My Newest Carving - OoooLaLa!

Still a work in progress (WIP) but not too far from completion. I'm going to have to set it aside for a week or so but then I'll do the finish sanding, painting, antiquing and sealing.

It reads, "Wine Cellar" or "Cellar Of The Wines" in French. I saw a painted antique wine cellar sign that simply had the words "Ca've Aux Vins" on it and I thought it was pretty cool so I decided to use the French wording, add some grapes, vines and leaves and turn it into a carving. :)

Have a great week everyone!

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Oh DRATS! It Must Be Friday!!! 6-25-10

Time for another DRAT roundup and you really do NOT want to miss these talented artists!

Need gifts? Need to decorate your home? Need accessories?

LOOK. NO. FURTHER.

This week I'm featuring our glass artists!

These talented artists always blow me away!

Feel free to browse their wonderful shops and see all of our artists at Dirt Road Artists!

And now for this week's talent!

5 pressed Lampwork beads / pendants by Bindu Glass

Stunning ivory, light blue, and turquoise handmade glass beads! Wonderful summer colors that would fit so beautifully into lots of creative ideas! Outstanding glasswork and colors!

Fused Glass Pendant - Black with Dichroic Blue Design by Greenhouse Glassworks

This gorgeous black, fused glass pendant has a blue dichroic design that is completely original and unique! Put this stunning pendant on and enjoy all of the compliments! Absolutely beautiful!

Crystal Maze Mosaic Wall Art by Joyful Art Studio

Joyful, indeed! From the focal center crystal to the rocks and stone beads wandering around this beautiful piece, you will find yourself on a wonderfully, happy journey! Guarateed to lift your spirits and make you smile! Absolutely wonderful!

Purple and White Swirl Glass Butterfly by Mountain Glass Designs

This gorgeous butterfly is created in the traditional tiffany stained glass method and would look absolutely stunning hanging - well, anywhere! A truly outstanding piece!

ENJOY! :)

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I. HATE. VOICEMAIL.

Voice mail hates me!

Or maybe...

Could it be that I am lacking a gene to navigate leaving messages to a nameless, faceless, cold and impersonal machine?

No matter how hard I try, I just can't leave a sane sounding message!

I start out okay but it always goes downhill - rapidly.

I forget what I've said.

I begin to repeat myself.

I start to stammer...

Knowing full well that I can't take any of it back - in most cases, I can’t even delete and try again - which really never helps anyway!

And now, I find that this wicked gene runs in the family! As I listened to my son leaving a message the other day, I realized that I can't blame this one on my husband! :)

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What a Wonderful World!

Enjoy! :)

	Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Some things never go out of style! :)

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Oh Drats! It Must Be Friday!!! 6-18-10

Time for another DRAT roundup! And you do NOT want to miss these talented artists!

Need gifts? Need to decorate your home? Need accessories?

LOOK. NO. FURTHER.

This week I'm featuring our needle wizards!

These talented artists blow me away!

Feel free to browse their wonderful shops and see all of our artists at Dirt Road Artists!

And now for this week's talent!

Handmade Beaded Embroidered Pincushion

by Valentine Fiber Arts

Absolutely STUNNING handwork and beading! And the colors are simply GORGEOUS! A very special gift for yourself or someone you love that loves to sew!

Black Canvas Hobo Shoulder Bag with Interchangeable Sash Accent

by PW Originals

The PERFECT PURSE! No, I'm not kidding! This is the only bag you will ever need to go with every outfit you own! Excellent designer quality!

Queen Size Heirloom Wedding Quilt, Hand Quilted

by Cottontail Quilts

STUNNING whole cloth quilt! Think they don't make them like this anymore? Think again! Entirely hand quilted!

Nine Patch Gone Mad

by Shawnz

GORGEOUS nine patch made of beautiful batiks! Vibrant, cheerful, wonderful! Entirely hand quilted!

Enjoy! :)

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In My Backyard...

This guy lives in my backyard and waits every evening for dinner. Sometimes he watches from the power line over the barn...


And sometimes he sits on the eagle on top of our flagpole.


I've never seen him catch his prey (don't know that I really want to) but he is a beautiful creature! :)

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It's getting deep around here...

And it's going to get deeper! :)

A few weeks ago, I showed you my new WIP relief carving. I've had a chance to work on it a couple of time since I first posted and even though I still have a long way to go, it's coming along pretty nicely.

This is what it looked like at the end of last month:

And now after some more carving:

As you see, I change my mind a lot as I carve, lol - the barn is now open in front and looks a lot different. :)

I've been working to deepen the background and I like the way shadows begin to emerge.

I have a lot more carving to do and who knows what it will look like when I'm done...

And when is a piece actually done? Isn't there always something else you wish you had added?

I thought about carving the frame of this piece but I think it might make it too busy. I might do a mosaic frame with black 1 inch glass and black grout - lol, not sure yet - I guess I'll figure that out when I get to it. :)

I'll keep you posted with pics as I go! Thanks for dropping by and visiting us in Hick Town! :)


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Here Comes The Sun...And The Rain...And The Sun...

It has been hot and steamy here in Missouri - oh yeah!

And the small storms that have come through for the past few days have only added to the humidity and the frizz on top of my curly head! :)

Sunny one minute, raining the next - that, my friends, is Missouri!

And so is this...


We've had some beautiful sunsets lighting up the storm clouds...


Just breathtaking!

Have a wonderful week! :)

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Come Play Hide And Seek - Win a Great Prize!

The Dirt Road Artists (DRAT's) are a crazy gang and we love to play games!

This time, we're inviting everyone to play!

But Hurry!

Game ends on June 12, 2010 and you can't win if you don't play!

We have lost the dRat Patrol and need your help finding them... This is what they look like:


Wanna play? Click here for clues on where you can find them and how you can win!

Have fun and good luck! :)

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Life is a Bowl of Cherries... and Pineapples... and Mangos... and Strawberries???

The DRAT's have gone crazy for cherries this week and the topic has been cherry pie, cherry cobbler, cherry pitting, cherries, cherries, cherries.

So, when your mouth is watering thinking about all those juicy, sweet little red cherries, you just have to go get some for yourself! :)

I went a little crazy in the produce section and came home with not only a box of fresh cherries but also strawberries, a mango, and a whole pineapple.

After cutting, peeling, and pitting, I had the freshest, most wonderful fruit salad for lunch!


We will be snacking on this for days! :)

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Oh Drats! It Must Be Friday!!!

Now, before you think I've lost my mind, Friday is a great day! The BEST day of the week because it is always the start of another weekend!

So, what better day of the week to feature some of my team members from the Dirt Road Artists? (aka DRAT's)

I just recently joined this group of folks that live in small towns and in the farmlands of this great nation and they are some of the nicest people you will ever meet!

They are also some of the most talented artists around!

I've decided to feature their work every Friday and since there are too many to feature in one post, I'm going to feature the paintings of some of our artists this week.

Be sure to watch for all of the other groups. We have potters, soapers, sculptures, sketch artists, stained glass artists, bead and button makers, jewelery makers, needlecrafters, basket makers, paper good artists, photographers, woodworkers and more!

To see all of our artists, please go to Dirt Road Artists.

Here is just a small sample of these talented artists...

Enjoy!

Onions Have Many Layers by artist Donna Rose

Entangled by Adventures in Art

Yellowstone Buffalo Abstract by Bella Cosa Art

3 Apples by Cherylzmiller Art

Grapes on the Vine by Big Fat Art Barn

Original Pastel Landscape Impressionist by Johnnie Belinda

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Just click on the links to see more of these talented artists at work!

Have a wonderful weekend! :)

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Mmmmm..... Gravy.....

If you LOVE gravy and if you LOVE sour cream, you will LOVE this meal!

Now, I would love to have shown you a picture of this meal but once this hits the table - it's history!

This is one of our faves here in Hick Town and it is from an old Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.

Enjoy!

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Pork Chops in Sour Cream

6 pork loin chops, cut at least 1/2" thick
3/4 teaspoon dried sage, crushed (I used a really great chicken rub instead)
2 tablespoons shortening, optional (I use olive oil)
2 medium onions, sliced
1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon granules (I also like to use the Better Than Bouillon - Chicken or Beef both make this fantastic!)
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup dairy sour cream (I always add lots more)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons snipped parsley

Trim excess fat from chops; set aside. Rub chops with sage; sprinkle with salt and pepper. (I spinkle with garlic, too) Heat shortening (or oil). Brown chops; drain. Add onions. Disolve bouillon granules in water, pour over chops. Cover; simmer 35 to 40 minutes or till meat is tender. Transfer meat to platter; keep warm. Skim excess fat from drippings; measure 1/2 cup drippings and set aside.

Combine sour cream and flour; slowly stir in reserved drippings. Return all to skillet. Cook and stir till bubbly. Pour over meat; garnish with parsley. Makes 6 servings. (Ha! Not around here!)

Note: You will really, really want to double the gravy ingredients so you have plenty for your mashed potatoes and biscuits! :)

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Yee Haw! Time Fer Another Hillbilly Tribute!!!

Ya'll know the artists on Etsy are some of the most talented folks out there!

Turns out...

They have a great sense of humor, too! :)

Enjoy!

Hillbilly Weather Station! Only $10.00!

Redneck Windchimes! Only $20.00!

John Deere Baby Booties! Only $17.50!

Save the Outhouses T-Shirt! Only $18.99!

I Love Rednecks Pendant! Only $5.00!

Tree Huggin' Redneck Grocery Tote! Only $14.99!

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Cheerful Can Be Cheap!

I love the look of lots of colorful potted plants on decks and patios in the summer!

A couple of years ago, I bought this colorful coffee cup planter at Wal-Mart for about $9.00. It is just so cheerful and when I put my little Aloe Vera plant in it well, as you can see...

It went crazy!!!

I was hoping to find some more colorful coffee cups for my outdoor potted plants this year but they didn't have any coffee cups, they only had teapots. I really liked two of them - the colors were great!

But, when I looked at the price...

YIKES!!!

$20.00 each!

I really want to have a lot of pots outdoors this summer so I decided to improvise and get the cheerful colors I want at a price that won't make me cringe if I want to replace them every year.

Walking around Wal-Mart, I found all kinds of containers I could use but I fell in love with these colorful bowls!

And they are pretty big, too! I think they would hold about 5 quarts.

And they are only.... $1.00 each!!!

They come in all kinds of colors and they have matching plates in packs of 4 for only $1.00 a pack! You could mix and match the plates and bowls for a cheery look!

I'm using a bunch of cheery striped square plates that I bought at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago for almost nothing. Who knew they would match perfectly? :)

I drilled 4 holes in the bottom of the bowls for drainage, added some sand in the bottoms to weigh them down so they won't blow away in the next storm and then added potting soil and some little marigolds.

Cheerful doesn't have to break the bank!

And I'm planning on having LOTS of CHEER this year! :)

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