New Etsy Handmade Listings

It's been quite the week here, just saying, but not complaining.  We have many blessings mixed in with the sorrows, and are thankful. My orders are caught up and shipped...
 I did manage to take advantage of this nice day, and get a few photos snapped for my etsy listings. These items are ready to ship.  

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SassafrasHillPrims

A Labor of Love

Well what a day yesterday turned out to be.  I brought my mom for her allergy shots, which was not in the plan for the day, but she was sick Tuesday.  We had a nice time, and she was happy.  

 I am grateful to work at home and even though sometimes the best laid plans fall apart  'tis okay and we move on.   Being home has allowed me the time to care for the people in my life who have needed me there... I can't imagine it being any other way.

So anyway...  I started a huge batch of bread and butter pickles when I got up in the wee hours.  I have not made these in a long long time.  But the garden is doing extremely well this year.   Matt keeps bringing in large bags of cukes.  I did a huge batch of refrigerator dills last week.   Later in the afternoon I got my grandmother's pressure canner out from the pantry and gave it a whirl.  Thank goodness, because the pressure gauge steamed up badly.... not a good thing.   That's the only way I have done it, and the way my grandmother taught me. Thank goodness for pinterest and youtube because there are tutorials for everything!  I ended up processing them all by water bath, which was easy peasy, although I'm not sure grandma would have approved.   It was wonderful to hear the plunk plunk plunk as they all sealed.

 

 So in the meantime, I am looking for either a lid, or pressure gauge for the old trusty National #7.... I think it's from the early 40s and every time I use it I am flooded with memories of my grandmother.   She taught me so many things when I was a young woman.... canning, bread making, mending socks (I don't do that but I still think of her when I throw them out!)

We have a busy day planned for today.... never got to the tufa work we had planned for yesterday, so we will be doing that.  haha.... maybe, if nothing else goes haywire.   Also planning a nice little trip to visit my friend Laura at Hidden Treasures and maybe a quick eat at Main Street Deli.  

~Enjoy your day ~

Our Humble Gardens

We have been blessed with good gardening weather this year, and have been working daily bringing the gardens back to their former glory... I try to bring my work outside as often as possible. One of my favorite crows overlooking the herb garden, with rambling rose trellis, greenhouse, and some of our many watering cans in the background.

Why hello little man... peeking out from the watermelon tub. 

My favorites... the purple coneflowers are everywhere, and a feast for the butterflies, birds, and bees! Mostly everything we plant is for them.

A vintage iron sink planted with nasturtiums and kale... should be interesting. 

Why hello little bee.... welcome to the catnip patch!

the top of the hill.  Our previously 40 foot high trumpet vine before the tree was cut, in it's trimmed and trained glory.  The hummer's favorite.

A peek into the raised veggie garden, over the catnip.  I have harvested a bunch of catnip this season, but leave lots of blossoms for the bees and hummers.

one of the hundreds of coneflowers.   they have taken over, and we have allowed them...

A spot at the top of the hill.  Coneflowers have started blooming and the Black Eyed Susans should be flowering in a day or two. 

I moved the shoe garden from near the picnic table, after snagging this plant stand at an estate sale.  I'm not sure how I ended up with one single shoe! 

One very large tufa, probably twenty years old or so, planted with overgrown sedum, on an antique iron base.  I need to do some thinning and transplanting.

The veggie garden is thriving this year.

I am utterly obsessed with wind chimes and motion in the garden.   One of my old worn out chimes.

An autumn project, curing on one of my benches.  First try at pumpkins, and also did a nice cornucopia...

One of my window boxes with petunias. 

I hope you've enjoyed this little stroll on a hot summer day!  Enjoy your day!

A very busy week already...

A busy week for us already.... we spent an entire day busting our butts working on tufa creations for next year's shows.  I like to make sure they overwinter and season nicely before offering them.  We will unmold them this weekend and see how they turned out.    We are currently making molds from last years dried gourds....  I try to pick up a few new skills every year to shake things up a bit.   So far they are coming along quite nicely.    Our cat Cookie probably swallowed a long piece of thick twine....that was my wakeup at 5:30 yesterday morning.  She woke me by jumping on me with six inches or so dangling from her mouth, then must have finished swallowing it as I chased her for the next hour.   Damn cat, it's supposed to be a toy.   They have played with it for almost two years...  She spent all day til 6 pm at the vet's yesterday with barium and xrays, etc.... they don't see anything yet.  She is on her way back as I type, for more fun.   Never a dull moment here, and not in a good way either!   There is so much good in every day, and we mostly have more blessings than sorrows, but stuff like that brings us back to reality.    The best excitement for the week will be choosing which goods to bring to the Coventry Farmer's Market on Sunday.  The theme for this market is Frugal Frolic, so I am planning on a mix of repurposed and salvaged goods.  It's supposed to be a beautiful day, and we are looking forward to a day spent in the country.   If you haven't been to this market, YOU NEED TO GO.... I am positive you will like what you see!      It's another rainy day here.... and we thought it was going to be a dry year.  so that means stitching and stuffing will be done...   Enjoy your day!    

a few more gourd birdhouses....

 

 

oh man.... starting the morning with some sprinkles on a very heavy estate sale day!    but I am admiring the beautiful gourd pole Matt got for me at Walker Homestead, from my neighbors, Avery Hill Farm.  He found the perfect spot for it in the back of the vegetable garden, and with 15 minutes a little wren starting bringing twigs into one of the gourds!  It's the small things that add such comfort...

     

love you most

Those are the words spoken at the end of every phone call with Matt's younger brother.... the calls had become much more frequent over the past couple of years.    His sarcasm was harsh at times, but he made up for it with his wit and caring.  They truly broke the mold when they made him.      I am thankful his suffering is over.... it got really really bad for him at the end.  Three quick months was not time enough for us to prepare, but I am happy we took the trip down and enjoyed his company while he still felt well enough.   I will miss our morning coffee klatch!      It started out as a nice enough day with our Wednesday "Family Day" thrift shopping.  then on to working on signs for my friend Laura, because she can't keep them on the shelf at Hidden Treasures...  I will be bringing another load to her this weekend, along with some stitched handmades, so stay tuned!    The gardens are coming along nicely this year and I will try to get some photos of them up shortly....        

Walker Homestead Spring Show

One of my favorite shows is past.   It was truly a special day.   We had the best time ever and are already discussing the Autumn show.  We are coming next time with a double space so you all can shop in comfort!   It was so much easier packing for home because most of what we came with is gone.  What a happy feeling to know that our work is being cherished and displayed in someone's home.  Thank you to all who made the trip out.  I hope you enjoyed the show as much as we did. 

 

a sampling of our handmades for the garden

 

a shot of our booth taken right before the gates opened. 

 

one of my favorite angel dolls who found a forever home...

always my favorite display pieces... the onion crates

one corner of the booth 

the side table... we filled up to the tent top!

some critters and such...

sign display on back side....

another peek at the onion crates...

back table of found treasures....

 

The next place we can be found is the Coventry CT Farmer's Market Frugal Frolic event on Sunday, July 5th.  Then we will be off til September.... working, working, working, because we love what we do!

 

In the meantime you can find our work at Hidden Treasures in Agawam. I am working on another large batch for the shop this entire week, so stay tuned!

 

 

A Patriotic Drumroll Please!

Well I have finally done it!      I have split my etsy listings into two shops as originally intended.  The original shop offers downloadable epatterns only, and the newest  will include my handmade offerings, upcycled vintage goods, and antiques.    What a tangled web that was to unweave.   I had opened multiple shops several years ago and had to figure out which was which and what password and email went with which.... yikes.  I had to switch email addresses and close a shop, but it's done.    And seriously, although they have made shipping calculation quite easy, I can't believe how costly it has become.  I do enjoy composing the listings, but have forgotten how time consuming this process is.  I'd rather be creating!   I hope to continue adding more listings over the weekend Anyway, among my first listings are the patriotic goods for our Hafair promotion.   

 

a sweet patriotic ellie

 

a liberty dolly

 

a weathered patriotic banner

 

a crow doll makedo

 

and a sunflower hanger for your wall

 

We are heading out to the farmer's market today to visit an old friend, and to buy some quiche for our breakfast this week.   I have not checked craigslist for tag sale listings, but think I will stay home and work all day.  I've really gotten the work bug back.  Then again, I might check.  Don't want to miss out on anything good! 

 

Matthew has been working to his heart's content in the gardens and they are coming back beautifully this year.  It is so nice to see him happy again.  He may have Lyme disease again.... he was tested yesterday and put on antibiotics.  Damn those ticks... the poor guy has enough health problems already. 

 

We have had a very dry spring, but rain is forecast for Sunday and Monday.  That will be a good thing for sure.

 

Hope you will have a great weekend!   Try to do at least one fun thing! 

     

Watermelon Weekend And Work in The Gardens

A quick lil pop up treasury to celebrate the weekend with my Hafair team artisans.   

 

Yeah for the weekend.  It was a very short week for us this week, and I am playing pedal to the metal with my sewing machine to catch up.  Hoping to make a trip to Hidden Treasures for the weekend, and working on goods for Walker Homestead show which is coming up quickly now....

 

oh, and I do not think I have blogged for weeks, but we have a really nice selection of handmades at Cozy Cat Primitives in Southampton Ma.  Norm has been a collector of my work for years, and I am so honored to have my work in his shop!   If you are in the area on a weekend, this beautiful shop is a must see.  We were blown away from the moment we drove up.  The inside is like a fine gallery of prim.... just amazing.  Check it out on Facebook and be sure to like his page so you can see what Norm and kitty Ben are up to!  and please let him know how you found him...

 

  

 

We are working in the gardens, after a few years of neglecting them.  It's nice to see Matt motivated again, especially with his brother so ill.  I think it's been good for him to see how much better they look and I will snap some photos when I can.  I am praying for some rain though, because we have transplanted a bunch of things. 

 

 

 

A Weekend in Spring!

It's a beautiful weekend here in Connecticut!   We had a great day yesterday, with a huge score at our first and favorite church rummage sale of the year.... two floors of goods! We waited almost an hour to get in, which was totally worth it!    And while there it was awesome to run across some of my favorite people, and let them know where our creations can be found.   So many tag sales and events happening around town yesterday.   The Scantic Spring Splash reminded me of Matthew's whirligigs created for the event.  

  I had a special order to finish up for Hidden Treasure, and was able to make the trip to Agawam in the afternoon.  Nothing is more fun than a lively chat with Laura.   I got some nice handmades for my momma for Mother's Day next weekend and some local honey for me.   Hidden Treasures is jammed packed with such a beautiful assortment of things... things just jump out at you.    We are so behind in yard work, because last year we dropped everything to take care of Tom.  We will not suffer from boredom this year...    

Happy May Day

I have always loved the month of May.   As a child my grandmother would help us create little woven paper baskets, and tell tales of May Days past.   Such a wonderful memory.   Every year it comes rushing back.  

 

We are both worn out from our trip and all that awaited us while gone.... Allergies are in full bloom this year, ugh... I felt great in Florida!  However yard work and gardens are needing attention, so I am back to the neti pot and local honey! 

 

We have had an excellent first month at Hidden Treasures in Agawam! So thankful to see some of my faithfuls have made the trip.    In the works are some all new designs for the shop.   I will update when we make the trip... Remember, we are no longer at the shop in Hazardville.... the goods you see there are most definitely not ours.  I am sure you can all tell anyway :-)

 

Remember to take time to smell the flowers, every day!  Have a beautiful month!