LOL...these two candlesticks as I bought them at the flea market, just weren't calling my name as candlesticks. So instead I used them to make "Make do's" In the primitive world this is to use whatever you have around the house to create something unique. So the "Saltbox Sally" doll on the candlestick is the other "Make do" I did tonight. She is holding her favorite things...a painting she did herself...notice the signature she did on the bottom right corner of it, and a saltbox house that her daddy made her from some scrap wood he had in the barn. LOL o.k...o.k....maybe I need to just go to bed and stop playing with dollies. LOL Here she is.

So, here is Sally....her ma and pa even call her "Saltbox Sally" as she just LOVES saltbox houses.




Close up of her painted picture she did on an ol' window she found in her barn. LOL


Close up of her face...She's a bit grungy from rootin' around in the barn for her window to paint on. LOL

This is the "Make do" I made tonight. From what I understand about them..it's using whatever you have around the house and making up something. I made a primitive sheep on a candlestick holder that is wearing a "quilt blanket" on his back (really glued pieces to look like a quilted star..LOL) But he's got a few pip berries and a rusty bell attached to the bottom of where I tied him on the stick and I've primmed up the candlestick holder with some soft black paint to give it a more "primitive" look. I guess I was bored or something...LOL I think he turned out pretty cute for the first "Make do" I've ever made. Hee hee

Here he is on my coffee table with a sunburst grapevine wreath under it to show one way you could display it.


Here he's in my jelly cupboard for another display...you can see from both pictures that his "quilted blanket" can be worn to show two different fabric stars.

I was going through my pictures of projects of the past and found three projects that I need to get back into...Painted Quilts and pillows. The painted quilt was one that I had done while in N.B. and when I got to Ontario ended up selling it to a lady that owned a country/primitive shop in Angus, Ontario that put it in her own house...I sold it for $50.00 and sometimes...I wish I had kept it. LOL Just because it was my first painted quilt. The pillows I had on my sisters site and they never sold, I ended up putting them up as "prizes" for something on guessing my middle name and one other question. The people that received them loved them...but it would have been nice to make money from doing those projects. I guess i had them too overly priced or something. LOL Anyway...I wanted to show you all them.




This quilt was painted using Cheryl's free images on her site. This was also the quilt that I had put in for the contest she had run using her graphics. Didn't win...but it was still fun.LOL





This painted pillow was made using a Maxine Thomas pattern and I thought it turned out pretty cute. Each of the dolls are holding a different saying on their pillows, "Faith" "Love" "Hope" and "family".



This Pillow was fun to do as well...it is a challenge to paint on the canvas (Muslin type material) but worth it in the end.

This is the beginnings of my RAIL FENCE quilt. It's my first quilt and I'm very excited. NERVOUS....but excited. I had gotten a few blocks cut out last night at Craft night and my sister in law laid them out on the floor to see the "Rails" come to life. LOL The rails are the solid red and mustard in the quilt. IT's a queen sized quilt and so that in itself is a challenge. LOL





Me trying to cut the blocks myself after my teacher (Hubby's aunt) shows me how.








Hubby's other aunt is making a quilt too...hers is a Snowball quilt and in blues. VERY NICE choice of fabrics. It will be beautiful. I'll make sure that I snap a pic of hers when it's done too.

Tomorrow is Girls night out (Crafting night) at Tammy's. I have about 9 more strips to sew and then I'm all ready to make them into blocks with my teachers (Therese and Debbie) I want to get them cut tomorrow and lay them out on the floor to see it come to life a bit. LOL I can't wait to get it done now that I see the 4 strips sewn together. It looks so nice.

Finished a project for an online trade with someone. She is making me 2 black "amish" bonnets and I made her a mini painted wall quilt (ragged) for her bathroom. Her theme is Outhouses and so the painted picture in the center is an outhouse scene. It turned out cute I think...I hope she likes it. She saw the painted portion, but I didn't show her the completed project. I'll post a picture later...I have it saved on the other computer. LOL I'm on the laptop right now.

Taracotta

Every Thursday night we have a crafting "girls night out" at someone's house that is in the craft night. Last night was my turn to host it. I am a beginner quilter and this is my first "REAL" quilt. I've made small ragged quilts and such, but not pieced together and sewn ones before. The quilt I am making is called a "Rail Fence" quilt and my husbands two aunts are helping me make it.







Here is a look at the material I chose for the quilt. The two solids are the "rails".





Sewing up a storm...LOL


I can't wait to show you all the quilt pieced together and then finished...I'm sooo excited. This is a great way to use up an evening when it's cold outside..then you can use it to keep you warm afterwards..LOL

Taracotta

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!!!!!
This valentines day was great. I was surprised for the first time since my second daughters birth with flowers...yip, I don't get them often and the past 5 Valentines days I've pretty much told dh not to get me anything...ie Chocolates etc..but this time without even hinting I wanted anything...I got flowers. Roses at that. LOL I loved it when I turned the corner of the diningroom and there with a mushy wife card were 3 red roses. I can't forget that today at 11:30am my "second gift" was delivered...LOL A NEW DISHWASHER. That one I knew I was getting. I hope you all had or are having a great Valentines day wherever you are or whatever you're doing. HUGS

Taracotta

New dishwasher and the beautiful red roses from hubby

This picture is of the livingroom with fireplace and the diningroom. It's open concept is what I loved about this house. I have started to decorate, but will be taking off the wallpaper on the fireplace wall to paint it a nice country mustard color to compliment the mustard in the quilt shown on the rack.

This is another view of the diningroom...the quilt rack was just made for me by a woodworker here in Dartmouth, N.S. that by being shown by a picture in a magazine was able to replicate it. I will be staining the shelf, but painting the rest a matte black and distressing it for a more primitive look. It should POP off the mustard walls when finished.




Taracotta

You all must be thinking, "IT'S ABOUT TIME SHE WRITES IN HER BLOG AGAIN". LOL I know...it's been a CRAZY couple of months since we arrived in Nova Scotia. I arrived with my girls in November, settled into a PMQ (military housing) for part of November up until January 16th when we purchased a home. YIP....We found a house in Dartmouth, N.S. that just yelled, "BUY ME" and so we did. I love it here and the house is getting set up as we speak, Hubby is upstairs putting up blinds in the girls rooms and Just finished putting up new wall sconces in the livingroom that scream "country primitive" and not the other ones that used to be there that just screamed. LOL I have a couple of pictures I can share with you all to give you an idea of what my house is like...it's country/primitive and getting cozier every day. We are now in this home for at least 5 to 10 years and we're all glad of that. I will be letting the gardening go this Spring in regards to the multitude of school kids that pass through my yard to get to the school that is just down the hill from our house. Yes, the only thing that annoys me about our new home is the lack of respect by ALL the kids that use the yard as their passway instead of the side walk that they could be using. Not to fret though...hubby has said that we will put up a fence so that they will HAVE to use the sidewalk and then I can go a plantin' all I want and not worry about my gardens getting trampled. The girls however, love the fact that their school is just down the hill and they can now come home for lunch every day to the house and have a visit with "Moi". I have big plans for the next 10 years of living in this house and then it will be sad...as we'll be moving out just when we have it the way we want. BUT...at least until then we can say we made it ours and didn't settle for what the previous owners did to it. Here's a few pics until I can decorate it some more and show it off in more of it's glory...and not just half done. I'll try to be better at posting.


This fireplace was one of the things that sealed the deal. I love that I can "prim it up" and that it makes the family room so cozy with out even being lit up. The wall behind it has wallpaper right now, but it will be painted a nice dark mustard color to compliment a quilt that I have that has reds, greens and mustards in it.



This is a view of the dining area that is off the kitchen, it has a tile floor pattern that makes it look like a rug has been laid, but it's actually made of tile. As you can see we were still in the process of unpacking and placing things where they were to go, messy, but you get the idea.


This is one of the views of the kitchen. It has the counter top burners and the wall oven.




Taracotta