Kathy Barrick: September 2011

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Mourning

8:07 PM | | Edit Post

www.frenchsentiments.etsy.com

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

I spent Saturday cleaning out the summer kitchen. It was a disaster...a place where Art and I both put everything we were too lazy to put away in the barn or in the house. And a place where we stored stuff we knew we wouldn't be using, but didn't want to pitch. The mess in there just grew and grew. It was pretty much an all-day project and I was thrilled to get it done! In the process, I found a few things I had totally forgotten about, which is always fun.

About eight or nine years ago, I made these little framed paper dolls for a Nashville Needlework Market. I don't remember how many I made, but it was a LOT! (I can never make just one or two of something, it's always a LOT!)

The paper dolls I brought home with me ended up in a box in the summer kitchen and I was kind of happy to find them Saturday. Wasn't sure what in the world I was going to do with them, but happy nonetheless.

The idea for the paper dolls came from an antique framed paper doll I found years ago. It was made out of old ledger paper and was adorable. So, I took it apart, made a pattern and got to work! The doll and the dress are two separate pieces of antique paper. They are place on hand-dyed linen and framed in a burl veneer frame (from Olde Colonial Designs).

I've kept a couple for myself and have added the rest to my Etsy Shop. Check them out when you get a chance and see what you think. Kind of fun, definitely different, kind of collage-y before collage-ing was so very popular. And, I think they would work really well hanging with samplers!

Have a good one!

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Sunday, September 18, 2011

CRAZY!!!

12:08 PM | | Edit Post

Please forgive the lack of posting. Life here in York, PA has been crazy, to say the least!

I'm not even sure when to start.......I'm thinking....Ok, first we had all the torrential rains from Tropical Storm Lee. The roof started leaking, which was a first.

So, Art started repairing the roof. It didn't go well. The more he worked, the more he discovered a disintegrating roof. In between all the attempted repairs, it kept raining. Water got into two closets, ran down walls, drenched the carpet in one bedroom and generally made us crazy and created tons of work inside the house.

So, we started loading up the attic with pots to catch the rain before it could get into the house. While working in the attic, Art over reached and lost his balance and feel though the attic floor into one of the bedrooms down below. He broke a rib.

Oh, let me backtrack a little. Before all this rain stuff started, Art found out he is being transferred from the Frederick area to Baltimore at work. He's not happy about this. We decided at that point, to go ahead and put the house on the market, contacted a realtor and set up an appointment to have the realtor come in and do whatever it is they do. We also had a 20-foot dumpster delivered so we could start cleaning out all the construction materials and stuff that's been piling up in the barn and the summer kitchen and have everything looking neat and tidy.

Art's fall slowed him down quite a bit. He was no longer able to climb the ladders to work on the roof, pick up anything with any weight, in fact, he could barely walk. He spent all day yesterday in the emergency room, learning he had a broken rib, being told he can't work for 6-8 weeks or lift anything heavy. He came home from the ER drugged to the gills, got the on the tractor and mowed the grass.

Also yesterday, my wonderful brother-in-law, Marty's husband, Tim, came over and put a great temporary patch on the roof. The roof needs major repairs and we'll be getting roofers to come in and give us estimates this week.

I spent all day yesterday cleaning out the summer kitchen, running back and forth to the emergency room, getting prescriptions filled, mowing the grass that has to be push mowed and I fell into bed about 9:00.

I feel sure there is a lesson to be learned here, but I haven't quite grasped it yet. Don't plan too far ahead? Don't mess with Mother Nature? Any ideas??

I'm not planning to work too hard today! And I need to find a way to slow down Art. Last I saw him, he was working on patching a few spots in the stone walls of the house, hauling rocks around in a wheelbarrow....all while walking kind of sideways. He also tells me he's going to work tomorrow.

Wishing you all a wonderful Sunday!

(jewelry can be found in my Etsy shop: here!)

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Thursday, September 8, 2011

A Wrap Neclace

12:45 PM | | Edit Post

I just finished this piece and it's been a labor of love. I started it yesterday and just kept working and working and working on it. See what you think!

It has everything in it except the kitchen sink!

And there are a bunch of different ways to wear it!

You can find it in my Etsy Shop here.

On the home front, we are all waiting for this incessant rain to stop. It's been raining forever (a solid week). The roads are flooding in places, the fields are flooded, the pool is overflowing, the ground is like a sponge. This morning we had over a foot of water in our basement. AND, our roof is leaking into the attic, which is running into one of the bedrooms upstairs. Not good. Art is out in the rain right now trying to fix the roof. He spent the entire morning in the basement pumping out water. I believe he is now ready to sell this house!! Keep your fingers crossed for sunny days!

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