Little Sassy Sews ... and paints .... and crafts ...

Chocolate Festival Quilt

2011-09-26T06:27:00.001-07:00

The Chocolate Festival quilt is 99% complete. I have just a little hand quilting to add here and there to highlight the different parts of it. It will be a doorprize at the Chocolate Festival for the Soul which takes place at Krum First United Methodist Church this Saturday.

Many thanks to Debbie who has a long-arm quilting machine and for all the help with the appliques, etc.

I think it turned out well.

Autumn Arrangement

2011-09-24T14:01:00.001-07:00

Just a quick update. Tonight we're going to hear the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra at the Bass Hall. Can't wait. They'll be playing The 1812 Overture as well as Holst's The Planets. Okay, the only way I know The Planets is from an Inspector Lewis PBS program from a few weeks ago. But what I heard of it sounded great.

Regarding the picture above, I made this today to use in staging photographs with an autumn feel. The height of the arrangement is around 1 inch - I think it's hard to tell from the photo. The pumpkin-looking vase is actually a bead that I painted with 2 colors of orange, a little brown for highlights ... or is it lowlights? .... and then a nice glossy finish. The flowers are all made from teeny punches of handpainted paper (handpainted it myself this morning).

All in all, I'm pleased. I think it will serve me well almost to Thanksgiving. Sometime in early November I'll switch to a Christmas themed arrangment.

Poinsettias? Or a tiny Christmas tree?

August Update

2011-08-15T06:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long. As usual, I've got more projects going than I can shake a stick at. Here are a few (in no particular order).

Nursery sheets for the church.

They asked me to make sheets for the nursery "cots", so I used some flannel I've had in my stash for several years. I'm not absolutely sure what project I had in mind when I bought this fabric, but I was glad I had it available for this project. I think they're cheerful.

Chocolate Bliss Quilt for the church.

Every year we have a Chocolate Festival at the church with proceeds going to missions. Since several of the ladies were interested in creating a sewing group, I thought this would be a fun project with which to start. I got the pattern here. So far the project is going well. The Festival is in October, but I'd like to have the quilt finished by the end of August. .... Reality check. It's mid August already! Oh well, with many hands working on the project, perhaps we won't be far off the mark.

Miniature paper "porcelain" pitchers.

I found the pattern and directions here for the miniature paper pitchers/watercans I make. Until recently, I was painting the pitcher with acrylics and doing a whitewash. I was pretty pleased with the result.

But I was looking at some of the Incredible vases and pitchers at Une Petite Folie ...

and it made me wonder if I could make my simple paper pitcher look more like porcelain. I used vintage plates as a starting point for my "porcelain" pitchers.

I've been experimenting (see picture below) ... the rooster needs to be smaller ... I want to print on both sides so that the interior has the same base color as the exterior (this involves some nit-picky concentration to get it right) ... I want to find the right finish for the project so that it has a porcelain sheen (the four on the left have clear nailpolish and the one on the right is just untouched paper). But, I think I'm on the right path.

And those are just some of the things I've been busy with.

New Improved Roses

2011-07-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

Just a quick blurb. The roses in the previous post were made from tissue paper using something I'll call method one. Basically a long, skinny strip of tissue with one deeply scalloped edge that is wound around and glued to the wire base. The petals are shaped using tweezers and then I used a felt tip pen applied very carefully to the edges to give additonal definition.

The roses in this post were made with method two. I used a very small flower punch on lightweight paper to make the petals (they have to be cut apart which is a bit of a pain in the patoot.) Then using tweezers, I glue each individual petal to the base wire, overlapping as I go. Before it's completely dry, I shape the petals. After it's completely dry, I use watery acrylics to tint the petals. In this case, I used very pale pink, pale pink and pale yellow to get the realistic colors.

The vase is a metal bead I painted pale blue and then whitewashed.

I'm pretty pleased with the results. I'm still trying to decide if I want to carry this as a product in my shop. Although I enjoy making them, I'm not sure how I'd feel about putting this into production for sale. The jury is still out.

In the meantime, I think I'll work on yellow roses and a white vase next.

Lovely roses

2011-05-18T09:06:00.001-07:00

Just a quick look at what I've been doing this morning. I made a miniature paper pitcher with roses! It's a first for me and I'm pretty pleased with the results. I learned the technique for the roses here and got the tutorial (with pattern) for the pitcher here. Although I don't understand a word of the tutorials, the pictures are all you really need.

I painted the pitcher a soft blue, waited for it to dry and then did a very thin whitewash. For the roses, I started with pink tissue paper and then touched up the edges of the petals with a pink marker. I put a few grains of rice in the bottom of the pitcher to keep the roses in place.

It wasn't that difficult to make pitcher ... or the roses. It took a little time to get the hang of it on the first rose and then the others were much easier.

All in all, I'm pleased.

The Good, The Bad and The UGLY

2011-02-10T14:25:00.000-08:00

Only have a moment - busy busy busy. But I wanted to share a few pictures of the things I've been working on. The good, the bad AND the ugly.

First, an update on what I've been doing. I created a bunch of teensy embroidery designs for miniature pillows. I made the pillows with fringe around the edge, because it's easier to make them that way and I think they look more elegant with fringe. I've done way-doggies more designs than are pictured below. I'll be putting them in the shop real soon.

I've also been making sheet sets, bedpillows and quilts ... basically it's a mini bed-in-a-bag. I created embroidery designs based on traditional quilts and then embroidered the design onto the little quilt "blanks". Originally I planned to stitch the design in white thread on a patterned fabric ... gingham or a tiny print ... but after I did my test stitch-out using colored thread on white cotton, I decided I like that also. I think it looks fresh. So, I'll be offering it both ways - white with a colored quilting and patterns with white quilting.

Now for the good, bad and really, really ugly.

Recently I've been experimenting with making miniature lace tablecloths. Last year I crocheted 2 tablecloths (making up the pattern as I went) and it took me several hours for each. I certainly couldn't list these in my shop for a reasonable price, so I started looking for a way to produce something similar using my embroidery machine. Ah, a QUEST!

Anyway, I took a "free-standing lace (FSL)" online class in the hopes I could modify it for my miniatures. The short version of the class is this: you start with water-soluble-stabilizer, build a grid of stitches and then apply the design to that grid. Here's my result. Looks a lot like cheesecloth, huh? The scallop stitches around the edge fell out as soon as I rinsed the stabilizer out and the grid separated into just a bunch of loose stitches. On top of that, the design is completely lost in this mess. UGLY!

My next attempt was a quickie test. I used standard embroidery stitches on tulle. Although this looks better, the tulle is so fragile that just rinsing the stabilizer out makes it feel like it's going to tear. BAD!

This is my first semi-successful attempt and I'm pretty pleased with it as a starting point. It's the same design as ugly (above) but the stitches are modified slightly and they're applied to organza (plus stabilizer). After stitching it out, I clipped the organza very close to the scalloped edging, applied fray check (because organza frays easily), let it dry and then rinsed the stabilizer out. All in all, I'm pleased! I think it's pretty GOOD!

My next creative effort will be table runners and doilies. Then I think I'll move on to lacy hats and corsets. Another QUEST!

Wintry Mix

2011-02-03T09:24:00.000-08:00

Texas has been hit pretty hard with winter weather. Last week we were in the 70's (we had a lovely Saturday at the lake).

The last few days we haven't been able to get out of the teens. And since I live way out in the country, I can't even depend on the traffic to make the roads better. I haven't been out of the house for several days and DH has been working from the house (his estimated commute during this bad weather was 2+ hours each way).

And what have I been doing? I'm working on miniature stuff again. I'm hoping to re-open my shops soon, so I'm working on inventory.

I only have a couple of pictures for you, but I'm pretty pleased with my results so far. (Please ignore the peach rug -- I was just checking out the whole effect and didn't have the correct color on hand). I used tiny gingham ribbons (50 cents a roll on close-out at JoAnn's fabric) to decorate the sheets & pillow cases and then I digitized a design for my embroidery machine for the stitching on the pink gingham quilt (made from an upcycled shirt).

In this picture you can see the quilting stitches a little better. Boyz howdie do I need to spend some time with my camera instructions so I can get close-up shots.

I don't think I'll get cabin fever anytime soon since I have so many projects to keep me busy. On the other hand, I'm running low on flavored coffee creamer. This could be a problem!

Checking in

2011-01-19T09:53:00.000-08:00

I've been silent for almost a month, so I thought I'd check in. I was soooo busy during the Christmas season that I didn't post any of my December projects, so I thought I'd post a couple of them now. I know you're probably ready ... ready ... READY for Christmas to be long gone, but please bear with me.

This is a bracelet I made for a niece who lives in New York. I bought a silver "blank" bracelet from Michaels and added crystals in 3 colors and real pearls. I like it so much I may make something similar for myself. And for those who are familiar with the Walk to Emmaus, this would lend itself very well to a De Colores bracelet. The long links make the crystals move a lot. It's kind of flirty and fun.

I also made some "crystal" ornaments. I bought a box of big plastic crystals from Target and then used small real crystals and beads from my stash to finish it off. These really sparkle on the tree.

I used different colors, shapes and varied the lengths.

This last picture shows how eclectic my tree is. I made the snowman about 12 years ago. He looks really happy to be sitting next to a pretty crystal ornament.

Ginger, aka Number 6, wanted a picture of the appliances after installation. Although I still haven't done that, I did take a picture of Mark & Andy making buckeyes (recipe from Aunt Ginger many years ago) and rum cake in my new-ish kitchen. We still have several projects to go including (but not limited to) new counters and new flooring. Those projects are next on the list. My new appliances are like jewelry for my kitchen. HA!

I ran across these cookies here and just had to share them. I am SO on a diet right now, therefore I won't be making and/or eating any of these lovelies, but I really enjoy looking at them in all their melted snowman glory.

Now for the final update. I've been looking for MONTHS for new bedding for the master bedroom. DH and I have different tastes ... I tend toward slightly girly and he tends toward very masculine and tailored. Trying to find a compromise has been difficult, but we finally did it. Last weekend we checked out Tuesday Morning and found a Ralph Lauren set in the right colors and we both loved it. These pictures show my olive sheets folded back onto the comforter, but you get the idea.

Although it's floral, it's paired with a glen plaid in corresponding colors, which makes it please both of us.

Love, love, love having new bedding.

Update again

2010-12-14T17:48:00.000-08:00

Can you tell I'm excited!!! Two posts in one day?!? New kitchen!! HA!

While I was busy wrapping presents (and drinking wine) in front of the fire ....

DH was installing the double oven. WOW!! No doors on it yet, but ... WOW!!

Re: the presents, I'm re-using the monogram tags I made last year. While the kids were opening presents, I asked them to return all the tags. I like the way they look and will probably continue using them for awhile. Below is the info from last Christmas (since I don't know how to do that "HERE" thing and I don't have time to learn it right now ... did I say I'm BUSY?!).

"Since our kids come here for Christmas, any gift we put under the tree is obviously from us, so there's no need to say To: (child's name) From: Mom & Dad over and over again. Just the To information is important. As a result, I decided to do a real simple design. I cut some circles from red cardstock and used white paint (the kind that comes in a bottle with a teensy tip) and I put white dots all around the outer edge of the circle. Then I printed a monogram that I got from Martha here http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/click-print-monogram-labels?backto=true and printed them on white cardstock. I cut out the white circles and glued them to the red circles. You can see how imperfect the circle and dots are."

But .... I think they look classy on the packages. Last year ....

This year ...

Christmas blessings to you all.

Kitchen Update

2010-12-14T12:28:00.000-08:00

Just a really quick update on the changes in our kitchen. DH and I have been busting our behinds to get everything ready for our new appliances. Poor DH worked late last night to get the cabinets ready. We're about to leave for our second trip (today) to the hardware store. That's a bigger deal than it might seem. The closest hardware store (because we choose to live in the quiet, unpopulated countryside) is almost 45 minutes away. So a trip to town takes awhile.

Anywhoo, here's the project update. My just-delivered appliances currently reside in the dining room. HA! I'm sure it will only take a little while to get them all in place. RIGHT! HA!

Quick note. Check out the eat sign in the upper right corner of the picture. My sister, Nancy (aka TexNan aka Sump'n Sassy) made that for me. It's made of white buttons on a checked background that matches my curtains PERFECTLY.

I am sooooo blessed!

Workday

2010-12-11T11:55:00.000-08:00

Well … we’ve started work on the cabinets. Our plan was to get the oven space prepared by noon and then start on the cabinet changes (for the refrigerator) after lunch. Then tomorrow afternoon we can concentrate on the space for the microwave.

First there was the oven removal.

Then the microwave removal.

Cutting the new space to size. I really should have removed those platters and bowls before DH started cutting!! Hello-o-o-o!! Sawdust!!

DH is doing all this work with me just handing him tools, shop vac, etc. I’m in the supporting role during this part of it. But when he doesn't need me so much, I've been preparing for the changes in the cabinets. I remove everything from the kitchen cabinets. EVERYTHING.

And I numbered the doors just in case we have to remove them.

We moved the dining table next to the wall, stored the chairs out of the way, I loaded the table with dishes. I couldn’t help but notice some things about which I had forgotten.

Some are keepers. Good coffee cup ... cheerful.

This little silver creamer needs a good polish, but it has really good lines.

This little mid-centuty cup is perfect for tea.

And some things I found are definitely not keepers. A frog on the rim of my cup is not my taste. Totally. Not. My. Taste. I promise I didn't buy this. We received two of them as a gift. This is a really good time to PURGE.

Well, it’s after 2PM and … having worked straight thru lunch … we’ve almost finished with the oven part of the day. I’m still hopeful we won’t be up at midnight finishing the second part of our day.

Wish me luck!

Meanderings

2010-12-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

I’ve been out-of-pocket for quite a while! And what have I been doing??

Well … I’ve been volunteering as a secretary at church. I’ve had to brush up on a program I used about 17 years ago (Gee, I wonder if there’ve been any changes?? HA!) and learning a totally new “presenter” program. I think I’m getting the hang of it. I’ve certainly been having fun with the graphics for the bulletins. I’m especially proud of this one I made for Christ the King Sunday. I prepared it in Photoshop and used some tools I’d never used before. I took two different photos, modified them and then combined them. Not easy when you’ve never done it before and you’re using the Help index to figure it out. BUT! I mastered a new skill and that’s a really good thing, cause now I OWN that skill. Woohoo!

Another thing I've been busy with is organizing my "studio". I've been turning the office into a studio and organizing the fabric. I'm beginning to feel like I'm walking into JoAnne's fabric when I walk into the room, but at least I can locate all my fabric now. I've even made room on one shelf for my felted wool stash. I used foam core from the Dollar Tree. I cut them into four strips and then wound the fabric around the strip, securing it with a straight pin.

And I cut the strips into smaller sizes for my fat quarters and large-ish remnants.

Then, of course we celebrated Thanksgiving with 4 of our kids. It’s been years since they’ve all been here, so I was especially THANKFUL.

This was our morning-after breakfast… poached eggs over turkey on English muffins with reheated hollandaise, a little cranberry sauce, and (of course) cranberry juice. Tasty!

On Saturday after Thanksgiving, DH and I went to Home Depot to get a gallon of paint and some nails and we walked out the proud owners of … TA-DAH!

A new LG double oven (convection).

It's cobalt blue inside!! GORGEOUS!!

And a new LG refrigerator.

Some things I love about this frig are (1) the freezer is more efficient (and has more room in it) than the side by side we currently have (2) the filter for the water line is easily accessible (3) an adjustable shelf allows you to store short stuff OR (switch-o-chang-o) tall stuff (4) a long flat drawer that's perfect for trays (5) the space behind the ice/water access is not useless space ... it has some shallow shelves and (6) last, but not least, this particular stainless steel doesn't show fingerprints.

Then we did some serious measuring for our new appliances after we got home and found we’ll have to remove the microwave in order to make room for the new double oven! Sooooo, we ordered (from Home Depot online) an over-the-stove LG microwave/ventihood which will be delivered and installed the same day as the other appliances.

A couple of things I like about this model (1) it has a warming feature which is great if you need to keep a plate warm for your sweet husband when he's late and (2) it has a rising feature for us bread-bakers. (I must make an admission here. I use a recipe for pizza dough that allows a quick 15 minutes of rise time. What I currently do is wrap the dough in a piece of plastic wrap and put it on top of my ventihood with the stove light turned on. That makes it warm enough to have the dough rising at just the right rate. True story ... a couple of times I've been busy with other stuff in the kitchen and the dough has burst the wrap open and jumped right off the ventihood. HA!)

LATER THAT SAME SATURDAY, DH ordered an LG dishwasher.

Pretty, isn't it? And it has a steam feature.

Something I love about this model is the silverware tray. Look at that! Instead of standing the flatware up with them all leaning on each other, this has a slot for each fork, spoon, etc. WAY DOGGIES COOL!

And the controls are on the skinny topside of the door. HA!

As a result of all this (pre-Christmas) spending, we’ll have to do some work this next weekend to remove existing stuff and prepare for the new things. We’ll even have to reconfigure a couple of cabinets, but surely that will be an easy thing to do … surely it won't take long!.?!
Anyway, when it’s all done, we’ll have a new kitchen for Christmas.

Yippee!! Yahoo!!! Whoop, whoop, whoop!!!

August Challenge

2010-08-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

Recently .... somewhere in blogland (sorry I can't remember where) ... I ran across a challenge to have a different dinner each day in August ... no repeat meals during the month. Since it's only August 3rd, I can still take the challenge. As a result, not only will my menus be more interesting (being under public scrutiny), but it will make me more conscious of healthy choices AND I'll make more frequent post entries. WIN WIN WIN

Sooooo ...... every few days I'll give you an update on the dinner scene and some pictures of what's going on in my life.

DINNER UPDATE

August 1st
Pecan crusted tilapia with sweet potato chipotle sauce
Baked sweet potato half with a teensy bit of butter
Rice "pilaf" (long grain, brown & wild rice with onion & capers)
Honey sunflower seed whole grain bread
Pears and cherries

The tilapia is Kroger brand in the freezer aisle and it's goooooood. The only sad thing about this dinner challenge is going another whole month without having this fish again. Ah, well! Life is full of compromises.

August 2nd
Chicken tortilla soup
Fritos

This was a throw-together-soup made from the last of the rotisserie chicken, some homemade broth, black beans, garbanzos, corn, carrots, onion, red bell pepper, chipotle in adobo, cumin, salt and pepper. This is the first time I've used Fritos and I find they disintegrate pretty quickly in broth. Next time I'll go back to baked tortilla chips.

LIFE UPDATE
I've temporarily closed my busiest etsy shop till I can get myself back on track. The doctor put me on new meds and I've had a hard time getting used to them. They make me t-i-i-i-r-e-d. I hate tired. I really, really HATE tired. Whine whine whine, whimper ... okay, pity party is over now.

As a result of previously referred to (SIGH) tiredness, I've only been doing small projects. Small, really small projects so I can see some results and feel I've accomplished something.

I made a new "quilt" for the teeny bed. It doesn't really have stuffing in it -- it's just a fat velveteen-ish fabric on bottom and cotton batiste on top that's been "quilted". I thought a white quilt would create a good background for displaying various colored linens and rugs.

A new white crochet tablecloth for the teeny table.

A new bedside lamp. I found a tutorial at this site. http://schifka.vuodatus.net/page/oillamp (I used Google Translate to make sure I understood the directions, but it's pretty self explanatory.)

These are the bits and parts I used -- 2 beads, some jewelry findings and I made a tube of clear tape for the top glass part.

And this is the completed oil lamp. I think it's kinda cute.

Some time back, I made a needlepoint cover for this chair and painted matching floral accents on the back.

The bedskirt here is actually a handkerchief that's been folded under. I thought I'd try it out before I actually cut it up. Looks pretty good, but maybe I need to sew it to a white background to display it better?

Right now I'm now working on a filet crochet bedspread in ivory. I'll show those pictures when I'm finished.

Exciting, huh? Oh, the whirlwind life we live in the country!

Idle Hands

2010-07-17T08:25:00.000-07:00
Sorry it's been so long.

First I was busy busy busy, then I caught a bad cold, but I'm better ... not good, but better. I'm the type of person (some would say A-type) who can't just sit and vegetate, but I still don't feel well enough to do anything really energetic. What to do about those IDLE HANDS?!?

Some time back I ordered a miniature double bed (about 5 ½ by 6 ½ inches) and it arrived while I was still feeling awful.. When I began to feel better I decided to some hand stitching for my little bed.

I made sheets and pillowcases with hand embroidery. A little crude, but not bad as a first draft.

Then I crocheted a blanket from some petitpoint wool I had in my stash.

Later on I crocheted a little table topper using all-purpose sewing thread for a bedside table. I didnt' do this from a pattern, I just sort of played around with it until I got it the size I wanted. I've got some ideas about refining this pattern.

Then, for a bedskirt, I digitized a design using French lace as an example. A couple of days later, I stitched it out. Although I think it's not bad as a first attempt, I'll play around with the design a little bit and use a paler thread next time.

Yesterday I made a round bedside table. I used an empty thread spool and a big bolt (for weight), (I have to say a big THANK YOU to DH for allowing me to raid his hardware stash). Then I glued a couple of cardboard rounds together and hot-glued them to the top. Thank God for hot glue! Then I made a long tablecloth by hemming a round of batiste and added the crocheted topper.

I also made another set of teensy sheets (using my sewing machine this time) to put in my etsy shop.

All in all, I'm pleased with the end result.

I think my miniature bedroom is coming together pretty well.

Gift Bags and Gardening

2010-06-07T16:30:00.000-07:00
Gift bags. Some of them are absolutely gorgeous. You can re-use them for gift-giving or even as a temporary tote, but what do you do if the bag is especially beautiful and you want to keep it? And has your name on it … literally has your name on it? You HAVE to keep it if it has your name on it! But what do you do with it?

You cover a gardening book.

Recently I received a beautiful gift bag full of wonderful gifts. I REALLY love this bag and wanted to keep it – more than just keep it, I wanted to make it a part of daily life. So I decided to upcycle it, using the design as a pretty cover on a plain composition notebook --- a full size notebook, not the teensy books I use as freebies.

DH and I are in the middle of landscaping projects and I wanted a gardening book for recording info – name of the plant, when and where we planted as well as pictures. Basically it’s a record of our gardening efforts. This wonderful gift bag was perfect for the cover.

Here’s the front.

Here’s the back.

I chose the placement of the design, cut it out a little larger than I needed, glued it to the front and back and trimmed to fit. I left the original black binding on the spine and I think it looks great.

I’m loving my new gardening book. Thanks Kirsten & Erika. Getting this bag was like getting an extra gift!

Adventures in Miniature Tablecloths

2010-06-01T09:14:00.000-07:00
For awhile now I’ve been thinking of adding tablecloths to my Etsy miniature shop. I’ve tried a few embroidery designs to determine which will look most realistic in a miniature setting. And I’ve tried patterns on different media (tulle, organza and water soluble stabilizer) to see which is best. This is a lacy design on organza – I used water soluble stabilizer while embroidering. Then I trimmed the fabric close to the stitching, overcast the edges and washed out the stabilizer. It’s .... okay ……. . but not exactly what I was hoping for. And of course the size and shape of the design will have to be altered for it to be a tablecloth.

A while back I bought the smallest crochet hook I’ve ever seen and I set it aside to try out during some downtime. We-e-e-ll, over the weekend I must have wrenched my back just a leeettle bit (DOH!) because it was making itself known this morning. So I decided this was the perfect time to give my new crochet hook a try. I pulled out the hook, a spool of cotton thread and a pattern I've been saving.

The hardest part of crocheting with a hook this small is to get the pattern started. “Chain 10 stitches and join with a slip stitch.”

Right! What the heck do I hold onto?

Thankfully I have fingernails right now (you never know when I'm gonna break them during one of my projects) because I wouldn’t be able to grasp this work without them.

After I got started, it wasn’t as difficult to hold onto. By the time I was nearing the end of row 4, I was thinking, “Okay! This is going pretty well! I'll just finish this row and then get another cup of coffee.”

About that time the phone rang and I jumped up to get it, holding the teeny crochet project in my hand. But I got my foot caught on the hanging thread and as I moved to the phone I could feel something going BDDDDTT. I looked down and realized what I had done.

DURN!! Now I’m back at the beginning of row 4!

In spite of the hiccup in production, I’m pretty pleased with how it’s going.

And look how small the hook is! You can hardly see the little bump-out that comprises the hook.

Gotta get back to it. I think this is may take awhile.

May update

2010-05-28T07:14:00.000-07:00
General update: Although I've been staying very, very busy, I haven't taken many pictures lately of my sewing and crafts. However, I have a couple of things to share.

This is a tissue cozy I made for my son Andy's girlfriend. (Sorry for the poor picture -- I took this while we were at the bus station and so the quality stinks.) I love the turquoise pique with white embroidery. I think it looks fresh. I forgot to take a picture of the back, but I used some of the fancy stitches on my sewing machine to decorate it. Andy helped me select the stitches. I thought it was really nice and it's a shame I can't truly share it.

On a different note, I've started taking these little (3 ½ x 4 ¼) notebooks I buy from the dollar store (4 for $1.00):

And (with a little scrapbooking magic) turning them into these:

I use them as a little surprise freebie with any order from my etsy shops. It's nothing very special or expensive, but I feel any unexpected freebie is a fun freebie. LUV me some freebies!

Family update: I know I've neglected my other blog for a long, long. long time -- I found it difficult to write on the personal level for awhile, but now I'll be posting family pictures, etc on http://daisyj222.blogspot.com/ again. And I've added the shortcut to my blog list for your convenience. Sister's Weekend (WOOHOOOOO) pictures will be on that blog sometime this weekend.

Seven Sisters

2010-04-28T15:37:00.000-07:00
Today has been a really wonderful day. The sky is so blue, the grass is so green, the air is so clean, and my Seven Sisters roses are blooming. Don't they look lovely?

And look at the cluster of buds just waiting to burst out into the world.

Days like today make me think of my grandfather (we called him BaaBaa ... don't know how to spell it ... maybe BawBaw?). Handsome, wasn't he?

When I was about thirteen I spent a week in the summer alone with him . Alone. The word alone is important because being alone was rare -- duh we had 11 kids in our family (7 girls, 4 boys, hence the Seven Sisters roses). All that togetherness was usually a blessing, but sometimes being alone was a good thing, too.

Anywhoo.

When I stayed with BaaBaa that year it was the week of July 4th. I have some special memories - waking on the fourth to firecrackers exploding a few houses away, BaaBaa cooking "hobo" breakfast in one pan (potatoes, onions and eggs all scrambled together - yum), and, later in the week, baling hay. I didn't do any baling, I just rode along on the tractor while a few men (including BaaBaa) walked alongside and, using pitchforks, tossed the hay into the baler. The smell of the hay, the blue sky, the freshness of the air and the wonder of watching my grandfather in an activity sooo foreign to a city girl. It's an experience I cherish and will never forget.
And on beautiful days like today the memory is especially fresh and sweet..

What memory does this wonderful spring day bring to your mind?

Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt

2010-03-22T12:36:00.001-07:00
One more project I've been working on is a Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt. I've been making the quilt top completely by hand, so it's taking much longer than most quilts.

Please don't think I'm a purist who refuses to make quilts by machine. That's not the case at all. But I've chosen to make this project by hand because I find it soothes my spirit. If things go wrong in my little world, I can sit down and stitch on my quilt for awhile and then I'm fine. Calm. As Alice once said, "Go to your happy place." Stitching on this quilt is my happy place.

I don't know how most people make a Grandmother's garden quilt, but I start with fabric strips 3 inches wide; I cut them into squares, and then I cut the corners off a bit. What I'm left with is a piece of fabric that is loosely a hexagon shape. I saturate the dickens out of the squares with starch and then I steam press each one around a cardboard template that's exactly the right size.

Sometimes I spend a little time just making hexagons to keep my sewing basket well stocked. Then later on I'll take one of this color, six of that color, and twelve of that color over there. I stack them and tack them straight down the center to keep them all together until I'm ready to make the "flowers". In the photo below, you can see a stack that's ready to go, a couple of single hexagons, a couple of the cardboard templates and my faithful spray starch.

When I want a little quiet time, I pick up a stack and stitch them together. Since I used the templates to make them the correct size and shape, the putting-it-together part is real easy. And since I've already chosen the colors (1, 6 and 12) when I made the stack, it's a complete no-brainer to make a flower like this.

When I get enough "flowers" I add them to the quilt top. Some of the colors in this particular quilt are pretty bright -- it reminds me of Mom and how she LUV'd bright, cheerful colors in her quilts.

Haven't a clue when I'll finish this project, but in this case, it's DEFINITELY the journey that's most important, not the destination.

Wedding Present

2010-03-22T12:06:00.000-07:00
Another project I was working on recently was a wedding present for a friend. He and his bride work for an non-profit organization called Freedom House of Denton. As many of you know, the Freedom House saved my son's life by getting him off drugs and on a good path. I am ever-grateful for the blessing.

I decided to give the newlyweds linens -- napkins for the dining room and dish towels for the kitchen. I purchased the napkins (on closeout .... WOOHOO!) and towels from target and then started embroidering. This is the result.

I was so pleased with the result that I ran out and purchased a BUNCH of the close-out napkins in multiple colors. I think they'll be great for gifts or to put in my etsy shop.

Baby Boy Quilt

2010-03-22T06:26:00.000-07:00
I know it's been AGES since I posted. What have I been doing? I'll show you a little bit today and will show you the rest very soon.

One of my projects was a baby quilt for a soon-to-arrive little baby boy. I studied quilt designs and searched the internet and studied some more. Finally I decided to make my own design (those who know me well know this is where I would end up).

I started with a length of muslin, marked squares with disappearing ink and covered the marks (before they disappeared) with a decorative stitch from my sewing machine. Then I embroidered (using my Pfaff embroidery machine) an appropriate "redwork" design in the center of each square. Using a stem stitch, I hand embroidered four lines (one on each side of the quilt) from a poem about little boys. I added batting and a Debbie Mumm fabric for the back and then quilted the whole thing by hand. Sounds easy? It took me about 2 weeks to make it ... from from design creation to the final stitches. I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Sooooooo, THAT's what I've been doing with part of my time. I'll post some of my other projects later this week.

Wrap and ribbon center

2010-01-14T09:24:00.000-08:00
I don't have a wrapping center, but I'd love to have one. Centsational Girl made a new gift wrap / ribbon center for herself and I love it - I'm in deeeeep envy.

But I don't think it will work for me and here's why. I have way-doggies more paper and ribbons. I mean WAY-DOGGIES more.
I usually store my wrapping paper in these boxes ... all standing at attention like long skinny soldiers, jammed together like sardines. It's not elegant, but it works.

During the holidays, this was how I stored the holiday paper. It kept the paper handy and it's not as ugly as a Craftsman weed-whacker box!

This is how I've been storing my ribbons.

So many ribbons.

A veritable mountain of ribbons.

Okay, maybe it's a leetle teensy obsession.

SIGH. I luv me some ribbons.

Sooooo - I think maybe something between Martha (picture below) and CG would work for me - basically - big honking frame with rods for the ribbons.

And I think maybe something like this under-the-bed arrangement I found on Apartment Therapy would work for the paper. Looks neat. And it's not a weed-whacker box.

Whatcha think?

More DIY Christmas

2009-12-23T07:22:00.000-08:00
Before I show you my recent projects, can we pause just a minute and look at the acronym DIY? DIY stands for Do It Yourself, but I'm thinking it should be DIM ... Do It Myself. On the other hand, DIM doesn't sound as perky as DIY, does it? Oh, well. Perhaps it doesn't pay to examine these things too closely.

Back to the subject of this post, this year I made my Christmas cards. I was a little late making them, but I did get them finished and mailed. This year I bought some card stock at JoAnn's (50% off) and cut the sheets in half. They were the perfect size for the front of a Christmas card made from card stock -- 2 cards to one 8 1/2 x 11 sheet.

Then I used glittery, sparkly gold thread and stitched a tree shape on the colored card stock (I used a variety of colors ... burgundy, teal, spring green, tan, etc). I made a star stamp (using an eraser) and used the round eraser on a pencil to stamp & emboss gold designs on the tree. These pictures show one of the embossed trees and a couple of unfinished examples. All in all, I'm pretty pleased with the finished card. Wish my pictures were better. Sigh.

Now, for my gift tags. I have some purchased tags left over from previous years, but I wanted to make my own this year. Since our kids come here for Christmas, any gift we put under the tree is obviously from us, so there's no need to say To: (child's name) From: Mom & Dad over and over again. Just the To information is important. As a result, I decided to do a real simple design. I cut some circles from red cardstock and used white paint (the kind that comes in a bottle with a teensy tip) and I put white dots all around the outer edge of the circle. Then I printed a monogram that I got from Martha here http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/click-print-monogram-labels?backto=true and printed them on white cardstock. I cut out the white circles and glued them to the red circles. You can see how imperfect the circle and dots are. But ........

I think it looks nice on the packages. Sort of classy & distinct.

Last but not least, yesterday I monogrammed some gold napkins I got at a thrift store earlier this year. I really love the font I used. For my Christmas table I have a special crochet tablecloth I use each year (made by Grandma Moses' sister ... really ... no kiddin' ... I got it at an auction in Vermont years ago just after the sister passed away). Anyway, I use touches of gold here and there on the table and it looks sort of lacy and lush and I LUV IT. And I think these new-to-me napkins will add a nice elegant touch.

Hope you enjoyed seeing my DIY (DIM) projects. I'm havin' fun!

A Few DIY Christmas Projects

2009-12-21T05:04:00.000-08:00

As usual, I've been a very BIZZY bee. I've only created a few things this Christmas ... the rest are ... as we said when we were little country kids .... store boughten.

I've made several of these scarves. Earlier in the year I bought a Knitty Gritty (with a coupon at JoAnn's) and I've been knittying my buxx off!

I used this tutorial to make the matching organza flower brooch. http://www.reesedixon.com/2009/03/organza-flowers.html I used 3 freshwater pearls for the center. Sorry about the fuzzy picture.

And I used this tutorial to make the felted wool brooch. http://ohsocrafty.blogspot.com/2009/09/felted-wool-flowers.html These flowers are so much fun to make. I'm using felted sweaters and some of the wonderful felted wool TexNan sent me.

I attempted to make a wine bag using burlap with a silk lining for DH's boss, but my dimensions were wrong and I messed up on some decorative stitching -- it's a lot harder to sew on burlap than I had envisioned. For the embroidered part of it, I used tear-away interfacing underneath the burlap and water-soluble stabilizer on top .... sort of a burlap sandwich ... so the burlap didn't ever touch the sewing machine -- easy breezy. Then I tried to do some fancy stitching without stabilizer of any sort -- didn't work. Sigh.
But isn't the design purdy? I love this font.

Soooo, I made this one instead. It's a silk-look poly.

And I made two of these for the ladies that work for DH.

Notice the little jewels? There are 7 on this design. Do you want to know how hard it is to peel the paper backing off teensy little jewels with big fat adult fingers? First, just separating the paper from the jewel and then the darn thing gets stuck to your fingernail. ARGHH! I don't use jewels often enough to warrant getting one of those tools for bedazzling, so I use the low-tech peel and stick method. That said, I really do like this design and will do it again.

I still have a few more projects to finish before Christmas, but that's all for now. Have a merry!

Once Upon a Christmas

2009-12-06T07:04:00.001-08:00

I'm attempting to attach music to my blog.

Guess I put it in the wrong place!! Oh, well.
Since it wound up here in my post I'll just leave it while I'm figuring this thing out.

You can click the start button above and listen to a lovely song (Selah with Dolly Parton) while you enjoy a few family Christmas pictures from this weekend.

After looking the pictures over again, I realized they're almost all of sweet Maxton! Oh, well, he was probably the cutest one there -- enjoy!

Maxton and the train. Hmmm .... interesting!

Hey! Where did it go?

It went down that way!

Wait, there it is again!

Oh the wonder of a little boy and a model train.
And the discovery of a piano. I think a little boy should help the song a little bit down there on that end of the piano. Makes the song better!

A little solo performance by Max. First the "warm-up"

The triumph of success! Give yourself a good hand, sweet boy.

All in all it was a wonderful day for the whole family.

Goodwill ROCKS!

2009-11-15T12:13:00.000-08:00
Yesterday DH and I did some serious shopping and got some really great deals. We're trying to get all our Christmas shopping done in November .... like that's ever happened before, but we keep trying!

We went to Steinmart early in the morning for their big sale and really scored some great gifts ... none of which I can mention here because I don't want spoil the surprise. Also we've been looking for some wool slacks to replace a pair in DH's wardrobe, but it's difficult to find quality slacks for under $50.00 a pair and we won't pay that much unless we MUST. As we were standing in line to check out our Christmas goodies, we noticed a closeout rack that had clothing including slacks. DH checked it out and .... there they were! The perfect wool slacks -- in his size! -- and marked down to $20.00. WOOHOO!

Then we went to Big Lots and loaded up on several smaller items for stocking stuffers ... like really pretty insulated travel mugs in the perfect colors (to match the cars) at 2 for $5.00 and wool socks at 3 pair for $5.00. Since my Andy is still in Colorado, I figure he'll appreciate the socks.

Then we went to Goodwill.

Since Lewisville is an affluent community, I was hoping for some really good finds and I was not disappointed. We got several smallish items (a Mikasa crystal candleholder, a Mikasa crystal clock and a beautiful hurricane candleholder) at really good prices. All will make great additions to gift baskets. Also, we found a pair of Dockers jeans for $6.00 in perfect condition in exactly the right size. DH really needs to replace his work jeans ... those that I've patched several times ... so the Dockers will be a perfect replacement.

NOTE: Lest you think we're poor ... or cheap ... we're not. We're unabashedly frugal. DH and I choose to live WELL on as small a budget as possible. We may drink champagne frequently, but it's not Dom Perignon. As a result, we can afford to drink champagne frequently. Nuff said.

Back to our Goodwill adventure, the really big score came (again) as we were about to leave the store. I noticed several large boxes (containing entertainment centers, etc) and one of them had a steel shelving unit in it. I immediately thought of my pantry. Now my pantry is large and already contains shelving, but I really needed additional storage. The pantry upgrade is pretty low on the master TO DO list but, when I saw this shelving I knew this would be a great stop-gap. Heavy duty metal shelving like this is around $100.00 and we paid $20.00!!!!! STEAL!!

We put it together this afternoon and got it into the pantry. Okay, the fit is not perfect (it sticks out into the doorway a couple of inches) but I don't mind. When we finally get around to doing the pantry upgrade, we'll just move this out to the garage and it will work perfectly there. In the meantime, this is grrrrrreat!

So here are my pictures ... one showing the pantry through the door and the other just showing the shelving.

Is it pitiful to be so happy about getting an organized pantry????

Maybe so, but I am sooooooo excited about being able to get some of my occasional-use-appliances-and-paraphernalia out of the way.

I am one happy .... FRUGAL ... chick.

Coffee House Chair Makeover

2009-10-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

Some of you already know about Denton Freedom House, but for those who don't, it's a non-profit residence program for men who choose to walk away from their addictions (drug, alcohol, whatever) and who want to become more Christ-like. I believe with my whole heart that it saved my son's life. As a result, I am, of course, very, very grateful to the Freedom House and am always willing to volunteer my time and talents (such as they are) whenever there's a need.

To accomplish some of their future plans (a Freedom House for women and the expansion of the existing packed-to-the-rafters men's program), they'll be opening a (for-profit) coffee house in Denton at the beginning of November. They've been preparing the location for awhile ... which includes receiving donations of chairs, tables, etc, some of which are in less than perfect condition. That's how I came to participate in today's project -- reupholstering two matching chairs. Super SASSY to the rescue!!

This is what the chairs looked like BEFORE. Really not too bad when you look at them straight on.

But this is what they both looked like from the side -- clear evidence of a CAT DESTRUCTOR at work , I think!

One of the volunteers had donated 5 yards of putty colored chenille upholstery fabric (she bought it at a thrift store in Roanoke for $1.00 per yard ... and YES she gave me the name & location) which would be perfect for this project. Since it was a pretty simple color and pattern and I didn't want to make my own cord, I picked up some corresponding braid (is it braid or gimp? TexNan will know) at Hobby Lobby and used it to spruce up the newly reupholstered chairs. If you add the cost of the braid and the cost of the fabric, that's $10.00 per chair. Not bad I say. They're going to use these next to the "fireplace" at the coffee shop. I used quotes around the word fireplace because it's a fireplace surround. I haven't seen the finished mantel yet, but they tell me this fabric will look great next to it.

Here's the AFTER shots. The braid is blue in the center and dark putty on the outer edges. The picture ---of course! -- doesn't do it justice, but it's really pretty in person.

If you make it to Denton, Texas, the coffee house is catty-cornered across from the civic center and it's called Zera's. Check it out!

Closet Rug

2009-10-08T16:37:00.000-07:00
Today I bought an oriental runner for $15 at the thrift store (see the post below for another great buy). Did I score today or what? And these are not the only goodies I got, but this is all I have time to show you right now.

Okay, I know everyone doesn't need a rug in their closet -- they have carpeted closets. But I have a tile floor and I NEEDED a rug in my closet. The floor was cold and I don't want to step on a bare floor - I hate cold feet (I know .... what a Princess!!). When I spotted this one at the thrift store, I checked for stains and for quality --- it feels great! I'm okay with a synthetic rug for my closet, but I don't want it to FEEL like it's made of plastic ... know what I mean? It needs to feel like it's made of wool. This one doesn't have a tag stating content and I know I can test it to see if it's wool, but I don't WANT to. I mean .... after all, it's a CLOSET rug. It's just there to keep my feet warm and my eyes happy.
And my eyes ARE happy!

Thrift Store Candleholder

2009-10-08T15:10:00.001-07:00
Just had to quickly share this thrift store find. When describing it over the phone to Nancy, I called it a Forrest Gump candleholder because it reminds me of Forrest's leg braces. Is that rude? Couldn't think of any other way to describe it.

Now the decisions -- polish or not -- paint it pewter or leave it brass. Whatcha think?

Another Creepy Critter!

2009-10-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

Just had to share the pictures I saw at Let-It-Shine (http://let--it--shine.blogspot.com/2009/09/metamorphosis.html) -- they made me laugh. Now I would love to have one of THESE creepy critters in my garden!

Gives new meaning to the phrase "Cute as a bug"! Love it!

CREEPY CRITTER ON MY KILLER TOMATO

2009-10-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

Remember my killer tomato plant? Several years ago I bought a tomato plant - yellow pear tomato - from Lowe's and planted it in the front flower bed. I have drip irrigation in the front so I thought that would be the best place for it - my job plus 3 hour commute left me with little to NO time for watering plants that weren't on the drip system. Well, that tomato plant was so happy in the front garden it had to be cut back drastically because it was trying to take over the flower bed and the porch ... hence the Killer Tomato nomenclature.

The following year, we had volunteer tomato plants ... I guess a couple of tomatoes must have fallen to the ground and seeded the soil before I removed the big-honkin-mother-plant in the fall. Well, I let one of the volunteers grow and kept it cut back so that it wouldn't take over. Hey -- it's free tomatoes. Then the following year I transplanted yet another volunteer to the newly created back garden. This year the latest round of volunteers is going gangbusters and I have a huge crop of tomatoes. YUM!

Having said all that, I come to the CRITTER part of the story. Today I went out to get some tomatoes for dinner and I saw this HUGE caterpillar walking on the cable system to which the tomatoes are tied. It's really creepy looking and GI-NORMOUS. So I grabbed my camera, took some pictures so I could do some investigating. Isn't he creepy looking?

Per my Google search, he's a Tobacco / Tomato Horn Worm. DUH! Now I notice some of the top leaves are eaten down to the stalk. Okay, I'm waiting till DH gets home to get rid of it 'cause I'm not touching that thing!

ICK!

The Price of Makover

2009-09-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

We've been working on our master bathroom makeover for quite awhile (read years here). It just seems to go on and on and ON AND ....

But I thought I'd give you a teensy, teensy glimpse at the progress. This is how the master bath looked when we bought our house. Pretty uuuuugly, but it had possibilities.

This is the direction we're moving (courtesy of some unknown person with wonderful taste on Rate My Space)

The cost of getting there??
$150 for Jacuzzi whirlpool (thru a classified ad --a $3000.00 2-person Jacuzzi that was in perfect condition .... SCORE!)
$75 for 3 new light fixtures (on closeout at Lowe's)
$35 for paint (on sale)
$100+ for wood and molding

And ...... it looks like maybe $218 for masking tape??

And just forget about the cost of sore knees (ever painted baseboards BEHIND the porcelain bus?) and aching muscles. Maybe I need to start yoga again because I really needed the flexibility today. I ended up scooting around the bathroom on my patootie (felt like a doodlebug) to get the baseboards painted in a bright white. Poor DH kept making Michelangelo remarks because he was painting the crown molding. It's not the Sistine chapel, but oh my poor baby!

And we're not finished yet ... DH found some great travertine on closeout at the Home Depot last weekend, so we've got a much needed counter replacement in our future ... and perhaps new sinks, etc ... and we're thinking about tile around the top of the shower to match the tile around the Jacuzzi .... BUT that's part of Phase III. I'm just glad we're ALMOST finished with Phase II of the everlasting quest for the perfect master bath. I'll post pictures as soon as Phase II is complete.

Little Kitty Heaven

2009-09-07T05:10:00.000-07:00
Ran across this blog http://www.brooklynlimestone.com/2009/09/chic-on-cheap-pet-bed-step-by-step.html and just had to share her great idea for a cat bed.

This is what it looks like from the outside -- a suitcase with feet.

This is what it looks like on the inside. She's made a wonderful reversible cushion for the bottom, a teensy matching pillow and a gallery of cat pictures!

This is what it looks like with the occupant curled up inside -- without the cushion she lovingly -- and painstakingly -- made!

LOVE IT! Looks like her cat loves it too.

THREE THINGS

2009-08-05T07:18:00.000-07:00
I have three things to share today.

ITEM ONE - During my recent Twin Needle Sewing Class, I learned an easier way to join bias strips. I don't know about you, but when I just need a yard or two of bias tape, I'm not interested in doing the whole sew-an-off-center-tube-thang. And going the other route ... cut out your bias strips and join them ... has not been a roaring success because I rarely get it right on the first try. You know what I mean. I end up with something that looks like this instead of a nice - straight - strip.
I always hated doing bias tape because I'd sew it, rip out the stitches and re-sew it. But with this new technique, I just zing right through. Here's how it goes: instead of trying to join the angled ends, you cut off the angles so the strips have a straight end, lay one at a 90 degree angle to the other and sew diagonally. See (rough) drawing below. LOVE THIS TECHNIQUE!

ITEM 2 - A sewing machine repairman showed me how to release thread when it gets caught in the bobbin area. Some threads come out right away, but some get caught ... and even broken off from pulling on them. I don't know about all machines, but on my Pfaff, there's a way to get a thread unhung without a repairman.

This is how my Pfaff bobbin area looks. There's an arrow pointing to the screw. All you can see from this side is a little hole, but that's where the screw is. There are three on the housing, but you have to manually rotate the wheel to see all three ... one ... at ...a ... time.

This is how the side of the bobbin housing unit looks when it's out of the sewing machine ... but don't take it out!!! Slow down! We just want to remove a little tension from the screw. The arrow points to the screw and if I had a better picture, you could see there's a little spring around it. (Okay .. I know my drawing of a screw with a spring is lame, but it was the best I could do this afternoon).
Sorry this picture is fuzzy. What he's doing here is pressing on the screw which relieves a little of the tension. It only moves about a hairs breadth, but it's enough to get your thread out.

He's using this dental tool -- it's great for reaching around to press on the screw. And there's not a lot of space in there when you're coming at it from the front.
I'm so glad I learned how to do this yesterday because I had to use it this morning. Since I didn't have a dental thing-y, I just used a teensy screwdriver, but IT WORKS. HA!

ITEM 3 - I finished the test apron and, all in all I'm pleased. I'll use the pattern again, but I'll probably use a wider bias tape next time. I think Sophie looks great in this. Wish it looked this good on me!

Have a fabulous day!

Potatoes and Onions in Bags! Oh, MY!

2009-07-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

I've been busy sewing for myself instead of for a shop - what a surprise - think of that -- sewing for myself! One project I made was burlap bags to hold onions and potatoes. Since up to this point I didn't have a good storage solution, I decided to make bulap bags and embroider them to identify what's inside.

I made them of 2 layers of burlap ... it still allows the air to circulate and the double thickness makes them quite sturdy, so they stand on their own. And they're completely washable. Woohoo!
Since I made this in a flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants method -- ummmm - my usual method -- I used a satin stitch to join the layers at the top, but I think if I make these as gifts (or to sell in my shop) I'll make the bag out of one long piece of burlap with a long seam ... fold it in half with the seam inside and then I'll stitch along the top of the fold. Maybe I could embroider along the top edge .. like Pommes frites .... Spuds .... Taters ... etc. Hmmm, I guess I'll have to research names for onions.

The potato bag holds just over 10 pounds of potatoes and the onion bag holds more than 3 pounds. I like it. Works for my kitchen!

Also, recently I took a twin-needle sewing class. I haven't had a formal sewing class since Miss Nowatny in 9th grade home economics . This is the finished project.

I think it almost looks like heirloom stitching. I didn't notice until I took the picture that the center pintucks are slightly off center! DOH! Nevertheless, I learned a lot of really good techniques in the class and now I've signed up for a towel embossing class. I have several embossing designs already from Emblibrary.

Hellooooo! Good Christmas gifts! Can't wait!

TODAY I'm working on a "test" apron. I call it a test apron because I'm testing my pattern on cheap-o fabric before I commit scissors to the expensive stuff. Sooooo I'm using beige cotton with red trim. Sisters may remember the red fabric from my retirement Girls Only Party. I used yards and yards of it for the tablecloths. Doesn't Amanda look sweet?

Gotta go now. My break is over and my sewing machine is calling out to me.

Sisters Weekend Part II

2009-07-07T12:44:00.000-07:00
Sorry it's taken so long to get the remaining pictures on here. Reason? DH and I went on a long trip shortly after the last post and when we got back, we couldn't access the internet. Boyz howdie -- who knew how much we depend on access to the internet?!?

But, I'm ba-a-a-ck and ready to finish the wonderful sisters weekend memories.

When we went to the Pine Mountain Jamboree, we noticed a tower nearby and Billie wanted very much to climb up it. TO THE TOP! So we came back the next day. It's a tall one!

Nancy and I decided to forego the fun (LOL), so I took pictures of our adventurers. Ginger suggested she go first, Billie next and Alice last. I think they were worried about Billie getting scared -- even though this fun treat was HER idea -- so they made a Billie-O sandwich!

Going thru the turnstile. Gee whiz! You pay to get in so you can climb your bu** off!

Going up.

GOING UP. (The letters show the position of Ginger, Alice & Billie.)

Almost there.

Finally there!!!! And Billie takes a picture of us safely back at the bottom . She's taking a picture of me happy, happy, happy that my calves aren't quivering from the trek up and down. Okay ... maybe it was a picture of me secretly wishing I'd been been braver. Perhaps I can do it next time!

After our climbers made it safely back down, we hopped the trolley to the Crescent Hotel. It's a wonderful old (haunted) hotel we stayed in last time we were there and they had the BEST Margaritas ever, so of course we HAD to visit it again.
Sitting on the balcony, we could see the tower! Looks pretty tall there -- sticking up out of the forest!

And then .... sisterly laughter among the drinks. Really, those people didn't have to leave the balcony. We weren't laughing THAT hard. Were we?

Anyway, it was another WONDERFUL sisters weekend. Definitely a special treat! Can't wait till next year. Sooooo, Alice?? Where are we going next year??? Maybe we should call ahead and get them prepared.

Sister's Weekend 2009 Part 1

2009-06-05T08:00:00.000-07:00
Just a quick blurb about the wonderful time we had on Sisters Weekend 2009 at Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This was the front porch of our lovely cottage. While we were snapping various group photos on the front porch (oops-- I didn't get any!) Ginger began to sing, "I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, ...." Laughing, laughing all weekend!

The first afternoon, we sat outside on one of the stone patios. So charming! This is Nancy looking down to the patio.

The next morning we all went for a walk. We noticed several houses that had these witches hat roofs. I've never seen anything like it before. It's copper topped, which is very interesting.

We bought 2 day trolley passes and rode the trolley as much as possible. It was a great bargain and the trolley drivers were so nice. At least I thought they were nice until one of them called ahead to the station to warn them we were coming! What was THAT about!
Because Eureka Springs is very vertical (in the mountains, narrow streets, lots of S curves) we rode the trolley to the top of the hill in the shopping district and then walked/shopped our way down the hill. Very interesting shops. And street musicians. And restaurants.

We felt that family was with us all weekend, because we kept seeing their names everywhere. If you look closely at the pastor's name, it's the same as our oldest brother!
One of our walks included going to breakfast at Myrtle Mae's (great food!) and I saw this funny sign in a yard on the way back. Vintage humour!

Although we didn't eat at Gramma's Beans and Cornbread, we have fond memories of our last trip. Our "public singing career" started here! We have a tendency to do drive-by singings at absolutely no provocation or invitation! LOL!

We went to Pine Mountain Jamboree again -- loved it on the last trip. The new show was totally different from our last trip, but it was utterly enjoyable. There were lots of songs we could sing to and the entertainers were fabulous.
During the intermission some of the performers come out to chat with the audience. Billie bought some souvenir "hats" that look almost like a vase until you push it down onto your head. Then it looks like a pith helmet. However, when she tried it out on her own head, she couldn't get it to stay on -- it would just POP off -- almost FLY off -- everytime she pushed it down. One of the performers laughed so hard at her efforts, he had tears in his eyes. Not everyone can say they go to a comedy review and entertain the comedians!

I'll post the remaining pictures soon.

New Etsy Shop

2009-04-25T10:53:00.000-07:00
I've been BUSY BUSY BUSY!

I've been away from blog world for awhile. Not only have I been silent, but I haven't even been checking my favorite blogs except Sumpn Sassy -- can't miss my sassy sister even if the rest of blogland fades away.
Recently I opened a new etsy shop (LittleSassyMini) and moved all my miniature rugs to that shop. And I've been cranking out some mini rugs. I've got some other products I'm working on. I'll let you know when I've mastered that. Busy - busy!

I participated in my first etsy TX one-on-one swap. It gives you a chance to make friends with other Texas etsy-ites. For my gift, I made a tissue cozy and matching cosmetic bag for Judy at http://butterflykissforyou.etsy.com./.

And I received a beautiful necklace and earrings from Cheri at http://itsmecheri.etsy.com Aren't they gorgeous?! This swap thing is FUN!

Then I made an apron for sweet Susan - to celebrate her birthday and to commemorate her winning a baking contest with her pineapple upside down cupcakes. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out and will be making one for my Little Sassy etsy shop.

Now I'm working on another etsy TX project. It's a promo and sample swap. Everyone makes an item for each of the participants. Then when you sell something in your shop, you add one of the sample items in your shipping package. It's a nice little freebie for your customer and it's great advertising for other etsy Texans.
I was trying to decide what to make. I could just have done the gussied-up matchbooks I usually do for my customers, but I'd like these to be a small sample of my work. It's a lot harder than it might sound to decide on a good - small -- example. My first thought was to make a bookmark with a summer image (flip-flops, glass of lemonade, sunglasses, beach ball) plus some text, but I found that (1) you have to make the text really teensy and that's difficult and (2) I don't want the back side of the embroidery showing and (3) how do I finish the edges?? ... even if you use ribbon, you have the ribbon ends to contend with. Oh, bother!
Keep in mind, I'm not charging for these samples and I have to make at least 26 of them. Soooo, after two days of messing with this ... that ... and the other, bookmarks are definately out. One of my best attempts was on felt (easy to make crisp edges, but two layers of felt is really FAT). When DH saw it, he suggested I turn the felt thingy into a little nail file holder by leaving one end open. Good idea! So off I go to the 99 cent store. After I got there, I saw these little clippey things that are so popular and decided I would fancy them up instead. I embroidered a flower on unbleached duck and put that on top of 2 layers cut from a lavender bandanna and sewed the whole thing to a lavender clip. I sprayed it pretty heavily with starch and blew it dry to make the edges curl up to look more like a flower. It's the first time I've done something in the "shabby" style - I'm usually more tailored -- but I thought I'd give it a try. FEEDBACK PLEASE?! I'm really feeling insecure about this and need some honest --even brutal -- feedback.

Thanks!

Welcome, Sophie!

2009-04-10T07:02:00.000-07:00
Yesterday after my hair appointment I was feeling all gorgeous and perky, so I decided to stop in at Ruth's Room - a thrift store that benefits Habitat for Humanity. For awhile now I've been looking for a new side table for the living room and I took a chance to see if they had what I want. No luck on the table, but I hit the jackpot with a lacy metal dress form. Tightwad that I am, I hesitated to pay $38.00 for something that's not a necessity, but after a very short hesitation, I plunked down my money and loaded the thing into the back of my VW. The form doesn't fold down or come apart, so getting it into the bug was easier said than done, but with some finagling (lowering the back seat and moving the passenger seat all the way up) I got it in there and brought the dazzler home. Isn't she lovely?

I'm gonna call her Sophie. I don't know why, but the name popped into my head first and I can't get it out of there even by insistently repeating the names Audrey (love me some Hepburn) or Coco (love me some Chanel) or Chloe (love me some Lagerfeld). Soooo, Sophie it is!

I called DH and told him of the purchase because I felt a little guilty about the (seemingly) foolish splurge. As always (he's such an angel) he helped me find reasons it was a good purchase - aprons, totes and purses can all be displayed beautifully on it and since I'm going to re-vamp my etsy shop and will be including aprons, totes and purses, this will be a great tool. I checked prices on comparable dress forms and they start at 119.00! It was a steal at $38.00!! And I must say, now that I've got it home and draped it with an apron, it feels somehow that my business is more substantial. More than just a hobby or a sideline, it's a BUSINESS. Know what I mean?

While I was still in town I stopped by Walmart for some necessities and I hit the mother load in the close-out section. I bought 8 bottles of the Sugar-free Vanilla syrup we use in our morning coffee for a total savings of $28.64. And 3 bags of 8 O'clock Coffee beans for a total savings of $8.04. Then in the dairy case, butter was on sale so I bought 4 pounds for a savings of $4.00. That exceeds the $38.00 I spent on the Dress Form, so it feels like Sophie was MEANT TO BE in our home.

So, please welcome Sophie to our family!

Gettin' a little ADD here!

2009-04-03T08:49:00.000-07:00
After I finished the post yesterday -- and before I wore my patootie out running errands -- I checked to see if I could find some soap recipe's. The best I found (that would work with the Little House in the Suburbs soap re-milling technique) were from Craftbits. http://www.craftbits.com/viewCategory.do?categoryID=SOA

Don't these sound good?

Citrus Burst
Lavender & Honey
Coconut Cream
Vanilla Rosemary
Cucumber
Honey Rose
Goats Milk

So, now I'm REALLY wanting to make some soaps!

However, yesterday I bought 2 books with apron patterns. I had such fun making the Debby apron (and the 50's ripply apron recently) that I can't wait to start working on some of these. They are sooooooo CAYUUTE!!!

And I also bought a reusable shopping bag when I was at the health food store. Billie has been suggesting I make some -- Arlington, Texas is going to go disposable bagless soon -- and I've already bought some great fabric, but haven't put it very high on my LIST-O-THINGS TO DO.

What to start on first!?!?! Soap, Aprons, Green bags?!

And then reality steps in and says " Mow the three acres close to the house because spring has definitely arrived and the grass is only gonna get taller." Oh, well. Later gator on the fun stuff!

Good Ol' Soap

2009-04-02T06:54:00.000-07:00
Recently I bought soap samples from Lippencott Soap Co. on etsy. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6264828 They have some VERY interesting soaps!

Here's the list I got:
Lavender Oatmeal
Irish Mocha
Box of Chocolates
Bottle of Wine
Ginger Lime
Brown Sugar & Fig
Orange Mocha
Oatmeal Shea (naturally unscented)
Caprio Olive
A Dozen Roses

I thought I could use them as interesting additions to a gift -- perhaps a cosmetic bag or something similar.

I ran across a couple of posts on Little House in the Suburbs (thank you Nancy for sending this blog my way!) regarding re-packaging soaps to make them snazzier for gifting. http://www.littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2009/01/soap-present-ation.html I thought it was a great idea, so I tried that out this morning. I used 2 different scrapbooking papers - one for wrapping the bar, one for the label - and a gray satin ribbon. In the picture below, I show how the sample looked when I got it and how I wrapped it. Also, you can see the "Dozen Roses" soap. Isn't it pretty? I love that it has leetle teensy roses embedded in the soap. Oh, yeah. In my label, I included the info from the original label so the lucky gal who gets this can order more if she wants.

And this is a closeup of the label. It looks sort of blue here, but it's actually gray.

The other soap post I wanted to share from Little House in the Suburbs is about creating your own interesting soaps. She starts with ivory soap, re-mills it and adds fragrance and stuff (bits of oatmeal, lavender, etc). It sounds like a messy and lengthy process, but I think I may put it on my agenda for the summer! Her directions for this project are here. http://www.littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2009/02/ivorys-ivory-rebatch.html
Well, gotta get moving now, because I've got a LOT to accomplish today. Have a great Thursday!!

Donna Reed lives!

2009-04-01T07:17:00.001-07:00
When I "retired" just over a year ago, everyone kept asking me what I was going to do. It was assumed I would take a position with a different company and continue working outside the home for years to come.

In my professional life, I had work-a-holic tendencies. I was the one who always learned the new procedures, studied the new products closely and made cheat sheets to pass around for the others. I was the go-to gal in our office even though I had less time on the job than others I worked with. My answer to the "whatcha gonna do?" question was always "I'm gonna be Donna Reed!" I've wanted to be a homemaker for a long time -- painting walls, gardening, re-upholstering, sewing, crafting, shopping. Ahhhh -- the good life!

Well, tomorrow is my BFF's birthday. Her name is Debby, she's a full-time professional with my old employer (another go-to-gal!), the mother of 3 great kids and wife to a wonderful manly man. She doesn't have the opportunity to be a Donna Reed right now, so I try to share some of my "wealth" with her.

For her B-day, I've made her a couple of things. The first gift is a sassy decoupage initial she admired at Southern Hospitality http://southernhospitality-rhoda.blogspot.com/2008/08/decoupage-101.html

I think it turned out pretty good!

The second I made is an apron similar to the one I posted about a few days ago - she loved the apron and emailed me about it.

I couldn't replicate the halter top. My first attempt looked like a bustier! When you've got teenaged sons like Debby, I think a bustier is probably not the way to go. The second attempt was also a little too suggestive, so I went with a plain-ish top.

I chose cheerful fabrics and made it reversible and the waist ties are nice and long so she can wrap them around and tie in front.

And I put a small pleated ruffle on the bib that echoes the skirt trim.

All in all, I'm pleased and I think she'll like my Donna Reed attempt.
Whatcha think?

BLOG CRUISING

2009-03-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

Although it's March 28th -- the very END of March -- and I'm in TEXAS for goodness sake which only has a blip of a winter, today is blustery and cold! The wind chill is 37 degrees and the winds are gusting to 36 mph!! BRRRRRRR!!! This is Spring????

All that cold outside and this wonderful, cheery warmth inside makes it a great day for BLOG CRUISING!!

A couple of posts ago, I touched on cupcakes and Bakerella's version of cupcakes which are balls made of red velvet cake mixed with icing, rolled into a shape and covered in a candy coating. This is her spring version of the cake balls. LOVE IT!!!!! Aren't these the cutest little chicks? Gonna try this myself next week! http://bakerella.blogspot.com/

A couple of days ago I found this incredible apron on Pioneer Woman's blog. http://thepioneerwoman.com/ Love it so much, I've already bought fabric to make a couple of similar aprons! If you don't like to sew (and create your own patterns -- I wonder if that's why they keep calling me crazy Daisy!!) you can purchase these aprons on etsy from The Kitchen Madonna. She has some really beautiful aprons and the fabrics are great. Very flirty and fun, don'tcha think?? http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5094136

I think maybe I can use the bottom part of this design, add pleated ruffles and then modify the top to make it into a halter-ish tie top. I'll let you know how it goes.

http://quamut.com/quamut/sewing_project_retro_tieback_apron/page/instructions.html

If you're like me, then you love to make IT (whatever IT is) yourself - even if IT takes more effort. But even if you're not a crazy-Daisy-do-it-yourself-er -- you need to check out One Pretty Thing in my blog list or here http://www.oneprettything.com/ Every day she has at least 12 project ideas with links to the directions. I've found some really good ideas on her blog, like the directions for this pin cushion caddy by Sew Mama Sew. http://www.sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=765#comment-103444 Wish I had seen this before I made mine!!

Well, it's taken me several hours to write this post because I was cruising the apron tutorials looking for a halter apron like those from The Kitchen Madonna. Doesn't seem to be out there, so I'll definitely be making my own version. But from all that cruising, I feel cross-eyed and I missed LUNCH! How did that happen? If you've ever been blog cruising, you know exactly how it happened.

I think I'll go fix a meatball sandwich!

Have a great weekend!

Dollhouse Miniature Obsession

2009-03-19T16:18:00.000-07:00
I've been making dollhouse miniature rugs for awhile now. I don't have a dollhouse myself and I didn't own a single "to scale" miniature item until last weekend. But I love rugs and so making miniature rugs was right up my alley.

However, all that changed last Saturday when I bought a couple of items -- a miniature cup and saucer (with a leetle teensy spoon on the saucer) and a fireplace. I bought them to help market my rugs -- I thought staging the rugs with some props would be a smart move. You wouldn't think this could become an obsession, but ... my goodness ... there's a whole MINIATURE world out there. I've had a great time exploring it over the last few days and I thought I'd share with you.

In this picture I made almost everything you see. The hatboxes, the trunk, the books, the quilts, the bottles .... and, of course, the rug.

The hatboxes, the trunk and some of the books came from Jim's Printable Minis. There's a variety of things like "leather" books, money, antique trunks, hat boxes, labels for teeny cans of food, posters, cards, shopping bags, etc. You just print them, cut them out, glue them together and voila -- a paper miniature! The picture below is the bottom of the hatbox -- easy peasy!!

http://www.printmini.com/printables/p1.shtml

Another helpful site is Jennifer's printables. http://www.jennifersprintables.com/ She has a lot of miniature wallpapers, bags, boxes, labels, toys & games, etc. She also has tutorials and pictures of her own dollhouses and the crafty way in which she decorated her houses. I found a lot of inspiring ideas there.
At MySmallObsession.com, I found something called Trash to Mini Treasure which was really interesting. http://www.mysmallobsession.com/minitreasures.html That's where I learned how to make the little perfume bottles that you see just in front of the trunk in my picture. Going through their suggestions makes you look at household objects differently -- an earring back could be a knob on a stove, tiny cubes cut from a clear suction cup make great ice cubes for teensy glasses.
I found a site with miniture hat tutorial http://www.cynthiahoweminiatures.com/tutorialindex.htm and another site just makes me ooh and aaaah and wish for something that beautiful. http://www.brooketucker.com/15.htm If I ever get a dollhouse and it ever "grows up" I want it to look just like Brooke Tucker's design. Isn't that gorgeous!!!!

Anyway, I've only got one more picture to show you (before I bore you to death with my newest love). Those books on the rug in the first picture -- here's a close-up. They're books written by my sisters, Billie, Nancy and Betty Jean!!!! I reduced them and put them together this afternoon.
I love MINIATURES!!!

JUNE CLEAVER, WHERE ARE YOU?

2009-03-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been watching a couple of trends and I'm wondering what they mean. Are we trying to get back to the June Cleaver days? Are we longing for a time that is simpler - warmer - handmade?

One trend I've noticed is CUPCAKES. Luscious cupcakes. Big or small, you gotta love cupcakes. And you see them everywhere.

Cupcakes instead of a wedding cake. (picture from fiance2wife via google)

They show up on fabric - cute! (Robert Kaufman Sweet Tooth Cupcake Cloud Sky Fabric)

And there are even some wonderful felt cupcakes ... just for show, not for eating! This one is a pincushion. I want one of these! CUTE! (Smarmypants on etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5566967&order=&section_id=&page=1)

Not to be the last in a trend, I've even made cake balls shaped like leetle teensy cupcakes - a recipe I got from Bakerella. They're so cute and E-E-E-E-EASY. http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html

The other trend I've noticed is APRONS. What's with that? They're so popular -- I see them everywhere in blogland and etsy and some of them are really, really cute!

It's been years since I've worn an apron, but these are very tempting. The top one reminds me of Audrey Hepburn. The bottom one is more like Betty Grable. (boojiboo at etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=59241)

This half apron has an interesting shape and I love the fabrics. (Fancyboutique at etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5731966)

And I really like this one. It has martini's in the fabric and the colors are so much fun! You know I love that VW green color there! (pinkies place at etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6588776)

Being a do-it-yourself kinda gal, I did a google search on apron tutorials and got some really good hits. At tipnut.com there are 102 apron tutorials (it says 52 in the title of the article, but an update shows an additional 50). http://tipnut.com/56-free-apron-patterns-you-can-make/

I really like the design of this one -- especially the little rounded pockets with ties at the top.
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=38097.msg332607

Here's an interesting pattern for an apron that converts to a bonnet. How neat is that!?! It makes me wonder if Mom ever had one like this. http://tipnut.com/vintage-apron-bonnet-pattern/

This is the one I decided to try. I thought it looked pretty easy and rates pretty high on the cute scale. It's a 1951 pattern called Ripply Apron. http://tipnut.com/ripply-apron-pattern-vintage-1951/

A couple of years ago I bought a lot of this fabric with the ice cream sundaes on it and I haven't known what to do with it. I thought it would be great for this apron experiment. I also have a bunch of green cotton in a corresponding color, so I made yards and yards of bias tape. I'll do the construction differently next time -- the ties and top of the apron will be sewn together before I add the bias tape or sew it to the apron, but all in all, I think it's a good pattern and relatively easy.

I'm thinking about doing seasonal aprons with matching potholders and towels. Sounds like fun and how very June Cleaver is that! Think I'll go bake some cupcakes!

SCRAPPY

2009-03-04T08:11:00.000-08:00
I've been admiring (on etsy) the little bags that hang off the side of the table to hold scraps. I mean, when you're sewing, you're constantly clipping little things off and you need to put them somewhere.

They're called different things: Scrap Catcher – Scrap Caddy – Scrap Bag - Thread Catcher – Scrap booking Caddy, etc. Although I wasn't sure what to call it, I knew I wanted one. REALLY wanted one.

So I took some green cotton and made one. I used rice as a weight in the top part that sits on the table and used a 3/4 inch slice of the juice bottle (from the last project) inserted into a casing around the top edge of the bag to give it some rigidity and shape. I did some freehand quilting and applied rug-backing-goop on the top weighted part so it clings to the table. I connected the top part and the bag part by means of a grosgrain ribbon.

And I've already started using it.

All in all, I'm pleased.

HOLD THE REMOTE

2009-03-02T06:17:00.000-08:00

TOO MANY REMOTES!

They fall down between the sofa and the wall. Or they wind up in another part of the house --- must be my olds-heimer -- and then I can't find them. And where is the VCR remote that we rarely use???

I've had enough of looking for the remote. And I'm way-doggies tired of fishing it out of the space between the loveseat and the end table.

Soooooo, yesterday I sat down with a little muslin, a little polar fleece, the bottom half of a plastic juice jug and a little rice and -- with just a touch from my trusty glue gun --- this is what I came up with.

I didn't use my embroidery machine. I wanted to know if I could just use some freehand zig-zag for a monogram and a little freehand stitching for the quilting and I think the result was pretty good.

I made the quilted portion a little longer than the juice container so I could wrap it (and hot glue it) to the inside top and around to the bottom of the container for a neater look. When I made the wrap-around-the-chair-arm thingy I stitched two smaller pockets on either side. Then I added some grosgrain ribbon just to pretty it up, filled them with rice and hand stitched them closed. I hot-glued the covered plastic container to the flat thing and VOILA! Remote holder!!

Okay, I know not everyone wants a remote thingy sticking up on the sofa, but for me, THIS WORKS!! And I love it!

TSUMAMI KANZASHI-STYLE FLOWERS

2009-02-24T16:07:00.000-08:00
I ran across a really different technique for making fabric flowers called tsumami kanzashi -- don't know how to pronounce it, but it looks very interesting. Since I'm currently working on a new handbag pattern that needs a flower, I was naturally intrigued.

Spanglystuff (http://spanglystuff.blogspot.com/) has made some really beautiful examples.
This has petals made with single squares of fabric.

This has 2 fabrics on each petal.

And these are more whimsical.

And she has a tutorial at http://s91.photobucket.com/albums/k297/JensMum/?action=view&current=MVI_2505.flv

I also found a youtube tutorial at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJZFqOLKRNo&feature=related

I only had a few to spare to try out the first technique, but this is my first rough attempt. Looks yucky next to hers, but I'm liking it enough to give it another try.

Gotta go. DH will be here soon and dinner's not ready yet!

Easy Peasy Labels Tutorial - Part 1

2009-02-03T07:16:00.000-08:00
Oh, the wonderful world of personlized labels!
Those of us who love to give handcrafted items sometimes need labels. For instance, at Christmas I used Nancy's recipe for handcream as stocking stuffers and I made personalized labels for the jars. Later I was asked ... How do you make those labels? That's what this post is about - making dirt-simple labels in Microsoft Word that look way doggies more complex than they are. The labels above were all created by me in just a few minutes time.

Now, I'm not an Microsoft Word expert ... I'm not really an expert at anything! But I've fumbled around and explored Word long enough to have figured out how to make my own "designer" labels. It's quite possible there is a simpler way to make them, but this is the only way I know, so that's what I'll share.

First, I'll show you the simplest label - a block label.

In Word, you'll need the drawing toolbar. If it's not open yet, go to View, select Toolbars, select Drawing. The toolbar should look something like this.

Select the Text Box button on the drawing toolbar.

A drawing area will appear on your page.

Within that drawing area, left click and drag to create a box the approximate size you want. Don't worry so much about the exact size because that can be adjusted later. Just make it big enough to work in.

Click the Line Style button and choose the line style you want - in this case, I'm using a double line.

Click inside the box -- you'll know you've done it correctly if you can see your cursor inside the box. If you don't see it, click inside the box again. I don't know how many times I've mistakenly "grabbed" the whole box rather than clicked inside the box!!

Now, enter your text and modify it however you want -- font, size, color, centering, etc. I used Harrington font, I centered the text and selected the color and size I wanted.

At this point, I adjust the size of the box if needed and change the line color to coordinate. To change the line color, you have to click on the box -- sort of grab it -- and then click the line color button.

You could also choose to have a tinted background by clicking on the box, clicking the Fill Color button and choosing a color.

To make multiples of your label -- all laid out side by side on the page -- you just copy the box, grab the new one and move it wherever you want it. You can copy by right clicking the box, click copy, click on the page (to get out of the box) and right click paste. That will put a copy of the new box sort of on top of the original box. Hope that makes sense!?!? This would be much easier to explain if I was sitting next to you! But I can't do that, so if you have questions, please just leave a comment and I will edit the post to explain it better.

BTW - you don't have to stay inside that larger drawing box. You can drag your labels wherever you want them.

That's it!
Now you can print your new labels on regular paper, cut them out and glue onto your jar, bottle, can, bag, whatever ... or you can print it on adhesive backed paper.
This is the easiest, fastest, cheapest way I know to make labels. I'll show the steps for the other labels in the next few days.

Sassy Matchbooks!

2009-01-28T15:20:00.000-08:00
I don't know why, but I love sassy matchbooks. A plain matchbook is simply an instrument -- a tool. A sassy matchbook is a delight in a small - very small - package.

This is where it starts - plain old matchbook that costs about one dollar for 50 of them.

First I remove the matches - I suppose you can use a staple remover if you have one -- I don't, so I used a very small screwdriver and needle-nosed pliers.
Then I tape off the "striking" area -- that rough dark strip on the back. I use painter's masking tape that's been cut down to the correct size.
Next I spray paint the matchbooks with whatever pale paint I have around - in this case beige. Since it's so cold and humid out, I use a big box in the exercise room. I put the matchbooks way back in the back and then spray lightly. This is simply to lightly mask the original artwork -- we don't have to be Leonardo da Vinci (or even Jackson Pollock) at this point.

Then I remove the masking tape and glue a decorative paper to the back and the bottom of the matchbook. I use a glue stick for this project -- I think it's works better on papers than the wetter glues.

Re: the bottom, I make the paper a little longer than it needs to be and I glue it around the edge and to the inside. I just think it makes a neater edge. In the picture below, you can see how I've wrapped it around the bottom edge to the inside.

I've added a little design on the front that says blessings. I simply printed out the word in an oval frame on paper I created from free scrapbook paper designs at this wonderful site: http://www.scrapbookscrapbook.com/themes.html I cut out the little oval and glued it to the front center of the matchbook.
After I've finished decorating the matchbook, I staple the matches back in. I just use a regular staple, but I have to use a little more pressure than normal. And then I use a teensy screwdriver to press the staple where it protrudes in the back -- just to make sure it's secure.
This is how it looks when it's complete. I have also done some others with scrapbooking papers and I've used a printer to add initials.
I think these are great as a small "thank you" to an etsy order, or to a waitress who was especially kind or as an add-on to a candle gift.
Anyway, I LUV mine!

Chez Johnson

2009-01-22T14:22:00.000-08:00

I'm not a perfectionist. Honestly, I'm not!

But sometimes when I set out to do something -- like give the kitchen a thorough cleaning, I get completely sidetracked and do one little thing ... perfectly! And the original task can go to h&ll in a handbasket. On the other hand, sometimes the resulting "perfection" is a fun little project. Okay, the kitchen's not perfect, but doesn't my recipe box look great now?! Know what I mean?

Well, the recipe box is in fact the subject of today's post. About a year ago I created a recipe card template for my favorite recipes and I've been moving them from all the scraps of paper and tons of bookmarked cookbooks to my recipe template in an effort to organize them. What I really want is ONE place to find all our favorite recipes -- and a few recipes that sound good and will hopefully become favorites. This is how my template (plus a favorite recipe) looks:

Recently I found a metal recipe box for $1.00 at a thrift store and at first I thought I would paint it, but I decided to paper it instead. It was originally drab olive khaki (no before picture - sorry) and now it's all perky and blue. LOVE IT!

Have a perfectly wonderful day!

Tissue Paper Storage

2009-01-12T07:47:00.000-08:00
We're in the process of adding built-in bookshelves in the living room so we moved the old stand-alone bookshelves from the living room into my home office. During those changes, I decided to re-think how I'm storing/organizing some of my STUFF. This post is specifically about an idea I came up with on how to store tissue paper.

All my rolls of wrapping paper are stored very neatly by standing them up (cheek-by-jowl) in a tall open box. But how could I neatly store all those different packages ... and partial packages and single sheets ... of tissue paper? I happened to have a couple of empty cardboard cores from bolts of fabric -- that says something about how much fabric I have! -- and I decided to open the bolt cores up and use them for storage. I used 12 buttons, perle thread and the empty cardboard core and VOILA' - tissue paper storage!

For snug closure, I put buttons in the center and at each end of the container. To keep the buttons from tearing through the cardboard, I put a button on each side -- sort of inside and out, back to back -- and sewed them together right through the cardboard.

I just put all my lovely tissue papers inside - down the center, fold the sides closed and secure them and then fold the top and bottom flaps and secure them.

Each button-closure arrangement has 4 buttons -- 2 that are showing and 2 that are inside the cardboard container. The perle cotton is tied permanently to one of the top buttons and has been knotted on the very end so it won't ravel. I wind the string in a figure-8 around this button and that button and back to this button a couple of times and it holds very securely. It's a lot like those intra-company envelopes that large companies use.

It's not necessarily pretty -- I suppose I could have covered it in pretty paper or fabric -- but I was in a hurry and it works just fine for me.

And now I can stand it up next to the tall skinny box of wrapping paper! I love it!

It's another necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention kind of thing.

Bedroom Freshen UP

2009-01-11T11:03:00.000-08:00
I was tempted to call this a bedroom makeover, but it's not a makeover - it's just a change. So I'll have to call it a Freshen Up.

Years ago (when I got my tax return - cause Lord knows my budget is usually tight) I bought a bed-in-a-bag sort of thing that I had been coveting. And we've been using that same comforter, etc for years. However, when DH and I bought a new pillow-top mattress a few years ago, suddenly the old comforter was too small to cover everything and the sheets were peeking out at us.

As a temporary (temporary as in - we've had it for 3 years now) stop-gap, I purchased a wheat-ish sort-of-matching satin-ish coverlet and shams. It coordinated with the old bedskirt & shams and it covered everything that needed to be covered. That's really all I was looking for at the time.

But I've been getting very tired of the same-old-same-old olive & wheat blah-blah-blahs!

So I made a little cranberry shrug for the throw pillow in the hopes of breathing some life into the arrangement. It was ...... okay ...... but still not what I wanted.

Then I found a bedskirt and shams at the thrift store in a taffeta (don't think it's silk, but it IS silky) and I loved them. The shams were $5.00 each and the bedskirt was $15.00. And there was a throw pillow in a corresponding palette for $5.00. It's a down pillow with a hidden zipper and the fabrics all have a good body to them, so I know they're high quality items, but there was no label in any of them.

So, here's my before with the olive and wheat blah-blah-blahss brightened (a little startlingly) by the cranberry shrugged throw pillow.

And here's my new color palette! It's sort of soft sagey/gray/blue with wheat and gold.

I LOVE IT!

Whatcha think?

Sumpn from (almost) nuthin

2008-12-18T06:42:00.000-08:00
It's that time of year that gifts are given and baskets are filled. This year is different -- hello! can you say recession? - but it's not stressing me out. Having grown up poor -- which has a tendency to build your creative "muscles" -- I prefer giving humbler, but creative gifts.

In the past, we've gone a little overboard at Christmas. We were both working then and both made decent salaries. And Good Lord knows the economy was better. So, in our hurried forays into the shops, we would grab this and that and this and that and wrap it all till we were exhausted. And then just to make sure we didn't leave anything out, we'd fling a couple of gift cards in there. I'm not saying we didn't put some thought into the gifts, but who needs a mountain of gifts at Christmas? It always made me feel a little funny inside -- probably its me as a poor child looking through the window saying ... this ain't right! I find I PREFER fewer gifts! I love gifts that are homemade or purchased at a thrift store and cleverly upcycled into something else. I think a gift that includes cleverness and love is the best gift of all.

I remember the year Billie & Amanda gave us 2 special gifts. Amanda made some "trivets" of Christmas fabric filled with spice scented rice. And Billie made "Bailey's Irish Creme" from a recipe she found. She put it in a pretty bottle she got at a thrift store. They wrapped the gifts in white tissue paper and I think the ribbons were silver. It was lovely and meant so much to me. I still have the bottle and the trivets.

Now that we're adults and our children are grown, I find we need LESS STUFF! So we've encouraged the kids to give us consumables. Every year Erika bakes some wonderful breads for us - like Black Forest Chocolate Bread or Italian Olive bread. We cut the loaves in half, wrap and freeze them and then when we want a special treat, we pull out one of Erika's breads and it brightens our meal. And we love the thought that we haven't made a big dent in her economy.

Having said all that, I humbly present the baskets I sent to work with DH this mornining. I bought the baskets at Goodwill in Denton for $1.00 each. The one on the left was dark brown, the one on the right was mauve with a country style ribbon glued around it. I removed the ribbon, brushed them off real well, painted them white, stuffed white tissue in the bottom, covered that with a sheet of beautiful gold tissue, and tied a gold bow to the side. The bow is made up of 2 different ribbons and I wired 3 bells to the center. (I got the bells at Dollar Tree - 9 bells for $1.00). One basket has three books wrapped as one package and the other has a beautiful picture frame from Barnes & Noble. Each basket has a mercury glass votive with candle, a large loaf of rum cake, a package of homemade cranberry almond biscotti, and a package of Ghirardelli chocolates. DH added a really neat teeny-tiny flashlight that has a VERY bright beam (my sweet techo DH) and the funky-shopping-bag-chick ornament we found at Goodwill in Waco.

All in all, I'm pleased with the result!

A Mama Moment

2008-12-04T15:27:00.000-08:00
One of the really great things about Mom was she didn't know how to do things, but she did them anyway. For instance, she didn't know how to roof a house, but she probably asked someone ... at the hardware store or perhaps a neighbor ... and the next thing you know, she climbed up onto the house, tied a rope around her waist, attached it to to the roof (to break her fall if she slipped) and started roofing her house. And when she decided to build a carport, she just DID it. She was absolutely fearless about that sort of thing. Remind me to tell you the story about the wasps sometime ... but not now.

Back to my story, yesterday I had a Mama moment.

DH bought me an embroidery sewing machine about 6 months ago and I've been movin and groovin with it ever since. It's been a real learning experience. It's taken a lot of study plus tons of trial and error (with occasional shouts of "YOU RAT B%ST%RD! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!!), but I mastered the machine and have been producing ever since. I'm down to the forging-new-paths stage -- removing blocks of the design and combining it with other designs to produce a whole new thang -- MY thang.

However, yesterday -- two-thirds of the way through a large project -- the machine began to screech jest a leetle bit. Then it suddently got real loud and the needle froze into position. This is where the Mama thing comes in. I unscrewed some parts, oiled it where the manual said to oil it, but decided to oil it up there too -- you know -- right up there! It certainly LOOKED like those were oil holes and it's right where that needle thingy used to move up and down until it froze. Sooo, I oiled it and moved the wheel manually a little back and forth as much as I could, oiled it some more and moved it some more, back and forth till it was moving better. However, all that moving back and forth -- or maybe it was from the big freeze-up -- got the needle out of sinc with the bobbin. At first I thought I was going to have to take the bobbin area apart which is really scary. There's a lot of screws and doo-dads in there. So I just snapped a picture that area and printed it out. My plan was to tape every piece I removed to it's position on the picture. That way I could figure out how to put it back together again afterwards. (Sweet DH called me a genius for thinking of this. I'm so proud!) However, first I grabbed a little screwdriver and slowly move the bobbin thingy jest a tad till it started working again.

When DH got home (and showered me with compliments) he asked if I had blown out the bobbin area to remove the dust. "Sure! See ..." and I bent over and started blowing on it, real hard. He just looked at me (pause) and grabbed one of those canned air things and blew all the thread dust out of there. I couldn't believe how much had collected in there. And my pitiful little lungs didn't dislodge it at all. Live and learn, huh!

My machine is hummin better than it ever has and I'm so proud of myself! I have Mom's blood in my veins for sure.

Now, to finish that project ....

Brain Soup

2008-11-20T06:54:00.000-08:00
Okay, this is not a recipe. It's about all the ideas that float around in that soupy brain of mine!

When I see an interesting item ... for instance a wool felt bird in a craft book ... I don't want to make THAT bird. The idea immediately starts twisting around in my brain. Maybe instead of sewing the bird, it should be felted as one solid piece. Maybe instead of those colors, I should make it a cardinal with a topknot. Maybe it should be a teensy bird on a whimsical birdhouse. The final product of my imagination rarely resembles the inspiration. It's still a bird, but it's MY bird. Know what I mean?

For instance, I saw someone selling tissue cozies, but they're all done with designer fabric. I'm selling tissue cozies on ebay & etsy made of non-designer fabrics, but personalized with an embroidered phrase or name or design. It's still a cozy, but it's MY cozy.

And sometimes my ideas are born out of necessity, like the boot buddy. It was Christmas and the budget was tight. DH had been stuffing his boots with newspapers to keep them from flopping over and damaging the leather. So the first boot buddy was born. It was just a denim tube filled with cedar shavings gathered at the top and the bottom. I painted a Texas star with his name on the front. I made a bunch of them that first year and he loved them -- but he's so sweet, he would love anything I had made with my own hands! When I decided to sell them commercially, I went back to the brain soup to create a sleeker, fancier design with embroidered emblem on the front. I have yet to see if the current design is attractive enough. If it's not, I'll just go back to the brain soup, stir it up and see what comes out!

Okay, all this talk about soup is making me hungry. I'd better have breakfast!

Have a fabulous Thursday! Only one more day to go till the weekend. WOOHOO!

Step Away!

2008-11-19T07:23:00.000-08:00
Today I'm taking a day off from etsy & ebay. Well, not completely. I have to ship 4 things out this morning from ebay sales. And I've got 1 private sale and another interested party on etsy, so I'll have to check emails from them.

OOH! I just got an email from the first rug I shipped out. It was the pink/rose/red victorian style.

I left feedback this morning for the rug I recently purchase from you. This piece is so wonderful--thank you so much for making it. I could not be more pleased, and hope that you will have other rugs available at some point. The workmanship and quality is incredible. I have already placed it in the english tudor house I am working on--it fit perfectly. Warmest wishes from a VERY satisfied customer.

Well, THAT made my day! I hope it's not rude to post it here, but it's exactly the encouragement I've been needing.

DH asked me this morning why I'm still putting so much effort into etsy and not into ebay. The ebay items are moving fast and etsy is s-l-o-o-o-o-w. I guess I'm counting on etsy to pay off in the long run. I think people have shops they frequent and I'm hoping mine will become one of the popular shops with repeat business. But it takes a little time to get it going. In ebay, you've got a quick shot at a larger audience, but they haven't a clue about who you are and what you're likely to produce. And with ebay they probably don't keep coming back to see what new interesting things you've added to the shop. Also, ebay is more expensive and it feels like there's a lot more effort required. You have to pick the best time to place your ebay ad so people on boths coasts can get home from work to buy your item before it closes.

Perhaps I'm wrong about the repeat customer thing -- only time will tell, but for now I'll just keep putting items in both places.

I have what I think is a really good idea for a signature handbag -- Sumpn and Oddly agree with me that it could be a popular seller, but that will have to wait for tomorrow. Today is all about working outside because the WEATHER IS GOING TO BE GREAT TODAY! Lots of sunshine and the temp will be in the 70's, so I'm going to mow and work in the flowers beds and cover the boats for winter, etc etc etc. Tomorrow will be cold, so indoors will be fine for tomorrow, but today is going to be my day to do the outside things and step away from the computer. As Alton Brown says "Step away from it. NO don't touch it! It'll be okay. Just walk away!" Of course, he's not talking about the computer .. I think it was bread dough ... but its the same principle.

Today I'm taking Alton's advice and stepping away from it.

CHUG CHUG CHUG

2008-11-18T05:22:00.000-08:00
Well, I'm just chugging along. Why is it that everything takes longer than it should? Yesterday I had a schedule set for my "work day" and I thought it was pretty reasonable. NOT! I did finish the boot buddy -- that's the easy part. The hard part is finding the right setting to photograph the item (several attempts before you even get close), tweaking the photo in photoshop, writing the ad, re-writing the ad, tweaking the ad, etc etc etc. So finally you look up -- it's 2:30 and you forgot about lunch -- all you've had today is a granola bar and a cup of coffee! DURN! Did it again!

Sooo, TODAY I will work on the Naughty Nice cozy and re-do the pictures for my existing cozies. My mentors, Sumpn and Oddly, agree with my ideas about how to stage the cozies to make them more appealing.

And my DH had a great idea about a new banner for the etsy shop, so I'll work on that.

AND I've got to mail some things out today for ebay. Why is ebay selling faster than etsy? It's got to be something to do with having a larger ebay audience. Also, since etsy has a lot of creative folks as members, they're like me and think they can make it themselves.

Evidence of that creative confidence is currently residing in my ears. This morning while DH was getting ready to brave the Dallas commute, I made some earrings! I bought the turquoise glass from the Rock Barrel in Dallas when I was there a couple of weeks ago. I got the earwires from Hobby Lobby and the gold filled half-hard wire from etsy. It took about a half an hour to make them. I don't think they're good enough to sell on etsy, (I have a really high standard for what I sell -- I have a Mary-Poppins-practically-perfect-in-every-way mentality for what I sell or give as a gift), but I think they're good enough for me to wear. It's not like someone is going to take a magnifying glass to them when I'm out and about and say "These are not perfect"! So I think they'll do just fine for my needs. And it cost less than $1.00 to make them. I wear a lot of turquoise, so they'll be perfect for me!

Gotta put the pedal to the medal. Much to accomplish today!
Have a FABULOUS TUESDAY!

NEW BLOG!

2008-11-17T05:36:00.000-08:00
On my early morning conference call with sisters, Sumpn Sassy and Oddly Sassy, they recommended I create a blog re: my ebay & etsy efforts. Great idea! So here I am.

Today I've scheduled myself to finish a few projects I started a couple of weeks ago: (1) boot buddies, (2) Naughty or nice? tissue cozy and (3) tiny birdhouse a la Mackenzie Childs.

On Saturday my DH (dear husband) and I went shopping and got a good start on Christmas presents. We ended up in the Barnes & Noble Starbucks with a Caramel Macchioto (so long diet!) and biscotti. I was checking out a couple of felting books and in one I saw this cute little felted bird. It inspired me to consider doing a felted bird for the birdhouse described above. Time will be the deciding factor.

I'm on a tight schedule today and my calendar is already reminding me that I have to remove the plastic covering over my precious tomato plant. Gotta get up and move.

Have a wonderful - fruitful - Monday