Curtain Call!

We’ve been in our little haunted cape cod by the beach for two years now.

I’ve had a sewing maching for one year now.

One would think that is ample time in which to produce some window coverings, wouldn't one?

Apparently not for me.

I made curtains for Max's room and AJ's room and Gunnar's room and the kitchen and even the laundry room for heaven's sake! But despite all my best window-covering-intentions, our bedroom remains plain.

We have plain white walls and plain white mini-blinds and a plain white down comforter.

But before you conjure up images of straight-jackets - know that I have lots colored sheets & blankets!!! 

Admittedly, I have changed my mind way too many times on how I want it to look so it's probably a thing of luck that I haven’t gone hog wild with every whim thus far…otherwise I’d have a real mess.

I have the kind of husband who doesn’t care what colors I use. His only requirements are that it’s comfortable and that he gets to sleep with me. Sweet, right? Yeah, well...don’t go getting all impressed because let me tell you, he is also the kind of husband who tells me all the different ways different home-improvement projects I want to do won’t work.) 

I have to tell you though, having the freedom to choose any color scheme I want? It's way more of a burden than a blessing. 

I can’t make up my mind because there is no one saying “oh hells no!” to the idea’s I come up with. 

If he would just tell me no one time, then I would know for certain that that is EXACTLY what I want to do. 

Instead, I have enough yardage of discarded fabric to hang myself. 

True story: I once came acrossed a purple velvet Buddha at Marshalls and decided to build a scheme around him. That’s when I bought the white down comforter too. I had this airy, lavender & white, bohemian beachy look all conjured up in my head with pops of purple.

HE DID NOT SAY NO.

Then I decided I wanted something still beachy but more Cape-Coddy so I decided white with shades of blue & gray & maybe even cream. I found gorgeous fabric for window coverings on the clearance wall at the Fabric Hut in Norfolk. But guess what? There are three windows in our room and I bought enough to cover 2. I ignored the first rule of the clearance wall: BUY THE WHOLE BOLT DUMBASS. To be fair, I have plenty to make valances for all three – but matching those shades of blue, gray, and cream are not happening. I’d need to make a duvet too.

HE DIDN’T BLINK AN EYE AT MY DILEMMA.

I tried to tell him how if our bedroom was a beautiful sanctuary I would go in there & pretty much float in bliss and probably be more prone to bouts of silence instead of pillow chatter…I did not work. He reminded me that A. I am not a fairy nor in a fairy tale and B. He has zero hope in me ever talking less.

So now I am on to this "chabby-chic meets Betsey Johnson in a Jane Austen goes to visit Alice in Wonderland" feel. Black & white & pink & roses & rabbits. I went too far with the rabbits, didn’t I? Come on, I told you about the purple buddha! Besides, I don't mean actual live rabbits or even stuffed toy rabbits – and I certainly do not mean rabbit fur. It's just I happen to have a beautiful framed print of a rabbit that my Gramps gave me for Christmas years ago and for the first time ever, it’s going to have a prominent place. 

When I told my husband my idea’s, you know what he said?

He said I need a check up from the neck up.

Finally! His ever-so slight annoyance was all the confirmation I needed to proceed. :)

THIS is the fabric I bought from Fabric.com and it arrived as beautiful as I had hoped:

Michael Miller Savannah Black

Michael Miller Charlotte Rose

Now I just need to figure out what the heck kind of curtains I want! Off to Pinterest...

A Ninja & A Crocheted Scarf Save The Day

Yesterday the hubby did his first landscaping of the new year. The yard wasn’t too bad since around these parts the lawn dies off in dormant months but considering March really did come in like a lion, there was some patchy growth and it just seemed messy looking.

His burst of energy wore me out so I ran off to the tanning bed. (Yes, tanning beds are from the devil but they do more than give me the color my paler-than-Edward-Cullen-skin needs, it brightens my mood. Like light therapy. It’s my story, I’ll tell it how I want to.) Whilst waiting for my turn to toast, I eavesdropped on a conversation about the insanely cheap prices on patio furniture at the close-out store.

Three guesses where I went next...the close-out store, naturally!

It’s a place called Ollie’s and it's housed in an old Toys R’ Us building, so it’s a pretty colorful place what with all the Geoffries & the old-school Toys R's Us color-scheme going on. They buy pallets of close-outs from all kinds of other stores –think giant garage sale meets Big Lots. This was only my third excursion into the store, and the first in a few years, so it was practically a brand new experience all over again. And truth be told, kind of exhilarating. 


There were stacks of area rugs in one corner, a mini-book store section in another corner, and miles of isles of stuff you never knew you needed but suddenly have to have. Like hugenormous garden planters and kitchenware and even yarn. Somehow I managed to actually stick to my plan of getting only patio furniture (ok and one planter). Ohhh let me just tell you I scored FOUR (1,2,3,4!) patio chairs for $20 a’piece!! We are talkin' the very same chairs sold last season (and probably this season too) at Target for $49 a’piece. So totally less than half price and completely brand new. Thank’s Crazy Ollie, you’re my new BFF!

I was so excited that I didn’t stop to think about how I would cart them home until I was standing in the parking lot glancing back & forth between my stack of chairs and my trunk. A little Japanese lady had just pulled up beside me and she started glancing back & forth between my stack of chairs, my trunk, and me.

I’m a little ashamed to tell you that my first thought was if I didn’t look at her, she would wander on into the store. I was trying to focus on my task at hand and small talk doesn’t come easy for me when I’m on a mission. And even though she was very grandmotherly, I figured she really just wanted to make sure I didn’t thwack her car. As it turns out, she just wanted to help – and help she did! It took about 20 minutes, but she never left my side until we got those 4 chairs wedged in to the car & tied my trunk practically closed with an abandoned crocheted scarf that had been in there for months. That little Japanese lady? Totally a ninja. 

I drove the 12 miles home going down the main drag at about 25 miles per hour. It was pretty obvious to everyone that I was hauling loot so no one got all road rage on me.

So then I’m sitting on my front porch and thinking it looks pretty drab. We had taken down the windchimes & flower baskets before winter (lest they blow away) and nothing seemed appropriate to put back up. I mean, it’s practically springtime, it was the first day of Daylight Savings Time (don’t get my husband started on that), there is fresh growth starting to appear on lawns & in trees – it just seemed wrong to put up the same old stuff, ya know?

But I had just spent 80 bucks on chairs. Close-out prices or not, 80 bucks is 80 bucks am I right? What’s a mama to do when she has this insane urge to nest? That’s easy: Dollar Tree!

At the Dollar Tree I scooped up 12 bunches of hot pink lilles and a cute little windchime (that may or may not last the breeze of a really fast bicycler going by, but whatever, it’s cute). Last month I bought a really pretty new “Welcome” flag with hot pink & orange lillies on a black background so I almost squealed out loud (ok I DID squeal outloud) when I realized what a perfect compliment they would be. Even the cashier was all "oooooh gurrl,   these are puh-rettay!" She asked me if I was going to make a wreath and I told her no, some hanging baskets, but now I've got this weird underlying desire to make a flippin' wreath. The power of suggestion is a beast. 

Back at home I set up "flower shop" on my front porch. I cleaned out my wire hanging baskets, padded them with new moss, and made two "Spring-y" arrangements. I love them. And the best part: I can’t kill them!

I can’t wait to sit on our front porch this evening and fondly remember the crochet scarf that gave it's life so that 4 chairs could safely travel to their new home. 

Sewcial Studies Book Review

I went a little crazy on Amazon a few weeks ago. 


That's what happens when you don't leave work on your lunch hour & instead spend the time carousing the world wide web. 


Now before I give you my little review let me first say that I was not asked to do this nor am I being compensated in any way by anyone, anywhere. This is simply my honest to goodness, unadulterated, extremely novice opinions on some books I purchased in an attempt to hone my skills. M'kay? 

Oh and furthermore: I am purposely not providing prices or links because, not only do I not have an affiliation with any one source, but I don't want to make it THAT easy for you to spend money unwisely. As I may or may not have the tendency to do. If you want to know more than my measley opinion of these titles, you'll have to go searching on your own. This covers my buns in the event you go hog wild. 

And now down to business...

Sew Serendipity by Kay Whitt



I really like this book & am really happy to have it in my collection. It's written in a way that my pea-brain can understand & comes with paper patterns in the back. The pictures are adorable but to be fair they are simply cute vignette's are pretty girls wearing the finished frocks. The pictures of the steps are actually color pencil drawings and while they do the trick, I prefer photographed step by step instruction. Overall, it makes me HAPPY. 










The New Handmade: Simple Sewing For Contemporary Style by Cassie Barden

Not what I would call a "must have" for your collection, sorry. It has great photographs but any pattern pieces would have to be photocopied first. Not only that, but there isn't a single project in the entire book that you cannot find a free tutorial of on some amazing sewista bloggers blog. Just sayin. My copy may end up being a donation to my city library. My apologies Cassie, I'm sure you are a fabulous sewista and maybe at the time your book was published these were brand new ideas. I just didn't find it to be what I want in a book over $20. 






1000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts & Tips by Deepika Prakash

Oh Em Gee this book is a never-ending source of sewing smartness! Deepika compiled a THOUSAND idea's from various people from around the universe. Despite it's size being somewhat like a magazine only thicker I still think it's a great book to cart around with you to doctor offices or the beach. It reads kind of like one of those 1001 Things You Never Needed To Know Bathroom Readers that your husband probably has. Your husband doesn't read those? Oh um then neither does mine, haha. 


Last but not least, the book I forgot to take a picture of. Figures! But in case you care, its the one on the top of the stack in the first picture. 


The Sewing Machine Accessory Bible by Wendy Gardiner & Lorna Knight
Now for all of you that grew up sewing and were taught by Moms & Grandmoms - this book is probably nothing new to you. But for chicks like me who came to sewing later in life & without the benefit of having a family member close enough (or alive enough) to teach them, this is really & truly a Bible. It demonstrates the various feet & how to use them. I love it & will NOT be donating this one to ANYONE because its MINE MINE MINE!

Celebrity Apprentice Week 1

I admit it. You don't even have to twist my arm. 

I will say it loud & proud: I am a Celebrity Apprentice Junkie.

Go ahead & judge if you must, but know that I am without shame on this.

You can keep your Bachelor and your Bachelorette and your Survivor and every single one of those Look What Washed Up On The Jersey Shore-ites. 


Just leave me The Donald. 


I know, I know. He's orange. He sports a really bad comb-over. He's completely full of himself. I grant you all of it. 


But I don't care because I don't love the show for him. 

I love the show for the tasks and the creativity. And, fine, sometimes even for the sub-par celebrities too. 


But does that matter? Can't I just like a tv show please? It's not like I'm one of those middle aged Twi-hards. Gosh!

Last night was the 2 hour season opener, which required me to take a nap so that I could stay awake for it all. I really wish Mr. Trump would consider breaking the show into 2 one-hour episodes/twice a week – especially since we are talking about school/work nights. This would also keep me from having to wait an entire SEVEN days between shows.

I’m not much of a re-capper but here are my Week 1 opinions of the 2012 cast:

Tia Carrere – her facial expressions appear painful...are those cheek implants supposed to resemble shoulder blades?

Pauly Teutel Sr – Somebody please make him take his manners out of his acid-washed-Levi’s pocket.  I hope predict he will be the first dude to be fired.

Lisa Lampanelli - I knew right way I’d like her because I already enjoy her brash & sassy persona. Plus? She said “Holler”, emphasis on the -er. Funny!

Penn Jillette – this dude took my attention by surprise. When he stepped up to strategize on the whole “Chopper” branding thing, I was like “oh hey, he’s a smart one!”.

Adam Corolla – quick with the comedy relief, but kind of suspect he won’t know when the reel it in when in the boardroom. That may get annoying.

Victoria (OhMy!) Gotti - the only other human orange-er than The Donald. Can we get hair & makeup on damage control with this one please? STAT?!

Arsensio Hall – I think he’s just there for fun. I don’t see him taking anything too seriously.

George Takei – Not meek. Got it. Type-A fo’sho though.

Cheryl Tiegs – I didn’t think she’d be the first to go until she started separating cheese slices at a slower rate than it actually takes to process.

Aubrey O’Day – Who?

Lou Ferrigno – Hulk SMASH! Sorry, had to. Ok so how did he not know that “guns” was slang terminology for “My, what large arms you have!”?

Dayana Mendoza –could have sworn she was Marc Anthony’s ex. Anyhoo, pretty sure she’s hitching her star to Patreeceeah’s wagon.

Patricia Velasquez – I want to like her, but me thinks her pride will goeth before her falleth.

Debbie Gibson – Debbie, Deborah, Debbie again…does she just keep changing it Out Of The Blue? Haha, get it?

Clay Aiken – Tweeted during first episode that he didn’t want hear about George Takei’s loins…Oh Clay. Me thinks thou doth prostest too much.

Teresa Guidice – does not amuse Victoria in the slightest. Is it wrong to hope for a confrontation between these two?

Dee Snider – after having recently watched his wife Suzette on Celeb Wife Swap, I’ve decided he is an okay guy married to an wonderful woman.

Michael Andretti – the Cheryl Tiegs of the men…perhaps much too nice for this brand of competition. 

Hoping for Snow

We've had such a mild winter here in Southeastern Virginia that it's kind of hard to believe that we might actually have some snow on the way...but it's starting to feel like a possibility! The downside is the opening act is a Nor'easter...bleh. We're snuggled in here at Casa Jones (ho-nez) ready with snacks & waiting with blankets & movies. Too bad it's a Sunday!


Work has kept me busy and out of blogville for awhile so I don't have anything fun to share at the moment ~ but I've come acrossed some totally-awesome-must-make stuff that I thought I'd share instead...you'll love it!


Microwaved cake in a cup? In a minute? One of my dreams come true!
http://thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2011/11/aunt-bettys-1-2-3-cake.html


Puffy star pillows:
http://www.matchingpegs.com/2010/02/15/star-fruit-cushion-tutorial/


The Olfa Chenille Cutter is a pretty expensive little gadget. I know this because I found mine at Hancocks for 30% off this past week & still had a minor coronary. But what's a sewista to do when she see's making several of these in her future?:
http://www.aestheticnest.com/2010/08/sewing-heirloom-cut-chenille-baby.html


Enjoy! 

Thrift Store China

Following the advice of my coworker I decided to hit up the DAV thrift store not far from my day-jay-oh-bee this afternoon.


It didn't take much time to come to the conclusion that this place could pose a serious threat to my already very limited spending money. Everything was so clean and organized and clearly priced, oh my!


Luckily, tho, I'm limited by my lunch hour & it's not on my direct path home or I'd rapidly become the star of a new reality show: Bankrupt Hoarders. Lord knows I've already got the requisite felines.


I bumped into one of the ladies from our human resources dept there. She was scooping up the coolest little green John Deere wagon. It was the perfect amount of old: not shiny, not rusted. Much. She was adorable pulling it out to her car. Something tells me she could be my co-star. I wonder if she has any cats?


Anyways.....
As for me, I was hoping to score a glass/crystal punch bowl. There weren't any to be found which I thought was a little unusual - but it was a busy place.


What I did discover is that thrift store china is lovely! Some sets are pretty well complete but most are castaways....like The Island of Mismatched Dishes, shelves & shelves full.


I spotted the plate in the last pic below right away and had to have it. It's definitely not old ~ as a matter of fact it's practically brand new, very evident that it has never been used. It was a whopping $2.98.


LOVE!!!


I wanted to keep looking at it so I hauled inside when I got back to the office & set it out on my desk.


I was kind of clutching it for dear life at the store when I bumped into my coworker from H.R. and she gave me the best idea. What she said was she picks up pretty plates at thrift stores all the time so that when she takes cookies or what-have-you to a social gathering, she doesn't care if she doesn't get it back.


And then I started thinking what a sweet gesture it would be to give a plate of cookies on vintage china as a hostess gift when your friend invites you over....or as a way to welcome a new neighbor or thank an old one. So I'm totally gonna be on the lookout for unusual or beautifully colored thrift store china. It's a great excuse!


I also found these four very vintage, very femme teacup saucers....for 45 cents apiece.


LOVE MORE!!!


The silver edges have all but worn completely off but the grey-black leaves & stems with pink roses just make me smile. So does the hand painted "Made in China" with little squiggly Chinese letters on the bottom side. I only wish they had a date or pattern name.


I'm going to use them in my bedroom as jewelry dishes. In fact, they've even inspired a much needed bedroom makeover. The new color palette is going to be slate greys with shabby-romantic pastels. What do you think Mr. Jones will say about that? Oh nevermind, we won't ask.


This is a big change for me. I love reds together with earthy browns but I have that in just about every room. Time to give the bedroom a personality of its own.

Touch Text is Hard!

My blackberry died. It had been showing all the warning signs. After two lovely years together, it just couldn't hold on anymore.

Since I sensed its inevitable demise was approaching quickly I was doing my due diligence in "what to get next"....but I hadn't quite decided (read: talked it over with my kid who is way smarter than me). I was forced to make a hasty decision. Another BB, the highly coveted iPhone, or an Android.

Android won.

Its so much fun!

Earlier we were at the grocery store and I was letting Max play on it....totally being a bad mom letting him walk & play instead of paying attention to reality. Don't worry, he didn't fall into any fountains.

But he did innocently ignite a temper tantrum.

I was deciding which bbq'd sauce to get when a little boy scurried up to his father and says "Daddy!! I hear Angry Birds!!"...then he spots my kid and begs his daddy "Can I play Angry Birds on your phone Daddy??"

When Daddy said no the kid went all Alex Baldwin/Words With Friends bat sh*t crazy.

Holy moly I'm so glad those years are behind me! I don't know that I have the Herculian strength needed to tame a 4 year olds case of the gimmes.

At least with tweens/teens you can tell them to get over it!