October is here!!!

Aaaah October... My favorite month of the entire year.  I always make sure to take a week off from work to enjoy the glorious weather and scenery.  It doesn't matter if it is windy, cold, gloomy and/or rainy... I LOVE IT!!  :)

September and October are really busy months for me at work.  I have to put in some long hours.  So to make the hours seem a little less daunting,  I decided to take some of my extra revenue and invest in a lovely spun cotton creation from artist Flora Thompson over at Bone Head Studios.  If you have never visited her site, you can skip on over and check her wonderful art out by clicking here.    Flora is an amazingly talented sculptor.  If you haven't been to her site before, take the time to go through all of her early posts.  Her whimsical creations are from the most enchanting world of her imagination.  The sketches of her creations, prior to being sculpted, are equally as fantastic! 

I have admired Flora's work for years and began following her blog after falling in love with her impish elf creatures.  I just cannot say enough about my admiration of her talent.  A quartet of her latest creations, recently revealed on the blog for Bone Head Studios, were too cute for words... They were a little group named the "MushMellies".   All I knew when I saw them was:  One of those little guys needs to come live with me!   So I got on Flora's  waiting list...

Look at the package that just arrived in the mail. I didn't know it was on its way.  So, I almost passed out from excitement when I saw this guy on the side of the box!   It screams Bone Head Studios...

Flora's attention to precise detail and decoration is unmatched...

It makes me smile looking at this photo.  I cannot believe he is mine!!  His expression is absolutely priceless...

Can you see his little teeth?  I am in love... My own little slightly toasted marshmellowie "MushMellie". 

 
Even Mr. Hollow was impressed with this little guy.  He told me to arrange him, so he could stay safe in his wonderfully decorated bag.  My little "MushMellie" will be taking his place of honor in the display cabinet with his "soon to be" Halloween friends.   What a lovely handmade creation... *sigh* 

Flora's work is as impressive in person as it has been in the photos I have marveled at over the years! :)

A Gift from ImagiMeri's Studio

Where did November go?  The time is flying by so fast, and I have so much to share.  I wanted to begin with this spectacular gift that I received from Meri of ImagiMeri's Studio.  (Click on her site name to visit her blog!)   She is a wonderful contributing artist of the Creative Paperclay site.  (You can enjoy one of her tutorials on their site by clicking here.)    Meri took part in a blog hop promoting Gina Designs laser cut outs.  She made three enchanting Halloween scenes and gave them away to three lucky Creative Paperclay followers!

 

 

As if I wasn't excited enough to be gifted one of her detailed creations, Meri also surprised me with a goodie bag! 

Meri generously gave me enough supplies to inspire a Halloween creation of my own.  I cannot express to her enough how happy I was to receive both gifts.  She is such a generous artist, not only with her giveaways but with the immense amount of time she spends making tutorials.  As a fellow blogger, I know how long it can take to create a regular post.  I cannot imagine how long she must spend in preparation to share her knowledge on the use of paper clay creations in step by step fashion.

Meri's gift has given me the push to get me off the couch and back to rummaging through my potential Paperclay projects.  Following the arrival of my Spooky Graveyard with that darling little bat bouncing around, I spent a glorious day organizing gourds and accessories in my storage room.    All of them have been waiting patiently for me to get by rear end in gear and get them turned into the little characters they were destined to be.  I am thinking with all of these spooky doo dads, a Halloween creation is in my future!  :)

I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason.  I was so blessed to receive one of Meri's creations.  It will be displayed proudly in my curio cabinet, and I will think of her as I begin shaping a few new creations out of gourds and paper clay.  Please check out the Paperclay website above.  These artists have a wealth of info on the subject that they generously share.  Also, check out ImagiMeri's website and take a trip over to her Etsy store here.  Meri's creations capture the holidays in such a nostalgic fashion.  They are absolutely delightful. 

Thanks again Meri!  :)

Happy Halloween! :)

The jack-o-lanterns are glowing bright...  keeping the evil spirits at bay.  The little ghosts and goblins have come and gone.  All is quiet...

 

Happy Halloween!!

 



 

 

All Hallow's Eve

Can you believe that another Halloween has come and gone?   It seems like it was last week (really it was the third week of September) that I purchased our pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn.  The pumpkins went fast in Northern Illinois.  Many were spoilt from our unusually wet spring.  :(

 

Mew had to be out on the porch as I set up the decorations.  Mr. Hollow and I always tell her that she is worth a premium this time of year.  She would not stay by the big pumpkin to have her photo taken.  There were to many outside smells to investigate! ;)

 

 

My pumpkins survived the month and a half sit to Halloween.  Whew!  The kids scoured the internet to find some new patterns for their faces.  The pumpkins were soooo thick that I didn't think the faces could have much detail, but they really turned out nice! :)  Since we did not have the appropriate carving knives,  Farmerboy rigged up tiny vise grips with small hacksaw blades... They worked perfectly! 

Meet Jack Skellyton and Cheshire Cat or as I call him, Chesh for short.  :)

Getting ready for the big night... We are in a small town but can get descent numbers of kids from the surrounding towns.  Unfortunately Halloween was on a Friday, all the towns overlapped.  We only had 28 kids, but they were the most polite and absolutely darling little Trick or Treators.  It was fun catching up with our old neighbors and seeing all of the familiar faces.

Remember the Giggleswick Blog Hop that I had on the side bar of my blog?  Well, 21 talented Halloween artists created prizes for giveaways on each of their blogs in celebration of All Hallow's Eve.  ( I am telling you from a critical eye that these are some SERIOUSLY talented artists.)   Well, my name was chosen from the blog HoHo Halloween.  The prize was a secret until the day my name was chosen.  I could not believe my eyes when I saw the post of this amazingly detailed piece of Halloween art... An Absolute Original One of a Kind!  Yahoooooo!!  The talent that created my new Halloween heirloom is artist Jorge De Rojas, and I can tell you now that the photo does not do this guy justice.  He is simply spooktacular.  EVEN Mr. Hollow was impressed.  Doesn't he look so incredibly vintage??  There is not a ghost around that could get past this little guy! :)

 

 

I can not express in words how impressive this piece is.  Please check out Jorge's blog at HoHo Halloween , and while you are on that post take note of the other fine artists listed.   It will be well worth your time to check their blogs as well. :)  If you are lucky to live in their area, some of these fine artists do local shows or sell on the fabulous site -- Etsy.   No storage box will get my little man either.  He is heading for the curio cabinet as a remarkable example of Halloween art.  Now, the only thing left to do is to think of a fitting name for him... :)



Disappearing 9 Patch Quilt & A Little Free Motion Quilting

Hello everyone!!  It is so nice to be blogging again.  Thankfully, my son's laptop has not had as many updates as mine.  So far, blogger's system is tolerating my posting from here.  I hope that this will hold out long enough for blogger to finish fixing the problem...

I have not been idle this winter.  Do you remember my first quilt?  Shouldn't be too hard-- I have only worked on two.  LOL  Well, the plunge has been taken to quilt it on my own machine.  The preparation began on the batting... My choice was a thick wool blanket.  I was terrified of bearding, so a layer of cheesecloth was added to each side.  Let the pinning begin! 

The large safety pins were purchased at a discount store.  They are huge.  I bent them to make the sandwiching process easier.  To be honest, my finger and knees were sore by the time it was completed.  My cat sat up on the couch watching the whole time! ;)

It is hard to see, but the center was finished with a simple stitch in the ditch.  (Well simple for someone that is NOT a newbie! ;) )  The process was a lesson in patience for me.  Not only was I trying to get use to this big bundle of a quilt (the blanket was really thick) , but my need for speed was smacked down a few times.  Synchronization with the machine is definitely a necessity to get a nice smooth line.  With it being my first pieced quilt, there were a few flaws here and there to work around. ;)

Then came the free motion quilting.  I could have easily lost my patience over my own inexperience.  First thing learned-- the need to get the pressure from the foot right. My batting was soooo thick.  It was a shock how much it needed to be changed.  Second--  Sit higher than normal to have a birds eye view of my work.  When sitting at normal height, I found myself pulling the quilt causing an unfortunate needle break.  Third--  Never blame the machine.  Yours truly broke two needles by putting them in backwards.  I didn't even know that they could be put in backwards! LOL  That one cost me 20 minutes of hard thinking.  I just laugh, thinking back about it. 

 

 

I really had a blast fumbling my way through quilting.  It was something that I never dreamt I could do.  It seriously felt good to practice at a new art.  Hopefully, the future will find me perfecting my technique, but this quilt will always stand tall as being my first of everything in the quilting world.  My pride over floweth on this one.  It means the world to me.  Now, the next decision is the choice of binding.  I hope to have it finished by the end of the month! :)

Children's Book Fabric ~ Seuss, Schulz & Berenstain

I hope that everyone had a Spooky and Happy Halloween.  It was dank, misty and cool here.  Thank the heavens that the misty part let up during the bewitching trick or treat hours.  I had plenty of popcorn balls and candy bars waiting for the little ghouls.  It stayed steadily busy and was a fun time getting to see the trick or treators from previous years bring their little ones.  Time marches on! :)

 

And what have I done on these chilly nights?  I have been catching up with the designs from Robert Kaufman Fabrics.  You all know my love of children's books, and Kaufman Fabrics with their rich colors and fine details capture the spirit of some of my favorites perfectly.  I thought I would share a few of my latest purchases...

 

Fat quarter bundles have not been an area that I have stocked up on, but it is a nice way to get a smattering of a line to throw into a quilt.  A nice solid could be purchased at any time to get the project underway.  Here is a bundle of  "Green Eggs and Ham"  (I do... I do... Love Sam I am!) and "Oh The Places You'll Go".  "Green Eggs and Ham"  is classic Seuss, and "Oh The Places You'll Go"  was one of Seuss' later books that has always struck me as being a reflective look at life in general... an inspiring read.  These fabrics and those that follow will be used for gifts or donations and will have a book to go alongside them.  I am loving these themes! :)

 

 

EBay anyone?  This was put up for auction at 99 cents.  It was an untouched package from the Fat Quarter Shop.  It contained over 6+ yards of Berenstain Bear fabric and an additional 3+ yards of plain navy.  The auction ended with my spending  $8.99 total to get the package to my door.  Score!!

I haven't been keeping up with the designs coming onto the market and absolutely flipped over finding this postcard fabric from "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown".  The black background makes the gorgeous fall colors pop off the fabric.  Plus... a scene containing my favorite line of the holiday special "P.S.  If you really are a fake, don't tell me.  I don't want to know."  *Priceless*

After finding the tip of "The Great Pumpkin" iceberg, a little more digging found a panel and individual scenes from the holiday special.  You have to see this in person.  The colors are so spectacular, and the large panel with Linus in the middle of the pumpkin patch melts my heart.

The fabric with the sprinkle of pumpkins and the title "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" will be great to mix into the fall themed quilt.  I also spotted some panels of  "A Charlie Brown Christmas" that had to come home to me.  My only regret is that they neglected to add a scene of Linus telling the Christmas Story, which I felt was the main point of the program. ** Plus a little added factoid, it was the part of the special that Charles Schulz himself insisted would stay as written, after sponsors requested that it be cut.  Bless him for staying true to his beliefs.  So... if any of my blogging friends know of this scene being produced on fabric,  would you please let me know.  I cannot ever see completing one of these quilts without it.  :( 

  

Just a little life note...  As of October 1st, I was moved up to full time at my job and given an extra task to take care of during the upcoming year.  The past few weeks have been a boot camp of sorts, but I am happy to report that I have survived, and the scheduler in me should have my daytime work hours running more smoothly.  Yay! 

Meanwhile back at the ranch ;)... I am back to creating in the evening hours and blogging, and it feels wonderful.  I finally have a set schedule!

To celebrate the impending holiday season, I have left the television on the Hallmark channel this weekend, as I move around the house.  They have some fun original holiday programming.  The story lines remind me of the old AMC movies but in color.  :)   A cup of tea, some wool, and a creative project on a frosty Sunday morning is just what the serene doctor ordered.

On a funny note... I took a huge amount of mugs to the thrift store at the beginning of this year but look at what I just had to have from the Dollar Store... I fell in love with it... And the spoon is ceramic, too. ;) 

A Giggleswick Blog Hop Win from Charmed Confections

I entered the 13 Witches of Giggleswick Blog Hop to welcome in October, and I won a darling Spider Bite from LeeAnn Kress and her blog Charmed Confections.   LeeAnn is extremely talented at sculpting figures and has mastered many forms of clay.  I found her blog on a visit to Sweet Bear Creek Whims.  Jody had LeeAnn's polymer clay lollipops in her tutorial section.  They look so real!!  And to my surprise, they both participated in the spooky blog hop, and I was blessed to win LeeAnn's wonderful creation.

 

You can imagine how exciting it was to receive this package!   

 

My photo does not do this spooky yet sweet little girl any justice.  Can you see the little ghosts coming out of her hat?!?  It is a mark of a true artist that I stop and marvel over the details on this piece.  Look at the stripes on her lollipop limbs... hard to believe that LeeAnn rolled these out of clay!  The cupcake body is amazingly realistic, and her hand sculpted sweet face makes me forget that she could be a lethal spider! LOL ;)

If you have the time, hop on over to LeeAnn's blog and check out her Etsy store.  She is always coming up with new heirloom quality creations to captivate her readers.  And I cannot forget to mention...  She also was chosen to join the team at Creative PaperClay.   Way to Go LeeAnn!!  I look forward to reading her tips... and maybe even trying my hand at some clay creations. ;)

Autumn ~ Recycled Cutter Bar Bug

I do so love the fall season.  Doesn't the sound of Autumn conjure up a multitude of wondrous colors?  Of course, all of them are my favorites!   Plus, the chill in the air makes drinking hot chocolate an absolute pleasure. *Sigh* 

 

Farmerboy has harvested his Indian corn.  It is always a thrill to pull back the husks to find a colorful surprise. :)  When these mini beauties cease to be decorations, they are also able to be used for popcorn.  How's that for recycling?  ;)

 

 

 

 

 

As you all know, Farmerboy collects vintage farm implements.  He broke a cutter bar over the summer and decided to recycle it into some bug art! ;)  Here is his latest welded creation.  He is made from a single tooth from the bar, along with a bolt, nails and some odds & ends.   I am just captivated by this little guy.  Farmerboy hasn't noticed him missing from the table where he left him, yet!   

I stole him!  He wandered out from my studio area for these photos.  Don't tell Farmerboy that I have him... ;)

Happy Halloween!!

The bewitching hour is growing near!!  Farmerboy and his Farmer girl (No kidding here folks... Although she dabbles more in raising cattle than tilling the soil!) are busy carving pumpkins to ward off the evil spirits.

Here is Farmerboy making sure that no seeds were missed.  Personally, I would have told him to mind his own pumpkin! LOL  But his girlfriend isn't to fond of the cleaning process anyways. ;)

This is why he was so interested in the seeds.  Just his way of giving Mom a job to bake later! ;)

I think they both did a fantastic job.  They will be perfect on the front room table tonight!

Have a Safe and Happy Halloween!!

Black Cats, Fall Mix and Etsy

Halloween is getting a little more festive at the Hollow thanks to the great Etsy Stores of Harvest Moon Prims and Olde Annie Primitives.  I have made a vow to not only sell through this great site but take advantage of the opportunity to buy wonderful handcrafted items from my fellow Artisans.  Here are a few of my most recent purchases: 

The first spooky bag contains three black cats with backs arched, tails up, and all grunged with the scent of the season.  They are from Annie at Olde Annie Primitives .  Her enchanting store has a wide variety of primitive bowl fillers, candle mats, tree skirts, centerpieces and sooo much more.  (Check out her tiger striped and multi colored kitties... too cute!)  My new scaredy cats are a great addition to my fall decor and fit in perfectly with my plan to collect black cats (in honor of my cat Mew). ;)    The quality of these handcrafted bowl fillers are nothing short of perfection.  Annie definitely strives to have return customers!  I can only guess that some of her inspiration for these darling kittys came from her own black cat Harley.  So if you have the time, check out Harley's page and Annie's primitive creations at her wonderful blog here.  If you love prims like me, you will not be disappointed! :)

My second purchase was from Marilyn at  Harvest Moon Prims.   As you can see, those cats will be displayed proudly with some of Marilyn's scented pudka pods, hips and acorn melts.  (I wish this blog had smellavision... Mmmmm...)   The mix has such a wonderful depth of color that complements my new cats purrfectly! ;)  Oh... and Marilyn does not only sell some fantastic fall mix filler, she also has sewn prim creations, soap, melts, grubby candles... too much to list here! ;)  I will definitely be going back for some more items in the future.  If your interested in visiting Marilyn at her blog,  she can be found here.  :)

Now my wooden bowl is filled and in its place of honor.  The smells of fall are drifting throughout my front room.  As you can see, I added some cinnamon sticks to match the spicy brown rub on my cats.  It is such a wonderful display.   My next addition to this area will be a fall inspired wool mat... Creating it will give me something to stitch on during these chilly October nights! :)

A Halloween Chicken??

As you all may have guessed by the title of my blog and the colors of my layout, Fall is my favorite time of year.  During the season, I feel so at peace with the world and my artistic mojo is at an all time high.  (Twenty-two years ago, I was even lucky enough to be blessed with the arrival of Farmerboy in October... double bonus! :)  ) It is no surprise with the impending arrival of September, that the old familiar smell and feel of Fall is making itself known in Northern Illinois.  Of course, it has limited itself to only a few days here and there, but the trees have taken notice and patches of crimson are showing up in town.   Soon, we will be making our annual trek to our favorite apple orchard in Wisconsin.  Yay!!  

So to celebrate the arrival of my favorite season, I had to share a few pictures of one of our chicks that is quickly becoming my favorite hen to marvel over... Believe it or not this is Coal... My jet black little chick that is growing up to be the most handsome bird that I have ever seen.  She was being raised for another farm, but I am not sure that I will be able to let her go.  She is the most amazing shade of black and orange!    Her plumage just hinting at the colors until the last few weeks. 

Here she is without the camera flash.  Her feathers are such a wonderful deep shade of burnt orange with black tips.  *Sigh*

She fits into my life and my blog perfectly!  ;)

 

Primitive Black Cat & Witch Halloween Softball Bowl Fillers

This week, I have been working on some primitive Halloween softball bowl fillers.  Remember when I said that Americana themed ones were going to be next! LOL  The softballs for those got painted and mid sketching... Well, my mind started dreaming of witches and cats. ;)   I just love Halloween colors and folklore! *sigh*

This one is called "Witch's Flight".  I decided to give the moon a harvest glow, instead of the traditional blue to white finish.   The yellow/white glow makes the witch pop out crisp and clean... Silhouettes are one of my favorite things to create.  The black cat was inspired by the vintage mache cats of years gone by.  They were and are so creepy and cool... very Cheshire in appearance.  Although one does not reside in my house yet, I love viewing them on Ebay.

Next, a more homespun look was used to create "Spooky Cat".  The black cat (adapted from an old pattern that I used to paint years ago... Sorry, I cannot remember the artists name at the moment!)  has such a prim look to him...  Just like he jumped out of the sewing scrap bag!  The other side is adorned by a favorite fall treat, candy corn... Truth be told the mallow pumpkins are my favorite! ;)   

These two pieces will be taken downstairs to be sanded and roughened up.  Then, they will head to the spray booth.  I already have plans to make a set with matching spindle posts for a solitary display.  The Americana ones are just going to have to wait in the wings for a few weeks.  Halloween and Christmas items just keep popping into my head.

And just when you thought that I turned my back on my little gourds, the other work in progress on my table is a snowman gourd "make do".  I have never attempted one of these and am having a blast with this one.  It started out with plans of being a pumpkin, but the face shape called out to be a snowman.  I  am so excited to get him finished and put him up to share! :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

It has been a few years since I have carved a pumpkin.   This year, I was feeling kinda festive, and this little guy was sitting by his lonesome just waiting to scare off some spirits.   Let's face it... No one would dare go near the sick guy! LOL

Due to my extreme fear of setting my table on fire, I stuck a clip light into him with a notch for the cord to exit out the back of the lid.  He glows like a beacon in the night!  His shell was so thin that even his skin even glows.  One of my little trick or treators kept staring at him.  She said he was one spooky pumpkin. LOL

Trick or Treating is over for another year. *sigh*  Hubby and I have been hitting the leftover popcorn balls and candy bars... Guess I'd better quit pigging out before this little guy and I have something in common! ;)

Fall Scarecrow Picnic Basket

It has been a busy time with the paint brushes here in the Hollow lately! ;)  The colors of Autumn were calling to me all week, and this scene captures the essence of fall in a whimsical fashion.  Tole artist Chris Thornton created this wonderful design, and it is the second time that I have had the pleasure of using it on a basket.  Don't you just love those cheery little pumpkins? :)

When doing multiples of large designs, I always try to change up the colors to make them unique.  I have never used the colors suggested by the books...  Just like giving the color scheme my own personal touch...  I guess. :)  Plus, I am constantly mixing colors (which drives the student's crazy at the ceramic shop!) for just the right shade to make the characters come to life.

This basket is large enough to hold treats for Halloween (would work well for my popcorn balls!) or as storage for fall sewing projects (would keep a curious black cat out of mine! ;) ).

This creation will  be heading over to Etsy with some of my other seasonal items this week.  I have made the decision to concentrate on creating projects and designs centering in on Halloween, Christmas, and Primitive themes for my shop.  Christmas use to be my favorite topic, but the colors of fall have always been near and dear to me.  My favorite primitive and rustic collections embrace these warm and earthy colors.  Guess that makes sense since October has always been my favorite month of the year!  Which is probably why my son made sure to hold out for this month to be born in! LOL 

Disappearing 9 Patch Quilt Continued

Hard to believe a week has gone by!  I was adjusting to starting back at one of my part time jobs.  The first week is always a mess.  This coming week should go a lot smoother after settling in to the new schedule.  Anyways... I did get to divide my 9 square blocks into quarters today.  Then, I proceeded to begin the process of picking the design.  Aaaaagh!  It was craziness I tell you... sheer craziness.  It would have been easier to solve a Rubik's Cube! ;0) 

Do I line up the seams?  Do I attempt lining them up?  Do I alternate and let the design be scattered and random?  Do I go with organization and a repeating pattern?  Should I just throw the quilt blocks up in the air and let them land where they may?  (This was close to being the solution at one point!)  Plus, do you think those sweet women that quilted by hand so many years ago without new fangled machines and handy gadgets,  also owned their own personal still somewhere behind their log cabin in a clearing beyond the trees? LOL   Oh my, I have so much admiration for those wonderful ladies and their hand skills and beautiful patterned quilts.  And to think...they were creating the most wonderful works in fiber art with many of the fabrics being of a recycled variety.  Can you imagine?   Okay enough rambling... Here is what I came up with.   

Call it the graph based realist in me, or the fact that I was raised by a super clean and organized Mom, but this is the design that finally made me smile.  Yes, I went with a set pattern!  The novelty fabric was just to busy to do a random design.  The camera photographed it on a much brighter scale.  It is a lot darker into the fall tones than it shows, but at least you can get an idea of where I am headed.  Once the blocks are sewn together, I am going to make a boarder for the left and bottom to match the top and right side.   I am sure if I had any experience in quilt making, this process would have taken a lot less time.  I am not sure how lining up seams will go, but I will do my best to take on the challenge.  :)

Here is my solution to keep my pattern in order after taking it apart.  I knew this 1" graph paper would come in handy one day. ;)  The red writing is where I changed my wide side to the long side, if that makes any sense.  I will be losing the two last black to rows to the right.  On the first layout, the majority of the blocks faced the viewer from either side (which was due to my constructing the quilt from one of its sides), so a last minute decision was made to jump the placement of two rows.  This correction placed the view point from top to bottom.  Now I am completely happy.  Onward to the challenge of getting this quilt top together!  



Thrifty Friday Find ~ Picnic Baskets & Painting on Baskets

I love picnic baskets. If a vendor has a good deal on a basket, odds are in its favor that it is coming home with me!

Picnic baskets are sturdy enough to stack and use in place of end tables. They are great visually and make a super place for storage (more of my fabric stash!). :) Each basket represents a leisurely feeling of bygone days and can come in an amazing array of colors, shapes, and weaves.

Imagine the work that goes into each basket. Weaving and caning are two arts that I have never tried my hand at. (Bless the wonderful people that are still keeping the art alive!) One of my friends offered to teach me to cane, but my husband informed him that I have enough hobbies. I must admit... my hubby is right! But don't tell him that I said so. ;)

The different weaves and textures can break up the monotony of a room. I use them a lot in my front room; even though, my husband designed the room with a more Victorian feel. My early Americana/primitive style doesn't seem to fight it too much. :)

I also like to use picnic baskets in my tole art. Here is one painted with a design from Chris Thornton. (The pic makes it a little brighter than it actually is.) It was done in wonderful rustic colors, and the basket itself has a wide woody primitive weave. The flat wooden top makes for an excellent painting surface. I will be listing some of these in my Etsy store. You know... the store that was suppose to be up and running over a month ago. *sigh* ;)

All Hallows Eve

My purple popcorn balls are ready...all 60 of them. My black cat with the glowing eyes (thanks to the camera flash!) is all set for her holiday.

As the Peanuts Gang await the arrival of the Great Pumpkin, I would like to wish you all a Safe and Happy Halloween!