Look at what I won!

I won this wonderful handpainted Easter bunnies from Barb over at barbsheartstrokes.  Barb is a amazing painter making everything she paints come to life.  I have purchased from her before and was amazed at her work.  Here is a link to her Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/barbsheartstrokes, please stop over and check out all her work.

Michigan Shops - Little Bettie Creation & Scarecrow Cabin

Being from Michigan I'm going to start featuring some wonderful shops that you can find on the web, either on Etsy, Artfire, or Zibbett. So get something wonderful to drink and let's visit some amazing shops.  The first shop is Little Bettie Creation. Located in Petersburg, Michigan, this busy stay at home mom makes some really fun items.  For both girls and adults you will find headbands, key chains, totes, wallets, make up bags and more.  The next shop is Scarecrow Cabin located on the shores of the Great Lakes.  Kelly makes quilts, table runners, penny and candle rugs, and recycles wool into her work.  You will also find some primitive items for your home.  Till the 15th of this month she is having a anniversary sale with 10% off.  Great way to start shopping for Mother's Day with both of these shops.  Stop by next week for more great shops in the Mitten State.  Enjoy!

Dirtroad Team - Homeschool Hats and Designs by Baerrels

Hello friends!  I have found two more amazing shops for you to visit today.  The first one belongs to Joni from Homeschool Hats.  Joni is a homeschooling her 3 kids and makes hats.  Great way to find a name for your shop.  Besides knitting hats you will find fingerless gloves, cowl neck warmers and she dyes wool.  Check out her new listing of of diaper covers.  These can be used from birth to toddlers, saving you a lot of money.  They are made from fisherman's wool.  The knitted ribs allows for them to be stretched to fit over a diaper.  The next shop is Designs by Baerrels.  This family has been working together for 40 years, making many unique designs from wood, glass, paint, prints and clay.  This shop is filled with puzzle boxes, treenware utensils, hair forks and comb sticks.  Plus some knit and crocheted hats.  Remember you can always type "drat dirtroadteam" into the search bar on Etsy and find more shops by artist living in small towns.

Going Green

I received this last week and love it.  I've been green for a very long time.  I'm just cheap!!!  Love to save money and find new ways of doing so.  So in being cheap you are on the first steps of going green, they do go hand in hand. My question is could we go back 50 years and still be happy?  I think so, but can I take my microwave oven?   I would miss it!  Just read and enjoy and remember your grandmother and mother they where the first to go green!

The Green Thing

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, 'We didn't have the green things  back in my day'.

That's right, they didn't have the green thing in her day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But they didn't have the green thing back her day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks. But, she's right. They didn't have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby's diapers because they didn't have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts, and wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right, they didn't have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house and not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn't have electric machinesto do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, they didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right, they didn't have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But they didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

Back then, we took shoes to the shoe repair shop instead of buying new ones. We REPAIRED torn clothing and broken refrigerators and washing machines when they broke. Everything wasn't battery operated and replaceable. 

But that old lady is right. They didn't have the green thing back in her day.

Farmhouse Gathering on Artfire - Joannas Collection

Welcome friend! Today I have a member from the Farmhouse Gathering on Artfire for you to meet. Come and visit the shop of Joanna Collections. This shop is filled with wonderful handwoven baskets. Taking a class in 1991 at a church camp in Northern Wisconsin, she became hooked on the art of basket weaving. I can so relate to this. This wonderful basket weaver is bless to live on a 20acre hobby farm in Eastern Minnesota. She has not only raised food but nine children. She not only weaves but teaches basket weaving to adults at different public schools. Nothing better then sharing your love of basket weaving with others. Below are some of the baskets she has in her shop. Enjoy your visit and remember you can type AFG into the search bar on Artfire to find more great shops from this talented team.

New collection on Artfire

Prim gifts for Mo...

Curated By: Basketsbyrose

ArtFire.com

Jewelry Supplies

Dirtroad Team - Aristo Card and In My Cups

Welcome friends I have two more wonderful shops for you to visit from the Dirtroad Team.  The first shop belongs to Andrea.  Living in the countryside outside of New York, this collage artist makes some very unique cards.  You can purchase an original or a print.  The cards are blank inside and can be used for any occasion.  These are not your run of the mill cards and can be framed later in life.  A card and a piece of art work all in one.  The next shop is In My Cup, where Sue makes windchimes and suncatchers out of punchbowl cups, with glass beads, beach glass and silver.  The can be used outside in your garden giving is instead class, or hung inside in a window.  Enjoy your visit to their shops and their unique art work.  Remember you can type in "drat dirtroadteam" into the search bar on Etsy and find some more artist living on the dirt road!  If you are an artist living in a small town come and join us and have some fun!