Where Have You Been?

Good Morning Friends.  Hope you all are doing well.  I can’t believe it has been such a long time since I posted a blog.  After several e-mails from my friends… I thought I would let you all know that I am fine, but staying busy.  Last week I wasn’t able to even get on my computer because I had a virus.  It really screwed things up to say the least.  I was so happy to get it back up and running.  This is my lively hood when the kids are down for a nap (lol).  You spend all this time with children during the week and you long for some adult conversation even if it is just over the net (lol).  Anyway, I am happy to be back and have missed you all tremendously.

Another thing that has been keeping me busy is this…..

Qbert has been keeping me busy to say the least.  He is such a great puppy and a little lover.  He has been great with going potty outside and the sleeping at night is and still can be an issue.  He is getting better with it, but still can get us up early in the morning or throughout the night with his crying.  He is pitiful when he cries, but the crate training is working for him.  That is great news!

Another thing keeping me busy is my wholesale order that I am currently working on.  Here are just a few signs, but there are plenty more from where those came from that still need to be sanded for the first time.

Great News ~ my newest stencils finally arrived.  I will be creating new signs today and hopefully have them posted soon.  I think these will be especially popular.  I received some help from some great gals and I think these will sell like hotcakes.  So stay tuned for those finished projects!

I was at the thrift store the other day and found a couple picture frames.  I needed them for some stitchery's that Lisa from Black Sheep Prims made for me.  Here are some pics of the stitchery's.  Thank you again Lisa for your kindness….. it is greatly appreciated!!

Do you all remember this picture frame that I picked up awhile back from the thrift store? 

This is what it looks like after I re-finished it and added my stitchery that Lisa made for me.  Doesn’t it look great?

Here is another frame that I picked up.

I have removed the picture, sanded the frame a bit and will paint it and re-finish it today.  My other stitchery that Lisa made will go in this frame.  I am sure it will look great once finished.

I haven’t posted in awhile and I have more to share so I guess I will continue.  Let’s carry on ~ shall we?

I was over at my parents home yesterday.  Mom has been tearing up her basement to find certain things that she hasn’t located since the move.  Well, her basement was literally a mess and I wanted to take some more of my stuff down there to store away.  Well, that wasn’t possible because she literally had boxed every where.  It was prim heaven to say the least, but a mess.  So, I went over there and went through every single box.  Do you realize how much stuff two people can have after 44 years of marriage.  Oh lordy be….. they had so much stuff and junk!!  Of course there was lots of great prims and a few things that Mom gave me, but wouldn’t you know it that what she was looking for was not down in the basement?  Yep, it was in the very last stinkin’ box that I looked in which was in their bonus room.  I was tired and disgusted that I went through all of these boxes and her favorite prim box was in a closet.  We found it so that was the main thing and I got rid of more boxes and junk in the process.  Good thing, but there is still plenty more.

Well, here are a few things that Mom gave me while I was there yesterday.  I have a few other items to share, but they are too big to move in the snow ☺ so I will hopefully get them moved once some of this snow melts.  Oh boy…..they are great gifts!  The big gifts are especially nice.  Primtastic and drool material (hahaha).  Here are a few small things.

Don’t you love these old prim forks?  I thought they would be great in my kitchen.  My Mom’s old neighbor gave them to her and she was in her 80’s so I am sure they are pretty old.  I love them!

Here are a few other items that I received.

Another favorite item that she gave me is this.  I love it.  I thought I could put my cordless phone and phone book in it.  Don’t you think it would be great to hide it in there?

 

Well, that is it for today.  Hope you all are doing well.  I myself continue to be sick of the snow and winter temps, but I have given up with the spring dance.  Heck, I have been dancing away hoping that spring would arrive soon and well quite frankly…. I am getting tired of dancing. (lol)  Stay Warm and Safe!!

Until Next Time ~ Blessings, Lisa

Thrifty Thursday & Help Needed

I have been trying my best to keep busy.  The weather is trying to get the best of me, but I am trying very hard not to allow it to win (lol).  I ordered some new stencils and they should be arriving in the mail in a couple days and in the meantime I have been busy with making some game boards for my Mom.  She decided that she wanted a whole bunch of them just like me, but she wanted to put her boards in her stairwell.  Things are coming along and I have been busy trying to help her.

These are the boards that I started out with and then I got those finished and she started begging and pleading for more.  Yep, she is greedy (lol).  She said that it is so much fun having someone that can make all this stuff for her and to be honest…. she seems to be having a birthday every week.  Enough signs for you Mom ~ no more!!  ☺  I told her that I would make her some before I started on my wholesale order and luckily for her, my other stencils have not come in yet.  Once they arrive….. I will be totally focusing on getting those done just in time for the spring open house at North Shore Primitives.  I am pretty excited to see how my items sell.  Hopefully they are big sellers!!  I guess time will tell.

So, my title of this post is Thrifty Thursday because I have a couple thrift store finds to share with you.  Yep, I haven’t been too lucky when it comes to thrift store shopping, but I did find a few things.  I have been quite anxious to find a paper towel holder and I finally found one.  I am going to refinish this one and if it doesn’t turn out then I will use the same pattern to make my own.  Here is the picture.  Yikes ~ isn’t that thing ugly?  Who in their right mind would put that in their kitchen?  Oh, those bright colors just make my eyes scream!!

I also picked up a couple picture frames.  Here is a picture of them.

I took the glass out and re-finished the small frame and I am currently working on the 8x10 picture frame.  I am either going to put a picture of Abe Lincoln in it or put a stitchery in it.  Speaking of stitcheries….. I am looking for someone to stitch some sayings for me.  I would of course want them to be prim looking and I am looking for this person to use the back stitch instead of x-stitch.  Is there anyone interested in helping me out?  If you are then please contact me via e-mail and we can work on the prices.  Hopefully someone is willing to help a prim gal out ☺

So, did I tell you all the sad news?  Well, I am sad to say that all the “signs” of a baby are now gone from our home.  We took Cameron’s crib down about a week ago.  It was quite an emotional time for Mommy, but I am doing better.  Cameron was never hard to break from anything.  It was easy as pie to take the bottle from him, his pacifier was gone in a day and well he did remarkably well with the transition from his crib to his car bed.  Whew…..lucky me!

 

Here are a couple pictures of him while in his car bed for the very first night.  My little prince!!

He told me that he was excited to start sleeping in his bed so Qbert could sleep with him.  Yep, speaking of Qbert….. that little guy comes home on Saturday and Cameron couldn’t be more excited.  I am pretty excited as well, but it will definitely be a challenge throwing Qbert into the middle of everything during the week while my hubby is gone and I have Cameron and this other little boy to take care of.  I betchya that I will be busy!  Hopefully it won’t be too crazy!

Just in case you all were wondering…. My Dad is getting along nicely.  I took him to his follow up doctor’s appt on Monday (during a snowstorm) and he got along great.  It took us over 2 1/2 hours to get home when it should have only taken 30 minutes.  The roads were horrible and I experienced white out conditions, freezing windshield wipers and semi truck drivers that don’t seem to have any sense at all.  Why do they feel the need to drive the normal speed when the roads are snow covered and you can barely see anything in front of you?  Ughh, makes me quite nervous to say the least.  Anyway, here is a picture of my Dad and I.  He continues to wonderfully and is as happy as a lark.  He is just so happy and to be honest ~ I have my Dad back and I couldn’t be happier.  ♥ ~ I love you Dad!! ~ ♥

Now that is what a happy Father & Daughter look like ☺

Until Next Time ~ Many Blessings to you all.  Stay Warm & Safe!!

Snow = Depressing Days

Will it ever stop snowing here in Ohio?  Seriously, I am worn out with all the snow.  We have approx. 14-16 inches of snow and guess what……yep, we are expecting approx 5-8 more inches today and into tomorrow.  I guess it wouldn’t be that bad if the other would have melted, but it hasn’t had a chance and now we are getting more.  We had a little bit of sunshine yesterday, but not enough for me.  I need more, I want more!!  I just want the snow to be gone.  The plows made one pass through our neighborhood, but that was about 5 days after we had the first snowstorm.  It really did nothing for our streets seeing as though it had been packed down and now it is several inches thick and pure ice.  It is a mess!!  There was a levy in our area that didn’t pass because quite frankly we are already being taxed enough so I bet the city is probably trying to make a point and not plow the streets.  In the meantime…… our cars are being destroyed as we slowly go through the neighborhood and hit each bump and piece of ice.  Ok, enough of my complaining.  I think I feel better now.

So, let’s talk about something much more fun.  I received a package in the mail from a good friend of mine.  I was absolutely shocked because I wasn’t expecting anything, but was thrilled when I opened it up.  I received a couple great smelling tarts for my tart warmer, a couple cute little hanging signs and my favorite was the stitchery that she made for me.  I had my sweet hubby make me a frame for my stitchery and it actually turned out pretty good.  First time for making a frame and I was so proud of him.  Of course prim isn’t perfect, but it was great for what I needed.  Shawn put the frame together and then I pounded away with the hammer.  Talk about great stress reliever (lol).  Here are some pics for you.  Thanks Michelle for the goodies.  I love them!

So, what did you all think of my frame?  It turned out pretty good for my first frame – don’t ya think?  I might try making some more very soon.

Did I ever show you this old picture?  It was up in my grandparents attic and when they passed away I asked my Mom if I could have it.  I never knew who was in the picture until it was given to me, but I knew that I loved the pictured.  This is my great great grandmother when she was young.  I haven’t starting using it until recently.  I decided to paint my stairwell and knew that I wanted to hang up some old photos.  Once it was painted I got out all of my old photos that were given to me.  I brought this one out and cleaned it up and grabbed a few more.  I decided that I would hang old photos of my family on one side and photos of Shawn’s family on the other.  Who doesn’t enjoy looking at old photos from way back then.  I still have plenty more to hang, but this is what I have so far…….

 

Isn’t she pretty?!?

This was my grandpa when he was just a baby.  Gotta  love that old picture.  What a cutie – huh?

I added a few other things as well.  This hat was worn by my grandpa when he married my grandma.  I loved it and thought it would look great hanging up on the wall.  Adds character.

This picture is of my grandparents.  They were celebrating 50 years of marriage.  So, as you can see….. I have started, but I still have plenty more to hang up too.  Hope you enjoyed them!!

Just a few more things to share with all of you….. Let’s talk Valentine’s Day!!  I just had to share some pictures of my roses that my sweet hubby had delivered to me.  Aren’t they gorgeous!?!  I don’t think I could ever get sick of flowers.  I love them!!

Yep, that one right there has to be my favorite!!  Just beautiful…..

Well, that is it for right now.  I am off to crafting.  I know that will always help make me smile.  After all of this snow….. I am gonna need something to make me smile and keep me busy!!

Until Next Time ~ Blessings, Lisa

Opinions Needed

Hope you all are doing well.  We haven’t been able to get out much, but I have been making trips to my garage to work on some signs.  Gotta love anytime you can get out of the house even if it is the garage (lol).  The snow has finally stopped or at least I think and now we are just dealing with the blowing and drifting of the snow.  It has been quite a blustery day here.

My main reason for posting is to get the opinion from all my prim friends.  I did get the opinion from my Mom and a dear friend of mine in South Carolina.  Aren’t friends just wonderful?  I called Sherrie in South Carolina and had the most wonderful conversation with her.  You can tell she is from the south by just talking to her.  I just loved her voice… I almost thought I was talking to Paula Deen (lol).  Anyway, we had a great conversation and I really enjoyed it.  Makes me think of going down south for a visit as I sip on my sweet tea.  Thanks for the chat Sherrie!

Anyway, let’s get down to business.  I am looking to order some more stencils.  I haven’t been that lucky with buying anything from the thrift store so I thought I would spend my money on stencils.  I need your opinion on what type of signs you all would be looking for if you were given the opportunity to get one free.  Also, is there a particular size that you all like?  Do you like something a bit larger for the wall or do you like smaller shelf sitter type signs?  Please let me know your opinion.  I always look to my friends and my customers for advice and their opinion so come on now…..leave me a comment and let me know what you are thinking.  Thank you all for your help and continued support ~ it is appreciated more then you will ever know!

Until Next Time…. Blessings, Lisa

No More Snow & A New Addition

I do enjoy snow, but I think I have definitely had my fill of it for this year.  Yep, I am ready for spring.  Bring it on!!  This past weekend has been crazy when it comes to snow.  I would say that we received a good 12-14 inches of snow and we are due to get more tomorrow and Wednesday.  Ughhh, I am just not sure I can take much more.  I have orders that need to get filled and with all the snow……well, it makes it difficult to get them done and mailed out.  I told my poor hubby that if we got all the snow out of our driveway then I definitely wanted to get out.  I hate being snowed in and that is how it has been lately.  We were able to get out just a little bit yesterday which was nice and we went to pick out Cameron’s belated birthday gift.  Do you all have any idea what it could be?!?  Well, if you guessed a puppy then you are correct.  We will be picking up and bringing home a new puppy in about 2-3 weeks.  Cameron already gave him the name of Qbert and already has a yellow collar for him.  Yep, Cameron loves yellow so it was only appropriate when he asked to get Qbert the yellow collar.  I absolutely fell in love when she brought in all the puppies, but I knew before we even got there that I would love to have a black miniature schnauzer instead of a salt & pepper.  I grew up with schnauzers and I know that they are great with children so I thought one would be perfect for Cameron.  I personally wish I had more money because I would have purchased more then just one.  They were all soooo cute!!  Here are some pictures of Qbert.  Cameron absolutely loves him, but he still needs to learn to be gentle with him.

Doesn’t he just have the cutest little face?  Yep, I am so in love!!  He absolutely loved snuggling and soon after he got nice and warm…..he was asleep in my arms.  Oh, I love him!!  Here is a picture after I put him in the crate with his other brothers and sisters.  He was not happy that we had to leave him, but we will be able to pick him up soon.

Here are some snow pictures….we are expecting another storm and they say anywhere from 5-8 more inches.  Oh geesh, why do I not live in a state filled with palm trees?!?  I long for the sand between my toes and the breeze blowing the palm trees and we must not forget the sound of the ocean.  Oh…..wouldn’t that be marvelous right now!!  I guess I will just have to imagine that all of this white stuff is sand and the roaring of the snow plows that “SHOULD” be going through our neighborhood is the ocean roaring and I guess my weeping cherry tree would possibly pass for a palm tree, but I have to brush off all of this snow and ice first.  Hmmm, yeah I don’t think it is gonna work, but it was worth the try.  Here is the snow that I would love to get rid of right now.  Anyone want any?

Anyone else experiencing fog?  Look at this picture that I took this morning?  It was so foggy that you could barely see the house across the street.  It also looked like the fog froze on my weeping cherry tree.  Pretty neat, but spooky looking at the same time!!

Did I show you my new rug that I got for my kitchen?  Our home gets especially cold during the winter months.  It doesn’t help that we are on a slab with no basement so I thought I would try to warm up the kitchen a little bit with a new rug.  Here is a picture of it.  More pics coming soon.

Do you like it?  I thought it was pretty and it is much warmer!!

Well, I better run for now.  Stay Warm & Safe!!  Until Next Time ~ Lisa