Camping at Lathrop State Park

  A few weekends ago we went camping with friends at Lathrop State park here in Southern Colorado~ since I have so many Kindred Spirits around the globe, I thought Id share a little of our trip with you~ I took these pictures on a hike early one morning~ above, you can see alot of the park, both Martin and Horse Shoe lakes, with the Spanish Peaks in the background. We live just about same distance from the peaks, but on the opposite side, behind them, so not a far drive at all, just about  30 minutes.

 Pip wanted to go with me, she was so excited! Off we went up Hogback trail~ its not far, makes a nice 3.5 mile loupe. I love trees~ especially the gnarly oaks when they are dead, or like these, no leaves yet.

 Here we are on top of the trail, with the Peaks in the background. I must admit, Pip likes chatting it up, so this time, we didnt see much for wildlife~ a couple REALLY nice roadrunners we spooked that were too fast for me to get a picture of~ theyre so pretty

 Did see this Jay out singing his morning song for all to hear

 And found one clump of barrel cactus that were blooming already! There are some really old clumps up on the trail~ 100s of years old..this one growing out of a rock crevice

 I usually walk the Hogback a few times a day...this day, I saw it twice, and then ran around both the lakes...that day was over 11 miles on these feet!

  Lovely olde Cedar~ wonderfully spooky looking...and yet peaceful at the same time. I love to lay on the ground under a tree, and admire the view straight up.

  HA!  had to include this picture~ remember how excited Pip was to go? At the top she was still pretty energetic....this is about 3 miles in, when I asked...pleeeded....with her to go up the Jackson trail...she was so sorrowful~ "Mom Im so tired" she said~ "another trail???"  ....it was just a little one ;)

 So after being all worn out, she had to go fishing of coarse...so she wasnt really so tired after all....  we cooked her fish she caught in the coals of the fire that night...it was a good day!

Slow Progress on my Inside Lid Casket Panels

Here Fishy Fishy Fishy.....

  I am slowly making progress on the panels for inside my flat top casket lid.  This is the 'Water' side, with lower mound and small grotto. My plan was to work the inside panels in all long and short stitch, keeping them as flat as possible....but then, it happened. The coral told me it wanted to be raised.....

 And then things snowballed from there....I had planned to edge the water and mounds in silk gimp, with silk gimp waves....but then I found myself making real silver striped silk gimp for the waters falling from her jug and the mound....and well, falling water must have drizzle stitch splashes....so do you think I could leave the lil fish flat? No. Of coarse not!

  Ahhhh lil fishy. I spent the entire day trying to capture what my mind was seeing. Here he is before adding the little drizzle stitch water splashes. The majority of the 17th c stumpwork fish I have studied, all have coral color fins, so he got the same.

  After adding real fish scales to his belly and the water splashes. something was bugging me ~ I kept thinking it looked like he had a big bow on the top of his head...something was awry but it wasn't until I took this picture that I realized what it was~ his tail! If he has coral fins, he must have a coral tail, so off it came.

 This picture gives a good idea of how tiny he is. I don't think I can stitch any smaller than this, at this scale, I am literally all thumbs. I don't have enough fingers to hold all the tweezers I need!  This is the second  coral tail we tried, the first one was just hideous!  I like this one, but it was just laying there, I couldn't pose it, so off it came again too.....

Turns out, as tails go, the fourth one is the keeper. I worked woven picots over a wire edge to match the picots of his top fin, and now his tail curls and splashes just how I like it too.  I'm on next to Earth's basket of fruit~ I prefer to work both lid panels together, so they get finished at the same time....whenever that will be~ I can't wait to see them finished and in the lid!!

New Dollys in Print & on ETSY

Prims Summer Issue~ in stores May 1st~

  Moira & Penny Poppet would be pleased to meet you in the next issue of  Prims, available for order now from Stampington.com and available in stores starting the 1st of May. I am so humbled and honored to have been mentioned on the cover!  To Celebrate and go along with my story in the new issue, I have made some new little poppets that are available in my ETSY store

 If you would like to say hello to little Lady Bird (above) and her sister Lilleth,   just click on the link to my ETSY store in the sidebar

Pretty Casket Scent Bottles!

Always Keeping Ones Eyes Peeled......

  Because you just never know what you may find one day!  I wasn't looking for them...they kind of found me...  Arent they wonderful!????  I think first decade 1900, but they could be a little earlier, their caps have several hallmarks so I just need to get the time to look them up. They are a matched pair of wonderful little cut glass scent bottles

  And how could I tell the God's of Providence no, they even have my initial "K" engraved on the sterling caps!!!!!!!!

 Each cap screws off to reveal an inner ground glass stopper. Whatever was once in this one still smells absolutely devine~ which is why I didn't wash out this bottle!

 If you are looking for antique scent bottles for your casket~ do notice the difference between the flat top and double casket compartment sizes~ the flat top's are way deeper so you can fit taller bottles in that one. Here are my bottles in the double casket~

 And here are same bottles pictured in the flat top~ you can see they fit well beneath the top of the cavity.....so tho I had my flat top in mind when I bought these, I will use them in the double.

 Not only did I find a wonderful set of antique scent bottles, I have also been collecting antique trims~ I will use the gilt over silver tape on my flat top~ and when I found the trim in the very front here, I nearly fell over~ bought the entire card. Its a near exact match to our interior tape trim~ this varies between 6-7mm wide.  Its very early 18th c or before, cotton woven with 2 wide silver plate strips and to each side of that 2 narrow silver threads~ looks much like elizabethan twist. The card itself too is so full of character,  it was completely wrapped in paper and it wasnt until I had all the trim off to measure, that I realized it is a single wide slab of hand sawn wood  :::swooon:::::

May Ye a Blessed Easter Have~

   Rejoice in life and family, and all the things that Bring Joy to your being~

New Dollys Available

Little Petit Four Ladyes

  Oh  Happye Daye!
Some new dollys are available in the Diamond K Folk Art Blog Shop~ just follow the link to the right to meet them

Santa Fe al la Todos Santos

 Sundaye Sweet Sundaye.....

  To continue our Santa Fe weekend, we started bright and early with last day of Bead Fest~ just like their mother, my children's favorite booth was the Kabba Brothers~( you can see the hanks of antique micro beads to the left of the snake beads), Josh bought a strand of the larger ones on the left,  and after wearing them to school all this past week, he is the envy of all his friends...

 Along side the Plaza in front of the Palace of the Governors Native American Indians sell their hand made treasures~ and when I say treasures~ I mean treasures! To be able to lay one's blanket out, the sellers must be/ have certified Native American made goods, and have been hand picked from a slew of contenders to sell there that day~ so each day you will find something different.  It is a great Honor to be able to sell there, and I felt, an ever greater honor to be in the presence of such great and talented people.

 We walked thru so many of the shops~ I wont even get into the 2,000.00 fur coat Emma wanted to try on.....a real favorite of the children was "Mama's Minerals". We have arrowheads and fossils on our property, so I knew the children would like this store when Janice took me in it on Saturday~ but they absolutely were in awe~ we probably spent over an hour in here, and even then I was nearly dragging them out....

  See the look on Josh's face~ every two seconds he was gasping and saying "WOW~ look at THIS...WOW~ look at THAT!"

  My babes are getting so big~ don't know where the time has gone. Don't you love the street side? As far down as you can see, is this wonderful long covered corridor, and every now and then a doorway to break up the solid adobe

 Here it is from across the street, a few doors down. It reminds me of a plain brown paper wrapped package....so plain on the outside, but holding some wonderful surprise inside!

 Taking a left thru one of those plain doors, one is transported into a beautiful hidden courtyard, or Plaza~ around which there are fabulous fabulous shops! Who knew Willy Wonka lived in Santa Fe...and went by the name of Hayward Simoneaux, the owner of Todos Santos!

  What is Todos Santos? The most wonderful little hole in the wall Chocolate shop ever!

  Just looking at the door, one cant really tell its a candy shop...but it looks Santa Fe Festive, and kind of reminds me of a fancy pinata~ a little peek beyond the door and the most marvelous surprises await you!

  He carries chocolates and candies from around the world~ and makes his own fantastic gourmet confections~

  everything is wrapped so pretty~ its just the most fabulous place!

 When I went with Janice I brought home these sweeties~ the chocolate sardines a gift to the children from her~ the other two I admit I bought without knowing what was inside them~ you know how I love a pretty package!

  The green paper wrapped metal tea canister was full of chocolate covered orange peel (oh my~ must. get. again.)...this is what was in the little box. We had to have a lottery and draw names to see who got what as no one could decide~ Josh got the mushroom that was filled with caramel in the stem, with a hard toffee cap...Tressa got the peanut butter egg with real edible gold leaf....Pip got the little chocolate nest and Emma drew the coveted bunny~ it was so cute she didn't want to eat it at first....he didn't last long after the first nibble tho.  Husband got the silver Jordan almond in the center.

 Of coarse Josh had to bring home something from Mama's Minerals~ its a Selenite Tower~ I think it looks like the Cryptonite from planet Crypton in the original Superman movie!

What a wonderful day we had~ can't wait to go back again and visit the Museums...and shops of coarse!  I love this picture...some would say they look wore out...but in our family, this is exactly what is looks like to be "Poop Tucker'd" as Pip says!