CLEANING DAY ~ ~ ~

Next Saturday, I'm having a hookers luncheon ~ that equates to a little spring cleanup! Our porch between the house and garage gets lots of weather and everything is covered with a layer of winter grime ~ or was! The bell jars are washed!

And all the primitive stuff has been hosed off since this picture was taken! The brick porch is next! Sonny has been doing windows for two days and dusting chandeliers! Having guests is such a great motivator ~ gotta go now to hose down the porch!! Thanks to Sharon for bringing her guild next week!

If you would like to bring a group, let me know ~ gfraizer@neo.rr.com

FIELD TRIPS ~ ~ ~

I'm way behind on posting ~ this is one of the colorful booths at the International Quilt Festival in Cincinnati!  Heidi and I took a little road trip on April 12 and 13th to see all the beautiful quilts and the great vendor booths!  We checked in at our hotel in time to get over to the convention center and get in line for the opening at 5 p.m.  This was one of the first booths we saw and it was just a feast for the eyes!

Can you believe this is a quilt?  Looks like you could just sit down and get comfy, doesn't it?

This was so realistic ~ looks like a photo!  It's amazing how talented these quilters are and all the detail they can get with fabric and thread!

Loved this moon-over-the water quilt!

This looked like a water color!

Such a work of art!

 














What a beautiful flower!

A moon and a sunset over the mountains ~ that's what this looks like to me ~ whatever it is, it's beautiful!

As usual, I cram more into a time period that a normal person would!  Heidi and I had to leave Cinci in the morning because I had to be home and help pack the truck with wool!  I had a show Saturday morning, here in Mansfield (luckily) and it had to be set up by 6 p.m. Friday!  Sonny came home from Kelley's Island, where he had been working ~ we packed the wool and tables, etc  ~ got the booth all set up ~ and came home to finish up some things for the next day!

We had a great show ~ The Gathered Treasures Spring Show ~ saw lots of people we know and sold lots of wool!  My new colors were a hit and I so appreciate the gals who stopped by to visit and shop!  I met Charlene and Staci who are going to be in my Sauder class ~ that was fun!!  After the show and all the packing up, we went to dinner with our friends, Vivian and Lou!  Regarding the term 'packing up', when I think of all the shows I've done over the last 30 years, we've done a lot of loading and unloading of show stock.  It's amazing when I think of it ~ bring it up out of my basement studio, put it in the truck, take it out and set it up, load what's left back into the truck and take it back down to the hooking room!!  EEEE GADD ~ I should be skinny like a rail from all that!!

Sunday was a day of getting things back in order and getting Sonny ready to go back to Kelley's for the final week of work!  On Monday, Tad's sitter came to stay and I went to Indiana to visit long-time friend, Gwen!  We had great fun ~ talked, ate, hooked, and went to Shipshewana!! I had been there years ago with Gwen and it really is an interesting little town full of shops and restaurants!  Saw some wonderful things but didn't buy them!  Went to two really great primitive shops ~ A Thankful Heart and Past Times Country Shop ~  I hope we get to go back this summer!  Two years ago, I taught Gwen to hook and she has really taken off and done a lot on her own!  She's very talented with color and draws her own patterns and off she goes!  It was a good time of sharing and bonding and I coaxed her into watching Dancing with the Stars with me!!  Bless her heart! 

That was my week in a nutshell ~ this week is office work (I can get behind) and gardening!  I'm having a group of rug hookers on May 5th for lunch and a hooking day ~ there's lots to do to get things looking ship shape around here!  It 's amazing how everything has 'greened up' in just the last few days ~ a couple of trips to the greenhouse will go a long way to add outside color ~ and we'll be ready for guests!!  Have a happy Spring day in your corner of the world!
Alice

ALMOST FINISHED ~ ~ ~

Couldn't Wait to show you the chair pad ~ it's not quite done as I ran out of background wool up at the lake. We're home now so I'm going to improvise ~ I could cut into another dyed quarter yard ~ but that kind of takes the adventure out of 'making do'. By the way, I'm loving this little mat! If anyone is going to hook this and loves this blue ~ I have it and will 'bee' happy to ship you some!!

It's almost time for Dancing with the Stars and since I host a little online party on Facebook, I need to charge up the iPad, get a glass of vino, and get ready to party! Many of my Facebook Friends from the States, Canada and Nova Scotia join in ~ we critique the dances, the dancers and the judges and have a lot of laughs while we're doing it!! So, off I go ~ talk to you soon!

Alice





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YESTERDAY'S FUN ~ ~ ~

Yesterday, my friends Charisse, Pam and Sue picked me up and off we went to Walnut Creek to the Amish Country Wool Artisans hook-in!!! Such a fun day that started with a visit to Miller's Bakery near Charm for sweet treats! I picked up this pattern from vendor, Kris Miller (not the bakery Miller) and actually got this much hooked ~ that's amazing because I usually don't get much done at these events! It is Lori Brechlin's bee chair pad and it's going to be very cute! I pulled the wool from my stash at home and was ready to go when I got there!


As I understand it, there are 9 women who put this day together and a fabulous job they do! They had a wonderful Chinese auction and I was the lucky winner of this hooking supplies roll-up! It's in the Maggie B style and hand stitched with beautiful dyed wool ~ I am thrilled to have it!


We had a great lunch ~ there was a nice selection of vendors ~ and I saw lots of my hooker friends (Donna, Jackie, Deb, Bev and Jo and Barb, Arlene, Ann and ~ I could go on and on!!

When we got home, Sonny, Tad and I headed for the lake ~ Sonny had an appointment up here this morning. We ended up having overnight guests when our friends missed the last ferry to Kelleys Island and they slipped out this morning before we got the coffee made!! It's cold and blowy up here today ~ I'm getting ready to hook on my bee pattern and then off to dinner with friends!! It's been a full and fun weekend ~ here's hoping yours was, too! Alice

Posted from my iPad

YESTERDAY'S SHOW ~ ~ ~

  Yesterday's show was great!  Lots of shoppers and lots of fun!!  Did I take a picture of our booth ~ no!  I took these two photos of other people's booths  the night before and that was it! 

This is my new friend, Ann Frank's booth!  We met as blog friends just this past week and she was a vendor at the show!  Really nice baskets ~ check out her blog A Hole in the Basket Primitives! 

Lots of my new dyed wools went home with happy hookers ~ and gals who do wool applique, too!  I met Charlene and Stacy, who are going to be in the Sauder class ~ we're going to have a good time, I can tell!  We knew lots of people who came through ~ I love doing shows and that's only one of the reasons!  It is hard work setting up and packing it all back up again, but I love the positive strokes when someone really appreciates my work and especially when they take it home with them!!  It's the ultimate compliment!

A new thing for me was that after many years, I once again have credit card capabilities!!!  It's called The Square and works with the IPhone!  What a slick little apparatus that is!  Thank goodness, I got to practice with people I know and it really works great!  If you're a small business owner, you might like to check into it!  I just installed it on my phone this week and when I was at the quilt show Thursday, a couple of the vendors were using it and loved it!  That was great confirmation for me!  I also have Paypal for ordering online, but I feel so 'with it' now to be able to offer credit card purchasing!!  Woo hoo! Of course, cash and checks work great, too!

Off to put the hooking room in order and put all the wool back in place!  It's a beautiful day outside ~ but first things first!! 
Alice

P.S.  Quite a few gals inquired about my Rooster Pair rug and wanted me to bring it along ~ I apologize!  I just couldn't remember everything!!  It could be finished very soon ~ if I keep hooking!  Thanks for all your interest!  I intend to send it to the Sauder Rug Show ~ wish me luck in remembering to register it when it's time!! 

IT'S A COLORFUL LIFE ~ ~ ~

Yes, it is!!  I've been in the dye pots this week ~ these colors are sooo beautiful to me!  I hope they will be to the rug hookers of the world, as well!  This Saturday is the Gathered Treasures show here in Mansfield ~ I'm going to have these new colors and putting them together in a little different way so that you can have one of each wool in a color in one packet!

This is kind of a melon color ~ beautifully vibrant and yet some of the remnant pieces are darker. I've just been experimenting this week and so far it's been a great success!!

I'm starting to pack up my wool tonite ~ also have new as-is wools to tear into half-yard pieces.  Heidi and I are taking a little field trip tomorrow ~ my timing is impeccable ~ as usual!!  So back to work for me ~ hope to see as many of you as can make it on Saturday!!  Sonny and I will be waiting ~ make sure you stop by and say hi!!

Alice

ABUNDANCE ~ ~ ~

 My son, Teddy and family went to Gulf Shores for Easter break and brought this back to mama!!  A beautiful silver sand dollar pendant that I just love!!  And a little pottery bead from Seeds of Happiness  ~ you should click on the link and read the story of how these little happy beads came to be!  Thanks to Teddy and Miki, Luke and Luci for my great birthday presents!!

My niece, Cheri, brought these beautiful tulips on Easter ~ she and her daughters stopped by to go through some family mementos.  Very nice ~ I love flowers!  Thank you, Cheri!

Teddy and family came for Easter dinner ~ beef tenderloin, and a great potato dish and chopped salad from Pinterest recipes!  I love Pinterest ~ maybe the recipes more than anything!! 

Wool dying is on my agenda this week ~ up to my elbows in it!  The colors are really nice ~ pictures to follow!  I've created a jam-packed week before The Gathered Treasures Show on Saturday, as only I can do!  Truly, I need a keeper ~ or a manager ~ or something to help me stay on task and not over-schedule!!  Anyway ~ stay tuned!!

Hope you all had a nice Easter and didn't eat too many jelly beans!!  Enjoy your week!
Alice

ROOSTER PAIR & MARBELIZING ~ ~ ~

Here is Rooster Pair in the space where it's going to live ~ the entry to the dining room end of the living/dining area of the house!  It's a large rug ~ 29 x 50 ~ and it's going to be fabulous in that space!  Friend MJ was here yesterday and was surprised at how large it was ~ she thought it was just a regular size rug.  That's when I decided to let you know the size ~ I guess it could be deceiving in the photos.    I hooked all the squiggles in and now only have background to fill in ~ woo hoo!

I spent a couple of days marbleizing wool this week and wanted to share the beautiful colors with you!  I won't elaborate on each one, but if there are any you see that you would like, let me know by email gfraizer@neo.rr.com. They're quarter yard pieces at $12 a piece.  They look like individual works of art to me and hooked into a rug, they give great variation of color without mixing and mushing wools together! 

So that's it for today ~ I'm dying a pot of really pretty red ~ pictures to follow.  Speaking of pictures, when I first posted, I get a message saying that I had run out of storage space on my Picasso Web Album and had to pay $5 to get additional storage. I was very surprised and it kept coming up, so I bit the bullet and voila!  Immediately, I could post my photos ~ everything has a price, I guess!  Have any of you encountered that before? Okay ~ I'm outta here!  Have a great Easter weekend with your families or friends or just yourself!  Ta ta!!

Alice 

ROOSTER PAIR PROGRESS ~ ~ |

Lower right corner is done! I hooked a lot today ~ wish I could spend this much time every day pulling loops and watching LIFETIME TV! I replaced the very pale looking photo with a new one that is dark but it looks better to me!!  If you didn't read the blog earlier today, you don't even know the difference!!!  Crazy Alice rides again!!

Thought I would give you an up close and personal view ~ it really is a time consuming way to do a background ~ but in the end, very worthwhile.

Right now, there are men on our roof making the biggest ruckus ~ we have to have new shingles after  20 years!! The shingles failed ~ there is a class action suit against the company ~ Sonny says he's too old to get up there anymore so we're PAYING to have installers do what he so ably did way back then!  I was hoping they would get in and out of here before the garden started to sprout but alas, that did not happen!  I'm hoping they'll take extra special care ~ we shall see!!

Gathered Treasures Show two weeks from last Saturday! Am I close to being ready ~ not so much! Nose to the grindstone this week ~ I sure hope so!! Hope you enjoy yours as much as I'll enjoy mine!! Ta ta!
Alice

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