Booth Not Yet Full

Snowman and Lighted santa sleigh I made, patterns by The Olde Country Cupboard

Frosty Hats I made for show

Lighted santa sleigh boxes.

Fall Show Big Sucess

Well we certainly had a great response to the show here in town. This one is our best show always and this year this weekend was no exception. My booth was swamped from the second the doors opened and in much less that one hour was empty! We didn't have nearly as much as usual due to my surgery and all, we had to down size from our usual 4 spaces to only two spaces, we managed to some how have enough stuff to fill it in nicely for one round but when the doors opened, it was empty with in less than the first hour. I was really surprised with the economy being what it is and this area being a hard hit community with job losses lately and no jobs to be found anywhere around but we do have people come from miles way to this show. If we had more stuff we really could have made a lot more $$ this weekend! But I am so thankful for what we did have and what we made. Hope it is all well next Fall, we can be better prepared I hope, been saying that for years, you crafters know how that is! But I do have a great head start for next year with all the doll bodies and santas, etc that I had started this year and never got done b/c of this unexpected illness and surgery. Soooo, got lots of dolls and Christmas items sitting here wondering why they are still naked and hairless! LOL! Hopefully through the year I will get them done and ready to go for next Fall. My daughter Celena always helped so much with items..stitcheries and such but she is in California now, married and with her hubby in the Navy and I really missed her help on the things she made for me, but my other daugter, Kelly, has returned just recently so she wants to take up what Celena was doing so that will be a big help for the Fall show to come next year. Hoping all will be so much better next year. Wishing every one a Happy Thanks Giving, Merry Christmas, good health and safe holidays.
Blessings, Carmen

Sunday

I guess recovery isn't as fast as I want it to be. I tried to work on a few very simple things at the table this evening and I am exhausted, had to stop. Calico is this coming weekend, Nov 14 & 15th and I certainly won't have too much to show. I want to try to go and sit for a short time at least Saturday morning of the show but not sure I can manage that either. Will have some one filling in for me at the booth I suppose. We down sized our booth from 4 spaces to 2. Hopefuly tomorrow will be a better day with more energy I hope. Well, Sunday Night Football is on so I guess I will retreat back to the couch and watch to see if the Cowboys or the Eagles will be the better team tonight, but am pretty certain of one thing, I will have to find out tomorrow as I will probably fall asleep way b/f the game ends! Just seem to stay so tired still. Hope all is well with everyone, Blessings, Carmen

Ho Humm....

Well it is sure boring sitting around and not able to get up and do! Trying to recover from this little episode as fast as I can but my back doesn't want to co-operate so much as the rest of me. I am browsing through magazines.. Country Sampler, Mercantile Gatherings ..and such trying to find simple easy, no sew or barely sew ideas that maybe I can tackle. Phillip is going to try to do one of the shows, mostly with his woodwork and this one show does allow some import so I do have some things from Colonial Tin that I buy and dress up so he will give it a go with that. Hope we are a little sucessful anyway!! Hate to go with the import stuff but I have no choice this go 'round. I NEVER do import dolls or any fabric import type stuff but I do sell tart warmers and some lamps and such from Colonial Tin at this one show but always try to do a little something to them to give them our own touch instead of that straight from the box sell. My friend Sandy sent me a really cool painted and distressed burlap pumpkin bag from one of our favorite vendors..Tuckers Farmhouse! It was a sweet gift she got for me...........She did the McIntosh show a couple weeks ago and Tuckers Farm is always there with great treasures and unique items. I love the pumpkin bag, really prim and coool.. has some dried corn stalks and such sticking out the top with wool felt eyes and a stick nose stitched on it. Sandy's shows have been great this years so far so I am hoping that is a good sign for us all! Well, back to doing nothing for a bit I guess..LOL....I hope to sit at the sewing machine in this wheel chair maybe by Monday and see if I can manage to lean forward enough to perhaps sew up a few dresses for dolls I have sitting here that are just needing clothes!Hope everyone is well and doing something that makes you happy. Blessings, to all, Carmen

Home at last.

Thank you to all who have left comments, sent emails and prayed for me. I have been home from the hospital for a few days now after being hospitalized for a little over 2 weeks . I can manage to sit at the computer for short periods of time in the wheel chair. I still can not walk on my own, but that will come in time. I am still in shock, never knew what hit me until it hit all at once. Apparently when I went to a local Dr. Office here some time ago and had an injection in my ankle for my arthritis, the needle was not clean that was used or was contaminated some how. At that time I had an infectious re action at the injection site but got it treated with anti biotics and thought all was clear. Well, it wasn't, apparently that infection I received at that time through the injection was a bad staff strain that is normally only found in IV drug users and transferred from unclean needles being injected! And of course IV DRUGS or ANY drugs is not or never has been my life style! But from that infection, it got into my blood and set up an abscess at the bottom of my spine, the abscess grew, twined itself all around my spinal cord and crawled 2/3 way up my spine with abcess and fluids, and I never knew anything at all was wrong... no back aches, headaches, nothing! Until just all at once around the earlier part of this month, Oct, I suddenly got a terrible pain in my lower right hip, thinking it was probably a chiropractic issue I planned to try to get to a chiropractor but b/f I knew it I was in excruciating pain, suffered here at home a few days hoping it would go away and finally had to have paramedics come get me and went to the hospital here in Moultrie. I was so crazy out of my mind in severe pain I don't really have much recollection of the days and what was going on but apparently one wonderful doctor here at the hospital , Dr. Baker, saw my white blood count was highly elevated so he went off on that trail which lead to an MRI of my hip, discovering the abscess going way up the spinal cord, then they did an MRI of my brain and saw it wasn't quite there yet, I was then sent to Atlanta to a top notch top of the line hospital that specializes in rare diseases and such. I had emergency surgery on my spine the next morning in Atlanta. They said that this is an extremely rare thing and they have hardly ever seen anything like it but of course they specialize in these rare weird things, thank God!!! Had it gone hardly any further they said I would have been permanently paralyzed and at that point it would have shot the infection out into my heart and major organs and probably would have been certain death shortly to follow. I had to have blood transfusions and OMG, I don't know what all `they did except an awful lot of painful proceedures and tests! Plus 32 stitches in my back from surgery. It has been a very scary thing, mostly being that near death and not having a clue you are even ill!!! still seems it just isn't real. Until you go through something you just cannot imagine the weirdness and fear of it all. At this point I am on continuous anti biotic IV here at home for another few weeks and have a small hole drilled at the upper and lower part of my spine and will have to continue to return for MRI pics of the spine to make sure it doesn't return. I am so thankful it was discovered and hopefully all will be well soon. But needless to say I have lost my shows and going to miss out Sandy's shows and all the other seasonal things I had planned to visit this year during this season. But I am just so thankful to be alive! Thanks again to all those who have sent prayers and well wishes. It means so very much to me! Blessings to all, Happy and Safe Holidays too!!! Carmen

First Show of Season. Turkey I made from a Raven's Haven Pattern. Love the way it turned out, was first item to sell!

Pilgrim Wreath, I made the heads from a Chestnut Junction pattern

Dolls and Pumpkins

Pumpkins!

Wreaths and dolls at Show

Lighted Pumpkin Box and fabric pumpkin

My Cat, Winston, enjoying his favorite daily activity!

Interesting concept!

Fussy Black Hens

Several of the hens like to lay their eggs in that same nest in the barn so this hen is fussing at the other one to hurry up and get out of the nest I suppose! Most of the other hens lay their eggs in the hen house. Don't know why these girls refuse to do that but they seem to prefer the barn. There is an old antique dresser we found a while back hubby was going to restore, it is in his wood storage shed by the barn, the dresser is missing a drawer and wouldn't you know it there is one hen that lays an egg every day in that dresser where the drawer is missing! We have yet to figure out which one it is. It is some times like an Easter Egg hunt to find them all! Most all of my hens lay the BIG brown eggs and gee are they delicious!

Curly, My Favorite Goat!

This is Curly hiding in the barn, I have had him for many years. His hair grows very long, soft, and curly and this is where most of my Santa beards come from. They guy who shears him always comments about how nice his hair is and that Curly doesn't stink at all, I guess a lot of goats must smell bad! LOL! Usually have him sheared about twice a year. Curly is my buddy, I hope he lives many more years to come. Some times I take him for a walk in the woods in the back of our property so he can feast on different greenery. There is also a little creek running through it. He can sense danger very well and also if a snake is near so I feel safe walking him and know when to turn around and get out of the woods! On the other side of Curly you can barely see JJ .. he is a little black pigmy goat.

Sweet Olde Goat!

This is Tiny Tim, No I didn't name him! Some people gave him to me about 5 years ago and I didn't want to confuse him by chaging his name but I just call him Tiny. As long as you have a treat he doesn't care what you call him! He is a sweet heart and VERY smart! This is one of my three goats.

Black Cat awaits The Great Pumpkin! LOL!

This is my Black Cat, Sissy, she loves to walk in the garden with me. She is a sweetie. Can't wait to take a pic of her with a big pumpkin this Fall, the olde Black Cat with a Pumpkin! The leaves in the pic are HUGE, they are from the biggest pumpkin plant. Hope the pumpkins are huge too! We planted several differnet types.

Pumpkin Plants in Full Bloom

One of our gardens is full of melons and pumpkin plants, these Pumpkin plants are really growing fast! Full of blooms, hope to have lots of pumpkins this year! Can't wait!

I always enjoy decorating a new prim piece when I get it home. Here are a few things I put in the Hoosier cabinet.

Hoosier Cabinet Pics

This is my favorite olde doll. I purchased it several years ago from a wonderful Primitive Gift and Quilt Shop in Jacksonville, Florida located on San Jose Blvd. The shop is called "The Olde Green Cupboard". Sandy and I always love shopping there and have for years and Now my hubby loves to go there also. He likes to look at the old stuff and always finds something he wants me to buy when I go, he liked this old doll too. Last year he found a really cool looking garland to go on the tree, it was all primmed up and looked so nice on the tree. He loves to build repro prim pieces of furniture, cabinets and picture frames.

Hoosier Cabinet

I just bought this old, old Hoosier Cabinet from my favorite Antique "Junk Store" here in town. It still has the flour sifter and cap in tact. This one is a bit smaller than the one I have in my Kitchen.

Yule Log 2

My Visit With My Best and Dearest Friend, Sandy

I got to Sandy's house yetserday for a short visit... was so good to be there in person again even though we burn up the phone line all the time..LOL. We only live a couple hours apart but still hard to find time to visit any more since the girls are grown. Used to we got together most every time the girls had school holidays or time off, ahhh what wondeful sweet memories and how we used to talk about oh one day they will be grown and we will be in our 50's..at the time it seemed like a LONG ways off but OMG, those days are here! Anyway, Sandy has a such a cozy warm home, litterally.. the a/c wasn't working well..Haha...Her hubby just had a brand new unit put in and has had nothing but trouble with it so they are going to have to get that replaced. But her home is so wonderful, you just feel at home when you walk in, smells sooo awesome with the delicious smelling country candles burning. It is such a wonderful feeling in there that has been so familiar to me for about 15 years now ...just a special place and smell that makes me feel relaxed and happy and full of wonderful memories. I am so blessed to have such a special friend in my life. Her home is filled with wonderful smelling tarts and candles burning and such interesting things everywhere you look. I love her decorating style. I so much enjoy when we go into her craft room and rummage through all her new goodies....supplies she has ordered and new dolls she has made, always gets me motivated to come home and sew. We exchanged goodies and such this time too as we always do, she gave me a bag full of her coffee tarts and the other one I forget the name of.. something about a fireside hearth..LOl.. but Oh My Stars!! When I walked into her craft room the smell was so incredible, they smelled soooo wonderful!! I can't wait to get one burning this morning. I am hoping she will be able to eventually live her dream of opening a shop as I know it is going to be just the most awesome looking and smelling place you will ever visit! My hubby made her some picture frames for her stitcheries and such to sell at her shows so I delivered those, he tries to keep her in frames and wants to build furniture for her shop if she gets to that point! LOL!! He does beautiful primitive pieces. Anyway, the visit was short and sweet, had a much needed, relaxing, and blessed time. Got to exchange sarcastic comments with her hubby Todd for a few minutes, he is a great guy. Didn't get to see Samantha this time as she was at work. Guess I better stop yapping and get to work myself, Sandy gave me copies of all her newest patterns and they are awesome! The pattern pictures just do not do her items justice at all, they are amazingly well done and sooo cool! I love her work, she is very talented. Will post again later.. got to get busy sewing!!!! Check out her websites "You Are Special Patterns" and also "The Olde Country Cupboard" and her blog spot too!

My Prim Flower Bed, Lavender in bloom, SWEET!

Kittens!

My cat was pregnant b/f I was able to get her fixed, thought she was still too young to have babies but obviosuly I was wrong!

Another Mammy I made for a wholesale order

Pattern and finished doll available on my website

http://www.littlecountryblessings.com/

Vintage Mammy Vacuum Cover I made for ginnymyrtprimitives

Wholesale order

Finally got this wholesale order out. Made 4 mammy vac covers and six Annie dolls plus a couple other items. Now I need to get busy on my Fall show items! Can't wait! Visit ginnymyrtprimitives and see more of our Vacuum covers for sale, she is one of my best wholesale customers! beautiful website, offers a wide range of items for sale. Better get busy... have a blessed week everyone!

Another New Witch Doll Pattern!!!

Sooo, here is what's new!

I have certainly enjoyed creating these witch dolls, I now have three new witch patterns! This is Zelda, aprox 52" ... measurement INCLUDING to the tip of hat! She is a full bodied doll with legs. Her legs are painted barn red striped for her witchy stockings and the boots are painted black with the curly toe and little rusty bells on the ends! She has bloomers on and the traditional witch black dress and black hat. The NIGHT OWL coffee sack in her arms is from ewenmeprintables... (I just love all her feedsack logos!) Measurements and a Fall stitchery for your own bag for her arms is also included in the pattern if you do not wish to purchase the printable from Dee. Zelda will be $8.75 ppd in the USA for her pattern and hope to have her posted tonight on my website http://www.littlecountryblessings.com/

(we are formerly littlecountryblessins) Soooo, now we have three new patterns of witches.. No, I am NOT in to witchcraft at all LOL!!! I have had customers over the past number of years ask me if I would make a witch doll and I have tossed the idea around for years but just now decided to make them. They were so much fun to create!!! I have Zelda, the full bodied witch doll, Gelda the witch Vacuum Cover, and Mirelda the witch Bag Holder!!! Thanks so much for stopping by and looking! Have a blessed weekend! (Click on any of the pics below to enlarge!)

NEW!!! WITCH BAG HOLDER DOLL

This is my new witch bag holder, Mirelda. Hopefully Phillip will have her on the website tonight along with the other new doll. I really enjoyed making her and have had fun with these witch dolls as it is something brand new for me, I have never made witches before! Pattern will be $8.75 ppd in the USA.

New Use For Stuffed Doll Parts!

My Daughter, Celena Jem, got a new puppy from the Humane Society. This is Zeuss, she is almost 4 months old and came to visit the other day. Zeuss found a bag hanging on the chair back that was full of nice chew toys.. AKA... MY DOLL ARMS AND LEGS I HAD STUFFED!! LOL!!! It was soo cute, she tore everything out, ripped the bottom out of the bag and had them sctattered all over the floor. She was so cute I had to give her one doll arm to take home!

GARDENING

Phillip, my significant other, heee... and old Mr. Williams from across the road. Mr. Williams came over last week and tore up some dirt with his tractor for the larger area where Phillip and I are going to plant green beans and a few things, pumpkins will soon be planted there also! (I think that tractor is older than dear olde Mr. Williams himself! LOL!) Mr. Williams is such a good old neigbor, lives right in front of us across the dirt road we are on, he has cows, pigs, chickens, just about everything! I really enjoy his farm animals. We have chickens and a few goats ourselves. Sooo many eggs in the fridge all the time, we have to constantly give them away. Nice Farm Fresh brown eggs! We so much enjoy our little country spot! (Click on pics for larger views)

This is a small garden area we have, starting to pick lots of wonderful tasting squash from it and green tomatoes for frying! All sorts of peppers from very hot to very sweet. Always love having a garden.

New Witch Pattern!

Well here she is finally!! I am sooo excited about her! This is my brand new Witch Vacuum cover pattern. She stands 67" tall! An inch taller than me, she is 5"5". Her head and body are all one piece so there is no head or nose to attach. I absolutely love the way she has turned out! I have also got the copyright done not only on Gelda but also on the doll version of her too so I will also post that doll soon. But this pattern is available for sale now, $10.5o ppd in the USA. Gelda is her name, she has two ugly warts on her face, made from muslin and stitched on. Her hat has cheesecloth wrapped at the base of it and some moss, a rusty bell wired to the tip top of it. She holds a bag with a rat and Sweet Annie in it and a little Fall pick. I also stitched a piece of muslin onto her bag that lists her "Needful Things", I took a close up pic of that too so you can see it. Gelda has long fingers with black painted finger nails. She has a very thick head of hair, I used some old gray wool I had laying around for years off ebay and then I went back and added splotches of black kinky wool all over her head. Gelda will be on my website today along with my new animal pattern "Foul Play"! Thanks for looking!

(double click pic for a larger view!)http://www.littlecountryblessings.com/

Thursday May 14

I finally finished a new pattern! Oh it has been too long since I have had time to do anything I want to do. My friend Sandy (Olde Country Cupboard) is just crafting up a storm, new patterns left and right... she is way too creative!! LOL!!! I love all her new patterns and waiting for my copy! Heee! I wish we lived a little closer so maybe I would get more motivated. I find it harder and harder to get motivated these days. Anyone else have that problem??? I am going to TRY to post a pic of a lovely tablecloth I wanted and my sweet precious daughter Celena bought it for me for Mother's Day!!! I just love it. Also I am posting a pic of a fabric rooster and I am trying to find out if anyone is familiar with the pattern as I would love to have it! I thought perhaps it looked to be of a Simplicity, Mc Calls or such as that but have searched all those books and have had no luck finding it in the books or anywhere else I have searched. If anyone knows anything about it I would love to hear from you. Time to sign off and out! Blessing's, Carmen

Well this Mother's Day weekened marks the first anniversary of my dear father's death and funeral, Rev. Frank Breeden. Very sad memory. But as we know, life goes on and he knew the Lord very well, was a dear humble and praying man so I am not worried about where he is, only how lonely I am w/o him. I am so thankful to have had such a praying dad. It got me through an awful lot. I miss him terribly. I miss his awesome sense of humor, his voice, his wits, his company,his advice, and his prayers.......all the times we would pray together on the phone. Actually every time we talked he prayed b/f we said good bye, always w/o fail. He was a wonderful dad. And every time we talked if I had a problem, was going through something or had any worries he would always say "Well Babe, let's pray about it" and he would begin to pray, and ohhhh could Dad pray. Would bring chills to your skin. I love you so much Dad, and I miss you terribly.
Love you Dad, Carmen

I am trying to design some new patterns this week and learn how to do this blog thing! I have no patience for details lately so I am having a difficult time. I hope to have some new patterns finished real soon for my website. Actaully I want to re do my whole site, graphics and all but need some help of course so I will have to find someone who can help me. Seems like Fall is creeping up fast, noticing all the Fall patterns, ebay listings, and Fall magazine covers coming out lately in the crafting area. YIKES!! Better get busy! A few of my new patterns will be Fall items. Well, back to work.. later..meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee2

Trying to get orders done, wholesale finished and a few regular items. Hard to get motivated this time of year to do what I need to. I am anxious to jump ahead and start Fall crafts but have to do what is before me first ...LOL! Sure seems as we get older naps are more and more tempting. I need a miracle energy pill to get going! Time seems to fly and before I know it the year has ended and back to starting over with everything. Well I better get busy, not like I don't have anything to do! Blessings to everyone, Carmen

I have been crafting for as long as I can remember. But I don 't feel my items really took on the look I wanted until I met my best friend of many many years now, Sandy Schmidt. She has two websites, "You Are Special Patterns" and "The Olde Country Cupboard". Very talented and creative person.
When Sandy and I met we hit it off right away and have been best friends ever since. I honestly and literally do not know what I would have done with out her as my friend being there for me with all life has thrown at me especially about these past 5 years. The Lord truly blessed me with such a wonderful friend to help me through those painful hardships.
Ok, back to crafting..LOl..Sandy had showed me many techniques and such for my crafting and has been a tremendous help in all that I have learned in crafting and certainly has helped me to be more successful in it. She got me started in shows years ago, also a website and then advertising in the Country Sampler last year. I had so many orders I simply could not keep up with the finished orders and had to take a break now from it. I hope to continue designing new patterns now and feeding, nourishing and nurturing my badly neglected website! OMG... it is in much need of care so I am about to get started on that. Thanks so much to all who have ordered from me and emailed. Blessings, Carmen
http://www.littlecountryblessings.com/