Visitors in the Night

Hi everyone!

I had planned on posting about fall when it came my turn to post again, but we had a "little" excitement last night and I wanted to share it with you.

My family and I live out in the country, so we have all sorts of critters around us. Some stay at a distance and make themselves known with howls and calls and such, and others are a little more adventureous and make themselves at home on our back porch, snacking on the leftover cat food.

Last night, our little fiest, Snowflake, started barking and we assumed it was a deer crossing the yard as they usually do at night. Snowflake's barking was persistent though and we decided maybe it was the huge frog that stays on the porch at night. I've often found him sitting in Snowflake's water dish, maybe because of the long drought we've experienced this summer? Even after we told her it was okay and to go back in her doghouse, she continued to bark, but this bark was as if she had a squirrel treed. My husband went out on the front porch with a flashlight and right on the corner of the porch, in my flower pot, was a baby raccoon! Oh, it thought it was a biggie... growling and snarling at Snowflake each time she stepped closer.

Then hubby heard a noise above his head, and there at the top of the drain pipe was another one!

They were so sweet, but yes, they can be vicious if approached. We looked around the yard and up in trees, but no mama was to be found. Hubby says it's possible that the mama was killed and they are wandering on their own. I hope that's not the case and they just got away from her for a while. We left the babies alone after assuring Snowflake that everything was okay and she went to her doghouse to sleep. I think Snowflake just wanted us to know we had visitors. When I got up at 5:20 this morning, I checked and the little rascals were gone. Hopefully they will be more careful, but I wouldn't mind another night time visit from them.

Thanks for visiting our blog and don't forget to check The Primitive Gathering website for new items on October 1st!

Take Care & God Bless,

Lana of Honeysuckle Lane

My Past Life

A few years ago when my boys were younger and we weren't home schooling, I had a "word-of-mouth" small decorative painting business. One employee, (me) and occasionally I would hire a partner for a really large mural or faux job. My husband was easily train-able :), because he has an artistic eye, so he was usually my hired extra-hand. Here are a few photos, and no, they aren't very "Early American" or very "prim"! And, now that I look at them, I realize I was more interested in the artistic process, rather the artistic preservation....I took terrible photos!

The first photo of the rooster is the entry door to a little country decor and furniture store.


The two photos of the blue door are the back and front of a flat door, the only "real" thing on the door is the handle....the rest is painted to look as if light is coming through a six-paned window with "lace curtains" and cross boards are
painted on the lower half of the door. This was a laundry room and I painted the cement floor with "stones".


In the photo of the potted bromeliad, my husband cut out the arch in MDF board, and then I painted the rest....this way it wasn't painted on the wall and the home owner could take it with them if they moved.



For the fireplace in this client's home, I painted the "tiled" arch and fauxed the granite surround and columns.

She also had me use the same tile/ granite technique for the message center in their home.

This was one half of a very large room with arches over huge wood columns. This room took awhile! Parts of the ceiling height were over 12 ft high and it had a living room, dining room hallway and foyer. She wanted a "rich tuscany" look.

Someone asked if this is what I do in my own home. Well, when I was painting in other people's homes, I practiced on my walls at home. My husband used to tease that I was reducing the square footage of our home because the I would repaint the walls a lot and with every wall treatment the room became smaller! :) ...or so he teased.

In our home now, I prefer a solid warm color on the walls, and I'm saving the square footage of our home this way too!

Suzanne~Pear Tree Primitives

HEAR YE!!! HEAR YE!!!

Hath Thou Blessed Pumpkins for Hallow's Eve??????

Last evening past, as I sit working on dollys, I caught Winifred Thicket tipping her nose to sample the aire from the open window. "I feel the 'nip' is upon us" she said in a slightly Reverend tone.........I didn't think much about it really....Winifred is always pacing around the studio, looking out the windows~ especially in the evening.

This morning as I entered the studio, there was a strange commotion....the girls were restless with a bit of fright in their eyes. Winifred was NOT by her window! Goody Partlett promptly stated that Winifred had said ...."It is thyme for thy work to be done"...........I was shocked! The girls know no one is ever to leave the Inn without ME! Well I knew exactly where she had gone, and grabbed my camera to see if I could catch a peek at her~

She was out in the withering vines, delicately dancing from Pumpkin to Pumpkin, blessing each one.
The vines have begun to die back, revealing WAY more than the 4 each I allotted the children to grow on each of their bushes.........I think we will designate Oct 1st as our pumpkin harvesting day each year. Especially since the Pumpkin Queen has blessed them so......Jayson wants to plant some of the GIANTS next year~ I suppose the Pumpkin King will be required to bless those.................

One last wave of her pumpkin wand and all is right in the world....of pumpkins

-Rachael Kinnison, Diamond K Folk Art

Revisiting Punch Needle

Since I posted about punch needle last month and showed a photograph of a partially finished piece, I thought I'd show you the finished piece this month.




This is an easy and fun way to use a finished needle punched design. I simply cut out around the piece and hemmed it, then stitched it to a piece of heathered green wool. To make the edge more presentable, I made a twisted cord using two of the lighter color wools I punched design with. I hand stitched that around the design, cut another piece of green wool, sewed it up on the machine and stuffed it with wool. Voila! A little pillow to put on your couch or to use as a pinkeep.

The same process can be used to apply a finished needle punch to a cloth bag. You can see a version of this on the Primitive Gatherings website this month. I punched a pumpkin and sewed it to a canvas tote to make a trick-or-treat bag. You can also glue them to a nicely painted paper mache box -- just be sure to use archival glue.

Happy Punching!

Sarah
Hallowedhill Primitives

Flea Market Hints

Isn't this sweet? I found this vintage advertisement postcard at the flea market. I just LOVE shopping at flea markets, garage sales, yard sales, estate sales, ect. ect.:o)....you just never know what you may find.

Look at these cool hymn books...I got these at the flea market at a great price!

I like finding small pieces like these to use with my works...I also like finding pieces to put in my home. Here are some hints when shopping the flea markets:

1. Set a budget...Always decide how much you will take before you go...and take that amount...that way you won't over-spend...and have your money in small bills..

2. Have an idea as to what you're looking for...make a list of things you would like to find. But you never know, you may find that unexpected treasure...something you didn't even know you wanted!!

3. Wear comfy shoes...you'll be walking alot, so maybe don't wear your Manolo's....

4. As far as the time to go, well, I've gone both early and later. The general consensus is that the people will negotiate more later in the day, because that's one less thing to pack up. But I have also gotten good deals in the early morning...

5. Try to negotiate...hey, the worst the sellers can do is to say "no"...and if it's too much money and out of your budget, just walk away...Unless it's something you can not LIVE without..LOL!!

6. Don't be disappointed if you can't find anything to buy. It's feast or famine at the Flea Market...I have walked away many times without buying anything(much to my hubby's glee)

7. Most important: HAVE FUN!

The above items I am using for a dollie that I am listing this week on Ebay...

Primitive Blessings to You!!

Please Come Visit us at The Primitive Gathering

See new offerings , new artists

&

register to win one of our October Gift Aways.

We'll have creations from our artists , hand did with love,

to show our appreciation to our patrons.

See you THERE, October 1st