"Be ever-so Fangful!!!"

Every now and then I get to participate in something outside the realm of my norm. While traveling this past winter to a trade show with my daughter I swapped emails via my iphone with a woman wanting to place an order on Monahan Papers. She wasn't sure what she wanted she just knew she wanted something. She would ask a question and my daughter Elizabeth would read it and I would dictate my reply. It was fun and I had no idea where it was going. Long story short... I was pumping gas in a small town in West Virgina when she asked if I would provide the elements for a book cover and design it based on a specific time period. Well... sure... thats easy enough for me to do since I have worked on projects like that before. Then came the kicker... It was for a book based on a TV show, based on a series of books. No problem I thought how hard could it be? Then came the name of the show "The Vampire Diaries". Well, that threw me for a loop as I sat there trying to connect my paper company to a TV show based on Vampires. To be honest, I have never watched the show so I didn't see the connection. As she explained it to me she needed it to reference the beginning of a time line which started with the Civil War. OK now that was easy to do. I have collected original documents for years and had just purchased an original that I myself had never seen. A "CERTIFICATE OF NONLIABILITY, TO BE GIVEN BY THE BOARD OF ENROLLMENT". Basically a draft document excusing a soldier from serving for a stated period of time. I had yet to decide which project to use it on and as fate would have it it became the basis for this work. We manipulate the documents making reference to names and dates that a customer needs and print it all here on our own presses. I completed the project and sent it on to the editor and publisher. The book won't be released until this fall but they have shot the cover and are taking pre-orders before it hits the book stores. It was fun to do and it really does go to show that you never know where a road can take you.

Primitiques' New Fiber Art Jewlery

Our new Pocket Watch Fiber Art Jewlery Line is getting exciting! Our neighbor & jewlery designer/artist, Lori Primavera, from the Heron studio has agreed to join the team & combine her talents with our creative new mini sampler jewlery line... I'll shoot a pic of the combined effort soon to share. Stay tuned... it is very, very exciting!!!

We are sooooo happy & excited to offer this new and unique line of Fiber Art Jewlery... Created by a collaborative duo of artists... Ruthe Martz (the fiber artist) and Lori Primavera (the Jewlery Designer). I (Beth) simply contributed the pocket watch idea ;-)

So far, we have a humble sampling and are showing it as a necklace with a beautiful beaded chain by Lori. Stay tuned for hanging pendant designs and a full aray of necklace options.

Preview Guide Sneak Peak of our Ad!

Here's a sneak peak of our ad featured in Market Sqyare's upcoming Preview Guide for the June 13-15th Market in Oaks, PA. We hope to to see you there!!!

New Pocket Paddles

Hi gang,
Here's another new collaborative creation from Beth (Primitiques) & Stephanie (Monahan Papers). Beth created paper pockets with Monahan Papers on our ever-popular candle paddles. We willed some with spoons & Monahan Paper Recipes, some with skinny candles & quill pens... The options are endless! We will have some of these at the trade show on April 25th in Marlborough, but be sure to call us if you want yours!

A New Primitiques Chair

On The Road Again.....

Primitiques will be attending Market Square's Cash & Carry show in Marlborough, MA on April 25th!!! Please call or email us this week to get your orders in for us to bring furniture up to MA for you!!! For those of you who weren't able to travel down to PA for the winter markets (due to the blizzards of the century!), we introduced a lot of new items and a new Mercantile Line!!! You can visit our Online Tradeshow's website (www.picturetrail.com/thequillandwell) to view our current inventory. This site requires a password and if you are a buyer with a valid resale tax number, email or call me for the current password.

We will be bringing mainly smalls & medium sized pieces, so if you need something in particular, please order it today!

Market Square used a photo of my folk art grain painted stacking CD boxes for their marketing postcards for the Marlborough C&C.

Can You Say Freight?

Over the last several years I have been asked "No... Really... Do you do all that stuff?" I respond with the polite yes... roll my eyes and move on. I am not sure anyone can fully grasp the scale of what we do here unless they actually see what we do. Just yesterday a friend asked me what I was doing. It was 6:55 in the morning and as much as I would have loved to have said drinking coffee swinging on the porch with my feet up... that wasn't the answer. It was more like I am up in the rafters propping HUGE bags of peanuts up for later use talking to you like an idiot. Obviously I shouldn't have answered the phone having myself in such a precarious position. Oh well... if I fall whats one more broken bone. Add it to the list. Anyways... to make a long story short we are CONSTANTLY asked if we make our drieds ourself or "is this stuff from China?". Well... folks its NOT from China. Our wares are made right here in Troy MO. and in a partnership with farmers. Basically we take the cast off's that can't be sold to grocery stores or food producers like Ocean Spray. Ever wonder what happens to the pomegranates that Ocean Spray rejects for juice? Well look no further than my front door. Yesterday we took delivery from a farmer who had a ton (literally) of cast off fruit and vegetables. This artichoke has a brown spot, this apple has a blemish, this persimmon has a bad color to it. No problem... we can use it. Waste not want not and lets help out the American farmer in the process. So... having had all these questions over the years I thought I would share with you the scale of what we do to put it in perspective. Remember... this is but one load of produce and we do this all year long. Just wait until I show you the oven pictures. I completely understand the meaning of sweat shop when the ovens are running for days at a time and its 90 degrees outside. Not to mention its 105 in our building. GREAT in the winter time... HORRIBLE in the summer.



While we were moving freight yesterday someone actually stopped and asked us if we were in the "Pie Business". Hmmmm.... Maybe next year. LOL.