Guess What I Did!!!!!!

I Am Participating In The One Year Anniversary Celebration

For

Crafty, Scrappy, Happy

Over At

Creative Carmella's!!!!!

I Am Still Apprehensive About Link Parties . . . 

I'm Never Sure If I Am Following The Correct Procedure

Is My Blogging Etiquette Correct?

Am I Selecting The Correct Type of Entry?

Will They Wonder, "Who Is This Crazy Woman?"

But . . . 

I Figure Someone Will Tell Me If I Do Something Wrong, Right?

So Pop On Over There . . .

I Spent Waaaaayyyy To Much Time Swooning Over All The Wonderful Projects & Ideas

I Linked My Burlap & Ribbon Valentine's Day Table Mat

I Am Sure You Will Find Something To Add To Your 

"Gotta Try This List!"

It's Been A Week!!!!

Wow . . . This Week Has Been A DOOZIE!!!!!

Thought I would take a minute to review the parts I can recall the memorable moments!

Monday . . . 

Yea, can't really remember Monday :-(

Tuesday . . . 

First, Came the Call From Our Real Estate Agent

(she is in Louisiana on vacation)

Offer is Coming From Buyer in Texas - I should watch my e-mail.

Next, I discovered a Brand New Friend Over at Shabby Junque Couture. 

What A Blessing She Bounced My Way!

It Hit So Hard It Made My Head Spin, She is Just Awesome . . .

Head on Over & Tell Her Hello!

Of Course, We Can't Overlook the Valentine's Festivities of the Day . . .

Prince Charming, Never Misses An Opportunity To Spoil Me!!!

Yellow Roses Are My Favorite . . . 

There is Something So Gentle & Calm, About Them!

Pair These Beautiful Flowers With Bagel Bites & Frozen Marie Callender's,

You Have The Perfect Celebration For Old Married People Like Us!

Awwww. . . . Fear Not . . . 

Our House Had It's Fair Share Of Lovey-Dovey "Goings-On"

Travis, My Youngest Prince, Celebrated With His Princess, Malia.

Heart-Shaped Pizza, Cinnamon Sticks w/ Icing, Stuffed Animals & Candy!

Ain't Young Love Grand!!!!!

  

Wednesday . . . 

Still No Real Estate Contract!!!!!

I Head Out the Door With A Long List of Errands, But . . . 

UH-OH

My Constant Companion, Galaxy Samsung Tablet, Refuses to Turn On!

I Head to the Verizon Store Where the "Nice & Helpful" Young Man Gives Me That

"Poor 'Ol Lady, You Are So Stupid" Expression.

Fifteen Minutes Later He Smiles & Hands Me The Tablet . . .

"Good As New"

I Look At The Screen . . .

"Where Are My App Icons?"   "My Memos & Notes?"

"My Fire Department Shift Calendar?"

Panic Begins to Bubble In My Chest . . . "Stay Calm, Stay Calm"

OH NO . . . NO. . . NO!!!!!! (Silent Wretching Scream From My Chest)

I Look Up With Hope & Pleading In My Eyes, and Whisper To Him . . .

"My Calendar?"

He smiles that dumb, innocent teenage smile of satisfaction & achievement and responds,

"Prolly Not But, I Saved Your Pictures!"

When You Are 17 Pictures Maybe What's Important But,

When You Are 47, Over 30, What You Need To Know Is When Your Drs. Appts Are Scheduled ;-)

Well, No Need To Stand Around and Pout . . . 

I Did Pout A Bit But, Only A Bit ;-)

I accomplished several mundane, routine errand chores before landing at one of the sweetest haven's in the area . . . 

There is Never A Shortage of Love, Compassion, Encouragement or Blessings at Junk 'N' The Trunk!

Their Precious Items and Inspiring Decor Are Always A Pick-Me-Up!

Of course, I Didn't Leave Empty Handed - 

I Can't Wait To Get Started On The Bridal Board!!!!!

FINALLY . . . .

Contract Arrives . . . Let the Negotiations Begin!

Thursday . . . 

Early Morning Cardiologist Appointment With Dad

Followed By Potentially Stressful "Group" Review of Contract Offer.

Prince Charming Did A Great Job Reviewing The Contract With Pa

We Prepared & Transmitted A Counter Offer

(Remember, Our Agent is Out-of-State)

Next . . . Assist The Youngest Prince In Delivering The Jeans He Collected For The DoSomething.Org & Aeropostale

Teens 4 Jeans Campaign

    

    

This Is A Flashback Photo . . . 

The Young Prince Posing With The Trash Can Bin He Decorated For Donation Collection At The Local Sporting Goods Store,

Hendersonville Sporting Goods.

A Big Shout Out To Ms. Kim Smith, For All Her Help At HSG!!!!

I Gotta Tell Ya . . .

It Does A Momma Good To See Her "Baby" Bouncing Blessings!

Enter My Prince Charming On His White Horse In His Blue Dodge Pick-Up

He Drove Me All Over Town To Finish The Errands I Didn't Complete

He Even Took Me To Buy Fabric!

"He's My Prince!!!"

Received Acceptance of The Counter Offer Within 6 HOURS!!!!

PRAISE GOD - NOW, THERE'S YA A BLESSING!!!!!!

I Headed Upstairs For Good Soaking Bath . . . 

Prince Charming Built A Fire - Set-up My Family Room Crafting Station

AND

Made A Fresh Pitcher Of Tea!

Does It Get Any Better??????   NOOOOOT!

This Morning, I Am Finally Getting Some Production Time, at the Work Table, while Prince Charming Chauffeurs Pa To View Potential New Dwellings!!!!

Well, That's My Week In A Nutshell . . . Crazy As It Is . . .

It Is Still Filled With Blessings

And I Plan To Bounce Them To Anyone I Can!

Treasures From The Home

Did you notice I added a few things to the Treasures Section?

Yep, That's my Ballerina by Universal Potteries!

I just love seeing these pieces sitting proudly in the bay window.

The precious rose design is just so sweet and girly.

For a closer look, hop over to Treasures, you can find a few close-ups.

Sharing the "kingdom" with 3 males makes me a bit protective of the feminine places in the "castle"

Let me show you what I mean . . . 

Thanks to the decorating skill of my friend, Gina, over at Junk 'N' The Trunk

I can escape to a purely feminine place whenever I feel the need!

With an atrium door at one end and a huge bay window at the other,

the natural light is magnificent!

As an added bonus there are several pieces that bring me an especially warm feeling. . .

Kidney-Shaped Vanity turned Desk is the Very First Piece My Prince Charming Painted For Me.

Corner Cabinet is From My Maternal Grandmother's Dining Room.

(That's Where She Kept The Good Dishes)

Side Table/Cabinet is the First Piece of Furniture My Mother Bought As A Young Woman, in the Late 1940's.

I still need to paint the Davis Display Cabinet (Photo #1)

and the Fireplace Surround

(I'll show you that another time)

But, like so much of my life . . . It's always a work in progress!

Speaking of work. . . 

This prep table is full of special orders that are screaming for completion!

So, I'm Gonna Bounce, For Now!

Hope You Enjoyed The Glimpse Into My Kingdom!

Would Love For You To Leave A Comment & Let Me Know What Ya Think!

I Would Love To Hear About Your Special Place In Your Own Kingdom!

Save The Scraps . . . Just In Case!

I am terribly stingy with my fabric scraps.

I guess that is something I learned from my grandmother & mother.

They always held on to the tiniest of scraps. . . "just in case". 

In case of what, I'm still not sure but, I continue to hold on to mine, as well.

You Know, "Just In Case"!

During Sunday's Super Bowl I continually rotated between. . . 

The T.V.

(Sorry No Pictures of The Game)

The Kitchen

  

and My Sewing Studio

(aka the dining room table)

The result was an exciting Super Bowl Ending,

Some Yummy Food for the Residents of the Kingdom,

And (insert breath holding anticipation). . . .

 

A Beautifully Romantic Neck Roll!

Created from Linen & A Vintage Lace Table Topper!

It is PRECIOUS!

Alas, there were scraps, so I saved them. . . "Just In Case"

Sometime later, while visiting the many wonderful blogs available to an inspiration junkie, like myself,

I came across the blog of a sweet young military wife!

She is just cute as punch and had the perfect tutorial to set my mind racing!

So, Up from the Ashes and Despair of the Rag Bag Rose This Incredible Creation....

ehhh, maybe that was a bit strong - let me try again...

Using the neck roll scraps and the inspiration of

Dani's tutorial at Live Creatively Now. . .

I Created This . . . 

 

I Don't Know About You, But This "Little Precious" Nearly Gives Me A Case Of The Vapors!

Not Sure Where It Will End Up - But When I Decided It Will Be An Incredible Accent, Don't You Think?

Well, That's All I Got For Now - I Gotta Bounce!

Hoping You All Have A Blessed Day - Remember To Bounce A Blessing Every Chance Ya Get!

To Compete or Not To Compete. . . That Is The Question!

As most of you know, I am veeerrrryyyy new to this blogging thing!

I LOVE visiting all the wonderful blogs out there -
I could sit at the screen reading, morning to night -
Getting to know a bit about the author, learning from each of them, laughing at their antics, and sharing our daily lives & blessings - just connecting!

I so enjoy the link-ups, link parties, and guest bloggers.
I look forward to having enough experience to participate in these activities with confidence.

Which brings me to "THE QUESTION" . . . 

I have discovered a sewing competition over at Family Ever After . . .
I Soooooo want to participate!

But, emmm, well, *Big Sigh* . . .
I'm Scared . . . Okay I said it!  There it is!
I AM SCARED!

Not scared that my sewing skills are inadequate . . .
I'm a relatively good seamstress.

But, I am nearly paralyzed with indecision over selecting and photographing a project.

So here's my SOS for help. . .
Tell me about your first link-up or blog competition . . .
Hopefully Your Tales & Shares Will Help Me Find The Confidence to Enter Sew-Vivior.

Don't forget to have a look at the lovely entries already posted in the Sew-Vivor Competition.
These are some talented ladies, for sure!

In the meantime, I Gotta Bounce . . . Much To Do Today!

Can't Wait Hear/See Your Comments!

Junk 'N' The Trunk . . . It's A Good Thing!

I delivered several items, new and custom order, to a friend's bricks & mortar store yesterday.

There were pillows, aprons, memo board, burlap table runners.

The backseat of my PT was full! 

  

I love going to Junk 'N' The Trunk!

My friend, Gina, is such a positive person, full of creative ideas, bubbling over with enthusiasm, never failing to give God the Glory, not to mention, quick with a hug!

Just look at the display created for my newest apron!

That mannequin is striking a pose!

She is fully dressed under her apron

(because that is how we wear them, right?)

She is resting her hand on the adjacent table

Has an added flower brooch (from the jewelry drawer)

And like any self respecting local girl, she is sporting her necklace by Creative Carmella

As always, I felt renewed and enthused after my visit.

Late last night I received this message from Gina . . .

‎"Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting" Thank you for believing in us, supporting us and dreaming with us. We have received something from each and everyone of you.... thank you with much gratitude and we will never forget!

I am honored and humbled to be considered a part of this wonderful place!

A place where everyone who enters feels loved, special and most importantly blessed!

There are many of wonderful things to see and purchase at this incredible place!

It has been described as "Pinterest in Real Life".

The next time you get to Northern Middle Tennessee, stop in for a visit.

Maybe you will make a purchase - Maybe not . . . Either Way,

You will leave feeling the Blessings that have been Bounced your way!

I may go back today, just for good measure!

As For Me, I Gotta Bounce, For Now!

I Have A Date  ;-)

Prince Charming is taking me to Vintage Marketplace

Wishing You All A Happy & Blessed Saturday!

Remember to Bounce A Blessing Whenever You Can!

Don't You Buy Your Supplies At Goodwill & Walgreens????

On Wednesday evening, a sweet friend, and local store owner, telephoned to share a bit of project inspiration.

After sharing her vision, I felt I had a grip on what type of finished item she had in her mind's eye.

So . . . I hit the ground running . . .

First stop - Goodwill . . . My Goal - Large Frame With Some Detail.

SUCCESS!!!!

I failed to photograph this frame it it's original state - Burgundy, Black & Gold In Color

Nasty Glass & Cheesy Paper Collage Mat

Covered In A Film I Believe to Be VERY OLD Dust & Grim

Next Stop - Walgreen's . . . Poster Size Foam Board.

Again . . . SUCCESS!

All that is remaining is a return to the My Kingdom to convert this idea to reality!

Step 1)  Strip everything from the frame

Step 2) Grab the Spray Paint from the Cupboard

Step 3) Smile at My Prince Charming

Step 4) Continuing Smiling and Behaving Graciously as He Paints The Frame

Step 5) Cut the Foam Board to Frame Size

Step 6) Give Prince Charming A Quick Kiss

Step 7) Cover The Foam Board With Burlap Using Spray Adhesive

Step 8) Stencil Design Onto Covered Board

Step 9) Insert & Secure Board Into Frame & Attach Embellishments

Step 10) Give Prince Charming A Thank You Kiss

And BAM . . . .

Isn't That The Sweetest Memo Board, Ever!!!!!

Best of All I Only Made Two Quick Shopping Stops!

Goodwill & Walgreens!

Just 10 Easy-Peasy Steps

And

You Can Even Leave Out Steps #3, 6 & 10

But Only If Your Prince Charming Is Not Cooperating!

And As An Added Bonus . . .

There Were Two Frames, of this style!

How Fun Is That????

Here are few more photos for your viewing pleasure!

    

 

Make Your Own, E-Mail Bounced Blessings, or visit Junk 'N' The Trunk To Order One!

You Choose The Color Combination - Frames May Vary According To Availability

Either Way, I Hope You Enjoy This Project.

I Love It When You Stop By For A Visit & Always Appreciate Comments!

For Now, I Gotta Bounce!

See Ya Soon!

The Devil Is In The Details

Happy Thursday All!

Hope your week is progressing nicely!

Mine has been filled with ups and downs, but don't most?

I have spent the last several days creating lined burlap table runners and pillows.

(pictures to come by the weekend)

In between, I have been blog-hoping and looking around local establishments for fresh inspiration and ideas.  I have come up with some wonderful new ideas that I can't wait to try!

 The unfortunate part is I find myself in a dilemma!

First the background . . .  I have been surrounded by talented seamstresses all my life!

My Grandmother – My Mother – My Aunt (She was a Home Ec Major, for crying outloud!) - My Husband’s Grandmother (somewhat of a local legend for her skill) – My Mother-In-Law – My Husband’s Aunt . . . All of these ladies could whip up just about anything you wanted in short order!

At the tender age of 11-years-old, my Mom sent me off to a form of Sewing Boot Camp aka Singer Teen Sewing Camp, located in the back room of the Singer Retail Store, at our local shopping mall.  I am proud to say that I won my first National Award with that class project.  I created a Maxi-Length (70’s/80’s term for full length) Bibbed Front Jumper.  The fabric of choice was brushed denim and it weighed a ton but I was very proud and wore it for years!

Fast Forward to today . . . All of my sewing influences shared at least one common train of thought . . . The Devil Is In The Details!  Press Seams, When in Doubt – Line It, If The Seam Puckers – Remove & Re-Do, Miter – Don’t Fold, French Seam Instead of Serge, Notches MUST Match Up, Top Stitching is Your Crown In Glory – Do It With Pride, Close Enough Is NOT Good Enough, Seams Should Never Show, Pucker or Pull . . . The list goes on and on.

Now the Dilemma . . . These sewing mantras do not seem to apply in the current decorator market!  If you are not a seamstress you would probably never notice the difference . . . for the most part they are invisible to the end user.  However, they do add to the life expectancy and durability of the finished product.  Not to mention the fact that they haunt my dreams, and cause crippling guilt, if I fail to observe them.  

So what are your thoughts . . . Do I need to just relax and reduce the pressure I place on myself?