Olde Annie Primitives

No Lights...No Heat...No Problem!

2012-01-29T19:59:00.000-08:00

Last week we had a huge storm out here, knocking out power to 280,000 customers all over the Puget Sound area. Snow quickly turned to ice and the trees around here suffered immensely. Last Saturday, hubby and I ventured out on our usual Saturday-morning-find-a-new-place-for-breakfast excursion. We headed down to Tacoma and found a nice little mom & pop diner. Hubby always brings along his "reading material" while I shop the stores. After breakfast we hit an antique store nearby and then we headed to the little town of Buckley. I had ventured to this "hole in the wall" town last summer for the first time and discovered a nice little junk-tique store that had just opened that week. I wanted to go back to that little store and then head to another little town not far from there that has some great prim stores and antique shops. As we were approaching Buckley, I couldn't help but notice all the downed trees, many of which had been cut off at the road where we were driving. This road had been impassable a few days earlier. As we entered Buckley I could tell immediately that all the businesses were dark and most likely closed due to no power. I figured we had made a wasted trip. As I turned on the street to downtown Buckley where the little shop was located, the first thing I noticed was how empty it was! Only one car was parked on the street. Power was out everywhere! But as I approached the little shop I wanted to visit, I saw a little reader board on the sidewalk that said "SHOP OPEN"! Through the shop windows it looked mighty dark inside, but I figured if they were open, and since I'd driven all this way there, I might as well give it a try.

I walked into the shop and immediately noticed the darkness and the rather cool temperatures inside. And then I heard someone holler from the back to come on in. Okay....how was I to shop in a dark store. I could see up in the little area by the front windows, but that was it. And then a young man walked up from the rear of the store, welcomed me in once again and handed me a flashlight! That's right...a FLASHLIGHT! LOL! I had to laugh but I took the flashlight and proceeded to walk through each little cubby of the store, shining the little light in every nook, on every shelf and in every corner. I learned from the young man that their power had been out for three days and they were trying to open up for the first time since the storm, working to get a generator going. I felt so bad for these folks, as I know this isn't a huge town, and I doubted the shop was a huge money maker. I knew no matter how difficult, if they were willing to try to open up, I was going to do my best to shop! I wanted so badly to find some stuff to buy, not just for me, but for them as well. And I DID! I found these great pieces there!

I already have plans for the front four pieces for spring and Easter creations! I think I'll save the wrought iron candle holder for later. Of course Harley had to check out what I was doing. He's such a ham!

Fortunately I had enough cash on hand to buy these pieces. They were able to make paper change, but couldn't get into the cash register to make coin change. But I had plenty of that, as well. As I left the store, purchases in hand, I told the folks working there that they would always remember me, as every time I returned in the future, I would tell them I was the lady who shopped in the dark! LOL!

We hit a few other shops in other towns that day. Many of those shops had had their power out previously, too, but were fortunate to have it restored that day. Here are a few more pieces I picked up.

I have plenty of the large cheese boxes, but not any of the smaller size left. So I was excited to find these three at a steal! And of course...more enamelware! All will be used for my gatherings.

Can you tell what I look for when I shop! Love the yellow ones...you will definitely be seeing those again very soon as spring and Easter gatherings. I hope to start listing all new spring creations by the end of the week!

Well, I was glad I made the trip to Buckley after all! It just goes to show that where there's a will, there's definitely a way. I'll have to say, shopping by flashlight was definitely a first for me! But it certainly got the job done! ~~Annie

I Need To Vent!

2012-01-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

It’s so sad to think there are people out there who do not have the visual capacity to come up with their own ideas. And it breaks my heart to know there are people who do not have the mental ability it takes to even think of their own words. I truly feel sorry for these people. It’s not easy knowing a person like this, as you often become their “crutch”. So, if you happen upon designs that may look very familiar to your own, or even if you run across wording almost exact to your very own wording, whether it be on a website or other selling site, please take pity on that person and realize she is in need of a crutch!

I have been a crutch for someone for almost two years, so I was not at all surprised when a customer brought this to my attention. Here is the wording on MY pattern page:

“All patterns are designed and created by me, Olde Annie Primitives, and have been copyrighted. Please respect my designs and do not copy my work or photos. Please do not trade, share through email or sell my patterns. Mass producing or selling product or pattern through wholesale means is prohibited. Product may be made for fun or small profit. When selling on line, credit should be given to Olde Annie Primitives.

All patterns are sold as a PDF downloadable file. Once payment is received, I will send you an email with your pattern attached. Pattern(s) will be emailed to you within 24 hours of payment, but most often a lot sooner! These emails may sometimes go to spam/junk mail, so make sure to keep your eye out for your email with attached pattern! Thanks so much and HAPPY SEWING!”

And this is the wording on HER pattern page:

“All e-patterns were designed by *************** and have been copyrighted. Please respect my designs and do not copy my work or photos. Please do not trade, share through email or sell my patterns. Mass producing or selling product or pattern through wholesale means is prohibited. Product may be made for fun or small profit. When selling on line, credit should be given to ***************. All patterns are sold as a PDF downloadable file. Once payment is received, I will send you an email with your pattern attached. Pattern(s) will be emailed to you within 24 hours of payment, usually within a few hours. Some e-mail carriers consider this JUNK/SPAM so please check your junk folder if you have not received your pattern file within 24 hours.

Thanks so much for looking, and happy crafting!!”

Some of you may think “It’s only words”. If it were only words, or if this were the only incident, it would not bother me in the least. I honestly don't mind people using or copying my wording. But unfortunately it hasn’t just been words…it’s idea after idea, and it’s been going on for TWO years now to the point I feel like I'm being stalked! This discovery, along with the discovery of yet another of my tucks being copied, was just the straw that broke my silence. I’ll just leave it at that!

And then there are those who take it upon themselves to take another person’s photo, place it on their own selling site and sell the finished product from the original designer’s photo. I have had two friends recently who have had this happen to them; in one incident, the stealer had actually left the original shop’s name on the photos! Why do people do this? Do they not realize how easy it is to be discovered? I honestly don’t know the legality issues involved here, but the bottom line is IT’S JUST NOT RIGHT! In both cases, the people who had their photos stolen didn’t discover it themselves, but had it reported to them by either one of their customers or a fellow crafter. One of the stealers was actually using photos from about four different people! Customers are the best discoverers of copy cats! I know MINE are! The latest was brought to my attention by one of my customers, as I try to avoid this gal's sites like the plague. I just don't need the stress it gave me.

With that said, please be aware of people out there who may be using YOUR photos. Search Facebook, search the web, search the "not as familiar" selling sites other than Etsy and Ebay. You never know what you may run across! I think the photo problem can be taken care of much easier than the problem of those who steal your design or use you as a crutch. Still, whether it’s the photo stealer, the design stealer or the person unable to think on their own, I just don’t understand how these people sleep at night! Thanks for letting me vent! ~~Annie

Old Farmhouse Gathering 50 Club

2012-01-27T19:21:00.000-08:00

Come join us for some fantastic deals! The Old Farmhouse Gathering team is hosting an OFG 50 Club. Select items are listed at 50% the original price!!! Click on the banner above and check out some of the great deals. Make sure you stop at each participants' shop and click on their 50 Club section for other great deals! This sale runs through February 5th, so make sure to check back daily to see what new deals have been added!

The Worst Is Over!

2012-01-20T19:20:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone! It has been a crazy week! Sunday and Monday we got a nice dusting of snow on the ground. That worked out well since it was a federal holiday and no school. However, my hubby flew out early that morning for Houston, but he had no trouble getting to the airport. By Monday night it started raining and melted all the snow away. My son was able to go to school on Tuesday and I was able to go back to jury duty. I had been on jury all last week on a case. We were having a hard time coming to an agreement on the verdict, so we had to go back in on Tuesday. Well, there was talk about a big storm coming Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning and I think the thought of that storm finally got the jury in agreement of a verdict! LOL! Anyway, we finished up late Tuesday afternoon. On the way home I stopped at the grocery store to stock up. That was no fun, as I think everyone else in the state of Washington had the same idea! LOL!

Well, the storm did indeed hit us that night, and by early Wednesday morning we were under a beautiful blanket of snow. My hubby was flying back from Houston on Wednesday and of course I was worried about his getting in. They had already cancelled a lot of the outgoing flights and the roads were pretty nasty. He made it home fine that afternoon, which was a good thing because the worst was still to come. We got hit pretty hard and ended up getting about 7 inches of snow on Wednesday. That may not sound like a lot for many of you who are use to getting snow all winter. But here in Seattle we are accustomed to being showered with rain and more rain. This was a major storm for our area. And by that night it all started turning to ice! I was so glad my hubby got home when he did!

On Wednesday, while the snow was still all nice and fluffy, I ventured out to try to knock the snow off of our satellite dish. First of all, I couldn't find my boots...just not something I use often out here. So I slipped on my oldest son's boots, which where about four sizes too large for me! I felt like Bozo the Clown walking across the yard, plopping along with step ladder in one hand and broom in the other. I set up the little ladder as close under the dish as I could get. Of course, to be close enough to reach the dish, I figured I needed to be directly under it. Bad idea! One knock and ALL the snow came barreling down...right in my face! Don't ask me what I was thinking, but I certainly wasn't feeling very smart after that! LOL! But I did get my TV working again!

On Thursday I ventured out once again, this time to take some scraps out to the compost bin and to get a few pictures. So once again, I donned my Bozo boots and stepped out onto the deck. This time all I could hear was CRUNCH! The nice and fluffy snow had a crusty layer of ice covering it, and all the trees were completely covered in ice.

This was the first casualty of the storm. My huge butterfly bush had broken in half. Hubby got out there and cut it away so I could get to the compost bin AND so I could once again get out to the satellite dish. This time I had to knock off ice, including a couple of huge icicles hanging from it. Fortunately I'd learned my lesson the day before and parked my step ladder to the side. You can see the infamous dish up top there! hehe!

All turned out well and I was able to get a few pics out in the back yard. It's amazing how quiet "the world" is when you're under a fresh blanket of snow. I just love it.

This tree was about my height when it was first planted eleven years ago. I'm not sure what's going on up at the top of it, but the whole thing looks like something out of the movie "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"! LOL!

One of my garden statues. His expression says it all!

I've always loved this birdhouse, but the birdies don't. In the eleven years we've lived here I don't think we've ever had a family in there!

This is my burning bush. It's always so pretty in the fall. I really need to get out there and fill up that empty bird feeder!

Well, today was the first day I ventured out. I was getting stir crazy so hubby and I went to breakfast and to restock on some groceries. Again, everyone else had the same idea about going to the grocery store! LOL! We also made a much needed run to the post office. So if any of my customers who had packages going out this week, just so you know...they FINALLY got shipped today. Sorry about that.

The storm is now headed east and I have many on line friends and customers right in the path of this storm. All I can say is "HAVE FUN"! I loved it while it lasted, but now it is gone and the rains have settled in. We are now dealing with lots of slippery slush and possible flooding. Ain't wintertime fun!! ~~Annie

The View From My Window....and Some St. Patty's Day Prims

2012-01-15T22:39:00.001-08:00

This was our sunset a couple of nights ago. It sure was pretty, but it was just a precursor to things to come. The snow started last night and we are now under a beautiful blanket of white. So glad we don't have to worry about going out tomorrow since it's a holiday!

I also wanted to show you my newest tucks. I've had so many requests to make more St. Patrick's Day tucks, so here are a few. Of course, there aren't that many things associated with St. Patty, but here are a few anyway.

I'm selling this as a trio of St. Patrick's day tucks. The shamrock and horseshoe are smaller than the ones in my older set.

I love these Pot O' Gold tucks. The gold paint I use makes the coins look like real gold. I coat these, as well as the trio, in a coat of shimmering glitter paint.

Love how these grungy leprechaun hats turned out!

I'm working on several new patterns, as well. I can't seem to get them finished between working on my orders and being on jury duty. That ruined my whole week last week, and still not done!

Hope everyone is staying warm! I've been enjoying the football games. Sure is a lot easier to watch when my team isn't playing! LOL! Have a great week everyone! ~~Annie

Eagle Watching Day Trip!

2012-01-08T21:04:00.000-08:00

Each year from about mid December through mid February, the eagles fly down from British Columbia, escaping the cold weather up there and in search of spawning salmon along the Skagit River near Cascades National Park. We drove up there today in hopes of spotting a few of these beautiful majestic birds. We weren't disappointed! We must have seen at least 20 or more as we eagerly searched the bare limbs of trees along the river. It was like an Easter egg hunt, all of us looking to see who could spot the next one. We found a few close enough to the road to get a few nice photos. This was the first guy we spotted.

There are several areas along the river where volunteers for the Forest Services set up telescopes focused on a particular eagle. When you look through these telescopes you feel like you can reach out and touch them. They are such a beautiful site! These eagles fly and eat in the early morning, but by late morning they soon find a tree limb to perch on, and they usually stay put for hours on end. They are said to be conserving their energy for their eventual flight back to Canada.

One of the many eagles we saw in the distant trees. I just loved all the fog mingling through the mountains today!

We continued to drive along the North Cascades Highway eventually reaching the national park. This is such a pretty place. Everywhere you look there are beautiful cascades...

... and gorgeous water falls.

The North Cascades Highway eventually runs up through Winthrop, a neat little western town my son and I visited a couple of years ago. And then it goes across the state. That is...during the summer months. But not today!

Nothing like parking your car in the middle of the road. (That's my hubby sticking his tongue at me!)

But you can park in the middle of the road when you happen upon this!

They close the road across the mountains going to Winthrop each winter. So, we turned the car around and headed back out of the park and back toward the eagles, stopping for those perfect photo opportunities along the way. This was an ice covered pond.

I love unique trees, and this area is filled with these wonderfully eerie moss covered trees! Most are bare branches just completely covered with bright green moss! Like these....

...and these...

However, this one below was so odd and beautiful with the evergreen leaves and the moss covered branches. Such a contrast in greens!

As we drove back toward the eagles, several hours had passed since we first saw them. Most of them were STILL perched in their very same place. However, it was getting late in the afternoon and by about 4-5 o'clock they would head for sheltered areas to roost for the night.

We found these two birds on the way back. Can you spot the eagle? The other bird perched on a limb was thought to be an Osprey.

We continued on and decided to stop at a quaint little town called La Conner, situated at the mouth of the Skagit River. It has a beautiful historical downtown along the river, and we found a most delightful seafood restaurant to have dinner overlooking the water. I'm already planning a trip back here one weekend, as I saw many cute shops and antique stores I MUST visit!

Well, that was our day eagle watching! It was a wonderful day trip and we had such a good time!

Oh...I wanted to also share with you a few more Valentine's Day prims I just finished up. This is probably it. I will start on spring and Easter prims soon. You can find these on my website.

Hope you enjoyed your ride along today on our eagle watching trip! ~~Annie

I'm Seeing HEARTS!

2012-01-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

Well, the vacation is over and I'm back to sewing. I was ready to get back at it...I actually missed my sewing machine! Here are a few of my new tucks this year.

I just love these pillow tucks. The staining process really highlighted the quilting on these.

This is a nice quilt top in pretty burgundy prints.

And one in pastel prints.

These are fun...in pink, burgundy or white.

I finished up a few gatherings and hangings as well, but they've sold. I still have more to finish up and hope to list a few each day until my bin is empty. I don't make a lot of Valentine prims, so I'll be moving on pretty soon. If you are interested in something on my site that has already sold, I can most likely recreate it. Just let me know. Hope you get a chance to drop by my website at Olde Annie Primitives.

~~Annie

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-12-31T18:19:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all a safe and happy evening and a wonderful new year! ~~Annie

FIND THE KITTY!

2011-12-26T18:34:00.001-08:00

Sure hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We sure did! After the stockings were emptied, after Santa's gifts were opened, after the delicious Christmas breakfast casserole was all eaten, after the dishes cleaned, after all the other presents were opened, and before Christmas dinner got started....Harley and I played a game of HIDE AND SEEK!

It's Christmastime! Hope You'll Drop By To Visit!

2011-12-19T18:38:00.000-08:00

Well, we're in the final stretch for that most blessed day of the year! This has been a wonderful month and once I closed up shop for the year I was able to devote full concentration on the holidays. And it's been wonderful! It's amazing how different life in general is when you don't have orders to sew and get out. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my online business. I love the creating and the satisfaction of the finished product. And I especially love the interaction I get from my customers. I DO miss that part, but I haven't missed the stress that can also come with trying to get orders out in a timely manner.

Anyway, the last couple of weeks has been so much fun getting all my decorations up, my Christmas shopping done, and my fruit cakes all baked. I still have some cookie baking to do, as well as some candy making. The house is all clean and I have the tarts burning with the scents of Christmas in the air. There's such a cozy feeling with all the decorations and the lights from the tree and my Christmas village.

But the main reason I'm so happy and filled with the Christmas spirit is having my daughter come home for Christmas. She's been in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the past four months working at the newspaper there. She wasn't able to come home for Thanksgiving and it felt so strange not having her here. It was the first Thanksgiving she's ever missed being at home. Fortunately, she was able to drive to Chicago for a couple of days and visit with cousins and uncles there. My brothers and their families have been so good to her! Anyway, she flies home on Wednesday and will be home for a week.

I wanted to show you some of my Christmas decorations. I've really changed them out from previous years, moving toward the old, rustic and primitive look. I've boxed away many of the "cutesy" decorations from years past and picked up lots of new pieces. I love the new look!

My hubby recently put up this wonderful shelf for me that I bought at a local primitive shop. These are mostly new pieces except for the garland hanging from the peg. That was from a giveaway I won a couple of years ago. The cute little basket sitting on the shelf to the right is filled with tarts...the basket and tarts were a gift from one of my wonderful customers. The little handmade snowman sitting on top of the basket was actually a thrift store find for 50 cents!
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This pretty little tree in my foyer holds many of my wonderful hand painted ornaments from some of my favorite online artists. I can't get enough of these!

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This is another little tree that holds my rustic wood ornaments from another wonderful online artist. I just love these little ornaments!
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And this is my German twig tree upstairs. It holds all my primitive ornies I've received from various swaps, giveaways, gifts and purchases from many of my online friends. My son's room is to the right and he insists I put the colored garland along the top of the half wall each year. I must say, it makes it look so festive at night. That door to the left is my craft room.
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Another view from the top of the stairs. I usually have an old quilt draped over the end. I found this cute Christmas quilted hanging and thought it would be perfect for this little wall for the holidays.

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I still have my Christmas cookie jars displayed throughout my kitchen. I especially love this gathering. I added the wonderful new Gooseberry Patch book...it goes so well with this little grouping. It's a gift from another one of my wonderful customers. I have some of the sweetest and most generous customers. I treasure them all! The quilted runner will eventually be covered with all my baked goods and homemade candies.

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This is the large book shelf/cabinet in my living room. I would decorate it pretty much the same way year after year! Well this year I've changed it all up.

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And this is also new this year. I changed out our traditional stockings for these adorable huge hand knitted mittens. The stockings we had never would hold very much and everyone wanted something new. These will hold much more, as well as larger items. I bought them at a craft show this year from the sweetest little old lady. The wonderful garland hanging with the mittens was another great find at a craft show this year. I just love the rustic painted pieces and how it looks with the mittens.

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This is my little corner of the family room, and I so enjoy sitting here during the Christmas season! Harley loves to lay on the old quilt in front of the fireplace. That is, when he's not in my lap! And at night once everyone has gone to bed, I enjoy sitting here with only the light of the village and Christmas music playing. Such a peaceful feeling.

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I still have a lot of things decorated similar to years past. I don't think I will ever change this little table. It was always a family tradition growing up to have the Bible out, opened to the birth of Christ. And the plastic church is one I found at a thrift store. It's just like one my mom had when I was little. This one plays Silent Night. I don't think the one we had played music, but it had the light in the back just like this one. I don't know whatever happened to the one we had, so when I found this one, I was first flooded with memories. And then off course I HAD to have it! The little cross stitch is one of my first pieces I made about 30 years ago. I also made the little ball ornament tree many years ago.

My piano with a few of my treasured pieces. Justin still loves getting the candy out of the advent calender pockets every day.

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And this little gathering at the stoop of our stairs. That sign is a piece I won in a giveaway last year.

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And before I forget, Harley would like to wish you all Happy Holidays! He's a good cat and doesn't get into my tree. But he loves to sleep under it. His sleeping area is getting smaller and smaller as I add more presents under there! :)
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There's still so much to do this week. Tuesday night we will all climb into the car and go look at the Christmas lights. I always pack a picnic dinner and we park out at the lake near our home while we eat and enjoy all the beautiful lights they have there. Then we visit various homes known for their beautiful decorations. Wednesday night, once Katie is home, we will have our movie night. One of our favorites is A Christmas Story and always a must see every year. We bring out the blankets, turn on the fireplace and get out the munchies to a marathon of Christmas movies. I'm usually the last one awake and the one to turn everything off, leaving everyone sleeping here and there.

When Katie was in college, I always saved the making of "Reindeer Droppings" until after she got home for the holidays. I will save it once again this year until she gets home so she can help us all roll the peanut butter balls and dip them in the chocolate. Somehow or another, when the kids were little they renamed the peanut butter balls to Reindeer Droppings. It was certainly fitting, and the name has stuck throughout the years.

And then there's the wrapping...so much to wrap and something my daughter has always helped with. I've wrapped all her gifts and will try to get most of the other gifts wrapped so she won't have to do that when she's home. I'll work on that tonight.

There's still cookies to bake and fudge to make. My youngest is 14 years old and has long since quit believing in Santa. However, he STILL has to put out cookies and milk by the fireplace every Christmas Eve. I guess there are some things hard to give up. I just love that tender side of him and hope he never loses it, even long after he's grown and has his own family.

Well, that's Christmas at our home. I'm so glad you stopped by today and I hope you have enjoyed your visit! I want to wish you all a most glorious holiday season! I hope your holiday is filled with family and friends, love and laughter, and memories to last a lifetime! Merry Christmas everyone! ~~Annie

SALESALESALE

2011-12-09T17:02:00.000-08:00

When my husband got home from work today he walked in to my dancing a jig! I was just so excited...I had just got home from the post office after mailing the last of my orders. I had six boxes filled with Christmas, fall and even spring primitives to get out to my customers! As I laid the boxes on the counter, a lady in line commented that I had my Christmas shopping all done! HA! I didn't have the heart to tell her I hadn't even started!! I just smiled at her and nodded. LOL!

So now I can turn my focus to decorating, cleaning house, shopping, wrapping presents, baking, mailing out Christmas cards, packing and mailing boxes to family and watching all the Christmas movies! HOW many days left until Christmas?? Guess I'd better get on the stick!

But first, on to the main purpose of my post today! I am having a huge sale on my Olde Annie Primitives website. First, for all the crafters and seamstresses out there, I am offering a Buy One Get One Free on all my patterns! Purchase your pattern and then email me which pattern you would like free.

And for all those last minute shoppers, I have several primitive pieces left as well as lots of wonderful gift ideas left! All FINISHED products in my shop are 30% off! All items are made and ready to ship and can get to you in plenty of time for Christmas. To get your discount, when checking out type in the word SALE where it says "Voucher Code". This is only for finished products and does not apply to patterns. If buying both patterns and finished products, you will need to make separate purchases. So head on over to check out the great deals!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful December getting ready for the holidays! Thanks for dropping by today! ~~Annie

Check It Out...A Few Last Christmas Prims!

2011-12-01T15:31:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm pretty much caught up with my orders, I've been SO much happier! And when I'm happy, I tend to get my creative mood going again! I love sitting at my table with a bin of tucks of all kinds at my side. I start decorating the tuck(s), and when they're done, I search for the perfect container, wreath or base for it. That's the fun part of creating! I just finished up a few new pieces and hope to do at least two each night for the rest of this week. And then I'm done for the year. I just love the vintage sifter gathering above. It can be found in my Christmas category, along with the two piece below.

This little enamelware pitcher is so unique. I just love the shape and size of it. It's nice and worn with rusting spots throughout. This is definitely a one of a kind piece perfect for your prim, rustic or country home!

I decided to go bright and cheery with this piece above. I just love vintage enamelware!

These snowman icicles are my newest tucks...although they were started LAST year! LOL! I have a couple more sets coming that I started last year as well! Sometimes you just look at something over and over before you can figure out how you want to finish it! That's the way it's been with theses and the two sets coming! FINALLY!

And I have one set of these still available. I had held them back thinking I would use in a gathering. If they don't get taken, I may still do something with them later in the week.

These last three pieces are in the Attic Finds category of my shop. The handsome snowman above is just so neat looking. He sits so nicely on a covered one inch wood base. He's made of warm and white batting and has glitter and mica scattered about. He looks vintage, but I don't have a clue whether he is or not.

I picked this up from a lady who was closing her booth down at one of the local antique malls and had everything marked down quite drastically. Now THAT'S a blog post in itself. I'll have to tell you about my conversation with this lady in another post....VERY interesting, to say the least! LOL! Anyway, this adorable bear needed a good home and he was going for a good price. I'm not a Boyds bear collector, but thought maybe someone out there would like to adopt him. He's over on my website as well.

And finally, this was another piece I got from this lady as well. Actually, she had two of these and I bought both...I'm keeping one for myself. It is such a nice piece, the size of a hat box. I just fell in love with it.

So if you get a chance, hop on over to my website and check out the few things I have left. I still have a few candle mats and some pin keeps, too, as well as some other gift ideas. And make sure to check back each day this week to see the last few new pieces I will be adding this year. Thanks so much for dropping by today! ~~Annie

Monotony At Its Best...And A Few Of My Favorite Things!

2011-11-23T18:01:00.000-08:00

I recently had an order for four sets of these flowers. This order drove me crazy. Four sets doesn't sound like much, but with the three layers to each flower and three flowers to each set, that meant 36 pieces I had to trace, sew, cut, clip, turn, stain and paint! Before mailing them out I had to get a pic of all these beautiful poinsettias in a grouping. Makes a pretty pic, don't you think?

And THEN it was monotony all over again. I love making these fellows, but 21 at a time is enough to drive a gal nuts! LOL! I was glad to get these on their way to their various homes! And I never thought I would say it, but I'm thankful my son goes through his socks so quickly.

Despite supposedly "closing shop", I've still been up to my ears in orders. What's a gal got to do! LOL! I'm not complaining, mind you. I DO love that extra Christmas spending money. And I love using it to buy handmade items from my fellow crafters, bloggers and internet friends. There is so much talent out there and I LOVE being able to own a few wonderful handmades by those talented folks. I'd like to share a few of my treasures I've gotten this season.

I LOVE hand painted objects, and when I found Martha with Apple Tree Cottage, I just HAD to have one of her pieces. She found a wonderful cookie box and painted this beautiful Santa on it. He is a treasured addition to my Christmas pieces.

I have several pieces from Maryann of Auntie Meows Attic Prims. She paints on fabrics and then makes the prettiest little tucks. I have Christmas and spring tucks from her, but I didn't have anything for Thanksgiving. I just love this little trio. Make sure to check out her shop!

I'm sure many of you know the talents of Shelia from Seasons of Thy Heart. Of course I just had to have one of her beautiful rusty can arrangements. I love the colors in this piece. It was another beautiful addition to my fall and Thanksgiving decor. She has a beautiful selling blog called Country Impressions.

Pat is such a talented crafter and long time Ebay group friend. I have several of her pieces from over the years, my favorite being her infamous Santa hats! I love pieces made from coverlets and couldn't pass up these beautiful coverlet stars when I saw them. You can find her beautiful pieces on Etsy and on her website, Ahl Cooped Up.

I've been in a wonderful Ebay group for years and Colleen, our group leader is such a sweetheart. She makes some of the cutest pieces at Colleen's Craftshed. I had to have this adorable little teacup Annie. It even has "Annie" stitched on her bib. That's ME! hehe!

I recently ran across Penny of Primitive Gathering on Etsy and bought a set of her Halloween wood ornaments. She and I quickly became email buddies and I soon discovered she had a wonderful Ebay shop filled to the brim with beautiful painted and handmade primitives. I picked up these beautiful wood ornaments for Christmas, as well as the most adorable snowman set. I've used her photo here as my goodies are on route to me. I just LOVE her rustic style. Her ebay shop is homespuncountry.

Another long time email buddy, Lois, recently came on board and is selling her hand painted goods. I bought this adorable scarecrow plate from her. She's hoping to get her Etsy shop up and running soon. Until then you can find her on her blog, Huckleberry Lady.

A couple of weeks ago we had the online craft show on various blogs. I ran across Kim and her wonderful prims! I couldn't pass up these two adorable ornaments! I love the quality of her work! Make sure to check out her shop at The Barn Hollow.

And finally, my best friend and I have been hitting the craft shows in the area. And believe me, there have been A TON of them! And we're not done yet! Here are a few of my favorite pieces I've picked up in the last few weeks.

I have been collecting these angel ornaments for about 10 years now. Back when I did fall shows, I did a show and was next to this lady's booth. I fell in love with her angels. I've never seen quality comparable to hers. Each ornament and pin she makes is designated to a certain charity. Thirty percent of her profit for the angel on the left goes to World Vision while thirty percent of the one on the right goes to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

This is the cutest dirty snowman make-do. He's definitely different than anything I have!

When I saw this HUGE fellow I just had to have him! Not sure where I'm going to store him yet, but I'm so happy to have him!

This has definitely been a snowman year! I picked up these two fat fellows to add to my collection.

I have met so many friends since I launched Olde Annie Primitives and started selling my goods online. Many have become email "pen pals" and I have truly enjoyed getting to know you all through our email conversations. Some are fellow bloggers and various group friends, and many are the wonderful customers I've met over the years. I am SO thankful for all the friends I've met on here, and I look forward to continuing our friendship in the years to come. I hope you ALL have a beautiful, safe and blessed Thanksgiving holiday. I am so thankful to have you all in my life! ~~Annie

Closing Shop!

2011-11-14T09:49:00.000-08:00

Only for the rest of the year! And only my tuck and ornie sales. I still have a few things on my website that are made and ready to ship, and I still need to finish up a few things and get them posted. I have several orders I need to finish up and get out this week. But I've taken all my "make after purchase" tucks off of Etsy and my website.

Ladies, I tell you,, I am totally wiped out! This has been the busiest fall season ever, but it has definitely taken its toll. Hurricane Annie swept through here about the middle of September and I'm STILL waiting for FEMA to come give me some kind of relief! I guess I'm going to have to do it on my own. Hubby has been good (and very understanding...bless his heart)! He'll cook...on the weekends. He'll clean the kitchen...if I bang the dishes loud enough. He'll fold the laundry...if I dump it in his lap. hehe! He's a GOOD man...he just needs a little, er um, motivation at times.

So after I get the rest of these orders out the door, I am cleaning house for Thanksgiving! And then I'll be able to put my Christmas decorations up the weekend after! I have always loved the simplicity of Thanksgiving. I love a warm and cozy home, with family sitting around the dinner table, enjoying food and conversation. I love the smell of candles burning, munching on home baked goodies, watching the Macy's Christmas parade on TV. And then enjoying a few Hallmark Christmas movies throughout the day. But when almost every inch of my downstairs is scattered with fabrics and fiberfill and shipping supplies, and when my counters are covered with paints and stains and brushes...well, there is NO warm and cozy feeling there! So, there IS work to be done before next Thursday!

So I'm giving myself a break from my website, my creating, my sewing! There are a lot of wonderful blogs I love visiting, and I've missed that lately, as well. I have a lot of catching up to do. And I still have some pictures I need to take and show you all. For the past four weekends (and a few week days) I have been scouring the craft shows. I've picked up some cute things and a few holiday gifts, as well. And the GOOD shows are still to come!

But until then, it's back to work...sewing, stuffing, staining, painting, packaging, shipping,! That's been my daily routine for the past three months! I FINALLY see a light at the end of the tunnel! ~~Annie

NEW ITEMS ADDED for Old Fashion Christmas Craft Show!

2011-11-13T04:15:00.000-08:00

Welcome to an "Old Fashion Christmas Craft Show"! Please browse my handmade offerings listed below. All items will be sold on a first come first serve basis. If you are interested in purchasing an item or have questions about a particular item, please email me by clicking on my "Contact Me" button up top to the right. I will be offering more items throughout the three day show, so make sure to check back each day! Also, make sure to visit my website for more handmade primitives by Olde Annie Primitives!

I will happily combine shipping on multiple purchases.

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NEW ITEM -- ITEM #13
Quilted Bag Wall Hanging
*SOLD*
(Click to enlarge)
Visit my website for details of this and all items listed.

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NEW ITEM -- ITEM #14
"Winter Tyme" Cheese Box Gathering
*SOLD*
(Click to enlarge)
Visit my website for details of this and all items listed.

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NEW ITEM -- ITEM #15
Gingerbread Man Painted Can Gathering
$14.95 + Shipping
*SOLD*
(Click to enlarge)
Visit my website for details of this and all items listed.

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ITEM #1
"Christmas Cookies"
Red Enamel Cup Gingerbread Gathering
$14.95 + Shipping
*SOLD*
(Click to enlarge)
Please email me to purchase or questions!

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ITEM #2
"Candy Cane Lane"
Door Greeter
$15.95 + Shipping
*SOLD*
(Click to enlarge)
Please email me to purchase or questions!

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ITEM #3
Quilted Stocking Gingerbread Wall Hanging
$17.95 + Shipping
*SOLD*
(Click to enlarge)
Please email me to purchase or questions!

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ITEM #4
"Wishing for Snow"
*SOLD*
(Click to enlarge)
Please email me to purchase or questions!

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ITEM #5
Vintage Grater Gingerbread Hanging
$12.95 + Shipping
*SOLD*
(Click to enlarge)
Please email me to purchase or questions!

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ITEM #6
Hand Stitched Fabric Hang Tags
There are a nice large size, each measuring 3x5 inches!
(Set of three as shown)
$10.95 (Free Shipping)
(Click to enlarge)
Please email me to purchase or questions!

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ITEM #7
Antique Quilt Christmas Duck
$10.95 + Shipping
(Click to enlarge)
Please email me to purchase or questions!

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ITEM #8
"Snowballs 4 Sale"
$10.95 + Shipping
(Click to enlarge)
Please email me to purchase or questions!

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ITEM #9
Quilted Squares Christmas Tree Skirt
$19.95 + Shipping
(Click to enlarge)
Please email me to purchase or questions!

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ITEM #10
Quilted Squares Christmas Tree Skirt
$19.95 + Shipping
(Click to enlarge)
Please email me to purchase or questions!

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ITEM #11
Angel Christmas Ornaments
Set of Two as Shown
$7.95 + $2.50 Shipping
(Click to enlarge)
Please email me to purchase or questions!

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ITEM #12
Kitchen Gift Sets
Set of TWO ~~ Many to choose from!
$9.95 + Shipping
(Click to enlarge)
Please email me to purchase or questions!

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Remember to check back for more items! If you have any questions or wish to make a purchase, email me through my "Contact Me" button up top and to the right! Thanks so much for dropping by today! Make sure to check out all the participants in the Old Fashion Christmas Craft Show! ~~Annie

Did Harley Actually KNOW??

2011-11-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

hYesterday, when we got back from lunch, Harley was waiting for me at the back door. Appears he had a gift for me. Did he actually know it was my birthday! LOL! Now that I think about it, he DID wake me up yesterday morning pawing at my face. He hasn't done that in weeks! Maybe that was his way of being the first in the family to wish me a happy birthday. And click on the picture...it looks like he's presenting it to me with his right paw. Awwwweee!

Harley, if that was indeed your gift to me, I thank you! After all....er, um....it IS the thought that counts! hehe!

Woohoo! It's Party Time!

2011-11-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a happy Halloween! It was a beautiful evening here and the kids were out in droves! My friend brought her kids over and we walked the neighborhood. I live in a huge neighborhood and every year it amazes me the number of cars parked at the entrance of people bringing their kids here to trick or treat. As usual, we handed out tons of candy. It was so much fun!

I spent yesterday working hard to get some orders out so I could justify taking today off! For today I PARTY! I'm waiting for my friend and her mom to get here. They are taking me out to lunch and then we're going to hit a couple of craft shows. Hubby made me that delicious looking cake last night. It's a carrot cake and I can't wait to dig in tonight. Don't tell him, but I DID run a finger through the frosting! hehe! Tonight he and the boys are taking me to dinner. I've chosen to go to Famous Dave's...love their ribs! I pretty much know what my gifts will be as I've given hubby my list. I'm such a practical person. I don't like things like flowers or candy, and hubby knows never to buy those for me, so he insists on a list and I'm always happy to oblige. Hubby's best gift to me? A gift card from Jo-Ann's! LOL! So today is my fun day! It only comes around once a year. Well, not really...I get lots of fun days throughout the year. But THIS one is always guilt free! LOL!

I work all year selling my handmade items just so I can spend all fall on other's handmade items! I LOVE going to craft shows and church bazaars and this and next week there are a ton of them. We're hitting two that start today, a couple that start tomorrow, some on Friday and then on Saturday we'll be out from 9 until 5 trying to get in as many as we can. I just love buying handmade! And with that said, I'll be back later this week to show you all some of the wonderful things I've gotten from my online friends. I've been doing lots of shopping from some of my favorite online artists, many of whom I've become wonderful friends with! Can't wait to share that with you. So stay tuned as I will have LOTS of eye candy to show you all! Have a great week! ~~Annie

Beautiful Weekend at the Lake! And FINALLY...a little Color!

2011-10-25T15:20:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we decided to drive up to Lake Chelan in the northeast Cascade Mountains. We've been planning to take a little fall trip, but couldn't decide where to go. Hubby came up with this place since we've never been up there before. He made a wonderful choice.

It took us about three hours to drive up here. This is the heart of Washington's apple country. What a perfect place to take a fall trip! There were tons of pumpkin patches, corn mazes and harvest happenings all through the area. Fall was definitely in the air!

We stayed on the lake and the first morning we woke up to this pretty rainbow!

The above photo was taken on the second morning of our trip from our hotel room balcony. We woke up to beautiful blue skies and crystal clear blue water! It was breathtaking!

This is an interesting area in that the lake is surrounded by the treeless mountains. But a few miles in any direction and you're surrounded by beautiful trees. And the COLORS were finally at their peak! I just loved the contrast in this photo above!

On Saturday we drove up to Winthrop. It was a gorgeous drive along some beautiful countryside, along several different rivers. My husband fell in love with this area and now wants to buy a house on one of the rivers up here and retire. Then he plans to fish his days away. I love this area but not sure there are enough thrift stores, antique shops and most of all...RESTAURANTS to keep me happy! hehe! But maybe I can change my way of life...maybe!

Here are a few photos of the countryside.

These were taken outside of Winthrop in the Methow Valley. Very pretty countryside up here.

An old dilapidated pedestrian bridge stretching across one of the rivers.

Some interesting yard art along the way!

We decided to take a different route home and drove over Stephen's Pass and through the Bavarian town of Leavenworth. It was a beautiful drive home and I FINALLY got to see some of the fall colors I had been missing. Still not what I'm used to from back east, but no doubt beautiful in it's own right!I brought along some sewing as I cannot sit idle in the hotel room at night. I just finished up a large fall order and now I'm back at work finishing up some Christmas prims. Here is my newest penguin tuck. He is so much fun! I hope to have the patterns to both of my new penguins finished up in the next couple of days. Also, I will start offering these, as well as all my new tucks this week.

I've listed a few Christmas pieces on my website but they have already sold. I have MANY new pieces in the works and hope to have then finished this week.

So make sure to check my website for all my latest Christmas primitives, as well as all my newest tucks for 2011. Hope to see you there! ~~Annie

Partners in Crime!

2011-10-18T20:31:00.001-07:00

That's what my husband calls my best friend and me! We aren't so much partners in crime, but we're definitely best of friends, confidants and especially shopping buddies. Whether it be craft shows, thrift stores, antique shops or even the grocery store...seems it's always more fun to shop with a friend. We have so much in common, but the most ironic thing we have in common is our husbands boast the very same birthday. Which happened to be today. And to top it off, German Chocolate is both their favorite cake. So today we decided to put away the cake mixes and leave those tubs of frosting on the shelf. Today we were making cake FROM SCRATCH! I've had this wonderful home made German Chocolate cake recipe for over 30 years now, and use to make it for my husband in our earlier years of marriage. It wasn't long, though, before the scratch cake made way for the easier, more convenient cake mixes. So when we decided to take on this task of making not one, but TWO of these cakes, I knew what we were in for! After a trip to the grocery store and shopping for all the ingredients we needed, we came back to my house and went to work mixing, and measuring, adding this and adding that. And I discovered something very fast...it's so much easier and a lot more fun to bake with someone else. It wasn't long before our cakes were done and she was out the door with hers in hand to enjoy with her hubby.

My friend went with the sheet cake....much easier to frost, at least! And this way she didn't have to wait before the frosting cooled completely before frosting the cake.

I went with the traditional two layers I always make. I just like them better this way.

This is the best cake....down to the home made frosting! The recipe is below if you're interested in trying it. It's a little time consuming, but if you grab a friend to bake along with you, you'll be amazed at how fast the time will fly by and how much fun you will have in the process!

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 cup butter
2-1/2 cups AP flour
1 tsp. soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 full package German chocolate blocks
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs, SEPARATED
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar

Dissolve soda in buttermilk. Melt chocolate in boiling water. Beat butter and sugar until creamy; add egg yolks that have been slightly beaten. Add flour and buttermilk alternately. Add melted chocolate and then add egg whites that have been slightly beaten with salt. (I beat until frothy, not like a meringue.) Spray pans heavily or butter pans and flour. Bake at 350 degrees until layers spring back when touched in the center. It took our about 35 minutes. I also did the toothpick test.

FILLING:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 lg. can evaporated milk
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup coconut
1 stick butter
3 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla

Pour all ingredients into a heavy saucepan. Cook slowly until thickened. Remove from burner and let cool before frosting cake.

Please "Save the Date" for ORP's "Old Fashioned Online Christmas Craft Show"...!

2011-10-16T16:13:00.001-07:00

Hi, Ladies!

Please "Save the Date" for the weekend
of November 11th, 12th & 13th

for ORP's

"Old Fashioned Online Christmas Craft Show"!

Please join us for this very Unique & Special Event!

Meet some very talented artists!

You will have the opportunity to purchase

some unique, handmade, one-of-a-kind items!

The "Best" part of all is you don't even have to leave your home!

Shop online from home!

Below you will find a list of all of our

"Christmas Craft Show" Participants...

The Barn Hollow

Happy Valley Primitives

Cat Nap Inn Primitives

Buttermilk Creek Farm

Designs by Guka

Old Road Primitives

Sweet Bear Creek Whims

Grandma Kringle's Country Crafts

The Farmer's Attic

Santa & the Mrs.

Olde Crow Mercantile

Huckleberry Lady

Cynzplace

Primitive Country Cabin

Yorkies Primitives

Olde Annie Primitives

Mel's Designs from the Cabin

Country Cents

Colleen's Craft Shed

Ellie's Country Accents

The Cottage Works

Beyond the Attic Door

All Cooped Up

Sew Many Raggedies

CounterCrafts Primitive Treasures

Nellie's Nest

Shell's Vintage Charm

Hickory Ridge Primitives

Looking forward to seeing you then!!!

BIG Mistake!!!!

2011-10-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

I have GOT to quit showing pictures of stuff that I have not listed yet! Like the penguins above and the big bin of tucks and SNOWMEN below!

BIG MISTAKE! BIG MISTAKE! Won't happen again!

Fall in the Pacific Northwest...If you can call it that!

2011-10-10T21:57:00.001-07:00

Happy Fall Yall!
I LOVE decorating for fall! These will stay up until Thanksgiving. I add a few Halloween things about a week before the 31st, but they quickly come down the day after Halloween, when I will then add my Thanksgiving decorations. This is my front porch. Take a look over to the right at that little speck on the white board below my house numbers. He's our current house guest for the season. Here's a close up view...
Ain't he sweet! We look for him everyday. I'm fine with his visiting...as long as he stays OUTside! :)

I thought I'd share a few pics of fall in this area. I lived most of my life in North Carolina. My husband was born in Asheville, NC, and his family hails from the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. So it goes without saying that we would make a yearly trip to the mountains in mid October. The colors there were so vibrant, the apples were at their peak and the weather always seemed to be perfect during these trips.

Move ahead twenty years and now our falls are spent in the Pacific Northwest. Washington, to be specific...the EVERGREEN state. Don't get me wrong. This area is absolutely gorgeous and I love it here. But I'm having to find a "different" beauty in the fall season. So yesterday we decided to take a day trip to see a bit of fall in the great Pacific Northwest. Our search for some color...or maybe not!

First of all, the weather started out a little misty. But when you think about it, this is perfect weather for the backdrop here. The water settles on the tips of the evergreens and just sparkles. We decided to drive through Mt. Rainier and down to a little town called Packwood, where there was a little craft show going on. The mountains had a slight fog waffling through them. I've always loved fog in the mountains...such a cozy feeling.
And here I actually found a little color!

I stopped at this little "babbling brook". I could have sat here and listened to it for hours! Nothing but green here. So I drove further in search of some color.

But this was about it for the color. Still, the drive through Mt. Rainier did not disappoint. It was still beautiful! We went on to Packwood and I picked up a few things at the craft show.

I love these Thanksgiving stacking boxes I got. Not handmade, but a great price. From there we drove over the mountains to Yakima...apple country! It was a beautiful drive along a pretty river.

We stopped at this beautiful waterfall.

Once we reached the other side of the mountains the skies turned blue and the sun popped out. We stopped at a couple of fruit stands and a couple of antique shops before heading back home to the west side of the mountains.

No, it's not the color found in other parts of the country, but it still has it's own beauty. And no matter where I live, the fall season will always be my favorite. I love decorating for fall...I think even more than decorating for Christmas. I love the colors of fall and my house is decorated mostly in these colors. So fall just fits in well. Here are a few pics of my fall decorations...

I love this old looking wood scoop. I've got one of my plaid pumpkins sitting in it.

This is my front foyer.

Okay...I KNOW this picture is lop sided. But I wanted to take a picture in the dark so you could see how pretty this pumpkin lights up. And to do so without it being blurry, I had to sit my camera flat on the stair rail so it wouldn't move. Anyway...you get the jest. :)

And a few of my favorite pieces.

I am finishing up my fall orders and will be moving on to Christmas. I hope to have a few things listed on my website starting this Friday. Here's a sneak peak at one of my newest Christmas tucks. Just LOVE these little fellows!

Hope you enjoyed a little of our fall in this corner of the country. Hope to see you back on Friday! Happy Fall! ~~Annie

I've Done It On An Airplane!

2011-09-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

I've done it in a hotel.

I've done it in a hospital, at several doctor's offices, a couple of dentist offices and at the physical therapist's office. I've done it at the car dealership while my car was being repaired. I've even done it at the DMV! Yesterday I did it in my car while my husband was getting his hair cut. I've done it in numerous states across the country. In a tent and in several KOA kabins, on a picnic table and even next to a campfire. I've even done it in bed, but that's really not my favorite place to do it. I guess my favorite place to do it is in my recliner.

I tend to do it more before holidays. And last Friday I did it ALL night long without sleeping a wink! You see, I do it more during the fall season than any other time of the year! And now I must go and do it some more!

STUFF TUCKS AND ORNIES!

What did you THINK I was talking about!
(^_^)

JUST WANT TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT I WILL BE OFFERING MY HALLOWEEN TUCKS AND ORNIES FOR JUST A FEW MORE DAYS. AFTER SUNDAY I WILL BE PULLING THEM FROM MY WEBSITE AND MOVING ON TO CHRISTMAS! SO IF YOU'RE THINKING YOU MAY WANT OR NEED ANY MORE, MAKE SURE TO ORDER BEFORE THEN!
Thanks! ~~Annie

Getting Back to Some Normalcy!

2011-09-05T13:17:00.000-07:00

Well, REALLY....what IS normal? LOL!

But I DO feel like things are starting to settle down into a routine. After returning from my trip I had a week's worth of sewing to get finished and out the door. Then came my hubby's knee surgery....and still more sewing and stuffing. Hubby is home now and we're finally getting THAT part of our lives settled into a routine along with going to therapy a couple of times a week. School started for my son last Wednesday and the school clothes and supplies are all bought and in use. This week I'll start my much missed weekly luncheons with my good friend. My oldest son will be home to take care of hubby on those days. Sorry...but a wife can take only SO much of hubby needing this or needing that! :)

SO, with my life back into its routine, I'm now back to sewing full time as well! I've just listed ALL my seasonal tucks and ornies over on my website and in my Etsy shop. The scarecrow tucks up top and the tucks shown below are my newest tucks for 2011.

So, drop by and check out these and ALL the fall and Halloween tucks I have to offer!

Hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend! And now, the most wonderful time of the year...AUTUMN! Bring it on! ~~Annie

Life Is But A Dream...

2011-08-31T16:12:00.001-07:00

...at least that's the way it has seemed the last few weeks!

It's been a busy three weeks since my last post! Besides catching up with a bunch of orders, I have spent the last three days at the hospital with my hubby. He just had knee replacement surgery and will be coming home tomorrow. So hope things will get back to SOME normalcy around here.

Today was also the first day of school for my youngest. He is a freshman this year in high school. From past experience, I know the next four years will fly by! So it was a bittersweet day for me. I wish there were some way to slow it down...

It's been a week since I flew back home after moving my daughter, Katie, to Michigan. She is working at the Grand Rapids Press as a photographer. It's only a nine-month internship...I keep telling myself that and she does as well. I know she's homesick and hope and pray after this job is over she will be able to find a permanent position somewhere a little closer to home.

But moving her out there was so much fun...a week I will always treasure! It was such a wonderful trip and the one-on-one time I had with her made it even more special. We talked more during that week than probably all together the last five years since she graduated from high school! We decided to make it a sightseeing trip along the way. Here are a few pics from our trip.
Katie and I both love those weird and wacky roadside attractions. Our first stop was in Ellensburg, WA, at this interesting house. Both of the above photos were taken there. The house and yard took up the whole block and was pretty much decorated every inch of the way!

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Our second stop along the way was in Granger, WA. Katie had to stop here because it boasted having a volcano toilet. However, what we discovered was much more. Everywhere you turned there were prehistoric animals! It was so interesting seeing all the dinosaurs and wondering where the next one would pop up...or in this case pop OUT!

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Our first stop that night was at a college friend of Katie's outside Hailey, ID. We arrived at night, and once we reached Hailey, we still had to travel down a long and remote road to get to her house. Fortunately, Katie had been there before and knew where to go. It was pitch black and I can't remember the last time I'd seen so many stars! Anyway, the next morning I couldn't believe what I saw! This place, albeit off the beaten path, was absolutely beautiful. And her parent's home was so unique! That's their home above. It's sits across the road from several old, abandoned mines up in the mountains.
And her backyard view was gorgeous!

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After having breakfast with Katie's friend, we continued on our journey. First stop that day was at Craters of the Moon National Monument. Very interesting place.

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We drove on across Idaho and into Wyoming. We've been through here many times, but the Grand Tetons never cease to amaze me!

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It was getting late in the day and I knew we wouldn't have too much time in Yellowstone, so I stopped at a couple of my favorite geyser basins.
We were in Norris Geyser Basin and it was starting to get dark. We were blessed with this gorgeous sunset! By the time we left Norris it was pretty much dark. Katie was driving as we traveled over to Canyon and the East Entrance of Yellowstone. No street lights in Yellowstone...just total darkness. So it was quite startling, to say the least, when Katie almost hit a buffalo that had parked itself along the side of the road!

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After staying in Cody that night, we got up bright and early as we had so much driving and so much more we wanted to see! On to South Dakota and our first stop...Mt. Rushmore.

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WHY we always have to stop here, I'll never know. Maybe it's all the signs you see along the way!

But we did, and Katie met up with another OLD friend of hers! hehe! I think she's arguing with the lady for cheating!

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From there we drove the loop through the Badlands. Once again, it was getting late in the day and I wanted to make it to Sioux Falls, SD, that night. It was midnight when we rolled into our hotel!

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The next day we made it to Chicago to visit family. I grew up with SIX older brothers. Three stayed in North Carolina and three moved to Chicago. So, half my family lives there. As a kid, I remember visiting Chicago every summer. And I had a brother who loved taking us everywhere! I LOVE this city!

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All my family actually live in suburbs of the city. But on our second day there, my nephew took us into Chicago. Seems every time I come here there's something new to see. This time it was THE BEAN! We were totally mesmerized by this thing!

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This is Katie in front of the bean. I love how it reflects the sky scrapers.

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And this is me, taking a picture of me, in the bean! hehe

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We didn't know until we got there that The Thunderbirds were in town and putting on a show. This was at the Navy Pier. It was so neat...and SO loud! LOVED IT!

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Our last stop before leaving the city was Wrigley Field. My brother use to take me to White Sox games when I'd visit, but I've never seen a game here. I'd love to one day!

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That night all the family got together at a good friend's Polish restaurant. We had perogies and stuffed cabbage, and potato pancakes, and kielbasa and so much more! Katie and I were in hog heaven!

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After dinner, we went back to a nephew's house. This is him getting ready to take Katie for a spin on his Harley. I wasn't very happy with the NO HELMET law they have there. She had a blast, though!

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The next morning we got up and headed for our last stop...Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's only three hours from Chicago, and I hope Katie will take advantage of that. I stayed a couple of more days and helped her get settled in. It was hard to leave her, but I know she's a big girl and she will be fine. I keep telling myself she'll be home in no time.

This is the boarding house she is living in. She shares a suite in the upper right side with another gal. She has her own room and a nice little sun room where she can cook and watch TV. Rent is cheap and it's close to where she works.

And now I must go...I have an urge to call her! LOL! ~~Annie

Christmas Sneak Peak!

2011-08-07T19:26:00.001-07:00

Just listed these Christmas primitives over at Olde Annie Primitives!

Just a sneak peak of more to come!

More Christmas prims coming next month!

NEXT.....stay tuned for my new tucks and ornies for the fall season! Until next time...!

~~Annie

New Fall and Halloween Patterns!

2011-08-06T18:26:00.001-07:00

Just finished up patterns for these two new fall pieces, as well as for my acorn tucks! The pattern for the gathering above incorporates my ghost tucks, the little candy corn as well as the large candy corn tucks shown.

This scarecrow door greeter is a nice large size. The hat is not separate...only the brim, which makes it much easier to sew and allows the piece to lie flat against the door or wall. He also sits nicely propped on a shelf or kitchen cupboard. He has quickly become one of my favorite creations!

And these two piece acorns are so fun and easy to make. They have been a great seller for me! I've also include my one piece acorns in two different sizes. These make great little tucks to use in your gatherings, on wreaths or to hang on a tree.

Watch for a sneak peak of my Christmas prims tomorrow! Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! ~~Annie

MORE Added To My Fall Launch!

2011-08-03T17:13:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm been busy the last couple of days adding lots of new items to my website! So, day two of my FALL LAUNCH was filled with lots of new candle mats as well as some table linens.

And new this year are my ready-to-use quilted bags!

I've added a large variety of these bags, many perfect for the upcoming fall and Christmas season. They are all adorned with hanging rusty bells tied to jute and pinned to the bag, as well as a prim tag for you to personalize your bag. All bags are 8 inches wide by 9 inches long and have a wire hanger on the back. Add your own greenery, some pip berries and some of your favorite seasonal primitive tucks. Great for use as a door greeter, wall hanging or prop on a cupboard shelf!

And today I've added about a dozen items in my Attic Finds category. I've decorated a few of these items, but all can be easily removed if you wish to use in a different manner.

And there are still some nice Halloween and Harvest Thyme pieces to choose from! So drop on by Olde Annie Primitives to see all our new items. And I'm not finished yet!! ~~Annie

FALL PRIMS ARE HERE!

2011-08-01T11:20:00.001-07:00

All new fall and Halloween primitives have just been listed at Olde Annie Primitives.

Come join the festivities at our annual FALL LAUNCH! New items will be added daily!

Today we're starting the launch packed with Halloween and Harvest Tyme creations. We will be adding all new Christmas primitives, candle mats, pin keeps, attic finds and more throughout the week.

And last will be all our new tucks and ornies for the holiday season, as well as some past favorites!

So make sure to drop by Olde Annie Primitives today for our annual Fall Launch! ~~Annie

Isn't He The Cutest!!

2011-07-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

I entered my first giveaway in several months and won this adorable little scarecrow ornie! Cyndy, over at Crafty Stitchers made this little fellow. She was so generous to choose a second name for her Scarecrow Nodder giveaway and offered this wonderful scarecrow tuck. I just LOVE him! I was so lucky she chose my name as I am a bit of a scarecrow collector and love decorating with scarecrows from September till Thanksgiving! Whenever I tend to buy handmade items at fall craft shows or on line, they always tend to be scarecrow for fall and snowmen for Christmas! So this little fellow will have a good home. And come September he will meet his family of fellow scarecrows! Cyndy is such a talented artist. If you get a chance make sure to head over to her blog, Crafty Stitchers, to check out her handy work! Thank you so much Cyndy!!

Well, I am getting ready for my FALL LAUNCH over on my website. I've been working so hard and have lots of new and cute things I can't wait to show you. So, make sure to check back on August 1st for all new fall, Halloween and Christmas primitives, new candle mats, Christmas table linens, pin keeps and some great attic finds! Hope to see you then! ~~Annie

Camping in Oregon...and Dealing With Past Memories!

2011-07-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

My daughter is currently between jobs and was down for a visit last week. So she, my youngest son and I decided to head down to Oregon and do a little camping. Hubby and oldest son had to work, so we left them behind. I gave Harley specific instructions to watch over them well! LOL!
We decided to camp down at the Corvallis-Albany KOA. Among other things, three things I love visiting are waterfalls, covered bridges and lighthouses. And this campground was situated smack dab in the middle for us to visit all!

I've always been a camper and love to rough it. I love the campfires and the weeny roasts....
And I especially love the s'mores! YUM!! This is Justin and Katie enjoying them as well!

On Saturday we drove to Silver Falls State Park. This park boasts 10 beautiful waterfalls in about a 7-mile hike. The hike involved quite a bit of climbing and descending, but I must say that I held my own with my kids! Here are a few of the falls we saw on the trail.
For the past 5 years this park has only been a bad memory for me, and this trip helped me to deal with that awful day. My oldest son and I came down here fives years ago, almost to the day. We had spent a few days over on the Olympic Peninsula here in Washington, hiking up in Olympic National Park. Then we drove down to Oregon for a few days, camping in the very same KOA we did this past weekend. On our last day there we decided to go to Silver Falls State Park to hike the waterfalls. On the very first falls, we had hiked down to the falls and behind them. As we were continuing on the other side of the falls we came upon a wet area. I remember telling Sean to be careful. As soon as we got off the wet area and onto the dry part, Sean suddenly went down, yelling in pain. I kept telling him to get up...he'd be okay! He tried but couldn't. People who had been right there when he fell said they had heard a loud "snap" when he went down. A group of people who were from Korea visiting family in Portland stayed with us while one of them ran for help. This was no short run! If you look at the photo below, we were over on the opposite side just as the trail starts to sharply go downward. Look behind the falls...those tiny dots are people, so this gives you an indication of how far away we were from the entrance to the trail. And if you click on the photo to enlarge it you can actually see two tiny people walking in the very place where Sean went down. Well, after what seemed an eternity, the guy returned and said the park rangers would be coming down with an ATV. As they sat him on the back of the ATV, the first thing I noticed was his left foot, flopped over to the side. I knew then it was broken! And here I was trying to make him get up and "walk it off"! He STILL reminds me about that! LOL! Getting him back up was no easy task as it was all uphill and there were quite a few sharp switchbacks. The ATV was large and heavy as it had a little cab on the back. At each one of the switchbacks, they would have to help Sean off the ATV, and then pick the back of the heavy ATV up and swing the back around around as it couldn't make the sharp turns. Then they would get Sean back on the back. At the time, Sean was 100 pounds heavier than he is today! The trail was very steep, so they were having to help the ATV by pushing it most of the way up. The entire time this Korean family stayed with me, the men helping push the ATV and getting Sean on and off. The women were there for much needed moral support. I was so thankful for all of them!
Once we got to the top, the rangers instructed me where I needed to drive to pick Sean up...they had taken him to a building in an area off limits to park guests. I thanked the Korean family with all my heart and then drove to the restricted area to pick up Sean. After filling out some paperwork they told me how to get to the town of Silver Falls, where there was a hospital. During all this time I kept trying to call my husband. Well, he had taken my youngest son to a movie that afternoon and he had no cell phone with him. I tried calling my daughter and couldn't get her either. So I was all alone dealing with this. Our campsite was an hour back in the opposite direction. I knew I would have to drive back, tear down camp and then drive back over four hours that night to get home. In the meantime we were now dealing with everything at the hospital and I STILL couldn't get in touch with my husband. They set Sean's foot and said he would need surgery. I told them I would take him home and deal with that there. After several hours in the emergency room and one of the most stressful days in my life, we started heading back to the campground, driving the two lane country roads. It was already 6 o'clock and I knew I had at least an hour back to the campground and then would have to tear everything down and pack up the car. But that wasn't the last of my stress. As I was driving the two lane country road I came upon a couple of stopped cars as the people were quickly hopping out. As I drove by, I saw a motorcycle in a ditch smoking. Next to it I saw a guy lying face down. The accident had just happened! It didn't look good and it was a terrible ending to an already terrible day. I learned later that the man had not survived. Sean was in the back seat with his eyes closed. I didn't say a word as I continued to drive. Any other day I would have stopped to help, but today I had my own issues to deal with. It was weeks later that I even told Sean about that accident.

So, this trip last weekend helped me to deal with those memories in that I was able to relive it in a sense by showing others what had happened and where it had happened. Over the years that stressful day eventually made way for some lighthearted stories. We can look back at it now with even a few laughs. And Katie decided to add a few more laughs to our stories by recreating that day!
Silly girl! I knew exactly where it had happened as the water still runs over this section! Fortunately, we had no mishaps on this trip! It was a wonderful day and a wonderful weekend. Beautiful blue skies the entire three days and very pleasant temperatures for the hike! Not quite how he went down, but I'll have to say, Sean got a chuckle from the recreation!

We then drove to view the various covered bridges in the area. They are so interesting, many dating back to the early 1900's.
It was fun driving the country roads searching for them. Fortunately, we had a little map we'd gotten at the campground.
And on the last day there we decided to drive over to the Oregon coast. There are so many lighthouses along the Highway 101 drive. This is the Heceta Lighthouse.
And finally, I had to get a picture of this guy. This is a huge sea lion basking in the sun on a huge rock below. From our viewpoint...and from this photo, he looked like a little slug down there!
We had a great time camping and got back on Monday. Katie will be moving out of her apartment in a couple of weeks and then staying with us for a couple of weeks. In mid August I will be traveling with her to help her move to Grand Rapids, Michigan. She will be working for the newspaper there for a nine month internship. While I'm looking forward to the trip to Michigan with her, I am not looking forward to her being so far away from home for the next nine months! I only hope she will head back this way afterward.

I will be back next week after another camping trip. This time it will be with my older son, Sean. We haven't decided where we're going yet, but pray for no broken bones this time!! :)) See 'ya then!~~Annie

WHY I LOVE AMERICA!

2011-07-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

As we celebrate the birth of our nation, I'd like to take a minute to reflect on this great country we live in! Not only are we fortunate to live in a country where we can enjoy our freedom, but we live in a country filled with so much beauty. Having lived on both the east coast and the west coast, and a couple of points in between, I have had the opportunity to visit almost every state in the country. While some sites may be of grand proportions others may be quite subtle. I am a lover of nature. I enjoy the unique, I enjoy the odd, I enjoy the spectacular and I enjoy the simple. I love beauty and I believe there is beauty everywhere you look! I also believe that beauty begins within, and to be able to see the beauty you have to be able to experience it. And I believe that different people see beauty in different things. I also think there are many who have difficulty seeing the beauty in many things. I feel so bad for those people, for they have no idea what they are missing! I can honestly say that I have no desire to visit other countries. There is simply so much here I have yet to see!

I love the beauty in every flower!

I love the wheat fields and the abandon homes of days gone by!

I love the waters...whether they be blue, brown, white or even GREEN!

I love the eerie look of the moss covered trees.

I love the beautiful skies and the uniqueness of every sunset!

I love the calm waters!

And the rough seas!

I love the lighthouses, whether perched atop the rouged cliffs....

Or sitting atop the sandy beaches!

I love the uniqueness of every tree!

And the grandeur of every mountain!

I love the farmlands!

And the countryside!

I love the snow covered mountains!

And the tree lined streets!

I love the old, forgotten barns!

I love the beauty of each and every waterfall, no matter how large...

or how small!

But mostly, I love the freedom to be able to travel this country, finding something new around every bend! I hope you love this country the way I do! And I hope you have found some beauty here today! Please stay safe and enjoy your holiday weekend! God Bless America! ~~Annie

SALESALESALE

2011-06-30T22:47:00.000-07:00

That's right! I'm having a sale on my Olde Annie Primitives website! For the month of July, EVERYTHING in my store is 25% off! That includes my epatterns, as well! I'm cleaning up and making room for my August launch of Harvest, Halloween and Christmas primitives. So head on over and see if there's a bargain waiting for you! Just type in SALE in the voucher code to receive your discount. Hope to see you there! ~~Annie

This is it!?? Maybe! Aah...Who Knows!!

2011-06-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

That's me...playing "Scarecrow" from The Wizard of Oz! I just can't seem to make up my mind these days!

I think I'm about done for summer prims. This is about all that is left on my website and I think I'm going to move on to fall and Christmas. I love this bag made from a cutter quilt in mostly navy and red ticking. There's a strip of green print in there as well. I've tucked three stained/natural sunflowers in the bag, along with some brown and navy pip berries and a little greenery. Makes a nice little wall hanging or sit it on a cupboard shelf. Just $14.95 over on my website.

And for you bird lovers out there, here's a OOAK hanging that would look nice in your prim kitchen! I've taken a vintage curved grater and attached two of my prim cardinals to the front, along with some yellow pip berries, preserved sweet annie and some dark brown moss. The hanging is finished off with a stained yellow homespun bow and a rusty bell pinned to it. This piece is only $11.95!

I may list a few new summer items over there, but chances are this will be it. I'm thinking about possibly doing a Christmas in July. Or I may just wait and launch both my fall and Christmas items on August 1st! I am just SO indecisive these days! Stay tuned...who knows WHAT I'll end up doing! :) ~~Annie

A Couple of Summertime Pieces

2011-06-17T18:20:00.001-07:00

I finally picked my butt up off the recliner and decided to do a little sewing. Well, I haven't been THAT bad. I've been busy elsewhere lately. With all the end of school activities going on, some days I don't know if I'm coming or going. Our school year runs so much later than most. Last day isn't until next Wednesday. And......I've actually started going to the gym with my husband and oldest son. Every day this week, in fact! And my body is surely feeling it! It's really amazing what a little exercise can do for the mind frame, though. Cross your fingers for me and wish me luck to continue!

I just finished up a couple of summer pieces. I have many things in the making and hope to get a few more items listed this week. Both pieces are listed on my Olde Annie Primitives website.

We are just now getting our spring and I'm FINALLY getting out in the yard for some much needed cleanup. I haven't even planted any flowers yet! What a strange year this has been! Sure hope summer is being better to you all. ~~Annie

Junkin' The Weekend Away!

2011-06-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to get this post finished for almost a week now. But between filling orders and end of school year activities, seems it kept getting pushed to the back burner!

Seems the older I get the more spontaneous I become. I no longer like to "plan" for the big vacations or long weekends. (I leave that to hubby now.) When I get the urge, I just want to hop into my car and drive! So, it was little wonder that last weekend became a spontaneous decision to drive down to Portland with hubby for an overnight stay. Our original plans were to drive over to Spokane to attend The Farm Chicks Antique Show. But on Friday night I had to work at our elementary school's carnival. And after four hours of non stop walking, lifting and bending, I knew I'd be in no shape to get up bright and early and drive across state. I would have been happy to sleep in on Saturday morning altogether, but hubby was already geared to go SOMEWHERE! So Portland it would be. Weird and wacky Portland! Besides, I needed a "fabric fix" at my FAVORITE store! The Fabric Depot is the largest fabric store in the country. And it's less than three hours away!! So a trip to Portland is NEVER too far in my future!

After many, many months of rain and cold and rain and rain, we had a gorgeous weekend. The sun was shining bright and there wasn't a speck of white in the sky. We had a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier as we were leaving. Not a bad shot as I was driving down the road!

With the gorgeous day came a perfect view of Mt. St. Helen's as we approached the halfway point to Portland. As many times as I have driven this route, this is only the third time I've had clear enough skies to see this beautiful view. Can you imagine what it must have looked liked before she blew her top?

And of course, Portland has it's own beautiful mountain, and she was out shining bright. We stopped at a roadside view point to get this beautiful shot of Mt. Hood, with the Willamette Falls in the foreground.

We ended up actually staying just across the river from Portland on the Washington side. Our hotel was right on the river and we had a beautiful view. I enjoyed watching the tall sailboats come through and watching the "lift" bridge go up and down. Geez, the simple things that will keep me occupied!

But even better...we were in walking distance of Joe's Crab Shack. We don't have those up here in Seattle, so when we're down there it's our favorite place to eat. Here's hubby getting ready to dive into his pot of crab. I think I might need to get a few of those "bibs" for ALL of his meals! Sure would save me on those stain sticks! That's what happens when old age comes a creepin'! hehe! And by the look on his face, I think that may have been what I had just said to him!

But the majority of our two days down there were spent rummaging through antique and junk stores throughout the Portland area. I don't know, but I think the folks in Portland have a hard time parting with their antiques. That's the only reason I can see for the high prices on everything. I mean...I am ALWAYS shopping for certain items up here and know what I'm looking for and know what I've paid in the past. So when I see things for twice...even three times as much as what I'm use to paying...well, maybe they know something about their antiques that no one else knows! LOL! But I did manage to scrounge up a few things, so it wasn't a total wash.

I've always loved birdhouses and I like decorating a bit shabby, so I was pleased to find this tall steeple bird house at a great price. I think my favorite piece, though, is the bright yellow enamel water pitcher. This one's a sure keeper and will soon have some nice fresh flowers displayed in it!

I love this piece...but can ANYONE tell me what it might have been!!

Here are some great pieces that I will use in my OOAK pieces. All are either enamelware or rusty pieces.

I was so excited to find these buttons. She had them marked down to 50 cents a card!! Most are shanks that I will use on my 3-tiered pin keeps. The others will be used as cat and bunny eyes.

And finally, when we got home on Sunday evening this is what we were rewarded to. In preparation of our upcoming holiday...I call this our "Patriotic Sky"! I've seen some beautiful sunsets out here, but this one was just so unique. Don't think I've ever seen it so vibrant! And then it was gone in an instant!
And now I'm gone in an instant! Have a great week! ~~Annie

Harley Hoo Hahs!

2011-06-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

I never know where Harley will pop up. I started removing items so I could dust my sideboard, and before I could even get everything off he had jumped up there and plopped his little bottom right on top. With all the chairs and blankets and sofas and cat beds throughout our home, you'd think he'd have lots of soft places to sit, lie and sleep. So what's up with him just lying and sleeping on all the hard furniture!

Seems he's gotten into the habit now of jumping up on my chair arm, then hopping up onto the fireplace mantel. He especially likes it when the clock up there starts to chime!

When he tires of that spot, he hops over to lie on top of the entertainment center.He enjoys listening to the baseball game, but if he doesn't like the way the game is going, he definitely lets them know! "He was OUT by a mile!"
And when he misbehaves, I make him sit in the corner!

Harley, turn around...nose in the corner, please!

Harley says hi, and wants you to know HE doesn't misbehave...not really! He just likes to perch himself up on top of the speaker to keep an eye on US!

Well, we are FINALLY getting some spring around here! It's a beautiful weekend and hubby and I are enjoying a little weekend getaway. I hope to have some great pictures to share with you all! I got my sunglasses out and wiped off all the dust from a long and dreary winter AND spring! Hope the blue skies are here to stay! ~~Annie

A Few New Summer Prims!

2011-05-29T17:15:00.001-07:00

Sure hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend! My hubby is doing all the cooking this weekend, so you KNOW I'm having a good one! He just bought a new "toy"...a huge grilling machine. So I don't feel one bit guilty letting him do ALL THE WORK! LOL!

I just finished up a few new prims. I said I was done with the red, white and blue. Well...I lied! hehe! I just love doing Americana and can't seem to quit! Here are a couple of new pieces. I REALLY must move on. I have so many ideas clogging my brain. At least, I THINK that's what's clogging it!

And finally, I just wanted to wish you all a beautiful, fun and safe Memorial Day weekend! Hope you have someone cooking for YOU! ~~Annie

Don't Miss This Giveaway!

2011-05-25T23:27:00.001-07:00

When you find a good thing, you stick with it. When I found Connie's tarts, candles and linen sprays over at Ye Olde Candle Cubbard, I knew I'd never love another! LOL! So when I saw she was having a giveaway over on her website, I just had to share it with you all. She doesn't have a blog, so she's offering this giveaway of wonderful tarts in her shop. It's very simple...just hop on over there, click on the button and drop her an email to enter! Besides all her wonderful products, Connie is the sweetest lady to work with! So hurry on over...her drawing is June 10th! Good luck...or maybe not! I want to win! hehe! ~~Annie

Americana in the Making!

2011-05-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

Just listed these new Americana items over at Olde Annie Primitives.

Drop on by and see my "new do", as well! Thanks! ~~Annie

I'm Back! Come Check Out What I've Been Up To!

2011-05-13T14:44:00.001-07:00

Hello friends! Since Easter I've been busy doing some spring cleaning. We had family visit us from Chicago last week. And what better motivation to get the house sparkling clean than to have house guests! Now that they have left, I hope I can keep it this way for a bit. But since they've left I've gotten back into my sewing. Now...if I could just learn how to keep all of my fabrics and supplies and finished pieces all in ONE place! But I'm sure many of you know that the crafting can get scattered about in different rooms. At least that's how it is here! But I'm trying....!

I had some things I'd started a while back and just finished a few of those up yesterday and today. I still have a few more to finish. I think that will be about it for the red, white and blue. I'll probably start working on some year round prims next, as well as start on some things for Christmas in July. Wow! Can't believe summer is just around the corner, but then, we still haven't had our SPRING around here! GEEZ! I sure hope summer will be good to us up here!

I hope you all have had a better spring than we've had in the Pacific Northwest. And I hope none of you have experienced any of the harsh weather that has swept across the country in recent weeks. It really makes my complaining about the rain and the cold quite trivial!

I've been enjoying making a few patriotic/Americana items. And new this year are my strawberry gatherings. I have a few of those still to come.

All the items above have just been listed on my website. Hope you'll drop by to check out these and other items I have listed, as well as the new items I will be adding in the next few days. Oh...and check out the cute kitties I found recently while out thrifting!

These are so nice and very detailed. They are made of a nice vinyl, nicely painted, and the bottoms are weighted for sitting nicely on a shelf or table. They are also listed on my website.

I'll try not to stay away so long next time! Thanks for visiting! ~~Annie

HAPPY EASTER!

2011-04-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

Just popping in to wish everyone a wonderful Easter! ~~Annie

WHAT BEAUTY! And I'm Ready to Go Back!!

2011-04-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

Aloha! Just looking at the photo above makes me want to hop the next plane back to Hawaii's Big Island! We had the most wonderful time in a most beautiful place last week! The sunset above was on our first night there. Come join me in reliving our way-too-short vacation!

The view from our deck. We stayed at King's Land, a Hilton resort about 25 miles north of Kona on the west side of the island.

Our first day there we drove into Kona and had lunch at Bubba Gump Fish Co. What a fun place, and the food was great. I loved this sign hanging inside.

We drove over to the east side of the island one day, visiting a tropical rain forest where we saw several of these unique trees. That's my daughter Katie.

This beautiful waterfall was along the same trail.

As we were leaving the rain forest, I had to get a picture of this pretty lone tree. It made us think of The Lion King!

From there we drove on to Hilo. There we rummaged through an outdoor combination flea/farmer's market. I couldn't believe how cheap all the produce was here! This was also a great place to pick up t-shirts, Hawaiian shirts and lots of other souvenirs! The only thing I really found to be overly expensive on our trip was the gas! It averaged $4.50 a gallon!

From there we drove on to Volcano National Park. Unfortunately, the lava wasn't flowing, but it's was still a most interesting place!We drove to a point where the road has been permanently closed because of the lava flow. This beautiful "bench" has been formed by the lava flow.

This is the caldera. We could only see steam during the day. Had we stayed until after sunset we could have seen the glow from the lava inside.

On another day we drove up to the northwest corner of the island. What a beautiful drive that day!

My oldest son was happy to see how "green" Hawaii is! Along with this wind turbine farm we saw lots of homes and businesses with solar panels. He is our energy conservationist and this made him very happy!

Don't these trees look like they are walking across the lawn! I just loved them!

This was the farthest point northwest near Hawi. The road ends here at Pololu Valley Lookout. There are actually a couple of old small houses that overlook this view. Can you imagine waking up to this every day!!!

On our last day there we drove back to Kona. We HAD to have some shave ice! We fell in love with shave ice when we lived in Utah! YUM...WILD CHERRY!!

I had seen this tree on the main strip on our first day at Kona and fell in love with it! Was finally able to get a picture of it. Across the street the waves were constantly splashing up over the wall onto the street and the cars going by.

We were finally able to watch the surfers. Waves had not been good the first day we were there. They were pretty good on our last day and there were at least 20 surfers out there. I think my daughter could definitely become a surfer chick! LOL!

And our last night in Hawaii I was able to get another beautiful sunset!

Oh, how I want to go back already! I loved the openness of everything. I noticed this immediately when we walked off the plane directly onto the tarmack and into the outside terminal. The walkways were covered, as were the various shops you find at airport terminals, but everything was outside, surrounded by palm trees and tropical plants! This was also the case upon our arrival to the resort. Check in area and seating was all covered, but open to the outside. And each night when we ate out, we always chose to eat outside among the tiki torches and beautiful plants! I also loved the beautiful flowers, many on plants as high as the trees. And the sweet smell of the island!! People seemed to be so happy over there and eager to please. This was our first trip to Hawaii. I could never live over there as it is too confining for this driving maniac! But I can't wait to visit again!

Hope you enjoyed reminiscing with me! So glad you dropped by today! Mahalo! ~~Annie

New OOAK Pin Keeps!

2011-03-30T00:10:00.000-07:00

Been working on a few new one of a kind pin keeps! I just love making these! Well, what I REALLY love is going to all the thrift stores to find unusual and unique pieces to make them in. I have a shelf full of these finds and can't wait to start working on more! And I DO love picking out the perfect fabric for each piece.

This one is so simple, yet so unique. Love the punch of the colors in this fabric against the white starfish shape.

And this one has a touch of elegance to it!

This unique piece is a tiny metal pail. The fabric I used is a vintage piece with pears on it. Love the size of this piece!

I love pottery and I love the colors in this piece. But I really like the practicality this pin keep offers. Bottom of piece makes a nice little "caddy" for loose buttons or safety pins.

I've had these made for weeks now but they've been tucked away waiting to get their pictures taken, waiting for a little attention. Finally decided today to quit neglecting them! All these and a few more can be found over on my website! Drop on by and check out a few other new items I've just listed, as well.

Thanks for dropping by today! Hope you're all having a wonderful week! ~~Annie

New Americana Pattern

2011-03-24T00:05:00.001-07:00

Just listed this fun and easy Americana wall hanging Epattern. Check out either my website or my pattern shop over to the right for more info.

I hope to have many more patterns finished in the next week or two. I'm trying to get caught up with orders and then I'll be closing shop for a couple of weeks in April. Going on a big vacation with hubby and our three kids. Can't wait to bask in the sun. Just hope this poor old pale body can take the sun after a winter of RAIN, RAIN, RAIN!

HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE! ~~Annie

New Spring and Easter Patterns

2011-03-09T11:56:00.001-08:00

The new spring patterns above are listed and available either in my Homespun Annie Pattern Shop or in my Olde Annie Primitives shop. Watch for new patterns below coming later this week!

Summertime, and the livin's easy...

2011-03-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

Fooled you all, didn't I? Just so you know, it's really not summer yet. (Although I DO have a few Aussie followers.) Heck, it's not even springtime yet! But this song reminds me so much of the south and my childhood. And over the weekend, my husband and I traveled back to those times, if only for an afternoon.

Knowing my southern roots, Kristine, from Beyond the Attic Door, told me about a southern restaurant down in Tacoma that she use to drive by when she lived there. The restaurant, Southern Kitchen, was featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Well, since hubby and I are always trekking out on the weekends for new breakfast joints, and since I'm always looking for new antique and junk shops to explore, I decided to combine the two and head "down south". South about 25 miles, that is!

After my GPS took me down my back, around my waist, and then back up my back again, we finally found this diner. Some may even call it a dive. I called it "HOME"! We sat down, took one look at the menu and decided "No breakfast for us!" For on the menu we saw a whole conglomeration of nothing but good ol' southern food. There were collard greens, and fried okra, there were candied yams and homemade macaroni and cheese. Buttered corn and mashed potatoes. Black eyed peas and red beans and rice. And there were HUSH PUPPIES! And we hadn't even gotten to the meats! Matter of fact, we never did! We both went with a four veggie plate and ordered a big ol' basket of HUSH PUPPIES! Wasn't long before they brought out our quart size mason jars of SWEET tea, our basket of HUSH PUPPIES and our plates of nothing but "sides". As we both sat there eating, our grins spreading from ear to ear, I was reminded of something I'd heard here recently and realized the total truth in it. Most of the people in this world eat to live. But people in the south LIVE TO EAT! As I munched on the collard greens, I could just see that big bowl sitting on top of my mother's stove. I could see the round cornmeal dumplings nestle among the greens with the new potatoes she had boiled with the rest sitting on top. As much as I loved those collard greens, these were every bit as good! And I couldn't help but hold back a tear as I was reminded of those days. Food has a way of stirring up memories for me. And as I was getting up to leave, the lady whose picture I'd seen up on the wall standing next to Guy Fieri came over and asked how everything had been. I told her that I had died, gone to heaven, and my mama was cooking for me once again! She told me "thank you" and then reached over and gave me a big hug. Now THAT'S the SOUTH for you! I left with a TO GO box filled with homemade peach cobbler. Needless to say, my car will be making that trek again and again! Next time I can't wait to bring home the sweet 'tater pie!

See y'all later! ~~Annie

...Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy's rich
And your mama's good lookin'
So, hush little baby
Honey, don't you cry.

Absolutely, Positively NOTHING!!

2011-02-28T22:49:00.000-08:00

Hello all! My posts seem to be getting fewer and farther between. I wish I could come in and tell you all the latest exciting news in my life. But I can't. The truth of the matter is my life is not that all exciting. And I like it that way! Oh, it was exciting last week when we got our first snow of the year.

But snow is snow and most of you have had way more that you've ever dreamed of this winter!

I could show you all my latest creations!

But that's what I did my last two posts! And you're more than welcome to drop by my website to see those for yourself!

I could show you the inside of my home.

But truth is, I haven't made any changes since the last time I showed you.

I could show you some of my latest junkin' finds!

But I haven't been hitting the road much lately.

I haven't won any giveaways...or even entered any in a good while. So nothing to talk about or show you there. No swaps or round robins either. Heck...even Harley hasn't done anything cute lately!

I don't have the winter blues, even though it may sound that way. I'm a pretty happy and upbeat kind of person.

So what is it that has given cause for this post? Nothing! No, literally...NOTHING! There is just nothing overly exciting happening right now. And I'm perfectly fine with that!

But the problem is, I've only had four posts this year. Folks, that's averaging just 2 posts a month (I was pretty good in math). So, since I didn't have anything exciting to post about, I decided to come in and post about absolutely NOTHING!

Gee, I don't want you all to FORGET me. And I don't want to forget all the many friends I've made on here. So, along with posting about nothing, I thought I'd also come in to say a simple hi to you all. And maybe, in a couple of weeks, I'll have a little more of nothing to say! Hugs to you all! ~~Annie

Spring Is In The Air...New Spring Prims!

2011-02-17T13:41:00.000-08:00

Sure hope winter has calmed down for many of you! We woke up to a light blanket of snow this morning! But despite the dusting, spring is definitely in the air! I just launched my spring and Easter prims over on my Olde Annie Primitives website! Here are a few new items from me this year. But there's lots more, so make sure to drop by to check 'em out. I still have lots of gatherings to list as well as several spring bags and wall pockets.

Love the colors in these butterflies! More are coming in different prints!

These are the sweetest little bunnies! I hope to get the pattern for these listed soon!

My hopping bunny make do...such fun, with a small burst of spring color!

Just love this big bunny sitter made from an old vintage coverlet.

One of three of my wall hangings. My originals have sold, but I'm now offering these as special orders! Lots of fun colors for spring and Easter!

My newest pattern is for my spring tulips. These are so much fun and add wonderful color to your spring home! Make in colors to suit your needs. Pattern has two leaf options. Now offered on my website and in my Homespun Annie Pattern Shop.

I've started listing all my spring and Easter tucks and ornies over on my website and will soon start listing them in my Etsy shop. I have several new ones still to come.

AND...I will finally be getting another newsletter out this week! If you aren't signed up to receive my newsletter, make sure to head over to the right sidebar to sign up. I will be drawing several names this month for free ornies. Plus, there will be freebies and specials!

And finally, I always have to end with a hello from Harley. I had taken off the items on top of my sideboard to take some pics of my candle mats last night. Guess Harley couldn't resist the empty space. Makes a pretty nice tchotchke, don't you think?

31 DAYS UNTIL SPRING! WOOHOO!! ~~Annie

Hearts, Hearts, Hearts!

2011-01-17T17:43:00.000-08:00

Just finished up the last of my Valentine prims. I'm now looking toward spring and Easter creations. I can't wait to start on those...got to get these ideas OUT of my head! You can find these offered on my Olde Annie Primitives website.

And below are a few Valentine heart tucks listed in my Etsy shop.

Hope winter is being kind to everyone! But it doesn't really sound like it has been! We're getting loads of rain and lots of flooding around here! My poor Harley is so done with this weather! He loves going outside, but when I open the door and he's hit with a blast of wind or rain, he quickly changes his mind. I am up and down with him all day...with his crying to go out and then changing his mind! Every now and then he just gets a little "boot" out the door! LOL! Poor Harley!
So needless to say, Harley has been lounging around the house a lot more these days! But I DO enjoy his company! ~~Annie

Baking Bread and a FUNNY Story!

2011-01-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

My son has been on a health kick lately, having lost over 100 pounds now! He won't let anything he deems unhealthy touch his lips, and all his fruits and vegetable must be organic. While this is a very good wagon to be riding, I haven't quite gotten on board. I can't help it...I'm a Paula Deen kind of gal! Well, he will only shop at Whole Foods, and I say, as long as he can afford it, go for it!

Well, his current craze is making his own bread and for Christmas he received a recipe book for making your own bread in a bread machine. His having little experience with cooking from scratch, or at least from a recipe, I told him I would help him make his first loaf of bread. I have a bread machine and many of the ingredients he would need. I told him to pick out a simple bread and to read off the ingredients. Then, I would tell him what I had and didn't have and he could make his list. Well, turned out the bread he chose was NOT simple, and I had very few ingredients he called out. But he HAD to make this bread because it sounded so healthy! So off we went to Whole Foods with his list in hand. We searched for the first ingredient on his list...wheat bran...and found it. Then rye flour, unsweetened dutch cocoa, and a few others. Finally we got to the last ingredient...Plus. I had not heard of this ingredient before and suspected it might be a liquid...then remembered that was "Sure" I was thinking of! LOL! So we looked up and down the grocery aisles. Eventually we came upon two stock clerks and another gentleman who looked to be their manager. They eagerly asked if they could help us and I told them what I was looking for. I explained we were baking bread from an all healthy cook book and felt that Whole Foods would have this ingredient. They proceeded to help us in our search, one stock clerk looking in the baked goods section and the other going back to look on their computer. The manager even pulled his phone out and started searching for this ingredient on there! He found a Plus flour of some sorts, but they didn't carry it. After their efforts came up empty, I kindly thanked them for all their trouble and told my son we would check the recipe to see how much it called for. If a little amount, I was sure we could leave it out.

So when we got home, my son turned to the recipe and told me it only called for 2 tablespoons Plus. I figured that would be fine to leave it out. I decided, though, to look through the pages of this book to see if they discussed their ingredients. They did and I found several things in there I'd never heard of, but did not find Plus. So I went back to the recipe so we could start our bread. I started reading off the ingredients so my son could add them to the bread machine. Water, molasses, bread flour, rye flour. I then I got to it...the infamous product! When I read it I immediately thought of the effortless help those three men had given us at the grocery store, looking for this unknown product for what must of been 10 minutes of their precious time! And then, it was all I could do to contain my laughter! For there it was....written just as below....

2 tablespoons plus
881 teaspoon wheat bran

THAT was the "plus" we were looking for! You can rest assured that from now on whenever we make a new loaf of bread, I will be making the grocery list! And if I ever see those men in Whole Foods again, I will be hiding my red face!
~~Annie

New Prims for the New Year!

2011-01-03T04:25:00.000-08:00

Well, the vacation is over and I'm back sewing! I really don't like creating for Valentine's Day! I mean, not a whole lot more to come up with than hearts, hearts, hearts! So guess I have to change them around a bit to get a little variety. Wont' be doing a lot for Valentine's Day, but just thought I'd share a few of what I just finished up.

Hope the new year has gotten off to a wonderful start for everyone! Tomorrow I start taking down the decorations. Seems like only yesterday I was putting them up! But I'm ready to move on, do a little cleaning and a little rearranging! Change is good! ~~Annie

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-12-31T10:59:00.000-08:00

Hope you all have a happy, healthy and prosperous

NEW YEAR!
~~Annie

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-24T19:47:00.001-08:00

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A MOST JOYOUS HOLIDAY SEASON! MAY IT BE FILLED WITH LOVE AND LAUGHTER...FRIENDS AND FAMILY! ~~Annie

Christmas...from my home to yours!

2010-12-20T18:06:00.000-08:00

I finally got a few pictures taken and wanted to share with you a little of my Christmas this year. I got a late start decorating and I am making a promise to myself to start earlier next year! I use to do my Christmas decorating on the weekend after Thanksgiving, but since I've started selling on line, seems the decorating is starting later and later each year. I PROMISE to do better next year. My youngest son is 13 and he will be out the door before I know it. He still enjoys all the traditions of Christmas. He keeps asking when we're going to do "this" and when we're going to do "that". So to him, I will keep my promise!

This is the first year my daughter will not be home before Christmas. I miss having her here, shopping, baking, decorating and most of all, wrapping my presents! But she is now a working young lady, having graduated from college last summer. With her schedule, she won't be home until Christmas Eve. And we're still waiting to hear if my oldest son will have to work on Christmas day. Christmases change as the children grow up and go on their own. It's a bit sad, but it IS life! I will have to get use to those changes!

I've enjoyed decorating this year (along with Harley's help!). With the help of my youngest son, as well as with his blessings, I boxed away many items that I no longer plan to use. I will save those boxes and maybe one day he, or my other two kids will want to use some things out of them. I have been leaning more towards a "handmade" Christmas. I really enjoyed the craft shows this year and picked up several new handmade items, as well as a few on line. But I haven't steered away from many of our traditional decorating, as well. Our mantel with my Christmas village and stockings remain the same...

I changed up the top of the piano this year. I really like how it turned out...

This is a little grouping sitting on top of an old sewing cabinet...

And finally, three of my four trees. This is our main tree that sits in the front window of our living room. We still get a fresh tree each year. We all loved this tree as soon as we saw it. Was probably the easiest year for finding a tree...EVER!

This little tree holds my hand painted ornaments...

And this is my new Vienna twig tree! This is my prim tree just outside my craft room. It holds ornies from different swaps, gifts, and those I've bought at craft shows and on line. I just love these Vienna twig trees, but this one is only a 4-foot tree and already filled. So next year I plan to buy a 6-foot twig tree and use this one for my hand painted ornies...
Christmas seems to come quicker and quicker each year and I am desperately trying to find a way to slow it down! (If anyone knows the secret, please fill me in!) I braved the post office today and I'm so glad the yearly shipping is behind me! I still have to get our Honey Baked ham, so that will be another line to stand in! A little more shopping and ALL the wrapping still left to do. That's where I REALLY MISS my daughter...she's always been my wrapper! And a little more baking still left to do. But it's all so much fun! I LOVE this time of year, despite it's hectic pace! It's definitely "THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!" ~~Annie

Some Great Gifts!

2010-12-12T01:42:00.000-08:00

I can't believe there's just two weeks left until Christmas! I've all but closed up shop for the holidays and I'm now enjoying the season. I've just now started my decorating....a little late this year. Guess that means I won't be taking it down until Valentine's Day! LOL!

I wanted to share with you some very special gifts I've received recently! First of all, I was so excited to hear I'd won a giveaway over on Sewing Grandma Lynn's blog! I won this wonderful rice bag!

These are such nice bags. They have a removable outer cover, so you can remove it for washing. And the bag works great! I know because I had to use it tonight. I've developed swimmer's ear, and my whole left side is aching. Could hardly eat my dinner tonight because it hurt so bad. So I warmed up the bag and laid it on my ear. It felt so much better! Lynn sells these wonderful bags on her selling blog, Raggy Anne Creations. Please go by and check out her shop. She has so many wonderful handmade items to offer!

Now when I saw the box from Lynn, it was awfully big for this rice bag alone. You can only imagine my surprise when I opened the box and pulled out this beautiful raggy quilt! Oh......my.......gosh!! I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it! The quilt is made using vintage fabrics from the 60's. The colors are perfect for my home! And it will look beautiful on my family room sofa! But Lynn...you shouldn't have! I've been helping put together Lynn's selling blog. I love playing around with blogs and have done several of these before. So I was all too happy to help Lynn with hers. But I definitely wasn't expecting this! Lynn...you really shouldn't have, but I DO so love it! Thank you, thank you! She sells lots of wonderful hand sewn items over at Raggy Anne Creations. I really hope you will drop by and check her shop out!

I also received a goody box from one of my wonderful customers! She is such a sweetheart to have done that! I tell you...I have some of the best customers! Anyway, look at these cute blocks and plaque she sent me. I just LOVE them all. The box also had some Christmas candy and a Scentsy smell good in it. I've displayed the "Merry Christmas" blocks and the "tis the Season" block in one of my cabinets, along with a little prim snowman and the cutest jolly fat Santa I had. You can see up in the top picture! The plaque is hanging on the wall in my kitchen.

And finally...this one is LONG overdue, but it is so beautiful, I just have to share. We did a fall swap in one of my groups and I was so fortunate that Chris of The Antique Pallet got my name! She sent me this wonderful hand painted scarecrow and the BEST smelling linen spray! Chris is such a talented artist. I have always loved her painting and have a few of her pieces. I feel so fortunate to have the pieces I have, because I never seem to get to her offerings before others do! You really need to check out this talented lady over at The Antique Pallet! Thank you so much Chris! You're the best!

I hope to finish up my decorations today! I'm changing up things a bit this year and can't wait to see the end result! I'll be back with some pics as soon as I can! ~~Annie

A Few More Goodies and I'm About DONE!

2010-11-18T15:22:00.000-08:00

It's been another busy selling season and I want to thank all my wonderful customers! You all mean so much to me and I really enjoy getting to know so many of you! I especially cherish my repeat customers and I love meeting new ones!

I'm winding down a bit so I can get ready for the Thanksgiving holiday! I truly enjoy the entire day, although I stay busy cooking much of it! I have a few more orders to get out and then I'll turn my attention to disaster repair! I DO believe a twister hit the inside of my house...at least that's what my husband keeps telling me!

Just wanted to share with you my latest listings. These are all over in my Olde Annie Primitives website. I have stopped selling my seasonal tucks (those that I make after purchase), although I do have several listed that are made and ready to ship. And I WILL be back listing a few things after the Thanksgiving weekend....for those last minute buyers!

I have been enjoying the craft shows around here and have a few good ones to attend tomorrow and Saturday. I'll be driving down to Lacey, about fifty miles from here, on the day after Thanksgiving to a really nice show down there. I've picked up a lot of fun stuff this year and will be back to share those with you. But I'll wait till after the last show of the season, The Victorian Country Christmas Show, which is the grand finale. It'll be the first weekend in December!

And just in case I don't make it back in here before next Thursday, I'd like to wish you all a safe and blessed Thanksgiving! Hugs to you all! ~~Annie

Barely Keeping My Head Above Water!

2010-11-09T19:33:00.000-08:00

So sorry I haven't been around lately! But IT IS that time of year! I've been busy with my tucks and ornies and trying to sneak in a few one of a kind pieces here and there. I love making gatherings and other shelf sitters. Here are a few pieces I just listed at Olde Annie Primitives.

This first piece is definitely a conversation piece. It's made from an old enamel spittoon! When I saw this piece, it brought back memories of the wonderful sweet old lady that lived beside us when I was growing up. She was known as Mammie by her grandchildren, and not having a grandmother of my own, I felt in many ways she was my own Mammie. Mammie was awfully afraid of thunderstorms and didn't like staying alone on those nights when the weather looked threatening. I would often stay over with her on those nights, often sleeping in the unheated spare bedroom, quilts piled halfway to the ceiling, listening to the sweet pitter patter of rain on the old tin roof. What I would give to go back to one of those nights! But before bed I would sit in the warm living room with Mammie, often doing my homework while she watched Gunsmoke or The Wild Wild West. Mammie took to dipping snuff at this time. She had her specially pruned and primed tree branch that she dipped into the snuff and held between her cheek and gums. Her spittoon was tucked to the side of her chair, just next to the wall. Mammie loved telling stories and I loved listening to them. I can still see her now, taking time between her numerous stories to take a spit now and then in that old spittoon of hers. Mammie would often make me my own tree branch along with my own little can of snuff. No....not HER snuff, but rather a concoction of cocoa and sugar she would mix up for me. That's probably the reason for my numerous dentist visits lately and why I just had to have a crown put on my back tooth! LOL! Mammie was a huge part of my childhood and she left such an impression on me back then. I love reminiscing about those days when she lived in the little tin roof house beside us! Isn't it wonderful how an old object can bring back such wonderful memories!

I loved this funnel...no memories for me there! LOL! But they make wonderful make-dos. And I DO love this old gray enamelware!

And one more enamel piece! I love the cream color of this old lid...and so nicely chipped! :)

And a few of my new tucks this season!

Hope fall has been good to you all. Hard to believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Hopefully I'll be back before then! :)
~~Annie

Is He Worried About His Weight...Or Does He Want To Leave Me?

2010-10-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

Well, Harley has missed you guys and wants you all to know he's doing well and still KING of his domain! He's mellowed out quite a bit and doesn't get into the mischief quite as much! But he still won't tell me if he was checking his weight here .... or hoping to be one of my next outgoing packages! (At 9 pounds, 8 ounces he's gonna ship at a hefty price!) So I'm asking my customers out there...if you open a package from me and a black furry ball hops out, please stick him in a box marked C.O.D and ship him back to me ! Appreciate that!
~~Annie :))

Oh Christmas Tree!

2010-10-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

It's a Winter Holiday Celebration at the Old Farmhouse Gathering! Just head over to Etsy and type in WHCOFG in your search!

I spent the better part of the weekend working on Christmas primitives. I got six items listed for the celebration last night. The tree up above has already sold, but I WILL be making more of those! I've started listing my Christmas tucks and ornies over in my website, as well as in my Etsy shop, although I'm still busy working on fall and Halloween. I hope to get to more of my one-of-a-kinds in the next couple of days.

Today is hubby's birthday and I still need to shop for him! Fortunately, his cake is made and sitting in the refrigerator. It's one of those 4 day sour cream cakes. YUMMY! He knows how busy I am with my orders, so we will just go to dinner tonight. But I've promised to make him his favorite meal this weekend!

Hope you enjoy the treasury I've made below! Please make sure to drop by and visit these talented artists for all your holiday shopping needs! ~~Annie

'Oh Christmas Tree!'

Ready to decorate that tree yet? From top to bottom and all places in between, the OFG Team has everything you need to get an early start on trimming your holiday tree!

Christmas Blessings Star Nod... valleyprimitiv... $14.00	Hand Painted Snowy Friends S... foxglovefolkar... $12.99
TWO SWEET LITTLE PRIM GINGER... harvestmoonpri... $10.95	ON SALE Primitive Vintage Sa... Rabbithollowpr... $9.00
Soft Sculpture Dove - Dawn, ... MotherlodeToad $20.00	Quilted Crazy Patch Christma... farmersattic $15.99
Prim Angel Ornament - Winter... tinsandtreasur... $7.00	Snowman Globe Ornament Primgal $7.95
SNOWMAN IN AN ICE SKATE PRIM... BeyondTheAttic... $11.99	Quilt Top Christmas Star Tuc... homespunannie $13.95
Primitive Holiday Ice Skates farmersattic $17.99	Moose Plant Poke...WHCOFG MotherlodeToad $15.00
Santa is Coming to Town barbsheartstro... $7.00	PRIMITIVE GRUNGY SNOWMAN SEE... harvestmoonpri... $14.99
And a Prim Bird in a Pine Tr... primitiveseaso... $8.99	Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas San... PioneerLoft $20.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Three Tiered Pin Keeps

2010-10-15T19:43:00.000-07:00

Olde Annie Primitives

No Lights...No Heat...No Problem!

I Need To Vent!

Old Farmhouse Gathering 50 Club

The Worst Is Over!

The View From My Window....and Some St. Patty's Day Prims

Eagle Watching Day Trip!

I'm Seeing HEARTS!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

FIND THE KITTY!

It's Christmastime! Hope You'll Drop By To Visit!

**SALE**SALE**SALE**

Check It Out...A Few Last Christmas Prims!

Monotony At Its Best...And A Few Of My Favorite Things!

Closing Shop!

NEW ITEMS ADDED for Old Fashion Christmas Craft Show!

Did Harley Actually KNOW??

Woohoo! It's Party Time!

Beautiful Weekend at the Lake! And FINALLY...a little Color!

Partners in Crime!

Please "Save the Date" for ORP's "Old Fashioned Online Christmas Craft Show"...!

BIG Mistake!!!!

Fall in the Pacific Northwest...If you can call it that!

I've Done It On An Airplane!

Getting Back to Some Normalcy!

Life Is But A Dream...

Christmas Sneak Peak!

New Fall and Halloween Patterns!

MORE Added To My Fall Launch!

FALL PRIMS ARE HERE!

Isn't He The Cutest!!

Camping in Oregon...and Dealing With Past Memories!

WHY I LOVE AMERICA!

***SALE***SALE***SALE***

This is it!?? Maybe! Aah...Who Knows!!

A Couple of Summertime Pieces

Junkin' The Weekend Away!

Harley Hoo Hahs!

A Few New Summer Prims!

Don't Miss This Giveaway!

Americana in the Making!

I'm Back! Come Check Out What I've Been Up To!

HAPPY EASTER!

WHAT BEAUTY! And I'm Ready to Go Back!!

New OOAK Pin Keeps!

New Americana Pattern

New Spring and Easter Patterns

Summertime, and the livin's easy...

Absolutely, Positively NOTHING!!

Spring Is In The Air...New Spring Prims!

Hearts, Hearts, Hearts!

Baking Bread and a FUNNY Story!

New Prims for the New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas...from my home to yours!

Some Great Gifts!

A Few More Goodies and I'm About DONE!

Barely Keeping My Head Above Water!

Is He Worried About His Weight...Or Does He Want To Leave Me?

Oh Christmas Tree!

Ready to decorate that tree yet? From top to bottom and all places in between, the OFG Team has everything you need to get an early start on trimming your holiday tree!

Three Tiered Pin Keeps

SALESALESALE

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