Father Pine – A Primitive Santa in Shades of Blue & Green

This little fellow doles out Christmas trees as well as gifts. This is Father Pine. He’s a 15.5″ original, one of a kind muslin & fiberfill creation. He’s been hand-painted top to bottom and has been sanded & aged, giving him such a lovely, vintage patina. Father Pine has been sealed so that he may be lightly dusted after display. He has an embroidery loop thread attached, making him suitable for hanging–or he may sit with assistance. His ‘knees’ are sewn through.

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Santa’s face has been been carefully painted with a variety of media. His nose & bottom lip has been needle-sculpted by hand, giving him a cute pout underneath that beard & mustache. His hands are needle-sculpted as well. Father Pine wears painted brown boots with white buttons.

Santa’s shirt has been made of cream muslin. His pants are chocolate corduroy with embroidery thread ties at the hemline. Santa’s suspenders & hat is made of 100% cotton fabric. I love the ric-rac print used for Santa’s hat! It is finished off with a silver jingle bell & large folky embroidery thread stitches.

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Santa’s bag is hand-painted muslin. It has been sanded & aged for a vintage look. Mismatched brown buttons adorn the front. Inside are three hand-painted muslin Christmas trees. The bag is attached to Father Pine with an embroidery thread strap & is not removable.

Father Pine is now available on Ebay. He ends Sunday, Nov. 7th at 9:15 PM EST. Click here to view or bid on this dumpling.

Wouldn’t you like to find this lovely in your flower bed?

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Does anything say “Welcome Spring!” better than the sweet, smiling face of a daffodil?

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I don’t think so either! They’re such a gracious reminder that warm weather & sunny skies are on the way. This little girl is Dilly, my own reminder that spring is just around the corner & no, it won’t be cold forever. Dilly’s been made of muslin & stuffed with fiberfill. She measures 16.5″ tall from the tip of her petals to her base. Dilly stands freely as her lower torso is rag-stuffed & bean-filled.Dilly has been painted & sanded a couple of times, giving her a lovely, aged patina. She’s been sealed so that she may be lightly dusted after display.

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Dilly’s face has been painted with a variety of media. Her nose & bottom lip have been needle-sculpted by hand giving her a perfect little pout. Each of Dilly’s petals have been individually sewn & were applied by hand–in fact, there is SO much hand-stitching in the construction of this doll & her clothing. Her tiny, leafy arms have been quilted by hand. They’re a lovely shade of olive green.

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Dilly’s blouse is made of taupe osnaburg. It features hand-gathered sleeves & hand-stitching around the neckline and back. Her apron dress is made from a brown & cream polka dot 100% cotton print! The hem features hand-stitching. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dilly is available on Ebay beginning March 1 at 9:15 PM EST. She will end March 8 @ 9:15 PM EST. Click here to view more pics or bid on this dumpling!

Just who makes all those perfectly prim toys for Christmas?

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I bet this little girl might have an inkling.

 

Meet Eloise & Annie. They’re my original designs & have been made of muslin & stuffed with fiberfill . Eloise measures 26″ tall from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. Annie measures just over 12″ tall. Eloise’s lower torso is rag-stuffed & bean-filled so that she sits nicely. She’s been painted & sanded many times, giving her a lovely, aged patina. She has been sealed with a combination of matte & glossy sealers so that she may be beautifully preserved. Annie can sit with assistance.  Both dolls have knees which have been sewn through, making them perfect shelf sitters. Eloise’s arms are lightly wired allowing them to be gently posed.

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Eloise’s face has been painted with a variety of media. Her bottom lip & nose have been needle-sculpted by hand.

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Eloise’s fingers have been needle-sculpted as well. She sports brown gloves. She also sports pretty brown boots complete with tan socks & red detailed laces.

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Eloise’s pointy ears have been attached separately by hand. 

The apron dress she wears is made from 100% cotton prints in festive holiday colors. Eloise’s blouse has been made of taupe osanburg & features a big, vintage, mother of pearl button at the neckline. It also features hand-gathered sleeves. All exposed hems have been hand-stitched on both Eloise & Annie’s dresses. There is also hand-stitching at the back of their blouses & along the back seams.

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Annie’s dress features a white pearl bead at the neckline & two vintage mother of pearl buttons. Her hair is 100% red mohair & has been lightly glued then stitched & needle-felted into place. Her pigtails are tied with green embroidery thread.

Eloise’s hair is honey blonde 100% mohair. I’ve applied it with light glue & needle-felting. It is tied into a side pony with chocolate ribbon.

 

Eloise & Annie will be available on eBay Nov. 23 at 9:15 PM EST. They will end Sunday, Nov. 30th at 9:15 PM EST. Click here to bring these little gals home with you.

Searching for Morel Mushrooms in Kentucky’s Woods

For my family, in Kentucky, springtime means two things–trout fishing & mushroom hunting. Often referred to as dry land fish (because of the shape when viewed from the side), morel mushrooms begin popping up mid-late April & end early May. I’ve been hunting them since childhood, when my dad would announce that mushrooms were probably up & it was time to go dry land fishing. We would take to the woods–a group of adults & lots of little ones. Dad would remind us to watch where we stepped, lead us to poplar trees & when he bent down & plucked something from the earth, we all came running, too excited to remember to watch where our feet landed. Many times I stood, in the middle of the woods, thinking ‘God, why can’t they be purple or blue?’. My eyes could not see them & I had not yet developed the patience to search for the elusive morel.

My how things change.

Over the years, I kept going mushroom hunting with Dad. He taught me how to identify a poplar tree, took me to his secret mushroom spots, places where he had found oodles in the past. We discovered new spots together & still every time he bent down to pluck one from the earth, I had to resist the urge to break into a full run to see what he had found. The most important thing I’ve learned from my Dad about searching for the morel is that you can’t be in a hurry. I’ve learned a wealth of other important information, too: Look near sycamore trees & poplars. Search old apple orchards. Begin searching in mid-late April after a rain & then a few warm days in a row. Never eat a morel with a ‘cottony’ stem (This is the ‘False Morel’, which is poisonous. ‘True Morels’ have hollow stems.) Pinch mushrooms off at the bottom. Conceal your mushroom bag until you get in the woods! And never reveal your good mushroom spots. But most importantly, take your time, look in a spot two or three times. Move slowly & cautiously. Enjoy the hunt as well as the finding. And if you find a lot, share them with someone you love!

Last night’s findings–My husband & I found 106! We were ecstatic.

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Mushroom tip: Always carry your mushrooms in a mesh bag so the spores can fall as you walk! A couple of years down the road, you’ll be happy you did!