Hitting the Airwaves~

Netty and I are off to the local radio station for an interview. Reaching out and giving back is always a part of what we do. We've both been published, and both shared our knowledge and our love of what we do with area groups. This is a first for us~ to be heard on the airwaves of NY and VT. How fun! It gives us a chance to spark a little interest, perhaps inspire, and even change some one's life to a certain degree. The ability to do any of this is our greatest reward. While it is true that we make a living selling our passion, for the most part it is nothing that anyone needs. It is a want. We recognise this and are very thankful indeed. We also recognise that sometimes our greatest success comes when we touch someones heart, inspire them to create or perhaps take their own journey and find their own passion within. While the airwaves of this small town station, do not reach as far as some, they touch many lives nestled between the Adirondacks and Green Mountains. Thank you Ann, for giving us the chance to reach out and share a bit of who we are and what we do. To give back to others who have given us so much... to inspire people to make their dreams can come true is the best gift for us.

The Meaning of Success

The dust has settled as the last show of the season has ended. The work however has not. The whirl of the sewing machine could be heard before the sun arose this snowy morning. There is much to be done!

The Poultney Show is a very charming one indeed. This is the second year I have shown there and with great success. How does one measure that? For some vendors it is strictly monetary. A 98% sell is a great success, and with the bumpy economy, I am very blessed to have that. To an artist it is truly more. It is a chance to show others your heart and passion. I love to see people and children walk through and smile. Some enjoy the whimsy, others the ugliness of extreme ( so ugly it's cute). Still others, see the historic nature of some of the items and techniques. I was so endeared to see an elderly woman pick up a Maude Addie doll and hug her. She kept going to her and picking her up, just enjoying the doll. Still another endearing moment was when a long ago customer from my show days in Chester, squealed with delight in finding me once again. She rattled off the dolls that she had and pridefully announced that she still has them all. She picked up one with great care for her sister's Christmas gift, "This is the perfect gift for her, because she loves your dolls and has been looking for you." she said happily. This to me is success. To not only share my passion with others, but to know that it is their heart also and they hold dear the treasures that were made with much love.

It was great to see old friends, especially some that I had not seen in many years. The local radio station announced to her audience, that she had found the most unique booth she had ever seen. She encouraged the local listeners to come and see for themselves. Wherever the Good Wives go, we are unique, but it is that we follow our hearts and speak with our hands. The Good Wives have had a successful year, and we are truly grateful to all of you that have made it the success. We have invites to other shows, to meet with Historical Societies, as well as a media interview after the Holidays. It seems that there are many that share our pleasure, hearts and passions, locally once again.

A Caruso Family Reunion

It has been a hectic few days here. A two day show to prepare for, a Thanksgiving feast to cook and enjoy and the celebration of a life well lived. My great Aunt Jenny was born 91 years ago to Frank and Serafina Caruso. She was 1 of 23 children born and 1 of 9 that survived past childhood. Italian through and through. She was a small and birdlike woman and as feisty as they come. Our holidays at my Grandparent's spent in Upstate NY, always included "the Aunts". They would all come through the house before dinner, husbands in tow and dressed to the nines. Each Aunt brought the dish for which they were best known, except Aunt Julia. Aunt Julia would travel up from the Boston area and always bring the most wonderful Italian desserts from a bakery. I can still remember the killer cannolis! Aunt Jenny would bring her rice pudding. Such a time we all had!! My Grandfather played the trumpet and my Grandmother the organ, there was always plenty of music, song and a nip of anisette in the after dinner coffee.

There is only one Aunt remaining now, Aunt Marge. Aunt Jenny passed in her sleep very peacefully. I know that she is joined by a large and welcoming family and so we celebrate Aunt Jenny and all the wonderful memories! I will return in couple days to share more of the show. For those new friends met there and dear old friends that I haven't seen in many years~ welcome and thank you for stopping by! I enjoyed seeing you at the show.

Drum Roll Please......

It is with great pride and pleasure, that I announce my part of this group of VERY talented ladies. I will have my premier debut tomorrow on the 15th. If you haven't visited this online magazine yet, by all means do so! Grab a mug of hot chocolate, or my personal favorite, mint tea. I have enjoyed watching the talent of these ladies for a few months now, and I'm never disappointed. There are two openings. The first of the month and the fifteenth. Some I've known for years and others I am just getting to know. These ladies are a very warm and kind group and have welcomed me aboard with great hospitality.

You will not see my pattern releases on here. Only finished items, (which was what I was looking for). My pattern releases will be announced here on the blog, or perhaps back on Crow Soup in the Spring. I haven't fully decided yet. The patterns will not be ending. It will take me a bit of time to dance some new steps, so bare with me. Right now I am deep in dollie making for the show next week. TDIPT Mercantile will give me a chance to explore and just break out a little with something finished. I had a blast with the three characters that you will meet tomorrow. I'm not sure how to make the banner clickable, but I have put the link in my Goode Sisters and Goode places section.

Are You In Our Area?

The phone has been ringing and emails have been coming in... when will the next show for The Good Wives be??? Will you do one for the Holidays??? Well, if you are in our area, grab your calender and a pencil to mark it down! We did this show last year for fun, and much to our surprise, people were looking for PRIMITIVES! I let customers and show managers know that we were interested in coming back, and so....

The Vermont Farmer's Market Christmas Fair

at the

Poultney VT High School Gym

November 23 & 24

10-4

This is on rte. 140 in Poultney Vt. If you need directions, just send an email! It is about 8 miles from Granville. We will be located in the center area of the gym. Stop by and say hello~ we'd love to meet you!.......the next announcement is coming in 2 days!

Sharing A Favorite Friend

I thought I would share a very dear pattern with you. Designs are inspired by many different things. More often than not, with me it is a person and they come through in animal form. This design, however was not the case. When I was 6, my father was transferred to Goose Bay Labrador. We spent about 2 years there and it was the most memorable place for me. Great amounts of snow, the Northern Lights, bears, Eskimos and geese in flight are imprinted in my soul. As I watch the geese making their way south for the winter, I enjoy their stopping by. I remember hearing them call to each other as I lay warm in my bed. They keep the memories close, what better a gift?

Changes Again....

For at least right now, the Hags Mag is closed. So many of the artists had so much ahead with shows and full lives, that it was difficult to get enough together. I admit, I have been fast at work too. I love every bit of Fall and all that it has to offer, so it is sad for me. You see, as I waited those 11 hours that Bailey was in surgery, I kept positive thoughts and prayers and let my drawings take me deep within. Pattern designs are just a small part of the artist within me and there was a part of me that also wanted to explore more one of a kind pieces.

I had shared these thoughts with a friend and fellow artist in July. Soon after, Ye Old Hags Haunt Magazine was born. Perfect...just as the drawing I had done for this crow back during that long day in March. I wanted to share her with you. She is from a favorite book of mine, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare. If you have never read it before, please do! It is about a young woman who leaves her home in the Caribbean and must take on the Puritan ways of her Aunt's family in Connecticut.

This is my spin on Kit. She has a chemise, underskirt and pantaloons that cover the wire crows feet for which I am known. I love the English bodice. A blend of many things that hold my heart dear. She is dressed in black, to signify an upper class Puritan family. Puritan or Witch?

For now, she will reside with me...I have the perfect doll house that stands empty upstairs at the Comfort Cottage. I will have to share a picture of her in this little home........

Stick Season

The leaves have fallen...they smell wonderful mixed with woodsmoke on these chilly cool mornings. The trees are so bare with just their sticks showing. The mountains have taken on a different color. A cold, blue gray. They are still beautiful mind you, and I love it when the snows peek through. The clocks are all set back and I am happy that time was extended to do this. I have SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder. This time of year was once the most difficult, but now I know how to keep the meltdown days at bay. I have this year round as some do. Now with the help of light therapy and walks outside everyday, the meltdowns have gone from 1-2 times a month several years ago, to 1 last year. I'm a very different person and quite happy. I do mourn as Stick Season approaches. It's just that it is very long time until the buds appear. I choose to celebrate the late Fall and Winter ahead. Mourning is a brief affair, perhaps more so as snow flurries are expected later this week. It's time to enjoy oatmeal and hot chocolate. The brussel sprouts are best picked right after the first snows. There are squash ready for the days ahead and peppermint tea to sooth a cold evening. The Holidays are fast approaching and I am sharing one of the new Santa's for this year. It was drawn last Fall with the others an put away to tweak and refine for this year. Most of my designs are done this way. Now, some are off to my favorite shop...and some are set to go to licensing companies. This is my Jigs character from my pattern series and always close to my heart!

What Better Way...

to enjoy a fine Halloween day~ than with an interesting place to visit! Thank you for stopping by. I've been buried in a couple deadlines and I will be be posting more next week as I work my way past some really fun designs. I have lots to share! But for now, as Santas have invaded my worktable, my heart is still holding on to my favorite time of year.


Sleepy Hollow is among one of my favorite stories and it is a part of the history surrounding this area in Upstate NY. Kinderhook is one of my favorite villages to stop by and an area which I would love to explore more of. Until then, this will have to do. Enjoy this link perhaps with a cup of mulled cider. I hope you find it as interesting as I. I hope you have a nice little journey with it!

http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC051575/inspiration.htm

Happiness is......

....a brand new ream of ledger paper! I go through a couple every year for all my rough sketches. A new ream holds so much promise ahead. Visions, inspirations and studies. I used to be uncomfortable and unsure of exactly where I stood art wise. I love the craftsmanship of the Victorian area, such intricate details in in their homes, dress and lifestyles. I also love the simplicity of Early and Colonial America. As I draw and design both influence me. In it all whimsy takes hold of my hand and comes through more often than not. I have to work and study at the extremes. Pull apart the elements and techniques . I enjoy it and it is far more the challenge. I'm comfortable now in both places and enjoy celebrating them both. I'm beginning to do more formal drawings and designs again and am balancing it all. I am a mix of fine things and simple, whimsy and serious. Perhaps both times were a deep part of my soul and it is in this time that I can share.

New Dance Ahead

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=320172553243&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=011

Well, my friends, it has been a strange and busy week! So many of you wrote and everyone felt the same~ keep the art! And so I will. It will take a bit of juggling with a new schedule, but new pattern releases will be put on here and I will make an announcement, right before their debut. Also, I have joined a group of very talented women and will be offering finished work. I will make a formal announcement and add a banner a little later. Til then, enjoy a look at my Ebay offering, Charlotte. Named after someone very dear to me. She's very extreme! She will also not be offered as a pattern, just as a finished piece. Enjoy, the day~ we are at peak for Fall foliage and enjoying the fruit of Fall. Apples!

Changing the Dance

It appears that there are changes ahead for me. Sometimes you get to steer and other times, the steering is done for you. Change has always been a part of my life and I always look at it as a wonderful chance for an adventure. I have decided that it is time to step away from Crow Soup. I can hear the gasp! It does not, however, mean that I am stepping away from the patterns. They will continue and there are plenty of new ones ahead. I've learned from this past week, that viruses and upload issues don't matter. I never could have imagined the response I received by putting my patterns on this blog, in what I had thought was a temporary move. As one special customer wrote me, "how could you not realize how big your response would be!" I hear so often that Primitive pattern makers are becoming fewer and fewer. I still enjoy the dance and I have many designs to share.

The big question... what will you do now? I will listen to all of you. I will put my new pattern releases here for now. I had intended this blog to be a place to write and share and so I am unprepared for a pattern world change. I would like your input here, because without all of you, this would be nothing and my writings better served in a composition book. Tell me what you would like.... to continue the Good Wife as I intended and create a sister blog of new pattern releases and perhaps a sharing of other artists? Or just add new patterns here on a monthly basis. If you are unsure or uneasy about a public comment, just send a private note my way. I'd love to hear from you!

Getting My Feet Wet

My family and friends have given me the nudge. They have been nudging for a couple of years now,"why don't you put your work on Ebay???". I'd thought about it. Studied it and watched how it all worked. I even took a little day seminar last year and learned some really neat things. Then, this Spring as Bailey was healing from surgery...I took a step. I put my patterns out....but now I'm getting that nudge again. (Italian families are good at that , but they can also be loud too.) As with anything you have to put your time in.. time, so that people can get to know you and your work. It's official..I'm getting my feet wet and hope to offer some of my work beyond my pattern line. I hope that you enjoy my first piece~ there are 2 day's left on her. Meet Goody Mugwort. ( I was kind of getting used to her hanging around here too....)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=320167369460&Category=1217&_trksid=p3907.m29

Goody Mugwort

It's Time Again~

www.yeoldhagshaunt.com

Time sure flies here! Already, the second issue is up and my favorite piece is sold. To be known as just a pattern maker online and take a step towards finished offerings can be a wee bit scarey, but so many of you have written such nice letters about my work. You are all so encouraging and I thank you for taking the time to stop by here and my other haunts.

We are almost at peak for the leaves turning. This week is starting to feel more like fall, last week was very hot and summerlike. We made a lovely fire this weekend and enjoyed time together with hotdogs and marshmallows of course. This morning was damp and dreary, so I put a little pumpkin spice in my coffee before I brewed it. It's all good... the color of the mountains, the smell in the air of leaves and woodsmoke...and pumpkin spice cawfee... what a wonderful Fall.

Blink.....

She's 14. Where is that little baby I held so close and rocked to sleep? The scraped knees, the melted ice cream she wore.....has grown up in a blink. Not all the way, thank goodness, although she would tell you otherwise. She is my boy-crazy girl that is ALL girl~ all that glitters.

I wasn't prepared...not at all. After her surgery in March, she was tutored at home and then there was summer vacation. Two days after school started, we met Greg, Bailey's boyfriend. He's funny and smiles a lot. A good balance to a more serious Bailey. They seem to have a good friendship, but Homecoming? A date? So soon??? Bailey was very matter-of-fact as to what kind of dress that she wanted and where to get it. She wanted something strapless or a halter look to it. It had to be long too. Within 30 minutes she had found it (much to my surprise) I asked her if it bothered her that it showed her back and her scar. It didn't bother her in the least and she let me know that it was just a scar. I told her that she was just as beautiful on the inside as she was the outside. She's not quite understanding that, but she will. You see,Bailey has Asperger's Syndrome. An Autistic spectrum disorder. She is wired a bit differently and it can be difficult for her socially. I'm very proud of her, she's had many struggles in her 14 years....but look at her shine!

Beginnings

Netty and I have been doing a lot of reminiscing lately. Time and art moves on for artists and we are constantly exploring and changing. I've always given Netty credit not only for showing me the world of primitive dolls, but encouraging me to find my way in whatever direction or media captured me. She's always been there for me and a trusting soul. She told me several weeks ago that I had made my own way (with my dolls and patterns) years ago. It made my heart smile to hear those words from my beloved friend.

Jessie, was nearly 3 years old the first year that Netty asked me to her home with some work for me. I would draw and sculpt for Netty. Now Jess has just turned 12 but it seems like just yesterday that Netty and I would work and fine tune images for chalk ware. I only worked that one year with her and had not sculpted until this summer. I have had the time of my life designing dolls. Netty has continued her chalk ware journey with her own images along with her papers and wax. The fun and magic of The Good Wives is that we don't know what the other is working on. Netty knows I will have dolls and I know that she will have papers and castings. When we get to the show and start setting up, it is the most wonderful time looking at each others pieces and simply enjoying the artist that each one is.

I do still get the urge to sculpt and have wanted to explore chalk ware. I grew up surrounded by the world of ceramics. I have done a bit of sculpting and learning of the chalk ware process to feed my artistic soul. It's fun, but it comes behind family and the world of patterns and design. I thought I would share a peek of the mold making process. It will take a lot more exploring and learning and that is what makes it fun. I am circling back to some of my old beginnings and they are now new. Life is pretty neat like that.

Perhaps now is a great time to click on Netty's link to the left. There you can see Netty's fine website and enjoy her work. I am particulalry fond of her chalkware witch shoes~ she never ceases to amaze me. They are a must have!

Fall Whispers

It's here already... slowly creeping in like the the foggy dew that you can see settled in the valleys very early in the morning. It's the cooler mornings turning crisp, the smell of leaves, woodsmoke from stoves early in the morning and late at night....it is also the smell of apples. Today, we will head up North to my home from the Comfort Cottage. The apples have been ready now for a couple weeksnow, but we usually wait for a frost to pick them. With that comes a favorite dessert, the recipe, a gift from a wonderful friend. Jean worked with me at a store. She is a farmer's wife and she has worked the farm along side her husband and sons. They are of hearty farming stock; warm and friendly people. With calloused hands and twinkling eyes, Jean would bring us goodies for our break at the store. We were often amazed at that ,for we knew that she was up before the sun to help with milking and feeding her family along with other chores. She is a wonderful cook and her joy is baking. She would often share with me that she wished that she had been a baker. This recipe shows Jean at her best. It is served with what they call a sweet gravy. Try it, I'm sure it will become a fall favorite and tradition for you as well. Thank you Jean for sharing your love of baking and recipes with all of us at the store. The store is no longer there, but your warm smile and kind ways stay with me as a favorite along with this recipe.

Apple Dessert with Sweet Gravy

Fill a buttered baking dish 1/2 full of sliced apples. Pour some cinnamon sugar over top of apples, In bowl mix 1 cup of flour, 1tsp baking powder, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp soft butter and 1/2 cup water. Pour over top of apples. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes or until done. Serve warm with sweet gravy on top. Serves 4.

Sweet Gravy

2 sticks margarine 1 cup flour
2 cups water 1 cup sugar
nutmeg to taste

In sauce pan melt margarine, add flour and sugar, mix well. Add water, stir and cook until thick. Remove from heat and add nutmeg. Serve over apple dessert or other desserts. Best if served warm.

Summer's Goodbye Song~

Summer has quietly gone and now Fall whispers in the air. The leaves are at about 25% color here. The mornings have been foggy and you can smell the wonderful smell of leaves. What I wouldn't give for a candle that would have such a wonderful scent! The picture was taken about 3 weeks ago. Bailey,Jess and Rosie wanted to join in the picture with the sunflowers at peak. Now they are gone, our way of giving thanks to our wonderful birds and animals that keep us company at the Cottage. I have much to share and catch up with in the coming days...to include a wonderful apple recipe. It's a bit different, and received from a dear woman that continues to work and farm alongside her husband and sons... and enjoys time with her grand babies. It will be sure to please....

http://www.avagraceangelsunaware.com/

Take a moment will you, or better yet, make yourself a cup of tea and follow the link to Ava Grace. The auction went live yesterday and will continue until the 22nd. There are many pages of heartfelt donations that artists put their love into for dear Ava. For you, it is a chance to help and receive something special. You can also make a donation without bidding. Take a moment...make a difference.