For Bev

Bev has already received her swap package. I am trying to work ahead a bit so that the person I send to can be at least a bit surprised.

This is my finished sampler and swap package. I made a tag and a little art charm/ embellishment to send along. Also, I could not resist sending Bev a little solar hula dancer that does a hula dance when the sunshine hits her. I have one in my kitchen window and she makes me smile every day!

If I Had Wings

Embroidery in circles! Look closely and see how each circle is stitched a bit differently. The stitching adds such dimension and character to each circle. Such a cute technique and a great use of pretty fabric scraps. The artist does lots of pretty embroidery, and calls this piece "If I Had Wings".

wednesday wow...from Bev

Bev had my name in May, and this is the delightful sampler she made for me. I love everything about it~ the fabric choices, the colors, the decorative stitching, the saying, and that wonderful handmade charm. It makes me smile, all over my face! To see the other goodies I received, check out my blog.

a little somethin' sweet for you!

Strawberry Dole Whip Recipe
(serves 4-5)

1 cup sliced frozen strawberries (120g)
1 cup frozen raspberries or more strawberries (120g)
level 1/4 cup milk of choice or canned coconut milk (60g)
pinch uncut stevia OR 1 1/2 tsp sugar or sweetener of choice
2 tsp lemon juice
1/16 tsp salt
Strawberry Dole Whip Recipe: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Scoop out and eat OR put in a plastic bag and freeze ten minutes, then cut a hole in the bag’s edge and squeeze out in a swirl. (Or you can use a Yonanas machine if you have one – I used the bag method.) The addition of lemon might sound strange, but it really makes the recipe!

This recipe comes from one of my favorite sources, Chocolate Covered Katie! Her recipes are fantastic and she could not be any more adorable!

and the winner is.....

Sandi ! Your comment was chosen by the random number generator at mathgoodies.com Congratulations! Your Summertime Giveaway package is on it's way. Have fun with it!

vintage image saturday

I'm not so sure that this is vintage, but it's beautiful and interesting and perfect for June, so I wanted to share it with you.

SUNDAY is the LAST DAY to sign up for the Summertime Giveaway!

You don't want to miss your chance to win all of this summery fun!

To sign up, click on the Giveaway Badge at the top of the right column over there >>>>> It will take you to the Giveaway post where you can leave a comment with your email address to enter. The lucky winner will be announced on Monday, June 15th. The Giveaway is open to everyone, so sign up today!

from Heidi

This is the sampler that I received from Heidi in April. The colors fit right in with this month's summery feel. Every little element is so vintage fab and I love the way she puts things together. And I nearly flipped out over those vintage metal buttons on the top! Thanks, Heidi. I absolutely love it!

wednesday wow

Yet another masterpiece by Constanza Oh how I love her work! I love the embroidery, the colors, and the special spiritual touches in this piece. Beautiful.

technique tuesday

Is this delightful or what? If you are interested in learning how to make this banner,
here is the tutorial. I just love those strawberries!

my sampler progress...the layout

I decided to use pinking shears to cut out my fabric background. It seemed a summery thing to do! I decided to use an image, so I went browsing through my images looking for something cute and summery. Jackpot! I printed it on a fabric paper sheet designed for inkjet printers. I stamped the words (a Red Lead stamp of course!) on a scrap of the fabric paper sheet. I'm still tinkering with the layout. This definitely isn't it.

vintage image saturday

last day of school, school picnics ...summer carnivals...ferris wheels...cotton candy...the duck pond...oh the memories!

friday fun

This month: treat yourself to a new summer look!

Any other June babies out there?

Here are some other famous June Birthdays: Alanis Morisette 41, Morgan Freeman 78, Angelina Jolie 40, Liam Neeson 63, Anne Frank, Barry Manilow 72, Helen Keller, Meryl Streep 66. On a personal note, in addition to my daughter Mary Grace, my mother and father and my daughter-in-law Julie were all also born in June. Such a nice month for people!

wednesday wow

This looks to be a paper collage with fabric elements. I chose it because I like the happy fabric trim and the sentiment. I really like the way the colorful fabric strips are sewn. It looks easy and adds great dimension and color- so nice! It can be seen here.

Bev and Princess Grace

The first picture is what I pulled out of my project box for my June sampler. I will be sending mine to Bev this month. I can't wait to dig in!

The second picture is an ATC that I made many years ago featuring my little Mary Grace. Today my little Mary Grace turns 20 years old! She is my baby~ how can that be? Happy Birthday, Princess Grace!

hello june!

June is such a happy month! The beginning of Summer, warm sunny days, colorful flowers, swimming pools, watermelon, and sandals. And of course, summertime swapping and giveaways! If you haven't signed up yet, you have until June 15th to sign up for the Summertime Giveaway. (To enter, just leave a comment on the post that follows this one.) This is a picture of the prize package. Summery goodness! You may need your sunglasses to read the blog this month!

the Summertime Giveaway begins today! Just leave a comment to enter... Open to ALL!

Let's celebrate the beginning of Summer with a Giveaway! Sign up today through June 15th by leaving a comment on this post. Make sure to leave your email address on your comment so I can contact you if you win. The winning comment will be chosen by a random number generator and announced on Monday, June 16th. The giveaway package filled with summery goodness will be on its way to one lucky winner and should arrive in time for the first day of Summer! (which is June 21st ~ also Father's Day). Feel free to grab the badge- in the right column on top over there >>>
to help spread the news. Good luck!

wednesday wow

This is the prayer flag that I made recently. I loved working with this fabric and colors so much that I went on to use it again for my May sampler.

I revisited an old love of mine when I made this...counted cross stitch. It was my passion when I was in my 20's. Oh, holy moly! I needed a magnifying glass for almost every stitch to be sure I was in the right spot in the linen. It's a good thing it's no longer a passion~ my eyes are too old! But it was fun to revisit an old love.

One final note...tomorrow will be the last post for May...and you won't want to miss it!

repurpose

This sweet sampler uses denim from an old pair of jeans for the background. It originated here. I also love her use of the different little fabric scraps for the flower petals.

A while back, Bev mentioned something somewhere about getting clothing from thrift stores to use for the fabric. (GENIUS! Why didn't I think of that?) I also like the idea of cutting a few favorite garments (a dress or blouse I loved but no longer wear, sentimental kids clothing, etc) into pieces and keeping the fabric for quilting and other little future projects.

I love the idea of repurposing and using what I already have. I have so much, that I'm sure if I really committed to the idea, I would never rarely have to buy any crafting/sewing supplies!

handy dandy gadget

I had always wanted one of these mini irons. I think something about it spoke to the little girl in me. My sister gave me one for my birthday a few years ago. It stayed in the package for a very long time because the need to use it never seemed to arise. I even found a larger iron attachment that fits the handle at an estate sale for $1 ~ score! Well my friends, it's time has finally come! I am finding it to be such a handy helper for my fabric samplers. It seems that no matter how many times I iron the pieces, I find wrinkles in my finished sampler. This gets into the little spaces and crevices between the embellishments just perfectly. And it's just so darn cute...

vintage image saturday

Some pretty spring ladies!

May's Sampler