An amazing surprise!
Hello everyone!
I hope you are all having a nice week. Mine has been absolutely delightful! A mix of fun, family, and friends, with some sewing and summer fun mixed in.
This past week I went to a car show, and what a surprise awaited me there! My best friend, (who will be nicknamed “Flathead,” after his favorite engine… 
) surprised me with a set of rails for my pick-up truck! I was so surprised and shocked. What a completely unexpected surprise, and they fit perfectly! I’ve already gotten so many compliments on how good they look with the truck. Hooray!
Don’t they look great? And, as a side note…
the evening sky was stunning when I took this photo!
Next up: I have to stain them a nice dark color. That will happen soon, hopefully!
Oh, we had the funniest (and terrible!) thing happen this morning! Mom was pulling homemade muffins out of the oven, and we noticed the element in the bottom of the oven was glowing… but only in one section. Thinking that a little bit of muffin batter had fallen on it, we watched it in amazement as the element began to set off sparks. However, it was when they started looking like fireworks we realized something wasn’t quite right. Sparks flying around in the stove, we quickly yelled for Dad, who came inside, took one look at it, and turned off the breaker, so the stove wouldn’t continue to heat. Turns out the element in the stove had begun to arc-weld itself, because it has gone bad. *sigh* So, we have two options: 1) Buy a new stove (ouch! the $$$$), or 2) wait until a new element arrives. We opted for the second choice. 
Hopefully, it will be here soon… until then, we’ll be doing a LOT of grilling. Or maybe I’ll lug all my open-fire cooking gear out, and set up a “camp kitchen” outside!
“A good laugh is sunshine in the house.”
~William Thackeray~
Tired.
Hello, there!
I’m officially tired. After spending the morning out doing things, and a nice late afternoon surprise get-together with a very good friend, it has been a busy day! This past weekend totally wore me out, and lack of sleep is beginning to show.
So today while I was out shopping for more sewing thread and zippers and good stuff like that, I just *happened* upon a sale at Payless Shoes. Isn’t that just handy? I was thrilled, because I’ve been looking for a pair of white sneakers to add to my already-too-large shoe collection. (What’s even funnier is I don’t wear most of them!) Flip-flops are my shoe of choice during the summer months, because they are the closest thing to being barefoot. However, I am aware that going biking and doing other similar activities will create the need for a shoe that I can wear with sundresses or pants.
Enter the white sneaker. The worst thing about having small feet is that you have a hard time finding grown-up looking shoes in the kid’s section. The BEST thing about having small feet is that you can buy cute shoes for a LOT cheaper! Have you ever looked at the difference in shoe prices between women’s and girls? I got these for about $10.
I was looking for pictures taken in the 40’s or 50’s with the white sneaker/sundress look, but no such luck. This will have to do for now. (You can tell I’m tired, right?) 
And it’s off to bed I shall trot, looking forward to a relaxing day tomorrow.
A delightful weekend.
Hello friends! This has been a delightful weekend, full, busy, and somewhat tiring, but still fun! A few night ago I got to spend time with a good friend, and got a ride in the amazing roadster. What fun to watch fireworks while sitting in an open-air vintage car! I really have become an antique car addict… I just can’t help it!
Then came the Fourth of July, which included getting up semi-early, going grocery shopping, and preparing all kinds of food for the family/friend party made for a LOOOONG day! I made two blackberry pies, which Dad pronounced “very good.” That was good, seeing as I don’t usually do blackberry pies!
Now it’s time to relax. I haven’t done much of anything, Dad and I put on a movie set in the 1960’s (neat costumes galore!) and I worked on my quilt top. Now I’m going to head back to the watch the end of the movie, and finish another row of the quilt!
God Bless, and I hope y’all had as good of a weekend as I did!
Feeling green…
Hello, folks!
I thought I’d share today’s project with you all. I started this in the early afternoon, and it was the EASIEST dress I’ve ever made! Remember this green plaid tablecloth? I found it at a yard sale for $2.50… combine that with a cute pattern from ebay (I think it was $3), and a bit of bias binding from my great-grandmother’s sewing stuff, and I have an adorable new 60’s style sundress!
The perfect dress to go biking in.
Mom’s favorite out of the self-portrait session… basking in the afternoon sun.
An out-take… I’m actually out of focus, while everything behind me in in focus! Whoops! Oh well… it shows the bow on the top of the shoulder.
And now I must be off… more sewing projects are planned, so stay tuned! God Bless, and enjoy the evening!
At it again…
Hello everyone!
I must confess, I have completely enjoyed being away from the computer for the past week or so! However, I’ve come out of hiding to show you the beginnings of yet another project! I have always wanted to make a vintage style double wedding ring album quilt, and I finally found a pattern that works! After trying three different patterns in the past 6 years, and getting frustrated every time, this foundation piecing pattern works!!!!! <–link
The beginning of the pile of arcs.
Foundation piecing… I like to do 10 arcs at a time!
I added an extra row on the top and side, to make it a queen size, and in four days (yes, 4 days!) I have come this far!!!!! Now I just have to sew the top together… all those curved seams….. oh my. This is just the pieces laid out on the floor, on top of a blanket so I can easily roll them up and out of the way without messing up the layout.
And last, but not least…
Scroll down….
Here is my LOVELY quilt!
This is going to turn out SOO pretty!
I really have to say that this has gone much quicker than I expected. The hard part now is all these curved seams. Piecing the quilt together has always been my least favorite part. I’d much rather quilt it! However, once this top is pieced I’m really going to go all-out with the quilting. Does anyone have any ideas for the design in the large white areas? I would appreciate ideas!
God Bless, and have a wonderful evening!
Relaxing the spring away…
And so looking forward to a delightful summer! So happy second day of summer! This past weekend has been spent spending time with a good friend, riding in old cars, hanging out, and simply having a wonderful time.
Yesterday I spent a little time in my lover-ly hammock, where a little friend joined me. After an hour of contemplation, she finally decided that it was okay to just hop in there with me, and so, she did.
The birds overhead were very interesting.
The book I’m holding is part of a series I’m reading, the Mitford Series. You simply MUST read them. Oh, they are wonderful! I have been stuck in them for days.
And, in other news, I finally got enough dandelions to try some dandelion-rose jelly. I spent the entire afternoon picking dandelions and then separating the yellow part of the dandelions from the green part. *sigh* That took a LONG time. It should be interesting, seeing as the infusion smells funny… hopefully, however, the infusion will be for color, and not for flavor… we shall see in the next few days! I’ll be sure to post more on that, especially if it turns out alright.
Well, I will head out for now… more things to do! God Bless, and have a wonderful evening!
Back!
I’ve been MIA for a short while, but it’s not because the creative juices aren’t flowing! In fact, quite the opposite… I ended up taking photos of most of the projects I’ve managed to complete in the last few weeks, and it was neat to put them together in my first-ever mosaic. Some of the photos are repeats for you, but bear with me. After taking these photos I got an idea for one dress, and almost completely cut out another. Three cheers for having time to do fun sewing projects!
1. Dress., 2. Quick Fix, 3. Apron-y, 4. Red Dress…, 5. Sundress!, 6. Different.,
7. Contemplative…, 8. The last one., 9. Criss-cross,
10. GREEN., 11. Laughing at myself…, 12. Helping., 13. Linens
Created with fd’s Flickr Toys.
My next project… a reproduction 1930’s outfit… I hope it turns out, because I finally got the nerve to cut up my all-time favorite feedbag! God bless, and have a wonderful day!
Life is a great big canvas and you should throw all the paint on it you can.”
~Danny Kaye~
Kentucky, er… Delaware Fried…
In the heat of the afternoon, after a delightful day spent with my best friend, I embarked upon a new journey. Southern Fried Chicken. The lights turned off to maximize the faint breeze blowing in the kitchen window, I gleefully spent 1 1/2 hours trying out a fried chicken recipe. And MY! was it ever good, though I do say so myself!
The beginning stages.
I really did have a grand time, although my poor feet did get a little tired after 1 1/2 hours of being in the kitchen! It wouldn’t have taken so long, only I’d never done it before, I had about 3 other things cooking at the same time, and the chicken was still slightly frozen. Next time, I want to try smaller pieces of chicken, because I prefer more breading on fried chicken. The larger drumsticks are just a bit too large, in my opinion.
I finally had to turn a light on, so I could see what I was doing.
I love the sound of chicken frying in the pan. Delightful! I will most certainly be making this again… And experimenting with the recipe to get it just right. Now I must head off for the evening… I’ll leave you with a few good quotes. God Bless!
“If a man’s gonna eat fried chicken, he’s gotta get greasy.”
“In cooking, as in all the art, simplicity is the sign of perfection.”
~Curnonsky~
“God will provide the victuals, but He will not cook the dinner.”
Clearing out… Ebay, here I come!
Hello everyone! Today I have been feeling a little cluttered in my storage space, and decided it’s time for me to clear out some of my treasures. A few of the things I’ve made, and they’ve just sat around waiting for… umm… a rainy day, I guess. A few old Civil War re-enacting accessories have been found, as well, and I don’t need them any more. I would like for them to have a good home, so the auction is starting cheap!
The items I have listed are also pictured below, click on the link below the pictures to go to each Ebay auction!
This is my first attempt at selling on Ebay, so please bear with me as I muddle through PayPal! God Bless, and have a wonderful day!
A Modest Alteration.
Hello again, everyone!
Today has been yet another good day. I woke up rather on the grumpy side, seeing as it was raining out, and I hadn’t any room for rain in the plan of my day. However, despite the unwanted weather, I got quite a lot done today! I baked up a storm, starting with bread in the morning, and ending with other goodies in the afternoon.
I also managed to get some more sewing done, including an alteration to a new skirt. Most of my family/friends will tell you I have a habit of picking up cheap clothing with “alterations” in mind. When I saw an adorably cute skirt for $6 early this year, I just couldn’t pass it up. It was just a little shorter than I like to wear, so I bought it with a lengthening alteration in mind. Luckily, the skirt has a lining, and I was able to sew a cute and kicky panel right to it. Add a wide matching belt, and the result is a retro, almost “apron” looking skirt!
Does anyone else have idea books? My ideas come from magazines, clothing stores, websites, vintage designs, antique stores, etc. My idea book is a wonderful thing, lots of blank white paper, my favorite blue gel pen carefully stored inside. (If the pen goes missing, look out! I go on a rampage!)
The first page in my idea book.
Well, I’m off to find some food… maybe create something yummy for dinner. God Bless, and have a wonderful evening!
