NEW HOOKERS ~ ~ ~

Two weeks ago, I had five girls in for beginning rug hooking classes ~ I haven't been posting in a very timely manner ~ that's obvious! This is Karen and her sheep seat pad ~ she did a great job and has called me and told me she's finished and ready to bind!!  I love it when the new hookers are so enthusiastic!!!

This is Karen's friend, Pat ~ I've known her forever ~ and she worked on one of my starter patterns Three Hearts.  She caught on fast and I'm sure it is done by now!  Pat is very creative ~ makes purses out of felted sweaters ~ she'll be off and running with rug hooking, I'm sure!

Jalane brought two of her friends on Saturday and they were all ready to learn rug hooking, too!  Look how enthusiastic she is!!  Jalane loves pumpkins so we got her started on this and I hear by the grapevine that she is done, too!

Bev and I have crossed paths several times this past summer so I was very surprised to see her walking up my sidewalk!!  She had already done some rug hooking, so she was a leg up on her girlfriends!  The grapevine told me she has finished the piece she started previously, so I bet by now, her hearts are done, too!  Call me, Bev!!!!!!!

Sally took to rug hooking so quick ~ anybody who knows me knows that I like my hookers to hook high ~ might as well start out there than have to change. Sally did great with that and she is finished, ready to bind and ready to start her next one for her new haven at the lake!

This was the past Thursday night ~ we were blessed with 3-4" of SNOW!!!!!  We had been out for dinner with friends ~ celebrating my 65th birthday,(YIKES!) ~ and came home to this!  The roads were awful but this was so pretty that I thought it camera worthy! Birthdays come around pretty fast now ~ it's kind of hard to believe! But I'm blessed with good health, good friends (my peeps Donna and Cathy took me out for breakfast and the week before, other friend, Cathy, took me out for lunch ~ it's no wonder I'm what my son calls 'pleasingly plump' !!), good kids and my hard-working, still cute, Sonny boy!! So, I'm looking forward to the next 65 years ~ I'll keep blogging and we'll all be amazed at what my future holds!!!

Have a good day, friends!
Alice

HOOKING AND WHOOPIE PIES ~ ~ ~

Isn't he the cutest? My friend, Heidi, hooked this great looking rug! She started it last August in Heather Ritchie's class at Sauder Village! Heidi has been wanting to 'step out of the box' with her rug hooking and this is a wonderful start! She used lots of beautiful yarns in the hills, real sheep fleece for the sheep and roving in the clouds ~ the pattern is one of mine that I sell but Heidi added the clouds and flowers ~ job well done, Heidi!! The pattern is roughly 20 x 24 and it sells for $48.00 if anyone would like to hook this cute sheep!

Whoopie pies!! Have you ever made them? Luke emailed yesterday that he wanted to take whoopie pies to school Monday and his mom (bless her heart) suggested that I would probably love to do that with him!! So Luke came over today and we made a batch ~ he needed 30 pies ~ our batch made 29!!!!!!!! So we made a second batch! We made whoopie pies for nearly 4 hours!!!!!! But there were some left for us, some for them ~ and I heard he was passing them out in their neighborhood this evening!! He sent me a really nice email thank you note ~ so it was worth it!!! I used to make these for my boys when they were little and it's been a long time in between then and now!

On Friday and Saturday, I went to Columbus ~ both days ~ to the primitive wholesale markets ~ my friend, Vivian went with me Friday! Vivian made arrangements for us to meet her husband after we were through, so they could go do something fun down there. We were chatting away and got on 71 to head home and were clear out to Polaris when she reminded me, we were supposed to be somewhere else!!!! What a riot ~ we had to get off the interstate, take some back roads that she knew ~ and finally met up with Lou ~ who knew no different!! It was pretty funny ~ aggravating ~ but funny!

We saw a lot of people we know at the two markets we attended Friday ~ from years of doing shows, we both know a lot of the vendors! I used to really buy a lot to fill out my booth at shows but since I sell mostly rug hooking, I just pick up a little this and that. But I so love to go to the markets ~ they just have an energy of their own that I thrive on!

This morning, before we baked ~ I went over to a rental that's getting a new renter and washed woodwork, windows and oiled the cabinets! Fun! Yesterday I did the same to a house we (Sonny and his son) are rehabbing for sale ~ I scrubbed down the stairway and oiled it so it has a new lustre! Just call me Dora Domestic ~ for all those that know me, I'm sure they're enjoying this!! Tomorrow, I have to pick out light fixtures for the rehab house ~ lights are really hard ~ I'm not so crazy about what's out there for sale right now! My only contribution has been picking out things ~ carpet, floors, countertops, etc. This house was left in horrid condition by a tenant and has taken many hours and much money to put back in livable condition ~ it is hard to believe that people can take such poor care of someone else's property ~ it is just one of many issues that made last year one for the books!!

Three months into 2010, we are approaching this year with lots of positive thought and promise. We are open to all the abundance the universe has to offer and as good fortune comes our way, I will be sharing that with you!!!! One of those things is that our hooking frames are really flying out the door ~ thanks in particular to a couple of friends, who are spreading the word and the new rug students that are coming my way! I love rug hooking and sharing that through teaching! Now, if I could just get that tax prep out of the way, it will be smooth sailing ahead!! With the nice weather, the gardens are needing lots of attention ~ and a show to get ready for in April ~ whew! I gotta go now!! Ta ta!

ST. PATTY'S DAY ~ ~ ~

We spent last evening at a fundraiser for St. Baldrick's, which supports childrens' cancer research! This is grandson, Luke, getting his head shaved for charity for the first time ~ his mom, Miki, is manning the razor but I think my finger was covering up her face ~ that's not good ~ sorry Miki!! Miki's hair salon, Michelle's Salon, has been offering their services to St. Baldrick's since the beginning here in the Mansfield area. The girl to the right is Becca and Beth, Char, Abby and Tricia gave their evening along with a local barber. We left before it was over and they announced at that point, they had collected $25,000 in donations that evening!!!!!! In this economy, in this area ~ that is fabulous!!!

This threesome is grandson, Jakob, on the left, this is his 3rd year ~ grandson, Camden on the right, his 4th year ~ and in the middle, is family friend and Cam's school librarian, Melody!! Melody was inspired by Cam, when he came to school that first year with his little bald head! She told him that she would do it with him the following year and has done it ever since!! It takes quite a woman to do that ~ and she is very proud to sport that bald head for this great charity! We applaud them all!!

Here is the Pay It Forward gift that blog friend, Jacque made for me! I lost the picture in my last post so here it is!! A cute little wooden sheep and a quilted fabric basket that I'll use for my wool snippets! Thanks again, Jacque!

It's been a crazy busy week since last week! I still want to post about the beginning rug classes last week ~ that will be soon. It's been non-stop doing and going! Tomorrow, I'm headed to Columbus to the primitive wholesale market and back down on Saturday for another one!! One of these days, I'm going to meet myself coming or going out the door!! Have a good evening!!
Alice

TODAY ~ ~ ~

There will be a beginning rug class in my little studio, taught by me! These are the patterns that I generally offer ~ very simple ~ something the new rug hooker can see an end to! I know the gals who are coming and actually, I did a chair pad for one of them ~ she begged me! And on Saturday, I'm doing another small class ~ busy weekend for mama! It should be fun ~ I really like to teach and I love it when they leave with a sense of accomplishment and the ability to finish their new rug! My classes are from 10-4 and include a tour of the house to see the rugs I've hooked and a nice homemade lunch of chicken salad on croissants and 7-layer salad ~ and a little pastry! It is 12:45 a.m. now ~ I need to make this quick and get this old body to bed!

This photo of dyed antique black wool is for Jane ~ she commented on my dyeing post last week asking if I had trouble getting a good antique black and did Cushing's black turn purple!! Here's your answer, Jane!!!! And the answer is YES!!!! The white part of the plaid ends up a bluish purpleish color for sure ~ there's a piece in the middle that was a solid base color and I do like the result of that one! And mixed together, they will give a nice dark background. There was another piece that I dyed and loved the outcome ~ but I swear, it is lost somewhere in the depths!! I had it with these pieces and now I can't find it anywhere! When I do ~ you notice I say 'when' ~ I'll post a picture of that as well!

This pile is all the other wool I dyed last week. A friend of mine is often the beneficiary of wool and occasionally gives me a pile to dye ~ she provides the wool ~ I do the dying ~ and then we split the pieces ~ a good deal for both of us! I love the blueberry color in the upper left corner! The really light piece is actually a great slate blue but it doesn't show well in this photo ~ the greens are great and so is the red! The wool to the upper right turned out pretty funky but will give a very antique look to a rug, me thinks!!

I posted a photo of something I received in the mail today but it went into cyber space and I really don't have time to re-post it. My blog friend, Jacque sent me this cute fabric basket she made and a sheep pin ~ it was from her Pay It Forward post from last fall. Now, I need to get going on my two PIF's for Helen and Julie! Hang in there, girls ~ I'll get them done! Jacque said we had a year to do this and I'm the wrong person to give that kind of time frame to ~ as soon, as I get the tax prep done and delivered to the accountant, I'll tackle my PIF's!!! And I'll show the picture on the next post of today's gift!

Okay ~ this girl is done, it's 1:15 now! ~ we'll have fun today ~ and I'll post all about it on Sunday!! Spring is sprouting in the midst of all this snow we have left on the ground here in Ohio! I hope it's springy where you are!
Alice

RABBIT RUG PROGRESS ~ ~ ~

Yes, progress has been made! I was able to hook a couple of days last week and yesterday, Luke came over and I got a lot done while he was hooking on his new project! One nice evening of hooking should find this rug ready to be bound! Of course, that stark white tail might have to go and I see a couple of other places that need tweaked ~ we'll see!

If you remember a post from a while ago, I mentioned that I gave Luke's star hooking to Seattle grandson, Hunter, to finish and I said when Luke found out, there would some 'splainin' to do! The other day I received an email from 10 year old Luke, entitled "Splainin Time"!!! I explained why I did that and told him I would draw him a new pattern ~ maybe a dog! ~ and he liked that idea a lot! He's been over twice to work on his new project and it's coming along nicely! Grandma redeemed herself!!!!!!

In response to my last post, Lauren asked to see the wool used to hook this huge rabbit! Here it is ~ I love this fabric ~ it has a lot of texture and gives lots of movement without incorporating another wool into the mix. It's kind of a chenille type and I don't believe it's 100% wool ~ but it hooks up really well!! And another question from Lauren regarding the outlining ~ I outlined after all was hooked ~ since it was a very soft yarn, I was able to squeeze in the hooking between the hooked rows ~ you could do this, too, if you're using a really narrow cut of wool to outline. I really appreciate all the comments on this rug ~ Thanks everybody!!

We had a fun weekend ~ Friday night went to the first Friday party at Arts on Main ~ they were celebrating their 10 year anniversary ~ it's a local artists cooperative that is now associated with the Mansfield Art Center. It was well attended and we ran into a lot of people we know ~ I love hanging around artists! One fellow, Tim Gorka, became my new Facebook friend and enlightened me with the info that I could 'hide' all that Farmville, Fishville stuff that shows up on my page!! I find all that distracting and I know that people who use those applications find it very entertaining! So they're happy and I'm happy! There is another little gallery that recently opened in that area and we stopped in for the first time ~ clients from Richland Newhope ~ the program my son, Tad, attended for many years ~ displaying and selling their art! Photos and paintings and great pottery totems that, hopefully, they are going to sell in the future! We made a couple of other stops before having a late supper at one of our favorite haunts!

Saturday, we went to Columbus to the Home and Garden show, visited a customer to consult about a new master bath project (yippee!) and had a wonderful late lunch at Beni Hana!! Was that ever yummy! We had several appetizers and bananas tempura with green tea ice cream for dessert!! And a wonderful pomegranate martini!

Yesterday, Luke came to hook and we exercised together! Last night before the Oscars ~ that was fun to watch! ~ we had a great dinner of salmon (Sonny's recipe), sauteed mushrooms with bleu cheese and bacon, and fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil salad with balsamic vinegar and rosemary infused olive oil for the dressing! Our own little gourmet meal ~ it really was scrumptious!!

Today, I'm picking up a couple of friends and we're driving to Easton in Columbus to meet our friend, Cathy for some shopping and lunch! This is our trip we had to cancel the other week because of snow ~ today the sun will shine and it should be in the high 40's (it was 60 deg. in Columbus today!!)!!!!!! Just like spring to us Ohio girls!!! Well, we're not exactly girls but you get my drift!!! Have a good day!

RABBIT RUG ~ ~ ~

This is an M. Shaw pattern that I started last fall ~ it's for our lake condo ~ I have an M. Shaw painting of a cat in our bedroom and also a white folk art rabbit ~ somehow this just seemed to fit ~ in my mind!

As you can see, I outlined the green stems and leaves (with a nice purple yarn I bought at a yard sale for 50 cents!) because the greens I picked for the background and the leaves were way too similar! Color planning is a challenge for me and so is reverse hooking ~ that wasn't going to happen so outlining to set them apart seemed like a good alternative!

The flowers are several purples including a nice old paisley. As I look thru the camera's eye, it appears the tail is pretty stark white in comparison ~ I wanted a white fuzzy cottontail but it may have to come out ~ I'll see when the rug is finished. All in all, I'm pretty happy with the results so far ~ I'll keep you posted!

Quiet weekend for us ~ went out to dinner with friends on Friday night in a snowstorm, by the way ~ stayed in all day Saturday and hooked! Sunday we had the pleasure of shopping for carpet and other floor coverings for a rental we're rehabbing ~ a story all in itself ~ for another time! Then a stop at Barnes and Noble to look thru magazines and books ~ we love to do that! We came home and raided the fridge ~ a little this ~ a little that ~ and called it supper!

Today I'm dyeing antique blacks! I hope I come up with some things that work! A couple of gals are coming later today just for that and I want there to be several things to choose from! That's the way I operate of course ~ flying by the seat of my pants ~ at the last minute ~ it works for me ~ somehow!!!!!!! I'll take pictures if they're noteworthy ~ I sure hope so!!

Talk to you later ~ and thanks for stopping by! I mean that so sincerely ~ it's amazing to me that over the weekend, the hit counter went over 40,000 ~ since being installed January of '09. I love knowing that there are people out there interested in what I have to say ~ and when you comment, I'm very interested in what you're saying back to me!! Have a good day wherever in this world you are!!!!!
Alice