Show off Friday #5

How many Fridays has it been since I sewed anything? I do have a good excuse.

My Dad told me a couple of months back that he wanted to help me build a proper coop if I gave him some eggs when he needed them. A real builder helping me build a coop, sounds good to me!

He also wanted to clean out some of the scraps in his barn. Umm, free materials, sounds even better!

Tuesday

It started off with a pencil sketch on the floor of his barn.

10' X 12' Coop, what will the chickens do with all that space?

My uncle replaced his deck this summer, free flooring for me.

Me likey the nail gun.

We took a lunch break and Dad showed me what he's been working on.

A farmer gave him an old plastic water tank.

He painted it and added a door and windows.

Added legs.

Tossed in a swivel chair, and you have a high and dry deer hunting blind.

15 feet high.

My dad comes up with clever scrounging ideas.

Lunch breaks over back to work.

Our first wall.

Quitting time.

A good days work.

Wednesday

It was raining, good thing we were working in my dads barn.

I needed to make a plywood run. I sleep with a guy who gives me his employee discount. Thirteen sheets for under $70, not bad.

Peek-a-boo!

I like how the sawdust showed up in the picture.

Four walls done.

Thursday

Roof joists are a pain to hammer on, but critical for support.

For Moving!

.

Time to go to my yard.

My dad makes moving a giant box look easy.

Down the driveway.

Past my sisters house.

Over the ridiculously huge bridge on our little country road.

To my driveway.

T-Bone greets me and says "What the hell is THAT?"

"I'd better check it out."

Hammy doesn't know what to think, but he does know its quitting time.

Friday

We set it in place, got it level, and started the rafters.

Then the decking.

It looks nice inside...

... and out.

We gave Hammy something to crow about!

Little Mama is so EGGcited she had to lay in a pot!

(Someone is staring at her)

I get to finish nailing the decking down and put the shingles on over the weekend.

My wrist is about to fall off from all the hammer swinging, I have bilsters on my blisters, but couldn't be happier.

I love my dad.

Have a great weekend!

Warning Graphic

ly embarrassing photos.

I have a dirty little secret. I never wanted to talk about it before, but since I have gotten to know you all better, found out how kind and supportive you all are, I figured now is the time to come clean.

Any time in the past if I showed you photos of my chicken coop, this is what you saw.

Our little Coop DeVille, we named it that as we were towing it down the road to our house.

It's our old playhouse when I was a kid, turned outhouse, turned hunting blind (w/camo paint), turned coop. I was our first coop, it cost us nothing, we used leftover supplies to spruce it up.

The problem was, it was small. Perfect for our first flock of seven, but where can I keep the next batch of chicks?

This is the scary truth.

I like to do things myself without asking for much help. What was I to do? I was desperate. I have a brother in law who works for Visteon and they get huge shipments from Germany. Huge shipments, huge crates!

I got a 7 foot crate, built a wall to cover the opening, installed a window and door, plus a window in the back.

This was the best I could do.

I call it Shed #2 because that what was written on the crate. I am SO clever with names.

I really was hoping to put on a better roof than just rubber roof paper, I even was going to paint it and maybe add a crooked flower box to match the crooked wall, but once the girls were in, I lost my motivation.

Here I am, three years later with a sad, leaky, ugly box sitting in my backyard.
I am not proud of it, I don't want to show it off. I feel guilt every time I tuck my girls in at night. They deserve better.

Why am I confessing this and risking ridicule?

That is for another post!

Oh happy day!

The weather was great at the Artisan Market, I only brought a third of my items since our spaces were smaller than my usual tent size. I forgot my camera because that would require thinking ahead.

I sold this embroidery tote to the woman who was destined to have it,

I sold a Hi Chick Pillow,

I sold my first pack of homemade cards,

and 6 tissue packs.

I got to meet the nicest gals, I was next to a Mosaic artist, so talented and funny, 2 moms with young kids from my town on the other side of me, Kate of http://chicalookate.wordpress.com/, who organized it was across from me.

I made some cash, got to hang with fun people and i had put a roast in the crock pot, so I even came home to a hot home cooked meal. Not bad.

Todays News!

One of my favorite designers, Linda Lum DeBono shttp://lindalumdebono.blogspot.com/, had a little contest a few weeks back, I won! I got the package today.

I thought my heart would stop when I saw all that was inside.

Three quilt and project books, 2 were written my Linda herself.

My best way to describe Lindas patterns and ideas in her books is fun.

Such happy projects, in such bright fun colors.

There is also a book and patterns for machine quilting. This is perfect, my mom has a long arm quilting machine. For you who may not know what that is, it is a huge machine with bars you wrap the quilt around, 14 feet long, and the machine is what glides as you quilt along while the quilt stays still. These patterns are great because there is a little lazer light you can follow the lines of the patterns along and the machine stitches it in the quilting.

If you ever tried quilting a big quilt on a regular machine, well you know what a living hell it is. If you ever get the pleasure of using a long arm, it is heaven on earth!

This is beyond great.

She included fabric!!!

I consider myself a pretty moral person, (except for my cussing like a sailor) but I would sell myself for fabric.

Thirteen half yards!!!

Bright and colorful. These books, this fabric, I shop at quilt shops and know that this is one valuable gift. Such generosity, Linda is so nice, I can't believe my luck.



So here's my plan, I'm going to make something from some of these fabrics and have a giveaway. My pay it forward. I'm not sure when, I have a big project I'm working on this week. I'll post about it when I'm done and let you know the rules then.

My next show is in a month, its a huge one, I now have new fabrics to inspire me.

Thank you Linda!

Showoff Friday #4 ???

I started this showoff Friday to keep me on track with work, aah whoops. I made nothing this week.

I did go to a barn sale with my sis today. I can showoff what I got there, ok? Hey like it or lump it, it's my blog.

I got my hard working man his own mini fridge for the basement. They wanted $7 but I talked them down to $5.

Other than a bit of dust, this thing is brand new! We like to play Poker in the winter so it will be perfect for our mini bar.

I also got this rake for $5, I figured I was hosing them on the fridge so I wasn't going to barter the sweet little old couple on the rake, and Brownie seems to like it.

The sweet lady threw these little charmers in for free! They were covered in dust and vegetation, this is them after their bath. They each are sitting on a plastic egg.

Who doesn't love a crochet chicken? Not me!

Update My kids got home and started squeezing the chickens and were shooting the eggs at each other and commented how cool it would be to do that in real life. (I laughed) The big egg shot out, went in half and a baby chick popped out! So adorable! I love these even more.

Speaking of eggs, it feels like Easter here.

I found this on the woodpile.

I found this in a garbage can. Can you imagine squatting in a dirty can, pushing out your egg?

And why is a spoon in there?

Soccer games for Saturday and Sunday I have an artisan market show in Ann Arbor. http://www.artisanmarket.org/ It's like a Farmers Market but for artists. It runs from April through December 11-4 (I have to be there by 9), but since it's on Sunday, I usually don't go, Hubbies only day off. This Sunday they are featuring local Etsy Artists so I thought I'd meet new artists and promote my shop. Cross your fingers for good weather for us.

Have a great weekend!

I hate cleaning...

...but i like clean.

This is the best my kitchen has looked in a long time. No more canning equipment, I even put the dehydrator away! The picture doesn't show the cleaned and organized junk drawer and the nicely stacked pots and pans cabinet.

We are also a family who believes if there is room on the fridge, grab a magnet and stick it on!

We even have more magnets on the garage door and more space to fill.

The magnets wont stick to the freezer, we've tried.

My dad just got a deer during muzzle loading season and gave us half, he had venison left over from last year. I ground quite a bit of meat, marinated roasts for the freezer and even had liver for dinner last night. Between the chickens, venison, 1/2 hog, fruits and veggies, our freezer is packed full.

I got my kitchen aid mixer about 10 years ago from a garage sale, new in the box. My MIL likes to give me a gift each birthday, so quite a few years back I asked for a meat grinder attachment.
I'm that kind of girl.

This is me, almost ready for winter.

Good Weekend

The sales weren't as good at this show as last years, but way better than I'd expected during this economic fiasco.

The boy wasn't feeling well so the girl and I worked together to get everything all set up. I tried a different layout so I wasn't in front blocking the view. I liked it better.

One of my best customers, Cheryl, who already owns about 10 of my bags already, bought the travel bag with the knitting needle handles. She was so kind, telling me how this woman interrupted her while eating at Cracker Barrel to ask "Where did you get that bag." So nice.







I sold another skull bag. Those things are still popular and I have fun making them.







I did sell the little zipper pouch that I didn't care for the metal zipper. I had it priced to sell.





This couple from Sri lanka who were here visiting their niece came in. It was so adorable, the husband kept handing his wife bags he liked for her to check out. Most men wont even look at my tent let alone pick up a bag. They ended up buying two bags including this one that went perfect with the orange garment she was wearing. I met so many nice people!

We have a wonderful art center in town and they had a decorate your own tote activity, I broke away and made one for myself. They had paints and stampers and was quick and easy, and free!

After their soccer games, hubbie and the kids showed up. The girl went down to make a tote. She didn't use the stamps and was the only one I saw that day with a free hand decorated bag.

I love her artwork so much!

Such a happy bag, that pup with his hairy tail and little red tongue.

I wonder if she'll let me steal it?

So here's my sold tally.

9 bags

1 scarf

11 tissue packs

Not incredible but worth the effort.

I got to see a lot of artist friends and once again was inspired by all the talent there.

I have a small show is this Sunday. I won't have to make new items so I may actually get something done around here.