome wool pinkeeps. The first one shown is completed and ready to sell, the 2nd picture is waiting for initials of your choice and either the stitched border or the reproduction chenille trim in the smoke color.

This next picture was borrowed from www.pineberrylane.com with permission to show how it looks with the trim instead of the border. I have stitched this one on the R & R linen as Wendy did in the color rook.

Look how awesome they look in an old trencher with a bit of raw wool. They come stuffed with raw wool as well to keep your needles sharp. The dark one I showed above especially looks good with the wool.

I’ve also finished a couple of new sizes of the tobacco basket. The blue left for England close to a month ago and the large walnut one found a new home in Maryland. The blue is 10 x 16 and the walnut one is 16 x 22 inches.

We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s Eve was very special as we had our two favorite little guys here with us. We had pizza, popcorn, and hot chocolate after sledding.

I kept Christmas simple this year and I already took our tree down as the needles were falling fast. I apologize for not sharing photos with you all. It snuck up so fast on us with baking, shopping, mailing gifts, wrapping, and last minute things.

I’m now onto Valentine’s Day but just offering a few things this year. I love this large pinkeep designed by Jenny Hoffman.

I will soon be making some beeswax hearts made from a vintage mold and the tombstone angels have a small heart on them, perfect for that special day.

I have joined another selling blog which will be updated the 3rd Fridays of each month. I will give more info later and also add a link here for you for easy navigation.

I have been collecting antique blue and brown fabrics for quite awhile now and I will be incorporating them into my offerings soon. Also more in my decorating too as Jenn stated she will be doing. (Taylorsfarmhouseattic). I must say that gal has THE touch when it comes to decorating. I surely wish she lived closer to me, I could use some help. I have tons of decorating books and magazines, I think I will have to get them out.

I also plan on downsizing of a few things I’ve created and may post them here or on facebook. I want to limit myself to just a few special collections.

Well, I’ve talked your ear off tonight. I’ll leave you with a picture. thanks for stopping by and keep an eye on my selling blog. If you would like a wool pinkeep with your initials email me @ basketpam@gmail.com

til next time ~

pam

A NEW YEAR

2011-12-31T09:55:00.001-05:00

I want to wish you all a very Happy 2012. I am amazed that 2011 is almost gone, like the blink of an eye. I apologize for being so remiss in blogging. We all enjoyed a lovely Christmas and I hope you did as well.

May this new year bring you good health, much joy, and may all of your dreams come true.

Don’t forget to check out earlyworkmercantile later tonight and tomorrow for the best early primitives from some awesome artists. Here’s a sneak peek of one of my offerings ~

I want to thank all of my friends, followers, and customers for sticking with me this past year. You are the best.

I’ll be back very soon!

blessings ~

pam

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T11:55:00.001-05:00

Wishing you all a very Happy and abundant Thanksgiving!

Pam

new wares posted for Christmas

2011-10-25T15:10:00.001-04:00

Hi, everyone! It’s a rainy, dreary day here so I thought I would do a quick post to let you know I’ve added several Christmas items to my selling blog. I won’t be accepting any orders after this Friday for a week and a half. I will be checking my emails though.

Here’s a couple of things I’ve listed:

Well, I hate to cut this short but I have to go get ready to see the ortho doc and get this cast off. I so hope I don’t come home with another one. Thank you all for stopping by. My blogging buds are the best!

til next time ~

pam

A few pinkeeps to share, Be thankful

2011-10-23T15:33:00.001-04:00

I’ve had a few things stitched for a bit but not completed so I’ve been busy at the old sewing machine the last few days. I did get outside yesterday and got the fall clean up done and I have several sunflowers drying for next year. I can’t remember if I mentioned that my sweet husband brought me home 4 huge bags of black walnuts, yay, I’m so excited about that. I have some drying to make garlands but love to use these to make my basket stain.

Tuesday I see the ortho doc and the cast is supposed to be coming off for good. Just in time for our trip to Vermont to see Rach, Keith and lil Lucy. He said I may need Physical Therapy but hope to do exercises at home.

I’m back to weaving a little bit, slow going but I am loving it.

I wanted to share a pic of a few things I’ve listed on my selling blog Friday and today.

This one is perfect for Thanksgiving. Sometimes I am a little forgetful. I need to remember every single day to be thankful for all that we have, the simple pleasures of life including the beautiful autumn season.

I’ve loaded up a trencher with some fresh greens and added a few pinkeeps for you to see. I have a few more stitched but they need the finishing touch.

I’ve also started making a few snowmen, it feels so good to be back at my sewing machine. I received 3 new Christmas molds for beeswax and I may offer those on EWM for November, not sure if I will take a break next month or now because we will not be home, thus I won’t be able to ship right away.

I’ll keep you updated on my appt & what happens with the ole arm. thanks so much for stopping by. I have the best blogging friends, I feel we are all kindred spirits.

til next time ~

pam

all about me from a – z & what scares me

2011-10-22T19:16:00.001-04:00

A ~ age I’m 58, yikes!

B ~ bed old fashioned double bed

C ~ Chore I hate ~ putting away seasonal decor, that means the time is flying by too fast.

D ~ dogs, we have 2, Lola and Lottie

E ~ essential start to my day Coffee, intravenously if possible, lol.

F ~ Favorite color Blue, blue, blue

G ~ gold or silver – gold but wear very little jewelry, just not into bling.

H ~ height – 5 ft 3 inches

I ~ instrument I play ~ does sewing machine count?

J ~ job title – wife, mom, yaya, weaver, cook, seamstress, stitcher, gardener, chief bottlewasher, laundress, domestic goddess

K ~ kids, 3

L ~ we live in Michigan

M ~ make of car, Ford Escape

N ~ nicknames ~ jo, dwarf, midge (for midget), Bucky cuz I had an uncle Buck. I think simon calls me most anything except Pam

O ~ overnight hospital stay, several for 4 surgeries

P ~ pet peeve – when I’m talking to someone on the phone and they put me on hold to take another call.

Q ~ quote from a movie - If you can’t say something nice about someone, come sit next to me. from Steel Magnolias

R ~ right or left handed – I’m a rightie

S ~ one older brother, one older sister

T ~ TV shows – Gray’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Criminal Minds, Boss, reruns of Seinfeld and Frasier, Friends, too

U ~ underwear ~ yes, thank you

V ~ veggie I hate – Lima Beans

W ~ what makes me late – I’m usually one of those people that are a couple of minutes early

X ~ xrays, lots of them, most recently about 15 of my arm

Y ~ yummy food, I love pizza but two of my faves that I make are chicken lasagna and chicken enchiladas

Z ~ zoo animals ~ I love to watch the monkeys, they are a hoot.

What scares me ~ snakes and scary movies. I hated the exorcist, amityville horrors, the chuckie movies, anything sick and twisted.

I decided this was fun to play along with the few I’ve seen doing it. I love to read about my fellow bloggers and get to know them a little better.

Now I’m going to add to this. A couple of years back alot of my fellow bloggers were posting 5 things you don’t know about me. Here are 5 about me:

1. I went to school in Wisconsin to learn how to artificially breed cows, I also know how to castrate bull calves before banding was popular.

2. I’m a retired nurse.

3. I’ve lived in northern Mi. my whole life.

4. I was a cheerleader for 6 yrs back, back, way back when.

5. I would love to own my own primitve shop but the economy is too rough.

I hope you all decide to play along, what fun!

til next time ~

pam

Christmas items listed on my selling blog

2011-10-21T20:55:00.001-04:00

Hi, everyone ~ it’s been a very wet and blustery week here in Mi. We spent last week at the cabin and we even saw some sleet. I was cozy in the cabin and got a few pieces stitched. This whole week I’ve been holed up in the house by the fire stitching and sewing as it’s so nasty out. The weekend is supposed to be nice, I’m so hoping I get a chance to get outside and finish up a few fall cleanup chores done. Here’s a picture i took at the cabin last weekend. It’s the river that runs in front of our property.

I just wanted to show pictures of a couple of things I’ve just listed on my selling blog. I guess at this point it’s not too early to be thinking of Christmas. Many people I know will start decorating in about 3 weeks.

I will be adding quite a few more things over the next week before our trip. If you see something you are interested in please email me.

I again apologize for not commenting on some blogs, I just haven’t had any luck trying to figure out what to do. It’s not that I’m not visiting you or trying to comment.

Have a wonderful weekend, til next time ~

pam

Glorious October, Random pictures

2011-10-14T17:03:00.001-04:00

Good afternoon, my fine friends! After two glorious weeks of gorgeous weather we are back to normal weather here in my neck of the woods. The temperature just a few days ago was 81 degrees. Unseasonably warm here but we were lovin’ it. It gave us some time to have fun in the leaves with Koko and Liam. Can you see Koko’s head peeking out in the center?

I snapped a picture of Lola and Lottie when we strolled down our long driveway to get the mail.

Koko is helping grandpa spread soil on our new garden which will be ready to plant next spring. He is such a little worker.

Here he is with his own shovel.

Look who’s standing up already! Lucy is almost 6 months old, seems like she was just born. We will be seeing her soon when we fly to Vermont for a week.

I’ve done a few tombstone and moon angels in a creamy white.

I got this wonderful pumpkin gal from Mary Harris. her work is amazing. the link is http://picturetrail.com/prairiehomeplace

This pillow was made by Wendy from www.pineberrylane.com

It is gorgeous.

I moved a few crocks out of the cupboard onto an old bench right underneath my bowl rack. The small doll is by Sweet Liberty Homestead.

This is what I put in the cupboard to replace the crocks.

When I bought the bigger firkin it was a hideous bright green color. i sanded it several times then painted it a buttermilk color. Then I wiped on some early american stain. I’m so pleased with the results. Much better in person.

Here’s a beautiful bonnet from Lecia at Farmhouse prims. Her handmades are gorgeous and she now has a selling blog. I have several of her bonnets and love them all. This one is on an antique butter churn. Thru the window is our porch.

More of Lecia’s bonnets, hanging baby’s breath.

More bonnets and a ditty bag I made from antique homespun.

Buttermilk over blue and walnut stain basket I made which has found a home with Teresa from Deppenhomestead.

I took this picture yesterday of Lottie and Lola. They had a chipmunk up a tree and stayed there for hours until I finally called them in for a treat.

A jug and a crock by the woodstove.

This is a super long antique bench by the door coming in from the garage in the family room. Sometimes it’s a catchall for keys, phones, library books, mail, etc. I try and keep it neat but . . .

Her wicked best designed by The Primitive Needle, still available on my selling blog.

A nail keg with a blue top, candle keep, candle from Kath (oldeweepingcedar). I know the blues don’t look like they match but in person it looks good and that’s the best thing about primitive decorating, you can mix colors and it all blends together.

This is a super sized gourd in another crock in the kitchen.

A makedo broom with gourds in another crock next to the big one with the gourd. Antique blue fabric on the broom.

A crow pinkeep designed by Jen of taylorsfarmhouseattic. I have it hanging over a handcrafted broom I got from Amy of Bumblebeelane.

The broom is awesome. Thanks, Amy!

The top of the antique cupboard from Simon’s parents. The old picture is Simon’s dad and brothers. They grew up in Detroit when it was mostly farmland, it is in the original oval frame. You can see some tobacco leaves hanging from the beam.

Here are a couple of prim witches I made from a Pineberry Lane pattern before I broke my arm.

Here is one of the witches of primwick I made, the customer kindly shared a picture of her display.

Handmade cabin and a couple lonely putz sheep. I am on the lookout for more sheep if anyone has any for sale please let me know, thanks.

I will leave you with one last photo of Lucy Goosey in her little pumpkin outfit. What a priceless picture!

I am slowly getting back to crafting with my shorter “green” cast. Everything goes much slower but I’m so thankful for what I am able to do. I have been stitching on some wonderful Christmas primitives for the November update on EarlyWorkMercantile.com Make sure you check out the talented artisans there. Updates are on the first and fifteenth of each month. Beginning next month the theme is Log Cabin Christmas. I also hope to have a new basket listed.

Please keep Lee M. from FallingStarPrimitives in your prayers as her family has suffered the most horrible tragedy earlier this week.

Thank you all for stopping by. I visit your blog updates daily but if I haven’t left you a comment it’s because I haven’t been able to due to blogger issues. I have deleted cookies so I think it works now.

Take goode care, til next time ~

pam

Me?? Posting Again??

2011-09-21T18:14:00.001-04:00

Wow, you must be able to tell I have a broken arm, I haven’t posted this often in ages. I’m limited as to what I can do so I’ve been playing with beeswax as well as a little more decorating, changing what I’ve already done, just can’t seem to get it quite how I want it. I drool over the primitive magazines and books, the homes in them are perfect. I’m on the hunt for a couple of primitive cupboards, one for our porch and one for the family room. My piesafe is currently in the family room with a small TV on top of it and it’s filled with fabric, patterns, flax, wool, needle punch things, etc. but I really miss being able to decorate it with the doors open. I may have to make some changes and put those supplies elsewhere.

Monday Gwen went out of town so the boys came over for the day. It was drizzly but warm. Simon had been fishing super early (like 3am) and caught a couple of salmon. The boys wanted to watch him clean them

Then we took a stroll down our long driveway to get the mail. What little boy can resist mud puddles?? Here’s Liam with Lola.

Here’s Koko on our way back. I can’t get over how these boys are growing! They bring so much joy into our lives and we are so grateful that they live close by. We are really looking forward to our trip to Vermont to see Lucy, Rachael and Keith. Babies just grow up so fast, right before your eyes. We do skype now and then, Lucy has changed a little every time we have seen her.

I’ve added a little bittersweet here and there. This is all fresh bittersweet that I bought online.

Just a touch on our old cupboard.

one of the baskets I’ve made, I totally changed the whole desk decor, it was much too cluttered before.

I added a touch to the bowl rack that Simon made for me as well as a small pumpkin gourd and Halloween Kitty.

I added a touch to one of the crocks in the family room. I got the fabulous primitive iron candle holder from Janet at www.winterwillowprimitives.com I love it!

Family room next to the woodstove. Grain scoop with a touch of bittersweet. It is sitting on one of those metal shoe thingeys, antique, just not sure what they are called. Then I have a couple of primitive handmade brooms next to it, in case the car doesn’t have gas, lol.

A canning crock with some more bittersweet along with a veggie basket I made.

egg basket with more bittersweet

Top of our blue cabinet in the living room. I got the prim pumpkin from Marie aka Olde Lady Morgan. An old chair with a little gourd, a few of my bonnets and antique robin egg blue candle holder. I covered the blue boxes.

Another wall in the living room with antique basket. Love my old basket peg board from my friend Kath (oldeweepingcedar).

A chair and pumpkin in our porch with fresh grapevine.

This is Matilda, she’s huge, made from a Veena pattern. She’s sitting in the porch.

old sap bucket in the porch

porch, basket of gourds and stick pumpkin from Olde Lady Morgan. Basket is sitting on an antique kerosene heater.

I added a touch of bittersweet to the old chippy white box which holds some corn husks and another stick pumpkin from my dear friend Olde Lady Morgan. Her handmades are the best and smell divine!

A basket of gourds we grew sitting in front of our kitchen garden which has been cleaned out after the frost. Love the sweet flag from my friend Lecia from Farmhouse Prims. I found the old radio flyer wagon at a garage sale a couple of years ago.

Gwen picked us up 3 warty pumpkins when she went to Traverse City. I am going to save the seeds and try and grow some next year. They are the coolest. I want to find a white one.

close up of window box, porch window.

One of our old cream cans filled with broom corn and this year I put in a few fresh sunflowers. They were so heavy they were almost lying on the ground so I cut a few.

This is the door with the crow on it that goes into the porch. Our porch isn’t heated so around Christmas time it makes a great 2nd refrigerator for all of those baked goods and leftovers from those big holiday meals.

Back inside ~ a few teeny tiny makedos from a Pineberry Lane pattern. This has got to be one of my favorite patterns from Wendy. You can make great Santas with this pattern as well.

One of my small shaker baskets in walnut with some bittersweet, small pumpkin, putka pods and a small beeswax cupboard light that I offer on my selling blog.

Tall weed basket with some dried yarrow.

Here are a few things I have just added to my selling blog this afternoon. If you have any questions email me at basketpam@gmail.com There is a link to my selling blog on my sidebar.

And I’ve saved the best for last. Don’t you just love this tiny witch ornament. I’ve added a rusty wire hanger which you can turn so you can hang her almost anywhere. I just love her. The mold is from Sharon at Homespun Heart Primitives. Thanks so much, Sharon.

Close up ~ love the fine details. These are unscented, made with local beeswax which I have dyed pitch.

Thanks for stopping by! Isn’t tomorrow the first day of Autumn? Happy Autumn to you all. When we went in town last evening for groceries we saw quite a few red, yellow and orange leaves. I’m thinking this year the colors are going to be glorious. That’s one more thing I’m thankful for on my long, long gratitude list. Another gratitude is all of my prim friends that I have met thru blogging. You just can’t beat the generous and warm spirit that you all have. take goode care, enjoy life’s simple pleasures and til next time ~

pam

witches in the air

2011-09-17T21:31:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to stop by quickly to let you know I have added a couple of new things to my selling blog. I changed my beeswax moon angel a bit and added a couple of awesome beeswax witches.

I got the molds for all of these from Sharon at Homespunheartprimitives. Sharon has a blog and a picturetrail and her work is awesome. If they look shiny to you it’s not my fault, haha, it is definitely the camera’s fault.

I also have the witch cones for sale again this year on my selling blog.

Today it was gorgeous here, a perfect fall day. I got two garden beds cleaned out, harvested the squash and gourds. We got very few acorns but lots of ornamental gourds to decorate with. I will soon have Simon cut the broom corn and I will do some outside decorating. I’m hoping to find some cinderella pumpkins this year. They may start showing up since we’ve had frost a couple of nights now. I love the white pumpkins too and I’m hoping to grow some next year. I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. Email me at basketpam@gmail.com if you have any questions & I hope you get a chance to check out my selling blog.

til next time ~ enjoy the simple pleasures!

pam

on the mend, this and that

2011-09-16T19:55:00.001-04:00

Hi, everyone! I went back to the ortho doc yesterday and he was pleased with my xrays. I’ve been doing my best to behave and now I can use the fingers on my left hand. The swelling has dissipated and much less pain. Thanks for all of your concerned comments and emails that I have received.

This week Liam started preschool and did so well. No crying when his mom left and he says he really likes it. He goes two days a week for 3 hours.

Twas the night before school ~

all ready to go ~

They all got to sit on their favorite color in the circle, green for Liam.

Rachael and Keith emailed us some pictures from Vermont, they are settling in, she started work in August.' Rachael and Lucy at the beach.

Lucy and her poppa.

Rachael, Lucy and some Vermont cows.

Love this shot of Yogi.

Unhappy baby, awww.

all smiles!

I’ve had a few people ask me where I get my bittersweet ~ until my starts producing I’ve been getting it at www.flowerdepotstore.com

Here’s mine that just came recently. It is so fresh and vibrant.

Here are a few things that I’ve had finished and will be adding to my selling blog this evening. Also sadly a pile of unfinished cross stitched pieces that I hope to finish soon.

Farmer elder pumpkins in 2 sizes. The pattern is from www.pineberrylane.com I love this pattern, so many ways you can finish these primitive faces. I have one on a hogscraper and one on an old oil can.

Fancey Blackett and her butter churn, this is another awesome pattern from Wendy at Pineberry Lane.

all stitched up ready for framing, pillows, pinkeeps. I’m hoping this next week I can start sewing again.

Last night we had a frost but fortunately we had gone out and picked all of the tomatoes and green peppers. We put the tomatoes out in the shop and covered them, hoping they ripen. I have a few acorn squash and gourds to gather this weekend. We have had a fire in the woodstove every evening this week and the leaves are starting to turn. Soon the colors will be breathtaking. Simon has been helping with the cooking and this week we made a huge pot of vegetable beef soup and also chili. We used fresh tomatoes in each of them, delicious. We froze several containers of each, they sure come in handy for Simon’s lunch thermos.

This weekend I plan on making lasagna using fresh zucchini and fresh tomatoes. It’s like veggie lasagna but I do use beef as well. Has anyone been watching The Pioneer Woman on Food Network? She has a new show on, Saturdays I think at 11:30 am. Tomorrow is her 3rd show. I have gotten several delicious recipes from her blog, chicken spaghetti is one of our very favorites. It’s a great comfort food and makes a big pan of it. Lots of gooey cheese, pimentos, peppers, and uses soups and chicken broth for the sauce. I’ve taken it to gatherings and get rave reviews and always come home with an empty roaster pan. Love comfort foods!

I’m off to post a couple of things on my selling blog. Tomorrow in the mail I should be receiving a couple of awesome new molds from Sharon Mitchell of Homespunheartprimitives. She makes the best molds and I can’t wait to use them. Speaking of mail have you all been following the news about the USPS financial woes? If I weren’t married to a mail carrier I never would have known that the post office has been self supporting with no tax dollars involved. They have always generated their revenue but mail is down due to people paying bills on the internet. I do my best to help out, seems like I’m always getting packages. Simon says it’s like Christmas for me all the time, lol. I love to support all of the fabulous artists and crafters on the web and there sure aren’t any prim shops local.

well, glad you stopped by. I’m so grateful I can type with 2 hands and that I wasn’t hurt worse than I was.

have a great weekend, get out there and enjoy the simple pleasures fall has to offer.

til next time ~

pam

out of commission

2011-09-10T09:18:00.001-04:00

well, don’t laugh too hard but this olde yaya decided to show the little boys how good i could skateboard. NOT! i took a bad fall over backwards and snapped my radius. i have a long cast for 3 wks, then a short one for another 2 or 3 wks. i’m hoping i can figure out how to stitch but ant sewing or weaving is out for awhile. how embarrassing to go to the E.R. in these clothes, we had just finished giving lola a bath. gwen took this pictre later in the day when we stopped by to show the boys that yaya was ok. they loved my hard cast.

before the “incident” we were outside all morning so i snapped a few pics. thought i would share them. this typing one handed is sure a pain.

don’t you love his t-shirt?

check out the size of the nasturtiums. they’ve taken over

i just finishrd up a few things & will be adding them to my selling blog. her wicked best is from a design by the primitive needle.

tomorrow is the anniversary of 9-11, let’s not ever forget.

til next time, enjoy the simple pleasures of life (but no skateboarding)

pam

A LITTLE BIT OF FALL, LOTS OF PICTURES

2011-09-07T17:19:00.001-04:00

Hi, everyone! It sure seems like fall here in Michigan. We’ve had to cover our garden the last two nights and also had a fire in the woodstove already. The evenings and nights are downright chilly, back to sweatshirts and flannel pjs for me. I got out my totes of fall treasures and started adding a few touches around our home. I’m still waiting for my bittersweet to come that I ordered but I expect it soon. It was to be shipped around the first of September. Hopefully our bittersweet plants will produce next year. I have four of them, they are really growing and are about 4 years old. I thought I would share a few pictures of what I have added so far.

Here’s a 3 foot sunflower that I dried last year, I don’t have just the right container for it so I think I will end up adding some jute and hanging it on the door. I hope to dry some more this year. I also added a few to one of my beesting crocks.

Here’s a closeup of it.

Here are a couple of things I’ve added to my selling blog today. If you get a chance pop on over to see my new offerings.

A couple of shots of what’s still growing. Our sunflowers and gourds have done fantastic this year. I will have tons of gourds to decorate with and to dry for next year.

Here are a few things I have stitched, just waiting to be stained and framed.

Well, I hope my pictures didn’t bore you. I didn’t realize there were so many and I’m still decorating. Just a few more gourds to add here and there and then the bittersweet when it arrives. I still have to decorate outside yet but the pumpkins aren’t ready yet. I hope you are all having a great week. I’m so enjoying this fall weather and we have leaves turning already. Take good care!

til next time ~

pam

New offerings on my selling blog

2011-09-02T22:44:00.001-04:00

Good evening everyone! I want to wish you all a safe and happy holiday weekend. We will be staying home and laboring, lol. There is just way too much traffic in Mi. on Labor Day week as they have the annual Mackinac bridge walk which is only an hour away from our home. On a fun note Liam and Kohen are coming Monday afternoon for a sleepover. I can’t wait. I hope the weather is good though I hear we may get a frost Tues. night. It’s much too early for that, I guess I will have to bring in my geraniums and ferns.

I’ve started a little autumn decorating and added some dried black eyed susans and sunflowers from last year to one of my beesting crocks. I hope to use more naturals in my fall decor this year.

Can you spot the two bees on one of this year’s sunflowers? We have an abundance of bees this year which I’m sure is why our gardens have done so well.

The following pictures are a few things that I’m offering on my selling blog if you have a chance to stop by. There is a link on the top right sidebar.

Providence Old acre, a pineberry lane primitive pattern ~ she is available at earlyworkmercantile this month. There is a link on my sidebar. Wonderful primitives are added there on the 1st and 15th of each month. This is a very large pumpkin doll and you will love her.

I love these primitive witch cones and you have your choice of broomcorn, flax flowers or preserved sweet annie.

Here’s the sampler I just finished stitched. The pattern is by Jennifer Taylor Gass, taylorsfarmhouseattic. I just made a couple of changes on it. It is yet to be stained and framed. I love how it came up and I will be offering it for sale soon.

I have the halloween garden on earlywork mercantile as well if you are interested. It was done using a pattern by The Primitive Needle, I love the patterns that she designed in her short life and my heart goes out to her family.

Technorati Tags: ninny and walter the halloween garden cross stitch primitives

I’m working on several beeswax items that will make great ornies for your prim seasonal tree, I have a stack of stitched items calling out to be finished, and there’s another giveaway in the works. I will soon be displaying a few pictures of our autumn decor, too.

thanks for stopping by. My heart goes out to those affected by Hurricane Irene and you are all in my prayers. Mrs. toombs treasures are calling my name to finish stitching.

til next time ~

pam

Happy September

2011-08-31T19:53:00.001-04:00

Hi, my primitive friends!

Where the heck did August go, as a matter of fact, where did the summer go? Gone in the blink of an eye. I am getting some late bloomers in the garden and we are starting to enjoy lots of fresh tomatoes and zucchini. We’ve been getting peppers and cucumbers for a bit and soon the acorns will be ready.

The squash and gourds have gone crazy and are spreading across the back yard.

This year I decided to try growing some broomcorn and it is doing very well. I will soon have some ready to cut and dry. I’ve been cutting tansy, brown eyed susans and hydrangeas and drying them as well. Next year I hope to grow some pumpkins, the orange and white ones as Simon as just tilled us up a new garden spot.

Before Rachael, keith and Lucy left for Vermont this sweet picture of the 3 grands was taken. I love the expression on Lucy’s face. Speaking of Vermont, what a welcome they received with Hurricane Irene. Vermont was one of the harder hit states but they are OK. My heart goes out to all of those affected by this devastating storm and my prayers are with you all.

Here is one of my offerings for Early Work Mercantile for September. Be sure and stop over if you get a chance and see what all of the talented artists have to offer.

I hope to be back very, very soon with new pictures. I have been stitching and sewing like a maniac for my selling blog and an upcoming show. I hope to start my fall decorating tomorrow since it will be September so I feel I can start without rushing the season too much. I got my 2 giant bags of gourds out of the barn today. Simon stores them in two very large bags & hangs them from the rafters, just in case there are any critters out there. We’ve never had a problem with it but a gal can’t be too careful with their prims, right? I want to thank my friend Lecia for the awesome candles that she sent me for my birthday. She is just the sweetest gal and the candles are the best I’ve ever had.

Well, time to get busy doing something, even if it’s wrong, lol. I made a new design of basket yesterday and will offer it soon. I’m so sorry for neglecting my selling blog lately but my head is spinning with ideas and the table in my craft room is piled high with things that just need the finishing touch.

Happy Fall, Happy Harvest and thanks so much for stopping by.

til next time ~

pam

Technorati Tags: gathering basket,garden photos,grandchildren

SWAP WITH OLM, OUR NEW BABY, GARDEN ~ PICTURE LADEN

2011-08-06T11:05:00.001-04:00

Hello to all of my friends ~ wow, where is the summer going? Marie aka OLM and I recently did a swap & did I ever get the better end of that deal. As soon as I opened the package the primitive aroma that we all love just exploded from the box. If you aren’t familiar with her work you better hurry on over and check out her awesome primitives. http://primitivesbyoldeladymorgan.blogspot.com/

I received 2 witch makedos, a pumpkin makedo, 2 pumpkins on a stick, and a sweet prim doll in her lil’ red dress. It’s such a shame I had to put most of it away for a bit yet but these fabulous prims are making my craft room smell divine. Thanks so much, Marie ~ I absolutely love everything.

Our daughter, sil, new baby Lucille Simone, their dog Yogi and kitty chopsticks are making their way cross country from Seattle to Vermont where they will be living. They stopped in Michigan for 4 days, 2 days here and today they are headed to keith’s parents to spend a couple of days.

Me, Simon, and lil’ Lucy

Simon, Rachael and Lucy

Simon and “the girls”

“Yaya” and Lucy

Grandpa’s got the “touch”. Put her right to sleep.

Here we are. Liam is at that age where he cannot stand to have his picture taken.

Random photos from our yard and gardens ~ enjoy! I am not a formal gardener at all, just primitive and things may be scattered but they make me happy ~ that’s what counts, right?

Makedo birdbath.

Yarrow ~

astilbe and hosta

beloved brown eyed susans

purple coneflower

pink coneflowers

white “milkshake” coneflower

beebalm with butterfly

beebalm, tall phlox that hasn’t bloomed yet

morning glory

impatients

abundance of squash & gourds

mammoth sunflowers

they are way taller than I am

starting to open up

bench in the lil’ garden

gorgeous nasturtiums

tansy

hydrangea will be plentiful this year

brilliant red hollyhocks

chamomile, spearmint, sage

white coneflowers

butterfly bush

I will leave you with this picture ~ me, Lucy, Liam, Kohen.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the little garden tour. Wishing you all a wonderful week and I’ll be back soon with pics of what I’ve been working on.

til next time ~

pam

Early Work Mercantile Update

2011-07-31T21:52:00.001-04:00

As you all know tomorrow is August 1st which means an update at http://earlyworkmercantile.blogspot.com/ I hope you take some time to stop by and see all of the new offerings from such a talented group of artisans.

I’ve been busy picking blueberries up north, we got 16 quarts so far but are headed back up north on the weekend. Our flowerbeds are gorgeous this year and the veggies are coming along nicely. I hope to share some pictures later this week. Everything needs a good watering everyday as we haven’t seen any rain in quite awhile.

Here’s a couple of my offerings on EWM

I hope you all have a wonderful week. I should be sharing some pictures soon. thanks for stopping by.

til next time ~

pam

WHAT MAKES MY HEART SKIP A BEAT

2011-07-22T21:53:00.001-04:00

Marie, aka olde lady morgan is having a surprise giveaway on her blog and here’s the link. Scroll down a couple of posts and join in the fun. Coming from her I know it will be primitive and it will be awesome. http://primitivesbyoldeladymorgan.blogspot.com/

What makes my heart skip a beat:

My dear husband Simon, shown here with Koko last year.

Our dear and precious grandsons Koko and Liam, don’t they look like angels in this picture?

Our newest addition to the family, Lucille Simone ~

Our other girls ~ Lola and Lottie.

the glorious colors of autumn and seeing the wildlife that come into our yard. Look closely, you can see the deer.

Cross stitching, fall decorating.

the changing seasons in Michigan.

I love baskets, crocks, samplers, dried flowers, decorating, the list goes on but as you can see it’s family that revs my heart up. Join in the fun at oldeladymorgans, you won’t be disappointed whatever the giveaway prize is.

til next time

pam

And the Winner Is . . . .

2011-07-10T19:07:00.002-04:00

No, I didn't forget about who the winner of the summer giveaway is. First we had errands to run earlier today, then we came home, packed up the dogs and took them to a nearby river so they could cool off. Both of our girls are extremely Hairy and get warm this time of year, especially when it's 90 degrees. Thank goodness we have an a/c unit to keep our home cool. I've been busy with the flower beds, garden, stitching, weaving, etc. but I'm sure that's not why you visited me this evening, so without further ado

I had Simon select a name from the basket. There were 76 names in it, thanks to all of you for your lovely comments. I so wish I could send something to everyone but I'm sure you all understand. I'm so thrilled to have so many followers, just never dreamed anyone would be interested enough. But I forgot how we prim girls are, love to drool over each others creations, decorating, recipes, beautiful families, gardens, flower beds, Oh, shoot I forgot I was announcing the winner.
GINA OF CATNAP INN PRIMITIVES
Gina, I will send you an email letting you know you have won.
til next time
pam

SUMMER GIVEAWAY

2011-06-29T09:37:00.001-04:00

It’s time for a giveaway here at basketsnprims. Right now it is a mystery to me what exactly I will be giving away ~ all I know is that it will be a basket along with some other primitives. Maybe some cross stitch, maybe some beeswax, maybe some drieds, maybe all of the above. I may even throw in a doll or a makedo. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post and someone other than me will draw a winner on July 10th.

I may even let the winner choose what they want. I want to wish all of you a very Happy and safe 4th of July weekend. I’m hoping the weather cooperates for all of your festivities.

til next time ~

pam

I have been a bad, bad blogger

2011-06-23T15:04:00.001-04:00

Hi, everyone ~ I apologize sincerely for being such a bad blogger as of late. So much has happened in the last two months that I cannot even begin to tell you what has been going on because more than likely I have forgotten half of it, lol.

The biggest and most joyful news is that we have a new granddaughter. Her name is Lucille Simone and she was born on Easter Sunday. The Lucille comes from her daddy’s grandma’s name and Simone is from my sweet hubby’s name Simon. Rachael, Keith and the baby currently live in Seattle but Rachael received word about 3 weeks ago that she got a job teaching at the University of Vermont and will start this fall. We are thrilled that they will be living so much closer to us. We surely will be out that way visiting and with a university job she will have long enough breaks that they will get home for some holidays. She and Keith are both engineers and he possibly is getting a job there as well. This first picture was taken shortly after her birth.

The second picture was taken when Lucy was about 8 weeks which was very recent.

I won’t bore you with details but I was sick most of the month of May so got very little accomplished. By the end of the month I was back on my feet thankfully. We got our garden planted and I did quite a bit of work in the flower beds.

I am finishing up with the tail end of the orders that I had received for baskets and cross stitch orders. I also participated in a couple of fabulous swaps and will share pics next time. It’s pouring rain here and the lighting is so bad to get good pictures. I do have a few other random pics to share with you. You may click on them to enlarge them.

Well, I said random pics and that’s what they are. I did want to show you the bowl rack that Simon made for me. Also we found an excellent deal on a used swing set for the boys to have at our house. Under the little landing grandpa is going to fill with sand for them. The other pictures are just a few things I’ve been working on. July 1st for Early Work Mercantile I will have a couple more new things and I’ve also started working on a few things for fall. I will share my swap pics next time, a couple of hooked rugs I purchased, and will be announcing a 4th of July giveaway here on my blog so stay tuned. I wish you all a very happy and safe summer.

til next time ~

pam

Welcome Spring

2011-04-11T20:40:00.001-04:00

Good evening, my friends. Up until a couple of days ago we were still practically buried in snow but the last two days have brought lots of rain and some severe thunderstorms. The temperatures were warm so all we have left are a couple of banks from where Simon pushed the snow with the plow.

Here’s a picture of Kohen and Liam playing outside when they were over one day last week. Those two little boys sure love to play outside.

Simon built us a wonderful cupboard to hide our tv, satellite receiver and dvd player. Then I stained it, painted it, sanded it, then stained it again. The paint I used was Laura Ashley powder blue by Valspar from Lowes. I have got to paint the chair railing, it’s an off white but stands out too much for my taste.

Here’s a closeup of the cupboard.

Here is a punchneedle bag that I’ve filled with wool and hung it from one of the knobs on the cupboard. The blue in the design is a perfect match. I used a design from Wendy at PineberryLane.

Here is a sampling of the baskets that I’ve been making for orders. I just posted on my selling blog that I am taking a break from orders and I will occasionally offer a cross stitch item, beeswax primitives or such. After I get the spring cleaning finished & some painting done Kohen and Liam are coming for two weeks as Gwen is flying out to Seattle. Miah will be picking them up most evenings and dropping them off in the mornings on his way to work. During that time I so hope to get some yard work done, maybe I can get them to help?? The 14 inch tobacco baskets have been so popular, I’ve actually lost track of how many I’ve made.

Here’s a Stacy Nash pinkeep that I put on my selling blog today if you are interested.

Here is a very large redwork sampler that I finished stitching recently. I need to stain it and have Simon build me a frame for it. I will be offering it on my selling blog as soon as it is finished.

These beeswax cupboard hangers will be on my selling blog this week. They will be $6.00 each plus shipping. I also have a heart. I bought the molds from Sharon at HomespunHeart Primitives.

Here is one more cross stitch I’ll be offering this week. It’s a lovely needlebook designed by Stacy Nash.

Well, that’s it for today, my fine friends. I know we are all busy this time of year with spring cleaning and yard work. I hope you will keep an eye on my blogs, new prims coming on my selling blog and a giveaway soon on this blog. I also have 2 new baskets coming to Early Work Mercantile for May. Don’t forget to stop by there on the 1st and 15th of each month ~ you will be so glad you did. Such talent from the various artists there.

Thank you for stopping by and thank you to such wonderful customers. I hope you all remember to take a little time each day to enjoy life’s simple pleasures.

pam

GIVEAWAY AT A PRIMITIVE PLACE

2011-03-26T16:32:00.001-04:00

Good afternoon my friends! Wow, it’s been a bitter cold week here in northern Michigan and unfortunately we were blasted with another 10 –12 inches of new snow. But to celebrate spring hop on over to

http://aprimitiveplacemagazine.blogspot.com/

and sign up for the giveaway they are having. The amazingly talented people that bring us such a fantastic magazine are having a giveaway. Please become a follower of their new blog, you will be treated to such eye candy, sneak peeks of the magazine, and often photos that don’t make it into the magazine, though I don’t know how they can be cut. What a hard job for Kristine, the editor and the whole team ~ deciding what stays and what goes. I’ve never seen a “bad” picture there yet. They are all magazine worthy. If you haven’t yet subscribed to A Primitive Place magazine, you don’t know what you are missing. Anyway here is what the winner will receive ~ a 14 inch handwoven tobacco basket straight from my workshop. If you are the winner don’t be surprised if you find a little something tucked in.

To my wonderful customers please don’t be too angry with me. Koko and Liam stayed overnight last weekend and a little virus came to visit. I won’t go into the gory details but we all ended up sick, my husband being the last victim on Thursday. We are all recovered now but I didn’t get much done this week in the way of crafting. I did get our spare bathroom walls painted last Saturday and still haven’t decorated in there yet. I want to share a picture with you before I sign off. Monday morning Liam went outside with grandpa but because Kohen wasn’t feeling well he stayed in with Yaya. He sat on the window ledge watching his brother play, then Liam started throwing snowballs at us. I love to hear these little boys giggle ~ what joy they bring into our lives. You can see Liam outside the window, making his little brother laugh.

I want to wish you all a happy spring weekend and thanks for stopping by.

til next time ~

pam

Just a little update

2011-03-12T19:17:00.001-05:00

Good evening my friends! Here is the view out our door today ~ we got about 8 inches of fresh snow to add to the piles we already had. It’s beautiful but Come on Spring. I’m ready, which reminds me we are switching to daylight savings time tonight. I don’t like the thought of losing an hour of sleep but love the extra daylight in the evenings.

Here are the little boys Liam and Kohen watching their poppa play hockey. There’s a few local men’s teams and Miah plays. Hockey is one of Koko’s new words. Below is a picture of Liam at the dentist getting his first cleaning. What a good boy. Here’s such a sweet picture of Koko. Looks like he’s really thinking hard.

Here’s the 14 inch tobacco basket. If you are waiting for one I should be sending invoices out tomorrow. I got 9 of them finished the last few days. They will be ready to ship Monday morning. thanks so much!

Here’s a blackened beeswax bunny I have offered on my selling blog. I also have a pineapple, willow tree, flower, and heart. They are about 3 x 3 and the molds are from Sharon Mitchell. Thanks Sharon. I love them.

These pinkeeps are stitched from a Lori Brechlin pattern and I have just listed them. They are all backed with early ticking or homespun/quilt pieces.

This is the latest pattern from Wendy at Pineberry Lane. Ninny and Walter. I love them, Ninny is quite the stout gal and is mounted on an old textile bobbin. I have just listed this set as well. Wendy has the best patterns, check out her website. www.pineberrylane.com

This is one of my older listings on my selling blog. There are a few older listings so if you visit there, make sure and check the older pages.

I have been spending most of my time out in the shop working on orders. Thank you to all of the wonderful customers out there.

I really need to start spring cleaning so I may be taking a break from selling for a bit but won’t be gone long. I have some painting I need to get done, freshen things up a bit. I want you all to know before March is over I’ll be having a giveaway, not sure what it will be yet but it will be something wonderful, I promise. thanks for stopping by, I’m always glad when you take a minute to visit. Happy Spring to everyone, not too many days away.

til next time ~

pam

What’s new and a sneak peek for EWM

2011-02-28T19:55:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone ~ I’d like to wish you all a Merry month of March. You know what that means ~ spring is coming! YAY! To me though, this winter has gone by quite quickly. When I sip on my coffee in the mornings the birds are singing and lately our two dogs have been a little more rambunctious. Living in Michigan for my whole life I have learned to not get too excited. I remember many snowstorms in April and May. Look at this picture last year that was taken Mother’s Day weekend.

I’ve been busy working on some basket orders, some cross stitch, some primitive dolls and a few beeswax cupboard hangers.

This is a flatware basket with a hand carved handle. It is divided into 3 sections. It was designed for flatware but would be handy for sewing and stitching, for hiding those remotes, or even some small pots of faux flowers, maybe a candle. It is a very sturdy basket.

Here are Millie and Tuck, I made them from a Walnut Ridge primitive pattern and are on their way to their new home in Minnesota. Thanks so much, Cyndy.

I made a couple of Mr. Parsleys from a Pineberry Lane with their burlap feed sack pockets.

Here is a primitive doll all in blues and grays with a closeup of her sweet pencilled face. She is holding one of my 3 inch egg basket.

Here is a sampler I stitched using a pattern for part of it from Shelly Auen and the sweet little girl is from a new pattern by Jennifer Taylor Gass called Cloverdale Road. It’s a larger sampler and it’s gorgeous. I will be starting on the full sampler soon. You can find it here: http://taylorsfarmhouseattic.blogspot.com/

This is a little tiny sampler I stitched using a freebie from patternmart by shelly auen. I made a dozen prim eggs for spring decorating too.

We had the pleasure of being without water for 4 days last week as our well apparently was running dry. Last Thursday they came and dug us a new well. You don’t realize how much water you use until you are borrowing/stealing/begging for water from your neighbor. Thanks, Arlen and Connie. We are back in business with water and I even have the laundry caught up.

Tonight around 9pm will be the March update for www.earlyworkmercantile.com So many talented artists there and I hope you take the time to look over their wares and do some prim shopping. With that I’ll leave you with a sneak peek of one of my new items that will be for sale there.

til next time ~

pam

this and that Greetings everyone! I have been wanting to make a post but waited until I had some pictures to share. We’ve had a little warm spell here in Michigan and have lost a little snow. It’s been in the 40s and I’m sure enjoying it although the forecast is snow in our future. Here is a doll I finished up this week and I decided she needed a little puppy as a friend. Her name is Amelia and his name is simply Pup. I will be adding them to my selling blog this afternoon. The pocket and sash on her dress are early blue calicos and her hair is flax.

2011-02-18T17:05:00.001-05:00

Here is a blackened beeswax cupboard hanger I made this week. I made him from a mold from Sharon at HomespunHeartPrimitives and I love him. He is also on my selling blog. Perfect for spring.

I made a few of these this week for orders, my favorite is the cream color which is milk paint.

I had an order for a feather basket and got that finished and mailed out today. The lid on this basket is non-removable. It was actually designed to gather feathers and then the lid could be quickly lowered so they didn’t blow away. I have shown a pic with the lid up, too.

This pinkeep is made from a freebie by PrimitiveBettys and I added the Seek Joy and the year. I’m listing it this afternoon.

Liam stayed with us on the weekend so he went out to help Grandpa shovel. They also did some riding and made a snowman.

I had a few “heads” laying around for these little makedos so I decided I need to start finishing some projects. These are a Pineberry Lane design and so fun to make.

Here is the 14 inch tobacco basket. I will be offering them in 2 sizes. I so wish I could figure out how to make my own hoops then I could experiment with some bigger ones but I don’t have a clue. I know you need to have the thin strips of hickory or oak, boil them so they will bend, but that’s the extent of my knowledge on that. I buy the hoops from a basketry supply business.

I have a couple of new items coming out on March 1st over at earlyworkmercantile so I hope you get a chance to stop by there. I will be back before that with a sneak peek of one or two things. A couple of nights ago I ordered quite a bit of early blue fabric to add to my stash. I will be getting some calicos and a little bit of homespun. I so love those early fabrics. I have several new patterns I will be cross stitching and sewing up a storm during the evenings and spending some hours out in the shop during the day. Our woodstove in the shop makes that room so darn cozy and fun to work in.

I’m so glad you stopped by and hope you have a chance to leave a comment. Have a lovely weekend and hang on ~ spring is not far off.

til next time ~

pam

Hodgepodge

2011-01-31T20:53:00.001-05:00

Liam’s 3rd birthday was on the 23rd of January and it was such a fun party. Liam wanted everything to be green so almost everyone wore green shirts, the cake, tablecloth, napkins and plates were all green. I made a “green velvet” cake and it was delicious. Just like the red in taste and I also made the cooked frosting and just tinted lightly with green. Liam received some wonderful gifts and we all enjoyed pizza, cake and dessert. In the 2nd picture he was waiting for us to finish singing “happy birthday” so he could blow out his candles.

I ordered some early fabrics and a very large antique quilt piece and they came today. They are shown here along with some pieces I received last week. I bought the quilt and most of the early blue calicos and homespun from Jackie. She has a picturetrail, Jackieland and sells on ebay as ragpicker. thank you so much Jackie. I love everything.

I did a swap with a dear friend and received this wonderful firkin from her. It is old and I thought it was the perfect spot for some rolling pins.

I moved some of the cabin dolls I bought into this basket on the wall. I love to look up and see them standing there.

I just wanted to share a couple of pictures of some baskets. the top one is a tiny little 3 inch egg basket that I recently made. I put it next to the ragball so you could see how small it is. The second picture is the 10 inch egg basket that I made next to a sock doll I also made. The 10 inch egg basket is one of my offerings for www.earlyworkmercantile.com which will posted later this evening. I will be offering my wares there the first of each month and feel honored to be among such amazingly talented artists. I do hope you take a bit of time to stop by their website and enjoy some primitive shopping.

til next time ~

pam

What’s new and a link to share

2011-01-22T17:28:00.001-05:00

It’s hard to believe but our oldest grandson Liam will be 3 tomorrow. It seems like yesterday that he came into the world, now he’s a big brother to our Kohen and they have both brought so much joy into our lives.

I’ve received several emails and comments from my last post about Alecia’s dolls. She sells at www.earlycountryantiques.com. Visit their site and sign up for their mailing list and you will be notified when they have an update. Alecia doesn’t have a picturetrail or website. you won’t be sorry if you purchase one of her fabulous dolls, they are all handsewn and she only uses early fabrics.

I’ve been working in the shop on some baskets, I will be joining www.earlyworkmercantile.com on the 1st of February so I though I had better get busy. In the chilly evenings I’ve been doing some cross stitching and sewing, sitting by our cozy warm woodstove. Here is a primitve box with stitched 2 hares marking sampler designed by Pineberry Lane.

This is Mrs. Baker designed by Netty Lacroix. Vintage ticking was used for her skirt and vintage calico for the heart. She has string hair and stained only lightly, as the pattern called for.

This is Mrs. Burr, also a Netty Lacroix pattern. Her legs are bendable so she sits nicely. Love her big prim carrot!

This is a small needle punch pillow made from a Pineberry Lane pattern. Looks so sweet in a bowl of flax with the old fashioned scissors that I also bought from Pineberry Lane.

Spring Tulips designed by Jenny Hoffman.

Back of pinkeep, heart pocket from wool for your scissors.

I will be listing a few things on my selling blog sometime today, if you see something here that you like please email me at basketpam@gmail.com

It has been bitter cold here in Michigan and today we are getting alot of snow. This year for some reason the cold and snow aren’t bothering me as much as in years past. Although I dress much warmer than I used to and rarely go out without my long johns, lol. I have finally wised up after all of these years.

Well, that’s if for now. I have a few goodes to list on my selling blog, a “green” velvet cake to bake and a chocolate eclair dessert to make for Liam’s party tomorrow. He wants a green cake with dogs on it. He didn’t want Toy Story or any of the other children’s themes so Yaya is baking him a green cake.

Stay warm and have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stopping by, I so appreciate you taking the time to visit.

til next time ~

pam

A Few New Things

2011-01-19T21:00:00.001-05:00

I purchased these fabulous early cabin and rag rolled dolls from the last update at earlycountryantiques and they were made by Alecia Maynard. They are all handstitched from all early fabrics in blues and browns. You would have to see them in person to appreciate the workmanship but take my word for it, they are simply gorgeous and OH, so primitive. I love them, thank you Alecia.

the basket I made and painted in an early blue. It looks so much better in person. Height is 15 inches, base is 8 x 8 and the top measures 12 1/2 x 12 1/2. I just listed it on my selling blog.

We watched Kohen and Liam on the weekend, they sure kept us hopping. Liam fell asleep in the chair watching a movie, so his brother decided to bury him in toys. Liam didn’t even wake up.

I have a few more things to share but will save them for another day. I spent the day in the shop getting caught up and I’m poooped. Also it’s almost time for my favorite tv show. Have a great week and thanks for stopping by.

pam

MY WEEK

2011-01-14T09:18:00.001-05:00

Good morning blogging friends. I am trying this year to be a better blogger and this morning I realized it’s already been a week since I posted, so I’m back again. I just have a couple of things to share today. I went out to the shop a bit ago to start a wood fire in our antique potbelly stove, just waiting for it to warm up so I can get out there and get weaving. I rejoined the wonderful group of artisans at http://www.earlyworkmercantile.com/ and I will have a few new things on there February 1st. Don’t forget to stop by there tomorrow as they update the 1st and 15th of every month. There is also a link to it on my sidebar.

The last few days I’ve been stitching and sewing and spending some time with our beautiful grandsons. Here is a picture of Kohen and Liam sitting on their little picnic table watching their dog Dyson out the window.

This is Dyson with his “kill”, a defenseless little mouse. He played with that mouse for over an hour and what fun for two little boys to watch. He was flipping it in the air, burying it, digging it up, on and on. Grandpa and I had so much fun just listening to the beautiful sound of their giggling.

Here are a couple of pictures of what I’ve been making:

These dated pinkeeps are gifts and were inspired by Jennifer from TaylorsFarmhouseAttic. The hands to work one is my design.

Remember the bunny, eggs, and carrots I made a couple of years ago ~ well I’ve been working on a few sets of those and will be listing them soon.

I had a customer request for the “Primitive” cupboard keep in red so I got that finished. I’ve also made 5 of the little stump doll on the left in blues and browns. I received a package of the most wonderful early fabric all in blues that I ordered from Jackie C. at The1800sHouse last week. The indigo calico is gorgeous and can’t wait to use some of it. I got some very old ticking and a few quilt pieces as well.

I also finished this primitive covered paper mache box. I stitched the top from one of Jen’s patterns, primitively sewed it to the side lid piece, made a couple of small pinkeeps and a beeswax bird to go with it. I listed this on my selling blog last night.

Well, I better head to the shop and get busy. Thanks for stopping by and I wish you all a wonderful weekend. I’ll leave you with one more picture ~ “YaYa” and the little boys.

til next time ~

pam

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW AND SALE ON MY SELLING BLOG

2011-01-07T15:04:00.001-05:00

Between last night and today we have received over a foot of new snow and it’s still snowing. It is so beautiful outside but alot of extra work for Simon when he has to come home from work and plow every night. My job is to keep the deck cleaned off and the doors in front of the pole building and shed. I don’t mind doing it at all and the fresh air and exercise is certainly good for me. We live in the country and have 10 acres of trees all around us, so pretty with the snow clinging to the branches.

I am trying to declutter a little bit and will be offering a few things on my selling blog, some handmade, some antiques. The prices are not carved in stone and if you want to make a reasonable offer on something, shoot me an email.

Here are a couple of pics of what I’m offering ~

thanks for stopping by and wishing everyone a wonderful weekend

pam

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2011-01-04T21:22:00.001-05:00

Wow, I am so overdue for a blog post. I’m so surprised I haven’t lost all of my followers. Seriously, it has been 2 months since I have posted. I don’t want to bore you with details but I was seriously ill for close to 2 months and it took awhile to get the right medicine. I am soo feeling better now and back to crafting like a wild woman. If you are expecting an email from me about an order, rest assured you will be getting one soon. I’m trying to get them done in the order received and thank you all so much for your patience. I also have a friend and fellow blogger who is dealing with a very serious illness so I ask you to remember her in your daily prayers.

I totally missed sharing Christmas pictures this year though I did see all of yours. Wow, such awesome decorating out there and the general concensus was this year to keep it simple ( I guess I should say last year). We kept it simple here too. We did get together with family on two occasions and enjoyed a wonderful meal each time and some catching up. One of my resolutions this year is to try and get together more frequently for simple suppers and some visiting. We hosted a breakfast/brunch here on Sunday the day after Christmas and I made the usual quiches but tried some new overnight french toast casseroles. We also had our standard sausage/hashbrown overnight casserole. I love it when you can wake up and just pop them in the oven. As usual I cooked way too much food, sent some home with everyone, and I think Simon had breakfast for every meal for 3 days, lol. He loves leftovers ~ aren’t I lucky?

This is a prim tree that was in our family room. The prim angels I made from a Jackie Schmidt pattern. The other ornaments are candles on clips, lots of beeswax belsnickles, and rice lights. I hated to take it down and put it away, it was so pretty.

A simple basket of fresh cedar sitting on an antique chair next to our prim cupboard in the living room.

A small tree in the kitchen, just with dried orange slices and white lights.

Kitchen window above the sink. Just some simple greens, gingerman, tallow berries and some canning crocks.

Some makedo santas.

I bought some more tobacco panels from Janet at winterwillowprimitives recently. Some for our bedroom which I will hang after painting the room but I got some of the longer panels for our non-prim sliding doors in the living room. Currently there are vertical blinds there but I will be hanging them soon and hope to share a picture. I love the look and feel of the tobacco cloth.

I also will have Simon hang our dough bowl rack soon which he was kind enough to make me a year ago. I have finally decided where I want it so I’ll also share pics of that. I want to concentrate this year on being more selective in what I buy for our home. I hope to add to our salt glazed crock collection, some more firkins and a few smalls. I really need to weed out some unused primitives and antiques that we just don’t have room for. That is one of my resolutions. Another is to use some of my fabric stash that I’ve been adding to more than I should have. I love the look and feel of antique fabric and have had some luck buying on ebay and a few websites. Now I need to start using a little more of it. I also adore old coverlet pieces which are hard to find and can be pricey. I should be getting another piece in the mail tomorrow which I already have plans for.

New Year’s Eve we had our adorable little grandsons for the night. We had a nice picnic on a tablecloth on the floor in the living room. We had crescent cheesey dogs, pizza, chips and dip and cupcakes for dessert. While we ate we watched Toy Story (again), lol. I love those movies. Needless to say, we didn’t stay up and watch the ball drop. We were hoping to take them sledding but it rained both days that they were here.

One more thing, one of my favorite designers ~ simple goodes stitched by Jennifer ~ Jen lost a nephew in a terrible tragedy and would like to add her family to everyone’s prayer list.

I’ve rambled enough. I want to wish everyone a healthy, prosperous, and joyful New Year filled with peace.

thanks for stopping by. I also updated my selling blog with a few Valentine and spring primitives if you would like to take a peek.

til next time ~

pam

New items on my selling blog

2010-11-03T16:00:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to pop on here and let you all know I added a couple of new items to my selling blog. I am now offering a larger size shaker cheese basket which is 19 inches across. I've been fairly busy with orders and working on Christmas items. I will be posting some snowmen and santas soon along with a few other things. I've also been working with some new paint colors for the baskets and so far am loving them. Pictures coming soon. I also am expecting an order from UPS tomorrow for some frames for some small reproduction tobacco baskets.
We have our yard all cleaned up and ready for winter, our woodstove has been going steady everyday but it's been a beautiful fall here in Michigan.
Today is my dear husband's birthday so I'm keeping this short. Wishing you all a very Happy November.
til next time ~
pam

Update on my selling blog

2010-10-21T12:32:00.001-04:00

Just a quick note to let you know I posted a few more Christmas items on my selling blog. Thanks for stopping by. Had our first snow flurries of the season this morning. It’s coming whether we are ready or not.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

til next time ~

Pam

A little of this, a little of that

2010-10-18T19:56:00.001-04:00

Hi, everyone ~ I wanted to do a quick post before October is gone and it sure is flying by. Simon almost has all of the leaves blown and raked up. I usually get out there and help him but I have been swamped with basket and cross stitch orders. I’m so very thankful for each and everyone of my dear customers. I have been working on many things for Christmas and I will share just a couple of things. I am so delighted that I have been asked to be a guest artist for the month of November over at http://theprimitivegathering.com/artists.htm

There are so many talented artists there so I hope you get a chance to check it out. It is updated on the 1st and 15th of each month. I will have 2 new baskets listed and a couple of prims.

Speaking of baskets I thought I would share a picture of my weaving area. Simon put in an antique pot belly woodstove in the shop and it is such a pleasure to go out there and work with all of the room and the wonderful heat. It’s a good sized shop and my wonderful husband is sharing it with me. He has the whole other side with two huge countertops for when he wants to cut up meat, make sausage or grind burger.

Here is my melting station for my beeswax. I have noticed whenever I melt wax a few honeybees come around. It is local wax & smells awesome.

Here are a few other things I have been working on

Here are a couple of outdoor pictures, a little fall decorating, Miss Lola, Eddie the crow, and a couple of adorable pictures of Koko and Liam

Aren’t those last two pictures just the sweetest?

We took a couple of trips to the cabin this month and I snapped a couple of pics of the river directly in front of the cabin. One is in the late afternoon and the other is early morning with the sun just rising.

Last week we had a couple of backyard visitors, no not the bear this time. Much prettier and not as scary ~

You can click on any of the pictures to see them larger.

That’s all the pictures for today. I will be slowly adding many items I have completed to my selling blog starting sometime this week. I have come up with a couple of new things and also many patterns by others. I will be adding some Santas, snowmen, cross stitch, beeswax, not sure what else. I’m working on orders and shipping them out as quickly as I can. I’m so thankful that everyone has such patience. I have the best customers around. I hope you get a chance to stop by The Primitive Gathering on the first of November to see a couple of baskets that I have never posted before.

I hope you all enjoy these last days of fall. Our colors this year were brief but beautiful. Have a wonderful week and thanks so much for stopping by.

til next time ~

Pam

TOUCHES OF FALL VERY PICTURE HEAVY

2010-09-28T16:19:00.001-04:00

Happy Fall to you all! Just wanted to share a few pictures of around our country home.

We had a week of nothing but rain, finally some sunshine here. I have some decorating to do outside yet, cornstalks, gourds, and pumpkins to put up and just a touch more inside to do yet. I’ve started on some Christmas projects, just within the last couple of days. I must apologize to Mona, I messed up on her giveaway. I sent a package out with some Hallow’s Eve pinkeeps that were ordered. Karen had ordered three of them and I accidentally tucked in four and the fourth one was Mona’s, so if it’s ok Mona I am going to give you something else instead. I promise it will go out soon.

the last week or so I functioned on maybe 2 hrs. of sleep a day due to severe leg cramps at night, then very achey legs during the day. I didn’t leave the house for several days & took short naps when I could sitting up. I’m not saying all of this to complain, just want to tell you a very simple solution that worked for me ~ GATORADE! My neighbors came to my rescue. Thanks Connie and Arlen ~ you two are lifesavers. So if anyone out there is suffering from night time cramps, give it a try. I’m so happy, I’ve had 2 nights of sleep and not one cramp. I’m updating my selling blog this afternoon with the last of fall/Halloween. Stop by if you get a chance.

a few projects I worked on when I wasn’t sleeping.

That’s it for today, thanks for taking a peek. Stop by again, I love it when you visit me. I know we are all busy and can’t always leave a comment but I appreciate your visits.

til next time ~

be blessed,

Pam

AND THE WINNER IS

2010-09-18T08:51:00.001-04:00

I’m so sorry I didn’t announce the winner last night but after we took the boys home I was exhausted. We had so much fun with them this week but this ole Yaya is tired out, lol. Thank you all for entering and as they say, I wish you could all win, truly. So let’s get to it ~ I had 124 entries counting the emails I received and I put them all in the basket and had Liam draw the winner. He had some help from Koko.

You can click on the picture to see the name better but the winner is MY OLD CROW PRIMITIVES. Congratulations Mona, I will email you and let you know you are the winner and to get your address.

Well, I’ve got to put this house back together, lol. It’s raining here so it’s a perfect day for puttering in the house and getting my fall decorating finished. Wishing for you all a wonderful autumn weekend.

til next time ~

Pam

IT’S GIVEAWAY TIME

2010-09-08T16:54:00.001-04:00

Well, since it’s fall and it seems like everybody’s favorite time of year, I just had a birthday, and I’ve reached over 300 followers, then it’s time for a giveaway. The rules are very simple:

Just leave a comment on this post. That’s all you have to do and you will be entered. It’s for anyone, as long as I have a way to contact you if you are the winner, you do not have to have a blog, just leave your email and if you don’t want your email address published, then send me your entry at basketpam@gmail.com

Here’s what you will win ~ a 12 inch shaker cheese basket, a little Hallow’s Eve pinkeep (Stacy Nash pattern), Chickweed, the black pumpkin makedo (a PineberryLane pattern), a blackened beeswax cupboard light, 5 beeswax corn, a beeswax pumpkin, a few corn husks and some flax for your bowl. You may click on the picture for a better look. I may even throw in a few extras.

There, now isn’t that easy? Liam and Koko are coming to stay next week and I will have Liam draw the winner on Friday, Sept. 17th.

Here’s a new witch makedo I finished up today. It started out as a PineberryLane pattern but I have changed it up from an angel to a witch and added lots of different touches to her. I will be putting her on my selling blog this evening or tomorrow.

It’s been raining almost non stop here since Sat. but was nice for awhile yesterday so I enjoyed a few hrs. outside dividing perennials and cleaning up a few beds. Glorious fall is in the air in Michigan and with the cooler temperatures the trees will be changing soon. I’m so hoping that our grocery markets have some canned pumpkin on their shelves soon. I’m craving all of those homemade goodies that you can make with pumpkin, my favorite being pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling.

Take care ~

Pam

FALL IS ON IT’S WAY

2010-09-03T13:33:00.001-04:00

I’m amazed that August is gone and I’m sorry to say Aug. 1st was my last post. It’s been a busy month and I think we spent 3 out of 4 weekends at the cabin, the other weekend was Koko’s first birthday.

Here he is enjoying cake and ice cream, and a little something to wash it down with. Then he had to take a little dip in the pool to cool off.

What a handsome little guy, isn’t he?? Big brother is in the pic below with one of Gwen’s friends. Gwen did an awesome party outside for the little kids, then a family party after.

Here are some blackeyed Susans that I made, sent away to a friend.

This is a lil pumpkin makedo, Chickweed, a free pattern from Wendy at PineberryLane. thanks, my good friend.

My phlox were beautiful this year & I had tons of them. Our gardens have done so well this year with the heat, humidity and just the right amount of rain.

Here’s a scared looking pumpkin guy that I made sitting in a basket with flax and some spools. I almost made and aged the basket.

A blue firkin with just some bittersweet.

I love my old baskets peg rack from my good friend Kath. Thanks for the birthday gift, Kath.

A closeup of the choctaw basket that I made.

An old splint basket that I’ve had about 30 years.

My bargain of the month ~ my friend Janet and I were shopping and this sofa was at a resale shop, in like new condition for $200.00. I love it. It gives us so much more room in the family room, it is opposite of the woodstove. I hadn’t finished decorating when I took this picture. I got a table out of our barn for an end table on the opposite end of it, plus did alot of tweaking.

An old chair in our porch.

Simon’s dad built this old table I believe in the 1940’s, love the natural color of dried gourds and my sap bucket I bought from Wendy.

A peg shelf above my new sofa. I got the crow and the sign from Kath last year in a swap we did. The bittersweet my friend Loretta sent me last year & it’s in perfect condition.

Key basket I made filled with husks, corn, and a sweet Harvest pinkeep from Christine.

Providence Old Acre makedo I made from a Pineberry Lane pattern.

A primitive cupboard keep from a Jenny Hoffman pattern.

a 12 x 10 inch sampler I made, a few motifs from another pattern.

Raven hanging sampler, a notforgotten farm pattern. I hung it on a stick with a rusty hanger, left the 3 edges frayed.

loveseat area in our living room. Still working on the rest of the room, I don’t think I’ll ever finish, lol.

Mary Tuttle, another Pineberry Lane design and one of my crocks filled with corn and husks.

Ugly pumpkins from a TickledPrimitives design. The sign is from Kath. Thanks, my friend.Shelf in the living room above mary tuttle. The bird on top is from WalnutRidgePrimitives.

My latest makedo is “Hedy and her crow”. I love how she turned out, I’ve attached her to an old hogscraper. Thanks for anothe fabulous design, Wendy (PineberryLane)

I made salsa and blueberry jam a couple of days ago, I couldn’t waited til the next day when it was about 20 degrees cooler, lol. I did have the ac on that day. We grew all of the tomatoes and peppers for the salsa and the blueberrries are fresh UP berries. We figured that I picked about 50 quarts of berries this year. We have lots in the freezer and we did share with others, too.

Here’s another awesome birthday gift from my blogging friend, Kris. She made this wonderful makedo candleholder. I love it, thanks, Kris.

I think that’s it for the pictures today. Like I said, we had a busy month. Simon bought a 4 wheeler and a new trailer so last weekend when we were at the cabin, he did some scouting for hunting but saw very few signs of any deer. The population has sure dwindled in Michigan. He will be salmon fishing soon so I hope he is lucky, the asian carp are a big concern here.

I am still decorating for fall, working on orders, and tending to the garden. We did get a few acorn squash but no zucchini. Now who can’t grow zucchini??? I thought everyone could. I don’t know what we did wrong but thanks to Nadine we have had some and I put some grated in the freezer.

In a little over a week, Gwen and Miah are going on a cruise so we will have our two grandsons for a few days. I will have to undecorate and put everything away. They are quick and I’m not so quick anymore. We all know why we have our kids when we are young, right? I want to thank you for stopping by for a visit and next time I am not waiting so long between posts. It’s alot harder to go through old pictures, I always seem to forget something. We did have a visit from Mr. Bear outside our home who knocked down all of our birdfeeders and a flock of turkeys here this morning. It is much easier to post as things happen than waiting a month.

One more follower and I’m at 300 and I just had a birthday so I am planning a giveaway. Stay tuned.

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend and a very Happy September. I’m praying for all of those in Hurricane Earl’s path.

til next time ~

Pam

Hello, August

2010-08-01T15:41:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we took a trip up north to our cabin in the UP of Mi. I went crazy picking blueberries. They normally aren’t ready until mid-August but they were everywhere. I picked 10 qts. to bring home and freeze. They were large so it was fast picking. I also found alot of huckleberries. I thought I would show you a picture of our primitive functioning outhouse. Isn’t it great? Simon built it a few years ago. On our way home we saw lots of sailboats when we crossed the mighty Mackinac Bridge. It was the race from Chicago to Mackinac last weekend and they sure had perfect weather. The sight of all the boats was beautiful.

Then in the last picture you can see my big fat ugly ankle. Just when we were packing up to leave I was bringing a few last things out and my foot slipped off my sandal. By Tuesday I couldn’t bear weight and the swelling and bruising was much worse than what you see here. No fractures according to the x-rays and now I’m just about back to normal.

This is my hydrangea which I will soon cut and dry and there are tons more blossoms. I’m thrilled as I just bought this plant this year.

Our garden is doing fantastic this year. Plenty of beans to can dilly beans and freeze a few qts., I’ve picked lots of cucumbers, a few green peppers and we have plenty of green tomatoes. Hopefully I will be canning several canner loads of salsa. We have acorn squash which is doing very well but not so good with our zucchini. I’ve been cutting yarrow to dry and I have some gourds from last year that I need to scrub up and do something with. Our blackeyed susans, coneflowers, beebalm & nasturtiums are all beautiful this year.

I’ve been doing alot of sewing, stitching, and elbow deep in local beeswax. Here is a beeswax pumpkin and ear of corn. Both are on my selling blog but I’m going to change the corn and add husks as pictured below. What a great bowlfiller these make.

Following are some pictures of a few things I’ve been working on and will be adding to my selling blog, hopefully today.

Wee witches, a Pineberry Lane pattern.

Witches and potions, pattern by Sassafrass hill.

Bottle sock doll. This doll is made with a glass bottle and stuffed with rags. I used antique indigo and cream fabric for her dress and bonnet.

An early doll and a little sock doll. The sock doll will stand on her own and has an antique fabric dress.

The two sock dolls together.

Here is a zinc tea light holder with a rusty handle. I filled the lid with some flax for that perfect early lighting look.

Here is a framed cross stitch I will be offering which is a CountryRustic Primitives pattern. It is stained and I distressed the frame.

Well, that’s about it for today. I can almost smell autumn in the air. The nights are cooler and when we were up north we saw some maple trees changing color already. I’m sure I will have alot to keep me busy this month. There are many family birthdays to celebrate which means family time.

The tomatoes will be ripening so I will be canning salsa, the acorns will be ready to harvest later on this month and I will be roasting them and then freezing them. How delicious they are, I think my favorite vegetable.

Now I’m off to make some blueberry fruit rollups in our dehydrator. Great treats for the grandkids and us. All natural with no additives.

Have a great week and a very Happy August.

til next time ~

Pam

Where did July go? Updating my selling blog.

2010-07-22T11:48:00.001-04:00

I don’t know about you all but wow ~ summer is flying by. We have had such a beautiful summer so far. Perfect weather for our flowers and veggies though it does take quite awhile to water everyday. We could use some rain in our neck of the woods. We may get thunderstorms today, a girl can always hope, right?

I’ve been busy working on fall and halloween prims and having so much fun. I will be posting a few things on my selling blog. Rachael and Keith were home for her class reunion last weekend and it was Alpenfest in Gaylord all last week. We only went one day and were very disappointed this year, not very many vendors at all.

Rachael and Keith were home for the day on Sat. before her reuinion and her dad taught her how to make Polish sausage. John was also here from Grand Rapids with a friend so we had a wonderful day of visiting, eating, visiting, eating. Rachael needed flowers for the tables at their sit down dinner so we went to a neighbor’s farm and cut tons of baby’s breath. Simon hung a huge bunch for me in the rafters of the barn to dry. We had such a wonderful memory making day. Those are the blessed days of summer.

Here are a few random pictures I wanted to share, no more rambling.

Koko and Liam in the boat, and Liam with his dad and his big catch.

We have sausage! Rachael is the Polish Princess. Love you, Rach and Keith!

This is Dr. John, me and Simon.

Lilies near our old, old fence that Simon wanted to replace & I wouldn’t let him, lol.

This little guy was free from a sweet older couple that we bought one of our antique wood stoves from.

Mini sunflower, beebalm, acorn squash.

Beeswax pumpkin, I found an old mold at a thrift store. These are quite large.

A Pineberrylane needlepunch pattern, I changed it slightly. It is darker than it appears, this was outside by one of the flower gardens

The Primitive Needle cross stitch, Alma and her pinkeep from Pineberry Lane.

Salem witch and her sock kitty from Sweetpea Primitives.

Walnut Ridge prims bird on a spool.

Country Rusctis Autumn pinkeep

Tall weed baskets with black eyed susans that I made. I hope to make some more today. I love them.

Raven on an old hogscraper, Walnut Ridge patterns.

Beeswax bar I made with an osnaberg beeskep.

Photo of a few fall and Halloween prims.

As you can see from the pictures, I’ve been stitching, sewing, punchneedle, working with some beeswax, and weaving a few baskets as well as the everyday chores. Our acorns and zucchinis are getting huge, hopefully I’ll be putting alot in the freezer. I will soon be canning dilly beans which the kids all love, and this week I’m making blueberry jam to can and send out with last years blueberries.

Thanks for stopping by, I always enjoy your visits and comments. I know I’ve been a slacker but I think in the summer we are all enjoying our lives and just don’t have the time we have in the winter when it’s snowing, blowing, and drifting.

til next time ~

Pam

Strawberries and Autumn

2010-07-03T15:24:00.001-04:00

This was what I did this am at 8 o’clock before it started to warm up. We each went and picked 12 # of strawberries. They are so beautiful and perfect. Mine are all cleaned and in the freezer for jams and desserts. It was a gorgeous morning for picking ~ the sun was shining and there was just a light breeze. Right now it’s in the 80s. I can tell when it’s warm because our dogs don’t want to go outside with me, though I did coax them to go with me down the driveway to get the mail.

This is a little gathering I put together (yeah, I know, it’s only the 4th of July) but ya gotta plan ahead, right? This is Ira Chloe the field harvest angel and a couple of prim black pumpkins. She has an osnaberg apron which right now is holding some stalks and some broom corn and I’m trying to decide what else to put in the pockets. I will be offering her on my selling blog as I’m doing an update there in a few days. I will be offering some fall items and some baskets. She was made from an Angel and the Crow pattern.

I’m hoping that you all have a safe and happy Independence Day. I am so very glad to live in the good old USA where we are blessed with such freedom. A Big thank you to all of our service men and women who make it possible.

til next time ~

Pam

I’VE GOT THE BLUES, RED AND WHITE, TOO

2010-06-27T19:25:00.001-04:00

This post is very picture heavy. I wanted to show you a few displays around our home before the 4th gets here which is coming up so fast. Enjoy!

Starting in July I will be doing an update on my selling blog about once per month but it will include more baskets, some prim dolls, cross stitch and I’m now working on Halloween items. A few new baskets you haven’t seen will be popping up as well.

Hopefully I will be posting quite a few garden and flower pics soon too. We’ve had lots of rain so we haven’t had to water at all. We’ve been spending alot of time with Liam and Kohen and it has been so enjoyable. Take good care.

Pam

TIME TO CATCH UP ~ LOTS OF PICS

2010-06-01T20:08:00.001-04:00

It’s been awhile since I posted so I wanted to let you all know I’m still around. I honestly don’t know where the time gets to. It’s been a busy month here with Mother’s Day, getting the garden in, keeping up with mowing, taking care of the flower beds, and then the Holiday weekend. I’m so grateful for all of the men and women past and present who serve our country for the sacrifices made so that we may be free.

The lovely faux geraniums and flags were a wonderful surprise gift sent to me by my friend Janet from www.winterwillowprimitives.com Happy Birthday to you Janet. The dolls I made last year from a SweetPea prim. pattern.

Our son John came up the Friday before Mother’s Day for an overnight visit and it was so wonderful to see him. Friday night it started snowing much to our dismay. I already had flowers blooming and was afraid they wouldn’t survive but they are all ok.

Here’s a picture of Uncle John and Kohen or Koko as we call him. He is getting so big and crawling all over the place and so much fun. He loves the outdoors, loves their sandbox and swinging.

This is what we woke up to on Saturday, May 8th

Look at how our lilac tree/bush has split right down the middle from the weight of the heavy snow and below you can see another tree bent right over. It all melted within a day but we accumulated about 5 inches.

Two days later Liam came for an overnight visit and we went mushroom picking.

See the white morel Liam is picking, then below we are headed back down the trail to our house. Lottie and Lola were along for the walk.

I have managed to get a couple of cross stitch samplers finished ~ Eliza Sloan by the Goode Huswife and Lydia Doud by Beehive NW, though they aren’t framed so I will share them later. I did get Crow Basket framed , this is a pattern by Lori Brechlin but I believe it’s out of print.

I’ve also made a couple of dolls from patterns by Wendy at www.Pineberrylane.com

I love how they both turned out. Hester is 30 inches tall and is shown in a regular sized chair and Honeybunch is 23 inches tall.

Hester is wearing her favorite old wool coat, holes and all. A couple of buttons are missing and her pocket is full of tansy. She is wearing an antique brass key around her neck. She has been given a smooch on her cheek by her mama. She’s wearing bells on her boots to shoo away the toadstools as she wanders thru the forest. She has wool hair and is so primitively perfect. Thanks for such an awesome pattern, Wendy.

This is Honeybunch and her pet goat Clarabelle ~ aren’t they the best. Honeybunch is missing one eye, has french knot teeth and sheep’s wool hair. Her apron is made from an old quilt piece and she has a little bag of sweet annie for Clarabell to munch on. Clarabelle has stitched teet, wool ears, tail and a patch on his back. He has stick legs and that flax beard is just a hoot. I love them both.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and had some time to spend with family. I will leave you with a few pictures from our garden and around the yard. Thanks for stopping by.

til next time ~ be blessed

Pam

just pictures

2010-05-02T18:21:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to post a couple of pics ~ I moved our large old cupboard into the kitchen to display a few pieces of my graniteware & yelloware. Also wanted to post pics of my new tobacco cloth curtains that I ordered from my friend Janet at www.winterwillowprimitives.com I will share some more kitchen and living room pics soon.

I hope you are all enjoying your Sunday.

til next time,

Pam

WONDERFUL NEW GROUP

2010-04-29T15:18:00.003-04:00

Lori Brechlin has started a wonderful new online group for stitchers, punchers, hookers, quilters and I'm so happy to be a member. Here is the link ~ http://samplermakers.ning.com/
There are wonderful pictures to drool over, information shared, fun to be had.
thanks for stopping by
Pam

WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO

2010-04-27T11:24:00.001-04:00

Good morning, friends. I just wanted to do a quick post to show you all what I’ve been up to recently. I am trying to be a better blogger and not stay away so long. I received the latest Stacy Nash kit from Country Sampler shop in Spring GReen Wisconsin and got it finished this past weekend. It is called Queen of Spring Sewing Roll. I love the colors that Stacy chose for this project as well as the fabrics. It is done in muted blues and browns and it rolls up and is tied with a ribbon. A perfect little sewing roll to tuck along with your projects you are working on to hold your pins and needles. After stitching it and sewing it together I then went around it with tiny little xs. Here you can see it all rolled and tied. Lovely blue and brown floral.

Here is a wonderful primitive double candle holder that I just received from Janet at www.winterwillowprimitives.com I also received a couple of other things from her I will show at a later date. This candle holder is so well made of iron and is adjustable so your candles can be high or ver low. Mine will eventually be in our bedroom after I get it painted, if I ever get to it. I’m sure you all know how that goes this time of year.

Here are a few dolls that I’ve been making. These are all patterns from Jackie Schmidt at TFC Folkart. I love Jackie’s primitive dolls. The little beeskep aprons on Nellie and Tara are from Susie at Yankeelaneprimitives. A few weeks ago I asked her if she could come up with something on osnaberg with beeskeps and I love how these turned out. I also got several others from her as well as lots of primitive paper labels for bottles and jars. Her work is fantastic.

These are some baskets I did for an order for Robyn at Primlish blogspot. I didn’t want to post these pics until she had received her order. I love the new shade of blue that I’m using now. It’s a darker almost a federal blue and if you like blue this is a beautiful shade. I then distressed them and aged them somewhat.

We took a trip to our cabin this past weekend in the UP and it was fun and relaxing to get away for a couple of days. It is so dry in Mi. that there is a ban on any burning so we weren’t able to have a fire. We so desperately need the rain that seems to be all around us. I’ve been watering our perennials and hopefully won’t lose any because of the drought. Kohen is crawling now and going all over the place. You know how little ones are ~ Gwen said if he spots something on the floor he crawls to it and puts it in his mouth (such as a piece of dog food). Well, there is a basket of things calling my name to go on the clothesline so have a wonderful week and thanks for stopping by.

til next time,

Pam

EXCITING NEWS FOR OUR FAMILY & SOME PICTURES

2010-04-16T10:40:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday everyone! Wow, this week flew by for me. I have been super busy trying to get my basket orders wrapped up so I can take a little break & get some much needed spring chores done. The weather has been so springy (is that a word?) here in Mi. but today is much cooler & I think I’m going to have to start a fire in our woodstove.

Well anyway on to the exciting news. We are going to be GRANDPARENTS again! Yay, yay, yay! I’m so excited. Rachael and Keith are going to have their first baby ~ she is due in December. They live in Seattle but hopefully before too long they will be living a little closer to Mi. They are both engineers and I think their plan is to start job hunting, possibly on the east coast.

Sadly Keith’s father passed away in March after a long battle with cancer. Allen was only in his 50s. Keith and Rachael were back in Mi. for some time so we did get some visiting in. These pictures were taken at Dow Gardens, and here are the parents to be with Simon. The indoor gardens were gorgeous and there were butterflies and birds everywhere. the 3rd picture is the home of the Dow’s son who was an architect. He designed and built this home in the water. As you can see it’s all iced up now but in the warmer months they give tours of this home. The Dows were the founders of Dow Chemical which is in Midland where Keith grew up.

Here are the wonderful items I received from Cindy at http://cynthialeedesigns.wordpress.com/ Look at this beautiful embroidered teatowel with my blog on it and the cool basket. I love it, Cindy and thank you so very much. I also received “hearth and home” by Judy Condon. I’ve spent lots of time drooling over the pictures in this wonderful prim book. I also received from her a wonderful little “primitive welcome” magnet. Cindy sells her awesome embroidered items so I hope you visit her. What talent! Here are a few things that I’ve been working on. I made this early simple doll. She is totally rag stuffed and I used some wonderful early blue fabric that' I’ve had. Her face is hand stitched and I made her a little box and a couple of ditty bags. This is a wonderful child’s antique chair that I have and the seat is woven and is in wonderful condition. I’ve also been cross stitching in the evenings but none of these are completed. Not sure what they will be. This first piece is quite large that I stitched on 28 ct. linen from a Lori Brechlin pattern. I used different colors because we don’t have a local needlework shop & the pattern called for Gentle Arts Sampler thread. I substituted DMC floss but did change the colors here and there. This Crow Basket is also a Notforgotten Farm pattern by Lori. I may frame this one. It is also stitched on 28 ct. with one thread over 2. I am just crazy for crows. This next one is based on a Stacy Nash design but I did make some changes in it. I’m not sure if this one will be a pinkeep or possibly a bag. I think the pattern called for a needlebook. I just received the Country Sampler (not the magazine) latest Stacy Nash kit & can’t wait to get started on it. It’s a needlebook as well but I will actually make that one into the book.

This is a wonderful antique coverlet bag I bought from Marily at Thistlebrooms. Such beautiful work ~ thanks, Marilyn. Gwen and Jermiah got the boys a new puppy ~ this is Dyson who was 9 weeks when this picture was taken and Kohen was 34 weeks. He’s getting his feet tickled. Don’t they look like the happiest boys? Liam and Dyson are best buddies and go everywhere together, they even sleep together. The vet said Dyson would probably only get to 25 – 30 pounds. He’s a smart little puppy.

Well, I think that’s it for me today. My basketweaving has really slowed down due to the issues with my discs in my neck. I have decided not to have the surgery because of the problems I’m hearing about from other people that have had it or their family members. I will continue to plug along at my own pace

Enjoy your day, enjoy your weekend and thanks ever so much for visiting.

til next time ~

Pam