A Crow Family Portrait: Thank you Laurie....

I have met so many amazing, talented, and truly special people since I began this journey here....And some are amazingly talented, truly amazing, especially talented, and amazingly special.  My friend, Laurie, is all of these.  Laurie, you see, is a very gifted painter....She also understands crows in a very uncanny way.

Laurie paints a myriad of wonderful things from her memories and daily life....more so recently from her memories, as she is losing her sight due to an injury.  When she recently shared some watercolors she had done on her blog (how my time flys) that I particularly admired, Laurie sent them to me.

A Crow Family Portrait (I'm the one on the far left...)  ;o)

TheCrankyCrow's Familiar:

This is one of those times I truly wish I were a better photographer - the detail and nuances in these pieces are so incredible in person.  Thank you so, so, much dear Laurie....Your gifts ~ of both paint and friendship ~ have touched my heart so very deeply - and are some of my most priceless treasures.....

So You Wanna Be A Hooker.....

In the short time I've been blogging, I've heard and read that quite a good number of you would like to learn to hook....
Rugs that is....
Well, I'm sure you probably have heard, but just in case you missed it, I'm telling you now.....Margie from Hungry Hook Primitives is doing a rug hooking tutorial....She's already posted the first lesson about the basics (what you'll need - and no, it doesn't involve black net stockings or anything...well, unless that's how you're comfortable!)
Margie is also combining her tutorial with a giveaway so you can "hook along!"
One lucky winner will receive a kit (pattern, foundation and cut wool) to hook this star rug in either Americana or fall colors:

A second winner will receive the pattern on foundation material, and yet a third winner will receive a paper copy of the pattern....
So, if you've ever wanted to be a hooker, now's your chance. I've checked out Margie's first lesson and she's "spot-on" - she's covered it all, and has also included a number of cost-saving tips so you can decide, on an economy-scale, whether this is the "craft" for you before making a huge investment in it.  (Those thigh-high boots don't come cheap these days!!)
As an added bonus, this Cranky Crow will NOT be entering Margie's giveaway!!! Woo Hoo!!! Just to give you all who truly want to learn this awesome art a better chance....
Good luck all - and hope to see some of your creations on your blogs in the weeks to come!!

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Now, this Crow can only be so charitable....and while I'm sitting out Margie's giveaway, I just can't sit out Tammy's newest giveaway from A Primitive Place ....

On September 19th, adorable little Rin will be on his way to a new home:

I am truly hoping it will be mine....  :o)

He is a lovingly made make-do bear with an old feedsack body - and a face that will just melt your heart....If you want to make me really cranky and try to win him yourself, you'll need to sign up by September 18th.....(And, remember, this crow has a long, long, memory....) ;o)

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And while I'm on the subject of giveaways (no....NOT the "hooking" kind!!) -

check out the newest and greatest giveaway extravaganza from the talented artisans at Primitive and Folk Artists.....

They just finished up with their wonderful "Christmas in July" celebration, and now they are doing a wonderful "Strolling Through the Pumpkin Patch" event.    The talented members of PAFA have listed wonderful fall items for this in their Etsy Shops....So stop by and visit by clicking

 ***HERE***  

And, in true PAFA fashion, they are also having an awesome giveaway of 15 wonderful gifts to 7 lucky winners (ok, because dear Miss Brenda counts funny, 16 prizes to 8 lucky winners!!)  To enter, click  ***HERE***

Have a happy week ya'all!!

God willing and the creek don't rise, I'm working on a little giveaway myself.....(Just don't start holding your breath already....crafting comes slowly to us feathered sort....)  ;o)

dreaming in color

Things have been a little hectic 'round here....Just when I think I see light at the end of the tunnel, I realize (too late) it's actually a freight train heading straight for me.....

Arghhhh....

This crow has been a little on the crankier-than-usual side....Last week was not good....Lost my ring (no, not my wedding ring, but still....it was 14 kt with diamonds, and was special to me because I got it when I made my huge "career move" decision to quit the law firm I had joined right out of law school.)  Also, my candle from Donna at Donna's Primitive Blessings was inexplicably knocked off the shelf it was on and broken (and no earthquakes of mention here - unless my son counts).....Last, but not least, my dining room table now has a very large, and I'm afraid, very permanent, red stain on it.  (Don't ask....it's not a pretty tale as to how it got there either.....) It was sorta a pretty red, until I tried to remove it....now it's a garish orangish-red.

Lovely.

And last night, we lost power once again for several hours....

All "little" things....but still fuel for the cranky that lurks within....

On the happy side of things....I won a wonderful giveaway from the very talented, and very sweet, Deneen at dreamingincolor.  Deneen has all kinds of talents in the re-do department....She finds things that make most of us say "really?" and makes them into incredible repurposed works of art.

But I digress.....Here's what I won:

First, though, look at how it arrived....Deneen wraps so very lovely!

A set of 6 wonderful placemats and a pestle (pitcher is one of mine....but it just fit!!) Unfortunately, even 6 placemats won't cover that hideous stain on my table....Aha! Time to look for a new table!! :o)

Thank you so, so, much Deneen!! I'm so happy to have a little of "you" gracing my home! Check out Deneen's blog - and her wonderful Etsy shop, Micucci Designs.

Also, I would like to apologize for not responding to the comments on my last post - things just got away from me....But for those of you who inquired, the legend about the round barns is that they ward off evil spirits, as there are no corners for them to dwell in....or, in other words, "the devil can't catch you in a corner..."  This particular round barn is about a mile or two from our house (I'm not good with distances) and I pass it every time I go into town. It used to be a tad closer, but it was moved.....And, regarding the Shrinky Dink bracelet - this was a project included in a recent Country Living magazine....My niece included the link in a comment on the post, but I'll include it here as well:

http://www.countryliving.com/crafts/projects/how-to-make-a-shriky-dink-bracelet?click=main_sr

Finally, for those interested in Cathy's rug patterns, unfortunately, she does not have a web site or blog....(There is a web site called "Red Barn Rugs" but it's not her's....) However, if you are truly interested in one of her patterns, let me know and I will give you her email addy......

Hope all is well in your world!!



Round Bales, Round Barns & The Red Barn 'Round Nod....

There's a fullness in the air....of a summer over-ripe....

I can feel the prelude to autumn in the air....

There's fall in the air at my friend's (Cathy from Red Barn Rugs) too....
I spent the day helping her get patterns ready for upcoming shows and workshops....

Here are two of her brand spankin' new designs that I'm adding to my dance card (don't tell her I'm showing you...she hasn't even "released" them yet...):

"Bittersweet Bonnie:"

And "Pumpkin Line:"

Now this crow is off to find a nice bird bath in the sun and soak these ol' bones....Not an easy task standing for hours on one leg while holding a Sharpie marker in the other.....

;o)

Catching Up.....

Hello Dear Peeps....

(Not to be confused with the Peeps in my nest, although they're very dear too...at least tonight....for the time being....)

I told you I may be sporadic, and sporadic I've been....so very sorry....

I wanted to say thank you, again, for the outpouring of prayers, good thoughts, kind words, and wishes that have been sent our way....My mom is having a go at it, but is doing better....She was released from the hospital today, and is now in a nursing home (:o() for what we hope will be a short stay....They are saying it will likely be 6 months or better before the clots dissolve.  Yikes.

I need to catch up on things...and since blogging is much more preferable to laundry, dishes, and the dust bunnies that now know me by name (and taunt me every chance they get), I'll start with blogging... First, thank you to The Primitive and Folk Artists Group ("PAFA") and, specifically, Becky from Country Lane Folk Art.  In July, PAFA had a "Christmas In July" Celebration with a giveaway of 11 wonderful prizes.  I was fortunate enough to win these wonderful coasters handpainted by Becky:

How cute are these? Each, like a snowflake, is different - from their faces to their lacy, snowy, flakes....Thank you so very much, Becky (and PAFA!!)....

Becky makes a variety of wonderful hand-painted items and you can find her work at the following places:

www.countrylanefolkart.com
http://www.facebook.com/countrylanefolkart
http://www.etsy.com/shop/countrylanefolkart
http://twitter.com/#!/beckythepainter

I also want to send "thanks & hugs" to Melissa from M's Prim 'N' Country.  I recently ordered some crow (what else??!!) bowl fillers from her new fall line and they arrived today....They were every bit as adorable (and more so) than I thought they would be....

Although it wasn't much of an order (Melissa's items are very reasonably priced), Melissa was so sweet and sent me two wonderful little pumpkins as "a little something extra" as well:

They are adorable, Melissa...Thank you - and thank you, again, for your kind thoughts and prayers.....
Melissa has been busy, busy, busy, getting a bunch of fun fall offerings together for her selling blog, Prim In The Country.  She is also having a couple of giveaways....The first is for some of her sweet "Halloween Pals" and sign up ends August 15th...When that's done, she's doing another one with one of her fall items (she's keeping exactly "what" a surprise for now....) for those who might not be into Halloween (come on, really??? Are there folks like that out there???!!)
Anyway...Melissa is one of the sweetest folk you'll come upon - with bunches of prim talent - so check out her new goodes!!  And click on the link to her blog above (or on my sidebar) to enter her giveaways....

And one last thing....take a look at this:

Not the best photos, I know - but I'm having a heck of a time with the camera tonight....Anyway, this is a bracelet my dear (still blogless) niece made me....with....can you guess????  Shrinky Dinks!!! (Remember those???)  Isn't it the coolest thing?? It looks awesome on - but it's kind of hard to photograph that way (you know, us crows are a little "limb challenged...")  Anyway - thank you Tamara...LOVE it!!!

Thank you all again for your many kindnesses...they will not be forgotten....Have a wonderful blessing-filled Sunday!



Thank Each and Every One of You!!!

I truly want to thank each and every one of you who expressed your concern and/or sent up prayers for my mother and our family these past few days. Your kindness truly touched me.  My mother is stabilized at this point. They have put a filter in to ensure that the clots in her legs do not also migrate.  She is also on an anticoagulant medication which will stop the clots in her lungs from getting larger.  However, given the size of the clots in her lungs, it may take 6 months or so for them to be dissolved.  A long haul ahead, but we are so fortunate and blessed that she got medical attention when she did.

And....by way of clarification (so you all don't think Nod is completely stuck in the Dark Ages)....yes, our ER has a back-up power system.  However, I first took my mother to a walk-in clinic since they had access to her medical history, and she was not, at the point of departure from her home, seemingly "critical."  Upon arrival at the clinic, however, she steadily declined and was put in the "urgent care" unit, administered oxygen, etc. It was at this point that the power went out (as a result of road construction in the area....) The clinic, too, has a back-up system, but it only lit the hallways, and there was no way of getting the beds out of the rooms and into the hallway....Hence, the flashlight....which the doctor's son had just given him or he likely wouldn't have happened to have it.  The urgent care physician had already called 911 to have my mother transported by ambulance to the ER, and had hoped the EMTs could start the IV, but when my mother's vitals started to deteriorate, he tried the IV by flashlight....In any event, he was not successful with the IV even with the flashlight....Just another day in the life of a crow....

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And, with all of this hullabaloo, I am a little remiss not only in blogging, commenting, etc., but in my thank-you's for other gifts received.  On July 19th, Sweet Traci from York Mountain Primitives, said she would pick one of the persons who commented on her post that day and send them a "wee thank you." Actually, Traci decided to send EVERYONE who commented that day a very SPECIAL thank you....Nothing "wee" about it, because Traci made something very special for each one of us....Traci asked me to name one of my favorite fall/Halloween things....I said black cats.....and look at this crow-perfect penny mat Traci made for me...just for me!!!

I LOVE this!!! Traci - thank you from the bottom of my heart. You know the day it arrived and it was a truly bright spot in a very dark day....And you couldn't have captured what I love any better!!  Thanks Sweetie....again!

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I was also one of the (many!) lucky winners in The Olde Country Cupboard's "Christmas in July" celebration.  All month long, Sandy (and her daughter, Samantha) offered free patterns and had wonderful giveaways.  I was the fortunate recipient of this wonderful Christmas journal:

Love it!!! Thank you so, so, much Sandy!!! That was so sweet of you...and it will be a wonderful addition to our season's celebration this year.

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I cannot possibly put into words what your kindnesses have meant to me.  So I will simply say, and say simply, thank you.



An Explanation in Advance for a Sporadic Crow???

Hey all....

I've been negligent today in my blog visits and email responses. I apologize for this and for what may be my somewhat sporadic presence in blogland over the next several days/weeks.  (Ok...."you're welcome" to those of you who might actually WELCOME this reprieve and think you'll have better chances at winning those giveaways!!)

I just got home a few hours ago after a long day of ambulances, ER's and hospitals.  And, yes....I think my new-found good fortune has taken a turn for the not-so-sunny side....How many of you can say you have been to urgent care and had the power go out and have a doctor try to start an iv in the dark while holding a flashlight in his teeth???

Just part of my day.....

Yes, I'M fine....but my dear mother not so much.  She was diagnosed today with massive blood clots in both of her lungs, which is aggravating her heart issues and causing failure. She also has clots in her legs, and they are going to put a filter in to prevent these from migrating as well to her lungs/heart.

So, I may or may not be here.  I will try to pop in as I can, but I'm not going to even pretend I'll be able to keep up or catch up....And I may not be a "complete sort of crow" if you know what I mean.  So, I ask for your understanding.....your good thoughts, and prayers if you can spare a few.

 



May The Luck Of The Crow Be With You.....

OK....Listen Up Peeps.....

Any of you who follow me....or have even glanced through some of my posts, must have figured out that I have had some incredible luck of late....(Truly, it has to be some kind of reverse Karma, I swear, because I'm the LAST person anyone who knows me outside of Blogland would call "lucky.")  BUT, I'm not questioning the forces that be or this divine intervention....I'm reveling in my blessings...

However, I think I need to bring to your attention some very special giveaways that are currently underway....I try hard to keep my sidebar "updated" with current giveaway opportunities so ya all can have as much fun as I have had, but, in case these have slipped under your radar, take note:

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Carol (and her wonderful hubby Tim) are have a "Dog Days of Summer" Giveaway....Carol and Timmy craft some of the most incredible wood work pieces you'll ever come upon.  And, for their giveaway, one very lucky person will win one of these awesome rolling pin spoon spice shelves....in the winner's choice of colors:

Carol is giving you lots of ways to get entry chances...so check it out at Firecracker Kid Primitives.  Hurry, though, you must sign up by August 12th...Winner will be announced August 14th.....

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And Tammy from A Primitive Place is also celebrating....300+ posts; 750+ followers; and a "special-numbered" birthday...  As part of her celebration, she is giving away this Americana pillow she made:

Tammy is a purveyor of all things cool.  She has an uncanny eye for prim treasures and you'll love anything and everything she makes.....

Sign up ends on her birthday (August 16th) and she will announce the winner when she is a day older on August 17th....(Make sure you wish her a happy, happy, birthday.... ;o)

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Next up.....a great giveaway by Misi, from 1890 Gable House Musings.  Misi is "Awaiting Autumn" and will soon be carrying a line of Mary Harris's (from Prairie Homeplace) wonderful handmades on her selling blog (woohoo!! can't wait!).  To celebrate and welcome Mary, Misi is giving away these incredible pumpkin folk made by Mary:

  

Misi's giveaway ends August 26th.....

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And....to wrap this little giveaway-sharing post up, there is the motherlode of giveaways from Brenda at The Rusty Thimble.  Brenda is so very generous and has a monthly giveaway for her awesome creations, but her "Harvest Blessings" is one you're not going to want to miss out on....Brenda is giving away FIVE prizes to FIVE winners (and you could even win more than once!!)  This is just one of the stinkin' cute things she is giving away:

Sign-ups for Brenda's giveaway end August 31st, and she will announce the winners on September 1st.  While you're there, tell Brenda happy anniversary, blogiversary, happy Etsy-versary, and congratulations on 800+ followers....

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There are so many incredibly talented and generous people out there....I wish I could post each and every one, but my download usage limit is close to being exceeded....(I HATE that thing!!).....

May the (almost-legendary) luck of the Crow be with you.....

;o)

I've Been Blessed With Tolentreasures, Raggedy Hugs and Primitive Blessings.....

Gratitude X3.....

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Blessed With Tolentreasures.......

Relatively early on in my blogging journey, I came across Cathy's blog, Tolentreasures. Having had done a little rosemaling and decorative painting in my time (and being unduly challenged by it), I was impressed with Cathy's skill and gift, and started stalking following her delightful blog.  I soon discovered that Cathy was not only a talented painter (and seamstress and whatever-ess), but a wonderfully entertaining storyteller. I won't admit to how many times she has made me choke on my coffee while reading one of her posts....

Anywhohow....I digress....Cathy recently had a giveaway to celebrate her 500th post....and I won, I won, I won!!!

Cathy had several prizes for her winners to choose from, and it was HARD! But, I chose this sweet little washboard (cuz we all know I have a "thing" for sheep):

....and, it reverses to snowmen on the other side!!!

How sweet is that?!!!

If that wasn't generous enough, though, Cathy stuffed that box full of wondrous goodies:

A wonderful hand-painted star and bittersweet wooden plate, a jar of dominoes (will go perfectly with my budding gameboard collection!), grungy clothespins, a little Christmas cookie ornie (yeah - almost thought it was real at first....) and....WOOL!!! YIPPEE!!!! The Wool Pig is a HAPPY PIG!!!

Better shot of the plate and jar:

Thank you SOOO much, Cathy!! I am pickled tink to own some of your wonderful work...and you were too, too, generous....

If you haven't found Cathy yet, you don't know what you're missing!! :o)

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Also Blessed With Raggedy Hugs.......

A week or so (??) ago, I also bought some goodies from my favorite raggedy....Lil Raggedy Angie.  (Her dryer was getting awful full....) ;o)

Plus, she makes some dang cute sheepies.....

And even though she is from Ohio, that lil raggedy gal has a heart the size of Texas....She tucked in a bunch of sweet "extras"....

Adorable crow and sunflower salt dough bowl fillers made by her sis, Rachel from Somewhere In The Middle (complete with raggedy "prim smell goodes"), a crow tag, some jelly bellies, and my very own raggedy crow!!! (Oh, yeah...there was a very large and very delicious chocolate bar that didn't quite make it through the photo shoot....Did you know that crows really like chocolate??! ;o) )

Thank YOU Lil Raggedy Angie....You're the bestest raggedy around!!

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And Blessed With Primitive Blessings.....

 I also won a giveaway from Donna at Donna's Primitive Blessings.  Donna had a wonderful blog with lots of followers, but just when I discovered it, Blogger started giving Donna fits, so she decided to start over with a new blog, and started off with a wonderful giveaway.....And , YEA!!! I won!!! Donna also gave the winner their choice of prizes...this is what I chose:

This is very cool - the bottom is a candle, and there is a little tealite on top also, so at night, it lights up prim perfect!!

Thank you so, so, much Donna!! I love your early work goodes and am so blessed to have won your giveaway!!!

Thank you, Cathy, Angie, and Donna, ever so much....Your kindness touches my heart, and your handwork brightens my home....and your friendships mean more than both to me....

Gotta run....storms rolling through....