Some times a rug needs to be rescued from its current “location or situation.” In the case with the Bicentennial Rug picture above it needed to be rescued from a booth in a local antique/collectibles market. Thanks to Julie J. who saw the rug and told me where it was (3 miles from W. Cushing & Co.) I went there and wadded up in the corner of a booth was this wonderful rug. Don’t you just love the Liberty Bell! I decided to rescue it for many reasons. . . First, I will not wash the rug. I have aired
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Archives for wcblog
Collecting Vintage Postcards, Paper and Ribbons
Collecting vintage paper, postcards and ribbon has been something I have done since I was a child. The Christmas cards I received from family were dimensional and die cut or mechanical. The same is true for the old Advent Calendars (around the Holidays I will feature some of my oldest ones–they are safely packed away now) I love vintage paper (books, cards, etc), postcards and ribbon. Why? when traveling it was easy to transport home, the colors and detail are simply amazing and they are wonderful to decorate with! Each holiday is a chance to decorate with them and enjoy
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Wow! Today is a DECADE (10 years) since we purchased W. Cushing & Co.!
This is not an April’s Fool joke. . . It is hard to believe that it has been 10 years since we purchased W. Cushing and Co. It definitely was not an April Fool’s joke but who would have believed us? We could barely believe it ourselves. A time has flown by, like it was yesterday! We have navigated many obstacles but always with one focus. . .provide quality products and customer service to the Fiber Industry–our way. This is still our mission today. Of course we did not walk this path alone. We thank you our loyal customers, Lisanne’s
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Happy Birthday Girl Scouts! 114 Years Old
Girl Scouts will celebrate their 114th birthday on March 12, 2026. The celebration commemorates Juliette Gordon Low organizing the first troop meeting in 1912. Girl Scout Week 2026 runs from March 8–14, featuring daily themes, community service projects, and special activities celebrating 114 years of leadership. During my youth, Girl Scouts played a huge role in my life and that of my friends. I remember my Brownie Leader, Mrs. Kadel. She had us save margarine or butter boxes to decorate and fill with toiletries for the Merry Heart Nursing Homes (which is still in Succasunna, NJ). To this day I
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FiFi–Find It Finish It Class–What is it?
Since Rug Hooking Week at Sauder Village class schedule was published, there have been a lot of questions on what a FiFi is. FiFi means Find It, Finish It! It is a unique workshop where you go into your UFO’s and let’s face it we all have UFO’s or rugs you have struggled with for any reason. These are the rugs you bring out of hiding to the class and we try and solve the issues with them. Having the workshop right on the Main Hall Floor in my booth helps–we can adjust color plans, add textures, yarns or mixed
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What Happened to Cheese/Appetizer Spreaders?
I was getting ready to do a simple appetizer –cream cheese and Hot Pepper Cranberry Jelly from Stonewall Kitchen. I love to use my Lenox Winter Greetings and as I was putting the cheese spreader into the cream cheese I realized that you just don’t see the fun, simple and wonderful cheese/appetizer spreaders. By the way keep the Hot Pepper Cranberry Jelly in your pantry when you need a quick appetizer or snack. You can just top the cream cheese with it or add a layer of shredded cheddar cheese then the jelly or put meatballs in your crockpot and
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Our 250th Tribute to America Pattern & History
For awhile now the idea of a 250th Tribute Pattern has been formulating. Should I design a new pattern? Should we adapt one of our many eagle patterns like the Wendell Eagle? Perhaps something in a buttermold fashion for the times? I knew had to be a pattern that would appeal to any rug hooker or fiber artist. Had to be something with a nod to our past but had the future in sight. So on and on the conversation with myself went. Also this year marks my 50th, yes 50th year of rug hooking as I learned as part
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Shadows in the Snow
Shadows in the Snow is always fun to see, watch and take pictures of this time of year. Especially this year with so many of us have a good old fashioned winter to experience! Most of us when hooking shadows in snow shy away from blue, brighter blue then we would normally think. However if you look at the real life picture below (and Tucker modeling for the picture), you will see the shadows are in fact blue with green. In the inspiration piece for Christmas Eve, while an Art Deco card, the shadows are in fact blue and some
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Let’s Warm the Oven and Bake Some Fun!
As many of you know, last year I decided to “bake” more and I did. What I found out is that I prefer to bake what I know–simple Italian desserts. Why Italian desserts? The real Italian desserts from Italians like my grandparents were simple recipes–made with what you had in the kitchen. Special desserts like cannoli’s, tiramisu and spumoni were for special holidays and occasions. So one of my favorite recipes is Soft Italian Almond Cookies (reciped at the end of the blog). Why? Because they make a large batch, simple ingredients (remember everyone should have ricotta in their refrigerator)
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Arctic Blast and Snow–Dig Out the Holiday Books!
With the upcoming weather leaving a lot us shaking from the cold and knee deep in snow, it is time to dig out the Holiday Books and relax with a cup of tea and a few gingersnaps! Time to Explore with a fresh set of eyes. Holiday books are wonderful to read for fun, to grandchildren but also to look at for inspiration in our rug hooking. One of my favorite authors is Matt Tavares. Matt has many awesome books, many of which I have shared before. However, his Dasher series is a must have! Click the link below to
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