I was blue, just as blue as I could be Every day was a cloudy day for me Then good luck came a-knocking at my door Skies were gray but they're not gray anymore
Blue skies
Smiling at me Nothing but blue skies
Do I see
Never saw the sun shining so bright Never saw things going so right Noticing the days hurrying by When youre in love, my how they fly
I finished a strappy bag...I should have taken a picture of the inside. Note to self: take a photo of the inside next time!
And in other news, I found the GeicoGecko. He's been on a mission, looking for someone special in his life. Poor thing, I found him one afternoon, literally on my screen door. I invited him in, but he said "No, I'm looking for me mum." And off he ran, but not before I was able to snap a photo of the ever-elusive lizard. Geico is desperate to find him... have you seen their new lame spokesperson? A wad of cash with eyes? Don't worry, Gecko. I'll never turn you over to Geico!
Oh, dear! I am totally, freakishly obsessed with making these little suckers! And soon! How adorable are they? Check it out...Bakerella is honest-to-goodness, unbelievably talented. These little chicks are just the tip of the iceberg...she has other goodies, too!
Melany, are you up for a day of creating? I'm thinking sewing machines and cake mix...until I find something else to add to the list.
Heather Bailey fabric...so vibrant, yet so difficult to capture the fabric's rich colors on film. It's amazing how many photos I had to take of this purse, in different areas of the house before I captured a decent picture. For instance, I had it hanging on our green front door...not good. Then I laid it on the carpeting. Ugh! Hanging off the pool controls, that was much better! Love the button on the flap...I didn't have the purse with me when I bought it, but it matches perfectly. What a vibrant summer purse.
The old business card holder. I forgot to upload a picture of the inside. There are double pockets for sliding business cards in, or for stashing credit cards. The darn thing makes me thirsty just looking at it. Where's my cabana boy when I need him?
Mom gave me these guys. They're little chicks, made out of bells. I couldn't resist taking their pictures. But must they always be fighting?
Next up: my chicken potholders. But right now, I need to go pick up my sewing machine from the doctor's...wish it had health insurance.
These are a lovely bouquet from my weekend with Jesus and "the girls." What a great time we had! I'd like to give a great big "hello" to Martha, Maureen, Lara, Rita and Frances...they were my table girls. There were about 35 women in total and darn, I'm going to have a really hard time remembering their names. We laughed, we prayed, we cried, we thought and boy, did we eat! It was a wonderfully reflective weekend, beautiful in so many different ways.
No, I didn't start a pillow fight & I didn't freeze anyone's bra. There were quite a few young whipper-snappers who kept the joint hopping. Steam-rolling the other women, giggling until who knows when, prank-pulling...thank God for sending us these fun little gems.
Now that I've recuperated, I'm back to sewing. Tomorrow, I'll post some pictures of my most recent projects.
Meet Pastor Walter Hoye. His Civil Rights have been violated, as he was arrested and jailed for holding a sign that simply read, "Jesus loves you and your baby. Let us help you."
The basic, fundamental rights of Americans, especially Christian Americans, are under assault. God established America as a country destined to accomplish great things, by her people. But if the hands of those who are willing to do good works are bound by anti-religion legislators, there will be great risk to those people who are willing to serve their brothers and sisters in need. As I recall, very few politicians were in the flooded streets of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, helping those who had lost their way of life. How many church communities sent delegations to help the devastated? Sent supplies and resources, prayers and money to those who were destitute. Volunteers who did not have their photos plastered on the front of newspapers or on film for the television networks. Those who made the greatest contributions to and for society did them silently, with no recognition...only those who received their support and God, witnessed these acts. And so it is with most of us, in the measures we help others.
Please don't sit by and let these courts and laws dismantle our liberty...take a stand and fight for the injustices that are being piled upon our shoulders, laws that seek to bind and silence us.
Can you not feel the oppression that is in the air? Are you not worried about whether your children's children will be able to worship freely? Little by little, chip by chip, our freedom is being taken from us.
You may support Pastor Hoye at this, his incarceration address: Walter B. Hoye II PFN# BGR852 Santa Rita Jail 5325 Broder Blvd. Dublin, CA 94568-3309
I'll be spending my weekend here. I'm participating in a weekend retreat called "CRHP," which stands for "Christ Renews His Parish." I report on Saturday morning, spend the night and will return home Sunday afternoon. Spending the weekend with a gaggle of women and Jesus could be quite a bit of fun. The only one I know well is Jesus. The rest, I haven't a clue. Do you think a pillow fight is in order? Perhaps I might start one and see what happens. Do you think there's a possibility that I'd be sent home for initiating a pillow-attack? I'm hoping to return home all refreshed and serene, ready to begin my week with a whole new attitude.
Have a lovely weekend. I can't wait to catch up with you all on Monday afternoon.
***my sewing machine is sick...can't get it back until mid-next week...so sad for me.
Honestly, I am sooo spitting mad! I'm hearing reports that the Congress and Administration are considering passing emergency legislation to adopt Parliamentary Procedure...in effect, eliminating the voice of the minority. What happened to the rights of the individual?
Wait, I must stop myself dead in my tracks. Let's talk. I've tried to keep my political views out of my blog, as not everyone agrees with my views. And I don't want to tick anyone off (I never use the "P" word. I could say, "I don't want to urinate anyone off..."), driving my dear readers away. I am a political madwoman. I wish I had been this interested in politics in my younger years, perhaps now I'd be Speaker of the House. Can I have an "Amen?" Mybrother is so much more eloquent than I, his views are similar to mine, but he is so much more concise and reins in his emotions. He researches his posts, whereas I just get beside myself, shoot from the hip and proceed to vent.
So I'm asking you: should I just stick to my "fluff" or is it OK to spew venomous political views, when warranted? Once in awhile. Or do you think I'll sound too urinated all the time?
Our Birthday Adventure ended with a drive down the street, to the St. John's River. Although extremely windy, the scenery was lovely. Florida won't be this lush and green for very long...soon, the grass will be tired and burned, along with my skin. Tomorrow, I shall be traipsing along this brick path with who else, but my Birthday Twin. Which Twin? Does it really matter? Either one can kick my butt when it comes to walking/running. And they're both so charming!
Mom? You're my movie partner...we've got 'em beat on those!
Meet the identical Birthday Girls, Irene and Ivy. Or is it Ivy and Irene? Hello...which one is which? Oh, I know who's-who. But do you? Hmmmm? OK, I'll tell you. Aunt Irene is on the left. She just completed the River Run here in Jacksonville, a 10-mile run right at about 2.5 hours. The amazing fact is (shhhhh, don't tell anyone...they're 84-yrs. old!). Ivy, also my mother-in-law, is my walking partner. She motivates me to walk the bridges and she witnessed me walking faster than a locomotive. She jogs, too. So amazing. When tying her shoes, she bends down like a kindergartner. Now that's pretty flexible! We laughed, we talked, we sipped real tea...what fun these ladies are! I'm so glad that I married her son, her nephew! No old stick-in-the-mud mother-in-law for me! No sir, I have a real firecracker! And her firecracker sister!
This lovely picture is of the two identical birthday girls and my Mom. Look at how pretty Mom's skin is. Mom is (shhhhhhh, don't tell anyone) 74! (I know it's not nice to give ages, but when women look as incredible as these three, pride trumps etiquette). Mom and I treated the Twins to lunch at a wonderful tea room in an area of town known as Five Points. Lunch was delicious and we topped it off with scones. Oh my, they were soooo delicious. I forgot to mention that our Twins are British. Mom and I let them order our tea, 'cause quite frankly, we know nothin' 'bout tea!
I've fallen in love with this little tea pot and cups. So cute! Hello, Kitties! We poked around the merchandise and "oohed" and "aahed" over it all.
What a charming tea set. Everything is set up just so. It's really quite quaint. How many tea sets does a British woman own? No, it's not a joke, I'm serious. Twins? What's the answer?
This is the wall on the way to the loo. Do you know what a "loo" is? Yes, it's the ladies room. I thought a little British lingo was appropriate at this time. Go and share your new knowledge.
Thanks for a lovely day, Birthday ladies and Lady Mom.
Tomorrow, a few more photos of the Twins and Mom.
Oh, there's one more thing...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINDA!
Linda is my sister-in-law and if she lived in Florida, she'd have been sipping tea with us, too!
There's a really nice giveaway over at Fresh Poppy Design. They're giving away 3 free original quilt patterns, which is very generous. I'd be happy winning one pattern. But if Random chooses me, I'm definitely taking all three patterns. It's poor manners to not be a gracious winner. I found these cute sisters through Heather Bailey's March of the Tools. These sisters have some very cute patterns. Please hop on over there and check out their designs.
Today's featured guest on Heather Bailey's "March of the Tools" flew in today all the way in from her hometown of "Storkville." She has something on her beak, it must be leftover from breakfast. We'll excuse her, as she's been working very hard these last few days on oodles of put-off projects.
"She's" really a pair of applique scissors, as I'm sure you all knew. I love these scissors! They're razor sharp and perfect for applique work. I don't do a whole lot of applique, but when I do, these scissors are invaluable to me. They cut right up to the stitching, without the fear of the opposite side of the points cutting into the material. These are also great for cutting thread close to your fabric, at the end of a seam. I'd have to say, these are one of my favorite tools in my messy sewing room.
Thank you stork, for your visit. You may go back to work now.
Heather Bailey has invited me (not really, anyone can participate) to play along in her "March of the Tools" feature...she's one talented lady! If you don't know who she is, please click over right now, right HERE. For the rest of you, pay attention! I've chosen the ever popular "ham" to be my featured tool. And here she is:
A Scottish ham, so it seems. You can tell a Scottish ham by it's plaid skin. Perfect to use in those pesky, tight places that a regular ironing board won't allow. For instance, in a little purse. Let's say you wish to iron around the bottom of the curved seam of the cute little purse once it's all sewn together...just insert the ham and run your hot iron over it. That hard-to-reach spot is now smooth as a whistle! I just love my Scottish ham!
Here's a pink, American ham. You can tell by the color of it's skin. No plaid on this little oinker. It's kind of cute, but I wouldn't want to stick it in my purse. Not to mention how difficult it would be to hang on to while running your hot iron over it. I guess if you were to iron it, you'd end up with this...
Which really isn't a bad thing...it might ruin your cute little purse, but on the other hand, you'd have a really yummy snack.
There's a "March of the Tools" button right over there in my side-bar...click it and see what others are saying about their favorite tools. Go on, GIT!!!!
Hey kiddos, Lola is starting her purse tutorialtoday! There's still time to get your fabric and sew-along with all the other Lolalites. Today's step is ironing your fabric and cutting out your pieces. The actual sewing won't begin until Monday. :( Sad for me, but :) happy for you if you need to go out and buy some fabric. If this is your first attempt at making a bag or even sewing, Wal-Mart has some cute fabric at excellent prices. Or Joann's...they always have something on sale.
Because Lola has decided to torture us by not starting the actual sewing until Monday, you have today and tomorrow to get yourself together, to jump on the bandwagon, to follow the leader, to march to the beat...you get my drift. Happy sewing, I'm sooooooo excited!
Oh, no! Look at what I found...I'm swooning. What to make with this, what to make? The colors are just gorgeous...I'm hoping that someday, my darn photographer will master that Photoshop program, so that the colors will pop right out of the monitor. We can only hold our breath. This fabric is so tropical and cabana-ish, so very Florida! Any suggestions? I'd love to hear your ideas...
I found this fabric and thought what cute potholders it would make. I have to say (oops, hi Randi!), that I was right. The photo doesn't do these cuties justice...darn photographer! Nontheless, the polka dots create a lovely, fun background for the apples. How do these work, you ask? You stick your four fingers in one apple-side and your thumb in the other side, much like working a puppet. I'll be listing these soon. There's some cute chicken fabric...are chickens still popular for the kitchen? I think I'll go grab an apple and ponder that idea...
Kathy and I had lunch at the museum. We thought it might be fun to attend the Catholic Women's Club, to see what it was all about. After all, there was to be a guest speaker and a delicious luncheon...
Upon arriving, we paid for our lunch and bought a ticket for the 50/50 drawing. Kathy and I were the youngest in attendance...let's just say that we were the black sheep in a big box of Q-tips. But what fun those ladies were! If I didn't know better, I would have thought we were in a sitcom. Turns out that I knew the guest speaker, the Director of the Help Center at which I volunteer. I think that perhaps he was happy to see a familiar face amongst all those Cougars. The president of the CWC brought two registration forms to our table, in the chance we decided to join this venerable group of white-haired ladies. We politely thanked her, laying the applications on the table next to our plates. We forgot about them and enjoyed our lunch.
Time for the guest speaker...who, by the way, gave a lovely talk about what we do at the center. He was very informative, warm, and funny. The only man in the room, he had those ladies eating out of his hand. Lovely ladies, gracious and very friendly. They kept insisting that Kathy and I drink some wine. "No, thank you...10:45 is a little early for us." The speaker wraps up his speech and it's time for the drawing. "Number 138, number 138..." Woo-hoo, that's my ticket! I've won twelve dollars! Oh, I'm being instructed not to return to my seat, to please remain standing at the podium. "Yes Ma'am." Miss Dorothea, the president, calls Kathy up front to join me. She then introduces us to the gathering and asks the sweet ladies to welcome the two new members to the club. Surprise! I didn't know that we had joined! What dastardly deed had Kathy committed while I was collecting my money? Did she truly have time to fill out the two applications and pay for the registrations? No, the fact is this: Miss Dorothea is a master recruiter. How could we not now join these sweet little ladies in their monthly meetings at the art gallery? Sipping wine before noon, flavored iced tea, followed by coffee? Who could honestly resist this patrician ritual? Besides, Kathy and I were granted a discount and had only to pay half-price for the registration. What a deal! What a lovely afternoon! Thanks for the invitation, Kathy. I wouldn't have missed it for the world!
Oh, look at these sweet little angels. Bare-bottomed, hugging each other...makes me want to go right up and pinch their little sweet cheeks!
What's this? Oh goodness, that's just not right! Hey, Kathy noticed it, too! It's not just me.
Oh my gosh, lunch was a hoot! Kathy and I had sooooo much fun! I'll fill you in on our excellent adventure tomorrow. I remembered to take my camera, thus was able to shoot some photos of the lovely museum gardens. In the meantime, I did finish the little purse. And in the photo, you are able to see the worn-out cutting matt...why didn't I use a different backdrop? I don't know...I tried, but the natural light in my sewing room is so perfect. I'm going to have to come up with something better...
Oh, I didn't take a nap...just want to clear that up. I did run to the store and get the necessary gallon of milk it takes to nourish a teenage boy. It should last a day or two. And with that, I guess I should get busy and accomplish some housework. On deck are some new potholders, just too adorable! Really. I'll have them ready by tomorrow.
I've had this fabric for ages and haven't had a clue as to what I should make with it. So at exactly 11:30 PM last night, I decided that I'd make a pleated purse, only not that late at night. I waited until 7:30 this morning to get started. But now, I need to get ready for a luncheon date with my friend, Kathy. We're meeting up at the Cummer Art Museum for mass, a luncheon and a guest speaker. So I must put my project aside and spend the rest of the morning applying my makeup with my trowel, much as a drywaller applies spackle to his seams. Why can't I just wake up and look beautiful...why must I instead look like Whistler's Mother? (I thought I'd keep with the whole museum theme). Hopefully, I'll remember to take my camera...perhaps I'll have some lovely photos to share with you later on. If not, maybe I'll finish that little purse up there. If not, maybe I'll take more pictures of the dog in her provocative poses and bore you to death. If not, maybe I'll just come home and take a nap. Yeah, maybe I'll just do that. Or not.
Today, I am praying. For all those who are frightened, who find themselves in what they believe to be an impossible situation. I pray that they will find an answer deep within their soul, that the Holy Spirit will whisper to them, "It's alright, I am here." Today, a child's life is in the balance. A baby in her mother's womb is fighting for her life; the struggle continues. I am tired, but am reinforced by these words...
...because ending a life won't erase the fact that a life once existed. Once created, a life cannot be "uncreated." I have many names upon my heart: for a frightened, illegal family; for a mother from Russia; for a young man who cannot face the prospects of being a father. So many more, so much heartache. If you're a prayerful person, I ask you to please pray for these very scared parents, as well as for those who counsel them.
You know that I love you all, thanks for listening, thank you for your prayers. God bless!
I needed to order some zippers, in zippy spring colors. It's important that the color of the zipper coordinates with the colors in the fabric. Same theory applies to your toe-nail polish coordinating with your lovely summer crops, pedal-pushers, whatever-they're-called...that's the theory, anyway. My nails never coordinate with my outfit. We're just lucky to have some non-chipped polish on the old toes! So I found a site that has mucho zipperos, in muy mucho colores. But what to choose, it's hard to know what the colors look like on a monitor!
So I ordered the color chart, with all 458 color swatches! It's lovely...now I can sit and coordinate zippers to my heart's content!
*For those of you with zipper-phobia, get over it! I too, broke out in hives when it came to installing zippers. But with a little practice and a zipper foot, they're rather easy to master.Now go, conquer the zippers of the world!
In the post below, I frantically sent out an SOS, begging for help with Elements... because I'm too impatient to figure it out myself. Then my friend Mindy, left me a stinging comment. NAGGING me, berating me for not having the brains to come up with a solution on my own. Quite frankly, she brought me to tears. Oh, the shame! So I marched my fingers over to YouTube, as she suggested, to see if there was a tutorial there. Yes, there were some tutorials, but nothing to help me with what I was needing to accomplish. So I went back to my Elements program, determined to prove to Mindy that I wasn't going to take the sting of her words lying down, that I am, in fact, smart enough to find the solution on my own. Well, Miss Why-don't-you-go-figure-it-out-for-yourself, I HAVE!
This is the before photo. I would like to cut the purse out of the photo, so that I can put it on my web site without the distraction of the background. With a little experimentation and the help of the Magic Extractor, I now have the following image:
I need to refine my technique with some practice, but oh! I love that Magic Extractor. See how the bag pops on a solid white background? The flamingos are adorable and the ball fringe or "pom-poms" look so bright!
Good-bye, Magic Wand! I shan't be disturbing you again. The Magic Extractor is my #1 editing tool. And as for Mindy...she didn't really nag me. I used literary liberty to spicen things up a bit. Because Mindy is a spicy senorita!
OK, I really need your help. I have Photoshop Elements and I desperately want to cut an element out of a picture and place it on a white background, but that darn magic wand is not cooperating! Can one of you help me? Please! I must be doing something wrong...I can't find a tutorial to help. I am crying! I know that someone out there is a wiz and will come to my rescue.
I hear she is a whiz of a wiz, if ever a wiz there was If ever, oh ever a whiz there was,
the Wizard of Elements is one because because, because, because, because, because Because of the wonderful things she does...
Thank you. I am now clicking my ruby red slippers and wishing for a wizard.
I made this little clutch over the weekend and today, toted my posterior to the store to purchase that exquisite diamond on the front. The clutch is a nice size, has a cute little handle on the back, is roomy and the colors are cheerful. I'll be posting it on my web site for a reduced price, due to the fact it's the first I've made from that pattern and shhhhh, I need to do some tweaking on the next go-around. I'll definitely be making a few more of these little babies.
Lola's getting ready to start a sew-along, the item we'll be making is some sort of purse. She did come out with a little clue as to what type of purse...a tote bag, of sorts! She's a vault! Won't tell us more than that, the little mynx! She's also shedding weight, what a loser! So if you're inclined to make a purse, head on over for a list of supplies and join us on March 14th! There's a button on my sidebar, go link up and check her out!
What does one do when one has nothing to blab about? One goes looking for a nifty link to share with one's friends. Where to go, where to go....? How about trusty Martha? I was attempting to navigate to a different project, until this one caught my eye. A cute little bag. Yes, that looks interesting. And oh, so easy! Me, I think I would reinforce those knots somehow, but so cute! Check it out! On a similar note, I made a nifty little clutch this weekend, but forgot to check out the cheap jewelery at Wal-Mart that I wanted to use to embellish the bag. Tomorrow, maybe I'll get my head out of ...THE CLOUDS (c'mon!) and remember to procure a sweet little embellishment and post the clutch. Probably won't happen...
Spring is in the air, time to tidy the yard and brighten the gardens. While I ran to the quilt shop, MacGyver cleaned the front garden. And boy, is he fast! What would have taken me a day, he accomplished in an hour. Raking the old foliage and mulch from the front bed, pulling the weeds and then bagging. As I pulled into the driveway, I was astonished at his industriousness. So being the helping mate that I am, I went in the house, changed my clothes, went to the garage and... hopped on the treadmill. Gotta walk...I promised my walking partner!
I watched as my industrious hubby took the bags of mulch off the bed of the truck, sliced open the bag and dump that mulch on the garden. It was probably after the 12th bag that I finally offered to help. So I spread the fertilizer over the front yard. Hey, someone had to do it! MacGyver finished by planting some lovely little flowers...have I ever told you that I kill plants just by thinking of them? It's true! So whatever you do, never give me a plant and expect it to live.
And that is what we did this weekend. May the flowers ignore me and live long & healthy lives.
Blue skies
Never saw the sun shining so bright
