On the ball....

Today I was featured as one of Sharon Greenthal's give-aways on her blog http://www.emptyhousefullmind.com/goodbye-meh-list-ill-miss-you/.   Sharon and I had conversed some time ago how she felt one of my outdoor signs would make a great prize, so give me a pat on the back and I am sure to respond. With her lovely plug she also suggested that people follow my blog.  That is when it hit me...I haven't updated my blog for some time.

Back in June, I wrote a beautiful remembrance to my father who passed last August.  It was so personal and intimate I chose to keep it private.  Now mind you,  I have a huge list of topics to write about, I just don't seem to find the time.  My Etsy store keeps me busy as well as doing craft shows.  Here is one example.

We just arrived  back in Ohio after spending the winter in Florida.  On the way we stopped at a lovely antique market and participated in their monthly event,  http://www.woodstockmarketshow.com/.  About a dozen or more artists and antique dealers were set up in the parking lot hoping to entice a visitor of the antique market to shop their wares.  I chose to be one of those.  It was so hot and being a holiday weekend everyone said the crowd was smaller than usual.  But we persevered and made enough money to cover our camping fees at the local state park.

We closed up shop there and moved onward to Ohio where we are currently staying in our RV for the summer months.  It makes for a cramped living quarters, but with the weather being so nice, we are often outside working.  The orders for custom signs has developed into a very lucrative business and I love doing working with my clients on their design ideas.

Well, I must close, but promise that I will do a better job of  more frequent postings.  The Ohio State Fair is upcoming and I am working on new items and looking forward to spending the entire time in the Heritage Crafts building.  If you are in the neighborhood, please stop and visit with me.

Until we meet again...

Karen
www.kpdreams.com

shaken together: {try this} cinnamon roll waffles

shaken together: {try this} cinnamon roll waffles

Wreaths, just not for doors anymore

Wreaths have been a mainstay of the greeting at the front door.  It represents a cheery welcome and dresses the door for the seasons.  I however feel that a wreath can dress up many areas of a home, from the front door, the mantel, a wall space or anywhere your imagination takes you.

Here as demonstrated by Funky Junk interiors, a twig wreath has been attached to a gate and used as a headboard.

 Here a grapevine wreath and a twig wreath have been attached to a window pane.  Along with the cheery lights and the crock jugs, this rustic fireplace takes on a whole new look.

This bright blue pip berry wreath adds just the right accent to this ladder made from old tobacco lathe.  Just the right touch to draw your eye to this collection.

And if you have too many wreaths, then do like Funky Junk did here;

Look around your home and see where you can add a wreath to bring a little cheer inside.

Karen

Enjoying Mobile, Alabama

A couple weekends past, we exhibited at a show in Loxley, Alabama; Baldwin County Strawberry Festival.  I had done this show in the past, but as I remember it rained, we were scrambling to get things secured and didn't have the opportunity to enjoy the sites.  This year we decided it was time to travel the back roads.

Mobile is a beautiful city sitting on the Gulf of Mexico.  It has large shipyards and a cruise port, and as you travel route 98, Battleship parkway, you drive through marshlands, over causeways and at a distance see the ships coming and going. Mobile bay is also home of the USS Alabama battleship, open daily for self-guided tours.

After reviewing the local guide for restaurants, we decided on Ed's Shed.  Located on the causeway, just east of the tunnel, it sits right on the water.  Three eating platforms, inside, upper deck and lower deck, allows one almost any eating experience they could want.

I was eager to enjoy some fresh oysters on the half shell and Mike wanted shrimp.  He chose the grilled shrimp with seasoned rice, and hush puppies.  My fare was a dozen fresh oysters on the half shell, direct from Apalachicola.  We also sampled the fresh seafood bisque.  What a treat.  My oysters were so large I couldn't eat them all, and Mike was very happy with his shrimp, very large, and seasoned just right.  A good fresh taste.

As we enjoyed our dinners we were treated to a beautiful sunset over the bay and the city of Mobile.

 We would recommend Ed's Shed to anyone traveling through Mobile, Alabama and look forward to another visit ourselves.

Springtime Garden

Well spring is officially here.   We have sprung ahead and another great season of flowers and fun await..

As some of you may know, we recently purchased a mobile home in Florida.  It will be our winter home, a place to come to when the days get short and the temperatures fall cold in Ohio.  It is definately a fixer-upper, but that allows us to make it our own.  So between working on materials for my online store and doing shows, we are making small and large changes every day.

Our first call was to spruce up the front so that we weren't a disgrace to the neighborhood. We have repainted, coated the roof and replaced several windows.  I think the new color of beige on white makes the place look quite nice.

I have been shopping for flowering bushes that would work in the south.  I am familiar with gardening in Ohio, but not sure about Florida. I found that Azaleas seem to be the best bet, so I  purchased three from a fellow crafter recently; two red and one white.  I have also planted some pinks, an interesting Geranium and replaced my honeysuckle that I lost up north in the winter.  I found  two plants that  resemble daisies, and I think their yellow and purple flowers make for a nice accent.

My veggies are grown in containers this year..  This allows me to continue to enjoy them even when I go north. I have a bush tomato already with several tomatoes, some bush cucumbers and my planter herb garden.

I am enjoying  the new adventure of gardening in the south. I hope you are planning your spring garden and enjoy the joys of gardening as much as I do.

Everglade Seafood Festival

Wow, what a weekend.  We traveled down to Everglades this weekend to do the ever popular Everglade Seafood Festival.  This event has been a favorite of mine since the first time I exhibited in 2009.  The crowds are large and appreciative and the food is out of this world.  Every type of seafood you could ask for as well as the standards, BBQ, corndogs and funnel cakes. 

The event spans a three day period and offers non-stop music. There were local entertainers, David Nail from Nashville, The Wild Eyed Southern Boys with the headliner being the Low Cash Cowboys.  The Cowboys are very entertaining and brought the crowd to their feet and playing their latest soon to be released, C-O-U-N-T-R-Y. 

As I said, the crowds were fantastic with shoulder to shoulder people all through the weekend.  The weather was gorgeous and the motorcyclists came out in force.  There were bikes there from Ontario, Canada; Athens County, Ohio and all parts of Florida.  A great chapter from Ft. Myers came in on Sunday, 22 members strong.

I had my display set up with slate, wood signs and pet signs.  I received many favorable comments, and did a couple custom signs while I was there.   The dog and cat signs were hot sellers and I sold a few wooden and slate signs.

If you are in the area, or thinking of a little vacation, this festival is held the 1st full weekend in February every year in the small town of Everglade City, where time seems to stand still.   I know I look forward to next year; enjoying more music, more food and more fun. 

Family and work; keeping busy

Well, here I am again. It has been awhile,and it has been a busy and tough several months for my family and myself.   As many of you know, my father was struggling with Parkinsons and dementia for some time.  He lost his battle on August 10. Though we miss him terribly, we know he is in a better place and is at peace.  We think of him often with love and chuckle as we think of the special moments we had with him.  

My holiday season kept me busy, and though it was rewarding, I am glad it is over and I am now I am back in Florida.  Mike and I have purchased a retirement place in the small town of Inverness, Florida..  It is in a retirement community of 55 and olders, (yes, I qualify) and we are settling in  to our new place.  During the next few months I plan on sharing our home with you as well as all the remodeling we plan to do.  Nothing too serious but just making it our own with our personal touch in decorating.  Our delimna is, what room to start with first.  We struggle everyday with our demons to tear into every room at once.  What a disaster that would be.  Here are a few pictures of my workshop, probably the last to be worked on.

We are filling up our craft show schedule in the south, and just finished the Manatee festival in Crystal River.  It was a nice festival,  my work was well received and I met some very nice people.  This weekend we are doing a local farmers market in Spring Hill. 

I hope you will stop back often.  I will have show updates, new products, some how-tos and of course my home remodeling.  I am sure I could use some assistance. 

Later...  Karen