Who is Orange Sink?

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Rice Lake, WI, United States
My home town is Rice Lake, a small town in northern Wisconsin. I own Red House Wool Studio~ an in-home wool and rug hooking business. I enjoy collecting and decorating with antiques and primitives. Orange Sink Blog is a journal of my interests and ramblings about life. Cathy Greschner

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Wednesday, December 31, 2014

A New Year Blessing!


And Thank you dear friends for your readership and loyal following these past years! 
I'm looking forward to much sharing and inspiring one another in 2015! 
I love a Fresh New Beginning!
Don't you? 
Warm and Fuzzy ones especially!!

Hugs!!
Cathy G


Sunday, December 21, 2014

Feather Tree Pattern Freebie!


The elves here at Red House Wool Studio have been hard at work trying to teach their boss ( me..Cathy G.) how to share a file of a pattern with my blog readers.  Well after much discussion on the subject of trying to teach an old blogger new tricks I am hoping this works!

So here goes!!  My gift to you the pattern for the Feather Tree rug I designed a couple of years ago!
One of my all time favorites to hook!
It hooks up real quick!
I made mine 7 by 14 inches and you can see it in the photo above hanging on the door of my old cupboard in the studio!

I am hoping you can click on the photo or drag it to your desktop and print it out!  You will have to reduce ( which would be nice for punch needle or enlarge for rug hooking).  In any event I hope you are more computer savy than this old broad!!  Tee Hee!!
So enjoy dear friends and may you all have a Joyous Christmas and Blessings a Plenty in the coming New Year!!

Send me pics of your Feather Tree rugs!!

Hugs!
Cathy G













Friday, December 19, 2014

The Time is Nigh.... For "Chill" to Fly....


He's done his deed.....
with frosty speed

He's swept the names of hopeful dames
into a hat

imagine that.... 

The stars align
The sun will shine
and Mr. Chill

picks

GRECIA !!!

I NEED TO REACH YA!!

Congrats my dear friend!! 

 That was fun! 

But wait....everybody else... you better not pout... I'm tellin' you why...
I've got something up...
So keep your eye 
on 
the blog Orange Sink
 and you'll smile I think!

Merry Christmas my friends!!

Cathy G




















Tuesday, December 16, 2014

A Hole in the Wall!


This morning my kitchen looked like this.  Then ....


...these guys showed up!


Pierce Home Improvements! They are mighty good at cutting holes in walls!!



That was Kevin up there perched on my counter! Man... how does he do that?  
I marvel at the agility of these guys...  

This is Daryl. Owner of Pierce Home Improvements.   He's my second cousin. It's funny how many people you're related to when you've lived your entire life in one area.


Is he laughing at my sink?







It was only 25 degrees here this morning. I had a nice fire going in the wood furnace so we stayed nice and toasty while the cold wind whistled through the big open hole!







By mid afternoon we had two new windows installed!
Didn't take them long at all!




Before



AFTER


The orange sink remains... but for not much longer.

I'll keep you posted as we continue to make progress on our kitchen remodel!
I'm  so darn happy with these new windows I just had to share today!

Remember too that Friday I will be picking a name out of the hat for the Mr. Chill pattern on Linen!

Go to my last post and leave your name in the comments if you haven't already and would like a chance to win!

Friday will be here before the wink of an eye!!

See you then!!
Cathy G









Monday, December 8, 2014

Mr. Chill Makes a Comeback!


Remember this guy?  He made his appearance back in 2010... where did THAT time go?!! 
I've had quite a few requests for the pattern and decided to put him back in the lineup of my paper patterns over on  www.Etsy.com/shop/Redhousewoolstudio

That's where you can find my paper rug hooking patterns for sale. 

Good ol' Mr. Chill.... still sweeping away and as fun to hook as ever!

The pattern would make a nice gift for those rug hooking friends!

Leave your name in the comments and I'll throw your name in the hat to win Mr. Chill all drawn up on linen.... and you might just find him packing a little wool along for the trip!!

Many many thanks to all my dear blog readers who read and put up with me all through the year!!

Smiles and Hugs!

Cathy G

(Mr. Chill will sweep all the names into a pile and pick one on Friday... Dec. 19th 2014)

Friday, November 28, 2014

A Slow Twinkle!


It started out with just a few little twinkling lights in the living room.  I thought it would help to cheer up the place a bit as we've been having a lot of dark and rather dreery days here in the hinterlands of northern Wisconsin.  Well, one string led to another.  Soon the slow twinkle I had initially planned turned into kind of a Chevy Chase Christmas Vacation sort of thing as I untangled yet another string of mini lights!




Around the double patio doors in the living room.... yep... they have the little mechanism that you control to make them twinkle real fast or my favorite a nice SLOW twinkle! 



Another string found it's way into a wool cupboard in the studio!


More little twinkies on a pine cone wreath!  Deck the Halls!!



I was having fun with my roll of packaging tape ( used to attach the  lights)  and more lights around some shelves in the shop/studio... Fa La La La La~  LOL!


I have to say it's helped brighten up the joint!  No more dark days around the Red House Wool Studio. No siree! We're all lit up like a Christmas tree! 



After all... "Tis the Season"!!

Cathy G

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

An Elegant Thanksgiving Table


 As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches I've been thinking about how nice it would be to have a more elegant and beautiful dinner this year.  Maybe because  in everyday life when it comes to eating meals around here it's anything but elegant and beautiful.  I have a suspicion we're not alone in our habit of filling a plate with food and plopping in front of the tv to watch the evening news. I know that's bad... but sadly it's everyday life.

 Our family gatherings at Thanksgiving tend to be quite informal as well.  It's usually Buffet style where everyone grabs a paper plate (gasp!!) and heads for the couch or even the floor (gasp!!) to gobble up the turkey and mashed potatoes!
I remember a time  growing up when my Grandmother  hosted Thanksgiving dinner at her house!  Now that was a true Thanksgiving celebration!  
Yes... we all sat around the lace tablecloth draped dining table!  The Blue Willow dishes, linen napkins and good silverware were retrieved from the buffet.  We were always crammed shoulder to shoulder around that table but my Grandmother wouldn't hear of someone going off to eat in another location. 
Good memories!

I've gathered some photos for inspiration and thought perhaps you'd enjoy them too!  



Tall and elegant candles!  Dripless would be charming... and the long zinc tray as a centerpiece... how neat is that!


So simple.. yet elegant and wouldn't these be awesome at night!




No celebration is complete without fresh flowers... 




How about Pumpkin Pie Martini's served in elegant crystal stemware after dinner INSTEAD of traditional PP and (Cool Whip)gasp!   ...recipe HERE




So elegant!




Go visit SimplySuzannes web page for an elegant Thanksgiving Dinner menu with recipes including one for petite Pumpkin Cheesecakes with sweet sour cream topping.


Grandma would be proud!   I happened to have inherited her set of BlueWillow dishes!  They are in a box in the basement and sadly haven't seen the light of day for quite a few years.... but after our kitchen remodeling is done I have plans to retrieve them and maybe next Thanksgiving they shall grace the dinner table!
So no plans for an elegant sit down dinner this year unfortunately!
It's nice to dream.
Would love to hear about your Thanksgiving table...
fancy or paper plates (gasp!!)?

Cathy G





Wednesday, November 5, 2014

"Tis The Season" For a NEW PATTERN!


Yes dear friends!  That time is upon us! Here is my newest hooked rug design that depicts an old creamy painted buttocks basket filled with good cheer and merry thoughts for the Holiday Season!
I made my completed hooked piece into a pillow but it is a nice size to hang on a wall or lay on a table.
It hooks up so quick you will have it done in no time!
A fun design that is easy for a beginner in rug hooking or a seasoned hooker!
Gosh... I wonder if I'm that "seasoned" hooker?  LOL!  Sugar and spice and all things nice I hope! 
So if you are interested in purchasing the paper pattern for "Tis The Season" just head on over to 

There is a link to my Etsy shop on the left in my side bar too. There you will find more paper patterns of my designs!

Thank you as always for your kind support of my designs and my humble home based business!
Together we'll make it a success!
May your Season be Blessed and Merry!

Cathy G




Sunday, November 2, 2014

B is for Brown


Brown.   Let me count the ways I love you.  
Brown and November go hand in hand don't you think?
Is it any wonder chocolate is brown?
Oh I know there's white chocolate....  
but I'll take the brown.









Brown calico in a log cabin square... and did you see my blog background?  I took a photo of a brown paisley calico in my stash of antique fabrics and made the background photo.  A prized possession
that piece of fabric. 



A rug I hooked for a friend's birthday present a few years back.  All hand-torn strips.
I need to make another!













I've been looking at new sinks for my kitchen lately.  Oh... not really thinking of a brown one though. But when I spied this one on Pinterest..... it got me to thinking.




These sinks are surely lovely!  But they remind me too much of chocolate. I don't  think  I really need that staring me in the face everyday!  LOL! 
( besides..they are waaaayyyy to pricey for our budget!!)

The search goes on for a new sink.
No matter what color I end up with I know now that I don't have to change the name of my blog!
Whew!  Thank you dear readers! 
Your comments on my last post have brought great comfort.

So stay tuned right here on the Orange Sink blog!  I'll have that new hooked rug design ready to go in a couple of days!  And a paper pattern too!

Cathy G


Sunday, October 26, 2014

Hangin' On!


Our fabulous Autumn this year is hangin'  on!  It's always a welcome thing here in northern Wisconsin if we reach the end of October and the temps are above zero!  LOL!   I snapped the header photo of some mums in the garden that are still blooming despite a couple of nights of frost!  They are hardy things!  I buried a few spent pots of them I had on the front deck in the garden and with any luck they will bloom again next Fall.

Things are a hoppin' here in the wool studio.  The ladies are buying patterns, wool and supplies in anticipation of those days ahead when we don't stick our noses out the door unless we have to!
I have been hooking on a little something too which I will wait a little longer to show you!  I used all the new wools from Rebecca Erb's Wool Studio in this design. 

It's been really really hard for me lately to sit down and do any designing!  We have started to do a little remodeling in the kitchen. Needless to say my mind is preoccupied with layout, cabinets, windows, appliances, etc.  We've decided that something MUST be done!  No stove to cook or dye wool has been difficult and stressful for me.  So... let me introduce you to the newest purchase ( and an expensive one.. holy cow!) that is the starting point for this remodel.


Now how's that for an upgrade from a hot plate! LOL! Wowser!  It arrived last week and our super nice electrician got it temporarily wired so I can use it while waiting for the remodel to get underway! 
I keep telling myself that I really needed that double oven...  a splurge that I hope pays off in the long run!


Max has given his approval but he can't quite figure out where the old wall oven went! The square on the floor is where the cabinet stood that housed the old oven.  Out it went and I was never so glad to take the hammer after it!  It's really opened up the galley style kitchen!  The plan is to put a new fridge where the new stove is sitting right now and the stove will have it's permanent home on the wall a little further down. So a few new cabinets are in order as well as  new counter top.

But this will all take time.  And money.   We're determined so are doing a lot of the work ourselves with the help of a few talented friends who are guiding us along the way. 

You may be wondering if our infamous orange sink is part of the new remodel plan.  Well.... perhaps not. But we shall see...  if I decide to get a new sink ( and it won't be orange believe me) do I have to change the name of my blog????  Oh mercy.... it's on my business cards and all my patterns and everything! 
Yikes... tell me I can still call the blog Orange Sink.... as Stainless Steel Sink just doesn't quite have the same ring to it!!  

Cathy G