An Independence Tradition

We were very lucky to have beautiful weather for this year's antique and craft fair at the Bingham-Waggoner estate in Independence. We've had so much rain this year, but it stayed dry Saturday.

The Show Begins

We arrived early so we'd be set up and ready for the early bird shoppers. Leslie brought crafts and lots of wonderful primitives. She has a great eye for finding and displaying these treasures.

Raggedy Ann

I really wanted to get one new dolly made for the show, so I stayed up late Friday night finishing this Raggedy, adapted from an old pattern by Jen Steffa. This little gal sold, but I'm planning to do a Halloween Raggedy next.

Long Day!

Shoppers continued to come throughout the day and our displays slowly thinned out. We enjoyed visiting with long time friends and meeting new ones. The lack of sleep before the show can make it challenging adding totals and making change, but everyone is cheerful and patient and we wouldn't miss it for anything (other than kid's performances and back surgery, that is).

Visit From Royalty

Even medieval royalty attend the show! I believe this is Princess Anne from Bohemia and her brother, who is escorting her to England to marry King Richard. Their dress seemed a little much for such a warm day, but constant movement and swishing of skirts helped the ladies retain their cool.

Preparations

I will be doing my first craft show of the year this weekend. I have been taking part in the Antique and Craft fair at the Bingham Waggoner Estate for probably about twelve years. Most of the time, I've done the show with my friend Leslie and sometimes another crafter.

Booth in 2009

It's a great show to do and I always enjoy reconnecting with crafting and antiquing friends.

Whimsicals Floral Mat

I've made this design a few times, although I think this latest effort is my favorite. The background is an overdyed dark brown plaid and the pennies are blanket stitched in a dark brown. This mat would look nice on my kitchen table, but one of these days I'll get around to making one for myself.

Robin's Nest Pillow

Another project I managed to finish this weekend. The background is an old flour sack and I added a favorite saying in stitches above the design.

Goin' to the Show

Some of the things I've finished over the past few months and will be taking to the show. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a dry day. We've had a lot of rain and thunderstorms this summer, but right now the forecast is for a clear, but hot day.

Stitchin' in the Car

Over the past three months, we have done a lot of driving around the country to see friends and relatives. Before every trip, I try to get at least a couple of sewing projects assembled so I can stitch as DH drives

Bird Pillow

I'm very happy with the way this pillow, a Maggie Bonanomi design, turned out. I love the primitive look which the browns and muted colors lends to this pillow.

Strawberry Mat

What would summer be without strawberries? Last year I discovered the Primitive Gatherings gals and their designs and couldn't wait to get their latest book, Summer Gatherings. I like the use of tiny stitches with gold floss to simulate the berry seeds. And this goes great with my little primitive spatterware bowl.

Room for Us?

Our last car trip was to pick up our son from college in Michigan, take him to orchestra camp in beautiful northern Indiana, and return home with his stuff. This is what was left after he removed his duffle bag and quad trumpet case.

Works in Progress

I hope to spend the next few weeks in my studio completing many of the projects I've begun on our trips!

Flood Relief in Iowa

Last weekend DH and I took part in our church's mission trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Two years ago Cedar Rapids was flooded, with 14% of the city and over 5,000 homes under water. There is still a lot of rebuilding to be done.

Larry and Tim Remove Tarp

Our first day's project was to re-roof a small garage.

Husband Jim and Trip Leader Cheryl Tackle the Roof

The house has been rehabbed and is occupied. Most of the houses on this street have been repaired and are occupied, so we thought the owner and his neighbors would be glad to see the garage fixed and the blue tarp gone.

Rehabbed House-Garage on Left in Back

On the second day we split up and part of the team finished roofing the garage, others patched and painted a house and DH and I cut subflooring in another house.

Notice from City

Water Level in House

Completed House on Block

It appears that most of the houses were built shortly after WWII. There is a great park and swimming pool a few blocks away. I can imagine the fun that kids had growing up in this neighborhood back in the 50's and 60's. Now, many to young couples just starting out are moving back in and hopefully, in a few years this neighborhood will once again see kids playing in the yard, going Trick or Treating or making snowmen.

Springtime? In the Rockies

We recently took a trip to Colorado to visit our oldest son. We always try to hike in the mountains while we're there and this trip we took a trail that led up to the remains of several old homesteads.

Rusted Jalopy

As we approached the meadow that held the remains of the cabins, we were amazed to see a car just off the path.

Still Standing

When we reached the meadow the wind was blowing and snowflakes were swirling. I imagine the homeowner was very happy to have the hot bread and a warm meals that this stove provided.

Old Radio

Across the meadow collapsed walls marked the position of another cabin. I believe some of these cabins were inhabited up until the 1940's. A radio probably was good company on long mountain nights.

Cabin Walls

On a beautiful summer day, it probably would be easy to envy these early settlers. The view was beautiful. But on such a cold, blustery day in late spring, I marveled at their fortitude and hardiness.