Stakes and Hot Dogs

Recently I received 2 new orders from Hoffman Distributors. The total quantity consisted of 216 patterns. With summer vacation here, and LOTS of idle time to fill, Colvin was recruited to stuff the patterns into bags. I thought I was doing him a favor by providing a great source of "entertainment" which would make the summer hours pass by with great speed. He accepted the assignment and was polite enough to wait until I was out of the room before rolling his eyes in true teen-age defiance.

After arriving home from work, I found the stuffed patterns in neat stacks on the dining room table. Colvin helped me pack them into the shipping box. I tried to get him into the box too, but soon realized that I would never be successful, as his weight FAR exceeds the 70 pound limit of the United States Postal Service.

After adding the ship to/from labels, Colvin commented that the "S" in my logo, looks like a snake. I assured him it wasn't and that it was he who inspired the fishing boy who sits on the "S" of my Silver Creek Samplers logo. Colvin then asked if that meant he had a stake in the company. Without missing a beat I replied, "A hot dog maybe, but no stake!"

This time, his eyes rolled BEFORE I left the room!

Thanks for visiting with me down by the creek,
Diane

...and you thought ALL blue-haired ladies were OLD?

SO NOT TRUE!
That's right dear blogger friends.......I've gone blue!

Allow me to explain....... Thursday night I finished up a week of fun and folly at Vacation Bible School. The theme was Everywhere Fun Fair, and what fun we had! I was "Telly Ticket" the Assembly Leader. It's a great job that allows me to use my God-given big mouth! The kids learned all about who their neighbors are and that they need to be friendly, giving, bold, welcoming, and forgiving....just as Jesus is to all of us! I also worked with my friendly little neighbors by teaching them many new songs and dancing up a storm! It's a tiring week (leave work at 4:45pm, arrive home at 5:20, change clothes, grab a bite to eat and arrive at VBS by 6:00pm!) but the rewards are SO VERY WORTH IT!

Ok. On to the blue hair. I presented a challenge to the VBS kids. If attendance reached 35, I would dye my hair some crazy color. They came SO close, but not quite close enough. Therefore, I decided that I would include all of the teachers and helpers in that count. The kids were quite amazed, as were the adults, that I actually went through with it! Hey, just because you're an adult, doesn't mean you still can't have fun, right?! Colvin was my technical teen, helping run the laptop with the DVD as well as giving life to our puppet mascot, Godwin the Bird! He wanted in on the blue hair fun too....

His hair is so short and dark that the blue chalk dye didn't show very well, but he still enjoyed being included in the crazy hair challenge! I do so love that boy!

Vacation Bible School may be over for yet another year, but the pictures and memories will linger and won't ever wash out......(much like the blue tint that now clings to my white bath towel!)***sigh***

Thanks for being a friendly neighbor and visiting me down by the creek!
Diane

Stripping in my spare time.........

PAINT.......jeepers, what did you think I was talking about?! But, hey, I got your attention didn't I? Anyway, I just finished refinishing an antique blanket chest that has been in our family for a very long time. She is simply built with square nails, but possesses so much charm. After the basement beautification project was finished, I thought it would be nice to have something by the basement door to sit on while removing shoes. Mom said I could have this old beauty. And she is......now. You see somewhere in her lengthy past, someone thought she'd look nice with a coat of grass green paint...

 Knowing that under that green paint, there would be wonderfully aged pine, I decided to remove all of the paint. If you've never used a heat gun to strip paint, you're missing the boat! What I thought would be several weekends worth of stripping, turned into just a few short hours. Miraculously, there turned out to be only 1 coat of paint to strip! After baring her pine board soul and massaging her with various grits of sandpaper, she looked so different.....

Now came the hard part....deciding on what her new colors would be. I chose an old barn red for her trim, and I used the same mustard-brownish color that I painted the loveseat with, for the rest. I didn't want to lose all of her wonderful character marks under a thick coat of paint, so I watered down the paint so it was more like a color wash. I held my breath, said a prayer and completed the final step of her facelift....

Her slightly green cast from the past can still be seen, but I think it gives her more character. All of the dings, dents, and scratches are still visible, just in nicer colors. It was a challenge keeping the colors looking authentic. My goal was to have it look like it has always been in these colors. And I think I achieved that. I believe that every antique has a story to tell as long as someone is willing to listen.

Thanks for visiting with me at the creek!
Diane