I'm still here!

It's been quite a long time since I've blogged! Funny how time just seems to get away from you! Over the past 11 months, another craft show season has come and gone, my Etsy sites have been very busy, and we've grown as a family!

Our daughter was married on August 6th, adding a new son-in-law to our family.  We had so much fun preparing for her Victorian-style wedding, and it was absolutely beautiful.  Things never go quite as planned, though, and her wedding was no exception.  Three days prior to her wedding, my husband was rushed to the hospital and ended up fighting for his life in the ICU for almost two weeks before he was well enough to come home.  He was diagnosed with severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, and septic shock.  Before being sedated and put on life support, he asked for us to continue with her wedding, and to make it a beautiful day for her. He also asked our son to walk our daughter down the aisle. She carried his photo in her bouquet.  I left him for a few hours to attend the wedding. His survival was a miracle and against the odds, and we count our blessings every day that he is still with us.  It was a very difficult time, and one we are glad is behind us.  His recovery is ongoing, and most of the fall and winter has been spent caring for him to help restore him back to health.

It was a fun and successful craft show season, and I loved adding my daughter, Emily, to my shows! I am so proud of her and all of her craftiness!  Glad some of that rubbed off on her!  We are having a blast with our Etsy site, Lottie Elizabeth. Check it out here and our website here.

I have recently revamped my website.  All of my patterns are still available, but my website now directs to my Etsy site for ordering.  This has allowed me to have epatterns - how 85% of my patterns are sold, able to be downloaded immediately.  I still can send any of my patterns as paper patterns...just use the order form on my website.  See my website here.

It has been a long, hard winter here in Southwest Washington! We've had multiple damaging ice storms, and have had snow since December 8th! There isn't much left now, but there were snowflakes falling this morning.  I just wanted to crawl back into bed and stay there until it's 70 degrees!  Our lambs will begin arriving in about 4 weeks.  That always means spring is here, right!?!

Wishing you a blessed spring!

~Laurie

Easter Cookies

Swedish Pepper Cookies are one of our favorite recipes ever!  Today I whipped up a batch of bunnies, and thought I'd share the recipe. (Click on recipe to enlarge, and then right click to save recipe to your computer).

These cookies are so yummy! Half of them never even make it to the cookie jar!  I made them for our daughter's wedding last March, as well as for our son's wedding in July.  They were a hit, and I think you'll like them too!

Happy Easter! 

Primitive blessings,

Laurie

P.S.  Here's a photo of one of our new lambs!

How cute is this?!

Browsing through Etsy last night I ran across this print for sale of a Raggedy Ann & Andy set that I made a few years ago.  Isn't this just adorable?

Never know where my dolls are going to show up!  I was at an estate sale last summer and found a raggedy doll that I made 20 years ago for sale.  It was in among a bunch of very nice porcelain dolls. First I felt sorry for the poor little thing...then I realized she was in some good company! 

These little guys sold really well.  I think I need to make some more of them for my fall shows.  They are based on the little Annie in this pattern - Maddie Ann & Jayne.

Lambing time is in full swing here on Prindle Mountain!  7 little lambs and counting! Pictures coming soon!

Primitive blessings,

Laurie

Another Wedding!

Ha! Didn't I just say in my last post that I wasn't going to be so busy this year with weddings?! Well, oldest daughter, Ashley just got engaged, and we're planning another wedding for August! LOVE wedding planning, however, so this makes me very pleased! As this will be a Victorian wedding at an 1850's historic Victorian house, we are having a super time coming up with decorating ideas!

Just two weeks until Easter.  Here are some adorable Vintage Victorian Easter graphics I'd like to share.

Hope you're enjoying the last few days of winter and ready for springtime! Primitive blessings,

Laurie

Two new patterns!

THIS year I'm not going to be so busy with weddings, and my goal is to make at least 10 new patterns! On my way, with two new patterns this last week. Here they are:

Cinnamon Bunny

Cinnamon Bunny is all ready for spring!  You can check the pattern out on my website, or on Etsy, and also on Pattern Mart, below:

Cinnamon Bunny Pattern

Our new prim bunny is hopping your way for springtime! This 17" rabbit is quick to sew.....Price: US $5.50

Speaking of spring, it kinda looked like spring here today! It was in the 50's and my crocuses are blooming, and the daffodils are coming up! It's still just the middle of winter though, so I haven't packed up my snowmen and winter decorations.  That would just be asking for it!

Sadie Sue

My other new pattern is Sadie Sue.  She was fun little girl to make!  This little ragamuffin with the wild hair is just 9" tall, so she doesn't take much fabric to stitch her up! She's on my website, Pattern Mart, and here on Etsy too.

I've been having a great time with my other Etsy site; Lottie Elizabeth that I started last summer with my daughter Emily.  If you haven't checked it out, take a peek here!  It's fun working on things that aren't primitive.  Here are some cute Valentine's Day/Heart things that I created:

Wishing you Valentine's Day full of love and happiness!

Primitive blessings,

Laurie

New Puppy!

Right before Christmas we brought home a new 6 week old puppy! Abbie Rose is a Great Pyrenees; and half sister to our almost-five-year-old, Heidi.  We've found that Great Pyrs are a perfect addition to our farm, as they are great livestock protectors as well as family members!  They also grow extremely fast!  Here is Abbie at 6 weeks old the day we brought her home.

She grew and grew......

....and grew.....

....and now she looks like this at 13 weeks!

It will be a little while until she is a 140 lb. dog like her big sister, but she'll get there in the blink of an eye!

More on our Great Pyrenees can be found here.

I mentioned in my last blog post that I have an additional Etsy site besides Prindle Mountain Primitives; it is Lottie Elizabeth.  My daughter and I opened it in June and we are having a lot of fun! 

We have been working on some Valentine's Day things. 

The PDF pattern for these cute Faux Valentine's Day Cookies/Fillers are on my website and Etsy.  If you follow our blog and comment with your e-mail address, I will send you the PDF pattern FREE through Valentine's Day! I made the originals several years ago, and they still look like they were freshly baked! :)

My next project is a new Prindle Mountain Primitives Ann and Andy set. Watch for the pattern in the coming couple of weeks!

Primitive Winter Blessings,

Laurie

New Patterns and Online Christmas Bazaar!

Finally some new patterns from Prindle Mountain!  I don't know where this year went, but when I wasn't working on weddings, I was spending time with my twins at their college town, working on my additional Etsy site Lottie Elizabeth (see it here), or farmwork and enjoying our new horses!  Fall meant a flurry of activity getting ready for my Christmas shows which are now in full swing. 

I designed a couple of new patterns, which are now on Etsy, my website, and PatternMart.  Loved working on the little Tomte Santa.  As I am Swedish and Danish and my husband is Norwegian, we love our Scandinavian heritage. 

Tomte Scandinavian Santa Pattern

My Christmas Pony pattern was inspired by our new horses, Sammy and Otis!  These two sweet boys joined our farm this summer and fall. 

Christmas Pony Pattern

Otis, Laurie, Sammy

Several of my Facebook followers have requested that I put some of my Christmas show items on Etsy, so I have a small collection available now on Etsy.  You can see them by clicking here. These are very limited, so don't wait! To see all of my Christmas Show goodies, please visit me if you are in the Southwest Washington area.  Click on the links below the photos to see my remaining shows:

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!  

Prim Blessings,

Laurie