Hope you are havin a groovey summer guys!!

 

So I had this doll in my head and I just couldn't get it out!! So on my vacation I cut it out and got busy makin her!! OMG she turned out more amazing than I could imagine!! She's very detailed with a sweet lil face!!

 

Ok here's the story

She is "THE TOMATO WHISPER" Are you confused?

 Aw she is a tomato WORM doll!! She's jazzy green and looks very much like a green tomato worm!! She whispers and the tomatoes come right to her!! She has a tomato pin keep that comes with her. And also a groovey worm on the bottom of her grubby dress to let the tomatoes know who's boss. She is dirty (very grubby) from being in the garden watching and whispering!!

 

August is tomato thyme!!

She's available in my Etsy Shoppe! from the link below!! or just click on the sidebar it takes you to my shoppe!!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/241110532/raggedy-doll-tomato-green-worm-doll?ref=shop_home_active_3
 

I'm working on special  orders right now but I am looking forward to making some FALL gigs!! Cuz I just LOVE FALL and PUMPKINS n CROWS!!!

 

XOXO

Love Fran.

Oh how I LOVE Farmer's Markets!!

 

Hi Guys!!

 

I just wanted to share my new favorite gig I made lately. I got this jar no kidding at the St. Mary's Rummage Sale last summer. First of all I couldn't believe they charged me for a sauerkraut jar!! LOL But hey it is for a good cause!! I knew right away what to do with it!! It only took me this long to throw it together!! I experimented last summer with chalkboard spray paint which I also got at a sale!! Ok I am in LOVE with it!! I had made a bunch of these tomatoes from a thrifted sweatshirt. They are so cute. I made as many as I could from that shirt!! And have used them in quite a few things. I LOVE my green tomato worms too. This is in my etsy shoppe.

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/231070796/canned-tomatoes-up-cycled-jar-with?ref=shop_home_active_1
 

Always a story with the materials that I use!! I wish you could be with me sometimes. I have so much fun!! Sim and I are known to just get up and go walkin or drivin to look for rusty stuff!! Sometimes gone for hours and my daughter wondering where we have gone now. Seems like we always forget the cell phone!! LOL

 

Spring is here but it is still quite cold. I can not wait for the sunshine to stay and warm up the gardens so I can work in them.

 

Have a groovey weekend. I have a super duper busy one!!

 

XOXO

Love Fran.

WOW where is our summer going?

 

Well at least I got some smore's in!! LOL we went on another trip to The Thumb of Michigan. We stayed in a rustic cabin and had a fire. I thought my goodies just looked so cute.

 

 

We went to Port Sanilac to see a Civil War Re-enactment. It was a lot of fun and very interesting. I love the way they just camp right at the Museum and live just like they did at that time. Even cooking and eating right in make shift tents.

 

 

 

There was also a Vintage Trailer show. This trailer here is from a little town about 6 miles from where I live!! It was so cool they are fixing it up and re painting it. People just let us walk right through the trailers!!

 

 



I was pretending to do the dishes here!! This was the sweetest lil vintage kitchen set up. I loved the colors. This is the same colors I have in my kitchen.

 

 

Made to look just like home!! One of my favorite things was the outside of this one set up like a deck/yard with all vintage items and board games, vintage picnic stuff and vintage camping stuff. etc. They had old bikes they rode around on too. Just too cool!!

 

One of my favorite things too was riding into the small towns and looking for rusty stuff. The nature is just so pretty and the deer are so funny watching what you do sometimes. There are a couple of deer in the trees but you can't see them very good but boy can they see us!! LOL

 

This is what I was looking for. I found these little tiny rusty plugs. They are about 1/2" across and about an inch high. I made some of my "lil chicks" and put them onto it with a bit of moss. These are so sweet. I will be adding them to my Etsy Shoppe.

 

 

Last Saturday our town had our "Back to The Bricks' classic car show. This was my set up in our parking lot at church for "the Junk in the Trunk" sale. It was hot but our town was full of cars, and lot's of people!! Sim sold 10 of his cool barn wood Birdhouses over at he Farmers Market Open Air Market!! It was so fun we were a block away from each other. But every once in awhile he'd walk over to see me for a quick second!! LOL Nick Danielle and our sweet Madeline showed up at the gig in town!! It was fun to show her off!! Sorry no pics I was just enjoying having her there!! They came and surprised us!!

 

Hey a red tomato showed up in my "JUNQUE GARDEN". Just can't seem to get rid of those darn tomato worms!! This one came from "Farmer Joe's" garden!!



 

Next week starts our Genesee County Fair!! You bet I am excited! Going to be hanging out with my BFF's the GOATS!! Lot's of fun things will be happening!! Sim is gonna be on vacation and we are having a yard sale next week too so been trying to go through things!! Ha that's always fun!!

 

Hope everyone is doing good!! Talk to ya soon!!

XOXO Love ya Fran.

 



 

 

 



Still being Funky here at the Farmhouse!!!

 

 Ok I got the pics from the shower off of another G-MA photos!! Here is the cake and the cupcakes displayed and ready for eating on my new make-do hutch Sim made me!! It's so cool! It's an egg incubator and a wooden ironing board put together!!

 

 And here are the groovey cupcakes and Piggs in a Mud Pile Cake!! My Cuzin Kathy is an award winning Wilton Teacher at JoAnn's Fabric!! Her and I grew up together. Kathy's art are cakes and mine is sewing!! We also work great together!! Doesn't she rock?

 

 

 This is my Daughter in Loves!! They are so pretty!! Christine is on the left and Danielle is the preggo one!!

 

 

 Madeline Grace is blessed with a lot of G-MA's!! And there are 2 Great G-Ma's not in the pic!!

 

 

 This is the first time I had my Irises bloom!! LOL I added the pine cuz I knew it didn't have any poison ivy in it!! I have been dealing with poison ivy for a few weeks now!! Had to stop gardening which killed me!! Now I am gardening in long sleeves and jeans and taking a lot of showers from the heat!! LOL

 

I also whipped up another Coffee Cup Coozie!! Why should only tea have them?

 

I also made this "JunQue Garden Tomato" pin keep!! Oh I had a lot of fun making it!! Check out my cool worm!! I am so proud of it!! This is already in the shoppe which you can go to on m sidebar!! I would love for you to stop by!! and I am making another "JunQue Garden Tomato" and strawberries too!! I think I love the tomatoes the best!!

 

 

Here is one of my farm house dinners. I didn't have enough tin foil to make pockets so I just put it in my big glass pan. It was so yummy!! I just used chicken legs that were on sale!! I have been dieting and I have lost 6 lbs!! which is amazing for me it's been less than a month!! How true it is if you eat right it helps!! I feel better and have more energy too!!

 

 

Well off to the garden and then more sewing on the strawberries!!

Keep on Keepin on my groovey friends!!

XOXO BOOM

Love ya Fran.



Well hello Beautiful Friends!!

The sweetest lady special ordered these lil tomatoes from me!! They are so cute!! I used all scraps for them. They measure 1 inch across. Funny thing I made one for her and one for me I have another set just like it!! I added the lil chick for the photo shoot!!! I digg the little pie pan they are in!!

 

I also had the Funky farmhouse baby shower for my granddaughter coming in July!! Ok my name is Fran. I couldn't find my camera for the whole time of the shower. This is the next day and is the set up I had for the cupcakes and cake. That is a old pull toy I put my glass plates on and some in the front. I used glass snack sets and real silverware except for the plastic forks for the cake.  And yes I found my camera the next morning. They were 36 ladies/kids here. LOL I didn't know half of them cuz we did the two families together. I am the step Mom and Nick's Mom invited her ladies here. Oh my Thank God my BFF was here and my sweet DIL helped also!! And of course I planned to have it outside it got a bit chilly so inside they all came!! Yes I had a panic attack! No kidding!! LOL And that morning when I went out to the barn to get something for the shindig I fell and broke my little toe!! But all is good I have learned to laugh at myself cuz if I didn't I would probably be in the looney bin!! LOL or else my family would be!! They just shake their heads some days!! LOL

 



 Here is another special order I did. This was a special request with her granny's name and year she was born on it. I love these Up cycled sheep and making them!!

 

 

 And here is another Tomato I canned!! LOL This one is Red White Blue. I put it into a Quart jar that has a liberty bell on it and says 1776 on top of it and 1976 below it. I added some old ripped up flags I found at the cemetery I pick them up every year after the long winter. I have some in a blue ball jar and they look so cool. I just can't throw them out. This is so cool I love how it turned out!!

Oh I also found this jar in my neighbors trash!! No kidding I got two boxes of old canning jars in her trash!! I couldn't believe this cool one was also in there. So that is why I went Americana with it!! YAY!! It will be heading to the shoppe soon.

 

 

And here is my lilac bush on Memorial Day I can't ever remember having lilacs on that day!! Usually they are out for Mother's Day!! This was the last day of it looking good. I picked some bouquets and put them in my bedroom and my daughters and the kitchen!! They didn't last long but smelled good!

 

 

This pic is from our church Mother/Daughter Banquet. That is me in the middle. My MIL Marlene behind me and my SIL Carmen in pink her signature color and her DIL Nicole beside me. Nicole is gonna bless us with another baby girl in October!!

 

 I have been a busy bee LOL but I love it.

Can ya believe summer is here!! Let the good times roll!!

BOOM XOXO Love ya Fran.

Good Morning Peeps!!



It's that time again when I get my Spring peeps for my coffee. This years color is a sweet pretty green. I don't usually have sugar in my coffee but this is a treat. And fun!!

 

I added some new gigs to the etsy shoppe. Thinkin Spring guys!! Plus these turn out so stinkin cute that I could make them all day long!!

 

 "Lil Scrappers".

 

 My fav is the tomato!!

 

Hey guys I passed those yucky stones! I went for a walk in my backyard on Friday. Decided to take my squirrel out back for a photo shoot!! She's a rock star!!

 

 

And after Sim got home we went out for our Spring walk lookin for cool things. We did find some and YES I fell in the mud!! It was like quick sand!! LOL You should of been there cuz you would of laughed!! Sim said everything in my hands went flying!! I had my junque bagg with me and I had found a camp stool in woods!! LOL I still get a smile when I think of it!! Fun times.

 

So for now I am working on special orders and when I can I need to get some new things I have been working on finished. Plus I have a lot to catch up on around the funky farmhouse!! But that's fun sometimes!!! LOL

 

Have a great day!!

Keep on Keepin on!!

 XOXO Love ya Fran.

 

Can you guess what it is?

 

Yep IT's A GIRL!!

And we are all so excited!! Her name is gonna be Madeline Grace and she will be called Maddie!! She is due on July 1st 2014. All of the grandparents(there are a lot of us!!) found out at the same time via text!! I was driving down the highway and when I read it I started to text back cuz I was so excited and then remembered no texting while driving!! LOL

 

This a special mouse I made. I made it for a super fan of thebagglady76. She was so loving and always routing for me!! She got very sick on Super Bowl day and never recovered. Just fine one day and the next not!! She is from my extended family but an awesome lady. I named the mouse "Kylie" using her initials in the name. I am going to be passing this on to my cuzin. But I already have another one cut out and ready to go. After I looked at it I could see it kinda has that sweet baby look to it!! I am in baby mode I guess!!

 

 

On Valentine's Day Sim and I went to the For-Mar Nature Preserve. They had a Valentine's Night for Couples and it was all FREE. It was so well thought out and fun!! We lined danced went for a Winter Nights walk and as you can see here it was so cold! But yet so beautiful!! Walking through the woods was so beautiful. We watched for Night Owls and actually heard one!! We had hot chocolate at one of the stops and a fire to warm up by. Then we went in and we played "The Dating Game" well Sim and I were picked as couple#2 and Guess What we won!! Kaitlin said she had no doubt we did which made me feel good. She said you guys know each other so good!! LOL I am so glad she sees it!! We also went out for dinner before we got there at McDonald's and used a coupon!! These are the kinda dates I really dig!!

 

 

Besides the mouse I have been working on this special order. This is a make-do pig I made on a rusty hoe head. I love making these. This is the second one I've made. This "PIGG FARM" is going to PA. I hope it brings Spring with it for Jennifer!! I am just working on more gigs to keep myself busy. LOL And maybe out of trouble too!!

Keep on Keepin on!!

XOXO Love ya Fran.

 





WELCOME TO THE FUNKY FARM!!!!!

You know what is so cool? I have been trying to go alittle bit funky farmhouse around here lately and I remembered we had these cool seed sacks out in the barn and I also remembered that Sim had bought one that had a F on it!! After I hung this up as a curtain I realized that it said FUNK FARMS on it!! Rock on dude!! I was doing a happy happy happy dance!! Sim doesn't like it cuz it doesn't cover the whole window. But I kinda do. The crows help out alittle on the side but they are from my Fall decorations. When Sim gets done painting in this hallway I am sure it will change. But for now it makes me happy!! Doesn't take much!! LOL I had everything here that you see.

While I was resting on the couch last week from my surgery I tweaked my Etsy Shoppe. I had also been wanting to add a funky farmhouse section to it. I look at my creations and realize they are a bit funky!! It seems like when I make things they always have that same look to them. So I added that section and here is one of my funky farm girls for the Fall. I have quite a few things to add to my etsy shoppe. Just gettin around to taking pictures of them. Boy it took me a minute to start feeling better this time. My pain level was quite bad. I did do some sewing and now I just need to grubby them up!! 

I have been in the Fall mood myself just like everyone. I can see that the trees are starting to change some. Kids are back in school. That always gets me in the fall mood. My baby girl Kaitlin started at UCONN last week. Her classes are kinda hard. But she will get it. She loves her intern job at the school. 

Here are a couple of my new pin cushions for the Funky Farmhouse section of my etsy shoppe. The blue one is upcycled from an old cutter quilt piece and I made one of my lil chicks to go on the handle of the little silver dish. It has a spool of thread and a little silver thimble on the other handle. It has a tag that says "Farm chick" on it. It turned out so cute. The other one is a tomatoe pin cushion in an upcycled tomatoe canning funnel with a grubby tag that says "homemade" on it. I just love making these kinda things. I am trying to sell as much as I can cuz I am going to see Kaitlin on the 22nd of this month!! My SIL and MIL are going and asked me to go!! WOO HOO!! Connecticut here I come!!

And wouldn't ya know it our garden produced alot of tomatoes and are ready to be canned!! Oh if only I had all the energy that goes with this!! LOL I will do it alittle at a time. We have been having tomatoes anyway we can think of!! Tomorrow night we are having bacon, lettuce, and tomatoe sandwiches!! Yesterday I made a big batch of chili!! My stepson Nick and his fiance Danielle heard I made chili and invited them selves over for dinner!! It was kinda cute. I made grilled cheese sandwiches to go with it. A great Fall dinner and we even ate outside on the picnic table.

I am doing pretty good and keeping busy. I am trying to take things one day at a time so I don't get over whelmed. Been staying on my diet and I have now lost a total of 5 lbs. Laughing at myself as I am typing this cuz I just decided to eat a couple of cookies!! Which means tomorrow I will start all over and try not to beat myself for it!! I know I am not weighing myself tomorrow!! LOL

Hope everyone is doing good.

XOXO Love Fran.

I canned tomatoes today!! SAY WHAT!!

 

 I made some tomatoes that I upcycled from an old 80's like sweat shirt. I put one into blue pint size canning jars with a little bit of moss in the bottom of the jars. I tied twine around the jars and added grubby tags. One says "Maters 1876" and the other one says "Maters 1878". These jars are alittle bit worn n chipped but perfect for these kind of tomatoes that won't spoil!! They both have the old zinc lids. I love how these turned out!! I'll be puttin these in my etsy shoppe.

 

See my cute little pig on the rusty spring!! After I get done fixin her up she'll be headed for the shoppe too!! I designed her and grubbied her up real good!! I wanted her to look like she's been playin in the mud out in the pasture and boy does she!! And she smells good too!! I kinda feel like I have been working on the farm around here. I also have another sheep ready for her prim bath!!

 

 

 

I also whipped up this sweet pen/pencil holder for myself for in my gettin clean n organized craft/studio/office/computer room. I have been working on cleaning it for about a week now. I have been watchin alot of DVDs I haven't seen in awhile and just doing it. This pen/pencil holder I whipped up from an old door knob. The bird was my Mom's and I had the pencil and added the tag that I made along time ago. I also used a real bird feather and pinecone. Funny thing this door knob was given to Sim Saturday night from a friend for his bird houses he makes. Sim doesn't know yet that I snuck into the box of goodies and got it!! OOPS!! But I LOVE it sitting on my desk.

 

I believe I have SPRING FEVER!! LOL The sun was shining here in Michigan today and I had a smile on my face all day!! And I just heard it is suppose to be close to 50 on Friday and the sun is gonna shine for the next few days!! WOO HOO this gal is gettin her MoJo back and lovin it!! I can not wait til I get my studio done!! I have so many things I want to make!! And before I know it I can go outside and play!! Hope you all had a sun shiny kinda day too!!

Peace out!! Love ya XOXO Fran.