Happy Halloween!

A final finish for Halloween 2014!

"Country Sampler Jack's House Pinkeep"

design by Stacy Nash

One pooped pup

Oops! I mean hotdog :)

Worn out by all the trick or treaters!

We bought extra candy this year, since Halloween was on a Friday.

In case you hadn't heard, here in Chicago we had:

Needless to say, we have some candy left over :)

Blessings, Patti

October Mantle and More...

Phew! I almost missed my chance to share my October mantle!

I am barely posting in time!

 

Gotta love a grinning jack~o~lantern

And the glowing eyes of a hoot owl.

My mudroom is my Witches corner.

I think that I've just about run out of room.

A few Winding Vine Designs from a few years back.

Some older Stacy Nash designs with some neat antique keys added for fun.

Chinese lanterns by Norma Schneeman

Blackbird Designs

Notforgotten Farm

Blackbird Designs and Notforgotten Farm

And my new additions to this year's Halloween decor

"The Pumpkin Farmhouse"

by Rabbit Hill Primitives

and I am so thrilled that this hooked chairpad by Lori Brechlin of Notforgotten Farm came to live with me!

I had been coveting it while Lori created it here and here. 

Well it is Halloween in less than two hours!

Wishing you a very Merry Halloween!

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."

~Ephesians 2:8-9

Blessings, Patti

Boxwood & Berries 2014 ~ More of the Journey...

 

 

Our third project was a surprise that we knew nothing about ~ and it was with our very own Jean Elliott! Jean is a staple at many Country Sampler gatherings.

 

 

Jean is well known for her incredible sewing cases.

 

They are absolute perfection inside and out!

 

But Jean is well versed in a variety of mediums, including paper.

Our project for the day was the vintage paper wreath that she is holding in the first photo.

 

Jean brought a sample of her work and was so kind to walk us through how she created them while we worked on our wreaths.

 

 

Jean is a master of repurposing and making do!

 

 

She gave us so many ideas of how to look outside of the box.

 

 

She has such a lovely eye for color.

 

 

This was day 3 of classes and we couldn't help but have fun!

 

Always a blessing to have so many creative women together in one room :)

 

Unfortunately, it was at this point ~ only half way through the gathering ~ that I had to leave the fun. So this is where my story will end. But I will be back soon to share my fun purchases and a little giveaway picked up on the trip.

I still haven't unpacked, but maybe this will help me make that happen!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

~Phillipians 4:4-7

 

Blessings, Patti

 

 

Boxwood & Berries 2014 ~ The Journey Continues...

Our next project at Boxwood & Berries was with teacher Linda Thraen of The Pinkeep.

(You can read her account of Boxwood & Berries here.)

Linda is such a joy and so very helpful in her teaching.

She brought along a trunk show of her designs.

As you may have guessed a few more of her patterns came home with me :)

I love how she uses antique frames.

Her color palette is subdued as though gently aged over time.

It always is wonderful to see the models in person.

And here were our two class projects with Linda.

It was so much fun to see how many people made the clutch purse there own...

Here are the Bittersweet Sisters with Linda showing off our finished purses.

I wanted to take pictures of each of them to show how they differed, but I forgot :(

Isn't this purse made by our classmate wonderful!

What a fabulous idea!

And I love the back just as much!

In my last post, I forgot to include this picture of the Bittersweet Sisters with Maggie and our first project.

It gives you a feel for the size of this wonderful runner!

 And here is my rendition of The Simple Times Sewing Clutch:

Of course I added a dachshund... and a little bird.

At the bottom I added a few antique abalone buttons. 

The original quote on the back of the clutch was very nice - 

"Be true to your work, your word and your friends"

Instead I decided to add a favorite Thoreau quote.

Again I added the same little bird and another antique abalone button.

 

Inside I added a bit of antique french ticking for a tag to note the year and location of its creation.

By the way, just a little note to my Boxwood & Berries classmates...

I haven't forgotten about you! Unfortunately, I still haven't unpacked from the trip yet. :( As soon as I do, I will find my notebook of emails and will be uploading all the photographs from our time together!

"Serve one another in love"

~Galatians 5:13

(The verse that Carla included on the back of her sewing clutch)

Still more Boxwood & Berries to come...

Blessings, Patti

Boxwood & Berries 2014 ~ The Journey Begins...

This year the Bittersweet Sisters returned to Boxwood & Berries at the Country Sampler in Spring Green, Wisconsin where we met several years ago.

Before class started, we had to make a few stops:

JJ Stitches in Sun Prairie.

Don't you love the antique cheddar quilt with the matching antique children's chairs?!

And Cottage House Primitives in Lodi, WI where we had to visit the ducks.

We had a delicious lunch at Coffee Grounds right on Main Street and I definitely recommend it.

That evening Jeanne hosted a meet and greet for the class.

As always the Schoolroom was lovely

With inspiration all around.

We had a great time. Jeanne's friend Ruth had an antiques booth filled with treasures (as you can see behind us) and there were many quilt shop samples for sale.

The next morning we were all excited to get started.

I had my supplies all ready in an old wood box I bought a few months back. 

An old velvet pincushion fit perfectly in one of the sections.

At each of our seats, we found this:

A fabulous vintage brazing dish / tray with the date stamped in the bottom - mine is dated 1952.

A sweet little journal for taking notes

Boxwood and berries in a paper cone

A Country Sampler corner gauge and needle minder

and Our first Maggie project!

  

It was hard to get a photo of the entire piece.

I just love this design and couldn't wait to get started!

Later in the day, Maggie gave a trunk show of all the wonderful items in her new book, "Thistle Down Moon". All of the projects in the book are wonderful, but seeing them in person I soon realized that they were even more divine! How is that possible? :)

We were all struck by this wonderful project and Maggie's unique framing.

The best news was that Country Sampler has it kitted!

I made some good progress during my time at Boxwood & Berries and this is how far I got before heading home.

Well, this is just the beginning... I'll be sharing more in the next several posts.

Stay tuned until the end, when I will have a giveaway of some little treasures accumulated along the way...

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."

~Ephesians 1:3 

Blessings, Patti