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!

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!