::JOIN ME::

I finally joined pinterest.  Lotsa fun and a great way to have all my fave inspirational pics in one place.

I have only made three boards so far, but check it out.

 

Pin It Now!

::HANDMADE HOLIDAYS:::

Have you checked out all the great links for handmade holiday ideas?  I am sure pinterest has a ton of them.  I don't pin, so I wouldn't know.  I am still old school.

This year I am trying go handmade on the wrapping.  I also wanted to make some new ornaments for our tree as well as make some for family that will be visiting soon.

This year I am choosing to use brown kraft paper as the wrapping and embelish with some simple ribbon or yarn.  I have been finding some really cool tags to add to these gifts.  Here are a few links to some lovely tags that these bloggers have made as a freebie.

http://www.kindovermatter.com/2010/12/free-printable-holiday-wine-gift-tags.html

http://www.belvederedesignsblog.com/2010/12/free-printable-holiday-gift-tags.html

Also, check out Emily over at http://jonesdesigncompany.com/
Here is the link for her lovely gift tags:
http://jonesdesigncompany.com/holiday/christmas-goodies-week-gift-tags/

I have fallen in love with all the lovely clay tags I have seen on etsy.  So many pretty and unique tags.  My all time faves are from Jami over at http://www.freckledlaundry.com/
Check out this post and you will know what I mean.
http://www.freckledlaundry.com/2011/11/e.html  Are they not fabulous.  Simple, yet elegant.  That's me all over.

If you would like to make some of your own this year as well pop on over to Craft Snob blog.  Allison of http://www.littleloveliesbyallison.com/ shares a step-by-step tutorial with pictures. 

Here is a sample of her tags.


photo by Allison of http://www.littleloveliesbyallison.com/

I will be back over the weekend to share some handmade holiday gifts and hopefully my version of the clay tags I will be putting on my tree this year.

Until then, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!Pin It Now!

LIINKY LOVE

Hi there!
sorry I have been scarce lately.  I have been working a littlle extra at work.  By the time I come home from running errands and doing housework, I am too tired to do a project, document it and post about it.  I do however, find time to surf.

I have some more linky love for you.  There are truly some talented folks out there that DIY their home beautiful.  Like Pottery Barn beautiful.  Go check out Shannon and Dean at  AKA Design.  They are participating in Crafting with Stars challenge. There most recent post caught my eye.  This round they were supposed to create something with pallets.  I fell in love with this......it's an ottoman they created.  Guess what??? They even show you how they made it. 

Shannon and Dean at http://akadesign.ca/

They have a great tutorial for the Pottery Barn inspired number canvas.  Don't fear if you don't have a silhouette or cricut.  They show you how to achieve it and on a dollar store budget!  You can't beat that.

http://akadesign.ca/?p=4633

Lotsa bloggers are doing the 31 day thing....you know, 31 days to a handmade Christmas, 31 days to better photography....well, you get the idea.  Kelly over at Imperfect Homemaking is doing 31 days to an organized home. Yep, I was all over that.  I have been perusing her posts and she has some great ideas.  If you are looking to get your home organized before the holidays, you will need to pop on over there and check it out.  Here is the link:
http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/2011/10/day-two-organized-coat-closet.html

Enjoy your weekend!Pin It Now!

:::SOME INSPIRATION FOR YOU:::

I am always  amazed by the creativity I see on etsy.  So many talented people out there and so many unique things to use for your home that are decorative or practical.

Check out this chalkboards.  I think they are totally cool and have never seen anything like it before.  They are chalkboard tablets.  

source:  Peg and Awl on etsy

No more searching for scrap paper or buying writing tablets or post-its.   I think these are really unique and functional.

You can purchase them from Peg and Awl on etsy at the link below.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/73939756/trio-of-chalkboard-tablets

Go check out Lil Boo Blue's chalkboard tags tutorial.  She is doing a great series on getting organized.
http://www.lilblueboo.com/2011/08/chalkboard-tags-a-tutorial.html

Christmas will be here before we know it and I am getting ready to make my own cards this year.  I love to stamp and have a wonderful Christmas set I intend to use.  I also will be making some clay tags as well.  I just love the simplicity of these and all the wonderful creative ways to use them.   Pop on over to
B & B's nest and check out her tutorial on how to make clay tags.  Here is a sample of some of her clay tags

http://www.bandbsnestinteriors.com/2011/08/transformation-tuesday-clay-tags.html

I will be back on Friday with a giveaway so be sure to come back.Pin It Now!

::CABBAGES AND ROSES::

I am beyond excited that Cabbages and Roses have collaborated with MODA and will be selling a  quilting line of fabric here in the good ole US of A !   What's even more exciting is that the Fat Quarter Shop already has it in stock. You can check it out at the link below.  The new line is called Northcote Range.

http://www.fatquartershop.com/Northcote-Range-Cabbages-and-Roses-Moda-Fabrics.asp?Store_Id=499&T=1

I have adored their fabrics for a couple of years now, but never have been able to purchase any yardage.  I love the beautiful, airy flower prints and the lovely striped fabrics.  Their fabrics caught my eye because they have a wonderful cottage feel to them. 

This blue and white collection is just lovely.  I love  how they mix it with the stripes on this bedding.  So pretty.

Cabbages and Roses

Their photographic styling is just as yummy as their fabrics.

Cabbages and Roses

check the MODA website,  or call 800-527-9447 or send an email to service@unitednotions.com for stockists.

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:::READ ANY GOOD LITERATURE LATELY???::::

When I was younger I was an avid reader.  I read everything and always had a book in my hand.  I was even known to be so engrossed in a book  that I would try and read at the dinner table...or worse yet ..the bathroom!  Ha, I know, it sounds silly.

As I grew older and married and had children, magazines became my reading source.  I only had short spans of time to read and novels weren't it.  Now that my children are older, I make it a habit to read at least one novel a year.  The novel I pick usually gets read when we are on vacation.

This year were traveling to PA to help a friend celebrate her 50th birthday and I asked the hubs to pick me up a magazine before we got on the plane.  Yeah, I know, some reading habits are hard to break.  Anyhow, he came back with a book.  A book that had 527 pages.  I was like, "What's this?  I asked you to get me a magazine."  He said, " I saw this and remembered you said you wanted to see it, but I thought you might like to read the book first."  Know what book I am talking about?

If you guessed......

You were right if you guessed  THE HELP.  The hubs picked a winner of a book. It was just like being a teenager all over again.  I took this book every where.  I read it all the way to PA.  Two planes and a layover.  I read it on my free time while we were in PA and then I read it all week and two planes and a layover on the way back.  Great book!  Did you know that the the woman who wrote the book is a first time author? 

An added bonus for me was actually being able to meet someone from the movie.  On my second leg back to New Orleans, I sat by a woman and her husband.  She saw that I was reading the book and asked if I was enjoying it.  I said, "Yes, I am.  I am half way through the book.  I want to read it all before I see the movie."  She shared with me that she actually worked on the movie in the costuming department and said that they used vintage clothing and that some of the stuff was so old, that it was falling apart.   She said the movie was pretty true to the book...and she was right for the most part.

So, if you are looking for a good read or a good movie to see check out THE HELP!  I am giving the book and the movie two thumbs up.



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:::MAY WE NEVER FORGET::::

09/11/01

May we never forget those men and women who lost their lives on that terrible day.

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::WHAT I HAVE BEEN UP TO::

Hi All!  Hope everyone has had a wonderful summer.  I have been busy here pretty much taking the summer off.  My posts were scarce.

I decided to take the summer off.  I visited with our extended family and spent time with my immediate family an spent some time in the yard.  

School started here for my son.  He is a senior this year and is playing football again.  It will be a  busy year for him and us.  We also sent our daughter off to college. (insert teary eyed mama here.)  We enjoyed spending some time together  at the local antique stores this summer. Sharing sewing ideas and just sitting around watching movies and stuffing our faces with ice cream or some other type of sweet.

I also started back to work.  I work part time with preschool age children.  I enjoy working with them and the flexibility of my schedule.

I am going to be doing a little changing around of things.  I may makeover the blog page and give it a little spice.  I also will only be posting on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.  This will allow me time to think up blog posts, complete projects, etc.

Stay tuned because I will be having a giveaway next week!

Have a great day!
Pin It Now!

::BACK TO BASICS::

As you may have read from the previous post we have lots to care for in the way or produce right in our own backyard.

I noticed a few weeks ago when I was grocery shopping that bread was incredibly expensive.  I had mentioned to the hubby that I will have to start baking bread again. He was happy to hear that.  Homemade bread is so much better for you.  No preservatives and it's FRESH!  Only down side is that it gets eaten a lot faster.

When our children were younger we had to watch the budget very closely.  We didn't have a lot to just willy nilly spend on anything frivleous.  I did what I could to save money where I could.  I shopped thrift stores and sewed.  One area I noticed where there was a great opportunity to save money was the grocery bill.  I had the most fun coming up with meals that were inexpensive and filling and nutritous.  I tried to shop stores like Aldi's when I could.  I also found out that Wal Mart is by far the best place to shop for sundries.  They have the best price.  Fast forward about ten or more years and while we are in a better place financially, I still find myself going back to the basics.

All this to say that in the past few weeks we have started baking bread again.  Our daughter came home from work last week and the first thing out of her mouth was, "MMM, the house smells just like it did when we were little, are you baking bread?" 

Here is a little peek into what I was doing in the kitchen this morning.

I love my glass pinch bowls.  I a  foodnetwork junkie and when I saw these at Kohl's a while back, I just had to have them....only because I have a bad habit of talking when I am measuring things out for a recipe and can't remember what all I measured.  These nifty little bowls help me out.  I premeasure everything that way if anyone is talking to me, I don't mismeasure anything.

I wasn't able to get a picture of it when it was done cooking.  I will be baking another loaf or two today, so hopefully I can show you the bread in all it's yummy goodness.  Don't you just love the smell of baking bread?  We do!Pin It Now!

::THE BACKYARD FARM::

We decided to plant a garden... again.  The first one we ever planted was when we lived in Illinois.  I can't tell you how excited I was to see and eat all the tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers we grew that year. 

Today I want to share with you our garden here in Louisiana.  We are learning about gardening in here.  For one thing, it's very HOT here in LA and there is lots of  watering that needs to be done.  We also learned that we need to plant the garden a little earlier than we did.  We started planting late May early June.  When really, we should of started probably in March or April.

 We decided to grow cucumbers, squash, zucchini , watermelon and cantalopes.  We have yielded some nice yellow crook neck squash and cucumbers.  We just started seeing a couple of tomatoes and we have a couple of big cantalopes out there.  By the way, cantalopes and watermelon take a lot of space to grow. I know we read that on the back of the seed packet, but seriously, I didn't think it would be like wildfire.   They are all over the place.  Haven't seen any zucchini yet.

Okay, enough of my blabbering on.  Here are some shots of the backyard farm.

see how big the tomato plant got?  We saw blooms, but no totmatoes.  This pic was taken a couple of weeks ago.

Here is a pic of the zuccinin (far right), then the squash (middle) and on the left of the pic is the cantalope.  To the right of this raised bed is a fig tree and a satsuma orange tree.

                          Doesn't that fig look delicious?  We still aren't sure what kind of fig tree it is.

Can you see them?  They are grapes.  Muscadine grapes to be exact.  They grow over the swing wooden porch swing area that the previous owner built.

Here are some Satsuma oranges.  We also have meyer lemons too, but I can't differentiate them in the pics.  They are both green now.  They won't harvest until fall sometime.  I will be sure to share more pics then.

Satsuma oranges.

Well, there is a gracious plenty to take care of out there.  I need to get off this computer and go pull some of those weeds you saw in the picture and water, water, water. 

I will leave you with the picture below.  The only good light in our kitchen area was on the window ledge.

Enjoy!

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::COTTAGE DREAMING::

I am wanting to sprinkle a little Americana around the house for the July 4th weekend.  I have some ideas in mind that I am hoping to show you all later in the week.

In the meantime, I have been wanting to make my family room a little more cottagey.  I have been playing over at http://www.polyvore.com/

Here is a board I came up with.

I have been talking about slipcovering my wing chair and english chair forever!  I am thinking maybe in denim.  Not sure.  We'll see if I can find some on sale.  I also would like to change out my side tables.  We have square ones that are pretty functional and unique, but I think there is too much squareness going on in this room and I think that round rattan table would work so much better.  Not to mention bring in some texture.  Next up I  think we are in need of a console table behind the sofa.  Right now we have a really nice Woolrich coffee table behind that has shelving; but I am looking for something a little more sofa height.  I really like the style of the one above as it has drawers and a shelf.  I like the shelf so that I can put some baskets on it.  I desperately need some storage baskets to house everyones junk that they leave  lying around.  One for each family member.  I am constantly finding myself cleaning up everyones junk before I house clean and this would be great to have to just throw everything in it's respective container and clean away.  I also like the top surface for lamps and  as a decorative space.  What do you think of those white dipped baskets up there?  They are different.  Love that.

Hope everyone has a great day!Pin It Now!

OUTDOOR SUMMER ENTERTAINING

Wouldn't you love to host an outdoor summer soiree with some close friends? 

If it wasn't so oprressively hot here in Louisiana, I would love to host an outdoor summer soiree.  The hubs and I like easy entertaining.  To us, that means, a laid back casual atmosphere.  We want folks to come in and feel right at home and kick their shoes off and enjoy the food, fun and the fellowship.

So, the first thing I would think of would be the menu.  We typically like to provide the drinks and the main dish and let our guests bring the side dishes or desserts.  This way everyone feels they have contributed; not to mention it's a great way to share recipes.

So what do you think about outdoor summer entertaining?  Would you be more apt to do it if you had everthing ready to go and didn't have to shop?  I know I would.   I would like to introduce you to
Diane of  http://inmyownstyle.com/   She recently  wrote a post on how to be "party ready." 

Click the link below to get the low down on the picture below.  Diane shares with you what she stocks in her party basket,  improptu tips and some printables.
http://inmyownstyle.com/2011/06/are-you-party-ready.html


                                    photo by:  Diane of  http://inmyownstyle.com/


Once you are done reading about being party ready, you will have to check out her tutorial on her outdoor candle lanterns.  I am telling you , this gal is clever .  Take a look at this outdoor lantern.

                                               photo by: Diane of http://inmyownstyle.com/

Isn't it chic? Doesn't it look high end?   It's so much more attractive than those tiki torches with the citronella candles that we all  tend to use.  Click the link below to see how she made it.  You won't believe it.
  http://inmyownstyle.com/2011/06/trash-and-thrift-store-treasure-outdoor-candle-lantern.html

You can't leave Diane's blog without taking her home tour.  She has a lovely home.  The photos she shares are pure eye candy and you will be inspired.  As a matter of fact, as I was looking at her home tour, I fell in love  with these french enameled numbered tags.



If you have been coming to my blog any length of time you know I  love typography and anything with numbers. Lately,  I also have been drawn to  anything french related.  I have adored  the french enameled tags I have been seeing all over the blogosphere, but just knew I couldn't afford them.   So , imagine my surprise when I was perusing her side bar and saw she had a tutorial on how to make those numbered tags.    I plan on making some of these.  If you would like the tutorial here is the link.
http://inmyownstyle.com/2010/07/how-to-make-french-enameled-numbered-tags.html

                                                                       photo by Diane of http://inmyownstyle.com/    

Grab a cuppa ice cold sweet tea and pop on over to Diane's blog  and tell her Cheryl sent ya.

Now go out and get PARTY READY for your next summer soiree!                                                                   Pin It Now!

:::LINKY LOVE:::

Just sharing a little linky love with you all.  I have been surfing blogs the past couple of days to get inspired and have come across some very cool stuff.

Check out how to make your own DIY matchbox over at
http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/2011/06/baby-food-container-matchbox-tutorial.html

I thought this was so clever.  This would make a great gift with other grilling accessories for Dad on Father's Day.


Then, stop by Stephanie Lynn's
http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2011/06/make-your-own-printed-fabric-photo.html
She will share a step-by-step tutorial on how to make your own DIY canvas.  Another great idea for a Fgather's Day gift.  Be sure to check out her sidebar for tutorials for all the other cool projects she has done.

Lastly, I love totes and purses and generally any kind of bag or bin that you can store things in.  I fell in love with the details of this bag. below.

photo by Megan at

http://craftycpa.blogspot.com/



I also love anything with ticking on it.  Doesn't matter what color ticking.  If you like this bag, she gives a step-by-step tutorial on how to make it.  Isn't she sweet?
click the link below to take you to the tutorial for the bag.
http://craftycpa.blogspot.com/2011/05/return-on-creativity-squatty-tote-bag.html

Heading out to visit family so I will be out of pocket next week.
Enjoy your weekend!Pin It Now!

::SWEET SHOT TUESDAY::

I have sort of a trip tych of sorts for you.

The first photo is of our an orange growing on our orange tree just after a morning rain.  The next shot is of a zinnia in our garden and the very last shot is a pic of our birdbath in our backyard.  I was looking for insteresting things that had good composition.

I loved the orange with the drops of water on it and was trying my hardest to capture the drops so that they were crisp.  The zinnia I loved for its intense color and beauty.  I liked the birdbath for the way the leaf was lying in there and all the texture in that photo.

I hope you enjoy my sweet shots and when you are done looking, please hop on over to Darcy's and check out the others.  I amazed by all the sweet shots each week.  Just click on the box below.



Have a great day!Pin It Now!

::SWEET SHOT TUESDAY::

I have been enjoying participating at Darcy's sweet shot Tuesday's for teh past month.  Last week a fellow participant took some great shots of clouds.  She inspired me last week to do the same.  We had a great  sunset with a beautiful orange reflecting on the clouds and it looked so beautiful, I wanted to capture that very moment.

Unfortunately, I don't think I captured that deep orange glow reflection.  But I did capture the full, billowiness (is that even a word?)the cloud.

Enjoy your Memorial Day and stay safe and don't forget to stop by Darcy's to check out all the other sweet shots.

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::EWENIQUE MEMORIES:: Masterbedroom makeover across the miles::

Here is the first installment of my hand at helping a friend redecorate a master bedroom.

Gen and I have been blog buddies for a long time now and thought it would be fun to share her makeover on my blog.  Make sure you stop by her blog and say "HI" after you read this post.
http://eweniquetreasures.blogspot.com/
Gen was wanting to redo her bedroom a few months back and asked me if I would help her with the redecorating.  Here is the kicker though.  It would be a long distance makeover as she lives in VA and I live in LA.

We started  with her sending me some pics of the room she had to work with.  Then we talked about what style or direction she wanted to move into to achieve the look she was going for. 

Gen had one big piece of furniture that would be staying.  A sleigh bed that had good bones, but the color just wasn't right.  We did a storyboard over at Polyvore to get an idea of what she wanted the room to look like.   Here it is:

Doesn't that look comfy and inviting?  I thought so and was eager to help her achieve it. 

The bedroom was pretty juvenille to start with.  Wide pink stripes on the walls and some tired berber carpet.

No questions asked about the pink stripes.  We both agreed they had to go.  Below is a picture of what the room looked like after she painted.

As you can see in the pic above this room has slanted ceilings on each side.  She also had too much furniture in this room.  So we talked deleting some of the furnitue pieces and placing them  into a sitting room.  We also talked about painting out her sleigh bed and doing drop cloth curtains on the window.  I have read that a decorating no no is to NOT place a bed in front of a window, but in Gen's case I think it really did a lot for this room. 

Stay tuned tomorrow to see some of the ideas she put into place and a cool transformation on the bed.

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::SWEET SHOT TUESDAY::

Hi there!
Hope everyone is doing well.  I have been enjoying participating in Darcy's Sweet Shot Tuesday for the past three weeks.  So much fun to see what other folks are capturing and even more fun sharing  what I have captured.

This past November we went to my husbands cousins wedding in Florida.  They had the numptials on the beach.  It was chilly, but beautiful nonetheless.  For my sweet shot I captured his cousins nieces  enjoying the tide and sand.  I hadn't ventured out into manual mode at this point yet.  If I had, I would of had a better ISO on this shot. 

They do look darling though with the bows and dresses.  Loved the blue color with the dark contrasting sash. So pretty.

Let me know what you think of my sweet shot and then hop on over to Darcy's to check all the others out. Just click on the button below.

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:::SWEET SHOT TUESDAY:::

I am participating in Darcy's sweet shot Tuesdays again over at:

 

I have so many different rose bushes that vary in color, I thought I would share yet another beautiful rose.



Check out the intensity of the scarlett red color.  I believe this is one of our Knockout Roses.  Isn't that a great name?  The color just knocks you out.

Don't forget, if you have time, stop by Darcy's and check out all the other sweet shots.

http://my3boybarians.com/2011/05/sweet-shot-tuesday-55/

Have a blessed day!

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::SWEET SHOT TUESDAY...A Rose is but a Rose::

For those that frequent my blog you know that I love photography.  I have been taken lots of pics this past  year to get the hang of using my camera.  I have been venturing out into manual mode and have been enjoying playing with the aperture and shutter speeds, etc. 

Today is the first time I am participating in
 


Here is my first picture I am sharing with:

I love roses and our new home has tons of rose bushes around here and I love taking pics of them. So many different varieties and colors.  Of course, pink is my favorite.  Not sure what variety this is.  If anyone knows, please share.

Go check out some of the sweet shots over at Darcy's.    There are some great amateur photographer's out there.  Just regular folks like you and me.

Have a great day!Pin It Now!

::HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY::

photo by: http://canadiancottage.blogspot.com/

Hope all my blogger buddies are having a wonderful Mother's Day!

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::EWENIQUE MEMORIES::

You are probably wondering what I am talking about.  Well, my friend Gen and I have decided to do a makeover.  That's right, a long distance makeover.  She has a master bedroom that she has been wanting to make over so that it's comfy, inviting and a great place to sleep and relax.  She asked me to help her out.  We bounced some ideas off of one another and she put them into place.  I will be chroniciling  her master bedroom makeover from start to finish here on my blog.  So stay tuned.

Have a great day!
CherylPin It Now!

::HAPPY SPRING::

Hello!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter with their families!

Sorry for the long blog break.  A good part of March I was sick.  Had a bad upper respiratory infection and then got and ear infection.  Couple all that with bad allergies (it's our first spring in Louisiana) .  Through the whole thing I ended up losing my sense of taste and smell.  That was the worst of it all.  I really didn't enjoy eating because everything I ate didn't taste like anything at all.   All is well now though.

I will for sure be sharing my new sewing machine cover with you and a couple of other projects as well....really.

Have a great day!Pin It Now!

;;ARE YOU TIRED OF LINEN YET?::

So, I still have some linen left.  A very little bit. 

I am not sure if I ever mentioned how I acquired it.  Long story short I had an 84 inch linen curtain panel I bought at Target on clearance.  Ended up never using it because our windows here were much longer.

So far, I have made the crochet case holder and the ruler holder that you saw in the previous post and I also made a baby blanket for a new momma at church.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able get a pic of that.  But rest assured it was lovely.  I had backed it with some baby blue chenille.  I loved the feel of the linen and the chenille together.  Hoping to make one for myself to drape over our couch.

If you haven't noticed yet, all my linen projects have been instant gratification projects.  Small projects that I can finish in about an hour.  With the last piece of linen and some scrap fabric I hope to make this.

photo:

http://bloomandblossom.blogspot.com/search/label/Australian%20Homespun%20projects

She used some lovely fabric scraps and I love the measuring tape fabric on there and the button.  But what really makes it sahweet is the word "stitch."  She actually had written this pattern and it was in Australian Homespun magazine.

Hope everyone is having a great week.

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:: LINEN, LINKY LOVE::

LINEN......

I shared in a previous post I was at my sewing machine recently and have enjoyed making a few things with some linen.  Finally, some pics to share with you.  I have been wanting to make a crochet needle case for a long while now.  I found an awesome tutoroial a while back and thought I would give it a whirl.   Christina at http://www.sometimescrafter.blogspot.com/ did a great job with the  tutorial.  I am happy with my crochet case.    I used linen for the outer fabric and  a Glacee paisely print on the inside.  I just love it.  LOL, don't look too close.  I need to practice sewing a straight line some more.

Next project I worked on was a sleeve for my 24 inch quilting ruler.  I am really loving how this turned out a lot.  So much so that I plan to make one for my 45 degree quilting ruler.  I have been wanting to mix media and textiles for sometime now and finally did it.  I am happy with  the outcome of this project and plan to do more mixed media projects in the future.

LINKS.........

Lastly, I have some links to share with you.  I have been surfing and have been inspired.  So, thought I would pass on the inspiration.

First up is Christina  from http://sometimescrafter.blogspot.com/2008/12/tutorial-rachels-crochet-hook-case.html
This gal can quilt and sew up some awesome projects.  As a matter of fact, Christina is the one responsible for the awesome tutorial for the crochet hook case.  Pop buy her blog and be inspired.  If you would like the link for the crochet hook case, click here
http://sometimescrafter.blogspot.com/2008/12/tutorial-rachels-crochet-hook-case.html and click the link provided in the post.

Second, if you haven't heard of Miss Mustard Seed you are in for a treat.  Marian is a sweet, talented gal.  She shares all her wisdom on refinishing furniture that she has found curbside or Goodwill finds, etc.  She also sews.  She has said she doesn't enjoy it much, but she is pretty good at it.  You have to check out her dining room here.
http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-dining-table.html

She recently shared part I of her video slipcover series.   Part I is all about piping and how to make it.   Here is the link
http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/2011/02/video-slipcover-series-part-1-custom.html

Pop over and say "hello" to Marian and grab a cuppa and surf around her blog a bit.

Okay, that's it for a couple of days.  Gonna be a busy week this with normal day to day duties and I am hoping to sew some more.  Later in the week I will share  with you a spot I am hoping to carve out for my creative space.  The mini sewing studio if you will.   Would love to hear your ideas on how I can make the most of this possible space with what I have.

Enjoy your week!Pin It Now!

:::SEWING:::

I had the pleasure of sewing this weekend.  I had some fun making a couple of practical projects with linen.  It's my new fave fabric of choice.  Pair it with a lovely quilting cotton and you got a sweet project.

I had to work later than usual today.  By the time I got home I had to move into mom/wife mode.  We have one down with the flu; one recovering from the flu and two of us still healthy.  Woo hoo!  Let's hope the last two of us stay healthy and don't get the flu.

Long story short by the time I took care of the family there wasn't good light to take pics of my projects.  Hoping to get home on time tomorrow and take some pics of new linen projects to share with you all.

Hope everyone had a great day!Pin It Now!

::WHAT I HAVE BEEN UP TO::

My camera lense has been on the fritz of late and that's why you haven't seen any posts with my pics.  I do have some projects that I have jotted down on paper that I have dreamed up.  I would love to sit down and sew them up and make them come to life, but I have been doing a bit of this.  Can you guess what it is???


If you guessed a guitar you are right.  I signed up to take some lessons.  So, in my spare time I have been practicing.

I have also been doing some reading.  I splurged on myself at Christmas and bought myself this book.

I did a review of this book a while back based on flipping through it at Barnes and Noble.  Well, now I have this baby in my  hot little hands and I gotta tell ya hands down this is the best sewing book I have in my sewing library.  Deborah has  step-by-step photos of what she is explaining and it also comes with a CD as well which has patterns on it.  Very well done.  If you don't have this one in your sewing library, you should. 
We are due for some icy type rain this way....maybe even possibly snow. 
Stay safe  and warm wherever you are .
I will be back later this weekend hopefully to share something I have been dreaming up in my head.Pin It Now!

::THE WHITE STUFF::

More commonly referred to as SNOW seems to be on it's way inundating my family and friends.  Everyone out in the midwest and northeast stay safe and warm.

Hugs,
CherylPin It Now!

::AFTERS::

When we first moved into this house the drapes here weren't that bad.  The previous owners had denim furniture so these curtains went well with their furniture.  Our furniture is a little darker and my accent colors are red, so these curtains weren't exactly matching.  I looked high and low; on the interent and in stores, but didn't find anything I liked that was reasonably priced.  I have six windows that I needed to cover, so didn't want to break the bank covering them.

curtains before

One day I had been blog surfing and saw some really nice curtains on room makeover that someone was posting about .  I emailed her and asked her where she got her curtains and she said, "IKEA."  I was determined to head out to IKEA and buy some curtains.  You see, these particular curtains are only $14.99 per package. ...and yes, you get two panels in a package!  I was so excited !  Until I found out the nearest IKEA was about four and a half hours away.  : (  So, I went back to their website to see if I could order them online and I couldn't.  : (    Long story short, I realized, I would probably have to make them myself and would save up the money to purchase some fabric to make them.

Well, the hubs surprised me and the kids with a trip to Texas and yes, we swung by the IKEA to pick up the curtains and here they are on my windows.  I love them.

after

I bought the 98 inch long ones even though my windows are only 95 inches.  I like how they puddle and how the light filters in through them during the day.

Another after I worked on was my pantry.  I shared a few months back that I loved how House of Hepworths transformed her pantry and how neat and tidy it looked.  Well, mine looks neat and tidy, but I didn't have extra cash to by those fancy vinyl labels to label all the jars.  Lucky for me, we know what everything is.  The shelving was painted white.  I gave it a good cleaning and then I laid down some red gingham shelf paper to give the shelving a little pick me up.  I also bought a few of the glass jars from Target  to store things like rice, oatmeal and crackers.  I am pleased with how it turned out.

Now to keep it that way.

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::GIVEAWAY TIME AGAIN::

Hop on over to

http://thenestuk.blogspot.com/2011/01/time-for-giveaway.html

Sweet Samantha is having a giveaway.

She is having a generous giveaway.  The lucky winner will receive one of her many lovely pillows like these below:

and

a set of of these heart shaped slate coasters

and a little sumpin' else just because.

You can check out her etsy to see what other kinds of pillows she makes.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/samantha2818

Good luck!

Pin It Now!

::::GIVEAWAY WINNER!::::

Meredith from

http://welcometoheardmont.com/

is my giveaway winner!

Congratulations Meredith!

I will be sending this book out to you this weekend!

If you haven't stopped by Meredith's blog, you need to.  She has some great DIY projects.  So, stop by and tell her "hello."

Have a great weekend eveveryone!

Pin It Now!

::HAPPY NEW YEAR AND A BLOGIVERSARY GIVEAWAY!!!::

I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas.  I frequent many of your blogs and I see many of you had the privilege of having a "white Christmas."  We missed the snow this year....well, just maybe I did.  I really wanted to see some white...but it wasn't in the cards here in Louisiana.  We had rain and it was pretty balmy.

As we roll into the new year, I find myself as always trying to be better....you know, a fresh start.  Most of us say this is the year we are taking over our health and we will exercise more; this is the year I will read my bible more and so on. 

All this to say that my hubby gave me a wonderful gift this year.  He gave me hope.  I received this book from him.

I am here to tell you that I don't want to be a slave to debt.  I want to be able to send my children to college debt free!  No student loans!  I want to be able to have a savings account for those times when the water heater goes up or the car needs major repairs.  I want to be able to have money saved up for retirement.  I want to be able to have my house paid off.  I want to be able to give and bless others....just because; and in that spirit I will be giving away a copy of this book to celebrate my three year blogiversary.  

I can't believe that I have been blogging for three years.  When I started this blog I think I was writing to myself and slowly, I have had some followers who actually read my little ole blog.  To all you who read, I thank you.  It's nice to read comments, they make me smile.

I am passing on the blessing of hope.  If you would like to have the opportunity to win a copy of this book, leave me a comment telling me one thing you would like to be able to do if money were no object.

Dave's tag line in the book is
"Live like noone else so you can live noone else."

Well, this is the year that we start living like noone else so we can live like noone else.  It won't be easy, but it will be so worth it in the end.

Have a blessed day!
*****THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED****Pin It Now!