Black Work Wreath!

Just in today! The Black Work Wreath, great for your Halloween decorations. Only a few in stock, so order soon!

Balloon Wreaths

Need another craft project to use up your bits and pieces of ribbons and stuff? Here’s a great looking one especially if you have birthday parties and summer celebrations coming up.

This first photo is from “Catch My Party” blog. It’s from Kate P’s party. So colorful and cheery! The addition of simple pipe cleaners add a whimsical look.

This photo is from “Landee See Landee Do” Blog. Just click on the photo to visit her blog. You’ll find simple, detailed instructions to make this great birthday wreath and lots of photos. Be prepared to spend some time there…..because she has tons of other interesting blogs you’ll get absorbed in))

Another view from Landee See Landee Do

These are great wreath projects to involve the kids in. Even the smallest child can pick out balloon colors. The wreath makes a nice “welcome to my party!” Primary colors would be great for a Back to School Party too.
You could apply the balloon technique to any Styrofoam shape…..make a cone tree….or a ball and suspend it by ribbon…..different size balls hanging in windows would be cute…..I can see a grand kids project in the making!

Just thought these cute wreaths were a nice change from poly mesh for a bit))) Gee ….maybe we should sell balloons too!

Posted Links for New Videos from Craig Bachman Imports - Making Deco Poly Mesh Wreaths & Garlands

Just posted links for two new videos (right side bar “instructional videos”) from Craig Bachman Imports showing how to use deco poly mesh and Work Wreath to create beautiful wreaths and also how to use Work Garlands.

CBI How to: Deco Mesh & Work Wreath

 CBI How To: Deco Mesh & Work Garland

Craig Bachman has promised more videos! I’ll get them posted just as quick as they are available!

Visit us at Trendy Tree and browse our list of great Instructional Videos on Christmas decorating, wreath and garland making, bow making and more! You'll find the list on the right side bar of the Blog.

Screamin' Cacklin' Walkin' Witches!

These small witches from Burton & Burton are only about 13 inches in ht….but they are quite vocal!

They cackle and scream, eyes start flashing and off they go in a little wiggly walk. Just clap your hands to activate. They operate off 3 AA batteries.

Click Here to See the Action!

Visit us at Trendy Tree to see more Halloween Decorations from Burton & Burton and RAZ Imports.

See the Craig Bachman Showroom in Dallas!

Here’s a sneak peek of the 2011 Dallas Market inside the Craig Bachman Showroom! Learn more about their deco poly mesh, Work Wreaths, Work Garlands, and new Work Balls and more.

Click photo to see video

You’ll see examples of the new Glamour Rope coming in soon to Trendy Tree.

Deco Poly Ice Cream Cone Decoration!

Huge ice cream cone made out of deco poly mesh! This is a Craig Bachman creation using a Work Wall Cone and a Work Ball.

Poly mesh netting was worked in and out the twists as usual. The “sprinkles” on top were made from pieces of Glamour Rope.

The new Work Wall cone and Work Ball are items from Craig Bachman that we haven’t stocked at this time. But, I think you could create the same effect above using a Work Wreath and Work Garland.

You basically would need a tree or cone shape that you could turn upside down for the cone. A chicken wire frame could be fashioned for the cone. You could use pipe cleaners to secure the mesh to the chicken wire frame.

A Work Wreath could be used for the ice cream portion, just beef up the center poufs to give it a more rounded look and tighter around the edges.

Sprinkles can be hot glued on by cutting short pieces of the Glamour Rope or even the Glitzy Sticks. Our Glamour Rope and Glitzy Sticks should be arriving any day now. Short pieces of Deco Flex Tubing could be used with the same look too I think.

I can see right now, I have to try my hand at this project! What a great wall decoration or door welcome for a birthday party. Now I’m thinking of a cupcake form……or cookie…..or a Cake Pop! Cake Pops are the newest sweet treat rage….

I’ll be back with more instruction once I try my hand at this one))) Visit us at Trendy Tree for more decorating ideas using decorative poly mesh ribbon.

Star Shaped Wreath Made of Fresh Greenery by Martha Stewart

Beautiful star shaped wreath made of fresh greenery. This photo is from Martha Stewart and the instructions for making the wreath can be found on her site. Just click on the photo for details.

The reason I posted this project is because I LOVE the way the wreath is hanging in the window! Leave it to Martha to turn the simple into stunning.

I have the book “Great American Wreaths” by Martha Stewart Living and it is fantastic. I’ve had it for years, but refer to it over and over again. It includes bow making, simple and easy to follow instructions on making wreaths. The Great American part comes from the fact that they chose materials from different states…..Magnolia leaves from Mississippi of course.
I’ve made the Magnolia wreath several times from fresh branches gathered from an old home place just down the road. It takes tons of branches because you just want to use the tips, but it makes an absolutely stunning wreath.

To make the Magnolia wreath some of the leaves are positioned with the waxy green side showing, then others turned with the velvety brown under side. Course, the leaves are fresh so the wreath doesn’t last but a few days, but still well worth the time spent to make it.

When I make them, I leave them in the house until ready to go outside for a backyard party and they just smell up the house with the Magnolia scent. Next one I make…..will be hanging in the window like the one above)))

"Learn Deco Mesh Wreath Design" By Southern Charm Wreaths

Just sit tight! You’ve been wanting to try your hand at making wreaths and garlands I know)))

Wreath making is a fun and profitable craft project, and the best part is you can personalize your wreaths and garlands any way you want! Choose your own colors, ribbons, embellishments and themes. Maybe all you’ve been waiting on is a little more instruction on how to get started.

Well if you’ve been following my Blog, you know I’ve posted photos of several wreaths from “Southern Charm Wreaths.” These are some of the most beautiful wreaths I’ve seen made out of deco poly mesh.
Julie, creator of Southern Charm Wreaths has decided to share her expertise. She is coming out with an eBook at the end of July that will give you tons of information on creating your own festive, funky wreaths and garlands.
From her eBook you will learn:

• what is Poly Deco Mesh;
• step-by-step instructions on how to make your very own Poly Deco Mesh wreath;
• where to purchase your wreathing supplies in retail stores and online;
• how what kind of ribbon to add to your Poly Deco Mesh wreath;
• how to add ornaments or silk flowers to your Poly Deco Mesh wreath;
• how to add signs to your Poly Deco Mesh wreath;
• plus bonuses on other ways to decorate with Poly Deco Mesh and
• how to make garland from Poly Deco Mesh.

Just click on the book for the link where you can sign up to get on the list!

Old World Christmas September 11, 2001 Remembrance Heart Just Arrived at Trendy Tree!

As the country looks back to the events of September 11, 2001, it is important to remember the thousands we lost and those whose lives have been changed forever.
Old World Christmas glass Remembrance ornaments were designed to honor the thousands of lives lost on September 11, 2011, and keep their memory alive.
Remembrance Heart measures 2 3/4″ and is made of mouth blown, hand painted glass.

Hang Tag Reads: This glass Remembrance Heart ornament was designed to honor the thousands who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. The heart is wrapped with red, white and blue, the colors of the flag of the United States of America. The Remembrance Heart stands for courage, unity and love of country.

Back of heart is plain.

The Remembrance Heart ornament is now in stock! More 9-11 remembrance ornaments arriving soon.

Pickin' Cotton in the 1950's and 1960's

I posted a blog the other day about a museum in Holly Springs having an old cotton pick sack…..I was wanting to find a photo and sure enough……found one on eBay. You know, you can just about find anything you want on eBay! Now, don’t get me wrong…..I’m not wanting a pick sack, but I was curious to see if there were any photos out there….and I did find some))) If I don’t ever have to pick cotton again, it will be just fine with me))

Courtesy of eBay Seller bestmanwins

Now, if you want to purchase an old vintage pick sack, the style above is a 6 foot sack. and it’s for sale on eBay! Clicking on the photo will take you there. It was the size I used growing up the 1950′s-1960′s. The sack is made of durable cotton material and the bottom side has little tar dots that helped keep the sack from wearing out too quick from dragging down the cotton rows. Forty to forty five pounds of  cotton would probably be about all you could put in this size sack. Sacks were available in 6 foot, 7 1/2 and 9 foot lengths.

This is not my family, but the scene is one that I’m all too familiar with)))  These sacks look like 9 footers! This photo is courtesy of Gideon Seniors 1959. My days of “going to the field” started way before I was big enough to do anything but play on a quilt under a shade tree. When I was old enough to tag along down the rows with mother, daddy and my sisters, I proudly wore a pick sack made of burlap, or a mesh type sack that potatoes, onions or fruit came in. Then I graduated up to the 6 foot sack. Oh joy.

Picking cotton is back-breaking work. The taller you are, the more you have to stoop over. There is no way to pick cotton but to stoop over the row and pick. Some people could scoot down the rows on their knees, but not many. Leather knee pads that strapped to your legs were used. We had one pair of knee pads in the family….and if anyone wore them it would usually be daddy. Kids didn’t need anything but a hat, we didn’t wear sunscreen….it may not have existed then….who knows. My grandmother did her best to make us wear a bonnet….but that undoubtedly had to be the hottest thing in the world. Some folks picked in a wide brim straw hat…..most of the time I went without anything, sometimes a baseball cap. No wonder I had freckles huh…. My grandmother wanted us to pick cotton in long sleeve shirts and pants to protect us from the sun…..but you know grandmothers don’t know anything…right? Right.

Going to the field was a family affair most of the time. My little brother was too young to go to the field, so he stayed with my grandmother. My mother used to work in the field with us, but at some point she started working at a local factory and left the field work to daddy and the rest of us. I always did say she was smart. So, as soon as we all ate a breakfast of eggs, biscuits sausage or bacon……we got things together to head to the field. Sometimes it only meant walking out the back yard and picking cotton behind the house….sometimes we had to load up in the pickup and drive to some other patches we had, or over to my granddaddy’s to pick for him. I was the youngest going to the field and had two older sisters. We fought a lot.
You had to make sure you got your pick sack, cap, hat and shoes. There was no such thing as driving back to the house in case you forgot something…..if you did, you just did without until dinnertime (lunch or the noon meal).

A big jug of water had to be fixed before we left. This was about a 1 and  1/2 or 2 gallon glass jug with mason jar type screw lid. No glasses or cups…..we all drank out of the same jug. Ice was made with cubes from the metal ice trays and the jug was placed in several brown grocery store sacks. The more sacks, the longer the water would stay cold. We didn’t even have a Jolly Jug! lol Gracious! Now I’m really feeling sorry for us…. I think at some point we did finally get an insulated water jug……probably one that got left behind when we had hired hands come help us pick…

If we were picking close to the house, we would quit around noon…..or whenever daddy said we could quit and go to the house to eat. My sister (the middle one) would leave the field a little early and go fix our lunch. Usually it was something like opening a jar of canned kraut, fried potatoes, corn bread and tea. Sometimes ice was scarce. We had to have enough for dinner, but needed some for the next jug of afternoon water. If we were picking cotton for my granddaddy…..dinnertime was a different story)))) My grandmother didn’t really go to the field to pick cotton that I can remember, but she would come bring us water and she fixed lunch. She always wanted us to rest a while after lunch and didn’t want us going back to the field too soon. She worried that we would get too hot, snake bit, cut if we were hoeing and a host of other problems.

My granddaddy was crippled and couldn’t do a lot of walking as in picking cotton, he was on the tractor most of the time. But, when we worked for him, he paid us just like he did any other hired hand. Now, I had to be 9-12 maybe at the time…..and I got a full day’s pay just like everyone else. Plus, every afternoon he would take out and go to the store at Pinedale and come back with a carton of Pepsi, Snickers, MilkyWay or package of peanuts for everyone…..he did this everyday we were in the field without fail.

To get your sack ready for picking, it first had to be fitted on your shoulder for the right length. The strap would go around my left shoulder and the sack opening be on the right right. A big knot would be taking up in the strap to make it fit. “Professional” pickers would have their strap sewn flat to get rid of the knot to make it more comfortable. A walnut sized rock or cotton boll would be placed in the corner on one side or the other of the sack and a heavy wire twisted around it.

We would have a “weigh in” about mid morning, noon, mid afternoon and end of day. A pickup truck with side planks would be pulled into the field or a tractor pulling a cotton wagon for the weigh in. Usually the truck or tractor would sit in about the same spot and we’d leave our water jug and food there or under the nearest shade tree where we thought we would finish up at lunch time.

If we had to take our lunch in the field, it would usually be left over biscuits with eggs or peanut butter and crackers, sometimes Vienna sausages in a can with crackers and water from the jug.
The cotton wagon or pickup would have a plank extended high out from the back for the scales to hang on. The cotton sacks would be hung on the scales by the strap and the hook that had been made in the corner of the sack. The sacks would have to clear the ground and a pound or so had to be taken off from the amount the cotton weighed to account for the sack.
Photo courtesy of Gideon Seniors 1959.

The scales shown in the photos are just like the ones we used. Once the sack was doubled up and hung and cleared the ground, the “pea” was placed on the slender end to level the scale. Depending on how much cotton was in the sack, you either had to use the “big pea” or “little pea.” I think the peas weighed around 1 and 4 pounds, but I’m not sure.

Our scales were bought at Hamilton Hardware in New Albany, according to daddy, around 1953. They would weigh up to about 200 pounds and had markings on one side up to 40 and up to 160 on the other. I think to weigh 200 pounds you had to use both peas…

Usually the owner of the field did the weighing. The most I could ever pick was 35-45 pounds at a time, but some some folks would have 100 or more pounds at each weigh in.

Competition was pretty fierce sometimes depending on who you were picking with. The weigh in amounts were written down so the truck load could be kept up with. When the truck or wagon had 1,200 to 1,500 pounds, it would be taken to the local gin at night. We had little paper tablets or books to write our weights down in to keep up with it individually. These were free at the country stores from companies like Garrett Snuff. Sometimes the amount on the wagon would be written down on a wagon plank.

The sacks would be tossed into the wagon for emptying. Sometimes if there were young men picking, they would get up in the wagon and empty the sacks as my daddy threw them in. If not, daddy would empty all the sacks when he finished the weighing while everyone rested. He’d throw your sack back out to you and we would head back out to the row where you had left off. There wasn’t much danger of getting your sack mixed up with anyone else’s.

Sometimes, we would write our names on them using those purple berries off bushes.
Depending on where we were, we all might get to jump on the cotton wagon or in the back of the truck laying around on the cotton and head back to the house for lunch or home in the afternoon. This was always a pleasant time. The cotton would be soft and the smaller kids like me would do some playing by burying each other or throwing cotton around. We had to be careful not to throw it out of the wagon though. Depending on how many had to ride back to the house, someone might get to ride on the tractor seat with daddy and even do a little driving.

The smokers among the cotton pickers would take this time to have a cigarette. More than once a small fire had to be put out in the cotton wagon…..which could have been a disaster. My daddy and grandaddy both smoked but they were always mindful of the dangers around the cotton and kept an eye on the other smokers. Daddy smoked Camels…..and my grandaddy rolled his own. I still have one of his last cans of Prince Albert and the little package of thin, cigarette papers. The can still has a little tobacco in it.

My grandson saw the can one day and asked me what it was…..I showed it to him and opened it so he could see the tobacco and talked a little about my grandaddy. He was probably in the 2nd or third grade at the time.

Well, at school one day they had a police officer come to class to do a little talk on drugs. Apparently they discussed marijuana in class and saw some samples…..the officer asked if anyone had ever seen anything like that. My grandson proudly raised his had and said “Yes! My NeNe has some at her house.”

Once enough cotton had been picked, the wagon load or truck load had to be taken to the gin for ginning. The wagon had to be emptied at night, so more cotton could be loaded the next day. Some of the farmers with bigger farms had mechanical cotton pickers and extra trailers. But the smaller farmers picked a load, had it ginned and started back over with the same wagon.

So, ginning for the smaller farmer had to be done at night. I don’t know how long the gin stayed open, but it always seemed to be. Most of the time our cotton was taken to the Hurricane Gin. After supper daddy would head to the gin pulling the wagon load with the tractor. The gin was only probably 10 miles away, but driving the tractor at night was slow and now that I look back, I see how dangerous it really was. It was always a treat to get to go to the gin at night. Sometimes a friend and I would get to ride on the cotton to the gin. We would bury under the cotton to stay warm and comfy on the way.

Once at the gin, there would always be a long line of wagons and trucks and you just had to get in line and wait your turn. This was always a good time for running across the road for a soft drink and candy bar. When it was our time to get the cotton ginned, we had to get out of the wagon and wait. Daddy would get in the back of the wagon and suck up the cotton with this big tubular vacuum. Sometimes he would let us put our hands under it to feel the force of the vacuum. We would stand around and watch the ginning process as the seeds were separated from the cotton. Sometimes we would wait inside the gin office especially if the nights were becoming chilly.

Once the wagon was emptied, we headed back home. Daddy would get some sort of paper from the gin office, I think it had to do something with the seed or maybe just the bale number. Once the cotton was ginned, we never saw it again. The bales stayed at the gin for the buyer.

A card and cotton sample would arrive in the mail in a few days. The cotton sample was about the size 12-14″ long, had brown paper wrapped around the middle like yarn, with the cotton sticking out on each end. Inside the brown paper flap would be a card with the cotton grade. The card would have letters on it like M, LM, SLM that stood for middling, low middling, strict low middling. The middling was always the best grade. There may have been more grades, these are the ones I remember. SLM was not something that daddy wanted to see, so we were always happy to be able to shout out Middling!

I think daddy would take the cotton sample and the card to the cotton broker to sell the bale. After that, the cotton was used for stuffing cushions or something like that. The ride back home wasn’t nearly as comfy as the one going. If you were riding in the back of the wagon, it bounced you all over the place, was windy and cool.

Cotton picked paid about $3.00 per 100 pounds.  So a really good picker made $10-12 dollars a day. Yes, the good old days))) Back breaking, hot work. The cotton burs would make your hands so sore. Some people picked in gloves with the fingers cut out. The worst picking would be the “scrapping.” Fields would be picked a second time to get every scrap of cotton getting bolls that had opened after the first picking or had been left behind in fields that had been first picked by mechanical cotton pickers. Cotton pickers (mechanical) do a much better job today than they did 30-40 years ago.

The money we made picking or hoeing cotton was our own. We never had to turn it in as family money, but we did use it for school clothes, supplies and things like that.

One during before basketball season started, the girls and boys basketball team had a “field trip.” Now, our field trip didn’t quite have the same connotation as a field trip today by most classroom standards. Sometime around 1966 or 1967, our basketball team got new warmups (pants to wear over our basketball uniforms to the games).

Previous to the new warmups, we had to take our ball uniforms or “ball suit” in an overnight case and change into it, play ball, then change back into our regular clothes. Having the new warmups was great….we could get ready to play quicker and the team looked great.

So, one Saturday we all picked cotton for one of the local farmers to help pay for our warmups. Not a bad deal at the time and no one quibbled about doing a day’s work for the team.

1967-68 Hurricane Basketball Team

So maybe the 1950 and 1960′s were the good old days……well….guess it depends on what part of those days you’re talking about))) I’m not complaining though…….doesn’t appear that I was abused from child labor, or my pysche damaged for life……children need to do something productive, satisfying, and there is certainly nothing wrong with learning some responsibilty and even making a little money.


But if you ask me if I want to go pick some cotton………no thank you)))

Trendy Tree July Newsletter - Free Shipping Coupon!

 Free Shipping on any order $100 or more!

Coupon Code "july"

(discount will show on checkout page)

(does not apply to Alaska, HI, PR, APO or international)

(Shipping will be USPS Parcel Post, First Class, Priority Mail or UPS Ground. Offer good July 3 thru July 31, 2011, no rain checks and does not apply to previous orders.)

RAZ Imports

RAZ 2011 has started to come! Items showing "out of stock" should be coming in within the next few weeks.

Old World Christmas Remembrance Heart Arriving this Week

Most of our RAZ Halloween has begun to arrive.

Check out our Blog for decorating tips and news! We have a great list of instructional videos

wreath and garland making and Christmas decorating. Trendy Tree Give-a-ways will be posted on our Blog and Facebook.

Instructional Videos

Free Printable!

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Sandwich Fixings!

In the hot summertime…..it’s just too hot to cook sometimes! C’mon now, admit it…..if if can’t be grilled outside….it’s going to have to be slapped between two pieces of bread….or roll….or croissants as it was today))

This was sandwich Sunday at our house…..homemade chicken salad and pimento and cheese. I’m going to share my two easy recipes. Make extra and keep in the frig for a few days. The chicken will keep safely for a couple of days, but the pimento and cheese much longer.
Now as you know as with most cooks from the south, we don’t do a lot of scientific measuring. Or I don’t anyway)))

So I’m giving you my guess-timates as to the amounts…..you’re free to add/subtract depending on your taste.
We’ll start with the chicken salad.

Chicken Salad

Chicken from one whole chicken (Roasted chicken is better, has more flavor, but boiled chicken is okay. Using only the chicken breast is okay too and actually makes prettier salad.)
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped pickle (I use bread and butter style, but dill works fine too)
1 crisp, tart apple – peeled and chopped (needs to be a Granny Smith, Fuji or anything that is very crisp, not a Delicious apple)
Dill flakes to taste
Salt/Pepper to taste
3/4 cup to 1 cup of Kraft Mayo (start with the lesser amount or even 1/2 cup and gradually increase to the desired taste and appearance)

Chop the chicken, put in the rest of the ingredients adding the Mayo last. Chill. Adding some toasted pecans is an option and some people like a little chopped onion in theirs. Serve on your favorite bread, stuff a tomato or serve on a lettuce leaf with crackers.

Pimento and Cheese

In my family, we usually make pimento and cheese two different ways. One is may with Velvetta Cheese and melted, the other is shredded sharp cheddar. Both have the usual Kraft Mayo and pimento. The melted Velvetta kind has a great taste, even a smidgen of sugar in it and both are favorites among our household.

Today’s pimento and cheese was the shredded kind. It mainly depends on what kind of cheese I have in the frig when I make my decision, because it’s always an afterthought……we just usually keep stocked up on cheese and the other ingredients.

3-4 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (today I combined sharp cheddar/colby jack)
1 large jar of chopped pimento (drain juice, but reserve just in case you need to thin a little)
3/4 to 1  cup of Kraft Mayo (start with 1/2 cup and gradually increase depending on your taste and consistency….more Mayo, the thinner and easier to spread)

Mix everything together and store in the frig. I like to serve on toasted bread or croissants.

Peaches are in!

If you live in Pontotoc County, the words you’re waiting to hear each summer are “peaches are in!” Course, most of my blog readers are not from Pontotoc County I’m sure, but in Pontotoc we have the Cherry Creek Orchard who supplies the community with the best peaches you’ve ever eaten!

Sliced peaches with fresh whipped cream is a favorite dessert around our place. No extra sugar on the peaches is required and they are just dripping with juice. Our only problem is keeping enough peeled and sliced for the grand kids)))

Now, I’ll have to say that strawberries and whipped cream is their all time favorite thing to eat, but peaches run a close second…..or neck and neck perhaps)))

Whipped cream is super easy to make and you always substitute a little non-sugar sweetener if you’re trying to cut back on calories or for diabetic diets. If you’d like to see my recipe, just click on Whipped Cream.

The Fuzzy Peach Christmas ornament from Inge-Glas of Germay was introduced in 2010. It looks like a ripe peach with dark green leaf. Made of European mouth blown, hand painted glass and measures approximately 2 3/4″ It is probably the most realistic looking piece of fruit ornament I’ve ever seen.

Great keepsake for those luscious Cherry Creek Peaches))

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North Pole Candy Sticks

Doing some blog browsing tonight and found the cutest North Pole Candy Sticks at Karas Party Ideas.

Such a cute way to use a simple item….peppermint sticks, a bit of frosting, M & M and little sign. Cute…cute! You could always make different little signs… Santa Stop Here, Reindeer Crossing, etc.

I’m always so impressed at the blogs out there! So many are moms with small children, some working at home and actually earning some money with their blogs. The creativity is amazing! Photos are fantastic.
Visit Karas Party Ideas and see the blog on her Gingerbread Party. Very much worth the time)))

Melted Snowman Cookie by Creative Domestic

Check these adorable Melted Snowman Cookies from Crazy Domestic. So cute and creative. Crazy Domestic has simplified the instructions by using cookie mix, purchased frosting and marshmallows. Turned out pretty good I’d say))

To see more photos and the complete instructions, just click on the photo. Thanks to Creative Domestic for this great idea))

Patriotic Fan - Free Printable!

Great free printable from Guildcraft Arts and Crafts. Just print on some card stock and attach to a wide craft stick, or tongue blade for you nurses out there))

Just click on the photo to go to the printable page. You can print them colored, or as coloring pages, great summertime activity for the kids. Basic white card stock can be purchased at Walmart in packs  of 150 sheets. It is indispensable if you have children or grandkids. I should start a list of 101 Uses of Card Stock!  I’m printing mine as pages to color. It’s amazing how creative kids can be when they get a box of colors, markers, glitter pens……or paints.

We keep a craft box filled with items just for projects like this…..and glue sticks….don’t forget glue sticks. Glue sticks are the best invention since sliced bread! The glue we used as kids was in a glass bottle with a rubber top that you had to press down on your paper with and a little opening would let the glue come out when it was pressed……when it wasn’t stopped up.

You could print two, put the stick in the middle with glue and have a two sided fan. Great project for kids. Great fan to use sitting around on the back porch, at least in Mississippi!

These fans were the sort we used to have in the summertime when I was growing up in the 1950′s. You never had to buy them, they were given away by merchants, candidates and so forth. They were a must when you were sitting in church to keep the air moving. This was way before the time of having air conditioners in churches in our community anyway. You were lucky if the church had a ceiling fan, most did not.

Fans were used to keep you cool, fan sleeping babies, fan to keep the flies off the food and pretty good for giving your brother a whack every now and then))

If you want to reminisce and see more fans, just do a search on eBay. The photo on the right came from there…..and I swear I can remember this one!

And what about cooling off with the King of Rock and Roll! Elvis Presley…..you know his birthplace is only about 30 mi from Trendy Tree/Pence Christmas Tree Farm.

In this photo of Elvis, you can’t really see it here in the thumbnail, but on the sleeve of his uniform it has a patch that says “Hell on Wheels.” Think that was a part of his official uniform? I wonder…..