Farmer's Market

I have always enjoyed going to a Farmer's Market.  Unfortunetly, there are not many in our area.  We do have one in our hometown that is open from the first Wednesday after Memorial Day through Saturday of Labor Day weekend.  It's open on Wednesday and Saturday from 7:00 to Noon.

I decided to participate this year and not be just a lookey loo.  I don't have fresh produce because our little garden didn't do too well this year, but I made some cinnamon pickles, bread and butter pickles, pepper jelly, and fig preserves.  I decided to make some buttermilk pound cake and banana nut bread, too.  I did pretty good in June and July but things tapered off in August as the fresh produce was not as abundant.

There were others with canned goods, homemade bread, honey, fresh eggs and even woven baskets made with pine straw.  Of course, the fresh produce was the highlight.  People like to get corn, peas, okra, butter beans, peaches. peppers, watermelons, cantalopes, etc.  We have many local people who grow these things, even if on a small scale in their own back yard.

I was going to add some pictures but for some reason I am unable to upload them here.  I wanted you to see how pretty everything looked.  If you want to see them, I have a couple posted on facebook.  They are in my wall photos section.  Just look up Renee Moore Henderson on facebook, if you want.

Not only was I able to sell some of my products, but I met some wonderful people.  The same customers and vendors came every week and we got to know each other better.  We had a lot of fun. 

One of the issues I noticed with the farmer's market is that it was usually the older generation coming to buy the goods.  Very few young people came.  By young I mean younger than 40 years old.  I don't know if they don't enjoy these things or if they don't know about it or just don't care.  I heard one guy tell me that he didn't have a garden.  I asked him why (he is a country boy) and he told me "Why have a garden when there is Wal-Mart".  So sad.  I surely hope that the younger generation will learn to appreciate the effort that our local growers put forth to bring this yummy food to our table.  I also think canning and freezing food is becoming a lost art.  Either they don't want to put forth the effort or are too busy.  Some may have never been taught how to do these things that our grandparents and great grandparents had to do.

With that said, I look forward to next summer when the Farmer's Market will be open again.  I will participate every summer as long as I am able to do the canning and baking.  It is something I enjoy and hope to bring some joy to others with what I make.  Happy Canning!

Inspiration Renewed

I have been in a slump lately and haven't wanted to do much crafting or sewing even though these are two of my favorite things to do.  I have been newly inspired through some fantastic fan pages I have found on facebook.  This has led to finding some interesting blogs and has inspired me to blog more and about more interesting things.

I also have a new sewing and crafting space that I am currently moving into and organizing.  It is really exciting for me because this is something that I have wanted for such a long time.  It is painted a nice turquoise with accents of lime green, raspberry pink, orange and brown.  It will be a really nice space to be in to create and sew and become more inspired.  Now I can get my house better organized without all my "stuff" in the way.

I had some before pictures but the computer I had them stored on crashed and they could not be retrieved.  I will post some after pictures when I have things better organized.  Hopefully, someone will be inspired as I have been.  Happy crafting and sewing!!

My Baby Boy Got Married

As you know, my blog is titled "Something Homemade." If anything is homemade, it's our children. My youngest son got married on April 25th. He's 24 years old. I'm proud that he waited and didn't get married as a teenager!! This is the happy couple. At this time this is the best picture I have of them. I will post more on myspace and facebook when I get them.

I just thought I would share this happy occasion with all of you. I would hope that everyone would be as happy as they are right now. I surely hope they will always be happy.

Purse Organizers

I made these cute purse organizers to take to a craft show in town but it was canceled because of severe weather. I have just got around to taking pictures of them and adding them to my online store. I think they are really cute and would make a nice gift for someone. Mother's Day and Graduation are coming up. Think about it. This is different from the norm that you might give on these occasions. Or you could just get one for yourself!!!!
You can check these and others like it out here. Or you can look at the Artfire Rapid Cart on the right sidebar of this blog and you won't have to go to Artfire.com. I really enjoyed making them and deciding on the fabric choices. I hope you enjoy also!!! Have a great day!!!

Need to Get Busy

I have so many things that I want to do this year. One of them is to get my etsy shop back in business and to set up shop on Artfire. I've basically just been lazy and have no excuses for getting these things done. I have some things made and ready to photograph and upload but just haven't done it. I get side tracked doing other things and getting my house organized that it seems to take back burner.

I really need to change that because I would like to see some income from my items that I have spent time making. My embroidery machine is sitting idle and the hubby doesn't appreciate that for sure. He would rather see me busy at it and getting some things listed. I did purchase it for the purpose of making a little extra income. Time to get off my lazy behind!!!

I know that the best thing for me to do is set aside certain hours every day to devote to my business. Think of it as a job that I have to leave home for and work at it like someone else was paying me. More discipline, dedication and determination. I really like making things so I really don't know why it has been an issue. Tomorrow is another day and it will be a better day for me and my business.

Matching Christmas Outfits

I made matching Christmas outfits for my niece's two daughters. I wanted to show them to you. I think they are really cute
She bought the fabric of her choice. I had patterns for her to choose from and she picked the one she liked best. I made these adorable outfits and embroidered their initials, as you can see.
I didn't see them wearing them personally but I did see a picture of them wearing these outfits. They were sooo cute, of course. I'm happy that mama likes them. I always worry about whether or not they will like what I do and if they will fit properly.
I always enjoyed sewing for my children when they were little. The advantage is that they were present for me to try on as I go and make sure they fit correctly. I had to take measurements for these and hope that I cut it right so it would fit. My niece said they fit very well so I'm happy with that.
I take pride in my work and want my customers, whoever they are, to be happy with what they get from me...satisfaction guaranteed, you know. Most people that make things like this know what I'm talking about. We want it to be liked and appreciated.
I'm looking forward to making more clothing for nieces, nephews, grandchildren and anyone else that would like me to make something for them.

Christmas Gifts

I'm trying to decide what I want to do for my grandsons for Christmas. They really don't need anything, especially clothes and toys, but what else do you give to little boys. I think I will make them something from their Granny for Christmas. Even if it is clothes, no one else will have anything like it.

I know homemade gifts are appreciated from past experience, unless they lied to me about it. My skills have gotten better and the ideas are better, too. Back in the day some of the crafts that people learned to do were pretty tacky. These days I'm focusing more on sewing and quilting. These seem to be more appreciated. If they don't like it, they can give it to someone else. Just don't tell me.

Most of my family members don't sew and I don't think very many of them even have a hobby. So sad. It sure is nice to be able to do something like this when you don't want to watch TV or if it's cold or raining outside. I guess the computer and the internet can be considered a hobby now. I know there are several that spend time on the internet...I do. I just don't want to do it all day for lack of nothing else to do.