Awwww, the green is here.....

As I mentioned in my last post, I have to say that I don't really care for February and March.  At least here in the North Country of New York!  Those are the "let's just get through it" months.  Then April comes along, ugh, dirty, muddy April.  You do see little signs of what's to come, a stray flower starting to pop up...though this year, I swear it was freezing right up until May 1.  May, oh, I just love you May.  May 1 is that magical day when everything up here comes to life.  The lakeside restaurants re-open, the antique stores re-open, the grass starts to turn green and you see that haze of green in all the trees, the emerging buds!  I love it!!
My sister came over to join Mom and I on our May 1 visit to all our favorite antique spots.  We scored big!!!  None of us needed a darn thing, but who could pass up amazing deals.....

Look at this cute garden shed at Old Thyme Antiques in Sackets Harbor.

Our first stop and uh oh, the truck is already loaded.....

....even the back seat!

 During my sister's visit we fooled with some indigo dyeing...love it!!  It was so fun to see the fabrics turn from that bright neon green to the dark blue.  

After our weekend visit with my sister it was time to get back to work, getting the yard ready.  The first garden bed is planted with herbs, the second one will hold the tomatoes and maybe a row or two of lettuce.  Good thing we held off, it's suppose to go down to 37 tomorrow night.  Looks like we'll be covering a few plants.

Mom has planted several perennials in our yard and it really looks beautiful.  Her addiction to plants is almost up there with her wool addiction.  I love the look but sadly have a brown thumb.  I am trying though.  I helped her weed the other night and I think I only pulled a couple plants.  I'm there for the heavy lifting of mulch and dirt though!!

....and decorating.  I showed a neat farm piece in my last blog.  Here's what I did with it.  Strung it up with 2 ply twine and covered it with some grapevine and decorative lighting from Joanns.  The little bistro set is from our Antiquing day.  Cute and a perfect spot for lunch!

...and slowly but surely the rest of the porch is coming together.  I won't be happy until the flowers are in their proper place bringing a splash of much needed color.

I still haven't changed out that watering can, but do know what I want to do.  In the mean time, we did build up the stone and made a perfect place for a pretty floral arrangement.  This will be gorgeous once those flowers fill in and hang over the rocks.  I intend to get a few fish for the trough.  I'll keep you posted on the watering can switch.  I had a nice visit with Eleanor from Florida (by the way, hello Lila) and her two nieces.  She mentioned that I hadn't changed out the watering can yet and it always surprises me when people know what I am doing until I think about what I have written on my blog.  It's kind of like a "did I say that out loud?" moment.  Then I have to look back and see what I talked about.

...and with summer approaching it was time for another shop redo.  I know, I know, I change it around a LOT, but I get bored and feel that it freshens things up.  I did get some new shop curtains up.  I simply got some cheesecloth from Joann's off the bolt and draped it over my tension rod....no sewing, then pulled it up in place with a yardstick pin.  I love the prim look.....

 ...and with the approach of summer, my thoughts turn to daisies.  I LOVE daisies, they are such a pure flower, whatever that means, right.  I decided to make my own version of a daisy by creating these un-proddy daisies.  Well, they have been quite popular!  We just made our third batch of kits for our show in Cleveland at the end of the month.  The kits are available on our website, here is the link:

 Un-Proddy Daisy Kits

 ...and here's a doodle that Mom recently hooked.  I guess it was in between other projects.  I honestly don't even remember drawing it, but I will make it available on the site today....

...and here's my Liberty Eagle design.  Stunning!!!  Another phenomenal job by Mom.  Here's the link to it at the website:

Pattern: Liberty Eagle Rug Hooking Pattern

Kit: Liberty Eagle Rug Hooking Kit

 ...and Denise recently punched our "Fraktur Eagle" design for the shop.   I finished it with a rolled wool edge.  Love it!!

Here's the link to the pattern/kit: 

Fraktur Eagle Punch Pattern/Kit

Here's another neat finish.  I centered my Quillie Flower punch design on a piece of wool, with approx. 2 inches beyond each side.  I then folded the edges over and tucked over the punched piece, snipping away the corners and then stitched it in place.  I then snipped every 1/4 inch for a rolled curly edge.  You could go even further and snip the edges for a scrappy look.  The Quillie Flower Punch Pattern link is:

Quillie Flower Punch Needle

I've been admiring the antique rugs of 100 years ago and thought I'd like to try my hand at some adaptations.  This one started out as an adaptation, but as it went on, my own brain took off in different ways.  It looks nothing like the original antique rug I wanted to adapt.  Still, I LOVE it.  I'm calling it Baxter's Star.  I am making it for punch and applique too!

...and ta da, here it is all hooked!  Wow.....just Wow!!!

Here's the link:
Pattern: Baxter's Star Hooking Pattern
Kit: Baxter's Star Hooking Kit

I gave in!!  I have decided to start offering Valdani floss.  I've always thought it was pricey, but I've done a lot of figuring lately and it turns out that it is comparable to my own hand dyed floss cost.   And, it will be a time saver for me as well.  I love my own hand dyed floss, but it is very labor intensive.  I'm not sure if I will switch over completely and not offer my own thread, but in the meantime I am offering their colors that are similar to the ones I'm dyeing.  That way I can offer these wonderful threads as an alternative to my customers.   Gosh they are beautiful!  Look for them in my Embroidery floss section.  Here's the link: 

Embroidery Floss

and what would summer be without baskets?  I have chosen some wonderfully primitive baskets for decorating and some for mounting finished punch needle pieces on.  Take a look in our mounting boards section.  Here is the link:
Mounting Boards

There is nothing better than waking up in the morning, hearing the birds chirping, seeing the sun rise over the knoll.  I love to walk to the back of the house and step into my shop when the sun is just coming through the windows.  I don't turn the lights on until absolutely necessary!  It's peaceful....

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day.  It was very quiet here.  My youngest is in his last week at school and my oldest had a job over the weekend so neither were home, but hubby did come through.  I'm kind of simple and don't need a lot, just a moment here or there of quiet....or yes a flower or two.....oh yea, and chocolate is good!

Hubby took Mom and I out to brunch then it was home to relax for a bit, then we went out on the boat.  You might think....fishing on Mother's Day?  but, it was very relaxing.  There really is nothing quite like being on the water with no noise, just the lapping of waves on the boat.  It was a good day!

Baxter loves the quiet of the shop in the morning too!

 

The approach of summer does mean that as women we get busy again planting flowers, sprucing up the yard, etc....remember to take some time for yourself and listen to those birds chirping and don't forget to spend some time doing what you love.......

 Until next time.....