Join, or Die.

Hubby and I laughed while setting up our table at Mount Vernon… I told him it looked like “War and Peace.” Half of the pictures were peaceful… Lions & Lambs in peaceful kingdoms, Distelfinks standing on hearts that say “Peace,” and lots of gentle quotes and Bible verses. The other half was a stark contrast… a Patriot on horseback brandishing a sword, tea being tossed of a ship in the Boston Harbor, and Patrick Henry raising his clenched fist at tryanny. After a good chuckle at our attempts to make these themes fit on the same table, we decided Thistle Dew Mercantile is definitely well-rounded.

One of our newest silhouettes was inspired by the “war” side of our well-roundedness. Friday morning, as we were packing to leave, I had an idea. The kind that’s not always the best thing to have as you’re packing to leave, as ideas can often mean that we don’t leave quite on time. This idea was inspired by a political cartoon created by Ben Franklin and published in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754. Hubby was a good sport and gathered up framing supplies to take with us, as I worked feverishly on the pattern. I was just finishing cutting the first one as we went over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. It’s a little different from most of our cuttings, since it’s in pieces, instead of all one piece. I think that’s the point of the cartoon. I had to be really careful not to lose the snake pieces with the AC blowing in the van!

And it was the first thing to sell on Saturday morning.

A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.
~Thomas Jefferson~

A new old treasure.

On one of our recent antiquing excursions I found a new old book. Nothing terribly surprising about that, because books are what I usually have in my hand when leaving antiques shops. Only now that I’m older, no longer a homeschooling mom, and have overflowing bookshelves, I’m a little more discerning about buying books in antiques shops. They have to really catch my eye or tug at my heartstrings. Or be deeply profound. This one was all three.

It was a little scruffy looking on the outside, but the name “Eric Sloane” told me there was good stuff inside. I used to buy Eric Sloane’s books for the pictures and historical reference. They would sit on the shelf until I needed to know what a plow or a spinning wheel really looked like. And then one day I read one of his books. Let me tell you, they are historically interesting… but they are also very profound. Mr. Sloan had great insight to what we used to have as Americans and what we’ve lost somewhere along the way. We weren’t in the car five minutes before I started reading aloud quotes from the introduction to Hubby and Daughter Dear. (They’re used to it by now.) This was one of my favorites…

The truth is that 1776 belongs to 1776. We cannot hope to recapture the old ways easily, partly because we have so destroyed our past but also because we ourselves have become different. The godly, frugal, content, thankful, work-loving man of yesterday has now become the money-oriented, extravagant, discontented, thankless, work-shunning man of today. The original spirits of America past have become worn out, obsolete, and not very adaptable to modern living.

What’s amazing to me is that quote was written over thirty years ago. It sure fits for today. Sloane then goes on to quote Abraham Lincoln, written over a hundred years earlier… and I’m sure this quote seemed just as amazing to him. Matter of fact, Eric Sloane called this quote profound…

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man’s initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.

Thought you’d like those quotes. July is a Red, White, and Blue month for me… but it’s more than flag waving and firecrackers. It’s honoring the principles our forefathers honored. Common sense and an old-fashioned work ethic. Liberty  and justice and loving God with your heart, mind, and soul. I hope to always have the spirit of 1776, even though it’s 2009.

Itty Bitty. And Not So Itty Bitty.

Mini’s are back!!!

We’ve sold mini papercuttings for many years, but we bought the miniature frames unfinished and grain-painted them. They were so tiny that Chris wasn’t sure he wanted to make them. (He’s become quite attached to his fingers, and two inches is just a little too close to tablesaw blades for his liking!) However, the inevitable happened, and our supplier stopped making them a couple of years ago. So we bought all we could and used them sparingly. Last spring, we ran out. It was a sad day.

In a burst of creative energy this summer, Hubby Dear decided he would try making them, and figured out a way to do it safely. Our first batch of mini scherenschnitte, in our very own Itty Bitty frames made right here on the farm is  ready to go…

And a close-up, since they’re hard to see…

They’re slightly smaller than 3″ x 3″ and 3″ x 4″, and are $24 and $26, respectively. The frames are Hills & Valleys or Tiger Stripe, in either Cranberry or Umber. Colors vary slightly… sometimes the reds & blues are switched (except on the flag of course, because that would be not right.) and the larger eagles say America! or Liberty! or Freedom! Three of our favorite words. I think they deserve exclamation points. Especially when written very small.

Something else we did today was to list a couple of early limited edition pieces on Ebay… we re-painted the living room a while back, and some of the things that used to hang on the walls never made it back onto the walls. Actually, very little has been re-hung… I’m really liking the white space. Must be middle age? In the midst of the folk art that didn’t get re-hung were two limited edition pieces from a while back…If you click on their titles, you’ll find the link…

Blessed is the Nation

…and…

God Grants Liberty

They need a good home!

And before I sign out, you’ve got to go take a peek at some Itty Bitty things that aren’t so Itty Bitty anymore… our sweet little Grand Boys! Jordan just put up the cutest pictures, and Nana’s are allowed to brag a bit, aren’t they? And while you’re there, check out Jo’s new photography site! It’s fabulous!

Happy Memorial Day!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life! 

Remember to take a moment sometime today to remember those who gave their all for our freedoms, and for the freedom of others around the world. 

We’ve been quite busy the past few weeks, and it was good to be home in our own bed last night! (And to not have to wake up and get to work A.S.A.P. this morning!) Kate has been blogging about our somewhat soggy adventure last weekend… We were at Endview Plantation near our favorite place in the whole wide world, for the Colonial Craftsman’s Faire! Somehow we managed to take absolutely no pictures other than set-up, so please browse the links above! We had a great time despite the drippy weather, laughing with the other crafter/reenactors about buckets of water dumping off the canvas flies and floating firewood. Thank goodness for our straw hats, which acted at colonial umbrellas, for our hubby’s that don’t mind getting soaked to the bone to pack us up, and for the die-hard history & folk art lovers that braved the elements. A very wet Huzzah! to you all!

Speaking of liberty, this weekend we were at the Chestertown Tea Party, and on Saturday, we witnessed the reenactment of Chestertown’s reaction to the tax on tea…

Lots of fifes & drums, and lots of people! Sunday was a bit more laid back, and the highlight of the day’s events was the raft race…

Yep, that’s a floating RV, folks. Complete with a Redneck. I think it was my favorite. Nobody sank or fell apart this year, and I’m told that fact made this year’s race a memorable event! We also had “front row seats” for a great Bluegrass & Jug band! They were really good, and even took time to ask the kids to join in… here is a young fellow jumping in for a washtub bass solo…

We have one more adventure planned for next weekend, and then we’ll hopefully have an “adventure-less” summer! I’m looking forward to some home-making time, because things are looking very neglected around here!

Framing…

Well, today was framing day! Whew! We didn’t quite get everything finished because Hubby took a break to cut the grass and I took a break to take a nap. (I thought that was a fair deal.) Kate attempted to go yard saling with her Nana this morning, but they couldn’t find any, so she came home, did piles of dishes, and balanced her checkbook, which provided hours of entertainment for us. She does some very interesting things with numbers! It went sort of like this…

“New Math”

Well, not quite, but you get the idea!

One of our Lady Liberty’s made it into a frame! I accidentally reversed her when cutting her out, but those following her will be facing the same direction as the watercolor. I liked how she turned out…

Long may our land be bright,
with freedom’s holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King! 
~ My Country ‘Tis of Thee ~