WHY DO WE DO IT?

Before I made my first mug rug a couple of years ago, I had never done applique work of any kind ... in fact, I had done very little sewing aside from mending for almost 40 years!

My first mug rug was made from a free pattern I found on the Internet.  It was a cup of tea with a bird holding a heart-shaped tea bag sitting on the cup...

I made a lot of these at first, trying my hand at machine applique until I was comfortable doing it.

But then, like everything I do, it seems I could not really stop there.  Why is that?  Why do creative people always have to go further with a craft or a design or an idea?

I don't know what pushes other crafters, but for me it's almost always my love for another person that makes me want to create something special for them.

I know a lot of people, some in my own family who would belittle that last statement.   It is, however true.  Every time I make something, no matter what it is, I am thinking - I should make one for....   

I can prove my statement this way.

Every mug rug I have made except that first design you see above, which was someone else's pattern, was made and designed by me initially because I was thinking of someone else.

A cousin of mine and her husband have a motor home, and love to spend time in the summer travelling around to different parks and campgrounds, so I created this mug rug design  for their special little home away from home.

I had a father who loved to hunt and fish, so I designed this:

My brother-in-law and sister-in law love to tour around the countryside and visit lighthouses, so I designed these:

I have a friend who had a vintage red truck, which he has since sold.  I made him this so he would always have his little red truck.

My son is a teacher... 

Some I designed for my own love of the subject like these two mug rugs:

Being a prairie girl to my bones, I have lived my entire life seeing these in every town across the prairies.  They are fast disappearing from our landscape... so I designed this mug rug.

Long before I was born, my Grandfather built a barn that looked much like this... so I designed a mug rug, in memory of him, but also in memory of my Uncle Alfred's farm where I spent so much of my childhood years!

A friend of ours has beautiful working horses that made me think to design this...

Everyone of these designs were initially created for someone I care about.

This is why I do it... it is what drives me more than the handwork itself.

I have made and sold some of these designs many times over,  and I have gifted even more.  I get the same reaction every time someone gets one... Joy, Gratitude, I've even had some tears!

Awe - it's so worth making someone happy! 

That's why I do it! 

THE LADIES OF SUMMER!

A few posts back, I was discussing a new mug rug that I designed for my soon to be daughter-in-law's birthday.

The idea actually started with the dress cards that I make.  Every time I make a dress card, I feel like I want to add a hat to the dress.  It's really just a thing I have about hats!

I love them!  I so wish that women wore more hats.  Having said that -  I really do believe that hats are starting to make a comeback, there certainly are more  knit and crochet hat patterns than there have ever been on my pattern sites.

I digress - so back to the birthday card - I made a dress card for the birthday gal and I wanted to make a mug rug for her as well, as I had made one for my son the month before.  I looked at all my designs and really wanted something different...

So I decided I would try something with a hat.

A hat on it's own is only a hat - but put it on a head, with a neck and shoulders, and you have a lady...

And the Ladies of Summer was born.

This is the one I made for Sasha... she was my prototype....

I tried this design with another arm and even gloves...

 

but I eventually went back to the one arm, no glove design, mainly because they looked better when quilted...

 

The second design started this way...

But I didn't like having to paint on a eye, so I lowered the brim of the hat, got rid of the eye and ended up with this lady.

The third lady is shy, pensive and I think totally adorable... and she is mostly hat!  I think I might love this one the most!

And the final lady is a blast of style... The hat may be smaller, but it is certainly a statement of it's own!

So far I have only done these 4 styles of hats, but I am toying with idea of doing a bride with a veil, and perhaps some Ladies of Winter - fur hats might be next!

These mug rugs have all been sold and I am working on some stock for future sales and some gifts.  

Mug rugs are intended to be little quilted mats that you can put a cup of tea or coffee and a treat on.  I realize that these mug rugs have gone beyond that concept a wee bit, but why can't we ladies have something different and pretty to set our cup on instead of a plain old coaster...

So there you have my Ladies of Summer...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA!

Welcome to July!

How did we get here already?  Seems like it was just May and I was planting my vegetable garden!  Seems like I was also wishing you all a happy weekend, and that was half a month ago!

Hope you have all been keeping well, and enjoying this summer season so far?  There is much about summer that I love, but there is a bit of it that I don't - excessive heat in particular  - and we have had it in spades!  So while I love to be outside working in the gardens and in my yard in general, I just can't tolerate extreme heat and humidity - what's enjoyable about being stuck indoors in the air conditioned house on a sunny summer day?

But it's better than having to visit the hospital with heat exhaustion, as I did last year!

So - the garden....

Well it's not growing as well as it has other years - extreme heat being one factor, but the other is the lack of rain.  We have only had 3 inches of rain since the snow has melted, and the grass and vegetation, and certainly the vegetables struggling to grow in the garden are really reflecting that at the moment.  I have been spot watering, but my yard and garden is too large to water regularly... so we are limping along hopeful for gentle overnight rains and cooler day temps to help the plants.

I haven't been working in the studio either, in fact until yesterday I think the last time I was up there to do anything was the last blog I wrote.  The heat just does not inspire me to be active in anything, I'm afraid.  Yesterday, a much cooler day, was the first day in a long while where I was actually up there working on my projects.

So lazy days of summer, these days certainly are... there actually is something to those lyrics of the that old Nat King Cole song.  At least that is true for me.

Today is Canada Day - a day for celebrating our beautiful country and our heritage.  We plan to take in the local festivities and the fireworks tonight at our community park.  I have never been successful catching fireworks on my camera, so I am going to challenge myself again tonight and see what I can come up with.

So enjoy your first day of July everyone - Happy Birthday Canada!  So proud to call you my home and native land!

IS THE MYSTERY SOLVED, AND THE LADIES OF SUMMER...

Well, here we are, another Friday and another week done.  It doesn't have quite the same meaning as it did when I was a working gal - but then, who said I am no longer a working gal!

I have already finished my first month at the Post Office - crazy as that seems!  I have tons of work still to do in the yard - and I always will have - and this week I have spent considerable time working upstairs in the studio!

No wonder the week flew by!

First thing I want to mention is unbeknown to me (until yesterday, later in the day) another friend, a newer one also had a birthday... remember the lady with the sheep farm I wrote about? - so belated Happy Birthday Diana.


Second order of business is the rather amazing discussion I have had this week from some readers about my little rescued painting.

Sue wrote:
Dale, I wanted to comment on your blog post re: the painting but the computer (my Kindle) simply wouldn't let me. (It does have a mind of its own!) I read the date as "1923 " and googled "Oliver Wheeler 1923". Came up in Wikipedia right off. Right time period, Canadian surveyor; Was also a member of the Alpine Club in his later years.


Laurie Wrote:Beautiful picture Dale. It could also say from Wardens cabin. Hope you solve your mystery.

Loretta Wrote:
Hi Dale; I read your blog post about the pretty painting. I was intrigued by Corner Brook Road and Googled it and only came up with NL so I opened Google Maps and put the name of the road in and found a Corner Brook Rd in Harrison OH:

How wonderful that this post struck such interest with my readers.

I have one more thing to add.  Yesterday when I was at Uniques and Antiques, I mentioned to Louise that I need to find a frame for my picture.  Louise then tells me that maybe my painting is of one of the Warden's cabins up on 19.   Hwy 19 is a gravel road just a few miles from here that leads up to the East Gate of the Riding Mountain National Park.  Apparently there are not one, but two old log Warden's cabins on that road.

That would certainly explain why the painting was found in this community, as we are closely associated with the park.

Could it be that in 1953, or 1923, Oliver Wheeler from Ohio was visiting the Riding Mountain National park and came across a quaint little log Warden's cabin and decided to draw it.  He then gifted his painting to the person he was visiting who lived in our around our town.  Perhaps that person has passed and their family were clearing out belongings, and so they donated it to the recycle place in town.

Or Maybe it's Grey Owl's cabin!

Have we solved the mystery?

Maybe, Maybe not - 

Perhaps this mystery is not ours to solve after all.  But it sure has been fun trying!

Thank You for interest in my little mystery!

As the title says, I was going to also introduce you to the "Ladies of Summer",

but I have quite run out of time.  I have jars sterilized waiting for another double batch of Rhubarb marmalade this morning, so I had better get to it.

The Ladies will have to wait until next week!

Have a safe and happy weekend, whatever you may be doing - have fun doing it!

Until next week!

A HAPPY BIRTHDAY - AND A RECIPE TOO!

I have many wonderful friends, but there is nothing quite like having old friends - friends who have been with you for most of your life, friends who know your good side and your bad side, and love you anyway despite what they know about you.

I am blessed to have a few such girlfriends, and one of them has a birthday today.

 Happy Birthday Denise!  Wishing you a day filled with Happiness and another year of Good Health!

 This is for you Dear Friend!

https://youtu.be/gnA8bbMi-qw

And While Denise is watching the video, I will continue on with my next part of the blog and that is Recipe Thursday!

I had a hard time coming up with today's recipe for some reason - maybe because I have not been spending much time in the kitchen this week.  Truthfully, all my time has been spent working in the studio or garden...

In the end I found the best recipe for this day and for this special woman's birthday.

It is after the cake of choice... or it was... let me tell you a little story first!

My mother was a baker, as a child and young adult, I only ever tasted baking done by her, or one of my Aunts or family members - Until I met Denise!

It was she who first introduced me to the cake I am going to share with you today, and I can't remember what the occasion was - someones birthday for sure, maybe even mine, but I was probably around 16 or 17 yrs old.

Jeanne's Bakery in Winnipeg has been serving up their famous log cake  - "Jeanne's Cake" since the 1930's.  This family run business has catered to Winnipeg locals, celebrities, and even Queen Elizabeth herself.

They make 1500-200 cakes a week, and although they make many varieties of baked goods, their log cake remains their signature and most beloved cake.

The Jeanne's Cake features a Shortbread Cookie crust ( my favourite part of the cake), the cake on top is just as delicious as the crust itself.

Now - I have not made or tasted the recipe below... but I intend to try it out on Denise and John if they ever get out here for a visit...  (sorry D, had to stick that in there...)

I can't believe I actually found it on the Internet, but here it is - Just in time for Denise's Birthday!

The recipe is in the link below.... Enjoy!


https://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/903935035/jeannes-cake/

LET'S TALK ANTS!

What?  You'd rather not talk ants?

At some time or another, everyone must deal with ants.  You know the creepy little pesky insects, that are everywhere outside, and maybe for some, even inside your home.

Do you think maybe you got a better understanding of them after watching the Disney movie about them?  Cute movie - but I still don't like the pesky things, especially when them make huge hills and destroy my lawn and gardens.

Okay, so yes - they do have their uses... where would Peonies be without them?  But that's the only tolerance I have for them.

Why all this talk about ants?

Because after struggling to rid my yard of some mighty big hills, one right in the middle of my strawberry bed, for example - I have finally found a way to get rid of them!

I have tried commercial ant sprays - didn't work or if it did, it required many reapplications and necessitated it never rain again.... ever!

I have tried boiling water - Okay, just want to say - that was gross - and it killed my lawn...

The trick is Borax!

Yes Borax.

Here's how you make your trap:

In a disposable plastic water mix 1 part Borax to 5 parts sugar, ( I used a teaspoon) add a tiny bit of water to make a paste.  Shake it all up really well until the Borax and sugar is dissolved!

Cut a tiny hole somewhere on the bottle so the ants can get it.  Set it wherever you see ants, and you will see them in the bottle, and then you won't see them anywhere.

Make sure the hole is small - you don't want it large enough for a Bee or a Hummer to get in it.

When I placed mine on the ground I placed the hole as close to the ground without actually being on the ground.

Here is the trap I placed in my strawberry patch - don't know if you can make it out - but it is pretty much full of dead ants... yuk!  But proof, that it works!  Yeah!

It is the best ant trap ever,  the sugar draws them in, and the Borax finishes them off.

The huge hill is gone from my strawberry patch and now I am working on the other two hills in my yard.

Borax is sold is quite a large box, you can use it in your laundry or for cleaning around the house, but I would advise ask your family or friends if anyone has any before you buy it, and just borrow a bit from them, unless you have use for a whole box.

If you are using this trap inside, as always, be mindful of pets and little children and place the trap where it will not come in contact with either.

So if you have ants - give it a try - of all the remedies I have read about - this one works!

GOODBYE TO A SPECIAL MAN!

A very special person in our town has left us.  There is not one person in town, young or old, new or lived here all their lives, who did not know Johnny.

Johnny was the first person we met when we moved into town, in fact, the moving truck hadn't even pulled away from the curb before Johnny walked up the sidewalk, introduced himself and welcomed us to his home town.

Johnny looked just like many old country folk look - he was always dressed in a pair of blue jeans, wore a checkered flannel shirt, work boots, baseball cap with a logo on the front from the local service station, or from a seed company...

His apparel was the same working or dressed for the fair, except for two main elements.  When he dressed up the work boots would be replaced by cowboy boots, and the baseball cap was replaced by a wide brimmed cowboy hat.

That was Johnny!

Johnny's work was cutting grass in the summer.  He had regular customers and could be seen all summer long pushing his lawnmower from place to place with his weed whipper strung over his shoulder and a small Geri can of fuel somehow clutched in his hand.  You see Johnny didn't drive...

Many a hot summer's day we would see him walking past our home in such a manner and ask him to have a seat and something cool to drink - and Johnny would stop, sit on the park bench and tell tale after tale of all the things he loved to do and see.

Here are pictures I took of Gary and Johnny visiting on one such rest stop.  It must have been quite the story being told... You can't see Johnny's face but he was smiling at whatever Gary was saying, because Johnny always had a smile on his face.

 
Some say Johnny was simple, or that he was slow.  Maybe he was, but he was the kindest sweetest fellow - I think Johnny was just about perfect.

If you ran into Johnny at the store, he would open the door for you, smile and ask how you were.

He collected other residents garbage from their suites and carried it down to the outside bins for those who couldn't do this task themselves.  Johnny lived in assisted living, but he was the one assisting anyone who needed his help.

Johnny picked up trash off the street, collected fliers at the post office that others threw aside and disposed of them correctly.

Johnny was areal country gentlemen, and he was a gentle man.

Johnny was diagnosed with cancer shortly before Christmas, 6 months ago.  He spent several months in the hospital and then was transferred to the personal care home a couple of months later.

And now he's is gone.

Rest in Peace Johnny.... this town will miss you.


Johnny was only 68 yrs old!