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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Friday, April 14, 2017

A Visit With a Couple Beers!





A couple of years ago I met a special lady online who found me through my blog!  She is a rug hooker from Oregon named Marie Beers!  She hooks with a group out there and we email back and forth quite a bit and needless to say we've become very close friends but have never met in person... until yesterday that is!!




Marie and her husband were making a cross country trip from Oregon to Florida and up the east coast to Rhode Island. Their trip was a monumental one as they were carrying precious cargo. Marie's mother passed away in late February and her cremains were to be buried with family on the east coast. So they were on their way home when they decided to make a swing through Wisconsin!

When rug hookers meet we have so much to share and I was excited to see her rendition of my "Tree Birds" pattern she hooked!  She personalized it with their names and the date they married!  I always love the personalization of a rug that can be passed down through the generations.  Isn't this just a lovely rug in all aspects!



Marie is also working on a pattern by Marijo Taylor called River and Raven's Roost    who she happens to live near and both attend the same rug hooking group! I have always adored Marijo's designs and I really need to hook one sometime soon! 



Another thing we found out about each other during their visit was that our husbands are both lovers of specialty beers! Marie's sweet hubby Bob or Bobby as she calls him and my sweet hubby Dave got along famously as they discussed all the local beers around the country and their favorites!
If you are a beer lover you don't have to go far in Wisconsin to find many micro-breweries and sure enough Dave had purchased a few various bottles so we could imbibe with our home-made pizza I made for dinner!
Marie and I both admitted we are not big beer drinkers but on occassion we will enjoy a cold one with pizza!
You may get a kick out of the names of some of these locally brewed beers! 


Marie had a favorite and I might add that Bobby thought it was a pretty great beer too!  Can you guess which one?    LOL!   Yes!!  It was the Totally Naked!  Bob described it as a very smooth and not "hoppy" beer!  
You can imagine how the conversation went and the laughs shared!
Do please notice my go-to beer on the far left... it's a gluten free beer and very good.  I've been eating gluten-free for two and a half years and found a couple of beers that are gluten free!
Well it was a pleasure getting to know "a couple of great Beers" from the state of Oregon!
I hope you had a wonderful time and you can rest assured Dave and I enjoyed your visit very very much!  
We were going to send a few bottles along with you but you were already down the road a good measure before I realized they were still sitting in the fridge! 
Well you'll just have to make a trip back to Wisconsin soon!

Happy Easter Weekend everyone!
Cathy G





Monday, April 10, 2017

Our April Hook-In Cancelled!


I'm sorry to announce our second Tuesday of the month  Hook-in has been cancelled for this month.  It seems it is a busy week for almost all who usually attend.

Some travel quite a distance to come each month and we've gotten a little ice and snow mix here on the roads tonight.  It's possible the roads will be a little slick in the morning as well.

I'm hoping we all can meet again next month so mark your calendars!

I've been very bad at keeping up with my blog too!  I apologize to all my readers who look forward  to my posts!  

Dyeing wool, cleaning and sorting,  still going through my mother's things and I guess you could say still in kind of a mourning situation has kept me preoccupied.
I've been a little better....on occasion I even forget that she isn't just down the street, waiting for me to come take her grocery shopping or to an appointment.
Sigh.... keeping busy is the best remedy I've found.

I  know I'm  not alone  in this sorrowful land of losing a loved one.
So many dear friends have lost someone this past year.

Please keep us in your prayers.




Stitching soothes the soul. Calms the mind and brings peace to the heart.
I finished this little table runner recently.
Still trying to perfect the flystitch... it's a fun stitch when you get the hang of it! 
Pattern and kit by Primitive Gatherings.






The little bird pin-cushion is one I made a few years ago.
Seeing the real birds arriving and setting up "housekeeping" in the trees brings a smile!
 It's a sure sign a new season is beginning.
Sunnier days, warmer and longer will be here.
New projects as well as a few changes on the home front are in store.
I will be sharing some of this soon!

Thank you for stopping by dear friends!
I will be back soon!

Cathy G