shop update

The may and mae shop has had an amazing update! There are new charms - vintage Halloween ones, initials, fabrics, etc. and Melissa has added fabric kits for her bags in great combinations. I am still making more charms - some smaller 1x1 initials and vintage Christmas pendants. Many of the pendants (charms) now come with a chain!

Check out what we have so far.

shop update coming soon

Been soldering away, so Melissa and I are planning a big shop update soon. Here are a few that are finished so far...Amy Butler fabrics, Keep Calm, vintage Halloween and Christmas postcards, lots of initials, dictionary pages, etc.

another birthday girl outfit

Mallory had a little friend turn four last week. She decided Ellie would like a skirt and shirt. Since the skirt is a quick make and I have a bit of a stockpile on shirts, it came together quickly. I used Joel Dewberry fabric along with a red and white polka dot from Joann's for both the skirt and applique. The bird applique came from the pattern here.

just got back from

Natural Bridge State Park and it was amazing. It is in the Daniel Boone National Forest about 2 hours east of Louisville and it is beautiful. Also right in the Nat'l. Forest bordering Natural Bridge is Red River Gorge. It has over 100 natural arches and it is just as cool. We stayed at the Hemlock Lodge at Natural Bridge for 3 days and were able to do some hiking and see so many beautiful things. Our first evening there we hiked up to Natural Bridge which you are able to walk up to and on top of. It was a unusually breezy night and there was no body else there. It was one of those moments with my family that was rare and so nice. We hiked around Red River Gorge as well and picked out where we wanted to stay next time. The Gorge is one of the best places for rock climbers in the US and we saw some of the enormous cliffs that they climb and were in awe. We ate at a place called Miguel's that had some of the best pizza I have ever had and it is also a rock climbing shop and camp ground.

sewing 101 series

Chris at Pickup Some Creativity has been hosting a fantastic series called Sewing 101. Evey day she has had a different blogger post a basic sewing technique or tips to help in all areas of sewing. Today I am posting over there with Basic Applique.

After I sent her my post, I realized there were a few other tips or tricks that I wanted to include, so I will post them here -

• If in doubt, go slow. Slowly but surly helps especially as you go around the curves.


• Leave your needle down in the fabric as you do any turns.


• Be EXTRA careful when cutting away the excess Stabilizer you have on the back of your applique.
  

This is the kitty applique I made the tutorial over at my Sewing 101 post.

It got me in the mood to make another one for a friend who had a baby girl a few months ago. I have white onesies in a basket just waiting for embellishment and it's one of my favorite baby gifts to give. I made this sweet baby a cute elephant out of lime green fabric from Amy Butler's Love collection.

wearing the dress

My husband took a photo of Mallory with his phone after church because she was wearing the dress. She loves it. I love that.

ps - her other leg is behind her leaning on the wall!

peach summer salad

I've gone to post about my new favorite salad several times, but I stop because I don't have a photo of it. I have decided photo or not, I am posting it because it is just too good not to. I am eating it right now and it is just so summery. I found this salad (or the bare bones of it) in Southern Living, but I changed it quite a bit and love it my way. Of course, I never tried it their way, so the original may be just as good.

Peach Summer Salad for Two

1 large ripe peach

1 large tomato

1/4 cup pecans toasted (and I add just a bit of brown sugar)

2 Tbs. red onions in little julienne slices

1/4 cup fresh mozzarella chunks

2 tsp. fresh basil chopped

Dressing:

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 tsp. chopped garlic

1 Tbs. brown sugar (or less)

1/4 tsp. salt

Pour the dressing on the salad and let it sit. The longer it "marinades" the better it tastes. Enjoy!

the dress that followed your advice

When I posted about my daughter's lackluster love of my homemade clothing for her, many of you gave suggestions to help solve this problem. I took that advice and let her pick out the fabric and the pattern. That was easy - why didn't I think of it before? She chose this cute fabric by Anna Griffin with bunnies. I even gave her a choice of a few dresses and she chose this easy McCall's pattern 5613 (view C). I made her the size 4 because she is a tall 3 year old, but it turned out quite a bit too big. So, I made a casing in the back top seam and added elastic to it which helped a lot. It is still a bit too big, but she can wear it. Before the elastic casing, it was so big that I don't know when it would fit her. She even tried it on and it's so full that she loved spinning around in it. It will look cute with her turquoise leggings. I think I am going to have more of a say a lot more often.

chirstmas in july

Every year I tell myself in the craziness of it all, "I'm going to start so much earlier next year." It's hard to think about holidays (unless you are in Australia!) when it's blazing hot outside. But, you will thank yourself when it freezing and you are NOT running around like a chicken with her head cut off because you were so totally prepared for the holidays. Cindy Lou at Skip To My Lou along with According to Kelly and A Southern Fairytale are hosting a Holiday Bake, Craft, and Sew Along. Each lady will be posting baking, crafting, and sewing ideas that will prepare you for your gift giving for the holidays.

*This Friday, Skip To My Lou, will feature my Eyeglasses Case Tutorial. Check out these blogs each day to see the amazing ideas.

weekend yum

My favorite candy bar is Twix. My husband brings me a 10 pack (the small ones) of Twix instead of flowers for Valentines Day and any other time I need a pick me up. When I saw this recipe at Baker's Royale, I nearly died and went to heaven. I am making these this weekend. Tell me if you do as well.

summer reads

Lately, I have been asking my friends and family to give me some reading advice. Sometimes I just need to feel like I am on vacation while all kids are home and reading does that. The other day we went to our friends' pool and while the kids swam, I lounged and read. Now, who needs to go to the beach? I do, but a day like that will do when I can't. So, I thought that I would share some of my summer reads that have been kindly suggested by my sister Tanya, my friend Cheryl, and others -

1 - The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls

2 - The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

3 - Tess of the D'urbevilles by Thomas Hardy

4 - Hester: The Missing Years of the Scarlet Letter: A Novel by Paula Reed

5 - The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

I would reccommend all of these books. My favorite has been The Forgotten Garden that my sister, Tanya, suggested. I just finished it yesterday and now I am taking a break from reading for just a bit. Any suggestions for when I start back up?

a mosaic of pendants

I haven't put any new pendants in our etsy shop in months.  I have been busy making them for my friends and family and I love doing that.  A lot of teacher and birthday gifts.  I try to work on them just a few days a week, especially now that the kids are home from school.  I think I will work on a few different lines for the etsy shop - pick an initial, then pick a back and I will make that pendant custom.  It's easier do that rather than to guess what you all would like and putting them in the shop.  I am going to work on that for next week.  

new look pattern #6690

This is an easy dress to make. I made it as the gift I wrote about in the last post. I used Tanya Whelan's Grand Revival Design's Barefoot Rose collection for the fabric and New Look Pattern #6690 view E. I left off the ruffle because I like to make things super easy and added lime green rick rack to the bottom. It was so quick that I am going to make one for Mallory and let her pick out the fabric just to be sure she will wear it!

i've never gone this long without a post

We have been busy with Scout Camp and Cub Camp and Girls Camp and.... you know how it goes. But, I did spend most of my day yesterday in my bonus room cleaning up the area I craft in and it felt great. I did manage to make a few things while it was a complete disaster and that was a bit fun to craft in a room that you couldn't even see the floor, but I am thinking it might be better to make things with a fresh slate too.

My dear friend is having a baby any day. And she hopes that any day is today. Since she has moved across the country and we couldn't throw her a baby shower, we decided to put a Baby Shower in a Box together for her from a few of her friends back here in Kentucky. I am told she hasn't opened all the gifts because she is trying to save them and have something to look forward to after the baby girl arrives. Great for her, but I need to wait to show you a few things that I sent her. I do know that she saw this banner that was packed in unwrapped, so here is the banner I made for her baby girl's room -

And, here's the packed up box - all ready to ship!

mondays

It's Monday and I will admit that I got the boys off to school and then headed back to bed just to rest for a bit. An hour and a half later I woke up and am feeling quite out of it. I wanted to get a jump start on the week because it's the last week the boys are in school and I have a TON to do. So, now it's 10 am and I am sitting in my work out clothes, trying to get this darn exercise ambition going. But, while I am waiting for that to kick in, I thought I would share a few things -

1 - The blog c.r.a.f.t has a m.m.m (making monday marvelous) feature and she has featured the Road Trip Pillowcases that I made last summer for our friends. I am going to make some for my children this summer.

2 - My friend Karyn at Releases by Rufydoof gave me a Kreativ Blogger award. Now, I met Karyn back in 1990 when she came from Australia to San Diego to be an exchange student with my best friend Angie. I had just gotten my driver's license, so we all had a blast driving around, shopping, and just having a great time. We still keep in touch sending each other gifts to each other for special occasions. This girl has an awesome talent for jewelry making and has been featured on the cover of beading magazines. For this award I must tell you 7 things you may not know about me -

1 - I got a degree in geography and tourism from BYU and still study the atlas at night before I go to bed.

2 - My husband asked me to marry him on the 50 yard line of the BYU Football field and I agreed because he had 2 tickets to Italy in his hand he was offering me as well.

3 - I grew up in a family of 8 kids and thought I would have 8 children as well. I now have 4 and truly believe that 4 is the new 8!

4 - My favorite music is ska. My favorite groups are Madness, English Beat, Special Beat, General Public, Ranking Roger, The Specials, and a few others. I need to make a good mix for my ipod to help me exercise. That might help get me off the couch!

5 - I grew up in San Diego and used to love to camp and the beach. One of my favorite things was when we would spend weeks and weeks camping at the beach and you would get so tan, even the tops of your feet and you would have Flojo marks!!!

6 - I love Kentucky. I moved here with my husband and family 10+ years ago and never want to leave. When I go back to visit my friends in San Diego they always ask if I am sure that I love it. There is just something good here - the people, the scenery, and the feeling. I pass by a horse farm every day on the way to the store and I live in the city!!1

7 - I love my family. I love these little pip squeaks that are in this house and my detail oriented, scout loving, Spanish speaking, home building husband. He's cool. Sometimes I am not. I am glad he loves me anyways. And, I love my extended family and wish that the states between Kentucky and California weren't so big (or even there - just put somewhere else, not gone altogether) so that I could see them more often.

Okay, enough about me on this Monday morning (it's now afternoon). I am off to exercise....maybe.

apron for kate

I am grateful that my friend asked me to sew an apron for her daughter. I am happy to make it because it gave me a reason to dust off the machine. I'm serious - I need reasons now. I did find that as soon as I was done and had Mallory trying it on, she did want one. So, I now have a reason to keep the machine going since she wants one too. For the apron, I just traced a store bought apron I had for my boys. I added a ruffle and made it reversible too. I love a reversible apron because who knows what mood you are going to be in when you want to wear it and with this, there is an option. I think I need more reversible clothing! That would give me more options and if I spilled on one side, then just turn that shirt, skirt, etc. over. A thought. I added a bird applique on one side with a pocket, but since I don't like making pockets, there isn't a pocket on the other side just her name.

In other news, I went to see Wicked last night. Still love it. I decided next time I see it, I want to take the kids. They have been tortured with the music in the car for the last year and a half and the need to see the story that goes with it.

Okay, that's all, but let's hope my postings are a bit more consistent. Lots of jewelry, but I won't bore you with any of those photos. Cute custom orders though!!

confessions

Do you want to know the truth? The truth is - my daughter won't wear anything I make for her. It's true. It's been since last Fall. Suddenly, she stopped and said no to anything handmade and went for her Princess, Minnie Mouse, and Dora shirts and dresses. She won't even wear hair bows and headbands. And, if you knew what happened last fall you would know that she really could use a few! I could blame it on my seamstress skills, but she's not that picky. I think I will blame it on our trip to Disney World in October (therefor a new love of Princesses) and the fact that she is the youngest of 4 and knows too much too soon. Why? I had three boys who don't really need for me or want me to sew much for them. When I had Mallory, that's when I really started to try things. I don't spend more than 10 minutes a week upstairs in my craft room. I can make jewelry downstairs and I have been doing that more lately. I sit upstairs and try to be inspired, but you know how it is...the more you do - the more the creative juices flow. So, I guess that means, if you aren't doing much, they might not flow at all! Will she grow out of this? I hope so. Are there other reasons to sew? Of course. I just need to get some juices moving again. Here are some tutorials that I hope to win my daughter over with -

- Lil Blue Boo's Border Fabric Sundress Tutorial

- The Pearl Bee's Rose Barrettes

- Simply Modern Mom's Retro Ruffle Dress Pillowcase Dress

- Calico's Easy Headband Tutorial

- Make It and Love It's Girls Ruffle Front Shirt Tutorial

Do you have any other awesome tutorials to suggest? I know I don't just sew because I have a girl, but it was a bit more fun - especially when she needed things like shorts, dresses, etc. and I could pick out at a pattern and make them for her. I just thought my window to make things for her would be a bit bigger!!!

derby pie

Why not end on a sweet note? I love Derby Pie. Okay, I really love my version (that I got from allrecipes.com a long time ago) of Derby Pie only because I like to use pecans instead of walnuts and got without a top crust. Here is a bit of history about the original Derby Pie -

The pie originated at the Melrose Inn here in Prospect, Kentucky (my parents stayed there when they came out for my wedding reception back in 1996). George Kern came up with the recipe for this delicious pie made up of walnuts, chocolate and a great crust. When trying to decide on a name, many family members had ideas of what it should be called. They put all the choices in a hat and drew out Derby Pie. In 1968 it became so popular that they registered that name and patented the recipe. To read more about it go to the official website here. It's so popular that you can buy it in the freezer section of the grocery store any time of the year.

Well, I will give you the version I prefer and you can try it or you can order your own Derby Pie here.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie from allrecipes.com

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup and 2 Tbs. butter, melted

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust (I use the frozen ones!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, flour, melted butter, salt, lemon juice, and corn syrup. Mix thoroughly, then stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake for 45 minutes until set and golden.

more great derby stuff and links

I know the week isn't over, but with my kids getting out of school tomorrow for The Oaks, I feel like the end is near. I really love seeing Melissa's talent and the talent of her guest bloggers. It makes me want to go all out next year for Derby and get the decorations going early.


Today, I worse my Derby pendant. It's an old black and white photo of Secretariat - the Triple Crown Winner and winner of the Derby in 1973 and on the back is an old photo of Churchill Downs where the race is held.


Gage (my 5 year old) had stick horse races at preschool today and his teacher made them each their own horses out of felt and wrapping paper tubes. They are so cute and I am going to have to make sure that guy doesn't get broken too soon. You never know around this house. And, Mallory played with Black Nitro while Gage played with his new horse.

Check out this post at One Pretty Thing - it has a great Derby roundup. And, check out the guest post at The Polka Dot Chair. Great ideas for a Derby Party.

the mint julep

I had never heard of a mint julep until the time I came with my husband to visit Kentucky during Derby time. I think we had been married about 2 years. There were ladies dressed up in old fashioned attire greeting arriving passengers at the airport by handing out bourbon ball candies. We went down to the Pegasus Parade. My father in law took us to the Seelbach Hotel for the famous Derby Brunch. And, we watched the Kentucky Derby and at Derby Pie. It was quite a Kentucky experience and I really loved it all. We didn't drink any mint juleps, but I did learn what they were and thought it fascinating that there was so much tradition in this one event.

Last year Bobby Flay was here for the Derby and I remember him having his own version of the mint julep that he was actually selling at Churchill Downs the day of the Derby. He was a preDerby host of a few events and his julep has a black berry twist to it.

Of course, the traditional mint julep is also popular because of the famous Kentucky Bourbon that is used in it. Here is a bit of the history about the drink. We are NOT alcohol drinkers, so this is a non alcohol version that would be great for all family members. It comes from a book (one that I love and use for parties) Drinks Without Alcohol by Jane Brandt

Kentucky Derby

4 or 5 mint sprigs

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups cold water

3/4 cup lemon juice, fresh

1 1/2 quart ginger ale

Wafer - thin lemon slices for garnish

Rinse mint and remove stems. Place sugar, water and lemon juice in a bowl, mix and then stir in mint leaves. Allow to stand for 30 minutes. Fill large pitcher with ice cubs, and strain liquid over the ice. Add ginger ale and lemon slices and serve.

And, here's a version at Family Fun that is pretty similar.