Apron received and I was tagged...

First of all, I was so excited to get my apron From The Flirty Apron Swap....the theme was vacations and I picked Paris. My swap partner, Tammie, made me the cutest, flirtiest little apron of all and she incorporated pink and black so I am really happy. She also included a couple of recipes, a candle and holder, an egg basket and a tin of thyme...What fun! I have been helping my friend Laura make aprons for Christmas gifts the last few days. We have the basement all set up for mass production by the two of us. It really is fun having someone to sew with. I also made a handbag that I am going to submit to Somerset magazine...We will see how that does.

Jessica from "kids napping, I'm scrapping" tagged me with some 7 things lists...so here goes, this is quite the list, darn near a book....

7 things I want to do before I die...... work on a habitat for humanity house, live in a house for more than three years, Do volunteer work in a third world country, Go to the tomatilla festival in Spain and play in the biggest tomato fight in the world, take piano lessons, Catch a marlin and write a book.....

7things I do now........... I take care of my family which is the most important, especially these little kids, I pray, a lot! I know that right now I am living on faith and grace.... I sew every day cause I need some kind of outlet and this is a good one. I take naps because I always have loved them. I cook a lot and bake quite a bit. I walk on my treadmill and sing and I read a lot and always have.....

7things I cant do touch bugs, eat liver, play the violin, recite shakespeare, bungee jump skydive, whistle or dance the tango

7 things that attract me to the opposite sex......Do I really have to come up with seven things...holy crap...I dont think I am in the right frame of mind for this one so I pass on this one.....

7things I say most often... holy crap....... good lord........ "Andrew, what are you doing?' (to the two year old when I cant see him) I love you......time to pick up your mess.......because I said so and I tell my daughter she has kitchen duty...( she hates it)

7 celebrities I admire.....

reese

witherspoon cause she always seems so composed....... Maya Angelou, her writings are sooo beautiful, Any of the "Project Runway "contestants cause I am a fan and I love what creative and beautiful and sometimes ugly things they come up with.....sponge bob squarepants, because of his blissful ignorance, Katie Holmes for putting up with Tom Cruise, Harper Lee and Paul Newman....he is on my mind today because he just died but the charity things he did for kids are just fabulous......

7 favorite foods...... Chocolate, a hamburger, oatmeal raisin cookies, chicken piccata, fresh fruit, artichokes and ice cream

7 people who need to do this......... Marva at purple paints, Sanna at Sanna' art mind, Sarah at Sarah' corner, Jenna Louise from quilt crazy gal, Elizabeth from last door down the hall, Dawn from crafty ramblings and Jean the quilting granny...If you read this, consider yourself tagged.....

Black and White charms......

Ok, I have started getting them done and here are the first few. I don't know how to solder, I don't bead or use clay so I have to get creative and that is what it is all about anyway , right? I found little tiny wooden spools and used paint, ribbon and beads to dress them up. I have some really fancy satin ribbon that I made little pouches to tuck them into...If you havent seen the site, click on the icon and go look. There are some beautiful charms.

Pink charm swap is here and Liv's new apron....

I got to take some pictures of Olivia stylin' in her new apron that she mostly made. It even inspired her to cook and pick tomatoes from the garden. She made and apple cake (yep , that's her stirring up a storm) and she helped with dinner. I will make a little domestic diva out of her yet and she looks so darn cute while doing it! In the pictures with her holding the tomatoes, she looks like her mom, which I don't see very often. It took me right back to when my little girl was that age. We are going to make p.j's next.... I also got my FABULOUS charms from the pink charm swap that Amber Dawn hosted....When I opened each one, I drooled..They are beautiful and I cant wait to put them on a bracelet and wear them so they can be oohed and aahhhed over cus they deserve it! I got charms from Monica Magness, Lana Richey, Amber Dawn, Pat Winter, Erica Faith, Brenda Wampler, Jan Bartlett, Ellen Grey, and Cindy Ericcson...All are just stunning and I am ready for more charm swaps after seeing these! WOOHOO!

A crazy pillow and an atc....

I had a nice relaxing day at home today after working six days this week. I wish I was working more, but my oldest daughter goes back to college this week, so no more built in babysitter. Now, it's time to find a weekend job somewhere...I do have a couple more Saturdays to work at the fabric store before it closes so maybe I can procrastinate a little.....Why was my day relaxing? Cause I sewed and painted and slept, then sewed some more...in between I sat on the deck in a pink Adirondack chair and daydreamed and I played with the kittens. I kept my headphones on and the ipod rocking so I didn't even hear the kids. I was on vacation while being here. Sometimes I have to do that, since I don't see a real vacation destination in my future. (much as I wish there was one...) I made an atc that really came out good...I thread painted all the details of the face and then used real paint to fill in and it is on a really nice piece of grey brocade. I cant even believe it is sewn...(one of those things that come out better than you think it will)....Olivia and I made her an apron and she did a lot of the sewing. I will show her in it tomorrow though cause she had to go to sleep early,(in the apron of course) and I made a postcard that is drying and I made a pillow...The crazy quilted square I showed a long time ago on the blog. My friend Sanna wanted a crazy quilt and I told her I DO NOT hand sew but I would try to make one. I made two twenty inch squares and they have sat and sat. In all reality, I know I never am going to finish a whole quilt so I made a pillow and I just love the thing. When I say pillows, what I actually make is pillow covers with an envelope back so I can change the covers when the whim hits and I recycle my old pillows....So what I am going to do is send her the pillow cover and she can do the same. I will find out if she reads my blog I guess, cause I am not going to say anything. I am going to make ME a pillow out of the other square cause I like it so much. Maybe tomorrow.....

Atc's and a tag....

Here are a couple of atc's I made for a trade....One is needle felted fibers and then the kitty face is free motioned on fabric paper... the tag is from leftover trim at the fabric store. I thought it looked kind of cool and snagged it. I have some more pieces that I am going to try to maneuver into something. Sherry for her blog had another topic of conversation..."How do you know you are getting older?" In my case, it probably will be more appropriate to ask " how can I not knowI am getting older."? The grandkids running around here darn near as big as I am are indicator number one. I also notice it takes more make up to get that fresh, "no make up look."...If I sleep on the ground, I cant walk the next day and I say all the things that my mom and dad used to say and I swore I never would. These are just a few things in a long list but in my heart, I am still a young girl, so I guess that is what really matters...Sound familiar?

Blackbirds singing........

These two 8x8 pages are for the round robin group "Color me silly" . This month I had Rachelle and her colors were Robins egg blue and cream and she wanted birds...This is what I came up with. Instead of making fabric paper I put the fabric on the paper with diluted glue and I really like the look...It is very layered and has a lot of texture. The birds are printed on paper then sewn and painted...I finished it last night...Tonight I am hoping to make a couple of atc's for a private trade.

Greeting cards and another true story....

I have been filling in at the fabric store again and working quite a bit so I haven't made too much in the last few days, but I had a little bit of time this afternoon so I whipped up a couple of cards. I have made cards in the past, but I usually don't do them. These are nicer than the ones I made before so I guess making all the other stuff helps. There is a new paper store on the north end of the island and they had lots of artsy type papers so that was my inspiration. I also did some scrapbooking the other night and that was kind of fun. I hardly do it anymore. At Sherry's party she told another "true" story and I think the object is to share one of your "more stupider" moments...(yes I know, stupider is not a real word)..Ahhh, I have so many of them, being a giant klutz, but leaving the klutziness out of the equation, I will just go for stupid, really stupid....Last winter I went to Utah to visit my sister and I flew there. She and her husband are there cause he is in the Air Force and he is stationed at Hill Air Force Base. While I was there, he was scheduled to come home after being in Iraq for the second time...Everyone was pretty excited and at the last minute I decided we needed cake and balloons...I think she was out buying sexy underwear or something unmentionable, anyway....I borrowed her car, a dark green BMW and went to the Albertsons. I was worried about getting lost the whole time I was in the store. I got what I needed, went out of the store into the dark night and walked to the car...I found the car and put the key in the lock and it wouldn't work....I tried again ...wouldn't work....tried again and some guy in my sisters car beats on the window and says, "hey lady what do you think your doing...?" I wondered what he was doing in my sisters car and I yelled" I am trying to open the door. what are you doing in Julies car?" he said, "this is my car....." I was like, "OH CRAP, HOW EMBARRASSING!, so I told him, "Sorry, your BMW looks just like my sisters car.." He sadly shook his head I am pretty sure implying that I was a complete nutcase and told me., "lady, this car is a Cadillac"......Cadillac, BMW....they look the same don't they? Well, duh........

art quilt and a wonderful gift....

Friends are wonderful. I have been fortunate enough to be part of a yahoo group called "fabric atc's one to one" for a couple of years now and we make and trade some fabulous atcs, but more than that, we have become friends. It is amazing how we all seem to click and have truly got to know each other. If we need thoughts or prayers, this group is happy to know about it and offer support and love. When the kids and I went thru our recent loss, the group decided to cheer me up and send me some pretty things to lift my spirit. Helen (her blog is on my sidebar) made me this wonderful atc and postcard display quilt and then a bunch of group members sent me beautiful atc's to put in it...Their theme was friendship and pink was the color. I have stuck some other things in there including my ne wand and doesn't it all just look beautiful? If you click on the picture you will get a big view....I just love this and it is on my bedroom wall where I can look at it all the time. I also am showing a picture of a new art quilt that I finished last night. I made a fabric paper background, and covered it with netting. I used a stamp called free flowing from Cherry pie and then took a picture and made it big...put it on quilting paper and that was my pattern. The lady's profile is in black satin, everything else is free motioned with colored threads...It looks all crooked, but that is just my picture taking. I am sending this to Sherry for her birthday and blogiversary...Sherry, this is what it looks like when your soul is finally free.

Magicwands, I got mail and a true story...

Wow! what a great mail day and it really cheered me up...I have been waiting for an apron from two swaps and one came today from the Sassy Apron Swap....Miss Mickey from Oklahoma made me a little beauty in all my favorite colors and it still looks like fall. How talented is that? She also sent me an apple candle that Andrew has been smelling all day, a cranberry apple pie recipe and a cute potholder that matches the apron. This was her first apron and she really did a good job. It fits perfect too! If you click on the picture it will show it close and you can see the recipe and the potholder in the pocket...Thank you Mickey! My second package in the mail was from Katie and the Bella Enchanted magic wand swap...I love it....She sent the wand she made, a sign she made with my name that is now hanging on my mannequin along with my NEW apron and an atc.....I am absolutely charmed by the whole thing...She also got my wand today so now I can post a picture....I did a stuffed and quilted star with lavender in it for her. Olivia was standing right beside me drooling over everything. She has her eyes on my wand, I will have to guard it. I named the wand I made, "star wishes and lavender dreams"...I call Katie's just beautiful! Thanks Katie again for your lovely gift and your friendship....

Ok...now on to the story...Sherry is still having her month long party and for yesterdays party goers she asked if anyone had a good truth or dare story to share. mainly the dare part...You will have to read hers at http://ificouldsetmysoulfree.blogspot.com/ I about had a cow when I read it..When I read share a dare story, I immediately thought of an event from my childhood that I now find hysterical and I was planning on writing it down...it was 1974....I was twelve years old and "the streak" had been playing on the radio all summer....(can you believe this Sherry????(big scream)....It was September and between my sister and I we had about seven girls over that weekend including us. My little heart craved an adventure and yep, I dared everyone to go streaking, but we had to have a plan...We were going to wait until it was dark and go across from our house in the school field. It is not that we wanted to be seen you understand, it was the thrill of maybe being seen and being able to say' "yep, we ran naked in public"...We even practiced in the abandoned school gym...yep, you heard me, practiced...being naked and running. We were good at it let me tell you...So night approached and being a good girl I knocked on the bathroom door where my dad was taking a bath...I asked, "dad can we go streaking in the field?" He laughed and said, "if you are that stupid..." He forgot that kids are literal, I was really asking and we had just got the green light. One girl took her clothes off in our front yard and put them in my dads car...a couple people dropped them right by the road , I took mine off in the field. Off we ran our naked butts shining in the moonlight. My dad in the meantime, burst horrified into the bedroom and screamed at my mom that he just saw a naked little girl run across the road. He hid in the bedroom, my mom took action and she was mortified....she didn't just walk across the road, she got in my dads car and chased us down IN THE FIELD with her headlights blazing...One minute we were frolicking butt naked the next, we were oh so busted and we didn't know by who! I thought it was the cops and yelled to run for it...I ran and put my clothes on as I was running...nude adolescents were scattering everywhere putting on clothes...by this time my mom had stopped the car and was screaming full volume...every light in the neighborhood came on. Remember I said one girl had left her clothes in my dads car? yep, the one my mom was driving...she herded us home, all except Dawn who was hiding naked in a hydrangea bush...She got to know that bush really well cause my mom locked the car doors and we forgot about her for at least an hour. I don't remember much of the aftermath except a lot of blubbering....on our part....My dad just shook his head....Yeah dad, we were that stupid...what more can I say? (and we had our adventure too.) All of us girls made a pact to NEVER Tell anyone...I just broke it you guys. Just be grateful I didn't name names, I know at least one of you would be HORRIFIED.....hahahahahaha

A blog Party, An award and another apron....

Sherry is having a blogiversary party with fun and giveaways...We met thru the summer swap and now our friends. I check her blog all the time to see what she is making and what she and her family are up to. she is at

http://ificouldsetmysoulfree.blogspot.com/ Go see her and say hi! Her party is happening all month long. She had some icebreaker questions so here goes....

What do I do for work? I am masquerading as a stay at home mom to my two little grand kids and currently looking for work too..not that what I do isn't work all ready. Paid work, I think they call it.

Where do I live: On Whidbey Island in Washington state, I grew up in Rockaway Oregon on the coast.

I do my sewing and crafty stuff down in the basement. Sometimes I refer to it as the dungeon, though last I looked, there were no torture devices or vermin.

My favorite daytime beverage? diet coke..in a can only...I just think it tastes better. I confess I am addicted to it.

Favorite dessert...anything except butterscotch pudding...if it has sugar in it, I love it so it seemed easier to answer this way.

Do I watch soap operas: nope, but I am a bravo TV addict as far as all the reality shows go...Project runway rocks.

The last movie I saw in a theater was "Juno " great movie, great lines....

In other news, I won an award from Elizabeth. Her blog is at http://thelastdoordownthehall.blogspot.com/

she is super talented and makes all kinds of things and I love her recipes too. It has the usual rules, but I am going to deviate and nominate everyone whose blogs I read. Mainly cause my fingers are getting tired of typing...I know, laziness is not a virtue...Oh well...

I also finished all my swaps and this is my last apron for the sassy apron swap. Not going to say to much about it other than it has been mailed off and I hope my partner likes it...Yahoo! All caught up...better go sign up for more stuff...just kidding.