My Giveaway Is Only A Few Days Away And My Booth Has Been Restocked

I went home to Spooner, WI last week, it was so relaxing and just plain awesome!!!! I got to spent the whole week with my oldest daughter Kara which I always enjoy with all my heart. But now I am back in Rapids, my youngest daughter Alyssa came for a weekend visit from college. We hit the hot spots here in Rapids (Goodwill, Thrift Stores) this morning and spent the rest of the day relaxing and baking cookies. Alyssa is such a joy...she keeps me young that's for sure....never a dull moment!!!!!

While I was home in Spooner, I re-stocked my booth at the "Red Door Antique Mall" with some more goodies. I have been selling a few things which is pretty good seeing it's winter and everything has slowed down quit a bit. But we expect to pick up sometime around March or April and I will be ready for business But until then, I will keep creating and thinking of new ways to make my booth warm and exciting.

Here I am in the heat of the battle. I had to make a mess before I could start seeing progress, it seems like it is always that way.

I was surprised that I found a spot for everything. When I started re-stocking I thought I would NEVER get it all in. I seriously was ready to put my hair out!!!!!

I found a few more pieces to my vintage casserole set. I LOVE vintage kitchen stuff!!! It is my second favorite collectible. My first of course being anything PRIMITIVE!!!!!

I also found some more mushroom cookie jars from the 70's, a cool covered butter dish and some more pieces to add to the pfaltzgraff dishes set.

Here is my booth finally finished...it took me all day!!!!!

I had to start sticking things under the bench...didn't have a choice. Oh well, at least it's there for the pickins.

My buttery cabinet is FULL!!!!

Here are a few of my handmade bunnies, I think they look cute sitting in the drawer.

A view from the isle....I was pretty happy with the out come but of course I could have tweaked and tweaked....I finally had to say enough already!!!!

MY GIVEAWAY DRAWING IS WEDNESDAY....SIGN UP AND STAY TUNED

I have really enjoyed reading all your comments and stories about what you like doing when you and your girlfriends get together. Thank you for sharing them with me, I loved each and everyone of them. I really believe God gave us girlfriends because sometimes men just do not understand girl stuff, I guess we all know there is total truth to that statement:)

If you have not signed up for my giveaway, click on my giveaway post and get your name in. I will draw a name on Wednesday and POST THE NAME OF THE WINNER ON MY BLOG. I will then ask the winner to email me your name and address to I can get this little prim gal in the mail to you.

A huge thank you to my daughter Alyssa for updating my blog header pictures for me...what would I ever do without you Liddy!!!!!! That was actually one of my Christmas presents from Alyssa this year. Three blog header updates with NO WHINNING....and she was true to her word...NOT ONE WHINE did I hear!!!! I still have 2 more coming WHINE free :) LOVE IT!!!!!

Another Christmas gift she had waiting for me was that she signed me up for a 5K race in LaCrosse Wisconsin on May 1st. I did not know whether to laugh or cry when I opened that baby up (shown above, you can click on the pic for a closer look), I have NEVER done a 5k before...like I've said before, she keeps me young. And believe me, I am ever mindful that I have to start training for this or I will NEVER make it!!! I will keep you all updated on my training progress :)

Thank you for reading and commenting on my blog, I enjoy all your company so much!!!

God Bless.....Rhonda

GIVEAWAY POST!!!

My GIVEAWAY is finally finished and ready to be offered up to my blog friends.

This little gal is extremely primitive. She can either sit or hang as a door doll. She measures 19" long and 9" wide and was made with love by me :)

I want to dedicate this GIVEAWAY to my 100th post and also to my friends and family back home in Spooner. Whenever I get lonely or sad about not being home, I think back to all the wonderful times I have had with them and it fills my soul with love and laughter.

My girlfriends and I have had many, many fun shopping/lunch dates together and this little gal being offered up today would have been something we would have bagged and tagged along with candles, pottery and antiques. I can't tell you all the laughs and memories I cherish in my heart and I thank God everyday for my girlfriends and the time we spend together.

To be eligible to win this little gal, please post a comment on this post sharing with me what you and your girlfriends do when you get girl-time together. I will put your name in my drawing and the drawing will be held on Wednesday, February 3rd which I will then announce the WINNER!!!

Have fun....and good luck!!!!!

God Bless, Rhonda

Wax Bunnies, Dolls and Sugar Cake Ornies

I have been wanting to try wax dipping for about a year now but couldn't seem to get the nerve to try it. I know that sounds stupid, and now that I have tried dipping, I realize how stupid it was to wait so long to give it a whirl.

I made these bunnies out of warm and natural batting and then coffee stained them up. They were then ready for dippin.

After I dipped the bunnies, I let some of the wax drip off in the pan and then placed them on a piece of aluminum foil. I shaped them to sit the way I wanted them to and then let it dry.

I used paraffin wax for this project. I melted the wax in a double boiler I made using an old coffee can and it worked awesome.

Aren't they cute, they dried hard but they look soft.

This a the wax I used.

I really enjoyed making these and am planning on making many more for Easter. I also made some little chix that I'm going to wax dip next. The chix and bunnies will look adorable together. To make these bunnies I used a pattern from Sassafras Hill Primitives.

I also have been working on getting some dolls finished up, they are coming along nicely.

Here are some critters which are work in progress.

I really like the elephant and the pig!!!!!

bunny, bunny

The ingredients I used for the sugar cake ornie...very simple.

Seeing I was in the mood to try something new, I also ventured out and made this cool sugar cake ornie. I found this recipe on A Primitive Place click on the link and give it a try yourself....you'll love the results!!!!

I pressed the sugar into a mold.

let it sit for a few minutes.

then lifted the mold and....taaadaaa...it worked!!!!!

Love it!!!!

I plan on making many of these little cuties too :)

I let it dry on the counter overnight and to my surprise it was hard as a rock in the morning. These will look so nice sitting under a glass dome or under a shoo fly dome. And they are calorie free :) they are for looking at not eating!!!!! My kinda treat...NOT!!!!

Well, that's what I have been up to this week...I am still working on my give away...probably have the ready to offer up next week so again....stay tuned.

Have a great weekend everyone and God Bless all your new beginings...Rhonda

My New Adventure Has Begun And My 100th Post

I am officially set-up in the Red Door Antique Mall in Spooner, Wisconsin...what a wonderful way to start my 100th post :)

I made my trip to Spooner on Thursday morning. When I left Rapids the roads were in medium condition but I decided to continue my 3 hour drive hoping they would not get any worse. When I hit Black River Falls, which is an hour into my trip, they were not only worse...they were horrible. There were cars in the ditch everywhere, we were all driving on black ice which is very, very stressful. I did a lot of praying and went slow and I did make it to Spooner in one piece.....PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!

A view of the bad roads...the wind was blowing like crazy...it was a white knuckle drive that's for sure!!!!!

Here is my truck when I arrived in Spooner safe and sound all packed with my furniture and goodies.

A huge thank you to my girlfriend Roxanne who came in to help me unload everything, I could not have done it without her. Here is a picture of the beginning of the set-up. Rox also helped me price everything, she has a booth in the mall also...she is an ole' pro at this!!!!

My booth all set up.

My booth

As you can tell, there is a mix of antiques and my handmades. I am very low on my handmade items and have my work cut out for me these next few months. I have to stock not only my booth but my favorite store.....COUNTRY FRECKLES!!!!!

I hung my adorable sign that Lisa from The Primitive Sign Company made for me. Thanks Lisa, you do such an awesome job on your signs!!!!!!

A close-up of some of the items.

I LOVE this cabinet...it's called a Buttery and is handmade by the Amish. I could not be happier with this awesome display piece. Even though I love it...the Buttery and all my furniture is for sale....gotta change things up and keep it interesting.

Here are some of my dolls sitting on an adorable bench which is also handmade by the Amish.

A make-do chair and a little nightstand which are also handmade by the Amish. They are full of all my goodies waiting for new homes.

Here is a view of the mall looking toward the front door from my booth. As you can see, there are a lot of dealers in the mall. It is FULL of treasures!!!! Believe it our not, there are more booths behind me :) didn't get pictures of that.

Here is my girlfriend Rox's booth....it's the fullest of all.

Rox's booth...she wins the prize for best displayed I think.

More of Rox's goodies, she is a busy girl.

Rox's

More of Rox's...didn't I tell you she was an ole' pro.

I had to work at the mall on Friday and I enjoyed it soooooo much!!!!! To make a great day even better, after work my daughter, her husband and one of her friends from high school and I went out for fish at Pair O' Lake. Pair O' Lake has the BEST fish fry around!!!!!! If anyone is in the area you have got to try it, you won't be disappointed.

Well, I am back in Rapids today and am ready to start sewing up a storm. As stated in my title.....THIS IS MY 100th POST.....I will be having my FIRST give away soon. I am making something special for it this week so stay tuned for pictures and a chance to enter. Hope everyone has a relaxing Sunday. Until next time.....Blessings, Rhonda

Happy New Year And Plans For 2010

Happy New Year Everyone!!!! I hope you all enjoyed this first day of 2010...new beginnings is what I see for us all. (I know I look like a dork but I couldn't resist posting this pic)

I am very excited for this year. I see a lot of new opportunities and new frontiers to explore. First off, I will be turning 50 years old in May and that alone is new territory for me. I don't look at it as 50 years old....it is 50 years young and am excited to become all I can be at 50.

Secondly, Brent and I have decided to build our new home this Spring on the 40 acres we purchased in Spooner last Fall. It will be a little piece of heaven for us!!!!!!! As you all know, we have been in a rental for going on 2 years now waiting for this marsh thing here in Wi Rapids to come into FULL bloom. Well, it is looking like they are postponing the marsh house and shop once again for who knows how long. So the rental is what is home here in Rapids for now. We can not control what they decide to do but we can control what we do for our future and that for us is to have a HOME OF OUR OWN!!!!!! I don't know where the road will lead from here as far as this marsh job but I do know that in the Spring, 2010, Brent and I will have our OWN HOME. We can have the best of both worlds as I look at it....a HOME in Spooner where our HOME will always be...and a house to live in while we live and work here in Rapids. I guess our new house will be like a cabin until we retire and come home to Spooner for good. Lives a journey, gotta love it:)

The spot we have picked out to start clearing this Spring for our new home!!!!

Here is a picture similar to the house we are planning on building. Our house will be a bit bigger then this one and will not be this color (I don't like this color at all). We are still deciding on a color for our house, we have til Spring. We are still in the beginning stages on this project and I get so excited with every step we take.

Another venture in 2010 for me is that I rented a booth at an antique mall in Spooner and I will be filling it up with all my handmade items with a mix of antiques that I find during my travels. I am excited for this new adventure, it will kinda be like having my own little store, something I have always wanted. I have a lot to learn about managing my little booth but am very ready and willing to get started.

I am going to make a sewing resolution for 2010. In 2010 I am going to start making my western show clothes again. I really love envisioning the designs in my head and the challenge of getting them to transfer from my head to my hands. I will have to say that garment sewing is my first love....and I really miss it. But because all my show clothes fabrics are still packed away in some storage building or trailer, I have kept moving forward with my primitives. I LOVE making my prim dolls mind you....I just miss garment sewing sometimes.

Here is a couple shirts I made for my girlfriend and her daughter. Tons of crystals on these two beauties.

I call this one the Callie

And this one I named the Lisa

I made this one and sold it one ebay...I have sold many of my shirts on ebay...maybe I will do that again this year.

Here is one of my favorites, when I started cutting out the lambskin leather designs for this shirt and started playing with the designs and was not real sure if I liked it. I decided to keep plugin away with it and this is how it turned out. I was pleasantly surprised. You would certainly stand out on the rail wearing this one of a kind creation.

A view of the back, lots of crystals on this one too

a close up of my lambskin leather applique.

I loved this one also, it was so slimming

I found the fabric for this shirt at the sewing expo in Minneapolis, MN. I loved it so much I bought the whole bolt. I made many many shirts like this and was very sad when I ran out of this fabric. It was a real HIT!!!!

But I have to say, this one was my all time favorite!!! I also made pants to match this shirt for showmanship classes. I named this one the Jordyn.

Well, enough of going down memory lane.

The most important commitment I am making this new year is to study my bible and to journal what God is showing me each day. I used to do this years ago faithfully. When I read my old journals, I can see how God's hand guided me and was teaching me his ways. I want ears to hear and eyes to see God and I will not get that if I don't spend time with him....I want to hear his voice more then anything this year!!!!!

My Bible that I have had for many years. I have many other Bibles but I always seem to come back to this one....it's my favorite I guess.

The other day I made myself a little spot in the spare room to study and read my Bible. It's quiet and peaceful and that's what I need to concentrate.

I found this cool old chair for $19 at the Goodwill last week. I goes so well with the old table Brent and I bought at an antique shop down the road from us a couple months ago.

Last but certainly not least, I want to spend more time with my awesome grandson's Noah and Carson. I LOVE them with ALL MY HEART and miss not seeing them more because we live so far apart. I want to teach them about Jesus and let them know how much JESUS loves them!!!!

Well, now that I have spilled my guts and possibly bored you all the death, I am going to head to bed so I can be well rested for the busy weekend I have ahead of me.
God Bless you all......Rhonda