My thoughts on 'Friendship'.............

I don't have many personal 'bestest' friends, and those that I do have, I hold in very high regard.....I guess I am just olde fashioned. Maybe it is people these days are soooo busy, or have so many friends, the value they place on its meaning becomes diminished........
This little early 19th century poem on Friendship perfectly sums up my definition of ...

Friendship~

Of all the gifts which Heaven bestows,

There's one above all measure~

And that's a Friend midst all our woes.

A friend is a found treasure....................

To thee I give that sacred name,

for thou art such to me~

and e'er proudly will I claim,

to be a friend to thee.

I was thinking of my dear friends when I made this special set of c1840 dollys.... aren't they just so pensive??? Above is little Miss Lizzy Pennywell....wearing a dear set of antique turquoise beads ~ gifted to her from her bestest friend, Miss Pitty Pattycake (In the blue)

A Brief Respite~

We just returned from a camping trip up to Monument Lake, about 20 miles from us here in Colorado~ I thought you all would enjoy a few pictures I took, especially my very goode friends in Spain, Brasil, Denmark, Germany & Italy! Above is a picture of the Great "Stone Wall", hence the township's name of 'Stonewall' Colorado.... isn't it beautiful

Looking south west from our campsite, everything is soooo green this year
Here is our view from the camper~ the children wanted to sleep in their own tent...you can just see my son Josh's head down in the corner there....what a grand time he had finding things on the sandy beach, and fishing..............
Here is my smallest, Pippin I call her....I must admit I spoil her something horrible~ she's my little 'mini me'~ was born on her Grandma Ioerger's birthday, and just 5 days from my own
We weren't the only ones fishing....this chappy fellow was up eating his breakfast when I came out of the camper this morning~ hes got a lil trout there...............
We watched him for about an hour, he was just mosey~ing about....at one point he lay down in the grass~ I thought he was going to take a nap! He eventually got up and worked his way right over, about 14 feet from where I was standing, before he got his last fish, we looked each other in the eye, and decided it would be best to go our separate ways.

Of coarse I couldn't go camping without taking a bit of sewing...but you'll have to wait a bit to see what I was working on this time..................

Details......Details............

I am a virgo, so it only makes sense that I am a details kind of person. I find such pleasure in looking closely, at something most are in too much of a rush rush rush to take the time to appreciate~ like the crisp sharp edges of my peony petals...not to mention the smell~ my most favorite flower on the planet (Ohhh you cant even imagine how I baby my peony to get it to bloom)

Old books~ Ohhh I adore old books~ how the pages feel, and smell. If there was an 'olde book' incense, I would buy it~ you should see how my husband looks at me when he finds me 'smelling' my books....this one is a Lady's Monthly Museum for the year 1800.
One of my favorite little girl's bonnets, c1845-50, made entirely from horsehair~ its so gossamer fine you can see right thru to my hand.... look at the details of each little crimped strand, all carefully sewn by hand in place.....
Combined with a fine leghorn straw on the outer brim...so simple, yet so complex. Little straw flowers, fine netting of super~fine blonde horsehair.. A jet bead every now and again, for a nice contrast......only to be seen if you get your nose RIGHT in there and look
There is something mesmerizing about how it spirals to the center in the back.....reminds me of a child's lollipop~ but this one worn before lollipops were even invented
Details. Stop and look at something ordinary....and you will find that nothing is ordinary

Introducing.......Mifs May~Bell Merriweather


A special One of a Kind hand sculpted mache Queen Anne doll, c1780. 16.5" tall
My precious is so happy to meet you all~ I hope you enjoy her. She is dressed c1780, with reproduction of a real fall front gown, in a wonderful poppyseed colour 100% silke. Entirely hand stitched, with antique lace sleeve ruffles, around her neckline, and for her apron. She wears fawn brown stripe linen pointed toe shoes with real leather soles....that yes, do come on and off. Her dress ties up the front, and around the waist, and is made as a miniature, that also is removable. Under her bodice you will find a stomacher made of real wood, for stiffening. Her coiffure is real mohair, so pretty topped with a simple plum ribbon. 'Round her neck & wrist you will find a sring of antique metal steel cuts, that sparkle just like diamonds, and are reflected true against
her early antique brown glass eyes. A little whisp of antique mull for her kerchief, and she is ready to entertain...watch out~ she's a talker!
See her lil antique steel cuts~ no proper little mifs can be seen in public without the 'bling'....

Such a busy day..................
Dolly & I have been having sooo much fun together today~ We went to the Salon....Habadashery....Jeweler.....a visit for a quick bite to eat, then as she finished her nipl' de Venus, we stopped to have her portrait taken. It was an amazeing place to her~ she was prepared to have to sit still for hours on end, and was quite refreshed at the idea of a camera clicking away...she even struck a few poses. It wore her plain out, poor girl~ so she is taking brief repose to regain her composure for this evening~ I do hope you will come and see her tonight~ she is one of my favorites, and ancious to meet you all

A Special Debut.......

Wednesday 20 June, 2007

5 pm MST

A trip to the Shoe~Maker........





We have just arrived home from a long day to town~ fitting is complete, and dolly was in 'such' a goode spirit as to have enough patience to drop by the shoe~maker on the way home. She just adored these c1780 slippers, and told me she MUST have them~ so here they are....a Diamond K Folk Art Original.....




See how teeeeeeeeeeeeeensie weeeeensie!!!!

Something **Special** This Way Comes................

For those of you who are not on my mailing list, I will have a special something posted this week for sale, ONLY here~ a One of a Kind........above is a little peek....just a peek, as she has not yet finished her fitting...then she will be going to the Salon for a special 'Do'....so this week, keep an eye out for her~ I am making her available on my Blog as a special Thankyou for all of your kind emails and calls! If you are not on my mailing list, you can go to my page on The Primitive Gathering , link to the right, and you will see a link at the bottom of that page to be added to my email list~ you have to click on the picture below the link.

Something Special This Way Comes.............................

Red.....it really is a 'Goode Thing'..................

Here are some of my favorite shoes~ all in red. During the 16th, 17th & 18th centuries, red was considered the color of Nobility~ to have shoes of chrimson red, meant you were the who's who of society....very wealthy, and very fashionable. The fawn color side lacing shoes in the very back, c1854, are adult size, to give refrence to how small some of these are~ all worn by children, NO DOLLS. The red pair directly in front of them, second from the BACK, is c1830, of wool with patent leather heel & toe foxings.



Above a pair of teeniest teeny red morocco leather shoes, latchet tie, with covered heel in contrasting leather. Worn my a young girl in 1740, age 2. The tiny hand stitching on these is a marvel to behold in person.


This pair of shoes is dated 1780, with a bit more detailed family provenance than the first pair~ and fit directly in the wooden pattens below. The pointed toe is a direct reflection of the bigger pair Mamma would have worn..........


This ia a pair of wooden "Pattens". These are hand carved wood above a raised wrought iron oval ring~ one would put these on by fastening the leather strap up over the shoe, to go out in the mud or rain~ like an early overshoe. It is hard enough trying to teach a toddler to walk, let alone balance on these things~ but yes, they were actually worn. I have seen the bottom iron in different fashionable shapes....squares, circles, hearts~ most endearing.

Do you have the time???????


I hope you will stop in to the Primitive Gathering on the 15th to take a peek at our new offerings~ mabey youll see somthing you cant live without, and help support the Museum as well! You can click the link to the right to get there!!

Farewell Dear Poppy~

Ohh my precious little darling~ sail well o'er the blue ocean and write to me when you arrive to youre new home in Brazil~ Mommy will miss you Dearly~

Here is my latest One of a Kind Dolly~ Ladye Catherine Swift. Shes not totally finished, but she wanted to say "hello"~~
I used my only and largest pair of antique c1840 pupiless brown eyes, and well~ shes my cross between a late William & Mary style , and early Queen Anne doll. The later (late 18th century) Queen Anne's were very crudely carved with hardly no facial features but eyes and a slit nose~ the earlier ones, had well defined features, lips as well as ears. I was going to give Ladye Catherine a gorgeous set of green tourmaline faceted earrings, but, she will be a dolly in 'undress'...just stockings, chemise, stays, pannier and bonnet. She is hand sculpted mache, stuffed with only excelsior wood shavings and gravel for weight. I will be working on her stays in the next few days~ the wood is stilllll soaking.
Thankyou to all of you for your kind words and support~ I really do appreciate each and every one of you. Diamond K Folk Art is the soul source of support for the Museum...and golly~ you should seeeeee what is comming!!!! Im so excited!

Everyone keeps asking me what my inspirations are.....I never really thought about it I guess. My Mother, of coarse~ she can do ANYTHING, and it comes out **perfect** the very first time she tries......and she always said to me growing up~ "If you want something done~ DO IT YOURSELF" ....so I would suppose that is my mantra & motto~ I always have a ton of things zooming around that I want to do~ just never enough time....... I am due to post of the Primitive Gathering blog on the 21st of this month...so was taking a few pictures of little inspirations that I have around me here....and this is one~ a beautiful hand carved c1830 ladys tortoise shell hair comb. I ADORE this comb~ it came from a Maine estate....its so smooth and lusterous, and feels like butter in your hair. Every now and then, I wear it around a bit in mine, to renew its oils and keep it from drying out, as real tortoise will do over time.