Ants in My Pants!

Well, not quite ... but there are ants in my bathroom!

*Shudder*

Ants belong outdoors, that's all there is to it! They do NOT belong in my bathroom -- or in any other part of my home! I didn't have time to figure out what to do about them before I went to work this morning. Well, I did hurry up and mop both the kitchen & bath floors, just to make sure there wasn't something there that they were finding yummy. And I got out the bottle of vinegar I bought the last time they invaded, a couple years ago (Christmas morn, to be specific!), and wiped up several hundred of the little beasties. There's something about vinegar that ants don't like, at least for a short while.

This afternoon, I noticed a crack in the drywall near the tub, so I soaked a piece of TP with vinegar and stuck it in the crack. That took care of the ants for an hour or so, but they're baaaaaaack. It's just dawned on me that I have a "bug bomb" left over from the last time; I'll set that off in the morning right before I leave for work.

I had to go over to the management office to pick up a couple packages this afternoon, so I double-checked that they'd received my voicemail from this morning requesting a visit from the exterminator. They said yes, they had -- though they hadn't bothered to call (as I'd requested). Turns out they have a new policy of having tenants sign their rights away. Lovely ... I did hand write a note on the form about the office employee telling me that even though, by signing the form, I was agreeing to empty out ALL of the cupboards and under the sink & vanity, etc., they were still only going to spray "the baseboards and around the edges." I haven't had an adverse reaction to the spray yet, so there's no reason to think this time will be any different. I hope Alicia Tové will be ok -- the instructions said to turn off aquarium filters before the spraying and leave them off for 4 hours or so afterwards. Alicia's little aquarium has a lid with just a wee feeding hole, so I'll need to remember to cover her up before the exterminator arrives -- or maybe, better yet, move her to a far corner away from where the "bug bomb" will be set off ... that will probably be riskier for her!

Have I mentioned how much I hate ants?

3 Days and Counting ...

Just wanted to make another mention of this upcoming event! I've participated in this show since 2001. Serious shoppers always arrive 15-20 minutes before the doors open. The doors do not open early. Hope to see you there!

Bird in Hand
Holiday Folk Art & Antiques Show

Saturday December 6th, 2008
9:30 am until 2:30 pm

347 First Street
Los Altos, California

$1 admission (benefits the Los Altos History House Museum)

This show is held at the American Legion Hall, across from Draeger's Market in downtown Los Altos. Los Altos is located midway between San Francisco and San Jose.

I've stocked my Etsy shop for the holidays! However, it will be "on vacation" (meaning you won't be able to buy anything) from Friday evening (12/5) until Sunday evening (12/7) when I return home.

With Luck Like This ...

Sunday evening, I burnt the hell out of my lower lip. Co-workers think it's a cold sore. It's not. I know exactly when it happened -- and the blister came and went before I even began to feel the pain. Ouch. (Sorry, there won't be any pictures of this!)

Monday afternoon, I came home from work -- ready to do some serious "Cyber Monday" shopping -- only to discover the red light blinking on the DSL modem. There wasn't a dial tone on the phone either. This didn't look good. I reset the modem, rebooted the computer, even unplugged both phones while the modem was shut off (can you feel my desperation?!). But nothing helped. So I went to the manager's office to borrow a phone to call AT&T, who allowed themselves 26 hours from the time of my call to repair the problem!

Tuesday morning, I discovered a huge bolt in one of my truck's tires. WTF? Ran into a neighbor as I was headed back to my apartment to use the phone without a dial tone to call my boss to tell her I'd be late for work. I asked him if he knew how to change a tire. He did ... and he did (and he even let me use his cell phone to call my boss!). He wouldn't take any $$, but mentioned that he's got 4 kiddos, so I'll take them a plate of holiday goodies!

Tuesday afternoon, I tried THREE places before I could get the tire repaired. Midas was full to over-flowing with customers. Firestone claimed the tire wasn't repairable, but wanted to sell me a new $100 replacement tire (they offered me no choice of tires, just said that it would cost $100 plus the cost of the valve stem, mounting, balancing ... I said "No thanks!"). Then I remembered the tires, which are about 5 years old, were from Les Schwab and their purchase included a road hazard warranty. YAY!!! The closest Schwab store was about 2 miles away, where I was met by a nice young service writer fellow in the parking lot even before I had the ignition shut off. "That's correct, ma'am; there's no charge for repairs when it's our tires!" WOW!!

Tuesday afternoon, part II, after getting the tire fixed, I got home and peeked around the corner of the bedroom door to see if that obnoxious red light was still blinking on the modem. It wasn't!! I gingerly picked up the phone receiver and OMG ... a dial tone!!! And here I am ...

20% Chance of Rain

Well, if this is what a 20% chance of rain looks like, I'm not sure I want to see 100%! Winter has definitely arrived in Sacramento! Gotta check the SpareTheAir site to see if I can use the fireplace ... sure hope so! This long weekend is going to be all about sewing ... and hopefully more than a little listing on Etsy!

Two Weeks and Counting!

This is my booth from the 2007 show!

I can't believe it's almost time for the Bird in Hand show again! This holiday folk art & antique show may be small in size, but it's very much worth a look-see! Produced by Sue Lynch of Quail Country Antiques, and Emily Hollinger, a local artist, this show has been a much-anticipated annual event for more than 10 years now.

Located in the charming downtown area of Los Altos, California, Bird in Hand is held the 1st Saturday of December (for 2008, the date is December 6th), from 9:30am until 2:30pm. The show is held in the American Legion Hall, located at 347 First Street in Los Altos.

I would highly recommend that you arrive by 9:00am, or shortly thereafter. There is usually a bit of a line to get in, but because our wonderful customers do their job well (buy, buy, buy!), it's imperative for serious shoppers to arrive at (or before) the show opens!

Once in the door (if you're one of the first 50 or so shoppers), grab a shopping basket from the table to your left. Then make the rounds, traveling from booth to booth, to see all of the folk art and antiques. A central checkout area is provided near the entrance/exit for your convenience, so you can pay for all of your purchases at the same time!

Besides my primitive folk art, you will find Emily's paintings, Sue's antiques, and a variety of handmade items in various styles. Admission is $1 -- which is a donation to the Los Altos History House Museum.

New Listings on Etsy & eBay

It's been a super-busy week, but I've managed to find some time to list things on both Etsy and eBay!

The first few of my eBay auctions will end today -- these are for vintage patterns. BTW, I have more vintage patterns if you're interested, but unless I get more than the one bid I have at the moment, the rest of them will be going on Etsy. Also ending today is an auction for 3 seed bags in wonderful Autumnal shades of brown. The remainder of my current eBay auctions will end tomorrow -- these auctions include 5 ounces of colorful wool roving, small IKEA storage jars, a punch needle piece I did last year ("Harvest Moon"), and a set of primitive candy canes, also done in brown shades (these would look great with the seed bags, by the way!).

I've been listing "destash" items on Etsy, the results of cleaning and rearranging my studio over the past couple of weeks. So far, I've listed metal tins, silver glitter, red Chinese take-out boxes, and an assortment of metallic papers and stickers for altered art or scrapbooking. If these things don't sound like me, that's because they're not -- I received them in a "surprise box" where I only had to pay shipping. And if the person I acquired these from sees this, never fear, you included several things that I am keeping! :-) I also have some primitive destash items to list soon too! Off the top of my head, I remember some faux wired grapevine and a couple of small beeskeps ... but there's lots more!

If you're wondering why I took time during my busy season to rearrange my studio, it's because I found the PERFECT work table, a great old antique table that's actually big enough so I can get some serious work done! (I'll post pictures soon, once the studio is "finished"!) For the last 2.5 years, I've been using an antique sewing table -- the folding kind -- and if you're familiar with this type of table, you know just how small they are! They're also not very high, which meant that I had to put my sewing machine atop a small crate to bring it up to a usable height. Of course this wasn't terribly conducive to doing serious sewing! My new work table is just the right height (as Goldilocks would say!), and I've already spent more time sewing in the last week than I have in the last six months!

OK, enough blogging for now, I need to get some breakkie and then list a few more things on Etsy!!

Hampster Dance

OMG ... someone just sent me the link to the Hampster Dance!! This was one of the very first web sites I ever saw that "did something" (move/action). I'd sit and watch it for waaaaay longer than I'd care to admit. Check out the Hampster Dance here!

Yes We Can!

This is my friend Wen and her wife Tara,

at their wedding in San Francisco,

June 17, 2008.

To borrow a line from President-elect Obama, YES WE CAN ... make people understand that discrimination is not only wrong, but it's illegal too.

And borrowing a slightly paraphrased quote from Brad Pitt, "... no one has the right to deny another their life, even though they disagree with it ... everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn’t harm another ... discrimination has no place in America!" I wasn't aware until just a few days ago that Brad Pitt has refused to marry Angelina Jolie until gay marriage is legalized once and for all. How cool is that?!

If you'd like to help in our continuing battle, here's a few things you can do:

* Follow the case Strauss v. Horton in the California Supreme Court.

* Help us challenge the tax laws of the Mormon church: http://tinyurl.com/5rmxfu

* Donate, donate, donate! NCLR, Equality California, No on 8, and other similar groups can still use your support. This isn't over yet!

Here's a No on 8 commercial that didn't get a lot of air time, so I'm giving it a bit of time right here! http://tinyurl.com/5nada6

And remember, "If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress." (http://tinyurl.com/5htmm4)

Reverend Deborah Johnson of Santa Cruz, speaking on why Prop 8 is so very, very wrong (October 12, 2008). Hope you'll have a listen!

Please Vote NO on 8!

Sometimes I blog about things near and dear to my heart that aren't related to primitive folk art. I hope you will read this post.

Proposition 8 (aka "Prop 8"), if passed, will undo a ruling by the California State Supreme Court handed down in May of this year (2009). This ruling gave lesbians and gays the right to legally marry in this state. This is a long-awaited ruling, and has been much celebrated by lesbians & gays AND many heterosexuals, alike!

Now, sadly, this ruling is in jeopardy of being overturned by Prop 8. If Prop 8 passes, there will be an addition made to the State Constitution which makes marriage in California legal only between one female and one male. Lesbian and gay couples, some of whom have been together for decades, will no longer be allowed to marry.

Shelly Bailes (left) and Ellen Pontac (right), who have been together for 34+ years, hold each other's hands as Yolo County Clerk/Recorder Freddie Oakley performs their wedding ceremony on June 16, 2008.

What's worse is that those in favor of Prop 8 are lying in their ads! Here's an explanation of the fiction (what they're saying) and the fact (what will really happen if Prop 8 fails).

Fiction: Teaching children about same-sex marriage will happen here unless we pass Prop 8.
Fact: Not one word in Prop 8 mentions education, and no child can be forced, against the will of their parents, to be taught anything about health and family issues at school. California law prohibits it, and the Yes on 8 campaign knows they are lying. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley has already ruled that this claim by Prop 8 proponents is “false and misleading.”

Fiction: Churches could lose their tax-exemption status.
Fact: Nothing in Prop 8 would force churches to do anything. In fact, the court decision regarding marriage specifically says “no religion will be required to change its religious policies or practices with regard to same-sex couples, and no religious officiant will be required to solemnize a marriage in contravention of his or her religious beliefs.”

Fiction: A Massachusetts case about a parent’s objection to the school curriculum will happen here.
Fact: Unlike Massachusetts, California gives parents an absolute right to remove their kids and opt-out of teaching on health and family instruction they don’t agree with. The opponents know that California law already covers this and Prop 8 won’t affect it, so they bring up an irrelevant case in Massachusetts.

Fiction: Four Activist Judges in San Francisco…
Fact: Prop 8 is not about courts and judges, it’s about eliminating a fundamental right. Judges didn’t grant the right, the constitution guarantees the right. Proponents of Prop 8 use an outdated and stale argument that judges aren’t supposed to protect rights and freedoms. This campaign is about whether Californians, right now, in 2008 are willing to amend the constitution for the sole purpose of eliminating a fundamental right for one group of citizens.

Fiction: People can be sued over personal beliefs.
Fact: California’s laws already prohibit discrimination against anyone based on race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. This has nothing to do with marriage.

Fiction: Unless Prop 8 passes, CA parents won’t have the right to object to what their children are taught in school.
Fact: California law clearly gives parents and guardians broad authority to remove their children from any health instruction if it conflicts with their religious beliefs or moral convictions.

Regardless of how you feel about the issue, we should not eliminate fundamental rights for ANY Californians.

Please vote NO on Prop 8.

Thank You to my Customers at Lodi!!

Just wanted to take a moment to thank all of my customers at Lodi! It was a bit of a madhouse early in the day, but I enjoyed chatting with all of you so much!

I've talked Jennifer into doing the show again next year, so we'll be back in both May and October ... yay! Jennifer tells me she'll get our application turned in pronto so we can have the same fantabulous location!!!

Next Sunday (Oct. 19th) is the California Country Show in Los Altos and, as usual, I'll be participating in the Folk Art Fair held across the parking lot (we'll be somewhere near the Museum -- maybe in the courtyard, or maybe outside where we were in June, I don't know yet). I have some Halloween pieces, quite a few Santas, and hope to finish up a few "snowfolk" as well. See you then!

On The Road Again!

It's that time of year again -- show season -- and, as usual, I'm a very busy grrl!!

This Sunday (October 5th), is the Lodi Street Faire. I'll be sharing booth 151 on School Street (that's the street with the antiques!) with my friend Jennifer of Crow Junction. Our booth is usually near the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (yummm!). I plan to bring some "leftover Halloween" and offer it at VERY good prices (big dolls for $45, for example!). I may have some newer items too! (The picture above is from a booth I had at Sutter Creek several years ago ... we'll have a white canopy at Lodi and will probably have an American flag or two draped around the booth!).

The next Saturday (October 11th), I'll have half of a table (!!) at A Wondrous Winter Fete at the Alamo Women's Club, located at 1401 Danville Blvd. in Alamo, CA (this is in the East Bay, near Walnut Creek). I may well be the only truly primitive artist there, as I'm expecting many of the artists to have more of a white / sparkly / glittery / shabby chic sorta display. In addition to my pumpkins, Santas and as many snow folk as I can get done in the next 10 days, I'll have my token sparkly item, my ever-popular snowballs!

And (as if that's not enough excitement for one month!), the next Sunday (October 19th) is the California Country Antique Show in Los Altos. As usual, I'll be in (or near) the Courtyard of the Los Altos History Museum -- that is, IF I still have anything left to sell!!! (And if I've sold out, I'll probably still stop by ... to shop at the antique show!)

I've also been asked to put things in the Country Collective Show, which I think is also held at the Alamo Women's Club building and runs from October 16th through October 18th. I have begged off of this for this year, however Marcia from Cottage Jewel in Danville hasn't given up on me yet ... so I may have a few things there after all!

Sooo ... I guess I'd better get back to work, huh?! See you soon!

Another Way to Help Jody & Jayme!

If you would feel more comfortable contributing money towards Jayme's bills at her vet's office, you can send your donation to

Dr. Tom
Crago Veterinary Clinic
7077 West Blvd.
Youngstown, OH 44512

If you would like to call the clinic, their number is (330) 726-0068.

Please let them know that this is for Jayme the newfie's account; she really likes Dr. Tom! (Jody asked that I not use her last name here, but if you need it to make a contribution, just ask for it!)

Thanks so much for all your help!

Can You Help a Friend?

Jody is one of my online friends. Due to some chronic medical problems which leave her unable to work, she's in a dire financial situation. She's sold pretty much everything she owns, as well as everything her mother can part with, and now it's come down to this -- she's selling one of her dog's plushies! I've started the bidding and I hope you can help her out.

I can guarantee you that the story IS true! Jody has been on full disability for several years. When I first met her, she worked at Goodwill for $5/hour but, as she writes in the auction description, her health no longer allows her to work -- heck, she can't even drive (some days even walking is a challenge!). And did I mention she's only in her mid-40s?!

Jody gets a small disability payment each month, but it's barely enough to pay for her mortgage and utilities. Her healthcare is covered by Medicare, but she doesn't quite qualify for food stamps; even if she did, she says that the welfare office is on the other side of town so she couldn't get there if she wanted to. Selling on eBay has really helped Jody make ends almost meet for the last few years, but with the economy in the tank, she's having more trouble than most of us making ends meet. Please ... if you can help her out by bidding on this auction ... I hope you will do so! Here's the auction link:

Selling my plush stuffed Ducky to pay bills Bizarre!! - eBay (item 380066276121 end time Sep-28-08 10:16:21 PDT)

Also, if you could share this email/auction link with a few friends and/or dog lovers, I'd sure appreciate it! Jody doesn't know that I'm spreading the word myself. I'd just love to see her innundated with bids for Jayme's ducky!!

Oh, and if you live in or near Youngstown, Ohio and need someone to sell stuff for you on eBay, Jody's your gal! I'm not sure how much she'd charge, but I'm sure it would be reasonable!

Jody has a number of other interesting things listed as well. She likes vintage stuff and has sold everything from vintage panty girdles to artificial legs! She tries hard to list a bunch of things every Sunday, and occasionally she'll list on Thursdays too; it just depends how she's feeling that day.

Pumpkins from the Prairie Primitives' Pumpkin Patch

Fresh from the pumpkin (or punkin, to some of you) patch, here's the early 2008 crop of Prairie Primitives' Pumpkins! I've made orange pumpkins, white pumpkins, and even green pumpkins this year (I love that shade of green, by the way!). These are just 3 of five or six different shapes and sizes that I make. I've got tall slender pumpkins, short chubby pumpkins, tall thicker pumpkins, and whatever else I can dream up! They're priced in the low to mid 30s, and you can buy them by clicking on the picture -- which should take you to my web site! :-) If you've got your heart set on a pumpkin in a different shape or color, let's talk!

Y'all will be glad to know that I survived my weekend in the Bay Area! Did most of the stuff I'd planned to do (see previous post), with the exception of visiting with Linda & Janell; hope you're feeling better now, Linda!

We (my friend Renee & I) took BART to the 16th street stop and walked up to Home in the Castro, where we had brunch with some of the ADYKE gals. After brunch, we walked around the Castro and then rode MUNI up to Noe Valley. I hadn't been to Noe Valley in 8 or 9 years and was delighted to see a few of the same businesses were still there! We spent a couple of hours wandering in and out of many of the shops before taking BART back to the East Bay (via the "scenic route" -- first we got on the wrong train and then we got off a stop early!). Renee really has it made because she lives within walking distance of the BART station!

Saturday evening found us at the local Round Table pizza joint, and then Sunday we went to the antique fair at Shadelands Museum in Walnut Creek. My only purchase was a bundle of vintage sewing patterns from the 1940s/50s. We had lunch at Marie Callender's and made a few stops -- first at Quail Country Antiques and then at Keenan Heinz/Cool Stuff where we visited with the delightful Carrie Hill. Later in the day, I headed back to what I fondly call the "East East Bay."

(Hopefully I'll get to play DDR next time I visit Renee!)

Workin' for the Weekend!

I've got a FUN weekend coming up this next one!!! I'm headed down to visit a friend in the Bay Area. We'll take BART over to SF and walk around a bit (probably in the Union Square area). I hope to visit with my friends Linda and Janell; they live near Union Square, and I haven't seen them since I moved to Sacramento eight years ago!

Then on Sunday, we're going to the Shadelands antique show. Having been handed an application for this show may have been the best thing that happened to me at the Danville show! Since I've never been to the show, I was a bit hesitant to sign up for a booth; so we're going to check it out and if it looks promising, I'll plan on doing it next year! I've heard that it "used to be" THE show for primitives in the area, but that it's fallen on hard times the last few years ... but is starting to come back. So we'll see ...

The friend I'm staying with for the weekend has "Dance Dance Revolution" so I hope she'll hook that up so we can try it -- it was still in the box, unopened, as of a couple weeks ago!

What's Past and What's Next

The Danville show wasn't very exciting. It had been billed as "Antiques & Art" but it turned out to be more "Flea Market & Art." There were LOTS of people out walking their dogs -- golden retrievers, pocket pets, and THREE standard poodles (those are the big ones!); I was surprised there weren't any dalmatians or Irish setters in attendance!

The next place I'll be selling my primitive folk art will be the Lodi Street Faire. This is a HUGE event held twice a year in downtown Lodi, California. It's always on the first Sunday in May and the first Sunday in October. The October Faire will be on the 5th of the month. I'll be sharing a booth with my friend Jennifer (aka Crow Junction). I will have primitive dolls in both Halloween and Christmas styles, and many smaller things as well. Our booth will definitely be on School Street, and it will probably be near the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (yummm!) -- we've been in this location for a few years now and it's worked out well. Hope you'll come see us!

Come See Me!

On Labor Day, I will be showing my primitive folk art at the Antiques & Art Fair in Danville, CA. Danville is in the "East Bay" area, near Walnut Creek & Pleasanton. The show will be at 125 Railroad Ave. I will be bringing lots of my primitive pumpkins (not sure if I'll have any of the Pumpkin People just yet), some Halloween dolls, wonderful primitive strawberries & bumblebees, at least one ladybug and all 3 of my shabby chic backpacks! In the "antiques department," I will be bringing several large pieces of cutter quilts (the ones currently listed on Etsy!) and, as usual, I'll probably find a few other things to bring as well! This event officially starts at 9am, but since admission is free, you're welcome to arrive earlier ... I'll probably get there about 6:30am (which, ummm, means I will need to leave Sacramento by 5am!!).

If you're traveling from any distance for this show, downtown Pleasanton is about 15 miles south of Danville, and has a bunch of neat shoppes that you'd also enjoy exploring (American Harvest is my favorite, and this is where Nicol Sayre first sold her wonderful dolls!). There's a quilt shop in Walnut Creek, Thimble Creek, that always has a great selection of fabric and patterns. Oh, and I can't forget Quail Country, which is one of only two really primitive antique shops that I know of in Northern California!

I am a "Featured Artist!"

Char, from the Primitive Swapping Room, has invited me to be a featured artist in her forum. She's posted a pic of my original JOL's (jack o'lanterns) on the front page of the forum.

I need to make more of these punkin people and hope to start them this evening! They sell for $42 each ... you know, in case you just have to have one (or more!).

It's a Good Color for Me!

And here's one of those posts that's not related to my primitive folk art. But since I don't have a myspace page, I had nowhere else to post it!

you are lavender #E6E6FA

Your dominant hue is blue, making you a good friend who people love and trust. You're good in social situations and want to fit in. Just be careful not to compromise who you are to make them happy. Your saturation level is very low - you have better things to do than jump headfirst into every little project. You make sure your actions are going to really accomplish something before you start because you hate wasting energy making everyone else think you're working. Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Finished the Shabby Chic Backpacks!

I've been working on these for a couple of weeks, and just finished them yesterday. This one is listed on eBay -- and the auction will end on Sunday, August 3rd.

I had a lot of fun making them ... from mixing up the fabrics to choosing the antique handmade laces and vintage mother-of-pearl buttons! The other two are the same style, but different combinations of fabric/lace/buttons. I'd love to have some feedback on these bags ... hope you like them as much as I do!

Did a Bit of Redecorating in Here!

I realized it had been awhile since I checked out the Blogger "goodies" ... looks like I've found a few more that i just had to have. But now I'm wondering if the layout is getting too "busy" ... sure wish there was a way to add space between each of the elements to spread them out a bit.

There's TONS of New Goodies on My Web Site!

I have been a busy, busy girl this holiday weekend! I finished up 4 primitive snowmen (I usually refer to them as "snowfolk" to keep them gender-neutral!). Here's a family portrait!

Here are a couple of the other items which I've just added to my site:

First is Myrtle the Ladybug. Don't ask me why I named her (other than she just looked like a Myrtle!), but I'm on a roll now ... and many of my items are getting named as well!



Next is Ruby Bee. Ruby has siblings named Abner, Lucille, Minerva, and last but not least Fernando the Queen Bee (yes, I got a little carried away there -- well, actually Kay did!).

I've also been working like a madwoman on updating my web site (you can find it here Prairie Primitives Folk Art). I'm super-excited about the new buttons I designed for the shopping cart. Here's a sample ...

That's a scrap of antique blue & white coverlet in the background, but I'm wondering if it really looks like that to someone who doesn't know what it is?

Well, it's time for me to go finish some Santas. These boys aren't named yet, but I'm sure they will be soon!! (You can find Santa Andy and Santa Bradley already on my site!).

Christmas in July

But wait ... it's still June! And I'm making SANTAS??? What's going on here??? The sewing bug bit me (and bit hard) in early June and I've been sewing every day since then! I finished my first 2 Santas of the year last weekend, and have already started a few more! I hope to get the first two up on my web site this week, and I'll try to remember to post them here as well!

And if that wasn't enough ...

On Sunday afternoon, after I'd listed more than 30 auctions, I decided to get busy sewing! I have no idea where this burst of energy came from, but I'm not complaining!!! :-)

I sorted through many of my quilts, making piles of quilts, quilt tops, blankets, and other vintage textiles. I also found a couple of quilts mixed in with my cutters that I do not want to cut -- so they got put in the stepback cupboard for display!

My Winter/Christmas patterns had already migrated to the living room floor a few days earlier, so I went through them and decided on one to make. My first two Santas of the year are from an old Crow and Weasel pattern that I last made in 2000. Back then I was still using more homespun than vintage textiles, but this time the guys will have antique quilt (or quilt top) coats and vintage ticking pants ... and they're looking very primitive indeed!! I still need to make their boots & mittens, but I should get that done today ... and maybe I'll just go ahead and put them up on my web site ... whatcha think?

I can't believe I did it ...

Last Friday when I got home from work, I got a little crazy sorting through stuff around here and, before I knew it, I had a big pile of stuff that was "too good to donate" but not nasty enough to throw out. So I decided to give eBay One More Try. I know ... I said I wouldn't go back there after their policy (fee) changes earlier this year, but it still seems to be doing better for me than Etsy. Sigh. You can view my Ebay listings here.

First to go were some craft & primitive doll patterns -- some I've used and some of the others I never got around to using. They all have bids now, yay! (And the pattern auctions end TODAY!!). Then I moved on to last year's leftovers. I'd taken all of last year's Halloween leftovers to a show a couple weeks ago, but only sold a couple pieces. Don't know if it was the economy or that the shoppers just couldn't think about Halloween in the middle of June. Anyway ... that means there's more to choose from on eBay ... such as this doll! And in the craft supply department, I listed a very large gourd and some paper mache boxes and some fabric (there's LOTS more fabric where this came from ... but this has to sell first!!).

A Soggy Saturday

Yesterday was to be my first show of 2008 in Sutter Creek. Sutter Creek is a charming former gold mining town. These days, there are a dozen or so antique & gift shops and several cafes & restaurants. In the past few years, Sutter Creek has become more "Carmel-ized" with the addition of an upscale restaurant and a couple of art galleries. The nearby towns of Amador City and Jackson, with a few dozen more shops, combine to provide a pleasant weekend adventure in the Sierra foothills.

Earlier in the week, when there had been steady winds of 30+ mph here at home in Sacramento, I was concerned about potential problems with the wind blowing my wares around at the show. Then, Friday afternoon as I was loading the truck, the skies greyed over and looked like they might open up at any moment! It did shower a bit Friday night, but it was rather pleasant (if a bit cool) when I left home at 5:30am for the 45-minute drive to Sutter Creek.

As soon as I unloaded the truck and started setting up, the raindrops started falling. By the time I was completely unloaded, I decided to grab the clear plastic tarp that I keep in the truck for just such emergencies, and quickly threw it over my "best" items. As many of my items are coffee-stained, they don't fare too well in wet weather! I awaited the arrival of my friend Jennifer, who was driving up from the Bay Area to share the booth with me. By the time she arrived and got unloaded, it was raining pretty steadily. We threw her tarp over her "best" stuff and decided to walk around for a bit to see if the weather might improve. When we saw two other vendors packing up, we decided to join them, and we were on the road back to Sacramento before 9am!

We both managed to make a couple of sales in the rain, but not enough to pay for our space. Jennifer also bought a very nice (but much-loved) antique quilt for $15; I would have bought it myself but it was just too thick to sew through.

My next show will be June 8th in Los Altos, California. It is a (small) folk art fair held adjacent to the California Country Antiques Show. If you like Country or Early American antiques, you must see this show! For those of us on the Left Coast who can't get back to Pennsylvania to shop for antiques in person, this is the next best place to see and purchase them! Look for us under the oak tree near the Los Altos History Museum.

I just found this cool badge to support my girl Hill! Why don't you get one too?

There's a new Associated Press poll out this evening indicating Hillary is leading McCain by 9 points and Obama by 4. YEAH!!!

RW is in a Treasury!!

Imagine my surprise yesterday afternoon when i discovered that RW Bunny had been selected for an Etsy treasury! Dee, from Ice House Crafts, chose RW for her "Old McDonald Had a Farm" Treasury.

As far as I know, this is the first time one of my items has been chosen for a Treasury, and I am very honored. :-)

Etsy Treasuries are groupings of items, usually with a related theme. This particular Treasury is comprised of farm-related items from members of the OFG Street Team. Any Etsy member can create a Treasury -- the hard part is trying to snag a slot for the Treasury, as there is quite a waiting list.

New Listing on Etsy - RW Bunny

I've just listed a new item on Etsy. This guy's name is RW Bunny and he's all decked out for the 4th of July parade!

RW will arrive with several goodies ... a bag painted with an American flag and stuffed with a couple of carrots to nibble on, and an American flag to wave at the parade.

I hope you'll take a look at him in my Etsy shop!

Celebrating a Friend's FIRST Etsy Treasury!

This post is simply to commemorate and celebrate Robyn Hoke's FIRST Etsy Treasury. It made the front page of Etsy (which is quite a feat). May Robyn be lucky enough to snag MANY more Treasuries!

I know Robyn from a Yahoo Group we're both on, SF-WOW (San Francisco Women on the Web), which is geared towards women working in web design and "new media" in the San Francisco Bay Area. One of these days, I may even meet her. :-) Oh, and if you're looking for a copywriter, Robyn is looking for a paying gig ... until her jewelry makes it to the big-time!

Decluttering

I was reading an article about decluttering on Alison Marks' Inside Out Design Coaching site this morning, and her suggestion to consider whether an item was beautiful, useful, or loved really hit home. I'd been wanting to go thru my closet and dresser for awhile, but just hadn't made the time ... until this morning. I quickly filled up two paper grocery bags with clothes (and a few other things!) to be donated to charity. Sure wish I could do the same with my studio, but that stuff is much harder to let go!

Earth Hour

"Earth Hour" got its start in Sydney, Australia in 2007. And, in just one year, it has spread worldwide to include major cities and small towns on many continents!

Now, YOU can participate too! All you need to do is turn off the lights, as well as non-essential electric appliances, in your home or office between 8 and 9 pm. TONIGHT, March 29, 2008. This is your local time, wherever you are, so there's no need to worry about time zones.

What will shutting the lights off for one hour do? Well, last year in Sydney, the energy consumption was reduced by 10.2% -- this is the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road -- for a year!

Awwww Shucks!

Carey Lynn, over at Edge of the Wildwood, was kind enough to feature my work recently. Please stop by and visit her blog when you get a chance!

Quilt Trader's Newsletter (QTN)

I just wrote up an ad for Quilt Trader's Newsletter to sell quite a bit of my "destashed" fabric. This newsletter is published on the first of each month and offers free ads to members who have quilt-related items to sell or swap. There are always lots of patterns & books for sale on there, as well as fabric, sewing machines, quilting machines, etc. There are also occasional ads from people looking for discontinued fabric or an out-of-print book, as well as announcements of quilt shows and other related events. As of today, this group has 1220 members, all around the world!

Beads, Beads, and More Beads!

A friend has asked me to help her sell off her HUGE collection of lampwork beads. Some of these are mass-produced, but there are also some artist beads available as well. The mass-produced beads include metallics, foils, wedding cakes, and more. The picture to the right, here, is of the purple beads that I have listed on Etsy. The artist beads were purchased from a variety of sellers on eBay; I'll try to post more about them as I go along. I have a few bead listings in my Etsy shop now, and will be listing more on eBay (yeah, I said I wouldn't sell there again ... but this is for someone else, so it's not quite the same -- LOL!)

The Roar of the Thunder!

One of the benefits of living next door to a former Air Force base is that I don't have to buy tickets to the annual air show -- the air show comes to me! For the past couple of days, I've been entertained by the Blue Angels making their practice runs in preparation for the California Capital Air Show; they're at it again right now, in fact, flying over about every 5 minutes. And tomorrow and Sunday, I will not be going anywhere during the day due to the massive traffic jams just outside of my apartment complex. I plan to spend most of the weekend listing beads on Etsy and/or eBay (more on that soon)!

Etsy on Martha - AGAIN!

I was very excited to see yet another segment featuring an Etsy artisan on the Martha Stewart show today! Emily Martin, owner of The Black Apple shop showed how to make her adorable rag dolls.

Rob Kalin, the founder of Etsy, was featured on Martha Stewart last month. I hope Martha will continue to feature Etsy artisans on her show -- wouldn't that just be TOO cool?!

Motivation

Occasionally, I will hear someone say that they got so involved in what they were doing that they missed a meal. I should be so lucky! Generally, it seems like I flit from one thing to the next. Maybe I have ADD (ADHD)? Earlier today, I found myself in the midst of a little cleaning blitz (more like straightening up); it just hit me out of the blue. Of course I was delighted, but it only lasted maybe 30 minutes and then, as often happens, I came back to the computer (in the other room) to look something up and got lost wandering the web and playing games.

I've been working on one craft project for more than a few weeks now. Some days I'm lucky if I even look at it; other days I may spend 30 minutes on it. It's not a difficult project, but it did have some very tiny pieces in the early stages and I was rather frustrated trying to work with them. But that's all behind me now and I could finish this in probably an hour ... if only I'd do it.

So my question is: How do you get motivated ... and more importantly, how do you stay motivated?

Happy Valentine's Day

Let no one who loves be unhappy.

Even love unreturned has its rainbow.

Where to Find Me

If you are interested in purchasing any of the goodies shown on this blog, there are a few places to find me ... and one where you probably won't ... anymore.

If you haven't yet discovered Etsy, I would like to invite you to check it out! Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade. Etsy is not an auction. If you see something you like, you buy it ... right then and right there (of course you'll need to set up an account first!). Since Etsy launched in June 2005, over 100,000 sellers have set up Etsy shops, including many international (i.e., non-U.S.) sellers, and more sellers are joining Etsy every day! In addition to handmade items, you will also find vintage items and various craft supplies on Etsy. All sales are between the seller and the customer. PayPal is the preferred form of payment amongst most Etsy sellers, although many also accept money orders, checks, and other forms of payment. I have added pictures of some of the things currently available in my Etsy shop on the right sidebar (over there --->). When you click on one of these pictures, you will be taken to that item's page in my Etsy shop ... how cool is that?!

You may already be familiar with my web site, Prairie Primitives Folk Art. If you haven't visited lately, I hope you will soon!


I also have an online yard sale where I sell all sorts of things, including antiques, vintage textiles and buttons, "de-stashed" fabric, and books.

I am delighted to combine shipping between these various sites! Just let me know what you're interested in and I will check on the shipping for you. Please remember to include your zip code (or country) when asking about postage.

And lastly, where you will not be finding me for the foreseeable future is on eBay. Although I have sold on eBay for nearly 11 years now, I'm thinking that their most recent policy changes which are scheduled to take effect on February 20, 2008 will make it too expensive to sell there now. This is especially true for sellers of lower-priced items (such as myself), as their FVF (final value fee) is going up quite a bit on items selling for less than $25! eBay's new feedback policy is for the birds too. While it doesn't go into effect until May, I think, under the new rules, sellers will be forbidden from leaving anything but positive feedback for a buyer. And while I don't enjoy leaving less than glowing feedback, there are those rare occasions when it is genuinely warranted. Sigh.

Guess I Can Start Here ...

OK, the shock of having created this blog on a total whim has sunk in just a bit now and so I thought I would tell you a little bit about what I do!

I love to make primitive cloth dolls! However, the demand for primitive cloth dolls seems to be dwindling in the last year or so, and thus I am gingerly exploring some other avenues. For my last show of 2007 (Bird in Hand in Los Altos, CA), I made a few "early-look" things.

One of these was a six-pointed star (inspired by my friend Margo White).

I also made some pinkeepers (sometimes called needlekeepers) in a heart shape. Each one comes with an assortment of vintage and rusty pins and needles.

But my favorite new "early-look" creation was a flock of little birdies! Most of my birdies have paper wings (the paper is actual pages from an antique book!) and vintage mother-of-pearl buttons for eyes.

I had a lot of fun coming up with these things! My dolls tend to be in the $60 and up range and, with a lot of buzz going around about a looming recession, I wanted to offer my customers some little treasures at a more affordable price. I also enjoyed working with the tiny print fabrics for a change! For many years, I worked exclusively with homespun plaids; then I started using star print fabrics and of course I needed some stripes to go along with the stars! And then my fancy was caught by polkadots ... oh my! And now it appears that I may have come full circle, back to the little print fabrics I used when I first started making dolls (gasp!) 30-some years ago.

Gotta Start Somewhere ...

I've thought about having a blog for a long time. A very long time, in fact. And now, totally on the spur of the moment, I've gone and done it. What have I gotten myself into??? LOL!