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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Christmas Open House 302 South 15th in Clarinda Iowa Next Weekend

Christmas is just rushing here so fast and I can't believe I am off to Clarinda tomorrow to prepare for my big open house antique and Christmas craft extravaganza. Hours will be Thursday and Friday November 29 and 30 from 10 am to 7 pm and Saturday 10 am to 2 pm. I'll be back the next week, Dec. 6 through the 8, same hours.

Now, the house is PACKED with the best of Christmas, I have trees, I have ornaments, I have candles, I have wreaths, I have snowmen, I have Santas, and oh boy, do I have antiques! Here are a few photos I took when I started my displays, it is just a tiny peek at what will await the Clarinda girls when they stop by the house....






Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving

We are staying home today, as I am travelling to Clarinda on Sunday for a week to set up for the Christmas open house. My sister Kathey is having the big family dinner at her house that we are missing, going to be sad not to see everyone. We are having walnut chicken and party potatoes and glazed carrots for four tonight, spending the day finishing up projects.

The happy Christmas reds are done, little sugar bucket is top of stack small, nailed construction $128, bowl is large 15" for $98; little bucket and tree, also a tiny but stapled is $78 for the set; 12" bowl is $48, and way cute masher is $20.





Sunday, November 18, 2012

A Drive to Bishop Hill

I have wanted to visit Bishop Hill Illinois forever and we had a spur of the moment trip there yesterday for Sweet Annie's Christmas open house--it was wonderful! I left so fast, I forgot my camera, but you can get a glimpse from their website, www.sweetannieprimitives.net. Just like Gatherings, you really have to be there to fully appreciate it, it was such a step back in time. Grace went out to the wash house first, told me it was kind of magical, and it was. Anna sighed and said she would love to live there, me too! I couldn't afford a thing, but inspiration struck and I was up until midnight working feverishly on new ideas. Now, my things look nothing like their things, they are much more primitive, it just got me started thinking...

Here are some Christmas goods that just came to life last night...






Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Christmas Bounty

I spent the day covered in red and green paint, here are the fruits of my labor, very pretty, I must say!






Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Riding Out Election Day

Voting is done and I am worn out, hoping that last robocall a few minutes ago is really the last one!

I have been busy busy getting trees and all sorts of things done, as you see.

These are old trucks from husband's shopping excursion this weekend, I love to use these all over at Christmas, I put little trees in the back as though they are making deliveries.

We went to Gatherings on Saturday, always a treat. If you live anywhere near Anamosa, GO! I am telling you, photos just don't do the shop justice, it is an in person antique and primitive utopia. I think that is why I got so much done after, so inspiring always. We also stopped to see Nancy at the Rug Cottage, which is a country Christmas wonderland these days--trust me, you'll leave with several sacks of merchandise, you will want everything in both stores.





Thursday, November 1, 2012

Halloween Over at Last

We had quite a day getting the costumes ready, Anna was going to be Nancy Drew, but picked up a book series called the Poison Apples about teenage vampire fashionistas, and decided that was what she wanted. Well, would you believe no fangs to be had in town? Finally stopped in a a costume shop where they sell mostly slutty this and that costumes (and even the kid costumes were of the slutty wench variety!), but they did have fangs. Well, we wait to attach them and they kept falling out, so she changed again to teenage guitar player, which caused much commotion amongst other trick or treaters who wanted her to play, not quite understanding that she is a classical guitarist who owns an electric guitar, but doesn't know how to play simple chords, she just knows the hard stuff! Grace originally wanted to be Kimbra, an Australian singer, but decided it made her too annoyed when no one ever knows who she is dressed up as (last year no one guessed Bellatrix Lestrange, even though she really looked like her.) So, it had to be her other favorite celebrity, Lucy Ricardo, we did have fun making the Vitameatavegamin bottle, and people even guessed her costume right, Lucy is Lucy even when she is Chinese.

I think we had 200 trick or treaters this year, I hear about other places getting no kids and keep wondering why they are getting driven to my tiny neighborhood. At least they were all cute and polite this year, but I am glad it is over!