Hello Friends. It is eight days until the Early Homestead show in Holly, MI. I would love to have you stop by. The address is 111 College Street. Holly 48442. The school is located one block off Main Street. Admission is $5 and the hours are 10 am til 2 pm. Here are some pieces I will have. You will also find a wide selection of prims and antiques.

Just a short post today.

We have been enjoying some lovely warm days this week. What a welcome treat. According to the weatherman, this is a little early for 60 degree days, but we’ll take it!

Spring brings so much to look forward to. I’ll soon be fully vaccinated and ready. Hello Canada, I’ll be coming in May to welcome our eagerly awaited grandchild.

I’ve been working on pieces for the Early Homestead show in Holly, MI on April 10. My two week absence from posting has been quite busy. I’m including a few pictures. The little balsam pillows are all my design. I am happy with the Mighty Mac. The gentle bear with his avian friends is a design by Jeannine Happe from Two Old Crows. He reminds my of the UP.

Greetings Friends! I noticed the thermometer on the garage was closer to 60 than to 50 this morning. When I stepped out to grab the Free Press there was a light warm breeze to be felt. I think I actually saw sprouts on my yarrow yesterday. Friday I had my first dose of Moderna with no more discomfort than a bit of a sore arm. Soon I’ll be sharing news about two upcoming shows I will be doing. It feels like life is waking up and returning to somewhat normal. It is a beautiful thing.

I have been doing so much punching lately I needed to take a day off. I received the message from my wrist that it’s time to rest. So it is a perfect time to check in here at Yooper Trails.

So, two Sundays ago I found these cute little frames at the flea market. I have all five of them filled. Let me share some pictures.

This first one is from a pattern I’m quite sure I found in the Punch Needle Primitive Stitcher magazine. I’m sorry to say I can’t find the designer’s name. The bird is done with a small needle and one thread. I’m happy with how the detail turned out

This second one is also from PNPS. It is a variation of a piece by Rose Clay from Three Sheep Studio. It’s called Passing Time and what a delightful way to do so.

Thanks to Polly MInick for this patriotic lady.

These next two are my own. The two rabbits are suggestive of prim hooked rugs. I tried to capture the Fraktur folk art attributed to the Pennsylvania Dutch popular from 1740 to around 1860. My colors might be a little bright. They are actually brighter than I usually work with.

This next one is to welcome spring with a gathering of little bunnies. I hope you like it.

I came to a decision on Lori Rippey’s American Whaler. It is going to ba a stand-alone piece. It is finished with a black wool backing. I covered a little plastic ring with perle cotton to serve as a hanger. It resembles the blind pulls we used to find at the dime store. Remember both of those?

Well, that’s it for today. Be well and embrace spring!

It has been a couple years since I first held that beautiful baby boy. I’d be hard pressed to try it now, him being 6 feet tall and all.

I continue to work at my posting goal. Today I have a piece by Lori Rippey, called American Whaler. It is another ‘finish’ that has been long in coming. I thought I’d post a picture and see what you think. I haven’t attached it to the hornbook. I’m still not sure. I debated over paint or stain. What do you think?

Keeping in mind my goal of posting more often, here’s a little preview of what I’m working on, plus a little tip. I finally got a gripper frame and I love it. The problem is when working on smaller pieces you waste your weaver’s cloth. So this picture shows two projects in process. It delays the end time, but saves cloth. A tip I remember from Rebecca at A Simple Quiet: keep your weavers cloth scraps and use them to stuff 3D pieces. Happy Friday to all of you still punching in every day.

It is such an accomplishment to put the final touches to the pieces patiently waiting. I still have a number of pieces to get to. Also I’m managing two posts in two days.

These little bunnies are racing to Mr. Magregor’s garden. Better protect those carrots! Thank you to Cathy Sower for the sketch she so generously gave me.

I was hoping to find a little bench or perhaps some oil cans. No luck, but I did score these great frames. They measure three by six inches. Now I need to think of something to punch and frame.

Well, Ground Hog Day has come and gone and we find ourselves with six more weeks of covid, I mean winter. Back in the day growing up in the far north county of Keweenaw we were always happy that it was only six more weeks of winter. I hope you are all doing well and making it through these times. My husband, a veteran has been vaccinated at the VA hospital. Being in that over-65 category, I’m lucky to have one scheduled for March 5. I’m counting the days like its a vacation coming up. With age comes some perks, I guess. You need to balance all that time you spend looking for your glasses or trying to remember why you just came into the kitchen.

On to happier conversation. I continue to love my punching and have a few things to share with you. It looks pretty white and snowy outside, so I did some flower bowl fillers. They are stuffed with balsam, one of my favorite scents’

These little doorknob hangers and patriotic sheep are on their way to Spring Run Farm in Lowell, Indiana. These are my drawings as well as the bowl fillers above.

I really enjoyed working on The Patriot, a pattern from Colleen King Colaizzi. I learned a new method of finishing and for my first attempt, I think it worked out pretty well. In the background you see Lori RIppey’s horse with jingle bells. Guess you can tell I like horses.

I have another little spring chicken almost completed. I hope to have new pictures in a couple days. Enjoy your week. I’m about to visit the Sunday morning flea market at our local Farmers Market. I hope I find some goodies.

I guess I won’t be completely ready until the doors open at 10 am Saturday morning at the Early Homestead Show, but I’m almost there. Sometimes it’s fun to make up little pieces. I like how the paint tin turned out. I also finished these replica tart tins for bowl fillers.

I’m excited to be sharing space with 38 plus awesome folks at the Early Homestead Show in 8 days. Vendors are coming from Tennessee, Ohio, Wisconsin and New York with antiques and primitives and vintage lighting. Maybe I’ll see you there.

My preparations are almost complete, although I never seem to stop punching on something.  Here are a few pieces I’ve done from Polly Minick’s book ‘American Summer.’ I especially love the whale. I made it into a little candle mat and finished it by just folding the backing over the front and leaving some rough edges. This was done before I discovered Valdani and I got the effect by blending two DMC blues for the water.

Autumn on Acorn Farm is a pattern by Doreen Frost. This was fun to punch. The white background is definitely not my style, but it works perfectly on this. I love the detail on the old lady.

I finished the punching on Lori Brechlin’s Folky Bird. It exists as one more item needing that final finish. I will sew a backing on it and crochet a string to use for hanging.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed your visit.