Change of plans...

Well, as most of you all know, I close the shop from Christmas eve thru New Years day to take a bit of a break & enjoy time with family & friends...as well as a nice road trip somewhere! BUT due to a few personal reasons , travel was put on the back burner. Soooo, the shop has already reopened for the "new" year!
I am back to regular shop hours ~
Wednesday thru Saturday 10am-6pm

Now, I LOVE winter ~ & am still hoping for a good snow..I have 2 great sledding hills I itch to play on every year ~ yes, still a kid at heart! LoL..Anywho, that said, I have not put away all the winter goodes just yet...there's just a few snowmen left, though!

Christmas at the Cabin & NEW shop goodes!

Well, I normally spend ALL of my energy decorating the shop & forget about the house...And, while I did bust my butt to get the shop all festive for the holiday season, I managed to have a bit of spirit left to do a little in the house too...LITTLE being the operative word, but "little" is better than NONE! LoL I just wanted a simple look this year...
So, starting at the front door, come on in...
I decided I wanted a REAL tree for the first time ever (well, since I was a little girl)...I LOVE it! And so far, the cats have been better with it than an artificial!?!
Just simple with lights & a few glass bulbs....
Next, is the mantle...again simple...And, of course, the letters look MUCH better than in the pic ~ they're much more dark & distressed...
The santa & the pillow set, both made by me, sit atop an old 1800's quilt & chippy old chair...
The angel (also made by me), and the star candle holder (Pa amish made), sit on a cupboard at the end of the hallway....
And, my dear friends from Bloemenbinder's made this wonderful arrangement...my purchase while I was part of their wonderful home show last weekend!

And, FINALLY!! SHOP NEWS!!!
While the year is winding up & those are finishing up holiday shopping, I have added a few more goodes for those last minute shoppers! I've added lots of new sweet winter/snowman notepads ~ great stocking stuffers, coworker gifts, neighbors, etc....AND those little red & white pillows I made from the old quilt? Well, I FINALLY got the big ones done! So they're heading out to the shop in the morning! Along with a few more candles (wynter scents too!)!

AND, weather-permitting (tho I am REALLY hoping for this snow), Saturday will be "Sample Saturday"...There will be LOTS of samples of the food goodes for sale in the shop, and I will also have some pumpkin bread mini loaves for sale & hopefully a few more baked goods...again, if weather permits...if not, I will do Sample Day next week!

Bloemenbinder's Christmas Open House!

My dear friends, Debbie & Denny have a wonderful business~ Bloemenbinder ~ and I am blessed to be apart of their Christmas open house! I will have my primitive sewn goodes, along with a few special decor pieces not seen here at the shop! Debbie & Denny create wonderful fresh green arrangements & other unique treasures! And, my good friend, Kim McEntee, who also does primitive folkart dolls, will also be there! Lots to see, a wonderful setting, and wonderful people! If you're in the Greensboro/Jamestown area, stop by!

Preview Nite ~ Thursday, Dec 10th ~ 6pm-10pm
Friday & Saturday ~ Dec 11th & 12th ~ 9am-6pm

4520 Vickery Chapel Road
Jamestown, NC 27282
www.theflowermaker.com

7th Annual Christmas in the Country!

What a wonderful weekend!

Seeing old friends & new!
I have the best customers in the WORLD and sincerely thank each & every one of you!

For those that couldn't make it out, here's just a FEW peeks ~ you'll have to come out to get the full look! ;)
And starting this Wednesday 12/2 - 12/23 the shop will be open
Wed. - Sat. 10am-8pm!
(the shop will be open Christmas eve until 4pm)

I survived!!

Well, I survived yet another year of the Southern Christmas Show!! 14 days in a camper had this chick ready to run! But, it saved me money from the hotel for sure! Busy busy here now to prepare for my ~
7th Annual Christmas in the Country!!!
Saturday 10am-6pm
Sunday 1pm-5pm

Hope you can stop by!! In the meantime, here's pics from my booth at the show!

BEFORE~

Southern Christmas Show!

I'm busily getting ready, finishing up the last things & packing, to head to the~

Southern Christmas Show 12 Days Of Christmas
~Nov. 11th~Nov. 22nd~
The Park (previously the Charlotte Merchandise Mart)
2500 E. Independence Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28205
Booth 1110-1112!

If you're in the area, it's a WONDERFUL show to visit! People come from all over the east coast to shop! This will be the first chance to get a peek at our Christmas goodes (santas, snowmen, etc.)

AND

as soon as I'm back from show, will be the ~

7th Annual Christmas in the Country
at Homethrown Pottery
November 28th ~ 10am-6pm
November 29th ~ 1pm-5pm

Hope to see some of you soon!!

Note ~ The shop will be CLOSED November 7th-27th (reopening on the 28th)

~*~ HaPpY HaLLoWeEn! ~*~

As I'm busy sewing away on winter goodes for our upcoming show & "Christmas in the Country" at the shop, I wanted to still make sure to wish everyone a safe & Happy Halloween!!

My sweet kitty Hummy (named so as he hums instead of meows) loved this hay bale on the shop porch this season...this was shortly after his first birthday.....sadly, he has been missing for a week ~ and we're afraid coyotes or a bobcat have gotten him....i'm still praying though that he comes home...

BaT CaT!

Not a lot to post ~ or time to post, I guess I should say ~ these days as I'm feverishly working to get my winter handmades done! I have a 12 day show in November (this year it's 13 days) and our 7th annual Christmas in the Country Open House will be the weekend after we get done with this show! Yikes!

BUT since it's not even Halloween yet, I didn't want to get into all winter here, sooo in keeping with fall, here's a sweet pic of my kitty Boogie ~ aka Bat Cat! LoL
Hope it brings a smile to you today!

Country Living follow-ups!

For those who have asked

"Have you heard anything from Country Living?"

The answer is YES!!

As many of you know, I'm sure, Country Living now has a wonderful bedding & home line in Sears & KMart (if this is news to you, GO CHECK IT OUT!)...

So what does this have to do with us???

We were asked to build displays for their NY showroom! We constructed them from reclaimed oak & did a wonderful rubbed finish to them (hard to see in the pics). David did a wonderful job of construction (I helped with the finish & of course, supervisor! LoL)

Below are a few pics of them all set up in the showroom with some of the new Country Living items!

A Wonderful Weekend!!

First & foremost, I want to thank all of our wonderful customers who came out to visit this weekend for our Harvest Gathering!! What an amazing turnout & the BEST customers in the world!! We appreciate & thank each & every one of you!!

NOW, for those of you who couldn't make it out, here's just a FEW pics of what you missed!

Harvest Gathering at Homethrown Pottery THIS WEEKEND!!

It's that time of year!!! Our annual Harvest Gathering will start~
Saturday ~ 10am-6pm
Sunday ~ 1pm-5pm

I'll be closed tomorrow & busy as a bee setting the shop up with all the BEST in fall goodes~ TONS of primitive handmades, signs, candles, antiques & MUCH more!! Refreshments will be served!

We hope you'll come out, spend a day in the country, and find everything ya need for your fall decorating!!!

Fall Fever...

I admit, I LOVE fall!! AND Halloween!! And, I've got the fever!
Ok, I've had it for a while, but have restrained myself in the shop! You have no idea how hard it is NOT to put fall things out at the end of July! BUT I hate forcing things in too early, and well, it's also too darn hot!
So to help with the "fever", I've been working feverishly on all sorts of wonderful goodes for our Harvest Gathering, to be held September 19th & 20th!!!

99% of the new fall handmades will not make their "debute" until that weekend,
BUT
I am still putting in a bit of FALL here in there in the shop!
So if you're getting the "fever", too, we've got some neat fall goodes to help you out!!

Lucy I'm hommee!!!!

YES, we're home from Pa ~ we left Saturday morning for our annual fall run up to Pa to find goodes for the shop! We had a wonderful ~ beit fast paced ~ trip up & came home with lots of new stuff!

Of course, I had to stop by my dear friend Judy's (Cinnamon Stick) shop in Hereford, Pa. It was a quick visit, next time we're going to have to make it longer! I never seem to have my camera when we visit, but this time I did, so I made sure David took a pic of the two of us together!I look a WRECK ~ this was after a FULL day of flea-markets & antique shops in 95 degree weather (103 with the heat index!). And Judy, adorable as always, but HID her NEW glasses!


NOW, thanks to the wonderful camera my sweet hubby & parents gave me for my birthday back in May, I was able to take some pics of our fave areas. Now, mind you, Dave & I are always on a "mission", so it's what I call
TOUR GUIDE AT 55 (mph)...
My new camera has a movement mode, so I was able to take pics as David zoomed by! The TOUR will be saved for another post later on!

In the meantime
here's a few pics of the goodes all unloaded!!
With the exception of 4 or 5 things that are for me, everything is for the SHOP!
ALOT is already out there, NOTHING is priced yet LoL (I hope to do that in the a.m.).
TONS of the Amish made barn stars!
(FINALLY found a more consistent stop to pick them up! YAY!)

(back seat of the truck)


YES! EVERYTHING BELOW ~ and a few things not pictured ~ ALL came down the road with us!

(me with the goodes ~ David insisted I get in the pic too ~ nevermind I'm a sweaty mess AGAIN since it was only around 95 yesterday!)
I am in LOVE with the old grain bin with the cow on it!!!!
And the sweet little bench actually has a wonderful worn red paint in spots & on the sides!

(David with the goodes)

Now I'm off to SWELTER some more! I forgot to mention, when we got in from the shop last nite our A/C had died! 20 hours later & we STILL have NO AIR as we can't seem to find a repairman that will answer their phone!! Oh, it's only 85 in the house!

Changing Seasons.....

Days have been busy here preparing goodes for both fall & winter...Fall has consumed this week as I feverishly try to get a good handle on my fall goodies so I can get back to the pile of Christmas....I'm no where near done with all the goodes for our HARVEST GATHERING but witches, pumpkin girls, scarecrows, & more are covering every inch of my workroom & house...along with polyfil & threads! LoL

And I have my hands FULL with sneaky lil' gals trying to head on out to the shop!

BUT I keep telling them they have to WAIT!!
Just a little longer!UNTIL WHEN you ask??

Our annual Harvest Gathering!
Sept. 19th - 10am-6pm
Sept. 20th - 1pm-5pm

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!! :)

Home Tour...Part 2...

Ok, so I said at some point I'd try to do another part of my home soon...well, I haven't felt too swift this evenin', so I thought I'd post some pics of our sunroom...As several know, we just finished our sunroom recently (after 5 years of only needing the floor done!! yiyiyi!!)....

So ya ready???? here we gooo......

First stop is the sweet chippy red swing I found junkin'....PERFECT for swingin' the day away (if I ever had the time!).....the flag quilt I made (I make them & sell them in the summer months)....and the pillow is also my little ditty as well...The little cabinet I got from my bud & junker, Janna. LOVE it!
Next up ~ this area is still a work in progress...The make-do couch is actually a chippy rusty blue/gray army cot that came out of my great uncles barn when we bought the barn & the land that is now our sheep pasture from him....David cut me a piece of plywood & a thick piece of foam to make the cushion...and I covered it with a great old quilt that happened to be backed with wonderful blue homespun ~ I need to adjust it, though, to hide that tear! I just haven't had the time to do it!! I'm thinking on some type of slipcovers for the pillows for the rest of the year...and possibly finagling up some type of "back"....The olde scrub-top bench I picked up in a fave stop in Pa...Bought it for the shop & couldn't part with it! LoLAnd last for this evenin....Remember that chippy great old country store screen door that hubby picked up at an auction for me a few months back?? Well, here she hangs in all her glory! I LOVE it! As I've mentioned before, I have a "thing" for olde advertising and this is the 3rd old country store screen door I have with the olde door guard on it ~ one is hanging as the screen door to the shop, then there's this one here, and the 3rd is the door that hides my laundry room.....that part of the tour will come later!
Hope you all enjoyed the tour!! :)

A FUN, SuPriSiNg weEkeND!

Thanks to my mom agreeing to watch the shop for us, Saturday morning bright & early David & headed out on the 3 hour trip to Afton, Va. to check out the Gathering at the Cabin.We got there shortly after it started & while I had hoped there would be more vendors, we were tickled to be able to visit with dear friend Barbara & her hubby Giles ~ and of course, get my "fix" from her! Since she closed her shop in West Jefferson, I don't get to see her nearly as much as I used to...Here's their booth~F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S as always!And, after sporadic emails thru the years with Lori of Notforgotten Farm, we finally got to meet! She's just as down-to-earth & cool in person ~ I knew she would be! While it was quite warm ~ heck, HOT! ~ in the mountains Saturday, Lori had the cool spot on the porch~

Now....the MOST exciting part of our weekend~

David & I went junkin' Sunday & while I was paying at one of our fave antique shops, this cool~lookin' chic beside me commented on the goodes I had nabbed. So she introduces herself, gives me her card ~ she's the editor-at-large for a magazine ~ and said to shoot her some pics as she'd like to see some of my house...So I tell her I have a shop, too, and long story short, we (Dave & I) said we'd be HAPPY to open the shop anytime this week while they're in town, no biggie after hours or before...Well, Sunday was their only day they could come, so a few hours later, she & her co-worker came by for a visit...They were BOTH very COOL & both very complimentary of everything ~
and I was in AWE! (shhh...I was trying to be cool!!!)...

They visited about an hour or so ~ we chatted & she took lots of pics of the shop & of the house ~ and even stopped to shoot a few pics of our girls (sheep) at the barn on their way out....

Not every day does this happen..especially in our little world.....and I have SUCKY luck, so for this to happen to me at all was some sort of divine intervention, I think! (or so my friend said LOL)

So you ready???
Here's a peek of her biz card (I hid her contact info)

NOW, where will this lead? I'm not sure...BUT I'm hoping ONLY GOOD things!!!!!!!!!!
Crossing my fingers & hoping the past 10 years (6 of it in full time business) of learning & experimenting & busting our you-know-whats....working 7 days a week....late nites...wee hours...stress....will see a nod of acknowledgement....I can only HOPE!!

A Brief Retreat....

My mom called on Friday evening & said she was taking my grandma & my grandma's 2 sisters to the beach for the weekend (my mom's brother has a place down there). And she wanted me to go along.
Well, David had to work so I knew I couldn't leave the shop closed...but David seemed to think I needed a break & really wanted me to go so he called my lil bro (not really my brother but close enough!) and he agreed to watch the shop for me! So I was up packing at 5 am Saturday morning & we were out the door!
I haven't been to the beach in around 8 years and it was SOOO nice to leave my CHRISTMAS work behind & relax ~ even if just for a few days! The weather was perfect, the sun was shining & it wasn't too hot!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! My brief "retreat" was a nice break ~ now I'm back to reality & BURIED in SNOWMEN & SANTAS and more!

The Mystery of the Falling Dill....

It started a few weeks ago...

My dill was bent over...

so I did my best to straighten it back up. It would be fine for a few days...then falling over again...

This process has went on over & over for weeks...

and it continued...

It sits in a pot on top of my potting bench & only seemed to be affected during nitetime hours....

WHAT could be doing this??

Well, hubby saw what was causing the problem a few nights ago & tonite I caught the culprit in action:






My sweet little Hummie (he hums instead of meowing) apparently finds my dill the perfect spot to curl up & sleep at nite...ahhh....good thing I love him ~ AND I have another dill plant too thick for him to do this to ~ at least, I hope!!

4th Of JuLy Schedule!

Just a little note:
We will be open WED-FRI 10am until 6pm
and
we will be CLOSED Saturday, July 4th
to celebrate with our family & friends!

Hope everyone has a safe holiday!

THE bEsT FLaG BunTiNg FaBRiC!!

Looking for a wonderful primitive fabric bunting? This is a wonderful reproduction print of an old civil war bunting!
I'm selling this BY THE YARD on ebay ~ it's wonderful to make pillows, get a few yards to make bunting swags, table runners, etc.....Great stuff!! :) Click the picture to be taken to the auction!

~*~ CrAsHiNg ...& A FeW of My FaVoRiTe THiNgS~*~

I'll be first to admit, gracefulness is NOT my strongsuit....So Tuesday, amidst hauling all my treasures (in the last post) from the truck into the sunroom (so I could take a pic & figure out where things will be dispursed) I fell in our walkway. I was carrying the old wooden drink crate with things in it & next thing I know...CRASH!! I fell so hard & so fast, I didn't know what happened until I was on the ground. I fell face first, landing on a landscape timber & a few bricks, with the drink crate sorda into my stomach...YES! It hurt....When D came home he wanted to take me to the Dr., but I refused....By Wednesday I was hurting pretty good so my mom drug me to an urgent care...3 x-rays later, I have fractured ribs. Akkk!! Well, let's just say the pain is continuing to progess instead of lessen, so by the end of each workday, I've been too sore to do much other than lay back with an ice pack....

Soooo, as I'm laying here on the couch, I'm admiring a few of my favorite things, and since I can't do much else, I thought I'd share pics of them with you!

The first pic is our fireplace & mantle...My daddy laid all the rock! The mantle will soon be replaced with a beam from the old mill (read about it here if you missed out). David has the afixiation with old lanterns ~ I am honestly running out of room to put them but he keeps buyin' them! LoL The white star is made by the Amish up in Pa from salavaged barn tin! We sell them here in the shop!

Next, is a new grouping I just finished a few weeks ago....well, I'm still tweaking bits on the inside, but you get the gist...The top part is an old hanging cupboard I bought in Pa during Christmas & it's sitting on an old table that USED to be the base of an old stepback...David sat the cupboard down there while we were trying to figure out how high to hang the cupboard & I liked it so we left it! A few of my favorite things are tucked about ~ the large basket sitting on top I got from my dear friend Judy during our last trip up to Pa...And, lastly for tonite, is my old make-do screen safe...I found this in an antique shop a few years ago & fell in love! I put it in layaway not having a clue where I could fit it, but knowing I had to have it! When it came home it had to sit in our unfinished sunroom until I could figure out a place to put it...It just moved in during Christmas (after almost 2 years on our unfinished sunroom!). I love it!! It's made from an old shipping crate...the things they MADE-DO with soo many years ago!! Also tucked in is probably my hugest addiction ~ OLDE quilts!!... A few yellowware bowls sit in the top ~ I love yellowware, but these are the only 2 pieces I've been able to snag cheap enough to come home with me..and a stack of old seamless sacks ~ Bemis, Fulton, any Seamless advertising sack...WHY do I collect them? I have NO clue! I just love them! :)

Well, that's it for tonite!! Maybe one nite again soon I'll take you on more of a tour of our cabin!

~*~A GoOd JuNkiN' WeeKeNd!~*~

Saturday morning bright & early, mom & I headed up to the mountains, leaving David to "man" the shop! (he did a great job, as always!).....So mom & I hit just about every thrift & junk store between here & my parent's place in West Jefferson. Almost all. But, this turned out to be the most productive junkin' trip in a while! ESPECIALLY for what I got for the $$!

EVERYTHING in the pic INCLUDING the chippy white bench was found on our journeys! Well, except for Mara (the kitty) who was inspecting everything while I was trying to take the pic!

A FEW things are MINE! LoL For the sunroom we're finishing up (the bench will stay where it's at...the basket I have an afixiation for so it'll have to stay...)...The quilt will become pillows for Christmas sales (great red & white!)..... I ALSO GOT a GREAT OLD milk can that will look great with some dried in the top! It'll most likely go to Salisbury....The rest will be dispursed between our shop here & our booth in Salisbury!

I also got this OLD 20's era laundry basket....I'm a little frustrated with it at the moment ~ you see, it's a collapsable basket & the lady I bought it from, just HAD to show me & now I can't figure out how to fully pop it back up into place...ugh...I'm sure David will figure it out...I hope!
It'll be a great display piece for pillows & such in the shop!


OHHHH!!! I almost forgot!!
THESE ARE MY FAVE FINDS (and staying with me)~

ANNNDDD THESE WERE MY LAST TWO FINDS FOR THE WEEKEND!!