I have a few new dolls in progress too.   I am excited to use my new antique shop finds – grungy old buttons and antique lace – in some primitive creations.

…and an antique German spun cotton ornament to add to my collection.  The technique used to make it is different than I have seen before, so studying it will also assist in my education process as I learn this old technique.

I am continuing to really enjoy where my journey into spun cotton has been taking me.  Below are my newest spun cotton creations that are still available.  I am also archiving my designs on a new spun cotton ornaments page of this blog.  Custom orders for designs you may have missed are always welcome.

And finally, I have some progress on my first Izannah Walker style doll from the workshop that I am taking.  It has been hard to tear myself away from my current obsession with spun cotton to work on her, but I’ve gotten a bit completed!  I have her torso sewn and stuffed, and her head with shoulderplate stuffed and pinned onto the torso.

After sewing the shoulderplate in place, I shall begin sculpting her face – I will share how I do with it in an upcoming blog post.

I will end for now with a big thank you to Cathy of the always-inspiring One Pink Goose for presenting me with the Sunshine Award, which is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blog world. I am honored!

Some of them were inscribed with notes from the sender in English, and some in German.  Some were never sent, and many had 1 cent stamps on them along with postmarks from the 1902 – 1907 range.

Many will provide the inspiration for new ornaments in 2010.  Happy New Year to all!

I would also like to share a sneak peek of my September 1st offering for Early Work Mercantile – she is a very primitive and scary witch.

Check back next week to see more of her!  I will try to squeeze in some new Etsy offerings soon too.

SOLD, thank you!

The canning of all those pickles in my last post has also begun! I’m boiling the salt water for jar number 3 already, which I will add to a jar stuffed with pickle cucumbers, fresh dill from our garden, garlic, and horseradish root to make Polish style cucumbers in brine.

Once the lid is sealed, we ferment them for 1-2 weeks, and then open and eat! We’re already eating jar #1 – delicious! (Or shall I say, bickering over who gets to eat the last pickle from the jar… after which my husband drinks all of the brine.)

And finally, I went antiquing last Thursday at the Chester Antique Mall, and have some photos of my finds to share. I set out wanting to find a piece that could function as an end table for next to our living room couch, and that is exactly what I came home with. I also found a fabulous lopsided, slotted iron spoon to add to my collection.

There were so many other items at this show that I wished I could have bought too – I could easily have left with a U-Haul filled with goodies if I had the means. There was absolutely no junk at this show, and in some booths I wanted just about every item in them. I just missed a lovely antique doll with a lithographed face that was in excellent condition – a dealer at another antique store that I shop at got to her first, and is keeping her for her personal collection.

My Mom picked up a wonderful late 19th century German cloth doll with a tin head. I told her that if she didn’t buy her, I was going to have to (and I had already spent enough!). The doll still has a tattered, aged piece of paper pinned beneath her clothes with a handwritten note of who she once belonged to.