Happy Chickens and a Surprise Visitor!

We have happy chickens at the Frey Farm. Here is proof…

And this is the state of my refrigerator. It overfloweth. (Ignore the expiration dates… we recycle old egg cartons!)

In honor of our productive poultry, here is one of the new Spring papercuttings…

Yesterday we had a bit of a surprise! We were reading together, and heard a familiar sound coming from the woodstove. There was a bird in the chimney. Actually it had been there the day before, and we left the woodstove door open, because they usually work their way up into the stove, thrash around in the ashes a bit, and then fly around the house until one of us manages to catch and release the poor frightened creature. It is nearly always a starling, and Oreo the cat gets very excited by the whole adventure. However, this bird was having trouble getting out of the bottom of the chimney. It sounded big, and did quite a bit of flopping around. Finally we thought it might be a good idea to open clean-out door on the chimney bottom to see what we had, so Hubby headed outside to remove the starling. And he came back in, with the news that it wasn’t a starling, but something bigger. There was an upright brick blocking the opening, so he had to remove that to see what was had.

And it was a duck! Kate grabbed her gardening gloves and pulled out this beautiful male Wood Duck!

And before I sign off… the Frey Family Quote of the day (So far. It’s only 9:30.)…

Me: (scrambling for a contract I needed in order to make a phone call exactly at 9:00) I think I’ve lost my mind!
Me: (Finding the contract, a second later) Oh! There it is!

 

Be Thou My Vision…

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art -
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all. 

Traditional Irish Hymn, dating to the 6th Century A.D.

Framing Secret…

Hello folks! Hubby and I were doing some framing this morning, and I caught him in the act of “tightening backs.” I thought I’d write a quick post in case any crafters out there would be interested in making the backs of their framed artwork look nice and finished! 

About a hundred years ago, my first stay-at-home-Mom-money-making-effort was being a consultant for Creative Circle… a company that sold craft kits through home parties. My first “party” ended up also being my baby shower (That was a surprise… here I was teaching a bunch of giggling ladies how to do counted cross-stitch, and they were getting ready to yell “SURPRISE!”) and I didn’t last long with that job, because:

1. Jordan was born, and I realized that being a Mommy was a bigger job than I expected.

2. I also realized that standing up in front of a crowd of ladies made me very nervous. (Still does, but I don’t feel like I’m going to faint anymore.)

3. I also also realized that it takes LOTS of networking and pressure to get people to have parties in their home, and I wasn’t cut out for that at all.

Anway… to shorten a story that’s getting so long that you probably forgot what the point was… one of our Creative Circle training sessions was about picture framing. It was actually just an afternoon where one crafty lady showed a bunch of us how to frame needlework. This next tip was the best, the most useful, and the most fun. Try it. You’ll like it.

The backs of pictures are not usually seen, but it just feels good to finish them off nicely. We use heavy weight brown kraft paper as a backing, and glue it down with a thin layer of Elmer’s Glue. After years of framing pictures, we recommend you get the thickest stuff you can find. The thin stuff is nearly impossible to work with and just when you get it done, you’ll pick the picture up and stick your thumb through the back and you won’t be happy. 

Cut your paperbacking just a little shy of the picture frame size. It tends to stretch a bit when damp with glue. We run a bead or two of Elmer’s (depending on the frame width), and smear it with our fingers to cover the entire frame back. We usually are framing more than one picture, so go ahead and glue up two or three pictures… letting the glue get a bit tacky helps. And you don’t need globs of glue… too much will squeeze out around the edges.

Now for the fun part… your paper back will most likely be wrinkly. Take a squirt bottle filled with water and wet the back. Not soaking wet, but definitely wet all over…

Then, take a hair dryer, hold it at a low angle or very close to the picture, and dry it… 

 

(I have no idea why that picture insists on being sideways.) The paper back will shrink right before your eyes, and very quickly your picture back will be tight as a drum!

The wetting/blow drying process is actually pretty fun, and sort of relaxing. And if you have a lot to do, and a bit of Tom Sawyer in you, it’s pretty easy to convince family and friends to help.

Safety tip: Don’t hold the hair dryer directly on the paper or stick it into a puddle of water. Whenever water and electricity are both involved use caution!

Letters, etc.

My Mom & Dad brought me a new treasure yesterday! Look at this WONDERFUL floormat…

It’s bamboo, I think, but most importantly, it’s got LETTERS on it. I love letters, and my whole family knows it. I love anything to do with letters. Pens, pencils, chalkboards, signs, paper, penmanship books, Hotch Potch dolls (they have HUGE people-size ones in one of the gift shops in Williamsburg… they won’t sell them to me. I asked. Rats.), letter stamps, letterpresses (I want one of those too. Don’t know what I’d do with it or where I’d put it, but its on the someday wishlist!), and, oh, anything to do with letters! So, my new mat must be feeling very welcome in the artroom! Thanks Mom & Dad!!!

Numbers are a different story. Hubby says we girls aren’t wired for math. We must have too many letters swirling about to think numerically.

Thought you might think this was funny… Mom was digging through some box last week, and found my college chemistry notebook. Here’s a page to prove to the world that once long ago, I did indeed think about numbers…

That was the fall of 1985. The notebook is half full of pages like that. Very studious looking pages. Then came the spring ‘86 semester, and somebody proposed. And the rest of the pages look like this… 

 

So much for advanced academia. The rest is history! I have no idea why I doodled the alphabet, but I was definitely trying out my future name…

How’s that for chemistry?!

Choose the best…

Every girl and woman should determine to know something
thoroughly, however little, of the best. 
~In My Father’s House~ 

Kate and I have been reading aloud In My Father’s House for the umpteenth time. It is an incredible book for young ladies in the “between” time… that uncertain time of life between school and the rest of life. It is a collection of essays from times past written to encourage and edify young women. The other night we read a chapter called Women’s Studies, and the gist of the chapter was to always choose the best. The author encouraged the readers to use their time to prepare their mind and abilities for the things that they will need to know later in life. To have fun, but not to squander time in frivolous past-times, or waste it away reading penny novels. To develop their thoughts by excellent reading… and I would add for today’s time… excellent choices in what we listen to, watch, or do. It’s difficult to put into words, but for anyone that loves the movie Wives and Daughters… the difference between Molly and Cynthia will explain exactly what the chapter was about. Let’s fill our mind and hours with good and useful things… no, the very best of things.

Life is short, and the number of papers, magazines, and books that are
published are very great, therefore it behoves us to choose the best,
and resolutely pass by those that are inferior. 
~In My Father’s House~ 

In the choice of books, as in the choice of friends,
there is really only one rule – choose the best.
~In My Father’s House~ 

 

Sweet and Sour…

Hello folks! Still plugging away with papercuttings, and my head is full of paper snips! So… I took a break from regular duties the other day and drew a lemon…

Sometimes it’s fun to do something that is not on your “to-do” list. I got inspired by the latest issue of Victoria magazine… there was a great article about Catherine Watter’s Botanical Illustration. If you love pretty things, you will love her artwork! I want to draw like that when I grow up. But for now, I’ll have to be satisfied with a lemon.

Lemons are sour, but if you click here you will see something really sweet! Jackson is 18 months old!

And a new project… In Edward Hicks’ later Peaceable Kingdom paintings, there are these interesting girls sort of in the background. Some are more visible than others, but they usually have a dove and eagle with them, and sometimes there’s a sheep as well. I really like this version, where Hicks explained the symbolism…

She’s going to be a papercutting in the next few days, but she’s also on her way to being a watercolor painting… that is if she turns out! Here’s a start…

A little bit of a re-make. I want her to be pretty, and sometimes Hicks’ faces weren’t that pretty! Couldn’t figure out what she was holding, so she’s getting an olive branch. And a Federal-looking drape just because. Can’t wait to spend a little more time on her!

And a little child shall lead them…

Good morning folks! Just wanted to let you know that American Folk Art is highlighting Lions & Lambs in folk art! The theme will be updated today at noon… be sure to check it out! The Peaceable Kingdom is one of my favorite folk themes. No, it IS my favorite. And Edward Hicks is one of my very favorite artists of all time. For a little bit of history on him, check out this old post! I often yearn for a peaceable kingdom… don’t you?

Oh… and Kate created a very gaudy, really cool, pretty/ugly (or pretty ugly?) messenger bag sort of thing yesterday afternoon. You’ve got to go take a peek. I’ll bet you dollars to donuts, that if she wears it today, somebody will ask where she got it!

Hope you all have a great Monday! 

Ouch.

I took a flying leap last night. We all got busy with things when we first got home, and then around 7-ish I thought it was about time to start something for dinner. I browned some turkey bacon, fried some apples, and was scrambling eggs when Hubby asked me if I wanted him to finish them. “Sure!” I said… “I’d love to get in my jammies and just be comfortable.” So I FLEW up the stairs, rounded the corner into our room, and simultaneously started to pull my ankle length jumper over my head. And… got my right foot tangled up in SOMETHING. While airborne, I wasn’t sure if I should clear my vision, untangle my foot, or catch myself, so I attempted all three. I would have gotten a “10,” had I landed on my feet, but I ended up on my backside, my foot wrapped in a stool I had used to open the attic stairs, with my jumper wrapped around my head.  I was still trying to assess the damage and figure out what was hurting by the time Chris and Kate made it up the stairs. Not my most graceful performance, and thankfully I’m just sore, and nothing was broken! I don’t usually write about changing my clothes, but that was definitely the most impressive thing that happened to me yesterday.

I cleaned up the website a bit the other day, and added some of the collage pictures we did with Jo’s Spencerian flourishes! In the works this weekend are kits for the papercuttings we did with the class (Nearly done!) and Lions and Lambs and Chickens! I’m hoping to pull things together this morning so I can cut at the store this afternoon. I can get quite a bit done there on a Saturday afternoon… even though it’s busy, I’m not looking at laundry or dishes!

Hope you have a great weekend!

…and plant gardens…

Good morning everyone! Today is my Dad’s birthday… let me show you what he’s been up to the last couple of days!

There was nothing here Sunday morning! Dad started this fence Sunday afternoon, and he and Hubby had it up by dinnertime. Monday morning we heard a very loud “bang” and a dump truck full of dirt was being delivered! Dad worked on the raised beds and cold frame yesterday, and today is filling beds with dirt, hoping to finish before the rain comes. We told Mom she better hurry and buy the plants! Instant garden… just add water!

And I’m going to get one of these… been drooling over them for a very long time! 

See what I mean? 

Happy Birthday Dad!!!  And Thank You!

Build ye houses, and dwell in them;
and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
~Jeremiah 29:5~ 

 

A couple of links…

Hello everyone! Hope you had a wonderful Sunday! Mine was pretty relaxed… but we gals watched the guys work all afternoon! My Dad and Hubby put up a fence that will surround a colonial herb garden at my parents’ home. We ladies were the official supervisors. And of course I forgot to take a picture, but it’s not going anywhere, so hopefully I’ll get one in the next few days. 

I just added a link to the sidebar for our store’s blog… we’re trying to be consistent about posting there, and so far, so good! Let’s see if I can make it work here…

Well, it’s close, but at least the link works. For some strange reason, to make my home-made image fit into the little sidebar widget box, I had to add a little extra on the right side. And when posting it here, it looks lopsided. Too much html gobbledygook for this 42 year-old brain.
  

And we joined Delaware By Hand! Stop over and check out the interesting craftspeople of our small state! You can find us listed under “Paper” or in the “F” section of Artisans A – Z. And just under us, you’ll see another Frey… Chris’s Dad! Tom is an exceptional woodturner… go take a look!