The Lonely Orphaned Sign

Hey folks!  Look, I'm still here!  Not much, but once in a while. ;-)   Onion Grove Mercantile is going a little crazy now....crazytown crazy.  A few pins by my magical  friend named Michael and I've been catapulted into the sign stratosphere....and let me tell you, it's a darn fun place to orbit!  Busy place, thus the lack of attention to poor ole Notes From the Heartland.  I've been learning lots about business....how to stay organized...how to keep books (sorta)...how to NOT dip my hair in the paint EVERY.TIME.I.PAINT...I mean, not like that happens EVERY time....okay, it happens EVERY time.

This past week brought a new lesson.  Custom work is risky....unless you demand funds up front.  This poor girl pictured above is an orphan.  Painted, ready to go, never paid for.  Lesson learned...the hard way.  

But she's so lovely, I just keep moving her around my own house.  If you're interested in seeing the rest of the non-orphaned signs I've been up to you can check them out on FACEBOOK and the O-FFIC-IAL Onion Grove Mercantile website.  Talk to you soon friends!

Pots for Sale

I have A.LOT. of catching up to do.  I blogged a total of 1.5 times over the summer....and SO MUCH happened!  To kick off catch up week we'll take a look at a recent sign!  My friend Becky ,of Willow Avenue Pottery ,asked me to paint another sign for her.  Do you remember the first?  One of my favorites.

  This time she asked for a sign to help folks realize the pots in her studio are FOR SALE...not just shelf decoration. ;-)  We played around with some ideas....and landed here.  Becky was so sweet to share the sign photo on Facebook....to which her first response was, "I feel like I can get a hot shave next door! And a nickle root beer!" 

That was a HUGE compliment....that's exactly what we were going for!!

Becky and I don't deal in dollars.  We deal in pottery.  The first sign netted me a GORGEOUS. CUSTOM. GIGANTO fruit bowl.  I love it.  I fill it with fruit and take lots of photos of it.  I protect it from crazy boys.  I proudly tell the story of the fruit bowl everytime someone asks...and sometimes when they don't. ;-)  NOW, my fruit bowl has friends!!   Matching friends to be exact.  Two pretty tumblers and a beautiful deep little bowl.  Becky is a master with the glaze....she creates the most amazing finishes.

Right now Becky is busy with the fall harvest here in Iowa....but the snow will fly soon and she'll be back in the studio.  EVERYONE needs a piece of Willow Avenue pottery for Christmas.  Just sayin'.

You can check out Becky on Facebook

her blog

or her website!

Signs and Ice Cream

In preparation for Miss Effie's Annual Ice Cream Social, I've spent some time creating a few pieces to be for sale in the Summer Kitchen.  Just delivered these on Friday....gives me a great excuse to visit one of my favorite people.  Of course I will be finding my way back out to the farm tomorrow to actually ATTEND the ice cream social.  Seriously folks, who can turn down homemade french silk chocolate ice cream and 'just baked for me' carrot cake?  Not I.  Not I.  Oh, and I don't think I could keep my kids away from the dwarf baby goats if I tried.  I mean, a goat smaller than a chicken?  Forgedaboudit.

I had to paint an egg sign....the only place I buy eggs from is Miss Eff.  Best eggs around.  I won't even touch storebought eggs anymore....gives me the heebygeebies.  She's spoiled me like that.

And of course we needed an ice cream sign for an ice cream social!  I used a new crackle/layering technique on the signs....worked like a charm....and was SUPER cheap.  Did you know crackle medium rivals only printer ink in per ounce cost?  hehehe.   I need to save every penny right now....my super hero Rich is starting our bath remodel next week.   Can I get an A-MEN?!   

Oh, and we all know how I feel about details.  Love. Them. 

I hope this sign finds a nice home....it's a favorite.  Maybe I'll sneak it back out of the Summer Kitchen tomorrow. ;-) Unless you get to it before I do.

Please Love The Hippies

The weather in Iowa right now is squirrely.  Down.Right.Squirrely.  Cold, hot, rain, wind, cold, wind, rain, hot.  I can't keep up.  So in the meantime I just stay in the house....and paint. 

I've had this sign on my mind for a while now.

Do you remember my homage to The Lettered Cottage's Tybee Island e-zine?   LOVE everything about this beautiful cottage.  That sign near the door was quirky and fun.  However, try explaining why this sign is quirky and fun to your seven and three year olds.  After describing what a hippie was, what they stood for, their place in the political climate of the 1960's and why this sign might have been displayed., my seven year old found nothing fun and quirky about the sign.  My husband said the same thing.

I still like the sign. 

I distressed the edges....because that's just what I do. 

Hey, there's a hippie!  Okay not really...but close.  I was going to ask what fun accessories you would add to the backdoor besides a Cozy Coupe, but I think the sign is coming back inside...maybe for the guest room....or upstairs bath...that would be fun.  I have a feeling my neighbors might not "get" it it either. 

Maybe good old stars and stripes will be going back up. 

What decorates your back door?  Are there any hippies hanging around?

Trading with Willow Avenue Pottery

Would you like to know the best part of owning your own business?  (I like to call it "business" like I'm a big shot ;-)   Bartering.  I know some REALLY cool people...that do REALLY cool stuff....so usually I feel like I make out like a bandit.  They get a sign....I get something WAY cooler. Several months ago I had the pleasure of meeting Becky from Willow Avenue Pottery.  Have you met?  You must....she's DE.light.FUL.  Delightful.  And she lives in a neato geodesic dome....she's super cool like that.  ANYWAY....Becky's studio needed a sign...and...well...that's what I do, that's who I am. ;-)  

SO.....Becky got a sign....and I got a bowl.....an amazing, beautiful, custom fruit bowl.  We'll get to that.  First, however, I wanted to buy one of Becky's beautiful yarn bowls for my mom, knitter extraordinaire.  I got to choose the glaze colors and everything!  Becky did an amazing job.  It is beautiful.

THIS is my fruit bowl.  LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE.  Perhaps I should say it again....LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE.  The color is dreamy...it is GIGANTO....it's perfect. 

Just look at that glaze...how pretty. 

Becky even gave the inside of the bowl this beautiful design. 

Pretty pretty pretty. 

Oh how I love it. 

And check this out....TWO bunches of bananas, TWO peaches, ONE tomato AND a melon!  How many fruit bowls can do THAT kind of job?

My fruit is happy and so am I.  Thanks Becky!!!

Visit Becky on her website or Etsy.....you can have your very own beautiful piece of handcrafted pottery from Guthrie County, Iowa!!!

Miss Effie's Sign....Delivered

Today I delivered a sign that I designed four times.  Yes.  Four. Times.  It had to be perfect.  My dear dear friend Cathy, aka Miss Effie, needed a sign for her absolutely enchanting Summer Kitchen...on her beautiful u-pick flower farm.  This is a place that once you've arrived you really don't want to leave.  On our way home today my three old announced out of the blue, in the sweetest little calm voice, "I really like going to Miss Effie's".  It is a very special place...a place that connects you to the earth and all that means....my children sense that....and I'm so happy I do too.   Perhaps now you understand why the sign had to be perfect.

As we all know, details are my FAVORITE.  Sometimes I get consumed by details...signs don't happen quickly around here....they marinate in my brain for a while.  I adore the details on this sign.  Do you know how many ampersands there are on the planet?  I think I've looked at every one. ;-)

Shadowing is my second favorite thing.  Any font can be shadowed...at least in my book. ;-) 

As a side note, this is my boss.  Looks tough doesn't he?  That's okay...when he's a stinker I just pull his mouth off. ;-)

If I could arrange for all my friends to have a giant lilac bush right outside their studio/kitchen window I would.  It is a heavenly scent to be draped in while painting. 

That's enough randomness....back to the real show. ;-)

Cath kinda liked her sign.  I was tickled every shade of pink by her reaction.  Hugging was involved.

The sign made its way to its new home...there are rumors that Cath's super duper handy husband, Cliff, aka "Honey" might possibly maybe install the sign tonight. ;-)  Can't wait to see it.

And just in case you think I'm some sort of martyr for slaving away painting these dreadful signs (hehehe)....that would be wrong.   I do if for pretty eggs from pretty chickens, the best hot cocoa in the WHOLE WORLD, salted nutrolls from Crosswinds Farm (five minutes after getting home is long enough to wait before chowing them all down, right?), and my NEWEST Miss Eff's addiction.....Date Pecan Granola.  Would it be bad if I ate the whole bag while writing this blog?  I didn't think so either.

Love you Miss Effie.

McCormick's Irish Pub

I was recently contacted by a very sweet Coloradian (is that what people from Colorado are called?)...she was interested in a very special gift for Father's Day.  Lots of fun details to work with on this one....Irish submariner, currently building a pub in his basement!  Perfect combo for a neat sign. 

I started with this.  A little vision might help at this point. ;-)  I cleaned, cleaned, cleaned the wood. 

And painted, painted, painted. 

After the "aging" process. 

Do you recognize that little doodad?  Makes a really neat plaquard....

but it started life as a cabinet hardware escutcheon!

The little details are my favorite.  I hope this special dad enjoys his gift!! 

365 Days on a Farm

So....what have you all been up to?  I've been painting.  And painting.  And painting.  And then waiting til the VEEERRRRYYY last thing to paint the alpaca.  Alpacas and I are now like *this*.  I've studied photos of them, looked at all the flavors they come in, tried to figure out the difference between an alpaca and a llama.  My sweet friend Tammy has opened THE.MOST.AMAZING. yarn store in all the land......365 Days on a Farm....and she wanted me to paint her sign.  SUPER!!  And I think I have now conquered my fear of farm animals.  I've never been much of a scaredy cat when it came to REAL farm animals (I am an Iowa girl afterall) but the painted variety gave me the heeby geebies.  Not anymore.  Bring em on....duck? Anyone need a duck?  Haven't tried that one yet.

This is Tammy's final result!   DOUBLE SIDED, 4 foot by 5 foot sign...

it's bigger than Tammy and I put together.

 I'm a little partial to the sheep actually. 

 I painted and painted and painted....so I could deliver.....

 ....to this sweet gal, who answered all of my little one's questions.

This has to be one of the coolest aspects of Tammy's store.  You can take a look at the ACTUAL llama or alpaca that provided fleece for your yarn!!  How awesome is that? 

Gorgeous yarn.  All American grown....from American sheep, llamas and alpacas....

spun by small American companies.

 

 And Tammy will let you touch the yarn...no raised eyebrows.

 I am coveting that pink and white one on the left....if only I knew how to knit.  (By the way, Tammy will teach you to knit or crochet for free...she's just cool like that. )  It's decided...I'm now going to lobby Congress to extend the day to 48 hours....perhaps then I can pursue every hobby that strikes my fancy.  Who's with me?!

 I felt ALL the yarn.  ;-)

Tammy even has roving.  You can spin YOUR OWN yarn!

She taught Clancey how to card the fleece.

He was off to the races.

Then we tried out the fun carding machine. 

Tammy was sweet enough to send a little fluff home with Clancey....he loves the way it feels and has been carrying it around since....he told me we would have to go back to "Miss Tammy's" soon....I think so too. :-)

I'll be sure to share photos when the sign is installed on the store.

You can visit Tammy at 365 Days on a Farm too!!!

116 W. Davenport St.

Eldridge, Ia

563-285-9985

Visit Tammy on Facebook or on her blog too!!