HOUSE PARTY ~ ~ ~

I've been dying to show these photos ~ Blogger wouldn't cooperate this week,  so I haven't posted in 10 days ~ and now I look at them really well and the pictures all have an ethereal look to them ~ as though taken through gauze!  But, I'm showing them anyway!  Such a nice collection of vintage clothing and red stockings in the guest room at my friend Lori's house!   

We were invited to an 'after Christmas' gathering at Lori and Michael Corelis home last week.  Lori is a well-known bear artist and this is her sweet little studio!  It's hard to imagine that she does all her creating in this little room ~ but it is so well organized and she has such fun things stashed here and there that she uses to make her mohair animals come to life! Remember to double click on the photos to see all the details!

In the family room, this huge antique fan quilt hangs over the mantle and on the mantle are some great mug jugs, done by various artists. Their origin dates back to the mid 1800's and were made by the slave potters at the end of their work day ~ some say made in their own image from the left over clay.  They fascinate me ~ anything with a face does ~ and we have a couple of smaller ones here at our house.

Look at this great stack of blanket chests!  And wooden shoe molds to the right, hold antique pin cushions. Lori and Michael have great collections ~ each one showcased beautifully in their contemporary home. 

 This cute guy resides in the two-story entry and is dressed in red longjohns for the long cold winter!  Pretty darn funny to me ~ wonder what the neighbors think!!  I'm sure they find Lori a fun addition to their neighborhood!  She and her husband are wonderful hosts and they made a houseful of guests from different walks of life, feel very comfortable on a winter evening.

 This new addition to our house was made by my resident carpenter, Sonny!!  He reminded me that we bought the table top  at  David T. Smith's tent sale years ago.  He ran across it in his shop and made the splayed-leg base for it ~ then did a hand-rubbed oil finish ~ now we have a new table in front of the fireplace.  It really is beautiful and made him really happy to be out in his shop creating.  He's also been working on hooking frames for the upcoming show season ~ yay! 

We had lots of snow today ~ no school in our area ~ there's also  a lot of flu going around ~ I'm staying inside so germs don't get me!!  Today was the wholesale market in Columbus ~ I love to go but not on these roads ~ good sense prevailed and I stayed home!

The beginners rug class for tomorrow is postponed and we're rescheduling in March ~ it's going to work out much better since the weather isn't cooperating and illness is running rampant.  Son Teddy and grandsons, Luke and Camden were down with the flu bug this week ~ I dropped Luke's homework off to him and practically threw it in the door ~ I didn't want those people breathing on me!  Thankfully, today,  they're all on the mend! 

Stay warm and stay healthy ~ winter has finally reared it's blustery head but Spring is right around the corner! 
Alice