Pink Saturday is One Today!

Dreams Do Come True

WAY back when we first got married we lived here:



It was here I first saw fabric art in a magazine and fell in Love with the Idea! But life happened and that magazine was tossed to the far back of my mind.

We moved, and moved and moved and after a while I remembered the magazine article and knew I wanted to make a wall hanging of all the places we have lived.

This weekend I was able to start with our first house! But I couldn't find the photo I took some 3 years ago just for this occasion. Waa-Laa, Google Maps!

It still has the same paint we painted it 24 years ago!

Hancock Fabrics had a sale Sunday. Grabbed what I needed and got started right away washing the fabric and drawing the house out on paper.

Then I cut out the pieces as a pattern for the fabric and had the best time Monday. Hubby cooked out or made the Adorables something for lunch and I was so spoiled playing with my fabric and sewing machine.



I found some fabric with words that I thought would mimic the black iron scroll work on the front porch and I carried it all the way across like I would if we lived there today.



I'm not finished, lots to add but I needed to stop and make a Cell Phone Cozy for a special order to match the Camera Cozy I made last week.



So I ran and got some really whimsical fibers to put on it...I love weaving and the embellishing!



That furry stuff has little prisms of pink sparklies...I think she'll love it!

Just wanted to pop in and say 'hi'.

Hope your week is Blessed and Blissful,
Melissa

Happy Pink Saturday!!

Little dashes of Pink sprinkled about get the day off to a good start.

A small bowl Pink depression glass with Pink and yellow packets, flowers on a tea cart topped with a Pink Rose bud and cinnamon and vanilla setting on a Vintage tip tray with lush Pink and lavender roses are a special greeting early in the morning.



Hug a Lump waits patiently while mommy has her first cup (half pot) in her Yum Pink mug.



Rich Coffee
2 drops Vanilla
3 full dashes of Cinnamon
2T Half n Half
Sweetened to taste
Stir well.

A Yummy way to start Pink Saturday!

Ah, eyes open, brain in gear...time for that second cup.



Come on George let's tell everyone Happy Pink Saturday! before we step out the patio to freshen the bird bath and listen to the sounds of the weekend.

Be sure to visit our sweet Hostess for Pink Saturday, Beverly at Howsweetthesound.typepad.com

Happy Pink Saturday,
Melissa...and George

~Sweet Spring Camera Cozy~

Designing patterns, Testing patterns, Playing with my Pinkies (Camera and Sewing Machine), Weaving (my newest addiction), a wonderful trip to the Quilt Shoppe...YAY...has kept me busy and having lots of fun!

Let me show you what a customer ordered for her little Sony Cybershot.



Two of the fabrics used have metallics in them and catch the light and sparkle. Don't you just love sparkly things? And, I added a little white fiber skirt and a faint glimmer of white shimmer Blanket stitch just off the cover flap...might show better in this photo:



Yes, now you can see more of the sparkle in the pink fabric as well as the sparkle in the blanket stitch.

And to add just enough weight to keep the Cozy closed, two Vintage prisms dangle off the front.



These are fun to make!

Have a great week,
Melissa

Cathedral Window Quilts, I love 'em!

I've dreamed of making a Cathedral Window Quilt for a LONG time. Have you? They remind me of Stained Glass peeking through a beautiful white window. They can be tedious.

Then, a friend explained the process of making a Faux Cathedral Window Quilt! Sounded so simple and she was right, it is!

Aren't these cute?



Here is the finished sample as I piddled around defining a process that could be quick yet not pucker in the middle, as was my friend's complaint.



The middle is made using old flour sacks from a Lifetime ago. They belonged to my hubby's Grandmother and given to me at her passing due to my love of Roses, Pink and Green. In the middle, a very high thread count sheet that was stained beyond use. And the Stripe from quilt fabric I had on hand.

I started making templates fast as I could. A set for my friend, my mom and me.

I'll be at the quilt shop first thing! I am thinking a Faux Cathedral Window Table runner and Chair Covers in a theme of Silver Bells...a mantle cloth, piano topper...

Happy Pink Saturday!

And a thank you to our gracious hostess, Beverly Click on her name to see other Pink Saturday Posts!

Have a lovely weekend!
Melissa

This and That

It's beginning to look a lot like summer here in North Texas. The wind is still blowing but the air is thick with humidity and the sun is out. My son calls it the
Texas Crock Pot.

Speaking of my son. *deleted massive writing about how smart and cute he is*

So this morning I run to Starbucks with his little brother, I know not very thrifty but we were out of creamer, anyway, I messaged him that it was in the microwave...I added that I was a sweet wonderful mommy. And I am. Cause, you see, Schlotsky's is making their Cheese soup just for me today, the manager promised, and I need my Schlotsky's fix.

So I knew if I was really nice I could get him to grab me a Schlotsky's on the way home...and I want him to clean out my Expedition because he and his brother have trashed it.

Our conversation went like this:



At least I'll have Schlotsky's today.

So I am busy here in the Dining Room Studio playing with the Pinkies and the iron.

Then I notice this nasty stuff on my teeny ironing board (a book without the cover).



ICK!

I expect the brown because my iron is HOT but the black?? Where is that coming from?

Carefully I finish ironing my projects. Start another one and notice the wires on my Sewing Pinkie feel very rough; really really rough. Reminds me of when we had the rabbit...and he chewed on wires. No rabbit...hmmm.



Finish that project, then it hits me, the hot iron can't touch wires next to the mini ironing station.

Brilliant.

*smacking forehead*

Now I know.

One of the Office Assistants that supervise my work is George. He is there to make sure I have accomplished the hugs and scratches for the Office Assistants, him first or course.

Apparently I was falling behind so he put his paws on my leg and I caught him with the flash, poor fella.

He is taller than my dining room table, my chair sits so high I can barely get my legs under the table. When he wants to see whats happening up here, he curls those huge paws over the side of the table like a two-year old and has a look-see.

I adore this cat. He is so huge and such a Hug a Lump. He has these big Alien Look eyes (part Maine Coon) and he purrs and cuddles up to me at night till I fall asleep.

How could I possibly miss my quota of the day in handing out hugs. Well, this is about which he has come to inquire, before the flash interfered.



And ya know what? After waiting all week, no cheese soup at my Schlotsky's. They'll have some next week. Grrr...

So off to Sonic for a Route44 Diet cherry limeade and cheddar peppers!

I know, I know, not so frugal...adding onion rings to that since I am being bad anyway.

See you tomorrow for Pink Saturday!

Warm Texas hugs,
Melissa

Favorite Things

Since my Moratorium on spending back in 2001 I have made do with what I had. It wasn't too much a sacrifice because I was quite the Spendy One before then and have lots of things to play with. But, a little brag, I also have been gifted through rEcycle and Freecycle groups.

This armoire was one of those items.



It is an antique from England, I was told. The lady had lost her desire to refinish it, so I ended up with it.

See that table to the left? Another antique saved from the landfill by some smart curb-side shopping. It has chippy white paint covering pink chippy paint. Love it!

Above that is an old dresser mirror I painted roses on.

The stained glass came from an old building in Decatur, TX. It was in my kitchen window for a while but it seemed perfect for over the armoire.



On the other side is one of my favorite things...My mother's doll from when she was a little girl.



Her name is Jennifer Nancy. Grandmother brought the doll home from a friend she had visited. The little doll was quite worn and needed a new covering. G-Mom took fabric she had left over from making the quilt Jennifer Nancy is sitting on and made the little doll a new covering.

The wooden chair is from my precious father's office in downtown Dallas. His company sold decades ago and is now condo and studios for artists...I like that.

When Life throws a Trash Can....

I cover it in Roses!

A few years ago for Christmas my son gave me a nice big trash can.

Glistening white, a blank slate, No Way would I tolerate seeing goobers or nasty spill marks or a potato peel on such a pristine surface!



I painted big fluffy, happy roses and buds all over it. It became my new Laundry Hamper! Sure makes Laundry time less yukky.



Although I do occasionally see this, I'd rather that than icky gross trash goobers.



Thanks for dropping by on Pink Saturday!

Now on to the laundry...

Happy Pink Saturday,
Melissa

For more Pink Saturday Yummies, visit Beverly at How Sweet The Sound!

Blissful Days

In Texas we generally have Summer from April through September. From October to about March we have Winter, Spring and Autumn. Those are my favorite months!

It's about this time of year when having lots of full size windows can let it lots and lots of heat! I have a system that totally blocks the sun from coming through when the temps get in the 90s and rise quickly from there, until then I raise and lower the mini-blinds (yes, I still have those antiquated thangs...lol!).

So, ANY time we get a cloudy overcast day I let the outdoors in. We have been blessed with many overcast days these last two or three weeks. I've really enjoyed the peace that comes from seeing the greenery around us while spending day after day in my Dining Room Studio.

I've been working on the patterns for several fun fast and frugal crafts as well as polishing off a large E-Book on how to get by in times like we are currently experiencing.

We experienced our own Depression that lasted for 7 years! It was awful. Oddly enough I am glad for having endured and learned from it. I saw this world through entirely different glasses than I'd worn all my life. During that time we were Unemployed or Under-employed while Hubby earned his Masters, then as he established himself in a new field. It is an abrupt halt when you go to living on 1/3 of your previous income; especially when kids are in the home and have become accustomed to a certain lifestyle.

We went from private school to home schooling. We started sharing a car rather than having one for each of us. We went from eating out or ordering in to me processing and cooking every bite that anyone ate. 'Mother May I' was not a game, it was a necessity when the kids wanted a snack out of the pantry. Everything in the pantry was there because it went into something for a meal or snack. It wasn't fair game for mindless munching. Did I say my cleaning lady had to go?

I felt like a pioneer woman. Short of drawing water from a cistern, digging potatoes and killing the chickens, I was a pioneer woman. I fed our 2 teen boys and us 2 adults for $385 each month.

I learned a LOT and was thankful I had started taking the steps toward a more frugal lifestyle just months before the company my husband had been vigorously recruited to work for filed Bankruptcy. We were one of the few given severance pay, many worked for free and didn't know till it was too late.

One of his associates from that company died. His wife of 25 years remarried quickly and we are left to assume his home life had taken a nose dive. Their house was paid off but they had refinanced it and were in a world of credit card debt. Such a tragedy. Had they been better prepared for the Depression our families experienced we believe he would be alive today and they still would be married. I don't intend to sound uppity or point fingers, not at all. The facts are clear, when money gets tight and/or jobs are lost it takes a toll on families.

A toll.

You know, like when you drive on the Toll Road and pay a fee for it's use. When our personal economies take a downward turn we pay for it; we pay with our lives for a thing called Convenience. Convenience is a bottomless cloud. You don't have a clue you are on Cloud 9 till you realize there is no bottom to support your weight and you are nose diving to the ground. To that sudden stop. That is the fee you pay for the use of Convenience.

Others we worked with had family issues brought on by that Depression.

One of our other friends told me, after loosing his job that a Recession or Depression can only be defined by whether or not you are one of those who is impacted by it. To an extent, he was right. Early in the new millennium we were seeing regions of the economy suffering from the Off-Shoring of manufacturing jobs and those who supported those jobs.

The scope of this scenario has broadened in our 'Today'. We are all being affected by world economics. World economics will cause us to make some changes in our lifestyles.

We have choices.

We can adapt and be happy and a peace or we can bury our head in the clouds and pretend there is a bottom to hold our weight.

Personally, I prefer the Cloud. However, I also like to wind out my sons Mustang GT in second gear, screetching the tires and flying down the road...hoping no one is stupid enough to pull out in front of me...hoping that light I can't stop for stays yellow...hoping some child doesn't step off the curb while he is imagining he is a tight rope walker between two buildings in downtown New York City.

Yep, I prefer the Cloud.

I don't mind being the Pioneer Woman but that is a high demand job!

I prefer Convenience.

So, I made cutting the budget to the bones and tossing Convenience Simple and EZ!

I have the best of both worlds.

I am here to assure you...you can too!

Does it mean I don't wind out that Mustang and fly anymore? Of course I will...I'll make a choice when my risks are lowest and I'll enjoy every moment. But I won't do it everyday, I won't do it as a matter of convenience cause I am running late to get somewhere, I won't do it because I am too tired or unprepared.

I'll do it when I choose to.

And I'll have those How-Tos in my E-Book where I connect the dots on making yours a soft landing while still keeping your head in the clouds.

All that to say: I have enjoyed my view out this window while working in my Dining Room Studio.

I hope your day is filled with peace and comfort and you are enjoying the view outdoors.

Assurance for Pink Saturday and Beyond

A clip board of brown and silver, the stress relief painting provides, a Beautiful Assurance of Hope and Comfort for me both a few years ago when I painted it and again today as the world seems to be changing too fast.



When I sing this song and remember these words, I feel wrapped in a huge Hug of Peace and Comfort.



Then the world looks as bright as the First Day!

Happy Pink Saturday,
Melissa

For more Pink Saturday Yummies, visit Beverly at How Sweet The Sound!