Lagniappe

A quick update

2012-01-13T15:49:00.000-06:00

A crocheted owl hat for Avery for her Birthday invite....

Christmas decorating and gifts...

The only handmade gift I made this year...

First Christmas for Ollie...

This silly boy Gabe...

Avery dreaming of sugarplums...

And Georgie girl...

Hope to get back to posting more regularly soon. November and December were so busy but really filled with fun and love. Moving on to the New Year which started with two parties on each of the first two weekends already. This weekend will be a quiet one so I think I need to start cleaning up my sewing room to get ready for whatever's next! Hope everyone had a Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year so far.

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound. It's been such a long time since I've visited all the pinky goodness!

Halloween Fun

2011-11-01T17:30:00.000-05:00

Halloween party 2011, Clue people

The Bun in the oven, Bun maker, T-Rex and Cavewoman...

Mummy, Deady and Baby

A Black-eyed Pea and the Wicked Witch...

Sugar skull (it's not easy to paint your own face!)

Brylie love my Victorian ghost!

Ollie's first Halloween........

Hope your holiday was fun too!!

Bragging rights

2011-10-14T10:43:00.001-05:00

I've been having a secret for ages now and I can finally share! I'm so excited to be a part of this......

Cathy was so generous to ask me to participate by making a doll quilt and I'm so honored. At first I was really anxious because look at all that talent that's in there with me. Some pretty awesome little quilts, uh? (And adorable girls!)

And here's mine....

I made this little quilt for my mom~I know she'd be so proud of me. All the fabrics come from her stash (which was truly unbelievable). I have so many vintage pieces from her and wanted to honor her with this. That's her initials. The white textured fabrics were stored in a stack in one of her back rooms. I know she must have had a dream for these pieces. Hopefully, my little dream quilt has fulfilled a part of that. So if you love to sew cute, new ideas and dolly quilts, check your local bookstore, fabric shop or Amazon to order your copy.

These all look like so much fun and a little masterpiece can be all yours to have or to give to someone you love.

Linking to Beverly at How Sweet the Sound~there's lots of pink doll quilts in there!!

p.s. Tomorrow I should have another baby to share with y'all~pray everything goes well for my daughter Katie and her new little one, Oliver John!!

Here he is:

Oliver John Dufrene; 8 lbs. 4 oz. All doing well!

Pink Saturday

2011-10-01T07:46:00.001-05:00

Good morning! A gorgeous day here in South Louisiana and I'm looking forward to a beautiful weekend! I haven't joined Pink Saturday in a while but have a little time this morning to do some pink browsing again with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound. I hope everyone is enjoying nice weather and having a good time too!!

Today I'm sharing a birthday project today that I made for my great niece. I made a little coat hanger and crocheted around it. Then I crocheted a little cupcake and made a matching nightgown and robe for her American Girl. I love sewing and making things for those I love!

I also made a gift for one of Katie's friends who had a little boy. His room is decorated with rockets so I appliqued a rocket and free motioned stitched a saying on a taggy blanket. Sweet babies. I'm so looking forward to Katie having her little boy Ollie any day now. More fun times ahead!

Happy Pink Saturday to y'all all!

For some reason I couldn't link to How Sweet the Sound all weekend so trying again.

New Header

2011-09-04T11:20:00.000-05:00

I'm ready for fall.......and I love Halloween, hence, a new header. Still loving free motion stitching so much.

(from an embroidery pattern-don't remember where from)

So much fun!!

Grateful

2011-08-12T20:31:00.018-05:00

Sorry to be posting so late for Pink Saturday. Went with my daughters to buy some maternity things and today I'm going help her clean her house since she had all her windows changed and there's dust everywhere. GRATEFUL that I can help, GRATEFUL that I have all my kids to love and love me and GRATEFUL to live in such a wonderful world where there are so many helping hands for those in need.

Today I'm linking with Beverly and Kelee for this cause. Please leave a comment for a donation!!

Here is the video to watch about Charlie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHrxLfwAdsk&feature=player_embedded

Thanks!

Pink Saturday

2011-08-05T12:55:00.000-05:00

Another week has flown by and school will be starting soon for Georgia and Gabe. So exciting!! I made some bows for Georgia and she decided to put them all in last night~a la "Fancy Nancy" style!

And these little rascals are as endearing as ever, Gabe winking at everyone and Avery with her first little pigtails!

Can't wait for Ollie to join them to add to all the commotion!

Checking out the other Pinkies tomorrow. Today is my dh's bday and we're going eat out at a new restaurant dtb (down the bayou). Can't wait!!

Pink Saturday

2011-07-22T07:29:00.000-05:00

Making beaucoup things right now not including the bedding and chair cover for Ollie's nursery. Here's two more pics of some pink items for all the pinkies at How Sweet the Sound. Y'all have a wonderful weekend and stay cool if you can!!

For my bathroom wall................

For a birthday gift...........

Busy days

2011-07-19T12:27:00.000-05:00

Sandestin.........

Gifts for my sisters.......

Fourth of July cake........

Angus the Attic Monster for Ollie.......

Dot the Fashion Monster for Georgia.....

Pirate Cakepops for Kt's shower.....

Pirate cake (Melanie)..........

Check out the tat........

Polly wants a baby........

Baby treasures..............

An clothesline full of pirate clothes.......

The totally happy mom to be.........

I hope to be posting more pics this week!!

Fourth of July Door Banner

2011-06-28T10:21:00.001-05:00

A quick and inexpensive tutorial for a Patriotic door decoration.

Accordion fold 3 pieces 4" x 12" of red, white and blue paper. I used my scoring board. Tape each piece together to make a complete circle.

Layer this piece on top of a solid 12" x 12" scrapbook paper covered with another crumpled piece of 12" x 12" patriotic scrapbook paper. I distressed my papers and highlighted some areas with brown ink.

Add a bingo card embellished with stars and backed with a red paper cut 1/2" bigger than the card. Highlight the number 4. Also add another element like a flashcard. I used an F card and typed the remainder of the word Freedom. I also holepunched a star shape on the flashcard.

Add some more tags at the bottom. I used a red tag with a Fourth of July rub on and another tag attached with a star brad. I aged the pieces with more brown ink.

Place some grommets at the tope to attach ribbon to hang it.

Added vintage ribbon and tie your banner to an old wooden hanger.

A new Fourth of July banner!

Enjoy and have a Happy, safe Fourth!!

Happy Fourth to all my Pink Saturday friends too! Stay safe and celebrate well!!

Summer Bounty

2011-06-23T13:28:00.000-05:00

Been busy making Mock Strawberry Jam and Candied Jalapenos. The first is deliciously sweet and made with figs. The second is sooooo hot but sweet too. My kids love both and I always try to make extra for Christmas presents or just a little housewarming gift.

Next I want to try another preserve, Sweet Onion Marmalade with smoked bacon in it. That sounds yummy too!!

Pink saturday

2011-06-17T14:24:00.000-05:00

Morning! For Pink Saturday I'm posting two things. The first makes me smile because I've never seen a pink port-o-let before and it's so funny!! Don't you love it?

And the second makes me frown. Not because I don't like Strawberry Shortcake but because when I opened this DVD for my granddaughter the disc was missing! Someone had slit the bottom open and taken it out. So outrageous!!

I guess I'll be making another trip to Target to buy her another. Hope y'all have a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to all y'all guys!!

Pink Saturday and Your Vote

2011-06-12T08:37:00.000-05:00

Linking late to Beverly and all the pink lovers but I need y'all opinion please. I'm participating in a brooch swap and although I love the pink brooch, my swap partner lives where it's winter now. Should I send the green or the beige? Thanks!

I want to thank Beverly again for her wonderful gifts from her blog birthday. Though her picture is better than mine, here is the awesome display! I've already put the Jasmine reed oil, the cup and saucer, the Believe plaque and the leaf dish in my bathroom which I'm redoing slowly. I'm saving the goodies to share so I don't eat them all by myself!! Thanks again Beverly!

Y'all please let me know about the brooch! Have a great week!!

Giveaway Winner(s)

2011-06-09T11:30:00.000-05:00

Finally picked the winner for my cuff giveaway from last week. I emailed my daughter katie to choose a number between 1 and 25 since it's her birthday today and she chose 25 because that's old she Used to be!!
Congratulations number 25 whose name is kt too! Totally weird. I chose another number out of a hat and that winner is Chicken Julie. I'll email y'all both to get your home addresses. Thanks to all of you for the sweet comments about my chair. I'm enjoying it and I hope I inspired some of you too!

I always like to post a photo with my words so I'm sharing a watercolor painting that my husband's cousin did for me. Every year we have a wonderful Mardi Gras party and she took a snapshot of my mom and me on my front porch from a couple of years ago. I'll treasure it always because it brings back so many sweet memories for me. My mom was such a good sport and loved sitting on the porch to watch the people more than the parade passing by. Thanks so much Bobbie!

Guest Posting/Pink Saturday

2011-06-03T04:30:00.002-05:00

So honored to be featured Here today!! Thank you Madame Samm! Remember to leave a comment to win my giveaway.

For all my Pink Saturday friends: So sorry I missed the big birthday celebration at Beverly's with y'all. I couldn't get my posting to work for some reason last weekend. Hope you all had fun at the party. Here's a little pink (or actually a lot) for this weekend.

I repainted the inside of a food armoire from my mom to put in my studio. I absolutely love it! More storage space and such a happy color!!

The outside:

This piece of furniture was in my mom's house forever and I think she got it from her mom. It was in the dining room and she stored her Christmas green dishes and other holiday dishes in here. Her mom probably used it for it's original purpose which was to store food. A "garde manger" in French or literally a guarder of eats. It really does not translate well!

Hope y'all have a wonderful week!

suesue

Pink Saturday

2011-05-21T07:49:00.000-05:00

A couple of shots from our local fair at the beginning of the month. This is a view from the ferris wheel which was amazing! All that bright color beckoning everyone to come out and have fun!!

Which is what this girl really did! Look at that face---pure enjoyment. And of course, she chose a Pink chair........

Joining all my Pink bloggers today with Beverly to show our love of this wonderful color!!

Leaving a link to Lynn at Adorn, a blogger whose work I found last week and loved.

Still Spring

2011-05-17T10:58:00.000-05:00

Another glorious weather morning here! Unusually cool for May. I love this weather although it makes me a little nostalgic. I want to go to my Mom's and sit on the porch and visit. We could sit for hours there and discuss everything in the world! I miss her so much.

I also love this time of year for all the fresh veggies available. I've been picking eggplant and tomatoes already and enjoying their deliciousness!! I bought some green beans today from a friend whose grandkids make a garden with her and her husband. They call it their Making Memories Garden. How sweet is that? I think I'll just stir fry my beans to keep that crispness that I like. We'll have that with some pasta and shrimp etouffe' for supper!

Since I don't have a picture of tonight's supper, I'll post one from a few weeks ago. I roasted my first whole chicken ever. Researched some recipes online and brined it for a couple of hours. Then I stuffed it with lemon, onion and garlic. I chopped some of my fresh cilantro, green onions and parsley and mixed that with butter which I pushed under the chicken skin. It was soooooo good!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Pink Saturday

2011-05-13T19:30:00.000-05:00

Silly me!! Last weekend I meant to link my last post to Beverly at How Sweet the Sound and I completely neglected to do just that. Our community fair happened and since I'm the treasurer of the group, I stayed pretty busy all weekend and this past week. I usually don't finish for a least a month because I have to wait on the utility bills and such. Unfortunately, we didn't do as well as usual because we moved it to Mother's Day and the people just didn't come out. Fair and festivals are a big part of South Louisiana and ours celebrates the food of the people or "Fete du Monde".

Meanwhile I did receive a perfectly PINK package in the mail from Jess at Kids Napping? I'm
Scrapping! Jess does the most beautiful tags, swaps and ATC's. I had participated in a Red, White and Blue Book Tag swap a couple of summers ago and love my Patriotic Book! She had a blog birthday and did a pink giveaway and my comment won!! A beautiful Mother's Day surprise. Just look at all these goodies. I can't tell you my favorite but that little bird pin is adorable! I'll have so much fun just looking at all these things!! Isn't her packaging darling too?

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day and has another beautiful weekend. We finally got some rain (and of course, are expecting record rising waters for the next few weeks) and I think summer weather is here. See y'all!

p.s. Please check out my previous post~I'm pretty proud of my chair.

New Chair cover

2011-05-04T14:44:00.007-05:00

I've been wanting to cover my sewing machine chair for some time now. It was nasty and full of holes from years of use and abuse. (I think I bought it in 1987, the same year I got my sewing machine).

I love bloggers!! From them I got the idea to make my own fabric using selvedges. So much fun and so much color! I used a piece of muslin to trace the back and seat and filled up the area with selvedges and a few pieces of polka dot fabrics. I couldn't undo the seat part so I pushed the piece in with a screwdriver. The back came off and I wrapped that piece around and hot glued it before I put it back together. Now I have a comfy, beautiful chair!

Don't you just love it? Zoom in for a closer look!

Linking to (or trying) Kootoyou, Sew Much Ado and How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday.

I'm so excited! Karen is featuring my chair on Selvage Blog. If you love inspiration, you'll love her posts!!

April Scavenger Hunt

2011-04-29T17:04:00.000-05:00

April Scavenger Hunt with Postcards from the P.P. This month had some real challenges for me.

Holy Savior Church

(my parish church)

A Cross from our cemetery.

An angel sculpture on a tomb.

My car keys.

Couldn't find an interesting shop but found a restaurant.

Cajun spelling of "go".

The only showers we've had around here.
Easter dress from last year for Georgia.

Breakfast.

Cinnamon rolls, yum!

Eggs.

My Easter display.

"Kiss Me, Kate"~ my daughter

Red Roses for St. George

Yellow.

My peeps cake for Easter filled with lemon curd.

My camera~the hardest picture to take.

Can't wait for the list for May. I need to start earlier!!

Winners

2011-04-19T11:51:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Andrea and Beverly! And for lagniappe, Sherry. Thank you for stopping by and participating in my Easter giveaway. I'll get in touch with y'all for your addresses. Sorry I'm a little late posting, yesterday my computer gave me trouble uploading some pics and froze for awhile and last night I wasn't home.

Hate to blog without photos so here are a few from my brothers surprise party Saturday night. The color theme was cobalt and lime.

Karen did the shirt invite.

Melanie did the cake.

I made some shirt collars to wrap around the vases.

A birthday banner by Karen.

He was soooo surprised!

Of course we had tons of good food and desserts and I totally blew my WW diet. Oh well, try harder this week.

Y'all have a wonderful week!

Easter Giveaway

2011-04-13T17:11:00.000-05:00

I love Spring! To honor the gorgeous weather and Easter I'd like to have a little giveaway to my readers. I made some lavender or rosemary sachets for my littlest "peeps" and have a couple extra. Please comment on this post with your email and I'll choose two winners next Monday to send them some extra springtime love.

Linking with We did it! Wednesday at sewmuchado.blogspot.com/ and Pink Saturday at howsweetthesound.typepad.com.

Lots of luck!

(Not a great pic but I wanted to get this post up today.)

We Did It! Wednesday/Pink Saturday

2011-04-06T07:25:00.003-05:00

My first time linking to this blog. I always have so much fun checking out more places to visit and Melanie has offered another way for us to link together. Plus, she encourages us to finish something-anything!!

I replaced my blog header with my pink project. I simply cut out some applique's of checked bunny peeps, embroidered some eyes and nose, and zig-zagged each one onto the towel. Then I added a straight strip of pieced fabrics to the bottom. Will do some more for Easter gifts asap. I also made some sachets but didn't finish those yet. Y'all have fun browsing around over there.

I'm also linking to Beverly's Pink Saturday. I haven't done this in a while again. When the weather turns gorgeous the weekends seem to be filled with so many things to do and places to go.

Next week I hope to have a little giveaway so check back when y'all can!! Happy pink week!

March Scavenger hunt

2011-03-30T12:43:00.000-05:00

Joining Kathy of Postcards from the P.P. again for the March Scavenger hunt. I had fun playing along although there were a few challenges that I improvised.

Part of my collection of blue graniteware.

About the fanciest gate I could find in town.

No live lambs here either. Made this for my daughter when she was little.

Couldn't find a live lion either, so this is a dandy"lion".

Rainbow clothes, rainbow candy.

My wedding ring, 35 years old.

My shadow while riding my bike.

My mom's chair, the emptiest chair around.

Love this peeling paint.

Same idea as Kathy, the only thing I have that's the same age as myself.

Green "green".

This belonged to my little sister whom I lost 3 years ago.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T09:24:00.002-05:00

Hope all your days are this happy, you find a rainbow in your heart and all your wishes come true!!

My Creative Space

2011-03-09T22:14:00.000-06:00

Playing along with Kootoyoo again this Thursday. I'm trying to get a head start on Easter dresses for Georgia and Avery. This is an adorable smocking pattern with bunnies and flowers. I'll put one bunny on Avery's and three on Georgia's. Not perfect but made with love!

Check out the other Creative bloggers out there!

February Scavenger Hunt

2011-02-28T09:55:00.001-06:00

Linking today with Kathy from Postcards from the P.P. for February's Scavenger Hunt. This was so much fun! Trying to find a different interpretation of each challenge. Here we go:

Last minute doesn't give you many choices!

Couldn't find a Big clock so this is my kitchen clock.

A bridge crossing the "locks" of Lockport (my town) made with an old train track.

My husband's high school trumpet (over 40 yrs ago) in the original case. He still plays it for the Saints games. Which leads us to......

New Orleans headlines this Superbowl year.

Park bench from the park behind my house along the canal.

My post box.

My granddaughter's eyes.

A heart I painted a few years ago.

Something red I made for my great nephew.

My dad's sergeant stripes from WWII.

My most comfortable shoes right now.

I'm looking forward to the March challenge! Why not play along? Flickr page here.

Pink Saturday

2011-02-25T22:16:00.000-06:00

Showing off more pinks for Beverly's pink group again this weekend. Spring has started down here and I for one couldn't be happier!! I love the warm sunshine and the few plants sprouting up here and there. The photo below shows the blooms of a peach tree down the street. Simply stunning!

Last Saturday was this little one's first birthday. She's so grown up already! My sister made her birthday cake and I did the banner and her dress for her. The weather was perfect so everyone had fun outside.

A perfect first birthday party!!

Hope y'all all have a great pink weekend! I visited Dru last weekend at Garden of Dreams and enjoyed her tulips and tags!! Stop by How Sweet the Sound and visit her and some other pink blogs!

Pink Saturday

2011-02-18T16:37:00.001-06:00

I'm so honored to be featured today for Pink Saturday hosted by our wonderful blog friend, Beverly. I've been posting pink on and off for quite a while now and have met some great blog friends through the years. They've made me laugh, cry and always realize how great this world can be. We are all sisters (and sometimes brothers) who want the same in life ~ a healthy, happy family and a world where we can be peaceful together and support each other.

For my pink today I'd like to share my Valentine party I hosted last Sunday for my family. I wanted to make it special and Pink, to show them how much they mean to me. And besides, we all love to be together!!

I placed Valentine tablecloths on each table and used some of the food as centerpieces. This table had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, raspberry scones, white chocolate strawberries and tea cookies.

The other table featured white chocolate strawberries, raspberry macarons, and strawberry mini cupcakes.

We also had red velvet cupcakes, fruit and cheese, chicken salad, chocolate pineapple and strawberries, more scones with lemon curd, and grape tomatoes.

For dessert we had candy and sundaes with hot fudge or salted caramel sauce (a big hit!). Of couse I'm including some pictures of my three littlest Valentines and also some wonderful news~~my daughter Katie is expecting her first child in October. We're all so excited!!

And finally, a late Valentine to all the Pink participants. I received this monday and loved it so I needed to share!! Go here Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope y'all all have a wonderful pink week!

Pink Saturday and Valentines

2011-02-12T16:49:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day to you all. I love celebrating any holiday but usually skip over this one because of Mardi Gras. Since Fat Tuesday is so late this year, it gives me time to do a little bit for my Valentines!

I decided to make each of my grands a pillowcase. I used the darling Valentine fabric I won a few weeks ago from Freda for Georgia and Avery and bought some dinosaur fabric for Gabe. For the girls I added some machine embroidery and pieced the top together. I just use an old pillowcase for measuring the 2 large ones and just made a pillow myself for the small one.

It's the first time I've tried writing freehand with my sewing machine and it was such fun. I know I'll be doing it again soon! I'm also having a little Valentine tea party Sunday evening. I'll post those pics next weekend if not sooner.

I also wanted to link to a new blog that I've been enjoying. Sandy, aka Doris the Great, is really funny and thrifty.

Hope y'all all have a wonderful weekend and great Valentine's Day. Hope on over to visit some other pink lovers at Beverly's, How Sweet the Sound. You'll be glad you did!

Auction fun, Pink Saturday and other good stuff

2011-01-29T08:47:00.000-06:00

Stayed up late reading blogs and catching up with all my internet friends. One post usually leads to another and before I know it hours pass. Besides all the inspiration, I do have some great laughs and deep thoughts (does that sound too SNL) along the way.

One blog had a clip from the Carol Burnett show about "Went with the Wind" and I had to watch both of those. Too funny. Every time I think of Scarlett O'Hara I think of Carol Burnett too. Other blogs have posts on all the great things people are doing to help the victims of the Australian floods like making toys for the kids who lost everything.

I do love the internet blogging community. It's really given me a way to connect with so many others who love the same things I do and love to share. Today I'm linking up with Beverly and Pink Saturday. I haven't done this in so long so I don't have a blog to share with y'all but next week I will. Enjoy!

This picture shares an outfit that I'm making from a Simplicity pattern. I didn't exactly follow the directions for the yoke because I wanted to add the pink rickrack into the seam instead of on top. I had to do a lot more pinning and basting than I usually do to get it to come out okay but I like the end results. The hat was a first for me but I love the way it turned out. I didn't finish either because I need the measurement for the dress length and some bias tape for the inside of the hat. Maybe tomorrow.

This is a photo of my new iron. Isn't it bright? I bought this at an auction Thursday night that I went to with one of my sisters and her husband. They auction anything! Candy, cereal, dishes, antiques, knickknacks, etc. It's fun to go and just see what people will bid on. The auctioneer is really funny and adds quite a few remarks along the way. This iron was brand new and since I've been buying some dollar store ones lately (which usually crap out in the middle of a project), I needed something I could count on for a while.

Then I wanted to show y'all this adorable memory box my sister, Karen made for my grandson. His party theme was carnival (on a post below) and she took his picture and put it in a carnival box. Isn't is precious? Look at that little face. He is going to love it!! I'm going to post some more pictures of it on flickr to show the back and sides.

One of my goals this year is to blog more often and take more pictures to share.

Wonderful win, Wonderful project

2011-01-26T15:34:00.002-06:00

I'd first like to thank Freda's Hive for this stack of incredibleness! I won these last week or so and when I received them I was so thrilled! I want to make some valentine gifts and these prints are perfect. Now to decide exactly what to make!!

Next is a picture of the knitting project I started. Of course, I didn't have the same yarn which will make a size difference (which doesn't matter) but the small yarn is probably making it harder to see what I'm doing. Taking each row at a time and still have to rip back. The written instructions are much more confusing than the chart. At first I was so intimidated by the chart but now that I understand it I can follow it better. Hopefully I'll finish this before I become too frustrated! Linking to kootoyoo for the fun of checking out more fun blogs. A good winter past time especially when one has a cold!

Gabe's Birthday

2011-01-20T22:14:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Gabe's Carnival Birthday!! Sparkles the Lion and of course, I'm the elephant!

The Birthday Boy.....

A wonderful cake made by his great aunt!!

And a random thought-why would someone steal a sign from town???????? Total disregard for others' property!

Christmas Past

2011-01-06T07:04:00.000-06:00

A few pictures from the holidays.

Avery with me

Gabe and Georgia sword fighting

I made these paperweights for my brothers and sisters with memorabilia from my Mom and Dad. They included their picture, copy of Marriage Certificate with flowers and a part of a card from my Dad to my Mom. Also a little piece of lace from her nightgown and backed with a piece of his Army blanket. I included a different small Limoges clasp piece for each one/or buttons and other embellishments. They all loved them. Memory gifts are the best!

Happy New Year!!

Teddy Bear Tea

2010-12-21T07:44:00.001-06:00

You'd better watch out!

Santa Claus is coming to town!!

Memories-loving them all!

Finally here and gone!

2010-11-09T07:17:00.001-06:00

A few of the more than 500 pics from MY camera!

The Wedding Cake

The Groom's Cake

The Happy Couple

The Really Happy Couple

Parents of the Bride

'Stashing

fun lighting....24/365

2010-10-28T08:43:00.001-05:00

fun lighting....24/365, originally uploaded by Ebb n Flow (so far behind it's not even funny!).

My niece took this photo of my new chandelier in my studio. I love it-I never would have taken a pic from this view and I think it's awesome!!

"Bride To Be"

2010-10-27T17:29:00.001-05:00

"Bride To Be", originally uploaded by suesueb.

Bachelorette party in Baton Rouge at Bistro Byronz. Fabulous food and great company!!!

More birthday gifts!

2010-10-19T21:54:00.003-05:00

For three sweet sisters whose birthdays are all in October!

Birthday sewing

2010-09-17T18:29:00.000-05:00

I had time to quickly make this little gift for sweet great niece. Hope she loved it-I love her so much. She is the sweetest child!!

I used a tutorial I found on Sew Mama Sew submitted by LiEr at Ikat bag. I definitely will be making more of these. Fast and fun!!

Less than 2 months!

2010-09-17T08:37:00.000-05:00

Inspiration

2010-08-27T09:43:00.031-05:00

Good morning and Happy Pink Saturday to all! Today the pink group is sharing a link to lend a helping hand to a special cause. All comments will earn $1 and go to helping Guideposts and Katillac Shack donate another makeover. Kelee did a Miracle Makeover for Colette, someone in need of a beautiful place to heal. Please view the video and leave a comment here and every place you can!!

When I decide to do this with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound, I wasn't sure of what to write about or post. I was just going to do another pink post. Then this week an incident occurred that I want to share. My brother called to ask me for help in collecting clothes for a single dad and his kids who had lost all their belongings in a fire. The dad wears a large size and I didn't know anyone to call. I posted a note on facebook and decided to go to a local thrift shop to maybe find things. While there, my daughter called me about the post and I was telling her the details of the request. When I went to check out, the supervisor had overheard my conversation and told the clerk to give me all the clothes I needed. They even had pulled out some larger sizes that hadn't been put out yet. Just that small unselfish act reaffirmed my faith in the love and generosity of people.

I also collected some money so the family could go buy personal items. My brother and his wife came by last night to get everything and we talked a little more about what's needed. He's not sure where the family is even living right now so he said they need clothes and money for food more than anything. This weekend I'll be gathering more clothes for the kids and maybe some school supplies. I know I'll have help from others.

Please leave a comment here and at the other links to raise helping funds. Leaving you with a beautiful picture of flowers growing in the Rockies (another miracle) and a quote from Margaret Mead. I hope all of you have a wonderful, loving week!!

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world;

indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has."

Pink Saturday

2010-07-30T23:02:00.000-05:00

Pink quartz walls in the capitol building in Denver, absolutely gorgeous! Each piece is so different and has so many hidden pictures in it!! I think I see a glorious bull dragon!

Georgia in her pink ballerina socks. She really loved them and danced all evening. Talk about a calf workout!

A quick little doll diaper made from scrap fabric. I need to make some smaller ones next time.

Hope everyone has a wonderful pink day! Please take the time to visit some of the pink blogs with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound. A blog that I enjoyed reading last week was Valerie. Her crazy quilting is beautiful!

The weather here has been so hot with not too much rain around. Staying inside is not normally my style but it's hard to breathe out there! Great excuse for staying on the computer!!

Starting.....

2010-07-28T17:59:00.000-05:00

I've been working on the wedding invitations for KT and D. It took all of us longer to decide the design than making them. Once I started, it was just a matter of doing so many each day. Of course, there's still the little touches to finish them. Unique, just like KT.

Response cards

Invitations

And of course there's those Georgia mornings that keep me entertained and start my day.............

I'm not sure Sparkles is too excited about the attire but the entertainment factor is for us is high and she's quite the willing participant. She lives up to her name apparantly!!

Pink Saturday

2010-07-24T09:13:00.001-05:00

Happy Pink Saturday to all! (Sorry for posting so late, babysit last night and slept in) I wanted to share some more pictures from Denver today. Below is my niece posing with a Pomegranate lollipop from Hammond's Candy factory. The pretty pink of her cheeks really compliment the swirls of pink in the candy! We had a tour there on Thursday and really enjoyed ourselves. My favorite was watching them make and form the ribbon candy. And the candy canes!! So many flavors! If you've ever had a candy cane that has a cut edge instead of a rounded one, it was made here. Of course, we all had to buy lots of yummy goodies to bring home.

This is one of the tiles in the lobby, I think it's so adorable! Maybe I could make some background paper with it for scrapbooking?

I also wanted to include some of Kacy's roses from her yard. This bush has the sweetest little flowers on it that smell so great. She said it's been so fun watching what is blooming next since they bought the house at the beginning of the year. While we were there a purple clematis starting blooming.

Now I need to publish this and start visiting all the lovely pink posts awaiting with Beverly. I'll have to come back to add another blog link for y'all-my brain too fuzzy for remembering right now. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!!

I wanted to add a link to visit from the pink blogs and found a wonderful one-Janis at Rust and Ruffles.
She has great pictures and also a great sense of humor!! And I love the name of her blog!

Rocky Mountain High

2010-07-21T15:46:00.000-05:00

Got back from Denver, Colorado on Saturday night and just finished editing all the photos. It was a beautiful place with wonderful weather. The first night we were greeted with a rainbow looking from the backyard of Kacy and Kevin's house. A sign of gorgeous, God made beauty.

With the sun down and cooler temperatures, a fire was lit and we toasted marshmellows for Smores. I'd never had one before and I really enjoyed it.

I've been through the Smoky Mountains quiet a few times but these mountains are so different. The overwhelming feeling of being so small in comparison. I learned that "America the Beautiful" was inspired and written from these views. I can see why.

The above view was taken from Pike's Peak. It was so cold and windy up there. Unfortunately, I found out I get altitude sickness (even though I wore a patch). I snapped a couple of pictures on the way back to the Cog train from the summit house.

The picture below was taken on the way down from the train station through the Garden of the Gods. We stopped at several places to enjoy the views and play up on the rocks.

What amazed me so much was the flowers that were blooming among the rocks. The colors were so vibrant!

Will post more photos this Saturday. See you then!

Happy Birthday Rachael

2010-07-04T08:29:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Rachael, originally uploaded by suesueb.

30 years ago I had my first child and I knew motherhood was something I was born for. I adore babies and children and every one of my children has given me great joy (with a few heartaches) along the way. Now that I have grands, hopefully I'll have another 30 or more years to look forward to loving more and sharing with them all. I told them not long ago that I expect at least a dozen. Four down, eight to go!!

Pink Saturday

2010-07-02T22:50:00.000-05:00

Happy Pink to all of you visiting today! Sharing a couple of pictures of the girls at Kt's engagement party from last Saturday. After Georgia got dressed Rachael was getting ready and she let G have a pack of barrettes to choose from. Well, she decided to had to wear them all for the party and then she took Rachael's makeup and covered her face. Her lips are not even visible! She was so proud and posed for the picture so seriously.

Here is Avery in her Mexican dress with her "big" flower. I simply love it!!

The next two pictures are pillows I finally finished for Avery and Gabe. I used my Cricut for the shapes and machine appliqued them on. Misty collects owls for Avery and elephants for Gabe.

Of course, there's no pink on Gabe's!

Went browsing through the pink blogger list and found someone I really enjoyed visiting. Old Glory Cottage is a wonderful find of vintage goodies and delightful decorations! Hope y'all go see her sometime!!

***Hope y'all have a wonderful pink Saturday with Beverly and a safe and Happy Fourth of July!

pretty

2010-06-25T18:21:00.001-05:00

pretty, originally uploaded by suesueb.

I was clearing out boxes (more from Mom) and was sorting the items. When I went to pick them up I realized how pretty a picture this made. Lovely laces, crocheted items and crochet thread, all vintage.

Pink Saturday

2010-06-18T23:53:00.000-05:00

This week for Pink Saturday Beverly is sharing her studio with everyone. I wanted to share some vintage pink I have and also some pics of my studio. WARNING-there are quite a few photos to follow. My workspace is as full as I can make it and I've taken advantage of every nook and cranny!

The first two pictures I want to show y'all include some vintage lace, fabric pieces, and a beautiful embroidered cloth from my Mom. She was one of those famous recyclers, the Depression era kids. No matter how small a piece of lace or fabric was, it was carefully saved. Dresses were taken apart and remade. Every button, zipper, or hook was taken off and saved for future use. Nothing was thrown away unless it was totally beyond repair. How fortunate for those of us who love these things. I have bags of wonderful lace, fabric, fasteners, and various other pieces.

Isn't this work stunning? So much time and love involved. Hopefully I can get most of the stains out and finish the edge to be able to use it.

Now for the overload of studio shots! This wall is just to the left of my sewing machine. The little dress was for my mom when she was younger and the longer gown was her wedding nightgown. She gave me the gown just a couple of months before she passed away. I plan of making some sachets from it for family members. The blue hat belonged to my younger sister who died from breast cancer. I love having these items close by because most days this is the room where I work.

This wonderful piece came from a shop in Ponchatula. It was a mailbox for a hotel and has a rolldown door. All of my patterns are stored in here along with tissue, bags, and various little items.

This built in shelf unit was a doorway leading to my bedroom. This room used to be for my girls and they kept their little treasures here. Now is full of old jars (from my Grandma) that hold my buttons and threads sorted by color (always had a thing for that). I also have some larger jars holding ribbons.

This closet holds some of my fabrics. I couldn't fit all of them so some are still in my old studio. I spray painted old freezer baskets in different colors and sorted fabric in those. I also have smaller pieces sorted by color in some plastic baskets. It's hard to imagine, but this cabinet measures about 6' by 4'.

An old store rack that holds binding and twill tapes.

My bulletin board on the sidewall left of my sewing machine. It has finished jewelry, some vintage buttons, an Anthropologie fabric stamp, and a few other items I love.

The bright colored dress form comes from Hobby Lobby and I have more finished products on her. The tin plaque of "LOVE" is from Papaya.

And of course, there's a special place for Georgia and Gabe to play when they're in here. I put out my little Singer (no needle or electricity, of course) and a little chalk board to draw on. I really would like to paint the little chairs I have from their parents in bright colors too.

Unbelievably, there are some spaces I left out. More drawers, another closet, scrapbook cabinet and a few other spaces. I hope you enjoyed my studio tour. The blog I'd like to highlight today is The Stone Rabbit. Her posts always bring a smile to my face. Hope you enjoy them too!

One Small Helping Hand

2010-06-07T18:07:00.000-05:00

A dear friend of mine called today. cathy and I have created together for years and despite distance and never enough time, "there is a tie that binds".

She and few other friends have decided to help in our way with the crisis in the Gulf. I live a little more than hour from Grand Isle and my hb's family owns some camps in Leeville. I haven't gone down there but the daily pictures on the news break my heart. This is part of my home.

Georgia on Grand Isle beach for the fourth of July, 2008

San Destin, 2008

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/louisiana-oil-spill-2010_n_558287.html

There is however, those quiet heroes who start a small movement to make a difference in some big way. Craft Hope is one such place. Through their continual projects, they have brought love and hope to so many others through handmade projects. Partnering with the The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, the Audubon Nature Institute, and the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge Project 8 involves sending cloths made from cotton fabric or yarn, cotton tees, or old washtowels for workers cleaning up the animals covered in oil. With the help of Kimberly to coordinate the donations, workers will receive the cloths all along the whole coast.

Please read the link to Craft Hope or their Facebook page to have any of your questions answered about what type of material to use. Cotton and cotton terry cloth is most preferred as it is natural and most absorbent. I'm going to collect t-shirts and cut them into 10"x10" pieces. They are also collecting bottles of Dawn detergent or a giftcard to purchase Dawn.

There doesn't seem to be an end to the bad news. Besides the environmental impact, so many people make their living from the water and now have no place to fish, shrimp or harvest oysters. Now the moratorium on drilling has already affected the companies involved and the domino effect impacts all the boat companies as a result. I certainly don't know the answer but our whole economy is in jeopardy.

If there is any way you can help, I thank you in advance. God Bless.

Pink Saturday

2010-05-29T05:00:00.001-05:00

Time for another Pink Saturday with Beverly and all her pink bloggers! Today is the 2nd anniversary of this celebration and I cheer all of you with an ice cold smoothie made with fresh Louisiana strawberries, mangoes, and orange juice!!

Our strawberries are really sweet and the season is much longer than it used to be. Here I have a whole tray frozen and ready to put up for future use, smoothies or ice cream. Aren't they pretty against that blue pan?

I didn't participate last weekend but did sneak in during the week and found a wonderful blog added to the list, Two Crazy Crafters. Great projects with the vintage look that I love!! Have fun hopping around to visit and have a wonderful pink week!!

Moving On

2010-05-25T13:12:00.000-05:00

It's summertime down here already (90 degrees and above) and there always seems to be something else to do besides create. I've really been unproductive with my sewing or other things since Mom passed. Katie finally did decide on her wedding invites so I may be able to start those this weekend. I need a push from somewhere. Last week my nephew and family came down from NY so we spent time with them, playing and letting all the cousins get to know each other again. Here they are playing "Ring Around the Rosy" on the mini trampoline at Karen's house. So sweet!

We also went to the Aquarium of the America's in New Orleans on Friday. We were supposed to go to the beach at Grand Isle but with the oil spill there won't be too much of that for probably years. It's really a terrible situation and will affect more than just the immediate coast.

Here are a few pics from the aquarium.

They really had a fun time and all got along so well. (They're all 2 years old)

Saturday we boiled crawfish and shrimp at our house and we all played outside until the dark and mosquitoes took over.

Finally, a tired and dirty crew got cleaned up for bedtime!

On Sunday, my niece held her dance recital, which is a total family affair also. Everyone pitches in to help and we all go back to her mom and dad's to visit (and eat) afterwards. A really nice ending to a fun-filled week! Hope your week was as filled with love!

Pink Saturday

2010-05-15T05:00:00.001-05:00

Wishing a Happy Pink Week to all the pink lovers out there. Here is a rose to all of you from my sister's garden. So, so gorgeous!

And of course it's hard to do a post without including a couple of pictures of my precious grands. Here's Gabe sneaking some icing from a cookie cake, doesn't he look so mischievous? He played with that pink ribbon all afternoon.

And here's Georgia holding Avery. She was so proud, she loves her little cousin so much!

Hope y'all have fun visiting the Pink bloggers today. Did y'all get a copy of Artful Blogging yet? So exciting to have Pink Saturday in this edition!! One of my favorite pictures is the one by Jill Burgess of Bailiwick Designs, so lovely. I just want to cart that box of goodies home and look at it!! Thanks to Beverly of How Sweet the Sound again and congratulations to her on her publication in Artful Blogging.

Queen Rena

2010-05-08T05:00:00.001-05:00

June 1, 1923

April 29, 2010

Today I'd like to pay tribute to a very special woman, my Mother. Tomorrow is Mother's Day and for the first time in my life I won't be with her. She'll be celebrating her new life with Jesus.

My mom was a beautiful woman, inside and out. She never met a stranger and loved talking to everyone and finding out their life story. She raised ten children and lost two a couple of years ago. She survived a double mastectomy. She lost my dad when she was 55 and had to get a job for insurance reasons with my two younger sisters still at home. We are strong because of her. Her biggest pride was her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Last Wednesday we celebrated our last breakfast with her at St. Mary's Catholic Church and hopefully showed her what she meant to all of us and how much we loved her and will always carry her in our hearts. The picture below was taken for our Mardi Gras parade this year. My youngest son placed Georgia's crown on her head and she wore it all day. She was our "Queen" and will be missed.

I haven't been able to participate in Pink Saturday since Mom got sick and missed all y'all pinks. Thank you Beverly for giving me the chance to share this for Pink Saturday. I won't be in town today but will visit the other pink blogs Monday when I get back to town. Have a wonderful Pink Week!

Momma

2010-05-02T08:56:00.000-05:00

I don't even know how to say this except to write that I lost my Mom last week. She couldn't seem to get strong enough and slipped away quickly which I guess is a blessing. She'll be missed by all who loved her so, so much. We'll be having our last breakfast with her Wednesday at church and tell her so. suesue

Grateful Sunday

2010-04-13T08:07:00.002-05:00

My mom had open heart surgery last month and has been in the hospital since with complications before and after. This past Sunday we brought her home for the day to visit her house and enjoy the wonderful spring weather with all of us. Including some pics from that day-hopefully she'll soon be home for good!

Mom

Gabe and Georgia

Avery

Enjoy Spring where you are!!

Pink Saturday

2010-03-05T22:20:00.001-06:00

My life right now pretty much revolves around my grandkids which is fine by me! The photo below is Avery in her outfit for her trip home from the hospital. Her mom bought her a bishop smocked dress and I made her a little pink sweater to wear with it. I'm so glad it fit her so well. So often I knit something and the fit leaves much to be desired!

Her parents have been very lucky so far-she's a sweet baby and doesn't cry much at all. Her brother on the other hand has had a little trouble adjusting. He says he loves his "sissy" but he wants his mom to pick him up and hold him and she can't just yet. Of course, his grandmoms and pops are only too happy to entertain him!

Be sure to pop on over to Beverly's and visit all the pinks you want---Thank you Beverly!! Can't wait for Spring-maybe I'll get outside and be able to take some pictures of some flowers and trees!

Wedding Plans

2010-03-02T07:14:00.001-06:00

Went Sunday to visit the place where Katie and Derrick are having the wedding. It really is beautiful and the weather was perfect! Hopefully, grass will be greener and the weather will cooperate next November. (Front of the house)

In this picture is the ballroom where the main reception will be. The doors open on to a brick patio with an outdoor fountain and fireplace (which will be lit if it's chilly). Isn't the floor fabulous?

Meanwhile, sewing a few gifts for work. Here's a pic of a tote bag and a playmat with "On the Go" fabric. Another great selvedge to use on the handle.

The mat was so simple-a pre-printed panel which I backed with some black denim to make it sturdy. I hope the little boy who gets this loves it as much as I do. I ordered a couple more panels to make gifts for me to share too! Of course I ordered more other fabric too-that bug just won't go away!!

Pink Saturday and a New Baby Girl

2010-02-19T22:00:00.000-06:00

A wonderful day full of perfect pinkness! Introducing my new grandbaby, Avery Catherine who was born February 19. She weighed 8 pounds, 2.6 ounces and was 19 3/4 inches. Very healthy and very pink!!

And here she is with her big brother, both sleeping so sweetly.

Hope y'all all have as wonderful a pink day visiting with Beverly and all her pink bloggers!! One of the blogs I love to read is Susie at 1st Floor Flat. She has wonderful blogging tips and fun mixed media inspiration!!

Pink Saturday

2010-02-06T07:47:00.000-06:00

Good morning! Hopefully the sun will shine here today and chase some of the gloomy skies away!! It's still pretty cold down here but when I watch the tv I'm so grateful we don't have all the ice and snow storms. Praying for all of you who do to keep safe and warm.

For my Pink contribution this week I'm showing my new curtains in my studio. The fabric was given to me by my mom and she has no idea where it came from. It wasn't quite wide enough to fit so I added a pink border around the whole thing and hung it with tension rods. I really love it!

The fabric sort of reminds me of the artist Anahata Katikin. Her work is just beautiful and is influenced by Asia. Check it out if you have time to drool!

I've been trying to organize my space while still sewing and doing other orders and also making Georgia a few things like this robe. A little bit at a time is not too overwhelming and maybe I'll be done one day!

We all had robes and she wanted one too of course! I used a couple of towels and made my own bias tape to finish the edges. I also put snaps on it so those little fingers could close it easily.

Another blog I've been enjoying on the pink list is One Perfect Bite. Her recipes are awesome and doable (I guess that's a word?). Always makes me hungry though!!

I also need to get ready for the big game tomorrow night. I'm really hoping the Saints win but I've always loved the Colts too. I lost a brother and sister a couple of years ago about 5 months apart and he lived in Indianapolis and loved the Colts and she was a big Saints fan like all of us here in Louisiana. I can imagine their conversation right now-very colorful I'm sure!! Anyway, no matter who wins, I respect both teams and players and pray they all play safe but I have to add, Geaux Saints!!!!

Hope y'all all have a wonderful pink day and have some time to visit some of the pink list from Beverly.

Busy fingers

2010-02-02T17:52:00.033-06:00

Keeping busy at night (and sometimes during the day) knitting or crocheting. Sweater for Avery Catherine (to be born Feb. 19!) Pattern called "Bonbon" from mother and baby. I didn't add the embroidery. Washcloth for a Valentine gift, pattern from KrisKnits. Crocheted booties for a friend from hookcandy. I'm not a big fan of cold weather so I've been hunkering down when the weather is "frightful" (for me, at least) and staying where it's warm to do these. I'd like to make a few more valentines, a hat to match the sweater, and maybe some knitted booties from this pattern.

busy fingers, originally uploaded by suesueb.

Bonus feature: My grandbabies are both two now! Time has surely flown as usual and I treasure every moment with them both. Can't wait for Avery to join the crew and maybe I'll get to see Will for Mardi Gras!

Pink Saturday

2010-01-16T08:06:00.000-06:00

A bucketful of pink for the day! For Gabe's 2nd Bday party the theme was camouflage so my d-i-l asked me to applique initials on the blankets she bought for favors. The girls had pink, of course. I did 17 for them and 10 for the boys. The kids all loved them and it was a great favor for the parents too, no candy or little toys to worry about. She bought the blankets for under 5 dollars!

Hope y'all all have a wonderful day-we're having nasty weather here today but the Saints are playing so we're all anticipating a great game! Please have fun visiting more pink sites with Beverly! My post visit recommendation is "She's sew pretty". She's got some wonderful pillows this week and some ladderback chairs to show off!

"Hello My Friend"

2010-01-11T22:47:00.004-06:00

One of Gabe's favorite toys are his big blocks so I saw this fabric on another blog(which I'm going to search for and post) and ordered some right away to make him a bag for his birthday. It's super big and the fabric is just perfect-a great weight and texture. I made the bottom and top band with some yellow twill and added grommets to pull it shut and carry it. He should be able to carry quite a few blocks (or toys) with it!

block bag, originally uploaded by suesueb.

The selvedge was too cute not too make sure it showed! Japanese fabric always has great selvedges!!

I couldn't find the blog but here is the link for the fabric-I received it so quickly! http://www.etsy.com/shop/mountainofthedragon

Pink Saturday

2010-01-01T22:40:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year and Pink Saturday to Everyone visiting!! For our first pink saturday, Beverly is hosting the theme of a new project. My daughter, Katie, is getting married this year (November) and my project for the year is her wedding. I'll be designing and making her dress and invitations and probably decorate too! Her wedding will be really unusual (sort of Victorian Goth), but anyone who has the slightest knowledge of her will totally agree it will be so her!!

She wants a black wedding dress so we found some fabulous material in New Orleans. The underneath is Vera Wang gray charmeuse. It flows beautifully.

The fabric for the top is ribbon lace imported from Italy. Very lush and rich. (terrible picture!)

The bottom fabric is from France and I love the way you can see the gray fabric through it! The top of the fabric has polka dots scattered and those little black pieces hang loose with the fringe at the bottom.

Of course I'll be a nervous wreck when I start cutting but I feel like the fabric will make itself (almost!)
She's so excited about it all as we all are. She and her boyfriend have been together for almost ten years and he's a great guy whom we all love!

Of course I have to include a little pink on the "Papa Noel" bag below. I made these last year for the kids' presents that they receive on New Year's Eve from Papa Noel. I started this tradition when they were little because they would totally ignore their stockings. Unlike Santa presents, the little gifts they receive are all a surprise and nothing they can ask for. The bags hold the overflow from the stockings!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and I'm looking forward to a wonderful New Year! My resolution is to make a Gratitude List at least once a week. I've always tried to be optimistic about life but making an actual list will help me focus directly on certain gifts from God. My first list certainly contains all the wonderful internet friends I've acquired! Bless you all, y'all!

Pink Saturday on Sunday

2009-12-27T07:17:00.000-06:00

Posting a little late because of sickness (so sorry for anyone who stopped by yesterday). This old ornament was bought by my grandmother and brings back so many memories of Christmas' pasts. My mom has about 6 left and they're really fragile. I found a tree for her to hang them on along with some other old ornaments she still has. She doesn't remember where her mother bought them but it had to be so long ago. (My grandmother passed away in 1963).

I love these so much! To me, the memories from our past hold us all so dear to each other. Christmas was always so special in our house. With ten kids we really didn't buy much. My mom helped us make decorations, we held our Christmas plays (see post down), we pulled names and we had each other. Now we still gather at my mom's house, and our family has grown to over 50. We still sing Christmas carols, pull names and eat too much. The love and laughter are there as always. I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and a great pink saturday!! Please visit Beverly and share some of the pink-my new blog to visit is Laura at 52 Flea. She has some wonderful Christmas photos and I love the vintage items and flea market finds!

Christmas 1951

2009-12-17T08:06:00.001-06:00

Christmas 1951, originally uploaded by suesueb.

I obviously don't remember this (since I wasn't there yet!) but I love this picture. One year I made them each a Christmas card and put a Santa hat on the one I sent it to. Aren't the dolls darling too? Hope your memories are joyful too!!

2009 Christmas Tree

2009-12-11T22:16:00.002-06:00

2009 Christmas Tree, originally uploaded by suesueb.

For some reason I'm having a hard time signing on to my blog so I'm doing this through flickr. My daughter gave me this aluminum tinsel tree one Christmas years ago and I usually put it up along with a real tree )which I decorate in vintage ornaments and red and green colors). This year I cut back on so much decorating and simply put this one up with its' pinks, blues and greens and did the mantel to match. I hope I can get on my computer blogs tomorrow to visit the pink ladies of saturday fame! Happy pink (and red and green) week to y'all all!!
Finally got here! Sometimes my computer won't load up my blog (or others). I really don't know how to make it go faster. Anyway, here's the link to visit for Pink Saturday.

sunday stash

2009-12-06T08:21:00.001-06:00

sunday stash, originally uploaded by suesueb.

Ordered them all because they were all so cute!

Pink Saturday and Wonderful Memories

2009-12-04T23:35:00.004-06:00

Kellie,Suesue,Melanie,Homer 1962, originally uploaded by suesueb.

My favorite Christmas memories are the plays that we (myself with my siblings) performed every Christmas Eve for my Mom and Dad. My oldest sister would write the play and direct us. We often started in the summer and would make costumes out of any available materials and old clothes. I blogged about this play before and I thought it would great for Pink Saturday because of my costume ( and the bunny)! In this scene my brother is trying to steal the flowers from Spring. I love looking at all these pictures so much and remembering such wonderful times! My mom had all the Christmas pictures in one album and I scanned them on to CD's for everyone in the family. Thanks Beverly for letting us share another special time with each other during this holiday season!!

Today is also this little girl's 2nd Birthday. Rachael and Georgia have moved back home with us and while we're still figuring out where to put everything, the upside is seeing this adorable face more often!! She's so grown up and talks all the time. So much has happened in the last two years but we love having her around to brighten up our world!!

2009 Ornament Swap

2009-12-03T19:44:00.000-06:00

My hexagon ornaments for Amy's annual Christmas ornament swap. I loved making these-even tho' they're so tiny! The Christmas fabrics make me smile :)

Wrapped each one in cello bags with tulle strips as cushioning.

Packaged the whole thing and forgot about the postage so I had to add it in the envelope addressed to Amy. I think I packed and unpacked it about 5 times!!!

Used my new masking tape "happy tape" that I ordered from Stampington! All the colors are so fun! Can't wait to get my ornaments for this year-so much talent and love out there!! Thanks again Amy!

sunday stash

2009-11-22T06:49:00.003-06:00

sunday stash, originally uploaded by suesueb.

Some really sweet Christmas fabric destined to become another little girls' dress. It really could be worn throughout the winter. Will post a picture of the dress later this week-I need to go finish up a little quilt for a birthday gift for today. I'll visit around tonight when I'm relaxing! Go visit here!!

Swaps

2009-11-20T07:57:00.001-06:00

Joined Amy's Christmas ornament swap again this year. I even started the ornaments!! It's always so fun, sort of like a secret Santa. Check out the adorable badge she made for us. Love, love, love.

Pink Saturday

2009-11-13T23:18:00.000-06:00

Another Pink Saturday already and I hope you join me in visiting some of the pink blogs from here.

Showing some more dresses I made for a friend's grand daughters. Trying to do some Christmas early.

I love this fabric by Alexander Henry-so bright and fun! (trying to find some more) It's hard to see but I used some fancy stitches along the hem.

I hope you all have a wonderful Pink Saturday and will try to visit as much as possible this week. I won't be participating for a while with family matters and holiday and sewing obligations. Wishing y'all all some wonderful months ahead with family and friends!

Creative Spaces

2009-11-12T21:31:00.001-06:00

I love checking out the Creative Spaces hosted by this lovely lady. So many great inspirations and really cute ideas!! Sharing my space this week with some Christmas ornaments I'm making for a swap. Finally joined all the quilters with their hexagon love. These little bitty things take some time! But they're really quite addictive. Maybe after the other holiday chaos settles down, I'll try to make some larger ones.

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Going visit the other creative ladies on the list-later!

Movie sets and loving my repaired Bernina

2009-11-05T08:33:00.000-06:00

They filmed a small movie in town last week and I took a few pictures of the set before they started. It's being done by a local couple who have done quite a few films, historical fiction and non-fiction. This one is about WWII soldiers who married French girls and brought them home after the war. They set up this store front to recreate the 1940's.

Isn't it neat??

Don't you wish the prices were the same today??

I did go watch a little while when I walked my dog but didn't bring the camera. Loved the old cars and clothes!!

On another note, sewing happily with my repaired machine. I had sent it off for a few(long) weeks and really missed though my d-i-l lent me her Brother. I've been having fun with the fancy stitches that I couldn't use for so long. Check it out..............

Little flower stitch.

Zig-zag for the applique and a buttonhole stitch around the yoke.

Making me soooooooo happy!!!

Pink Saturday and Houston Quilt Show

2009-10-31T07:40:00.000-05:00

Good morning to everyone and happy pink halloween? Somehow that doesn't sound right. I haven't posted in forever so I'm glad to finally be back here today with y'all. All the quilts below are from the Houston Quilt Show and are fabulous works of art. Please enlarge them to really see the work. I hope y'all enjoy them all and have a great day visiting the pink gals with Beverly!!

The Winner

This was my favorite but unfortunately the colors aren't showing well here. Flickr is better.

Another fave-love the colors in here!

The garments were equally astounding!

And of course I have to include some pictures of my grand babies who are so grown up now!

Happy Halloween!

Mystic Mantle

2009-10-09T09:12:00.002-05:00

Mystic Mantle, originally uploaded by suesueb.

Finally got around to decorating for this year. I ordered some more things but haven't received them yet so I used what I had. My family and I love this holiday-we always have a big party (my turn this year) and everyone has to dress up, even a simple costume. We've had some great ones!! I have more pictures on my flickr page and will add as I put more out! Happy Halloween!

"Tulle Tututorial"

2009-10-02T22:15:00.001-05:00

Made Georgia her Halloween tutu today. She's going to be a witch! I used three colors, green, purple and black. First I layered the fabrics while they're still folded. Then I cut out squares approximately 26" by 26". This gave me 6 squares per cut. I had 3 yards of each color and ended up with 24 total squares.

I then pinched the middle of the square, made a little twist and pinned it to a 1 and 1/2" black ribbon. I also pinned a piece of ribbon (about 6") first. Here's an example of the back (because of course I didn't take pictures when I did it).

Then the front......................

After I pinned all the squares and ribbons, I sewed everything down about a quarter of an inch from the edge of the ribbon on the wrong side so I could make sure I caught it all.

Back

Front

Next I folded the black ribbon over and sewed it down to make a casing. I ran an elastic through the casing and sewed down the ends. I put a snap on the ends to close it. This tutu is very full. It would be fun to add bells or charms to the ribbon ends if you were making a fairy or princess tutu. If you'd want to do a larger one you'd simply have to open the tulle up and cut bigger squares and probably use 6 or more yards of tulle for each color depending on how full you want it and how big the waist would be.

I had the pieces left that I had cut from the folded edges so I gathered them together to add to her hat.

I can't wait to finish it all and see her model it!! Any questions? Just ask!

Christmas in October

2009-10-01T07:04:00.001-05:00

It's so hard to believe it's already October! I haven't posted in forever but really getting some things done. Sewing still for some little girls, making some jewelry from old buttons and vintage finds, and knitting in the evenings. This is a pattern I'm doing for a Christmas gift-probably one of the hardest I've done as far as tediousness. I couldn't understand the instructions for the body (will have to find some help there) so I started on the sleeves.

This little bit took about 2 days!! The color is much prettier in person-from Spud and Chloe.

And I had to include a sweet picture of my little grandson-he needed glasses and I think he's so cute! He's been fabulous with wearing them all the time but it's so funny because they're sooooooo dirty all the time!

Happy Fall Y'all!!

Pink Saturday and Happiness to Me!

2009-09-19T05:00:00.002-05:00

I wanted to share with y'all the wonderful goodness I ordered from Etsy!! I bought a present for myself and I'm smile everytime I look at it!

This adorable pincushion is for my new workroom. It is absolutely perfect!! Sweet little fabric nestled in an aqua bowl.............

A bunch of foresty friends to share my space...........

All nestled in their new little home.............

I bought this fabulous goodness from an Etsy seller, Pinks and Needles. Appropriate to share for today with all my Pink gals from Beverly's, right? Hope to see y'all around!!

Cowgirls and their horses.

2009-09-18T08:02:00.000-05:00

I finally finished the cowgirl dress for a little girl who won't wear dresses. Her mom let her choose her own fabric and at first I thought, hmmmmmm. I really like how it turned out, so sweet with the ruffle! (and she wore it!)

I also made her a backpack to match. Her mom said she loved that more for all her horses! Fun and sweet! I think I may make more of these for gifts.

Still haven't figured out the new blogger pictures and how to move them around.

First Mosaic

2009-09-15T07:28:00.000-05:00

My first mosaic made with pictures from my niece. These were taken at the birthday party for Celie. Of course, I think they're precious!

I tried all morning to publish these from Big Huge Labs with no success. I finally saved it in IPhoto and pulled it from there. There's still so much I need to learn about the computer!!
p.s. Don't you wish as a mom that you could trade all your kids' hurts or heartaches!! One of those weeks!

Pink Saturday

2009-09-12T05:00:00.004-05:00

Crochet Pincushion, originally uploaded by suesueb.

I crocheted this one night while tv was on. I had originally thought to submit it to SEWN blog pincushion challenge but realized that it wasn't sewn!! I can be a little dense sometimes! Anyway, hope y'all have a wonderful Pink Saturday and visit a few pink gals today! One of my pink links I love is Queen of Dreamsz. She has some wonderful image free artwork and great inspirations!!

Birthday sewing

2009-09-10T06:47:00.002-05:00

I'm using the new format for blogger for posting and still figuring things out. Don't know why the pictures are different sizes.

The itty bitty dress (3T version) was made for my great niece's 4th birthday. She's in preschool now so I thought the fabric was appropriate.

I drew a cat on black and embroidered it to look like a chalkboard drawing. Really quick and fun!

Since I had some fabric remnants I also made my first pencil roll. Of course, not reading directions, I just looked at some pictures and measured the pencils. The pockets are too short or too big but the pencils fall out easily. I need to do that better.

This is the rolled up view. A button and hair elastic are the easiest options for little fingers to close.

The party was so fun! The theme was fairies and the little girls had wings and beautiful headbands. The little boys had wands (bubbles) or they could be swords. There were butterflies everywhere in the garden and little fairies and animals for the kids to find. I'll have to post a picture of Georgia and Gabe on flickr or here when I get one. I forgot my camera so my niece took some pics for me.
It's raining here again today which is okay since I have so much to do at home. Finishing another dress for someone and doing info books for our local woman's club. Really late this year with the inside, the outside is almost done thanks to my Cricut! Y'all have a good day!!

sunday stash/mimi kirchner

2009-08-30T09:10:00.003-05:00

Sunday Stash this week includes some more buttons (hearts and flowers). I bought these in ny this summer. Love the whites!!

Also posting about a giveaway from mimi kirchner. Her blog is so wonderful and inspiring. It speaks to the little girls in all of us, loving our dolls. I can remember that when I kissed my dolls good night, I had to kiss them all. Sometimes that would take quite a while. Have fun checking out mimi's dolls. I would kiss them all!

http://www.etsy.com/storque/handmade-life/handmade-portraits-mimi-kirchner-4405/

Pink saturday

2009-08-29T07:01:00.003-05:00

For Pink Saturday this week I'm showing pictures of this fabulous scrapbook shop I went to in Houston. It was so big and everything was decorated so beautifully!!

This is a view of the workroom in the back where scrappers get to play.
I had to take another picture to show the darling awning with pink fringe.
The rainbow of ribbons!!
Just a little shot of pink!
I had so much fun here-not only was it gorgeous but the staff was so sweet and friendly-Texas style!! If y'all have a chance and don't even scrap, just drop in to see it!! Happy pink week!

Iraqi Bundles of Love

2009-08-25T13:02:00.004-05:00

My first box is posted and the second not finished yet.

Read all about it here. This idea is wonderful!!

Pink saturday

2009-08-22T05:00:00.001-05:00

Just a little touch of pink! Hope y'all are all doing okay-it's been awhile it seems that I've posted for pink saturday. I made this little purse to put my phone in and a few dollars or debit card. That way I can quickly run in the store or even clip it on the store basket or larger purse.

It also clips on my bike which is a really good thing in case I need the phone while I'm out riding. The outside is made of felted wool and I lined it with a fun print. If you look closely, you'll see that I quilted it with pink thread!
Another project I finished this week is not at all pink. It's a pillowcase style dress appliqued with the letters for our high school football team. The little girl that'll wear this has a dad who's a coach. The little green balls on the letters are like pompoms!
Hope y'all have a great week ahead and looking forward to visiting as many of you as I can!! Happy Pink!

sunday stash and a Halloween preview

2009-08-09T13:05:00.003-05:00

I found the cutest Halloween fabric at Hobby Lobby. Such adorable witches and companions. I need to make some dresses with these! I only bought two yards so I really should go back before they sell it all and buy some more.

These are a few more things I bought in New York at the flea market. Probably will make some brooches with them and other jewelry.

It's really hard to take a picture of black fabric. I want to embroidery on this linen and the ribbon is velvet. Isn't it gorgeous?
Finally, some black cats for Halloween decorations or atcs. I love Halloween-such fun ideas to play with and share.
Hope y'all enjoyed the preview for October and have a wonderful weekend!! Going visit Georgia this afternoon to entertain her while her mom has a open house for potential buyers! Wish her luck! Thanks!!

vintage buckles and buttons

2009-08-02T11:03:00.002-05:00

vintage buckles and buttons, originally uploaded by suesueb.

my sunday stash photo for today. it's hard for me to pass up buttons and buckles. especially red!!

perle cotton jewels

2009-08-01T08:10:00.005-05:00

another fabulous buy from purl in new york. i love all these jewel tones and plan to embroidery with these. just stuck them on a rack in my studio which i haven't even attached to a wall. still procrastinating finishing up-so much to do still!

the polka dot barn is having a fabulous giveaway!! a beautiful banner for spring! hop on over and enter to win-i'm sharing even though i'm hoping i win. i just found her blog today through yapping cat and can't wait to visit all her archives. have a great day and come back tomorrow for my sunday stash pic!

fun fabric buttons

2009-07-31T07:10:00.001-05:00

fun fabric buttons, originally uploaded by suesueb.

aren't these the most adorable buttons? they'd make cute clothes for an adult or child. i can't tell you which are my favs 'cause i love them all. i think the top ones look like swimmers for some reason and the bottom ones like flapper girls of course. you could draw or embroidery a whole doll around these on a little dress or coat. i posted some more pictures of my new york purchases on flickr. so many ideas churn in my head when i'm buying things. wish i had (like you all do) more time to play with my "stuff".

yesterday i made two sleep mat covers for my niece from material i bought in new york. they really came out cute-hope she loves them.
i'll post those tomorrow probably. today i'm bringing kt to the doc (she has some swelling in her wrist joint and severe pain) and then helping rach clip her dog this afternoon. maybe in between i can get something done in my studio! (if i get off the computer!!)

both my older kids have put their houses up for sale this week. rach and her family want a smaller house and yard and paul and his want a larger house. of course, it all hinges on if they can sell theirs. i hope they find what they want.

sunday stash

2009-07-26T08:21:00.001-05:00

alexander henry, originally uploaded by suesueb.

i obviously love all the alexander henry fabrics-just keep buying them!

new york pinks

2009-07-25T05:00:00.001-05:00

good morning to all-haven't been posting pink in a while but have a few pictures to share from my vacation. the store below was so cute with all it's pink things!

~this cute project bag is from purl patchwork-looks great in my studio~

~alexander henry fabric for Christmas~
~japanese imports, the left one is pale pink~
~precious ribbons, can't wait to use them~
hope y'all all get to see lots of pink today with beverly and all the other pink girls!! have a great weekend! more new york purchases on my flickr page.

p.s. check out my post from last saturday-i ended up posting pink later when i finished this project!

meet me at mike's giveaway

2009-07-24T09:11:00.003-05:00

posting this for an entry into meet me at mikes giveaway! you need to leave them a link to a picture of something you made and link back to them on this post. since i was gone last week and didn't finish anything this week, i linked back to my froggies. they were something fun to do and worked up really quickly!! check it out below!

books from my childhood

2009-07-23T11:42:00.002-05:00

more from my childhood, originally uploaded by suesueb.

looking for books for "shades of inspiration" weekly challenge. these were on top my bedroom armoire under some picnic baskets. i thought i only had needlepoint in the baskets but found some old unfinished projects from when i was pregnant with my first apparently. some lavender granny crochet squares, an aqua knitted blanket still on the needles, and other needlework projects. i'll have to revisit those baskets one day soon! visit my flickr stream for more pictures of old books and illustrations from them!

New York 2009

2009-07-21T19:30:00.001-05:00

New York 2009, originally uploaded by Ebb n Flow.

just one of the places we ate (elise's pic). i had a chocolate croissant and coffee' au lait. delicious!!

start spreading the news......

2009-07-13T07:49:00.001-05:00

i'm so excited!, originally uploaded by suesueb.

i'm so excited to be going again. i loved new york and can't wait to visit my fav stores again-tinsel trading, purl, metalliferous, and some more new ones. i can't wait to see my nephew and his family, baby's grow so fast and change so much in such a short time. my nephew's mom, sister, and his nephew are there already so i'm going up with another sister and her husband. my only worry is my foot giving me problems but i'll deal with that as it comes. wish me luck on that and i'll take beaucoup pics to share!!

alexander henry owls

2009-07-12T07:53:00.002-05:00

alexander henry owls, originally uploaded by suesueb.

to make curtains for my studio. join the sunday stashers here.