{ LEAVING FOR TENNESSEE }

I received a call this afternoon from Tennessee...
from my niece, asking that we come down to say our goodbye's to Jo ~

will get my Mom from Connecticut and then drive back down south...

So, I will not be available to take any orders or emails from 10/28 till I come back home,
not quite sure how long that will be...but most likely by November 1st.

All of the orders that have been previously placed,
and paid for via paypal will be shipped out
tomorrow (tuesday)...
those that have ordered and haven't paid via paypal, and are paying by check,
please forgive and be patient with me,
as I'll have to process your orders when I return home.

All distrubutors/wholesale/shop orders will also be shipped out tomorrow (tues.)

my humblest thanks to you all...

Be well, my Friends...
we'll talk upon my return.

Lori

{ Hi Folks }

thought I'd pop in here while I have a moment to update everyone...

My sister's condition hasn't changed one way or the other in the last few days,
and we expect to hear from her family soon
as to what is happening
and when I'll be heading south with my Mom...

meanwhile, I'm stitching and sewing, punching and felting.

I hope to have a couple new needle punch patterns for Christmas finished up for you soon, so that you can get started making them for yourselves...

also, on November 13th, look for my listings on
www.spookytimejingles.com
where I'll be offering for the first time, my finished
Christmas Folk Art...

~and~
on November 15th,
you are all invited to visit
my soon-to-be-totally-revamped picturetrail,

www.picturetrail.com/notforgottenfarm

for my first ever

Holiday Update...

I will be offering some of my unique, one-of-a-kind Folk Art
for the Christmas/Winter season~

such as:

Needle Felted snowmen ornaments
Mohair Teddy Bears dressed for the Holidays
Finished Needle Punch pinkeeps
Christmas Paintings on Wood

and perhaps
a Sampler or two....

all this of course, is contigent upon my family's needs,
and with our situation of my sister.
all of my heartfelt Thanks to you all.

May Peace & Plenty grace you ALL,

{*<->::~:: Lori ::~::<->*}

{ crazy time }

wanted to let you all know that my sister Jo,
will most likely be heading to hospice within the week in Tennessee...

which means that I will be heading to Tennessee with my Mom.
not sure when, will let you know.

in the meantime,
I will continue to work here, on my Christmas/Winter things,
trying to keep my mind and hands occupied...

want to THANK all of you for your friendship, support,
thoughts and prayers for me, and my family
throughout this entire journey...

Breast Cancer not only affects the person diagnosed with the disease,

it is an insidious, dark and evil thing that wraps itself around
that person's entire family and network of friends...

please have your yearly breast exams, self-check every night,

and if you do find something take care of it right away.

Wishing you all Peace & Wellness~
Blessed be,

Lori

{ Sheeps Clothing }

I have loved working with wool ever since I first felt it's warm nap..
well....over 25 years ago I would guess...

I beagn my love affair with this textile when I started to hook rugs, scouring out the thrift stores and Goodwill for an occasional Pendleton shirt...or perhaps a horrid plaid skirt that I knew I could make primitively beautiful by overdyeing it...

Since moving here to VA, and raising our own sheep, it has become abundant for me, which is why I started to needle felt...
Needle felting is done by poking a barbed needle down into carded wool roving, to form a shape.
you can either felt it onto a flat piece of wool fabric, or felt it into a 3-dimensional shape.

Since my sheep are white, so then, is my raw wool.
(except for the stickers, hay & 'stuff' that gets caught in the wool...
I'm one of the best wool-pickers I know!)

So...I have, by trial and error, dyed my own wool roving.
I prefer using Natural materials as dyestuff, and Vinegar as a mordant.

I enjoy the process of walking through my woods and fields, basket in hand, foraging for what Mother Nature has to offer my dye-pot.

Here's a list of my favorite Naturals to dye with:

Acorns ~ tan
Barberry ~ yellow to deep green

Birch ~ shades of brown
Blackberry ~ purple to grey

Bracken ~ yellowish green

Chamomile ~ shades of gold

Coltsfoot ~ greenish yellow
Currants ~ lilac to dark purple

Dandelion ~ shades of yellow
Daylily ~ golds, to blueish grey
Elderberry ~ purple/blue

Goldenrod ~ lemon yellow to gold

Hickory ~ dark tan

Indigo ~ glorious shades of blue!
Grapes ~ brilliant reds to purple

Marigold ~ golden mustard

Stinging Nettle ~ yellows

Raspberries ~ pink

Sassafras ~ reds to almost black

Sumac ~ yellowish tan to grey/brown

Walnut ~ (my favorite to OVERdye with) dark brown to almost black

don't forget to wear gloves when foraging, and especially dyeing,
as most of these plants will stain your skin in their wild-state...

also, remember that color depths will vary, according to your steeping/dyeing time.

So, go for a walk and look at your surroundings in a new way!

what a colorful world we live in!!

Blessed be, Friends...

Lori

{ Studio Fun }

Finally ~

I've had a little time to get into my studio & work...

on what do you ask?

...why the studio, of course!

I've been changing, rearranging, re-doing and un-doing...

{i thiiiiinnk i finally like it the way it is arranged now.}

I've moved my big work-table over to the window, so there's better light,
and more room,
as I had the table in the middle of the room
and was constantly bumping into the corners.

ouch.

...and now that it is where it is, I've re grouped my supplies
using my primitive wooden trenchers and boxes
to hold my wool fabric, buttons and such:

and wool roving for needle felting:

for which I'll use to create these:

and these:

{ look for my FIRST EVER holiday update on my picturetrail
...coming on November 15th}
where you'll be able to purchase a limited number of my finished work
for Winter/Christmas !! *woohoo*

Well Folks....
heading back into the farmhouse
for a bite to eat before I have to get back to packing orders
this evening for tomorrow's jaunt to the post office...
{awesome response to my new christmas cross stitch patterns...thank ye all very kindly!!}

Blessed be, my sweet Friends~
Lori

{ Please...}

Please keep two special people in your thoughts for me today?

Jo-ene Berke (my sister)
~and~
Sherry Kristoff (my 'chosen' sister-friend)

Both are extremely ill and can use all the positive thoughts you can send their way...

Thank you most kindly.

Blessed be,

Lori

{Christmas Cross Stitch Finishes}

Hello Friends!

It's a beautifully chilly October day here in Virginia...

the skies are cloudy & it's looking like it might get ready to snow!
I know some of you already have seen the 'white stuff' where you are
and being a Northerner myself, I'm hoping for a snowy Winter!!

I thought I'd share with you
what the new Christmas cross stitch designs look like all finished up...

Here's "Dirty Snowmen"

I thought that the shape of the design
would work great on a 7" round box lid
and it does!

I coverd the sides in a grey cotton with tiny little cream colored stars...

I tried to keep everything looking real simple and early...
but with a folky look to them too...

Here's "Hoe, Hoe, Hoe..."

I kept it simple and just backed it
with a beautiful piece of hand-dyed moss colored wool...
It's stuffed with clean rags to make it feel old.

(I love how the stitching looks so early on the Linen Aida cloth~
you don't even have to stain it when finished if you don't want to.)

and here's "Primitive Winter"

again, keeping it simple,
I made a pillow from it, backed it with a nice slice of nubby Linen
and loosely stuffed it with rags...
(I think this one is my favorite yet!)

I love how all three of these finished pieces look,
setting on my little chippy-red child's rocker on the porch...
I would love to get my hands on some Balsam to stuff a couple of these & give as gifts!

Hope you enjoyed my finished work!!

OH!
and I've listed my LAST Halloween 2009 offering on ebay...
a BEAUTIFUL, Primitive sampler!!!
listed at $1.00 opening bid with no reserve and is a 5-day only auction!!
so if you'd like to see it, or bid, please visit
{http://shop.ebay.com/notforgottenfarmprimitives}

Hoping your Saturday is comfy-cozy
and you're enjoying this Autumn weather!!

Blessed be!
Lori

HUGE NEWS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

after MUCH contemplation and brain-bending thought...

I have decided to RETIRE ALL OF MY PREVIOUS BOOKLETS!
{gasp!}

that's right Folks...
if you have any of my:

Just Plain Folk
Summertyme Stitcheries
Springtyme Stitcheries
A Garden Remembered

October Folk
Harvest Tyme Stitcheries
Wynter Tyme

Wytches Stytches
Halloween Stitches
Primitiev Needle Punch Primer
Christmas Tyme
Stitches in Tyme...

etc

booklets...

HANG ON TO THEM!
because I will no longer be offering them!!
(which means, if you're a shop, and you try to place a wholesale order for them from me or my distributors, your order won't be filled....however, my distributors MAY have back-stock, and you could try & see what they have left...but after they're gone, they're GONE for GOOD !!)

I do reserve the right however, since they are my copyright (C) designs, to bring them out of retirement in the future...

Since getting a new Laser Printer a couple of months ago, I have been plagued with stress over the fact that It will not print out my booklets like my old printer did...so I have come to the conclusion that I will have to reformat any new booklets in the future, and what better way to purge out the old and help boost creativity for the new, than to start fresh?

Since thinking about this for a while, I have begun to really try to freshen up the look of my logo (the clasped hands above will be it....for a while...um...for now LOL!)

and all of my new patterns will have this look/logo...

I'm focusing on True-Blue, Good Old Primitive Designs that will carry their way through the years...no more fads & gimmicks, absolutely NO 'cutesy' stuff ...blech.

just Traditional, Early-looking designs to help you create wonderful new Needlework for your warm, primitive home....

in doing so, I will be able to gather my thoughts more...
with my mind being less-cluttered with things from the past.

{ AHHHhhh...I feel better already! }

so, let me know what you think folks...& please be nice? LOL

***PLEASE ALSO NOTE***
ALL of my patterns for Cross Stitch and Needle Punch
will STILL BE AVAILABLE!!

Blessed be,
Lori

I'm SO excited!!!

I have been asked to vend at the

2010
Virginia Rug Fest !

{ http://www.geocities.com/varugfest/2010info.html }

every year, since we've lived here in VA,
I've made it a point to visit this excellent rug show & hook-in...

I wait anxiously all winter long,
ready to pounce on all of the fabulous wools sold by Rebecca Erb,
(who also carries the full line of rug patterns from Spruce Ridge Studios,
who adapts my card designs into rug patterns)
and patterns and goodies from other awesome vendors...

Now, I'll be hoping that folks will want to pounce on my things! LOL!

I'll be vending all of my Needlepunch patterns,
Cameo needles, Floss and wool floss, Weavers cloth, Lip-lock hoops
and some finished needlepunched items as well...
along with showing models of the finished patterns.

I'll also be releasing a *NEW* pattern line at this show
called:

Extreme Primitive Needlepunch
{...for Folks like us...}

I have a ton of ideas in my little swirling head
and can't wait to finish up the Christmas things
and get started on this new adventure!

Oh how I hope you will mark your calendars for
Saturday, March 27th, 2010
(see link above)
and join me for a day filled with fun, food, friends and

frivolity ~ all in the name of WOOL!

~ALSO~

I was asked by Bonnie of the Wool Street Journal
{ www.woolstreetjournal.com }

to offer another free pattern to it's readers...

SOooo,
I've gotten out my needlefelting wools and have designed
three cute little...um...
Sweet Treats for you!

{ but you'll have to peruse the upcoming issue to see the pattern! }
so make sure that you're subscriptionn hasn't lapsed, or if need be, start up a new one today!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, folks, it's 8:30 am...the skies are grey and it's raining, it's blustery and cold.
the woodstove is stoked and there's a pot of cheddar/potoaot/bacon soup
bubbling away on it, filling the farmhouse with a wonderful aromoa of woodsmoke and spices...

I'll be heading back in there soon to resume my Christmas creations
for our open house here on December 5th ~ hope you can come for a visit!

Enjoy your day ~ no matter what the weather...
Blessed be!

Lori

HEE-HAAAAW !!!!!!!

Please let me introduce you to~
Pinnochio and Daisy!!!

...the newest members of the
Notforgotten Farm family ~

This is Pinnochio...what a handsome boy!

He's just an old softy & Peter adores him!!

Tiny little Daisy plays follow the leader...

Hey...wait for me!

Pinnochio (or as we call him, "Nocchi")
is a 7 year old Standard Brown donkey...
he was bottle-fed and is broken and gelded...
I can't wait to hook him up to a cart & go for a clip-clop ride!!
He is as gentle as a kitten and loves his top-knot scratched...

I brushed him this morning and Pete has removed a ton of burrs from his tail & mane...
I think he likes it here with us and all of the attention he's getting!

Daisy is just about 3 months old and was more-or-less a rescue...
she is underfed, a little skittish and needs lots of TLC,
which she will surely be getting here!
I'm bottle feeding her 5x a day and hand feeding her sweet feed and hay...
her mom and dad were brother & sister so there's some in-breeding,
but she shows no signs of
anything worse than a little over-bite
and that she needs some good nutrition and lots of love!

When we brought them home yesterday,
Buddy & Lazy (our dogs) went berserk...
Lazy tried to chew his way through the wire fence
to get a closer look at what I think THEY think
are the strangest looking deer they've ever seen...
and Buddy,
(all 200+ pounds of him)
hid behind one of the walnut trees...
waiting for the "coast-is-clear" sign from Lazy...

all of a sudden, Nocchi let out thee loudest bray I've ever heard!
the sheep ran in one direction, and the dogs in another...
Buddy and Lazy stood dumfounded
and then little Daisy decided to add her two cents
with a little squeaky 'hee-haw-heeee-haw' sound!

LOL...
(my oh my...mornings will never bee the same around this farm again.)

So that's what I've been up to these past couple of days...
aside from trying my best to feel better...
(I think the kidney stones are making a come-back. blech.)

My THANKS
to all of you that have emailed me
with your orders for the new Christmas patterns,
they will be mailed out for you this week...
for those of you that want to purchase from ebay & etsy,
they will be listed in just a little while.

Okeedokee then, I'm off to the barn (again)
I can't stay away from my new friends!!!

Blessed be~

Lori

New 2009 Christmas Cross Stitch designs!

"Primitive Winter"

cool shades of greys & whites...

stitch count: 216w x 83h

shown stitched onto 18ct. Linen Aida cloth

"Dirty Snowmen"
a fun little design that works up quickly!
stitch count: 90w x 90h
shown stitched on (tea stained) 18ct Linen Aida cloth

"Hoe, hoe, hoe..."
Santa's gardening in his xmas tree nursery!
stitch count: 124w x 90h
shown stitched on 18ct Linen Aida cloth

My thanks to my sweet friend
Robin Muddiman
for stitching these for me in record time!

(I have yet to frame them & finish them...)

they are available if you'd like to place an order with me here through my blog...

$8.00 per pattern & I happliy combine shipping.
please email me at not4got@aol.com for your total.
(I accept Paypal & ck/mo.)
OR
they will be available on etsy & ebay tomorrow,
Sunday October 11th

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm closing the shop, heading into the farmhouse for the day...
I'm feeling a bit under the weather.

hoping i'm not coming down with the flu-bug...

Tomorrow, we are supposed to go visit a friends' farm...
we are toying with the idea of adding
a couple of new additions to the
Notforgotten Farm family
of Furry Friends!!

stay tuned!!

~~~~~~
For now.....

Blessed be & stay well!
wash those hands!!!
don't touch your face!

take vitamin D & C !!!!

~Lori~

one lump or two?

while taking an early morning walk this morning,

down in the back, down near the creek...

I came across'd a little band of squirrels.
joyfully oblivious to me (and the dogs)for a moment...
they went about their business
(or, busy-ness)
of
chattering and gathering...


so I just had to stop & see what all the fuss was about.

I had carried with me, my cup of honey-laced tea,

so the cup made a perfect little
carry-all for these golden treasures...

big, fat acorns!

(smart little squirrels!)

wishing you many happy treasures along your path~

Blessed be!

Lori

New Offerings...

Hi Folks!

I wanted to let you all know
that I'll be offering up some of my

Hallow's Eve goodes

this afternoon on etsy and ebay...

please come by for a visit!

(LINKS ARE ON THE SIDE-BAR TO YOUR LEFT)

in other news:

All of the orders that were placed
while I was in MI have been processed and shipped.
(thank ye kindly)

AND

my Trunk show is on it's way to Findlay Ohio
at the
CRAFT GALLERY

217 N. Main St.

Findlay, OH 45840

I didn't get a chance to send my new Christmas releases yet,
as Robin is finishing up the last model for me
(Thanks Robin-girl!!)
But I will announce them here this coming week,
or as soon as they're finished up.

I'm still pooped after this past weekend, but it's a good pooped.

...now I'm focusing on Christmas!

Blessed be, Friends!

Lori

Back from Michigan!!!

Carolee Clark

Kristen Beason

Scott Smith

Nicol Sayre

close up of my table

another view of my table

we left Michigan on Sunday morning
....touched my broom down in VA about 11:00 last night ~

what a FABULOUS show!!!!

so many wonderful artists there...
and on-line friends that I finally got to meet inperson!

I am still up in the clouds over just being there...
the air literally *crackled* with excitement!!

(oh wait, maybe that was me...
my Witch stockings had a bad case of static electricity!)

only kiddin' folks...it was
PURE MAGIC!!!!!

the weather was perfect (for me)...
misty rain, dark clouds, a chill in the air~
golden leaves strewn on muddy paths...

my table was in the Church of Mill Race Village
(how appropo!)
I was in the company of the best of the best!

we all anxiously waited until the stroke of 9:00 am...

my heart pounded, my breath was short
and then Scott came in,
dressed in cloak and wearing in his familiar Top Hat~

the doors opened and a swarm of eager Halloween Lovers
poured into the room like ants drawn to honey...

every table was swamped with reaching customers,
some 4 or 5 people deep...
ohhh-ing & ahhh-ing over our offerings!

I can tell you, that I will remember this show forever...
it filled my heart to know that so many of you
appreciate the work involved in making original, one of a kind folk art...

your kind words and 'gifts' of appreciation given to me
while there have been ingrained into my soul...

Thank you to:

Peter & Hannah
for allowing me to follow my dreams.

Scott, Stephanie, Carolee, Nicol, Will, Paul, Hugh, Dani, Pam, Lori R., Lori C., Laurie, Felicia...

and the many others who offer their friendship...

and a special
~Thank You~

to my Customers...
your support & kindness is so very much appreciated!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now I have to ground myself

and start to play catch-up...

I have a Trunk Show of my cross stitch designs going to
The Craft Gallery
217 N. Main Street

Findlay, OH 45804

for this coming week...
so printing & packing is what I'll be doing!

Look for some of my
*NEW*
Christmas 2009
Cross Stitch patterns this week on ebay, etsy & my picturetrail.

Blessed be, my sweet Friends~

Lori

Happy Anniversary ~

All my Love...
...all my Life...

Saturday will mark mine & Peter's 22nd wedding anniversary...

we were married on Saturday, October 3rd, 1987
at 11:00 in the morning...

we have never been apart on our anniversary ~

except for this year...
as I will be in MI for the Ghoultide Show!!!

can you see my gown in the picture above?
see the big 80's poooofy sleeves?

I think subconciously,

that's why I draw many of my characters
wearing those dresses with the big sleeves! LOL!!!

and see how short my hubby looks next to me?
(chuckle*snort*)
no, he's not standing in a hole...
see the other groomsmen (except for the tall red head?)
those are his brothers...so, you can see where he gets his stature from...

we've never had a problem with our height differences...
except when I would wear my spike heels!
(those days are loooong gone thank the stars!)

and see the pretty bridesmaid dresses?
not SOOOoooo hideous, hmm?
(I did however, make my girls pull one side of their hair back
with a humongous comb with matching silk flowers on it! teehee!)

*SIGH*
where did 22 years go?

they are in us
...still surfacing when we need to remember,

yet laying dormant and undisturbed when we choose not to...

Thank you for Loving me Peter.

~Lori~