Happy Fall!

Where did Summer go!? Happy Fall to you all!

We have a gorgeous day today. Not really feeling like fall as the temp is 81º. I always get a urge to go shopping for pumpkins and gourds this time of the year. Is it too early? 

Last week this sweet little baby squirrel appeared from I don't know where. Maybe he fell out of his nest. He was so tiny. Following my hubby around and walking over his shoes. Did not seem to afraid of humans. He did let me pet his back.

He was loving all the crushed acorns on our driveway. 

I love my black squirrels! We have many in our area. They were first introduced to our area back in the late 1800's. 

And speaking of something Black....I have this adorable Primitive Halloween Bat

available in my Etsy Shop! Just in time for Halloween!!

click on this link to my shop Rock River Stitches

Yes...It is Warming Up!!

Yikes!! I can't believe how long it's been since my last post! Well...I'm here now.

I know like me a lot of you have been dealing with the worst winter in a very long time. Non stop snow and bitter temps. I'm so happy that the daylight hours are getting longer!! So excited we can turn our clocks again an hour. Not happy about losing an hour of sleep. That always messes up my sleep for a good week after the time change. As I type this it's a balmy 47º!! The snow is melting!! yippie!

Here are a few things I've been working on. First off I have something entirely new to offer!! How fun are these magnets!!! So perfect for that Ball Jar Collector like me! These are images of my ball jars.

Trying to add new items to my Red Oak Images Etsy Shop  I have many new photo pillow cases! Check them out with my magnets!! Coming soon...I will be adding photo prints!!

And I have this precious Primitive Mama Bunny Doll in my other etsy shop at Rock River Stitches Etsy Shop  

Trying to get more Primitive Easter items made. More coming soon!!!

Where has the Summer gone?

Can you believe in about a week it will be August! Where has the summer gone? I'm enjoying it puttering around in my gardens. And I can't complain to much about the weather. It's 70º right now and that is very unusual for us here in the Midwest.

I had a request for a Flamingo Coin Purse for my sister's friend. I do believe it turned out pretty cute! What do you think? Should I sell these in my etsy shop? 

Today I will be starting on a few new Primitive Halloween Goodies!! I'll post here with my new creations!!

A Sunflower planted courtesy of my chipmunk friends. 

Below are a few new phone case designs that I've listed in my Red Oak Images etsy shop. 

Click HERE to see these new designs!

More Red Barn Sale Pics!

I've been so busy lately that I have forgotten to tell you about the Red Barn Sale I went to last month. They have a sale once a month through October. I picked up a few more goodies! I could have bought a lot more that's for sure! Here's a look around inside what they had for sale last month. Excuse the quality of my photos. They were taken with my iPhone.

Here are a few things I picked up. Little mini wooden ladder. The owners of the sale told me they picked this up at a sale in Kentucky and it was made from old tobacco drying racks. I also got a big old glass jar and a set of tin pans with old wooden handles. Perfect for planting flowers in! I've yet to plant anything in them. I will post pics when I do.

The address for the Red Barn Sale is 4804 85th Ave. W. Milan, IL I've had many people interested in this sale. For directions go to google map and type in the address. I've suggested to the owners to start up a facebook page or a blog. I bet they would get more customers to their sale!

 In other business I've been busy with special prim orders and finishing up planting my gardens. Here's a few pics from the last week or so.

One morning Mrs. Cardinal posed for me.

Daylily

Cone flower

Gailardia Arizona Sun

These last three flower photos will be made into my glass pendants. Can't wait to show you when I have them finished!

So until next time....Have a great evening!!!

Red Barn Sale!!!

What a busy weekend! Went by in a flash! I can't belive the weather we have been having! I think it has been getting up into the 80's for about 4 or 5 days now! Crazy I tell ya!
My first order of business yesterday morning, was to head to the annual once a month Red Barn Sale!! It runs once a month from March to October, I do believe. I found this sale last year on their last sale of the year. For all my primitive blogging friends, I tell you what, you would love this sale! And the prices were awesome! I asked the owner for permission to take some photos to post and my blog and she was more then happy to oblige. I'll show you the goodies of what I bought after I show you all the goodies they had for sale!

Oh and have to tell you the photos are not my standard best as I was taking the pics with my iPhone.

And here are the two things that I purchased. The wooden drying rack I got to grow my cucumbers on this year! And the rusty star is way cool! It has a little door in the back that opens so you can put a little candle in there.

So that was my adventure for the early morning. My hubby was telling me that he saw the other day that the eagles were still around here. I didn't think they would be with the temps for the last 4 or 5 days have been in the 80's. The bald eagles come to my area every winter to fish out of the two rivers that we have. So I grabbed some breakfast and headed down to Sunset Marina where hubby saw the eagles. At first I didn't see any and found the only mallard duck pair in the whole place! Here is a shot of the male with his gorgeous emerald head!

Young eagle with his fresh catch! Sorry the eagle pics aren't the best. They were way across the pond.

This pic is when he flew over my head!

When I was sitting there taking the eagle pics, a older gentleman walking his dog asked me if I had been to the marina during the winter taking any pics. I told him no I hadn't. He told me about three weeks ago when it was still cold that one day he counted close to 100 eagles!! He said it was the most he had ever seen in all the years coming to the marina. I am kicking myself now for not going there a month or so ago. Oh well....I will be there next winter!

So after I left the marina I went to the Botanical Gardens to see if I could find some flowers blooming. I found these lovely Daffodils!

And these interesting spring blooming flowers are Siberian Squill. I only have a few spring flowers from the Botanical Center that were outside the gates. I didn't pay to go inside and see the greenhouse area. I'm saving that for another day as I have promised my sister we would go there together. Then I spent the rest of the day doing yard work!

And what did I do today!!!! More yard work! Raking and raking leaves! At least we got it all done.

Early Work Mercantile Update Time!

It's that time again! Can hardly believe that next week is Thanksgiving! Christmas will be here before you know it!!!

So here are my items I'll be listing on Early Work Mercantile later tonight. Please visit the other artist there. We have a great group of talented people!

Have a Great Evening Everyone!!!!!!

Need to get back to sewing!

Hawk Outside My Window!!!

This morning I was sitting in my living room listening to my ipod when something caught my eye out the front window. So I ran upstairs to my sewing room, grabbed my camera and tripod and took a bunch of shots of him. He sat in the tree for quite awhile. I literally had a birds eye view of him!! I couldn't believe it. Looked him up on the Internet to see what kind of hawk he was and he is a Ferruginous Hawk. We have lots of Red Tail Hawks around here but never seen one like this before. Isn't he beautiful!!!

I've spent the last couple of days working on 2 sets of my feather stitched eggs for 2 customers. I've got them painted and all I have to do now is the fun part of feather stitching them. As soon as I get the eggs done, it's time to work on more of my little folk art birdies to replenish my stock in my etsy shop after Stef in Australia bought a bunch.