A true friend

This really wasn't staged. A true example of "...a friend who loves at all times." (Prov. 17:17)

Have a nice Sunday!

Treats for Etsy

'made this eyeglass case for my etsy shop. I just love this fabric - you can tell, I use it enough. I still wonder who wrote all of those letters.

After dumping my keys on the floor at the YMCA the other day (yes, I exercised! I am so proud of myself), I realized that I needed a little pouchlet for keys, ID, etc. Maybe carrying a cute bag will make me want to exercise more.... Ha.

Thank-you-very-much-Kravet-skirt

This is what I was going after, an adorable skirt by Boden. I have a designer friend who let me go through oodles of her discontinued Kravet samples and used one to make this skirt. I didn't have an orange chair plus I had my paint shirt on and paint on my knees, but the similarities are there, no? I think this one is a keeper. Now I just have to find samples that don't make me look like a walking sofa. And buy a top to go with the skirt that I just saved so much money on....

Blooming Brooches

'saw these flowery brooches on a Benetton ad, and thought I would give it a shot. Of course, the model had about 25 on her shirt, but I think one looks nice. I made them following a tutorial from mollychicken- she has a very funny, inspiring blog.

I wear one on a pink J.Crew cardigan (that I got a Goodwill for $1.50...!). They also look great attached to a belt loop or my purse.

Indie Sweater

This is my new indie sweater. 'not sure exactly what "indie" means, but it seems to be the word at the moment, so I thought I'd use it.

Found this sweater at Target for $9.99 (yippee) and anthropologied it (that is MY new word). The binding is just a strip of fabric with a little fray-check to keep the edges from raveling out of control and the green adds a little bit of whimsy. The store tag is covered with one of my own -not sure if that is ethical or if the polka-dot designer would like that, but I did it anyway. Notice that I did manage to leave the XS in there (it is too small for me to button, but I can pretend).

PS Can you see the dining room in the reflection? I finally got glass holders for the candles so everyone doesn't get waxed dripped in their soup....

Customized Daytimer

I needed a new organizer for this school year and lucky me, I found one in pink! Never one to leave good enough alone, I started cutting and gluing.

First off, notice my nicely manicured nail that I got done for the wedding ('just needed to point that out). Anyway. I dug out my Silke Leffler calendar lefovers and used them to adorn each month.

I will be an adjunct prof. teaching ESL at a local university and I must admit that I felt a little silly pulling out my oh-so-cute calendar in an academic meeting. BUT it was by far the prettiest daytimer anyone had. So there.

Wedding Quilt Art

We're going to Atlanta for a wedding and bringing along this for a wedding gift. I think they will like it - I remember being giddy at getting items with our very-own-newly-married-name. Our route takes us straight north through Georgia, right where where the hurricane-turned-tropical-storm is. We spent an hour looking at radar and maps and decided to give it a whirl. So, like Dorothy, we're off.

Three

'just had to show this picture of the two younger boys looking oh-so-adoringly at their older brother. Stephan is headed back to college this weekend (sniff). When he is home, Micah kinda kicks into high gear as the entertainment and Yannick laughs a lot. We will miss him, but are excited for him as he enters his senior year.

Tea for Two Onesies

Ooh, the thought of dressing little baby girls. As I pick up sweaty football jerseys and dirty socks (lovingly, of course), I can imagine what a little sweet-smelling baby girl would look like in these. Polka-dots and flowers. Blues and pinks and reds and sparkling white. Sigh....and smile, at my big strong boys.

Quilting is funner than hurricanes

Other than rain blowing really hard sideways and knocking over part of a fence in our yard, the hurricane has subsided to a bad storm. We are still smack in the middle of the swirling blob on the weather radar and we only found two (ha) new leaks. I decided to distract myself with this:This is for a wedding present and I still need to make a bunch more like these for gifts (127 days until Christmas...did you want to know that??) We'll see how long we have electricity...

First Day of Hurricane, I mean, School

Today is the first day of school. It is also one of the first hurricane watches coming our way in Florida.

I wanted to work on this pile of polka-dots. But I will work on this pile of wet towels instead.

These spools look like fun, but maybe the water will be more useful?

If you look very closely on the weather satellite, our house is right where that big orange blob is headed (smack center of the state). Yesterday I felt like the little Dutch-boy holding a finger in the dyke, so who knows what will happen tonight when it really hits? But alas, we have a house, we are not in a shelter or a car, and everyone is safe. It is just a leaky house. But it is still a pain. Plus I would rather be sewing....

Sunday Blessing

One of my favorite parts of church is the blessing at the end of the service. I feel, well, blessed.



"The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace."

A blessing for you this Sunday!

Dog Portrait

Anyone who has time to do this for a dog has way too much on their hands.

But it still was fun.

This photograph was transferred onto fabric and incorporated into the quilt. It will look great next to her doggie dish (and hopefully be a lovely distraction from the dog food and slurp all over the place...)

Girl with a pearl earring

I bought this at a junk store (for $1...!) and thought it might need a little embellishment. With a little glue, she now has her very own earring.

Maybe a pearl necklace to match...? Or sparkly beads on the dress?

Anthropologie-inspired sweater

Inspired by this luscious color and a trip to I-love-Anthropologie-but-I-can-make-that .......

Micah's girlfriend happily modeled the result. Wouldn't this look cute with a colorful, flouncy skirt? Or jeans and boots? It is now in my shop...

Work Space thanks to IKEA and Yannick

My ever-growing, never-ending stash of ribbons needed a home. I had always wanted a spool holder (which looks so very artsy), which we ended up making with IKEA curtain hooks and wooden dowels.

The IKEA shelves hold bright, pretty fabric, folded nicely for the photograph :)

This is one of my son's paintings that won an award in a local art show (yea, Yannick!). The piece is tacked to a wall with an empty frame around it, which makes a great addition to my little corner.

Servietten Technik

This was a project with a friend....she is a painter, I am a fabric fanatic. I fell in love with the fabric but didn't know what to do with it. But together we came up with this: The edges are done with napkins (called Servietten Technik in German, not sure what it is in English). We glued the fabric on the canvas, but it was still kinda messy, so on came the trim, and then some gold paint to cover up mistakes.

It graces a corner in our dining room, along with a cool carved chair from the Black Forest (that we are babysitting for a friend).

pouches, pouches, pouches

While watching the Olympics, I have been happily sewing, sewing, sewing.

I needed a couple of gifts for friends...the red one is for a neighbor who generously took care of Belle when we were gone.

This pretty green one is for a friend's gracious hospitality during our visit to Charleston. A little thank-you note escapes...

Yet another burlap one for my etsy shop....what beautiful handwriting someone, somewhere had.

Happy Hearts

Oh, the joys of summer and the exuberance of youth. This is Micah and his friend catching just the right wave. "A happy heart makes the face cheerful" (Prov. 15:13).......my face is cheerful. Have a great Sunday.

Modern Quilt Art

This was one of the first of this series that I did...happy plaids standing at attention. It is a cheerful burst of color in the kitchen!

Bright batik adds a little punch to the border....

Taffeta Curtains with tulle lining

This taffeta fabric found just the perfect place in my living room. The panels are only decorative, so only one length was needed. Flannel is usually used as lining with silk curtains to give volume, but I wanted to retain its airiness, so I added some tulle to give it some poof.

The tulle peeks out like a little slip (don't look at the dog hair on the floor). I picture carefree, pretty ladies waltzing around the ballroom in their rustling taffeta, with whispers of silk and slips...

Summer Silk Sheath

We had a bunch of weddings to go to this spring and summer...what a great incentive to make some new dresses. I had bought this silk in Bangkok eons ago, but only had enough to make a Jackie O type sheath. Now that my children are past the smear-Mom's-dress-with-peanut-butter-and-jelly stage, it was time to sew.

Some fun trims added to the neckline really made a difference...the adorable little flower buds and pearls came by the yard and were sewn on by hand.