Saturday, November 22, 2014

Winter White Wonderland


Some of you are tired of seeing snow... and some of you don't have or want any snow... but I ask you to please forgive me for the title of this post and indulge me for just a bit of nostalgic snowiness. :)


As a kid I LOVED winter and the snows that came with it. It may just be selective memory, but I am pretty sure we had more days of snow and bigger snows when I was a kid in the 70s. I did not love traveling in snow, however. We lived on a country side road, with a long gravel driveway. Whenever we went anywhere --- and believe me, we always went somewhere when it snowed --- at the end of the driveway, if you turned left, you immediately were going uphill and if you turned right you immediately were going downhill towards a small bridge in a curve that crossed Big Creek and that immediately went uphill and then around another curve!


So, my Dad being the adventuresome guy that he was, could not wait to go visit when it came a snow. He was a country preacher and checking on church members / friends was always an excuse to hit the snowy roads --- that, and the opportunity to tell the guys how we slid down the hill, around the curve, gassed it and fish-tailed back and forth going up the other side. You see, we never owned a 4-wheel drive vehicle. And that never deterred Daddy. He'd take his old pick-up truck where any 4-wheel drive could go.


We'd bundle up in layers and mittens and scarves and hats and boots and take off on an adventure!


There were times Mama and I got out and walked down the road a ways while Daddy drove the more treacherous (to us) part of the road. While walking, which was often at night since we went after Daddy got home from work, and if the snow was over, we enjoyed the silence of a snowy night (except for the truck, of course!). We'd look up at the sparkling, glittering sky that God had blessed us to see.


Late in the night, after visits were made and assurances that everyone had groceries in their homes, we turned toward home. When we were safely there, we took off our coats and mittens and scarves and hats and boots and layers of clothing, put on our flannel pajamas and warmed our toes by the wood stove that Daddy had just loaded with more sticks of wood... enough to last through the night.

And if, by chance, it was still snowing, and the winds were blowing, you could hear the sound of winter... calling through the white pines and hemlocks.


Our house was a little drafty, so at bedtime Mama would get a quilt and hold it over the stove to get really good and warm. Then I'd hop in the bed and she'd tuck it around me under the other covers to keep me warm.

  There we were, at home, with those we loved... nothing could have been better...


...except for it to never end. ♥

~*~

All of the items you see are available on my shop blog.
I love making things that have a bit of nostalgic ambiance...
something to remind me of my childhood...
or earlier times...
when life was slower and more peaceful.

Have a blessed day!
Lana

Monday, November 17, 2014

Goodbye, Sweet Sam


Saturday we had to say goodbye to one of the sweetest cats we've ever had the joy of having in our family.


Sam was given to me by my Mom 10 years ago... he was probably 1 - 1 1/2 years old then.


He was a sweet-natured cat and patiently shared his space with the turkeys and birds and chickens.




 

He loved catnapping... a lot!

 

...even with dogs yapping all around him...


He quietly sat on the back porch, watching squirrels in the nearby trees.


 And catnapped some more...







I've posted about Sam over the years... you can read stories about his love of catnip, his turkey watching, and tolerance of dogs here.

Goodbye, Sweet Sam. We'll miss you. ♥




Friday, November 14, 2014

Another Holiday Ornament Sneak Peek


The weather we've been having here on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee has really put me in the wintertime crafting mood! Overnight we had a low of 18 degrees and I woke up to light snow flurries!

I'm still working on ornaments for my Winter White Wonderland collection...
and I wanted to take a minute to share a few photos with you.

I'll have mistletoe clusters (as seen above) made from steel wire, vintage glass beads, early 1900s Christmas sheet music, and glass glitter...


and mittens and stockings made from natural cotton batting and old-fashioned silver tinsel.


You'll find the entire collection here on November 21st!

Thanks for stopping by!
Lana

Monday, November 10, 2014

$5 Flower Pin Sale!!!



$5 offer today only!!! Choose 5 or more flower pins and get them for $5 each. Great for stocking stuffers, birthday gifts, etc. Go in with your friends and buy a bunch and split the cost! You can find them in my Honeysuckle Lane Etsy shop.

To get the discount:
Just contact me with links of your choices or ask me to choose for you, and I'll make a combined discounted listing for you. Please share! I'd love to get these sold to make room for new inventory. https://www.etsy.com/shop/HoneysuckleLane/search?search_query=flower+pin&order=date_desc&view_type=gallery&page=1

Take care & God bless,
Lana

Friday, November 7, 2014

Holiday Teaser...


The glass glitter cones are finished! It's silk ribbon snowdrops and hearts on the to-do list this weekend.





I'll let you know when the Winter White Wonderland show begins! :)

Take care & God bless,
Lana

Thursday, November 6, 2014

A Little Sparkly Preview...


Adding the pièce de résistance to the glass glitter cones... antique buttons and vintage metallic ribbons purchased years ago... little hand-fashioned medals, if you will. I have used these items sparingly over the years because I don't want them to end.



If you want to see what I'll have to offer, just pop over to my Honeysuckle Lane Shop blog. I hope to start the sale November 21st! Get your shopping list ready! :)

Take care & God bless,
Lana

Monday, November 3, 2014

Wood Burls: Finding Beauty in Nature's Imperfections


Have you ever noticed a weird knot or lump on the side of a tree? Most likely you were looking at a burl. They are deformities, abnormal growths on the tree, commonly thought to be caused by insects or disease in the tree. They also provide gorgeous wood for woodworkers to use in their craft. The burls are somewhat rare and items made from burls command a higher price because of the beauty of the wood grain. You can read more about them here

Recently, my husband acquired a few burls that were found in our area when land was being cleared. One of them was this huge white oak burl! The others were wild cherry burls that were a good size as well... one of them was too large to fit in a 5 gallon bucket.

white oak burl

When not building houses, which is his usual job, he sometimes builds furniture in his workshop for customers, friends, and family. I think you'll agree... he's extremely talented!







He's waiting on the larger burl pieces to dry so he can turn them on his lathe and make beautiful bowls. That may be a few years, so for now, I asked him to cut some small pieces from the scrap wood that he trimmed off. We're making them into geometric and natural shaped pendants! Here are just a few of the pieces he cut. We'll have more in a few weeks.

wild cherry burl

white oak burl


What do you think about them? We still have to choose the findings... jump rings, bails... chains or leather cords. We may do a few different styles or offer choices. I'll let you know when they are ready!

Have a lovely week!
Take care & God bless,
Lana