And the polls are open...

    

Want another entry to the giveaway? 

     Vote for your favorite shelf! Feel free to suggest tweaks to the one of your choice. Polls close FRIDAY (tomorrow) at midnight. Those shelves will be finalized and locked. Then, one more zone to go before the hutch is complete and the countdown to the giveaway begins!

     At this point, all previous posts are closed for bonus points. And remember, class, to get bonus points, you need to make a specific comment, preferably a suggestion! Your suggestions have been so inspiring!

     There has been some interest in where some of the items came from. If you have a question about a specific one, just ask! They are eBay, etsy, and blogger friends items!!! Some of our blogging friends represented are:

Preferably Prim

Granny Trace' Scraps and Squares

The Rusty Thimble

Primitives by Olde Lady Morgan
Ravenwood Folkart and Whimzies

So, without further ado, here are some shelf combos (Thank you, ladies, for your detailed suggestions!)...

There you go! Polls are open!

Have a blessed evening!

Love,

Heather

Hey,howdy, how ar... WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE WEATHER?

      I could see my breath outside, friends.  I could see it.  It is August.  I wore a sweatshirt this weekend.  A sweatshirt.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am a fan of cooler weather, BUT I AM SOOOOOO CONFUSED!  Okay.  That's enough about THAT! Oh, yeah, Bailey and Charlie say, "Hi!"  So, what's new with you all?  Hold on, hold on, I need to put a sweatshirt on. Okay.  Better.

     Well, I have been busy crafting!  Last summer, it seems like I was busy buying and blogging (the latter being a very good thing.  First one- not so much!).  I have taken a lot of Benadryl this summer, but fortunately it is not having the same effect as last summer.  If you are new to my blog, you can read about that hot mess here.

     God has been so gracious and has blessed me with a good summer! Even though there was a lot of stress, He has still allowed me to decompress some in preparation for the upcoming school year. I have just been quite the homebody.

     I was thrilled to be able to FINALLY meet my dear friend, Christine, from Preferably Prim. Actually, while looking for the Benadryl post, I got distracted reading my conversations with Christine from when I first started my blog.  When I first started, my blog was mainly getting to know my dear friend as she was my first follower. What a blessing to meet someone so kind and encouraging! So, one year later, I got to meet her in real life.  Meeting friends from the blogging world is like hitting the ground running.  We met, we hugged, and we walked around the Candle Barn in Intercourse, Pa like we were just continuing our chats.  It was awesome to actually shop with my dear friend! And, it is certainly wonderful to now have a voice in my mind!  She has the most lovely accent!  That memory of her visit certainly a treasure! But, her friendship is more of a treasure! You know, these are the times when I wish Star Trek was real.  Okay, here is a squirrel moment, so well, sorry.  But I can't stop it now...

     There are so many things in life, technology-wise, that crop up, and I think STAR TREK!  When cell phones first came out, and they flipped open (You youngin's need to stop your snickering...)- well, STAR TREK!  When I was doing my grant with NASA, and I saw a printer that printed THINGS- STAR TREK.  Okay, okay, you have either gotten my point or wandered to another blog (It's okay.  I would too.) Well, what we NEED is transporters!  Seriously!  Just think about it!  Okay, so Christine says, "Hey!  You want to come over and chat?"  I say, "Sure!" Get in the transporter- there!  I want to visit Faye's shop on the Bay of Fundy.  Transporter.  There!  Think of the gas we would save!  Seriously, hybrid cars?  Someone needs to be working on THAT!

     Okay. So what were we talking about? Right...So then, I got to hang out with Granny Trace' and do some shopping.  Oh man, she wrote about it on her blog, but it was so true.  The first get together, it was fun.  This time rocked!  We were giggling and laughing like old friends and drinking WAY too much coffee.  When she says "vats", she does not exaggerate. And I find that Granny Trace' and coffee can have a bigger effect on shopping than Benadryl.  Something about being caffeinated, laughing, and shopping with a dear friend who says, "That is cute!  Love it!" overrides your husband's directive to not spend much.  Oops.  ANYHOOOOO... Good thing that we found bargains.  Although I can't claim to have found an AWESOME dish collection, I did get some treasures:

      I love this cradle!  I wasn't into dolls as a child.  I played with Star Wars figurines.  I know.  Shocker.  But since then,  I have been collecting and making prim dolls.  I wanted something prim to put them in.  I have been looking for an old toy cradle, but most of them were pricey.  So, my treasure was finding this little old red cradle for $12!  Perfect!

     I think that it is a good gathering spot for my collection! The flag in the flag holder (the center one) is one I purchased right after meeting with Christine.  It is a memento to smile at and remember my meeting with my Preferably Prim friend from across the pond! :)

 

Adding a basket of rag balls picks up the red hue while adding a bit of an Americana touch.

     My husband's teddy looks at home there as well.  AND out of the reaches of Mr. Charlie!  

I just finished this prim doll the other week.  I got the material for her at the CLOTH store that I went to with Granny.  My husband suggested adding the flag.  He's so smart!

 

      Another find was this old washboard with a glass insert for $7.  I put it in an old bucket with a little broom that I primified.  I am thinking some lights behind it?  What do you think?  I am trying to make a gathering around my "hearth" of things that may have been nearby an actual hearth in days gone by.  That was a good tip that I picked up in a magazine somewhere- gather items with a like purpose together. Such as crocks and wooden bowls on my hutch in the dining room.  They would go there wouldn't they?  Gatherings and groupings are always good to bring continuity and attention to a collection, rather than spreading the collection throughout the house.  I am trying to do that to TRY to minimize a cluttered look. That and get rid of things on eBay... ;)

     And last, but not least, this cute brown transferware cup from The Blarney Castle.  So sweet!  $.50- who can say no?

     Well, those are my treasures from my treasured trips.  I have a lot of outdoor work to do, but  hopefully I will get to visit and post on Wednesday with some easy crafts and fixes you can do. I hope to do some blog visiting tonight!  If my fingers unfreeze.  Seriously, I have the windows open, and my fingertips are ice cold! Arrrgh!

So, now that I have yakked your ear off, what treasures or bargains have you found recently?  True treasures aren't the thrift store find.  They are the friends that God has blessed us with here on earth.  Have a wonderful day, my dear treasures!  Thanks for stopping by!

 Love and hugs!

Heather

Proverbs 17:17a
"A friend loves at all times..."

A little bit of this and a little bit of that...

 

We interrupt this programming to let you know that "Charlie's Prim Tour" cannot be seen at its regular time due to magazine ripping circumstances.  Again. Therefore, we are substituting "The Schoolmarm's Tidbits" in its place.  We apologize for the inconvenience.  We now join our show already in progress...

I've been framed, I tell you!  Framed!

Bargain Buying...

     There is just something about baskets.  I have some Longberger baskets (two very SMALL ones). But I love market style baskets, old picnic baskets, and egg gathering baskets. But I try not to pay much for them.  My favorite basket, a picnic basket with a solid top, I got as a steal at $10.  It is so sturdy, and it is perfect for hiding things in.  It holds my crafting supplies! I do love berry baskets as well.  They are great for displaying and making little prim vignettes.  I have been making strawberries at night- quick and easy and relaxing.  I think some prim dolls or "food" would look perfect in this prim carriers!  What do you use your baskets for?

     I love folk art!  I got this little guy for $.25! It is on old barnwood.  It looks to be a  type of wormwood (no worms included)... The back side us beautiful too!

Crafting...

     Wrapping up the school year has been quite stressful.  I only have 4 days left plus 5 days of inservice (talking about the year, report cards, and cleaning classrooms). So, I have been coming home and crafting.  I have made strawberries, grunged jars, made primitive stump dolls, anything.  I don't know if I would sell any of it, but it sure is fun filling the home with crafts from you all and adding my own touch.  

     I remember one of my first conversations with my first and only follower at the time, Christine from Preferably Prim, about making prims- it may be lopsided or missing stitches, but that is okay!  It's prim!  So I can patch or sew over a seam I missed (a whole section, okay!). But the patches give it character and a hominess (or homeliness...).  Kind of like people.  You see these pictures of beautiful hands or faces that are timeworn with age and experience.  What a thing of beauty!  Doesn't the Bible talk about grey hairs being a good thing?  Okay, I had a rabbit trail there... Also a sign of age but ANYWHOO!

     So, here are some $2 jars that I primified.  You can use thinner paper bags or slightly thicker (disclaimer- I will not take blame for jammed printers!).  I found some old free labels or free clipart to make my own labels. I cut them down to 8-1/2 x 11.  Watch carefully as they print.  I grab the front edge when it come out to keep tension on it so it doesn't jam (it kind of helps).Our Pioneer Homestead is just a wealth of labels and tutorials! I have learned a lot from Pamela!  Check out her blog!  I put m labels on with some modge podge and stained it with coffee!  Wallah! The bag behind is just an old sugar bag that I stuffed with cotton.  Sugar with your coffee?

A thrift store find that says it all!

     Here is my grunging station.  My husband so loves me working on the stove... Yes.  That is sarcasm. But I messed around with some things and found that acrylic brown paint watered down and with a lot of cinnamon added to the mix makes a great grunging medium. Then, I sand the cloth to take some off and give it some dips or splashes of coffee to stain it further.  The concoction really smells great.  The cloth seems to really hold onto the wonderful smell and gives it a gritty texture that doesn't rub and fall off easily because the cinnamon has bonded with the paint.  Oh, and I found that leaving out the mixture allows some of the water to evaporate making a thicker, more prim grunging slurry. You all probably do this already, but I was really excited by how well it worked!

One stump doll (the one in the front.  The other I purchased!).

I made a bitty strawberry and stitched it to the bird's beak.  I think I could easy change out the dangling thing seasonally.  I think it looks great with Granny Trace's pin tuck!

A ginormous strawberry I made using some wool that Steve's grandmom left me when she passed. Cherished scraps...

So, yeah, can you burn a strawberry!  I really primified these!  I used wool, felt, and some cute red printed cotton scraps. See, that is what happens when the cinnamon is too dry on the crafts and you put it in the oven to dry. The cinnamon burns easily.  Ooops.

Had some brown homespun.  Hubby wanted a darker curtain behind the light one.  We are trying to keep the house darker to keep it cooler.

I made these a while ago.  I ordered some springs from eBay.  I tried two different looks.  My mom liked the one with the quilt material, so she got that one for Mother's Day.  I am 39, and I still make my mom stuff for Mother's Day. Ugh.

This is a cloth covered bottle.  I saw one in a store for $8, so I though, "Hmmm, could I make that?" Mine is not nearly as nice.  BUT, can you guess what kind of bottle I used for it?  Gold Stars for correct answers!

Proverbs 31:13

"She seeks wool and flax,
    and works with willing hands."

Thank you for taking time out of your creating and enjoying your weekend to visit me!  Please keep our Oklahoma friends in your prayers.  My sister lives in Oklahoma, and though she may not have suffered home damage (Praise God), the emotional wear and tear from frayed nerves is taking a toll too.

Love and hugs!

Heather

Oh! Hi!

Hello there! 

 I is cold.  It was warm and sunny, now it is not.  Mom won't close the windows.  Something about airing out the house.  I promise.  I did not do a "no-no Charlie". So, mom is busy with getting her school year done with finishing her school year (she made me fix that.  She said it didn't sound polite.  Well, then why does she keep talking about summer?), and I am taking over her blog for now. I don't know.  She had time to go to a garage sale, Shupp's Grove, out to eat, and have cake at Mom-mom's and Pop-pop's, but NOT for blogging? I think you all should be suspicious. Oops.  Here she comes.  Don't tell her I back-talked, okay? So, um, yeah.  

Do you want to go on a mini-tour with me?  Mom said to show you stuff she got when she was out "not-blogging". She said that she can't show you house changes.  May be my fault.  She puts things out.  Then, she sees I can gets it.  She has to change it again. She throws her hands in the air. I guess she is hot.  I guess that's why the windows are up.

Eating birthday cake.  Yeah.  Her birthday is tomorrow.  Oh. Oh. Yeah, wait... Mom said I could say her age, but it has to be in a math problem since she is a teacher. Pshaw.  That's lame.  How about I just barks it to you.  Okay, ten's place (See? Math.)- woof.woof.woof.  Okay, now one's place- woof.woof.woof.woof.woof.woof.woof.woof.woof.

Presents.  I got a present the other week.  I chewed it up.  Not have present anymore.

Cake.  Mom brought it home.  My sister, Bailey, is too small to reach the counter.  Mom says I may be the first dog they ever had that could grab food off of the counter.  Is that good or bad?  She put the cake up.  I am thinking not so good for me. 'Sides, see how much is left??? There were only 4 people! They ate half a cake!

This is her birthday stuff.  I like it.  Wood.  Good to chew.  Pottery- bah!

Mom says this is for posies.  Mom-mom got it for her. I eats posies.  They will never make it to this little thingy. Hah!  Shhhh.  Don't tell.

She said this is for something called a pin cushion.  I like cushions! Not so sure about pins, though.

Basket.  Primitive.  All the same- crunchy...

So get this... This is PART of a wheel (She paid $6, and she didn't even get the whole wheel).  She said she is going to hang it from the ceiling and put things on it that she doesn't want me to chew.  Bet the basket is going up there... Oh. She just yelled from the other room.  She said, "Yup." Rats...

Bobbins.  She got 2 for $5.  She likes the "beehive" bottom.  Will there be bees?  Hmmm.  I need to keep my eyes on these. They are going on the table.  She said she will share it later.

Arg.  Another crock. A man at my grandparents' church is a potter.  He sells his seconds to make money for the youth group.  Mom said that it was $8. She said, "If that is a second, what are his firsts?" I think that is a good thing. He is very talented.  God gave him talented hands and a kind heart.

Ooops.  Blurry picture.  Um. Oh! $5 at a garage sale.  Can't chew it.  Rats again.

She said she bought this box from an old lady named "Morgan". I don't think that is nice at all to say about people.  I like the box.  Wood. Crunchy.

Mom said not to show this to someone named "Granny". So, if you are "Granny", don't look.  She said it was $4 at the garage sale. 

Wicker purse- $3 at Shupp's Grove.  It is WAAAAY up high! Ya know, they lets dogs at Shupp's Grove.  Why have I not been there? I think it's a con-speer-a-see. Yup.

Okay.  So she was making these boxes.  She knocked over her bottle of "Modge Podge". She made a BIG mess. I try not to laugh.  Her one cloth placemat thingy is a little stiff.  Ha ha!

This basket is way up.  Why?

$5 at garage sale.  Getting painted black. Dad says, "Shocking." Oh, and he said, "Yes.  That is sarcasm."

Little bear. Etsy. Yum...

 Well, I gots to go now.  We is watching a movie about some guy name Ferris.  He's got a day off. Mom says it helps her to know students' tricks.  All I know is I wants a day off... Bueller... Bueller... Bueller...

Have a great day!

Love and Hugs,

Anyone? Anyone?

Charlie

P.S. Mom is going on a field trip to Longwood Gardens tomorrow. She will post pictures later...