{ saturday musings }

 

Hello!

we had a nice day in the shop today...
friends Cindy & Joan came out to hook with me,

and we were visited by

Pat & Karen as well ~

always nice to see folks out & about enjoying the weekends :)

 

I worked a little on that antique adaptation that I shared with you a few weeks back ~

here is my progress so far:

(not much, I know, but it is an 'in between' project for me at the moment)

 

 

 

 

I hooked the central tree, and hooked some of the leaves and flowers...

but I wanted to incorporate some hand dyed wool pennies that I marbelized

using Karen's (primitivespirit) technique...

 

 

 

 

I'm really liking how they look stitched primitively onto the rug

with the higher loops pulled around them...what do you think of the contrast?

 

 

 

 

 

 

here's a close up of the appliqued penny ~

(love how the colors blended and married in the 'stew' pot)

 



 

and here's the other penny...
this one I will hook higher loops around for dimensional petals in contrasting colors...

red? purple? hmmm....

both?

 



 

 

...and here is a finished runner that Cindy (mountainhollow)

punched today using wool yarns

and her Oxford punch ~

Baa Baa Blacksheep....

 

 

 

 

close up of the yarn loops ~

 

 

 

I belong to an online group called
Rug Hooking Daily

and today's discussion was about on-line tutorials...

here is a link for a fantastic finishing (or starting?) technique:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR-ebWIJd_Y

 

AND...

while Joan, Peter & I were preparing to close the shop for the day,
Peter looked out one of our windows and said loudly:
"There's a cat fighting with a snake outside!"

Joan & I ran to the window and there was a tiny, skeletal kitten...
batting at a blacksnake that was a good 3 feet long!!!!

so I (of course) ran outside and by the time I got close to them, the kitten had KILLED that blacksnake, and was mewing at me!!!!!

I scooped her up and brought her inside the shop...
she was SOOOOO friendly and affectionate ~ I scoured her for fleas & ticks and to my amazement had only a couple...her little bones were sticking out through her fur and she was as light as a feather...surely malnourished.

 

So, I (of course x 2) ran to the house for some kitty food and fresh water

and brought it back to the shop for her....
she gobbled it up and lapped up some water and purred

and made muffins with her little velvet mittens ~

 

I have named her 'Minew' (actually I named her Minuette becasue she is so small) but Minew is the sound she makes and the name just seems to fit her.

 

and here she is ~



 

i am smitten with this kitten from the woods...

a tiny gift that lifted my heart today

and made me cry ~

 ( sorry for making you cry too, friend Joan)

but I love animals so deeply and I can't help but remember my Suzy
whom I lost in February,
and I believe this little one was just out there waiting to find me...

Peter has already fallen for her, and has built her a warm,

safe & dry kitty house on the farmhouse front porch ~

safe inside the confines of the picket fence.

 

we'll keep you posted as to her progress >^..^<

 

Lori from

Notforgotten Farm

{ another cycle begins... }

 

...Last night

while we were peacefully sleeping

something wonderful & magical was happening...

 

a whole new lifecycle sprang to life in the darkness ~

 

~ The Cicada ~ click

 

 

most that know me

understand that I love all creatures big & small

...(well occasionaly I dislike spiders)

 

and know that I am not squeemish or afraid of bugs...
(unlike some of my gal pals who shall remain nameless, Joan.)

 

 



 

I find beauty in them...
their wings, eyes, legs and shapes of their tiny bodies.

 

 



 

 

 ...and of course,

in their spectacular colors!

 

 

 

oh, Hello!

 

 



 

 

 I tell folks

that I could easily become an

Entomologist ~ click

when I grow up...

(I may 'mature'...but i will never 'grow-up')

 

 

 

some of you reading this might be saying to yourselves that I am a nut ~

BINGO!

but

how can you not at least appreciate the delicate,

 albeit creepy-to-some,

masterpiece

such as this?

 

 



 

as a Folk Artist,

I am always drawn to color, design & shape

especially for me, in Nature ~

I am inspired by texture and detail...

 

~ look at the color of his (her?) eyes ~ that perfect orange-y red...

and his body ~ black with yellow stripes.

and those wings!

chartruese & irridescent.

 

how could any Hallowe'en Lover

not  be drawn to this for inspiration?

:)

 



 

yes, I may be a bit daft,

some have even said I've gone 'round the bend...

but that's ok.

I'm happy here with my little friends

...and am blessed that they visit me every decade-or-so.

 

that's it for the lesson today folks! :)

hope i haven't creeped too many of you out!

 

Now I am off to paint some more ~ on even tinier canvasas....
hoping to make some wearable folk art for your amusement!

and

I will use the colors from these bug-folk as inspiration.

Lori from

Notforgotten Farm

{ Covert Operations }

Afternoons around here can get really sleepy...

especially if it is raining & cold outside

and inside it is warm and cozy.

 

so when it's like that, I tend to creep around with my camera

and catch the sleepy-folk around here ~

shhhhhh.....

 

oh, hey Ig....I was just...um....

 

 



 

 I love when he falls asleep sitting up.

he hates when i embarass him.

 



 

 and here are the other sleepy-folk....

snoozing in the recliner together.
(pathetic, no?)

 

 

 as quiet as I could be...

I snapped the picture and Mr. Peach snapped open his bead-y eye...

 

 

...and then I was caught red handed by the Big Mr. Snooze!!

his eye snapped open & that's all she wrote...
I was totally & shamelessly guilty of covert paparazzi maneuvers.

 

 

Hey, If I can't take a nap,

...why should anybody else be able to?

 

(actual names in this post were changed to protect the not-so-innocent)

 

Lori from

Notforgotten Farm

{ Spring Open House }

 

Yesterday we woke at 5:30 and headed out to the shop

for some last minute preperations before opening the door ~

for our (I can't believe this) 6th Spring Open House!

 

Nocchi was still stirring from slumber...

     

the shop's porch was decorated with old farmhouse-finds

...and hooked items from Cindy (Mountain Hollow)

 



it was a chilly day, but the warmth of Friendship made it all better...

 



 

 the Gardener,

(a.k.a. Peter)

 did a FABulous job on the herb gardens...

 

 

an old, OLD swinging butter churn in original blue paint

decorated the front of the shop...

 



greetings friends!

 

my sister, Louisea ~ makes these wonderful hyper-tufa pots ~

perfect for your herbs...they have a wonderful oldtime farm look to them that we just LOVE!

 

 



 

Joans' antique gathering baskets, Cindy's handmade folk art & dolls...
and antique chicken feeder & waterer ~

 



 

Step in and shake off the Early May chill ~

 



beautiful wool applique runner hand made by Felicia...

handgs on the glass door of our old hoosier ~

 



our guests were treated to blueberry muffins, mini chocolate chip muffins, butterscotch strudel ~

fresh strawberries & grapes and pink lemonade...yum!

 



 

fantastic hooked rugs and mats from Sherry (fromsherrysheart)

 



 

a basket-full of hooking goodness from Karen (Primitive Spirit) waits...

 



 

 straw filled pillows from Robin (Millstone Mercantile)

in an old red basket...one of my folk art paintings too.

 



 

it was a great day, and we're always so happy to see our old friends and meet new friends too!

we ended our day feeling blessed to be able to share what we love doing with so many...

our thanks to all who helped out & visited with us ~