Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Don't Forget ~

remember,
one minute past midnight tonight,...
look for my Early Work Mercantile offering
... for our group's theme for September...

"A Settler's Harvest"


our members will be offering wonderful,
needful goodes on the 1st AND 15th of September..

what??? you're not on the mailing list?

then GET on the mailing list....
...once you've entered the website, look for the
"mailing list" link...
and sign up so you won't miss one thing!!


:)

Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

LoOk!!!

can you believe I actually HOOKED something??

wowzers...

been forever.

BUT

sometimes the urge to pull fat wool strips through soft-as-butter linen
overcomes me and i

Just. Have. To.


SO
here you have it ~
a Scared Jack Chairpad.


available HERE NOW.
and ya know? I may just need to
get a few more hooked things out of my system!!



along with hooking, (and making some dolls)
we are actually in the throes (once again) of haying the fields...
this means, 2 days worth of sneezing, itching, scratchy throats, eyes & skin ~
sore muscles, and help from dear friends...
SO ~
with that said,
I will now go bring the water jug out to Peter,
who is out there rowing the hay for this afternoon's bailing...
hoping you all have a wonderful day!!!

Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Lending a hand...




well, I guess you could say lending a paw...

Iggy is my biggest fan.
fascinated with everything I do...
I can't cook (unless I'm using aluminum foil...he hates that)
I can't clean (unless the vacuum is running...he hates that too)
I can't even take a bath (unless Suzy is in the bathroom with me...she hates him)
without him being there ~
watching intently and gently pawing at everything within his little reach.


so it was no wonder that when I started up my trusty sewing machine,
that he came running ~ curious as usual ~ and jumping up onto my worktable...

the thread was like a magent to him:
he couldn't help himself.


the fabric running through the machine was now a game of chase
and even the motion of the needle moving up & down
was enough to drive him a b s o l u t e l y batty....
I quickly had to remove him from the area before he became my next project.


no,


i do not need another project,
especially one that has it's own opinion.




So, for now ~
I'll not finish the doll I was making.
I'll wait till he is napping ~ caught up in a little kitten dream of his own device...
where the sound of my stitching will not stir him.




I'll show you the doll as soon as I can finish it.


Iggy says he's sorry...he can't help himself.




such sweet & faithful helpers I have!!!




Wishing you all a beautiful day ~ filled with creativity and fur friends!!

>^..^<

Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Monday, August 29, 2011

They're Finished!!!!


Hi Friends & Folk!!

Here is my finished
"Sledding in Connecticut" sampler...


I made it into a hanging pinkeep,
stuffed with sawdust and backed with repro civil war era quilting cotton fabric ~

it was stitched by Felicia onto 30ct "18th Century Blackbird" linen from R&R Reproductions...
one thread over two...using Gentle Art Sampler Threads
the finished size is approx. 5" x 10" and the stitch count is 150w x 75h.
pattern is now available for 10.00 + shipping
&
here is
"Christmas Adam & Christmas Eve"
also made into a sawdust filled hanging pinkeep ~ repro cotton fabric backing...


it too, was stitched by Felicia, onto 40ct "Lambswool" Linen from Wichelt
one thread over two...using Gentle Art Sampler Threads...


the finished size is approx. 5 1/5" x 10" and the stitch count is 120w x 198h
pattern now available for 10.00 + shipping.
(I happily combine shipping costs for you)


I LOVE how they turned out, and how I have them dsiplayed in these photos ~
very simply hung on a bare twig wreath with just a touch of fresh greens....

to purchase please email me at not4got@aol.com
and I will email you back with your total...
these will also be available in my Etsy shop soon ~

My thanks to you all who have commented on these two designs,
and I hope they please you well!!!

now,
onto the next!!!

Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Irene has left the building....

{{... this is how Suzy & I work ~}}


Miss Irene came & left...
high winds, sheets of rain ~ but insignificant, really.
my stars, how the Media plays things up...
Doomsayers, they are.



Yes, I know..
we have to be prepared.
ABSOLUTELY.


but
do they need to incessantly bombard us
every minute of every day leading up
to it?


oh well...technology does allow us to know ahead of time of disasters,
and gives us time to prepare.


but I just think that the News and Radio stations really try to scare us!




ANYhoo, it was a good day to stitch!!



I've ALMOST finished the new designs to be released...
(please no whipping with a wet noodle)
AND
working on the last of my Early Work Mercantile offerings for the first...

I've been in such a mood for Fall to come...
and those magazines mentioned in a previous post are not helping at all...
so, in all,
that is why my blog has this new, WONDERFUL template from
AMYBUG



if you're looking for something unique, vintage or primitive for your blog
I highly recommend her, you're sure to find something you like AND she'll upload it for you!


(she's a peach for doing that)

So, my day will be spent grocery shopping, changing the air filter in my car,
going to a pocketbook & purse party at Felicia's house
(not sure what else to call it)


then back home to stitch.





hoping you are all safe & sound and Irene has left your area too.

Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Uh oh....

I guess I'm in trouble...
I received a gentle reminder about me releasing the new Christmas patterns
that I said I would release this week....


I will confess,
I'm not finished with the finishing of them
(clear as mud?)
meaning, I'm not sure what I want to make them into ~
I don't particularly want to frame them both
so I have other options....
the problem is,
I have other options
and can't decide!

I will try my best to figure this dilema out,
and hopefully post this evening.

that is,
if Hurricane Irene doesn't come by for a visit
and stay too long.


I'll keep you posted.

and

my apologies to my friends who are anxiously waiting for them:
carol, audrey, betsy, donna & susan ~

:)

keep safe today, and please make sure to keep our outdoor animal friends safe too.


Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Friday, August 26, 2011

Varied Interests ~

{{this snap of the Igmeister has nothing to do with this post...
I just loved the expression on his little face!}}


and onto the post:

I know I am a lover of everything primitive,
old, weathered, worn ~
loved, faded & bedraggled...
but
I also love contemporary things too ~

I love color, design and artful handwork...

so, it's no suprise to those that know me well
to see me reading a variety of books and magazines ~
above are the latest (newest) to my collection...from left to right



"STUFFED" magazine:
a fun, funky and full of surprises mag full of colorful snaps
of thee craziest creations ever stuffed with stuff...
(I love the varied artists' techniques)

"ARTFUL BLOGGING" magazine:
a compendium of awesome & personal writings, photos, stories & journeys...
(my dream one day is to be included!!)

"STUDIOS" by Clothpaperscissors
a great place to virtually 'visit' some beautiful artist's studios ~
TONS of organizational inspiration

"ART DOLL QUARTERLY" magazine
I drool over every issue and am so proud of my fellow-doll-and-bear-making friends!!
a must-read each and every issue ~
{{and a shout out to Scott Smith of http://www.rucusstudios.com/
for making the cover twice!}}

"EARLY AMERICAN LIFE" magazine
the One, the Only...the Original.

...awesome insight into colonial living~
even the advertisements have become legend.



oh and there are
SO. MANY. MORE....
A Simple Life, A Primitive Place, Early Work Mercantile,
the Wool Street Journal, Where Women Create, Romantic Homes, Victoria,


and of course,
Country Home, Country Living, Country Sampler, and
Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion
(((Mary, if you're reading this, since we ARE friends on facebook,
can you please resurrect this magazine? pretty please with a bowl of cherries on top?)))


so there you have it,
confessions of a
voracious magazine-aholic.

what are your fav's????


Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Thursday Postings ~

Aside from being shaken out of bed at 1:00 this morning from a 4.5 aftershock,
& getting ready for hurricane Irene,

I've been doing this:


Scherenschnitte ~otherwise-known-as~
Pennsylvania German Papercutting...


here is my little
Whistling Witch 5" x 7"


and my little Sweeping Witch also 5" x 7"

I'll be painting frames for these
and putting them in my Etsy shop ~
I am in the process of making larger ones too...
I'll share them in a later post.

and here is that little cross stitch I'm working on for the
Early Work Mercantile ~


a little wonky, but that's how I like 'em :)


I just started stitching, no chart,
~ so that's why the border doesn't match-up


it will be a pinkeep, & I'll trim it with the black ric-rac
& buttons and fill it with spices and sawdust ~

oh, & yeah ~
I know....
I love to change my blog.
it makes me happy to play with it ~
so, for now,
it's for the birds!

Hoping you all have a *Sparkling* late-Summer's day!


Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

I feel the Earth, move, under my feet....

Robin & I were in Lynchburg today,
shopping in Michaels' and Pet Smart...
we decided to walk over to Barnes & Noble for lunch at Starbucks
and see if there were any new mag's out....
(i got the new Early American Life)


we ate, then went over to the bargain book section,

when I noticed the floor was vibrating.
I looked to my left and saw a man pushing a cart loaded with books and thought,
'...man, that's alot of books!'

then realized that the floor was moving & I could hear a low rumble...
I looked up and my eyes locked with another man standing a few aisles over from me,
and I sort of made a screwed-up face like

'...what the -?'
his eyes said back to me:
'...I dunno...'
then I looked up and saw 'stuff' falling from the HIGH ceiling of B&N
and by now everything was shaking, rocking and was SO surreal ~
and called out for Robin ~
I said,
'OK...we're having an Earthquake, let's get OUTSIDE'!!!

we walked to the front, went out the doors and kinda stood there looking at each other...
more folks came out and we all said
'did you FEEL that?'

oh, yeah,....WE FELT THAT.


an Earthquake, measuring 5.9 on the Richter Scale had hit Mineral, VA.
about 20 minutes from Charlottesville, which is about 30 minutes away from our home...
we were another 50 miles south of that, at least, and it felt like the ground was going to open up and swallow us....


Virginia's last BIG Earthquake was in Giles county, in 1897
and it too, was a 5.9-er.


Robin & I hugged in the parking lot of B&N ~
we were kind of wide-eyed & everything was just.plain.weird.
but we are so happy no one was hurt...

Thankful it wasn't worse.


So,
how was YOUR day???

:)


Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Monday, August 22, 2011

Passionate ~

I have been growing a
Passion Flower vine...

for a number of years here...
it was gifted to me by my friend Bea's father, Albert...
Albert has thee greenest thumb of anyone I know
and relies on the Old Ways of planting & harvesting...


he told me to plant my cutting (from his garden)
in the cycle of the Waxing Moon

as you can see by my pictures,
my vine is healthy,
but
my flowers don't look like the 'textbook' flowers...
where are the actual petals?


I have beautiful fringe-y things that resemble frizzled-purple-spaghetti...
and a beautiful stamen ready for the hummingbirds and bumbler-bees...


but where oh where are the petals???



kinda freaky....
I do have a couple more buds that should be opening soon,



so I'll keep an eye on them ~


I wonder what kind of fruit they'll bear if there are no petals?
skinless passionfruit? seedless passionfruit?
passion-less passionfruit?

we'll soon see....


has anyone else grown these?

please remember, I am a Transplanted Yankee ~
and had never even heard of a passionflower vine or fruit before 2003...


any suggestions
????


Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Singing Donkeys?



Every morning when I go out to the barn
I am greeted by this duo ~

it never fails...when they hear the slam of the back porch screen door,
they start their routine ~

they whinny, whine & harmonize
with each other,
singing me their Starving Donkey songs...

a carrot or two, some sweet molasses feed
and a flake of fresh hay later,
I get this:
a kiss from Pinnochio ~
*mmmmmwha!*

so I am charting a new sampler,
called
"Singing Donkeys"


{{oh, yes...I did mention about Dancing Sheep in my last post...
no worries, I would never forget them ~
they will have their own sampler designed just for them}}

(more on that to come...)

it's Open House at school today,
Hannah will get her schedule and we will pay our fees for books & things...
only one more day till she's in her last year of high school!

don't blink....
it really does go by that fast ~

Wishing you all a fantastic day filled with those who love you most!

Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Sunday, August 21, 2011

A Quiet Sunday ~

a couple of pictures of the project I'm working on presently ~


some more offerings for September first's Early Work Mercantile...



this will be a pin pillow when finished~
so far I have an Urn & a partial Pumpkin:



I just love my early Buttonhole Scissors ~ their patina is perfect!


and I do have quite a few dried gourds from our Garden's past...
I love their mottled & spotted skins~





this little gourd is a tiny Birdhouse gourd...
we grew a bunch of them last year and I use them throughout the house
as reminders of my favorite season ~


I even hang them on my Christmas/Yule tree as natural decorations!


Speaking of Yule it will be here before we know it, and as so I will be releasing my
Christmas Adam & Eve sampler & my Sledding in Connecticut sampler this week ~
I'm putting the finishing touches on them now ~ keep an eye on my postings for their release ~
AND
here's a fun website for all you Witches & Witch-wanna-be's ~
Ye Olde Witches Brew Magazine

{{I'll be offering free needlework patterns on there for us witch-y stitchers!!}}

Hoping you all have a beautiful, creative Sunday ~

Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Antique Sewing Baskets & a finish from a Friend ~

GOOD Saturday Morning Friends & Folk!
oh my, it is loverly outside ~ it is cool and crisp...
the grass is wet from dew and I don't hear the usually-incessant droning of the cicada ~


I wanted to share with you a part of my growing
Antique Sewing Basket collection...
I pick them up when one 'finds' me :


I like to keep them on top of shelves and cupboards ~

I have ALOT more, but these are in my Keeping Room
don't you just love to think about who once owned them?

AND
here is my Harvest Pickin's Pinkeep design,
all stitched and stuffed from
Connie ~

didn't she do a fab job?
and do you not love thse gourds and that BOWL????


Thanks Connie,
for sharing with me ~ I hope you enjoyed stitching it!!


Well, fine folks ~
I am off to the barnyard...
seems like my Singing Donkeys & Dancing Sheep
are trying to get my attention for breakfast!
(more on that later...)

I'll be in the shop today,

processing orders and UN-rearranging!!

stop in for a visit if you get the chance :)

Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Friday, August 19, 2011

Jewelry for Stitchers (like us...)

I've been tinkering again ~


every now & then I have to create something 'hard' ~
meaning, not from fabirc or thread...
so I head to my trusty stash of stuff.




here are a couple pair of earrings,
or "earbobs" as they were called in the 1800's~


this first pair is made from sterling thread spool & needle charms,
Antique mother of pearl Buttons, Tiger's Eye bead, sterling wire & French leverback hooks...


they have a drop of about 1 1/2" from the hook...



and these,
made from Brass Stork Scissors charms, Brass wire,
Antique Bone & Mother of Pearl buttons,


with brass fish hook earrings...
these have a drop of about 2 1/2" from hook ~

I love making them !
they are available in my
Etsy Shop
and look for more to be added this afternoon...

~ Hoping you all have a wonderfully creative day!!!


Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

P.S. ~ I forgot to mention that I have added a conversion chart to my sidebar,
to help you convert Gentle Art Sampler Threads to DMC & vice-versa!!!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Autumn Stitcher's Challenge piece ~

~ finished!!


I wanted to keep it very simple & old looking ~

i left it sparse and muted,
then stained it just a *bit* more...


I added the little wool heart as a place to park your needles & pins
and it rolls up to tie with hand dyed silk ribbon ~


backed with the same wool as the little heart ~


I had fun designing & stitching this for the
Samplermakers Autumn Stitcher's Challenge ~

this finished piece will be avialable on
Early Work Mercantile on September 1st,
with a few other finished stitched pieces!!


we're off to the school today (again) for Hannah's senior photo's ~
I can't believe my little girl is growing up so fast~


have a wonderful day!!


Blessings from the Farm...


Lori


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

It's all around us....

...can you see it?
subtle nuances in colors,
a slightly-less-warm feel to the late summer breeze...


a hint of change, now becoming more noticable.

the way the sunlight plays on the leaves,
not as strong, but there still...


and those same leaves becoming more colorful before
making their descent ~


...to land on the dry earth, amidst other fallen relics.


still-verdant yet showing
a tinge of what's-to-come...


simple woodland & farmstead views
out my kitchen window ~


showing me small glimpses of my favorite season ~




Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Tuesday Evening Musings.....

....and a pleasant Tuesday evening it is....
Mr. Iggy has been setting in the windowsill of our Keeping Room,
keeping watch for the house-wrens and purple finch that like to visit our backyard feeder...
{{little does he know, they're on to him ~ and only visit whence they don't see him!}}


I have been making slow-progress on my Autumn stitchers challenge piece,
but it is progress...
see?
I've added wording,
pumpkins, acorns & a crescent moon:

I've even begun to stitch a little Homeplace down the far bottom corner....

not much, but it pleases me!


In Other News,
I have totally redesigned Miss Flea's (felicia's) Blog...
she hasn't blogged in Weeks upon weeks, and it's high-time she did.

she needed a fresh, new look to her blog, so I happily volunteered myself ~

visit her at:


add her to your favorites, follow her, tell your friends about her...
she is my #1 Friend, Cohort, Model Stitcher & Traveling Companion...

if you have a design that you would like to have her stitch, contact her at:

martin-house@hotmail.com
she proved her weight in gold for the Fastest Stitcher in the South at Stacy's class on saturday...

and you all thought I was joking?
she was the first to hand-finish her project(s) at the class...
...and might I say they all came out perfect...

I hate her.

(kidding)
but I wish I could stitch as fast as she can...
BUT, then again,
that's why she's MY model-stitcher!!

(i will share her with you only a little)
:)


well, we've been back to school shopping...
my girl loves to thrift shop, and I am
ever-so-thankful.

Hannah loves vintage, quirky, circa 1980's clothing,

so the Goodwill provides much of that,,,
(especially here down south)

we do, however, seem to gravitate towards trendy jewelery....but that's ok...

what we save at the Thrifts, we can afford the goodies...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I will be putting the finishing touches to the
Christmas Adam & Eve sampler & Sledding in Connecticut sampler tomorrow...
I'm hoping to release them by this coming weekend!!


Hoping you all have a relaxing evening,
spent with those who love you the most!
Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Monday, August 15, 2011

Blogs???



What the HECK?

I went in to check on my blog this morning,
and to see what everyone else's blogs were up to,
and I noticed that MY blogroll was gone!

Whhhaaaaaatttt????

now I'll have to go surfing, go into all of my hundreds of favorite blogs~
and create a new blogroll....

{{actually, that sounds like fun!}}

has blogger changed something that I'm not aware of (again???)


...have a wonderful evening spent doing what makes you most happy!!

Blessings from the Farm...
Lori

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Stacy's Class Photo's ~

Good Morning Friends & Folk!!

well, I am still on cloud nine after having Miss Stacy here at Notforgotten Farm yesterday...
(that's Stacy on the right, and me, to your left, looking like the Great Pumpkin)


...here are just a few of Stacy's goods she had for sale:
(this table was EMPTY by the time class was over!!)

this was the first of the class projects,
the Drum Pinkeep, being measured out by Miss Denise....


here's Miss Flea & Miss Robin paying close attention to something, LOL ~


Miss Tracy (Hands to Work) carefully measured and cut her project...


as Stacy went on to instruct us of the next step...


doesn't this picture below remind you of Thanksgiving?
Miss Joan on the end/right working away,...


another shot of the Thanksgiving table...
...we should have sat on ironing boards!!!


here's the shop before the class...it looked roomy-enough,
BUT
we will definitely be adding on to the shop for future classes and retreats!!!


My warmest THANKS to Miss Stacy for coming to Notforgotten Farm for a fun-filled day~
my sincerest THANKS to Miss Flea for always lending a helping hand~
my humble THANKS to all of the students who helped make terrific memories for me...
LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR!!!!!

Blessings from the Farm...
Lori