Wow, it seems like forever since I’ve posted something. Thanksgiving is eight days away and Christmas is waiting in the wings. With the great weather we have enjoyed it feels much earlier in the year.

I celebrated my birthday last weekend visiting primitive country shows in Illinois with my sister, Carole. (Click on Carole’s name for a Picture Trail tour of her lovely country home.)  We were at Country Spirit in Arcola, Gathering on the Prairie and the Homesteaders in Arthur and Rural Life in Tuscola. Add a couple country stores to that and we pretty well filled Friday and Saturday.  Two of the shows were so large they were located in separate buildings.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time and I did come home with a few goodies.

Back home on Sunday and busy ever since with final details for the Holiday Marketplace at RO High School, which takes place on Saturday, Nov 21 from 10 am til 4 pm. The high school is on Crooks Road north of Thirteen Mile Road. My booth is #38 in the gym and sits at the end of a row.  This is their 32 annual show. It is always well attended and includes 160 vendors.

Here are a few new items I will have available. I hope you have a chance to stop by and visit.

The days fly by. Our Sunday paper came with mini catalogs from a few stores displaying the Christmas toys and items we adults just can’t live without. As an adult I have commented more than once how early the merchants begin their siege of advertisements. But Sunday I remembered how anxious we were as kids to get the Sears and Roebuck and the Montgomery Ward catalogs. Those pages were really dog-eared by the time Christmas arrived. So, perhaps my impatience has been slightly tempered by that recall.

I am finally posting my completed Turkey on Pumpkin from the pattern so generously provided by Cathy Sowers.  As you see, I was able to solve the problem of the tipping doorknob with the addition of a large washer.

I am doing a show on November 21 at the Royal Oak High School Holiday Marketplace, so I’ve been working on some Christmas items. I’m adding a photo of a few things in progress. (Don’t we spend a lot of time in progress?) Stay tuned for updates. I don’t think I will use the child’s dust pan for the angel ornie. First, I see too much red and second, I think I can find something better to display. I had a few tree light reflectors left that will be adorned with Christmas trees.

The cow bell is not exactly Christmas related, but I did get that finished. This is my second cow bell. The first one is hiding somewhere in my house. It amazes me how much time I spend on the grand search for the latest thing that has escaped.

I wanted to try my hand at a Belsnickel Santa. My version could well be mistaken for a Santa gnome, but here he is. I had fun with him. I punched the arms separately and did not stuff them. It is always a challenge to invert pieces that small, but it is getting a bit easier. Again, patience is the most important part of the process. I increased the depth of his beard to #7. He has a tiny pink mouth slightly hidden by his massive beard.

Finally, what in the world has Vegas to do with all this? Well, confession time…there lies my second passion. Bruce and I do love to visit the desert city. I have decided that no punch needle items will make the trip. It would pass the time on the 4 hour plane ride, but that needle might be misconstrued as a weapon. I still have my fingers crossed that my Punch Needle Primitive Stitcher magazine will arrive before we leave today. Expected mail delivery is later than our plane departure, however our awesome mailman said he will ‘special deliver’ it if he sees it.

Until later, I hope you are enjoying great autumn days. Thanks for your visit.