My New England Upbringing ~

Growing up along the coastal waters of Connecticut, I have a yearning for anything that relates to the maritime...ships, boats, shells, fish & mermaids and particularly, or more Peculiarly....
...WHALES.

(((Lately, I've been drawing WHALES.)))

I've been researching the history of whaling along the upper regions of
Massachussets and Rhode Island...
Narragansett, Cape Cod...Ipswich & Nantucket...

I've watched a couple of shows on whalers and whaling communities.
How they did what they did with such crude & rudimentary tools is beyond belief.
I'm not one that favors hurting animals (at ALL.) but I know that Whaling was crucial to the development of the Nation ~ the by-products of the whale were needed, and as such, brave men ventured forth ~ sometimes for years ~ chasing the huge, elusive creatures...

So, my creative muse has taken hold of me once again,
and I am working with needle and thread to put my thoughts to design...

(on my frame is a work-in-progress...that includes a whale, and of course...a witch)


shown in sepia tones until the finish...

but being raised in New England, I find myself being even thriftier than ever in today's economy.

I found 15 skeins of DMC floss at a local thrift shop for $1.00 ~ uh huh, that's right. I snapped them up and am using them in the above project...

but, just because I was raised a thrifty Yankee, doesn't mean that everyone doesn't like a bargain or the hunt for one...such fun in finding something in a dusty corner that we didn't know we yet needed ~

I'm sure you all are thrifty in your own right.

My decorating tends to reflect my frugality, too...

this little white pitcher was 50 cents at a barn sale last weekend...

the little black-iron bird (which I think is a lamp finial) was a mere 2.00.

the photos, below were found in our attic here in the old farmhouse when we renovated,

the flicker candle is from the Dollar Store, and of course, the Lavender is home-grown...

not alot of money spent on my favorite farmhouse look ~

...another little pitcher, (below) a larger ironstone pitcher (with a beautiful chip), a tiny birdhouse gifted from a friend (Thank you Tammy!) and a jar candle made by another friend, with a copy of an old sampler simply pasted on and wrapped with stained osnaburg ~

is all my salvaged mantle-scape needs...it fills my heart without breaking a very tight budget.

So, call me a Yankee, call me a spendthrift...call me whatever you'd like to ~

but, don't believe for a minute that I'm any different from those of you who do the same thing

and live to create something from nothing, reuse, repurpose & recycle...

In fact, it is quite the compliment to me,

knowing that I have so many friends, such as yourselves, that do & enjoy the same...

I'll share the finish of my WIP on my next post ~

Blessings from the Farm!

Lori