Vacation in the Carolinas

Our front porch will be lonely for a bit as we head to the Carolinas for work and to see good friends in Charleston. Hope you are enjoying summer!

Quilt art

Another of my favorite art quilts, especially the contrasts of the batik and plaids. The little guy looks happy to be there on the mantel too...

Sweet Sweater

This was inspired by a sweater I saw at Anthropologie. I thought, "I can do that." So I did.



Red always gives a little pop...

These circle appliques were shown on an adorable skirt by Boden.

a little sunrise on the back...

Burlap Summer Bag

'finished another summer purse for my etsy shop before we go on vacation.

polka dots polking out...

That French postcard fabric finds makes its way everywhere. :) Do you like the fluffies on the front?

Flea Market Treasures

What could be more fun than finding treasures at a flea market? Cracked, dirty, damaged...who cares? The fun is bringing them home, cleaning them up and seeing their original colors and designs sparkle.

'like I need more plates. But they were too pretty to pass up.

What a thrilling find...the number of our house in Berlin. I laugh when I see it - the seller got mad when I tried to bargain with him. He got the price he wanted.

Chalkboard Paint

'took out my little paintbrush, dipped it into chalkboard paint, and ta-da..I lightly sandpapered the surface, used three coats, and it was ready to go. It will be fun to see what visual art our friends and family will create....

pretty with ribbons labels

http://www.etsy.com/ is an online shop dedicated to handmade items (warning: You will get hooked) . These labels came from one of the artists, who I think did a great job. These work as cute little enclosures for items and gift tags.

This one adds some sparkle to a darling pouch, sold in my etsy shop. Take a look!

Fun with French

Someone lived in Lyon. Someone else in Luxembourg. Yet another in Chicago.

don't you wonder what stories are behind these postcards?

Makings of a baby hat

I love the click of the bamboo needles with cotton yarn. Especially with pretty colors.

As the proud mother of three boys, I call this my I-wish-I-had-a-baby-girl hat (not really...I am very, very content!) Girls are just so cute to dress up.

Summer rain

It rained for most of our time at the beach, but it made the tiles on the front steps look nice anyway. When we bought the house, the steps were ugly concrete, which we happily covered up with Mexican clay tiles (some even have little paw prints in them) and a collection of tiles from here. The contractor added some character by putting some birds on upside down.

Beach time....yea!

We are off for a few days to the eastern coast of Florida to sit on a swing and watch the dolphins in the intercoastal. And jump in some waves. And sink toes into the sand. And watch the sunset. Sigh.

Also wishing you some rest and sun and joy with friends and family.

Wrap it up and tie it with a bow

Silke Leffler's whimsical drawings are darling...I cannot bear to throw my old calendars away, so I cut out the drawings and use them for notecards and package adornments. This was for a baby girl...isn't she lucky?

Happy Market Bag

Now this would make going to market worthwhile! Amy Butler makes the most beautiful fabrics - like sunshine and ice cream on a summer day. Check out her site and ooh and aahh.

A pleasant way to find lost-in-the-bottom-of-my-bag keys.

Patchwork Plaids

I so liked Belle's collar that I had to make a people version. The yummy raspberry paper underneath is a sample of wallpaper that I need to use somewhere in my house...With bright colors and a stunning pink ribbon, it makes me smile!

Designer Pillows

Interior design shops either discard or give away discontinued fabric samples. These pillows were all made using remnants of quite expensive fabrics! I splurged on this one and had it made by a local seamstress. The gathered taffeta is leftover curtain fabric.

I love the little fuzzy guys on silk, and the trim is fun to play with.

A pom-pom border and burlap backing made a whimsical addition to my son's room.

For some more great tips, check out: Wednesday Works For Me.

Hanging around

I realized that we have lots of hanging things in our house. It may be due to my love of ribbons or my insatiable need to move things around. This kimono has hung in every house in which we have lived, a pleasant reminder of my teaching English days in Japan. Also a reminder of the house where my legs fell asleep (from kneeling on the floor for hours) and I crashed into a rice paper wall.

This friendly guy is Danish, I think. Isn't he cute?

Shiny things are so appealing. This hangs from a refurbished computer cabinet. Children love to swoosh this around, so a lot of its shininess is all over the floor.

'not sure if this has any significance or not - I bought it at a German flea market and thought it was pretty neat.

This was a piece from the art show - I was glad that no one bought it, as I liked it myself! Picture was also taken before the plant died.

Stopwatches have such character, even when they no longer work. And everything is prettier tied with a silk ribbon!

What do you have hanging in your house?

Sitting on the veranda?

As I sewed hundreds of squares together, I visualized myself on the veranda sipping a mint julep, maybe eating strawberries with cream. This quilt billowed gently in the summer breeze as I eagerly read the next chapter of an engrossing summer novel.

But alas, reality. This hangs in my laundry room. Where I drink my diet coke and lovingly fold why-don't-they-ever-look-clean socks. But the quilt still makes me smile.

'going to the chapel...

We went to two weddings this weekend. One celebrated the new love and anticipation of two young people starting out their lives together. The other, the joining of two who had each suffered the devestating loss of their spouses, evoked smiles and tears as they happily found each other to share the rest of their lives together. What a wonderful day. "Three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love." (I Cor. 13:13)

Our new sofa

When we moved back to America after 11 years in Germany, we promised the boys that we would bring our dog with us. Many, many months and hours of confusion and hassle later, Belle landed in a little crate at the Orlando airport. We could've gotten quite a nice new sofa for what it cost to bring her home. But an important member of the family, she is. I even dolled her up for the holiday weekend.

Corners of my House

Close-up of lots of stitching

This took a million years to make. 'Got the design, collected the fabric, starting sewing and then a move overseas changed my color scheme. Started again and finally finished. I love the juxtaposition of florals, plaids and the batiks. If our house catches on fire, my boys and this are coming with me.

Burlap fun

Ooohhh, I think I needa keep this one.
I made it for my etsy shop, but my initial just wandered onto it.

Peeking out on the side...

The strap insert was actually because I ran out of polka-dot fabric....a nice mistake.

Sock monkeys!

Who doesn't like sock monkeys? A friend of mine ordered a few of these for a special mother-daughter getaway this weekend. Everyone will get a cute little sock monkey tissue holder on their pillow. Such a sweet thought, isn't it?