~ So many Things! ~

Good Morning Friends & Folk ~
and a very happy February-Wednesday to you all!

we have a bit of rain this morning here at NFF...
cloudy and overcast, but the cardinals and robins are singing their little spring-loving hearts out!

Saturday, the Tribe
{a.k.a. my girls, my bff's and my closest confidants}
came out to the Studio with their bags and baskets and buckets of stuff to work on ~

we love to try new things and lately all of us seem to be working on a different kind of project from the others...
THAT makes for a super-fun time together!

the meme below shows how my crafty brain works to a tee: LOL

✂ ✂ ✂ ✂ ✂ ✂ ✂ ✂ ✂ ✂ ✂ ✂ ✂ ✂ ✂ ✂

Nancy Z brought along her fabulous paisley hooked rug that she was binding,
using the yarn whipping method ~

just look at the colors in that rug!

🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵

Sharon brought along her basket of
English Paper Piecing {quilting}

Sharon is a master at many types of needlework and beading...
and I personally cannot wait to see this Grandmother's Garden quilt finished!

✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄
Anita was working on a slide for her beautifully beaded peyote bracelet:
she actually taught herself to master the peyote stitch!

🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶

 Janice is the crocheter and knitter of our tribe...
she can simply look at something and before we even know it 
~ she has whipped up a perfect replica...
all without an actual pattern!

🧵 🧵 🧵 🧵 🧵 🧵 🧵 🧵 🧵 🧵 🧵 🧵 🧵 🧵 🧵 🧵

Nancy B is our stitcher extraordinaire ~
she cross stitches, embroiders and loves wool applique too
so she stitched between projects that day...

~ ☙ ❣ ❤ ♥ ♥ ♡ 🖤 ♡ ♥ ♥ ❤ ❣ ❧ ~

we enjoy each other's company so very much ~
we laugh, we vent...we support and lift up each other.
we dream and plan and make our lives happy by choosing to be happy!

here are our 'matching' hand-strung bracelets that we made recently together:

each one as individual as we are ~ each one beautiful and different.
... as it should be

~ I am off now to begin yet another 'new' project for me...
recently I have been studying bead loom bracelets,
 and Peter built me a loom for my birthday!

I have yet to string the warp...
but will share progress photos of my attempt at bead weaving on this beautiful loom

Enjoy your day my friends ~
fill it with creativity and light and those who love you most!
{and throw in a little magic too for good measure}

🌷  🌷  🌷  🌷  🌷  🌷  🌷

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Crafty Saturday and so much more! ~

~ Hello Friends and Folk ~

... Happy Sunday to you all!

We enjoyed a fun day here in the Studio yesterday ~
I can't tell you how much I enjoy this group of girls ♥ when we get together,
... we just never know what will happen!

Janice and Anita have been knitting and crocheting.
I have mentioned how many times before that I cannot knit but I can crochet {a little}?
well Janice took me under her wing yesterday and showed me how to crochet...
but we'll get to that in a little bit ~

Here is my sweet Janice working on the cutest little crocheted trees:

she brought along with her some extra yarn and hooks for me to try...

and knowing how much I want to make a granny square afghan, 

she also brought this book for me to look through :)

here she is showing her knitting skills below ~

wow!!

my dear Anita worked her needles too...

these two sisters have such talent ~

when this Tribe of creative women gathers together, 

they bring with them more than their bags and baskets of works-in-progress...

the always bring with them cheerfulness, friendship and positiveness ~

and I love them for that.

...way to go Anita!

our talented and funny friend Sharon can do so many types of crafting...

beading, needlework, and...

~ knitting and crocheting too!
{I can't knit with two straight needles, let alone two needles attached to each other!}

just look at the beautiful hats she is knitting for a very lucky recipient ~

again, here are more of their bags and baskets full of supplies, 

and projects for show 'n tell....

we don't travel lightly!

Miss Joan was working on a 'secret' project that she kindly declined to share, 

but you will all see it soon enough.

in the meantime, 

she brought along a few of her own antique needlework for us to drool over ~

I just love the old motto samplers...

Joan loves to hunt for needlework treasures {don't we all?}

and came upon this set of 4 needlepointed coasters ~

we never know what our wonderful friend Nancy will bring along with her...

but we can expect nothing but stitchy-goodness of some kind!

here is her applique from Rebeka L. Smith's newest book:

Nancy loves her horses and this project resembles

 her gorgeous Frisian-girl "Vrome"

see those wrap bracelets? yep. Nancy made them...

our entire tribe is addicted to beading now too ~ we love everything! 

I worked on making necklaces from some older embroidery bits & bobs

that I have had stored away for a couple of years ~

see? I can crochet! I crocheted the necklace portion for all 3 of these!

{ok, so it's just chain stitch crochet, but I added BEADS to that one! LOL

here is the results of my 'class' with Janice yesterday ~
my very. first. EVER....granny square!
made with beautiful worsted yarn and a larger hook...
{and I just realized it is the color of a granny smith apple hahaha!}

with Janice's guidance and patience
{I can be very trying as I am not a good student lol}
I got the hang of it... 



so I decided to try another one while she was by my side ~
I doubled some Valdani size 8 pearl cotton,
grabbed my smaller hook and made another granny square!
YAY for me!!!!!

while us 'girls' were in the Studio "playing"
my dearest was in the Shop "working" ~
here he is packaging the remainder of club kits that will ship out on Tuesday ~
{thank you Peter}

as I mentioned, we never know what a day together will bring ~

Nancy showed us how to make Elderberry Syrup on the woodstove !

Nancy is a plethora of knowledge when it comes to organics, herbs, 

homeopathy and Natural healing ~

...simmering the berries and cinnamon ~ can you smell that? mmmmmmm

straining out the juice after cooling...

and voila! the best natural remedy to keep on hand
when one feels like they're getting sick...
Nancy says: 
"its high in Vit C and has antiviral properties that help fight cold, flu and URIs. 
Also helps with coughs and congestion as it is an expectorant. Take 1 to 2 teaspoons 3 times a day when you feel "something" coming on and during an illness...".

thank you Dear Friend ~

after a nice lunch of split pea and ham soup, 

crusty bread, salad, globe grapes cheese, crackers and bran muffins,

we got back to work...but not before checking in on Nicky, 

Nancy's little old corgi-girl who is deaf ~ she likes to sleep at our feet under our work table...

she is so sweet ~

here is Nicky's brother Jack ~ always looking for a treat!

sweet boy!!

I love this photo of my girls below!

Cannot wait till next weekend to be together again ~

xoxoxox

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Diversions & Distractions ~

 Hello Friends & Folk!

and greetings on this fine November day to you ~

I pondered over whether to title this post as such:

 'diversions & distractions'

... because really, 

the subject matter that is of today's posting is neither a diversion nor a distraction.

 it is something that I have been wanting to do/doing in between needlework projects...

yes, I am referring to beading again! 

I went hog-wild at our local Joann stores last week ~

not looking for beads, but absolutely falling into a 60%-off sale!

woot-woot & score!

yes I bought beads.

and charms, clasps, toggles and other sundry findings too ~

I also purchased the 2 storage containers you see above and below.

oh, and a book too, on wire-wrapping for jewelry.

 

I have been slowly incorporating beads into my embroideries

and other needlework projects ~ but I really need to keep focused on the work at hand,

and that is finishing up new goods for our open house on Dec. 6th & 7th ~

You may remember that Peter made Hannah 

a bunch of wooden earrings last year for Christmas presents? 

well she loved them, and so did I ~ and so did quite a few of our followers!

so Peter & I have decided to make more ~

both for our customers who visit our Shop & Studio here at the farm,

and we will be offering them for sale ON THIS BLOG after our open house!

we're putting together a page here on the blog

that will allow you to shop directly for our 

wood/wire/embroidered finished jewelry

and ~ we are excited!!!!

 

Photos below show a smattering of finished earrings that I made recently

for the open house ~ there will be a variety of styles/shaped/wood/wire/beads

with no two pair ever being exactly the very same ~ 

hope you love them as much as we do!

 

 I'll post more info on

 how you can go about purchasing some after the open house ~

wishing you all a 

peaceful and creative Sunday!

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori