Its been awhile

 I just have such a hard time coming up with things to talk about.  lol   Ok for those who know me quit laughing at that statement.   But I find I have a lot to say, just putting it down on "paper" is the tricky part.   Anyway, I thought I would share some new items that I have made.

Americana Angel

Scrooge

The very popular Chubby Uncle Sam

Find them all at www.handcraftedbymichelle.com

New for 2020

Another new Santa I finished.   Available at www.handcraftedbymichelle.com

Looking to winter 2020

In this time of staying in (which I do anyway), I am creating/designing for the coming winter season.   Here are some new creations from this week.  Www.handcraftedbymichelle.com

America!

Love these new guys (Sam was shown in my last post, but wanted to show them together)!   I sculpt the faces out of clay.   Abe has a scroll of the Gettysburg address.   What ya all think?  28" tall even.  Working on new items all the time is the fun part of my job.

Abe Lincoln

Uncle Sam

Spring and summer - they are comimg....someday

Well as I look out at the monster high piles of snow,  so high I can not even see the porch to the shop from the backdoor.  All the snow plowed in piles to keep the driveway passable has now blocked my view from the backdoor to the shop.   I can not wait until they are melting instead of being added to!

But in my sewing room I have been creating some new spring and summer items to take to market in just over a week.

This Uncle Sam has a hand sculpted clay face!

So many more new items to come!

Yes we have a fun neighborhood

Each year we have a neighborhood party.  Now we live in the country and each person has a min of 2 1/2 acres of land, so we are close by but have space.   In August we get together for a pot luck supper and our 1 neighbor is a licensed fireworks blower upper (aka pyrotechnician) and boy does he put on a show for us!  Plus this year he had a B25 military plane do a few fly overs, I had no idea you could hire out to do that.  Now I should explain we are a smallish town - like 12,000 people ( huge to me since I grew up in a town of 295 people) but our neighborhood has maybe 25 homes.  But I must say these fireworks have become a draw and there are now a several hundred people coming to watch.  He has to notify people within a mile so they know whats about to happen.

Last minute of a 25 minute show.   Notice at the end - a new fun element he is into - gas explosions.   He is extremely safety conscience so don't be alarmed,  Everything is wired and computer ran.  He is an electrician by day.    The large fireworks (not shown) are let off from in the woods behind the spectators - keeping everyone safe and sound.  

A fun country gathering for all ages.   

Sleeply Santa

I just love this guy and had so much fun making him!   He is heading to bed with his lantern to guide the way and blankie to keep him warm.   Check him and others out at www.handcraftedbymichelle.com

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More new Santas

Just wanted to share a few more of the Santas I made.   These have sculpted clay faces I created.   I just love these.   Check them out at www.handcraftedbymichelle.com    Would love your feedback, so feel free to comment!

NEW SANTA for 2019

Alright Alright I know we just packed up Christmas BUT  I fell in love with this pattern and had to make it.  I just finished him a few hours ago and let me tell you I had fun making him.  I have many options and colors that will be available - holding bottle brush trees, lantern, boxes, sprigs, etc etc.

He has a clay face I sculpted and wired arms.  He stands appx 20" tall.  Just a great Santa, and will be a heirloom I bet!  Check him out at www.handcraftedbymichelle.com
So planning ahead I stopped on the way home from market and picked up the batting I need to create my dolls.  Crazy to think that 447 pounds of stuffing will only last through the summer.  These bags are about 4 1/2' tall!  My hands hurt looking at all that knowing I will be using all that.

I guess that is about it for today,  I have a chicken in the oven and made my favorite Blueberry Sourcream pie earlier.   Just need to make some spuds and supper will be tasty!  

Back from another market

Well we made it home from another trip to PA.  Had a great show and sold a lot of dolls!  Always so happy to meet people as excited about prims as I am.   We ran into weather on the way home, had to pull off in Tomah WI Thursday because the snow started falling pretty hard and it was slick.  Good thing we did because in the morning we saw many cars in the ditch just past the truck stop we pulled in at!   I hated to end the driving day at 4:30 but better than getting into a wreck.   Then Friday it was 40 mph for almost 100 miles.  I was so tense when I got home.  And I wasn't even driving!   But we made it home and I am back in the sewing room working on orders and new products.  
Here is a picture of the booth - after about 100 dolls were sold.  I was selling out of the boxes before I even got them unpacked.

Uncle Sam Lady Liberty Makedo Duo

AS you all know from prior posts I a, always a season head.  Now I am onto summer items - and expecting 4-8" of snow tonight - after the foot we just got on Thursday.   So it kinda feels nice to be making summer thing.
Here is Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty makedo.  It is a large piece appx 24" tall from base to top of Sams hat.

I must say this is a great statement piece and would be great as a focal item on a cabinet or shop window!

Check it out on my website www.handcraftedbymichelle.com

CHriStmAs 2018

Thought I would share a few holiday pics of the house decorated this year.   With the house still being for sale I didn't go quite as crazy with decorations as I have in the past.  Did not do the 17 decorated trees like I usually do!   But it is still beautiful.
Enjoy-

And here is a close up look at some of the trees.   I made the ornaments except on tree with all the vintage ornaments I have collected over the years.   

Oh Christmas Tree

I put up the family room tree and I just am in love with the look.  I have not used tinsel since I was a little kid.  I decided to bring back the classic look, and oh my!  The last 2 years I have really cut back on the decorating since I am not having the open house.  But I still do 4 or 5  large trees instead of the 12.  Used to have 17 total trees.  It just keeps the house a bit more user friendly with out so many trees.  Isnt it crazy how much dust those trees hold!  I am amazed every year at all the "pine needles" the faux trees drop - how do they still have anything on the branches after a few years?   And about 3-4 days after I decorate the layer of dust that forms on everything.
This is pics of my 12'  holiday tree in the family room - I took this last year but loved it so much I recreated it this year.   It has all the vintage ornaments I have collected over the years.

This is before I put the garland on the windows, but it is so pretty!

Some new works

I just finished some dolls for the spring market and wow I love the result.   The first are these fuzzy bunnies, they are so grubby and prim - I need to add whiskers - some how I forgot to put them on!  lol

  And this wonderful doll is so primitive and old looking that I can hardly handle it!  And her name is Butterbean - can you take the coolness!  Pattern creator on these is cinnamon creek.

It is kinda funny that when it was 90 degrees I was making Santas and snowman.   Now it is 10 degrees outside and I am making spring bunnies.  But that is how the wholesale market works always a season ahead.  

And lots of rabbits mid production - and some naughty ones with their pants down around their ankles.  

And then how they look completed.    

Well I'm watching This is Us on tv and that is my all time favorite show!   Anyone else obsessed with this show?  

Other news

I have been so busy making stuff for Ohio market and now starting to make for the holiday shoppers.  I came across this pattern a long time ago and went back and forth wondering if people would like it.  Well I kept coming back to it so I knew I just had to purchase it and give it a shot.  I just love love love it.   Yes it is a little weird to make a dead hanging goose, but it fits primitive homes.   I worried about the aging turning out right and it far exceeded my wishes.   I made it up last night and did a little happy dance.   The pattern is by Hidden in the attic.  Go to www.handcraftedbymichelle.com  to purchase finished goose.

What do you think?

Other things that were finished.  The old cabin we hauled home was missing its screen door - we had it but it was in pieces and some not fixable.   So Randy worked on it and finally is back in place.   Looks so great on the cabin.

And on a happy note - If you read my post about my son and daughter in laws dog being hit and killed during a run, well they got a new puppy.  The father to the puppy was the father to their dog that was hit, so there is a connection.  And she is a cute little bugger.  Her name is Kasa the native meaning:

Kasa

Dressed in Furs

Hopi

With that I leave you to go start making a dozen hanging geese.  LOL   Not many can say that.

Tomatoes tomatoes

As summer is coming to a close here in Minnesota, we had a bang up crop of tomatoes.   I have picked tomatoes almost every other day, given them away to relatives and froze some.   But I love sundried tomatoes so I went on to pinterest and found a recipe for them and oh my are they easy and so good.  I made a jar for the fridge and have 2 bags frozen for winter.  Plus making 2 more trays today.   Just split cherry tomatoes in half and toss in olive oil, bit of salt, minced garlic and some Italian herbs.  Spread out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 220 until reduced to less than half the size - about 4-6 hours.  I then put them in a jar with olive oil.  (the ones I froze I did not add more olive oil to the freezer bag - I will once I thaw them).

I use them in a chicken sandwich recipe that is super tasty.   I take chicken breast and dice into 1"chucks,  cook the chicken until done.  Once cooked toss some Italian salad dressing over the chicken to keep it moist.   Cook up some broccoli.  Then you are ready to assemble.   Slice a hoagie bun or sub style bread of your choice,  lay open and put in cooked chicken, then broccoli, then sundried tomatoes, then provolone cheese thinly sliced,  drizzle some more Italian salad dressing over.  Place under the broiler open faced until cheese melts and gets a bit toasty.  Fold sandwich back together and ENJOY!