A HOME ON A HILL...

As promised, prim pals, I'd like to share a wonderful home tour with you, courtesy of my friend Connie in Tennessee. Grab a cup of coffee and be prepared to see some beautiful eye candy. Rick and Connie built this home a few years ago, it was their retirement dream and, sadly, Connie lost Rick to cancer a couple of months ago. This is a very dear home to me, one that wraps it's arms around you as soon as you walk through the front door.

See that window at the top of the garage? That's where we spent hours and hours and hours just sewing and sewing and sewing! What fun we had though. She even let me park the bug in the garage!

I couldn't do this post without sharing Rick's favorite spot.

Come on in! It was hard to get a picture of the foyer, but I tried to get it looking out from the dining room.

The sights and smells are fabulous as soon as you walk in. There are always candles, tarts and little lights burning.

She leaves her wool trees out all year and they are so great.

This is a beautiful Hoosier in the entry to the great room. On top is an old sign (I didn't get a picture), but we both bought matching ones just before she moved to Tennessee.

Let's go peek at the dining room. It is filled with wonderful prim antiques and accessories everywhere!

I love the one-door pie safe against the wall and how about the trencher filled with old bowls?

The sunroom is just off the great room and would be the most comfy spot to curl up with the a good book or some stitching.

Come on into the living room. Where else could you feel so at ease? We both fell asleep on each end of the couch watching t.v.

The living room opens into the breakfast nook and kitchen.

What a view! From the second floor, you can look down into the living room. The ceiling are all wood and just spectacular!

Isn't the kitchen the heart of the home? It sure is here! We ate the best meals while I was there, some inside and some outside.

Love the island with the old tractor seat sitting on top of it.

Aren't the signs just the best?

The master bath is just like a spa.

Right down to the old vintage dress hanging in front of the shower.

Couldn't show you Connie's house without showing you the mustard pie safe that came all the way from Holly Hills Primitives!

One of my favorite room is the breakfast nook. It is so bright and sunny and PRIM!

This half bath off the foyer is adorable. The cutting board with the old soap dish is as cute as can be!

Those old crows are near and dear to my heart. We each bought them on some of explorations of years ago.

Is this a cozy guest room or what? Who wouldn't want to dream away the hours here? I forgot to take pictures of the other guest room and I deleted the master bedroom by mistake!

Even the laundry room is wonderful! Her mom's African violets thrive in this room.

We spent a lot of time on the deck - whe it wasn't raining. Wish I would have taken a picture when all of our doll parts were drying out there!

This old "chicken coop" was all dressed for fall.

Connie's gardens are just exquisite, even though it is getting almost past the garden season. I loved this area under the deck.

Oh yes! Just prim garden perfect! This garden is filled with the greatest "junk" (I say that with love). Just walk through the arbor and follow the stepping stones to heaven.

Wish I could have seen this when it was in full bloom, I just know it was out of this world!

This garden is all along the side of the house next to the driveway. What a treat when you drive in!

My favorite place was to set on the front porch and gaze at the mountains in the distance. As much as I miss my friend, I can understand the calling of the mountains. It is magical! So there you have it, a beautiful home filled with love from my beautiful friend. Thank you Connie for sharing with us and for a time I will never forget.

Before I leave you, I had to share a picture of another home down the road from Connie. Every time I've been there, I just yearn to see the inside of this house. It is so beautiful, right down to the last blade of grass!

Even the mailbox was dressed in all of autumn's glory.

I hope you all enjoyed the tour and you're having a restful weekend. The weather is cold, windy and rainy in Michigan. I'm looking forward to a Sunday of rest, movies and maybe a little stitchin'.

Until next time...

HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN...

Hi Prim Pals! Well, I'm back from Tennessee and what a GREAT time I had with my friend Connie. We hadn't seen each other in over a year, so we had a blast just having so much time to catch up on everything that had happened to each of us. You'll be in for a treat on my next blog, I'll be taking you on a tour of her beautiful home. I wanted to share with you a couple great shops we visited while out exploring.
If you're ever in the Pigeon Forge area, you won't want to miss Rebecca's Thyme. It is filled with wonderful primitive eye candy! The shop is so welcoming the minute you walk through the door. Mark your calendars for her holiday open house on November 5th, 2011. The address of the shop is 1135 Wears Valley Road, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863, and you can visit online at www.rebeccasthyme.com - so be sure to check it out.

I'd like you to meet my friends Connie and Rebecca. We went out for a delicious breakfast and then on to the shop for some fun and conversation. I loved it all!

The outside decorating was so much fun. Of course Connie made most of the scarecrows and they are just a hoot!

It was a beautiful day and it was so much fun to see Connie's creations (a/k/a The Funky Tennessee Artist) in Rebecca's shop.

What a welcoming "centerpiece" when you walk into the shop! Can't wait to go back and I'm hoping that Connie and Rebecca will make a trip up this way before too long. Thank you Rebecca for your hospitality!

Another great shop we visited was The Speckled Hen at 708 South Charles Seivers Blvd, Clinton, TN. Sharon and her husband also have some wonderful primitives and the shop is beautiful!

I was so glad that we got to see Sharon at the antique show in Clinton, since her hubby was "manning" the shop that day. I had met Sharon in Waynesville, OH awhile back and it was so nice to visit with her again. Sharon's Christmas Open House will be held November 4th from 10-5 and November 5th from 10-4. Hope you're in the area and can make both open houses! It will be well worth you time.

Connie and I sewed until our fingers were bleeding (not really that bad), but my car was so full of handmades that I couldn't have fit one more thing inside. The people on the highway were getting a good laugh at the reindeer in my front seat! Can't wait until I can put all of these new goodies out for our own November 5th and 6th open house.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip. I'll be posting lots of new pictures soon. I want to thank Connie for sharing her warm and inviting home - a place that feels like home to me. I miss her already, but hopefully we won't have to wait so long to see each other again.

Now don't forget! Tomorrow evening from 5-9 p.m. (October 14th) is our third annual Witch's Nite Out at Holly Hills Primitives. Wear your best witch's finery and get discounts on all fall and Halloween items. We will be having treats, best costume prize, door prize and just plain old downhome fun. Hope to see you there!!!

Until next time...

HOLLY HILLS PRIMITIVES EVENTS...

Good evening Prim Pals. This is a no picture post, but full of information. Dick and I thought you might be interested in the upcoming events at Holly Hills Primitives. There will be more added a little later, but here's what's coming so far:
October 5 - Halloween Car Cruise (last cruise of the year)
October 12 - Full Hunter's Moon Walk (7 p.m.)
October 14 - Witch's Nite Out at Holly Hills Primitives (5-9 p.m.)
October 29 - Hollyween - downtown trick or treating, children's parade, and lots more
November 3-4 - Holly Hills Primitives will be closed
November 5-6 - Holly Hills Primitives Holiday Open House
November 11 - Ladies Nite Out (All of downtown Holly)
December 9-11 - Annual Holly Dicken's Festival
So be sure to come have some fun with us during this holiday season.
I'm getting so excited. I'm leaving for Tennessee on Thursday morning, but don't worry, Dick is going to "man" the shop while I'm gone. I'm going to visit my friend Connie and we are going to sew, sew, sew for Christmas at the shop. We are also going to the Clinton, TN antique show and having dinner (and shopping) with Rebecca from Rebecca's Thyme in Pigeon Forge, TN. Connie and I haven't seen each other in over a year and we're long overdue! I hope to have lots of new handmades to put our for our open house, along with all of the other stacked up boxes waiting to come out for Christmas. SO - I will talk to you again next week after my trip.
Have a great weekend, it's supposed to be beautiful. The perfect weekend to go to the cider mill, take a drive in the country and enjoy fall to the fullest extent.
Until next time...

FUN FALL WEEKEND...

Good Monday morning prim pals! Just wanted to share some fun pictures with you today. Last Thursday, Gannon came to the shop and I had him try on a WWII navy uniform and it fit him perfect. Sorry the above picture is so blurry (and sideways), but he was just adorable!

Please send out lots of prayers, as Gannon went back to the hospital on Friday. Hope he's home soon and coming to help me at the shop.

Look who was our visitor on Friday! This guy is a Hyasynth McCaw (rare) and is 102 days old. Most of you don't know it, but I'm SOOO afraid of inside birds. I was so leary of going into Zanie Janie's with this guy in there.

Bill and Vickie are the owners and the bird thinks Bill is his mother!

Now, I just had to put this on for my friend Connie. She will NEVER believe that it's me petting a BIRD! He was so sweet (and even potty trained to go outside). I ALMOST held him, but I'm not quite there yet.

Our Joe had a ball.

Ashley brought Lucy, Abbey and Jessica down to see him, but Lucy only got brave enough to touch his tail feathers.

Oh yes Connie, that's me petting him again.

Even Ashley was brave enough for him to set on her arm. Thanks Bill and Vickie for sharing.

Saturday night Dick, Abbey and I went up to the Little House to put up some storm windows, fold down the kid's camper, and get the boat ready for storage. On the way home, we had to make our annual stop at this pumpkin patch.

Abbey and I four just the right ones for her house, our house and a little one to take home to Lucy so she could hold it.

Dick helped us find "just the right ones".

All loaded up and ready to head back to Holly.

I'd like to thank all of our wonderful customers that came into the shop on Saturday. The Holly Antique Show was in the street and it was SOOOO cold! Lots of people came in to get warm and we sold lots of goodies. It was fun to see our old friends and to meet lots of new ones.

This Wednesday evening is the last car cruise for the year and it's a biggie. The Halloween cruise! The people dress up, pass out candy and it is packed. We'll miss all of our summer friends.

Well, that's my weekend. Hope you had fun too!

Until next time...