This part of my blog is all about the things I collect or the things I make myself. I love so many things, I paint and draw and want to learn oils and pastels. I knit and crochet but want to learn tatting. I embroider and can turn my hand to most things given a chance. So much still to learn and do. I live in hope of some day reading all my books, learning all I want to learn and now I am learning to blog. You will often find my original poems, poor as they are I offer them here. I also appreciate other people art and will feature things I find that I have enjoyed. That includes pictures of fairies and fantasy or maybe just anything beautiful.
I try to use my own photo's as much as possible, sometimes I borrow from the web. If I inadvertently use your picture without giving credit, please do let me know and I will either credit or remove it, I hope you will do the same with mine.
If you wish to leave comments on my blog you can do that by joining google if you do not have a blog yourself, please comment if you can I appreciate that.


Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Granery...

My friend Esther lives in a big old farm house. It is a cherry farm, a working cherry farm. Esther has her own little store where she sells hand made items and cherry products. My friend Edna makes pies and sells them out there. Wonderful pies, some cherry naturally. She gets up at 4am and bakes her pies and takes them out there fresh.
Esther also has her own little antique shop in what was once the garage there.

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I have found many nice linens there. She sells hand painted china and some of the quilted things Edna makes and lots of other unique and pretty things.

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Its a unique experience going out there on a summer day. Buy some fresh cherries or chocolate covered cherries. Or try Edna's pies. They sell apples and other fresh produce in season by the side of the road and flowers from a local nursery. They are also wonderful and interesting people. If you are ever lucky enough to go inside the house it is chock full of antiques and beautiful things.

6 miles down Elk Lake
Road from M-72
Williamsburg or 2 miles south of Elk Rapids (Michigan)
231-264-8429
In the winter evenings my mum and dad would sit and embroider. This is something my dad did way back then. T.V was not on very often and they would sit by the fire and do handwork of some sort. I remember learning these verses and I still remember them. I still see him sitting there busy hands always doing something.

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This one my mum did. she much prefered knitting as it turns out but did a nice job of this.

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In those days the embroidery floss was called "silks" it was made from silk not synthetics. My dad liked to know how to do everything so he would accept any challenge. I remember him making baskets at one time. He settled into doing tapestries and I have several of those that he made over the years. Mum ended up knitting. She knitted sweaters for me and matching ones for my husband and boys, also for my daughter. She once made a round knitted lace shawl and table covers she did lovely work. I remember having her knit long shawls with hoods on. I guess because of that, growing up with them sitting by the fire in the evenings working on their "crafts" I came to love to do things too. Idle hands as they used to say..............
Now I collect hand made items at garage sales and flea markets or antique shops. I love things that are made with love and I rescue as many as I can.
There is nothing like the old soft cotten or linen of old pillow cases with hand made lace or crochet or tatting along the edges,

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Some of the hand done embroidery is so nice I dont know how people can just sell it for next to nothing. Someone put their heart into this and family just sold it.

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Monday, July 25, 2011

I have always liked to make things. I also like to learn new things. Two of my friends took a basket making class with me out at a lovely place called "The Granery". The Granery is a part of a large Cherry farm, a working farm. My friend Edna introduced me to this lovely place and lovely people. Edna goes out there in the summer and picks cherries and makes pies for Esther who runs the Granery. Its a little store she has on the property and in there features hand made items from local people. She also has a little antique shop in what was once her garage. Great prices and some great finds. I love old linens and hand croched pieces so always have a look when I go out there.
Here is one of my baskets.

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