Recap......

Ok let’s see if I can manage to do this in less than 5000 words. (if you know me you know I can’t tell/type a short story).

I took Friday off from work to attend The American Sewing Expo in Novi. I left my house at 6:30 am to be at my friend Judi’s for shortly after 9 am. We were to the Expo by around 10 am & didn’t leave until 6-ish. It was a full day of shopping, looking, talking & feeling the fabric.

I am really proud of myself that I bought no fabric! The only items I did purchase are this, this, this & a couple of these tubular frames, to make a couple of these* .The Garden Jacket isn't normally my style but they had them in the booth made up in different types of fabrics & it gives it a whole new look. Really pretty nice.

I found some great buttons for my Garbo Jacket but we both agreed that $35.00 was a bit much for 5 buttons. I mean they were neat but not $7.00 each worth of neat. So am keeping my eye out for 4 large (1”-1 ½”) buttons to go with my purple/blue boucle. I will probably end up with mother of pearl or silver ones as I think that it will be hard to find a another set that close in color.

They had some fabulous exhibits at the Expo. One was of bras for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, antique clothing from Jane Austin to Titanic Rose & of this unbelievably realistic looking quits. I can’t remember the name of the exhibit.

One of my favorite bras, "Don't Touch My Peeps":




One of the Civil War Era Dresses:

One of the gorgeous quilts & because I love lillies:




We also got to attend two fashion shows. One was of independent pattern companies the other was all Simplicity patterns. This was extra cool because we got to talk to Debra Kneiling, director of design development. She was so nice & had the most fabulous jacket on! It is actually one of the new Built by Wendy ones but it was made out of a gorgeous brown wool with pink & green dot like designs woven into it. It looked totally different than the one shown on the pattern

I got home Sat am & worked like a mad woman to try & finish my dress for the Cowboy BBQ that night. No such luck. I did get the buttons on John’s vest but I had to wear something else. Oh well. I’ll get it finished sometime this winter.



I spent Sunday cleaning house & putting up Halloween décor. By the way Sunday was our deadline on the “house thing”. We haven’t heard anything yet but we do know that “they” were contacted by the State about the complaint that we filed. So fingers crossed that they are going to lay off of us while they try to figure out how to cover their butts.

Lets see what else…..Oh yes Fiona received her Aqua & Red Swap box from me! Yippy! She says she likes everything so that is fab-u-lous! I am still working at getting my Coloriffic Orange & Purple swap box all together. I have it partially finished. She is hard because she likes natural things, no bright colors, that makes it hard as it is a Orange & Purple swap! But I think I got it figured out. Pictures to come later…….

On the thrifting front I popped into Goodwill last night to see if I might find some thrifted goodies for my Orange & Purple swap. Yes & no. I did find one little thing for her, a little Halloween candle holder for me, a tea bag holder (this may or may not end up as a Christmas gift, but I really like it!), a jacket(will be nice for work) & sweater(has super cute buttons!) for me.

Work is still a zoo. “The Drama Queen” had yet another family emergency today. “The Flea Girl” is still baring her thong & doing her best to infest the office with her fleas. I had another one on my pant leg within 15 minutes of arriving at work on Monday & then TDQ* had one down her shirt when she was driving home that same night. Ah Ha! Now I am not sure a nut job because I keep complaining about them. Her husband told her that if they get fleas in their house he is going to give TFG* the bill to pay.

Other than that our leaves are changing fast. It is raining again & I am searching for new fall recipes. I found one for Courgette and Butternut Squash Pasta. Which in case you did not know a Courgette is a Britich Zucchini. Learn something new evreyday. So if you have any great fall/squash/apple/pumpkin recipes I would love to hear them! I hope to get a chance to try LLA’s “The Best Darn Chewy/Crunchy and Addictive Oatmeal Cookie. Ever”recipe before John eats all my Frosted Flakes. I’ll let you know how they are.

Until then, my fair bloging friends……

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* TDQ = The Drama Queen & TFG = The FLea Girl - because they are & this is faster to type.

* Sorry I checked my plink yesterday before posting but they were messed up anyway. They shoudl be correct now. Darn Blogger!

I’m prepared for battle & Aqua & Red Swap.

Ok so I came armed today. I have a new autumn floral arrangement I made last night & into which I slipped several branches of eucalyptus leaves (Google says that it repels the little devils). I also bought some spray that I have sprayed around & under my desk twice so far today. I think it is really for spraying on pets, but it was the only thing I found other than foggers at Wally World for fleas.

So let’s move on from my disgusting flea ridden thong baring co-workers & look at something fun. I mailed off my Aqua & Red Swap package last week. According to the lady at the post office it should be there in 4-7 days but it has a long ways to go so I am leaning toward the 7 day mark.



I am really happy with the way the bag came out. I got the pattern from this Japanese craft book (ISBN: 4391620715). If you haven’t seen this one, check it out. I love it! There are many more crafty little projects that I plan to make from this one.


Here is a before picture of the thrifted scarf that I used for the lining of the bag.

I wish that I could have gotten a better picture of that but they all looked terrible. Maybe when my partner receives it she can get a better picture of the inside.

Out damn spots OUT!

Or more appropriately fleas out damn fleas. Ok so that is bad enough because you are thinking goodness this girl has a flea infestation at her house. Oh but see you are wrong dear reader. I have not one flea at MY house. My co-worker on the other hand apparently has a serious flea problem at HER house, because I have had fleas jump onto my desk twice now when she has come to give me a phone message/fax/etc. Honestly don’t I endure enough by having to see the Thong Color of the Day when ever she is sitting/standing/bending over? Now I have to be infested by fleas because she can’t seem to get rid of them??? Really how bad is the flea problem your house that they are jumping from you onto my desk??? And why on God’s green Earth can’t you get ride of them? And why oh why won’t my boss do something about them, seeing as I have told her 4 times about this problem, along with the other person that this has also happened to? So help me if I get fleas in my house or on Puppy Dog someone is going to get an ass kicking!

Now who knows some hill jack, natural, sure fire, been used for 10 generations way of getting rid of/repelling the fleas from my desk area that doesn’t scream I am trying to rid my desk area of your filthily fleas you heathen???!!! UGH!!!!!


***** I should add that Puppy Dog is not lying in a pile of filth, but John was working in the attic that day & she spent the day lying at the foot of his ladder, in the middle of the blown in insulation that rains down every time he has to get in the attic. It’s the non fiberglass kind so I did make her move. I think she felt she could keep an eye on us both from there. Isn’t she a sweetie?

Send me your happy thoughts......Please.

Ok fellow bloggers I know this will be an odd post for most because I have not really blogged about our house “Problem”. It is a horrible horrible situation to be in, let me assure you. Without going into great detail because I just don’t think this is the place for it we have been given until Oct first to fix something that someone else did 16 years ago when the house we bought 2 ½ years ago was built or they are going to seek to have our home condemned. The biggest problem is that the Township we live in has been negligent for the last 16 years, allowed us to unknowingly purchase what apparently is an illegally built home (but permits were pulled so how is that?) using state licensed realtors on both sides of the transaction & are now coming after us for the problems that we didn't create. I might add that the home is perfectly safe, has been inspected 3 times, & has been lived in since 1990. Oh and the Township has been collecting residential taxes on it for as many years as well.

So anyway what I would like to ask is that you all send your prayers, good thoughts, Karma, and such our way for the next few weeks as we face this challenge. Today I acted on what we have been saving as our absolute last resort. We were advised by our attorney not to go down this road a couple months ago, but that was before we got this Oct 1st deadline & we are getting desperate for help. Our attorney I might add has not returned our phone calls in over a month, but was the only attorney out of the 9 that we have spoken to that was even willing to take our case. So send your positive waves our way, because I am afraid that we have a very long & challenging road ahead of us. Not that the last nine months haven’t been the worst I could have possibly imagined. So I put my faith in God that this was the right path to take & thank you all for your prayers, thoughts, etc as well.

So I leave you with a picture of me in another one of my costumes that was taken in our front yard in the Spring of 2005 when all was still right with the world & I didn’t hate our beautiful little piece of the country.

A “Kathy K” Mug sighting!

Ok this is definitely by the same person that painted my thrifted mugs. I wish this seller would have put a little more info in their listing though. How am I supposed to get more info on my mugs if they are so vague!? The nerve of some people! So anyway there are more out there than just my 3 by the mysterious “Kathy K”. Apparently there are more “lines” or “series” or whatever you want to call them. And according to this seller they are “collectible”!

Great, but where they find out that they are collectible!?
Darn vague Ebay seller! Cute mug though!

Just a little update post:

I haven’t gotten to work on my BBQ Dress at all this week. Pout pout. Instead I have to work on this.

Which I need to have finished for this Sat night. Nothing like waiting to the last second. Oh well what can, I say.

I do however have a sneak peek of my BBQ dress fabric & trims for you. It has been raining here since last Sat so my picture is a little dark, sorry.


Let’s see what else….Oh yes I received my Red & Orange swap box this week! I have pictures but they are still on the camera at home. I hope I can post them on Mon. along with the birthday gift pictures.

That sadly is about all I have for now. I am still trying to figure out to do for my tea towel designs, I have the Aqua & Red swap to finish up so I can mail it next week. Then I need to also be seriously thinking about my Coloriffic Oct Purple & Orange swap to be mailed between Sept 25th & Oct 5th. I have ideas, now to finds enough hours in the day to complete them.

The sun is actually out today so I have high hopes that will help push me out of my slump. That rain was getting to be a bit much, we already have the one huge figurative black cloud hanging over the house, 6 days of the really thing was pushing it!

So my plans for when I get off at 2pm this fine afternoon? Run in & out of the across town thrift store, in & out of Wally World, pick up two 50lb bags of laying mash, return the library books & pick up this gem: Pure Style living
I have been hearing a lot about it & as luck would have it my library actually has it! Maybe it will help me fix my life. What’s that you say, it’s not a miracle worker? Well a girl can dream, can't she?

Have a great weekend All!

Nebraska, Who knew?

I joined Wren’s Nest’s Tea Towel swap a while ago. I got my partner info & really have been trying to figure out what I am going to do for her. She is from Nebraska & likes to decorate in reds & yellows. That is as far as we have gotten in the “getting to know each other” dept. so far. She’s going to college full time & it sounds like she has a full house as well.

So I said to myself, “Self let’s learn something about Nebraska & go from there”. This is what I have learned about Nebraska:

Kool-Aid was created there in 1927 by Edwin Perkins.

The National Arbor Day Foundation has its headquarters in Nebraska City & was founded by J. Sterling Morton.

Also there is a huge list of actors & actresses from Nebraska, Johnny Carson, Marlon Brando.

Also President Ford is originally from Nebraska, he also has ties to SW MI. He attended the U of M & played football. Pretty neat, huh?

State motto: Eqality Before the Law
State slogan: Nebraska, possibilities….endless
State bird: Western Meadowlark
State aminal: White-tailed Deer
State Fish: Channel Catfish
State insect: Honeybee (this I thought was pretty cool because my name means Honeybee in Greek, just like Melissa does)
State flower: Goldenrod
State tree: Cottonwood
State fossil: Mammoth
State song: Beautiful Nebraska
The estimated population for the entire state of Nebraska for 2005 was 1,758,787!!! Ok let me tell you that the county that I grew up in, in FL, Palm Beach County, had an estimated population of 1,268,548 for 2005!!! The state of FL for 2005, 17,789,864!

Oh my goodness I love Nebraska already! I have a dream that if I ever win the lotto that I will buy at least 300 acres somewhere that is really pretty with hills & trees. I would plunk a modest 3 bedroom, at least 3 ½ bathroom house (I HATE sharing a bathroom), with gourmet kitchen & a studio, right in the center of those 300 acres. That way I do not have to even hear my neighbors much less see them. We had an issue with our last house in FL that we had to put up with the neighbor’s music thumping into our bedroom at all hours of the night, then on the other side, they had a child that was a screamer. Screamed all the time, I understand that kids make noise, but to stand at the fence & scream bloody murder every time hubby made a pass with the mower, is a bit much. Here in MI we have had to deal with the neighbor’s son setting up a BMX track & sex tent on our property & their dogs killing at least 4 of our chickens. We don’t seem to have the best luck with neighbors.

Ok so that is about it for now. Anyone have any suggestions for my tea towels? I am starting to get some ideas, but would love to hear your thoughts……

PS can I tell you how fun I had researching that? I love doing searches for things, even in school I enjoyed researching papers & project, the writing of said paper/project, not so much. Now if I could just find a job that paid me to find facts about random subjects that would be something. Hmmm……

Remains of the day, indeed!

Ok I just had to share this. It seems that there is a rash of people finding blog worthy notes post around as of late. This phenomenon even appears to have reached to our neighbors to the North! I would totally be on the floor if I saw this in the bathroom where I, or actually where I used to work. Now there are only 3 of us that use on bathroom on our side of the office, but when I worked with over 500 people now that would have been funny!

http://www.carolbrowne.com/

Have you seen these cups?

I bought these cups last week while thrifting. I think that they are really funky retro-y cute, but I figured that I would sell them on Ebay. I like to be able to include some background info when I sell things but I am coming up empty handed on these little cuties. I think that this is one of the very few times when the internet has let me down & I haven’t been able to find what I have been looking for. So if anyone knows anything about them or can point me somewhere I might not have looked yet I would greatly appreciate it!

Cowboy Action Shooting - CAS

After I mentioned that I am working on a new dress for a BBQ that a fellow CAS shooter puts on every year, I realized that I never really explained what that CAS is. Cowboy Action Shooting, which should probably be called Cowboy/Cowgirl because it is the fastest growing shooting sport amount both men & women was started back in the 1980’s. You can read all about the particulars here.

Basically it is a cross between re-enactment & a competitive shooting sport. Participants are required to dress appropriately for the years 1864-1900 & shoot original or reproduction firearms from that period that include 2 pistols, a rifle & shotgun. You don’t have to but most people join the international organization of SASS(Single Action Shooters Society).You pay a yearly due, get a monthly magazine & pick & register your alias. No two people can have the same alias & when you go to a shoot that is the name that you go by. For example my alias is “Lily Orleans Mason” & hubby is “Johnny Bayou”. I took forever to come up with my alias. John’s dad’s family is all from the New Orleans are so that was where his came from. I wanted this great meaning full name so I used my great aunt Lillian’s name. My mom says that I would have really liked her & that we are similar. Then my great great grandmother’s maiden name was Mason. I added the Orleans to go along with John’s, LA connection. Besides I like the whole southern belle idea. I grew up in South Florida which is a far cry from really being in the “south” but I liked the notion anyway.

So when you shoot you have to select the category you shoot in & each has different requirements. I am actually getting pretty good at mine. I shoot Ladies Duelist, which means that I have to shoot my pistols with only one hand. There are not as many women that shoot in this category locally so I usually place first at the local clubs, often because I am either the only one shooting it or one of two. Shhh don’t tell, hubby says I should tell that I was the only one shooting it. It sounds so nice that I came in first, even if it was out of a group of one!

So now on to the part that really attracted me to the sport. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy the shooting part, but I am really passionate about the costuming part. I am really like for my costumes to be period correct, meaning that I want them to look like some thing that a lady from the mid to late 1800’s would have really worn. That means no zippers or Velcro. I have a pretty good collection of books on dress & jewelry from the era. I have also gotten a couple original fashion magazines from the time off Ebay. It is amazing to hold a magazine that someone from over 120 years ago actually used to design her own dress. Pretty cool huh? There are a lot of people that are not that into the costuming & that is fine too. That is one of the great things about the sport is that there is a little bit of something for everyone. Most of my costumes are appropriate for the years from 1870-1900. For shooting I mostly wear a split riding skirt outfit. In the late 1890’s women on the western frontier started wearing these skirts that were really like our modern gaucho pants with a front panel that buttoned on & made them look like a skirt. Up till this point most ladies rode sidesaddle that can be very dangerous. It was absolutely scandalous for women to wear pants & ride astride. This was a compromise, but still a little daring, but much safer. I love the embellishment possibilities that I have with the split skirt out fit. I have at least 4-5 more ideas that I would like to make from this pattern.

I do have a few dresses as well but that adds a little bit more difficulty when shooting. I have to make sure that I don’t trip over my hems. Then because I am so into making my costumes PC (period correct) I wear several petticoats & that can get heavy. It would have been not unheard of back in the 1800’s for a lady to have on a chemise, bloomers/drawers, corset & from 5-7 petticoats. Everyday! Then depending on the period, also a hoop petticoat or a bustle. I have several designs for dresses that I would also like to make, but at our local shoots there isn’t an opportunity to wear them. At the state & regional shoots there is always a banquet to wear your fancy dresses to, but this year we weren’t able to go to any of those. So when one of the guys that we shoot with sent us an invitation to the BBQ that he has every year I decided that I “needed” a new dress. Charlie Ringo, who has the BBQ dresses up cowboy but not everyone that is invited is a CAS shooter but most of the ones that are dress up. So for me it’s a good chance to wear a great dress that I can’t wear to local shoots.

So I hope that explains a little what I am talking about when I talk about SASS, CAS or costuming. Some people are involved in Civil War, Renaissance Wars, Renn Faires, Victorian Teas, etc, this is a little like those only there is the competition of shooting thrown in, which some people take more seriously than others. The thing that we really enjoy about being involved in CAS is the people. When we when to our first shoot in Indian Town, Fl only as spectators in our sneakers, T-shirt & shorts we were overwhelmed by how friendly everyone was. Then after the match we had people handing us $1000’s of dollars of their own guns to try. If you have never been to another shooting sport you wouldn’t know but this never happens. People at most, but not all, shooting sports are very serious & not very friendly. This was unbelievable to be greeted like that. Just incase you are interested I would completely recommend checking out the pictures at The Carolina Belles & Truly Victorian sites. There are some gorgeous examples of costuming on both. Also if you ever get a chance to check out a shoot I say go. It’s not for everyone but if only to see a bunch of adults dressed up like it’s 1800 something, it’s a hoot. I would also add make sure that you take eye & ear protection because the most important rule for a CAS shoot is saftly. This is not a irresponsible gun toting hillbilly sport we all take safety very very seriously & it is priority number one with everyone. Priority number two? Having fun!

A little of this & a little of that…..

I am just not as clever as Autum to come up with a food analogy for my post. So that’s as good as it gets. Although I am sure I will think of the perfect one about 10 minutes after I post this.

Speaking of food, my Friendship Bread post did not attract the reaction I expected! Goodness now I am concerned that I might poison anyone who eats it or at the very least give them a wicked case of gas (Thanks Beki , yeah tmi) Hey, on the other hand that might be a good thing, “Local pervert dies from poisoned coffee cake served at office. News at 11:00”. Hmmm Or even better yet “Local corrupt Building inspector dies from Friendship bread that was left at Township off, No great loss. News at 11:00” Ha! I can amuse myself so easily.

So I found about a ba-gillion (hey it’s a word, look it up) recipe variations for using the friendship bread starter on the internet. Which is good because if we don’t get sick from it, it might be fun to see how many I can get through before totally forgetting about it & having to pitch it. In case anyone is interested (based on the responses I am guessing not) here is the link to one of the sites that had the most recipe here. I am thinking that maybe I should write a cookbook on it. Surely if there are cookbooks for this & this the world needs a cookbook for 101 ways to use Friendship Bread starter, right?

So onto the hair front, I think that I have my new fall 2006 do picked out, thanks to the fabulous home renovation diva, LLA , who mentioned that Sandra Bullock had a new short do. Really? I love her! So after a trusty Google search I found this. Complete with instruction from cutting to styling. Yippy! I probably will not end up with this exact cut though. I take in a picture of something I like & my stylist (sounds fancy huh?) & I tweak it. I’ll have to let you know what we come up with. I am sure that John will be bummed as he is a long hair kind of guy, but like I tell that is because you don’t have to deal with it.

So next I had the brilliant idea of making a new Victorian dress for the annual BBQ that a fellow cowboy shooter puts on every year. I wore my red, navy & white dress last year & that was a big hit. Not everyone is a cowboy shooter or dresses up so you get a lot of oh’s & auh’s. Also this dress is much fancier than anything I wear to local shoots.

So here is what I am thinking, once I get Miz Gina’s approval that is, the skirt will be from this pattern, probably view B & the bodice from this one I haven’t completely decided on the neckline yet, but I am thinking ¾ sleeves with ruffles at the cuff. So on to the fabric I have four yards of this that I will use for the overskirt (apron looking part, for non costumers) & the front & back of the bodice. Then I have a tan/gold fabric the same color as the mums that I think I will use for the underskirt & the sleeves of the bodice. I also have a bluish purple the same as the darker background color on the mums that I am thinking I will use for alternating ruffles with the tan on the bottom of the skirt & on the sleeves. I know that I have more tan than blue so I think that will be the best use of those. Also I have a neat tassel fringe in that perfectly matches the bluish purple that I want to use on the over skirt. It will really show up against the tan of the underskirt. It’s similar to this only no bead. My only concern is that it will blend in with the overskirt. I will sew it to the hem like in the drawing but I would like for it to stand out. . I do have tan/gold ribbon that I might be able to do something with. Hmmmm….. Oh, did I mention that the BBQ is on at the end of the month. Yeah, nothing like coming up with a great idea at the second.

So I think that is about it. Hope everyone has a great weekend & with nay luck I might have something thrifted or sewn to share next week!

Friendship Bread – A blessing or a curse?

We ate dinner at our adoptive parents/neighbor’s house about a week ago. Sha had this zip loc bag, of what can’t only be described as cream colored snot on her counter. So of course I had to ask, “What the heck is that?!”. “Starter for Friendship Bread”. She had made some for dessert & it is really good. Kind of tastes like a sour dough spice cake. Because I expressed an interest, my own little baggie of cream colored snot arrived last night.

If you are not familiar with this type of bread it is similar to sour dough starter. You get instructions for smooshing it around for the first few days, then you add to it, smoosh it a few more days, then you are supposed to give away baggies of the starter to 3 friends, keep some for you & then make bread out of what’s left. The problem is that I work in an office of 5 total people & I am the only one that cooks at all! So I have been searching the net for different recipes that use this starter. That way I will have enough different versions to make bread every 10 days. We will eat them, hubby can take it to work, I can bring a made bread to work but I will probably need to use all the extra starter myself instead of giving it away. So I need to find enough recipes to make it interesting enough to keep up with.

Here is basically the same recipe that I have.* There are a few variations here that I will be printing off but I would like to hear about others experiences with this type of thing.


*Oh sure now you post links, Blogger!

Hair, oh Hair, how should I cut thee?

Ok so we are into September all already. How did that happen? Where in the world did the summer go? Fall is right around the corner.

For me that usually mean a hair cut. I am the worst about getting my hear cut, I put it off & forget until I can hardly stand it anymore because it is so frazzeled & knotty on the ends. I have board straight baby fine hair, but a lot of pieces of it hair, which is the only good thing it has going for it. Since moving to MI, I find that in the winter my hair is nothing but a huge ball of static & if I don’t get it cut shorter in the winter it will stay in a some form of a pony tail until spring. I have to blow dry it in the mornings or risk it freezing to my head on the way to the car so I figure that I might as well do something with it at the same time. I have a hair appointment on Monday & I have not even begun to think about what I will have her do.

So when I saw LLA’s comment on Autum’s blog about the “Hair Nazi” (I am still waiting to find out what that is all about) it hit me I need to figure out what fall cut will be this year before Monday! I always try to keep it at least long enough to pull most of it back for the days I run late or Sat mornings when I just am not going to do anything with it. As long as I can tuck it behind my ears for the most part I am happy. I can’t stand hair in my eyes. I wish I could! I say a blip about Jessica Simpson the other day on the smut news & she had the cutest bob cut, but I think that I would rip the hair from my head trying to deal with those bangs.

So I ask my blogging friends how in the world should I get my hair cut this year? I am open to pretty much anything & with any luck I will remember to schedule an appointment before I leave to have it cut in 4-6 weeks for maintenance instead of waiting until say Feb!

Here are a couple pictures to give you an idea of where it is at now. It’s sad that the only pictures I have access to at this moment we are dress up like a couple of loons! Oh well wait till Sat morning & we’ll look like this again!

Ok so Blogger is fighting with me & will not let me post pictures. Sooooo. My hair is about 1/3 of the way down my back at the moment & you can look at pictures here or here if you really want to see them. UGH!

More swaps & some cuteness…….

Yippy Yippy! Lori received her box from me for the Coloriffic Swaporama US Red & Orange Sept Swap. From what she said she was thrill. Yeah! I was crossing my fingers that she would like it. I haven’t received mine yet (it won’t come from Lori) but I am sure that it will arrive soon. Tues was the last day to mail them out.

I am on to my next swaps. I kind of went swap crazy. I received my partners for the Coloriffic Swaporama (the original international one) Oct Swap, which will be Purple & Orange, but not necessarily Halloween colors, Red & Aqua Swap & the Tea Towel Swap that Wren’s Nest organized. I am peeking at my partner’s blogs to learn more about them. The Tea Towel swap isn’t secret I got her name & she got mine so that is kind of cool because it will give us a chance to learn about each other a little easier.

Other than that I have to share this picture for Selena. This was the only baby that our hens hatched out this past spring, but how cute is that.




Then one more cute thing. This just cracks me up! I hate to eat or smell mushrooms, but they are so cute!

Red & Orange Colorific Swaporama!

I am pretty excited because I mailed my box out to my swap partner for the Coloriffic Swaporama – Sept Red & Orange Swap today. This is my first swap of this kind & I can’t wait to see what my partner thinks of her goodies. I am a little nervous though. I picked things that I think she will like & use. I a good reason for each item but sometimes my reasoning doesn’t jive with other peoples, so we shall see what she thinks when she gets it. I made sure to include a letter explaining the thought process behind the stuff I picked. That may or may not be a good thing! That might make her think that I am even more of a freak!

So here is what I sent:


She said that she was new to sewing, so I added to her stash & sent a pattern for the so I added to her stash & sent a pattern for the McCall’s hobby Portfolio. With the pattern I sent enough fabric, interfacing & some notions(thread & bias tape), but then I thought she might not want to use that fabric for that pattern so I didn’t get all the notions for it. Also there are several options to customize the portfolio so I thought it best to leave it to her on how she would like to do, if she wants to make it at all. I know that she likes to do collages & scrapbooking also so I thought it was a good fit for her. The fabric I chose is all either reproduction prints of 1930’s & 40’s fabric or polka dots. She said that she liked vintage fabric, vintage seems to span a few decades now so I wasn’t sure which decade of vintage she liked. I took a chance on these. I think that they are pretty cute. I also included some cute buttons that remind me of the 1920’s, some paper & other scrapbooking items.

I wanted to put in a couple things that represent Michigan, but not in the obvious chochy cheesey “ I heart MI” type of way. So I included a note card from Michigan block print artist Grew Frostic & some fruit themed items (Kool Aid, orange Tic Tacs & fruit leather) because SW MI is called the fruit bowl or belt or something like that. We have tons of orchards, farms & vineyards. Yes surprisingly SW MI has a lot of wineries. I live near one of the oldest wineries in MI, St Julian’s, sorry I didn’t include any wine in my box.If you ever get the chance to check it out the tour is really neat & they make great wine. Also they will do special occasion labels. We had them done up for our wedding.

So on with the rest of my swap stuff. You were required to make or include at least one handmade item. I made this little purse that I also hand embroidered.


I thought that my partner would really appreciate the purse because she listed revamping thrifted items as one of her favorite things to do.



The paisley fabric for the purse started out life as these pants.


I picked them up at a thrift store for the purpose of making something for this swap before I even knew who my partner was. I thought that was a pretty good twist of fate.

So there my Red & Orange swap package is on it’s way. I feel good about getting that off & I am very excited to see what will be in my box! I’ll post pictures when it arrives!

The price of being trendy.

I read a couple of interesting things about the fashion front lately. Ann at Gorgeous Things, I thought had some excellent points about the absolutely asinine prices that designers charge. I could not agree more. Honestly who is paying for these things? We have people in this country who cannot afford to pay for health insurance, elderly who have to choice between eating & paying for medication, veterans who have fought for our freedom who are living on the street & people are charging more then a lot of people bring home in a year for a coat!!!!! Hello? Am I the only one that sees a problem with this?

Then this morning Stacy Sews wrote that Vera Wang is going to have a line at Kohl’s starting in the fall of 2007. I can see her point of Vera’s dresses being special by the average person not being able to ,wanting to or lost their mind enough to spend $12,000 for one dress, but on the other hand I can see why she would do it. Look at Isaac Mizrahi whose line at Target is doing incredible. Also have you seen the other designers that are jumping on the Target bandwagon? They now have Joe & Paul by Sophie Albou

Well let’s think about it….it’s an untapped goldmine for these designers. The % of people that can or will pay premium price for their clothes is very very small, but who wouldn’t spend less that $100 for a silk linen Mizrahi suit??? Ok I wouldn’t because if it’s not on sale I don’t buy it & it’s not really my style but come on!

Now this I would buy compared to the Paul & Joe $359.00 gauchos on Net A Porter.
Cute but for $359.00 I can get 3 complete outfits plus shoes at Target! Yes I know the quality is obviously not as good but how much longer are gauchos going to be in style anyway?

Most fashion is so trendy these days that come next fall half you wardrobe will be out dated so why spend huge bucks on it? Although I admit that I don’t keep up with the trends now like I did years ago before my dream of majoring in fashion design died when they canceled the program at the college I was attending, but I still try to check out what it going on. Part of this fall’s trends look like my 8th grade year is coming back to haunt me, but at least if I want to dress like I am thirteen again I don’t have take out a second mortgage to do it!

So I guess in short I am glad, like Ann that I sew too. Or at least don’t mind shopping the Target sale racks.

& Big weekend plans…….

Ok so on to my weekend plans. I dug a couple wool sweaters that I have been saving for who knows what. I just got done felting them in the washer. After I am done here I will pop them in the dryer.

Then I have plans to make a pair of long pants from Burda WOF 1/2006. They are going to be out of a bright aqua turquoise stretchy terry. I am sure that John will have a comment when he sees them.

In addition to that I am going to make a new "Barbara Jean" bag for my library books & I hope get a few more things cut out to maybe sew this week after work.

On the table I have a smock top like the one Autum recently made, a pair of brown & cream plaid pants, & whatever else I can fit it. Pictures come Monday I hope! Good weekend to all!*

* My home computer really sucks & I could not up load any pictures all weekend. so i had to save my posts until today to post from work. Then blogger has been having issues. So here are my Fri, Sat & Sun posts, on Monday. Oy!

Gratitude Friday…….

Anyhoo I see Autum always makes a list on Friday of what she is grateful for. I have had a hard time thinking in those terms lately. That is a long story but lets just say that when you buy a house, even if it was built 16 years before you buy, I highly advise that you make sure it received a certificate of occupancy. Because if it didn’t two years after you buy the township you live in might inform you 3 days before Christmas that the house is illegal & they are coming after you even thought you didn’t build it. Oh also they will make unreasonable demands & when you don’t try to make sure that you cover all your bases as you have been screwed by the seller, broker & the township because they were the ones that left 2 building permit open for 16 & 14 years they decide you are taking to long to comply. So they inform you that they will seek to condemn your house come Oct 1st because they failed to do their job.

But I have been thinking a lot about how there are things that I am grateful for:

1)I am grateful for my loving man, John. We have only been married 4 years this month & been through more than I think anyone couple should in a life time really. I am grateful for his strength & love during this horrible time.


2) That Chad, Cathy & the boys are in their new house, finally, nearly a year after having lost everything to Katrina. Not a day goes by that I am not thinking of them & am so thankful that they left when they did.


3) For Brendan, he is an incredible friend of John’s & helped him fulfill the dying wish of their other best friend. You rock Jake!

4) Gina ~ you really are a source of strength for me & who else would understand about the DQ, TFG & the gross pervert! It is so much fun having someone to share my costuming passion with and laugh about the laundry & is dirty deeds in the dark corners of the laundry room!

5) For Judi, My real clothes sewing buddy, for all her advice & the sewing gossip we share!

6) My newfound blogging friends LLA, Autum, Angela, Selena & company, thanks for the conversation, laughs & tears that you share! Also for those new ladies that recently posted on my blog & their support.

7) Last but by no means least, my mom & MIL Joyce, these strong women who listen & give comfort. I love & miss them so!

Thrifting......

Well after work Friday (which I am very sad say was my second to last Friday of getting off at noon. Bummer! Back to 2:30 in Sept.) I had to go across town to Tractor Supply for laying mash (chicken feed). Well perfect time to pop into a thrift store that I never get to go to. I am pretty glad that I did!

I found a couple treasures:



A pitcher & matching bowl. They look like Blue Ridge China, but actually they are by the Cash Family. I will probably sell this on Ebay. I really need to limit myself on my collecting. It is very cute though!

Then I found this creamer & 2 plates in this very popular pattern. I don’t thing that I will be keeping these either, but I bet I can find a good home for them. I thought the prices were too good to pass up. If there had been a sugar bowl too I would probably keep it.



That brings me to my reason for limiting my collecting (yeah right!) I LOVE cream & sugar sets. Some how I have started a collection of those. I am not sure how it happened, but I now find that I have sets that are not Fiesta or Blue Ridge.

For example these two that I recently picked up:





The melamine set for $1.29 & the Corelle set for $1.00. How can you pass that up!

So now I have more than 3 sets of cream & sugars so I have a collection, I think, right?

Do I offend?

Wow! I managed to offend someone with my blog? How interesting, the one time I don’t talk about thrifting crafting or sewing someone gets offended. I didn’t think that many people were even reading it. This is still my Blog right? Yet they were so appalled at my low opinion of Tom Cruise they didn’t leave there name. By the way I am pretty sure that I started out by saying that it wasn’t meant to offend anyone just my personal option on him. Well I guess I need not have bothered with that.

For the most part I could careless what you think of my option of Tom Cruise there Anonymous, but there is one thing that you said that I would like to address. My comment on him, not bothering to marry her. I could careless about them having a kid & not being married. I to know many people that have a relationship like that. They provide a safe loving home to their kids & that is what matters. My point was that he is spouting off about other people being immoral & making “wrong” choices, here he is doing what would be considered in the majority of the world’s minds as immoral by having a child out of wed lock.

I could careless if it works for them more power to ‘em. As far as I am concern as long as they provide a safe loving home for the child I don’t care who is raising them, same sex couples, unmarried couples, a pack of wild platypuses, whatever. As long as the child isn’t going to be the next Charles Manson I say good for them.

Really my point was that they actors, musicians, politicians, etc….. all think that they are so high & mighty, telling the rest of us how to think, behave, etc when they don’t even live in the real world dealing with real everyday issues like the rest of us. How could they possibly be more educated or know how I should feel on a subject whatever it maybe when they aren’t even living on the same planet as me? Tom Cruise just made a convenient target this week. Give me a week I am sure that some other Celebrity with make an ass of themselves & I can have a new target. Anyone know what Paris is up to?

Or maybe I will just stick to sewing, thrifting & crafts……..

Tom Cruise makes me sick & then some......

****Ok let me warn you right now that this is a rant post & not meant to insult anyone reading this. I just need to vent on a few things.****

Am I the only one that is honest to goodness thrilled that Tom Cruise has been let go by Paramount? I made a vow back when he decided to public attack Brook Shield’s about her personal choices on how to treat her postpartum depression not to see another one of his movies. It personally made me sick. There are so many reasons why his lunacy was so wrong.

He’s a man & won’t know the first thing about giving birth to a baby or the rest of what comes with it.

He adopted his first two children so again would not even have that experience to call upon for a tiny idea of what it's like.

Who is he to condemn someone else for their personal choices? He knocked up his much younger, second choice for a girlfriend(if you believe the rumors) in what can really only be described as probably a horrendous publicity stunt & hasn't even bothered to marry her. Which I am sure will not last longer than most celeb marriages even if he did! WHich hey if that is what work for you great, but then you shouldn't point the moral fingure at others.

He practices a religion that was started by a science fiction writer who is quoted as having said something to the effect of the best way to make money is to start your own religion. If you are a Scientologist hey more power to you, but don’t look down your nose on those that don’t share your beliefs!

I cannot understand these actors getting on their soap boxes like they are so much more knowledgeable than the rest of the world! I went to art school & have known many actors. I don’t remember any special class that gave them special knowledge on religion, politics, moral or world issues that they should let feel compelled to thrust upon the rest of us at the drop of a hat!

Personally I am against taking advice from people who can’t stay married for longer than it takes to get an oil change, don’t raise their own children, are in rehab more often then I vacuum my house, & live in a house that costs more money than I will ever see in a life time & that is their, 2nd, 3rd or 4th house. All because they have a talent to act. Well you know what: teachers, police, fireman, EMS, nurses, seamstresses, painters, carpenters, etc… have great talents to but you don’t see them getting a huge whooping sum for it. Sad because those people are the people that live in the real world with real problems that really make a difference in peoples lives. Not on occasion, or by just throwing money at a charity but by helping, giving their time or having a direct connection the next generations.

Kind of sad really………

Sew Quick!

I haven’t gotten as much sewing done as I had hoped I would since MIL Joyce left, but I did make this:



I am not exactly sure where it came from. I think in with a pile of sewing/fabric that I got from my mom when she got married 5 years ago & moved. I don’t think that she wanted to scare her new hubby by bring an 18 wheeler worth of just fabric with her so she gave me a ton of it. The funny think is that the bag was pretty much already cut out & there are two of them. I am not sure if she bought them this way or cut them out intending on making them, but it was the perfect instant gratification project!

I laid the bag on a cream colored mystery fabric from the stash & just cut the lining using the bag as a pattern. Sewed the handles & the sides up & I used the leftover piece from between the handles when I cut the lining to make a pocket & added a bright sunny yellow gingham using the cream as it’s lining, sewed that to the lining. Then I put the lining in the bag, wrong sides together & covered the raw edges with gingham bias tape.



Ta da! Fast cute library book bag! At least that was what I intended it for although at the moment it has my crocheting in it! Guess I will need to make another one from the pattern I made from the other already cut bag. Oh darn!

I have to add that I wrote this a couple weeks ago but I didn’t have pictures with me it at the time. So I am just now getting around to posting it. I also need to say that I named my little bag pattern. I seem to make up different bag patterns all & then need some way to identify the pattern pieces. So I decided that since this came from my mom I am going to call it the “Barbara Jean” bag. Cute huh? I think that she will get a kick out of it. I am toying with the idea of opening an Esty shop & listing a few things. I was thinking that this bag might be really nice in a couple different sizes. I picked up a great thrifted sheet the other day & thought that I would make myself another one of these to actually put my library books in. Hmmm…….

Maybe I will make up some bracelets too. I got a burst of inspiration the other night & made a cute little bracelet as a cheer up gift. That kind of got me back in the mood to make some jewelry. Hmmmmmm….. now if I could just add about 4 hours to my day I might find the time so get to all my great ideas!

Here a Chick, there a Chick, everywhere a Chick, Chick……

This post is for LLA, 1) because I hope that she is feeling better & 2) because we were discussing how “theme” gifts can get out of hand (she has a friend & there was a teapot incident.

Last spring I ordered baby chicks from Murray McMurray Hatchery, and let me tell you that there is nothing like picking up a box of 36 baby chicks from the post office at 7am. They hand you this box with air holes & insistent peeping pouring from it. It is rather entertaining & then when you get the chicks home the real fun begins, but that is another story for another day.

So about this time I needed a new shower curtain & just could not find something that I wanted. So I got the bright idea to make one. I found some cute fabric with chickens on it at Wal-Mart & for about what it would have cost me to buy on I made my own shower curtain.




Well them my MIL got a hold of the idea of a chicken themed bathroom & started sending me chicken stuff, then my aunt-in-law got in on it, my step sister(the blue cicken plate), my boss & even our neighbor (left the black chicken in our coop for me to find & thrifted a table cloth for me too).





So now I have chicken stuff coming out of my ears!!! All of this because I ordered baby chicks & made a chicken shower curtain.



So I hope that you learn from my experience, don’t mention that you like something around the in-laws because it is possible that you will end up being besieged by theme gifts for every conceivable occasion until your DH finally has enough & says “Ma no more chicken s*#$ please!”.

Flashing your what? Shocking!

Ok I hadn’t intended on posting this sort of thing on my blog but Angela keeps flashing hers (living room that is) so I thought I would play along.

Now let me preface this by saying that when we lived in Florida we had a 1800 sq ft house with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, living room, dining room, family room, laundry room & 2 car garage. Now we have a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 1 living/dining/kitchen/laundry room 1036 sq ft house with a detached garage that has an additional room on the back of it, that now houses 75% of our belongings because they don’t’ fit into the house & are still in the boxes/totes that moved them up here. We do however have 11 acres now & had intended on building a house here, but that is another story for another day.

So anyhoo here is my less than fab living room.

Looking from the dining area:



Looking from the "master" bedroom doorway:



My thrifted wall art:

Found!

Ok so I haven’t been posting much. I feel that if it isn’t craft, sewing or thrifting related I shouldn’t post it. & seeing as I can’t post pictures from home & I have to burn them to a disk to do it from work I just haven’t been prepared for posting pictures. Why do I feel this way, I don’t know seeing as this is my blog. Hello, I can post whatever I want. Well duh!

So I was reading LLA’s Blog, about the “little gift” that her husband brought her home. Honestly I cracked up. Naturally I had to check out the website & found this. I was in tears!!!! I don’t know if it the stress of late, my sick sense of humor or what but I laughed so hard I cried! Thanks Laura!!! I needed that!

Thrift & the birthday gift

Here are my thrifty finds for last weekend. MIL Joyce & I spent John’s birthday (Hey don’t look at me like that! He was at a shoot with the guys & that was what he wanted to do it’s not like we abandon him!) down in Schoolcraft at 2 antique stores. That’s right it took us the better part of a day to get through 2 antique stores! If you are ever passing though the south west corner to Michigan and have a day to kill, I highly recommend going to Schoolcraft. It is a tiny town & from the looks of them you would not have thought that these two stores have much going on. Oh my gosh! They are packed full & the one is huge!


The first one we went to was pack to full & had a basement to look through. I don’t usually like those stores that are so full that you have to me careful not to create a landslide when you want to look at something, but this one was fairly organized & there was so much to look at. Some things were a little pricy for me, but I did find an embroidered towel, some neat buttons & a bunch of vintage patterns. Most of which I will probably sell, but the price was right (3 for a $1!).

Then the next one was just huge! Over 9000 sq ft! The down stairs is all more expensive china & such, but up stairs (which spans 4 store fronts!) there is about anything that you would want. The prices where actually pretty good, I got the two Blue Ridge saucers for a $1 each, pillow case for $.50, 2 napkins for $1.25. Not too bad. We will defiantly be going back there.

Ok now on to the previously discussed birthday gift. I found the fabric & have it mostly cut out.

I think that it is cute & I am sure that much like everything else I give her it will never be used (case in point she still has the crockpot that belonged to my mom & dad got as a wedding gift, so it is over 33 years old, I bought her a new one that the inside comes out of a couple years ago, never seen her use it. She still uses the old one & I haven’t even seen the other one around. Oh well, that was $30 well spent). So on to the bag. I am going to use the navy print for the outside pocket & lining, yellow gingham for the outside, bird houses for the inside organizer, & green gingham for the inside pocket. I haven’t actually started sewing it yet. I’ll up date you when I do.

James & the Giant Peach or was it an Egg?

This I just have to post!!! One of my chickens laid the most HUMUNGOUS egg the other day!!!!

Of beads & baubles……

I was telling my friend Gina that I treated myself to some beads the other day. Not that I need them mind you. I have 2 large plastic totes full of divided containers, bags & jars of beads, but I have been in such a slump lately with making jewelry I hoped that maybe by getting something new I would be inspired. This is not the best arrangement for storing things, it’s hard to see what I have or find what I am looking for but it’s the only one I have at the moment. I did decide yesterday that I needed a new arrangement for how the beads are arranged in the smaller containers in the larger totes. I need to get them organized by main color instead of by material. I started on that last night & made some head way but I think that I am going to need some more floss boxes first. So as I sifted though the first couple boxes grouping beads by main color I did get a little inspired & made a couple of items.

The first is a bright & cheering colorful bracelet that I am going to call my “Beat the Monday Blahs” bracelet. I wore it on Monday & found myself looking at it often as I trudge through another blah Monday work day.

Then I finally put to use a nickel from 1868 coin that my dad gave me a couple years ago. I think he got it off Ebay & it came with 2 holes drilled in it. He thought I might be able to make something out of it. So I made a bracelet, with the coin, matching earrings & a necklace from a silver Celtic cross that I picked up at a garage sale a few years ago.


I think that might be a good start to getting out of my jewelry making slump. If I can keep at it that is!

Thrifty finds!

Before heading home from my short day of work last Friday I stopped by Goodwill. It turned out to be a good choice! I found several “vintage” sewing patterns. I doubt that I will keep most of them as they are for little girl’s dresses, but I thought that they were neat & I would be able to finds a good home for them on Ebay once I make sure they aren’t missing any pieces. Then since we were at Brush Creek Antiques Joyce & I made another turn around the shop “just incase” they had something new.

Between Goodwill & Brush Creek I ended up with some great little treasures. I found a curtain & valance in a vintage pink & grey flower print, a length of fabric with a cute bright floral print, a funny little oval cup thing (might have been a cigarette cup back when such things were expectable.) and a couple vintage hankies that I have plans of turning into some cute purses. (They are in my head anyway).

Birthday Gift Dilemma

I am trying to figure out what to make my step mom for her birthday next month. Which sounds nice doesn’t it? To bad they (my dad, step mom, ½ bro, step sis & her hubby) have treated us like the plague since we moved 1500 + miles from FL to MI in Oct. 2003, only picking MI for our move because they were here. We would have moved out west somewhere (MT, WY, CO, NM, ID, etc) had we known, but you know that whole hindsight thing….. I digress….

Back to the birthday gift, I am thinking that I would like to make her McCall’s #4851 Tote with the insert.



Now after reading above you might wonder why I would bother. Aha I have a hidden agenda. I think that this looks like the perfect candidate for this year’s Christmas gifts for Mom, MIL Joyce, Aunt-in-law Betty, etc etc. Mom quilts, MIL Joyce x-stitch, Betty loves the beach etc etc.

So I had hoped to find a review of this pattern on PR but no such luck. I even tried Googling it, nothing but EBay listings. So with any luck I might hear from someone that made it, will read this & give me some tips.

If not I am going to forage ahead & make it anyway. That way I will know if it will be too much of a pain to make in multiples for Christmas. I have to go by Wally World (or as Gina calls it Wallace & Martin, makes me smile every time!) tonight, I will have to check out the $1.00. Only the best right!?

Actually I find some real treasures on there quite often. I will let you know what I find.

Pictures are you there?

This blogging thing has a definite learning curve. I finally got the comment section to work, then figured out that if I actually leave comments on other peoples blogs with my blog addy that they will leave me comments (well duh I know but it’s like learning a new culture or something!). I kept fighting with my blog to post pictures & I finally thought that I got that right, but now Autum says that she can’t see them, but I can!

Are they just red “X” for everyone else too, or are there actual pictures there?

Blue Ridge to remember........

On Friday MIL Joyce & I ran out to the Brush Creek Antiques to recovering my left behind birthday gift to me salt shaker. I have since discovered that the name of my latest Blue Ridge Pottery pattern is Bittersweet according to the Blue Ridge Pottery Pattern Identification Page. Aren’t they just too cute?!



I have been reading up on Blue Ridge Pottery/China/Dinnerware by Southern Potteries. It has an interesting history. In brief Blue Ridge China Company started in 1938. The china was designed and individually hand painted by local women in Erwin Tennessee. Southern Potteries, AKA Blue Ridge, stopped producing dinnerware in 1957. I read somewhere on the net that there are over 400 different patterns of this hand painted pottery along with 11 different shapes or line treatments.

I first fell in love with Fiestaware & Blue Ridge Pottery as a kid. My mom had a couple Fiestaware pieces & a Blue Ridge fruit bowl in the Mountain Ivy pattern. As Martha Stewart in all her domestic wisdom found it necessary a few years ago to highlight Fiestaware on her show the prices have shot up to more than I am able or willing to spend. I acquired that little Mountain Ivy fruit bowl when my mom got remarried. Then in the summer of 2003 we spent 2 ½ months with our friends John & Jen, in Sussex County New Jersey between moving from FL to MI. John was one of my John’s best friends & the best man at our wedding. Let’s just say that this was time well spent as we knew that our time with John was limited.

While we were there I found a Mountain Ivy dinner plate in one of the quaint local antique shops. It took 3 times of going to the same shop over the course of those months for me to finally buy it. They were asking more than I wanted to spend for it ($15.00 I think). Seeing as we were moving to MI with no jobs & not working while in NJ it wasn’t high on the priority list to be buying more dishes. I just couldn’t let it pass. I ended up buying it near the end of our stay & now I am so glad that I did. Every time I look at that plate I think of that summer & how the fates granted us that time with John. I smile because he would have liked that I started collecting Blue Ridge Pottery. Just one last little jab to annoy my John with.

Thanks Rain Man for the excuse to have yet one more thing to collect, although I would trade all my collections to have you here to deliver your own jabs in the way only you can.

The Bloging "In Crowd"

I have been totally sucked into this whole blog thing. Not that I write that much in my own but I am completely addicted to reading everyone else’s! I only had a couple, mostly sewing related ones, that I was reading only a short time ago & then BAM! I would find where some referenced another blog, then another then another! I must have 20 or more saved to my favorites now. They are so entertaining & inspiring with everyone one sharing their stories & little projects that they are working on. I read them & then I am a little sad because it is like they all know one another. They are always talking about swaps that they are in, or the little package of goodies that they send or received from one of their “blog” friends. It’s almost like being the class geek looks across the cafeteria at the cool kid table trying to figure out how you can break into the “in crowd”. For example here are some of the blogs that I have taken to reading & you can see that many of them know each other.


Color Fool
Pink Trees
Lucky Beans
Bella Dia
Suburban Bliss
Simple Sparrow

That is not to say that I haven’t found wonderful friends through the glory that is the internet. In that area I have been blessed to find Gina, who shares my obsession for shooting & costuming, & Judy, who I bombard with regular clothes sewing questions and share gossip from the PR sewing soap opera, but how do you break into the Blog cliques I do not know.

I guess for now I will just plug away at my own wimpy blog that I am not sure anyone even reads & share my newest finds with the black hole that is cyber space.

Speaking of finds! How cute are these??? If only I could read Japanese!



But I think that I nearly have the little crocheted & patchwork bags figured out thanks to this thread on craftster.org.



This one will take some doing but I think that if I had enough time I could manage to make this one as well.

When did birthdays lose their magic?

So Sunday I celebrated my 3rd 29th birthday in a row. Yup I officially stopped aging 2 summers ago at 29. We have been so stressed with our house vs. “The Man” situation (I would need a week to explain it all & you would be shocked if I did. Let me just say that buyer beware! Even if a house is 16 years old & listed by a nationally known realtor that doesn’t mean that it was built legally or that the Township you live in won’t wait till 2 years after you bought to come after you as if you were the ones that built it! Then you better hope that you live in some state where the attorney’s are willing to help you, hint hint that place does not seem to be SW MI). That said it was not the best birthday. John is stressed; I am stressed soooo….. we didn’t have anything planned which always depresses me because I hope every year that someone will have some big wonderful surprise for me & then stupid me I am disappointed when they don’t. You would think that after 31 year, er I mean 29 years, I would know better!!! Not to say that all my birthdays have always been horrid I fondly remember my 13th & 16th birthdays as being really good, but a pretty dry spell since then.

So we were kind of blah in the morning. John finished up running the new phone line for the computer (I no longer have phone cord stretched ½ across the house & running under the throw rugs) which I am grateful for but not really how I thought I would spend the first ½ of the day. Now don’t ask me how I thought I would as I have no idea but that was not it. We did go out to a nice lunch; the weather was beautiful so we sat outside. That was very nice. Then we went to a couple antique stores. I love looking at other people’s old “stuff”. I found a couple great treasures! MIL Joyce had given me some birthday $ & I put it to good use!

Here is what I got:



2 dark yellow Fiesta ware saucers ($1.50 each). They are old ones. The Pyrex box is from Joyce. I was telling her that I have 2 without lids & to keep her eye out for just lids. She snuck back & bought the whole thing for me. I don’t know why but I just love them!







A box Blue Ridge Pottery for (drum role) $15.00! It contained a sugar bowl w/ lid, creamer, platter, salt & pepper shakers, gravy boat, 5 dinner plates, 6 cake/bread plates & 6 saucers. You will notice that the salt shaker is missing from the pictures. Well when I was unwrapping everything last night I realized that the salt shaker was missing. It was too late to call the store & they are closed today but I have my fingers crossed that it was left on the counter & that they will have it.

Then Joyce also gave me a cream & sugar set shaped like chickens. We have this chicken thing going on. I have a chicken themed bathroom & the chicken stuff is supposed to be contained to there but it is starting to over flow to the rest of the house, much to John’s chagrin. We have entirely too much “chauch” he says & he is probably right.

So not a terrible birthday, but I was very disappointed when we went to the store to got dinner. Joyce said that she would either take me out or we could pick up whatever I wanted. My favorite thing is snow crab legs. Well true to the way things have been going they were out of them at the seafood counter. They did however have them in the frozen fish stick section, frozen in a box. I am sure that at some point the seafood counter crab legs are also frozen but I was not willing to take a chance on these fish stick neighbors for the price that they wanted for them. So for my 3rd 29th birthday dinner we had grilled turkey dogs, sweet corn & tator tots. I know that is a lot of starch but my birthday is only once a year! We were going to have root beer floats for dessert but no body stayed awake long enough! Oh well maybe tonight.

Where did the weekend go?

Ugh it is Monday again. Where does the weekend go?

MIL Joyce arrived Fri nigh from FL. She actually managed to get here without incident. This is her 4th time visiting since we moved to MI & has had a major problem of some kind or another with her flight every time! We thought that might also be the case this time when she called at 4:50pm to tell us that her flight that was supposed to leave at 4:45pm hadn’t even arrived at the gate yet! Not a big deal if you don’t have a connecting flight to catch or if you are flying into an airport that has more than like 10 flights leaving daily. We have both of these issues to contend with. If you haven’t ever had the pleasure of visiting the lovely Kalamazoo International Airport (international because I think that they have 1 flight that goes to Canada weekly) I have to tell you that we have one jet way & I believe that was add in the last 10 years or so. Yeah now you can understand the dilemma, but she made it without any more problems.

Saturday Joyce & I made one of those fabric covered bulletin boards with the criss crossing ribbons/ric rac (something like this). Only I used what I had on hand with exception of the ric rac & fabric (off the $1.00 table at Wally World). I am going to hang it above my sewing table once I can actually get at it. The sewing table is in Joyce’s room. Before she got here we moved the computer desk out & I had to remove about a ton of fabric from the bed for her to have a place to sleep. So my sewing table is buried in piles of I am not sure what. As soon as I can get to it & clean it off I will get the board hung & get a picture. It came out pretty cute.

Sat afternoon we went to our friend’s parent’s 50th Wedding anniversary. That was pretty fun, good food & family gossip (& it’s not your own family so bonus!). A couple weeks ago when talking to the bride of honor she told me that she would making the cake for her own party because 1) she enjoys it & 2) people would complain if she didn’t. Well when she said “the cake” that apparently means 6 cakes of assorted kinds of bakery quality in SW Michigander speak!!!! The carrot cake was wonderful!

Goodness I am glad that I am not paying for this Blog because I certainly haven’t written enough since having to make it worth spending $.

I am very excited though because I have found several new blogs this week & I have figured out how to add a “links” section to my blog! Yippy! Now if I am able to post this & have all my links work I will really be over the moon!

We have been pretty busy. Where shall I start…..

I was asked last fall, by Pepper Box Pete, if I would be interested in participating in a CAS shooting demo for a kid’s camp, for 10-15 year olds. They have been doing for a few years but hadn’t had a woman participate & since the camp is for both boys & girls they thought it might be nice. We had the first one on June 12th. The camp is held at Willow Lakes Sportsman’s Club through the Safari Club International. It was a lot of fun & they have a beautiful facility there in Three Rivers.

This past weekend we shoot at West Walker in the 2 day Michigan State Black Powder Championship Smoke on the Rangeput on by Two Rig a Tony. We had a blast! We weren’t able to shoot black powder but maybe next year. We met some great shoots that we don’t get to shoot with often as they often shoot at Hidden Valley, like Lucky Lenny, Cactus Kay & Dakota Doc. We were also lucky enough to have to have some of our posse regular to shoot with, Cayuse Jack, Dakota Fats, Jorge Guapo, & Bent Leg Jimmy. I made a shirt that Tony gave away as a door prize. I have a couple pictures of the lucky winner I will have to see about posting them. I also pasted out a few cards. We’ll see if I get some business.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I love the show The Office. I don’t know what it is about that show but it just cracks me up! Maybe it’s because I can recognize many of the characters in the many office co-workers that I have had through out the years. Anyhooo I think that it is very cool that several of the actors have their own pages on My Space. One that I particularly enjoy reading her blogs is Jenna that plays Pam. She wrote a very generous in my opinion anyway account of what it is like to become an actor in LA & gave some great advice to all the hopefuls out there.

So in other news we spent Sat & Sun shooting. Then Mon. cleaning & trying to make room for my MIL Joyce to have a place to sleep when she gets here tonight! We moved our monstrous computer desk out into the living room. I have many hopes for this new arrangement.

First I hope that having it nearer the door will prevent bills & all the other mail from piling up on the dinning room table.

Second that it will be easier for me to use the computer at night & I will be more apt to post & return e-mails at home then at work. Not that it matters but often times I have pictures that I want to post/e-mail & I don’t have them with me at work. So that means that I have to burn them to a disk & bring them to work.

Third that it will free up more room for my sewing “stuff” in the guest/sewing room. I did move a small dresser from our room in there to give our room a little more space, but it doesn’t take up nearly as much room as that desk did. Joyce is great at arranging furniture so I hope that she will help me come up with a great arrangement while she is here.

And I think that concludes this blog. What you don't think that I wrote enough? Yeah right! I doubt that would ever be complaint about me. Just ask, Gina, Chris, Judi & Jason they would agree that this is not an issue that I have!

The Brown Dress Project

There are a couple other sewing & craft related Blogs that I frequent. Dress A Day being one of them. Check out her entry for June 18th, about The Little Brown Dress Project. Good Grief!

I mean really what kind of a point is this woman trying to make?

As someone pointed out in the comment section people have been adroning themselves since the begining of time so how is that consumerism? As an artist I would think that she could appreciate the art & skill that goes into creating a garment, jewelry, etc......

Seems to me that her little stunt is just away to get noticed & "sell" herslef as an artist. Hey isn't that consumerism on a very personal level?

Fabric bundles & pattern sales.

I don't know what was going on with my previous post but I could not for the life of me get it to come out right. So I am adding a whole new post for this part of it.

I broke down & ordered from Fabric Mart. Everyone on PR has been going on & on about their bundles for months. Then http://www.stacysews.com/was showing off what she got & I was really digging the pinstripes. Of course I did not get one pinstripe in my order! It was kind of fun but now I am left wondering what in the world to do with these fabrics!

Silk, poly, rayon, suiting bundle
Designer Bundle

I think that I might have one idea so far. The green, cream, tan, blue boucle plaid I think will end up being this
jacket.

Fingers crossed that Joann’s will have the new Simplicity patterns out tomorrow when they have them for $1.99, because there are a few that I want. Like this 1895 Dress & these Build by Wendy Pants.

Vest Sewing

Ugh I can’t believe that is was May 31st when I posted last! I have been busy!

I have been working feverously on getting John’s vest done, so that I can make the one that I will actually get paid for. I hadn’t made the pattern before & had heard that it ran small & seeing as I only have measurements to go off for the other 2 that I need to make & not a live body I used him as my guinea pig. Not that he is complaining mind you. It’s funny that he gets excited over new shooting cloths but new regular clothes not so much. I am making it out of a striped denim with a little lycra in it. Unfortanutley we didn’t notice when we were buying that the stripes run horizontal & not vertical! It was wide enough that I cut the vest out so that the stripes run vertical, but now so does the stretch. Oh well. It doesn’t really seem to be a problem. As to the vest pattern I haven’t found it to be big at all. In fact I had to take some out of the side seams & the back seam to get the nice snug fit that John wanted. I just need him to try it on one last time & then I can finish it up & move on to the next one.