{ THANK YOU !!!! }

Many thanks to so many
Dear Friends
that visited me at the show yesterday!

I love seeing you all, hearing what you've been up to and getting those hugs!

we had a great show!!!
A BIG THANK YOU
to Linda Miller and Donna Smith for a wonderful show

~ I'll be posting pictures of the booths today...

and also,
I will be adding a bunch of stuff to my etsy shop!

{I know you've been waiting for that!!!}

I'm going to clean this farmhouse today...

blech...

with all of the snow now melting,

{Yippppeeeee!!!!!}

it is bringing in mud...

and this studio is a furry wreck!!!

So after my Olde Homeplace is spruced up,

I'll return here to update....

se you later?

Blessings from the Farm,

~Lori~

{ Clementine it is....}

Love that name for her!...

Thanks for the suggestion Linda B. !!!

okeedokee...I'm off to the shop...have to gather props for the show, bags, receipt books, etc...

Oh & my new CAMERA! woohoo!!!!

I'll be back later to post pics of the set up~

enjoy the warmer temps that will be heading our way today!

Blessings from the Farm,

Lori

{ Fuzzy Slippers & Mint Tea }

Ain't she sweet?

Fuzzy Slippers and Mint tea...
...they go together well, don't you think?
well I do.
Mint Tea helps calm my nerves before a show...
and tomorrow is set up.

and the "fuzzy" slippers aren't exactly intentional,

it just sorta kinda happens when you're working with mohair,

and distressing bears & such...

Speaking of Bears,
up there is a sneak peak of my lastest girl,
I haven't named her yet, but she is quite beguiling....
she's another 16" bear, from my own pattern...
she has reproduction Civil War-era foot pads and is 5X jointed with bolts & washers...
stuffed with old clean rags for a nice vintage feel...
Lavender-colored German blown-glass eyes, too...
her little dress is an antique,...one made long ago by someone who cared...
it is made from old feedsack fabric, with sweet little white milk-glass buttons...it is torn and tattered, but that's what makes it endearing, don't you think?

She is my favorite so far...
and will be accompanying me tomorrow for set-up...
any suggestions for names?

I'll take pics of set-up tomorrow,
...then I probably won't be here to post again until Sunday...
sooooo....wish me luck!
Blessings from the Farm,
Lori

{ The Countdown Begins!!! }

{this is Oliver...he was 'born' last night}

I have only the rest of today & all of tomorrow
to finish the things that I'll be taking to the show ...

Friday is set-up day, so that means I won't be home to do any sewing
(maybe friday eve)

but

I am So looking forward to getting out & meeting people & breathing fresh air & having FUN!

(oh & did I mention SHOPPING???)

I can't wait to see everyones things! I LOVE old textiles & fabrics, antique children's shoes & clothing, early toys, baskets, bowls, crocks...buttons & vintage jewelery...

(the list really is endless)

]so I'm here in my sewing room, working on another bigger (16") bear...this one is the palest, faded pink...I'll distress her severely & add some trinkets to her...

I'll show pics of her tonight if I have time!

thanks to all for your positive comments on my last post...

Thanks to my sweet family who has continually encouraged me to be who I am...
thank you for loving me !

I will be updating my" favorite blogs" list...

you'll see that it will continually change also,

as I couldn't possibly list every single friend's blog out there...

so if yours is there today, & not there tomorrow, it doesn't mean I don't love you anymore...

I'm just passing around the love...that's all!

Hoping you all have a Peacefully Creative day!

Blessed be~

Lori

{ What's New? }

{my sometimes-silent partner, Suzy}

Hi Friends & Folk!

....it is another cold, windblown & snow-y day here in VA...

Hannah is home yet again and we are cozily creating here in the farmhouse studio...

As you can see, I changed my blog colors again!
{I'm never satisfied to 'keep' one color...there are just too many pretty colors out there!!}

I've changed it up, added some things and deleted some things too...
I'll also be updating my 'favorite blogs'...so look for some new ones!!

I'm going to try something different here on this blog, too...
if you look on my sidebar, on the upper right,
you will see a "page" list,
and under that is a link to a page
where I will begin selling my finished folk art...

if it works, I will use that page monthly
to showcase some works that I wish to offer
to my customers/collectors directly...

this way, no fees are incurred
such as on an auction or other 'selling' site...

{I'm hoping to update the page after this saturday's show,
so please watch for that...}

For those of you that have emailed me and have asked,
"What's with all this BEAR stuff?
where's your cross stitch & needlepunch stuff???

WHY aren't you talking about that????"

well, please let me explain...
I began creating bears back in the 1990's.
I designed my own patterns, and my Mom would help me sew them up.

together, Mom & I would do local Bear Shows in CT....
we had a blast & loved being together!
{still do...LOVE YOU MOM !}

ANYhoo...
when Hannah was born I kind of stopped making my bears
to focus more on the pattern designing for my needlework designs...
I was fortunate {again, still am!}
to have been picked up by great distributors
and the rest they say, is history....

Occasionally,
in the last few years,
I would make a bear & offer it on ebay or etsy,
and developed a following for them
{Thank you very much dear friends!}
I love the idea of creating something that smiles back at you...

and have, lately,
shifted my attention to again selling

finished mohair bears & critters.

I was just accepted into the group:
"Guild of Master Bear Makers"

{badge/link on my sidebar}

and am SOOOO excited to be in the company

of some of the world's most talented bear makers & artists.

So there you have it...
I guess I've come full-circle.

I will always continue to design & offer you my needlework patterns,

but I will now tickle my own fancy by doing something I truly, truly love...

something that delights my soul & warms my heart!!!

I will be celebrating a birthday on the last day of this month,

and the best gift I could ever give myself is to follow my own dreams ~

don't get me wrong now, I still dabble in just about every craft known to woman-kind!!

but for now, I will follow my muse....

who knows where it might take me??

Wishing you all the fulfillment of your own Dreams ~

Blessed be!

Lori