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.