My Country Patriotic Farm Hutch and a Little Freebie

 Good morning, sweet friends and happy Saturday! Oh please come on into the kitchen and join me for a patriotic hutch tour. Ice tea is on the counter and how about some fresh blueberries to munch on.  Though with the warm temperatures,  I think a slice of watermelon would be awful yummy! 

 Ok off to the hutch. Ya'll know I just love country clutter, and I cram my hutch plumb full. Lol that's just my style. Last year my hutch looked like this.

The theme was blues and chickens.  I even used my Blue Willow dishes. You can click here to see more of the 2020 hutch. 

This year I went for a lighter look - 😆not light in less stuff but lighter in color. Lol. 

I used the same table runners on each shelf which was red and white buffalo checked fabric from Walmart. I then added my red and white plates as well as my chicken plates.  So let's go to the top shelves. 

I just love Pioneer Woman and last year I got  this cute sign at Walmart. I just love how cheerful and bright it is.  Beside it is my 1776 Crock that I stitched last year. It was one of my 1st designs. 

In the opposite corner is a spindly legged rooster by the cutest little milk can gifted to me by my sweet friend, Sue. I just clipped a little Freedom tag from a Dollar Tree label and placed it on the wire holder. Beside it is little sheep stitch . I think it is Shepherd Bush but please correct me if I am wrong.  On the thrifted yellow riser is Scissor Tails Designs "Rise and Shine" finished in a mini loaf pan. 

                                     

 I have my eye set on the 2nd shelf now.  - Lol look at all that glorious country clutter. Most of it is thrifted which brings me so much joy. I am so sorry for the bad lighting in this corner. 

                                     

I left my Nanny's red coffee canister in the corner and on top of it is an old pitcher my sister gave me with a little ceramic chicken and 2 vintage glass salt and pepper shakers that she also gave me. In a white creamer is a Dollar Tree chicken and on the blue colbat stemware glass  is Bent Creek's "Wave" sampler which I have never really figured out how I want to fully finish.  

                            

My  oldest daughter gifted me the sweet red truck and camper set . She knows my love for camping.  I added a patriotic hat in a small dish in the back of the pickup. The Farm Sweet Farm stitch is one of my freebies finished on a Dollar Tree chalkboard.  Click on the name of the stitch to visit that post. 

Let's hop on down to the bottom shelf. 

Oh, one of my favorite stitches that I worked on last year. was Hen Party by Little House Needleworks- such a great design.

I just love pulling this piece out for display.  It is nestled on a stack of white plates with a little glass basket gifted to me by my sister. And what is in the basket? Lol another chicken.   I will admit I am a little chicken crazy .🐔😆

My little vintage juicer always sits on the edge of the hutch. I change out the bowls by the season- so for the patriotic holiday it sports a red Dollar Tree soup mug and in it is one of Lori Holt's designs which is a little tractor. 

 The rooster ceramic bank was a Big Lots find from many moons ago. I still love it. 

The Life is Better on a Farm was one of my freebies . I made it into a little quilt using some of the fabrics from my girls' clothes. 

The old scale always stays on the bottom shelf corner. On top of it, is a thrifted dish with a blue and white doiley. I had to nestle a little pig in the mix and add my Liberty freebie. 

Maybe that little piggie needs to be named Liberty. Lol. She is sitting on top of a teeny Dollar Tree pip berry garland that I did not unwind so it looks like a little wreath. 

Well that is the end of my farm patriotic hutch tour.  I am already gathering up pieces for the mid summer hutch display . I know it is going to be in yellows but what all can I throw in the mix? I'll come up with something. Lol. 

Before you leave I would love to share my first little design with you which is the 1776 Crock. 

Click here for the instruction page 

Click here for the colored chart. 

Click here for the black and white chart. 

I am tickled pink that you stopped by for a visit, and I  hope you have a very lovely weekend. If you are in an area that is extremely hot , try to stay as cool as possible and drink lots of liquids. As always..

Happy stitching, ya'll

Melisa

She is up there - Old Glory- where the lightnings are sped. She dazzles the nation with ripples of red. And she'll wave over us living or droop over us dead.  The flag of our country forever- Frank Lebby Stanton

Hugs and Stitches

Home Again , Home Again Jiggity Jig

 Happy July and welcome, sweet friends, Whoa! June just flew by especially for me. I just got back home from a 12 day fun filled, boondocking camping adventure. It was a fabulous trip. 

Highlight include a caravan of camels in Maxwell, NM ...

   

and 4 spry antelope at Maxwell national Wildlife Refuge . They were more than happy to pose for a few photos  and 

           

some very hungry prairie dogs at Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge in Indiahoma, OK.  Isn't he the cutest?  

 Of course there were many more animals that we saw, but these were some of my favorites. 

Can you see the hanging wooden flume on the cliff walls? 

We enjoyed beautiful scenery like the Dolores River Canyon, in CO.     

The cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park

and the Colorado National Monument. 

        

I can not say we enjoyed lots of sun , but there was rain which this area needed- See how dry the lake is at Abiquiu Lake in New Mexico.

Of course no trip westward would be complete without a stop at Whataburger in Texas and Blakes Lotaburger in New Mexico. Yum Yum. 

                                         

Oh I have missed the yummy jalapeno burger at Whataburger- My mouth is watering just thinking about it. 

Each night we slept in a different location as we wove in and out of New Mexico and Colorado. 

                    

Oh there were some hair raising adventures - like a snake slithering less than 5 feet from me at Chimney Rock , CO

or like the "shooters" at Canon City , CO who decided to come in late in the evening and do a little target shooting. Yikes- I hid behind my vehicle in fear of a stray bullet. There were lots of rocks in the area and a ricochet could happen😳😬. We also had our usual flat tire- (just a hazard of driving in rough areas - so we were well prepared for that).  Hubby swerved for a elk who took the opportunity to dash across the road.

But wheew! no bears this trip. Lol.   

We had no set plans this trip - just fly by the seat of our pants and stop when we found anything interesting. Picture me as Clark Griswold from National Lampoons Vacation searching for the biggest house of mud. Lol.  We visited 9 National parks and monuments and 5 national refuges. One of my favorites was Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site in La Junta, CO.  A very nice educational fort with reenactors. 

I did take a bit of stitching along with me and got some done, but I had vacation journaling to keep me busy too.  Now I am back and home and it is time to get to the exciting laundry adventure. I am thinking 4 or 5 loads will get er' done. 

I hope these last 2 weeks have found you in good health and spirits. I have missed ya'll. We rarely had any Internet service when we were driving and none when we were camping. I was able to pop into a few blog but unable to leave a comment since, I was using my phone. 

Now that I have some time to rest. I think it is time to pull out the old needle and thread and get to work on some stitching and quilting . Hmmm what will I start with? Aah I will figure it out soon enough.  

Thank ya'll so much for the sweet well wishes and messages. You made my day. Big hugs and as always...

Happy stitching and quilting, ya'll, 

Melisa

"Take a few minutes of every day to fantasize about how you would wander, travel, or explore if you could"

I do this every day. 

Hugs and Stitches, 

Buzz Buzz- A Little Bee Freebie

 Buzz, Buzz, my dear friends. That means welcome in bee talk. Lol Happy Tuesday. How are you today? I hope you are staying busy and are doing something you love .

 I feel as though it has been quite awhile since I have visited with you though it has only been five days. Lol. The weekend was very busy . I have to say  pool time and family time ruled the weekend. 😀🏊

I did work a bit on Blackbird Designs Antique 1861 Sampler. I am using the floss that I have in my stash, and I am loving every stitch of this design.  This stitch is in The Friendship Way book. 

This will probably be my last post for the month of June - which makes me sort of sad , but I am also happy because I am fixing to hit the wide open road for a 2 week camping vacation . Where does this gal go when the weather gets hot -No not the beach but the desert! Lol. I think I am up for a new adventure though we will probably be visiting some of the same old spots. 

Well today  I am so excited to share with you another real quick stitch that you can finish in two shakes of a lamb's tail.  Now that's quick isn't it?   This stitch is called Buzz Buzz! 

                

In a previous post I told you about finishing 4 small bee stitches in a day. This is one of them. 

        

 I FFOd it on a piece of rough cut scrap plywood hornbook that my hubby cut out for me . I decided to paint it  white for a light summery look. 

I am loving how the finish turned out.  If you would like to stitch it , please check out the pdfs below. 

Click here for colored chart. 

Click here for black and white chart. 

Once the patriotic season is over with I hope to place my bee stitches on my hutch or buffet with lots of sunflowers.  

        

Buzz Buzz looks so cute with the Bee Sampler and Home which were freebies that I posted earlier.   Other bee charts that I have posted are The Bee Keepers  and Bees, Blooms and Chickens  , Beelieve in Freedom  , and Aunt Bea's Summer Home   .  Just click on the names to visit those posts.  

Thank you for stopping by, sweet friends. I will talk to you in 2 weeks, but you can always pop back by for a visit and maybe a quick  little stitch. As always...

Happy stitching, Ya'll

Melisa

Kind words are like honey- Sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. 

Hugs and Stitches

Chickens, Chipmunks, and Ice Trays?

 Happy Friday, ya'll!  I woke up this morning bright eyed and bushy tailed ready for a fabulous Friday. As I working my way through my normal morning  routine- , I peeked out the window and who should I see but good ole'  Alvin the Chipmunk who dwells on my front porch. Oh what a delight, I  rushed over for my camera and a clickety click , I actually got a descent photo.  

Well enough of the little critters. It was time to visit the Quilt Nest. In no time flat,  fabrics scraps were flying and the rotary cutter was in action.

 Simple little nine patches  in pretty  purples and blues . Check- a completed goal for the week. 

Next a purple little chicken was waiting to be appliqued. It took about a whole 30 minutes.

 "Woo Hoo! I'm on a roll today," I thought. " Nothing is going to stop me now!! ", I yelled out in glee." I am going to do the happy dance", I  said to no one in particular. I jumped up  , did a little jig that my girls would be totally embarrassed by and then made my way into the kitchen to  get a big refreshing glass of ice tea, and that is when my bare feet stepped into a puddle of water.

 EEEERK !! Can you hear the morning screeching to a hault. Lol "Oh' darn it water is covering the floor. What  is going on here?" Well it ended up being  the ice maker. Yep that meant no ice tea . "Oh dab nab it," I thought' . Soon hubby  came to the rescue. " Ice tea and back to morning stitching here soon!"  I exclaimed. After some studying, he fixed the situation by cutting off the water to the ice machine. lol 

 Well I guess now I am going to have to use my ice trays for something other than thread holders.😄 

Does that mean I need to use my pans for cooking rather than  holding fabric too?  Lol . 😜😆

                   

Aah ! it is a beautiful day, and it is off to a great start. I hope yours is too, my lovely friends. Thank you so much for the sweet visit and as always...

Happy quilting. ya'll

Melisa

I am joining these lovely ladies' link parties. I hope you check them out; they always have so many wonderful projects going on and provide the opportunity for other needleworkers to meet. 

Angela of So Scrappy  for Scrap Happy Saturday

Alycia of Alycia's Quilts   For Finished or Not Friday

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict  for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop

Michelle  at From Bolt to Beauty for Beauty Pageant 133

Wendy at Wendy's Quilts for Peacock Party 

Life in the Scrappatch  for Stitch Sew & Show  No. 21

Sweet Tea makes everything better. 

Hugs and Stitches

Aunt Bea's Summer Home - A Summer Freebie

It is another beautiful day in the south. There is a chance of rain each day of the week. Though it makes the summer days a bit muggy, I love seeing how green and fresh everything looks. The tree limbs always hang so low after the rain. 

The view from my front porch. 

 I have always wanted to live in a yellow house, but that will never be.  But I can stitch one 😃and this one has had an addition  to it- a bee skep on the roof.  It might be a little difficult for the bee keeper to check the hive, but the bees are probably pretty happy especially with all of the overgrown flowers nearby.  

This is Aunt Bea's Summer House which has been buzzing around in my head for a couple of weeks until I had to stitch it - I just could not stop thinking about it.

Some smaller bee skeps are nestled in a little red wagon underneath the flora. 

Wouldn't this little motif bee cute to stitch on its own?

I finished my little house like the other homes I have been creating - a simple little pillow finish which is  as easy as falling off a log and super quick too .  

If you are interested in stitching this little house , I invite you to check out the pdfs below. 

Many of you know , but I always like to leave this little disclaimer.  

I stitch my little designs for fun and to decorate my home. I feel very blessed by this community and love sharing my little charts, but I am not a professional designer. And I do not have professional software. Thank you for understanding that I  have to put each page on separate pdf downloads because of the devices I use. I apologize for that.  And I am always grateful for your kind encouragement , your visits, and stitching my little designs.

Click here for instruction page. 

Click here for colored chart.  

Click here for black and white chart. 

I would like to take a moment to show you my other homes that I have shared in previous posts. I love seeing them all together.

  If you would like to visit any of the other homes in my village, just click on the name of the house you are interested in  and you will be directed to the post with the pdf. 

They include   Crow Creek Saltbox, Ophelia Manor on Punkin Holler Lane ,  Willowisp Manor of Holler Lane  ,  Turkey Creek Manor ,  Winter Saltbox  , and Dorothy Mae's Spring House   ,  Spring Green Saltbox  ,  Katie Anne's Saltbox   and Sarah Jane's 1776 Saltbox  . 

Well I am off to enjoy the day. What's on the agenda? Wednesdays are usually a day spent in the Quilt Nest. I do have some purple nine patches that need to be churned out. Fingers crossed I can make that happen. Lol.  Have a beeautiful  day and as always...

Happy stitching, ya'll.

Melisa

The hum of bees is the voice of the garden. 

Hugs and stitches.

I do feel like it has been awhile since I have told you how much I appreciate each and every one of you . You pick me up, lift my spirits, and provide me so much encouragement. Thank you for being you and for your kindness, sweet visits, and comments.