a pic from my phone

trying out mobile blogging to see if it will work while we are at the lake. took this pic from my phone when i was up painting earlier this week.

Busy as a Bee

My summer has been crazy busy as I'm sure everyone else has.

Had my garage sale - which was pretty much a bust - hard to get traffic back in our little cul-de-sac, and when we did, no one was buying. The economy must be worse than I thought if people are not even buying at garage sales!

The spring broke on our garage door with all my garage sale stuff sitting on my driveway - cost me over half of what I made in the entire sale to fix that.

I've "misplaced" the charger to my camera battery, so no pictures of any of my recent creations... I finished my vintage sheet zig zag quilt. Stared on a hammock cover for the new hammock we got Dave for fathers day - it is basically a big quilt that will have gromets in the corners and sides to tie to the new 3 person rope hammock that is to be delivered next week.

Have spent quite a bit of time at the lake - entertaining friends - check out Jenni's blog post about her visit to the lake a few weekends ago. She is an amazing photographer and took some great pictures... Thanks Jenni for all the nice compliments too!!

Have also spent a lot of time up there trying to get the treehouse finished (inside painted, screens installed, etc) so the kids can sleep in it this coming week while we are up there for vacation. I will be glad when it is finished - what was suppose to be a "summer project for Dave", has turned into a 3 year ordeal for the entire family. You can read some of that saga here.

Kids have been doing various camps and sport which means I have spent most of my summer driving here and there.

Well, sorry about the lack of pictures, hopefully I will find my camera charger soon! We will be at the lake from this afternoon though the 4th of July weekend! Hope to post more after that.

Guess What I'm Doing...

Yes, I am having a garage sale this weekend. As much as I love to got to other people's garage sales, I rarely have one of my own. Why you ask? Well for two reasons really.

1. I think if you don't have alot of stuff and at least a few "higher $" items (> $5) it is not worth the time it takes to get it all together and organized and spend 2 or 3 days sitting there waiting on people.
2. I am a packrat, and when I clean out an area, room , closet, etc... and decide to get rid of something - it needs to go right away - because either it is taking up too much room or because I might change my mind and decide to keep it if it hangs around!!

So if I have to get rid of stuff as I sort through it, rarely do I have enough to make it worth my while. It is amazing how much "Uncle Sam" will let you deduct on your taxes if you donate stuff to a charitable organization (Goodwill, Salvation Army, St. Vincent dePaul, etc...), so more often than not that is where my junk goes.

The last garage sale I had was about 6 years ago when I got rid of all my baby toys, furniture, clothes, etc, since my last had outgrown them. It was worth it then - I think I made over $500!!

Now in the past month or so, I have been working hard to weed stuff out, and the kids were required to clean their rooms and weed them out the first week of summer break (I know I'm mean - I've already heard it from 3 kids!). So between their junk (which they will get the money for) and mine, I think we have enough to make it worth my while.

Our neighborhood association sale this weekend, and I decided to go for it. It is rainy and cool today so stuck in the house anyway - may as well, work on this and try to make a little money!!!

Please come and buy my junk!!!

Family Circle - October 1960

I love finding a periodical older than me! A newspaper, magazine, anything that speaks to what was going on "in the day". It is amazing how quickly some things change and how some stay the same. I found this on a recent trip to one of my favorite thrift stores.

Here are a few of the "regular features"..
.

Do you think they could get away with a column entitled that now?

The original owner of the magazine must have really liked this recipie - it is the only "damage" to this magazine - other than that it looks like it has never been read or opened. How did she cut that out so cleanly? Must have been a previous tip in the "Better Housekeeping" section...



Here are some of the "feature articles"...

Not just fashion, but fashion you can sew. There were also knitting and crochet patterns!

I'm sure I can pick up a few pointers here.

Have no fear... PMS was alive and well - they just didn't have a name for it!

What cracks me up about this is that if you change the word encyclopedia to internet or wikipedia the very same scenario probably happens at most homes today - It is almost exactly how it goes at our house, only I have to admit - I would be the "father" in this story. If you click on the picture below and see the full size picture, I think you can read the first page of this article - it is quite funny.

And here is the "monthly short story", by the up and coming author - Mary Higgins Clark...

FIVE DAYS in the hospital after a baby!!!

And to boot, the story talks about her waking up to find out what she had!! Those were the days! And can someone explain why we don't still do it this way?

When I had my first in 1995, she had broken my rib which sent me to the hospital 3 weeks early due to the excruciating pain. (which they did not figure out until 6 weeks post pardum and it was still hurting and they took x-rays) So because I was in so much pain they couldn't send me home so they decided to induced me 3 weeks early, they had to do an emergency c-secction becasue her heart kept skipping beats with every contraction, my staples got infected and I was spiking a 103 fever, because she was small, they brought her to me every 2 hours to nurse, so between the pain and the nursing, sleep was non-existant. But even through all of that I was forced to leave 48 hours after delivery. So at 8:45 pm I was wheeled out of the hospital and sent on my merry sleep deprived way with my 5 lb 12 oz. - 3 week early newborn, a broken rib, c-section with infected staples.

If I had delivered after 9 pm I would have been able to stay until the morning - sometimes I think they did the c-section to ensure I delivered before 9pm!!

Oh well, it all worked out OK!! Here she is 14 years later right before her 8th grade graduation... Oh, they do grow so fast!!!

There are many more things in the magazine that you would enjoy, but I would be here all day taking pictures and uploading them. I will show you some of the ads in another post - they too are quite funny!

Peacock Bedspread - Sold!

I am so excited that I sold the peacock chenille bedspread I had mentioned in my earlier post yesterday. I decided to list it for $125. I am sure, based upon my research, that it was worth at least twice that, but I got a really good deal on it (I didn't want to be greedy) and wanted it to go to a good home where it could be loved and used (not stored away as a collectable)! It sold on ETSY within about 5 hours of listing it, and the buyer was someone who saw it here first and wanted it for their little girls bedroom - PERFECT - just they type of person I wanted to have it. I think that was my quickest sale ever!

Peacock Chenille Bedspread

I picked up this bedspread this weekend. I think it is a full size. I wasn't even sure what the design was on it when I picked it up from a school rummage sale table.

I just knew it was chenille (which I love)and very colorful (always a plus and unsusal for chenille).

My original thought when I grabbed it was to cut it up and use it in quilts. I have gotten several "cutter" chenille bedspreads at garage sales before.

But it is vintage cotton chenille and is in absolutely fantastic condition. The colors are so bright, and the fabric and chenille itself are so SOFT!!!

I can't bring myself to cut it - it would be a shame and a waste of a beautiful piece of the past.

But I have no place to use it...

So I think I am going to try to sell it in my Etsy Shop. The only question is how much should I charge. I can not find anything remotely like it anywhere to get a reference price. The closest thing I could find was this one (which I don't think is nearly as beautiful). Did you look at what they are asking for it?!? In this economy, who in their right mind pays $285 for an old bedspread? Obviously no one, because it is still for sale! Oh, well, if you have any ideas about what I should charge for it or if you are interested in buying it please let me know... I have an idea in my head of a fair price, but just curious what you other bloggers think.

And the Winner is...

Thanks to all of you who checked out my blog over the past few days and entered my little giveaway. I truely appreciate all the nice comments (both of the sheets in the giveaway and some of the other posts in my blog), the new followers, and all the new blogs I have found through all of you!

So, without further adieu, the winners of my giveaway...

The first winner - generated via the random number generator at Random.org is...
119 - better known as Sue of Suebee's World Blog

Sue said...All it takes for the creative juices to flowing is seeing a pattern or a little dress that I want to make for my granddaughter! Then watch out!!!!

When I went to check out Sue's blog, I was surprised to see that she had just started it this past Friday!! Her first post reads as follows..."Decided I had better start a blog so that I can be found if I win one of the Giveaway's from Sew Mama Sew! Not sure what I will be putting here but heck, at least it is a start! "

Well Sue, you have won, and I was able to find you. Good luck on your up and coming blog.

Here are the final 10 fat quarters of vintage sheets that Sue will receive...

Along with these large and small scraps from my vintage sheet zig zag quilt I am finishing up.

I can't wait to see what you whip up with these for your granddaughter!!!

My second winner was chosen from all the entries received as the one that most inspired me. This was a very difficult decision. Although many said they got their inspiration to create from other blogs and flickr (which I know I do too), I was drawn to the the more original entries. A few of my favorites are below...

• Jennadesigns said...My favorite way to get inspired it to clean my studio. The act of organizing and folding fabric and notions just gives me more and more ideas. By the time it's clean, I'm itching to make something!
  

(That would probably inspire me too, if I could ever get it clean!!)

• Charissa said...A deadline. :-) I'm usually pushing my creative juices to the max about 10 minutes before I have to walk out the door with the gift I'm making.
  

(oh, that is so me... I finished sewing the binding on my checkerboard quilt in the car on the way to my nephews birthday party - my husband was driving!!!)

• foofanagle said...Oh. Lovely prints! Right now, getting inspired is about having time. As a new mama that works full time outside of the home, crafting time is precious to me. It's the one thing I do for myself (and really for others since I make stuff to give to friends and family). So I get inspired when I realize the baby is napping, the husband is playing on his computer, and the fabric is calling. So I guess inspiration is really about opportunity right now!

(Having time to create something always gets me going - I never understand how most of the people out in blogland have the time to get as many projects done as they do - I just never have that much time to devote to my creative endeavors!)

• Eema-le said...I LOVE vintage sheets. Going to the thrift store really gets me thinking about new projects. I love the challenge of working with something old, to make it new.

(maybe I will see you there someday - I come up with so many projects that way - too many actually!)

• ktquilts said...Colors and patterns that I see around me, and my family, are my inspirations. Good chocolate and a fountain diet coke don't hurt either!!!!

(are you kidding? good chocolate and a fountain diet coke are the nectar of the gods, or the breakfast of champions depending upon what time of day it is!!)

• undeadgoat said...I'm inspired to create by blogs (of course), but that's totally not going to win second prize, so let me think harder . . . I'm inspired to create by the world around me, by pop culture and vintage embroidery how-tos and by my mom's old cross-stitch magazines. As a knitter I get a little frustrated with the "Not your grandma's" sentiment--a lot of designers who don't look at the past properly end up designing something that's utterly crap. I think the past is vitally important to nay creative endeavor. Now excuse me while I figure out what filler stitch will be most appropriate for embroidering the New Orleans Water Meter, and whether that stitch would also be appropriate for Buffy & Angel 2gether 4ever . . . I really want to do something crazy obscure, like Cretan stitch, but I'm thinking maybe satin would be a little more sane.

(I love that she was thinking about how to get secondplace by her answer!!!)

But the most inspiring to me, and the winner of the second part of my giveaway, was this entry...

• Emily said...Awesome giveaway! Watching my mommy sew inspires me to create. I am 8. I am learning how to sew. I have been doing some embroidery stitches. My 6 year old brother is learning some too. I hope to be on the machine before the end of summer. There are pictures of both of us sewing together and of our projects on my blog. Further down in previous posts, I also have pictures of my family, mom, dad, 15 month brother and other brother and sister. We homeschool.

To be 8, have your own blog, be inspired by your mom, have a 6 year old brother that is also learning to sew has to be the hands down winner!!!

Congratulations Emily!!! I purposely did not announce what this winner of this portion of my giveaway would receive, because I wanted to be inspired by the winning post in coming up with the prize. So for young Emily, I will be sending her this flat rate priority mail box, chocked full of a variety of sewing and crafting supplies, notions, odd and ends, etc... to keep her Creative Juices flowing!

I will go through my studio later this week and fill the box to the brim with whatever I can find that I think an 8 year old girl might like to have for her "studio". Emily, just promise to send me some pictures of something fun you make from the "goodie box", and I will post it on my blog!!!

Thanks again to all those who entered. To my new friends I have made through out this giveaway adventure, I hope you continue to stop by!

Thanks again!