Birthday Bag

So, Heather, my sweet sweet friend who I owe many bags, and some hemmed jeans to, had a birthday last week. I wanted to make something for her that would reflect her style....this is what I came up with.

  

I really liked how it turned out, especially the ruffled handles. I think I fell in love with ruffles with this project. You'll be seeing a lot more ruffles in the future! Stay tuned.

For an Amazing Cause

Last month I had the wonderful honor of creating a Wonky Star quilt block for a quilt that was to be given to Quilts of Valor. Crazy Mom Quilts asked several people to donate a block so she could piece them together and present them to QOV. (If you click on Crazy Mom Quilts, you can see my block in the center of the top row of the middle quilt.) This great cause sends handmade quilts to military men and women who have been wounded in battle. This organization pulls on my heart strings since my sister and her husband are both in the USAF. It was an honor to play a very small but significant role in such a worthy cause.

Vintage Snacktime!

Look at this beautiful vintage glass tea cup and saucer set! I have acquired 12 sets from my sweet friend across the street, Eileen. She has such a giving heart and I love that woman. We are going later today to sign her lease at the apartment which means she'll be gone soon, and I'll cry. Then we'll visit her sweet husband in the nursing home and I'll joke with him and he'll stun me with his elderly wit.

I made Warm Maple Nut Blondies (like Applebees) with yummy sauce to plate up on these cute dishes...and now my mouth is watering once again.

Are you kidding me?

Ok...so the other day, Miss Eileen called me over to her garage
to ask me if I wanted ''these ol' chairs''....
"Are you KIDDING me?" was my response. Of course I jumped at the
chance to own these very vintage pieces of lawn-sweetness! In fact, my newest favorite blog just discussed these chairs! Our front yard
may now just be in competition with our back yard.
MY FAVORITE COLOR TOO!!
WHOOOOPPPEEEE!!!

Last minute gift

I have had the privilege lately, of being able to sew a lot...not for me, however, for people who are calling me and asking me if I can make things for them..lots of things. Everything from gifts, to clothespin bags to scarves to aprons to bags! I am BUSY and loving it! My goal was to have my Etsy shop open on June 1st, but I barley have time to work on it...and people keep buying everything I wanted to put online! What a bad problem to have huh? That pumps me up! I am so grateful that people like what I am creating, enough to want it! I am blessed to have the gifts I do and to be able to share that with my little corner of the world is exactly what I want at this point in my life. Once again, my cup runneth over....

I got a call from a friend who needed a last minute graduation gift for a family member who loves to travel. I needed some fabric with some international flare. Without time to search the local shops for fabric to use, I decided to recycle a shirt-dress to make a large bag. This was also the first time I tried 'pin-tucks' and I love the outcome! This bag was hard to part with!

Ezzie's 4

100_1041
Originally uploaded by sewwhatseamstress

My littlest, my not-so-baby baby.....i love this little
firecracker....and he's now 4. Ezra Dean Nowacki, you light my world on fire and i love you so much. Happy Birthday you little 'wickp-weep!'

Blueberrie Buckle Bags...custom clutch

Let the customizing begin!

I was given the job of creating a custom clutch to match this prom dress from Rae Lynns Dress Boutique. The girl who ordered the bag, wanted it to be small, turquoise and have a magnetic closure. Other than that, I had free artistic license make it great! I had so much fun coming up with the design for this handbag...I wish I could keep it for myself!

I added the leopard spots on the outside as well the little painted flower on the inside for a special touch (the center of the inner flower has one seed bead sewn on it :)

I absolutely LOVED this project! Stinks I have to sell it!

FINALLY! peep peep peep!

I have been waiting for this day for about 4 years. It was then that I bid goodbye to our chickens, or at least their feet! Let me explain...growing up, our family always had chickens. I hated the work then, but as an adult, have so much more appreciation for the responsibility of them. Joel and I were fortunate to live way out in the county in Wisconsin when the kids were younger, and someone, knowing how much I missed having them, gave us organic chickens to raise. We had so much fun with them -just watching them peck around the yard free-range style was amusing in and of itself. I had to go away for the weekend, and with Joel having to work late, he wasn't able to get the chickens in the coop early enough in the evening. I came home to chicken feet and beaks strewn about the yard. As it turns out, fox like chickens, just not those parts. I really missed them beauties. They were so black, they were dark iridescent green! I knew I would someday have them again...and well, just so happens that today is that day! What a great way to celebrate Easter- the sweet sound of peeps all day long!

We showed the kids the chicks today and shared our plans of fixing up the shed into a coop, and how in about 6 months we should have eggs...they were sooooo excited! First thing Ellie said was: "MOM! You don't have to get us Easter baskets tomorrow!!! Ok?"

So, Joel, thank you for 'surprising' me! I love you and we are going to have so much fun with them! Promise me you'll make your famous scrambled eggs with the first batch of eggs? HAPPY EASTER TO US!

Here is the box of goodies...brought straight home from HERE.

This one is pecking at the hardwood looking for bugs!

The kids were SOOO excited!



I used this antique wash-tub from Miss Eileen for their first home.
I got the idea from this great website.
We'll be moving them out to a coop in about 8 weeks!
Then we wait patiently for 6 months and we'll have eggs!

They were so hungry and knew just what to do with the food dish.

Leave it to Joel to pull an Ozzy!
(no chicks were harmed in this process)

Thank you Joel, for making my little dream come true!

my vintage friend

When we first moved into our home little over a year ago, I met our neighbor Eileen who lives across the street. She met me at the mailbox one morning and we began to introduce ourselves. A few quick exchanges and before we parted, she asked me the question that would forever connect our lives. "I see you leave Sunday mornings....do you go to church?" she asked. "Yes we do!" I replied. And throwing her hands up and looking to the sky, she said, "Praise God! I was praying for Christian neighbors!" I knew from that moment on that we really did hear from God when He told us to rent this house.

Over the months, we have really gotten to know each other. She is a spry ol' woman, 86, with a heart of gold. In the recent months, we have spent almost every weekday morning having coffee together. I bring her her morning paper after the kids get on the bus and we sit and shoot the breeze. Lately, things have been hard for her, as her husband is going to be placed into a nursing home after falling and breaking his hip. He just celebrated his 91st birthday. I enjoy running errands for her on occasion and even had a chance to take her up to see Ed at the rehab center a few weeks ago. I joked with him and told him he needed to hurry and get well so he can come home and cut our grass....of course I was just joking around, and he quickly responded by telling me he wants a Dixie-Chopper. It's sad that he really thinks he is going to get to come home, and he isn't. Eileen has decided to move to an apartment June 1st, and I get tears in my eyes when I think of her not being across the street anymore. I will be going to see her a lot when she's gone. Who knew one of my best friends could be 30 years older. I love her.

Her son, Mark, was here from Boston for a week helping her prepare for the move. He worked hard at cleaning out all his father's belongings from their shed, and found so many treasures in doing so. Elieen knows how much I adore antiques and treasures, and set aside many things for me to have, including some cute furniture that I am refinishing, and toys for the kids. She even saved out a bag of old fabric scraps she thought I may like, and boy do I! I don't think I would have ever bought polyester, but these scraps are so great! Inside this big dusty trash bag of pant suit remnants, was an old JoAnn Fabrics paper shopping bag, and an old robe pattern. As I was leaving the other day, Mark pulled out this beautiful quilt and looked at me and said, "you wouldn't have use for this old thing, would you?" He was about to put it in the pile to go to Goodwill. I about fell over!!! He didn't know who he was talking to! Me? Want a vintage quilt? Are you kidding me? Uhhh, YES!!!!!!!!!!!! I took it home and washed it up well and it came out of the dryer smelling beautiful, feeling soft, and looking brilliant!

Look at how old this JoAnn bag is!!!

I refinished the small five drawer table and painted it a cute turquoise. I am really thinking of turning my kitchen turquoise and red...and this would be a great addition to the workspace. The old black desk is going to be fixed up for Ellie's room.

We have been so blessed to get to know our neighbors. God sends the right people at the right time, that's for sure. I am so thankful for all she has done for us. I will miss her dearly.
This is my little tribute to my friend and prayer partner, Eileen.

My cup runneth over......

reveal

new typepad blog reveal coming soon...as well as some goods for sale!!! stay tuned!

Weekender Bag

Okay, so I decided late last night that I wanted to make something for myself...a weekender bag to take out of town this weekend to Brown County. So this morning I got up really early to start it. I was done by 10am! I used this gorgeous Amy Butler Fabric and even made my own pattern; it was a pretty easy design. I just love how it turned out and I can't wait to fill it up with goodies tomorrow for our trip!