What I did to keep me busy...

Well I have been down for the count for the past week...thanks to a Summer cold that insists on lingering on and on and on! Uugghh!
I was all ready to join in with some gal pals for a impromptu Camp~out over in Idaho,,, but alas, I decided I had better keep my snotty nose home!
I needed something to keep me busy so down to my sewing room I went,,,
I made 2 fun "Hillbilly Aprons"....
This apron is for a Maryjane Farm friend.. it is made with red & natural burlap...yep, Burlap!
Then I trimmed it with my favorite...yoyos... and a couple of tuck-ins like a battenburg lace doily, clip-on earrings & of course...lavender. The little over sized pin is for the apron closer.
I hope my farm girl friend enjoys it as much as i did making it.
I found the clip~on earrings at a 2nd hand shop, and I attached some sparkly beads to the pin.

This is the 2nd apron that I made.. and it is a birthday present for one of my Glamping gal pals.
Also made from burlap.....and decorated with yoyos, an old crochet doily, lavender and it to has a rhinestone decorated safety pin to use as the closer. Oh and I found a ginormous pair of rhinestone earrings.

Although a burlap apron might not be practical,,, it sure is different.... sort of a one of a kind!

I actually found the pattern for these burlap aprons from a vintage 1960's sewing pamphlet and have made several burlap aprons.

Well, gotta go blow my nose again.... hope I get over this cruddy cold soon!

Look What I got from Regena...

How sweet is this? I found Regena aka 'the distracted housewife' and her blogsite on the recent 'Flirty Apron Swap~Aloha' that I participated in... I was peeking in at her blog and saw that she was having a 'giveaway'... so I entered & wahooo, I won this cool Pin cushion kit... I can hardly wait to get started on it.. I love little toteable craft projects. I'll be sure to post pics when done.
Thank you Regena.

I Love this Book....

What a fun read....... "Everyday Fashions of the Fifties"
(if you click on the picture...it will embiggen for a better view).

I recently purchased this book... by Joanne Olian...it is a compilation of mostly women's clothing starting from 1950 through 1959.. All courtesy of vintage Sears catalogs.

It is fun to see the progression of fashions in just one decade from peep toed shoes to stiletto heels. From fussy fitted dresses adorned with pearls & gloves to fun carefree unstructured dresses and overtly silly hats.... it also had a cute little section with aprons..wish I had a few of those aprons in my collection.

There is also a 1940's and a 1960's edition if you are interested in older or new clothing.

Spoons vs Fingers

mama meri has been working with the girls on their independent self feeding skills....
Leilei seems to be getting the hang of it....

as for phoobee..... well, let's just say,,,spoons are slowing her down! lol!

Aloha, My Apron is here!

Wahooo! my surprise package for the 'Aloha Flirty Apron Swap' arrived today...what a pleasant surprise!

It came from Donna aka 'tealovinglady' over at the Flirty Apron Swap site....each item was sweetly wrapped in purple tissue paper.....and covered with Hibiscus confetti.

And the last item I unwrapped was this adorable tropical inspired apron! Who doesn't love pink & green?

The goodies are such a treat,,, tropical dish towels, coasters, note pad, and candles.. Luv it!

Now I think I will go make myself a cup of passion fruit tea & light one of the Plumeria candles & just relax! aaahhhhhh!

Our Driveway...

What do you see when you pull into your driveway?
I see my lavender plants welcoming me.

I see my "Scotty w/a Potty" & her little sister, "Farmgirl on the Loose" shyly hiding behind her.

I see the Pergola that my darling husband built for me.

I see the planting we put into the ground to bring life to our property.

I see Possibilities.....

So,,,?...What do you see when you pull into your driveway?

My Kitty is 'Going Green'...

We have been trying to do our share of 'Living Green'.... even our lil Peekaboo has been giving it some thought....

I took an old kitty litter box, filled it with potting soil, and planted Cat Grass seeds for Peekie to enjoy.

Looks like she might be enjoying it a little to much! lol!

Yep, she's goin' green,,,, actually she isn't using it as a littler box, she just likes to lay in it. Makes her feel like a wild kitty with out the flies & bugs! What can I say, she is our little miss priss.

I have been in the Dungeon...

Yep! I have been spending time again in my Dungeon again and this is what I have been up tooooo! I have 'sew' much fun in my sewing room.... This is the apron & 'tuck-ins' for my Apron Swap partner..... As you can see, the theme is 'Tropical~Aloha'.

I purposely placed the pockets so the birds would look like they are perched on the pocket....if you click on the photo it will give you a better view. (yes there is a yoyo on this apron-can you see it?)

and yes... this was what my apron was in it's former life... a MuMu....how fun is that...

Just got to love re-purposing..... I even (re) attached the origional dress lable to the apron.

Aloha!

Here Kitty kitty kitty....

Don't you just Hate it,,,when you are in a hurry to leave the house and you try to do a "Kitty check head count "...only to not be able to find one of your kitties!?!... Of all places,,,,for Dolly~girl to 'hide'... she never sleeps in this thing...and to think, I had spent a good 10 minutes looking for her!
Ah, the joys of being a Katmom! lol! and my friends wonder why I am always late!

Dolly, you stinker,,, i think i will put a 'beeper' on your collar!

Now back to her nappy time..... what she does best!

What a Wonderful Afternoon...

Just lil ol me sitting out in my Lavender field....my lavender is just starting to bloom, a little late because of the long long Winter.

"Women of the Wild West" & "MaryJane Farm Girls" gathered up for "Tea Under the Shade Trees".

Yep, that's me, front row in the rust colored skirt.

Karen, myself & Diane...don't we look cutsie in our aprons? :>)

"Cow Girl Boots Kick Butt" not to mention make us gals look Cow girlie Cute!.

(l to r) Maryjane, Rebekah, Meg, me, Kim.

Who wouldn't want a sweet bed in their back yard to take sweet summer naps in, to dream of overflowing gardens and apron projects.

(l to r) Kim, Sharon & Karen and Heidi (in back ground).....as usual, I am not in the photo because I am behind the camera!
We are at a delightful little Quilt shop called "The Quilted Moose" in Colfax, WA.

( www.myquiltedmoose.com ) There so many wonderful projects on display, oh if only I had a week to come play & create.

This is one of the projects they offer. It is a dimensional mini Crazy Quilt..it is actually even more lovely when you have it in your hands to look at it. It has all sorts of embellishments.

I couldn't resist taking a photo of this sweet, simple to create apron... I love the pocket with sweet sayings on it too!

After being in Heidi & Caren's sweet shop, I could hardly wait to get home and make another apron.... I am so inspired by these talented women and their little shop...it may be small in size but certainly not small on creativity...everywhere I looked I would gasp and say,,,'I need to do that'...or 'I want that fabric'..... It was like being in a candy shop, and the projects were the candy! SWEET!

Yoyo Crafting Idea...

As some of you know, I LUV Yoyos...and use them to embellish nearly everything I craft! Well my dear neighbor, Andrea,,, always passes on her crafting magazine to me,,,to enjoy and then I pass them on,,,but in this case, I didn't pass on this issue of "Create & Decorate" because of the cute idea for a towel holder. A Pineapple, the Hawaiian symbol for Hospitality, made up of Yoyos..Cute!
I used felt for the base to which I added the yoyos by stitching on and sewed buttons onto each yoyo. Then I attached the metal ring (macrame' ring) & a little plastic ring on the backside ( for hanging the towel holder)... add a wooden spoon, a towel, tie on a bit of frayed burlap & Voila! instant cute towel holder.

The magazine used felt for the yoyos but I found them to be to bulky for my liking and choose to use a sweet yellow print fabric. Click on the photo for a closer look.