Spring is springing forth.

We still have some snow on the ground from the 30 inches that fell in mid February. My Handsome and I went to the mall a couple of days ago and I couldn't believe all the piles and piles of snow in the parking lot. At this rate it is going to be July 4th before it is all gone.

The days are warming up and of course that puts me in the mood to putter around in the yard. Mostly I am looking for any damage from the massive snow storm. Unfortunately my nandina bush looks quite damaged. I don't know if it will survive, only the warming days of spring will reveal that. The azalea bushes look iffy too. Although I planted the varieties that are recommended for our zone, they did not appreciate the cold they had to endure this winter.

Ahhh, Spring. Don't you love snooping around your garden to see what is peeking through? I do. This is the time of year I love to pull back the soggy leaves from fall and see what is emerging. I prune my roses and hydrangeas, I rake off some of the leaves and straw that kept a warm blanket on my flower beds for the winter. I transplant anything that is not happy with its location; that will be one hydrangea bush and an azalea plant if they survived the winter this year.

There is something beautiful about Spring, more than just the bulb plants popping up arrayed in all their gorgeous colors, but something beautiful touches my spirit this time of year. I am always mindful of God's goodness and His salvation; this time of year seems to really drive it home to me, to my very center. Moseying around my garden looking at all the different things pushing their way up out of the earth, seeing the once bare limbs of my hydrangeas and roses, the buds on the trees that seem to one day be just a bud and then before I can say "snap" it unfolds into a leaf, the dry brown grass giving way to a lush green carpet, it all speaks "Life" to me. Everything seems to be waking up from its winter rest. This event, where winter gives way to spring, reminds me that no matter what I am going through there will be a spring. Dark cold days of the soul will give way to the refreshing warm peaceful days of joy again. King Solomon expressed the times and season we experience in Ecclesiastes 3:




To everything there is a season, and
a time to every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born, and
a time to die;
a time to plant, and
a time to pluck up
that which is planted;

A time to kill, and
a time to heal;
a time to break down, and
a time to build up;

A time to weep, and
a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and
a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and
a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and
a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and
a time to lose;
a time to keep, and
a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and
a time to sow;
a time to keep silence, and
a time to speak;

A time to love, and
a time to hate;
a time of war; and
a time of peace.

Monday Market Place

Good Morning Blogger Friends. I hope you had a great weekend and found some time to relax. For my Monday marketplace I would like to introduce you to Kim of Valley Primitives. I know Kim by way of The Old Farm House Gathering. Although I have never met her in person I can see the beautiful person she is by reading her blog and her posts at the Farm House. Kim is also a very talented artisan. If you like stitchery you are going to love taking a peek in her shop. Also be sure to stop by Kim's blog to see what new items she is working on. I am posting an interview that Kim answered for the OFG and some of the awesome work you can find in her shop. Please take note of the places you can find Kim at the end of this interview. Enjoy your Monday!

What is the name of your Etsy shop and why did you chose that name?
Valley Primitives.

How long have you been on Etsy?
Since March 4, 2008




What type of items do you offer?
Hand stitched framed primitive stitchery, stitched kitchen towels, hang tags, pillows, and ornies.

How long have you been crafting?
I have been crafting for as long as I can remember, I love to work with my hands. I've done stained glass, tole painting, beaded jewelry, and now I am hooked on stitching.




Who or What inspires you?
I am inspired by anything old? I love to find things that someone else is throwing away and give it a great primitive make over. I have been inspired by lots of other primitive artist makeovers and the wealth of ideas that they freely share on their blogs.

What is your favorite item in your shop and why?
I love all of my hand stitched pieces because I find stitching so relaxing

Other places where you can be found:

Kim's Esty Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/valleyprimitives
Kim's Blog: http://valleyprimitivesgiftshoppe.blogspot.com/
We also have a small gift shop in our home called Valley Primitives Gift Shoppe.

I'm Late, I'm Late, For a Very Important Date....

I'm anxiously looking forward to seeing the new Alice In Wonderland movie. Alice in Wonderland was one of my favorite books and movie when I was a child. I loved the whimsy of it, the great descriptions in the book and of course the colorful animation of Walt Disney's version on film. The phrase "I'm late, I'm late", always pops into my mind when I am running late. I can imagine that big footed rabbit with his pocket watch rushing off in a big hurry with Alice following on his heels.

What I am I late for? A give away! I had intended to post the give away the last week of February. Of course I'm not too far off but it's late none-the-less. So many other things have vied for my time and energy. Monday and Tuesday of this week I was running so fast I thought I was going to pass myself. I finally found time to paint on Wednesday. I have a couple of orders to finish and get out but first things first. The give away!!

Please follow the rules for the giveaway so you are not disqualified.

1). you must be a follower of my blog

2). you must post a comment on this page. I will not find you if you comment on a different post.

3). Due to postage, only US and Canadian residents qualify.

It is not a requirement but I would greatly appreciate if you would post my give away on your blog.

The winner of the give away will be announced March 27th 2010.

This folk art design was painted on a primitive sheep cut from a piece of 1" pine. "One nation under God" is of course a line from our pledge of allegiance. I never thought I would live in a time when that one line would cause so much controversy. I hope I never see the day that they take it out. Our nation is a blessed nation. Our forefathers were men and women of great faith. It took faith to build a nation, a republic that upholds democracy and the rights of its peoples. As long as our flag flies, I hope and pray that we will always be "one nation under God".

Folk Art Signs

I painted 2 folk art designs yesterday. They are designs by Kim Klassen. You will see more of her designs here as I simply love them and love painting them. This sign is painted on a 1x10x22 piece of pine. I have listed both signs in my Etsy shop. You can find my Etsy shop by clicking on the rabbit picture on the left.

My husband and I are off to Norfolk, VA today. Our daughter Aly goes to college in that area. She's moving closer to the college and her work so of course mom and dad are showing up just in time to help her move. Maybe we will find time for a walk on the beach.. We will be back home sometime on Saturday. It's nice to get away occasionally. Please excuse any mistakes, I'm in a rush to post this and finish packing. Enjoy your day!

Recipe holder

This is a recipe holder I cut from 1" pine. The legs are concrete nails and the tail is a finishing nail. I made these to give to my customers. They are easy to cut out and easy to paint. Have you ever had a day where it seem like nothing was going right? You make one mistake after another? I had one of those days yesterday. I broke an item I was working on; it happened so fast I'm not sure how I broke it. Then, I picked up the can of spray sealer to spray one of these sheep. It didn't have the top on it but it was a brand that I only buy the sealer in, not any other paint or primer. Well, a couple of weeks ago I bought some grey primer in that brand. You guessed it, what I thought was clear matte finish was grey primer. I quickly wet a rag to wipe it off but it was too late. I hurried into the garage and applied some paint remover to a rag and rubbed the primer with it. Hey, whatta ya know, it did the trick. Took that primer right off of there. I love happy endings. I expect today to be a better day. I hope you have a wonderful day too.

Market Place Monday

Good Monday Morning Friends. I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I don't know about you but our weekends here seem to fly by.

For my Monday Market Place I want to introduce to you Doreen of Privies and Prims and showcase her wonderful talent. Doreen is an artisan of the Etsy Group The Old Farmhouse Gathering. I am sharing an interview that Doreen participated with at the Farmhouse. Please take note of other places you can find Privies and Prims at the bottom of this post.



What is the name of your Etsy shop and why did you choose that name? Privies & Prims has been my business name for about a year. I started out in a shed at my home on Blue Rock Rd., so I named my little shop Blue Rock Country Crafts. I had my first storefront in Burnsville, NC in 2000 and named the store Privies & Perches. I was making lots of outhouse bathroom decorations and my dad was making lots of prim birdhouses, so I changed the name. Inspired by God is all I can say. It just popped into my little brain!




How long have you been on Etsy? Had to go look at my profile for this question. Seems I started in February 2008.

What type of items do you offer? Penny rugs, prim stitcheries, primitive & folk art dolls, punch needle embroidery & patterns, outhouse stuff, candle mats, prim wreaths, Americana prim t-shirts, wood signs, ornaments, & photographs of old barns and outhouses. I think that’s it.




How long have you been crafting? As long as I can remember. I used to sit at the kitchen table and trace the designs on the napkins. In high school, I made a macramé hanging large enough to cover a window! We also did pottery and leather working. My special leather project was a framed image of a Michelob beer bottle add. We used wood carving tools and I stuffed the “bottle” from the back with sawdust to give it dimension. At the time, it was my boyfriend’s favorite brand. Personally, I can’t stand the taste of any kind of alcohol. Just give me my McDonald’s sweet tea!



Who or What inspires you? First, I must give God the credit for my talents. He puts ideas into my head as I go along. I start out making a doll like the pattern photo, and then God gives me ideas to make it my own. Sometimes, I think it’s a curse. I’m always seeing stuff and thinking, “I can make that!” So, that’s why the list of things I make is so long. I just recently added punch needle embroidery to my list and I’m “hooked”. I’m designing patterns that I will sell as kits and will soon be designing prim doll patterns also that will be modeled after the mountain folk where I live.
I get inspired by PatternMart.com’s monthly newsletters, looking at others creations online, visiting prim shops, looking through catalogs, and the list goes on and on. Gosh, everything I see inspires me! I look at people in restaurants and think of making a doll to look like them!




What is your favorite item in your shop and why? My favorite creations are my primitive dolls because I love giving each one their own personality. The favorite ones I’ve made are 46” dolls from a Prim & Proper folks pattern.





Other places where you can be found:

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/priviesandprims
Website: http://www.priviesandprims.com/
Blog: http://priviesandprimsblog.blogspot.com/
Photography Etsy Shop: http://www.thenandnowartphotos.etsy.com/.

Ye Olde Recipe Box and Coconut Cake

I found this recipe box at a local TS. I had been looking for a wooden recipe box for a while and finally found one. It has been sitting on my studio shelf for a while because I couldn't decide what to paint on it. I thought about ginger people, Annies or bunnies but wasn't happy with any of these ideas so it kept sitting on my shelf. A couple of weeks ago I finally took it down and set it on my studio table; I opened it and closed it, turned it this way and that, you know, I studied it. I'm not sure how it happens but sooner or later an idea pops into my head for a piece and I go with it. This is a folk art design by Kim Klassen. I love it when a discarded piece and a design come together, even if it does take a while.

I love coconut cake, it's one of my favorite desserts. I hope you will try this recipe. It's been tested over and over again by my family and it turns out delish each time.

Coconut Cream Cake

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) packaged white cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 (14 ounce) can coconut cream
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup flaked coconut
The coconut cream is found in the mixed drink (cocktail drinks) aisle of the grocery store

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, eggs, oil, water and coconut extract. Hand beat for 2 mins and pour into the floured pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

In medium bowl, combine the coconut cream with the sweetened condensed milk and stir until smooth. When the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes into it in even rows using a large fork or chopsticks. Pour the cream mixture over, and allow it to soak into the cake. Allow to stand at room temp for 30 minutes and then refrigerate several hours or overnight.

In a large bowl, whisk whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and continue whipping until stiff. Spread over cooled cake. Sprinkle top with flaked coconut. I like to grate some chocolate on top of the whipped cream.
You can use Cool whip for the topping if you prefer.
Note: I use only half of the cream mixture. The full amount makes the cake very heavy but very good!!