Dirty Olde Rag Ball Bowl Fillers... DUH!!!

Hey There All,

Just finished up these dirty rag ball bowl fillers this afternoon.
I've had them made for over a week, and finally found the time today to get them grunged up.

I have to tell you all the "duh" moment behind these rag balls.

I had the two wood knitting needles, and knew I wanted to display them in a wood bowl with some rag balls. I went in search of rag balls on ebay, and was shocked at the cost for vintage rag balls.. Average price was $20-$25.00 each!!!! I'm thinking I need at least 8-10, and there is no way I am paying that for them. There was some homemade plaid and check ones, but I didn't want any checks. I did bid on a set of 3, and lost the bid.
I then was doing a google search for rag balls when I had my duh, you dumb dumb, why not just make some yourself... :)

I am an avid crafter and have been my whole life. My Mom & Grandma were both seamstresses, and I grew up sewing, and watching the two of them make everything imaginable. Why in the world was I looking for these on ebay when I can make them myself...Duh!

Anyways here they are. I wanted them pretty grunged up, so I went pretty heavy on the cinnamon.




I just have to include this picture. Capt. Jack wanted in on the picture taking!! Please excuse the piece of paper in the background on the sofa. Capt. Jack brought it up there with him to play with. :)

Blog Giveaway!

Hey Everyone,

It's time for the giveaway I promised in my first post!! Yay!!!
In keeping with the theme of my giveaway, I will be drawing the winning name on July 4th!

Here is all you need to do in order to have your name entered for the giveaway.

Sign up to follow my blog!!! That simple!!! Those who are already following will automatically have their names entered.

Those who blog about the my givaway will have their names entered a second time, and if you leave a comment I will enter your name a third time.

3 chances to win, so spread the word!! If you don't have a blog email me at kimberly_seaman@yahoo.com and I will enter your name. Good Luck!

The winner will receive our Wounded Warriors Wood Flag. The flag measures a very generous 24"x32". It is made from 1 1/2" wood slats. Painted using milk paints in Olde Navy, Country Red and Olde Parchment.The flag is slightly distressed and antiqued for a nice warm look. Has a wire secured on the back for hanging, and has an indoor/outdoor sealer applied.




Also included in the giveaway are my pinwheels and bowl fillers!




The pinwheels are made from reproduction civil war material in blues, reds, and whites. There is an antique bone button sewn in the center of each pinwheel, and a rusty bell. They are secured to stained wood dowels, and have aged cheesecloth attached to the stems. They are nestled inside a rusty bucket with a bit of spanish moss.






There are 3 star and 3 flag bowl fillers. I have attached little pockets to the front of the stars and filled them with red pip berries and sweet annie. The flags have twine wrapped around them with a rusty bell attached, and sweet annie tucked begind the twine.They have all been aged for a beautiful prim look!!!

Father's Day Fun!

Good Morning,

I'm just a bit sunburned after spending the day in the sun yesterday. I burn very easy to begin with, and then some of the medication I take makes me even more sensitive to the sun. Uggg.. :(
I did use sunscreen, but I guess I am super duper sensitive to the sun. :)

What a wonderful Father's Day we had!
Ed has been away this past month for work, and arrived home late Saturday night. Adam and I picked him up at the airport at midnight. By the time we got home it was close to 1:00AM, and it was off to bed for us all.

We woke to a beautiful Sunday morning, and plans to do nothing other then have some fun with Dad!!!! We spent the day playing in the pool,barbecuing,and just enjoying our family!

Ed is home for a week, and then back out on the road for another month. The kids really do miss him when he's gone,especially Anna & Jordon. We all miss him, but the younger two have a harder time with Daddy gone for so long.
With only a week at home, I don't think much will get done with the house. I do hope we can at least get the dinning area finished up while he is here. It is so close to being finished, and I want at least one room to be completed.
I'll be posting pictures as we finish up the dinning area. Hopefully this week!!
Have a blessed day!

Our two princesses...Megan & Anna

Jordon & Anna

Daddy & Anna

Ryan :)

Wounded Warriors Wood Flag

Just wanted to do a quick update that I have added the new button to the website for the Giving Works, and also show you all the beautiful wood flag we have hand crafted as part of the items we will be adding to that category.


I have to tell you this flag is gorgeous!! I love our flag not matter what size or material it is made from, but this is a thing of beauty, and I must say, crafted with nothing but love. We used 1 1/2" wood slats to construct the flag, and then painted the individual slats using Milk Paints in Olde Navy, Country Red and Olde Parchment. Then we slightly distressed and antiqued it. We attached a heavy wire on the back for hanging.



I am so excited about the "Wounded Warriors Project", and opening up this new category in support of our brave men & women in uniform.

My First Post

Welcome to my blog. This is all new to me, so please be patient while I learn my way around blogland. :) My plan for this blog is to be able to share thoughts, ideas, projects, and whatever else comes up. I love Early American History which naturally lead me to my love for Early American/ Colonial/Primitive Decorating. I shop for it, I make it, I bargain for it, I save for it, but I try to balance that obsession with other things too... :)

I think my first post will be just a teeny bit about me and what is going on in my heart & soul right now.

My name is Kim, and I am a stay at home to my 5 children. I have been married for 21 years to my best friend Ed, who has served our entire marriage in the US Army, and just retired recently Oct. of 2008. Life has been hectic to say the least with the moves, and the new places, faces, and challenges. Being an Army wife can be a struggle at times, but worth the sacrafic that we take in defense of our great nation. If I had to do it all over again I would not change a thing. At least when it comes to standing behind Ed, and his decision to serve his country these past 20 some years. Now we are onto new things! Ed now works for SRI (Stanford Research Institute) but still is involved through his work with the military. There is a bit of travel for him (a month at a time) but I'm use to it now, and at least I know he is safe. His deployment to Iraq was one of the hardest times in my life, and though we all came through it safe and sound, I would not want to have to go through that again.

My heart goes out to those who are living right now with spouses deployed to the Middle East.

It is a hard thing to live every day with the worry that your loved one may not come home, or come home wounded or maimed in some way. Because I am so thankful to all those who stand on the line to defend what we all take every day for granted. I will continue to do what I can in whatever capacity that I am able to support their sarafic for the rest of us.

As the owner of a home-based internet sales I will be donating a percentage of our sales from select products to a wonderful non-profit organization called "Wounded Warriors Project".

It is my hope that not only can we help monitarily, but to spread awareness of the need our wounded warriors have, and the challenges they face along with their families. At the top of WWP website are the words, "The greatest casuality is being forgotten". Lets not forget those who have sacraficed so very much and ask for so very little.

My hope is to have a new category on our website open by the end of this week for those who would like to make a purchase. The new category will be Giving Works. 30% of the purchase price will go to WWP.

There is absolutely no need to make a purchase in order to donate or send money to WWP. You can go directly to their website and make a donation yourself HERE.

I plan on a give away for next week, so please check back. You are going to love it!!!