Purse update..

The Make It Mine Magazine Purse contest ended June 18th, and they have announced the winners. This little rag purse did not make the cut, sadly. To see the three winners, click to this link.. http://cs.makeitminemag.com/mimcs/blogs/makeitmine/2008/06/25/make-it-mine-s-make-it-a-purse-challenge-winners-are.aspx
I cannot tell you though, how much fun it was to use the small scraps of fabric in all the delightful colors and patterns and sizes.. I loved sitting and watching TV and "snipping and ripping" as Jackie would say.. Tying the strips together, knitting them up..
The texture of the fabric and the knots was a wonderful feeling to knit with.
I loved the results and encourage anyone who knits to try using fabric as a new medium. The tactile ripping, tying, knitting and the stretch and give of the fabric, the color combinations is a delightful experience. I get comments all the time about this little purse and love to tell the questioning person about where the fabrics came from. Thanks for listening to this ramble!

As if..

Lately I find myself crafting more, blogging less. These are gift bags I decorated with leftover scrapping supplies. Each gift was a piece of jewelry for the ladies I work with at Jackie Clark Designs. I can't stop making things, and they are often the recipients of my craft experiments or my shopping spree's from the week between our meetings.
This little charm is a scaled down copy of the front cover of Jackie's project book "A Mother's Love". It was a gift for Beverly, who is part of Jackie's design team and who is the proud mother of the cover model, Courtney. Courtney's son (Bev's first grandchild) is the beautiful baby model on this cover. When I made the charm bracelet for Jackie, I thought it would be a sweet keep sake for Bev or for Courtney to have a charm as well.
For Jackie, I found this darling little sewing machine and added a sterling and turquoise heart charm from an old necklace I had. I LOVE to remake things. The tags are scrapping supplies that were left over from other projects. I made some earrings for Claudia, but the photo didn't turn out so great.
When I am not making messes, I am resting on the couch and watching television, dreaming of the things I want to do next, avoiding house work and hoping no one notices. The dogs always notice and are delighted that I am lying prone for a snuggle.
This is the chaos of moving my craft room again, sorting clothes for the garage sale we had last month and evidence that I shouldn't ever step foot into another thrift store again. It boggles the mind that I have time to lie on the couch which is hidden behind this bohemoth mountain of clothing and fabric. AS IF.. No, I don't have time, but I do try to make the time, isn't that right, Ladies?

KS My Stitch: More May Photos

Stephanie's knitted purse, made from recycled fabric, buttons, & handles from another purse. Stephanie has entered her purse into a contest. If you go to http://www.makeitminemag.com/ under community click on "Challenge Gallery" you will see Steph's purse. We all wish you a lot of luck! I think you have a winner.

KS My Stitch: More May Photos

Last month I went to the KS My Stitch crochet guild.. empty handed, sort of. I did not complete the crochet assignment. Surprise. I have found that I don't follow directions well. I don't like to count my stitches, patterns are hard. I'm just not good at it and heaven forbid I should do something that is difficult and challenging.

So I took my knitted purse and Tamara was sweet to include it on their blog. She is learning to post and take and upload pictures.. it's been fun to see everyone's projects.

The meetings are fun, but truly, I am not a crochet artist. I'm a lazy knitter.

So here it is, by begging for votes for this contest I entered. If you follow the link above that Tamara so sweetly included in her post, you can register to vote. My little red and green knitted purse is there waiting for some of your love.

Look, this ugly mugly picture of me is just evidence that I need something good and exciting in my life!!

Thanks!

Sentimental Fool

It's summer, life is crazy as usual, but now with my gang in tow. Things have been turned upside down in our household since the last semester of school. Lauren, our teen found herself fighting a drug addiction and subsequently failing school. We had a rough start, but our family was fortunate because Lauren desired to go to drug treatment. She has had clean drug tests, met all the assignments and tasks that treatment and DCCCA have outlined for her. We stumble a lot, we have moments that feel like our family has come undone. But when we remember what we are supposed to be doing, loving each other, learning, talking, trying, accepting and being responsible - we seem to be able to pull ourselves out of the tailspin quickly. I have had the most unbelievable support system of family and friends. Wise women who have raised their children well and have gone through this before me, advising me, praying for me and loving me even when I don't feel very lovable. This album was created for a gift that I sent to my mother-in-law in Florida for her 70th birthday last month. I scanned it into my computer and used smilebox to make my own home-version I can visit when ever I want to. I thought it might be hard to make a happy album about my family when sometimes it doesn't seem very happy here, or the occupants of my home seem miserable. But it was easy. I still see the people I love, the people I want to help, to protect, to know, to grow with and share with. I still see my home as a loving place, a safe place, a place of love. I just see that it is also a place that shelters a teen and a tween and parents that need to be able to adapt to those needs. Perilous, yes, scary and sometimes very painful.. but so worthwhile when they smile. Thank you Lauren, for being who you are, every moment. Thank you Jim, for holding my hand, thank you Justin for being a brother, a son and a fine young man.

How Exciting!

This post could get complicated, but the simplest version.. Once upon a time I decorated the home of a wonderful gentleman here in Wichita.. it was my first REAL job that wasn't for family or friends, but a REAL client. As my health would have it, he was my last REAL client. After completing his home, I had to retire from decorating.
But LOOK! His home was featured in Wichita Magazine! http://www.wichitacitymag.com/Wichita/May-2008/Where-a-Blue-Blooded-Scotsman-Calls-Home/

This is what the room looked like when I took the job. He called it a Mary Kay house.
This is during the interum while we waited for the curtains I designed to be sewn. My mother was my assistant and my friend Lori did the faux painting on the columns. Together, Lori and I silver-leafed the ceiling over this beautiful contemporary dining set he purchased. Altogether, we re-purposed, refurnished, re-painted, re-accessorized and updated every room in his home, except the kitchen. The baby grand piano shown in the before picture is now in a study and surrounded by Tony's art.

How exciting. My only real job, and I made it into a magazine (local.. but, I'll take it!). Awesome, fun!

Missing in action..

I've been busy. Crazy. Then busy, then crazy-busy. My computer was ill and did not like the internet for about two weeks. I was forced to read blogs at other people's homes, on strange computers. Then, hubby lent our camera to his brother and I nearly had to be committed. No computer, no camera, no life. I did get creative and made lots of jewelry and trinkets and did lots of knitting and some sewing. This purse is one of the knitting-sewing combo's I worked on last week. It is made by tying together 2" by 10-16" scraps of fabric and then knitting them into a rectangle. I sewed a lining and gussetts for the sides and then added bamboo handles I took off a Goodwill purse I bought just for the handles. One of the many things that I had on my mind during my computer and photography black out was a contest I considered entering. The magazine "Make It Mine" is having a contest which challenges you to make a purse from unusual items. There is a small prize, but mostly I just wanted to see what would happen if I tried it. So, if you go to http://www.makeitminemag.com/ and under "Community" click on "Challenge Gallery", my little purse should be showing up there as a contestant. The last time I entered a contest like this I was in 4th grade and it was a Bake-Off. I won a blue ribbon for the cookies I made.. but this is a whole other kind of ball park. Wish me some luck!

Babies!

The babies are visiting. Some time ago I started calling them Sugar Babies instead of Sugar Gliders..
Elvis is in the building.. and so is Jackson, and Priscilla and Tipsy - Momma needs shoe money! This is my baby, Justin, 8 snuggling with Jackson, the sweet and gentle and fun-loving sugar glider. Guess who's a daddy? Jackson! Priscilla has two little peanut sized squirming babies in her pouch! You can see them practically doing back flips in there when she holds on to the side of her cage. I have no idea when we will see a baby, but could be a few more weeks. My sister had surgery and is doing well, but needed someone to take care some of her babies until she is strong enough to multi-task through life with children, work, pets, pets, pets and housework again. So I am getting lots of time to get to know all the babies one on one.
This is Elvis. We are getting to be pals. He isn't grumpy or sassy like in the past. He is mellowing out. We snuggled on the couch and watched a movie the other day. Last night I let him spend some time in a little toy tent that he is perched on in this picture. He was being adventurous and sneaked out the top and climbed under the blanket on the ottoman and "hid" from me.
This is the little tent and his dish cloth that he sleeps on. The tear on his ear is from Jackson when Priscilla came to live with them. Jackson won the fight and Elvis and Priscilla are a couple.
This is Tipsy. She has had a long stay this time. Eleven days this visit. Here for the entire meltdown I had over the last two weeks or so over my daughter and some "teenage-life-sucks-I-hate-you-I'm-running-away-crap" that moms must go through as part of some secret "life-as-Mom-initiation-torture-session" that can only be slightly less painful than dental surgery sans anesthetic. I have been accepted into the society and recognized as a worthy party member. This photo is from my week long love affair I was having with reality TV and my sofa. Tipsy loves when I am depressed because I loaf and she snuggles. I think this was day three of my establishing my sofa empire, no care for personal hygene, no consideration for wardrobe (note the American "Pride" Tshirt- I'm pretty sure I had NO pride). Tipsy cared not. I cared even less.
Today, I was however dressed, accessorized, lip gloss flawlessly applied and on time for work for Dad - day two. One can only hide for so long and I can only be homely for so long before I snap out of it. I do have a certain admiration for women who can truly not give a hoot - permanently.. but I am far too vain. I do have to finally roll my face in the make-up trough and put on some high heels or I just can't take it.
The discord in our family has been healed for the time being and was properly celebrated by my daughter and I spending the evening shoe shopping. Glory be and thank heavens for a good Payless BOGO sale. Shopping heals many things..priceless.

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Growing

I have been growing. Not really by choice. Growth is painful. It requires introspection, quite reflection, willingness to hear and see criticism of oneself. These are all very difficult ways to spend your time if you are by nature easily distracted and have become too comfortably numbed by the little life you have carved out for yourself that never requires you to challenge your beliefs. Teenagers will if nothing else, challenge the status quo. I have one, and she has rocked my paddle boat the last few months and made me wish I were instead piloting a freighter in the turmoil of her emotional ocean.

I haven't checked in, I haven't posted or taken photographs or replied to congenial emails for quite some time because I have had very little that is perky or inspirational or in any way constructive to communicate. It is as though someone pushed the pause button right in the middle of my all day movie marathon and I just stopped being for a while. I have spent a lot of time in my pajamas, questionable amounts of time in the bathtub reading, bizarre amounts of time watching VH1 reality TV and a little bit of time at the local police department. Mostly I smelled bad, nothing I wore made sense, all foods consumed were of sandwich material and I memorized the various buttons on the remote control so I could navigate the channels in the event someone left me in the living room on the couch with the lights out as they went to bed.
I spent some time in the fetal position. I cursed. I cried. I created a new universe around my spot on the sofa. I was in mommy hell.
We are still working on things. There is more to come. I wish I were stronger and could say I'll never let my life take such a turn again, I'll never let myself get so emotional about something I have so little control over. But it's only Monday, and I just can't make that kind of commitment right now. I know I still have growing pains -a - commin'.
I missed my blog world.. can't wait to get back on track again. I will pray for all the mommies.

Showin' off a little

It's no secret that I love the Goodwill, thrift stores, garage sales- any form of resale shopping.
This week was the mother load. My friend Amy and I went to Burlington Coat Factory for their clearance sale.. usually not my first stop for clothing, but was assured clearance was the bomb.. $0.99 to $9.99 - practically thrift prices. We were shopping for a friend who gave Amy $100.00 to pick out anything Amy thought she could use, wear or needed. HELLO. Love to shop with other people's money. We found lots, this gal is a size 2/Small. But I was also shopping for myself and my daughter. Found a cart full and had good luck with fits. Spent too much, but was worth the money for how much I got! The table above came into my possession on Tuesday when I went to the Goodwill with Mom. She was looking for a shelf. I was not looking for anything. I was poor from shopping at Burlington. BUT, this great table was there and it had four great chairs. Its an oval refractory table that extends to 10 feet. The chairs were in good shape. It was $100.00 with the chairs. UGH. I didn't have $100.00. There was a lady standing nearby watching us wiggle and bounce and tug on everything to see what the condition was. She shared that there was a KFDI customer appreciation 1/2 price coupon that you could use on your entire purchase. Enough said. See my new $50.00 desk? In the kitchen are the "free" chairs.