Can You Believe It?!?

Christmas is only 2 months from today! My lists of things to make and do are growing by the day. YIKES!


I was teasing my sister-in-law earlier in the week about always starting her Christmas shopping so early. She had emailed asking for the boy's wish lists already this week. Then I remembered technically, I've already started my gift collecting. In fact, I took one of the quilts I'm making for our nieces to the quilter yesterday. I'm excited to get it back and see what a difference it makes. And this afternoon I plan to start on the next one. That will be two gifts down. Well, when I completely finish them that is!

Although I won't be making all my gifts this year, I am looking forward to making several of them. One of my favorite things about Christmas is making things by hand. I have piles of books and magazines marked with all the projects I want to try this year. This one is particularly pulling at me. I've been trying to find a similiar cabinet so I can make this before December arrives.

from Somerset Studio Nov/Dec 2008

And ever since Martha began making those ornament covered wreaths several years ago, I've wanted to make one. Now you can just go out and buy one, but what fun is that?!? I've seen other versions-some out of vintage ornaments which I like best. But I think I'll use new ornaments with vintage inspired colors and go for a moderate sized one. Although this magnificent one by Jennifer Paganelli makes me swoon! Most of those are vintage ornaments!

from Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Ideas 2007

Speaking of lists-check out Janet Hopkins' chic organizer for the upcoming holiday season. I love the modern feel of it. Wish I were near Arizona to make one in the class she's teaching! Okay, enough daydreaming and list making. I've got to get busy.

Have a wonderful weekend being productive or choosing to just relax and enjoy the crisp autumn weather and activities! In between quilting I'll be trying to sneak in a quick trip to the antique mall and Target. Maybe even a chai tea latte-yum!

wannabe

I've been thinking alot lately about what I want to be when I grow up. LOL! I know, kinda late to be thinking about that. Or is it? What's that quote?
"It's never too late to be who you might have been" --George Eliot

I spent most of my childhood playing school. I fought becoming a teacher in college thinking instead I was going to be a famous singer. And then the first job I landed after graduating from college was-yep, teaching. Then life happened and I got married, had a baby and tried to stay home, but more life happened and I fell into other jobs that utilized other skills and went on with life.

Over the last several years we've had a few challenges with our youngest son and it's become more and more evident I needed to be at home when I could with him. After moving from a full time to a part time job for several years, I recently made the choice to take advantage of a position with the local school district in order to be home for my son when he is out of school and to eventually get back to where I started-teaching. Thus the thinking about what I want to be when I grow up. I'm glad it's never too late to be what you want to be-personally and professionally.

There are so many things I want to be...
an artist
a teacher
in the know
a Bella
relaxed
energetic
skinny
accepted
loved and loving
inspired

ME!

Hmmm.....I feel another creative therapy session coming on. :)

Maria Shriver has a great little book I have on my reading list called, "Just Who Will You Be?". Written during a time of transition in her own life, I'm looking forward to being inspired by this successful woman and how she answered this question for herself. Check it out HERE.

So, who do you want to be?

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." --Pablo Picasso

I've seen this quote lots of times, but when I saw it today it might has well have been on a big neon sign. It really sank in just how true it really is.

Over the weekend I just felt ick. I needed to make something. Work things out by creating. So, I got to work and inspired (once again by Pam Garrison and Lisa Kaus) I made this collaged canvas for my niece Emily's fifteenth birthday. By the time I went to bed on Saturday I felt so much better. Having that outlet to decompress while trying some new techniques was so relaxing. Listening to Michael Buble on my Ipod didn't hurt either.

Some may think it completely self-indulgent to spend so much time on creative pursuits. But I think the goal should be balance. Finding time for ones self to do art, workout, garden and spend time with friends are just as important as life's other daily tasks. It's about reducing stress, finding relaxation and renewal and stretching ourselves. All good time managers encourage making time in your schedule for rest and renewal. So, however you are able to find refreshment-schedule some in the next few days.

Rest, renew and Enjoy!

P.S. I almost forgot to send a shout out to my niece, Emily. She turned 15 today and will be getting her driver's permit tomorrow. Happy Birthday and good luck, Em!

The Secret Life of Bees

I love to read and when I take the time to enjoy a book I always wonder why I don't read more often. I just finished reading Sue Monk Kidd's, The Secret Life of Bees. I'd been wanting to read it for some time now and was intrigued by the title more than anything. But with the movie adaptation coming out very soon, I wanted to be sure and read it before I saw the movie. What a wonderful book! I enjoyed it so much and could picture the actresses in their roles as I read. So much so that I almost don't feel like I have to see the movie now-it was that good!

If you haven't read, The Secret Life of Bees I encourage you to do so. It is a moving story of love, forgiveness and redemption set among the racial turmoil of 1964's South Carolina. The author weaves the story of the main character so vividly you can't wait to find out how things turn out for her. Lots of layers and depth to this story that celebrates the power of forgiveness and the strength of women.

Here are a few "secrets" I learned from the book:

Live a life of no regrets.

Sisterhood is a powerful thing.

Healing comes in time.

Forgiveness is more necessary for you than the other person.

Like women, bees are wonderfully complicated creatures.

One of the greatest gifts you can give is to allow someone to tell their story and validate it.

You are stronger than you think.

Love and family can be found where we least expect it.

Here's a little preview of the movie and a clip of Jennifer Hudson singing, You Can Make It If You Try.

*The Secret Life of Bees stars Dakota Fanning and features Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson and Sophie Okonedo. In theaters October 17th.

Disney Adventures, Part III - Even a bad day is good at Disney

We were so blessed to be able to enjoy all of the parks at Disney World. It really is difficult to pick a favorite as they are all so unique. Animal Kingdom in particularl is one of a kind. Part wildlife refuge and part amusement park, it is filled will all kinds of wonder. We had a more abbreviated trip to the park this time, but each of us managed to get to do at least one thing we had really wanted. Brady and Jeff rode Expedition Everest a total of 4 times before finally calling it quits. Brady ended up with a headache and had to take an afternoon siesta to recover. Before heading back to the resort though we were able to see one of Disney's newest productions, Finding Nemo the Musical. This was such a delight! The story of the little clown fish and his rescue is told using puppetry. But not just any old puppetry. Well, you just have to see it to believe it. I was able to get a few photos so take a look for yourself. The music and choreography are broadway quality and the bubbles raining down on us at the end of the show were just the right suprise at the end of this feel good story.

Our fourth day had to be my favorite day. We were finally in vacation mode and spent the day at Disney's Hollywood Studios. So that we would all have a chance to get to do our favorite things we split up a little on this day. Jeff and Brady's coaster count for this park was 6 times on the Rockin' Rollercoaster. I was able to watch street performers, do some shopping, attend a Disney animation class (we drew Tink!) and walk through -a museum and documentary about Walt Disney. We were able to get a turn on the new Toy Story ride and spend time in Pixar Place. What a cool ride-no wonder the Fast Passes were gone before 2 in the afternoon. It's as though you've been dropped into bedroom and your playing the different carnival games in 4D! So cool! But my favorite thing I did this year was the museum and documentary about Walt Disney. What an amazing story about this man who worked his entire life to fulfill the dreams of his imagination until they were reality. He truly is an inspiration to dreamers everywhere.

We rounded out the day by having dinner at Ohana at the Polynesian Resort. It's always so fun to ride the monorail and get a bit of a bird's eye view of much of the Disney property including the Grand Floridian and some of the golf courses. We love this restaurant-so family oriented and the food served family style is AMAZING-especially the bread pudding with vanilla sauce just like m grandma used to make! The cherry on top of our day was heading back to Magic Kingdom for Spectro Magic parade followed by fireworks. A dream of a day!

Our last day at Disney was very quick. We did the Breakfast with Mickey again and I'm so glad we did. This was probably the last year Brady will want to see the characters and this venue just works so much better for us than waiting in line at the parks to see them. They are so good about spending as much time with each child and their family as you'd like while ensuring everyone gets a turn. We rounded out the day at Magic Kingdom and just didn't have near enough time. There was time for riding Space Mountain at least 3 times and seeing the new Monsters Inc show--Brady's fav character this time was Mike Wazowski. I got to walk through Main Street USA a little more and enjoy all the beautiful fall decorations. We always think there isn't that much we want to do at Magic Kingdom, but then leave wishing we'd had more time. It was a little sad to head out for the airport that day. I loved this message carved in pumpkins over the archways as you leave the park-See Ya Real Soon.

I'll close with a quote from one of the songs from the musical, Wicked. Can't help but think of Walt Disney when I hear this lyric: Happy is what happens when all your dreams come true. If you've come back to read all three parts of our Disney Adventures-thank you. Hopefully, I've been able to give you just a glimpse of how much we enjoyed our trip.

May all your dreams come true!

NESTING INSTINCT

Maybe it's because we've been away from home or the time of year, but I'm finding myself craving wanting to be at home. Cleaning, purging and sorting, sprucing up. Could just be that everything is a mess and I can't stand it anymore, too! Hoping to spend the next few weekends here at home getting things back in order. Then I can get back to all the projects I have swirling in my head.

It's a beautiful indian summer day and I have made a bit of progress. I have my Itunes going and my favorite candle lit and I'm going to reward my progress by putting together a new kit I received today from Kenner Road. You can read more about the designer and her kit club HERE. Very cool seasonal vintage materials to work with-I'll share a photo of the finished project tomorrow. And I'll have Part III of our Disney Adventures so tune back in.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a photo of the "man in the moon" pumpkin my mom painted for me. Just love him and have been so inspired by my mom lately. She's gotten all kinds of projects completed lately including several I'd planned to try. That's retirement for ya!

Until tomorrow...

Living in the Moment

One of my greatest faults is that I fail far too often to live in the moment. Either dwelling on the past or worrying about the future I often overlook the blessings of tOdAY.

Several scrapbook bloggers are participating in the Give Yourself a Present challenge. Participants are encouraged to take 10-12 photos representing their life NOW and create a minibook they can carry in their purse and look at each time they run across it prompting them to be grateful for the life they enjoy now. A year from now to the day we'll look at our books and see how many things which were present in our life a year ago may be gone or have changed and journal or scrapbook about it. This is a celebration of your present with all it's good, bad and indifferent. Give yourself a present today and check out Stacy Julian's blog for more info. I encourage even you nonscrapbookers out there to do this challenge. One of my favorite scrapbookers, Heidi Swapp is participating. Check out her take HERE. She's such an overachiever!

Also, this week Ali Edwards is doing her A Week In the Life album prompts on her blog. She has such great ideas for documenting the every day. I love this quote she has on her sidebar. It reads in part, "Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are." --Mary Jean Iron

Check out Ali's blog for great ideas for capturing those everyday moments that fill our memories.

Here's a little more inspiration courtesy of Trace Adkins. Quick, go grab your camera and document your life!

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days

hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

Disney Adventures Part II - Around the World in a Day

Day 2 at Disney found us at Epcot. It pained me to get off course by switching up our days, but since they were still calling for a bit of rain on Tuesday we headed for Epcot in hopes of better weather the following day when there would be fewer inside attractions.



Epcot has to be our very favorite park at Disney World. Of course, the main attractions at Epcot for the boys were Mission Space and Test Track. I did manage to ride Test Track once. Knowing what was coming made it alot more enjoyable this time. However, it never quite prepares you for slamming through that door and out on the track at 0-70 plus mph in a matter of seconds. Sponsored by GM, the ride ends up at a car show which Brady always really loves. I've never seen a kid more excited about driving. (He's had his eye on my mom's car since he was just a tot!) He got in the driver's seat of every car he could including an H3-his favorite in red. I managed to find a car I loved, too-the Saturn Vue in Sea Green. The color matched the tank top I was wearing and was gorgeous! Yea, had to take a picture because I doubt I'll be getting it anytime soon.



The other ride we love at Epcot is Soarin'. We are just amazed by this ride. It truly feels like you are gliding over the state of California-you feel the breeze, your feet dangle, you swoop down over people in their canoes and PGA West and you can smell the grapes as you fly over wine country. If you ever have the chance to do this you must. It is awesome. We've riden it at least a dozen times and never tire of how real it seems.



There is so much to see and do at Epcot. Unfortunately, we found ourselves only being able to hit our favorites. We did manage to make it all around the world this time in World Showcase. Again, this is such a cool thing and you could literally spend an entire day just in this section of the park. I was determined to visit every country this year. Although I did have to skimp on Great Britain and Canada I managed to walk through all of them. I had so much fun visiting with the college students from each host country who man the shops and the Kidcot stops. A highlight for the children and adults, too is having your passport stamped at each country and a greeting written to you in the native language. I decided to make my own passport this year and had a blast collecting stamps and signatures. I'll add my photos to it later for a little album of my trip around the world in a day. We visited Mexico-where Brady sent a hilarious electronic postcard to my mom, Germany-where Brady had a Bravarian pretzel and I managed to spy a Hummel bluebird in a window display, Norway, Italy where we watched a street performer while drinking a Lemon granita and saw examples of the massive cathedrals that make up the skyline of this history filled country. We had our photo taken in front of a Chineese temple and got a taste of a Moroccan village where we spied Alladin, Jasmine and genie! We even made a brief stop in France where I dreamed about visiting the real French markets. And my favorite girl of all was signing autographs as we entered Great Britain-Mary Poppins. What a whirlwind trip we had that day. I love that it gives you just a glimpse of the heritage and customs that make each of these countries so unique.

Our visit to Epcot ended with dinner at Coral Reef in the Living Seas. We had alot of fun watching the sealife in the massive aquarium which is the focal point of this restaurant. The divers inside are so funny as they swim up to the tables along the glass. They say sometimes you can even spy Mickey swimming in the tank, but we didn't see him this time. We did see HUGE sea turtles and a manna ray and had fun trying to identify some of the other fish. I had the best mahi mahi with a mango chutney-delish! We had great service and it was nice just to slow down and relax and enjoy a nice dinner together. This year we didn't stay for Illuminations (the nightly fireworks over the lake in World Showcase), but we could see alot of it as we walked to catch the shuttle back to our resort. Epcot is really the prettiest at nightime I think. I especially love the twinkly lights embedded in the walkway as you pass through Innoventions on the way out of the park and all of the fountains changing colors as they dance.

Check back soon for some of the highlights of our day at Animal Kingdom. I promise it won't be nearly as long! ;)

Disney Adventures, Part I - Hurry Up and Wait

WOW! Our trip is starting to catch up with me. I literally crashed yesterday staying in my pj's all day. Today I did manage to get to church and teach Sunday School, but was more tired today than yesterday. Took a loooong nap this afternoon to try and catch up. Not sure if I'm ready for the week to begin, but ready or not. Right?

We had another wonderful trip to Disney World. So grateful that we could make this trip again knowing it could be the last trip like that for awhile. We felt guilty at times with all that was going on economically during the week. Trust me, we're on lockdown over here. Those of you aware of Jeff's winter mode know what I mean. Well, you can triple or quadruple that now. :)

It was a good trip, but it did have it's share of hiccups at the beginning. Starting with Jeff and me being out of it at check-in and realizing on the resort shuttle that we had forgotten to get our keys (to the kingdom) at the front desk which was now almost two miles away. Fortunately, you can just keep going round the circuit 'til you get to where you want to go. In the meantime, the very diligent Albert from Honduras who had waited on us at the front desk sent a runner to meet us at our room with our keys! No worries. They just cancelled and reloaded our keys. Okay, back on the shuttle.

We made it to Hollywood Studios just in time for the skies to open up and start raining. It rained pretty much all afternoon. Guess where the umbrella and ponchos were? Yep, at the resort. We'd been in such a hurry to get to the park to start riding the Rockin' Rollercoaster that there'd been no time to grab such necessities. Managed to find cover in and out of venues, but by the time we made it to Epcot I finally just gave in and put on Jeff's ball cap and carried on.

Evening of our first day found us at Jeff's favorite restaurant, Le Cellier in Canada at World Showcase in Epcot. We made all of our dinner reservations 6-8 months prior, but found that on one of the busiest nights of the year they had our reservation scheduled for the night prior. We gently explained it was clearly a mistake because last night we ate Hamburger Helper and were packing. In true Disney fashion, they managed to get us in and Jeff enjoyed not one, but two filets! Yes, Brady now eats from the adult menu at Disney and was not hungry, but overly tired and well, Jeff just couldn't see that steak go to waste! And believe it or not, afterwards Jeff and Brady managed to ride on Soarin' before going back to the resort. Quite a full first day!

More to come of our Disney adventures which I'm happy to report only had one more hiccup the entire trip! It's good to be home, but we're experiencing post-vacation blues and we have lots to catch up on around here. I was hoping the fairy godmothers would have cleaned this place up a bit while I was gone! Anyway, might be a day or so before I post again, but please check back. I was particularly touched this year by Walt Disney's life story and want to share some interesting things I learned about him.

Remember, dreams do come true!

YOO-WHooo

*EDITED Sat, 2/27/08: okay, so I thought I was being SO clever to do this in advance. We got in late last night and just checking emails and such this morning and discovered that I forgot to "post" so this would have posted as planned on Wednesday. LOL
More to come about our Disney adventures later.


Guess where I am? Just wanted to say hello and that I'm thinking of you all. Here's a little hint if you're still wondering where oh where I might be...

M-I-C see ya real soon! K-E-Y why? because I like you! M-O-U-S-E!

Have a great week wherever you are!

Creative Therapy

I have been reading about a blog for awhile called Creative Therapy. Finally decided to check it out and found their catalysts to be intriguing. I found one of the most recent particularly intriguing: "What talent/ability do you wish you had?". The idea behind the Creative Therapy blog is to use each catalyst for a little art therapy. The site has a team of contributors who then invite readers to participate in the catalyst. Although I did not post mine, here is my therapy session in art. I was inspired by several collage artists-Pam Garrison, Anahata, Corey Moortgat and Lisa Kaus. Mostly, Pam Garrison though.

I went a little off the beaten path as far as the catalyst was concerned. I've been missing this part of me that was such a huge part of my life for so long. It was who I was. What I was known for. My identity. When I gave it up I lost a part of myself. That's a big reason I've been on this creative journey. I needed a way to express myself and to be able to identify with myself again. My music brought me great joy for many years and I cherish so many wonderful memories of sharing it with others.

I often wonder if I would still be able to sing and perform like before or if I am even capable of putting myself out there and opening myself up in this way again. Not sure how I did it all those years before. But sometimes I think about it and remember what it was like when I would SING.

Check out Creative Therapy and plan a session of your own. It's good for the soul!

UNHAPPY CAMPER

<-----We received this letter in the mail yesterday from our boy. Just in case you can't quite make it out, it reads:

Dear Mom and Dad,

I'm not having fun here at camp. Please pick me up as early as possible or as soon as possible on Tuesday. I miss you guys sooooooooooooo much.

P.S. Please hurry. I have to clean the toilets tomorrow.

Love, Brady

Priceless. It's Thursday and he's made it through the whole week of camp. I hope he's still speaking to us when he get home tonight. We're so proud of him. We never thought he'd go let alone stick it out the entire time. Can't wait to see him and hear about his toilet cleaning experience!

Water, Water Everywhere

It was appropriate that our lesson through the Bible in Sunday School class this morning was on Noah and the flood. Ike made it's way inland and arrived here early this morning and dumped several inches of rain. The ground was already wet from rain earlier in the week and we've had an exceptionally cool and wet summer by comparison to most summers. The creeks and streams just couldn't take it. This was the excitement we saw after our lesson on Noah.




This is the golf course and driving range where my husband works. My husband's clubs are inside. He's not a happy camper since he has a tournament tomorrow. We're hoping the water quickly recedes back into the creek from which it came. The ducks, well they're just swell. And the froggie he seemed a little lost. He's almost as green as a pickle! (Sorry, Mom-just couldn't resist getting a picture of him.) And look at that worm. Yep, it's a worm nearly ten inches long-thought it was a snake at first. And check out the fellas in the sailboat. We weren't sure who they were, but I guess they saw an opportunity to work on their skills. There was a decent sized crowd standing "on shore" cheering them on.


We've had lots of excitement today. Our little guy headed off to fifth grade camp this afternoon. I'm sure he'll do great, but it's hard to let him go and have these adventures. I know he's in good hands and I'm going to keep busy while he's gone so I won't think about it.


<---This is Mr Hirschi, his teacher. He is VERY tall. Brady's trying to do bunny ears over his head!

I'll remind myself of the lesson we had today in Sunday School this morning that God keeps his promises and that he's in control. I'll be thinking of those in Texas and Louisiana tonight too and the long days many of them have ahead. I'm hoping there will be a rainbow in the sky just for them.

10

Just 10 short days until we leave for Disney. I can't wait. Not just because this is one of my favorite places, but because we have needed this vacation for such a long time. In fact, it probably wouldn't matter if we weren't going anywhere at all, but we'll be happy to get away from it all with Mickey and all of his friends.

Here's a list of the Top Ten things I'm looking forward to the most.

10. Taking a "class" with one of the Disney animators. I'm hoping Brady will do this with me again. He really suprised me last time and got into it. Wonder who we'll get to draw this time?

9. Dinner at the Polynesian-we didn't really know what to expect last time so we're happy for a do over. We did get a walking tour of this property last time though-we got off the tram at the wrong stop! It's like you have been dropped off on a Pacific Island-all the plants are so lush and beautiful. I hope Brady gets a chance to do the coconut race this time.

8. World Showcase-there is so much to see that we didn't make it all the way around the world last time. Hoping to get to the other side and spend a bit more time in Paris-since that's probably the closest I'll get. Can't wait to see Alice and Mary Poppins and watch the Beatles perform in merry old England again, too.

7. The Living Seas Aquarium-we didn't walk through this last time so I'm hoping to get to do so this year. The tanks are HUGE!

6. A Bug's Life 3D-this totally makes you feel like a kid again. Every sense gets a workout and everything seems so real. Not sure I can get Brady to go back to this one. It kind of gave him the heeby-jeebies.

5. Soarin'-the imagineers worked overtime on this one! You truly feel like you are gliding over California. Wonder if we'll be able to see Arnold waving at us! Seriously, you can smell the grapes as you pass over wine country. It's awesome!

4. The Spectro Magic Parade-we had a great place to see this parade last time. Hope we're as lucky this year. This is an AMAZING parade and all of the characters come out for this one. Cinderella's coach is my favorite with Prince Charming on board.

3. WISHES-there's nothing quite like fireworks at Disney. And even tho' I know it's really just someone on a zipline, there's something magical about Tinkerbell flying towards Cinderella's castle to start the show.

2. Stopping to look around and realizing all of this was because one man had a dream and followed his heart.

1. Just spending uninterrupted time together making memories. That's the absolute best part of a vacation no matter where you go!

It was hard to limit this list to just ten things. It's so much fun watching Jeff and Brady interact at the parks. They canNOT wait to ride Yedi mountain or the Rockin' Rollercoaster. The most adventurous I got on the coasters last time was to ride Test Track at Epcot. It is very cool-my dad and brother would love it. Then there's the new Nemo show all done with elaborate puppetry and Haunted Mansion that we didn't do last time and riding on the riverboat at Magic Kingdom and breakfast with Mickey the last day we're there. I'm also hoping to get to window shop a bit at some of the shops. See? There is so much to see and do.

Ah, Disney here we come!

Finders Keepers

Look what my dad brought to me from the lake! Bluebird feathers! Look at that color would ya!?! That blue is electric! Dad had been looking for weeks for just one feather and he told me he found all of these within 50 feet of each other. Kind of don't want to think about that too much. Visions of Sylvester and Tweety Bird come to mind-ewww. Anyway, they are my treasures. Thanks, Dad!

In other Blue Bird Art news, I hope to add a couple more items to my etsy shop over the next several days. Thanks to all of you who have been checking it out. I sold my first item on opening weekend. I may not sell another thing, but it was a thrill to make that first sale. I had so much fun purchasing tissue and making my own tags to seal the package.

Here's the hand-doodled logo I came up with. I'd been drawing this for awhile now since seeing some of Pam Garrison's doodling in, you guessed it-Postmark LA. Still loving that book! I hear the Bellas are coming out with another and I can't wait!

Anyway, I love the idea of the bird in the cage and thinking about it flying free. If you're old enough to remember Mork and Mindy, you might recall Robin Williams as Mork yelling out, "Fly! Be Free!". Okay, that's not exactly where I was going with this, but I like the idea of "let yourself fly". That's another blog post all by itself.

Have a good rest of the week and keep your eyes peeled for the ever-illusive blue bird!

TA - DAH!

I am thrilled to report that I have finally finished my first quilt. YAY! I have been learning SO much. Particularly about sticking with it and that handmade does not equal perfection. I am so grateful to have my mom right beside me pointing me in the right direction, letting me use her fabulous machine and cheering me on at every step. I'm having alot of fun spending this time with her-sweet memories.

I just love that it is so girly. I love, love, love these Anna Griffin fabrics.

To me, the back of this one is as cute as the front. Way simple, but WAY cute!

I used Sulky variegated threads for the feather embroidery stitch. Machine embroidery was definitely the way to go. I'm pleased with how the appliques turned out. I actually only made a couple mistakes with the machine embroidery. The circles were very easy and the monogram wasn't bad. It was those pesky flower petals and leaves that gave me the most trouble.

My next quilt project will be for my other niece on Jeff's side. I'm still hoping to use the Heather Bailey fabrics I purchased, but can't make up my mind whether to try a new pattern or this same one. Not sure how those bold graphic prints would workout with this applique. It wouldn't be a big deal to do something different, but Rachel loves to have the same as her older cousin Morgan. We'll see. I really want to use the POP GARDEN fabrics for her quilt-they remind me so much of her little personality.

While I was finishing up my quilt yesterday, Mom was busy making up this sweet pin cushion. We ordered these little kits from Heather Bailey's new online shop. We are anxious to try and make her yummy pins, too from wool felt, vintage buttons and yo-yo's (the fabric kind). ;)

Between the two of us, we have more projects than either one of us could ever hope to complete. But that's half the fun, isn't it!?

Only In America

One of the things I love most about our country, and which I believe many of us take for granted, is the right to peacefully assemble. Yesterday, we took full advantage of our freedom. Our town was fortunate enough to host a rally for the McCain-Palin campaign. It was literally just down the road from our house so how could we not go? Particularly since there are so many history making moments already being made in this election year.





Although the heat and humidity were near unbearable, the three of us non-adventurers managed to beat the heat and the crowds. And were there crowds! An estimated $15,000-most of whom didn't appear to be from our town, but from nearby counties. Behind us in line to get in was a young family who had relocated from New Orleans. They had come not only to hear John McCain and Sarah Palin, but in particular to hear local politicians. I applaud them for their efforts-they had very young children with them and dad had to hoof it back to the car a half mile to put the stroller back since security didn't allow them.





Our boy did well in the heat, but lost his zeal shortly after the bus arrived with the presidential and vice presidential candidates. We waited nearly four hours so I didn't blame him for being done at that point. In fact, we had been able to see the governor, Senator Bond and others speak, but when the main speakers came out we could not see them at all including John Rich. But all in all it was a good day and we were glad we went. No matter your stance on issues or candidates, I encourage you to take advantage of your right to assemble and to be mindful of all the freedoms we experience in America.


Happy Labor Day!

Yes, We're Open

Fueled by encouragement from my sister, I've finally opened my shop on Etsy. I'm excited, but nervous to put myself out there in this way. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. I've only added a few items for now, but hope to add a couple more soon. So if you're wanting to get your shop on this holiday weekend, check out my new shop at http://www.psmullican.etsy.com/ .

Puttin' It Together

One of my favorite albums (cd's for you younger readers) is Barbara Streisand's Broadway Album. I listened to it continuously in college. Love Babs! Anyway, one of the songs included was Puttin' It Together from the musical, Sunday in the Park with George. Not sure why that came to mind today, but it did as I was assembling another journal.




I'm quickly becoming addicted to these. Inspired by one I'd purchased from Rebecca Sower's etsy shop, I first made one for my mother-in-law, Linda as a gift for her birthday this past Spring. I love the idea of using a cabinet card as the front cover and the idea of utilizing lots of recyclable materials and using up my stash of supplies. As inspiration often begets inspiration, I've mixed it up here and there and have been further inspired by one of my fav artists, Pam Garrison as she was also inspired by Rebecca.





Looking forward to making more of these for Christmas gifts. Can't wait to tailor pages and embellishments for the recipients. I've been rescuing items from the trash at work, ripping pages from magazines and scouring clearance bins at Michaels for items to use. Although that kind of defeats the purpose of using up my stash! And even tho' I use lots of new items, my favorite items to use are vintage postcards, wallpaper and other bits of vintage ephemera. In my most recent journal, I used vintage buttons sewn to a button card designed by Theresa McFayden.

Another fun thing I did was to add a wing charm and Heidi Swapp chandolier crystals to the book ring of this journal.





The ideas are truly limitless and if you're organized you can knock two or three out in an evening assembly line style. Especially if you are listening to a little Streisand while putting it together!

A First

Brady and I survived our first local Yugi-OH tournament yesterday. He was in heaven! It was actually very interesting. Like you've walked into another world-they have their own language and terminology. Brady met a nice friend who's mom drove him from nearly 30 miles away just to play. WOW! And although winning isn't everything, he actually came in fourth place which the store owner said was really good for a first time tournament player. When the tournament was over I asked if he had a good time. He said, "One of the best times of my life!" You can guess where I'll be spending alot of my Saturday mornings from now on.

After our Yugi-OH adventure we took a stroll through one of my favorite antique malls. I really should stop wasting my time at junk and thrift stores since this particular mall always has such a nice selection and things are in such good condition and clean. I hadn't been in awhile so it seemed as though they had a better than usual selection. I was on the lookout for several things-holiday paper ephemera, millinery (so scarce in our area), photo cards and candy molds.

Several booths had a great selection of old photos. I picked up a few more to use for journal covers. I particularly like the ones that have decorative advertising on the backside. Inspired by Rebecca Sower, I've made several for gifts and have become addicted to making these. I need to share a photo of the next one I make.

I also picked up a beautiful embossed Christmas postcard. The backside is as beautiful as the front! Can't wait to use this for something. The colors are so rich and the background is gold IRL and has the texture of moire ribbon.

Here are a couple more items I picked up. Like I said, there was so much to choose from. Not sure if there were new vendors or if they'd just redone their booths, but I had to get out before I carted too much home. I'm particularly pleased with my dolly head. It's the first one I've purchased in person-the others were all found online. And the divided compote full of buttons was a steal at $10.99-they are truly my addiction. I'd passed this particular container up on several others visits and couldn't do it this time.

And although I wasn't looking hard, I managed to find a small squirrel metal candy mold. There was a turkey one in the same booth, but I passed it up. I'll bet I regret that. I was looking for them because I'm hoping to graduate from Delight airdry clay to actual paper maiche inspired by Teena Flanders and her book.

This is what kept me company during the Yugi-O tournament this morning. The book itself is gorgeous, but I love the creative philosophy of this renowned artist. In the chapter on Getting Started she writes about setting up your workspace, "Everything I use should inspire me so I search for bright pinks, creamy whites, and spunky nostalgic prints." And I love how she describes the joy of creating during the winter:

"I love winter because of the long evenings. There seems to be more time for all sorts of beautiful and meaningful projects and quiet family moments. The house smells of gingerbread and the fireplace smolders all day long, creating a calming atmosphere."

A girl after my own heart! I could go on about this book for several more paragraphs, but I'll save that for when I actually attempt working with her beloved medium. Let the baking and glittering begin!

Not sure where the time goes. It's already Sunday evening and the start of another work/school week is just around the corner. There was so much more I wanted to accomplish in these two days. Still need to tell you about my Paducah adventures last weekend. Haven't forgotten just busy, busy. I'll try to post about it before the week is over. Have you noticed all the butterflies out and about? There was even one inside Walmart this evening-it nearly landed on me (that's good luck, I think). Lots of monarchs in our area making their way to Mexico. Love catching a glimpse of one as it flutters by. Be on the look out for them and say, "¡que tengas suerte en tus viajes!" (safe travels and good luck!)

Okay, I'm going to crash for the evening and begin doing some of the handwork on "the quilt". Mom and I worked to prepare the appliques today and I've begun stitching the stem of the oversize flower onto the quilt top. The next decision I have to make is whether I do the blanket stitch around the rest of the appliques by hand or machine. We had the quilt laid out today with the appliques in place. It's going to be SO cute, but right now it has become my nemesis. Not sure I'll ever get finished! Actually, I'm getting very close to having it completed and ready to go to the quilter. Can't wait to show photos when I get to that point. I'm off to work on tying a quilter's knot. :)

TTFN!