A FUN WEEKEND ~ ~ ~

This fun weekend was a couple of weeks ago but I still wanted to share it!  Corso's Greenhouse in Sandusky is just a feast for the eyes, no matter what time of year!  But this poinsettia display was really beautiful ~ and I just noticed the "Peace" sign in the upper right of the photo ~ so appropriate right now.

Friday night was the first of our festivities and it was the Annual HomeBuilders Christmas dinner.  Sonny will be the new Vice President and his son, Brian, is the President and my son, Ted, is a Board member.  Is that nepotism?  Do I even know what the word means?  At any rate, they are all hard working guys and I'm proud of their service to our organization!  Can you see the glimpse of my sparkly headband?  Another older gal we know was sporting a glittery headband this summer and I thought it was cute ~ so I gave it a whirl!! Sonny said it was better than if I wore a hat ~ there may have been a compliment in there somewhere!

Saturday night, we were invited to join our Kelley's Island friends at Chez Francois in Vermillion for an anniversary celebration!  We love it there and this was the dessert presentation.  Beautiful!  We had the truffle dinner ~ one of their specialty offerings that had truffles in every course!!  Lots of different kinds of truffles and things served with truffle oil and truffle honey and this was truffle ice cream!  It was quite a dining experience ~ you might call it a once in a lifetime affair and we all loved it!

Then on Sunday night, we had friends, Margo and Rich
for dinner ~ well, we had steak for dinner but they joined us! See their reindeer 'ears' ~ they really get into the season!!

And since we were dining at the lake place, friends Diane and Greg joined us, too!  We had a fun evening to top off our big weekend and we loved every minute of it!! 

Last week, Sonny and I were out every night with friends or family ~ this week is a different story!  I'm just trying to stay alive and get well enough for the Seattle family!  They're arriving Saturday at noon and it will be high times for the next week!  We're going to work a family photo in and celebrate Tad's birthday at the end of the week!!  There will be lots of coming and going and cooking and eating and lots of Christmas cheer, I'm sure!! 

Today, I hope to put out a few decorations ~ this house is  not very Christmasy, other than the tree!!  Sounds like we might be in for some snow, so a trip to the grocery might be in order along with getting Tad out to do his shopping!  Holy crow ~ I have no time for the "Christmas Crud"  that has taken me over!!  I'm sure most of you are ready  and enjoying your days ~ know that I envy you!!!!  It's always like Christmas was a surprise at our house!! But we've never missed one yet!!

Have a happy day!!
Alice

JUST ARRIVED ~ ~ ~

BEAUTIFUL handspun yarns ~ see anything you like?  They are $32 a skein ~ will be happy to send it out! 

This chunky handspun gives great texture and color to hooked rugs and a skein of it knits into a greally luxurious scarf!!

Merry Christmas!!  House is all clean now  (thanks to Tami) and maybe I can get a little decorating done!!  These are pretty colorful ~ maybe I'll drape them here and there for a little local color!!

Ta ta for now!  Alice

MERRY MERRY ~ ~ ~

Thanks to Sonny, this is our one and only Christmas decoration! I have had a miserable cold since Friday evening and have done nothing productive (other than knitting!). Maybe today! He also made jars and jars of jam on Sunday ~ peach, blackberry and blueberry! He picked and gathered during the season and froze it all in batch amounts so he would be ready when he had time. I swear, he can work circles around me!!  Might I add ~ this is the FATTEST tree we've ever had ~ it's a monster!!




Last week, miss Luci turned 10 years old! Her mom's friend made these darling snowman cupcakes ~ not only did they look great, they were very tasty! On Friday, Luci had her tonsils out ~ all went well and she's on the mend!!! She had a big week!

In the mail last week, I received these sheep socks and little pinwheel ornament from a rug hooking friend! Thank you, Charisse ~ you are such a thoughtful gal!!

Saturday, son Chris and family are coming from Seattle! I sure hope this creeping crud that I'm afflicted with goes away before then!! Lots to do is an understatement!

One little fun tidbit about my charming Mr. Kitty ~ he's eating the pine needles and they make him sick!! Need I say more?  And he dumped a container of Kyolic garlic capsules that I take and I think he may have eaten some of those!!  And the ones he didn't eat, had chew marks on them!  Nice kitty!!

Hope you're all having a good pre-holiday week!!

Alice

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Knitting ~ ~ ~

Tonight's project was a scarf ~ my first!! I've knit one other project so I went to my Pinterest boards for refresher tutorials on casting on and binding off and voila! A scarf was born!


This is a skein of Ozark handspan that has lots of texture and color variety. I'd like to tell you I whipped this right out but I had a false start. It was too wide and after a good bit was on the needles, I knew a skein wasn't going to do it - so I pulled it all out and cast on six stitches instead of twelve ( my own plan - no pattern) and ended up with a nice long neck warmer!! I am a little bit proud of my evening's project. I'm getting a cold and feel kind of crummy so decided I would do something to take my mind off it ~ it worked just swell!!

Now, I'm slathered in Vicks and dosed with Motrin and off to my bed!! Night all!!

Alice



Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Last evening ~ ~ ~

At 5:20, I went to my studio and made this little needle felted pillow for a hostess gift!  He's made of Wensleydale sheep fleece that we brought back from England six years ago ~ felted into heavy black wool, stitched together and stuffed with wool snippets from my rug hooking!  Notice his red hooves!!

We were invited to our friends, Diane and Lou Hart, to see their log home built from three antique log structures.  This is the family room fireplace ~ the surround is made of HUGE stones salvaged from a house of days gone by. There were 30 + trees throughout the home and the ambiance was just breathtaking!  The approach up the driveway with lighted trees and fence rails set the stage for a wonderful evening in the dimly lit home with a fire blazing and soft Christmas music in the background!  Their home was written up in the Christmas 2011 Early American Life magazine.  If you have it, take your own tour and know that we were thrilled to see it firsthand!

This is a better shot of the little pillow hostess gift ~ yes, I went down at 5:20 and whipped it up to go along with us for our 6:30 visit to Diane and Lou's!!! My days are hectic and intentions were to make it earlier but true to my nature, it happened practically on the way out the door!  Diane loved it and I was so glad it came together!  Makes me wonder why I don't do more of that kind of thing!  The answer is that I'm most creative when under a deadline!

Granddaughter Luci had her tonsils out this morning and what a little trooper she was!  I went to the hospital to stand watch with her parents (son Teddy and mom Miki)  and Aunt CC and Aunt Beth.  As soon as she was awake and eating popcicles, we all cleared out and left Miki to handle the rest!  Tonite, she is home and so far, so good!!

Our Seattle grandson, Hunter, and family are in Reno, Nevada tonite in preparation for Hunter to play for Team Washington in the Football University  games comprised of some of the best 7th grade football players in the country!  They played and won two games last weekend in Oregon and need to win tomorrow in order to advance to Sunday's game.  Hunter is the starting quarterback and seems to have a fine future ahead of him!  Go Hunter ~ grandma's here in Ohio with her pom poms cheering you on!

And while we're elated with all the blessings in our lives, we are definitely sad about the tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary school.  There are no words to express our sorrow for all those children and families that have been touched by such an atrocity.  As we lay our heads down tonite, we pray for their peace and strength in the coming days ~ wishing that our prayers would change things for them all.

Take good care of yourselves and one another ~

Alice 

ATHA PATTERNS ~ ~ ~

Just received my package of ATHA patterns being sold to help fund the 2013 Biennial in California! There are about 60 patterns that can be enlarged to any size and I like a lot of them ~ there's something for everybody's hooking style! Go to the ATHA website and click on 'fundraising' and it will take you to the order page! A great way to support ATHA and add to your pattern stash, as well!

It would be a perfect day to hook ~ foggy and gloomy here in Ohio ~ but instead, I'm off to a Christmas tea, among other things ~ like scrubbing the carpet at a rental ~ and planting some daffodil bulbs that should have been planted in October ~ but it's going to be 63 deg. here today, so aplanting I will go!! Have a good day!
Alice



Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A FUN READ ~ ~ ~

This is January's Country Sampler magazine on the news stand now and my friends house is in it!! On page 46, you will find a great article and pictures of Lori and Michael Corelis' home!! A beautiful gathering of antiques and folk art that is a feast for the eyes!!

It's exciting to see the home of someone I know in print! And Lori is the reason that our home will be in sometime next year! When the photographers asked if she knew of anyone who might have a home that fits their theme, she kindly suggested ours! So thank you, dear Lori, for giving us our 15 minutes of fame, too!!

If you have a chance, pick up a copy of the January issue, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy!!






Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

CYBER MONDAY SALE ~ ~ ~

Tomorrow's the day, and I'm jumping on the bandwagon!  Go to my website and check out the Pattern page ~ all patterns will be 25% off,  Monday only!!! I even included a few of my own ~ I usually just draw patterns for classes ~ I don't even think of offering them for sale ~ but now I am!  So, find the ones you'd like to add to your pattern stash and email me at gfraizer@neo.rr.com ~ and we'll make payment arrangements (with shipping added) and they'll be on your doorstep this week!!!  Thanks for stopping by!
Alice

FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS!!!!

HANDTORN CHAIRPAD ~ ~ ~

Thursday, two hooker friends came to take a class on hooking this chair pad with 1" handtorn strips of wool. We had so much fun that I forgot to take pictures! Susan's was more subtle and Joan's was very dramatic in color. They are sending pix of the finished pieces and I will show you then! If you would like the 14" round pattern or want to come for a class, email or call me! The pattern is $24 on linen. The girls really loved how fast this goes and I think we'll be doing more of it!


Another friend, marge, came with them ~ but Marge is not a hooker! She's a painter and a needlefelter. She brought this for show and tell and now it belongs to me ~ woo hoo! I love pumpkins and this is really a great piece. Marge and I both grew up in Homerville in Medina county and have done shows together for many years. So we all had lots to talk about and the day went fast. She paints very small paintings and through the years, I've bought many ~ Marge was thrilled to walk around and see so much of her art work hanging on our walls!!




This is the first of her felting pieces that I bought ~ click on it to see how beautiful it is!

Off to my bed now ~ it's been such a busy day ~ can't even recount to you all that I did ~ I need a rest!

Thanks for dropping by!!
Alice

READY FOR OUR CLOSE-UP ~ ~ ~

You haven't heard from me for a while!  This is one reason why!  Gloria and Bill ~ stylist and photographer from Country Sampler magazine came last Monday to take pictures of our house!  

The process was quite interesting!  Gloria and Bill drove from Kansas City to shoot our house and friends, Pat and Chuck Knapp's house, as well!  Then on to South Carolina ~ such an unusual and fun career!

 Last week, my friend/cleaning lady came and we worked and worked to make sure everything was ship shape!  And it's a good thing!  My fear was that they would move things around and there would be a big pile of dirt and dust underneath!  Well, move things they did ~ but no dirt and dust!!  This was the keeping room rearranged to give them their best shot!  Sonny joined us for lunch and a good thing he did!  They wanted a fire in the fireplace ~ and I don't do fires!

This looks like a robot but it was only one of their pieces of equipment!  When they started bringing in their bags, I thought maybe they came to stay for a week!  But, they only stayed the day ~ from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.!  Who would know it would take that long ~ there's a lot more to taking a photograph than we think!

It will be fun to see how it all turns out!  We've been talking with them since March ~ it took a long time to come to fruition.  They were very nice and although it was a long, tiring day ~ we enjoyed every minute of it!!  I'll be sure to tell you when it's going to be on the newsstand ~ it will be a long while for sure!

Alice

HALLOWEEN ~ ~ ~

This was our contribution to Karen and John's annual Halloween luncheon ~ Sonny's daughter manufactures and markets Figgs Hot Apple Pie drink mix. We rimmed glasses with Carmel sauce and raw sugar and added a little adult beverage ~ very festive!


All of their food has a scary theme ~ always fun!!



From there we went to Kelley's Island and this was the first fun guy we ran into!


She wasn't too fun but definitely a creepy costume!


Such a sweet/odd couple Rosie and her man friend!! You have to guess which one's Rosie!!!


A member of the band at Bag the Moon Saloon!


And a nice old couple having so much fun!!!

Happy Halloween from spooky old Alice!!!!!!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

HOOKING WITH BARBARA ~ ~ ~

Last week, we spent four days at The Woolley Fox in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. This is the dining room table in Barbara Carroll's home ~ isn't this the greatest centerpiece? These papier mâché sheep are really unusual ~ wanted to put them in my suitcase but I thought better of it!!


Donna had to share her chair with Gabby, one of the resident house cats ~ pretty funny! Since Donna is our leader, I am especially embarrassed that I didn't take a picture of her rug ~ Oh Deer ~ nice and dark!


This is Kathy's rug ~ she drew the floral insert and it's going to look really old.


Behind this rather large rug is Maria and she says to tell you that she is smiling! Maria drew her own pattern and the thing I love is the purple tree!


Party Henny is going to be quite a stunner ~ lots of sparkle and she even has eyelashes! In case you wonder ~ yes, that's my rug!!

Minnesota Mary was also with us and I didn't get her rug either! I couldn't believe it when I figured it out on the way home! She is doing the new Magdalena, Animal Parade ~ one big rug and Mary's is well on it's way! I added that one to my pattern stash, too, but have no idea when I'll do it!

We had much fun as always and I look forward to hanging out with them again! Thanks to Donna for putting it all together!

We got word this weekend that Emma Lou Lais passed away Thursday. The rug hooking world has lost a shining star ~ such a sweet woman! I took two classes from her when she taught at Aults years ago ~ a real treat for anyone who was fortunate enough to have her as a teacher!

Back to reality now ~ office work and hopefully some intense hooking time!! Take care and enjoy the Indian summer that's coming this week!!
Alice

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

THIS AND THAT ~ ~ ~

What a busy week!  Wednesday was the wholesale markets in Columbus ~ I love to go shopping there ~ didn't find a lot for my booth but did pick up a couple of things from David T. Smith's booth.  I love pottery with figures on the top ~ and sheep!

 Also love, these chimney-type pieces!  This was one of a kind, done by one of their new potters.  Love the bats and cutouts!  I met my friend, Lori, and we went to the  another market on the other side of town.  After that we went to lunch at a French restaurant, La Chatalaine!  Yummy omelets and mimosas for a late breakfast/early lunch!!  Then to a yarn shop where I saw a great scarf that I want to knit!  A very fun day!  A lot of other things went on this week that made for non-stop busyness all week! 

 Last weekend, we went to Kelleys Island for our annual day with our lake friends!  This crazy car was parked along the way and I knew you would want to see it!!!!  The side is covered in corks but my picture was too blurry ~ I think that's because I practically jumped out of a moving cart to take it!!  A good time was had by all!

 Today,Sonny's niece, Melissa got married to the love of her life, Max!  The reception tables were so beautiful and were done by her mom and sisters!!  I think they should take their show on the road!!

Wasn't this cake something?  I just loved the quirkiness of it ~ perfect for a fall wedding!  We have a local cake shop, Maria's, that rates right up with the Cake Boss ~ or a close second!! I could make a cake like that only mine would have been an accident!!

And here we are ~ my resident carpenter and me!!  We had a very fun time ~ we're the matriarch and patriarch of the family ~ but we have a lot more fun than most!! 

Tomorrow morning, I'm leaving for a few days of hooking at The Woolley Fox ~ lots of hooking and lots of good food!  And I love the shopping in Ligonier!  Sonny is leaving to work on Kelleys Island for the week so all I can say is thank goodness that we have a great lady to stay with Tad!  I'd have to hang him on a hook till I got back if it weren't for her!!  Well, maybe I'd just stay home ~ I wouldn't really hang him on a hook!!!!!!!!

So that's it from here ~ hope all is well in your corner of the world!   I'll try to post some pix from Barb's and let you know what fun we're having there!!  Have a good week!!
Alice

NEW TABLE ~ ~ ~

My resident carpenter built this new dining room table for us! It's made from antique barn boards full of nail holes and all those character-building flaws that we love! It's got a beautiful hand-rubbed finish that shows off the grain to the max! The antique chairs that surrounded the old table look good with this one, too ~ but black Windsor side chairs would look fabulous!

This is a view from the other end ~ I'm loving this table! Thank you, Sonny for your hard work!! He has had this in his sights for years and is really happy with the results!
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

YESTERDAY'S SHOW ~ ~ ~

This is my booth in the barn ~ it looks almost the same as any other show but a little different. We added more lights and I think the barn lighting was better!


Took a few pix of the outside booths! Lots of antiques and folk art ~


This is friend Sherry Davis ~ she is a master at gathering wonderful fall goodies and a master of display! Her daughter, Gretchen, is a master cookie baker, too!!


Cute things under this little tent!


A treat to me from me ~ a stitched piece done by Stacy Nash! Every year I look and admire but never buy ~ this year I gave in ~ her stitching is perfect and I love her designs!


The artist of this small punch needle piece was right across from me ~ we traded wares ~ I got the best end of the deal! It will look perfect in the patriotic bedroom ~ needlework of any kind adds a softness to a room.

It was a beautiful fall day in Ohio ~ a perfect day for a show! I don't have another one till mid November, so lots of time to regroup. I've had lots of interest in classes so this week, I'm going to make a plan ~ stay tuned!!

Alice

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone