Brrr....

The winter storm is making it's way here. The small birds are hiding out on our porch and the trees. This one didn't fly off when I stepped to the window and he is all puffed up to stay warm. The snow and sleet are blowing in horizontally. Not much is sticking to the ground, but it is starting to build up since I snapped this picture. Brrr....stay warm and let's hope our friends north of us battling more severe situations will be kept safe.

snow in Spring?

Today, it is warm and comfy to finally be outside doing stuff. My quince has this one lonely little bloom. It has the confidence of spring around the corner. BUT.....not quite yet....Old Man Winter is about to make his (hopefully) LAST appearance tonight. We are to have snow and howling winds as this big cold blast hits Texas. The blizzard should stay just to our north and I am keeping my fingers crossed.

My lonely little quince and the optimistic apricot tree that is starting to bloom may not be so perky tomorrow.

As I looked to the north this evening, I could see the dark grey skies of very cold weather headed our way. That is the advantage of this very flat land of ours...we can see to the Dakota's and beyond! Brrrrr...that sky makes me cold even now.

I have covered all my asparagus with an assortment of buckets turned over to shield their yummy goodness. I hope they survive. We've done what we can and will just hunker down. Check back tomorrow for the flip side.

Fabric everywhere

I miss all my buds out there. I haven't had much time to even lurk around . haha. I'm not complainin' mind ya, but....wowza....It's crazy here in my workroom. I am surrounded with a lot of this brown nylon chiffon while I make pettiskirts for bridesmaids. I will hopefully supply pics of the wedding party later because these rockin' cowgirls are really gonna be cute.
In the meantime, I try to keep all the layers separated into their individual skirts prior to sewing all together. There are little stacks placed neatly.....Oh No, only in my dreams! They get stacked and piled anywhere within arms reach!

But, I must share the happiness that Ms. Manni has this week. Another bit of gleam and fanciness adorned her figure. That girl just loves her rhinestones and sequins!

This is a sneak peek of the back of another lovely gown........
Our local Prom event will happen in the next week and I hope to have the full shots of the girls wearing their beautiful dresses. OK, Prom gals....that was my serious call for photos and all the scoop of the evening.

I'm sitting here with fabric staring me in the face wondering why I'm not in the sweatshop. Next, we have a parade of draperies and various window treatments for no less than 15 different windows. I'm smilin' here and just drop by for a chit-chat anytime y'all.

Postin of the Green

Today tis the day ta be wearin the green!

May ye not be caught a'speakin the blarney or at least ye make it worth the hearin'!

I have brought to you all a wee souvenir for the occasion.
Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

St. Pat is near

Just popped in to share a couple more St. Pat cuties.And a couple of Irish Proverbs

Many hands make light work.

It's often a man's mouth broke his nose.

Lucky Charms

The lovely shamrock is such a strong symbol of St. Patrick's Day. I am sharing some images of a few of my St. Pat's postcards to enjoy.

Here is a factoid to share or you could just think it sounds like a pretty good explanation. The Druids, or Celtic priests, declared the four leaf clover as a potent Celtic charm against evil spirits. Therefore, it is considered Lucky to this day.

The four leafs stand for Faith, Hope, Love and Luck. Just thought you'd like to know.

Altered Art

Don't fall over in a faint just because there are 2 posts today. But, I just discovered My Vintage Studio . It is an inspiring blog and this site is awesome. You jest hurry on over there honey child and peruse the giveaway too. 2 great mags....sigh.

I have only dabbled in altered art in the past and I am seeing so many great artists and I want to do more. Believe me when I say I have the supplies and now I know what I can do with all those goodies collecting on the shelves.

If you haven't heard of the Paper Cowgirl Retreat, you must have been hidin' out somewhere fer, fer away! I hope y'all add a little Texas drawl to some of this commentary. This is sizin' up to be a great showdown and hope you can make it.

Pillow Talk

I can't find the bed, OH NO, where did it go?! Oh, there it is....HIDDEN under the pillows. Phew, I think I have just room to sit on the edge of the daybed. That's all we need anyway. Isn't it? Or just fling them and stack them to create your little nest and let's have a chit chat.

I gathered my vintage linens and remnants of home dec fabrics from my stash and made up pillows. Even after using several pieces, I could hardly see a dent in my collection! That stash is enough to stock a store and I have way too much fun collecting more. I must exercise some control and only bring home a dozen pieces at a time.

I love all the shades of whites and some brown thrown in for good measure. At present, these have been stacked aside while I am redoing the mattress cover a bit. I may throw in a splash of aqua when they resume their rightful positions.
A beautiful table runner or napkin is perfect to layer onto a simple background and it comes to life. A few had some imperfections attributes that prevented their full display, but were well suited to showing off their best qualities as an embellishment on these pillows. I used the embroidered ends and corners and whatever else was salvagable. The king pillows resting in the back were overlayed with short table runners and they worked perfectly. It even shocked me. I love it when a plan (or sort of a plan) comes together.

Okay, now who's up for a pillow fight? I have the ammo.

Challenge Horror Show

I am just browsing along and minding my own business...then there it is! A Challenge! Okay, I could just click on by, but this intrigues me. the Polka Dot Barn had a photo challenge posted. I am not one to shirk a challenge lightly. After all, that is how I jumped off the high dive board at the swimming pool for the first time. That is only one challenge among many that I actually survived to tell about. Now, get off that terrifying flash-back....so, I go searching for the correct picture. OMG! Another terrifying flash-back!!! Here it is in all it's horror.....

Yeppers! I burned up my kitchen in November 2007. What a horrible day that was. It was not my preferred way of getting out of holiday cooking. But, this too shall pass, and now I have everything back in order and working as efficiently as ever. The new range and MW were a very nice bonus gift though.

So, If you do accept this challenge,

1. Go to the photo folder in your computer.

2. Go to the seventh folder of photos.

3. Go to the seventh picture.

4. Put the picture on your blog along with a description of it.

5. Invite seven friends to join the challenge.

I hope you have a fun flashback.

I had last posted items I was working on these past few days. I finished one last evening. I had removed the zipper and replaced it with a lace up back. There wasn't any extra fabric in the seam area to give any extra inches so this was our only solution.

Here's a shot of the front for the curious lookers. It is really a pretty dress that looks much better on the young lady than it does on Ms. Manni.Ms. Manni is now in her busy season of the year....PROM TIME! This gal just loves a great dress and the more sequins and rhinestones....THE BETTER. She just acquired a new modeling job this evening and she is so excited to give you a sneak peek. More to come later on this one.

The sooner I get to ripping seams, the faster I can get back to junkin' and paintin'.

Check, Check,check-check

Hi y'all, allow me to introduce myself...it has been a few days since my last post. The whirlwind of busy stuff is settling, so here is the low down. It started here when I just wanted a little redo....Okay...a huge redo in my workroom. Cabinets on one side of the room are now on the other side and what was up, is now down. It's amazing, but all this stuff finally found a home and only a few things are still in limbo. Then I spy this little cabinet of baskets which I have used forever and have completely overlooked for a redo. Sometimes, we just get so used to seeing the same ole thing and forget to give it a new look. Well, whip out those paints and brushes and ignore the huge mess in my workroom. I just move to the dining room table where tranquility reigns!

A couple of coats of paint later and it already looks better! I have always intended to sew up some little liners for the baskets. Perhaps I'll get that done now. Now, that's done and I get back to my workroom disaster. It is still being fine-tuned and I will post a pic of the finished room in a few days. Then, it will be time to paint all the walls in that room and I can just do it all over again. So, perhaps this is only a practice for having an organized space.

While the workroom is getting settled back into place, a few projects are collecting on my calendar. We begin with a cowboy bedroll for the little tikes. These are so cute and I hope to have a professional photo of this soon in an authentic setting.
Then throw in some sequins and rhinestones needing a re-make. This one is on the table now and will have a lace up back instead of a zipper.

This purse came together with some pieces of fabric that I love. When they don't fit anywhere in your home decor...Just make a purse gals!
A couple of things escaped the camera lense and have been delivered. I just love to make a big ole check mark on my to-do list when a job is DONE!!! Yeah! As fast as I get to check them off, I acquire another 'to-do'. I love it that friends call me for work to be done and all the people they refer my direction. I send a big THANKS to all of you. I really appreciate your confidence. Well, it's back to my sweatshop workroom so I can make another big ole check mark!!