My Organized Chaos

I want you to see the collage I gave my dd for her 17th birthday. She actually squealed when she opened it. If you read my post several weeks ago showing her walls and desk you know this collage was just perfect for her. This artwork was created by Jodi at Sweet Repeats and as soon as I saw it on her blog I knew I had to have it for Ellet. Jodi is really easy to work with, and even made a couple of tags for Ellet to go along with the collage. Just after I bought this Jodi opened an Etsy shop and a "studio shoppe" blog, and I wish for her many many creative days and much success! You've gotta check her out!




I wish I could say that the mess I'm creating at home right now is my own form of a collage, but of course it isn't. I'm trying to get ready for a craft bazaar Saturday and because I do everything SOOOO far in advance (lol), this is what my work table looks like. I'm not a messy person by nature but when it comes to sewing I think I make up for all of those years that I had to pick up my toys, etc. as a child. That's the only excuse I've come up with so far. So I'll spend about 20 minutes getting things a bit organized this evening before I continue sewing purses and when I stop to go to bed it will look like this again. It's a vicious cycle I'll tell 'ya. Just a vicious cycle!

Fabric Giveaway Winners

I've had approximately 2 minutes so far this week to look at my daily blogs which also explains why I haven't yet been able to respond to the comments left following my last post. I'm glad you Nice Matter Award winners liked the dresses you attended the ceremony in, and I must say that even from this distance you all look very impressive!!

I was going to post a couple of pictures today along with a photo of someone drawing the two names for the fabric giveaways, but I left my camera at home which means I couldn't take a picture of Eileen drawing the two names. (Eileen works down the hall from me and she is my "apron model" on my Etsy shop.) I wrote all of the names on pieces of paper and she drew from them on her desk. She drew Christy 2 and Jenn Maruska. (Christy 2 is the "mamasaidsew" Christy.) I'll get the fabric out to you ladies tomorrow!

Thank you all for the sweet comments you've left. I wasn't expecting all of that, and it has made this extremely busy and crazy week a little better. I'll catch up on your blogs as soon as I can and look for my next post on Monday.

Enjoy your weekend!

Nice Matters Award (and) 2 Fabric Giveaways

(Grab your coffee and prop up your feet. This might be lengthy.)

In the first paragraph of my last post (dated August 16th) I said to watch for another fabric giveaway and that it would be posted by the end of the week. What I meant to say was that it would be posted by the end of the first week of September...yea, that's the ticket. Do you believe me? I didn't think so.

It's hard to believe that I was the recipient of a Nice Matters Award from MissesKwitty (which just warmed my heart and made me smile) and then couldn't keep up with my posting. Please accept my sincerest apologies. My mother is situated now and her place is sold, so we're trying to organize things back to normal. I do not want to be a bad blogger. I want to be like the (5) that I'm now passing this award to, and the (2) who are entering the Hall of Fame! (You will notice that each one designed and constructed her ensemble for todays awards ceremony.)

I feel like I personally know all of these ladies and not only do I like the personalities that I see through their blogs, I love what they create and what they have to say and how they say it. Each one is talented, creative, inspiring and very often entertaining.


First to come down the red carpet is MissesKwitty. Karen is dressed in a cottage style gown of aqua and pink and trimmed in matching rick rack.

Now, I know that Karen gave the award to me to begin with after she was given it by someone else, but she is VERY deserving of the Nice Matters "Hall of Fame", which I have just created by the way. I love her coasters and magnets and checkbook covers and card holders...I love everything she makes! If you aren't familiar with her, check out her etsy shop. She even sends a little surprise along. She's working on some gift sets now that will be great for any gift-giving, and certainly for Christmas. But more than that, she's become a good blogging friend and has been a huge help to me on setting up things on Etsy, my blog and even Paypal. She knows that I am "green" on so much of this and offers instructions before I even ask for help. She's an encourager and I appreciate her so much. She is nice and nice matters!

Secondly I must notice Jenn Maruska who is just stepping out of the limo now. Jenn has fashioned her gown for tonight in fur fabric and is carrying the sweetest purse resembling a tiny pillow, adorned with the cutest embroidery.

Jenn was also given the award by MissesKwitty, and since I would like to also give her the award I'm going to put her in the Hall of Fame. I've purchased several needlebooks from Jenn and I'm certainly attached to mine and the matching pincushion! She's just so sweet and easy to work with. She also sends a little surprise in her shipments. Check out her blog and etsy shop too. She's working on some adorable critters now that she has designed. They are just precious, and will make excellent gifts. She is nice, and nice matters!

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Now on to my (5) recipients of the Nice Matters Award:


Sweet Repeats- "Lucy" is approaching the red carpet in a gown covered with a colorful collage of her life. It is mixed media with freehand artwork and journaling and is quite unique. Very moving.

She is an artist and creates collages that I'm very drawn to. She's an organizer in the Sweet Goodness Swaps which I have participated in since March. (I love our swaps - so watch for the next one, especially if you've never tried it.) She and I have a lot in common in that we're single mothers, we lack "fundage" (I love her new word there), work fulltime outside of the home and try to create in-between work and family time which isn't always easy. I recently purchased a collage from her for my dd's 17th birthday and I cannot wait until my dd sees this. She is going to LOVE it. I knew she would as soon as I saw it. And believe me, the photo on Jodi's blog doesn't do it justice. Jodi pours herself into her art and she very often pours herself into her blog too. Be sure to visit her blog, her new studio shoppe and her etsy shop. She's a busy lady for sure, and she's nice. And nice matters.

Queenly Things- Ms. Vallen is a Queen! She also designed her gown AND her extremely creative crown for the ceremony. Ms. Vallen requested that no limo be sent out for her tonight, but that she be allowed to arrive in her quaint little camper.

Her blog is fascinating! I envy her talent of writing, as I do Sweet Repeats' also. (I write exactly like I talk I'm told - on and on and on while my hands are moving through the air.) Vallen tells great stories about her childhood and about places she has lived. Sometimes it's as though I'm reading the most interesting book and then suddenly I'm at the end - too quickly, and I want to read more. She is truly a writer in my book(no pun intended) and someone needs to publish a book written by her! One day she's going to pull a little camper around the country and park it at the homes of bloggers along the way for short stays, and I'm hoping she'll 'sit a spell' in my driveway. We'll invite "Lucy" for the weekend, and NObody else will be able to get a word in edgewise! Vallen has had a busy summer taking care of her recuperating Mother and still, she is nice. And nice matters.

Calamity Kim - Kim is escorted tonight by her husband Fred on one side and her brother on the other. She is wearing a one-of-a-kind apron and is wrapped in several out-of-this-world doll quilts, while carrying a beautiful art doll - ALL created by her.

Kim is another one who is fascinating! I absolutely love her blog. She just cracks me up at times and a time or two she has filled my eyes with water. Either way, she's always interesting. She used to live in Asheville, N.C. which is a gorgeous and extremely creative city. Asheville is only an hour from me and when she mentions something in Asheville I always want to take off and go. I hope Sarasota (where she now lives) is a creative city. If not, they're missing out on Calamity Kim. I know Asheville would just LOVE to see her back there. I would also love to visit Kim and roam free in her craft room for just 1 hour - tops. It's a crafters paradise for sure. I can tell that she's a very down-to-earth kind of girl, and she's nice. And nice matters.

MintBasil - LeeAnn is approaching the crowd in a gown she also designed. The entire gown is repurposed from thrifted linen dresses on which LeeAnn has embroidered elaborate designs.

LeeAnn is the first blogging friend I had. I was brand spankin' new to reading blogs last spring when I stumbled upon the Sweet Goodness Swap information. It was for a "Pink and Green Swap" to be held late March - mid April. I wasn't exactly sure what this swapping business was, but I wanted to try it, so I signed up. I had no blog and knew not one single thing about setting one up, but I signed up for the swap anyway. We were assigned our partners and LeeAnn was mine. Her blog was very new itself and I read it to get some ideas about her for my swap items I'd be sending. I found that she was young and I immediately panicked. I was f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-fifty-one at the time and I just knew this newlywed in her mid- 20's was going to want to swap for a younger partner before the pink and green swappin' began! I emailed her and told her I was plenty old enough to be her mother (although I should've said she was young enough to be my daughter - that sounds better for me doesn't it?!?) and I will never forget her reply. She said "now, age is just a number" and she went right into asking questions about me and my likes and dislikes. I was sooooo relieved, and happy. I fully agree with her reply that age is just a number, but I don't think everyone in their mid-20's feels that way, and being so new at all of this and not personally knowing LeeAnn I thought I should let her know up front that she was dealing with someone who remembers the first astronauts landing on the moon. She's also the person who encouraged me to start blogging. We had a great swap and enjoyed it enough to sign up again for the Summer Bucket of Fun swap over the summer, although we of course had different partners that time around. LeeAnn is another gifted sewer and embroiderer. I've got an embroidered zipper pouch in my purse and a pillow on my sofa embroidered with a cow - both created by LeeAnn. I've also got one of her mason jar pincushions next to my sewing machine. Visit her etsy shop and her blog and you will see yourself how creative and talented she is. And to top it off, she's nice. And nice matters.

Mamasaidsew - Christy is stepping from her limo in a black gown covered in sequins. As you will notice the gown has an apron design to it, tying at the neck and back. Wait a moment. Who is that helping her from the limo? Why it's her son Nathan!

Christy was my Summer Bucket of Fun swap partner. Christy is a good bit younger than me too, but because of LeeAnn's great attitude about age I just didn't even worry anymore, so I never told Christy that I saw the astronauts land on the moon. The Summer Bucket of Fun swap was centered around orange and yellow, and summer fun. One of my gifts from her was an apron she made me with sunshine faces all over it and I have worn that apron out in the last six or seven weeks! She's another talented sewer for sure. Her little boy Nathan just began kindergarten and I've been walking down memory lane while reading about his little adjustment to school. Christy's a good mama you can tell, and she's nice. And nice matters.

So there you have it. The (5) winners of the Nice Matters Award. Each of these winners can now pass the award on to (5) other bloggers, if they have the time. By the way, thank you all for being so nice.

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Now.......on to the (2) Fabric Giveaways. I'm offering two packs this week since it's been awhile since I last posted.

Each will contain:

(.5) yd. of Daisy Kingdom "Lines & Lace" print

(1) yd. of red cotton with flowers (this is 20+ years old)

(6) Debbie Mumm "Creative Woman" fabric labels

(8) Fabric labels on a black background

(2) Zippers and (2) Threads (these are also 20 years old)

In addition, one will contain:

(1) yd. colorful homespun cotton

(.75) colorful stripe cotton

...and the other will contain:

(1) yd. colorful stripe cotton

(.75) yd. Mary Englebreit "Bloom Where You're Planted"

So leave a comment and I'll have someone draw (2) names on Thursday, September 13th. Also, do any of you know if fabric, etc. that is 20 years old is considered vintage? I don't want to use that word without knowing. The red fabric was purchased in 1985 although it has never been used so it doesn't have a worn look or feel. I was going to call it 'vintage' but I don't know that 20 years is old enough. Do you know?

Have a great weekend everybody!