Concrete Snow People

I have been wanting to make snowmen and I

 started last night.

Used Portland cement, perlite, and peat moss mixed water in.

I took a long nail and put the balls on the nail.

It gives it strength.

Cut twigs for arms and inserted them when the

cement was drying.

Used tiny buttons and black snaps for eyes.

The noses are sculpty clay and wool for scarves.

My daughter helped me make them, it was a fun project.

Not as easy as I thought it would be though.

I gave some as gifts today and we will keep the rest.

Until next time....

My Christmas Present

What a great day, it was in the 50's today!! It has been cold here so, 50 felt warm. I was outside most of the day. One thing that I didn't get done in the fall was clean up my new lawn mower. This is my Christmas present, birthday present, etc.. LOL! I cleaned up some leaves. Tomorrow I will pick up Danny at the airport. He spent Christmas in Ft. Worth, Texas, this was the first Christmas ever without him. 

Can't wait to see him!!

The Day After Christmas



Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

This is one of our Golden Retrievers, Maddie.

She is a sweetie!

We headed north to Marblehead, Ohio

Christmas Eve.

 

 

This is Grady, we call him

Mr. Grady Baby!

He is just over 1 year old and is our baby.

 



We spent Christmas eve at my husband's

family. This is the boat docks, minus all

the boats. It sure looks different in the winter.

This is my great nephew, Kaden.

It was cold!!

Christmas day we went to my mom and dad's.

I ate way too much, today I haven't done too much.

Tomorrow I hope I get back on track.

Until next time.....



Starry Snowman

 

The snow and ice are all gone here in Ohio.

It feels like spring and we have flooding here.

I can't believe we are just a couple days away

from Christmas.

I think I'm ready, just a few things to get done.

Tomorrow I will finish everything up.

I finished hooking this rug yesterday.

It is a design by Stone and Thread.

Enjoy your Sunday Evening!!!

 



The Cutest Snowman

 

11 Days till Christmas!!

I just have a few things to buy.

I LOVE shopping online!

Isn't he  the cutest little guy? The design is by

Maria Barton-Star Rug Company.

It is snowing here, we're supposed to get

lots more today.

Keep warm!!

It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas

 

We have snow on the ground and it cold!

 

My son, Tommy, cut a tree down for me yesterday.

 

This year we were able to cut one from our farm.

 

I finished hooking this rug, the design is by

 

Red House Wool Studio, Orange Sink is her blog.

 

Stay warm!

 

 



Noel Rug

Thanksgiving was really nice this year.

Ate too much!

Love to eat my mom's food.

Today I'm watching football and hooking.

I'm trying to get Christmas rugs done.

Finished this one, it's my design.

I don't think I've ever hooked a rug 

with Noel on it. 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!!

Snow For Thanksgiving

Good afternoon!

I'm hoping the weather doesn't get

really bad for everyone traveling to their

Thanksgiving destinations. 

2 of my kids live in Columbus, not too far.

They both are prepared for driving in snow,

they don't think anything of it!

Me, on the other hand freaks out driving in the snow.

This rug is a Need'l Love Thread patterns.

I have a few more Christmas rugs to hook.

Have a great day!

Getting Busy!!

 

It's getting closer!

 

Next  Thursday is Thanksgiving.

Looking forward to eating at my mom and dad's.

 Then shopping-online.

 

I finished this rug, it is a Susan Hart Pattern.

I'm really hoping to get a lot accomplished this weekend.

Lots of Christmas decorating inside and out.

Have a great day!

Rudolph and Santa Claus

 

HoHoHo!!

 

I just finished hooking another Christmas rug.

It's coming so fast.

I'm trying to get things done early this year.

The weather is good here this week so, I want to decorate outside.

It will be nice to get lights up before it gets freezing cold.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving.

November Update

 My laptop broke, so I had to get a new one.

It has Windows 8, I don't like it.

I just got my computer in the mail yesterday.

I will get used to it but, I offered my new

computer to my husband in exchange for his.LOL!

This is the rugs I hooked for our monthly Primitive Handmades Mercantile update.

Both of the are designs from Country Stitches.

 

I'm  still trying to clean up leaves!!

The snow got in the way this past week,

tomorrow it is supposed to 70, rain though.

Wish me luck figuring out this computer.

Until next time...

 

 



Santa and His Reindeer Rug

I am getting excited about getting ready for the holidays.

I'm on my 2nd Christmas rug.

This one is a Notforgotten Farm pattern out of

an OOP booklet.

I have been wanting to hook this one for years!

Usually I start too late hooking Christmas rugs.

Not this year.

It is probably going to frost next week,

so I am trying to collect plants that I would like to 

bring in for the winter.

Happy Sunday!

October PHM Update

 Good Evening!! It's that time again Primitive Handmades Mercantile October update!

I have started hooking Christmas rugs, I want to be ready for the season.

I think the weather is changing and it will be the end of our growing season.

That will mean lots of work for me.

Lots of cleanup in my flower beds and LOTS of leaves to rake.

There aren't very many designs out there for Thanksgiving.

This is a good one from Country Stitches- Brenda Gervais.

Before we know it Thanksgiving Day will be here.

Click on the icon at the side to hop over to 

PHM.  There are alot of talented artists there.

Until next time....

Fall Flowers

We have had beautiful weather in Ohio. It will probably be changing soon. I cut flowers today for my daughter, Lindsay. I have lots of flowers still blooming, mostly dahlias. I have been hooking rugs getting ready for our October update for Primitive Handmades Mercantile. The update is this coming week!!! The last month has been a blur, that's what happens when you keep busy. Until next time....

Last Day of September

I can't believe it is the last day of September!

This past weekend I got to be in the Malabar Farm

In the Spirit of Friends Show.

What a gorgeous day it was, blue sky 

and in the 70's.

My friend, Rhonda-My Glory Stars 

does the show every year and asked me and our friend,

Stacie to do the show with her.

Stacie made thee cutest dried oranges, 

they had JOL faces cut in them with

 tea lights .

Rhonda, had lots of needle punch pieces and lots of other things.

I made concrete pumpkins, sold them all. 

I was hooking this rug during the show.

Finished it today.

It is a Lori Brechlin-Not Forgotten Farms pattern.

It was in the Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine.

Hope everyone enjoys this last day of September!!

Chickens and PHM Sept.Update

 Another month has flown by and it is September 

Primitives Handmades Mercantile update.

I hooked 3 rugs for the update.

This one is my own design.

 I designed this one also. 

 This is a design by Buttermilk Basin.

 My chickens have been laying eggs and I didn't know.

They were laying eggs up on the shelf.

So I put this nesting box up. 

This girl sits up there all the time now.

 I have 1 rooster and the rest are hens. Aren't they pretty?
Until next time....

12 Years?

 This morning I watched coverage of 9/11. 

I watched it as it was happening 

on that day 12 years ago.

I have thought about it but,

seeing it again reminded me how

horrible that day was.

I'm keeping busy hooking today

and finished this rug.

It is a country Stitches pattern.

Isn't this the cutest Fairy garden??

I bought it at Quail Crest last weekend.

I have been collecting and making lots

of things for my fall fairy gardens.

Hopefully, it will cool down and I will 

be in the mood to do it.

It's been so hot I haven't felt like venturing outside.

Until next time...

Harvest Blessings

It's September 5?? 

Fall is in the air but, in a few days it

is supposed to be 90.

We need rain, it is dry here.

Today I finished this rug, it is my design.

Pumpkins are one thing I can't grow.

I always get those nasty bugs that devour

the plants and the pumpkins.

I've noticed pumpkins are appearing

in our area.

This weekend is Quail Crest. 

One of my favorite fall shows, can't wait.

Until next time...

Pumpkin Thyme

 

Good Saturday morning!

I thought it was going to be nice today but,

now it looks like rain.

We have a wedding to attend this afternoon,

hope the weather isn't rainy for them.

Finished this pumpkin rug, it is my design.

I'm getting in the "fall mood", it's

kinda hard for me because

I know winter is following.

Have a great day!!

 

 

Summer is Back!!

I really have enjoyed eating all my favorite summertime food.

Fresh fruit every day, I love watermelon!

We have eaten a lot of sweet corn this summer.

Whatever we don't eat I freeze.

Pretty sure I have enough frozen for the whole winter.

It tastes so good in the winter.

I'm hoping to make applesauce soon.

The hot humid weather is back.

I got everything done outside before it got really 

hot, then I finished hooking this rug.

My first fall rug this year.

It is a Blackbird Design, I've been

wanting to hook this one for awhile.

There are a few more that I'd like to hook.

Hopefully, I can get some hooking  done.

Until next time...

August PHM Update

Good evening!

Update time is here once again.

I am offering a pumpkin make do.

The black spool is old and sturdy.

It won't fall over.

So if you get  a chance hop on over 

to Primitive Handmades Mercantile!

Ferns...

Have you tried growing Kimberly Queen Ferns?

These are the easiest ferns I've ever grown.

You can put them right in the sun.

 They are not hardy in my area so,

I bring them inside in the winter.

Put them back outside

in the spring and  they start growing beautiful again.

 

I have been getting outside in the mornings.

Working outside has been nice since

it's been cooler here.

Our Primitive Handmades Mercantile August update,

is this week! Already!!

So I have been working on a couple things.

We'll be updating the website after 9:00 P.M.

Thursday night 8/15 thru 8:00 A.M. Friday morning.

Until Next time.....

 

 



Bee Skep Form

I have had alot of questions about what I used for the mold for the bee skep. Here it is. I have 2 of them so I went ahead and used one for the bee skep. You could cover it with plastic and then later remove.

                              This morning I took the pumpkin out of the mold. While it is not fully dry, you can scour the line of the pumpkin. I used a trowel and went over it so isn't snooth. 

Have a great day!

This Is What I Did Today

 Last weekend I showed my girlfriends how to make 

hypertufa  bee skeps. After seeing theirs, I wanted another one.Today, I mixed some for myself.

 I tried a pumpkin for the first time.

I need a better form.

I have seen on pinterest to use a

plastic pumpkin that kids carry for candy.

We'll see how this works.

 I also made some for my fairy gardens.

3 little pumpkins and 2 little bee skeps.

The recipe was 1 part Portland cement

1 part peat moss and 1 part perlite 

mix with water.

It's like making mud pies as a child.

I gave my topiary a haircut, it was getting out of hand. LOL! Have a great day!!

One of My Favorite Things.... Rocks

It was beautiful  in Ohio today.

Usually it is hot and humid this time of year.

Today it was in the 70's.

I'm sure the weather will change.

I love this little rock that I bought at Quail Crest in Wooster.

There is a woman that sells rocks and I love them.

She has been at Simple Goods, Malabar Farm, 

In the Spirit of Friends Show, and Quail Crest.

Every time I go to a show I look for the rock lady.

Yesterday we had sweet corn for supper, it 

was so good!!

So I went back and bought more tonight.

I like to fix it all and what we don't eat

I cut off the cob and freeze.

Tomorrow I'm going to buy more, might

as well eat it while we can.

Until next time.... Julie

A Wagon Fairy Garden

I have been wanting to post pictures of one of my favorite Fairy

Gardens. Every time I took pictures, the lighting was bad. I'm not a very good photographer

I used a wagon, it's great because you can move it around.

I bought this fairy several years ago. 

Love the little bee skep!

I planted a tiny hosta, lots of angel vine.

My daughter, Lindsay, made this swing, I love it.

Until next time.... Julie

Can't Predict the Weather

Last summer we had a drought, so this spring thought 

I would plant alot of succulents.

This summer we've had rain about everyday!

The succulents are doing well though.

 I love hostas and collect different ones. 

Huge ones to the tiniest.

 Another plant that did well in the drought last summer was Lantana.

They've held up in the rain.
I'm planting them again next spring.
Until next time... Julie