Fluffies

Lots of fuffies coming your way....I must say, when I order more inserts, I am splurging on the down pillows....the poly fill doesn't compare. Have a fluffy filled weekend.

A yummy recipe

This soup is so Yummy, I had to share it with you....so GOOD, It will mAke you smack your mammy!

Chicken Chowder:
Remove skin and bone from a rotisserie chicken from Walmart....chop into pieces
In a large pot, brown one heaping tbls. Flour, 3T butter,and a pinch of salt
Add 2 cups of whole kernel corn, 2 cans chicken broth....stir
Add 1/8tsp red pepper flakes, 2 cloves fresh garlic, one bag frozen veggies, 1/2cup bell pepper, 8 oz velveeta cheese, cubes. Add milk to the consistency you like. Add chicken and slow simmer.

A little farm house

So where did you guys grow up? I grew up on a farm in hartsville, tn where my family raised

tobacco and cattle for a living. Most of my summers were spent dropping sticks, cutting and

spiking tobacco. I spent a little time in the barn hanging the tobacco to dry but not

much....up in the loft of the barn is no place for a young teenage girl with teeny bopper

shorts and dirty old men below handing up the tobacco. Ok....so I didnt spend "most" of my

summers in the patch.......it may have been just "some" of my summers......nevertheless, when

I think back, it seems like every single summer day I was out in the "backer" patch.

My parent's little farm house is prettiest this time of the year when all the daffodils are

blooming. Here are a few pictures to share with you from my droid...they are unedited, but My

pc is still sick.

Congrats to Amanda Moore for winning the Mark Hand picture frame......my oldest daughter Chloe and my youngest Stone are both left handed.

A Funky Piece

If you can't already tell, I like my pieces on the funky side. This piece will be headed to the State Capitol on April 5th as part of an exhibit being done by Terri Lynn Weaver, our representative.....myself and several other artsists from the 40th district will have our work on display. If it doesn't sell, it will be available at the spring sale. BTW, what do you think about my new blog layout? I kinda like it....be sure and keep close tabs on The Strawberry Patch FB page and also my blog for more giveaways leading up to the next Barn Sale.

Spring Sale Giveaway #1

Be sure and head over to The Strawberry Patch facebook page for the first of several giveaways leading up to the Spring Sale which is April 28th-30th. Detailed information is over on my sidebar. My PC is still acting up so I am unable to post pics on my blog...sorry.

delicate

To me, these pillow cases look so

delicate..... Burlap and vintage lace

added to a white pillow case.  They will

fit nicely on the old rusty metal bed that

will be available at the Spring Show. 

A fresh look

 
I just slapped on a fresh coat of paint in my living room...well, I did not do it but my little handyman that

makes my frames did it....it is really nice having a nice handyman around! My living room has been painted an

earthy sage green for the past four years. I began disliking that paint color about three minutes after it was

lathered on the walls. My living room gets absolutely zero natural light, therefore, the earthtones did nothing to

brighten things up.

When we went to Canton, Texas about a month ago, we stayed in my friends bed-n-breakfast. I quickly fell

 in love with the paint color she had in her converted garage.....Beach Cottage by Waverly. I matched it up

toPorter Paints Colonial Aqua. My ceilings, which are sloped and have wood (I mean foam) beams, have

been painted DelicateWhite in a semi gloss finish. I am hoping this finish will help bounce some natural light

around.

Have a mentioned lately I have got to put the metal to the pedal or else the Spring Sale (April 28-30) will be

here and you guys will only have two pieces of furniture to choose from.  I wouldn't do that to ya....would I?
  

 

BEFORE

 Speaking of Canton, Tx......I have had lots of STUFF occupying my mind lately.  My husband, my friend

Delanie, and I went to Canton, Tx, the first part of  February on a buying trip (which I have not yet

blogged about....oops).  After driving nine hours, we stopped and spent the night in a hotel.  When we

woke up the next morning, Vic noticed his pee was a little (lot) discolored.....by the end of the day it

looked like grapefruit juice.  As the day progressed,  he started running a fever and having pain under his left

flank....we immediately thought kidney stone, yet deep down, I feared something more complicated.  My

friend Cassie (a sorority sister from Ole Miss who we were staying with) pulled some ropes and got Vic in

with her personal doctor.....he too suspected kidney stones.  Needless to say,Vic's situation along with about

six inches of unanticipated snow, made for a not-so-productive trip.....  you would not have been able to tell

the "not-so-productive" part from the truck...we were packed in there like sardines. Despite his misery, he

hung with us....Vic was a true champ.


When we got back home to Tennessee, Vic immediately went to see his regular doctor....Since then, lots of

tests have been ran....ct scans, ultra sounds, blood work, etc.  Last week Vic was diagnosed with Chronic


Kidney Disease Stage 3.  Today, he had a bioposy to try and determine where the blood in his urine is

coming from....we won't know the results of it til Thursday.  BTW, most people with CKD live a

relatively normal lifestyle. 

In situations like these (which have been few and far between for me), your mind tends wander to places


 it doesn't belong.  I have been praying to God to just let me take this one day at a time and not get caught up

in all the worrying and "what if's." I am leaning on my Lord very strongly right now and I hope I will continue

to do so........He is my Sustainer, my everything.   I have not always had the faith I now have ...Thank

goodness I have it.....for without it, I would have already crumbled.  For not so long ago, I did not live like I

should have....I did not love like I should have....I did not give like I could have.

Vic told me the other night that through all this, he hoped to be a better Christian, a better husband, a better

father, a better son, a better brother and a better grandson.  In my book, he can't get any better.....he is as

good as they come. 

Blushed

 
So you know I have been working on "lady in red" for my Spring Sale which, by the way, is right around the

corner.  I love this fabric by Anna Maria Horner that I chose for her.  For furniture pieces I recover for my

own home, I buy whatever type of fabric I want....lace, cotton,satin, burlap, polyester.....whatever I like

lol....I make no qualms about it. I don't take into consideration how long the fabric will last because chances

are, I will be WAY tired of it before it ever has time to wear out.

Well, I can't use that philosophy when doing pieces for others....not everyone gets bored as quickly as I

do so the fabric must be durable....So being my little confident self, I decided to ask Anna Maria Horner how

well her home decor fabrics hold up on furniture. Remind you she has been my idle since I first met her in

1997 in Knoxville Tennessee while at college. Anna Maria owned a little shop called "The Handmaiden," and

I think I spent my life's savings there.....I bought her handmade clothes, painted furniture, jewelry

boxes....you name it, she made it, and I bought it. I still have a stool and a jewelry box she made....I bet I

could get a lot for them on ebay since she is now a world renowned fabric designer.

Back to my original thought....anywhoo, so I got on Anna's website looking for her email address when

suddenly I noticed she had her studio number listed. I said to myself, "I will call and leave her a message."

I dialed the number, NEVER expecting anyone to answer, then I heard, "hello." Well, you would have

thought someone dropped a bomb on my noggin because I suddenly was speechless. I felt myself trying to

work up my most sophisticated accent (that was a disaster........Note To Self: there is no way to rid yourself

of your ridiculous hick accent so don't even bother.) Once I got the lump out of my throat and the rubbish

from the bomb off my head, I proceeded with my questions. About halfway through the conversation, I

decided to ask, "is this Anna Maria?" "Uh, well duuuuu, who do you think this is?" Just kidding, she didn't say

that but I am certain she was wondering which turnip truck I fell off of. She talked with me just like I was her

neighbor....just the way I remember her.  She said her velveteen fabrics would hold up nicely on my "lady in

red"....ahhhhemm. I still tremble thinking about her answering that phone.....she is my hero.

A piece I am working on...I start by layering lots of paint. This piece was off white to begin with and then I added lots of color to create a vintage, time-worn piece. 

 

 This is the drawer for the above piece.  I was in a playful mood and I love the word "nest." Did I tell you I 

found another word I will be adding to my mental dictionary and plan to pull it down as needed?  

REVERIE-which means daydream. You must check out this facebook page. ....great inspiration for vintage 

style photographers.

 

I love painting frames.  My talented handyman built this frame using a modern frame (the inset) I had stashed in a drawer and wood siding off an old house that was torn down in town.   This, as well as the piece above, will be available at the Spring Sale (April 28th-30th).

I love the patina on an old chippy piece of furniture. I try to recreate this patina on my pieces.  Aren't the 

colors on this old chair "candy for the eyes"!!!!

I am thankful for my Stella...she sticks by me wherever I go.  She found her a little nest in this picture frame.  

I don't know if I have said thank you lately....but, THANK YOU.  Thank you for taking the time to read my 

ramblings.

Unsettling

Do you ever create something but it just doesn't settle right with you?  So is the case with this piece.....I will

ponder over it a few days and then make the necessary adjustments. 


My pussy willow is blooming.  The buds are as soft as cashmere....such a delight to feel on my skin.