Monday, January 31, 2011

A Sneak Peek ~

a sneak peek
...of my offering on Febraury 1st's
{{can it be February again ALREADY???}}

Early Work Mercantile
{www.earlyworkmercantile.com}


make sure you get comfy,
grab a nice steaming cup of tea
and sit back to browse all of the wonderful artisans' offerings there!

Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Vintage Sewing Needfuls ~

I just love old Sewing needfuls
...and have so many that I just don't use.
so I've decided to clear out my stash ~
this is a collection of early quilting templates/patterns
from Lebanon Co. PA...

they date from the late 1890's to the early 1930's
and are cut from old butcher paper, paper bags and wax paper....

the photo below shows you just some of them (actually 16 pieces)

These embroideries below were printed and stitched during WWII ~
they were mounted on cardboard and just need frames...
how sweet these would look in a guest bedroom!
below is an old pincushion,
made from old wool and seems to be stuffed with old wool bits ~
I love the old pins and things stuck in it....


and this beauty,
made from a ton of old feedsack cottons
and in the Dresden Plate quilt design-shape
...look at all that feather-stitching.


these will all be available in my Etsy shop today...

do any of you collect vintage sewing items like me?
I'd love to hear about your collections....

Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Sunday, January 30, 2011

....Wanna Play?

"Neener neener neeeeeener...i've got the Ball !"
said Pinocchio ~
"oh YEah?" said Daisy...
"well, I have your ankle."

"Hey. Stop it...that hurts!"
"well then give me that ball..."

*CHOMP*


OOOOOUCH!
"Buddy!...did you see that?...she BIT me!

"just for that, i'm takin' MY ball & going home."

("hey Lazy, wanna play?")

Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Friday, January 28, 2011

Oh What Fun !


Felicia & I had a FUN day ~
we dragged out all of our trims, fabric & doo-dads...
and loaded up my dining room table with buttons, glue & old hardware.
here she is taking a snap of me, taking a snap of her
(I'm sure it will be posted on her blog soon of not already)


you can tell by the mess....
...um I mean organized chaos
that we were deep in our creativity!




~ and here are some of the lovelies I created:
a smal box to hold tokens...


another box, but long and narrow, with old hardware...

a sweet heart pinkeep with antique tin-type:

and a larger pillow with old buttons and lace ~

I'll be adding these to my etsy shop this weekend, and have more to come...
Look for Felicia's pretties on her blog too!
(www.bluemartinhouse.blogspot.com)

Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Tiny Little Loops...

Thousands of them...
tiny little loops coming together to form
a unique needlework design ~
I'd have to say, that aside from cross stitching,
Punch Needle
is my favorite form of needlework...


it soothes my soul ~
busies my hands
& fills my desire to create with fiber...
I crave the colors of the threads
and the softness of the weavers cloth...

the palette that you see above consists of the following
DMC thread colors:
924
926
3813
524
372
844
420
&
422

a lighter, yet comforting palette that I picked to remind me of
Bluebirds, Nests, Robins Eggs
Hay, Yarrow & Moss...

What is your favorite color palette?
or does it change as often as mine :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE SHOP WILL BE CLOSED TODAY
DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER ~

Hannah has another Snow Day home
and Felicia will be coming over to play in my fabrics & trims with me!

I'll take some pics of our projects, but here's a hint:
All you NEED is LOVE !


Blessings from the Farm
...Lori

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Wool and Flax, Buttons and String ~

Well friends...
...the weather didn't amount to much yesterday,
just enough snow & ice to make driving hazardous
and our homes feel a bit cozier ~
Hannah was off from school, as she is again today ~
she spent the day watching old movies,
I spent it playing with
Wool and Flax
Buttons and String....
below are some of my tiny little needle felted birds' nests
that will be incorporated into jewelry ~

each nest measures approx. a scant 1" across,
...so you can see how very small the eggs are!
....these will become brooches & necklaces ~
perfect to usher in Spring...
and below,
you can see a button necklace that I've created ~
I've been toying with this idea for some time,
... and sat down yesterday to make this prototype :
it has 5 strands of crocheted string
with vintage & antique buttons added...

it makes the loveliest sound when worn...
{{of course, when I asked Hannah what she thought,
she said she loved it & volunteered to
keep it for me....}}

I will be offering these and the bird nest jewelry in my etsy shop in a day or two ~
Aside from working on jewelry,
I am almost finished with a new book of designs for
Punch Needle ~
look for :
"Farmhouse Folk"
soon!
(more on this in another post to come...)
So I wish you all a beautiful day,
get outside & enjoy the weather...
whatever the skies may be gifting you with....

Blessings from the Farm
...Lori

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Farmhouse Whites....


...another
White Wednesday
is upon us...
{linking with: http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com}

and seriously, it should be really white here this afternoon ~
we are expecting our first rather large snowfall of the winter!
...so as you're in your cozy home,
please enjoy some snaps of mine:

my soft-as-a-feather stuffed whitework comforter

white cupboard that holds magazines


faded & worn childrens clothing


a timeless vignette....



tarnished silver & crackled ironstone



velvet pincushion and platter



chippy chimney cupboard holds cookbooks


a tangling of inspiration....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...aside from finishing up more punch needle patterns,
I am working on things for our upcoming
Spring Open House
to be held here at the Farm on
Saturday May 7th, 2011
10 - 4
I am making pillows, purses, banners ~
and hunting for beautiful treasures for your home...
{{we'll be serving Lemonade & Lavender Cookies}}
... so please come by for a visit!
stay warm & don't forget to feed the birds....
Blessings from the Farm
...Lori

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Rabbits & Tulips

My most favorite things to decorate this old Farmhouse
with
in the sweet Springtime
are old Rabbits and fresh Tulips...
ok, so it's not Spring yet,
and
the weather-people are predicting
a snow/ice storm for us tomorrow ~

(we've been extremely lucky this year
to NOT have what the rest of the country is experiencing)

but nonetheless,
I have started to bring out a few of my beloved Rabbits...
the larger one above, was a gift from my friend Donna
(www.picturetrail.com/southernstarantiques)

it was in bad shape when she handed it to me a couple of years ago,
and she asked me to fix it...
it is an early German Candy Container, made from paper mache
& I had no experience in reconstructing one before ~
but, I gathered some old quilt batting, white glue
and ashes from the woodstove and fixed his little neck
& half of his adorable head...
not a bad job, no?

the other little fellow was found along the way somewhere...
I can't remember where I got him, but he's been with me a long time...
he's also made from paper mache or some sort of composition~

and
what would a Farmhouse Kitchen be without Tulips?
ahhh....I can't wait til the fresh ones arrive at our local market...
the ones above are 'faux', purchased from Michaels about 5 years ago...
I love them and how they look nestled in my glass jar set on my breakfast nook table.

....speaking of Farmhouse Kitchens,
I wanted to thank you girls that left me comments yesterday
regarding my kitchen make-over
and how you like the kitchen just as it is now!

I tried hanging some of the tablecloths to replace the curtains,
and it just doesn't work...
WAAAYYYY too busy for me, so I will dig through my fabric stash
& look for a pale-to-butter yellow cotton check
...I think that will give me the look I'm after...
AND
I have received a bunch of emails with ideas for my backsplash!
THANK YOU !!
I will surprise you with the finish soon !!!
Hoping you all have a wonderfully creative day!

Blessings from the Farm...
Lori
p.s. how do you like the new look of my blog?? :)

Monday, January 24, 2011

Our kitchen ~ Before....

it won't be anything major...
but I will be changing the look of the kitchen in the next few days....
we have never fully finished the kitchen
(no lower cabinets, no dishwasher...yet)

so I hung fabric to hide our pots and pans...
I usually change out the fabric for seasons,
but this time....

I want to change it out using vintage tablecloths from the 40's & 50's...
I won't cut or sew them,
but simply use curtain rings to hold them to the rods
that Peter has attached just below the countertops

the little 'island' has burlap sacks on it now, but
that will change too....


I'm hoping to switch out the rug also,
so I'm on the lookout for a lighter one..
hope fully an old hooked floral ~

...the little white drysink that you see above was purchased from Robin
(www.millstonemercantile.blogspot.com)
& I LOVE it !
I would like to do someting
to cover the mural that I painted on the backsplash, too...
maybe use old tin ceiling tiles? chicken wire?
do any of you have suggestions
for a great backsplash cover up without repainting?

Blessings from the farm,
~ Lori ~

Sunday, January 23, 2011

It's the Farm Life for Me....

please meet Callie ~
she is the smallest of our last-hatched brood...
she's maybe 1/2 the size of her brothers and sisters but a little fighter.

last night it was so cold, Callie got chilled...
and a chilled chickne, baby or not, is not a good chicken.

So, Peter brought her into the house this morning
& she will stay in here for a couple of weeks ~
in the meantime, she is feeling much better
...now that she's warmed up by the woodstove

she's eating warmed food and water,
and crushed layer mash...
oh
and every speck of dust and dead (or what we think is dead) stinkbug & ladybug
that seem to be in every nook and cranny of this old house.

she'll be living in the cat carrier,
next to the woodstove in the den...
which we've filled with fresh hay and lots of love.

I'm pretty sure she's happy now ~
I know we are,
...having her here with us
and being able to care for her
when she needed us ~

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!!

Blessings from the farm,
~ Lori ~

Saturday, January 22, 2011

A beautiful, sunny Saturday!

Hello Folks ~
Although we woke to temps in the teens this morn ~
the sun was strong & the skies were clear...
lending itself to a beautiful
Winter's Day

the Shop was open today,
and as cold as it was outside,
inside was made comfy & cozy by my trusty wood stove...
the sun was streaming through the windows ~

making everything cheerful & bright...
Spring can't be too far off now,
can it?

I'm dreaming of fresh tulips, forsythia and crocus ~
blooms on my lilac and wisteria, too...

even my needlework & artwork is reflecting
my longing for Springtime here on the Farm...
new baby chicks, lambs perhaps again this year?
fresh air for hanging laundry
and
cool grass between my toes.


out will come the lighter quilts, curtains and linens.
away will go the dark, heaviness of Winter...

Fun new designs in the works
and Fresh from the Farm
finished goods are
on the Horizon...

...creativity is bounding in my little brain
and I've been playing with papers, wool and fabric...
so much more to come ~
Wishing you all a Sunny day !

Blessings from the farm,
~ Lori ~

Giveaway Winner ~


Good Morning Friends!


the winner of my little giveaway is...

"The Other Me Is Sane"
(you didn't leave me your email or name,
so I used your blogger name! LOL)

If you would, please email me at not4got@aol.com,
with your shipping info...

congrats!!!
and thanks to all that commented...
we are ALL so blessed to have our Friends....


Blessings from the farm,
~ Lori ~

Friday, January 21, 2011

More Farmhouse Photos ~

Hello!
here are
some more pics of the farmhouse
in progress...
here is a shot of our den
(which was our dining room)
it is still in transition,
as I want to repaint it and take the border down...

looking from the kitchen doorway ~



this beautiful mirror/planter
was a gift from my sister Sharon,
her hubby Roy made it one for all of us girls one Christmas...
I change it out every season, and have probably painted it
a hundred times...




next to that, is my wall of instant relatives...
simply pinned to the wall with antique hat pins...
I love the look!


below is my prized cabinte that I got from Felicia...
it is chippy green and perfect for the television and stereo equipment

here is a sweet vintage runner that I found in an old hat box...
it has a kitten in a basket...perfect for a kitty-lover like me~

...this is our breakfast nook....
again, it is in transition because I want to paint the walls
~~~~~~~~

I love my blue cupboard
and am slowly filling it with china plates...
I bought this uber-cool wire plant stand at
Vintage on Main
a neat little shop in town...


..and these two sweet little souls are
Barbara & Sylvester...
they live in the sunny window in the breakfast nook
and sing & play all day long ~

I will continue the tour with the kitchen and the pantry this weekend!

Blessings from the farm,
~ Lori ~