ThURsDaY CrAFT TiP pLuS ReCiPE I WaNT to sHArE...

I tried to get this posted yesterday, but to no avail.............my blogger wasn't participating! I have had several issues with a few blogs that I read as well. It seems fine now, so we'll see.

Today I am sharing a little craft tid-bit.

I have been looking for ages for this method to clean stencils~~~~~~and finally someone sent this to me. I'm not sure who originally came up with it as I had seen it a while back and didn't save the instructions. I have been looking and posting at forums about this since I originally read it. So here it is...

For light layers of paint

#1~Rubbing alcohol~
#2~Warm soapy water soak~

This is the one that I am most interested in as I have several stencils that have been used over and over again.

For the heavy layers

~ Easy Off Oven Cleaner ~Yellow Can ONLY~
Your stencils must lay out flat and be completely dry. Completely cover with cleaner and leave them alone to soak. Return in an hour or so and rinse well in the sink or outside with a garden hose. They should be clean and ready to use again........Has anyone actually tried this?? I would love to hear how it worked. I hope to try it in a few days myself.



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Also wanted to share this with y'all! We had this for dinner on Thursday evening and I loved it!!! I have had a very sheltered life where food is concerned, cause I don't usually like anything!! LOL!!

CHICKEN DIVINE
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2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen chopped broccoli or an equal amount of fresh broccoli
2 c. chicken breast, cooked and cut up (3-4 breasts)
2 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 c. bread crumbs

Cook and drain broccoli. Arrange broccoli in greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Spread chicken on top. Combine soup, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Pour over chicken and broccoli. Top with cheese and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cait added a little extra broccoli, chicken and cheese....

Served with loaded mashed potatoes and a small garden salad. YUMMY!!

Well, my usual Friday Favorites may be along later this evening or definately tomorrow. I have had such a busy day, went to the Marketplace plus took some new goodies to Walnut Cove!! Then on to the grocery store and actually made dinner at home tonite!! But, I'll try to get back ASAP.
Until then.
Hugs,
Shari

DeCiSioNs, DeciSions, DECiSionS...

After several weeks of careful consideration~~~ Retha, Deb and I have decided to close our booth at the Antique Marketplace in Greensboro. This was really a tough decision for me and Deb. I have to admit that this really makes me sad. We had such a nice space and were beginning to get it filled like it needed to be. And the folks there are soooooooo nice! I will miss seeing Leonard and Rhonda on a regular basis.
Deb has decided to re-open her web site, Retha starts school in a few days and I'm planning to focus more of my energy on my site and my booth in Walnut Cove until something else comes along...........
I think that I will start getting some of my stuff out today, a little at a time. We will officially be out by the first of June.
I love doing the booth thing so much and will be looking for somewhere else close by that I can sell my wares. Anyone have any ideas???? One bright note tho, I have a lot of new goodies that I can take to Walnut Cove, so be on the lookout for them there.
I have orders to do so I'll be back later.
Shari

PiLoT MoUntAin OuTinG....

I sincerely meant to get back here on Sunday for the rest of the story, but this is the first chance that I've had to this. The past few days have been pretty crazy around the Freshwater's.

But, back to Saturday's adventure. My sister came back for a visit. Yea, 2 visits in 2 weeks!

She brought me these to add to my collection! I love them and I don't have any exactly like these...

I have told her numerous times about the Pilot Mountain Peddlers Store and we decided that was where we needed to go.

So, Laine (my sis), Bailey, her grandaughter and my Cait took off for the mountains. Little did we know that Mayfest was going on and the little town was packed with food vendors, crafters and more. We found a park a few streets over and decided to check out a few booths. It was pretty fabulous and a beautiful day for it. We didn't see all the vendors, but the ones we did check out had some pretty cool prim goodies. We both picked up a few things. We had lunch at a little diner that I can't seem to remember the name. It was pretty good all in all. For some reason, my photograher didn't get any pics of the streets... go figure. BUT, she did get some shots of the best part of all~~~ the Peddler store! Take a look at some of Tammy's ( I think I called her Linda in a previous post, sorry) fabulous goodies for sale...

Really cute tree near the front door........filled with ornies

Great prim shelf with baskets and plates....

This reminded Cait of a grouping I have in my house...

Old and new mixed together for a fabulous prim setting...

Another one of the booths filled with a mixture...

Pilot Mountain Peddlers has been filled with lots and lots of primitive gatherings and you're sure to find something to use in your own home. And Tammy is right there to offer ideas and suggestions. It is well worth the trip and I'll be going back soon! Only next time, I'm taking my list.......there is so much to choose from, it's hard to decide on what to purchase.

After much thought and deliberation, this is what I decided to bring home with me to K-ville!

....a beautiful braided mat, set of sheep salt and pepper shakers, a homespun flower, a greenery bush, cute little pottery pitcher in a burgandy/ gold color, plus a wonderful prim shelf that I'll have to post at a later time.

Thank you so much, Tammy for being so gracious! While we were there I ran into Sherie. The gal that used to own the store. She is super nice and I always enjoy chatting with her. I don't think I will ever forget the first time we met....before I even told her who I was, she knew me!!! It was really quite a meeting!

I have made several attempts to get this posted and after jumping up and down from my computer chair for a couple of hours now ...this is gonna be it. Have a great evening and I'll be back soon with more pics of what I found on my trip to Pilot Mountain.............

Hugs and Blessings,

Shari

HaPPy MoTheR's DaY......

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Hope all you Mom's out there have a great day!

This week's web site special is this wonderful prim pillow!

Only $6.99 for a limited time.

You can find it here:

http://www.homespunandprimitives.com/store/WsDefault.asp?One=462

I'll be back later with yesterday's adventure!

Hugs and Blessings,

Shari

Soooo MuCH To SHaRE...

~Thursday was my day out this week~

And what a wonderful day it was!!

Deb, Retha and I went on a road trip to Fancy Gap to visit Betty and Dan from Crockett's Country Store. It was a fabulous trip ( at least, I thought so)! It was the perfect day to be in the mountains.

On the way up........

Looked like a picture...

After what seemed like a SHORT ride to me, we arrived at (the new) Crockett's Country Store..........

Outside .....

Inside, beautiful furniture groupings.....

Lots to choose from...

Love this handmade bed....

After much looking...............these came home to K-ville with me......

Fabulous sifter thingys....reproductions, but wonderful anyway. Just not sure where they are going in my house.....

I have been looking all over for a jug lamp. This one is perfect for my hallway with the golden mustard, homespun shade. The black and mustard runner has already found a home on my quilt rack. I'll show more pics soon as I have changed a few things again..........

If you are ever in the area........YOU must visit Betty and Dan! They've only been open a few days and their store is full of primitives, antiques and sooo much more!!! I don't think you will be disappointed!!

Before we left Fancy Gap, we had lunch at the Deli across from the store. I had a wonderful homemade tomato and spinach Quiche. On the way home, we stopped at one of Retha's favorite antique stores. It was one of the most interesting places I have ever shopped at! I found a few things to bring home with me that I will share later. And lastly, we stopped at one of Deb's favorite Fruit/ Flower Markets on the VA~NC state line. They had a huge selection of fruits and all kinds of flowers and hanging baskets and tons and tons of candy, including what used to be penny candy. I think we all were pleased and had fun with our adventure!! Needless to say, we were all pooped when we arrived back in Kernersville and I can't wait to go back!!!

Hugs,

Shari

WeDneSDaY ALreADY.....

Can y'all believe how fast time flies by???? It's already Wednesday and I still have sooooo much to finish this week. This really has been a crazy few days for me! It all started last Saturday. First of all, my sister came to visit ~~~~~ big, huge SURPRISE for me! She has never been to my house in the eight years that we have lived here. She lives several hours away and has had her own business until recently and it just wasn't ever convenient for her to come here. She was visiting my parents and they decided to bring her over~unannounced! We had a blast together along with my Mom and Dad. Went shopping at Down Home Country (here in K-ville), then to Walnut Cove, the Marketplace in Greensboro and by then we were starving. Had subs and salads at a little Italian place and then back to my house for a little while of conversation and just catching up.

On Sunday, Bill and I went to visit his Mom in Graham, NC. Not really too far, but it's still hard for us to get over there very often. She is around 80 years old and still works FULL TIME! so her time off time is limited. We cooked out on her grill for lunch and Amity brought Alex & Miss Elle. We REALLY had a nice time and the kids had fun too!

Amity, Alex and Miss Elle taken at Mee Maw's House...

On Monday, I worked on orders in the morning and in the afternoon, Deb and I went to the Antique Marketplace and worked on our booth. It's still not really like we want it, but at least we changed it around a little and took a few new goodies. It takes so much time when you start changing things around, by 4:00 or so, we were pooped!

Yesterday was spent mostly working on orders and getting things ready to take to Walnut Cove, which leads up to what I did today. I have totally re-done my booth there. It's really hard to take pictures, but maybe you can get the jest of it. I'll be going there again, maybe on Friday. There's more that I want and need to do there.

Booth at Just Plain Country, Walnut Cove...

Lots & lots of goodies....mostly handmade

Another view............

Crate display is full of prims, lots of color-ordination going on....

Tomorrow, I have a Dr's appointment and then off to Fancy Gap to visit Crockett's new store! Can't wait to see it. The weather here has been so nasty the past few days, hopefully the sun will shine for us on Thursday. (I have to remember to take my camera.)

A few things left to do today, so I'm gonna run for now.

Be back soon.

Hugs and Blessings,

Shari

SHaRi's FRiDaY FaVoRiTes....

Happy Friday!

There's a few things that I want to share with y'all today! This was one of my projects this week. Can you believe ALL these candles are for orders and already sold??? Just need to tie homespun on the sets of three....

This is one of my TWEAKING projects this week....decided to change out the table bench for a cutting board.

Added the Live Simple Sign to this grouping and swapped out a few things....like this much better.

How do y'all like this plate rack with the cutting board, bowl with heart, plate and framed print?? I like it so much more, for a change. I have had it with plated for years and years. My sister actually gave me the idea for this....

Discovered this week that I have WAY TOO MANY wood bowls to just sit around...so I drilled holes and hung them in a tiny space beside my pantry door....

How many of you prim gals have ever seen a grungy candle this long???? It's actually quite a conversation piece...The candle part is over 33 INCHES LONG!! I got this when I lived in Michigan years and years ago and it has moved with me time and time again.....the town was Novi, I think. Wonder what it's like now????

Hubby wants to go on a walk, so I'll post some more pics tomorrow.....

Until then.
Hugs,
Shari