The Rusty Bucket

The Rusty Bucket is a wonderful country/primitive shop in downtown Apex.  I have been selling items there for about two years. I have loved the shop since we moved here from the D.C. area.  In 2007 Country Business Magazine selected The Rusty Bucket Retailer of the Year. Pam and Mack are the owners and the greatest people you will ever meet. When they chose to pick me as their “Featured Artisan” I was spe echless.  What an honor for me, I hope I can continue making items for them and their patrons for years to come.  You can go to their website www.therustybucket.biz and at the bottom of the page they have their featured article on me and my little crafters.

 

So, speaking of little crafters, Alice decided it was time to sell her first doll she made.  I was a tad heartbroken because I was really hoping to keep it but she insisted so I let her take it in (secretly hoping no one would buy her).  I blogged about her a while back, I believe it was New Years Eve when we were making them.  I usually stitch the faces and they do pretty much the rest.  They love making the dolls.  I always trace the design on freezer paper and then iron it onto the fabric so all they have to do is sew along the line. Alice still needs a little help on the machine but I allow them to play around so they get use to it and it is not so difficult for them.  Anyway, the doll sold, but the good news is our friend and realtor (she helped us sell our old house and buy our current home) bought the doll.  I am happy about that, I know she is appreciated in a great home. Much easier for me to deal with.

It has been raining a lot in the Raleigh are but not at our house.  It seems where ever we live our house is covered with a big umbrella. It will rain down the street but not at our house. So, the kids and I were discussing this yesterday as we were driving home in a ‘typhoon’ and Gordon came to the conclusion that if we dug up all the plants and trees in our yard we would probably get rain.  So the 3 of them are set on the idea that we should not plant anything else and it will rain.  I have become quite obsessed with watching the radar hoping it will move this way, but all it does is rain all around us, the storms split and we get nothing except the thunder and lightening that scares the kids to no end.  We have trees that have been here forever that are dying, not to mention the trees we planted.  Everyone around us is out of the drought but this neighborhood is continuing to suffer.  Right now, it is thundering, the kids are freaking out, they have taken to wearing the ear muff things we got them for the Monster Truck shows around the house, well under their respective blankets.  I guess I need to not care and maybe it will rain.  I will keep you posted on the rain, because I know I will not ‘not"’ think about it.

Playing around!!

I know I just posted but I wanted to make these two posts separate.

I was bored with the usual thing last night so I decided to start playing around with a small quilt.  I am proud of it but it wouldn’t be called an art quilt because I don’t think I am quite at that point yet, but this was my first one.  Problem was I didn’t have a plan.  I just had a small piece of fabric that I had stained with walnut crystals and  when I looked at it, I saw an owl, so that is how it started.  I used eyelash yarn for the tree and lots of other stuff in the quilt.  I also used watercolor pencils for the color.  I quilted “hoo hoo” in glow in the dark thread, it is to the right of the owl under the clouds (yes those are clouds in front of the moon). I am not the best machine quilter either, I am also fairly new at that, so I did break a couple needles in the process. So here it is:

I think it is cute.  Everybody in this house loves it so that makes me happy!!

Plant Delights Nursery

We (the kids, Jan and I) went to a local nursery in Raleigh called Plant Delights Nursery (www.plantdel.com) yesterday. It was so much fun. They have trails going through 5 acres. Small waterfalls and very beautiful and some strange plants. The kids had a good time (for a little while) then they got too hot and tired. But they were very good.   I have decide it is time to replace my camera. I think I have a great picture and it ends up looking horrible, so most of the pictures are not very good. Any suggestions on digital cameras would be welcome!!!        

Like I said the flowers were beautiful.  They had the trails and then they had large huts where they sold the majority of the plants.  The employees are very knowledgeable and helpful.

They also had funny art pieces all around hidden in the plants. Very cute.

Jan was able to snap a picture of the kids and I under one of the small waterfalls.

This hosta was so huge. A single leaf was about as tall as I am.  So big and very pretty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

They also test plants out to see if they will grow in the are. This hosta is currently being tested to see if it can survive in the are. It is very rare, I think we were told there are only 4-10 of this species in the world. Wow!!

My favorite plant by far is the Amorphophallus (Voodoo Lily).  Jan bought me one (Yippee!!!) I got the Amorphophallus kiusianus. That is it to the right. I love

look of the stalk.  Alice is posing by the flower of one. Pretty cool. Supposedly the flowers stink pretty bad, so I will put it in the wooded area or our yard.

The colors are just so beautiful.  It almost looks fake when you are looking at them in person.

I am very excited about having one but I am also scared because I don’t want to kill it.

More art!!

This was a long snake.

Very cool!!

So, we had a blast, I was a sweaty mess by the end but it was so much fun. Gosh, I guess I am getting old, I think going to a garden center is so much fun.  Oh well, had to happen one day and it makes me happy.

 

 

 

 

New Pillows!!!!

I finished up some pillows tonight and another chicken towel so I thought I would show them off before they hit the road.

 

I hope you like them. Off to work on some other items!!!

Birthday Pillow

I have been real busy on embroideries and such. I have finished up 6 embroideries and started another Raggedy Ann and Andy tonight.   Still have not finished my Halloween goodies but they are all beginning to look awesome.

Natalie went to a birthday party this past weekend and she wanted me to make something for her friend. I decided to stitch up a little horse embroidered pillow (because the little girl loves horses). It turned out real cute. I colored some of it with colored pencil and put a little rick rack around the outside.  The picture did not turn out too great, I think it was too bright outside.

I am ashamed to say I have again lost all my photos.  I finally began backing them all up on a disk and somehow when I was trying to put more on the disk I was using said it did not have any pictures on it. Of course I had already deleted them from my hard drive. Will I ever learn to just get them developed.  My hubby says to just take what I have and get them developed before we loose everything.  I have a separate hard drive that I had used a couple months ago and I am hoping the pictures will be on there, but there will probably still be a 3 month period that will be missing. Shame on me!!!!

Not much happening here. I have been working (my real job) a little extra the past couple weeks.   I hate to admit that I am behind on my blocks of the month(s) again and still.  I have been so busy doing other things. I promised I would actually try to finish things. HA HA. Time to start the ADD meds again I guess.

Have a great night!!!

Coppertone Boy

Is anyone looking for the ‘Coppertone Boy’.  I have located him at my house!

Man, is he gonna hate me when he gets older!!

Have a great 4th of July!!

Oh how nice it feels!

Our house is finally back to normal. Nice and cool.  I have started to straighten up the quilt/craft room so I can get to work.  Have lots of plans for tonight.  Time to start on fall crafts. I am very excited.

I went by the Rusty Bucket (www.therustybucket.biz)  in Apex today and Pam has the most wonderful stuff there. If you have a little extra to spend you should go down and check out all the neat primitive/country items.  I took a load, the “Charlotte” doll is gone, I am very sad.  I took a couple chickens and a lot of pigs.

I just missed Vicky Wallace, she brought in some wonderful primitive dolls. She is very talented.

Aren’t they adorable.  The one on the bottom right could very well pass as a mouse.  Gordon made the pink with with no back legs. He thought he looked cool sitting down.

I was putting hair on my chickens playing around and had a thought. A Raggedy Ann chicken.  I showed the hubby and he loved it, but I decided to just give them a little.

I had a great idea for an embroidered quilt.  I am only going to show one picture.  My husband is a Postmaster with the Postal Service so this one is for him.  I started drawing it out last night and it turned out exactly like I had planned.  I am far from being finished but I have the ‘backbone’ finished.

I know you can’t really tell what I am doing, but it will be wonderful in the end. I am so excited!!

Off to craft!!

Have a great 4th of July for those who celebrate!

Sweet Meadows Farm Giveaway

I love the patterns from Sweet Meadows Farms and they are having a giveaway – yippee !!! Love giveaways!!! Here is the link, www.sweetmeadowsfarm.blogspot.com.

Doll!

Okay, I finished a doll last night. I found an old pattern I have always wanted to do and I finished it last night. I am very happy with it. After hanging it in my entry way, I don’t want to sell it.  So, I used the Raven’s Haven pattern “Charlotte Slaughter Scott.”

I love her, she is so pretty.  I usually don’t like the real primitive dolls but I do love her.

 

I did not finish the pigs or chickens I have been working on. I have been obsessed with Miss Charlotte.

She will be taking a trip to the Rusty Bucket on Friday, she will see you there.  I am sure there will be more of her likeness to come, I really enjoyed the process of making her.

We have a new baby at our house, a baby lizard that is. He/she is so cute, and tiny. He has been hiding out on Gordon’s tomato plant.

Well, all for now. Need to prep myself for work tonight.