Meet a Bear Monday

Hello, Bear Lovers....

It is time to meet another bear...

The bear for this week is,

Violet Lefleur....She is 12" tall and

and she has gold mix, fur and blue eyes.  

She is a Boyd's bear, of course.  She is

wearing a white romper with flowers

and lavender trim....She has a cute

lavender sweater, that matches the trim

on her romper and a bow that matches

the print, on it.....I have her little sister,
that I will show ya, next Monday...

I am not the only one doing "Meet a

Bear Monday".....If you just happened

across my blog and would like to see the

other bears for today, click here to go
to see Carolyn's bear on her blog,
Simple Primitive Devotion......You can
also see Carol's bear for the week, at
Chocolate, Crafts and Bears, Oh My,
by clicking here.  If anyone else would
like to join in on the fun, just e-mail me,
or leave a comment on my blog and I
will get back to you...


I hope you all have a great week!


Until next time~


Bear Hugs~Karen

My Swap Goodies From Beryl

We are having swaps on Prim Pals

Forum, and let me tell ya that I got

some awesome goodies from Beryl of

Southern Blessings!!!  She sent me the

cutest pumpkins, a scarecrow, a doll

with her own crow and an angel with

grapevine wings!  I just love it all!

I was wanting some of these pumpkins!

These pumpkins in the bag, have

cinnamon sticks for their stems, and

boy do all these things smell good!

Here is where I put the doll...Is think she

looks good on the child's chair I got awhile

back.....I had these sunflowers in a crock

that I put on the base of the hutch....The

drawers are open a little because the paint

is still sticky, believe it or not....

I don't know where I am going to put

the pumpkins in the bag, yet.....But I am

in the mood for decorating for Fall!  I got

bunch of orange sunflowers, yellow ones,

and a garland for over the front door...I

want to put up some grapevine first, then

tie the flowers on it, along with pinecones

and leaves....I think I will wait a couple

weeks, before I decorate outside....I don't

like to get mums too early, I have a hard

time remembering to water them....

Thanks so much, Beryl....I love it all, and

thank you to you all, that stop by my blog!

Until next time...

Bear Hugs~Karen

Antique Mall Finds

I thought I would show you all some

of the treasures I got at a couple 

antique malls...

I got all this, in front of the flowers,

plus two bread boxes to paint on and

a quilt, that I will show on another

post....The wash pan is in excellent

condition!  I love the red/white checked

apron, it has a lot of X's done on it, in

black...

I love this patriotic milk bottle, I

haven't seen one like it, before.

It is a reproduction, limited edition

from 1998 from Promised Land Dairy,

Floresville, TX....Sorry, this isn't a

very good picture....I have some plain

milk bottles around, another with red

 writing that has my maiden name,

spelled a little differently. I also

have an old one that is a cream top

one with a baby face on it....

Times sure have changed on what

you get your milk in....

I loved this kitchen scale because

of the red around the face of it, I am

going to get it cleaned up and put the

strawberries, I got from Gina on it.

I spent too much time waiting on my

hubby in Books A Million, I came across

this black cat and had to get him ;)

If you squeeze the pumpkin on his tail,

he meows and then goes on and one and

sounds like he is ready to fight!  Chum

doesn't care for him, I wonder why?

Well, that is all for today, my friends, I

will show you all the ladder on a later

post, we have it up, but I want to put more

hooks on it and hang more things, plus I

want to paint the light box cover, the same

color as the ladder, this weekend. I was

thinking that chicken wire across the light

box would look neat.

Until next time....

Bear Hugs~Karen

Meet a Bear Monday

Hello Bear Lovers...

I am going to try to set up my bear

posts on Sunday nights, so it will

post on Monday mornings, instead

of posting late on Monday, like I have

been doing.  Also, a couple other ladies

have expressed that they would like to

join in on it, so you will be able to go

to their blogs to see what bear they have

decided to share with you all!  My bear
for you tonight is Lil' Miss Muffin....

She is a Boyd's bear, she is 8" tall

and she has two toned hair (what us gals

call highlighted)....Must be she went to

the beauty shop!

She is wearing her little muslin dress
with red/cream checked trim...On the 
top of her dress, under her chin, it says
"What's Cookin'?  She is already in the
kitchen, she has her hair pulled back with
a hair band sporting a bow, to match
her dress and she has her oven mitt on
her paw to get those cookies out of the 
oven as soon as the timer dings!  She says
to come on over for some milk and
chocolate chip cookies!  Sorry Amie Soto,
we are chocolate lovers, in this house, you
will have to settle for a bowl of ice cream,
vanilla, of course, for you....
If you would like to see Carol's bear, click
here  to go to her blog....
Chocolate, Crafts and Bears, Oh My
and Carolyn of Primitive~Devotion,
is going to get in on the fun, also....
I don't know if she is posting today,
or not, but you can check to see, by
clicking here to go to her blog.  I
think it is great that others
want to get in on the "Meet a Bear
Monday!"

We got the ladder up, it is the same color
as the hutch....I will show that in a few days.
I think I want to paint the box around the
light, the same color as the hutch....Also, I
want to get some more cup hooks for
hanging more things....I just hope it doesn't
come crashing down!  I got my chain
painted black for it, and for the tin punch
lamp, I want to hang up over the sink, so
they will be on the
list for next weekend's projects....I got my
back, back in place, after hubby rubbed it....
I am a tough cookie, I have a bruise on the
back of my arm, but that is all....If I hadn't
put that basket there, to take out and hose
down, I probably wouldn't have fallen into
the crock shelf, I think I would have caught
my balance, after I came off the stool. I want
to thank you all for your concern, I 
appreciate it so much!
That is why the painting is going to be done
on the weekend, hubby
doesn't want me up on a ladder, when he
isn't home.  I think that is probably a good
idea!  I need to hunt around and find some
more treasures to put on the ladder....I have
pictures of the goodies, I have gotten the last
two weekends, to share with you all, as well.

Until next time~

Bear Hugs~Karen

Hutch Make Over

I finally got the hutch done!

I worked and worked on it last,

week in that awful heat!  I came in

one morning after working on

it, and it was 97 degrees!  Way too

hot for me in the morning,

but I kept at it...We took off the luan

that was on the back and replaced

it with beadboard, I like the look of

it a lot better.  Well, here it is, how do

you like it? 

A closer view....

Here is the before picture!  If you

enlarge the picture you can see that

there are ribbons and flowers painted

on it, but I saw it's potential...I saw

one at an auction earlier this spring

that I liked because it was colonial, but

I had already been there for 5 hours

and it was going to be quite awhile

longer, so we left...Anyway, after 6 trips

to get the paint mixed, I finally got this

one mixed at Ace and it is called

Cherrywood....I can't tell ya what the

color I used on the beadboard, I found

it in the OOPS section, of the paints

in Walmart and they didn't put the name

of the color on the sticker....My next

project is to get the ladder hung up in

the kitchen, under the light....I am not

going to do it, because I was getting some

crock pitchers down from the shelf above

the french doors, and I lost my balance

and I stepped down on a big basket

(that I bought the other day) and then

fell against the shelf full of crocks....Ouch!

I hurt the back of my arm and knocked

my back out of whack, but I didn't break

a pitcher!!!  I will leave it to hubby to put

the stuff back on the shelf and to hang the

ladder!  I bought some black cup hooks

to put on it to hang things from....I might

even put some pip berries on it, too...

I still have to post the things I got over

the weekend, yet....

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Bear Hugs~Karen

Meet a Bear and Down Memory Lane

~Hello, Bear Lovers~

I almost forgot again, so I guess

I am getting old!  Anyway, tonight

I have a Boyd's bear, of course....

 His name is Elmer O. Bearroad and

you can see why, he is dressed in his

striped railroad hat and bibs!  And I

can't forget his red hankie around

his neck.

Below is a close up of him...

He is 12" tall and he has black pads

on his feet.....I bought this bear because

my son loved trains when he was little...

I had a picture of him in his bibs for his

3rd birthday, I don't know if I still have

it, or if he has it....Anyway, I made him

a birthday cake, that looked like a train,

because he loved them, so much....We

lived in a small town, which had train

tracks and the train would come every day

 and stop at the Carnation milk company

to pick up a load of milk....Whenever he

would hear the whistle, at a crossing a

mile away, he would get all excited!  I had

a bike with a seat for him on back of it, so

I would hurry and get him on the back and

off we would go to the tracks!  We did this

quite a bit, so one day, while the engineers

were switching tracks, they asked us if we

wanted to get on and ride!  We did, and we

got to sit in one of the windows and ride

back and forth for a little bit.....Tony still

remembers that and he was only two,

I believe.  It is funny how a bear can bring

back some wonderful memories and a few

tears, at the same time!  He is my only child

and I don't get to see him much....I think I

will look for that picture, one of these days

so I can put it with this bear!  We bought

him a model train when he was 6 years old

and he still has it, it is an HO scale, plus

he has his Dad's train, that he had when he

was little.  It is a bigger one and I think it

it's Lionel, if I am not mistaken.

I didn't think I was going to go down

memory lane tonight, but I guess that I am

wanting to write more, instead of just

posting new treasures that I have found,

you know, some times you need a change!

Doing the same things can get BORING!

We got the back on the hutch tonight and

tomorrow I am going to be loading it up,

if I can keep Chum off of it!  I had a towel

over the base of it, and for some reason, 

he thinks we brought it in the house for him

to sleep on......Ya gotta love kitties!  I gave

him a pipe cleaner and he has been playing

with it for hours....I love it, now I don't have

to hold him so much!

That is it for tonight, I need to iron a shirt

before I go to bed....

Until next time~

Bear Hugs~Karen

Strawberries, Everyday!

Hello everyone, I thought would show

you all what I got from my good friend,

Gina of Catnap Inn Primitives....I
bought these strawberries in a carton
in her Etsy shop, and do

ever smell good!  She put a straw

berry scent on them!
Mmmmm....

If you like strawberries, or you

would just like to add some red to

your kitchen, click here to go to her

blog and check out her Etsy shop,

she has some great things for sale!

Tell her, Karen sent ya!

I have been painting and painting

on that hutch!  I have had to paint it

2 times, plus some touch ups, because

it was hard to see good on the covered

patio.  We have to put the backing on

it tomorrow night and it will be ready

for the big reveal, soon!  I got the little

ladder, to hang in the kitchen, painted,

too....I need to get some hooks to put on

it because the wood had some splits in

it and I don't think that it would hold

up if we put dowels in it, or pegs...I do

have some small ones around here, I

might give it a try....Well, wish me luck,

with my luck, it will probably split in

half.....

I got some great stuff this weekend, in

Texas, of course!  I got a really nice

quilt, so I will post that in a few days....

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Chum wants to thank you all for your

wonderful comments!

Until next time~

Bear Hugs~Karen

Two Months At My New Home

Hello everyone, Chumlee here....

I just wanted to pop in a give you all

and update on me, living at my new

home!  Here I am sitting on my new

Mommy's lap on the first weekend...

Don't I have weird hair?  I know, I was

having a bad hair day, good thing that

my new Mommy liked my personality,

cause it sure wasn't my hair that made

her pick me to bring home!

I think I am about 2 months old in

this picture...

Here I am playing with the camera

strap while my Mommy is trying to take

a picture of me...

This one here was taken about a week

ago.....I got myself in a little pickle, I got

up in the only small tree in the back yard,

and I couldn't get down!  My Daddy had

to climb up in the tree, while Mommy

had to stand on a ladder to take me, after

 he got a hold of me....It had rained in the

night and the tree was slippery and he

almost fell out of the tree, trying to

rescue me....Mommy got the camera and

it kept steaming up when she tried to get

this picture of me....Momma said I had to

put my collar on after that adventure!

I get into anything that my Mommy

sits down for a minute!  She got these

out of the bottom of the china cabinet

and she was putting her candles in there,

so I thought it looked like a good place

to take a nap!

Momma was trying to tie the lid open

on this basket,  so I can sleep in it, but

I kept jumping on it and mashing it flat...

It is so much fun to help!

Here I am sitting with one of  my

Mommy's bears.  See how much I have

grown!  My Mommy tells me I am quite

handsome and that I look pretty dapper

in my new collar, what ever that means.

Well, I better go before she catches me

on here, at the moment she is very mad

at me, I jumped off a box onto her back

and I was hanging there, with my claws

dug into her back!  She hollered at me for

it.....then I jumped on her again from

her painting table onto her shoulder and

I dug in again!  Needless to say, I better

be a good boy for the next couple days!

That's all for now and I hope you liked

my post!

Momma says Bear Hugs, but I will just

say....

Give me a squeeze please~Chum

New Treasures

Good Morning!

I completely forgot to post a bear this

week, so I will just wait

until next week to post one...I want

to show you all this neat chair I got

over the weekend.  They lady I got it

from, said it was made when Oklahoma

was still Indian Territory.  It was made

by, or for the postmaster in Eagletown.

She had 3 of them and I only bought one

and now I wish I had at least gotten

a pair of them.  They were set up on

a parking lot, so I can't go back to see

if she sold them all...

I got this huge basket there, too...It might

become a bed for my little Chum...I will

have to figure out how to keep the lid on

one side up so he can get in and out of it.

I have been working on the hutch, it is

going to take another couple days......

I have painted two coats on the top of it,

and one coat on the bottom.....I will have

to paint the bottom another coat, do two

coats on the drawers and stain the bead

board.  It is so hot, that I only work on it

about and hour or so....The humidity was

terrible this morning, so it is taking a lot

of time.....I just don't do well in the heat!

Plus, I have to work around rain, too,

since it is out on a covered patio, not in

a garage....

On my next post, I will show you what I

bought from Gina at Cat Nap Inn

Primitives, I just love it...

That is it for today, I need to make

something for my swap buddy, for

 the Autumn Harvest Swap that we

are doing,over on Prim Pals Forum.

Come on over and join in the fun!

Thanks for stopping by and try to

stay cool!

Until next time~

Bear Hugs~Karen

Quilt Show

                              

Welcome to my quilt show!

I have a few quilts that I thought

I would show you all and I need

some advice on cleaning them...

Three out of four of these were my

Mom's...Do any of you know what

the design is called on this one? What
is the best way to clean them?  Some
one told me I could put them in a big
spin washer at the laundry mat, but
I am afraid to try that....Anybody have
any suggestions?

 

A closer view of the edges...I love the

zig zag on the sides of this one.

This one really needs a good

cleaning, you can see along the

front of the chair where there is

a dirty streak from being

displayed the same way for way to

long...

More of the same quilt with my

little helper with his new collar on,

and believe me he didn't like getting

it put on!

 

 

I am not sure, but I think I bought

this one at a garage sale....

This one above and below is my all time

favorite....I will tell ya why.....It was made

in "1936" and my Mom worked a block

on this one when she was 15 years old,

with some family and friends of the family. 

This one was made and signed by a

lady named Edna Mae Sauer,

who was one of my grandpa's sisters...

This one above, was done by my grandma,

Bertha Spradling...

This one was done with the same cloth,

but done opposite, it looks like and was

done by my Mom, Frances Spradling.

And here it is spread out on the table.

I noticed that my mom's and a couple

other's blocks were put in side ways,

while the ones on the left were put in

the same as the center ones.....Like I

said, she worked on this when she was

15 years old and they surprised her and

gave it to her for her 16th birthday!  I

do wish that I had talked to her more

about this quilt, to find out just who all

the others, who's names I didn't know,

were.   I can just imagine all of them

sitting around, talking and sewing on

this quilt, way back when...I am not sure

if my Mom was living in the country in

Missouri then, or not.....I assume she

was....She married my Dad when she 19,

I believe and they got married while he

was stationed at Ft. Leonardwood, before

he went to England during WWII....It

sounds like a long, long time ago, but

when you think about it, our lives are

really short in time, like a second in time,

compared to how long earth has been

here...I used to think that 50 years seemed

like a long time, but when you think about

your own life and how fast it has gone, it

really seems like it has gone by so fast!  Life

goes on, first you are the youngest and then

before you know it, you are the next

generation to die.....So, go do all you can,

see all you can see, because TIME waits

for no one!

Well, I hope I haven't depressed anyone!

Like the Mama's and Papa's song...

You gotta go, go where you wanna go,

do what you wanna do, baby wherever

you are.....Or something like that!

I didn't get my hutch painted, because

rained....Then I can't paint out on the

patio, when my hubby is mowing, so I

hope I can get it done, tomorrow...I got

a neat chair at a yard sale this weekend

that they said was made when Oklahoma

was still Indian territory, by the post

master of Eagletown.  I should go take a

picture of a trail marker that marks the

Trail of Tears, it came close to here.

I hope you all had a great weekend..

Until next time~

Bear Hugs~Karen