Before email and text messages

Once upon a time, friends used to keep in touch in a more personal manner, something more tactile, something more artistic many times. Over the years I collected little things here and there and kept them in a display on a cabinet made by my husband. They included a shabby pink & cream ink blotter, several vintage fountain pens & mechanical pens, a wire letter holder, and desktop pen holders. They were not very valuable, but were things that reminded me of simpler times, times when people took time to write a meaningful letter to a loved one. I still love to think of those times, but now need to thin out all sorts of items I have collected. I have placed those items on ebay ~ you may see them here: Anique & Vintage Writing Instruments & Accessories.

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I have updated the Junk Sale on my website with more craft and reference books. There are several magazines published by Stampington, abook on American Pewter by Winterthur Museum, a wool felt applique book, and more.

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Last, I have one more set of Glass Glitter Pumpkins to offer. I am taking several to a couple of shops this week, but am offering one stacked set online. You may read more about it here: Fanciful Whimsies.

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Thank you for checking in ~ I will have more non-business posts later this week.

Peculiar & Odd

I don't know what's gotten into me lately ~ every day or so I think of something else to blog about ~ and that is both peculiar AND odd! It must be the change of season, don't you think? That's not all that is peculiar and odd ~ this is the reason I am posting tonight:

My primitive / folk art cats, Peculiar & Odd. They are brothers and are waiting for someone to invite them to their home to live. I already have Sam, and he just doesn't like sharing his morning milk, or the ladder-back chair on the porch, and he doesn't like the looks of these creatures ~ he said they are just too peculiar and odd looking!

If you'd like to see detailed photos of them and read a little more, just visit my eBay auctions:

Honeysuckle Lane Auctions.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Autumn TEA webshow

Come visit The Eclectic Artisans @ 9am on the 22nd (or there abouts) for an Autumn themed webshow. You'll also see a few Christmas items! I will have another stacked set of glass glitter pumpkins. These come with a display stand.

http://www.whendisbears.com/The-Eclectic-Artisans.html

{SOLD! ~ thank you!}

WHEN THE FROST IS ON THE PUNKIN
by: James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916)

When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;
O, it's then's the times a feller is a-feelin' at his best,
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere
When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here--
Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossums on the trees,
And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and buzzin' of the bees;
But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape through the haze
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days
Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock--
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn,
And the raspin' of the tangled leaves, as golden as the morn;
The stubble in the furries--kindo' lonesome-like, but still
A-preachin' sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill;
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed;
The hosses in theyr stalls below--the clover over-head!--
O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock!

Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps
Is poured around the celler-floor in red and yeller heaps;
And your cider-makin' 's over, and your wimmern-folks is through
With their mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and saussage, too! ...
I don't know how to tell it--but ef sich a thing could be
As the Angels wantin' boardin', and they'd call around on me--
I'd want to 'commodate 'em--all the whole-indurin' flock--
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock!

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Another non-related items post...

Nothing special about the glue, and no, it's not an ad for Aleene's Tacky Glue, though as much as I buy of the stuff, I should be making big bucks for keeping them in business! That photo is just to illustrate what I deal with on a regular basis. My kids make fun of me. I can't blame them. I bought the bottle of glue (in the front) because I was out. I brought it home day before yesterday and set it down on my worktable................... beside the full, never used, bottle of glue that I bought about a week ago because I was out. There are other bottles of glue just outside of the photo frame. Same scenario. I have other things that I bought because I was out and needed it, only to bring home to place on the shelf beside it's twin. Don't even go there.... I'm not counting. By the way, anyone need safety pins, off white button thread, glass glitter, shipping labels, jewelry wire, double-sided tape, salsa, steak sauce, seasoning, butter, pickles ....... I think I'll stop there. You get the picture?

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Speaking of pictures (I led you into to that one rather smoothly, huh?), I want to share some pictures of this awesome table my husband hand crafted. He is in new-home construction, but you know how that market has been for the last several months, so he has been doing smaller jobs, remodeling, building decks and porches, cutting and baling hay in between the other jobs, and when someone can catch him long enough ~ he builds furniture.

Customers show him a picture or describe what they want, and he builds it, from scratch. This table is for friends of ours. They have already had my husband build 2 large walnut dining tables, 2 walnut fireplace mantels, a large walnut bookcase and matching office desk. They were all beautiful! This time, they wanted a small square cherry table for their kitchen.

I love the drawer (above) and isn't the wood grain beautiful? It was finished with tung oil. No stain or varnishes.

And look at those legs! Alright, was that a whistle I heard? LOL! Roger made the first leg on a wood lathe, then made the other three by sight only! He didn't make a template and he didn't use a lathe that duplicates. He just measured and marked the sections, and carved it by sight. Amazing!

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Beautiful ARTE Y PICO Award ~
Sweetie @ Sweetie's World tagged me for this award ~Thanks Sweetie!

I am supposed to list six Quirks about myself.......

1. I drink coffee all day long, and usually it totals one cup, two at the most. You see, I get my cup of coffee at about 5:45 am, sip on it, set it down and forget about it, find it, heat it in the microwave and sip on it, set it down and forget about it, find it again....... you get the idea. I usually finish it around 1 or 2 pm.

2. I eat frozen corn. When I'm out of the corn from our garden, I will buy frozen whole kernel corn. It tastes much fresher than canned. When I open a bag to cook, I always pour some out in my hand and snack on it, frozen.

3. I eat frozen peas, too! (see #2)

4. I don't like chocolate. But I do like chocolate. Weird. I don't like chocolate breads, cake, cookies, etc. However I do like Reese's peanut butter cups, Snicker's candy bars, and a few other desserts with chocolate.

5. All my animals have names. Not usually weird, but I name all my chickens too. Even when I have 25-30 of them. They all have names and I can tell them all apart from one another and I talk to them and they "talk" to me. One even clucks very softly in my ear when I'm holding her. I still don't think that's quirky, but my family and neighbors do.

6. I'm afraid of heights, but I dream I can fly (not in a plane, but soar through the air) quite often. When I am on my little utility ladder, the 3rd step from the bottom is as far as I can go before I get dizzy. I will climb a regular ladder to help out around home, but you'd think there was an earthquake from all the shaking and rattling going on!

ok, enough about me.....

Here are the rules for this award:
1. Pick five blogs that you consider deserving of this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and which also contribute to the blogging community.

2. Each award is to have the name of the author and a link to his/her blog so that it can be visited.

3. Each award winner can show the award and put the name and link of the blog that presented the award.
4. The award winner and the one who has given the award should show the link arte y pico blogso everyone will know the origin of this award.

I'll give all of you a break. It's fun to play along, when and if you have the time. I don't want to obligate anyone this time, because I have to get back to work soon as I publish this blog, lol!

Have a lovely day!

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Eye Candy....

I received a package from a west coast friend of mine in the mail yesterday. I had placed a special order for a child's shoe pincushion and she had also picked up some supplies for me that I could not find in stores here. I unpacked my supplies and then began unwrapping the pincusion.... oh my! It was more beautiful than I could have imagined!

Can you imagine a little child wearing such a sweet, charming dimunitive shoe? It's just perfect, the velvet cushion, the buttons, the old pins.... it's perfect... did I already say that??? Look at the old ribbon and buckle! I told Sylvia (oh! I forgot to say who made it!) that I think I'll have to start collecting her little children's shoe pincushions...

And if that wasn't worth every dime and more... I found a card in the box thanking me for our friendship and she sent me this necklace! It has an angel and little doll on one side...

and a turkey on the other! How fitting is that? Sylvia makes the most awesome dolls and whimsies and jewelry. I know by now you are dying to see what else she makes. Click here to visit her blog and from there you can go to the online sites that feature her work.

Thank you so much Sylvia!

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And now I want to send you on another journey from the west coast of the US all the way around the world to Denmark! Lone is another online friend of mine. She makes the most perfect, antique and vintage looking dolls! I tried to link to a photo on her blog, but couldn't get it to work, so you will just have to go see for yourself! She makes anything from Queen Anne style dolls to Izannah Walker dolls to more whimsical Dorothy (from Oz) dolls. I have gathered, from her conversations over time, that she has a wonderful collection of antique dolls as well! Be sure to go see Lone and say hello!

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While we are still in Europe, let's blog hop over to Gigi's blog. How I wish I had the patience for such tiny stitches! If you appreciate needlework and love antique inspired designs, you will love Gigi's blog!

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Last, but not least, even if you can't read a word of it (like me!) you will enjoy this blog immensely! Ciel D'Orage is pure eye candy for lovers of soothing, calming whites and ivories and textures. I have spent a LOT of time there just looking at all the photos.

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Thanks for stopping by today and have fun browsing all the beautiful blogs out there...

Take Care & God Bless,

Lana