plaid shoes.

These brown/white plaid shoes beckoned to me.

They cried out, "Here I am! Choose me!"

Do you think I can get away wearing these with black capris? What if I told you that I won't know most of the people at the function, the majority being from out-of-town?

What if I told you that I could redeem myself later in the evening, with a smashing pair of black pumps that do match my outfit?

Would that make a difference to you? To them?

That later in the evening, they'll all be bellied up to the bar and shouldn't recollect the events that transpired earlier in the day, much less the fact that my shoes didn't match my outfit.

And then there were these.

I sold them last weekend. In the "Big Wind" sale.

I loved them and now I miss them. Because it's back to the drawing board.

Tomorrow: a photo of my new black pumps.

I know you can't wait to see them!

"soaper" day!

A funny thing happened this past weekend, at RAM.

It was windy...again. The tent felt like it was going to fly away. That's not what was funny.

We sold out of almost everything. Now I have to make scads of new stuff. That's not funny.

Jason's phone didn't stop ringing. Work problems. Definitely not funny.


We were neighbors with this delightful company, The Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe, Inc. What a precious, precious display of aromatic soaps, gels, sachets, balms. Oh my! The smell wafting in the air, surrounding our booth with luscious scents was really too much to handle. I wanted to run over and snatch some soap to place inside my purses, making them smell irresistible. I really should have done that...but that's not the funny part.

This is my new best friend, Mary. She is the owner-extraordinaire of PVSoaps. What a lovely lady. I asked her way too many questions, but she enthusiastically answered every one of them. What a talent! She holds soap-making classes in her home. Groovy! She also has soap-making recipes on her web site. Smashing! As well as all kinds of supplies, should you attempt this art in your own kitchen. Yikes!

This hip chick is Leslie. She is very funny. As we were taking apart our booths at the end of the show, I shared with her a kind of personal issue I was having at the time. Now most people would have thought I was weird, "off," or just plain creepy. Not Leslie. She discussed my dilemma with me and we had a nice little laugh over it. I like Leslie. That conversation was funny...

Look at that soap. Oh, my. It makes me want to march right on over to Mary's and buy more. You choose what fragrance appeals to your senses, then Mary or Leslie will take the whole wheel of soap over to the scale, cut off a slice and weigh it.

Then they wrap your yummy soap in tissue paper, complete with a sticker of the name of the scent you just purchased. It's almost like shopping in a deli...just too, too cute!

The "funny thing" I was alluding to at the beginning?

I didn't find out until I emailed Mary on Monday from the comfort of my chair...

Mary and I both are originally from Buffalo, NY.

We just might have attended the same concert all those years ago.

Or sat near each other in a restaurant.

Or, as I mentioned to Mary, maybe we dated the same guy.

Now that would be funny!

you can do whatever you feel!

My friend, Julie, has a membership at the Y. A group of her friends meet there every morning to exercise. Julie's a little crazy. Apparently, her group is competing with other groups at the Y in some kind of cult exercise contest. Julie's group would get 50 extra points if she could hornswaggle a friend to join the group in their quest for fitness. Guess who the sucker was that she convinced to get up early and join her for a round of torture? Yup. Me.

I fully anticipated meeting a nice group of interesting people at the Y. Nope. Just a group of premenopausal women. Lucky me.

Maybe Jillian would be there, screaming at me to "get up!" and ultimately, making me vomit!

Nope. Not even Bob was there to cajole me into inspired exercise. I did meet a nice young man, our trainer Jay. But he's no match for this group of middle-aged women. By the end of our hour of torture, the hormonal women were barking orders at him, poor soul. I don't know if he kept looking at his watch to time our exercise, or in anticipation of our hour expiring and us leaving.

What kept me going was my anticipation of leaving the Y, looking like a famous model. Christie Brinkley would be just fine.

Nope. I still look like Maxine and gravity is still working against me.

hello, Cupcake!

Watch this fun little clip and visit here to get the details on this fun giveaway.

Wow...this is quite the machine!

Decorate your cakes and other goodies using the same cartridges you use in your Cricut machine!

What? You don't own a Cricut machine?! Neither do I!

Pretty cakes!

You know you want one....

Enter here, now!

Easter Day!

THANK YOU, DEAREST LORD!

Happy Easter!

fabric accessory.

A fabric necklace. It's different, unique. Much prettier and vibrant in real-life.

The necklace needed something extra, so I decided to learn the art of rolling fabric roses. Then I attched the green rose to the necklace, adding a funky new vibe.

Now I can roll roses out of anything...fabric, ribbon, paper...

This is a matching bracelet. I would prefer a charm of some kind, over the button. But ya gotta go with what you have available. I found the tutorial for the bracelet here. They're easy and fun to make, but a little tricky at the end.

I'll be making more necklaces and bracelets in the coming weeks...it's fun seeing how the fabrics and colors come together.

Plus, I have another style necklace in the works.

This necklace is for one of my "trusty" friends. She is going to say, "Oh, Patti! I just love it." I know this because she loves everything I make her. It's nice having a friend who is so easly to please.

fabric envy.

I wish this were my sewing room...but it's not.

It's Randi's fabric shop, over at i have to say.

Everything in Randi's shop is 20% off AND you could win a $50 gift certificate redeemable in her shop.

Visit her for all the details...

She has beautiful fabric!

GoD & DoG.

My friend, Julie, sent this to me...she knows what I like. And I really love this.

It reminds me of our sweet dog, B.B.

And of the infinite love God has for each of us.

I figured this little song and clip was especially appropriate for this holy week.

Visit the GoD and DoG site for more information on the creative background of this beautiful little song and film.

Enjoy!

incredible, edible eggs!

Come Friday, I'll be scrambling in my quest to color Easter eggs (couldn't help myself!).

It might interest you to know that coloring eggs originated with the pagans. Eggs were decorated with bright colors to represent the coming of Spring. They symbolized the growth of new plants and the birth of new animals.

Colored and decorated eggs were used to give as gifts between lovers and romantic admirers, much in the same way we celebrate Valentine's Day today.

I don't know about you, but if I get a colored egg for Valentine's, "somebody" is going to be in BIG trouble!

public. Who can figure it out?

We headed down to RAM this past Saturday to sell some purses. "We" as in, Jason and I.

It was a very blustery day under that bridge! A study in futility on oh, so many fronts!

None of my new stuff sold. Go figure. They went for the purses that last year, didn't sell. That no one wanted. That got pushed, tossed aside, ridiculed and scorned.

Now what am I supposed to do with that?!

And these pretty bags? This year, they are the objects of derision, vitriol and diatribe.

Alas! The new designs shall prevail! Because we are going to have another go at RAM..."we" as in Jason and I.

Aren't we, Honey?

gasping for air.

I'm still alive! Just been busy getting ready to roost under the bridge tomorrow! If you live in the Jacksonville area, I'll be at this end of the venue...come and see what I've been making!

I'll be back to blogging next week. I've missed you!

Have a great weekend!

saving the world, one diaper at a time!

Do you remember this dude? Yes, he's CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS! A favorite at our house when Jonathan was little.

My friend Adrienne.....



...is herself a superhero!

She is flying to the rescue of all you moms who are fighting the battle of potty training.

Visit Some of a Kind for this heroic mommy's take on the criminal task of potty training!

Now go, save the world from the stench of poopy pants!

do you feel lucky, punk?

Visit Today's Creative Blog and enter for a chance to win some very cool and creative personalized decals , from Ten 23 Designs.

While you're at it, check out Ten 23 Designs blog, here.

Good luck!

Houston, Dallas, Ft. Worth...

...destination: Austin!

A baby blanket.

A onesie.

Baby booties...

All will be heading to Austin, arrival time not confirmed. But there's going to be a heck of a party this weekend to celebrate Austin.

My friend, Cathy, commissioned this set for her nephew. Being very laid-back and easy-going, Cathy pretty much left the fabric/pattern selection to me. Keeping in mind that the color-theme is brown and blue, I easily found inspiration in the fabric. My first tie-onesie outfit was a blast to make...so was the monogrammed blanket...but the booties, not so much. They took me longer to make than the other two items.

And Cathy...she's gestating her own little bundle of boy. Hmmmm, I wonder if he'll like ties?

let them make cake!

Just look at these adorable cake pin cushions! YOU can make them...yes, you can! And you don't even need to know how to sew!

Watch the clip below, or visit the DIY Dish... Kim and Kris will show you how to create these delicious little cakes!

the tax man cometh...

...whilst I fight the urge to vomiteth!

Beauty and the Beast...

This isn't the classic Disney tale of a beautiful young maiden, destined to save the soul of a disfigured and miserable young prince...

Mine is a tale of two highschoolers; a beautiful young woman and a handsome young man who, on the very same evening at approximately the same time, experienced a moment they won't soon forget.

I am both a bystander and participant in this "magical" evening.

Our tale begins at the annual high school beauty pageant...I am in the audience, cheering on the contestants with my trusty friend, Suzy. The contestant we are most interested in is Mackenzie, the daughter of our dear friend, Kathy.

Mackenzie looks beautiful, so talented, so poised! For the talent category, Mackenzie dances to a jazzed-up beat of Pocahontas' Colors of the Wind...actually, it was a very energetic and precise dance/tumbling presentation...I could easily do that!

All of the contestants did a great job, they all looked lovely. Such talented girls...how would the judges ever choose one winner? Dancing, singing, a piano solo...beautiful dresses, big smiles.

I know who should win!

Hey, look behind you, judges! I'll help you select the winner!

The queen of the evening should be this girl...



Mackenzie! Yes, this will be the girl who will wear the crown, I just know it!

She's talented, poised, a dazzling smile, so pretty. Yes, she's your girl!

Meanwhile, a few miles down the street is this boy, Jonathan.

He's gearing up, ready to step in the ring with who-knows-who? To punch, kick, jab...

He's been unable to fight for the past few weeks, due to an injury he suffered to the precise spot where a bone-growth had been removed.

He's ready, man!

Let the fighting begin!




Here he goes, giving it all the power he has, punching hard.

After all, he's been out of the ring for several weeks and he has a lot to prove.

But you know what happens in sparring when you unleash all your power?

Yup, you get even more power unleashed on you!

And then you end up here...

In the emergency room for six hours!

Jonathan received a hard punch to his temple and we didn't quite know what was happening to him...fingers clenched, tingling/numbness, distorted vision...

A cat scan, two Motrin and $250 later...

The evening ended well for both Beauty and the Beast...

The Beauty didn't win a crown, but she competed well.

The Beast was clocked on his crown, but he competed strong.

And yet, both won in a roundabout way...

"It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game."

It's not the prize that the Beauty and the Beast will forever remember, it's the experience of participating in the event that will remain with them.

Go children.

Make mommy and daddy another memory!

till then...

It's raining in sunny Florida...I'll be back tomorrow with my exciting Wednesday evening adventure!

follow the bouncing dot.

Same bag, two different poses. I'm not sure if the bag looks better sitting, or standing.

Each photo is taken in different lighting, too.

I'm not sure which photo I prefer...which do you like?



I have more of these bags, in different prints. One is waiting to have the threads trimmed, the other is waiting for the shoulder strap to be attached. The rest are finished and awaiting their portraits.

There's also an apron waiting to be made, along with writstlets to be finished.

I'm thinking of adding camera straps to my repertoire...or do you think that's going overboard?

I do like these polkies, though....

"Culinae Invidia."

I have a bad case of "Culinae Invidia." It's a psychological disorder that strikes at a moment's notice, affecting mostly women. Some men, too. One day you're minding your own business, flipping through a magazine or surfing the web, when WHAM! Culinae Invidia hits you!

Did you look it up? Couldn't find anything, could you?

That's because I made it up. Which doesn't make it any less real.

At least in my mind.

Culinae Invidia loosely translates to "Kitchen Envy." I have it, bad.

That first photo is the look that I desire for our kitchen. Fresh, clean, cottage-y.

My dream.



This would be "Coenationis Invidia." Of which I am also suffering.

You don't need a translation, I think you can figure it out.

It all sounds more medicalish (I made that up, too!) when it's referred to in Latin.

Which doesn't make it any less real.

At least in my mind.