New For Simply Primitives

Here's just a peek.....be sure to check him out on Simply Primitives tomorrow!

Thanks as always :)

Awards......

I have been given the Primitive Excellence Award by some very lovely and thoughtful fellow artists! Let me just say, I am honored to have even been thought of, and I thank you all!

A special thanks to

Carla of Country Road Primitives

Janelle of Little Sisters Dolls

Edna of Plum Thicket Primitives

Ivonne of Folk Art by the Crackling Crow


Again, thank you for thinking of me, and I feel the same way about your blogs!

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I have some folks in mind to pass this on to. It's going to be hard to limit though, as there are so many wonderful and interesting blogs to visit! I'm a big fan of so many, and so many deserve a special award just for being so generous as to share their life events.

I must pass it on to:


Peanut of Countryfolk Keepsakes be sure to visit.....she's a delight, and she always has something new and fresh to share!

Mo of Wings and Paws Primitives She loves animals, and is genrous in her donations to help them. I think the world of her!~

Starla of Briar Rabbir Prims she's also a fellow animal lover and does so much for the Pitbull breed, and she is just the sweetest gal ever!

Pam of GoldiLoo Woodworks, she's another animal lover, and a heart of gold. Like so many others, she'll put her own needs aside, to help an elderly person or an animal in need.

Jenn of Prairie House Primitives, who, along w/ her husband, makes thee most wonderful cupboards and cabinets, and she too has a huge heart. I think her name should be Elliemae Clampett.....as she and her sweet daughter Riley have taken in so mnay unwanted critters!

Deb of Pilgrims and Pioneers her blog is wonderful.....always a nice prim recipe or history lesson, and she has the best tarts too, let me tell ya!

Jane of Jane Augestein my world in Pictures, just a beautiful blog, w/ happy tails and wonderful scenery.



Now.....for some TDIPT gals who've just started blogging.

These gals are off to a great start!

Julie of 7 Crows Hollow

Deb of Bittersweet Pastimes
and
Diane of Tallowberry Primitives

I'll take ya to the candy shop....

We decided to take a day trip up north to a particular fudge shop to purchase something yummy for my swap recipient.

We're having another Autumn swap in our TDIPT ebay group, and it's a secret swap, and my gal has no idea who is sending to her, but she's getting a handmade somethin......a little bit of this and sprinkle of that, and of course one of her favorite sweet treats from the candy shoppe, and no...it's not fudge!

Anyway...we headed up north to the lovely and quaint village/town of Lexington. It's on the shores of beautiful Lake Huron. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the water was gorgeous, so blue, w/ some white caps. If you can't have the ocean...let me tell ya, the Great Lakes are the next best thing.

We weren't planning on swimming as it was a bit chilly, but it wasn't stopping some folks. Zoey couldn't resist walking in the water to feel for herself just how cold it was.


The view here is wonderful, and there is a pier to walk out on. On one side you see nothing but beautiful water as far as the eye can see, and on the other is the harbor.

A family of swans has been here for as long as we've been visiting the area, and it was nice to see them this time around.

Venturing off the beaten path.....

When we finished walking the pier, we went and had lunch, then bought our goodies at the candy shop. We got back in the car and headed for home, and Zoey was so disappointed to leave.
A few miles down the road, we saw a sign that suggested there was a country store if we turned down the next road. We decided since it was so early still that we would venture out to territory unknown to us, and if nothing else enjoy a nice ride in the country.

What a beautiful ride, and low and behold, there it was, the Country store. It looked so charming and inviting, yet being a Tuesday, and way out in the middle of nowhere, we weren't sure if it would be open for business.

But.....no problem, as the owners live right there on the property, and Peter (the husband) greeted us when we pulled into the driveway, and was kind enough to go fetch his wife (Vera) , and she came and let is in the shop. Ooooh, it smelled so nice inside from all the candles and sprays. Vera had plenty of prim eye candy, and the shop was stocked full of wonderful Autumn goodies!

I loved how she had Mums already placed in her flower boxes, as Fall really was in the air.

Peter and Vera were the most hospitable folks we had ever come across! They let Zoey use their bathroom, and welcomed us into their home.

We even got to meet their sweet and beautiful dog named Freeda. Isn't she lovely? Vera said to us, "don't mind the dog"...boy, she had no idea who she was talkin to. Mind the dog? We were thrilled and delighted to see her, and even more so when Vera told us that Freeda had come all the way from New Orleans. Yep, she was a Hurricane Katrina survivor, and was only 4 months old when someone rescued her from the flood waters, and somehow she was transported all the way up here to a shelter in Michigan where they were able to adopt her and give her a furever home, and what a home it is. All I can say is...Freeda is one lucky pooch~

After meeting Freeda, Peter and Vera asked if we would like to see their tipi, and of course we said "yes". On our way to the Tipi, Peter gave us the grand tour of their huge back yard! They had grapes, and apple trees, and a nice garden, plum full of maters, corn, peppers, squash, and melons.

Check out the Scarecrow! I loved this guy!

Here is the real live Tipi! It was mammoth in size! It came all the way from Oregon.

Peter invited us to come inside the Tipi, where there was a firepit in the very center, w/ rustic handmade furniture placed all around it, along w/ handmade drums and intruments. Everything was true to real Native American life in a Tipi, there were cow hides, and I'll just bet there was a peace pipe somewhere in there too :)

We were VERY impressed, and found it so interesting, and we sure appreciated Peter explaining it all to us. He said sometimes they have some type of gathering there w/ a real Medicine Man!

We were getting ready to leave (after being there a good hour or more), when Peter called Zoey over to give her something. It's hard to see in the pic, but it was a flower he had made from a big stick, and some tin, a make-do of sorts!

These were just the nicest people ever! I can't say enough about them, and this really made Zoeys day! Here we thought we were just gonna visit a prim shop, and it ended up being soooo much more. It was an adventure in itself, and unplanned one, and one we never would have experienced had we not ventured off the beaten path!

Thank you for a most splendid afternoon Vera and Peter!

There's a new girl in town.....

She's my newest for ebay and she starts tonight on a 3 day auction that will end onThursday.

Thanks always for takin a peek :)

A New Addition

...to my Pumpkinfolk family.

I just love to imagine a whole world of these sweet creatures, don't you?

Sometimes when I finish w/ my dollies, I look at their faces, and they remind me of someone. This gal reminds me of Justine Bateman.....remember her, from Family Ties? I don't notice it so much in the pics, but in person.....yep, that's who she reminds me of indeedy!

Thanks for stopping by :)

Will you help?

My friend Shay over at Old Colonial Peddler is hosting a silent charity auction in honor of her sweet little niece Mallory. I've copied and pasted the info from the

Miracles for MalloryBlog below

If you are inclined to give, please contact her :)

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Crafters and artists from all over have graciously donated their time and items in memory of Mallory for a silent auction.

We will be coming together September 7th through September 14th to raise awareness for Trisomy 18, a genetic chromosome disorder afflicting newborns.Mallory Marie Blankenship was born with this disease. In addition, only one of her heart chambers developed. She also was born with an omphalocele.

Mallory was given little to no hope of surviving birth. Beating these odds, Mallory was born on her big sister Drew’s birthday, July 4th, creating a forever and lasting bond with her sister. Mallory fought and beat the odds, staying alive four wonderful days and touching every person who came in contact with her. She was a magnificent little girl, who only blessed lives and knew love. That’s why we refer to her as “our little angel.”If you are a crafter or artist and would like to donate in memory of Mallory, please contact us at: miraclesformallory@yahoo.comWe are so grateful for all the support received thus far, our family thanks you all for your unconditional gratitude.
If you would like to read more on Trisomy 18 babies, please visit:Trisomy 18 Foundation

Happy Birthday Dear Mom

Today my Mom turns 79!

This is a picture of her from 1930. I have always admired this picture..... I just love the soft tint to it, and her beautiful green eyes. I can remember seeing it when I was a little girl, and being amazed at her wearing all that jewelry when she was just a baby, even a tiny little ring on her finger.
My mom is an amazing woman, and I've never met a kinder person. She would give the shirt off her back if someone were in need. I have learned so much from her. She taught us by example......she didn't tell us what to do, she showed us, by living it. I am grateful to her for all she has given, and for all of the sacrifices she has made for us, and they were many.
She has taught me that it is better to give, than to receive.
There has never been a time that I have gone to my mom needing help, that she has not given, be it money or other.
From the time I was little, I have always been so very close with her, and that has not changed. I talk to my Mom by phone every day, in the morning, in the afternoon, and then again before I go to bed, making sure that my last words to her before hanging up are "I love you". If God should decide to call her home during sleep, I want to have had the chance to say goodbye to her, and for her to know I love her. I didn't get that chance w/ my dad, and I regret it.
The Doctors call her the Bionic Woman......she has been through so much in her life, but she always pulls through. God wants her here, and is not ready to take her just yet. Thank you dear God for hearing my prayers.

My mom is so talented, and it was she who got me started making my dolls. We have always had the same decorating taste, and we love antiques. One day while looking through the prim dolls on ebay, we came across some patterns and decided to try our hand at one of them. We both made a prim bunny, by Veena's Mercantile. Although my mom has always sewn and made dolls of different kinds, we had never made anything like the prim dolls, w/ all the coffee stain, and we would chuckle to think the uglier, the better....hehe!

Anyway, my mom can't sew anymore, as her eyesight is failing, but she sure encourages me, and I do think she is my #1 fan (well, her and my sister probably tie).

Thank you Mom for helping to make me who I am today. Happy Birthday......I love you like no other!

Days turn into weeks.....

UGH......I've promised to post a tamale tutorial *in a few days*, and I will, but I am way behind schedule, and it looks as if it's going to turn into a week or so. I've not gotten back down to Mexican town, but I hope to within the next week, so be patient, I will get the recipe up for you.




Taking a Detour





Sometimes plans change, and the unexpected is expected of us, and how can we say "no"?

I got a call from a gal in our rescue a few days ago asking if I could transport a Jack Russel from the pound to a nice lady who will take it into her rescue. Well, my week was so busy, and I wanted to say "no" can't do it, but believe me, if you knew the conditions of this pound (I won't call it a shelter, b/c it would be a gross misinterpretation of the word), you would not hesitate to say "yes I will", even if it means going into the bad neighborhoods of Detroit to deliver. I'm talking about the imfamous Eight Mile Road area of Detroit, the one that Eminem (Marshall Mathers) grew up in, and later made the movie about. Here in Detroit, we have bad neighborhoods, and BAD neighborhoods, and this area is a BAD one!

Anyway....lesson being, sometimes you just are called on to take a little detour from your plans to make a huge difference in the life of someone or something, and it all works out, and in the process, you are mentoring a new generation to be kind and take action to help those in need.

I have had the honor of meeting (online and in person) so many wonderful kindhearted people who do just that....they take the time to make a difference, and give of themselves, even if it means changing plans abruptly, or opening their homes up, or digging deep into their wallets, or buying candy to give to children to make them feel special, just genuine good people w/ big big hearts! You know who you are, and please don't stop doing what you do. The world is a better place b/c of you, and you are appreciated for the difference you make!

I'm so grateful to my daughter, who always sets her plans aside to help me to help the animals.....w/out her, I could not have gone to this pound, or through these bad neighborhoods to help the little Jack Russel. And it does my heart good to see Zoey so eager to help as well. She loves animals, and she loves being a part of the rescue team! Of course she wants to keep them all, but now realizes that by letting them go, the door stays open for another that needs our help.





The nice lady from Paws and Claws rescue w/ her granddaughter. What a sweet heart she was, and they were taking the little Jack Russel. She had a van load of animals, and I was not the only person she was meeting in that McDonalds parking lot. She met a man who adopted a puppy form her, as well as a lady who would be taking some kittens from her. She is one busy lady!


Zoey fell in love w/ the little black kitten from Paws and Claws Rescue.

I hope you'll take the time to give thought to those who may be in need. Whether it's an animal, a child, or an elderly person. With just a little effort, we really can make such a big difference.

My Guy....

Here's my newest fella. I love creating pumpkinheads, and I find them to be fascinating! Just think of a world of Pumpkinfolk.....wouldn't it be neat?

My guy's on ebay and will end on Monday night.

Now.....some of you know I have been going crazy making homemade Tamales! It's been fun, and I am really getting the hang of it. Hub has been helping me, and we're getting it down to perfection. Everyone who has tried them so far, loves them.

Some of you have asked for the recipe, and although I've come across many when doing a search, I have tweaked a few different ones, and have settled on one, and have come up w/ some very yummy Tamales. I'm gonna give a Tamale tutorial in the next few days, so be sure to check back to see pics (beginning w/ the Mercado we buy our supplies from) and get the recipe. :)

Hub and I are heading out now for a drink at Applebee's where my daughter tends bar. She has invented some pretty interesting concoctions....and she says she has a Martini w/ my name on it. We'll see.

It will be nice to sit back and unwind w/ hub.....we are long overdue.