She's Sew Pretty

Twas the Night Before the Night Before Christmas

Can you believe Christmas will be here in two days?  I'm finally ready.  The house is clean.  The shopping and sewing are done.  I made five aprons for Christmas presents.  This one was a last minute idea.  My best friend found a vintage tablecloth at an estate sale.  It had some small holes in it, so I decided to take it apart and make each of us an apron.  I'll show you the other aprons after Christmas.  I think they all turned out adorable.

My house is all decorated and ready for Santa.  I hung my cute tags from Creative Breathings last tag swap. Elizabeth has closed her blog and I already miss it and her.  No one could compare with "E" and her eye for color.  I have been the lucky recipient of some of her felt and paper creations and the quality and detail always amazes me.   These are the adorable tags and decorated box that arrived from Renee at My Vintage Mending.  We both did a Storybook theme and her tags turned out so cute.  Renee and I have never met but without knowing it, we used very similar vintage images.  I'm thinking that Renee and I must be kindred spirits as we both love to sew, play with paper and we collect a lot of the same treasures.  She has been redecorating her sewing room and I have been drooling over her collections!!  If you follow me on Pinterest you'll know that I love Red Riding Hood.  I found two of these Red Riding Hood ornaments.  What do you think about a Red Riding Hood swap in time for Valentine's Day?  Hearts, red and white gingham and Red Riding Hood?  Any interest?

That about wraps up my last rambling post of the year.  Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas. I'll see you next year!!

 

 

 

Another One of Those Rambling Posts

I've been playing with paper.  20 tags for Creative Breathing's Christmas Tag Swap. The glittered texture on the hat is from Martha Stewart.  I wanted a "snowy" look but I got a clumpy glitter effect instead.  I didn't want to start over so I am pretending that it was my plan all along.I finished up my tags to swap with Renee for the Happy Homemaker Tag Swap. We made one a month using a single pack of paper and embellishments we had on hand.  Rachel and I both used a story book theme.  I added ribbon and more embellishments before I shipped them off to Rachel.  Playing with my dollhouse too.  I decided to make it a year round Christmas place.  I spackled the roof and then gave it a coating of "snow in a jar".  I call it that because I threw the jar away and I don't remember what it was called.  The dollhouse looks white in the picture but it really is a light pink.  I found it at a garage sale for $5.00.  I'm working on the inside little by little.  My best friend found the furniture for me.  I wanted to sit it by the Christmas tree, but the dogs kept stealing the fireplace. Yes, the food is on the floor.  I need a cute round table to set up the desserts!  The rug and floors are Martha Stewart scrap book paper.  Wallpapering the walls is a little harder than I thought so there is just a piece of paper stuck in there for now.  Did you notice my cute as can be Gingerbread boy and gumdrop cutie from Elizabeth at Creative Breathing?  They seem to go perfectly with the polka dotted reindeer that I painted a zillion years ago. My son and his girlfriend helped me put up the tree.  I don't think it's ever been prettier.  She fluffed and fluffed those branches until they were just right.  We had a lot of fun talking about the different ornaments on the tree.  Did you notice the roses on my coffee table? They're from our garden.  I still have roses in December!Do you see what my hubby bought me for an early birthday present?  This adorable cabinet that I have been eyeing at the local antique mall for over a year. It needs a little bit of sprucing up but I couldn't wait to fill it up.

And just in case, you forgot that this was also a "sewing blog".  I made my curtains.  The rose chintz fabric was four dollar a yard and I found a green calico in polished cotton to go with it.  I had to convince my hubby that the green would go with the chintz but he ended up loving them.  I think I spent about $60.  for the whole window and I love them!

That's about it from around here.  I am working on Christmas presents.  We're having a cookie baking day soon.  Wish you could all come and visit this Christmas!

Let the Decorating Begin!

I never go out to the Black Friday sales.  This is the day I wait for all year.  It's finally time to do some Christmas decorating!  Mother Nature has been at work already.  I just raked the leaves two days ago!I'm so excited!  I bought all of these Shiny Brites over the summer.  Less than $5.oo for all of them at an estate sale.These were a little more but... Oh be still my heart!

One more picture.  Look how Lucy has grown.  Those ears just crack me up!. We're all getting along quite well now. You should see them "help" me rake the leaves! 

Patio Love

I am so proud of what we've accomplished here the last few days.  We have been wanting to extend our patio.  When family comes over our patio gets pretty crowded.  I priced brick and stone.  We came close to having someone do it for us. Growing up in my family, we did everything ourselves or made do.  My dad could fix anything from cars to washing machines.  I told my hubby that I wanted to do the patio myself.  He was sceptical at first but I convinced him.

Well, I have told you before that I love Craig's List.  I check it every few days. My favorite category is the Free category! Last week, I read that a granite manufacturing place was having their annual granite giveaway.  We almost didn't go.  We thought we would be fighting people to get a little bit of granite.  My hubby, my son and his girlfriend and I got up early on Sunday and headed over there.  There were a lot of people there.  Everyone was so nice though.  There was a great comraderie as we all searched out the perfect pieces of granite.  No fighting or arguing.  It was so much fun. Back breaking but fun.  We filled our truck and could have had more.  

Two and half days of hard work, by the four of us, and we have extended our patio by about 13 feet.  I wanted a sunburst design in the middle and there were just enough wedge shaped pieces to make one.It was like putting a big jigsaw puzzle together.  After we had the design laid, we filled it in with decomposed granite which cost us $12.50.  Between, the four of us, we created a masterpiece and for just 12.50!!

We've Really Gone to the Dogs

I am blaming my blogging absense on this little puppy.  She has turned my world upside down.  I spend half the day keeping her out of mischief.  Princess Peapot AKA Lucy is a mess.  She has chewed all of my pretty painted chairs, dug up half the back yard, pee on the carpet (nultiple times) and ate my memory card for my camera.  Now add to all of that a bad cold and you will know why I haven't blogged.  I didn't know that once you turned 50 you lose all immunity to colds and viruses.  Seriously,  I probably had two colds in the last 27 years and this year I've had three.  I coughed so hard I think I bruised my diaphragm. 

I was on the way to the store to buy more dog food, (the princess eats a lot) when I spotted these three pieces of wicker in the perfect shade of green.  I haven't convinced my husband that the $50. I spent on them was a bargain.  He thinks they're awfully expensive chew toys.  Yes, the princess loves to chew on them too!

Louie however loves his little pink tongued friend.  She can't go on walks until she has ner next set of shots.  That is Tuesday.  I am hoping that taking her on long walks with Louie will get rid of some of that puppy energy.  Oiy!  What were we thinking?!

Happy Pink Saturday from the doghouse!

Happy Labor Day

I was sitting here reading blogs.  Susan Branch's blog is my current favorite.  I can't believe that she is willing to share her world with us.  Her blog is like a visit to a friend's house.  She likes what we like.  Old quilts, vintage kitchen linens, collections of knick knacks, gardening, old bowls.  Which brings me to my post.  I was sitting here reading her blog and looked up.  I had to show you what I saw.  My bowl filled with apples on the table and there on Susan Branch's blog was a painting of her grandmother's bowl filled with fruit.  I thought, "my blog friends would understand the little thrill that went through me at that moment".  My family probably wouldn't understand. And that is when it hit me.  That's why I blog.  So that I can share the little things with my like minded friends.  The simple joy of opening this cupboard and seeing my plates and bowls.  The thrill of finding another one at the thrift store or an estate sale.  My best friend understands too.  She has given me many of my bowls including that tiny one up on the top shelf. 

So, I guess I'll keep blogging.  I've spent way too much time lately thinking about closing my blog.  I have a lot going on around here. My eyes are misbehaving.  My gardens is a little neglected.  I can't spend much time bending over as it puts too much pressure on my eyes and nobody here loves to garden as much as I do when it is over 100 outside.

This little girl named Lucy came to live with us last week.  If I can ever get Louie and Lucy to sit still together, I'll get a picture of both of them looking at the camera.  The first picture is the day that Louie decided he liked her and dropped a toy in front of her to share.  She is a border collie/australian shepherd mix.  Louie needed a playmate and Lucy was free on Craig's List.  Of course free isn't free when you consider that she needs shots and spayed and all of that stuff.  Isn't she adorable?!  We think she fits in rather well.

So, that's what I'm doing this labor day.  What's up in your part of the world?

There She Goes a Rambling Again

Is it really August already? Are you over 50?  Does it seem to you that times flies after you turn 50?  It does to me.  We've been in our house a year now.  Seems just like yesterday that we were doing all of the paperwork.  So much has changed.  Me, the house, the yard.  I love to be in the garden even if it's 101 outside.  Really.  Maybe.  It is pretty darn hot!  Louie seeks shade and I seek the water hose,  Spraying my face like I did when I was a kid. I pulled all of my carrots and made the best carrot cake ever.  Oh my gosh good!  Wreck your diet good.  And now I don't know where I found the recipe.  Which is probably good because that cake was so good it disappeared before I thought to take a picture.  Now, it is tomato time and every night is summer salad night.  Sliced tomatoes from the garden, cucumbers, bell pepper and onions.  Unless my oldest son and his wife come.  He doesn't like onions. Watching my youngest and his sweet girlfriend.  They love to cook together.  Cookie baking late at night.  With supervision from Louie.  Sweet.

Been reading.  Lots of reading until the wee hours of the morning.  Cutting for Stone by Abrahm Verghese.  I put it in my top 100 favorite books. It's a tale of an Indian surgeon in Ethiopia but also a love story about twins and their parents and the people who loved all of them.  Amazing.

I also read at least three James Patterson books. Two Nora Roberts.  Chasing Fire and The Search.  Both good reads.   Right now I'm reading a Lee Child book about my favorite hero-Jack Reacher.  Good entertainment. I don't have a kindle.  I love the library.  I can go there and get the latest best sellers.  Or I get them from my sister in law, who is always on an airplane or in a hotel room.  She reads and reads and passes the books on to me.  Speaking of books.  Did you read The Help?  Such a good book.  Funny and so sad too.  I can't wait for the movie.

Watching tv too.  Recently discovered Drop Dead Diva.  I love that show.  Watched the new Picker Sisters.  Did you watch it?  What did you think?  It's about two women who pick junk to makeover and sell in their store.  They made hanging lamps out of rolled up barbed wire fencing.  Seriously?  Would you put that in your house? 

So, that's what I've been up to.  No sewing or crafting.  Just living.  Loving.  Growing older.  Maybe wiser.  What's going on in your world?

 

Sorting out the Studio

Do you give yourself goals?  My goal for this month was to organize this big cabinet in my studio.  I am happy to say that I crossed it off my list!  I managed to bring in three boxes of fabric, fold, sort it and put it away.  I'm hoping that the nice stacks peeking out of the cabinet windows will inspire me.  I found fabric that I forgot I bought and fabric I have been shamelessly hoarding.   I still have boxes of fabric to sort but right now, I'm all organized and ready to sew! I also managed to clean some of the stacks off my work table and make enough room to play with paper.I made two new tags for my Happy Homemaker Tag Swap with Renee at My Vintage Mending.  Renee is making Nursery rhyme tags and mine are made using scans from my vintage Storybook cards.  What could be better for my June tag than a blushing bride and the little girl with a curl all dressed in red, white and blue for July.

My friend Beth is crashing the Where Women Create party.  I forgot to sign up so I'm sneaking in to that party with her and joining up with Beverly's Pink Saturdays too!

I'm Still Here

Yes, I'm still here.  My June staycation was wonderful until about the 29th of the month when a nasty cold took over my body.  Other than last nights firework's show, in my daughter's little neighborhood, I have not been out of the house much.  I have done no sewing, very little cooking and have only been in the garden to change the sprinklers or move the hose. 

What I have done is watch umpteen episodes of Drop Dead Diva.  I've almost finished reading Cutting for Stone. (beautiful, beautiful sad story)  I've watched some good movies, some cute movies and some really bad movies.  I haven't watched this much tv in years. 

I have also spent way too much time on Pinterest.  My obsession with Pinterest has made me unhappy with my decorating, my sewing skills and my wardrobe.  It was bound to happen.  So until I can find my mojo, I am stepping away from my blog.  Please don't worry about me.  I have just realised that I have stacks of fabric, stacks of pretty paper and that's all they are...stacks.   I need to find my way back to "me". 

June Staycation

My hubby is on vacation until the end of June.  This year we're having a staycation.  We are lucky to live in the central valley of California.  Kings Canyon, Sequoia and Yosemite National Park are about a two hour drive.  San Francisco and the ocean are about three hours away.  We're enjoying the proximity of these beautiful places and coming home to sleep in our own bed at night.  Yesterday we drove up to Yosemite.  It was absolutely gorgeous!  We've had more rain and snow this year than in previous years so the falls at Yosemite are unbelievable!! I don't ever remember the falls being this beautiful.  If you've ever thought of going to Yosemite this is the year to visit! 

Next week, we're headed to the beach and San Francisco.  I've also found time for treasure hunting.  I'll be back soon.