WHERE has the time gone??

It has been almost a month since my spring break escape. The weather has been eratic [typical Oregon spring] with some weekends nice and some not. However, we are all 'snowed under' with work, special projects and more work!
We were at our first craft fair of the year, a couple weekends ago. We don't do many of these because we are MAKING things on the weekend! Perhaps if the full time regular day jobs went the way of retirement, we might do more shows/fairs. However, it was good to dust of the boxes, get out the products and have some feedback. A couple sales didn't hurt either. Perhaps the most rewarding -- a couple invites to other fairs from folks who were scouting for handcrafted origiinal products. Right now that is not something we can do, but it could happen during the summer. Primitive frames, rustic frames, kids activity kits, note cards, bears, Oh My Gaudy fashions -- all get checked out and received a good review.
Off to my other job now,

Adventures....

Do you know what this flowering 'bush' is?

I'm sure someone out there will recognize this plant, often used in fence building.

You're probably thinking "just what does this have to do with the Homestead Store?" Right? Not much!! Just seen and photographed on our recent travels. [which should give you a clue]

We're back!!

Been back a while, but work at the regular day job, catch up on my bear business [there were two dozen bears waiting for my fingers] and our fashion biz Oh My Gaudy have definitely been in the way of writing for very long if at all.

The trip was GREAT! We spent time with grands and saw a lot of sites - I'll throw up some photos before long.

Road Trip!

We're on the road again!!

Spring break is almost here and time to visit the grands, including the newest, Johnathan, who is already a year old. Myself, Mother Teresa, Mom Helen, Sister in law Donna are loading up and heading out. First hurdle is over the Siskiyous about 7:30 this AM, but only cloudy we hope. On south to Bakersfield area. Day two to Long Beach to visit the Queen Mary and then nephew Brandon at Camp Pendleton. Day three - on to Arizona. We'll update later!

Getting ready for spring!

Once again it is time to be ready for spring and all it brings us! The new shoots, green grass, flowers, trees, all the rebirth of the season. I absolutely love this time of year, it gives us all a sense of new beginning and hope. Part of my spring ritual now includes a Celebration of Fiber and Textile which is designed to raise interest in fiber and textile arts and crafts. Last years show was a success and this years promises to be bigger and better.

Announcing the 2nd Annual Celebration of Fiber and Textile!
Nancy Fincher, wife of the Exalted Ruler of the
Mountain Home Elks Lodge, is sponsoring the
2nd Annual Celebration of Fiber & Textiles.
There will be a fashion show at 1pm showcasing the designs of
the Mountain Home High School Fashion Design class.
There will be a silent auction to raise funds for a scholarship
which will be presented to a deserving student during the event.
PROCEEDS go to the scholarship.
Buffet Lunch at 12:00 (8.00 per person)
Sunday, May 18, 2008
American Legion Hall
515 E. 2nd S.
Mtn Home, ID
Contact: Nancy Fincher at 587-4129 or email mrs_elf53@msn.com
Please RSVP by May 10th.
There will be various exhibits for the enjoyment of everyone,
displaying different types of fiber and textile works!

What is a Primitive Frame?

Good question, because there are probably several answers! At the Homestead Store however, it means a non mitered frame, made of recycled wood.

The edges are worn, there is evidence of 'prior use' as one would expect with recycled materials. On the back side a portion of the frame is made to hold perfectly the required size; ie, 8x10 or 5x7 or just about any custom size you might request. Each frame is made by hand, from acquiring the pre-used lumber to ripping, cutting, sanding, painting if desired, sanding again. assembly etc. Some of our lumber is well over 80 years old.

They work well with glass and photos, needlework, paintings....anything that would be set off perfectly with a primitive frame!

Not enough hours in the day.....

As we all well know. Because the four of us work full time jobs, it is really hard to find the time for our own projects, let alone the ones we should be working on together. Another problem - distance!! Linda and I live the closest, about 50 miles apart.
Orders for items we already have in stock are easy. Custom orders are a little harder but never a problem because we each have our specialty and the materials usually on hand to take care of them. So what's the problem you ask? NEW items! When we are in a creative mode. Our best things tend to come from the interchange of ideas and developing the prototypes. Does the distance issue stop us? Not at all. We have learned to work around the challenges and thank goodness for the internet! Not only is most of our business done online, taking the place of brick and mortar stores we don't have the hours to be in anyway, but most of our meetings are online as well.
What does this mean to you? Probably not a thing!! It may however reinforce the thought that where there is a will, there is a way. If you want to do something badly enough, go for it. Good Luck!