Penny Cloth Doll Course by Claire Pruitt

OMGoodness! Where do I even begin talking about this class?

A friend from a primitive forum I belong to was talking about a doll class that she was taking part in. She showed us a sample of how the doll was coming along and I was blown away.

I contacted her and asked to have details on the class. I'd been looking around at a few but they all were SO EXPENSIVE and I just don't have the extra funds for stuff like that.

This class was perfect! The price is $25 and this doll has already sparked so many doll creation ideas in my head...I can hardly keep up with jotting them all down! LOL

You sign up for the class at the link I will give...... and then its all held in a Yahoo group. The step by step pictures are the clearest and most detailed I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Claire sends the actual template pieces to you in the mail.

I am going to drive my mail lady bonkers until those template pieces arrive!LOL I seriously have not been this excited to attempt a new pattern in...... well...... I can't even recall!

Claire Pruitt is the course teacher and doll pattern designer. She has been so sweet and wonderful. She answers everyones questions so well. Each email that I have sent, she has responded right away. That right there is a huge bonus. I can tell already that I am going to be learning so much at the talented hands of this woman.

I took a peek around the other "members" of the class. WOW! I won't drop any names but lets just say the talent level in this class blows my mind!Had me a touch nervous that I wasn't quite up to par with these ladies but ALL have been nothing but supportive and willing to help out.

If you are looking to try your hand at something NEW......

If you are willing to expand your creative boundaries......

This doll course is for you! Make sure to scoot right over and check it out!

http://www.webspawner.com/users/clairebearsfolly/index.html

You will be singing the praises of this course soon!

PRIM BLESSINGS!
OXOX
Cedara
http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"
ON EBAY as thrutheatticdoor........ look for my creations by typing :
Beneath the Attic Eaves(BTAE)

Its about 5am and ..........

That is what I get! The new kitten jumping around my bed with a toy!LOL

Good thing she is so cute!

Comments

Yup! I love when folks leave me comments after they have read something in my blog. Part of the fun of writing a blog is to hear the feedback from the folks that are reading it.

COME ON! Make a comment! ;)

Cedara

Autumn Talks.... will you listen????

Eric and I awoke this morning to a glorious Autumn day. The sun was out strong and that made the sky blue but there was no heat behind the color. The winds weren't strong but you could feel a slight nip in the air.

Eric had just gotten his camera back from being sent away to be fixed! (OH GOODNESS! I am beyond excited to have that back and able to borrow again!LOL)
We set off to drive around some back country roads and see what Autumn splender we could capture with a click of our camera.

I will share those pictures with you all soon!

Cedara of http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com

Has anyone seen my "dawg"??????

Eric and I seem to have lost our "dawg"!!!! LOL

Our friend Calvin, who I lovingly refer to as Dawg..... has made the big step and gone out west to BC for a while. He left earlier this month and we miss him already so much. Eric called him tonight and it was so great to hear his voice.
He is staying with our other great friends, Grant and Carole. They are all having such a fantastic time that after talking to both Calvin and Carole tonight...I felt myself experince a twinge of jealousy! I was a bit shocked by it! LOL

I have been following their adventures by reading their blogs. I think its such a wonderful way to stay in touch besides just emails and phone calls. We can catch glimpses of each others lives thru reading the words we chose to write.

I think a trip to BC is going to be in Eric and my future before too long. I look forward to relaxing with all our friends in their livingroom....glasses of wine flowing.....food cooking on the BarBq and laughter escaping from our lips.

I miss you guys!
XOOX
Tracy

Let some times slip

I let some time slip by without writting. I need someone to shout out to me when I let too much time go by! LOL
So much happening and just not enough hours in the day to find time to write about everything.

UGH!
Cedara

Dogpatch_Primitives ~ Another PILGRIM

Here is another of Patty's wonderful creations. Just look at the detail that she creates in her dolls..... the small ears of corn.... the hat...the lace collar..... her needle sculpted face.

OH I LOVE her creations!

REMEMBER....CHECK FOR HER ON EBAY! You do NOT want to miss anything she creates!

OX

Cedara

Dogpatch_Primitives ~ PILGRIMS

A few examples of Patty's ART!

Isn't he amazing? Set up for display on your diningroom table surrounded with gourds and small pumpkins. He makes me smile. The detail and work in him makes me amazed.

WOW!

Dogpatch_Primitives

Dogpatch_Primitives.

Her name is Patty and I am lucky enough to be able to consider her a friend. This woman is so beyond talented with her creations. I have spent many an hour just speechless(hard to believe eh?! LOL) and just looking at the amazing things that she dreams up and creates.
I dream of some day sitting down at a table with her and one of my notebooks and just asking her a ton of questions. She has already been teaching me so much about doll making and she didn't even know she was doing it. She never fails to inspire me to expand in my dolls and try something new. More small details. Facial sculpting and fine details there. Giving my dolls a story that springs to life as soon as you see that first picture of them.

She DOES THAT with her work. You can see the story that opens and unfolds before your eyes.
Make you stop and place her in your faves on EBAY.
She is a force of nature on Ebay to really make sure to watch and blossom.

I am so blessed to know this wonderful lady and have her touch my soul with her wonderful pieces of art.... real and true ART!


PRIM BLESSINGS!
OXOX
Cedara
http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html

FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

ON EBAY........ look for my creations by typing :
The Work of Thy Hands(TWOTH)
Beneath the Attic Eaves(BTAE)

Sunflowers!

Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul. ~The Koran


My sister Tara took this picture of one of the sunflowers growing here at home by the fence.
They didn't get very tall but the flower part is HUGE and so bright and cheery to see every day.





PRIM BLESSINGS!
OXOX
Cedara
http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"
ON EBAY........ look for my creations by typing :
The Work of Thy Hands(TWOTH)
Beneath the Attic Eaves(BTAE)

Halloween is just around the corner! LOL

You all knew that I couldn't have a new kitten without dressing it up in the pumpkin sweater! LOL
Her ears fit just "purr"fect in the hat but her sweater was a bit large.
My youngest niece Sarah is holding her for the pic!

OX
Cedara

Buttons meets Hannah

My oldest niece Hannah with Buttons all snuggled on the sofa. The girls fell madly in love with the kitten!

Cute as a BUTTON

There has been something special added to my family.
Her name is BUTTONS and she will be 6 weeks old on Tuesday.
She was only 4 weeks in this picture.

I was so heartbroken over the loss of Mao Kitty and really didn't think I'd be ready so soon for another cat. My room and life became so quiet and lonely without Mao that a new kitty just had to happen.

I heard from my cousin about a family that had quite a few cats. We went over and as soon as I reached down and picked her up....my heart melted.
She looked at me with those blue eyes(which are now turning green) and I knew she was to be the little kitten that I was to have and love next.

I had been having dreams of Mao with a kitten so I also know that Mao knew this was what I needed and she guided me to the special one that needed me next.

WELCOME BUTTONS! I love you!

XO
Momma

Mao Anderson 1996-2006

With much saddness still in my heart...... I had to have my cat put to sleep on August 21. She had been having some problems and it became very clear that she was beginning to have pain.

Mao came into my life when I least expected her to. She showed me that I was able to love something and that something was still very much able to love me.

She was not a cuddly kitty. Many would even say she was not a friendly kitty!LOL The family joke was she was a baby dragon and not a cat at all.

In the last few years she mellowed greatly and I will forever miss her. She had a wonderful song she would sing to me that I will never hear again. I won't share cantelope with her again. She won't ask for an icecube of her own anymore.

I will always share wonderful memories of her though. She holds a piece of my heart in her little paws forever. We buried her under the rhododendron in the front yard. I placed a pair of socks with her as she always carried a pair downstairs if she thought she was alone.

I also placed her little snowman under one of her arms like she was snuggled up to him. He was her little "sookie" when she was upset over anything. He gave her comfort and I wanted her to have him in her next place so she wouldn't be scared.

Momma loves ya Minouche!

OX

Sew Many Prims

Have you ever seen something and knew right away that you were going to be owning it? That is just HAD to be something you would have? You could not stop thinking about?

When I saw this new pattern from my friend Sue of http://www.sewmanyprims.com for this amazing little gal and the kittygal...... she was so becoming mine TODAY! LOL
I could not get to Sue's website fast enough to purchase this pattern! LOL

Isn't she the cutest thing ever to welcome in the spooky season?
I have already started sifting thru my fabric to find just the right pieces to create them with.

Sue is a wonderful artist and has the best patterns for dolls. I have never seen such detail in how to create something. She is always very quick to answer if you have any questions. Sue has been a HUGE influence in my doll creating and patterns.
She has been a wonderful friend to me over the years and I am gathering a vast collection of her patterns.
Make sure to check out her website..... she has the most amazing primitive doll patterns and they can be sent either thru snail mail or as Epatterns. She sells many different primitive supplies as well.

Check it all out and tell her that Cedara sent you over to peek around :)
I'm already got my eye out on her wildflower pattern! Its amazing!

PRIM BLESSINGS!
OXOX
Cedara
http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com under "Thru the Attic Door"

My grandmother

My grandmother has taken another turn in her health. She had given us a really bad scare in July and we came so very close to losing her. Family members were brought back home. Many different hospitals happened. She pulled thru and came back home again with us.

This past week, she took another bad turn. She ended up back in Yarmouth with very high blood calcium levels and with her kidneys failing. She is in the ICU unit for now. Her levels are starting to come back down and they are watching everything very close. If it continues to drop, she will be once again back home with us in a few days.

It has been a very emotional week for me between all that was happening online with my "online family" and then with my actual family here at the homefront.

Things are looking brighter already for all.

I thank all of my wonderful online friends who are more like family to me for the well wishes, emails and prayers being said for my grandmother and family. It helps so much to know you all are in my corner!

PRIM BLESSINGS!
OXOX
Cedara
http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

Beneath the Attic Eaves (BTAE)

Beneath the Attic Eaves(BTAE) was created on Ebay and I am thrilled to be a part of this group as well.

Not all members of FOAF were selling members of FOA so were not able to join the new group created.

Not wanting to lose contact and friendship with anyone, BTAE was created in record time and its been great to be able to stay a wonderful group.

This group of friends have me in awe of their talent and I will continue to learn from each and every one of them. They teach me something about my talents every day.

I wish to thank Deb (berrypatchdesigns) for stepping forward when asked to create this wonderful new group for us. I didn't have enough Ebay points myself to do so. It was a bit crazy the first few days while we gathered everyone.

Primitive creations have started to be sewn and you can already find auctions from this group by doing a search for BTAE at Ebay.

Beneath the Attic Eaves(BTAE) is going to host "Found in the Attic Fridays" as our group auction days so make sure to mark Fridays on your calendar and look for us.

PRIM BLESSINGS!
OXOX
Cedara
http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

Another grey cloud....

and yet another Silver lining!


PrimBlessings!
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com
UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

The Work of Thy Hands (TWOTH)

The Work of Thy Hands(TWOTH) has been created on EBAY for the sellers of Folk of Art website.

As I am still creating primitive dolls and creations for FOA2(15th of each month), my work will also be found on Ebay under TWOTH. All of us that are sellers on FOA look forward to creating wonderful new creations for you all to find from us on Ebay.

Everyone has already been very busy with new creations.

Sunday is our new day to find many of our auctions. We are calling them "Sunday Social".You of course can go any day and do a search for TWOTH and many wonderful creations are sure to catch your eye.

PrimBlessings!
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com
UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

Always a silver lining...........

For every grey cloud.... there is always a silver lining!


PrimBlessings!
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com
UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

FOAF closes its doors on Ebay

I am sad to announce that the Ebay group FOAF(Folk of Art Friends) that I have been apart of for so long has closen its doors. I have made wonderful friends thru joining that Ebay group. It opened my eyes to the whole Ebay world and auctions. Being a part of that group will be missed by many.

I wish to thank Jenn(Folkgirl7) and her son, Dustin who owns Folk-of-Art for having the website FOA where I first got to meet my friends. I wish to greatly thank Mary(emmyray347) for going to Ebay and starting the group FOAF to have a place where those same friendships could flourish and grow strong. Her friendship makes me smile every single day.

I wish to say THANK YOU to all my friends from FOAF who in each of their ways touched my spirit. Some in direct ways...other did so without even knowing it was happening. I have learned so much from them all.

I was so blessed to have been a part of that wonderful experience!
XOXOXO

PrimBlessings!
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com
UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

Primitive Dolls heading to Mahone Bay!

YUP! I am working on a wholesale order of primitive dolls to end up in a quaint shop in Mahone Bay. I am so excited! I met the lady who runs the shop while I was in Lunenburg at the Craft Show. She came back to the booth every day and had me just laughing all the time. I thought she was a great lady right from the first time she stopped by.
We did some talking and made a plan for the doll order. Took a bit of time on both our parts but its full steam ahead right now.

An array of my primitive doll are going to be arriving around Mid September.
If you are in the local area...I do hope you will stop in and check them out.

Primrose Lane Gifts
Mahone Bay Nova Scotia
owner: Christa Dexter

PrimBlessings!
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com
UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

Our Craft show Booth

Lunenburg Festival of Crafts

Lunenburg Festival of Crafts

Took part in my very first craft show and really had a blast! Was super nervous as I had no clue what I was doing but I think overall looking back on the whole weekend.... it went smooth as possible.

My sister and I did the show together so that right there was a huge bonus. I made dolls and she offered painted objects. We had a booth that was 10x6 and it was jammed full.

The tables Eric bought and they worked perfect! He now has one for working with the band too.We covered them with quilts and then I borrowed some old apple crates from the shop here in town called Honey and Me. The crates really were a great extra in the display. We ended up in the smaller of the two buildings that the show was held in. I was pleased with our placement.

We even knew a few of the other venders so it was nice to see a friendly face when we arrived.
We met a new face that really helped make our weekend awesome.
Jim from Kentville was amazing and we owe him alot!

The set up went pretty quickly since we really were just throwing the set up together spur of the moment. We had numerous comments thru the weekend on how great our booth looked.



PrimBlessings!
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com
UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

Pictures to follow.......

Yup...... I'm doing my blogging from Eric's computer today and its NOT letting me add any pictures. Keeping freezing up when I attempt it....UGH! I'll keep working on it but i think I'll be making a few posts of nothing but pictures once i return home next week.

Till then..... lots to read! LOL

PrimBlessings!
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com
UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

Playing "Catch Up" with some posts.....

Holy smokes I have let some time slip away without writing in my blog! Bad!
Lots has been happening in my life and it can just seem overwhelming at times.
Will do my best to catch everyone up to speed on things......


PrimBlessings!
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com
UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

Is the F-word in your life????

NO!!!! LOL I am not talking about "that F-word"!!!!!!

I'm talking about FUN!!!!!!!
What was the last thing that you did that made you laugh so hard that your sides hurt and you had tears roll down your cheeks? What was the last thing that when you just barely start mention of it with your friends that you all loose your breath from laughing so hard?
What is a special "secret" that you do?
Is it so far in the past that its a struggle to even recall?
WHY?

Why are you not EVERY DAY making memories that will instantly make you smile upon thinking of them?

They don't have to be something grand and expensive........ they just need to make you smile!

*Paint your toenails a FUNKY color...... even use SPARKLES!
*Get a new haircut....you know you need one and it will make ya smile!
*Buy a package of fake tattoos and place them in "fun" spots for folks to see and discover! heehee
*Buy a cone of ice cream in something you'd usually never buy..... try TIGER TAIL!

COME ON! DO SOMETHING SIMPLE AND FUN!!!!

PrimBlessings!
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com
UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

Tick....tick....tick....tick.....tick.......

YUP! That is the sound of the days ticking by until the very first ever craft show that I'm doing. Its all been sorta surreal up until just a few days ago! LOL Now I am looking around and second guessing everything...... the creations, the display, colors, space......ACK!!!!!!!!
I have a huge new respect for those of you in the craft show world that do them numerous times a year!

PrimBlessings!
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com
UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

Folks are awake now......

Well seems the rest of the household is now up and about this morning. Going to head downstairs and have a bit for breakfast and do my time on the treadmill(Thanks Sis....loving that!) and then get cracking on some work today. If I get enough done, I'll find the camera and add some pictures of some of the newest creations!

Have a great day!
Stop back soon....you never know what or WHO I'll blog about next!

PrimBlessings!
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com
UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

Antique drawers for display

Going to be using these antique drawers as part of my craft show table displays. They were up in the rafters of my grandmothers barn when she sold her house. They had come from the drugstore that my grandparents had owned. The cabinet is long gone but these were too cool to leave behind. I knew someday that I'd use them.

I can't wait to place some primitive fixens in the bottom and then some dolls and misc other goodies in them.

Will make sure that pictures are taken of the tables at the show so that you can see how it all looked.

PrimBlessings!Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT

Where is my paper bag??????

I need my paper bag to be breathing into!!!!!!!!
My first ever craft show is happening just around the corner and I am really getting nervous!LOL
Been sewing, stuffing and staining like a mad woman hoping to creating enough goodies for the 3 day show. Having no idea what a show is like....have no idea just how much stuff I should have made! ACK!
Have some small items that need to get worked on today as well.....some tags and business cards; ornies; bookmarks. My head just starts to swim at the thought of it all.
My sister is also taking part in the show with me. She has been painting everything she can lay her hands on!LOL
Eric is taking time off work and helping us that weekend as well. (Time off cause it starts on a friday) He will be hauling all our stuff into the building and helping us set up. He's so good to me!
There will be pictures taken of the whole set up and the show in general:)

Lunenburg July 7,8,9 2006
Lunenburg Festival of Crafts

PrimBlessings!
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com
UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

Graff Brothers.............. oh yeah!

http://www.graffbros.com/

On the weekend Eric took me to Graff Brothers. We hadn't been in awhile and you can just never tell what goodie you might find there. I ended up with a jar of rusty square nails and an antique banister with all the spindles that had been torn down from an Acadian home.
Those spindles are beyond perfect for my "spindle dolls" and I can't wait to make some today.
Ran a dust cloth over the spindles this morning to get rid of any cobwebs that were attached.
The color and the style of them is so prim.
Make sure to keep your eye out on my website...... you'll be seeing them soon!

PrimBlessings!
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com
UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

Is that really what I see????

The skies have been overcast and grey but this morning the sun is trying so hard to push thru the clouds. Oh having sunshine stream across my room today while I'm sewing and stuffing sure would help my mood!LOL
Not to mention I could use the sun's help in drying my dolls that I have to stain today!LOL

PrimBlessings!
Cedara
http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com
UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

Have you heard?????

I know have 5 ePatterns ready for ya!
Should have a few more added this week as well:)
Dolls of all sorts and some sheep coming soon!

PrimBlessings!
Cedara
http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html
FIND MY PRIMITIVE ePATTERNS AT
http://www.patternmart.com
UNDER "Thru the Attic Door"

My first EPattern ~ Faceless Primitive Doll

http://www.patternmart.com/view_pattern_details.php?id=972&PHPSESSID=461591b42fe124f8664f48d441db5c40

WooooHoooo!
So excited to announce that my very first pattern is now ready for you all at Patternmart!
The set up was a snap and I highly recommend Kelle's website to any of you that sell patterns.

Hope that you all will scoot over and check my patterns out! I will be adding more this week so you just never know what you will find!
I'm going to have primitive doll patterns and stitchery patterns. Something for everyone!

Prim Blessings!

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
AND MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
http://www.folk-of-art.com/members/tracyd.html

EPatterns! Oh goodness I'm so excited!

Yup! Thats right....... I am about to launch EPatterns from Thru the Attic Door.
Its been in the plans for awhile now but just couldn't fit it in till now. Had to wrap my head around Adobe and figure PDF files out! LOL Took a bit longer then I thought it would.

I am going to have many of my fave dolls that I have created plus some wonderful primitive stitchery designs for folks as well.

Make sure to keep checking the blog for the BIGG ANNOUNCEMENT of when they arrive.
Think that would be a great time to play a CONTEST....... so get ready!

XOXO
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
AND MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
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CAMPING ~ by Sarah Perry

My youngest niece Sarah drew this picture for me the next day and I just LOVE IT!
She has Hannah, herself and I inside the tent in our sleeping bags(we are the tiny squares...trust me....she drew people on them if you look close!).
There is a peeper frog outside the tent door because she remembered hearing him so loud the night before. And that would be her mother with a flashlight leaving the tent early! LOL

Don't you like a child's drawing?!

Prim Blessings!
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
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Shoot the Cans

Some pepsi cans were set up on stumps in the blueberry field and the good ol' pellet gun was brought out for some fun. The black flies were THICK and so we didn't stay out too much longer then a few shots each! LOL

The girls sure did have fun though.
I shot a can right off the stump too! :)

Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com

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The Campers!

The girls got to use Eric and my sleeping bags so that left Tara and I having to use just the bedding from my bed upstairs. I should have placed more blankets on the air mattress cause it was like sleeping on a giant ice cube! LOL

The adults were going to be watching a movie so we let the gals go to sleep in grams bed first then woke them up to go out to the tent. We made sure to pee first and have all our pillows and toys.

It was sprinkling when we opened the door but out we went. No flashlights cause I can not stand JUNE BUGS and would have flipped out if one had flown up towards the light. Not a scene my nieces need to see! LOL

We all snuggle down in our beds and sorta chat for about 10 minutes. The girls are just so excited to be out in the tent! I loved it! We could hear the"peepers" out in the ditch and they were really loud. There is a lake a bit behind the woods and we could hear the cry of a loon coming off the water. A few times I think we heard the hoot of an owl too but the rain had started to pick up and we aren't sure.

The rains became heavy but they all fell asleep quickly. Sarah was the first out and what a cute little snore she has. Hannah was next with my sister just SO NOT LIKING TENTING! ROFL

She lasted a few hours and then woke me up to tell me that she was going inside to sleep! The kids never woke up and she popped into the house. The winds had picked up but the kids stayed asleep until 6am or so. Hannah was the first to wake up cause it was so bright in the tent. I told her we had to stay outside until at least 7am. She fell back alseep for about 20 minutes.

They were both up then and we talked about the night. They had a blast and already can't wait to come back and sleep in the tent again during the summer. Eric and I have bought them their own sleeping bags for next time!(Its an early Christmas present)

Wonder if my sister will make it thru the whole night next time? heehee

Love ya SIS!

Cedara
http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
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ITS HUGE! LOL

This is my aunt Kim and Eric putting up our new tent for this summer. ITS HUGE! LOL We wanted to give it a test run before major camping happened. So the nieces had never been tenting before so we thought we'd spend the night out in the tent.
We had a queen air mattress for my sister and I to sleep on. We also have a king size that splits into two smaller air mattresses and that is what the girls were going to get.

This tent even has a dog area and smaller doorway! LOL
Fou Kitty is scared to pieces of the tent though so almost positive he won't be tenting with us!

Prim Blessings!
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
AND MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
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Best Kitchen Help EVER!

My oldest niece Hannah stayed with me for the afternoon while others went out. I told her that she would get to help make dinner for everyone. She was so excited! I showed her how to hold the knife and she cut the green pepper. She then cut mushrooms and some onions as well. She got to add the spices to the speghetti sauce as well.
She also went out to the herb garden with me and I showed her how to cut fresh chives. We made garlic and chive butter.
We also mixed up one of Mari's yummy dips to go with a veggie tray that Eric was bringing over.

Hannah just BEAMED from ear to ear when everyone was raving about how yummy the sauce and everything else was.

We had so much fun!

XOXO
Cedara
http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
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Our "weed machine"

My sister working in one of the back gardens. She had herself sprayed with bug spray and had the special netted hat on but still got covered with bites. Wore gloves this day though so no more blisters.

Mom's gardens look AMAZING now! Thanks Tara! If you love gardening too..... make sure to check out my sisters blog!

XO

Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
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May long weekend and all the fun!

We just had the May long weekend for us here in Canada. It was the Victoria Day weekend and my sister and her family came down to visit!!!

They arrived on Saturday just after lunch and stayed until mid afternoon on Monday. Oh what a great visit we all had. So much happened! heehee

It was my BIL's birthday on Saturday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAN!
We thought we would have baked ribs and salads. Had a birthday cake and a carrot cake(its his fave).
We were going to set the tent up but the black flies were so thick and just attacking us if outside for any length of time. My sister did spray herself with bug spray and go work in Mom's gardens though. We al love the look of a nice garden of flowers but have gotten so we can't take care of them that easy. ( Mom has MS and my gram has gotten too old. My excuse.... I tend to pull the flowers out instead of the weeds so I'm banned from helping in the gardens! LOL)
My sister has such a green thumb and just loves it...... she went right to work.
She pulled so many weeds out that she gave herself a huge blister on her finger! OUCH when that broke and got dirt inside.

My nieces has never had ribs before. Hannah opted not to try them....she ate mostly salad and a piece of a pork chop. Sarah thought she'd like to try one..... liked it so much that she ended up eating 4 ribs! heehee

It was a good day for all of us........ lots of food..... laughter and teling stories.

Cedara

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http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
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It's coming from YOU

The letter you write is going to be a part of YOU going to another.
What ways are you going to make this happen?

I sat on the bed and thought about this. How do I want folks to see an envelope and letter and just right away.... KNOW its from ME ?

Here are some things that I came up with and that you can use for writing to your friends and family.

PENS!
Who says we have to always write in a blue or black ink?
Go to a good stationary store and look around. Look at all the different colors of pens that are around you. Pick a few colors out. There are even different styles of pens to chose from.
Play around with a few until you find something that you fall in love with and want to use.
Use this to only write letters with. Keep it special!

PAPER!
I could so spend hours flipping thru the many different papers you can find nowadays. The colors and the textures. The feel of the papers. You can find writing pads of paper. You can buy sheets of paper at a time even. You can even take it a step further and MAKE your own paper.
Different paper for different folks you are writing to.
Think about who you are writing to and blend their personality and yours.

ENVELOPES!
Who needs to find another plain white envelope in their mailbox? NO ONE! heehee
You can get envelopes in every color of the rainbow. They can be fancy. They can be plain. You can get envelopes of every size and to fit every mood.
Make your own!
Cover them with drawings!
Add stickers!

Remember...... you are wanting your friend to reach into their mailbox ..... spot something amongst all the bills and flyers jammed in there too..... and just JUMP WITH HAPPINESS that they found a note inside from you!

So.... how are you going to make a letter special and unique from you?

XO
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
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Faded on the edges from so much love

"Sharing handwritten letters is one of the best ways to cultivate and maintain a friendship. Through letters, we can always be there to cheer each other on during joyful times and to offer comfort when facing misfortune. A letter can be read, tucked away, and reread later to allow friends to visit, console, and make each other laugh again. When we correspond with friends regularly,even grey lonely days can be brightened by putting pen to paper to recount a shared memory or, if we are lucky, simply by checking the mail."
~ Diane Maurer-Mathison

I want to write to friends and family and have them skip with joy coming from the mailbox because they have gotten a letter from me. I want them to look inside that mailbox and have a huge smile spread across their face because they spotted an envelope and right away knew that it was from me.
I want to write something that will over time be worn on the edges and faded because it has been brought out time after time and read again and again.

How am I going to do this?
What am I going to do that will make this happen?
Where do I start?

XO
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
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It can become a Legacy!

One of the main reasons I want to pick back up the habit of handwriting letters was something that my oldest niece said to me.
She asked me how to spell something and so I picked up a pen and wrote it out for her to look at while she copied it onto her own paper.
She looked at it and said.... "I like the way you write Auntie T, its so pretty. I haven't seen it before."

I couldn't believe it!
Besides the address on a birthday card or at Christmas time, my nieces had never seen my handwriting. I send notes and emails to them but it wasn't MY WRITING that they were seeing and getting to remember.

I thought about how I used to be able to see an envelope and just from the handwriting alone...could tell who the note was going to be from.
My cousin Jenn and how she used to dot her "i" with a small heart.
My Gram cause she used to always use a blue pen.
My Aunt Pam who's handwriting is so UNIQUE and slanted that we used to tease her and tell her to PRINT our next letter please!

I thought about how the few letters I have that we written by my great grandparents are such family heirooms and so treasured. I wanted to pass that joy down to my nieces.
I wanted them to have a box of letters written by me that they maybe saved in a box and brought out to read again once I was gone.

"A letter is more then just a means of communication: it is a gift - and sometimes a legacy!"
Diane Maurer- Mathison

XO
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
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Think about this..........

" A Letter is more then just the words it carries. It is like sending a small part of yourself. "


That quote is taken from the book "The Handcrafted Letter" and it just struck such a cord with me when I read it. Its true! The letters in the past that I have gotten that really stand out in my mind are the ones where the person really took the time to show me a piece of themselves.
Think about the notes you have recieved and which ones stand out for you?

Lets start writing to folks we know and love and showing them just how much they mean to us.

XO
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
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The Handcrafted Letter

The Handcrafted Letter : Get Inspired, Find your Voice & Create Unique Projects to keep in Touch BY Diane Maurer-Mathison


I think everyone should own this wonderful book!
Was lucky enough to have been given this book by a friend of mine (Thank you Donna!) and I really love it. So many wonderful ideas and tips on fun ways to stay in touch with folks.
A note to someone doesn't have to be 6 pages long.
Just a few good paragraphs of HELLO's and what you have been doing and why you wanted to write them. Send them something that will make them smile and laugh.
What a great way to start the day!

XO
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
AND MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
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Sometimes an Email just isn't what you want

Now don't get me wrong.... I love getting emails and reading what folks send my way. Not a huge fan of all the jokes that get sent over and over but I do love a good note catching me up on whats happening in the lives of my friends and family.
I try my best to write and stay in touch....some months I do better then others! LOL

I was sitting here the other night and thinking of ways I liked to express myself.
Writing was one of them and I thought..... ya know something..... hand writing to someone is really becoming a lost art. Folks are letting that connection slip away for the quick ease of sending off an email on the computer.

NO MORE!
I went searching thru some boxes I had stored under my bed and found just what I was looking for!

XO
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
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Wednesday May 24

I am almost positive that I had to actually wipe cobwebs off my blog.
Can't believe how much time has slipped by since writing. Bunch of stuff happening here that I am going to blog about though and see if I can't get myself BACK into the habit of writing more often. I really missed writing and how good I felt after doing so.

SO......

I'M BACK!!!!!!!!

XO
Cedara

http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
AND MORE OF MY PRIMITIVES FEATURED AT
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Had big plans......

But they went BUST!
Seems that the few times I was able to get online that Blogger was down.
Now that its back up and running.....Eric's computer is acting up on us:(

I can't win today! So worked up!ACK!

Cedara

Night isn't quite over! LOL

Shelly and Mari had Megan, Nutt and I head over to their room!
(I left Eric sitting in our room with the map planning our route back home the next day!heehee)

We all get talking about how fun the weekend was. How it was so awesome to finally put faces to names we read and see on the forums every day. How some folks really came out of their shell (Nutt and Karen!LOL) How others were quite laid back (Sheila and Sherry)
How some have a wicked sense of humor and can make anyone laugh( ME! LOL)

Just a nice recap of the whole weekend and all that went on.
Laughter till the wee hours of the morning.
Sharing stories like real sisters of the soul.

I thank you ladies for touching my heart always!

XOXO
Cedara

Sunday Night...... Laughter and Tears!

Some folks had opted to go out for supper. Some of us had opted to remain in our rooms( I had enough leftovers to eat to hold me over!LOL).
We all agreed to meet back in the lobby that evening to say our goodbyes and just chat about the whole weekend.

Some of the gals wore their pj's down.....some were stitching....some were needle punching.
We all gathered around the lobby in the chairs and sofa. Some of us sat on the floor.

Once we all arrived and made ourselves comfy....Shelly made a bit of a speech. Saying it had been a whirlwind of fun and that she was so glad we all had made it there to join the fun. We all started then with "highlight" stories of the weekend etc. Lots of laughter was happening from all corners of the lobby.
The security lady actually came out and SHhhh'd us all cause we were all getting so loud! LOL

It was starting to get late and some of the gals were leaving at the crack of dawn to catch their flights. We all started whipping out cameras again and posing for the last minute pictures together. We all got together for a group shot holding Shelly across our laps!
Oh I love that pic! heehee

Then I look around ...... tears are starting to well up in gals eyes and flow down cheeks.
We all gather for different group shots of each other. Camera flashes are going off all around.
Tears are flowing...... we are all still laughing though. We have had the time of our life and are already making plans to see each other again!!!!!

The "Primmart handshake" is somehow created..... I didn't see the first one but have a funny feeling who started it! LOL Well then it spread like wildfire and had us all laughing so hard I thought some of us were going to get kicked out of the hotel on our last night! LOL

Back to our rooms we go with memories to last a lifetime!
Thank you my "sistas" for making me smile so much when I think about that trip!
I LOVE YOU ALL!

Prim Blessing!
Cedara
http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com

The fabric mountain becomes CANADIAN!!!! LOL

So many folks had brought different supplies to be used for the doll challenge. The table was just COVERED with everything you could think of to want to create a doll with. THANK YOU LADIES!

After the fabric pieces had been gone thru for dresses..... there was a HUGE pile of fabric left over. It was talked about and decided byt those that "donated"......that tickets would be given out and 2 of us would be lucky enough to split the pile of fabric.

Shelly walked around asking who wanted tickets......... you know I stood right up and said PLEASE! LOL Marnie and Heather(the other canadians) were at my table as well and took tickets. A few others did as well. Some of the others took tickets and said if they won that they were going to give it to us Canadian sistas! AWWWWW XOXOXOXOXO

Well.....Shelly goes to the front of the room again......shakes the bag with the tickets and pulls out two tickets. She says....oh look at that.....they are 2 numbers right after each other.

Marnie leans over to me and laughs.....wouldn't it be funny if it was our numbers?!

IT WAS!!!!!!!!! Shelly says our 2 numbers and we just erupted in squeals of joy and laughter!
Marnie and I fought the urge to race up there and nose dive into the mountain!LOL

We dance and shake our good luck booty up to the table and just start pawing it all over! LOL
I then get a brain wave!
Looked at Marnie and said...... how about I take it all to my room and split everything between us. Anything that is large enough to rip in 2.....we each get a piece. Instead of "oh I wish I'd gotten that piece" kinda thing happening.
She was so up for that idea!

Into a HUGE box it all goes and off to my room.
Sheila then comes up to me with another huge box of fabric and says.....take this fabric too and divide it up. WOOOOHoooooo Thanks sweetie!

So back to my room and I spend the next few HOURS ripping the fabric.
Yup.....there was enough fabric that it took a good few hours to rip it all! LOL

I knew that Marnie and Heather live quite close to each other and I thought it only fair to share our new found fabric wealth with Heather as well...... so I packed the box with extra fabric so that they could go thru it in their room together.
When I brought the box and bags to Marnie and told her it was her share.....she couldn't beleive it!

THANK YOU SO MUCH LADIES!
I have enough fabric to hold me over for a while now! heehee
If I could just bring myself to cut it! LOL

Prim Blessings!
Cedara
http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com

Gift exchange time!!!!!!

Truth be known.... I can't recall when on Sunday we exchanged our gifts. If it was before we went to lunch or after but it doesn't make a difference to the story really LOL

It was something optional for us to do so not everyone had done so which was fine.
Some of us had brought a gift worth about $25 or more to exchange.
They were placed at the front of the room on the floor.

Tickets were handed out to those taking part in the exchange.
Shelly and Mari went and would pick up a gift and then draw a ticket number..... if you had the ticket...that was the gift you got to take home.

The stuff that folks created were AWESOME! Stuff was really blowing me away! Folks really put some time and effort into their gift bags and everyone was just so beyond happy with what they were getting. It was so fun to watch folks opening them up and seeing the reactions.

Mari reached down and picked up 2 matching bags with all kinds of that shredded pink stuff from easter filling them. My ticket number was called and i let this hoot out of me cause I got SHERRY's GIFT BAG! heehee

I brought the bags back to my seat and near burst into tears! I was lucky enough to recieive 2 of her awesome dolls! (She had already spoiled me by giving me a doll she had made me wearing halloween fabric friday night!) so this made 3 dolls by Sherry that I now owned.
There was chocolates...a snoopy.....a sheep pez container keychain..... a rag quilt..... doll shoes...fabric fat quarters..... small doll teacups and so much more.

I was so beyond excited! She came right over to me and we chatted a bit.
Love ya sweetie!

The other gals got fully spoiled as well and it was so fun to walk around and see all that everyone had made for each other. I loved doing this exchange!

Prim Blessings!
Cedara
www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
NOW ALSO ON
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Shopping VS more classes! LOL

The shopping bug had struck quite a few of the gals and it was decided that those that wanted to go shopping could go..... those that wished to return to the classes could. I hadn't ben able to get any fabric at the trip to Walmart the night before cause the fabric counter was closed till the next morning. ( I had been very upset!LOL)

I asked Eric if he would pick me up some homespun while I went back to work on my doll for the challenge. He agreed and I reminded him of where we had looked and what I had really liked.
The gals couldn't believe that I was trusting him to go and pick me up fabric.... I knew he would do great! LOL He bought me more then if I had gone myself! LOL

More dolls were being finished and we were all having our pictures taken with the dolls. Lots of questions were being asked amongst ourselves. Food was being nibbled on thru the afternoon.
The shoppers came back and we were all given more tickets for gift bags again.
Spoiled rotten by it all.

Then the ultimate happened! LOL


Prim Blessings!
Cedara
www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
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Ruby Tuesdays!

Sunday's lunch was a treat from Shelly :)
We had all been given cards to fill out with what we were going to be wanting.
They sat us all at this HUGE long table and the food was AMAZING!
I had the best turkey sandwich I've ever had! LOL

Lots of pictures were taken and lots of laughter was happening again.
There seemed to never be a dull moment with our group! LOL

Can you guess who placed pieces of fudge on their salad plate when she came back and sat down? I laughed so hard when I saw her plate and her trying to hide it with a menu.

XO

Prim Blessings!
Cedara
www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
NOW ALSO ON
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Sunday! Classes and Doll Challenge

Sunday was our day to spend doing "business talks and classes" in the boardroom. It was from 10am till 5pm. We actually got to stay a bit later.

We all show up and the big table is just covered with doll making supplies! There was a ton of goodies to be picked thru and used. We all sat at the tables again and sort of floated around each other.

Shelly had gotten us a pre sewn doll body and parts so we could all take part in a doll challenge.
We were all given those to begin working on while the first class was being "taught".

SHERRY! Yup.... our gal Sherry of http://www.anniescupboards.com taught us some doll making tips and techniques! Oh I was so excited for this.
Sheila videotaped it and it was just so awesome. Lots of little things that Sherry does a bit different then I do that sort of made me go " OHHHH that is a cool trick!".
Sherry treated us all to one of her patterns and also a pre sewn doll to create. It was my first time looking at one of Sherry's patterns and I am the first to admit now that it wil not be the last one I own. I am loving her patterns and plan on owning many many more of hers.

She shared tips on sewing.... stuffing..... staining....and stitching details like face and hair. It really was a jam packed lesson and I am so glad to have been able to have been there for it.

We then all got started on creating our dolls for the challenge.
Fabric was being cut and torn all over the room. Machines were humming. Thread was being placed in needles. Bags of stuffing was being gone thru. We were all talking up a storm the whole while.

Different classes were being taught at the same time.

Megan taped a class that was on punch needle art. A kit had been set up for those interested. Quite a few of the gals joined in on that class. I opted not to as I knew I was going to be busy enough in the future and didn't want to tempt myself with a new addiction! LOL

I finished stuffing my doll and had her dressed. Got ready to attach the hair and made an announcement about felting needles. Megan had bought everyone a felting needle and I had already handed them out to everyone. I took the sheeps wool that I had brought with me and showed them all how to use the felting needles. Everyone caught on really quick and were very excited to bring the needles back home and try them some more.

We had batches of dolls being stained and drying all over the place. We kept blowing the fuse using the fans and hair dryers! LOL Some of us took our dolls to our rooms and dried them in the microwave and used the hairdryers in the rooms.

Then we looked and it was LUNCH! 1pm caught up to us really quickly!


Prim Blessings!
Cedara
www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
NOW ALSO ON
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Saturday Night Continues.......

So the bunch of us that went to Walmart finish shopping in like record time.
45 minutes.....GO! LOL

We get back to the hotel and say we are going to freshen up and then go find a room to hang out in. I get cleaned up and grab a drink....head out the door and find Maple in the hallway so upstairs we go to Sheila and Sherry's room. We can hear giggles so we know folks are there! LOL

There are already a bunch of the gals there and different stories are going around and being talked about. Laughter is erupting all over the room!LOL
We stay in here till again.....about 2am I think it was.
(I think we all figured we'd catch up on our sleep once we got back home!LOL)
Heather and marnie join us too. They had freshened up and switched to jammies....only to go down to my room thinking that was where we were partying! OPPs! LOL
Eric told them to come in but they opted to head back up to our gathering! heehee

Lets just say that at this party...... some folks were mooned!
I have sworn not to say who mooned who! They say they thought their tattoo was lower then it was...... yeah right!

XOXO

Prim Blessings!
Cedara
www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
NOW ALSO ON
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Album of my Convention Pics!

For those that may not have already seen the pics...... you can check them out at the following link. There are quite a few of them so if you have dial up..... be ready to sit there awhile while they come in. Sorry about that but I had a hard enough time trying to limit the pics as it was! LOL

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=9806642&uid=2870386&members=1

Have fun looking!


Prim Blessings!
Cedara
www.thrutheatticdoor.com
http://thrutheatticdoor2.blogspot.com/
NOW ALSO ON
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Deep Fried Dill Pickle ~ RECIPE!

The Secret of Deep Fried Pickles:
If you are a pickle lover and love fried things... you are going to go crazy over these!!!
They are a little messy... but so worth it!!!

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup ice water
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
8 medium to large dill pickles, sliced 1/4" or use 4 cups drained dill pickle slices
oil for frying.
(Can buy a jar [or 12] of spears and use them...)

Stir flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in center, add water, egg yolk, and dill pickle juice, at the same time.
Stir with wire wisk to make a smooth batter.
Cover bowl and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Heat 2 inches (at least) of oil in deep fryer (Fry-Daddy) or large saucepan to 375 degrees F.
In batches, dip pickle slices in the batter to coat evenly and lightly.
Fry without crowding in hot oil until golden brown and crisp, 1.5 to 2 minutes.
Drain on paper towel and serve at once.
Dip in Ranch sauch, horseradish sauce... whatever you prefer - or don't dip!
They are just as good!!!

Brought to you by my friend Cindy of http://www.rustedbarncandles.com
I can't wait to try making some of these!
YUMMY!

XO

Prim Blessings!
Cedara
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We adopt MAPLE! heehee

I had been hearing so much about the fabric at the Super Walmart that I ask Eric if he'll take me over to it. Heather and Marnie also wish to tag along(fellow Canadians!) and see what goodies they can get as well. Cindy asks to join the fun as well and we say sure...hop in and away we go.

We are all talking and gabbing about the trip so far etc when right out of the blue....Cindy says "OH MY GOSH.... I'm with ALL the CANUCKS"

Well we all took to laughing!LOL
I said we were going to kidnap her and bring her across the border with us.
Said we had to make her an honorary Canadian and give her a new name.
Cindy for the rest of the weekend was called MAPLE!
XOXOXO
Love ya sweetie! You fit right in just fine!


Prim Blessings!
Cedara
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Its Saturday evening.........

We all make it back to the hotel roughly around the same time. Some stopped for more shopping along the way home. We went to our rooms to drop off all the bags of goodies and freshen up a bit.
Mari asked me to go around and see who was going to be doing what. If they were interested in all going someplace for supper. I hit as many rooms as I could remember...sorry if I missed anyone!

Some gals opted to stay at the hotel and rest a bit. We were invited back to their room later in the evening to hang out and chill. The rest of us went looking for food! LOL
The first spot we went to didn't have the room for all of us unless we wanted to wait 1.5 hours.
Ummmm....no! We'll keep looking!

Mari goes into this BarBq place and they can take us....jus give them a few minutes to get things set up. This is the place that had the bronze pig out front that a bunch of the gals sat on to have their picture taken! LOL
It was a COLD pig to be sitting on!

Inside we all go and get seated. Eric and I shared a booth with Megan, Joanne, Sue and Karen.
This when it became very clear that the "wallflowers" were NOT wallflowers! LOL
We all look at the menu and just everything is looking so yummy! I'm having a tough time deciding but opt for this fantastic pork sandwhich and fries. Some of the others had ribs and a mix of other foods.
Megan, Joanne and Sue ask the waitress to bring them bibs.....she laughs but says ok.
When she comes back...we all laugh....cause they are child size plastic bibs! All with funny animals on them etc. They looked so cute! heehee

We eat our food and some of us have a frozen daiquiri that was really tasty! We were tired enough that ONE was all we needed! LOL

We hear clapping all of a sudden and the staff is bringing out a slice of cake to Marnie for her birthday! We all are clapping and Karen cracks me up cause she got right into it. Clapping and singing along! Oh I just LOVED HER!

Some of us sort of mingled from table to table talking with folks as we were all finished at different times. It was a great way to sort of end the day together.


Prim Blessings!
Cedara
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Amish Tour

Our Amish tour was really fun and I learned quite a bit about the Amish. I won't give all the details away in case someone makes it to the next convention and the tour is happening again.
I will say that I came away from it with a new found way of looking at the Amish Communities.
It was very interesting.

We got to go check out a few bakeries where we had some amazing food bought. The cheese bread I highly recommend! The cinnamon rolls were HUGE and the fresh baked buns...oh yeah!

Went into a fabric barn and just wanted to forever live there!
The colors and fabrics were amazing. The prices were quite good as well but I held off and didn't buy any fabric there. Some of the others bought fabric! LOL

We also got to stop at a shop that had the most amazing quilts I have ever seen in my life!
There was a section of the shop that also had baskets. Once Karrie and I started looking and turning them over....you could see a signature and age of who had created the baskets. I ended up buying the tall basket that is shown in my album. It was created by a 16 year old girl and i will treasure it always! Karrie bought a basket too.

We also learned that an Amish outhouse is beyond SCARY! LOL

It also was a very warm day out with alot of wind and the tour ran a bit longer then I think some of us had planned on. I was really starting to feel the wear and tear of a long day on my feet and in the car.

We finished the tour and headed back home.
The gals were very excited to learn that our back seats recline and before we knew it....all were snoozing! LOL

Prim Blessings!
Cedara
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The shopping! Oh My! LOL

There were so many spots to shop in and it was hard to pick where we wanted to go!LOL
We all sort of split off into different directions and knew we had to be back to the cars by 1pm for when our tour started.

I asked Eric if he wanted to come along and he said sure. We walked along looking in windows and such at first. There was a horse and buggy tied to a post outside a small home. I took a picture of it. I knew that the Amish themselves didn't like to be photographed but it was just the buggy so figured I was safe.

We then went into a few small shops but nothing was really catching my eye yet. A bit further down the street....we hit the motherload! LOL We walked inside this AMAZING shop and I was just blown away. It was all old barn boards inside. Very old and rustic looking. The main focus was their candles which were smelling really great. They had at least 5 different rooms that you could walk around and thru that held everything PRIM that you could even imagine.
There were signs up all over that said no pictures were allowed to be taken.
All of us gals were rushing around pointing things out to each other. It was so funny.
I picked up a bunch of things to be given out as presents to family when we got back home. I also got myself a few prim goodies that I fell in love with.
Had so many inspirational ideas racing thru my head from seeing stuff and talking to the gals that I gave myself a bit of a headache! LOL
I'd go back there in a heartbeat!

There were numerous other shops that some gals went into as well. Lots of antique shops and fabric places. A place to buy fudge etc. We were all having a blast and were walking around with bags FULL of stuff! LOL

Head back to get started on the tour..... most of us made it back on time. Some gals had a bit harder time stoping the shopping! heehee
Won't point any fingers at anyone! LOL


Prim Blessings!
Cedara
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Off to Jamesport and Candle talk LOL

So we all pile into the cars and head off following Shelly.
Eric is driving and I'm in the front with him. We have Sheila, Lauren and Sherry traveling with us. That should have been Eric's first clue that he was in for quite the trip! ROFL

When I told him that my friends were turning out to be just like me.... I don't think he grasped just how much like me they all were! LOL

The topics of conversation flipped from recaps of talks from the night before (hunting; pigs named bacon and pork chop; shooting a crazy chicken from a lilac bush; "all food comes from a store" LOL) to "special" exercises..... to candles..... to sleeping with your mouth open....and much more that I'm just not allowed to talk about cause I signed a contract ! LOL

By the time we arrived in Jamesport I think Eric just wanted to jump out and run away screaming! heehee
We were following the others and all of a sudden we spotted a horse and buggy heading our way on the road. All of us were rushing around trying to grab and find our cameras. We weren't sure if we were allowed to be taking pictures of them in their buggys.
This must have been happening in all the cars as we missed our turn! LOL

Finally made it into town and we all got out with all of us talking at once about what we had seen.
Next thing you could hear hooves clacking on the road and here comes another buggy thru town this time.

We head over to the resturant to grab a bite to eat and then to do a bit of shopping in town before our guided tour was to happen. The meal was set up buffet style and had everything you could imagine to eat. Fried chicken...meatloaf....salads....desserts and it all was for $10 a person.
So yummy!

We inhaled our food and then hit the town to go shopping!


Prim Blessings!
Cedara
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Saturday Morning ....... came early! LOL

We all met in the lobby for breakfast the next morning. Some of us not quite so bright eyed and bushy tailed as others! LOL We were all grabbing a quick bite before we all had to pile into the cars to drive to Jamesport MO for our trip to an Amish community and shopping.

Things had slightly changed the night before. To begin with.... this was going to be a strictly "gals only" convention. Which was fine with Eric as he had just planned on driving me there and then doing whatever for the weekend.Well that changed when Sheila and Lauren arrived the night before. Something WENT on Sheila's car and we were a bit nervous of having her do more damage to it driving it more. Or that we'd get stranded on the side of the road someplace.So her car was taken out of commission and instead of another car being rented.... Eric was voted in to drive some of us to Jamesport and join in on the trip. The gals were loving him by then and he was having a blast getting to know them as well. It all really worked out super.He , Shelly and Mari had "bonded" the night before at the ER! LOL

Almost everyone had their convention shirts on that we had gotten in our goody bag from Shelly.I don't wear tshirts so I didn't have mine on. I did have the pin (oh yeah!We got a pin!) and the keychain attached to my purse. I had the totebag slung over my shoulder too.It was optional if we wore the shirt or not but I went back to my room and asked Eric if he would mind wearing the shirt. LOL He right away said sure and switched shirts.Out we walked into the lobby and everyone loved it!
We all ate our breakfast and figured out who was travelling with who. Some of the gals headed outside to get ready for a bit of a birthday surprise for Marnie! heeheeWhen she walked thru the doors and got outside....we all burst into Happy Birthday while the "wallflowers" sprayed her with silly string! LOLIt was so much fun!Into our cars we all got and we were off.......


Prim Blessings!
Cedara
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Friday Night continues...........

Some of went to our rooms to take our gift bags etc. Sort of refresh ourselves and then we were going to go meet up in someones room to chat and giggle some more. Not sure exactly what time it was....but it was at least 11pm by now.
I took my goodies back to the room and told Eric was was happening. He was watching some tv and just relaxing.

I started to head down the hall with Megan and we stopped by the door to Shelly and Mari's room. Thru the evening Mari had been feeling worse and worse. She had a horrid cough and her throat was really sore. Her eye was almost closed by now too. Shelly thought she should go to the ER but Mari wasn't sure she wanted to go. The winds had REALLY picked up and Shelly was a bit nervous about driving her car.
I went back to my room and asked Eric to drive them to the ER. He of course said yes. So we all banter back and forth on that....as they didn't want Eric to be feeling like he had to do this.
End of topic...... Eric drove them!

So Megan and I head upstairs now to let everyone know that the news.
We went to Valorie and Lauren's room and found a bunch of the gals. We just talked and giggled till almost 2am! I could barely keep my eyes open any longer.
This was when we also learned that lauren can drink a can of Mountain Dew at any time of the night! LOL

We all knew we had an early morning ahead of us so of to bed we went.
Megan actually roomed with Nutt that night as Sugar wasn't due to arrive till the next night and we didn't want Nutt to be alone in her room.

I opened my room and Eric wasn't back yet.
I was just about to fall asleep when he slipped into the room and I sat right up to ask him about Mari. He laughed at me and said that I sat up way too quick for me to have been in bed long.
I was like "whatever" and asked again about Mari.
He laughed and said that she was feeling no pain at all at this moment.
He had left them at their door with Mari saying that she wanted to go around and see who was still up and with Shelly saying NO..... they were going to bed! LOL

We all went to sleep! LOL


Prim Blessings!
Cedara
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Meet and Greet Friday Night

The convention was offically starting at 6pm in the boardroom on the main floor. Almost all of us were there by then. We had been in touch with some of the others that were still travelling. Some were travelling during really nasty weather still so we told them not to rush and that to just take their time.

Many of us were sitting in the lobby just talking and getting to know each other. It was just before 6pm and we decided to head into the boardroom.

WOW! WOW! WOW!
Shelly had really outdone herself and it was really amazing to see for the first time all together.

The tables were round and set about the room. They have white tableclothes and a bowl of chocolates in the middle. Glasses were set on the table.
On the back wall were 2 tables that were COVERED with different foods.
There were sandwiches of different types...... tons of chips and Mari's dips for us to all indulge in.
There were sausages in a barbq type sauce. The other crockpot had mini meatballs I think.
Then Eric had bought all kinds of Canadian goodies for the gals to try...... I placed them about the tables as well. Different kinds of chips and chocolates. His aunt had made a batch of homemade maple fudge too. Everyone said that was melting on their tongues.

There was a section off to the left that held just about every type of soft drink possible as well as a number of other drinks. It was awesome!

There was a huge table at the front of the room that was covered..... and I mean COVERED with bags of all different sizes. Those were the goodie bags that were able to be won during different parts of the weekend.

There was a round table that was covered with large brown bags with the Primmart Convention Logo. Each bag had our name tag on the front of it and we were told to go up and take our bag back to where we were sitting.
You know that there was some serious quick peeking going on thru the tissue paper. Those bags were jammed packed with goodies!

I'm going to try my best to not forget anything but please forgive me if I do.......

We all got:
a tshirt that had the Logo on it for convention.
An awesome tote bag with the logo that on sunday we all got folks to sign the bags. (I'm missing a few folks but not many)
a keychain
A magnet made on a tile
A baggie with rosehips and a mini pineapple (They are from Mari and freaking ROCK!)
A cd of graphics from Cheryl
An envelope with a primpack of business cards from all who donated to our goodie bags
A cookbook from The Pantry Chef (think thats right....my book is downstairs) LOL

Oh I know there was more my mind is drawing a blank right now.
What else did we get ladies?

Then thru the night we had to stand up and tell a bit about ourselves as a sort of introduction.
That was my lest fave part of the night! LOL I don't do well talking about myself like that.
We all did it though and it was fun to learn about each other.

Some of the others had made it to the hotel and we were so glad to see them arrive safe.
Food was eaten by all...... laughter was being done at all the tables.
Folks were mixed up all around the room. There was no set place that you had to sit at. We all sort of mingled around a bit.

Tickets were handed out to us all and every now and then a ticket number was called and you got to go up and pick whatever bag you wanted. Some were HUGE...some were medium....some were small lunch bag type bags. ALL had amazing gifts inside.

Some gifts that I can recall folks winning......

Mini pillows with snowmen face
Dried fruit
Dried Artichokes
Bread mixes and tea towel
Photo albums
Scrapbook albums
Prim calendars

We were all very happy and so impressed with the whole evening.
The room was booked from 6pm until 10pm.

Some opted to head to bed as it had been a long day of driving for many.
Some of us opted..... well...... not to sleep!


Prim Blessings!
Cedara
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Out for Lunch

We were all starting to get a bit hungry so we opted to head over to a close section of town and all grab a bite to eat. We knew that some others were still due in but we had enough time to grab something to eat.
I can't recall the full name of where we ate..... something with MIA in it! LOL Maybe one of the other gals can fill in the rest. They pushed some tables together for us all and that was when we all got to see just how hard it was going to be to go somewhere and eat. This was only half the gals and we were having a bit of a rough time.
Food was ordered by us all and it was SO GOOD! We all were talking and starting to unwind around each other more. Getting to know those right next to us a bit better.
This was the resturant that I learned about DEEP FRIED PICKLES.

Cindy was sitting next to me and soon as she saw them on the menu she said she was getting them. Some of us must have had that "are ya crazy?" look on our faces cause she then started trying to convince us that they were really good. I wasn't quite sold on her sales pitch yet! LOL
Marie(mamaw) ordered some as well. All our meals arrived including these pickles and low and behold..... THEY WERE AWSOME!

Cindy says she will share her recipe with us all but we are still waiting on that. Think I need to send her an email and remind her! heehee I will post it here in the blog if she won't mind.

They also had this dark bread that was served with dinner that had nuts and a ton of other stuff in it. The gals were loving it. I passed on that cause it also had raisons in it. Nutt liked it so much she bought herself a small loave to take back for the weekend.
Our rooms came with a small fridge and throughout the weekend.....we all were cramming food in them! LOL


Prim Blessings!
Cedara
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Friday!

Eric and I checked out of our hotel and head over to the AmeriSuites Hotel where we were going to be staying for the convention. What a complete difference to the hotels we'd been staying in so far on our trip! LOL
The lobby was HUGE and everything was all brass and glass. It was a really nice hotel.

I go up to the main desk and tell them that I am with the Primmart Convention.
Seems I am the first to arrive so they ask if having a room on the first floor is fine.
I had assumed that was all taken care of and they'd just be giving me a key. I say the first floor is fine and we get our key and head in.

Our room is really nice and there is going to be plenty of room to have the gals stop by to chat and visit if anyone wishes to. We place our bags inside and I'm slowly starting to unpack a few things.

Eric's cell phone rings and he hands it to me...... Like he just knew it was going to be for me or something! LOL

It was NUTT again and she is saying that she has arrived. I get all excited and ask her if she is at the airport or the hotel. She says she is in her room at the hotel. I ask what room she is in as I too am at the hotel already.
She tells me her room number and low and behold.... Across the hall from me! LOL

We both are on the phone and rushing to open our doors. There we are all hugging and giggling already. We get a bit more settled in and next thing you know there are more and more gals arriving.

We are waiting out in the lobby area by now and scanning the folks that are walking thru the door. If they looked a bit nervous and looking around....we pounced! LOL

ARE YOU FROM PRIMMART?

Nutt called Sherry on the cell phone and she said she had just called the car to come get her from the airport. We all were so excited! LOL
They pulled up and soon as she got out of the van..... I'd have known her anyplace!
We went rushing out the door at her and just covered her with hugs and squeels! LOL
Poor gal must have been scared to pieces! LOL

Eric in the meantime was hauling all the goodie bags and such into the main room for Shelly. Her van was jammed back with goodie bags and gift bags. I couldn't believe all the stuff that she had ready for us. WOW!

Eric helped some gals bring their luggage in and take it up to their rooms. He learned that I am not the only one to overpack and bring a ton of bags! LOL

PrimBlessings!
Cedara
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