girlville

completed project!

2012-01-06T11:21:00.000-05:00

earlier in the fall when we 'redid' the den/living room it became abundantly clear that the fabric covered table in front of the window needed to be recovered stat...the yellow in the background of the plaid matched the walls and the entire table just sort of disappeared

here's a before

i had PROcrastinated this project for way too long...everything else in the room was finished...so on my last day of christmas break i sucked it up and spent 7.5 hours recovering the table (i'd had the fabric to do it with for years...years!)

AFTER:

the corners are pleated

i lined it! with an old sheet!

the front panel is separate and lifts up to reveal: storage of extra stuff i probably do not need!!!

even though i'd rather have spent my day reading a book or crocheting a blanket or watching a movie, or taking a nap, or ANYthing other than tackling this project, at the end i was SO glad to have taken the plunge and just gotten in over with!

what do you need to tackle that you've been putting off?

have a great weekend!

walking in a winter wonderland?

2012-01-04T13:50:00.000-05:00

christmas came...christmas went...

but i refuse to give up the decorations!

here is my office post christmas:

oddly enough, i do not really like winter

i barely tolerate it

the cold and being cooped up inside is horrible

but i do love me a snow* day!!!

*translation - stay home from work

elfin shoes*

2011-12-16T14:15:00.000-05:00

it should come as NO surprise to anyone who has been a long time reader of this blog that whilst cleaning out the craft room last weekend i unearthed numerous unfinished projects...i have placed them all in one central location and am going to diligently finish them one by one (chuckle)

here's the first one:

a couple years ago i found a cute pattern for little elf shoes on a blog (i've long since forgotten which blog...the point being: i didn't invent these)...it seems that i completed one shoe save for sewing on a little pom pom on the tip (i have completion issues)

the other shoe was all cut out, but that's where i stopped...this week, i've started sewing it up!

i think the pair will be a cute holiday decoration and i VOW to have them finished before christmas!

*on a related note, i ordered myself some shoes today that i've been salivating over for a couple months now...zappos will have them at my doorstep on monday, just in time for christmas, yippee!

have a great weekend and i hope you finish all you start

keepin' it real

2011-12-14T11:50:00.000-05:00

for a while now (months, possibly a year) my craft room has been a BIG FAT MESS...to the point that i cannot function in there, don't want to go in there, cannot even stand to look in there (which obviously i have to since it's right there in my house)...

last weekend i hit the breaking point when i was trying to finish up a couple of gifts and nearly lost my mind (clearly when you see the pics you will understand that it's amazing i didn't lose more than my mind...there could easily be a body in there)

i grabbed my trusty kitchen timer and worked off and on in 30 minute increments...here are the before pics...soon i'll show the 'during' pics

if all goes as planned, after cleaning the joint up i'm going to totally redo the entire room (minimally move everything to a better location/setup) (maximally paint the room a new color and install hardwood flooring)...who will win minimum or maximum? stay tuned...

are you a slob too or is it just me?

it's beginning to look a lot like Grinchmas!

2011-12-12T16:09:00.000-05:00

a lady that works in the suite across the hall from my office made a good point the week after thanksgiving: we spend more time at the office than at home...SO this year my co-worker and i went all out decorating the office...we raided our own houses and my mom's house gathering stuff that wasn't being used...

here are some pics from the lobby {where i spend all my time}

(i blurred out the name of my company...in cause any of y'all are crazy stalkers)

the decor continues down the main hallway, into the conference room and at my co-worker's desk! everyone else thinks we have lost our minds...

do you decorate at your office???

hApPy hAlLoWeEn ~ a spooky spotlight on pugpossed etsy shop by sophie

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

last week or so my mama saw that punchy, proprietress of the pugpossed etsy shop had tutus on sale...imagine my horror when she ordered one for me...

see? i'm horrified!

don't look at me!

i'm practicing waiting at the door for the trick-or-treaters

mama thinks i'm going to help her hand out candy...

yeah, right! like i want to be seen in this getup!

in addition to making tutus for cats and dogs, i've seen my dog uncle wearing a shirt (!) and tie that punchy made...i have to admit, he looks pretty dapper in it...

click here to see lots of dogs wearing punchy's tutus (i will die of embarrasment if my picture shows up on that page...clearly that's why i wouldn't pose like my mama wanted me to today...me is smart)

hey, this looks just like my dog uncle's shirt and tie!

{but this looks nothing like my dog uncle}

punchy's workmanship is really good (my brother tyler has been trying to eat my tutu, but has not yet been successful in ripping out her sewing)...

pugpossed is offering a special free shipping offer for readers of this blog!!! now all cats and dogs can have tutus! if you want to ~~torture~~ spoil your fur baby, contact punchy and use this code:

SHIP4FREE

hApPY hAlLoWeEn

~sophie lou

princess kitty, queen bee, spoiled rotten

ready for the rain

2011-10-20T18:39:00.000-04:00

ever since i first watched an episode of 'the fabulous beekman boys' i've wanted a pair of wellies

cause really, how fabulous does josh look?

AND

i always see people in town wearing them when we are up at the mountain house...

these are what i really, really want:

but they are rather pricey

however, i'm sure they are totally worth it and would last forever

so today we were at target and i found these:

and while they aren't hunter rain boots, they are rather fabulous

plus they cost 1/4 the price of the hunters

and now i can put the $$$ i saved towards one of these babies:

look for me stomping in mud puddles!

think pink

2011-10-03T12:59:00.000-04:00

october is breast cancer awareness month...have you had your yearly mammogram yet? if not, what are you waiting for? go call and make an appointment right now...are you between the ages of 35 and 40? have you had a baseline mammogram? if not ask your doctor next time you are in their office.

the american cancer society recommends that a woman obtain her first baseline mammogram between the ages of 35 to 40. After the age of 40, she should receive a yearly mammogram.

take care of yourself! your health begins with you!

design your own halloween sign winner:

2011-09-30T21:30:00.000-04:00


and the winner is: punchy!

final halloween giveaway ~ 2011

2011-09-28T11:45:00.002-04:00

i got a local order for a 'boo!' halloween sign...

since i already had my paints out, i went ahead and painted out a second sign to give away...

i didn't put a word on it yet...the winner will get to decide what spookish thought they want it to say!

the rules:

leave a comment telling me what WORD or words you'd want on this sign, one comment per person
i'll draw the winning name on friday, sept 30th @ 5:30 pm est.
got it?
comment away!

putting it all back together...

2011-09-23T12:36:00.000-04:00

no time for words...just some pics...hope to get as much done as can be done this weekend and maybe decorate for halloween!

continuing with the den makeover aka: why there was no apron post on friday

2011-09-22T12:06:00.000-04:00

there was no apron friday post cause all the rest of my aprons are in the third drawer in the bureau in the dining room:

{and the dining room still looked like this on thursday and friday}

meanwhile the den looked like:

but on saturday the husband started painting!

{who can spot his assistant?}

'putting it all back together' starts tomorrow!

{cause i still cannot get to that third drawer}

EEK! giveaway winner

2011-09-21T19:46:00.000-04:00

the winner is commenter # 6: magnolia sun!

congratulations! let me know if you want me to mail it or what.

ps: there will be another halloween giveaway in the next week or so...stay tuned!

villa paradise

2011-09-20T08:51:00.000-04:00

my parents are spending the week at this ginormous house in mexico on the pacific ocean:

{yes, that's one house...with six bedrooms...and 3 chefs...and 2 monkeys in a cage next door}

{and 2 pools and a view of the pacific ocean}

if this is what one does when one retires, i want to retire yesterday

{okay, those who know me know i want to retire yesterday anyways...regardless of 'mexican villa/private chefs/monkeys in cages' vacations}

halloween giveaway!

2011-09-15T12:34:00.001-04:00

i'm pairing up with sandy over at ragus pug in a halloween giveaway...be sure to visit her blog for the chance to win her cute halloween goodie!

if our house ever gets back in order, i hope to decorate for halloween...but it ain't looking likely...boo {no put intended}...

so, here's a little halloween cutie for those of you that will be decking your halls in the next few weeks, a little handpainted 'eek' sign:

{sorry, the glass pumpkin is mine all mine}

scary, no?

not for the arachnophobic

just leave a comment to be entered in the drawing...winner chosen september 21st

GHOUL LUCK!

anticipation

2011-09-13T10:29:00.000-04:00

Friday: A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 61. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

umm, i think fall is arriving here on friday...i hope my jeans still fit!

{yes, 61 is considered cool in these parts}

the continuing adventures of sophie lou mountain kitty

2011-09-06T14:56:00.000-04:00

we made a short trip up to the mountain house over labor day weekend to finish the dining room...i had ordered a new chandelier and had it delivered to the neighbor's house up there (brilliant idea, no? it would have taken up the entire car!)...

i got the rug off of craigslist...we bought the table at an antique store during our july trip and it was delivered after we left so this was our first time seeing everything all in place...i think we can call the dining area 'done'

i made a quick sweep thru all the stores in downtown blowing rock on sunday and a 30 minute trip to the outlets on monday morning before we left for home...

sophie helped drive us back

apron friday ~ episode four

2011-09-02T21:26:00.000-04:00

here's another hostess apron from my vintage collection

i think it looks like something mary ann would have worn on gilligan's island...

it has a sheer organza overlay trimmed in lace

perfect for baking coconut cream pies!

extreme living room makeover phase 1 aka 'my big fat mess'

2011-09-01T18:57:00.000-04:00

at the end of phase 1 {electricians take over the house} we have this:

before we had this:

which in reality looked more like this:

in other words, it was SO dark in our living room...we now have 8 recessed lights along with a chandelier in the middle...well, there will be a chandelier when i order a new one...first person to guess what i'm getting wins (bragging rights) and my bet is NO ONE will figure out what i'm getting...

the 3 electricians were at our house all.day.long...along with the living room work, they installed 5 recessed lights in the kitchen...it's like i've died and gone to heaven there is so much light.

the husband stayed home with all the cats...the cats didn't care too much for all the racket nor the 3 strangers invading their space...

as soon as they left, sophie took over as supervisor of the cleanup:

we put some stuff back in the living room, but there is still a lot of work to be done (paint ceiling, paint walls, get new sofa, get chair recovered, 'make' a new entertainment center, get a tv, and so on and so on and so on...

the dining room is still a mess:

we won't be having a dinner party any time soon!

~k

deconstructed

2011-08-31T10:09:00.000-04:00

today we pretty much started tearing up the den

{and to some extent the kitchen}

most everything in the den moved into the dining room

and the house is wrapped in plastic

me thinks we might have opened up pandora's box...

apron friday ~ white organdy with baby rick rack trim

2011-08-19T14:54:00.001-04:00

this is a vintage hostess half apron

i've never worn it

{it was in the stash of aprons i found at the great aunt's house}

cause really? when would you wear this lovely little thing?

the details are amazing...

i think this apron is handmade...

the upper most patch is a pocket...the other 2 are just for looks

i think this apron needs to adorn a vintage 40s or 50s shirtwaist dress...

you know, like june cleaver or margaret anderson (father knows best)

and maybe high heels and pearls...

what do you think?

have a great weekend!

the one where you are convinced i'm crazy

2011-08-16T12:07:00.000-04:00

i don't like my den*

look here and here to see a tour of the den
{although i've rearranged since then...i rearrange often...it's a sickness}

since we've moved in this house well over 10 years ago i've never quite gotten the downstairs den arranged/situated/decorated like i want it...it's just a complicated long skinny room...so i've got all sorts of idears now that include:

pot lights...LOTS of pot lights
a new chandelier
a new to me sofa
paint, paint and more paint
and this chair ~

oh yeah...you know you are jealous!

~k

*i feel confident that someone who had been to my house is probably going to say they like my den...

apron friday

2011-08-12T09:06:00.000-04:00

{sorry i missed last week...i'm a slacker}

this apron also came from anthropologie...i got it last summer while visiting chicago...there was an anthropologie on state street within walking distance of our hotel...

you have until next thursday to submit your guess as to how many aprons i have...the winner will get an apron made especially for them to their liking. so i guess that pretty much gives it away that i have at least 3 aprons, haha.

have a GREAT weekend!

{we are currently pet sitting 5 cats and 3 fish at 3 different houses...phew, it's like having a part time job...add in our own 4 fur kids and it's like being a zookeeper}

the continuing adventures of sophie lou mountain kitty

2011-08-03T14:31:00.000-04:00

when we went to the mountains a couple weeks ago, sometimes i went outside wearing my harness...my harness assures i'm not going anywhere cause i act like a fainting goat when i have it on...i walk 3 steps and lay down, walk 3 steps and lay down, lay down, lay down...

oooh, what's that?

a tasty looking chipmunk!

since i don't really like my harness and leash, sometimes i get to go outside naked

it feels much better

rest assured my mama watches me like a hawk...

speaking of hawks

i saw lots and lots of hummingbirds

and a rabbit

i love going to the moutains!

sophie lou mountain kitty

2011-08-01T14:10:00.000-04:00

"how i ride in the car"...a photo essay

lather, rinse, repeat for two hours

please note, she is not in her really nice, super safe car seat...oh no...she hates it when it's in the car but will sit in it in the house for no reason at all...i make her ride in it the first hour as it's the busiest, most dangerous part of the drive (I-40/85)...after incessant crying, mewling, howling, everyone is happy when she is set free.

~k

apron friday ~ a new feature

2011-07-29T14:37:00.000-04:00

i got a custom order a couple weeks ago from leah...she wanted an apron for her sister...in chatting back and forth leah said her sister was an excellent cook but that she didn't have an apron...i laughed and found that so hard to believe cause i have so many! thus was born a new weekly feature: apron friday

to kick off apron friday here is the apron that started it all:

i got this apron 3 years ago when i accompanied the husband on a business trip to los angeles...during the day when he was in classes i wandered about seeing the sites including the wonderful farmers market and the grove (you know, where mario lopez films extra)...i laid down a lot o' cash at anthropologie* including this apron, which was on the clearance rack...

thus an obsession was born...

any guesses as to how many weeks i can keep up 'apron friday'??? maybe there will be a prize for whoever comes closest...

today we may reach the highest ever recorded temperature in our city...the record to beat is 104...dear satan, you can have your weather back!

tyler says stay cool with a glass of chilled 'beverage of choice'!

*oddly enough there is an anthropologie about 20 minutes from my house but that's just way too far for me to drive, lol...i prefer to hit up stores when i go to big cities like la and chicago...

child's craft apron

2011-07-11T16:04:00.001-04:00

a couple weeks ago my MIL brought over a thin plastic child's craft apron that she had...emphasis on thin...i'm pretty sure it came free in an art kit or something...it fell apart after one use...so my task was to make a new, improved one!

since she wanted it for the kids to paint in i thought pulling fabric out of my extensive stash would defeat the purpose as wet, messy, paint crafts might soak thru...instantly i thought of using an outdoor vinyl tablecloth...brillant!

i went to homegoods and found one for about 6 dollars in a print that could be for boys or girls and set out to make some new craft aprons...

i made a pattern using the original thin, flimsy, apron and traced it onto the vinyl tablecloth:

tracing pattern (i cut it on the fold)

pattern traced out

apron cut

for the trim and ties i used one package of double fold bias tape...for the neck strap i cut a rectangle from the tablecloth...you can use all sorts of colors for the bias tape...since these were for boys, i used navy blue for one and lime green for the other:

apron 1

side view of waist ties

apron 2

apron 2 side view of waist ties

these took maybe 20 - 30 minutes to make...and i have tons of tablecloth leftover...i think these would be cute for a kid's birthday party if you were doing painting and they could double as the party favor...appliqueing each child's first initial on the front would be really neat too...there are lots of options with these craft aprons.

warning

2011-07-06T06:32:00.002-04:00

do not let your husband accompany you on a trip to homegoods...else you will come home with a lifesize orange mexican talavera garden pig for your yard...her name is penny, short for penelope

this has been a public service announcement...we now return to regular blogging...

~k

lady tubbington*

2011-07-05T11:35:00.000-04:00

on saturday we went to donate some items to a local thrift shop and i can never resist going in to seeing if there is anything i 'need' to take home! all linens were half price...i found a couple of vintage sheets to re-purpose into aprons...

when i got home and unwrapped the sheets to wash them, this happened:

kady thinks vintage sheets sleep the best!

look at her fat belly! clearly she's eating her fair share of food...

she slept for hours on the vintage sheets...i love her little pink nose to pieces!

stay cool!

{all sheets have now been washed...stay tuned to see what i do with them}

*bonus points if you can name that reference

'tyler's apron'

2011-07-01T12:12:00.000-04:00

a couple weeks ago, sandy asked me via etsy to make an apron for her that she needs for a church function...i pilfered my stash of fabric and came up with this:

it's a classic vintage style half apron...i like to call them 'hostess aprons'

i mixed 4 different fabrics in all

i really like how it turned out...it was hard to put it in the mail today!

i like doing custom aprons both full and hostess styles...if you ever need one, just ask and i'll do an etsy listing just for you...

meanwhile...

tyler is pooped out from his sewing adventure

i asked him to dust the sewing room today

happy looong weekend!

~k

day five winner

2011-06-30T21:25:00.000-04:00

#3 was amanda!

Amanda said...: I love this bag! My favorite cake is yellow cake drizzled with amaretto and vanilla buttercream frosting...mmm! Happy Birthday to you!; June 27, 2011 8:09:00 PM EDT

conratulations! {i'll email you about getting the cupcake tote you}

~k

tyler considers changing careers...

2011-06-30T09:28:00.000-04:00

hmmm, me thinks this might interesting...

am i gonna git in trouble?

what's that? is mama coming to find me?

i think i will helps out...

i ams gonna make that apron for sandy

mama will be so happy when she gits home and it's all finished!

winners!

2011-06-27T21:21:00.000-04:00

it's 9pm est on my birthday day so time to choose winners for giveaways 2, 3 and 4!

day 2: flower brooch winner

Stefanie said...: I love hydrangeas, too!; June 22, 2011 8:05:00 PM EDT

congratulations again, stefanie!

day 3: coffee sleeve & starbucks card

*kate said...: Aside from coffee, my favorite summer drink is Black Tea with Lemonade ... MMMMMM. So tasty! I have never gotten into iced coffee. I really, really prefer it hot.; June 27, 2011 4:00:00 PM EDT

congratulations, kate!

{i'll contact you for your address...i know i had it at one time but not sure i still do}

day 4: signed MKA book, summer rental

{there were 8 comments, but 2 were from people who already have the book...that's why there were only 6 people in this draw}

AM said...: Wow! What an awesome giveaway! I loooooove her books! And thanks for the ereader review! I think I am not ready for one yet.; June 26, 2011 12:13:00 PM EDT

congratulations!!

{not sure i have your new address, will email you}

thank you to all who entered! i really enjoyed reading your answers to my questions, that made for a great birthday week. there is still one giveaway open (day five - cupcake tote) until thursday nite...

"it's my birthday" giveaway extravaganza ~ day five

2011-06-27T11:15:00.000-04:00

woo hoo, it's my birhthday!

since i cannot make cupcakes for all of you, i made a 'cupcake' tote instead

it measures approx 15" tall x 13" wide

and has a cupcake print pocket on the outside

it would make a great library tote or pool bag!

how to win?

just leave a comment and tell me your favorite kind of birthday cake

mine? plain old 'birthday' cake with buttercream frosting from the grocery store bakery

winner drawn thursday, june 30th at 8pm

{winners for days 2, 3 and 4 will be selected tonite}

thanks for joining me for my birthday giveaway extravaganza! to celebrate i am going to get a pedi tonite and go out to dinner...

"it's my birthday" giveaway extravaganza ~ day four TIME'S UP!

2011-06-24T11:29:00.002-04:00

so, it was asked why i chose the nook color over say a kindle or other e-reader...i really put a lot of thought into which (if any) e-reader to purchase...it took weeks of research...here is a bullet list of why i ultimately chose the nook color (in order of importance):

nook (any nook) is compatible with the system that my library uses to loan out ebooks. the system is called epub and most libraries utilize it...kindle is NOT compatible with this...since my no. 1 goal is to check out the majority of books i read from the library this was probably the number one factor in choosing a nook. {however, after i purchased the nook, news broke that at some point in time kindle is going to be compatible with epub...i have no idea if/when that will happen}.
so now that i was going to get a nook, there were several nooks to choose from...i picked the nook color because i knew that there was an update rolling out in early june that would allow you to download apps...and i wanted me some angry birds, lol.
features that i love about my nookcolor: apps (including getting my email on my nook, games, etc), nook has a feature where you can 'loan' books to friends {so far i have no nook friends...does anyone want to be my friend??}, color (hence it's called nook color) makes reading magazines realistic, AND if you are so inclined and nerdy enough you can hack your nookcolor using an sd card (there is a slot for one on the nook color only) and pretty much upgrade it to a full android tablet (i have not attempted this...cause i am not nerdy enough).
every friday barnesandnoble offers a FREE nookbook!

verdict: i was very skeptical about reading a book on an e-reader..but i can honestly say that i love it! it is so nice to be able to take several books with you anywhere you go (it fits in my purse) and have multiple choices to read at your fingertips as well as (with the nook color) wifi access to the internet, apps, etc. in one handy dandy little item.

however, i still sometimes will buy a book...like when my favorite author comes to town for a book reading of her latest...and since the husband said i could not offer up a nook for a giveaway, i picked up a signed copy for one lucky reader:

how to win?

just leave a comment telling me what book you are most looking forward to reading this summer!

{fineprint}

one entry per person, please

contest open to anyone anywhere

winner announced monday, june 27th at 9pm

winner of giveaway one!

2011-06-24T07:15:00.001-04:00

{so sorry i forgot to do this last nite...i was watching a subpar movie}

randomly selected via random.org is #3, stephanie!!!

congratulations, stephanie, please contact me (kbaustin AT nc DOT rr DOT com) with your address and i'll ship the july 4th bunting out to you today!

(i cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the widget to put it on the blog to show the winner...if you know how, please, please. please tell me)

all other giveaways are still open until monday nite at 9pm

there will be another giveaway posted today...it's a good one!

we interrupt this giveaway extravaganza...UPDATED!

2011-06-23T16:10:00.002-04:00

for a very important announcement

today my co-worker's daughter {who has stage IV neuroblastoma} got to meet one of her favorite people:

!!!

UPDATE:
there is now a post complete with video on her website...go watch it...it's so cute!

"it's my birthday" giveaway extravaganza ~ day three TIMES UP!

2011-06-23T14:37:00.001-04:00

my new favorite drink for summer:

iced coffee!

i purchased an extra large french press and got a bag of starbux coffee from the grocery...steep 1/4 cup coarsely ground beans per 1 cup cold water in fridge overnite {this press holds almost 6 cups of water}...press down in the morning and that's it! perfectly smooth, not bitter or watered down iced coffee

i like to add a splash of half and half and sometimes a healthy pour of simple syrup if i have it on hand (i make my own)

this is SUPER cheap and tastes as good as starbux iced coffee, in my opinion...the carafe of coffee lasts me about 3 days (drinking a tall glass per day)...also, notice what i found when i read the coffee bag:

um, yeah...i'll be taking that to the store for a free coffee!

for today's giveaway i'm offering up a $10 gift card to starbux

so you can go buy your own iced coffee {if you are feeling lazy},

or a french press or some beans {if you are feeling like trying this yourself}

AND a reuseable fabric coffee sleeve in case you prefer hot coffee

{i made this the other nite in about 5 minutes...these would make super cute teacher gifts}

{and they are way cuter than the paper ones in the store!}

how to win?

just leave a comment and tell me what is your favorite drink for summer?

{fineprint}

one entry per person, please

contest open to anyone anywhere

winner announced monday, june 27th at 9pm

"it's my birthday" giveaway extravaganza ~ day two TIMES UP!

2011-06-22T11:16:00.023-04:00

one of my favorite things about summer is FLOWERS!

so today's giveaway is a flower pin i made out of the same fabric as that dress:

how to win?

just leave a comment and tell me what is your favorite summer flower...

mine? gardenias

{fineprint}

one entry per person, please

contest open to anyone anywhere

winner announced monday, june 27th at 9pm

"it's my birthday" giveaway extravaganza ~ day one

2011-06-21T09:07:00.001-04:00

woohoo, it's my birthday month, my birthday week, my birthday giveaway extravaganza!

{i decided to start the giveaways today, june 21 so they would end on my actual birthday, june 27}

happy summer solstice!

at some point growing up i deduced that exactly one week after my birthday it was july 4th...we always always spent july 4th at the beach or at the lake...so i equated my birthday with the kickoff to the vacation/summer holiday season (and really, shouldn't your birthday be a holiday anyways?)...

therefore, the first giveaway is a july fourth bunting:

not just for july fourth, you could hang this up for any summer party, memorial day, july fourth, bbq, etc...i think i'll string them all over the backyard for my birthday!

how to win?

just leave a comment! if you are so inclined, tell me what means 'its' offically summer' to you...

contest open to: united states residents only, one comment per person, winner drawn thursday nite at pm so i can get this to you in the mail asap and you will have it for all of your july fourth festivities

another giveaway tomorrow!

what we did

2011-06-20T11:52:00.000-04:00

contrary to popular belief, we were not building a giant outdoor kitty litter box in our backyard:

we built a patio!

 i've wanted this patio/yard setup since we moved in the house 12 some years ago...and after 2 attempts at grass in a backyard with negligible sunlight...we gave up and finally just went with it

 here's a picture montage of the finished patio and surrounding area:

{click to enlarge}

i'll show the step by step process of how we built this patio later this week...it only took us 5 days to achieve this and 2 of those days we only worked for 2 hours!

half of the backyard still looks like afghanistan (thanks for that description, sandy!)...so i'm dreaming up more ideas...and thinking firepit and fountain and parisian cafe lights strung in the trees...

tomorrow kicks off my birthday week and a giveaway extravaganza!  

i'd come back if i were you...

sew what!

2011-06-03T11:36:00.000-04:00

after MUCH consideration, brain explosions, polling the audience, etc. the e-reader i chose was:

the nook color

the verdict: i LOVE it. LOVE LOVE

i wanted to protect it but didn't like the covers available at the store sew....

i searched etsy, found a pattern & made my own!

there is a pocket on the front...i have no idea what to put in this pocket...maybe a barnes and noble card?

the nook fits in the sleeve very nicely

i have LOTS of books to read!

happy weekend!

we'll be working on the secret backyard project...

still guessing...

2011-06-02T11:16:00.000-04:00

{at end of day 2 of secret backyard project}

any further guesses?

guesses?

2011-06-01T09:32:00.000-04:00

it's practically summer and hotter than all get out around here (upper 90s/high humidity...hello frizzy hair) so what better to do than yard work?

last nite we started a new project:

any guesses as to what it is?

and the winner is...........

2011-05-26T21:17:00.000-04:00

scotty mccreery!!!!!

and:

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2011-05-27 01:05:35 UTC

i 'did the maths' and commenter no. 75 turned out to be:

Jingle said...: This is such a fun apron! I love the bright colors and the cute design! Thanks for the chance to win!; May 25, 2011 8:43:00 AM EDT

congratulations, jingle!

i've sent you an email

THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED!

{and if you happened to vote for scottie, everyone around here thanks you for helping make our hometown boy the newest american idol}

THERE WILL BE ANOTHER GIVEAWAY NEXT MONTH FOR MY BIRTHDAY

{so it would behoove you to check back here for that}

{for reals}

have a super duper great extended holiday weekend...i'm taking a break the next FOUR days to try and get some stuff done...raise your hand if you think i'll acutally get anything done...

woohoo!

2011-05-26T06:00:00.003-04:00

today is the last day to enter my SMS giveaway

{winner chosen at 9pm, est)

congratulations, scotty!

good for you for sticking to your country roots and your faith

you are an amazing young man

thanks for bringing the title back to north carolina!

jaime dress by jennifer paganelli

2011-05-25T06:00:00.003-04:00

CLICK HERE FOR THE SMS GIVEAWAY

so, the dress i made to wear to my cousin's graduation last sunday was a sis boom pattern by jennifer paganelli...

here's the finished product!

my overall opinion of the pattern: it's fairly easy for an advanced beginner sewer...there are very few pattern pieces...the instructions are clear and easy to understand...the only 'tough' part is the zipper (more on that later)

before i started the dress i read lots of reviews and the concensus was to make the dress one size larger than you think you should...i measured for a medium according to the pattern so i went ahead and cut out the entire bodice and waist band in a medium...the skirt i cut in a small... the result:

WAY TOO BIG!!!

this bodice is fully lined plus i serged the seams so there was no going back...clearly too big is better than too small {at least i could eat a lot of cake!}

i used a plethora of safety pins and cinched the waist in a whole bunch

and then i put a big hot pink flower over the safety pins!

{which was the plan all along..}

i changed the pattern and decided to fully line the skirt with the same cotton muslin as the bodice so i wouldn't have to wear a slip...cause i hate a slip...and cause one time oprah said we didn't have to wear slips

don't ask me how i did this...cause i have no idea...it took some patience and a glass of wine

also the pattern called for the dress to have a regular sewn hem but i wanted a more polished finish so i used hem tape and spent 1.5 hours hand hemming it...and then i had another glass of wine and fell to my knees cause i was so happy to be finished with this dress 4 whole days before i had to wear it

if i ever make this dress again {in addition to making it in a size small} i'll add the fabulous waist detail all the way around...several people have explained how to do this on blogs...i'll be stalking the and figuring out the details...this is the zipper...i accidentally bought an invisible zipper...the pattern calls for a regular zipper...it is for sure a miracle this zipper is in this dress...i searched and found several tutorials online but they all said something different...so i just took a deep breath and did what i felt was best and made the most sense...i have NO idea how i did this...really, no idea...i would imagine that a regular zipper is easier to install, BUT i think i like the look of an invisible zipper...

here are me and the husband ~~at the prom~~

i matched my shoes, purse and big flower to his bow tie

the accessories:

flower from rosyposypins

{she was so wonderful to work with and this pin is gorgeous}

i ordered the shoes from endless.com

{free shipping and free returns}

and i rocked my 80's preppy purse from back in the day

{raise your hand if you had one of these purses}

this was the first time i've ever sewn an adult piece of clothing other than pajama pants...i had a lot of fun and am excited to sew more things for myself...my next attempt is going to be this:

cluck, cluck, oink

2011-05-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

HERE FOR THE SEW, MAMA, SEW GIVEAWAY?

click here

this past saturday was the annual downtown chicken coop tour here in town...we try to go every year...just search 'chicken tour' for pictures of past years ~~cause i'm too lazy to put in links right now...~~

the first coop we visited had been on the tour a couple of years ago but this year they had a new addition:

this is reginald...he is a teacup pot belly pig...and i want him {or one of his kind}

he was probably the cutest thing i've ever seen...ever...

things we learned about reginald: he is six months old, he will only get to be maybe 40 pounds, he sleeps in the bed with his human brother, he likes to be rubbed on his belly, he eats anything, he uses a litter box, he can push open the screen door and let himself out of the house but cannot let himself back in, he gets baths, he pretty much just rocks!

here he is with one of his chicken siblings

{please note that this picture is the sole proof that we were actually on a chicken coop tour}

after reginald, everything else was a let down

{just kidding...these chicken people have great gardens}

pencil holly in a blue pot = genius! i am so going to copy this

i want a fountain...this one is exceptionally nice

rusty garden art is the best! love the hostas too

this potting bench was a great idea...

there was a trellis behind the potting bench with tools on it

ROCKS! i've been adding lots of them in our yard

more rocks...it was a river of rocks

hydrangeas are in full bloom around here

this particular yard had at least 3 fish ponds!

i wonder where they got all this statuary

i need more statuary

a nice st. francis...i want one

sew, mama, sew spring giveaway day!

2011-05-23T06:00:00.005-04:00

TIME'S UP...WINNER ANNOUNCED SOON...

don't forget to visit sew, mama, sew for the links to TONS of giveaways

ATTN: THE SMS PEOPLE PUT ME ON THE WRONG LIST! THIS IS NOT A SUPPLIES GIVEAWAY. good news: no one is entering so your chances to win are going to be high. bad news: if you are looking for supplies, you are at the wrong place. i've contacted them to move me to the proper category but not sure if it's going to happen

CRISIS OVER..i'm on correct list now

welcome blogland to my sew, mama, sew giveaway! i signed up at the eleventh hour this year...so, late sunday afternoon after a weekend of non-stop graduation festivities for my cousin, i whipped out a little something something for y'all:

a sweet summer hostess apron

{my camera wasn't cooperating...the colors are muddy in these pictures but are really bright and cheery summer shades of blue, red, lime, orange and hot pink}

the particulars:

length: 20"

waist (from end of tie to end of tie): 64"

the little paisley peplum adds a lot of style!

how to win?

simply leave a comment...i like to keep it very simple...no extra bonus entries for liking me, BFFing me on facebook, naming your firstborn after me, blogging about this entry, or tweeting something...i don't believe in all that nonsense...

the fine print

one entry per person
united states shipping only
winner will be drawn at random on thursday nite at 9pm est
i would say winner will be drawn at random on wednesday
but that would be a lie
cause i will be glued to the american idol finale
and rooting for our hometown boy, scotty
GO, SCOTTY, GO!!!!
and no, you do not get an extra entry if you promise to vote for scotty

GOOD LUCK IN ALL OF YOUR ENTRIES!

graduation day!

2011-05-22T20:00:00.000-04:00

she graduates with high honors!

{so proud of her}

i finished the dress!

{it was waaay too big...which is better than waay too small}

{i cinched in the waist an inch or three and put that big pink flower over it}

with her paternal aunts & uncle, sister and all her cousins!

the cake

{it was maybe the best i've ever made}

{we used the cake server from our wedding}

{she was our ring bearer...and was four years old}

more later this week...

also chicken tour pics!

tomorrow is GIVEAWAY DAY so be sure to come back for that

oh lordy, what have i gone and done?

2011-05-20T11:40:00.000-04:00

i just went and signed up for the sew, mama, sew spring giveaway day!!!

it's monday

{so mark your calendars for a fun filled day of blog hopping}

{trust me, it will take hours to go thru all the fab giveawas}

guess what i have to giveaway?

NOTHING

and i have exactly no time to make anything either...so this should be interesting

remember my 'to do list' from early this week?
to do this week: finish dress, get a massage, make a graduation cake,  get a pedicure, possible serve jury duty, go on the chicken coup  tour...and NO i do not have this week off work, lol!

here's how it's looking now:
to do this week: finish dress, get a massage, make a graduation cake,  get a pedicure, possible serve jury duty, go on the chicken coup  tour...and NO i do not have this week off work, lol!   

i'm as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs about this cake!  i'll start baking it tonite...

hope your weekend is easy breezy & stress free!

~k

ps: come back monday for the giveaway post...and if it's at all possible, i'll post pictures of the dress (maybe even me wearing it) and the cake on sunday evening

weekend happenings *edited

2011-05-16T14:26:00.001-04:00

dropped off FIVE bags of clothes and assorted what not at donation center:

it felt like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders just getting this stuff out of the house...there's TONS more to come though

let sophie cat come outside a bit

{bad kitty! you are not old enough to have that glass of wine}

i think she was practicing her bird attack skills

90% completed the dress to wear this sunday to my cousin's graduation

to do this week: finish dress, get a massage, make a graduation cake, get a pedicure, possible serve jury duty, go on the chicken coup tour...and NO i do not have this week off work, lol!

summer reading list

2011-05-11T14:05:00.002-04:00

lots of new books by some of my fav author are being released in the next few weeks!

release date: june 21st

release date: june 9th

release date: may 10th

release date: june 21st

release date: june 14th

{notice some release on the first day of summer...how neat is that?}

and my all time canNOT wait to read it this summer:

release date: june 7th

she'll be doing a reading/book signing at a local bookstore on june 9th...

i'll be there with bells on!

what are YOU reading this summer?

my week in pictures

2011-05-06T16:18:00.000-04:00

making mossy birdbaths

weeding and mulching beds...

planting pots...

watching the tomatoes grow!

planting herbs...

arranging new garden art...

goodness, the fence really needs scrubbing

admiring the scenery...

note the abscence of 'sewing a dress'...just sayin'

have a super great productive weekend!

what are you doing?

sophie learns a new trick

2011-05-02T11:41:00.000-04:00

this weekend sophie learned to jump in her snoozer* in order to go outside!

she spent all day saturday and sunday supervising our yard work...

*we got the snoozer to be her car seat so she could go to the mountains and be protected in the car should we get in a wreck or something...but she refused to stay in it...oddly she will sit in it all day in the yard and not say a word...

cheerio!

2011-04-29T14:25:00.001-04:00

when the alarm went off this morning i flicked on the tv just in time to see kate walk down the aisle...

by the time we left for work the new duke and duchess of cambridge had already been whisked inside buckingham palace...

i watched the final half hour of pageantry sitting at my desk eating my own 'royal wedding breakfast'

2 bite blueberry scones & cupcake from wholefoods with fresh fruit

the scones were delish!

my thoughts on the event:

her dress was FABulous! i hope brides to be take heed and stop wearing bare-all dresses and cover up a bit
her sister is a knockout
the abbey was beautiful and i like that they brought in trees
over all the wedding was MUCH more understated than charles and di...and that's not a bad thing...
the little boys in the choir sang like angels
the queen looked like a stick of butter
i was truly fearful that charles was gonna dangle that little bridesmaid over the railing a la MJ & blanket
it makes me feel ancient that i can remember watching his parents wedding, the day his mom came home from hospital with him and now seeing william get married!
even though i swore i'd never ever fly across the pond again, i now have a major itch to plan a vacay to london...i loved seeing all the places we have been in the city...we've walked from the abbey to the palace right down the mall...and i sort of want to do it again...

did YOU watch? what did you think...

cheerio...have a great weekend!
~k

so sew:

2011-04-27T11:27:00.000-04:00

i'm going to sew a dress!

for myself!

out of this fabric!

using this pattern!

it has a side zipper!

i will wear it may 22 to my cousin's graduation!

i sincerely apologize if anyone spewed soda/coffee/water on their computer...you know, due to intense laughter....

{oh and btw, the fabric has not been prewashed, the pattern is not cut out, i've only skimmed the instructions...no zipper has been purchased...yada yada yada...}

sophie lou mountain kitty

2011-04-19T15:03:00.000-04:00

i went to the mountains with my mama and daddy! (you may recognize the mountain bedding?)

contrary to anything my mama may say, i was a good kitty on the THREE hour ride!

my favorite mountain activity is sitting in the window at nite trying to catch bugs!

please note the sweet setup mama gave me! me like this stool a lot!

what? did somebody call me??

ooohhh, i gotta itch!

back to bug patrol...

this is me on the last day...

after nine days i was ready to go home...

please stay tuned to the further adventures of sophie lou mountain kitty including how i rides in the car (for THREE hours)!

poof!

2011-04-04T20:42:00.001-04:00

and just like that, any chance of getting me in an airplane anytime in the foreseeable future vanished. sadly, they were my quantas...

~k

kaboom*

2011-03-31T15:52:00.001-04:00

*that's the sound of my head exploding!

the great debate (amongst me, myself & i) has raged for going on 48 hours now in regards to an e-reader:

do i NEED one?
would i like reading off of one?
which ONE?

kindle vs. nook vs. various and sundry other choices

i don't do well with too many choices...

if i got a kindle, would i get the kindle + wi-fi OR the kindle + 3g wi-fi (i don't even know what that means...)

if i got a kindle, i couldn't check out e-books from our library (e-pub isn't supported on kindle)...and i'm all about checking books out from the library

I could get a nook...cause it does support the e-pub format...

but...

there are 3/THREE nooks to choose from: nookcolor, nook wi-fi or nook 3g wi-fi (i still don't know what that means)

but: everyone i know has a kindle...and they are all about their kindle

and i haven't even really researched all the various and sundry other choices

an i-pad is out.of.the.question

has YOUR head exploded yet?

i need some ibuprofen...

wednesday, march 30, 2011 ~ 1:39pm

2011-03-30T13:43:00.000-04:00

listening to pandora (classical symphonic station)...specifically gerswhin's rhapsody in blue
reading the school of essential ingredients
drinking a glass of water
contemplating making a cup of coffee
wondering when it will stop raining
laughing about this
wanting to go home

what are you doing right now?

what's going on*

2011-03-28T14:59:00.000-04:00

self portrait?

last week it was sunny and 80, this week it's in the forties with spitting rain, sleet, snow, wind...me no like!
i made the monumental decision to NOT decorate for easter...i just don't have it in me
i haven't crafted in forever...i just don't have it in me
i watched 3 movies over the weekend...2 in one afternoon...
a new wholefoods opened near our house on march 16th...i've been three times since...me like!
kady's new nickname is 'hot pocket'...she MUST be touching you (read: pressing her entire body against you) when she is sitting near you...and her fat little self radiates lots of heat...
sophie is getting ready to travel with us to the mountains...she got a carseat and everything...we are currently practicing sitting in it...
tyler went to the vet on saturday...he's been on heart meds for 6 months now and needed to be assessed...they took his blood pressure...by putting a teeny tiny cuff on his tail...we treated him to chickfila afterwards because he was a good boy
charlie continues to rip his fur out and follow tyler around...they are bff's...
i need to clean my house
as in REALLY clean and declutter...but i'm not sure i have it in me
i'm contemplating getting an e-reader of some sort...but i really like touching books...so not sure an e-reader would be my thing
my current tv shows are ruby and the fabulous beekman boys...other than that i've been reading a lot...or just loafing around
we took 3 teen-age girls to the mountains for spring break...and survived
the whole japan thing makes me sad
there - i've emptied my brain...

~k

*name that tune

good friday?

2011-03-25T08:29:00.000-04:00

someone just brought FOUR dozen hot krispy kreme's to my office...lord help me sweet baby jesus...{we had 2 dozen on tuesday and i might have eaten three}...

oink, oink
~k

transformations ~ end table

2011-03-18T20:00:00.001-04:00

way back when we cleared out my grandparent's house there were a couple pieces of furniture that NO ONE wanted...it was all nice quality solid (but really ugly) wood so i couldn't part with it...everything went to my parent's attic and slowly i've found uses for the different pieces...

most recently we needed an end table beside the sofa in the downstairs den at the mountain house...here's what i chose from the attic stash:

lovely, huh?

the top was in bad shape

i am not a fan of wood appliques

and the door pulls were maybe the ugliest i'd ever seen!

the inside is spacious...great for storing board games and such

my vision + the husband's talent:

after taking off the doors/hinges and magnet closure, the piece was sanded with a random orbit sander

the top already looks better!

on the doors we removed the applique and the raised middle panel along with the pulls

a coat of white primer is always a necessity!

finished product:

i chose a red paint to blend with the oriental rug

the husband painted the table inside and out

i am very happy with the doors...when we figured out the raised panel could be removed, i was ecstatic

the ceramic knobs are from worldmarket

moral of this story: always think outside the box and never judge a book by it's cover!

bliss

2011-03-18T15:39:00.000-04:00

it's currently 84 degrees outside and SUNNY! i just sat on the loading dock of the building and read for a while (i figure if smoker's get breaks, why can't i?) and a little lizard tried to attack me twice...it's on, lizard, it's on...

~k

i'm working on a post

2011-03-18T14:38:00.000-04:00

regarding this:

it's hideous, right???

post up later today...along with some mountain posts...

my new fav thing...

2011-03-11T10:51:00.000-05:00

...is pillow covers!

recently, i made 2 new covers for our bedroom toss pillows at the mountain house...currently there are 2 faux fur pillows in our room for 'winter' but since spring is right around the corner, i'm going to 'lighten' up the decor so to speak:

i bought this rectangular pillow form from hobbylobby and it's going to remain on our bed and get the covers changed out seasonally...here is my spring (maybe even summer) version...

all fabrics came from my ginormous stash!

this little birdie is the 'boy'...note his tail feathers

this one is the 'girl'...her feathers are prettier ;-)

i made this cover using my BRAND NEW sewing machine*!

the 'feathers' were some of the heirloom stitches the machine came with...

i make all pillow covers with a simply envelope back ~~cause i'm too lazy to put in a zipper~~...and like to zigzag stitch in a contrasting color for extra pop

this really nice down pillow form was languishing in my junk filled craft room...so i pulled together scraps leftover from a custom client project to make this 'happy campers' pillow cover...

astute readers may notice that i made our shower curtain using this same fabric in another colorway...i love this fabric and would have never noticed it had that etsy client not chose it for a custom bunting...

because the scrap of the center fabric was too small to make the pillow, i used the coordinating flower print to edge it, piecing it together sort of like a quilt square...

the back is scraps of solid cream canvas...no contrasting stitching cause i was too lazy to change out the thread...

i really love how both pillow covers turned out and cannot wait to put them in our mountain house bedroom tomorrow! we are headed up in the morning for a few days with some teenage girls on spring break...

happy weekend!

*after the great sewing machine debacle, it became clear that i was not in any way shape or form a sewing machine repair person...the tension was shot...so instead of forking over money to fix a machine that i had never even liked (it was a refurbished machine and thus never really functioned as it was supposed to, in my opinion) i decided to bite the bullet and get a really nice machine...and i love it...moral of this story: you get what you pay for!

upcycled garden wall

2011-03-04T09:37:00.000-05:00

last spring when we went on the chicken tour i spotted a wine bottle wall in one of the gardens...so we saved up wine bottles for months over the fall....during christmas break, the husband carefully removed all the labels and we stored them under the house in boxes until last weekend...

80 degree weather in february meant time to build the wall:

the husband used levels and shovels and whatnot

i mainly sat on the other wall and drank coffee

i did draw the arc i wanted with a stick

and a couple of times i brought sophie out to sit in my lap and watch...

but i became fearful that this HUGE hawk would snatch her out of my arms

we ran short of bottles...so everyone we know has been alerted to start saving them for us again...we need about 40 more to finish...but i'm going to go ahead and start planting the bed the wall formed anyways cause one of the local nurseries is having a spring plant sale this weekend...

stay tuned to see how the garden wall turns out and other goings on in the backyard this spring...we spotted a bluebird checking out the nesting box on sunday...and we've decided to give up the dream of ever having grass in the yard so we are going to naturalize the entire area

wordless wednesday

2011-03-02T14:02:00.002-05:00

mountain weekend continued...

2011-02-25T12:13:00.000-05:00

we hauled up a car load FULL of stuff last weekend including lots of 'artwork' for our bedroom...

i painted the deer head silhouette, and the 'snowshoes' above my nitestand are really a christmas decoration i found on clearance at kohls!

this is my version of a deer head mounted on the wall (taxidermy ain't my thing)

see the little sled above the closet door? that too was a christmas decoration i got on clearance...on the dresser is a tree (you know how i love a tiny tree!) but you cannot see it very well...it will be moved to a desk i'm hauling up next trip...and it's another after clearance item...

for whatever crazy reason, the former owner of the house put a glass door on our bedroom (really, has he never heard of privacy?)...this door connects directly to the main living room...so i ordered a curtain panel for it and the husband hung it up asap!

this picture i mainly took for reference...the desk is going to go under that window...and i need to find something to hang above the husband's nitestand to compliment the snowshoes above mine...hmmm...

we are also going to do major work in our 'walk-in' (term used loosely) closet...the currrent setup is just NOT working...this trip the husband took down the main rod that ran the length of the closet (cause if you hang clothes on it, you cannot get into the closet!)...we will only have the 2 stacked rods in the back...we are going to hang a long piece of wood instead and have hooks on it for hanging up my purse, hats, etc...and it's going to be WAY better than it is now...

the closet and bedroom are going to be painted a khaki/tan/beige color this summer...

that was it for this trip...we go back in 2 weeks...i wonder how much stuff i can cram in the car this time? it will soon be time to swap out all the 'wintry' linens and faux fur pillows for spring/summer weight things! i see some sewing in my future...

have a GREAT weekend!

mountain weekend

2011-02-24T09:16:00.001-05:00

we went up to the mountain house last weekend (and no, i didn't post like i said i would...cause we were busy with a capital 'b')

things we did:

put down a new rug in the dining area (i failed to take a picture)
put together a new entertainment center for the living room tv (i failed to take a picture)
hung a new light fixture in one of the downstairs bedrooms (nope, no picture)
hung lots of pictures (again, no pictures)
went shopping in downtown blowing rock (got everything i was looking for!) and ate at the pub
continued to 'fix up' our bedroom and bathroom (i did take pictures!)

here is the husband painting the bathroom ceiling light blue

last trip we swapped out all of the fixtures for oil rubbed bronze ones...so the weird spots below the towel bar are patched places where the original towel bar was located...this trip we added the picture of the bird (by regina lord) and the red thingamajig above it (it was gold, but i spray painted and distressed it to blend with the shower curtain)

light blue ceiling is complete!

because we have a pedastal sink and zero storage space, i use this basket for my hairdryer, brush, makeup, etc....but it was so low sitting on the floor...i picked up the antique green stool on saturday at a shop in blowing rock

i added the cigar box on the shelf this trip

shower curtain

i got the deer after christmas and thought it would be cute year round in the mountains...he lives on top of the medicine cabinet with some old pottery...he thinks the blue ceiling is lovely

i spent some time monday morning reading on the deck and soaking in the surroundings...this is one of the views

(i did zoom way in for this picture)

people where ice skating down at the ski resort

{again, i zoomed in for this}

this is the slope closest to us...it's mainly for snowboarders

at the end of our street (leaving the house) you almost run right into a ski lift!

coming down the mountain, it's very pastoral

when you get to the highway, the blue ridge parkway is right there!

turn right and you go to blowing rock (aka, good stuff!)

turn left and you go to boone (aka, homeward bound)

tomorrow - more pictures

winners!

2011-02-23T20:28:00.000-05:00

from random number generator:
Here are your random numbers:

17 9

Timestamp: 2011-02-24 01:20:02 UTC

(sorry it's a little past 8pm, but i was watching eat, love, pray {the book was SO much better} for the last 2.5 hours)

by my calculations:
commentor #17 is pam! (pam, you know i already have your address...maybe winning a brooch will make you feel better!)

commentor #9 is jeanie (please contact me with your info so i can get your brooch in the mail to you)

congratulations to both winners!

and, thank you to everyone who entered...i enjoyed reading what signals the beginning of spring for each of you...

here's my take: spring is here when i can see tiny green buds on the trees and daffodils pushing up thru the dirt*

~K

*i am pretty sure i saw tiny shoots in a neighbors flower pot yesterday afternoon...hmmm....

be embellished brooch giveaway! TIME'S UP!

2011-02-21T06:00:00.003-05:00

i just participated in a brooch exchange coordinated by the very talented regina of creative kismet...as part of the exchange some of us are offering up one of the brooches we made for the exchange in giveaways starting today...PLEASE visit creative kismet for the complete list of giveaways...

the rules for the exchange were just that the brooches had to be handmade by the participant using the medium of their choice...since i'm longing for spring, i decided to make colorful crochet flower brooches (pattern by mamachee on etsy)...

here are four of the brooches i made:

i am offering up TWO flower brooches today:

a pink one

and a blue one

each flower is hand crocheted by me using 100% cotton yarn, backed with wool felt sewn on with dmc floss finished off with a metal bar pin

how to win?

i like to keep it simple, just leave a comment (one per person, please) telling me what signals the start of SPRING to you!

contest open thru this wednesday, february 23 at 8pm est (sorry, no international shipping)

the 2 winners will be contacted immediately so please make sure you leave your email address especially if you are a 'no-reply' blogger

thanks for visiting and GOOD LUCK!

i'm a slug

2011-02-17T15:25:00.000-05:00

i've stretched exactly ZERO times this week
but i did get a massage last nite...does that count?
i've sewn nothing this week
as of right now i've finished 2 rows on the stripey afghan since friday
i'll wait a minute so you can laugh

i'm addicted to craigslist
it's like crack
not that i know what crack is like
it's what i imagine crack would be like...totally addicting
i check the antiques category of my local craigslist about once every 15 minutes
i'm not making that up
i bought 2 things off of craigslist last week
they are both going to the mountains
i did finish reading a book the other day
but i'm too lazy to do a post about it or the other 3 books i've read this year
i was home alone for valentines day
so i made a grilled cheese sandwich and ate it in bed surrounded by cats while watching 'how i met your mother' and surfing facebook and playing farmville
i'm sure you are jealous of how i spent my valentines
i fell asleep the next nite watching 'glee'
i never fall asleep during 'glee'
i tried watching it again last nite...but i fell asleep
we are going to the mountains tomorrow after work
i've packed not one thing
we are going to trader joes after work today
to get food for the mountains
there's no trader joes in the mountians
but there is lots of fresh air and wide open spaces
i really need this little vacation
stay tuned for posts all weekend from the mountains
and a giveaway on monday

focus friday

2011-02-11T14:55:00.001-05:00

implementing 3 MITs did the trick! i accomplished all of them and then some!

re-decorated tree (MIT)
'made' sophie a kick pig (toy...pictures next week)
sewed down pocket flaps on co-worker's capri pants
sewed 4 st. pat's buntings for etsy shop
photo shoot for etsy items
finished all brooches for exchange and giveaway and shipped (MIT)
finished painting a canvas for mountain house and purchased a frame for it (MIT)
95% finished spray painting a light fixture for a room at the mountain house

i also did the stairs 6 times a day at work and had a protein shake for dinner...since they are now habits, i no longer list them...

my 3 MIT's for this week are:

stretch for 15 minutes every day
finish 2 small sewing projects
complete 15 rows minimum on the stripey afghan

did you mark anything off of your to-do list this week?

have a great weekend!
~k

2011-02-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

dear sweet baby jesus, weather gods, mother nature, to whom it may concern, etc.:

please let this be the LAST snow i see until next winter

cause really? i'm over it

so are these 2...

they are ready to open the windows and sniff spring air

thank you,

valentine tree re-do

2011-02-08T09:40:00.002-05:00

"before"

really, i cannot believe that i ever thought it looked good at this stage

"after"

it's now stunning

long story short: i snagged this pink tree a couple of weeks after christmas at michaels for $5.99 (i think...down from $39.99...btw, anyone who paid $39.99 for one of these trees is out of their mind) and when i opened up the box a couple of weeks ago to put the tree up i thought it was the most pathetic looking thing i'd ever seen...my kind neighbor brought me a pack red heart ornaments to go on it and i thought it looked pretty good once i'd decorated it...

but then when sandy wanted me to make something for her (and she insisted on paying me for it) i came up with the idea to swap goods...she is so talented with paper goods & glitter & inks...i asked her to make some valentine tags and whatnot to go on the tree...

here's her handiwork:

(click to enlarge)

aren't they amazing?

i especially love the green she used...i would have never thought to use that color

raise your hand if you think she should sell sets of these for each holiday!

thank you, sandy for making my valentine tree beautiful!

my helper

2011-02-07T14:01:00.000-05:00

every time i get out my stripey afghan to work on it, sophie 'helps' with the yarns

she meticulously kicks all the yarn out of the bag so it's easier for me reach

then she takes a little nap way there in the back

'are you talking about me?'

it's exhausting work!

focus friday ~ implementing MIT's

2011-02-04T15:30:00.000-05:00

this week i was all.over.the.place.

not a lot got done

unless you count the great sewing machine debacle

did the stairs 6(!) times a day during the work week
stayed on track with sensible eating
made a pillow cover
finished 3 of the 9 brooches i'm working on for an exchange be on the lookout for a giveaway on the 21st!

and, that's IT. i've got nothing else. nada. zip. nothing

i suppose in retrospect i did spend some time just relaxing...in fact i got a facial last nite...and part of my 'focus' is to simply slow down and enjoy life more...so in that respect, i give myself credit for doing absolutely nothing on monday nite and watching a silly movie with the husband wednesday nite and getting that facial last nite...sometimes it's good to just stop the madness!

in that vein, instead of beating myself up and setting unachievable expectations and goals i'm going to concentrate on my 3 MITs (Most Important Things) each week...surely i can get 3 simple things done in a seven day span...

MIT's for week of February 5th

finish and ship the brooches
finish painting, seal and frame a picture i started for our bedroom in the mountain house
redecorate the valentine tree using sandy's creations

have a GREAT, happy, simple, productive, fun-filled weekend!

a new career path, perhaps...

2011-02-03T11:25:00.000-05:00

on sunday i wanted to start and finish a quick project...so i proceeded to make my 'go to' instant gratification project: a pillow cover...

and here is the finished product

~love bird~

i just ripped and ruffled some paisley fabric that i love and sewed it onto some muslin

and 'appliqued' on a little blue bird and felt heart

i like pillow covers because they take up very little space when you aren't using them and allow you to change out your pillows seasonally...

~love bird~ is going to stay on the kitchen bench thru spring!

BUT

just after i finished appliqueing the birdie on i thought he needed some tail feathers...so i dropped the feed dogs on the machine and was going to attempt some free motion 'quilting' type of action to make some loopy tail feathers...

the feed dogs dropped...and the machine locked up...and i could do NOTHING to make it work again...the feed dogs wouldn't come back up...nothing. nothing at all was happening...

clearly the pillow was complete...~love bird~ wasn't getting any tail feathers..and i was machineless...

panic set in

i stewed the remained of sunday and all day monday because the authorized service center in my area is closed on sunday and monday lucky me

tuesday i called and was told it would be a minimum of $89, possibly $149 (more if parts were needed) to fix it...which is more than i paid for the machine...

i spent the remainder of tuesday googling everything i could think of to try to figure out what was wrong with my machine and how i could maybe fix it myself...there is nothing regarding a brotherxr7700 on the entire world wide web in case you were wondering

figuring i had absolutely nothing to lose, i decided to take matters into my own crafty and capable hands and i did this:

oh yes i did!

i carefully removed every screw i could find...pried the sucker apart...and went to town...

obviously i am a bad sewer who doesn't take care of her machine...i removed all the dust and lint...diagnosed the feed dog situation...put it back like i thought it should be...

reinserted all the screws that i'd carefully layed out in the order they needed to go back...turned the machine on...AND

it worked!

take THAT sewing machine repair people!

please note: i am confident this spring that fell out from who knows where is not important...not important at all...yep, it was probably just for looks!

valentine decor tour!

2011-02-02T09:52:00.001-05:00

here's a glimpse at some of our valentine decor:

the glass cloche on the dining room table is filled with paper hearts

i saw this idea on another blog...so i took scrapbook paper, cut it into strips, and stapled them into hearts! i want the cloche to be filled to the top so i'm going to add some more paper hearts in the next few days

the hall table (note i'm still using tiny christmas trees)

a jar full of red and pink glittery christmas ornaments looks like valentine's to me!

the powder room got just a touch...a vintage valentine and an ornament made by swampgirl

my new valentine tree...i got it a couple weeks ago on clearance (it was a christmas item) for $5.99...it currently has some heart ornaments and a few white ornaments on it...but sandy made me a bunch of new ornaments for it...so it's going to change in the next day or so (i'll do a before and after post)

2 tiny wool felt trees

the red one was inspired by the colors of conversation heart candies...

i <3 my new tree!

the mantle is also decked out for valentines

that bunting sold yesterday on etsy...boo...i really liked it

the mantle now looks naked

still stretching the christmas decorations!

my year round sign...i made it last year for easter/spring...and have found that by simply changing out the ribbons i can use it year round...cause shouldn't every home be a cozy nest?

do you decorate for valentines?

focus friday ~ on monday!

2011-01-31T15:00:00.004-05:00

i'm stuck...in a rut...i feel like pigpen from charlie brown, but instead of a cloud of dirt over my head, i've just got a dark cloud over my head...lately, it seems i'm very focused on the negative...

we were supposed to go to the mountain house last thursday for a nice long weekend...but it snowed and iced up there so the trip was cancelled...BOO!...however, i still took thursday and friday off from work and puttered around the house...

some of the 'crafty' things i accomplished:

made 3 valentine buntings & listed on etsy
finished a wool felt tiny tree (picture tomorrow)
put away winter decorations/put up valentine decorations
90% completed five brooches for an exchange i'm participating in
finished item to 'swap' with sandy
continued to work on ripple stripe afghan

'other' things i focused on and accomplished:

finished out the month averaging 5 trips up/down 4 flights of stairs every day of the work week
continued to have protein shakes/smoothies for dinner 4 nights a week and eat sensible homemade (mainly, we rarely eat out) meals the rest of the time
going to bed by 10pm

oddly enough since the mountain was supposedly a sheet of ice, this weekend was glorious and beautiful...temps were in the 60s...i was able to throw open the windows and air out the house! the husband did some yard work! the refrigerator started leaking! my sewing machine broke! the car battery went dead! one of our glasses came out of the dishwasher with a huge crack in it!

like i said...i have a dark cloud over my head

but:

this.week.will.be.better

tomorrow is a new month...i'm ready to turn over a new leaf

DO YOU HAVE ANY GOALS FOR THIS WEEK?

ARE YOU READY FOR A NEW MONTH?

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY FOCUSING ON?

focus friday ~ failure?

2011-01-21T12:01:00.000-05:00

i feel like i accomplished very little this week and felt 'off kilter/unfocused' the majority of the time...

did the stairs SIX*(!) times a day monday - friday at work
had a protein shake for dinner mon, tues, thurs...wednesday i totally fell off the wagon...hard...i broke down and had mcdonalds...and it wasn't even good...that'll teach me
finished a full apron that had been ordered before christmas...thankfully it wasn't needed until mid january
11 rows on the stripey afghan...in reality i crocheted 16 rows. on sunday i discovered a major, major mistake that i could not live with and had to rip back 5 rows...this was a huge setback mentally and i really haven't recovered from it yet...one day i didn't even touch the afghan at all
finished background painting a large canvas for our bedroom at the mountain house...i hope to paint the focal part this weekend

i'm not sure why i was so unfocused...i like to blame it on the afghan debacle...but i'm not sure that's it...i found my mind constantly drifting from what i was doing to something else...and i also physically hopped from one project to another...but i was fully aware the entire time that i was not staying focused.

this week i have to be better...i am wondering if when i find myself wandering, i need to stop and maybe have a 10-15 minutes focus/meditation sessionl...to bring myself back to center....

we'll see!

what did you focus on this week?

is there anything you want to do better next week?

i LOVE reading what you did in the comments every week!

*i did this because i will not be at work 2 days next week so i am trying to make up for it in advance...however, i have found six rounds very doable, so i plan to make that my 'norm' for next month

winter tree

2011-01-19T14:15:00.000-05:00

yesterday i forgot to show pictures of the 'winter tree' in our kitchen:

it's the same tree i have up during christmas, stripped of it's ornaments and redecorated with only snowmen and snowflakes...

this is the first year i've done this...last year we just left the tree up with only the lights on it...but i started tinkering with the idea of snowmen and snowflakes...i had no idea i would have enough ornaments to fill it up...but thanks to some after christmas shopping and a lot of tiny blue, white, silver and red balls i'd gotten from target early on in the season i was able to pull it off using what i already had!

the bow on top is four bows scrunched together that were on other trees during christmas

the most bang for my buck came from these large styrofoam snowflakes i got at an after christmas sale...there are 3 sizes (i bought a LOT of them) and the most i paid was $3 each for the giant ones (they are maybe 12" tall)...the small ones like the one below were about $1...i sat them all over the place (on top of picture frames, on the mantle, hanging from windows, etc.)...

...and these glitter snowflakes from target...i got some last year and this year after christmas...they are actually gift tags sold 4 to a pack for $1 regular price...so after christmas they are usually 50 cents and under....FOR FOUR! i have a bazillion all over the place...

i am not sure i'll even decorate for valentines this year cause i'm loving the winter

winter decor*

2011-01-18T11:05:00.000-05:00

as promised, here is a tour of my winter decor...

so sit back

and enjoy the 'scenery'

click here to find all the frostiness!

*sure to quell any doubt you might have had about my holiday decorating schenanigans!

WINNERS!

2011-01-15T21:36:00.001-05:00

oops for the delay (we are watching a really dumb movie) (but at least i'm working on my stripey afghan at the same time)...but here are the winners as chosen by random.org:

drawing 1) the valentine bunting:

Result: 3 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

pam, you are the winner!

drawing 2) the tiny winter trees:

Result: 2 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

sandy, you are the winner!

thanks to ALL who entered and for reading my blog...i really love to do giveaways so stay tuned for another!

i'll mail them on tuesday since monday is a holiday...

focus friday + delurk day!

2011-01-14T10:07:00.000-05:00

first off, i was over at all up in the koolaid and discovered that it's national delurking day!

you know what that means?

if you read my blog but don't ever comment, today is the day...leave a comment and no one gets hurt...i promise i won't bite!

now, on to focus friday and what i focused on this week:

i did the stairs 5 times a day every day this week again (although we had an 'ice day' tuesday so no work...but, i doubled up the rest of the week and made up for it)
i had a protein shake for dinner monday - thursday (last nite was rough...i SO wanted to fall off the wagon and go eat mexican...but i didn't)
i started an afghan for myself and worked on it every day since sunday...i'm determined to finish it in a timely manner...not in 4-5 years (like the husband's afghan) but more like 4-5 months

here are some pictures of the afghan i finished up last week for the husband

it's a 'gentle' ripple pattern (i call it that cause the peaks and valleys are rounded, not pointy like a traditional ripple design

i figured the pattern out myself after seeing several similar blankets on blogs...so i'm not sure if it's 'right' or not...

the husband chose the yarn himself...warning: this blanket is a cat magnet

after making his, i decided i wanted to make one myself but not in a solid color...i wanted the ripples to stand out..so when i saw that one of the chain craft stores had yarn on sale i headed out sunday morning to stock up....

here are the 12 colors in my project tote

note: sophie likes to kick all the yarn out of the tote and take a nap inside...

i plugged the 12 colors into a random stripe generator and follow the pattern it spit out

here's what i've done so far

somehow i ended up making it REALLY wide...but that's just more snuggly goodness, right? but also means it will have to be REALLY long...read: take forever

current feeling about it: i LOVE it!

i need to focus on a few more things this coming week than just this afghan...and i want to start meditating for 15 minutes every day...do any of you do that?

what did you focus on this week?

ps: don't forget to enter my blogaversary giveaways below...you have until tomorrow nite at 8pm est!

pps: DON'T FORGET TO DELURK

it's my blogaversary*!

2011-01-12T09:59:00.000-05:00

today marks FOUR years of blogging for me!

i've had 31, 242 site visits, 78 followers
&
5,302 lovely comments

wow

the best part about blogging: making many wonderful new friends...i feel very fortunate to have been able to meet so many of you in person and hope to meet more of you in the future

in honor of this momentous occasion, i'm having a giveaway...or giveawayS as there are 2 prizes

a) this super duper valentine bunting

please forgive the picture quality...it was about 20 degrees outside

seven different valentine prints zig-zag stitched onto pink bias

9 feet of valentine goodie goodness!

the deal:

simply leave a comment. that's it. i like to keep it simple

but please, just one comment per person

a winner will be drawn using random number generator this saturday evening at 8pm est.

prize number 2 is in a separate post below...why? so you can enter each giveaway if you'd like...yes, theoretically should the random gods allow, the same person could win both items...

GOOD LUCK

thanks for visiting and commenting every day...it truly warms my soul

*how the heck to you spell that word anyways?

2011-01-12T09:45:00.001-05:00

b) two teenie tiny winter 'trees'

handmade (by me!) embroidered wool felt trees

i have this 'thing' about tiny trees...i have a forest of them...and they stay up from the day after thanksgiving until the end of january...for reals, i should count them...in fact, i will count them and let you know how many i have AND show you the felt tree i made for myself

i think these 2 trees are perfect for winter decorating...they look so nice and frosty

they look great on their own or paired with a little house

sadly, this house is mine all mine though!

the stats: ice blue tree is 7" tall; winter white tree is 5" tall

if you'd like to win them, just leave a comment!

winner drawn by random number generator this saturday evening at 8pm est

GOOD LUCK!

focus friday

2011-01-07T16:19:00.001-05:00

here's what i focused on this week:

i 'did' the stairs at work 5 times per day every day this week (did = 4 flights)
i had a protein shake for dinner monday, tuesday, wednesday and thursday...for now the plan is to do that on 'school nites' and cook a healthy dinner friday, saturday and sunday
i finished crocheting an afghan for the husband that only took me 4, maybe 5 years to finish (will take picture and post)
i finished and shipped the pincushion for sandy

i feel good about the week!

what goals did you accomplish this week?

~k

ps: my blogaversary is next week...there will be prizes* involved...just sayin'

*and now that's my focus for the weekend, ha!