Pink Saturday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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