online store giveway!

Recently, I was contacted by CSNstores.com, asking if I would be interested in a) ordering an item from their store and writing a review for my blog, or b) offering the certificate amount as a giveaway on my blog for a lucky reader.

"Hmmmm..." I mused. "Do I want something for myself, or do I want to show my appreciation to my faithful blog readers with a giveaway?"

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Modern Rugs. So pretty, I love the floral print and the colors are so delightful! I found this runner in the children's rug section.

 If there's a man in your life, you might find this handy-dandy little bottle opener, well...quite handy! I think this would look dashing on the wall near the fridge...in the garage!

 And who wouldn't love to serve a casserole in this beautiful cobalt-colored dish?

My hand is waving wildly in the air...I would, I would! Choose me!

This corkscrew is a work of art. And it comes in other tropical colors. It's sooooo precious! Get this for yourself and that bottle opener for Joe Shmoe...he'll love the bottle opener, you'll love this parrot. Win/win!

Go! Click here and give CSNstores.com a gander...many items ship for free!

I'm not going to keep this certificate for myself, I've decided to give my reader-friends a chance at winning the $25 gift certificate to CSNstores.com. You can, of course, choose something for a higher value and apply the $25 towards that item. Here are their sites: Cookware.com, Petsbycsn.com, Everygameroom.com, and Shoesgotsole.com.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog in the comments section, telling me what you'd buy with the moolah. If you leave a comment on my Facebook page, I'm going to chastise you and tell you to come back and leave a comment here.

I'll randomly choose one comment from this post with Random Generator and announce the winner on Friday evening.  Unless I'm busy installing a bottle-opener.

Now I'm off to rewrite some patriotic lyrics...Christina Aguilera called and asked me to write some new words for her.

She'll be performing the new tunes at your local county fair this Summer...

playing catch-up!

Sorry I've been gone so long...that "cold" decided to take up permanent residence in my head. Though I managed to schlep to work and expose my co-workers to the dastardly crud, I just couldn't find the energy to do much around the house. Or to blog. It's just too hard to type and sneeze and wipe one's nose all at the same time.

But I'm back and ready to go! I did a little sewing last week and have been waiting for a sunny day to take photos of the finished projects. Some of my items are already gone, but I have a nice pile here  to the left of me, all cut out and waiting to be sewn up.

A great giveaway is in the works, which I'm pretty excited about. More on that later in the week.

In the meantime, here are a few new links that I'm lovin':

~Smashed Peas and Carrots  what an incredibly cute banner and some really fun tutorials.

~Wink Designs some adorable little girl dress patterns and other projects.

~Joyfolie an amazing site, selling soft children's boots and shoes. The footwear is lovely. Hmmm..if only I could make some of those...

Have a great week...Valentine's Day almost here...what are you doing for your Sweetheart?

sunny day in Florida.

The sniffles and congestion continue...if anyone knows when this dreadful cold will clear up, please let me know. We're getting pretty sick and tired of being sick and tired around here.

I was able to whip up this cute purse on my day off, along with a few other little items. Pretty fabric motivates me and this particular print is from Amy Butler's new line, Soul Blossoms. A trip to India inspired these pretty patterns, rich in color and palette. The above fabric is from the Passion collection, such a pretty combination of the two fabrics...it conjures glimpses of Spring.

There are  some colorful new fabrics sitting prettily on my cutting table, waiting to be made into something. I had a great start at the beginning of the week but as with all good intentions, they sometimes get lost in everyday living.

I had thought I might sneak out this afternoon, leaving Jason home to cough his heart out, while I made a trip to buy some toothpaste. Perhaps a little ride might make me feel better? Nope. Thankfully, we have a spare tube and the little jaunt I was planning to take is on hold until Tuesday. I am going to stay put and maybe sit out in the sun with my Kindle, coughing and blowing me nose!

Last night, Jason and I did manage to go see True Grit. I had seen the original movie with John Wayne and Glen Campbell (oh, he was awful in that movie!) and was anxious to see how this movie measured up to the original. We really enjoyed the movie, though the ending was kind of sad and yet, tragically realistic. That Jeff Bridges is really making a comeback, isn't he?

Here's hoping your week is an inspired one and that we'll all find the "pretty" in our daily routine.

salty birthday!

Salt Life

...where the salt meets your life.

 It was my birthday and my darling parents called the morning of and invited me to lunch.

I had my choice of barbecue or seafood...slam! Seafood every time!

Destination...Salt Life Food Shack at the beach. It was wonderful!

The atmosphere is casual, yet with a flair of elegance. The interior boasts an eclectic design, with lots of natural sunlight and a fresh, clean ambiance.

The menu offers a nice number of options, without being to extensive. I ordered the Seared Ahi Tuna Salad and it was delicious!

 Dining is so comfortable...the chairs are oversized and the tables have plenty of room...

Just look at those walls! So much natural sunlight...

It was a great time! And my birthday didn't get snowed-out, like all the first 20 birthdays did.

*Hint: snowstorms, like the Blizzard of 77!

And that's because we're living the Salt Life!

And the livin' is easy...

Catherine, Anne, Jane, Anne, Kathryn, Katherine...name that couple.

Every age lays claim to its own beautiful women.

For example, our beauties might include Catherine Zeta Jones, Megan Fox, Jennifer Anniston...

The 16th Century was no different. Take a look at these beauties:

I know! I don't see it, either!

Take Anne Boleyn. She was said to be a very "handsome" woman, even with her extra sixth-finger. She's the reason Henry divorced Catherine of Aragon and caused all the ensuing religious strife...some sources claim her to having "bewitched" the King. She eventually lost her head over all this scandal. Literally.

After the death of Henry's 3rd wife, Jane Seymour, he married Anne of Cleves. The old dude agreed to this political marriage, sight-unseen, to practical Anne. Now I think she looks rather lovely, but Henry claimed her to be a "Flanders Mare." I think he just liked the loose and fast women of his court...typical! He decided that she wasn't "pretty enough" and divorced her, making her his "sister." I'll bet she breathed a big sigh of relief when that was all over. I hear she got the second wife's castle in the settlement...hey, you can't look a gift-horse in the mouth. Oh, sorry about that, Anne!

Then there was poor Katheryn Howard, Henry's 5th wife and cousin of Anne Boleyn. Henry was 49 and she was only 19 when they married...some things just never change! He had an ulcerated leg and was getting cranky, but apparently doted on his young wife. She, however, was to have been so pretty and perky that the young studs hanging out at the castle became smitten with her and she just couldn't resist them. The old man found out and severed her head...really, what did he expect when he married her? Old men can be such fools! Oh, and by the way...if she was as pretty as they say, her official portrait sure isn't a reflection of her beauty!

Now Katherine Parr, Henry's sixth and last wife, she looks pretty. Pretty relieved! She survived the old lout, but narrowly. An arrest warrant had been issued, but Katherine kept her head by bamboozling the old varmint, whereupon he eventually died and she eventually got her life back.

You just might be wondering what led me to evaluate the Six Wives...I don't know. It's always kind of bugged me about how beautiful these women were purported to be and then looking at their portraits, I just don't see it. I've been musing over this for years...I'm a history buff and I read a lot about the Tudors. I'm currently reading a book about Hank, Harry, Henry...very dry reading, but interesting. No hanky-spanky in the text, as of yet...that Henry was quite the dog. I think this is a historical read, so it'll be boring throughout. Darn.

Then there's Queen Elizabeth, Henry's daughter. Brilliant! And yet, a shrew. Fascinating. But I'm not going to bore you with the details.

You've had enough boring for today.

see ya later, alligator!

If you live in Florida, you or someone you know is enamored in some fashion, with gators.

The Florida Gators, Gator-Nation, gator-meat, gator-skin, gator-huntin', gator-watching...

So when I found this lil' ol' piece of gator, I fell in love...

The design is by Tammy Keefe and the fabric, by Michael Miller.  A great bio on the very talented Ms Keefe, who designed this print, can be found here.

Once I laid eyes upon this print, I just had to have it!

So I ordered a slab of this delectable gator from this shop and waited...

...through MLK Day (this was so very hard to do), until Tuesday, the day of its much anticipated arrival. Upon my return from running errands, the package was patiently awaiting my return, as I peeled into the driveway and almost through the inside garage wall. I was so excited!

I wrestled the fabric out of my mailbox, out of the envelope and onto my cutting table.

I sliced it up and served it on a frame.

And made a gator-purse.

All in the same afternoon...in fact, I made two purses that day. I was inspired!

I have some leftover gator and like all leftovers, it's going to sit here for awhile until I decide what to do with it. I can tell ya, I won't be flushing it down the toilet anytime soon!

They say that gator can be thick-skinned, like an armor.

Not this one! It was easy to cut into. Anything made from this gator would be cute.

What do you think I should make with the leftovers? An apron would be cute, maybe potholders?

It's going to be hard letting this purse go.

This gator-hunt was a fun one.

In case you didn't know,  I am a "Swamp People!" 

Hooked on gator...

Only my gator is the cutest one, by far!

Take that, Troy!

better late than never.

I had plans to get things done this weekend.

And as usually happens more often than not, my plans were thwarted... by a case of a bad cold.

My good intentions of getting the laundry washed, dried and ironed went up in smoke, as did the sewing that was included in my weekend plans.



Front of bag

 I finished these little purses last week, but never got around to taking photos and posting them on this here humble blog.

These are my latest favorite purses.

They hold just enough and are great for taking on errands...




Back side of bag w/pocket

 The bag easily straps over your shoulder and schleps along with you, not getting in your way.

Why, Hello Kitty!  Nice of you to stop by and my, don't you look so cheerful!

Next up: Later Alligator...

...cute, cute, cute!

view from my chair.

 It seems I caught the crud.

And the view from my chair:

A remote, a laptop and...

My faithful doggie.

And my husband, but he doesn't want his picture taken.

So here I sit, under my blanket with my little laptop and the T.V.

Looking forward to a hot-toddy, prepared by my hubby and then a tuck into bed and a long night's sleep.

Achoo, sniffle and cough-cough.

Over and out.

on the sewing machine.

Here are a few swatches of fabric I purchased the other day.

Do you think I'm too old for Hello Kitty?

Yeah, I thought so. But I would have totally loved Hello Kitty if it had been around when I was a little girl. So I'm doing the next best thing...

 I'm going to make something really cute with the fabric.

 And this piece of divinity is a swatch from Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms. Lovely. It's called, "Disco Flower" in chocolate.

With a name like that, it's sure to be a "Winner,winner chicken dinner!"

*name the TV personality...*

Laurel Dots in cherry. It's the complimentary fabric to Disco Flower.

Tomorrow, I'll post what I made from these fabrics.

Love 'em!

happy new purse.

 My new purse. Actually, it's just new fabric on the old frame.

 This is an amazing purse...I love how I can reuse the frame and switch out the purse. It means that I have a lot of options to change the purse to match my vast wardrobe.

HA, HA, HA......

And it's so roomy. The big "mouth" lets you see right into the purse.

I'm currently on the hunt to purchase the frames at wholesale pricing, so that I can pass the savings along.

I'm off to do some more sewing...I'll post the new purses as I finish them.

Aaaahhhh, the new year...

...it brings so much inspiration!

 Amy Butler...the queen, the maven, the rock 'n roll diva of textile. I've thumbed through this book on more than one occasion and I want it..bad. Style Stitches. Everything she stitches is stylin!

 25 Simple Sewing Projects. I love simple. Simple is simply divine and I simply want this book, too. In fact, I've been described as "simple" more than once..."ditz" has the same meaning, doesn't it?

Help me! Look at Felting A Smile..too cute and I've been wanting to try this for some time, now. Felting. I feel like felting. Felting is what I feel like doing. I've felt that way since I discovered felting. Do you feel like felting? I felt you feeling the felting feeling.

OK, I'll stop now. But I really think I could have kept on.

Have a beautiful weekend...

See you soon.

G'bye.

stretch!

 This little love-muffin, a brand new baby giraffe born here, at our local zoo, became the inspiration for this:

A brand new purse for our niece, Lena.

NeeNee, aka "Granny," (one of the twins), promised Lena a trip to the zoo, to go and see the new little calf. While spending the day with us, I suggested to Lena that we go and she pick out some fabric for a new purse that I would make for her. We landed at Cinnamon's and after looking at many bolts of material, our eyes landed on this delightful little fellow and we just knew that this was the fabric.

Hence, the purse.

I am so in love with the little giraffe that it is now the wallpaper on my phone.

As for Lena, she hasn't seen her purse yet, but I'm sure she's going to adore the little giraffe!

Top Ten List!

Christmas went by too fast this year. All the decorating and then, it's time to put it all away again.

I'm spending today deconstructing my Christmas cheer. Bah, humbug.

I then got to thinking what my New Year's Resolutions should be. I came up with this...

Patti's Top Ten Resolutions for 2011:

#10: get birthday cards to recipient prior to birthday...not 3 months later
  #9:  return Mom's fake "Tupperware" (I do have some of her "real" stuff)
  #8: see more movies
  #7: get some sewing projects completed
  #6: no junk on the top of the dryer
  #5: trim my hair on a more regular basis
  #4: teach Jonathan how to cook
  #3: keep my stuff organized
  #2: redo my blog and web site

And my Number One resolution for 2011 is.....

 ...stop tripping over the dog!

There you have it.

day for a sail.

Someone must've been a very good boy this year.

Because this showed up in our yard right before Christmas...

Because of the hustle and bustle of Christmas and the fact that it was fabulously freezing here in Florida, the poor husband wasn't able to take his new boat out for a ride. Until this weekend. We went out on Saturday and had a great time cruising the St. John's River.

Here is a little of what we saw...

 You can't see what's on the shore, but the photo reveals the color-scheme of the boat, without being obvious. Because I'm all about subtlety. The clouds threatened, but further on down the sun was shining.

Full speed ahead!

 Hello, bird! Sitting atop the sign that signifies I-don't-know-what.

Oh, and there's a bridge in the background. Hello, bridge!

 What's up, dock?

Just look at the trees...



The colors are like trees up North in the Fall.

Gorgeous!



This is a sad state of affairs...

This was to be an upscale condominium development...but the market crashed and it was never finished.

So much potential, so little capital.

We had a great day out on the river. It was perfect weather.

I'm looking forward to the next day that Lovey and I head out on the water...

And it's still winter!