A Short Update

I just wanted to update really quick...Thank you for the kind comments and emails you've sent. They have meant so much to me and now that the initial shock of the job loss has eased a bit, I'm feeling better than I did when I last posted. So, thank you all again.

I haven't found a job yet but I know that I will - in God's time, not mine. I will keep you posted and hopefully return to sewing and crafting soon. In the meantime, have a wonderful spring!

A Different Life

I just keep dropping off the blogging world don't I? Procrastination...work...life...you name it. I read other blogs at least weekly yet it just seems hard for me to make posting a habit. That might be about to change...I don't know.

I have just joined the other hundreds of thousands of citizens who have lost their jobs due to this sad economy and I'm just now able to type these words without tears pouring down my face. I've never been down this road in my lifetime and even though I've been out of work only 2 weeks I can assure you that I will NEVER forget this feeling. I will NEVER be completely comfortable with my position or the company I work for again, even in my 16th year. I will NEVER be the same. That might not be a bad thing, as long as I find employment soon. I might be the best employee I've ever been, in the future. Right now, I'm just trying to pull my head out of the shell, get up out of the bed in the morning and put one foot in front of the other. Those have been my daily goals for the past 2 weeks. So far, I've met my 3 goals each day - but I promise you - I force myself. I've stood in line at our local job service with people who look like they've worked harder than even me to meet those 3 goals everyday. I've stood in line with a woman who was laid off in October with a severance package of a one year salary (unlike me of course) and wants to now go back to work because her husband doesn't get home until 6:30 and she's "a bit bored". (Yes, I was able to keep my lips zipped.) I've stood in line with men with a baby, and women with a baby; the luxury of a babysitter for a few hours so far out of reach. I'm (1) of a 2-person household, my high school senior being the 2nd. She's the one with a job right now. A weekend job - but a job. She worries...for me, not for herself...and I worry for her because she's worrying for me. I pray - alot. And I know prayer works, so I'll keep praying and I hope you will too. Pray for me, pray for your own job, pray that your family and relatives will be able to continue working, pray for this country, for our leadership, for the millions of people who are so depressed and down on their luck that they can't find any hope. They're out there. I've seen them...in those lines.

It's Amazing What You Can Do.....

....when you're up against the clock.

My sister had to bow out of her craft vendor spot at a festival due to sudden surgery and very kindly offered it to me.

The organizers agreed to it so there I was for two weeks, every night, sewing machine smokin' !!

I was really glad I did this because I made some great contacts and sold a lot of bags.

I had such a great time that you couldn't tell I'd slept only 7 hours for two nights prior to the festival! I was pretty tickled about that! It reminded me of 30 years ago, in my 20's, when I could work all day, stay up all night and work the next day. I was pretty darned proud of myself..........until the festival was over at 4 p.m. and somebody hit me over the head with a goofy stick.

Comatose. Head turned completely upside down. Yea....that was me! And as always, saying "never again"......until the next time.

And girls....thank you all SOOOOOO much for your comments on my last post and making me feel worthy of posting again. What kindred spirits you all are!!

A Lapse In Creativity

Where do you begin when you've been away for such a long time?!? The hot and extremely dry summer stirred little creativity within me. My brain often felt as dusty as our parched ground. (I'm talking now as if summer is completely over which I know is NOT the case, but it helps put a little spring in my step to think of autumn just around the bend.)

Months ago I began considering changing my bedroom into my sewing room and vice versa. My bedroom was larger and had brighter lighting due to the sun, windows, etc. I needed more space for fabric and tables and sewing than I needed for sleeping, so the first summer Saturday I was available to change out furniture and belongings was marked on the calendar. I anxiously awaited this adventure because I expected this move would stir some creativity back into me. Well....I guess it WOULD have, had I not totally exhausted myself for 3 weekends trying to change those blasted rooms!!!! Have you EVER thought about doing something like that? Well think again dear friends! I haven't worn myself out like that in so long. I only THOUGHT my sewing room was unorganized. After moving it across the hall I found out what true chaos is. What a job! Maybe I just have too much furniture. Too much stuff. I don't know. I didn't ask anybody to spend the day with me to help and by the time I realized I was in-over-my-head it was too late. The following (2) Saturdays were spent trying to organize it all back to some kind of order so that I could sew, JUST in case something sparked creativity again. I'm trying to get back into it now but it's harder than I expected to become accustomed to my new area. (I so badly want to call it my "studio" - but for now I just crack myself up each time I say it.)

So....I don't have much to show for the last several months other than these little curtain thingys I made for an old cabinet we use in the bathroom. I do like them though, and they were the first thing I created in my new area......my studio......no....my new area.

By the way, thank you for the emails and comments prodding me on.

Feathering The Nest

I've been feathering the nest with purses lately... oodles of them.

I was blessed with an abundance of local orders just after my last post. This brown and blue combination was the most requested order.

I had to order more of both fabrics just to fill the orders for that one and I made so many with those fabrics that one night I dreamed about some kind of family gathering and everybody in the dream was wearing clothing made of those two fabrics! There was no conversation in the dream, only smiles and silent laughter. Creepy! I think I've see this fabric toooooo much. I didn't think I dreamed in color...until that dream. I'm now preparing for our "Spring Fling" this weekend where my sister and I will have a craft tent. It's my first time selling at Spring Fling and I'm really excited about it. I've decided that even if our weather isn't that great I will enjoy myself!

While my nights and weekends have been spent crafting, I've spent my days working my regular job while watching this little wonder. (I don't know what that cord goes to but with water on the left and my door/office on the right I don't think it looks very safe. 'Em.)

The geese are nesting and this little lady is just outside of my door.

And SO is her husband!

He didn't like me at first, but when I realized I had to unlock my door every morning like lightnin' and move away from the mother of his babies, he quit squawking and coming over to my railing.

He's there every morning though as if he's counting the seconds it takes me to get in the door.

"You've got 8 steps to your door lady. I'll give you 8 seconds or I'm comin' over there!"

Once a day he talks her off the nest...

...and they go for a dip...staying within 3' of the eggs.

This love is so sweet!

Lately....

In order to help me get back into the habit of posting I'll show you a couple of things I've just completed.

These aprons were for my cousin in St. Louis who has a quaint, but hip cafe named Luvy Duvy's Cafe. If you're in that area you need to check them out. I used homespun and quilters cotton and made them reversible, with the embroidery on both sides. (By the way...I don't have an embroidery machine. A friend of mine did that for me.)

I had a custom order on my list for (3) purses and this is one of the fabric choices she made. I was playing around with my camera when I took this photo and had no intentions of putting it in a post, until I caught a glimpse of two items I purchased months ago from crafty blogging friends.

The pincushion in the upper left is one made by LeeAnn and on the right edge of the photo you can see part of the pink and blue coaster made by Karen. I use both of these great little items every time I sit at the sewing machine.

And these are the (3) purses I had the order for. The striped bag is a reversible combination she wanted but my favorite is the green with the bamboo handles. I love those colors.

This customer was very easy to work with. She didn't want any pockets or magnetic snaps, making this order easy. I was pretty amazed at how she organizes a purse. She carries three zipper pouches in a purse and she knows exactly what is in each one. Nothing is loose anywhere. When she changes purses she only has to transfer three pouches. I think I'm going to try that myself. I've been using a "Purseket" lately but it doesn't work for me in some of my purses, so maybe I need to try the idea of several pouches. I'll let you know how that goes.

Catching Up

OK. My 4-month break is over! It's time for me to get back to the real world isn't it? It isn't possible to catch you up on everything, but I'll try to hit the high spots.

November was filled with a 3-day weekend to Hazlehurst, Georgia with my mother, a 5-day trip to Maryland for Thanksgiving, and constant sewing in-between preparing for a holiday fair in early December. The holiday fair was great and worth the effort, but I still had a lot of Christmas gifts to make and very little time. Christmas arrived and everyone loved the gifts I made and for the first time in 2 months I took deep breaths. I also went into a deep hibernation.

January brought more sewing and a lot of organizing and de-cluttering - because I had made a huge mess over the two previous months! I'm finally getting back into my routine now and realizing that spring is just around the corner DOES help.

I thank each of you who have written me, asking where I am. You're all so sweet and it makes me feel good to be missed. I'm back. I've missed posting but I missed reading other posts more. I've tried to catch up over the last month or two so I'm feeling connected again. I found it to be difficult to get back into the swing of things, whether it's posting or sewing or finding my way through my schedule at home. But I'm gettin' there! Now, to share some photos.

Look at some of the goodies I received from Vallen in our November Sweet Goodness swap. Handmade tags (that I'm still too selfish to use yet)...

...a felted pin...

...and my own crown believe it or not!!! I just loved this crown.

And look at this handmade garland...love it love it!

The package from her in December was just as exciting! Handmade necklaces and a decorated box....a Japanese confetti bottle for New Years....

...a linen tablecloth and napkins with cross-stitch scenes (which I just squealed over)....

...a recipe box with some of her favorite holiday recipes, along with candy and a fantastic "food" CD she made...

...and this fantastic reversible vintage apron, which I love to wear!

Vallen is such a sweet sweet person. My packages to her were always late (in the midst of my craziness) but she is an extremely gracious lady, BESIDES being so talented. I wish you could see the crown and garland up close. They are unbelievable and have now been very carefully packed away for next Christmas. Thank you for everything Vallen!

I've been busy the last month or so making pillows, purses and aprons - mostly for friends and family - but I'll be adding to my Etsy shop very soon so I'll post some photos just around the corner.

October Goodies!

I received my October swap package from Vallen last week and just look at the goodies I got!!

Starting at the center top (in the box) and moving clockwise is a tri-leaf pin made of book pages, centered with an orange stone pin and edged with orange and black glitter. Next is an orange felted pin. (I really love the felted pins everyone makes.) Then we have a set of 10 halloween bags with a pumpkin stenciled on each side, followed by two boxes of chocolates (ooohh, it looks like some are missing). Next is a little orange wool hat with a deck of miniature cards...a book titled King Rooster, Queen Hen (that is adorable)....a collage made by Vallen for my Halloween decor (I love the collages)....a pair of black crocheted earrings....two vials of pretty glitter....two vintage glasses with orange fall leaves on them....and a green felted pouch with a gold leaf shaped button-type closure. WHEW!! Did she fill a box or what?? Thank you so much Vallen! I hope you enjoy my little shipment to you.

Is Anyone Still There?

Yes, I'm still around. I apologize for the leave of absence that I didn't know I was going to take, but once I get behind I have a very hard time catching up. And I have felt very "behind". I feel even more slack than I already felt!! I'll get back in the swing of things here shortly.

The company I work for moved from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor which doesn't sound like a big deal. It turned out to be a major move in some ways though, such as getting cables and cords set up correctly and finding paperwork that seemed to disappear for a while. I couldn't believe what a mess a short move like that created. For over a week I just collapsed every evening when I got home. I've developed a couple of health issues that have kept me on my toes lately too, but nothing that I can't handle. It's amazing to me how the body can become something totally different after you hit 50!

I've also been busy with some really positive things. A fundraiser at my church for our Shoe Ministry went very well, as did our Youth Auction, and I've had a handful of purse orders to fill for local people which has been a pick-me-up for me. My dd's sports schedule has eased up now and we actually had a home cooked supper Thursday night - together - at the table. It was the first time in weeks! It felt so good. I don't know that it meant much to her, but it meant a LOT to me.

I signed up for the Sweet Goodness Sisters Holiday Swap a month or so ago and received my October swap package from Vallen yesterday. (My package to her shipped out Saturday.) And what a fantastic package it is! I don't have pictures yet, but I'll try to show them soon. I was supposed to have answered 20 questions about myself for the swap (to help my swap partner know me better) but I haven't done that yet so I'll try now. Vallen and I have read one another's blogs long enough to have a "feel" for what each other likes, and Vallen definitely knows me well because I just love everything she sent in her box. She doesn't need this list, but I feel guilty that I haven't done this yet, so....

1. Favorite Color - On me - brown, gray, turquoise, off-white and red. At home, I use different colors - the sofa is off-white so I use pillows etc. in different colors.

2. Chocolate Lover? Milk, Dark, White or none of the above? All of the above. I luuuuuvvv the chocolate!

3. What is your favorite craft hobby? Sewing

4. What is a craft/art hobby that you would like to start? I'd love to learn to crochet. I recently bought a book to learn (I'm left-handed) but I haven't taken the time to sit still and learn it. For some reason I'm intimidated by it and feel kind of defeated before I start.

5. What craft do you NOT have an interest in or just not great in (so your partner doesn't send something you wouldn't use)? I can't draw or paint, and I no longer even try.

6. Do you have any allergies? (We don't want to send anything with peanuts if it'll make you blow up like a balloon.) I'm not allergic to any foods - only bees and fire ants!

7. What's your favorite part of Halloween? Decorating, candy eating, costumes or something else? A combination I guess. When Halloween comes around I can't help but remember how exciting it was when I was a child, and when my dd was small. The anticipation and the excitement of the costume and the candy was great!

8. Do you decorate for Thanksgiving/Fall? Like Vallen, I decorate for Fall as a whole. I have some things here and there up until Halloween and then I remove them to leave just the fall decorations.

9. December Holidays - what holiday do you celebrate? What type of decorations do you like to put up in your house for that holiday? We celebrate Christmas. I have things all over the house! The tree is decorated in ornaments that each have a special meaning to me or my dd - many of them handmade. I have a smaller tree for the living room that I decorate with old wooden doll house furniture and "outdoorsy" ornaments like pine cones, etc. I hang ornaments on ribbons above doorways, and we put up a Christmas village and a dear aunts Nativity set that we can't celebrate the season without.

10. Do you have any children. If so, what are their ages, boys/girls? Yes, one daughter who is now 17.

11. Do you have any pets. If so, what kind? Our dog EJ is part terrier and part Lhasa and is my 2nd child. lol. Our cat Skipper keeps her nose in the air unless she's hungry, and then she's our best friend.

12. Are you a reader? If so, what type of books do you like? I enjoy "women stories". Not romance stuff, but stories about getting through life and overcoming obstacles with a combination of your own good sense and your female friends surrounding you. I also love the Left Behind book series and the Mitford series by Jan Karon, although I've not completed either series yet.

13. Are you celebrating a birthday or anniversary in October, November or December. No I'm not.

14. Do you collect anything. If so, what type of things do you collect? Not really, and just like Vallen - I'm a textile freak - fabric, linens, old sheets, etc.

15. What type of things do you like to cook? Are you an appetizer person, cookie maker, dessert freak or take out type of person? I enjoy cooking, but it isn't what I want to spend a lot of my time doing. I'm not a great cook either but I love making cassaroles, and I'm always asked to bring my potato salad or blackeye pea salad or yeast rolls or cheese ball or baked ham - so those must be pretty good. I'm a by-the-recipe kind of cook I think. I'm not one who will take a chance on adding an ingredient that isn't called for, although I wish I were. Those are the BEST cooks. I hate that my dd will probably tell her children that their grandmother didn't cook more than she had to, but that she loved to wear a handmade apron and to make tablecloths for the table. Go figure.

16. What is your favorite scent? Is there one that you can't stand? In candles I like scents with names like 'rain', 'linen', 'clean breeze' etc. But for some odd reason, I can't stand vanilla or peach candles. I have no idea why. I love the taste of vanilla and I can't eat too many fresh peaches all summer long but those scents in candles make me immediately breathe through my mouth!

17. What's your favorite song? I Bowed On My Knees And Cried Holy (and) Bob Away My Blues

18. What's the last movie you went to see at the movie theater? I can't remember the name of it. But I loved it. It was that musical, and John Travolta was the mother. Ya'll know what I'm talking about.

19. What's your favorite candy? Anything chocolate.

20. Tea or Coffee or other? Tea for sure. Brewed iced tea. I'm not a coffee drinker. I've tried, but I just don't like it. I love the smell of it though. That's a good memory of growing up - always smelling my parent's coffee brewing when I got up.

I've got no pictures to show right now, but hopefully I will soon. In the meantime, I'm going to gradually try to catch up on reading some of my favorite blogs.

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!

Inspiration Walls

Updating my blog seems to be more difficult for me than I ever think it's going to be. It still takes me a while if I want to add pictures and links and if I take forever between posts (like now) I am embarrassed. While my reddened face calms down let me say that I am collecting more fabric (and some supplies) to giveaway and will hopefully have it all posted here by the end of the week.

I've seen so many inspiration boards pictured on blogs and I love them all. I would show you mine if I could uncover it to take a photo, but my house has only one path through it right now due to furniture and memorabilia I've brought in from my mother's farm the last week or two. Her farm sold and we have only about 10 more days to empty the barn and the milk house, but at the rate I'm going we should just put everything in a huge truck and bring it to MY house because I'm having a difficult time turning loose of things that hold good memories. The only room in my house uncluttered and uncovered enough to enjoy is the dd's bedroom. She dared me to put ANY of my haul in there, and since school started yesterday she has it cleaned up and organized. Everything is in its place. She even has "inspiration walls".....

and an "inspiration desk" too.

When she was small she would draw and color for hours, literally hours. By the time she was six she had outgrown her little girl desk and I decided to buy two file cabinets and put a piece of wood across the top. My mother had the idea of a countertop instead of wood due to easy cleanup of paints and markers AND the back piece going up the wall which would prevent things from being lost over the back edge. The 5' countertop piece was $25 at Lowe's and I bought two of the $20 cheapo file drawers at Walmart. That was over 11 years ago and it is still a part of her.

The first time I saw something written on her desktop was about 3 years ago when she had gotten deep into Shakespeare. She had written a quote on it in Sharpie marker and at first I was ill, but by the time she got home I decided it wasn't a big deal because this $25 piece of countertop isn't a family heirloom. lol. She began to write song lyrics, Bible verses, poetry, and the name of her future husband, Daniel Radcliffe. (He hasn't met her yet though.) Her friends sign her desk in some way when visiting and sometimes a simple new drawing will appear. My dd will NOT part with this desk. Do NOT even discuss it with her. And it thrills me because she is surrounding herself with creativity. I'm thankful for that because I can't imagine life without creativity and I want it in her life. It has brought me many hours of joy and comfort. I've solved my problems and everyone else's through the years while sewing and cross stitching. Hours on end of journal writing have helped me avoid a therapist I couldn't afford anyway. Scrapbooks have told the life of many a loved relative. Music has calmed me, set me on fire and made me cry, all in a matter of minutes. I picture myself bored without creativity so I'm thankful I have a bit of it, and I'm especially thankful my dd does.

Fabric Giveaway Winner in the Dog Days of Summer

Everyone I talk to is sweltering in this heat right now. I don't know about you, but I'm not moving around more than I have to because the more I move, the hotter I get. The AC is running and so are the fans.

This past weekend my dd and I went to the beach for a few days with my best friend and her dd. We had the best time! Saturday we stayed in the hotel pools and lazy rivers, had a good dinner and strolled through the mega shops at Broadway at the Beach. Sunday we were at a waterpark all day where my best friend and I pretended we were 20 years old again and had a blast riding down the slides and corkscrews laughing and screaming our heads off! Our daughters said they always knew where we were in the park due to our screaming! Bovine's at Murrell's Inlet was dinner (incredible and affordable meal!) and a putt putt course that night. After checking out of the hotel Monday we visited several consignment shops where I lucked up on a couple of vintage sheets, some fabric for nearly nothing. cute cute shoes and a purse for dd, and a couple of vintage linens and handkerchiefs. I think it's great what thrifting does to my shopping mind because nothing at the specialty shops Saturday interested me at all, yet thrift and consignment shops are magnets for me. I'm hoping its rubbing off on dd too.

I appreciate all of you visiting and commenting and in return I will continue to give away fabric.

Several commented at how lucky we are in this area to have Mary Jo's Cloth Shop and I know I am. I've been told that Mary Jo (who IS a real person by the way) is in her mid 70's now and still works 6 days a week at her shop. She's always looking for new fabrics and for what her customers want. I'm going back next Friday or Saturday and I've been making a list of everything I'll be looking for, hoping I can stick to that list. (fat chance)

Dana commented about the Bathing Beauties fabric by Loralie Designs that I bought at Mary Jo's and wanted to know what I'm going to make with it. My main project with it is for (15) postcards I'm trying to finish up. I'm "fussy cutting" those lovely ladies from the fabric and appliqueing them to another fabric and making postcards. I've been in a postcard exchange that began in the spring and ends this month. I think that I'll use some to make a tote bag for the beach for next year, or maybe line a summer purse with it.

Now for the winner of the fabric. This time I put the numbers 1 through 9 in a jar to draw from. (There were 4 comments not in the drawing.) I drew a paper and it was #3 - Katherine. So if you will get your address to me at dynacinsc@yahoo.com I will get your fabric in the mail to you.
Check back next week ya'll. There's lots more fabric to shed!

Mary Jo's (and) Fabric Giveaway #2

I guess I'm giving away fabric so that I can buy more....which is exactly what I did Friday. My daughter and I rode up to Mary Jo's Cloth Shop in Gastonia, NC , which is just outside of Charlotte and just a bit more than an hour away from us. When I go to Mary Jo's my palms sweat, my stomach gets jumpy, my heart races and my blood pressure rises. I leave there planning to sew 24/7. I can conquer the world!






When my sister married 25 years ago, she and her husband lived within minutes of this shop and when I visited we would always go to Mary Jo's. I imagine my brother-in-law broke out in a sweat when we mentioned we were going there and I'm sure he knew he wouldn't see us again until nightfall.

Mary Jo's has the lowest prices I've seen anywhere, from the high quality cottons to wool felt (yes they carry wool felt at $9.99/yd - solids and two-color) to linen to.... they carry everything! Some cottons are grouped by pattern like these coordinating dots and stripes, and this picture shows only part of that group.

They have groupings by category like sports, florals, babies, Christmas, fall, etc. and also groupings by color. Then there are groupings by design name like Aunt Grace, and these by Loralie. (I had to have some of the "Bathing Beautys" here.)



Batiks...






...and look at the Michael Miller group. These Michael Miller fabrics are all priced from $5.49 - $5.69 per yard!! I bought several of these for projects and some for tops I'll be making my DD.





This photo doesn't let you see how amazing the Bridal department is. I purchased the fabric and laces for my wedding gown here nearly 20 years ago and still when I go to Mary Jo's there are always young women and their mothers in this department planning their formal gowns or wedding gowns.





And my 2nd sewing obsession after fabric is..............rick rack! And look at the rolls of rick rack! Every color you can hope for! When I told DD I was headed to the rick rack, she just sat down on a bench. She knew I would busy for a while.

Oh how I love this store. I wish all of you who sew could visit it. They are online too at http://www.maryjos.com/ and for now you can order from them by email. The nice lady who helped me Friday (and they are ALL very nice - seriously) said it won't be long before the fabrics are on their website to see, but for now you can link to a fabric manufacturer like Marcus Brothers or Free Spirit, etc. and tell Mary Jo's the design name you're looking for and they will order it and mail it to you. I had ordered some yardage of a particular Michael Miller design and they called me last week when it came in, so I had a GOOD reason to drive up there Friday instead of having them mail it to me.

I hope ya'll don't mind my promotion of Mary Jo's Cloth Shop but I just want you to know there IS somewhere to pay reasonable prices for these beautiful cottons that so many of us love. I don't personally know anyone at Mary Jo's but I do know their prices and I know their service, which is top notch.

Looking at all of this fabric at Mary Jo's makes my fabric giveaway look pretty puny, but I'll give it a whirl anyway. If you're interested in helping me make room for my new fabric, leave a comment and I'll draw a number on Tuesday.

This will include:

- about 1.5 yds. of Mary Englebreit cotton (this is the 2nd piece that I have. Yes I had an obsession.)

- about 1.5 yds. of "Crazy Patch" by Daisy Kingdom

- a small piece of cotton with cute kittys

- about .5 yd. of multi-color cotton with gold design

Swap Package Fun

I got my Summer Bucket of Fun Swap package Monday afternoon and did I get a jackpot of good stuff or what!??!! My partner is Christy and she showered me with fun for the entire week, and then some! First of all, this is the container she decorated to hold my goodies. I will definitely be using this box. I might use it for sewing supplies (I'm always needing another container) or in our bathroom, or for one of my many "collections"...the uses are endless. (The pictures don't do any of this justice. My photography skills are NOT good, especially when the lighting isn't good to begin with.)

And the wrapped gifts....





At this point, I was trying not to tear into anything too fast, but I'll tell ya'...I 'contain' myself at Christmas much better than I do with these swap packages. I don't know what happens to me opening these surprises. I hope I'm NEVER caught on film by anyone!


And here are some of my goodies:

A thrifted BBQ cookbook from 1988 (I've already marked a couple of recipes I'm going to try this weekend), the cutest little bright yellow/orangy vase that's kind of retro looking that is another great thrifted find, pretty sunflower notecards and a sunflower candle that smells just wonderful, a little orange pouch holding buttons and trims (all will be used too), a cute cute fabric flower she made (I wore this to work yesterday with a green top and got many compliments I must say), (3) different yellow fabrics (that will be used towards my bedroom quilt), a new basting brush (I badly needed a new one too), and a package of summertime napkins.

And then this...

Does this not have "Fun" and "Hot" and "BBQ" written all over it!?!! I just love this apron. It is so comfortable and sturdy. Christy is another talented sewer I've met. (She should be selling these.) And that flower on the pocket is adorable - the center is stuffed. Cute! My daughter (my model here) thinks I act different when I have it on. I do. I told you it's "hot"!

Thank you so much Christy! (Your package is on its way.) This is my 2nd swap and I've enjoyed both of them so much. It's so nice to make these new friends.

Now for the fabric giveaway! Ta...da...this weeks fabric goes to.......... Dana! I numbered the comments #1 - #8 and then left out #3 (LeeAnn opted out). I then asked Jim down the hall to choose a number out of #1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. He chose #5, which is Dana. So I will get Dana's address and the fabric will be in the mail.

But don't fret ya'll. Keep coming back because I'm going to continuously weed out fabric I'm not using and I plan to give away fabric and anything else pertaining to this addiction I have on a weekly basis. I'll be adding another group no later than Monday.