Summer Decorating

Maggie's Velveteen Tomato

Two things I love are old primitive wood pieces and fake vegetables. I guess they represent the fullness of summer and a feeling of a bountiful harvest. My fake veggies will likely be the only bountiful harvest I have this year! Our recent and continuing excessive heat wave and vine borers (what nasty little things those are!) have really taken a toll on my little vegetable patch. I don't know if I'll even be able to harvest zucchini and you know how prolific those can be! In the spring I have all kinds of carrots and soon it will be time for the pumpkins to make their appearance but in the meantime, I'm enjoying my cabbages, beets and radishes!

Kind of Old and Dirty Lookin'

Bethany Lowe Veggies

Weekend Work

This was a good weekend to stay indoors and get some stitching done, so I was finally able to finish the sampler I started a couple of months ago.

Design by Brenda Gervais

I used to do a lot of samplers but have never done one with all the little motifs like this one. It was kind of fun. On our recent trip to Indiana I found a wonderful old frame at an antique mall that might work for this--what do you think? I need to do a little more ironing and stretching, but wanted to get an idea of how this would fit the frame. At first I thought it might be too big but maybe not? Hmmm...

I'll have to live with it a few days and see what I think. I really love the frame and think the color works well with the threads.

Foxy's preferred method dealing with the heat involves lounging around indoors in air conditioned comfort, grooming herself and napping. Come to think of it, that's pretty much her routine every day. Hope you're keeping cool and enjoying the summer!

What Makes My Heart Skip a Beat

Marie at Primitives by Old Lady Morgan is having a giveaway for one of her awesome, hand crafted primitives and she's asked that everyone who wants an extra entry to post about what makes their heart skip a beat. Of course at the top of my list is my patient hubby of 30 years (yikes!)

And our (mostly) sweet kitties...

Pretty much everything about fall and Halloween including the brisk weather, changing colors, craft shows, soups and stews and anything made with pumpkin, decorating...

Amana, Iowa

Lunch at Ginger's

Visiting some of the beautiful areas around our country...

Sleeping Bear Dunes

Rocky Mountain National Park

And our young guys...

 

If you haven't had a chance, drop by Marie's blog and add your name to the giveaway!

Road Trip

We just returned from a delightful visit to Amish country in northern Indiana. Lucky for us that son Mark's orchestra camp is held in that area! Our first night we stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast in Middlebury. After a long day of driving it was wonderful to enjoy a stroll to the nearby downtown to window shop and unwind on the comfy porch. Innkeepers Lori and Arnie were very warm and welcoming and the breakfast souffle was yummy.

We managed to visit most of the cities in the area, stocking up on all kinds of Amish foods including homemade noodles, blackberry jam, locally produced maple syrup and a peanut butter spread. The Amish farms in the area were quite large and well kept and I really admire their industriousness.

Amish Quilt Shop

 

 

The area is also known for their beautiful flowers and we passed so many gardens with gorgeous flower borders. Our guide at Amish acres said the Amish grow the flowers to lure bugs away from the vegetables. Many locations featured quilt gardens such as these:

There are also lots of antique malls with wonderful primitives, but my favorite shop was at our last stop in Pierceton, Indiana, which is apparently the antique capital of the area. So if you love antiques, make that your first stop!

Country Heritage Primitives is one of those shops where you walk in the front door and know you've found a special place. So many special, handcrafted treasures! And the creativity extends to the garden next to the shop.

And to top it all off, we spent the evenings listening to wonderful concerts from talented young musicians from around the world. The trumpet ensemble played their final piece on Sunday and now I'm sure everyone is catching up on their rest after a busy month!

Bingham-Waggoner Antique & Craft Show

Last Saturday I once again had to privilege to take part in this fun show. When Leslie and I started doing the show several years ago our booth was right across from the kettle corn guy. Sometimes his little boy would help with sales. We've moved to a shadier spot, but the kettle corn guy is still there and now that little boy is taller than dad and has facial hair. Of course, we look just like we did when we started doing the show.

Darlene's Booth

We were lucky enough to have a beautiful day. The heat index has been over 100 here, but Saturday dawned warm, but comfortable with a slight breeze.

The turnout was really good and it's always fun to catch up with old friends at the show. Here crafty friend Dana of The Stone Rabbit models her preferred shopping attire.

Leslie and Jo brought some awesome primitives...

I got a few things done...

Shoppers enjoyed partaking of walking tacos...

and were entertained by wandering musicians and dancers. 

 It's a rite of summer for me. What events speak of summer to you?

Finishes

Hope you all had a great 4th of July holiday. I'm going to a new gym that offers a variety of classes and I've been taking the spinning class a couple of times a week. No, not spinning like making yarn or thread, although that would probably be a lot more fun, but riding a stationary bike while a leader loudly encourages you to pedal faster and harder. I can tell I've had a good workout when I'm done with the class!

I also did a fair amount of sewing. Never as much as I'd like, but I finished two of my POTM projects. I didn't think it would take long to finish the crazy wool pincushion, but the decorative stitching proved much more challenging than I anticipated.

The kitty looked incomplete so I added a bow. Our wool kit for one project came tied in a wonderful strip of plaid cotton and I used a piece of that for the bow. Granny Trace has designed and is working on a wool crazy pincushion and you can see that on her blog.

I also finished Lisa Bonegan's runner.  There was a lot of stitching in this baby and completing it took longer than I anticipated, but I love the colors, especially the nubby brown wool backing Lisa provided.

And here's a little look at nature in my own back yard. As if the visiting rabbits don't do enough damage, I think this one has actually taken up residence in my garden. Smart little thing, though, he really scooted after he heard my camera click.

Caught in the Act

Old Summit Country Antique Show

The show with the name I can never remember, but it is definitely worth going to. I scooted over to this show as soon as my last wonderful class at Primitives of the Midwest ended last Saturday. So much excitement for one day! 

Ginger and Leslie's booth looked wonderful, as usual.

Romantic Vignette

Cloche Made By Ginger's DH, Ronnie

I found lots of great sewing treasures. These all came from different vendors, but now they'll get to mingle and share stories of their unique histories.

Cool Spools in Cool Old Box

Machine Oil Can & Embossed Tin Pin Holder

Just Shabby Enough to be Charming

And I have a sad story of the one that got away. On my first past through I spotted an adorable concrete mushroom with a wonderful patina. I hesitated, thinking I'd make my rounds and return if it still called to me. Well, I completed my rounds and decided it was definitely a treasure I couldn't leave without so I started back towards the booth, only to pass another shopper heading towards the door with that wonderful mushroom! I'm sure she'll enjoy it even more after I told her I was just on my way back to get that very item. When will I learn I'm not the only one with a thing for old concrete?