Author Archives: maryjane

sitzmarks

Posted on January 20, 2016 by maryjane

Kids make them.

Photo by Loadmaster (David R. Tribble) via Wikimedia Commons

Dogs make them.

Photo by Martina Rathgens via Flickr.com

Tigers …

Photo by William Pitcher via Flickr.com

and even frogs (?!) make them.

Photo by LoggaWiggler via Pixabay

Snow angels, you say?

Well, yes, but every angel begins with a … ?

sitzmark.

Yup, sounds just like it looks.

A sitzmark is a depression made by someone falling backward into the snow. The term stems from the German word sitzen (to sit).

I’m partial to the pretty ones left by birds, like this one:

Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters via Wikimedia Commons

P.S. Remember this cute pic of my Meggie making her (sitz)mark last winter?

photo-of-the-day

Posted on January 19, 2016 by maryjane

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Posted on January 18, 2016 by maryjane

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Zentangle Quilting

Posted on January 18, 2016 by maryjane

With a brand-spankin’ New Year upon us, it’s the perfect time to explore new creative frontiers while honoring artistic traditions that have led us this far.

What do I have in mind, you wonder?

Well, you may remember how I told you about Zentangle, the addictive art of zany (yet so very Zen) doodling.

Image by Trinity Verlag in der Scorpio Verlag GmbH & Co.KG via Wikimedia Commons

(If this doesn’t ring a bell, hop over to this post.)

True to form, each time I swirl and squiggle lines on paper, I find myself fantasizing about fabric, which inspired me to poke around a bit into the idea of Zentangle quilting, and wouldn’t you know it?

It’s a real thing.

And it’s just as neat-o as I’d imagined.

Just look at Quilt Zentangle Style! on Pinterest (warning: you might start drooling).

Since I have a feeling you’re already itchin’ to start stitchin’, I gathered up this little list of goodies to get you going:

Book: Tangle Stitches: For Quilters and Fabric Artists by Jane Monk

You can buy it on Amazon, but you can’t “look inside” like you can on many other books. Here’s a video flip-through to preview the wonders within:

Video Tutorial: Zentangle Quilting by Machine

Blog Tutorial: Zentangle Quilt Tutorial from Zany Quilter

Share your results on the Farmgirl Connection to inspire the rest of us!

photo-of-the-day

Posted on January 17, 2016 by maryjane

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Posted on January 16, 2016 by maryjane

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Posted on January 15, 2016 by maryjane

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Hear Ye!

Posted on January 15, 2016 by maryjane

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Emily Moore!!!

Emily Moore (E-Moore, #6770) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Beginner Level Little Squirts Merit Badge!

“On my first official day of Christmas break, I wanted to start it off right—to earn my first Sisterhood Merit Badge!

I started my day around the house armed with a can of WD-40. I sprayed all the hinges and doors that squeaked. I researched online how to winterize garden tools, and when it warmed up a little, I headed outside to grab all my garden tools from under the house. I scraped off all the dirt and rust with steel wool, put vegetable oil on all metal parts and linseed oil on wooden handles. We don’t own any bikes, so I headed to the barn, grabbed our grease gun, and got to work. I greased all the grease fittings on the bush hog, manure spreader, and hay rake.

tools

This was the first time I had ever taken the time to winterize my garden tools and I am really happy with the results! I look forward to making this a yearly thing. My grandma gave us a pointed hoe for our wedding, and I would like to keep it in good condition for the rest of my life—now I know how to do it.”

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Posted on January 14, 2016 by maryjane

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Project F.A.R.M. Giveaway: Clothespin Queen

Posted on January 14, 2016 by maryjane

WINNER SELECTED, 2/22/16
And our winner is … Brenda Wheeler (see winner’s post here).

———

Who doesn’t love to hang laundry on the line? Crisp, white linens softly swaying in the breeze, capturing the smell of a summer’s day. Merely a daydream on a day like today: mid-winter, temperature gauge barely above freezing, a frozen clothesline covered in snow. Spring is still down the road a ways, but you’ll be ready to hang your cares out to dry if you’re the lucky winner of this beautiful cotton clothespin bag.

Give a big farmgirl welcome to Jeannie Jessup (The Clothespin Queen), another new Project F.A.R.M. (First-class American Rural Made) business member. From the heart of Texas, Jeannie stitches up unique, durable, and wonderfully utilitarian clothespin bags just like the one your grandmother used. To win this beautiful, bejeweled, rose-patterned bag, simply tell me your favorite old-fashioned laundry tip in the comments below. We’ll put your name in a hat and draw a lucky winner soon. Stay tuned!

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See more of Jeannie’s clothespin bags on her Etsy site.

Project-Farm

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