Bittersweet Prims

Olde Primitive Peddler Spring OH Giveaway!!!

2012-01-10T05:45:00.000-08:00

The girls over on Olde Primitive Peddler are having a Spring Giveaway!

This is going to be a good one! They will be giveaway Easter/Spring ornies, hop over there and get all of the details!!

Winner of my giveaway

2011-12-15T06:25:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Im a few hours late in posting, I had to start and finish my Christmas shopping last night when Jas got home home from work. I was BEAT by the time we got home last night so I had Domonic pick a winner this morning. I couldnt get a picture because I cant find my battery charger and I have NOOOOOO idea how to upload pics from my phone.

Congrats to Carolyn from http://dollsofanera.blogspot.com/

I hope Santa makes you smile as much as he makes me:)

Carolyn, I will be shipping him out Saturday morning, please email me your mailing address, jenn_martino@yahoo.com!

Thank you to all who participated in my giveaway, I will be back after the new year with a few new Spring designs and maybe with another giveaway!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year!!!!

A Christmas Giveaway

2011-11-30T06:32:00.000-08:00

Hey Peeps!

Its been a long long time since I have had a giveaway on my blog so I decided with Christmas just a few short weeks away that NOW is the PERFECT time!!!

There are a few ways to enter -

1. you must comment on THIS post only
2. IF you post on your blogs, please LET ME KNOW and you will get a double entry.

Giveaway will remain open until Dec 14, I will choose a winner and ship Santa off to you the following day. US and CA residents only please

I also have 2 new BDO Santas available for adoption.

St. Nicholas is a 25" Santa made from aged muslin.
His jacket, pants and hat are made from green wool, his shirt is made from warm and natural.

St Nick is a 28" Santa made from aged muslin.
His pants and hat are made from red wool, his shirt is made from warm and natural.
He is carrying his little bag full of "reindeer treats".

BOTH Santas have a reddish brown wool beard.
Both are $65 plus travel.

Olde Primitive Peddler Christmas Open House

2011-11-15T02:52:00.000-08:00

Please join us tonite as we celebrate our Christmas Open House on The Olde Primitive Peddler

Our Artisans are VERY excited and have been working VERY hard to bring your their newest Christmas offerings.

While youre there please make sure you sign up for the ornie giveaway. Entries will open TONITE at MIDNIGHT and remain open for 2 weeks. ONE winner will be picked and announced on Tues the 29th.

Hope to see you there.........

Wynne Contest Entry

2011-10-08T02:55:00.000-07:00

Wynne
Made by Wendy Fankhauser

She is BEAUTIFUL! Wendy did a better job than I did on her:)

I have only received ONE entry. I will keep this up until Monday to see if I get a few more.

Halloween Giveaway/Contest

2011-10-06T04:34:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!

My Wynne contest has been on hold since my pc crashed on me. I just got it back last night and Im still playing around trying to upgrade my browser and get everything installed.

I have only received ONE entry for Wynne? Kinda confused because so many purchased the pattern with hopes of entering. If anyone has her finished, send me your pictures so I can get them posting and the voting can begin.
jenn_martino@yahoo.com.

I will give it a few more days, if I dont have anything I will post what I do have:)

Halloween Giveaway/Contest

2011-07-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!!!!!

A good friend of mine gave me an awesome idea for a Halloween Giveaway/Contest so here goes.......

I will be giving away an original signed and dated Wynne
She is a 28" Halloween Witch standing on a pumpkin!

This is not your normal giveaway,

This is how this will work!
In order to win Wynne you must purchase my epattern, the one who gets their Wynne the closest to mine will win her!!
I will keep the contest open until September 23rd.
When you finish your doll you MUST email me a picture at jenn_martino@yahoo.com.
September 23rd I will post all contest pictures on my blog so my viewers can vote on who made Wynne the closest to mine.
I will also post on facebook!
Voting will remain open for TWO weeks and close on Friday October 7th. The one with the most votes will get my original signed and date Wynne!!!

Ya ready???!!!! Sounds likes fun eh!

My epattern is $8.50, please email me to purchase

The Olde Primitive Peddler

2011-06-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

~Grand Opening Celebration is July 1st at Midnight!

Our talented artisans have been so very kind with their giveaways, please make sure you take a minute to stop by to see what they are offering. While youre there make sure you sign up on our mailing list!

Entries for our giveaways will open Friday July 1st at midnight and close on Friday July 22 at midnight!!

We are currently accepting new Artisans for both the 1st and the 15th of the month. If you are a primitive and folk art artist please send us an email, oldeprimitivepeddlers@yahoo.com

Special thanks to Amy Allen of Amybugs Primitive Attic for her wonderful layout and graphics.

Special thanks to Candy Looker for headers and helping our girls with them:)

Luna - A Folk Art Witch and her moon

2011-06-21T17:08:00.000-07:00

Luna is my latest doll.
Shes a big girl, 26' from the tip of her hat to her toes and her moon is 19" tall.

She is available in my etsy, she is a OOAK original made with my own pattern.

Wynne - New Pattern Release

2011-06-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys!

Wynne - Folk Art Witch standing on her pumpkin

I released my 2nd pattern today with hopes of a 3rd within the next few weeks. Im still working on the original for that one!

This epattern is available on my etsy and by emailing me:)

Early Work Mercantile Offerings

2011-06-15T04:15:00.000-07:00

Please do stop into Early Work Mercantile to see the 15th of the month listings:)

Mr Piedmont, Gisele and Pickel both made from the lovely Veenas Mercantile pattern.

New Venture!

2011-06-13T05:33:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys!

Its been a while since I posted. Ive been so busy I just dont know if Im coming or going anymore!

Last I blogged, I released my very first pattern. Which has sold very well for me. THANK YOU to all who purchased. I would love to see how you made them up:)

I do have a few other ideas in mind as far as patterns go, but that is pretty far off. Maybe sometime in the Fall!

I want to invite you all to join us in our Grand Opening of The Olde Primitive Peddler. It is a selling site, featuring wonderfully talented primitive and folk art artists. We will be opening on July 1st, just a few short weeks away.

I am very excited and very proud of our artisans. Please make sure you join us on July 1st, these girls are busy making new wares to showcase for the Grand Opening!

Hope to see you there:)

My VERY first epattern:) Flurry And Flake

2011-05-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah - ya heard that right!

Thanks to Patti from Raspberry Lane Treasures, the poor girl spent more than EIGHT hours working on this. We emailed back and forth and I swear I scanned my pattern pieces like a hundred times:) I feel awful for ALL of the work and time she put in but I cant thank her enough.

So she emailed me a few minutes and mentions my 2nd pattern, HA - Im traumatized from the first one and I didnt do any of the computer work!

Thanks babycakes

Flurry and Flake are now available in epattern
$8.50
Please email me to purchase or contact me on Facebook
- jenn_martino@yahoo.com

Espiridion and Nickolaus - Dolls # 3 & 4 in the series

2011-05-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

Espiridion

$55 plus travel

Nickolaus

$55 plus travel.

Frost - Doll # 2 in the series

2011-05-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

Hey Yall!

I decided to create a series of dolls from the Veenas Mercantile Pattern Pumpkin and more.

Edward is #1
Frost is #2

Frost and his friend are both clay head dolls that are hand painted and sealed and dusted with glass glitter. His body is made from muslin that is painted and his jacket is glittered with black glitter! LOVE me some black glitter:)

Their hats are simply made from felt that has also been glittered with black glitter.

This set is $65 plus travel

Stayed tuned for the last 2 dolls in this series and if ya havent visited Edward yet make sure to scroll down just a lil bit:)

Never too early for Halloween!

2011-05-18T03:56:00.000-07:00

Ive been itching to make a few Halloween dolls for a while now.
Im so over Americana and summer so that is just what I did yesterday.

This is Edward & Skully

Edward is a little upset with me, you see, I posted pictures of him on Facebook last night and he seems to think that people thought he looked like a girl. WHAT?
I assured Edward that he IS a boy and came to the conclusion that his lips may look a little girly!! I also told him, that is how I saw his lips as I was putting his face on!

He is waiting to go to his new home, he doesnt want to stay with me any longer:)
$55 plus travel
email me jenn_martino@yahoo.com

HA, I just HAD to post this! ITS GREAT!

Robin from The Cranky Crow writes...
"They are ADORABLE!! And tell Edward not to sulk so...He does't look like a girl to me - he looks perfectly goblinesque!"

Edward thanks ya girl:)

Early Work Mercantile New Offerings

2011-05-15T07:24:00.001-07:00

Please take a few minutes today visit all of the amazing artists on Early Work Mercantile.

Simply Primitives May 1st Offerings

2011-05-01T06:27:00.000-07:00

Happy May!

Take a few minutes today to stop by Simply Primitives and see all of the May 1st updates.

I haaaaaaaaaave a winner!

2011-04-16T04:16:00.001-07:00

So sorry I didnt get online last night to pick a winner.
I got caught up in the online live premiere of Fast Five:)

Sooooooooo, I used random.org to pick the number and out of 53 entries num FOUR was picked, which is Patti from Raspberry Lane Treasures:)

CONGRATS girlie!

Ill email ya in a lil bit

Early Work Mercantile April 15th Offerings

2011-04-15T04:36:00.000-07:00

I was accepted into this wonderful group recently,
Early Work Mercantile

I update on the 15th of the month, so PLEASE make sure you stop by to see ALL of the AMAZING artists!!

I am absolutely HONORED to be apart of such a wonderful group!!!

I WILL be picking my giveaway winner sometime this evening and posting the results so make sure ya come back now:)

Sawdust Stuffing/Filling

2011-04-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

Ive got tons of this sawdust.
It is not woodshop dust (the real fine dust that will add weight to your prims), its more like a buckwheat hull stuffing.

It is very clean, no dirt or grass and smells wonderful!!. They may be some bark pieces throughout.

Jason has been cutting a load of logs and as he cuts he scoops up the dust for me.

I am bagging it in 1 gallon ziploc bags as ordered to prevent moisture.

$5 plus shipping, please email me - jenn_martino@yahoo.com

New Characters and perhaps a giveaway!?

2011-03-17T15:11:00.000-07:00

Im sure everyone is enjoying this weather....?
Even though my pc therm is reading 58 I am freezing sitting here. Ive had a chill ALL day and I cant get warm. Its too "warm" out to run the wood furnace so I had to turn on the oil heat a little bit earlier to take the chill out of the house. Ide love to have a wood fire going right now but I cant justify it so Im hoping bedtime comes early so I can crawl into my comfy bed and get warm:)

I was able to finish up a few dolls this week and start on a few others so hopefully next week I will have 3 more to share, all Halloween, of course:)

I had alot of fun making these 2 girls, both made using Kim K's Boo witch pattern.
Both are still available and are in my etsy shop. Please do stop in for a visit:)

Onto my giveaway, Im not sure what I want to give away yet but it will be a doll similiar to whats in my shop. So see.....get over there and see what I got:) This will be MY choice, so it will either be Americana or Halloween.

Rules....well just one simple one.

YOU MUST COMMENT ON THIS POST ONLY in order to be entered!!
Giveaway is open to ALL!
I will keep signups open for ONE month so that makes the cut off Fri April 15th!

Good Luck!!

New dolls, Halloweenie and Americana

2011-03-09T12:38:00.001-08:00

Dottie and Dot

Sam (Party Fella)

Both made using a Kim Kohler pattern

They will both be available in my etsy shop in a little bit, or you can email me for details and more information!!

Spring is good, but NOT the mud!!

2011-02-18T04:49:00.000-08:00

Spring is not on my list of favorite seasons, however I do enjoy the sounds, smells, and temps. I am not fond of the MUD, hate it, hate it, hate it!

Our driveway is not paved so imagine my pain when the snow starts to melt! NOT fun!! All week we had a solid sheet of ice on the driveway, yeah - wasn't fun walking the kids to and from the bus every day. Yesterday we had a bit of a warm up and it all melted!! YUK!!

A few weeks ago we got the kids 4 wheelers, right now they cant ride in the snow so they are riding in the driveway. Jason snowblowed a good sized track in the FRONT yard last weekend for them to ride, and the snow quickly melted with the heat from the tires and in turn left a mud pit, IN my front yard eh!!

Last night while Jason cut wood, they rode! OH MY!!!

They came in COVERED in mud, I was in such shock that I didn't think to grab my camera, I was just concerned with getting their clothes off and getting them into the tub. Me and mud are hookin horns lately:)

SO, any and all removing mud stain tips n tricks are appreciated:)

Another thing I don't like about quick "spring" warm ups is this nightmare....
Sump pump is working overtime these past few days!!

On a happier note, I'm back to creating, slowly, very slowly but at least I am!
AND - Summer will be here, I just know it:)

Two buns and a hare....

2011-02-02T10:59:00.001-08:00

Or, is it two hare's and a bun?!!

Happy February - YAY!

I'm posting with a new offering for you today!
I giggled the whole time I was making this trio - they just crack me up!!

This whole ensemble measures aprox 20" high, with the tallest rabbit being the male.
They are not sewn on and can be separated for display. Both buns can also be hung.
All 3 buns were made to look VERY primitive, so they are NOT perfect!!
They are made from stained, painted and heavily grunged muslin. All facial features and shading have been hand drawn with pencils. Click on picture TWO times to see the TRUE detail in this piece.

GO ahead, ya KNOW ya wanna!! :)

Dontcha just love how male bun is enticing the hare with his "fishing pole" with carrots?
HA, look at the expressions on their faces!!

This piece is available for adoption by emailing me and I will require immediate payment. Sorry, NO swaps on this piece!

$135, travel is on me to US only please!

THANK YOU TO FRAYED MUSLIN FOR AN AWESOME PATTERN!

Fresh from the woodshop!!

2010-12-19T06:55:00.000-08:00

My Christmas gift from the hubs!
He told me to choose what I wanted and I decided on a wall cupboard since I have such little floor space in my house.

He did a wonderful job making AND painting this piece!! Thank you HUBBY!!

I also took this cupboard out of my booth, I decided to keep it for myself:)

Speaking of my booth - Jan 31st will my LAST day at Canal Country Artisans. I've decided its time to move on!! My decision to leave was VERY hard and has weighed on me since Jan of last year. I do love the girls, Pat and Sandy and the environment they create!

So, if your a local follower of mine you CAN find my work through my blogs and my Facebook. You can email me or call me if you would like to order anything. Pat and Sandy will have some of my cards to pass out after I leave!!

I will be back online sometime in Jan with new offerings for Spring and I will also be offering my very OWN pattern line:)

Wishing you all a VERY Merry Christmas!!

Christmas came a lil early at my house!

2010-12-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

And I couldn't be happier!

I think Ill name her Pearl:)

I've wanted this girl for a very very long time now!

I actually went into a bit of shock over the price but that was over quickly when she arrived yesterday! She is HEAVY! WOW! I have to find the perfect spot on my counter because once she finds a home, shes not moving!

You know how I am at Christmas with my baking! Watch me now:)
I cant wait to get started!

Isn't she beautiful????

P.S. Just in case y'all wondered, The Hubs is doing fine now, after his initial fall over from the price shock:)

Mr Wynter and Blitzen

2010-12-02T11:56:00.000-08:00

My latest Christmas offering.

This piece is a OOAK!!!
Mr Wynter is my very own creation made without a pattern.
Blitzen was made using a Homespun Heart Prims pattern.

Both made from muslin that I painted and heavily aged. Mr Wynter's face and legs were hand painted using acrylics. His nose is a curly pod that I painted orange.

There is a TON of detail in this piece. You can view the detail by clicking on the pics twice.

Mr Wynter can be removed to be left out after Christmas or if you wish to just display them separate!!

I accept Paypal only and will require immediate payment.
I will pay for insurance and delivery confirmation but travel will be separate.

Email me at jenn_martino@yahoo.com with any questions:)

Holly & Spice

2010-11-30T09:05:00.001-08:00

(:

The 2 cuties are my latest creations, ~~both currently available.~~ SOLD, thank you Deb!

They are both made from painted muslin.
Their faces and shoes have been hand painted using acrylics.
They are meant to sit but I can add a hanger if you like.

Holly is wearing a vintage baby sweater!!

Spice is wearing a fuzzy green reindeer jacket that I made out of my sons Christmas sweater.

Email me at jenn_martino@yahoo.com if interested in these gals.
I accept Paypal ONLY and require immediate payment!

THANKFUL for such a great year!

2010-11-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I had a few minutes to hop on while Im waiting on my pie to finish baking!!!
I want to thank my blog friends for sticking with me and my blogs even though I dont post that often anymore OR get around to visiting you all, like I should!

And I want to thank ALL of my customers (online and those who visit my booth at Canal Country Artisans) (I know there are a few locals who check my blog:))for making this such a great year!
When I started crafting I NEVER thought it would take off this well!!!!

As far as crafting goes, there may be some changes in the New Year, it all depends on how much Patti can convince me:)
I havent totally decided yet, but stay tuned.....just in case:)

Speaking of the New Year, I DID decide on a few things...
There will be NO trauma's, NO tragedies, NO stealing from me, NO issues with family!!!!!! I am simply choosing to have a better year, not worry about so much and not let the grouchies that like to stir up trouble bother me:)! Oh yeah - my case FINALLY goes to trial on Jan 24th, no telling where we go from there but hey - it will be FOUR years the end of Dec, Im just glad there is progress!!!

So....Thank you ALL!

I will be back sometime soon with pictures of my father's house, if you remember last Christmas eve a space heater started a fire in his bedroom and he lost everything. Well it has been totally gutted and remodeled and you WILL NOT believe your eyes!

Have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!!!!

Ok, I lowered prices even MORE! LOOK!

2010-11-23T11:21:00.000-08:00

Yeah - Im outta my mind!
Lack of sleep and busting my a$$ the past 3 weeks contribute to that but also I CANT store these. Take them off my hands...PLEASE?

I cant go any lower than I already did, think of the cost of supplies and time:)

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Giveaway Winners

2010-11-16T09:38:00.000-08:00

Wow, where were all the entries?
HA - I knew this one wasnt going to go over well because of taking the time to search for the answers. Thats ok. The answers were actually easier than I thought so I ended up with 3 winners.

Patti Cargill
Michelle (grannies pantry)
And a blogger that goes by Y1M <~~~~I dont have ANY info for you so please please email me your info

The answers were,
1. red
2. bake christmas cookies
3. Our Lady Peace AND Rains

Please contact me at jenn_martino@yahoo.com with your mailing info. Ill get your goodies out late next week!!

Faux Hammered Tin Ceiling

2010-11-14T05:02:00.001-08:00

Morning!!!

Jas and I painted the kitchen ceiling yesterday to give it a hammered tin tile look. We have ugly white decorative tiles on the ceilings in our house. Each room has a different look. Over time they get a yellow look to them and look awful. They are original to the house, 1970.

He's always wanted to paint them but Im not fond of painted ceilings until I saw Rustoleums Hammered paint. I picked "brown" for the kitchen, but its more of a bronze look. It is VERY messy and VERY stinky but WELL WORTH it for the transformation.

I just LOVE it! In fact, Im planning on doing my LR and hallway in a copper color, but not til Spring because of the smell. Thankfully it was warm enough yesterday to open ALL of the windows. I can still smell it this morning.

The paint is a little expensive as we could only find it in quart size and it ran us about $19 a qt and we used 2 1/2 just for my tiny kitchen. I did the cut in with and Jas rolled on the rest.

It really has a shiny tin look to it and is just awesome!

Now for my giveaway that ended Friday, Ill be back girls - there were THREE of you who won!!

Elvin Elf

2010-11-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

How stinkin cute is he?
Oh my! Thanks to Brenda of The Vintage Polka Dot for this sweetness of a pattern!

Elvin is available for adoption, please email me if interested.

He is made from stained muslin and fabrics that make me think of sugar plums. Which by the way, is how Elvin smells - like sugar plums:)
I handpainted his facial features with acrylic and he has sheeps wool for hair!

He measures about 26" from top to bottom, can sit or hang.

Jingles & Snow Flake

2010-10-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

BOTH JINGLES AND SNOWFLAKE HAVE SOLD! THANK YOU

Happy Friday!!

I want to introduce my newest creations Jingle and Snowflake.

They are both available for adoption. They are my original work, OOAK and will come signed and dated.

Jingles is wearing a vintage baby sweater that was the hubs when he was a baby. Her scarf and mittens are made from a pretty baby blue chunky knit sweater. Her dress and pants are made from high quality quilt shop fabics. You can tuck her hat in behind her head so she can wear her little sweater hoodie!

She will sit on her own in a number of postions.

Snowflake's dress, bodice and pants are also made from quilt shop fabrics and her coat is made from a green wool felt.

If interested please email me at jenn_martino@yahoo.com

*Jingles*

Snow Flake

Christmas Offerings

2010-10-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

Hi guys!

Just wanted to quick post my newest offerings, this first one is from a Frayed Muslin pattern.

Here we have a Jackie Schmidt pattern

And of course, Kim Kohler (:

Ill be back soon to catch up, been so busy!

So..Im thinkin another giveaway!!

2010-10-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!!

BUT, this one WILL be different!

I'm not sure what I will be making yet, but it will be some type of Christmas prim.
Maybe even 2 or 3!!!

So, whatcha gotta do to enter? Its pretty simple actually.
Answer 3 questions about me.
You must have the CORRECT answer on ALL 3 questions.
You MUST post your answers on this post ONLY in order to be counted!

All of the answers to these questions ARE on my blog under different posts so if you don't "know" me you will have a good shot and getting the right answers!

1. What is my favorite band?
2. What is my REAL haircolor?
3. What is my favorite thing to do in the winter?

GOOD LUCK!

I will leave this open until Friday Nov 12th and post the winner{s} then!

COMMENTS WILL NOT BE POSTED UNTIL THE 12TH TO AVOID SEEING OTHERS ANSWERS!

Please do NOT post this giveaway on your blogs!

Make over and a new build!

2010-08-30T16:16:00.000-07:00

What a way to bring in September eh?
WOW!

Yeah - so Im REALLY ready for fall! Not so much the bone chilling cold but everything else that is associated with fall!

I just wanted to post my newest make over!

Remember this hutch?

It went from that to this...

And here it is today! (with flash)

(without flash)

Jason framed in the shelf area for me a few weeks ago and we finally got around to getting it painted! WHAT a job that was!

This is his newest wall cupboard. I just love how it turned out with the black over the red - ALOT different than starting with black as a base!
They are both going into my shop tomorrow morning!

The inside is not really that bright red, I had to use my flash on this pic!!

Ill be back as soon as I can with a few new prims as Im working on swap gifts right now:)

Ohhhh Witchy Poo!!!

2010-08-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

Can you believe September is just about here?
I cant!

Im already working on Christmas dolls and prims! I gotta ahead, last yr I about killed myself after Halloween so I want to be prepared this year!

This is one of my very last witches of 2010.
She is VERY VERY large.

She is sitting on a large candle base that I screwed into a wooden base for extra support.

She is made from stained muslin.
Her eyes were hand painted with acrylics.
Her broom is made from honeysuckle vine which is wrapped with a star garland that I made for a more rustic look.

See her spider up there?

She will come signed and dated.

$52 plus shipping. PLEASE email me for a shipping cost as she is a large heavy girl and will require a large box, which means postage will be on the high side!

Click on pictures TWICE to view detail!

I still have a few GREAT americana prims available at GREAT prices

2010-08-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

Scroll down just a few posts.
Im marking them down even more!!!

This is the ONLY time youre going to find these prices on my prims.
I have no choice, I need the room!

Witchy

2010-08-21T06:17:00.000-07:00

This is Missy!
Another Kim Kohler design.

She is my favorite of ALL so far!
I just love her little grin.

She is up for adoption

She is made from stained muslin.
Her dress is muslin that I painted black with white polka dots.
Her pantaloons are made from a black and white skull fabric, trimmed with fur yarn.
Her hat is a fabric covered paper cone.

If you click on pictures it will open a new window, click again to enlarge to see detail!

Spindella and Crescent

2010-08-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

She even has the witchy hair to match her witchy'ness:)

She is made from a Kim Kohler pattern.

I gotta tell ya, if you havent made one of her designs, get over to her site and check out her patterns. I literally have a BALL while making her dolls. I sit there and giggle the whole time Im painting on their face!!

She is made from stained muslin. Her dress is made from a wicked glittery spider fabric. Her hat is a fabric covered paper cone.
I hand painted her face with acrylics.

She measures aprox 27" long from the tip of her hat down to her witchy feet.

Crescent is made from painted muslin, also with hand painted facial features.

They available by custom order - jenn_martino@yahoo.com

Americana Sale

2010-08-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys!

I took ALL americana items out of my booth today so Im marking them WAY down!

These will go to the FIRST person that emails me and I will require IMMEDIATE payment! I just cant "hold" items and wait to be paid anymore! I will send you an invoice as soon as I receive your email.

These pictures were JUST taken, real quick so there is no pretty setting!!

First we have Mr Taxman with his rusty can for tax donations:)
~~$15~~ $10 plus travel

Americana Mammy, baby and teddy
~~$22~~ $15 plus travel SOLD

Shes a BIG girl at a REALLY great price! You arent going to find a mammy doll for this price!

Americana hat lamp
~~$28~~$18 plus travel SOLD

Americana Prairie doll
~~$18~~$10 plus travel SOLD

Colonial Spool Doll - 1 available (white doll)
$13 ea plus travel

Please email me at jenn_martino@yahoo if you would like to purchase

Lurka

2010-08-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

And her friend, Hedsra!

I just love their names, dont you?

This pattern is designed by Kim Kohler - Veenas Mercantile.

This girl will soon be going home to Angie Sutter, but I am taking orders on her.

So she IS available by custom order.

She is made from stained osnaburg.
Her facial features are hand painted with acrylics.

Dress fabric will vary, depending on my mood but it will be in the Halloween theme!

Email me at jenn_martino@yahoo.com for pricing,info and more detailed pictures!

New Fall Offerings

2010-08-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

Justa real quick post tonite! I am exhausted and I dont know why!

Maybe its my body telling me that Fall is quickly approaching?!
An internal clock type of thing!?

I havent worked on too much this week, just didnt have it in me. Seems I lost my creativity AND inspiration somewhere between last weekend and Wed! Everytime I sat down to sew or draw up a design idea my mind just went blank! Not sure whats going on there but I dont like it....at all! I gotta hope and pray this passes quick.

I did manage to finish up this poor scarecrow, Edwin - as Domonic calls him!
Hes only been sitting on my table in pieces since the beginning of June...

And this Halloween Stocking

BOTH are available, made to order!

Have a great weekend!!!

Another Brenda Sanker Doll

2010-07-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

Meet Miss Gwendolyn!

If you havent made one of her patterns, head over to her Etsy and purchase yourself one.

She is an amazing designer and I have THE BEST time making her dolls. I can hardly wait to see her Christmas creations.

Gwen is available for adoption, email me for more info

She is made of painted and stained osnaburg. Her facial features are all hand painted. Her hair is sheeps wool.

The bottom of her dressed was sponged on and all of the trim has been hand sewn.

She is carrying around her little JOL that I hand carved out of a styrofoam ball.

She is full of detail, the pictures dont do her justice.

Americana Sale

2010-07-26T09:20:00.001-07:00

Rather than bin all of these up for next yr I decided to mark them down and see if anyone wants them!

Im not going to describe each prim, as most are listed on my YRP anyhow and Im trying to save a bit of time. Housework calls..........

If you have any questions on a particular item or want to make a purchase feel free to email me, jenn_martino@yahoo.com

Uncle Sams - ~~$8 ea plus travel~~ all 3 Sams SOLD

Americana sheep - $10 ea plus travel

Old Glory Raggedy - $8 plus travel

Spring Folky Bun - $24 plus travel

(has green, cream and tan homespun dress and NOT the red check)

Liberty Angel Busts - ~~$5 ea plus travel~~ SOLD

Abbott Punkinman

2010-07-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Doesnt he just have a face to DIE FOR?

My gosh, when I saw this pattern from Brenda Sanker ( The Vintage Polka Dot) I totally fell in love!

Abbott was adopted a lil bit ago and he will go to his new home Tuesday morning:)

Weekend of camping and exploring!!

2010-07-19T16:14:00.001-07:00

We went camping again this past weekend and decided to do a bit of exploring on Saturday since it was so hot and the ac was in the car. We camp down at Jason's parents land in Allen, NY. Its VERY pretty down there!!!! Takes us a little under 2 hours to get there so its quite a bit South from where we are.

We came across this very very old (1800's) cemetery so we pulled over and snapped a few pics.

I thought they made the neatest pictures!

Friday on our way down I spotted a tiny little kitten right on the side of the road. If someone hadn't been paying attention and went off of the side just a bit she would have been hit for sure! I told Jason to turn around and as we pulled up she ran a bit so I thought there was no way shes was going to come to me. When i got out and called her she just froze and let me pick her up! I figure shes about 8 weeks old, ALL skin and bones. She is just the sweetest little thing!

There was a house a few feet away so we thought wede pull in and see if "kitty" belonged to them. As we pulled in I felt like I was in a scene from Deliverance so I told Jason to get the hell out of there! NO THANKS!!!!

At first we weren't going to keep her but of course the kids are totally attached now!

I have to call the vet and get her in for her first shots, worm and have her stool tested.

So this is Lenny, as we call her:)

Isn't she precious?

A few more camping pics......

Swimming in the Genesee River

Playing in the creek (crick)

Jason and Domonic caught a fish!!!

In the canoe

Yeah - Gross!!!

And here is a sneak peek at what Ive been working on among tons and tons of Fall dolls!!

You wont see the pencil marks when I am finished

I just have to find the perfect fabric for their clothes and I can finish them up.
Will post pics!

Can you believe August is almost here? Wow.....I'm counting down the days til school starts.......:)

How can you stand it?

2010-07-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

The HEAT that is? And humidity?
OMG, I am totally miserable today!!

We have an ac unit in our bedroom so Ive been coming in and out all day! Its actually a bit cooler outside with the lake breeze than it is in the house and wouldnt you know it ALL THREE of my kids are sitting in the house driving me NUTS!!

Ive been yelling ALL day!

I had Jas take out the entertainment center this morning and replace it with my prim cupboard my brother made me last yr and that led to a total rearrange of the living and diningroom. So as Im out there moving things around, cleaning and sweating like crazy ALL THREE kids are sitting in the bedroom IN the AC watching tv. SERIOUSLY?? I BLEW about 2 hours ago, ya hear me??

I love the heat but when the humidity is this high and we're under air quality warnings I am a complete bear!!

Im taking the rest of this week OFF from crafting. It is just too too hot to be baking dolls n such and I dont like the effect of sun drying. So Ill get back to crafting on Monday. I deserve a bit of a break anyhow!!

To my giveaway winners, Ill get to your winnings soon. Ive got an big order that I need to finish up (next week) and get shipped out. As soon as Im finished with that Ill start on yours, so it will be about 2 weeks.

SO how do you all cope with this heat?

Birthday Giveaway Winner

2010-07-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

Well....I ended up having to pick 2 winners. I didnt realize I had 2 double comments in here and deleted them after I picked the 1st winner and posted. I then deleted the post and re-drew another number. BIG mess!!!!!

So there are 2 winners

I used Random.org which chose # 19 (Ronda of The Crafty Crow) and # 2 (Amy of At Home With Amy), Congrats girls!

Ronda & Amy, please email your choice at jenn_martino@yahoo.com and i will try to get started on your prim within the next week or so!

Happy 4th of July AND Birthday to me:)

2010-07-04T10:24:00.001-07:00

We're home. Im dirty. Im sweaty. Im burnt to a crisp. Im tired. We had a fantastic time camping. It's my birthday and Im planning on doing NOTHING today. Well, maybe fireworks later and cake, of course. Pics coming soon:)

Happy 4th of July
Happy Birthday to me:)

Birthday Giveaway

2010-06-30T08:02:00.001-07:00

Well....Ive been toying with the idea of having another birthday giveaway.
At 1st I wasnt going to but decided just NOW that I was going to!

Since my birthday is Sunday this is going to be a mega quick "get your entries in"

Ill keep this open until MONDAY at 5pm.

What will you win? Well I dont know! That is up to YOU, the winner.
Im leaving it up to the lucky girl or guy to pick one doll or fabric prim.
Ill announce the winner sometime Monday night.

Oh yeah - the fam is taking me away (camping) for the weekend. We leave Friday morning. All that means is that I have comment moderation turned on so you will not see your entry until I get home on Monday.

Good Luck:)

Annie AND Andy

2010-06-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday!

Is it cool and rainy where you are? Nice change so Im not complaining ONE bit!

Worked my butt of Wed - Fri on raggedies. Actually started and finished 4, yeppers FOUR more! I put in 11 hours yesterday working on them. My back and shoulders are killing me. I was able to nestle into the couch under my fuzzy blanket during the making of these cuties so I didnt overdo it one bit!

Jas and I were able to get over to my shop this morning. We had to switched out a cupboard we had in there and I did a little rearranging of dolls. So I feel better about that, the booth looks awesome! Nice n full.

So heres the cuties I finished up late last night, they are all up for adoption by custom order only.

SOLD - Thank You!

Dont forget about my July 4th sale:) It runs until Monday July 5th.

I am hoping to get back on with a new set of dolls Im working on before my birthday. In case I dont, Have a VERY Happy July 4th. We are headed out of town to the Southern tier to the inlaws camp for my birthday weekend and PLAN to be home Monday. We'll see how that goes, I am still in alot of pain so I may just say lets stay home.

New raggedies for adoption

2010-06-24T12:46:00.000-07:00

Im starting to feel better, day by day! Today Ive been up most of the day without having to lay down. Its only been a week so I am still taking it easy!

I managed to finish up these 3 raggedies I started before my surgery and a set of prim bears.

These are all available for purchase (sorry, no swapping on these guys) until Friday evening as I will be taking them to my shop Saturday morning. If you are interested send me an email:)

Tattered Olde Teddy Annie
SOLD, thank you!
She is a large girl, dress is made with a pretty light red reproduction fabric.

Her wool hair is hand sewn, piece by piece.

These next 2 are smaller girls, again with reproduction flower fabrics,

:)

I am home...finally!

2010-06-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

Surgery went well, thankfully no complications!
He released me today, although he was a bit hesitant on doing so when he saw the kids sitting there. He pulled Jason aside and told him I am VERY limited on what I can do, basically sit, lay and go to the bathroom. Im just glad to be out of there, you know how it goes when you have sick "roomates". OMG!!!! Horrible!

Im feeling pretty good right now thanks to the vicodin, realized that I actually have to take 2 at a time rather than just one if I want to walk without being hunched over. I thought he was going to send me home with the drain tube and I kinda felt for Kindle because she would have been the one who drained it for me. Thankfully he pulled it today and changed my dressing. My incision is about 18" long, pretty big for removing a cyst. So it kind of wraps right around my side and hurts like a mofo when the meds wear off, wow!

So I just wanted to quick post an update that I was home but I better go get back in the chair and get my feet up!

Senior Portraits

2010-06-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

Crazy expensive aren't they? WOW!

I decided since I have a pretty decent DSLR that I was going to take them myself. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars on a package through the school Ill only spend about $20 and get ONLY the pictures that I NEED for family.

This will be her senor portrait for the yearbook, hopefully! It has to be approved yet

I still have to sort through 140 pictures to pick what I want for my "package"

She wanted us to get her a full page in the yearbook so she can put her pictures of whatever in there and wanted to take her friend Nicolette along so here are a few shots of them

And, thats THAT! :)

Thank you for all of the prayers and well wishes. I wasnt nervous about this until I had my pre-op today and talked to the nurse! UGH! Ill get through it and get on as soon as I can!

Surgery June 16 - JOY!

2010-06-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

What wonderful news eh?

I saw my Urologist yesterday as a follow up to my nuc med test I had 2 weeks ago. The cyst is dialating my right kidney so it need to be removed. He offered me 2 options, a small incision on my back or a laprascopy. Unfortunetly he doesnt perform the laprascopy so I would be forced to go to Strong Hospital in Rochester. Both of which I would require a 3 day hospital stay. I opted for him to do the surgery instead of the lap because the hospital he works from is only 10 mins away and it would be easier on the family.

I just got news that it is scheduled for next Wed the 16th with my pre-op testing on Monday!

Once the cyst is removed we will wait 6 months and run another ultrasound on the kidney to make sure it is not still dialated because if it is he will have to remove it as well. So lets hope this works:)

Im hoping to be back with a few new offerings this week, if not I will get back and post as soon as I can....wish me luck!

New Offerings

2010-06-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday to ya!

Was a short week eh? LOVIN that!

Ive only worked on a few dolls this week, well, actually they have taken me 2 weeks. You see, Im on my last box of MG fiberfil and afraid to use it up. Silly isnt it? Ive got a bunch of fall things cut out waiting to be sewn but not sure what to do about stuffing them. I can NOT stand that real silky fill that Walmart sells and I SO REFUSE to pay $17-$20 per box of fill at Joanns, just not gonna happen! So Ive been kinda saving what Ive got for a few special dolls.

Not sure what this means for the future either!

This is Ida Mae

Another vintage quilt bear

A couple of "olde" raggedies

Americana Raggedy

Well....the lawn is a calling so I better get on the mower, have a wonderful weekend!!

Can you say M E S S?!!!!!

2010-05-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

So back in March we noticed a good sized sink hole in our front yard!

It doesn't look that big here in the picture but when Jas stood in it all you could see of him was his waist up!

Back 20 years ago our front yards were lined with HUGE ditches. "Apparently" there was a pig farmer who was dumping the pig waste which was running into the ditches so the town came out and laid pipe and filled them in.

Well our pipe had rotted and caused the sink hole. Of course, it could only happen to US! Seems my streak of bad luck is never ending.

So I called the town super out who informed me they perform the work, dig up the pipe, replace it and fill back in at their cost. BUT, we must pay for the pipe which is $6 PER FOOT and its 175 foot across! Yeah - do the math!! And that price fluctuates with the price of oil - GOTTA LOVE NY eh!!?

AND seeding and grading is left up to us, HUH? Luckily, our neighbor "Slim" is running the equipment and said hed make sure they grade it,seed and leave it looking nice! Damn skippy! Thanks Slim!!

Day 1 -

Work started Wed and we were hoping that they were just going to remove the rotted pipe and patch in a new piece, saving us hundreds of $$$. Here's my luck again.....as they were cutting out the old pipe it just kept breaking off so they have to do the whole front yard! JOY!!

Can I just vent for a minute how much of a mess this is? Not to mention how my house fills up with dirt dust EVERY time a car drives by!

Day 2 -
Right across the driveway!

So thats where we stand with that. Rain headed in this morning, outta make for quite a LOVELY front yard muddy mess!!

Well that was a bummer of a post wasnt it!??

Its ok, we'll live:)

Havent been crafting all that much, booth is stocked so Ive been slacking a bit. I do have 7 naked dolls sitting on my table waiting on clothes and I did make up these Prairie sweeties this morning.

One is a makedo and one can either hang or sit.

Both available for purchase:)

Happy Memorial Day, big plans this weekend?

Im not doing a SINGLE thing, gonna relax and enjoy the weather:)

Swap goodies...n goodies...n goodies...n goodies....

2010-05-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

n goodies....n goodies!

OMGOSH, wait til you see my goodies! You can be jealous:) Its ok, Ill letcha:) j/k!

My BFF Dani and I decided on a swap back in March, well it just grew and grew! I wanted a few of her signs and some more room sprays. She wanted an annie doll and a couple of bonnets. So we've been kinda swapping ever since, but one BIG swap!!

I got my box today and she will get hers in a few more days.

Please keep her in your thoughts and she underwent surgery yesterday morning. I talked to her DIL Jen yesterday afternoon and she said Danielle was in recovery just starting to feel discomfort and pain. I sure hope shes not feeling that anymore!!

This is going to be a picture heavy post

Signs...and lots of em:)

Wooden bowls

Room sprays, Dani's rooms sprays are just unbelievable!! ONE pump and the room smells yummy for a long long time.

Beeswax ornie...smells SO good!

Americana candle

Swap Goodies from Patti

2010-05-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

Isn't funny just how small of a world it really is?

A few months back I crossed paths with Patti from Raspberry Lane Treasures. We emailed back n forth a bit, come to find out I grew up with her brother who lived down the rd a couple of houses from me! Still makes shake my head when I think about it. Weird!

Anyhow, she wanted my address to send me some goodies so I thought, why not have a little swap!? I LOVE swapping!!!

She sent me one of her paint stick candle holders, how cute is this?

She also sent buttons, tarts, her firecracker ornies and an awesome candle wrap!
I'm going to have to get myself some seasonal candle wraps as they are just the neatest accessory!

I hope youre all doing well and fairing the weather! WOW, we went from one extreme to the next. I seriously did have the furnace on last week and today its 88!!

Stay tuned tomorrow as I will be posting pics of another swap I did!

Also, please keep Dani from Olde Homestead Peddler in your thoughts this week as she underwent surgery yesterday. I did talk to her DIL yesterday afternoon and she said the surgery went well, Dani was in recovery and starting to feel a bit of discomfort and pain....poor thing!

Pilgrim and Indian Patterns?

2010-05-19T12:52:00.000-07:00

Justa REAL quick post today!

Im looking for pilgrim and indian patterns and am not having much luck.
I think I have all of Jackie's but looking for others. I suppose I could make up my own but they just arent as good!

Can anyone point me to a designer?

Be back later in the week with a few new dolls available to adoption.

We have a WINNER!!!!!

2010-05-14T16:35:00.000-07:00

Random number picker picked number 51,

Congrats Sherry of countrywingsinphoenix.blogspot.com

YAY! YAY! YAY!

Sherry, please email me @ jenn_martino@yahoo.com your choices of 2 prims and I will get started on them Monday.

I also decided while getting my butt kicked by Bowser in the last castle in world 8 in Super Mario Bros that I was going to pick TWO numbers and have 2 winners. Gosh, I wish I could pick all 71 of you!

The 2nd winner was number 29 and that is Susannah:)

Susannah, please email me your choice of 2 prims.

This was fun fun fun, gonna have another giveaway for my birthday in a month.

Stay tuned and have a HECKOVA weekend eh!!!

P is for Prairie, D is for Doll and the rest is......

2010-05-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

YAY! Its Friday! You know what that means eh?

ITS GIVEAWAY TIME, well PICKING A WINNER TIME! And its the weekend, YAY! You know I love me some weekend!!

Tonite at 7pm Im going to be picking a winner with a random number generator. MUCH easier than writing all of the names out and Im too cheap to use my printer ink, ha!!!

Need that for my patterns:)

Got some new prims finished this week and as always these are all available by custom order

OMG, look at the hair on this thing! HA, she has got to be my favorite of all my dolls.

Custom wall cupboard made for a customer

On the medical front, had my follow up with the back Dr yesterday! He is sending me for PT which I start next Tues and also for a nerve conduction study on June 2nd.

I have major muscle loss in my right calf and zero strength in my leg. Thats all caused from my ankle injury obviously and I almost wanna say he got a little confused as he was performing the tests on my legs and feet but thats ok because I think the PT will do me good, back wise and foot wise. I somehow HAVE to get some muscle back in that leg, I have an indent now from where the muscle once was and will not wear shorts in pulblic because of it!

Just remember, drunk drivers SUCK!!

Patriotic Cuties

2010-05-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys!!

Only 4 days left til I pick my giveaway winner so make sure you enter before Friday at 7pm!

Ive been working like crazy to finish up these dolls. I like to trace and cut out a bunch of different ones on Sunday nights and sew on Monday mornings so I have the week to complete them. I hardly EVER make 2 of the same doll at the same time as I hate repetition and just cant put my all into them. So I make one and if she sells Ill make up another one. Probably harder doing it that way!

Had my test on Thursday, wasnt AS bad as I thought it was going to be!! The cyst is actually obstructing my kidney which explains some of my symptoms I have had but didnt realize I had until now and will have to be removed. Again, NOT looking forward to that! I go back on the 19th to discuss my options with the Dr. I hope its not an invasive surgery.

As always, everything I list on here is for sale by custom order.

Have a great week! And STAY WARM! WOW, 28 degrees this morning and SNOW!

Easter Prims Overstock, really cheap sale

2010-04-30T08:00:00.001-07:00

I just dont have the room to store my Easter overstocks. Im offering them today for really good prices.

Folky Pastel bunny hangers, 2 available. Pink and blue.
$8 ea plus shipping

Folky Hare make do, smaller one on wooden base
$8 plus shipping

Winged Heart Hangers, 2 available
$4 plus shipping

Grungy bunny sitter

Check back with me as I will be listing tons more after I go to my shop this weekend!

Email me at jenn_martino@yahoo.com

2 yr Blogiversary Giveaway!

2010-04-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

YEP! Coming up on my 2 year anniversary! When I first started I didnt think it would last this long. Ive met some of THE nicest people through blogging! This is such a wonderful outlet of networking filled with amazing woman AND men and EXTREMELY talented artists who I take great inspiration from. Ive really connected with a few gals and have come to learn how much we have in common. Thank you for all of your visits, wonderful comments, advice but most of all, your friendship!

I started this blog on April 28, 2008, Kindles birthday:) Shell be 17 this yr, LHM!!!

So in honor of my 2 years I decided to have a giveaway.

Rules are pretty simple,
Just leave me a comment on THIS POST ONLY!

Im going to leave this open until Friday May 14 at 7pm.

What am I giving away? Good question! Ha!

Lets do this....

The winner can pick 2 prims, dolls, or other prim FABRIC item, it can be Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Americana. Ive got tons listed on here, my selling blog and my YRP Facebook so there is ALOT to choose from.

Sound good?

SWEET!!!!

New Offerings and an update

2010-04-24T16:32:00.000-07:00

So, Jason came home from work Thurs night and fixed the phone! YAY!
The construction guys knocked the line loose somewhere. I get SO mad when my phone is out! Happens quite often since we have digital but its usually on within minutes unless the power goes out.

I talked to my Dr Friday morning, he scheduled me for a Retrograde Cystogram (something or other) Xray on May 6th. Sounds made up, doesnt it? UGH, I wish! They will put me out for this one and Im dreading it. This test gives them a better look at the cyst and its placement by using a scope hooked up to a xray.

I gotta tell ya how fed up I am! Why couldnt they just start with the Ctscan? Why go through ALL of those tests when I was just going to end up with a ct anyhow?

Heres the rundown,

April 1st xray on my back and thats when they found the cyst
April 14th MRI
April 22 ultrasound and Ctscan

In between 3 Dr visits, who said its serious and then its not cancer so not to worry! . YEAH - Im done, fork me baby...Im done!

My poor husband is walking on eggshells and I feel awful!

Its like either take the darn thing out or leave it! I probably GLOW at night with the amount of radiation thats in my body, between my foot, knee, neck, back and now this, HA! Could that really happen? OMG - wouldnt that be something!?

Ive been trying to keep busy and I have been. Ive put out some major doll action this last week, I even made up 2 colonial spool dolls this morning while waiting for Jason to get up! Keeps my mind off of things.

These are all available by custom order, just send me an email,

Keep your eyes open, Ill be listing a few new wooden shelves and smalls in the next week or so:) Ill also be listing a few Easter prims that I took out of my shop for SUPER cheap!! I gotta move em and not store them!

Still dont know much, but know a little more than I did yesterday!

2010-04-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

That make sense?

So, I had my ultrasound this morning at 9:15am. This was a long one, very long. She checked both kidneys, as she was focusing on the right one I could actually see the cyst. The radiologist wasnt happy with the size of the cyst because of my age so he ordered an immediate CTscan. Of course we had to wait for approval from the insurance, TWO hours later! UGH, I hate waiting!

I had the contrast dye, what a weird feeling that is! After the test we went into the radiologists office and he went over the films with us. Not only is there a good sized gall stone that will hopefully just stay put and not cause me any trouble. The cyst is attached the bottom of my kidney. This thing is SO big that ya cant even see the kidney.

He thinks it may be an obstruction of some type and said the Urologist will probably want to go in with a scope! JOY!!

I think I know how thats done and the ONLY way Im doing it is if Im out or heavily sedated! No, no and no!!

For some reason my phone is out today and I see the Dr called early this afternoon, unfortunetly I cant get into my voice mail to get his message or call him to see what he thinks. We had new windows and the house weatherized yesterday and today and I think when they were foaming the basement they hit the phone line because I still have the internet.

So Im a little irritated that I cant hear the msg from the Dr right now!

On the way home we stopped at that yard sale again and I picked up 4 crates, a gameboard and 2 more dolls for $13 total. So that was a good thing to a really crummy day!

Thank you again for all of your t's, p's and comments:)

Yard Sale Goodes

2010-04-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

Hi Peeps!

First I want to thank you all who stopped by yesterday and commented on my post. You re a GREAT bunch of girls and I thank you for keeping me in your thoughts!

I have my ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow morning so hopefully Ill know more by Monday at the latest!

My MIL called me yesterday afternoon to tell me about a primitive yard sale. She picked me up a few mins later and off we went. This girl had MEGA prim dolls, all for $3-$5. AWESOME AWESOME dolls for every season. I only picked up one as I fell in love with her. The weirdest thing happened when I got home, not only was there a HUGE black hairy spider crawling in her hair but I noticed a tag on her arm that read, Rose Curtis - Bittersweet Prims. HOW WEIRD IS THAT????

I tried to email her but it came back to me.

If anyone knows who the designer of this pattern is please please PLEASE let me know as I would love to make a few of my own.

I also picked up 2 cutters for $2 ea! YAY!!! Told ya I'de get one soon enough:)
A quilted pillow for $1, 2 stitchery stockings - $2 ea and big chenille candy canes for $2 a bundle. Oh and an old rectangle mirror with a wooden frame that I'm planning on painting.

BB soon with more news!

New Offerings

2010-04-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

Hey Peeps!!

Ive been busy working on orders and trying to get some americana prims made for my booth. I finally finished up a few dolls today and I'm so glad I did! Felt like it took forever!!!

Libby, round head raggedy made from a sweet meadows prims pattern

Large Uncle Sam, made from a Jackie Schmidt pattern

Old Glory raggedy, made from a Threadbare Prims pattern

Americana folk doll (Star Spangle), made from a Threadbare Prims pattern

Americana Star Hanger, made from a TRP pattern,

Fat Uncle Sam, made from a Chestnut Junction pattern,

And in other news.....I finally broke down and made an apt with a Spine Surgeon on April 1st. They took xrays, blah blah blah.....my L5 area is missing a disc, caused from the car accident so they sent me on for an MRI. Which I had done the morning of April 14th. The next day I got a call from my back Dr, apparently there is a good sized cyst on my right kidney and I was to follow up with my primary the following day. So, I called my primary on Friday and he told me this cyst is huge and I need to see a Urologist. Within an hour he called back with my apt to see the specialist, whom I saw yesterday!

Of course I was a basketcase ALL weekend! I was so worried I pretty much made myself sick and even get butterflies just typing about it now. The Urologist went over medical history with me and explained about the TWO different types of kidney cysts and said he needed to see the report from the MRI. So I went home feeling ALOT better because I got the feeling that this was no big deal, until this morning.

His secretary called me, said he read the MRI report and I need to immediatly have a bilateral renal ultrasound done and she is mailing out my script in todays mail. Cant tell ya how nervous I am......quite scared in fact!

No real history of kindey disease in my family, thankfully so we gotta find out what this is and how we're going to get rid of it because there is NO WAY that I want to walk around with an orange sized cyst on my kidney - uh, no thanks!

So, if ya could say and extra prayer for me Ide be grateful!

Ill be back when I know more and as always, everything you see on this blog is available, just email me for prices. Sometimes Ill add to my selling blog and sometimes I wont, depends on my mood!

Primitive Colonial "make-do" Hanging Cupboard

2010-04-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

Why "make-do"?

Well, because I used big rusty flat head nails instead of a towel bar:)

This piece turned out amazing!! Jason did a fantastic job. Quite large, measures 31' high and 26" across. Available in red over black, custom order as they take a bit of time to complete! Inside is painted black and has one shelf. Can be made with a towel bar instead of the nails.

Email for more info and pricing

I also have a few prims for sale really cheap as I have NO place to store them!

Winged heart hanger (2 available)
$4 plus $4.95 shipping

~~Round head bunny doll (brown with green homespun dress) holding a prim egg~~
$12 plus $7 ship SOLD

Another hutch to make-over

2010-04-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

A before shot!

Im so excited for this one. Got this from CL this afternoon. I imagined it painted black with maybe red over the black? Not sure yet! Ill work on it this week in hopes of putting in my booth on Saturday.

After a quick take of the doors shot,

see the potential here?

Im not sure if Ill have Jas make me new doors or frame around the outside to show very little shelves, or maybe Ill just leave it as a stepback type!

Also wanted to post a pic of the hanging colonial cupboard he made me last weekend. I got as far as painting it black. It rained here all week so the paint wouldnt dry for me. This is his FIRST cupboard piece and he did an amazing job. Hes out in the shop making another one right now for my booth:)

Ive got quite a bit to share in the upcoming weeks so please check back......

She Seeketh Wool And Flax

2010-04-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

Wow! LOOK at this sign!

Dani did an amazing job on this. Dont you agree?

Go see her and order yourself one of these babies.....

Links arent working for me, darn it!

oldehomesteadpeddler.com

So it was either a cheesecake or..... lemon square delights!

2010-04-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

I chose the lemon square delights. This is such an awesome springy dessert.
If ya have time and the stuff on hand I suggest whipping up some for Easter tomorrow. I know Im a little late in posting, my bad! Ive been LOVIN this weather....just cant get over it in fact. We usually still have snow around these parts this time of year. In fact, I remember the last 3 Easters it was bone chilling cold!

Lemon Square Delights

CRUST: 1 STICK MARGARINE
2 TSP. POWDERED SUGAR
1 CUP FLOUR
1/2 CUP CHOPPED NUTS

MIX TOGETHER AND BAKE AT 350' FOR 15 MINUTES.
(LET COOL 1 HR.)

FIRST LAYER: 1 1/2 CUPS OF COOLWHIP
1 CUP POWDERED SUGAR
1 8oz. CREAM CHEESE BEAT AND SPREAD ON CRUST

SECOND LAYER: 2 PKG. INSTANT LEMON PUDDING
3 CUPS COLD MILK BEAT AND SPREAD ON 1st LAYER

THIRD LAYER: SPREAD PLAIN COOLWHIP OVER TOP LEAVING 1/2 BORDER, THEN SPRINKLE WITH CHOPPED WALNUTS.

REFRIGERATE.

LOVIN this weather!!

2010-04-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

Lovin the sounds of the birds early in the am. Lovin this weather. Lovin having the windows open!!!! Lovin that ALL the kids are outside. Lovin that I hit my first estate sale today. Lovin that I am still on a crafting break. Lovin that my booth is STILL fully stocked. Lovin that its the weekend....finally!

'Nuff said!

Happy Easter my friends! Enjoy the weather, enjoy your family!

Puppy Training easier than we thought!

2010-03-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

We've had alot of small dogs and there always seems to be an issue with potty training. No matter how long we trained and how many times we took them outside they still always went in the house. I was VERY hesitant when the idea of getting another puppy came up! Of course I have to be the main "taker outer" just because I am home all day.

Archie is doing VERY well. He is sleeping straight through the night without waking me up to go potty. We arent crate training him. He has his pen in the diningroom with his dog bed and papers, just in case. He will hold it all night and wake me up between 4:30 - 5:30am.

He will be 3 months old tomorrow and I think he is doing AWESOME! He goes in Friday for his 3rd round of shots. The 1st vet we took him to actually repeated what the breeder already gave him even after I showed him and the vet tech his shot records. They also weighed him, he was 3lbs 4oz.

I dont like this vet, at all. We take our cat and other dog Corona to a different vet. They actually clip their nails, check for fleas and go over all kinds of info with you. I had to use this one vet because the breeder we got him from only offered a 72 hr health guarantee and I needed to quick get him in.

So I switch him over to our regular vet, whom hell see on Friday.

He is such a sweet lil guy

Thank you to those who commented on my last post! I did check ebay and the ones I found and liked were just small pieces of quilt. I actually would like to find at least a double or queen. I was able to get in contact with Beth at Olde Tyme Marketplace, she has quite a few available so its just deciding on which one now.

Brenda a FB friend also emailed me and offered to check her local antique store for one so Im waiting to hear back from her:)

Ill get one, I just know it:)

This is my latest Folky Bun I made. She is VERY large and VERY heavy. She is aprox
51" long, that is ALOT of polyfil...let me tell ya!
She is made from an Angel And The Crow Primitives pattern, I did change her dress up a tad.

Ill be posting a few new offerings later this week. Im working on a few Jackie Schmidt patterns.

Have a wonderful WARM week...ugh, wasnt that Spring weather a teaser?

Need a cutter quilt.....

2010-03-22T15:13:00.001-07:00

Badly! I can not find a single quilt. Ive looked at GW, TS, CL, friends and nothing.
Well, I did find quilts on CL but I am not paying $250+ .... no thanks.

If you have one, an extra one and want to make a few extra bucks email me:)

I want creams, reds, blues, browns....darker colors vs pastel colors.

New Folky Bun

2010-03-17T06:24:00.000-07:00

Justa real quick post here this morning!

Happy St. Patricks day!!

Lovin this weather eh? Its GREAT!!!

Here is my newest bunny girl. Shes very large, measures 34" and very heavy as she is rag stuffed (body only)

A Smiling Goat Primitives pattern!

She is up for adoption, custom order only.

Ive got a few more buns I want to work on and then I will be moving onto americana and fall prims

Goodies, goodies n more goodies:)

2010-03-12T12:21:00.000-08:00

Hope this post finds you all doing well!
Its been so long since Ive been able to catch up with you all.
I have been so busy lately left wondering just exactly doing what?

Ive been making alot of dolls and it seems I cant keep up week to week to restock my booth. The beginning of March I was totally wiped out, in just a matter of a few days. I went in one day and the booth was stocked really well. I went back a few days later and there was all but 3 bunnies left. So its been a rush to get it stocked again!

Last Fri night we went to our first auction. It was ok, just ok! Kinda boring sitting through those box lots. I was lucky to pick up a huge crock for only $15. It has a tiny crack in it which is fine because I wanted it to hold shoes right by the kitchen door, and thats where it sits!

I also picked up a REALLY heavy REALLY old oval mirror in a wood frame. I painted the frame black and sanded the edges and am debating on taking it to the booth or not. And 2 wooden skillets that are in the process of being painted and primmed up.
Sorry, no pictures of those!!

Yesterday I received TWO packages in the mail. One I knew was coming, it was a swap Carolyn of Primitive Devotion and I had and the other was a total surprise from Linda of Simple Country Seasons. It was a good day:)

These are my goodies from Carolyn,

See my little pinkeep there? She made that just for me:) I absolutely LOVE it!!

This was also tucked into my box,

It is the neatest little egg carton. Ive been looking for something to display my eggs in for a few days now, it was like she was reading my mind!

I cant say too much more because I dont want to ruin her surprise as she hasnt received her package yet:)

This is what Linda sent me,

There is a HUGE feedsack in there, I am thinking of making myself a sawdust pillow for my bed with that. Ive already used some of the fabric to make pants for a bunny I made yesterday. I just love all that different fabric:)

So we're off to the auction again tonite and last night Jas surprised us with IMAX tickets for Alice in Wonderland Saturday afternoon, Im so excited!!!

Archie is doing VERY well. His vet visit went great, he is very healthy and weighed 3lbs 4oz. He goes back on the 26th and I wanna say hes over 5lbs now. He LOVES to eat!!! Ill get some recent pictures of him.

Heres a few new prims I finished and will be posting on my selling blog when I can find the time.

Have a great weekend!!!

RIP Corey

2010-03-10T10:09:00.001-08:00

I just logged into my email to read that my most favorite of ALL time actor Corey Haim died this morning. I am just in shock and very sad.

BURBANK, Calif. — Corey Haim, a 1980s teen heartthrob for his roles in Lucas and The Lost Boys whose career was blighted by drug abuse, has died. He was 38.
Haim died early Wednesday at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Los Angeles County coroner's Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said.

"As he got out of bed, he felt a little weak and went down to the floor on his knees," Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said. His mother called paramedics.

An autopsy will determine Haim's cause of death. There was no evidence of foul play, police Sgt. Michael Kammert said.

Haim, who gained attention for his roles in "Lucas" and "The Lost Boys," had flulike symptoms before he died and was getting over-the-counter and prescription medications, police Sgt. William Mann said.

"He could have succumbed to whatever (illness) he had or it could have been drugs," Mann said. "He has had a drug problem in the past."

Haim was taken by ambulance to the hospital from an apartment in Los Angeles near Burbank. The enormous complex is known as Oakwood and is popular with young actors, Kammert said.

Haim acknowledged his struggle with drug abuse to The Sun in 2004.

"I was working on Lost Boys when I smoked my first joint," he told the British tabloid.

"I did cocaine for about a year and a half, then it led to crack," he said.

Haim said he went into rehabilitation and was put on prescription drugs. He took both stimulants and sedatives such as Valium.

"I started on the downers which were a hell of a lot better than the uppers because I was a nervous wreck," he said. "But one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the end it was about 85 a day."

In 2007, he told ABC's Nightline that drugs hurt his career.

"I feel like with myself I ruined myself to the point where I wasn't functional enough to work for anybody, even myself. I wasn't working," he said.

The Toronto-born actor got his start in television commercials at 10 and earned a good reputation for his work in such films as 1985's Murphy's Romance and his portrayal of Liza Minelli's dying son in the 1985 television film A Time to Live.

His career peaked and he became a teen heartthrob with his roles in the 1986 movie Lucas, and The Lost Boys, in which he battled vampires.

In later years, he made a few TV appearances and had several direct-to-video movies. He also had a handful of recent movies that have not yet been released.

But in 1997 he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, listing debts for medical expenses and more than $200,000 in state and federal taxes.

His assets included a few thousand dollars in cash, clothing and royalty rights.

In recent years, he appeared in the A&E reality TV show The Two Coreys with his friend Corey Feldman. It was canceled in 2008 after two seasons. Feldman later said Haim's drug abuse strained their working and personal relationships.

In a 2007 interview on CNN's Larry King Live, Haim called himself "a chronic relapser for the rest of my life."

Prayers for his friends and family!

Finishes

2010-03-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

Ive got a few new finishes to share, but I wanted to post Liberty 1st.

Ive tried and tried to get the perfect picture of her because the ones I have dont show the detail and all of the shading. The more light I let in the more it drowned her out. The less light I let in made her nose flourescent and she is not by any means. She is absolutely beautiful!!! She was made from a Crow About Primitives patterns, I just changed her up a little bit. When I was looking through my stash of fabric for her dress I decided to make her an americana gal!

I just love her!!!!

A few others to share.......

A Sweetpeas Primitive pattern

A Bird In the Hand Primitives pattern

All available by custom order:)

I just ordered 5 new patterns this morning to stop back by in about a week for new offerings!

A lil bit of everything!

2010-02-23T07:56:00.000-08:00

Not sure what to title this post as Ill be all over this morning!

First I want to thank you ALL for the nice comments on my cupboard makeover. I don't know if it has sold yet as I haven't been back to my booth. Saturday Jason and went to the mall shopping for US! Haha! It felt SO good to shop for myself! I haven't bought myself a single clothes item in probably 7 years...no lie!!

About the bad comments, I was getting a TON of
S
P
A
M
comments.

I had that word in there when I first updated my post about them but noticed I was receiving one of those comments EVERY MINUTE.
So I took the word
s
p
a
m
out and added the word BAD. I thought I was loosing my mind. I rejected 75 comments in a matter of 4 hours!

As soon as I took out the S word the comments stopped so I'm wondering if they have some sort of filter that runs on that word. If you post that word they nail your comments!? IDK...I could be wrong! In any event, I was about to delete my blog!!!

After shopping Saturday Jas and I picked up our newest lil guy, Archie!

Hes such a good natured lil guy and doing really well with potty training. He will be 8 weeks tomorrow, he was born on Christmas Eve!

We have an apt with the vet tonite, I want to be sure he has no health problems as the breeder only offers a 72 hour health guarantee!

Ill be back later this week with a few new offerings!

Cupboard Makeover

2010-02-17T04:26:00.000-08:00

I can finally post pictures of the cupboard makeover.
I wanted to wait til I put it in the shop before I posted!

Remember this?

Well it from that to this.....

It seemed to take a long time from start to finish because it took 4 coats of black paint before I could dry brush the red on. Once I got to that point it went quick!!

We got it settled into my booth last Saturday and I forgot my camera:(

Im hoping to go in this Saturday and see a sold sign on it:) I can hope eh!??

Not too much else going on around here. Kids are home all week for winter break and Ive been making up a few new rabbits from Kentucky Prims patterns. I just love her work!! Ill post new pics when Im all done!!

I had my 3 month Ortho check yesterday for my ankle and knee. No real change in the ankle so surgery will be up to me. Im in no hurry as it doesnt really bother me all that much unless Im on it alot. And then, I just take a pain pill. My knee has alot of arthritis and the wire in there is rubbing against the patella causing ALOT of grinding when I bend it. He suggested a simple surgery to remove the wire and would put me at 3 weeks of recov time, but I opted out. Ide rather do it all at once, the ankle and knee....no sense in having another surgery unless it gets to a point where I cant stand it anymore!

We're off this weekend to the mall for clothes for Jas and I. Its been so long since Ive actually bought myself clothes...I buy for the kids before I do myself. We got our tax refund so now is the time. Im also looking to get a WII and maube a new sewing machine:)

Have a great weekend!!!

After receiving numerous bad comments I have decided to turn on comment moderation. I absolutely hate this feature and having to type in the codes myself but I wont put up with annonymous bad comments anymore! Sorry!

New bunny and a questions

2010-02-03T07:24:00.000-08:00

YAY! Its February!!
This winter has gone by pretty quick in my world but now it seems to be dragging!

I wanted to post my newest bunny I finished yesterday.

Meet Harold, this is Hayleys hubby

He is a little mad at me right now because I forgot to take him to my booth last night and hes worried that by the time he gets there Hayley will be gone. :)

For my question......

I am looking for some sort of PRIMITIVE self inking stamp (custom) or sticker label that I can put on the back of price tags. I had an incident last night when I went to get my check and someone had re-wrote MY TAG on a doll I had in my booth. Not only did they re-write MY tag, but they priced it for 1/2 off. The doll sold for this 1/2 off price and theres pretty much nothing I can do about it. ONLY vendors have these tags as we buy them from the shop owner.......isnt that funny???

So Im out the money which isnt fair to me by any means!

Ive been looking on ebay and etsy all morning and Im not exactly sure what I want so I was hoping someone here would have some ideas as what to do??

The beginning of a re-do!

2010-02-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I picked up this corner cabinet off of CL for $75. It is VERY well constructed. A young guy made it a few years ago in shop class and he did a great job. As soon as I saw it I knew it had great primitive potential.

I was able to finish the top half last night. It has FOUR coats of black paint, I almost died when I figured out it was going to need that much. I left the inside of the shelves black and the outside....well you ll have to just wait to see it completed.

I got 2 coats of black on the bottom half today.....2 more to go!!!

Unfortunately this piece will go into my booth for sale:(
I'm a little conflicted on a price so if doesn't sell after a few weeks Ill bring her on home and use in my dining room:)

Did you know Robert Pattinson was a singer?

He is beautiful!

When Twilight came out I figured with all of the hype that I wouldn't be interested in the movie so I didn't watch it. Robert however.....YUM! Anyhow....last week Twilight was on Showtime as I was flipping through and I caught the last hour and I LOVED it! Of course Ive watched 2 other times since then:)

Ill be back with pics of the finished cabinet!

Sunshine is very limited around these parts this time of year!

2010-01-28T11:46:00.001-08:00

Boy is it ever storming out there! WOW!

I'm not complaining ONE but because I LOVE this kind of weather. I know I've said it before but Ill say it again, NOT the cold part however! Brrrrr!!!!

We had a nice mid Jan warm up last week, only 2 days but it was perfect! Winter came back full force! Every time I looks outside I can barely see across my road, it is snowing and blowing like crazy! The sun….well its few and far between! I think we went close to 28 days withOUT the sun a little while back….that's nuts considering Portugal sees 360 DAYS of sun per yr. Yeah – wouldn't that be nice?

Anyhow, this is what the mailman brought me yesterday

There were 2 boxes of these babies straight from California, packed to the brim! I've NEVER seen lemons so big in my life! Thanks Josh & Justin!!!! You couldn't have sent these at a better time:)

The oranges are SO sweet. Its amazing how they don't even compare to the grocery store ones, shame shame…….

Here's a few more bunnies I've finished up this week and are all up for adoption by custom order as these will go into my booth tomorrow. Just shoot me an email if you're interested!

A Threadbare Primitives pattern

A Moonchilds Primitives pattern

A Prims by Kim pattern

My own pattern

A Sweetpeas Primitives pattern

Stay Warm peeps!

Bunnies……..wishing Spring was here!

2010-01-19T11:23:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to post a few of my recent finishes.

This guy was made with a Backporch Pickins pattern. I just LOVE her patterns. VERY detailed!!!!!

And this is Hayley (named after my girl Hals of Prim It Up) using my own design. Hayley is for sale on Yankee Ridge Primitives for anyone interested!

**The doll in my header was made using a Threadbare Primitives pattern

I hope youre all enjoying the mid January warm up – feels like Spring out there. Big difference from 10 – 35 degrees eh?

I STILL can not get over these guys!

2010-01-18T11:35:00.001-08:00

Anyone watch The Singoff when it Aired back in December?

I tuned in and out during the first episode until I saw NOTA!

OMG, unbelievable!! If you saw them then you know exactly what I mean. They are AMAZING! They are ACAPELLA! NO instruments at all - AMAZING!

Just take a listen!

And here..

They are on Facebook - FAN THEM!

I bet we see more of these guys REAL SOON!

Windmill Country

2010-01-13T11:46:00.001-08:00

Hiyas Everyone!

Please DO click on the photos to enlarge!

Saturday we took a long overdue trip down to see my aunt, uncle and grandpa. They live in Java Lake NY, which is about 70 miles south of me.

The ride out there was amazing, I don't think I have ever seen snow on the trees look like this. We passed through what seemed like hundreds of windmills. Those suckers look huge at a distance but we were right next to them and they are quite impressive!

I was able to get some great shots with my Canon, these next few were taken while driving right through the front window!!

These next ones were taken on the way up of the scenery and snow on the trees!

Aren't those crazy pretty? Its so ugly around my house so it was a nice change to drive into that!

What's everyone working on for Valentines Day? I am at such a slump, I cant find any real good patterns that I like and I'm having a hard time coming up with designs of my own so I've made a few and snow I'm moving onto Easter Prims………

A few things I've finished and taken to my booth,

I hope you’re all fairing these cold temps well:)

Moving on!

2010-01-04T05:59:00.001-08:00

We’re all doing pretty well considering all that's happened in the last 2 weeks.

My father is renting a house about a 1/4 of a mile away from his house which is good because he's not too far.

They have his bedroom and bathroom totally gutted right down to the rafters and wood. It looks like only a few pieces of structural wood will have to be replaced but overall the firemen did a wonderful job in putting that baby out!

His boiler system and power is back on to the part of the house that got the smoke damage and there are huge industrial fans drying everything out!

We took a ride over on New Years Eve to see and it is just awful! Every time I walk in there I'm in tears!

I'm getting better and over my anger phase about the fire but it seems our Luck Of The Irish strikes AGAIN!

My father called me New Years day to let me know that the house was broken into sometime New Years Eve and things were stolen from him and his tenants upstairs!

Unbelievable! If I could find the person(so) that did this, they would get a major beat down and still might If I EVER find out who it was!

My father has about 2 months before construction starts so I just hope he can find something to keep him busy and out of trouble until then!

Thank you for all the emails wondering how we’re doing!!

On a lighter note we got hammered with snow over the weekend! There is about 3 feet out there and I am just loving it! Jason cleaned out the driveway 3 times yesterday with the last being around 8pm last night. When I took Bella out to the bus this morning I had to shovel us a path out, there was another 6” that fell! Its great:)

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their New Year so far:)

How we spent our Christmas

2009-12-26T13:56:00.001-08:00

Ive been reading blogs for the past 1/2 hour and it looks like everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

We had a bit of sad news come our way Christmas Eve! Around 6pm, if I can remember correct my dad got a call from his neighbor saying that his house (my fathers) was on fire! So him and Jason hopped in his car and drove over to my dads house which is 40 miles south of us. I was scared out of my mind because I was stuck home with the kids and had NO idea what was happening!

When they got there the fire was out thanks to the East Pembroke Fire Dept.

It had started in his bedroom with a space heater, taking the bedroom, bathroom and entry way. The rest of the house has major smoke damage, and will need to be completely gutted.

He was renting the upstairs apt out to a nice couple who fortunetly were NOT home during the fire. They also will loose everything to smoke damage.

As of this morning the electrician was there to cut power to the part of the house that burned to they can turn power on to the rest.

The cleaning company was there removing carpets, drywall, ceiling…anything that was ruined by the fire and the water. Once they have that all removed they will remove the furniture and small stuff to see what can be cleaned and salvaged and what can not.

The Red Cross has put my father up in a hotel room. THANK GOD he was at my house when this happened and not in his bedroom sleeping!

We went over yesterday so I could take pictures for his insurance and it is awful! EVERYTHING about this is just terrible, the smells, the way it looks.

I just shake my head because I cant fathom why or how this happened to us, my family simply can NOT take anymore.

In spite of this all, the kids had a great Christmas and they got to see “Papas” house and the damage that fire can do.

This picture is the entry way in from his garage at the opposite end of the house from where the actual fire was. ALL smoke damage!

This is his dining room and sun room. Notice the hardwood floors?

Here you can see where the little carpet was.

Spices on his stove that were melted. The fire was NO WHERE near the kitchen!

Bathroom that was destroyed

Bedroom, where the fire started!

UGH, as Im sitting here posting these I am getting sick to my stomach!

I know most of you are thinking, at least nobody got hurt and these are only “things” that were lost, which is fine! I totally agree with you! But, the past 3 years my family has had to deal with too many tragedies during the months of Nov and Dec and I have simply lost all faith! And I kinda feel like I deserve to feel the way I AM feeling about this right now without feeling guilty!!

I hope you can understand that.

My Cookie Recipes

2009-12-23T06:05:00.001-08:00

I wanted to get these posted on Monday but time just wasn't in the cards for that one!

So here are a few recipes that I use for my Christmas cookies. If I don't post the one that you want, please email me and I will get it right to you.

*Sour Cream Cutouts*

These are the softest cutout cookies you will ever have.

My family likes them real thick so I generally don't get 6 doz out of this recipe…..

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
Tint some of the frosting with food coloring; decorate cookies as desired. Yield: about 6-1/2 dozen.

This is the icing I use along with store bought cream cheese frosting for the kids to work with.

Ingredients

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

Meatball Cookies

This recipe is from my Italian Grandmother. I'm sure you have tasted these cookies at a wedding or other Italian gathering.

Italian Meatball Cookies
2/3 cup bittersweet cocoa
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup raisins

Glaze
1/2 cup butter ( room temp)
3 cups confectioner sugar
4 tbs. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
food coloring to tint icing
Preheat oven to 325.
For Cookies -
In medium size bowl combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
In another medium size bowl cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Stir in slightly beaten eggs. Add spices. Add flour mixture to butter mixture. Fold in walnuts, choc chips and raisins. Dough should beable to roll into 1 inch balls. If too sticky add more flour. If too dry add milk.
Bake time calls for 8-10 minutes. I bake for 7 minutes so cookies are moist. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Immediately transfer to counter or wire rack. Glaze when cooled.

Italian Pastry Shop Cookies (the red white and green bar cookies)

Italian Pastry Shop Cookies
3 sticks of butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
1 (7oz) stick of almond paste (I use Solo brand in the can)
4 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
1 (10oz) jar apricot or seedless raspberry preserves
2 packages semisweet chocolate pieces
Red and green food coloring
Preheat oven to 350.
Cream almond paste till there are very few lumps. Add butter and sugar to almond paste and cream together.
Slightly beat eggs in seperate bowl and add to butter mixture. Add flour and salt. (you do not need to combine flour and salt before adding to butter mixture)
Divide mixture into THREE equal parts.
One - leave as is.
Two - add about 20 drops of red food coloring.
Three - add about 20 drops of green food coloring.
Line THREE 13x9 inch cookie sheets with wax paper. (you can also do them seperate) Spread mixture evenly onto wax paper. (wax paper will smoke when in the oven)
Bake for 10-15 minutes - DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cakes will look glossy at first, when they loose their gloss they are ready to come out. You'll also notice the edges will turn brown.

To remove each cake -
cool slightly, loosen carefully and invert onto wax paper that has been placed over the back of a cookie sheet.
To assemble cookies -
spread 1/2 jar of preserves over red or green layer. I always place green on the bottom. Place white layer on top of green layer and spread remaining preserves on white layer. Place red layer over white layer.

Trim all of the edges!

Frosting -
melt 2 cups chocolate pieces in microwave and frost top and sides. Let is dry. Flip cakes over onto another wax paper covered cookie sheet. Melt 1 cup chocolate pieces in microwave and frost what is now the top. You will have enough chocolate to fix any mess-ups.
Let it dry to the touch and cut into 1 inch cookies.
Makes 4-5 dozen.

Walnut Horns ( I ALWAYS double this recipe as these are the first to go)

Ingredients

1 pound butter, softened
2 packages (one 8 ounces, one 3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
4 egg yolks
4-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
FILLING:
4 cups ground walnuts (about 1 pound)
5-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

In a large bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, egg yolks and flour; beat until smooth. Shape into 1-in. balls; place in a container with waxed paper separating each layer. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
For filling, combine walnuts and 3-3/4 cups sugar (the mixture will be dry). In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into nut mixture. Add extracts and a few drops of water if necessary until filling reaches a spreading consistency.
Place remaining sugar in a bowl; roll cream cheese balls in sugar until completely covered. Place a few balls at a time between two sheets of waxed paper.
Roll balls into 2-1/2-in. circles. Gently spread about 2 teaspoons of filling over each. Roll up; place seam side down on ungreased baking sheets. Curve the ends slightly. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. Yield: about 8 dozen.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, keep warm, keep safe!

80 Dozen Christmas Cookies!!!!!

2009-12-21T08:00:00.001-08:00

I wasn't kidding when I posted to my FB this morning that I had 73 made and about 10 more to go…..

Jason thinks I am nuts! I've been baking for about 10 days minus a few so I could rest my achy body from whatever this crud is!

YES, I kept my hands clean:) I've got the cracks on my knuckles to prove it:)

In total I made 13 different kinds….

Meatball Cookies

Italian Pastry Shop Cookies

Eggnog Snickerdoodles

Peanut butter Temptations

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Sour Cream Cutouts

Christmas Sandwich Creams

Pecan Meltaways

Triple Chocolate Caramel Delights

Pumpkin Pecan Tassies

Walnut Horns

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Raspberry Ribbons

My list grows each yr. We have our favorites that I make every year and I also try new ones to add.

I couldn't even fit them all on the table!!!!

And that was my cookie baking adventure this yr:)

Merry Christmas!!

Giveaway Winner!!!!!!!!

2009-12-18T15:32:00.001-08:00

Evening All!

I am cutting the entry deadline short by a couple of hours because my “cold” has returned with a vengeance!!

I felt it coming on last night and sure enough its got me down today! I spent most of the day on the couch in agony!

So there is no way I am staying up til 10pm so I used a random number generator and it picked number 95!

Congrats to Donna of One Simple Country Girl!!

Please email me your mailing address and Ill get these guys out asap!

jenn_martino@yahoo.com

A few of my favorite things!

2009-12-10T05:54:00.001-08:00

I thought this might be a fun post and maybe would inspire others to list a few of their favorite things.

These are listed in no particular order here!!

1. Lands End hooded down jacket. I gotta tell ya, this jacket is my best friend. I stay SO warm with this baby on. When I am wearing this and its windy, I don't feel a thing, except for my hands and face!

2. My American Eagle hoodies. They too are so thick and warm. AE is running a buy one get one 50% off RIGHT NOW, ya cant beat that on hoodies!

3. My wood furnace! Smartest thing Jas and I ever did was invest in this! It keeps us nice n toasty in the winter

4. Tasters Choice instant coffee. GOTTA have my coffee in the morning and this with a little half and half is the best:)

5. Moonlight Path lotion, shower gel and spray by Bath and Body Works. This is my favorite scent of them all!

6. Yankee Candle Jack Frost, another one of my favorite scents.

7. Baking cookies for Christmas. This has to be my most favorite thing to do for the Holidays to give a plate as gifts.

My cookie list this yr includes…….

Walnut Horns

Sour cream cut outs

Raspberry Ribbons

Italian Pastry Shop Cookies

Pumpkin Pecan Tassies

Layered Mint Fudge

Eggnog Snickerdoodles

Gooey Butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookie cups

Mocha crackle cookies

Chocolate snowballs

Strufoli

Christmas sandwich creams

Chocolate covered peanut butter ritz bitz

I wont start baking until the Sat before Christmas so everything is fresh!

8. Kindle Isabella and Domonic, even though they are naughty naughty kids:)

9. Snow. It is so pretty as it falls and glistens in the sun.

I am wishing real hard for this much:)

10. Making primitive dolls. I have so much fun doing this and watching a Santa or snowman come to life:)

And those are a few of my favorite things!

I'm sending out a challenge to list some of yours:)

I’m having another giveaway!

2009-12-08T16:56:00.001-08:00

I know, crazy right?!!!

I wanted to do a 12 days of giveaways type thing but when I figured out what I was planning to give and the cost of shipping it was way too much money so I am just having ONE simple giveaway!

No special rules on this and no multiple entries. I do ask that you leave me a comment on THIS post only to enter. Entries left anywhere else will not be counted.

Giveaway is open to US and CA residents only.

I will keep entries open until Friday Dec 18th at 10pm and announce the winner Saturday morning!

You will receive this folk Santa but he will have a red robe and Old Man Winter.

Both are for sale by custom order if you don.t want to wait!

View Full Album

Canal Country Artisans Christmas Open House - Christmas at my booth!

2009-12-05T11:41:00.000-08:00

Well today is THE day!

Ive been busy for weeks working on prims to stock the booth!
Between me and my SIL we have (had) it jam PACKED!

I went in last night to check and all but 4 of my bowl fillers had sold from 10am so I think it will be a really good day:)

I am posting this in blogger because Ive had quite a few requests for larger pictures so just click on the pictures and it open larger.

Jas and I just got back from shopping for the kids. I am just about done and very thankful for that! I usually dont start for another week yet:)

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Zero Visibility!!!!

2009-12-04T07:51:00.001-08:00

Noooooooooooooooooooope, not snow! At least not for us up here on Lake Ontario anyhow:(

They ARE calling for 2-4 today into tonight but who knows. I AM hoping!!!!!!!!!! It IS Dec 4th, time for some snow eh?

The zero visibility I'm talking about it this,

This is my F A V O R I T E ice cream of all time, Perry’s pumpkin pie, Southern Apple Pie and White Christmas follow.

Buffalo, N.Y. – Jan. 25, 2007 – There’s a storm front moving into freezers across the region and the forecast is calling for Perry’s Zero Visibility. Perry’s Ice Cream, Buffalo’s regional ice cream company located in Akron, N.Y., is digging out its blustery flavor in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Blizzard of ’77.

Zero Visibility, with mixed precipitation of coconut rum ice cream and flurries of shredded coconut pieces, is sure to melt in consumers’ mouths. The only shovel required for this whiteout is a really big spoon.

Perry’s first launched Zero Visibility in 1997 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Blizzard of ‘77. “Most Western New Yorkers remember where they were when the blizzard hit 30 years ago,” said Brian Perry, executive vice president and vice chairman, Perry’s Ice Cream. “We created this memorable flavor for consumers to enjoy as they reminisce about the storm.”

(Courtesy of perrysicecream.com)

I wait EVERY year for this goodness to come out, some years forgetting about it because its cooler debut is only for a couple of weeks!

You can BET this year I will be standing at the ice cream coolers waiting!!!

Special thanks to all who commented on my last post about my mom. She was a wonderful lady that loved life and her family. She would do anything for anyone, no matter what it was! She had a long and very hard battle with lung and bone cancer! I am glad she is at peace now and in no more pain but miss her terribly. It took me a long long time to realize that I cant just pick up the phone and call mom anymore. Still to this day when something good, or bad happens I reach for that phone!

So enough with the sadness, how is everyone doing?

Tomorrow is Open House at my booth and I am so excited to see what sells. Remember my cheese boxes I got a few months back? Well I picked up 3 more and this is how they turned out….

Stacked like they are they hit at my hip and I am 5’2 so they are fairly large and quite impressive!

Stay tuned as Ill be posting Christmas at my booth pics………..

Have a good one:)

Jenn

Bittersweet Prims

Olde Primitive Peddler Spring OH Giveaway!!!

Winner of my giveaway

A Christmas Giveaway

Olde Primitive Peddler Christmas Open House

Wynne Contest Entry

Halloween Giveaway/Contest

Halloween Giveaway/Contest

The Olde Primitive Peddler

Luna - A Folk Art Witch and her moon

Wynne - New Pattern Release

Early Work Mercantile Offerings

New Venture!

My VERY first epattern:) Flurry And Flake

Espiridion and Nickolaus - Dolls # 3 & 4 in the series

Frost - Doll # 2 in the series

Never too early for Halloween!

Early Work Mercantile New Offerings

Simply Primitives May 1st Offerings

I haaaaaaaaaave a winner!

Early Work Mercantile April 15th Offerings

Sawdust Stuffing/Filling

New Characters and perhaps a giveaway!?

New dolls, Halloweenie and Americana

Spring is good, but NOT the mud!!

Two buns and a hare....

Fresh from the woodshop!!

Christmas came a lil early at my house!

Mr Wynter and Blitzen

Holly & Spice

THANKFUL for such a great year!

Ok, I lowered prices even MORE! LOOK!

Giveaway Winners

Faux Hammered Tin Ceiling

Elvin Elf

*Jingles* & Snow Flake

Christmas Offerings

So..Im thinkin another giveaway!!

Make over and a new build!

Ohhhh Witchy Poo!!!

I still have a few GREAT americana prims available at GREAT prices

Witchy

Spindella and Crescent

Americana Sale

*Lurka*

New Fall Offerings

Another Brenda Sanker Doll

Americana Sale

Abbott Punkinman

Weekend of camping and exploring!!

How can you stand it?

Birthday Giveaway Winner

Happy 4th of July AND Birthday to me:)

Birthday Giveaway

Annie AND Andy

New raggedies for adoption

I am home...finally!

Senior Portraits

Surgery June 16 - JOY!

New Offerings

Can you say M E S S?!!!!!

Swap goodies...n goodies...n goodies...n goodies....

Swap Goodies from Patti

Pilgrim and Indian Patterns?

We have a WINNER!!!!!

P is for Prairie, D is for Doll and the rest is......

Patriotic Cuties

Easter Prims Overstock, really cheap sale

2 yr Blogiversary Giveaway!

New Offerings and an update

Still dont know much, but know a little more than I did yesterday!

Yard Sale Goodes

New Offerings

Primitive Colonial "make-do" Hanging Cupboard

Another hutch to make-over

She Seeketh Wool And Flax

So it was either a cheesecake or..... lemon square delights!

LOVIN this weather!!

Puppy Training easier than we thought!

Need a cutter quilt.....

Jingles & Snow Flake

Lurka