HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

My son loves penguins so when I found this I had to use this to wish all my great friends in blogland the very best the New Year has to offer.  You all have been so inspirational and supportive.  I appreciate all the great comments, advice, and genuine concern you all have show to me and my family.

Thank you!

HAPPY NEW YEARS TO ALL!! 



HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The reason for the season

I want to wish all my great blog friends HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  It has been a great learning curve for me this year with many  trail and errors starting an Etsy site, Artfire site and a Blog.  I have met so many wonderful people out in blogland and I appreciate all your support.

So I hope that you all have a safe and wonderful Holiday season and that the New Year is a prosperous and joyous one for you and your loved ones!

POOR SANTA!!

POOR SANTA!!

This photo is of my sister and her little girl Daphne, who at the time was about 2 years old.  I don't know what we were thinking when we decided to go to the mall in Las Vegas, wait in line with a 5 year old and two soon to be 2 year olds, just to get a photo with Santa.  The look on Santa's face says it all!

This photo makes me (now) laugh so hard every year!

I know exactly how Santa feels about this time every year.  I learned allot that Christmas about therapy and I think Santa did too! 

Luckily for me my kids went first so I got a fairly good shot of them.  Caitlin listing all she wanted on her fingers for Christmas and Brennan trying figure out how to pull on Santa's beard without him knowing it.  (I can still see the wheels turning in my son's head.)

I share this with you in hopes that you are having a better Holiday Season then poor Santa did that year.

Enjoy Your Holidays!!

Barb

All I want for Christmas is a Pony!

I received a call from my neighbor that her friend was looking to have a face painted on a rocking horse.  I agreed to take a look and see if it was something I could do.  I really worry myself sick about custom orders because what one person likes another might not.  So I met with the lady and she gave me the color scheme and that it was for a little girl. 

Needless to say I was dreaming of horses and horse heads for the next few nights and how to do this and do it well.  My supportive husband would go around the house neighing at me.  Even though my dad keeps horses in his pasture I don't ride.  Having been bucked off to many times is not my idea of fun.

She came to pick it up and liked it!  YEA!

I then got a call from the gentleman that makes them and had one he needed painted for his 5th great-grand child.  The photo below is what he had in mind.  The color scheme was a bit different then I normally paint but I think it looks colorful enough for a little girl.

He had me paint her name on it and the year.  I hope that the two little girls like their Rocking Horses.

Custom orders make me think out side my box and I learn allot from doing them but don't sleep well until they are done and the customer likes it!



Snowy the Snowman Giveaway

I am giving away this cute framed art work of "Snowy the Snowman" over at By Your Hands blog spot.  It is a great blog with tons of informantion and giveaways.  It is one of my favorite places to be!

Good luck to all who enter!

Barb

Snowman Tutorial

Check out my tutorial on how to make this cute little snowman at The Old Farmhouse Gathering blog site.  They have a load of great tutorials and it now has a printer friendly version!

Enjoy!

Barb

Craft Show Set Up

This is my set up at the Simple Treasures Craft show in Farmington, Utah. 

So much left to paint but never enough time.

Click on the flyer above for more information if you live in the northern Utah area.

Wish you could all be here to see all the exciting things at this show!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I want to wish all my blogland friends a Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone enjoys time with family, time to eat, and time to reflect on all the great things in your life.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

A Great Swap from on OFG Sister

The Old Farm House Gathering group I belong to we had an ornament swap that included three ornaments and three recipes from your swap partner.  My partner was Jody Seilheimer of Primgal Primitives Palette.  Her talent at painting is fantastic!  She sent me these snowmen ornies that will be up all winter.

You will need to check out her Etsy shop at Primgal Primitives Palette and see all the wonderful items that she has painted and are for sale!

 She also has a great blog where she shows what she has been working on at Primgals Primitives Palette.  She is one busy gal on top of being the moderator for the Old Farm House Gathering Group.

Jody, Thank you so much I just love it all and I am excited to have my husband start decorating for Christmas.  That is his job-he is way better at it then I am. 

Handmade Ornament Giveaway WINNER!!

I have to tell my son that we are not a "LUCKY" people..."so don't get your hopes up" but I might just have to change my attitude on that!  Look at all these great ornament I won by such great talented folk!

I recommend going to "ByYourHands" blog spot by clicking on the photo above and then checking out all the great shops that donated to this wonderful giveaway.  So much talent! 

Thank you all for these great ornaments! 

My Christmas tree will not know how to act with such wonderful things to display on it! 

Found some old barnwood slabs...what to do?

I have had this old barn wood slab sitting in my craft annex, the place I house everything I want to paint on when I get a chance, for ages.  It is 36 inches tall and 10 inches wide at the wides point.  So I decided to pull it out and put something on it.    I thought about it for a few days....then found the perfect pattern that would fit it. 

I live with a boy who loves penguins so naturally this became a no brainer right away. 

 I think I will drill holes at the top and use old fencing wire for a small hanger and tie a cloth bow and some raffia on it.  I am not sure I will be able to get this out of the house for a craft show if my son has his way.   Good therapy for me!

AND WE HAVE A THANKSGIVING WINNER!!

I want to thank all of you that came to my blog and told me about your favorite food.  I love food!  Mine happens to be the dressing (not cooked in the turkey-crispy) with gravy and cranberry sauce!

So the winner happened to be a number my kids could agree on and it was #4.  Looking down the list it was Carol from Firecrakerkids Primitive!!!

We might as well get to know Carol!  Her work is spectacular and her and her husband work together and as far as I know they still like each other!!!  That is a great thing.

 1. What is the name of your Etsy shop and why did you choose that name?

Firecrackerkid Primitives. Well, I chose this name, because I'm crafty and I was born on the 4th of July. My family always called me "firecrackerkid". My father always told folks that when I was born I came out with a bang. Put that little fact, Independence Day, my love of primitives and my country, plus I don't think we ever grow up, and you get Firecrackerkid Primitives.


2. How long have you been on Etsy?

Since March 30, 2008.

 

3. What type of items do you offer?

One-of-a-kind Woodcrafts and reproduction woodcrafts like different Early American dough bowl racks and Primitives.




4. How long have you been crafting?

Twenty-five years.

5. Who or What inspires you?

The love of all things Primitive, my e-friends, and my husband.

6. What is your favorite item in your shop and why?

That would be our one-of-a-kind items. We like to come up with unique primitive woodcrafts that are appealing to others, and are functional in the home.

7. Other places where you can be found (Ebay, webstore, blog)

http://www.firecrackerkid.etsy.com/

http://firecrackerkid.blogspot.com/

http://fpwoodcrafts.blogspot.com/

http://woodshopshanty.blogspot.com/

http://www.etsy.com/teams/6455/old-farmhouse-gathering

CONGRATULATIONS CAROL!!

Veteran's Day

Today is the day to Thank all the Veterans that have served our country past and present. 

So today I want to Thank my husband who served 20 years in the Airforce,  my father-in-law who served during WWII flying with the B 24 bombers, and my brother who is serving in the Airforce and is presently stationed in Texas. 

A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU!!!!!

Just for Fun!

Just for fun!!

I decided since November is a crazy busy month here at my house I would be giving away a set of four of these little Prim Tom Turkey Magnets.  You can never have to many post it notes or magnets at this time of year to keep you on tract. 

So this is to help me celebrate our 16th year anniversary, my daughter's 14th birthday, my son's 11th birthday (and he receives his Arrow of Light in Cub Scouting), and Thanksgiving!

So to celebrate I will be give these cuties away! 

Whew, if I live through this month of celebrations!!

So just leave me a comment of what your favorite food is for Thanksgiving day and that you would like to be entered.  That is all there is to it.

Drawing will be Saturday, November 13 and announced latter that day!

Good Luck to all and have a great day!

Barb

Fun Freebies

By Your Hands has some fun freebies going on right now:

What are you giving away this holiday season? Are you sharing a free pattern, a free printable, a tutorial, a recipe, etc. on your blog? Are you having a giveaway on your website or blog? Are you offering a free gift with each sale from now until Christmas?  Go link up with them and you can share what you are giving away or get a free pattern, recipe, or a tutorial!

Then Enjoy!

Barb

Give aways!!

A fun give away from ByYour Hands Blog.

Click on the photo below and it will take you to the page.

And just a reminder about Old Farm House Gatherings Santa bag full of goods.
Click on the photo below and it will take you right to that page also!

Canyonlands and Capital Reef National Parks

 Wonderful view from the north end of Canyonlands National Park.   This area is called Island in the Sky. 
 

We then drove to Capital Reef National Park and it was amazing to see how much the rock and terrain changed during that drive!  I need to go back and take more time at this National park.  Early settlers had put in huge orchards and had made a small community here.  They left it right after WWII but all the fruit trees remain as well as some of the old homes and an old school house.  They were people that were use to the sea so allot of their names for things referred back to the sea.
 

Below is Capital Dome and was reminiscent of the Capital building of the our Nation.  So the National Park was named Capital Reef in honor of the Nation's capital and the "reef " that the sea loving  people who settled this land would refer to the landscape. 

 

Snow already in these mountains and on our drive home more rain!!

I guess the tour of the National Parks is now concluded and it is back to work for me.  I hope you enjoyed just a few of the many photos and the great views!!

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look!

Barb

Canyonland National Park-South end

We drove to the south end of Canyonlands National Park on our second day of break.  It is vast and beautiful country.  The landscape is so different in any direction that you look!  Hollywood has done allot of filming out here for westerns and outer space shows!

 

On the way to the Park is this little turn out that has some fantastic petroglyphs carved into the rock.  It is called Newspaper Rock and it is truly amazing.  It is Native American carvings on this rock that probably tell of were to hunt and what time of year to look for certain animals.

Some of the many views of Canyonland National Park.

This is a photo of Wooden Shoe arch and truly at the right angle it does look just like a giant wooden shoe.  Because the area is so remote you have to have certain permits to hike back into the back country.

This rock formation reminded my son of some character off of a video game that wears a helmet.  I, on the other hand, was amazed at the different colors and the balancing act it was doing.  Such beautiful country that the camera just does not do it justice.  But Enjoy!

We Took a Break!

 We took a break and went to Moab, Utah the jumping off place to see Arches National Park and also Canyonlands National Park.  We had beautiful weather and it was a cool 80 degrees.  I cannot image hiking in the 100 degrees some of these people do.  We each had to drink at least one gallon of water that day!

My kids were like mountain goats going up the mountain.  It is a 3 mile round trip to Delicate Arch and it is straight up a mountain that would be very slippery when wet!  Slick rock that you hike on and if not that it was sand or straight down the other side of the mountain!

 Those are my kids down at the bottom of the famous arch.  The country is so vast and beautiful it is as breath taking as the hike!  This is the  formation that is on the Utah licence plate!

 




















And on every trip we have to take our "Traveling Gnome".  My son's penguin!  This little critter has some miles on him.  We were thinking of even getting his own National Park passport!  Can't leave home without him.  I will be sharing more photos through the week.  But now it is back to work!