A new member of the family

Welcome to the newest member of our family! It's a ornate box turtle. He doesn't have a name ~ yet. The kids are still working on naming him. We do know it's a "he", but don't know the age of him. We adopted him from someone who was re-homing him.

He came with just a really small rubbermaid contatiner. So, a trip was in order to the store to get him a better habitat. We got him a large 1/2 log to hide underneath, a small feeding dish, a large water soaking dish, a turtle bone, and mulch. We did get a larger rubbermaid type container, but found it wasn't deep enough. This smart box turtle was able to climb on top of the log, and then reach the top of the container. So, I switched it for another container that I had in the garage. I really think he could use an even larger one, but didn't see one at the store. Maybe I'll try Home Depot to see what they have. But at least he now has a nice, safe home. The previous owner didn't have mulch, so he couldn't burrow. Late tonight he was happily under the log digging down into the mulch. We still will have to investigate a light for it when it gets cooler. We'll try the sun as long as it's warm outside.

I haven't started any new craft projects yet. Now that summer school (I was working as an aide for 5 weeks this summer) is done, I have to tackle some household projects. I cleaned out the family room and James's bedroom. I still have his dressers and desk to do, but at least I found the floor on his side of the bedroom. =)

~*~ Laura ~*~

Another finish

Just a quick photo of a ditty bag that I just finished this evening. I took the punch needle piece and sewed it onto some aged ticking. Perfect to hang on a hook or peg board. I just listed it on Ebay.

Now to decide on the next project......

A FaLL FiNiSH!

I just finished this punch needle penny rug. I know, it's early for fall, but it's nice to dream about cooler weather. It's been so hot here in Chicago this week. Now that the extreme heat is gone, the thunderstorms arrived. We didn't get flooding here, but other areas of Chicago did. I'm hoping all the rain will get my lawn looking green again. The areas of the lawn that never got shade had turned a lovely shade of brown ~ yuck.

Back to the punch needle piece. The graphic is from Primitive Betty's. I punched it using 3 strands (was waiting for my new punch needle to arrive) of floss. I added some wool tongues and backed it with black wool. I did edge the piece with some black wool yarn so that all the weavers cloth is hidden. I just listed this on Ebay.

This week we found out our old van will need some serious motor work. Since it already has 150K miles, it's not worth it. So, we'll be looking into getting rid of it sometime in the next few weeks. I think our mechanic will be happy to see that van go away! I don't think we'll miss the oil drips all over the driveway.... =)

~*~ Laura ~*~

Flea Market Finds

A new flea market opened this past weekend ~ only about 5 minutes from our house. I read that the promoters were trying to get antiques and some good stuff at the market, so it was worth checking out. Best part~ it was free. There were nice large tents for the sellers to set up their good underneath, and keep us customers cooler on a hot day.




I found a couple vintage washboards at one booth. I'm thinking of a punch needle piece on the smaller one, and a rug hooking piece on the larger one. I have no specific patterns in mind, but it's nice to have a vintage piece put aside.


I went back on Sunday to the market, and it was smaller. Some of the nice antique dealers weren't there. I was going to get a few photos of some vintage hooked rugs that one dealer had. I normally don't see many rugs, but maybe I'm noticing them now that I've learned how to hook them.

I did manage to find this painting when I went back on Sunday. It's done on a wooden board, unfinished edges, and a simple wire hanger. I'll have to move some decorations on my walls to find a spot for this one. I couldn't pass it up!


Last week the goodies I ordered arrived! I now have a new medium Cameo needle for punch needle.

I also ordered this pattern that could be adapted for punch needle or rug hooking. I thought it was only the card stock pattern, but it came with some scraps of wool and muslin!





I also received some free wool scraps and a star penny pattern! I think I'll be ordering from Primitive Gatherings again!

~*~ Laura ~*~

Punch Projects

This little punch needle mat just needs some finishing. It's already punched, aged with walnut ink, and edged with some cording. But, it kinda plain by itself and needs to be adhered to something, but still am deciding on what.


In the meantime, I stated fall punch project. Normally I punch using 6 strands of floss, but my medium size Cameo needle broke. Not the metal part of the needle, but the plastic part of the top of it. I do have to say it lasted for a LONG time, and was able to do many projects. It was probably time to get a sharp new one. So, while I"m waiting for my new needle to arrive, I'm using a small needle with 3 strands for this project. It's finer in texture/appearance, but it's still prim in colors. I already have a finishing idea for this one ~ something that I haven't done before. (you'll have to wait and see!)

I have a few boxes almost ready to go from some Ebay sales. I'll be using this craft money towards a purchase of a wool cutter for rug hooking. I'm hoping to get one this summer. A new one. Nothing used. I had gotten an old one off Ebay, but it didn't work. I ordered a new cutter head, but that didn't work, either. The machine ended up breaking in half ~ literally. So, if anyone else is looking into purchasing a wool cutter, don't buy it until you try it, or from a reputable rug hooker. I guess I learned by lesson the hard way!

My older 3 teens have officially completed drivers ed. Here in IL, they need to have their permits for 9 months, plus get 50 hours EACH of driving. At least I don't have to worry about paying for car insurance yet. They now need to find things to occupy themselves for the rest of the summer.

Hope all had an enjoyable 4th of July weekend!

~*~ Laura ~*~

PRiMiTiVe CHaNDeLieR MaKe OVeR

For the past 11 years, I haven't like the fan in our dining room. It was here when we moved to this house 11 yrs ago, but just didn't know what to put in it's place. I didn't like any of the newer fans, as the light kits didn't offer enough light for the room. So, the old fan sat there until this weekend. (we couldn't put together the brass chandelier we got previously that my son took apart, so had to start looking again)


I found this black Williamsburg fixture at Lowes. It has 6 arms that hold 60 watt bulbs. The price was right $79 - perfect. My son, Matt, and I put it up last evening. The hardest part of the job was removing part of the chain, as the chain was really thick. I put a hook in the ceiling so that it swags, and it centered over the table. (the fan wasn't centered over the table, which really drove me crazy) I liked the chandelier once it was installed, but something still seemed off. It was the black candle sleeves/covers. It had black metal ones. Not the white/off white, or dripped type of candle.

I went to another store, but they didn't have any short plastic candle sleeves, only the taller ones. I did see some places to order some online, but then I had an idea ~ spray paint.




I took the black metal sleeves and primed them with spray paint that I already had. I did have to nail a large nail into a board so that the sleeve would stand up for painting. I then used some white satin spray paint, and this is how it looks:




I now have a primitive chandelier with white candles. It just needs some pip berry candle rings for a finishing touch. It now looks like a chandelier I saw for over $200 !

Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

~*~ Laura ~*~