Almost Halfway

Well, my January intentions have not all panned out, but I am working on it!!  I have decided to accept that I will never be quite the organized person that I want to be, I will always have way tooooo many things going at the same time, and that is just how it is in my world.  But my world is fun and exciting and filled with many blessings, so no complaints!!

Spending this great Saturday morning listening online to a wonderful radio station out of Bryan/College Station area of Texas....KEOS!  Our good friend Joe Angel hosts a great show called Random Routes, and plays a collection of fabulous tunes during his air time.  Give it a try!!

http://tunein.com/radio/KEOS-891-s32492/

The program began this morning with a tribute to the late Ralph Stanley.  RIP Ralph.  You will be missed.

Crows in the Attic Primitives has had a busy first half of the year.  I had a most fun and profitable show in April hosted by Grandmother's House Boutique, and held at the Jefferson County, CO Fairgrounds.  What a great show, great customers, greatly done collection of fantastic goods.  The next Grandmother's House show is in October, and the third will be held in November.  Check out their website for more details!!

http://www.grandmothershouseboutique.com/

For those of you reading this that are here in Colorado, you understand the heat that we have experienced so far this Spring and Summer.  Wow!!  I am ready for some 75 degree, breezy days myself, with a few fluffy white clouds to adorn our bluebird sky.

One of my new creations for this year is a series of dolls known as The Magpies.  They are a funky, one of a kind art doll, with lots of different patterns and colors and all wearing old, vintage, or maybe even modern day jewelry.  Each Magpie is signed and numbered and named, and no two are alike.  Each one is its own soul!  They have a tag attached that says:

Magpie     (definition:  noun)

 *  chatters noisily

           *collects indiscriminately

           *  eclectic

Until next time....enjoy life....relax....sip some lemonade....think happy thoughts!!

Here We Go 2016!!!

Wow!!  This new year is already whizzing on by me!!!  HOLD ON!!

As I began this year as I do all new years, I vow to be more organized, more timely with blogging and other social media formats, send newsletters, publish more patterns, and on and on....many of you know this list!!  :)

Reflecting on this past year, I am grateful to have had my very best show year ever, grateful for the local shops that display my work, grateful most of all to my many very loyal followers and customers, grateful for health and family and the many blessings in my life.

As some of you know, chickens became a big part of my life a couple years ago.  Sadly most of my original flock (3 of 4) were sent to chickie gal heaven by a local coyote last summer.  I recovered from that slowly...well, I guess I am still recovering....but we built a wonderful large run to enclose the existing coop and attached run, and brought home the new girls in October.  The remaining hen, Ruby Bunny Foo Foo (Bunny for short!), was not totally welcoming to the new flock, but she has adjusted.....slowly.....and now you would never know they didn't all begin life together.  These hens are very spoiled, as Mike says, often eating better than we do!!  They have organic chicken feed, organic snacks, warm oatmeal and scrambled eggs on cold mornings....you get the picture......

Creatively I am always working all over the map, and have begun a new series recently that will be ready for sale soon.  I have bags upon bags of trimmings from my pieces, as well as smaller pieces of fabric too big to toss.  I have used some of the trimmings in the past for "rag" stuffing, but have many bags of this stuff!!  So.......late one night while watching NBA I was inspired to create some "ugglee" dolls, using the small fabric pieces to create their details and appendages, and the trimmings to stuff their wonderful bodies!! The "girls" will make their appearance soon, probably in my Etsy shoppe.

Colorado has brought us the usual weird weather, with everything from snow to 60 degrees, lots of sunshine, but too much wind.....all since January began!!  We are fortunate to not have the situation currently being dealt with in the East, although we do get our fair share of snow up in the high country.  Here at 6,000 feet, looking down on the wonderful City of Denver, we currently have snow only in the shady areas.  Our snowfall, even when the amount is a foot or so, usually does not stay too long with our HOT sunshine that most often is a part of our days.

One of my blessings is the continued publishing of my work in PRIMS magazine ~ the wonderful publication by Stampington and Company that has so many great artsy magazines on the newstand.  As always I am honored to have my work chosen for publication, and truly appreciate all the wonderful emails requests for patterns and finished pieces.  Thank you so much Stampington and PRIMS readers!!  Which reminds me......I must get back to work writing my articles for the pieces to be featured in the next PRIMS issue, available May 1st!  The deadline for the articles is quickly approaching!!

These Worry Dolls have been a big hit at shows and shops!!  In fact, I was asked to make a dozen for a customer that she gave to her book club friends for Christmas!!  What fun that was!!  I have now made some extras that I will be sharing in my Etsy shoppe soon.

Wishing all of you a very blessed year, filled with family, friends, health and much happiness!!  Until next time........

Merry Mid-May Already!!

As I take the journey down the road of doing more of what I WANT to do, things that I CHOOSE to do, time has rapidly flown by me!! What has happened to this year??  It is already the middle of May, and my mental list of things to accomplish barely has a nick in it.

Since this is the beginning of what I call the Patriotic Season.....Memorial Day thru Labor Day in my mind......I have been enjoying bringing back some of the older Americana pieces in my repertoire, and creating some new ones as well!!  I have changed the ornaments on my prim tree to Americana, and have some other Americana things displayed in our family room and living room, and will work on the dining room and kitchen soon!  I love America, and Americana décor!!  Never enough!!

I realized as I decorated the prim tree that many of my Americana ornaments are from a great prim creator, and owner of a prim shop as well!!  Search for her shop on Etsy....needlinaround.  Should you find yourself in Lincoln, NE, stop by her shop called Primitive Treasures!!

Until next time.....enjoy life, be kind, count your blessings, do something fun, take care of yourself, and journey on!!

Happy Spring!! Be YOURSELF!!!

Do you ever feel like "one of the herd"??  I do.  I find myself running around, jumping through hoops, doing what I feel I need to be doing......instead of what tugs at me.  Although resolutions are often made in January, I make resolutions year round.....but often don't stick to them.  One of my many goals for this Spring is to make a better attempt at balancing my life, doing more of what I WANT to do, instead of doing mainly what I think I NEED to be doing.  What a concept!!

 

As a part of this endeavor to do more of the wants on my list, I do believe that I want to make yet another effort to blog.  I have allowed other things to get in the way of blogging, and now I realize that I miss this ole blog stuff!!  So here is the first installment in getting back to blogging.....or basics, as it might be!!

 

ENJOY!!!

The Continued Tale of the Lost Blogger.......

Well, I am not actually lost....just lost in life!! Too much going on, priorities confused, working hard, playing hard, gardening hard, creating hard......just toooo busy in this life called retirement!! HA!!

Besides working extra hard with all the shops that I supply goods to, I find myself spending much time designing, creating, sending new pieces off to PRIMS magazine, designing more, creating for shows, designing another pattern to be published in FOLK magazine, and on and on and on.  In with all that I had a wonderful summer of gardening, and hope to figure out this All Season Garden Venture, too!!  We shall see!!  Lettuce when there is snow?? Might happen!!

I have really taken a giant leap with 5 local shows this Fall.....yes, that is right.....5 shows.  My oh my.......what was I thinking????  I love those retail venues, though!!  I was part of a wonderful show in July at The Old Glory Fair, and met so many wonderful folks.  Sales were great, and the friendships formed were even greater!!  Thanks so much to Old Glory for such a great venue, and they didn't do too bad with the weather, either!!  :)

Fall has officially arrived, and is starting to show it's face here in Colorado, too.  Although many are still suffering, and will be for a very long time, from the devastation of the recent floods, I personally was not directly affected.  We sit high on a hill, with nothing above us to flood down or slide down upon us.  For those wanting to help the victims of this horrific event, please donate to The Red Cross or some other similar organization.  There are so many folks homeless now because their homes and all their belongings, in many cases including their vehicles, are gone.  Hard to imagine, but it is true.

On a lighter note, the changing colors are slow to happen this year, but some of the aspens up in the high country have begun to turn.  I love the Fall colors, and hope that we have a nice long Fall season this year.  I also love the snow, but am not quite ready to have that happen just yet!!  However, skiers and boards get ready!!!  Loveland, Winter Park, Breck and many other of the ski areas got SNOW!!  YES!!  I has begun!!

I leave you with these thoughts.....GO BRONCOS!!!! And soon....GO NUGGETS!!!!  Enjoy the season!! Blessings to all........

The Tale of the Lost Blogger......

Hmmmm.  What has happened to blogging?  Where is this blogger???

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fast forward to April, nearly May, 2013!!  HERE I AM!!! I am not lost, just lost in transition!!  No....that was a movie title maybe??

Seems that life, Facebook, work, life, gardening, snow.....it all gets in the way of the best laid plans!  My apologies for being a totally absent blogger.  I do hope to change that habit, and return to at least monthy updates!!  My goodness!!  How hard can this be???  :)

Hope all is well with all of you, and Spring may be returning to the Colorado Front Range now....just maybe!!  I do hear something about possible snow again next week, though.  We've had a very wet and chilly April, but can't complain.  Colorado really needs all the precip it can get!

If you like things in printed form, please check your local bookstore, fabric shop, etc. for the latest in PRIMS magazine by Stampington and Company.  Once again, I have some work featured, and humbly invite you to check out this great publication and view my Mike and Missy, as well as the Americana Angel in the Gallery section!!  I am honored to have had my work featured in every issue of this grand publication to date!!  Thanks so much to Stampington, the staff, and the wonderful PRIMS editor Jennifer!!  You are so wonderful!!

Thank you for stopping by, and make the most of your wonderful day!! 

May your turkey be plenty, and your blessings many!!  Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

Veterans Day 2012

Today is the day that Americans take time to honor the men and women that have served our country as members of the United States Armed Forces.  Veterans Day should be every day.  Thank a veteran, and God Bless America!!

VOTE!!! VOTE!!! VOTE AMERICA!!!!

Here we are at election day 2012!!!  Such a big day in the life of all Americans, and a day that each of us has the obpportunity to participate in by voting!!  Many of us may have already cast our ballots by early voting or mail voting, but others love the feel of actually lining up at the polls on election day.  Whichever it is for you, I hope you are happy with the outcome of this historical day in America!! God Bless America!!

Memorial Day 2012

Memorial Day is a time to remember those men and women that have served our country, and given the ultimate sacrifice.  As we enjoy the long holiday weekend, please take time to remember these fallen heroes.

TWO NEW PATTERNS!!!

Cats, cats, and more cats!!!  I LOVE cats!!!  I have two new cat patterns published recently.  One is a great prim barncat to be used for a tuck or a sitter.  He would be great to attach to a wreath, too!!  The other is a great cat ornie or bowl filler.   Both are available in finished form, too!!  Just email me to get the prices, etc., for the finished cats, and be sure to include your zip code so that I can determine the accurate shipping charges!!

All my patterns are currently available on Patternmart in my Crows in the Attic Primitives shoppe!!  Please stop by!!

Prim Blessings to all, Trudy

OH MY....OH MY!!! BAD BLOGGER I AM!!

I could make up a bunch of excuses, but I won't.  Too many things to do, priority list all a mess, way over-involved in way toooo many things, etc.  But, I have made a commitment to do better!!  Although I think of myself as well organized, apparently that is a fairy tale of my imagination!!!

Much has happened since I last posted....and obviously a new year has begun, and is already into the second month.  This is a special month for many reasons.....one reason is that our #2 granddaughter is turning 6 on Valentine's Day!!  Happy Birthday, Madison!!

2011 began with me being super pleased and extremely honored to once again have my work published in the latest issue of PRIMS Magazine, the wonderful publication by Stampington and Company.  If you have not yet purchased or received your Winter 2012 issue, it is a MUST!!  (all issues are a must :))  If you are not able to find a copy at your local bookstore, fabric shop, etc., you can order one or subscribe as well at stampington.com.  I have posted some pics of a few of my published items, and hope that you will dash out to buy this wonderful publication!!

I hope this finds everyone well, and enjoying the new year!  Prim Blessings to all, Trudy

Verteran's Day, 2011

As we remember the veterans of our Armed Services, let us not forget the freedoms we have as Americans. Thank you, veterans, for your service, both at home and abroad. Thank you to you and your families as well. Let us also remember those currently serving today, as well, and their families, too!! No amount of thanks will ever be enough for the sacrifices made on behalf of all Americans.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN??????

MY OH MY!!!!!  All I can say is.......I have been super busy!!! So busy that obviously I have very much neglected my blog!!

All is well though, with Summer having come and gone, and Fall in the air here at 6,000 feet!  Summer was hot.  Fall has been more like summer so far....although apparently we might get a drop in temperature and a bit of snow during the night tonight!

My Summer included several trips, with a recent one being to the San Juan Islands of Washington State, and the Djangofest Northwest event on Whidbey Island in Langely! FUN!! FUN!! FUN!!!

If you happen to be local folks, I will be at the Fall Show in Highlands Ranch this weekend.  Next week my work will be featured at Four Anns Market in Old Town Littleton!! They are a great antique and cool stuff market, open once a month, Thursday through Saturday.  Stop by and find some great pieces, and perhaps pick up a prim doll or two as well!!

My dolls are also available locally at Vintage Vendors in Old Town Littleton on Rapp Street.  This great shop of antiques and collectibles is open Tuesday through Saturday, and is such a fun place to browse and visit with the great shop folks!

I will also be at a new Denver area show called Home for the Holidays.  This great event will be held at the Washington Park United Methodist Church, 1955 E Arizona Avenue.  The dates are October 21 and 22.  Friday the show runs from 9-7, allowing time for after work shopping.  Saturday the hours are 9-5.  Hope to see you there!!

Make sure to stop by Simply Primitives and The Primitive Gathering this month to see what I have available in my Crows in the Attic Primitives shop on Simply Primitives, my Crows shop on The Primitive Gathering, as well as my Annabelle's Attic shops!

Happy Fall!!

Happy Birthday, America!!!!!

I hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable long holiday weekend, and have settled back in to the regular routine now!!  I had a nice time spent down in Santa Fe, NM with friends from Austin, TX.  The guys had a gig at a very nice restaurant/bar one night, and at the Wine Festival the following day.  The festival was held at a living history museum location, and what fun that was!!  Volunteers were on hand telling about the work and culture of the time, talking about how the farm is maintained today in the same manner as in the 1800's, etc.  Unfortunately the smoke from the fires in the area was pretty bad, but not as bad as those that have been directly affected are dealing with, that's for sure.  We spent some time in Taos on our way back home, which was fun, too!  I love Santa Fe and Taos...... the culture, the art, the climate, the people, the architeture, and much, much more.  A great time was had by all!!

Should you ever have an opportunity to visit the museum in Santa Fe, you will not be disappointed!! 

FLAG DAY 2011!!

God Bless America and it's flag!! Today is Flag Day!  June 14th each year is the day we honor the American flag and celebrate it's adoption!!

Our flag represents our freedom, and is a symbol of the ideals of the United States of America.  Today, and every day, is a time for us to reflect on what our nation stands for, our belief in liberty and justice for all, and what it means to be a united nation.

May we all celebrate the day by properly displaying the flag of our country, and pausing to think about the freedoms and opportunities that we enjoy, while living in the United States of America.  God Bless America, land that I love!!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY, AMERICA!!

God Bless America, our fallen troops and their families, and our active troops and families as well.  I hope that all of you are having a safe long weekend, and best wishes for the coming week as this long weekend draws to a close for most of us.

Caw! Caw!! Where does time go???

I seem to have been repeating that question over and over since the new year began!! Where does the time go???  What is happening to my life????  It is flying past me at lightning speed!!

As the days go speeding by, I have managed to release a couple of new patterns, and create a few new primitive items!  Please stop by the pattern sites and finished goods sites, all listed on the left side bar to see these new items!!

You can find this great prim gal, Ella Mae, over on Simply Primitives in my Crows in the Attic Primitives shop.  Stop by and take a peek at Ella and other offerings, too!!

I hope that some beautiful Spring weather is blessing your part of the world! We in Colorado have a mix of Spring, Winter and Summer weather, never knowing which kind the day will bring!!  The weather here just keeps life more interesting!!

Thank you so much for stopping by!!  Prim Blessings to all of you!!

APRIL IS HERE ALREADY!!!!!

I keep repeating myself, saying....where has the time gone??? And now......APRIL ALREADY!!!! One fourth of 2011 is already behind us. Yes, today is April Fool's Day. However, rather than playing a practical joke on someone, I would prefer to think of today as......OPENING DAY FOR THE COLORADO ROCKIES AT COORS FIELD!!!! GO ROCKIES!!!

Of course, my favorite sports team is the DENVER NUGGETS, who have come a very long way since the mid-season trade awhile back. Sceptics thought the Nuggets were doomed when they let go two name players....but the team has proven the sceptics quite wrong!! GO NUGGETS!!!

I imagine that many of you are enjoying a nice Spring, with green grass, flowers, etc. We just spent a week in Austin.....with the heat, the humidity, the sauna style weather......and are glad to be back in the mountains with the cooler, dry weather of the Front Range. We do have some greening grass, flowers, and trees getting those special Spring green leaves....but April is our second most snowy month. March is our snowiest month. Not sure what happened there...but it was NOT tons of snow falling from the sky!! November is another big snow month....nothing this year. Not good for the environment, so I have my fingers and toes and arms and legs crossed for more precipitation this month. Here at 6,000 feet precip has been sparse this Winter and Spring.

As always, the prim factory has been in full swing, with new creations and new patterns being cranked out, although not as rapidly as I wish! I have to be the world's slowest production person. I am amazed at the number of finished items I see some folks able to produce. Oh well! I am what I am!!

I have a new rabbit, a Kentucky Primitives design, over on Prim Nest, the new marketplace venue by Kelle of Patternmart!! Flocks of little yellow peeps are available on Lemon Poppy Seeds!!! There's a variety of bunnies and some barnyard chicks listed there, too!! Some great new dolls and other Spring things are available in my new listings on Simply Primitives and The Primitive Gathering, too! And don't forget to check out my raggedies on my Annabelle's Attic shoppes on the above sites, as well!! Stop by my raggedy blog while you are browsing, too!!

HAPPY PRIM SPRING!!!

Spring has sprung!! The birds are singing, green grass is abundant, and the tulips and daffodils are in bloom!! What more could one want here in Colorado on the Front Range???? Well.....we sure could use some snow!! Yes! SNOW!!! March is supposed to be our big snow month....and so far we have barely enough snowfall for the month to measure. Not good. Wildfires are raging. Things are soooooooo dry, it is not a good thing.

New primitives creations are popping up all over, too!!! The bunnies have been plentiful, and today I am working on a few little chicks and such!

I hope everyone is well, enjoying good weather wherever you may be, and looking forward to the next season....if you are so lucky as to live where the seasons actually do change!! That is one of my favorite things about living in Colorado......we have 4 distinct seasons!!

A new finished goods website has now opened, and I am happy to be a part of that venture! Kelle of Patternmart has launched her newest site, The Prim Nest, and you will find my Crows in the Attic Page on Prim Nest HERE!!!

Please use the links of the left side bar to visit alllll of the many sites where I list my finished goods! You will find many everyday prims as well as some Spring and Easter items, too!!

Don't forget to check out my patterns, too!!

Spring Blessings to all!!

.......and the race goes on.......

Gosh, I used to be a good blogger. I used to do regular posts. I never claimed to be organized. But this is pathetic!

I am so far behind in so many aspects of the tasks I impose on myself. But, I am not going to beat up on myself. Instead I am just going to trudge forth, and work toward better time management!! And, as Mike would say.......It is what it is!!

I am thoroughly enjoying the marketing class that I am taking, and the one thing that I am learning is that there is lots that I don't do correctly!! Oh well.....at least I know that now, and can work toward doing something about it!!

Spring has come to the Colorado Rocky Mountain Foothills....following our first REAL snow of the season. We have had days in the 50's and 60's for about a week now, and it is soooo tempting to believe that this will last. Not true. In fact, as many of you know, I LOVE Winter, and I LOVE snow, and we never seem to get enough to suit me. The ski areas have been blasted over and over again, though, which is a good thing. This has been, I believe, one of the record years at the higher elevations for amount of snowfall. The fantasy of Spring will soon subside, since the forecast is for a high in the low 30's on Monday, with snow Monday night and Tuesday.

I have many updates to talk about, and those of you that want to browse or shop, please use the links on the left sidebar to find all the shops that I sell from. Mid-month is raggedy (Annabelle's Attic) update time on some sites, and lst of the month is regular primitives updates on those same sites. However, Lemon Poppy Seeds updates both on the lst and the 15th, and Country Fried Primitives updates both on just the 15th. I have shared some pictures of some of the new listings, both for Annabelle's Attic and Crows in the Attic Primitives!!

I am trying to do better at putting things on Etsy, but have failed at that so far! Another mistake in my marketing!! HA!! If you are a maker yourself, and need great wool for those prim dolls, or grungy tags, etc, please stop by my Ebay store for those kinds of things!!

Don't forget to look at all the patterns, too!! I have many new ones, and so many unpublished ones, that I have set a goal to get one published each week, to be featured in the Patternmart newsletter!! I have been successful so far, since the lst week of January!!! YES!!! I have not failed at this goal!!!

I will sign off today with a wish for everyone to enjoy the day, appreciate the good things, and why not do something nice for someone today??!!! Prim Blessings to all, Trudy