HAPPY ALL HALLOW'S EVE

I can't believe it's been a week since my last post & I promised to do better. Problem is right now my life is kinda boring. Hope this Halloween evening went well for everyone. Can't wait to see the photos of all my little people in their costumes. I didn't get to see them in person this year. We don't have many trick or treaters at our house. We live in a subdivision kind of out in the country and on top of that, we are at the end of a cul de sac. But my daughter Amy says that they have huge crowds.

I have been sewing this week. The realization that Christmas is only two short months away has driven me into action. Some things I won't be able to show you til after Christmas because my family reads this blog and a lot of my handiwork is for them.
As I was looking through my fabric, I found these pieces I had painted years ago when I took a fabric painting class. I guess I must have finished them and just put them away. I think the scarecrow is really cute, so I whipped up a pillow with him. I even had some matching trim in the bottomless supply closet full of sewing goodies!

I also found this little pumpkin so I turned it into a door hanger. Found this remnant of ball fringe which just matches and finished it off with a twine hanger cord. I'm going to use them
thru the fall since I finished them so late. That way I'll get some enjoyment from them.

I'm going to bed, folks, with just one word of caution: brush your teeth so all that Halloween candy you've eaten won't give you cavities! ha, ha. Nerm

VINTAGE DISHTOWELS TRANSFORMED

Happy Thursday everyone! Can you believe summer is winding down? At least that's what it seems like. I went with my oldest daughter Wendy to register Tanner (birthday boy earlier this month) for kindergarten. It reminded me how excited (and a little teary-eyed) I used to be with my girls when they were that age. All the possibilities and friends to be experienced! That's in just two weeks which seems kinda early to me. In the olden days we waited until after Labor Day and it worked out just fine. As Kitty once asked me when she was just a little kitten, "Nerm, were you alive when Lincoln freed the slaves?' I promise she really did.

Here are some photos of some vintage dishtowels & dresser scarves I got last week in my only garage sale purchase. I just love these things. I have several that my mother embroidered back in the 40's and 50's. So everytime I find some at a good price, I buy them. The two below were in nearly perfect condition. I just washed and ironed them.
Now this beauty is really vintage. It's from the 40's. The reason I know this is because I have a luncheon set from my mother which has almost the identical print. Love the cherries. And it already has that tea dyed look - only the stains are real! This was a much used towel.

Here's what I did with it:

Make a cute pillow trimmed with my yo-yo's and buttons. How cute did it turn out? I'm going to list it on Etsy. So come on over for look.

I've got my two girls (Mekenzie & Maddie) for the last sleep over for the summer. Next week's Vacation Bible School and then it's vacation. Like I said summer's winding down. Take care and we'll talk again soon. Luv, Nerm

SEW SWEET!

Hi there, fellow bloggers! I'm back after a few days off. I can't believe how fast time is flying by this summer. It's already the end of June. The only time I'm glad about that is when I step outside and feel the 90-plus degree heat. While the poor midwest is drowning in water and floods, we need rain badly down here in Tennessee.

Back in May I did a post talking about teaching Mekenzie, my 10 yr old granddaughter, to sew this summer. Here's the update: We're on our way! and here's the proof.
This photo shows Kenzie pinning the pattern and getting ready to cut it out. Going carefully...
Here she is concentrating really hard on sewing the seams of her pj bottoms.

And here is a very pleased and excited Mekenzie wearing her very own pajama pants! She did all of the seams. I helped with the elastic waistband and the hem, but everything else was done by my beautiful granddaughter. We are on our Way, for sure!

Tomorrow it's off to the Weecare knitting circle get-together. I'm doing a white blanket which fits around the baby's carseat. When it's finished, I'll show you the picture. I'll be better now, and stay back on track with my blogging, so comment to me, okay? Luv, Nerm

SUMMER SCHOOL

Hi there! Did everyone have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend? We sure did-sleeping late, after Sunday morning church, our whole family enjoyed a wonderful cookout my poor hubby managed in the pouring rain. And I got a lot of sewing done on Saturday. All in all a great weekend.
Now on to the next project: I am going to teach Mekenzie (10 yr old) granddaughter to sew this summer! She is about the age I was when I made my first feeble attempts at dressmaking. We are starting with a simple pajama bottom pattern (link is below. I couldn't get the photo to upload to save my life) and of course, her sister feels she must have a pair also.

They both chose kitty patterned fabric. This brightly colored one is for Mekenzie and the sweet pink is for sister Madison. We'll put lots of trims and buttons, etc. on them. Precious I'm sure!





Here are the two lovely young ladies earlier this year at the Memphis Zoo.

And here is the link for the pattern if you're interested.

http://www.simplicity.com/dv1_v4.cfm?design=6641
If anyone out there can tell me how to copy and paste the picture and then get it to download , I sure would appreciate it.

May I take this opportunity to say how much I have enjoyed the blogging experience. I remember so well the first entry and how quickly we connected with others out there. It's so great to meet such nice folks with similiar interests and kind comments. Thanks to all of y'all!

I'll report back on the sewing endeavor. Be sweet. Nerm

A WONDERFUL DAY!

This was an absolutely wonderful day! The weather was perfect and I felt great! Even worked outside a little. Thought I'd fill you all in on what I accomplished last week during the down time so I would not feel so worthless.

The black yo-yo's came to me from a grandmother or greataunt. I honestly don't remember. They are very old, but aren't very appealing. I dug out some I had started years ago and decided to get back to it. Easy and fast while watching HGTV all day, huh? I'm hoping to get enough to make a tablecover. I'll keep you posted. Below you can see the variety of the reading material which kept me occupied, plus a "few"more mags. (did I mention, I have a "slight" magazine problem?)

Kermit's back to show you that his rug (see 4/10 post) also got finished. I took it outside today to really be "green", but the sun was so bright that I had to shot him in the shade. That's why he's kinda dark and blue looking. Anyway it's now done & I'm feeling proud & will put it in the bathroom by the shower. Thanks, Kermie.

A while back, quite a while actually, we were tagged by Victoria of Sweet Victoria Antiques to share six (6) words which reveal our philosophy of life. Let me tell you that really gets the thought process going. Finally all my stumbles, forays into creativity, and rational thought boiled down to this one verse I constantly repeat: "All things work together for good" (Romans 8:28). Of course, there's more to the verse, but this says it all in a nutshell. This has been true for so many situations, as far back as college days. I see it revealed in my day-to-day life and is a comfort when I don't understand why some things happen. (like last week's drug reaction). To me the basic truth in this verse is just to trust God to take care of your life. Everything will turn out the way He wants it to and for the best.

So now I am passing this onto five more blogs. Please write a Six Word Memoir that represents your life's motto.... The rules are:1. Write your own six word Memoir. 2. Post it on your blog. 3. Link to the person who tagged you .4. Tag 5 more blogs with links (leave a comment on their blog with an invitation to play).

I'm tagging these people:

Jamie

Christine

Lisa

Amy

Elizabeth

I can't wait to see what you say. See ya soon. Luv, Nerm

BUSY WEEKEND

Aren't all weekends busy? This one sure was. Please excuse that I loaded the pictures in reverse order. The shopping was in the afternoon-the sewing in the evening. Anyway, here's the scoop:
Last night hubby and I went over to Amy's (middle daughter) house. She has a cute 1940's house. Hubby was installing a chandelier in kitchen. Of course, I forgot to take a photo of that.
It was a cheapo brass chandelier she spray painted flat black. She's outfitted it with little black shades and it looks so good. Trust me. Her kitchen has the original black & white ceramic tile countertop and backsplash. My role in this was making new kitchen curtains. Here are the old ones. Pale green like the wals.
I'm not sure who this industrious lady is, sewing her heart out!

The finished product. There is a valance at the top and another pair over the kitchen sink.

This fabric is Micheal Miller's Dandy Damask. Love the look.

Previously yesterday, Kitty and I went antiquing in downtown Franklin. This is an old Civil War town filled with wonderful old homes and antique shops. The Main Street is filled with little specialty stores. Here's Kitty striking a pose outside one of the shops.

This is store we love, having it's Spring Open House. But I only spent $10.00! What's wrong with this picture?

Here's another shot of an antique mall. Lots of goodies, but my feet started hurting and Kitty's husband was calling, so we called it a day. Pretty much empty handed.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Our weather was PERFECT-wish it would stay spring all the time. Luv, Nerm

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL

TGIF to you all. I am so excited! Which isn't necessarily anything new! My beloved middle daughter recently called me a chihuahua because I was jumping all over the place. Please picture this arthritic grandmother jumping anywhere!

Anyway, I picked up a magazine today (so what else is new, they ask). It is a Special issue of that great idea mag called, "Cloth, Paper, Scissors". Now you have seen pictures of my craft/sewing room (at least two walls of it) and have heard me moan and groan about my struggle to organize it. Well, this magazine has page after page of crafter/artist's studios. Lots of great ideas to help poor little me. I tried to download a picture, but haven't quite figured that out yet, so just click on this link and see it for yourself. Cloth Paper Scissors Studio Issue,

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and we'll be back in touch with our organized results.
Hopefully yours, Nerm

TWIRLY SKIRT

DO you all get tired of my grandchildren? The correct answer is, of course, No, we love 'em! Good-'cause I sure do. Today Amy and Danny were out car shopping and I got to babysit.

Which was a good thing, Martha, because I had just finished the Twirly Skirt ; I was dying to see how it looked on her. I think it's pretty cute and its owner is pretty special as well. Mekenzie is an angel-so sweet & loving. Look at that smile!



Of course, we had to take a picture of sister, Madison (previous birthday girl), who couldn't be left out! Are they adorable? Am I smitten? Heck, yea. I am so blessed to have such sweet granddaughters!

I hope to have more goodies to show you very soon. And enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Luv, Nerm

HAPPY WEEKEND TO YOU!

I don't really have anything exciting to say tonite. Tomorrow I will have pictures -I am almost finished with the Twirly Skirt for Mekenzie (10 yrs old). It is so-o-o cute. Hubby and I went out for our Friday date night-Mexican food and a trip to Home Depot. It has been raining here buckets for two days. I am ready to build an arc-ha. So my skirt sewing got interruped, but
for good cause. Talk to you all soon. Nerm

Easter Ramblings & Misc.

Our Easter day dawned sunny, but cold and windy. After all the church services, the family converged over here for the Feast and Egg Hunt. Everyone was happy and warm feelings with thankful hearts prevailed. Unfortunately, the decor didn't match the mood. I certainly can't match Elizabeth's efforts. Can't have it all, huh? In the process of recarpeting the living room, the dining room has all the overflow. The table was stacked high with knickknacks, books, etc. So no formal dinner for us. I did put tablecloths on the card tables, however, and a bunny or two. The kids' table's cloth got tangled around Tanner's feet and nearly pulled off in the floor! Next we'll be recarpeting the bonus room!--just kidding. I'm going for hardwood floors.

Here are my babes after the hunt-aren't they cute?

Now that life is back to "normal" (whatever that is), I am DETERMINED to finish this craft/sewing room clean up. I have so much to do and I have to get some organization in order to do it. Wish me luck and godspeed. I will report later. Nerm

A Quiet Day

Not much going on today which is good because I'm kinda tired. Kitty and I had lunch today at one of our favorite eateries http://www.daviskidd.com/ They have a great little restaurant called "Bronte's" which is quiet and a good place to go for undisturbed conversation. Their homemade soups and quiches are outstanding-wish they'd publish a cookbook! I can't get Big Tom (hubby) to go there b/c he thinks real men don't eat quiche! He doesn't know what he's missing.

I'm working on another baby quilt for the Wee Care program at church. I mentioned this on our old blog. Once a month women get together on Saturday and knit, crochet, quilt, etc baby blankets, bibs, and so forth for the local city hospital's indigent new mothers. Then our blankets are added to a tote bag

aka diaper bag, and added to diapers, shampoo, pacifiers...you get the idea

It's been going on for a couple of years now and is a great way to feel you are making a difference. Here are a few of my squares: (I need some more green). Hope you have had a nice day-hope the sun is shining where you are, because it sure isn't here! ha

Merry Christmas!?!

Let's just say that I fell behind in my gift making this past Christmas. All those good intentions. All the planning and buying materials. Which have stacked up in my "sewing room". (We'll address my sewing room in another post). At any rate, this is a journal cover I made for Kitty. She's a big time journalist.

I made it from Michael Miller fabric which I quilted, trimmed in bias tape and added a vintage button from my stash. Viola! Only two months late. I suppose I could save it for this year's Christmas, but I can't wait. Now I only have one tote bag and a collage to finish and the 2007 holiday will be behind me. Sigh.