turkey feathers

Pumpkin Hollow

Saturday, the Mister and I stepped out and stepped back in time, or so it seemed, as we found ourselves here at this charming little home-run shop--that was recently built behind the owner's Colonial saltbox home.  Pumpkin Hollow is open on a limited basis and by appointment, but the doors were open this weekend, so we took the opportunity and the old scenic route and paid a visit for the first time.  We were not disappointed!  Every detail was perfection.  Truly a labor of love here.

This is the view looking out from the stone porch.  See that tree stump in the far left corner?  Instead of taking the tree completely out, half the stump was left standing and expertly carved into a big glorious pumpkin.  The "hollow" is lower down in the trunk.

Here's a close-up of it.  It's really quite large.  Anyway, that was just one of the extraordinary things we found here.

The "water wheel" is an actual working grist mill that's turned by water.  Neat, huh?  OK, so let me take you inside.

I love primitive folk art.  At one time, back in the 1980's, I started a little home-based craft business called, Hearts & Hands.  It was just a hobby-biz, consisting of myself and a few creative friends who also liked to make things.  None of us had much money for crafting in those days, so selling a few things helped us buy the supplies we needed to pursue our interests. 

Over the years, I put together a few humble little catalogs with our vintage-style crafts, handmade dolls, quilts, and wooden folk art and sold them by mail-order.  These catalogs were super fun to make.  However, no computer graphics programs back then, or digital cameras for that matter.  So the photographic quality wasn't that great having used developed black-and-white film prints, and an electric typewriter for the print.  Everything was layed out and pasted-up the old-fashioned way; with a T-square, a ruler, and brushed-on glue gum.  Then, off to the printer it would go, who did his best with it.  (click on catalogs for enlarged view).  Once a year, I would open up my house and have a "holiday boutique".  This was really the thing we had the most fun doing.  I will never forget our annual holiday boutiques!  We planned for them all year.  Mostly, we just invited our family, neighbors, and friends, and they invited theirs.  Just word-of-mouth, that sort of thing.  One all-day girl party!  This went on for several years, and as word got out our customer base grew.  GOOD times. . .GOOD memories.

. . . those were just some of the memories that stirred when I stepped inside.  And then I saw these!  These were actual gingerbread cookies (of some kind) dipped in wax to preserve them as decorations.  The shiny wax looks just like icing. Sweet!

A cozy nook.  Did you know that in Colonial times, the pineapple was a symbol of "good luck"?  Well, now ya do!

This big stuffed deer had branches for horns and wrapped sticks for legs!  Love that.  The adorable little mouse standing behind it came home with us.  For old-times sake. 

(More details about Pumpkin Hollow Mill in this newspaper article.)  

 But getting back to the shop . . . 

Giving Thanks

While the cranberry sauce is cooling, and the rest of the Thanksgiving preparations are underway, I want to take a few minutes to re-group, settle in, and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Our kitchen has been a bustling place this morning (as I'm sure yours is too), I am working my way around it from one end to the other--no cupboard, sideboard, cabinet, or drawer has been left unopened or untouched it seems.  There are lots of details to making a feast.  I count my blessings with every step.  There is much to be thankful for.

Like helping hands.  The Mister always takes charge of the bird.  And makes himself available for anything else I need help with.  He's good that way.  A team player.  Good man, that guy--that wonderful husband of mine.  I'm very thankful for him! 

Also, thankful for creative helpful daughters, who did a beautiful job on the table settings.  It all came together nicely. 

The little squirrels turned out darling!  I know the granddaughters will love them.  And speaking of that, my doorbell is about to ring. (I am thankful for all the good people in my life!)  Hope you all have a wonderful day with family and friends, giving thanks, and counting your blessings--big and small. 

Biscuits & Honey

 

Oh, how I wanted to linger over that last (peaceful) post a bit longer.  Maybe you did too.  Especially with the holidays lurking.  And stormy weather upon us.  It's starting to blow in now and the beauty that was (in the fall foliage), alas, is no more.  It just doesn't last long enough, I tell ya. 

Today I have turkey on my mind, and how to squeeze a dozen precious people *comfortably* around our Thanksgiving table this year.  Sometimes this can be like putting together a jig-saw puzzle with all the different shapes and sizes and special considerations for folks three years old to sixty.  So, yesterday the girls and I spent some time moving furniture around the dining room; brought in a second table and an odd assortment of chairs--and I think we finally have a workable plan.  Placecards are in the making as we speak (another fun project for crafty sisters), so that each can claim their own customized spot.  This morning, tablecloths were washed, pressed, and laid down.  Which brings us to the fun part:: decorating!  Nothing too elaborate though, as we will be passing bowls of food around the table, hand-to-hand, family style.  A few candles and flowers should do nicely. And these (already in the making) from Aunt Ginger, for two special nieces.  Directions here.

"Everything is Biscuits & Honey", is an expression one of my great aunts used to say when everything was in proper order. 

And that just about sums it up! 

Peace & Plenty

Driving back home from town this morning, with my bundle of packages and a bag of croissants from the bakery, I turned onto our street--and the sight of rows of flaming maples lining the road nearly took my breath away.  I can't remember a lovelier autumn than this one.  It's just been incredible.  The trees we planted a few years ago are coming into their own now and adding different shades of color, complimenting others that were here already.  They seem particularly vivid against a backdrop of evergreens shrouded in fog.  Amazing, is all I can say, and I wish it would last a bit longer.   

Because very soon, this is about to change.  A storm is on the rise.  And so, before the autumn splendor gets entirely stripped away by wind and rain, and possibly snow later in the week, I grab a camera and head back out the door.  The air is as crisp as a green apple.  A hint of woodsmoke drifts by from a neighborhood chimney.  Everything is still.  Just the sound of leaves floating down around me.  I turn, take a few steps, set up my shot, then sense something--watching. 

   

Sometimes happiness is the simple realization that a still, small moment is special, and you thank the Heavenly Father for His provision of peace.

In Living Color

So. Let's see now, where was I--oh yeah, I was walking through the woods, and quite happily so, as I recall.  Perhaps you thought I had wandered off and gotten lost.  That would explain the long silent pause here on the blog.  It is somewhat true, but not entirely.  A seige of hacking coughs and colds swept through the household, I was spared, but chicken soup and TLC was the order of the day.  Thankfully, everyone is on the mend now and we are picking up where we left off. 

In living color. . .

Ah, these November days.  They are mostly misty and mysterious at times.  But the colors are still glowing glorious here in the rural countryside.  Easy to get caught up in it all.  As I did when I saw this tree (a "forest pansy", and normally dark purple), in my front yard yesterday.  It's becoming one of the star attractions just now.  And that is surprising.  Because shortly after planting it, about four years ago now, a wind-whipping storm nearly tore it in half.  It was heartbreaking.  We pruned it the best we could, tied up what was left, and hoped for the best.  It looked pretty pathetic after that and at one point we almost pulled it up.  We gave it a talking to.  And another chance.  Over time, it has been slowly recovering and reshaping itself.  Looking at it now, in it's golden splendor, we are so grateful we didn't act in haste.  I want to hug this tree! 

Anyway, in my quiet repose between tree hugging and soup making, I was thumbing through some of my old quilt books, and one in particular seemed perfect for the season and ripe to share.  This is a great big book, full of big projects, beautiful illustrative directions and techniques, and not just quilts, but also tote bags, aprons, pillows, placemats, curtains--just lots of goodness from cover to cover.  Everytime I look through this book I want to make all of the projects.  Immediately.

So far I've only managed one though, this wall quilt--but I am holding out hope that there will be more to come . . . one of these days. 

 
I'd actually already blogged about this wallhanging a few years ago, (see it all here), but decided to provide an update about the book from *whence* the inspiration came because it is such an awesome book; and as I'd mentioned in the 2005 post, the book (from 1996) was out of print.  But as of this writing, Amazon has 50 (used copies) for 2c each.  (Yes, I said, two cents each.)  What!  You still pay S/H--but what a deal.  I am not going to add links, because as often happens, they tend to go defunct/haywire over time.  Just search the book title:: SWEET & SIMPLE COUNTRY QUILTS by Jenni Dobson to find it. 

OK, with that said, I can now go ahead and show you some of what's inside this wonderful book without any angst and boo-hooing at all.   

Here we have, "Chicken Girl".  Love that patch on the knee.  

A wonderful "skitish bird".  There are times when I feel exactly like this.

Called, "Dancing Couple"--or as I say, "getting down at the hoe down".  Look at that amazing color and pattern.  Most of the designs are full size, some need to be enlarged.  Yellow socks--yikes!

This one is called, "Blacksmith's Boy Cot Quilt".   I love the horseshoes.  Pointed up for goodluck.

I wanted to share more pictures, but the text editor usually does weird & wacky things when I load too much on here, so I made a little photo album with more pictures--click HERE to see them and be inspired.  

Have a great weekend everybody!   

Winding Through Autumn

We have been busy as bees here, but thankfully, November arrives with it's own quiet rhythm offering us balance and a little time to breathe, before we are swept along into the next mad rush.  The hiking trails near my house are now carpeted with gold.  The ancient tree trunks are flocked with damp, velvety moss, some of them sprouting gigantic mushrooms over our heads.  (This one was the size of a dinner plate!)  I love the woods.  There's a hushed silence that follows at our heels as we walk along.  Occasionally, a small creature will shuffle through the leaves, ducking for cover at our approach.  We stop to look, but never do see anything in the dense underbrush. 

A woodland jay calls out an alarm as it sweeps from tree to tree, watching us, until we are out of it's range.   We take the old horse trail that winds deep into the mountainside wilderness.  A haze of shimmering light filters down through the tall, lacy canopy, sheltering our path.  Overhead, dark clouds coast silently and then part momentarily, allowing a single golden ray of sunshine to illuminate a small patch ahead. 

It's magical--a sliver of heaven, I say.  My camera captures the moment.  Lovely.