~Flea Market~

Remember all the blogging I did about the flea market. I told you I would post what I thought of it when hubby and I visited it on a Saturday. Well I got over whelmed with getting ready to do it and forgot to post about it. The shelves were nice and wide and it had about 6 shelves. It has a nice location. So I told hubby I would give it a try for a month to see if I like it. When I went back to tell the manager I would take the shelf. We did our business and then we had a nice little friendly chat afterwards.She was telling me she just hired a new girl. I told her I wish I knew she was hiring because I was looking for a job. Then I proceeded to tell her about my prior experience as an asst manager at another flea market in town. I told her that it was a while ago but I knew the business. Well you are not going to believe what happened. She called me up on the 25th and asked if I still wanted a job. I told her yes and Wednesday was my first day.  I will only work 2 days a week for now. Hopefully I can pick up a few more days once kids are finally out for the summer. Not too bad of a deal. I get to shop and work at the same time ;)
Just wanted to share a make over before I ended my post. I bought the stool at the Salvation Army a month ago for $3.00.  So here are my before and after pics.

before

 

Top of stool

I tried my hand at free style painting. I'm not really a good painter. I wish I knew how to shade and all the other good stuff to make a painted object look good.

stool legs

You'll have to excuse my mess but I just had to have Nekko in the picture. I forget to distress it with walnut stain and I already sprayed it with a matte finish sealer. I guess Ill have to go back and redo it again. Oh well! You learn from your mistakes....lol

                                      Prim Blessings,
                                          Patti

~I Won a Giveaway!~

I was so lucky to have won the Me 2 U Primitive  stitchery giveaway. I just received my package today. I had such a nice treat waiting for me when I got home today. I received my Family Stitchery from Trish.Thank you so much Trish! I just love it! It is more beautiful than I expected. You really out did yourself on it.

Today was a pretty good day for me. I started my new job and when I got home. I had my package from Trish waiting for me. What a great way to end the work day.

                                                  Prim Blessings,
                                                         Patti

~Happy Easter~

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter!!

~Some More Recipes~

Just wanted to share a few Chinese food recipes that hubby and I have made recently. I can tell you after eating these homemade dishes. I do not want restaurant food anymore. They taste so much better. Well to me that is.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. Just a little note. On step 3 in General Tso's Chicken, We fried our chicken in the wok instead of deep frying it. It was so much more tender. We also fried it in olive oil instead of regular cooking oil. Just another little note. In our recipes, we use olive oil instead of regular cooking oil. 

General Tso's Chicken

Pork Fried Rice

General Tso's Chicken

Ingredients:
1lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1” chunks)
5 dried red chili peppers
3 green onions (sliced)
3 eggs (beaten)
½ cup cornstarch
oil (for frying)
Sauce-
1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl combine cornstarch and beaten eggs. Mix well to create a batter. Add chicken bits and coat thoroughly.
Step 2: To make the sauce- in a small bowl combine rice vinegar, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside.
Step 3: Heat deep fryer or wok to 375 degrees and deep fried chicken bits in batches. Drain on paper towels.
Step 4: Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to your wok. Add dried chili peppers to your wok and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken bits to the wok and stir fry for a couple minutes.
Step 5: Add sauce mixture to the wok and cook stirring until the sauce becomes thickened and bubbly. Garnish with green onions and serve.
(Makes about 2 servings)

Pork Fried Rice

Ingredients:
1 (6 ounce) boneless pork loin chop (cut into small pieces)
¼ cup carrot (finely chopped)
¼ cup frozen peas
2 green onions (chopped)
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg (beaten)
1 cup cold cooked white rice (at least 1 day old)
4 ½ teaspoons soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 garlic cloves, minced)
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: In a wok or sauté pan over medium-high heat melt butter. Add pork, carrot, peas and onions and sauté until the pork is no longer pink inside. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Step 2: In the same pan cook and stir egg over medium heat until completely set. Stir in rice, soy sauce, garlic powder, ginger and the pork mixture. Heat through while stir frying for a few minutes.
(Makes 2 Servings)
                                               Prim Blessings,
                                                   Patti

PAFA Mothers Day Giveaway

Time for another awesome giveaway at PAFA   So head on over and sign up today. The giveaway will last until May the 15th. They will be giving away three prizes a week to three lucky winners.
                       

~Wax Dipping~

I decided today would be a good day for wax dipping. I dipped my oranges that I just made over the weekend and some older ones from Christmas. I also dipped some  pantry cake ornaments that I made about a month ago and some little candle nubs that I made today. I used cinnamon bun candle scennt oil to add a yummy smell to the wax. I also added a little bit of brown candle dye and cinnamon to the wax.

Grubby Nubbys

tray of waxed dipped oranges

close up of my oranges

waxed dipped mini pantry cakes

I think I am going to dip some more stuff tomorrow. I'll have to look and see if I still have some old clothes pins. I just love those. I have been wanting to make salt dough ornies. I might just have to make them and dip them too. I'll just dip whatever I can get my hands on.

                                                                               Prim Blessings,
                                                                                    Patti

~Walk in the Woods~

Hubby and I took a walk in the wooded area near out house this morning. I just wish I would of took my camera along. We saw a turtle, different birds, and a woodpeckers nest. It was actually amazing how green everything was getting. Of course it was muddy but I didn't mind it. Hubby even found me a treasure on our walk. He found an old bottle that say "Crass" then below its said" Delicious Beverage" embossed in  the bottle. It was in perfect condition. It however had some dirt,moss and a weed growing out if it. I left it like that for now because I think it looks so neat. A piece of Mother Natures work of art. One of a kind.

What a great addition to my deck. I wanna go back and get pictures but Hubby told me to be careful because of deer ticks and snakes will be coming out soon. :( I might just have to brave it.

                                                         Prim Blessings,
                                                             Patti

~Dried Oranges ~

I was wondering. How you display your dried oranges? I have mine in a old pan with a candle,rosehips,cinnamon stixs, and home made gingerbread heart.I know the gingerbread hearts should be put away but I just love how they smell. Mine have a cinnamon and apple scent to them I made them at Valentines and they still smell good.

Diningroom centerpiece

I have oranges that I dried at Christmas. They didn't turn out as pretty as these. So I'm going to dip them in cinnamon wax. To grunge them up a bit.
Please share your ideas. I would love to hear from you.

                             Prim Blessings,
                               Patti

~Dried Oranges Part 2~

I just thought I would also add how to do oranges in the oven just in case you don't have food dehydrator.
Place on wire racks which have been placed on cookie sheets in a 150 degree oven. Dry for about 6 hours, turning over if edges start to curl. When dried, they should be pliable.
                                   Happy Crafting,
                                      Patti

~Dried Oranges~

I really hate it when things go to waste. I had a big bowl full of oranges and no one was eating them. I asked one more time if anyone wanted any oranges before I turned them into a craft. After no one wanting any. I broke out the slicer. I love mine. I sliced them 1/4" thick and soaked them in a 2 cups of lemon juice and 3 tbsp salt for 30 minutes. Making sure they were completely covered with the juice mixture. While they soaked, I cleaned up the slicer and put it away. Then I got out the food dehydrator. After soaking the oranges in the mixture for 30 minutes or more. I laid them on a paper towel to absorb as much juice as  possible. You really can go through  a lot of paper towels with this part. After all the juices were absorbed. I arranged them on the drying trays.

I started drying them around 5:00 and left it run until about 10:00. I hate leaving it plugged in when I go to bed. You never know what could happen. So I left them air dry during the night. I checked them in the morning to see how they were drying. Still a little moist so I started to dry them so more.I left it run for another 6 hours.They are finally dry.

I am really happy with how they turned out. They have a nice bright orange appearance. I am really pleased with how they turned out.
                                                   Prim Blessings,
                                                          Patti

~My Second Place Winnings~

Woo hoo! I won second place in  MoonLit Stitch Giveaway. I received my winnings today in the mail. I was so excited to get it open. I was like a little kid at Christmas time.....lol  I just fell in love with everything as soon as I saw them.  This is one Easter display that is going to remain on display for a while. Its way too cute to pack away with my other Easter items.Lisa was also kind enough to give me a Christmas ornie and a candle mat. Which will also remain on display.Thank you so much Lisa! Everything is perfect. You really out did yourself. 

                             Prim Blessings,
                                 Patti

My winnings

my other goodies

~My Other Blog~

I just wanted to let you know. That I have a started a another blog called Eclectic at Heart . 
I have created this blog so anyone can share their own unique styles.It can be anything from victorian,shabby chic,modern,primitives,country and the list could go on and on.I am so excited to see what everyone has to share. I am going to try to make it a carefree and fun place to be. So please follow me over at  Eclectic at Heart.
I hope to see you there.                                                                  
                                           Prim Blessings,
                                              Patti                                                                      

                                            

~Quick Question~

Wow! I'm on a roll. This will be my third post tonight. I have a quick question I would like ask. "Is it normal for flea markets to take a commission when you are paying rent? " I would really appreciate your opinion.

I though I would share another picture of my furkids. This is Nekko and Pandora sleeping on the floor together.

Prim Blessings,
 Patti

~More Goodies~

I went to the Salvation Army again today. I had a doctors appointment today and the Salvation Army just happen to be right down the street from his office. So I thought I would take a look to see  if anything new was put out. I found a jar candle hanger, a house peg holder, and a neat pitcher. All I spent was $5.00 today.

The jar candle hanger was only $.50. Not too bad.

The house peg was $.50. I'm going to repaint it.

My pretty pitcher was only $4.00. It had a bowl that went with it but it had a huge crack down the side of it. You could actually see through the crack. They were asking $8.00 for both. I asked the asst manager if she would sell them separate. She told me no. I proceeded to tell her the bowl had a big crack in it. So she just went ahead and gave it to me for $4.00.  It was hand made somewhere in Texas. This thing is large and heavy.

It so large that I can actually fit a liter of soda in it. I hope everyone enjoyed my little shopping spree.

                                   Prim Blessings,
                                            Patti

~Flea Market Part 2 or is it 3~

Well, I have decided to give the flea market a try.I went to visit the flea market earlier today. The shelving unit contains 6 shelves including the top one. It measures about 3' long and 12" apart. The monthly rent is reasonable and there is a 10% commission on everything I sale. It rents month to month. The lady at the flea market asked me to give it a try for one month to see if I would like it. She told me if I didn't like it, I could move out in 2 weeks after my first month of course. I told her I needed to think about it and I would get back with her. I really like the idea that Lisa from Moonlit Stitch came up with. That was a great idea. I think I am going to go with the name "Patti's Creations" for my booth. I just have to get permission from the manager before I  can do a sign. Part of the rules. No signs without approval. There is one thing that  I find is really weird. I have to give them an inventory list of everything I put in my booth so they can put it in their computer for record keeping. I have never heard of that. I never had to give anyone else an  inventory list of my items. I'm going to have her explain that one to me. Well that pretty much it in a nutshell.

Autumn

This one is my pretty girl "Autumn". She is my spoiled little brat!....lol

Prim Blessings,
   Patti
.

~Flea Market~

I just wanted to thank those you gave me some very good advice. I called the flea market today and I spoke with the asst manager again. I told who I was and she started to laugh and said I still haven't found any room for you yet. (I'm so glad I'm amusing her.) Then she started to say "Call me back next week". I told her instead of me keep calling you. How about you just gives me a call when you get a space for me.  Then all of a sudden she said. I have a shelving unit in the front of the store your more than welcome to use until a booth comes available. Its located right  in front of the cashiers office. So I told I would be there tomorrow to look at the shelving unit. The price is reasonable. The only problem I have with their shelves is they are about 6 feet tall. I'm only 5'4". So if  I have a hard time reaching the top. Which I know I will. Them most of the customers will too. Plus people hardly ever look up. I have a lot of stuff that I rather have hanging than sitting flat one a shelf. I'll just wait until tomorrow to make a decision. Sorry I'm rambling. Its just so aggravating.

Nekko

Just thought I would share a picture of my big boy "Nekko".
                                                                              
 Prim Blessings,                                                    
     Patti

~Looky Looky What I Found~

I went to the Salvation Army today. I found some cute stuff with pretty good prices. All I spent was $9.50.

Platter

I just love this platter with all its embossed flowers and fruits. It measures 18 x 14 and only cost me $2.50.

Here is a picture of the back of the plate. I'll have to do a little research on it. I don't know Century Japan.

A tablecloth for $1.50. It has a few little spots on it but I thought about soaking it to see if I can get them out. If not, I'll just dye it. Not sure what color yet. I just love the weave pattern it has on it.

Here is a close up of my tablecloth pattern. Looks like checks in the picture but in person it looks like a basket weave. I really like it.

A cute bunny chip wood box.. It was $.75. I figured I could use it for spring and any holiday that has the Americana look.

Pink metal tulip candle holder $.50. I like it better without a candle in it.

I think the little wooden thing is a tooth pick holder $.50 and the wooden heart peg $.50.

A wooden candle holder or something $1.50. You would at least think they would clean it up some. I can't wait to give it a make over which it needs really bad besides a good scrubbin.

My cute little peg rack for $.25. I'll give that a make over too. Not sure what color yet.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw these 2 quilt holder for $.75 each. To be honest, I dont think anybody knew what they were for. The cashier just looked and and ask "What do you do with these?" I replied " You hang a quilt on the wall with them." then she said." Aren't  they expensive?" I just smiled and said I got the best deal today.
 So there is my Salvation Army shopping spree. I hope everyone enjoyed my treasure I found today.

I just wanted to say one last thing before I end my post tonight. I have been over at The Prairie Patch doing some reading and posting. It is really sad that some people behave in a manor that isn't appreciated. This is suppose to be everyone sharing and caring. Everyone is unique in their own little way. That is what makes things so special. Tracy if you are reading this.I hope that you will change your mind and Hang in there chic! Big hugs to ya!!!!!!

                                                  Prim Blessings,
                                                             Patti

                                 

~I Need Your Opinion~

I called a local flea market and asked if they had any available spaces back in February. The lady at the flea market asked what I would be selling? I told her primitives. She said Really! because we have a lot of people asking for primitive and we have only 2 dealers that sale it. She proceeded to ask me more details about what kind of primitives. I told I make pretty much everything myself. I also like to refurbish stuff and give it an aged look. She went on to saying that I would be the only one in the flea market to sell that kind of stuff.  She would just love for me to sell there.The other 2 dealers sell only wholesale nothing handmade. I'm thinking "Wow! I could really do good here." See I'm selling at another flea market right now. I have more stuff stolen and than sold. I have had $200.00 worth of stuff stolen so far. I am pulling everything out as of April 15th.
 Sorry! Back to the other flea market. She then said I have no available spaces right now. I am full. I thanked her for her time and everything was ready to hang up then she said wait. People are really wanting primitives and you have what they want. We both could benefit from this. I'm like yes we could. She said give me a week and I'll see what I can do to get you in here. I was fine with that. She told me to call back next week and I did so. Still no opening. She told me call back the following week and I did. Still no opening or room yet found for me. I'm like ok. So week after week  I called. I am really  trying to be patient but my patients are starting to wear a little thin. I has been about 6 weeks weeks now and no room or space for me yet. I am thinking I should just give up and start a selling blog. What do you think?

                                                Prim Blessings,
                                                      Patti

~Sundays Supper Surprise~

Today was Nikki's day to choose supper. Nikki is my youngest daughter. She choose stuffed crust pineapple pizza. We also made a stuffed crust mushroom pizza and a thin crust pizza with red,yellow, green,orange peppers and mushrooms. Doug and I really  aren't a big fan of pineapple pizza. So we made the 2 other kind. I do regret to say that I forgot to get pictures of all the pizzas. They  were really good. Since I don't have a pic to post of the pizza. I leave a pic of my furbaby sleeping in her favorite basket instead.

                                                                                                         Prim Blessings,                                                            Patti

Autumn

 

~Sunflowers~

I hope everyone had a good weekend. Mine wasn't too bad. I made more flowers and birds. I even took a shot at making hearts and stars. I'll finish those up tomorrow .All I have to do is paint and grunge them up.I'll make sure to post pics when I get them done.I did manage to start organizing my craft room. It is really amazing how stuff  accumulates.I didn't realize I had that much stuff. I think I might just hang a sign in my craft room that says "Disaster Area" and let it go at that.....lol  On a brighter side, I did finally get to make an arrangement with the sunflowers and crows I made last weekend. I think it turned out pretty good. I even grunged the can,cheesecloth,tag and made my rusty my bell and safety pin. I'm so proud....lol I guess this project could even be considered as trash to treasures also. I used a soup can for the base. Just got to love multi purpose things.

                                       Prim Blessings,
                                            Patti

my sunflowers

my grunged can

~Sorry I'm Late~

Sorry I have been MIA. I haven't been feeling well for the past week. I have an infection in my left lymph node in my neck. I'm feeling a lot better now since I have been taking antibiotics.You know something must be really wrong when you don't feel like crafting.....lol  Enough about me being sick. Now to the fun part. I really enjoyed making the sunflowers and crows. I also made a blue coneflower but  I forgot to grung it. I have no idea how I did that. I'll post its pic this weekend. I plan on making  more sunflowers,crows, coneflowers, and daisies this weekend. They are a lot easier to make than I thought. I also made some plain jane eggs and more carrots. It is really amazing what you can do with a piece of fabric. The options are endless.

                                              Prim Blessings ,
                                                     Patti

crows

eggs and carrots

sunflowers