sheppard girls

I want to like fall

I want to like fall

I want to like fall

I want to like fall

But summer is so lovely and easy.  No bundling up in the morning.  No rushing out at night to cover plants because there might be a frost.  No ugly beechwood tree in our front yard dropping yellow-brown leaves.  Summer is fresh raspberries and basil.  Fall is parsnips. 

I do like the JCrew fall catalogs.  And cablestitch tights on little girls.  And apples from the orchard.  And adding an extra blanket to the bed at night.  And that you can buy pumpkins called Cinderella pumpkins that are just about the sweetest thing around.

The mermaid costume

"...you can be A mermaid, not The Little Mermaid..."  And we are not going "to pretend [your] hair is red".  This is the tulle, and sparkles and some scary, shiny, fish scale-like fabric that I bought to make the little one's Halloween costume, after much indecision - princess, mermaid, princess, mermaid. 

This is what I envision

This is either genius, or the the craziest idea yet.  I am guessing somewhere in-between.

Halloween bibs

I came late to the discovery of all the amazing quilting fabric out there.  Until earlier this year, I hadn't been in a quilting store since I was little.  And nothing is more disappointing than discovering a new fabric and thinking, "where has this been all along!  I haven't seen this before" only to check the selvage and see printed Copyright 2003.  Nearly three years old.  It will be impossible to find more.  Which mean I must buy all they have and begin a hunt for other stores that might have more of this collection.  The orange witch fabric and little black cat fabric are just this kind of fabric.  Three years old.  Nothing left but what might be laying around your local fabric store somewhere.  But so adorable.  So I made a bunch of Halloween bibs for a few of my wholesale clients.  I think they would be so sweet tucked into a treat bag for a younger brother or sister.

But they look so cool all stacked up together, that it will be hard to let them go.  I hope they go to good homes.  More almost-too-late fabric discoveries later.

fifteen minutes to a prettier kitchen

This little cupboard sits in the corner of the eating area of our kitchen.  In the last few weeks I've notices that there is nothing really pretty in there.

How can this be?  I love a little cluttery arrangement of pretties.  And I have tons a vintage cobalt Fiestaware that no one is seeing, because, lordy, you can't use it.  It is vintage, and irreplaceable and cobalt shows every flaw, don't you know.  It was a lot easier when I started collecting it about fifteen years ago because my grandma had one yellow and one light green salt and pepper shaker, and I didn't even really know what it was until I saw it at an antique store.  Then I met Aaron, and his roommate was using a vintage aqua dish to cook potatoes in the microwave, and Aaron talked him into giving it to him, so he could give it to me. 

So I moved some of the vintage cobalt into the little cabinet.  And a little fall pumpkin fairy to the top

Just so long as noone bumps the cabinet with their chair.

Germs and the red and aqua swap

My red and aqua swap box is ready to go.  It is supposed to be postmarked, September 21, which, I was, all along thinking, was Friday, because it makes sense to end something on a Friday.  But Tuesday evening, while laying in bed in a flu induced stupor, I heard someone on the television say, 'Thursday, September 21'.  Dang.

So dear, Sandy, whose blog is lovely, I hope you enjoy your things.  When I called a friend yesterday to arrange rides for the seven year old's gymnastics class, she told me I sound like a congested old man.  The post office should be happy to see me.

Knitting goodness

Him - "Okay, go learn to sew"

Me- "knit"

Him- "whatever"

Me - "that is so going to be the beginning to my blog entry"

And with that encouragement, I went to a learn to knit class, where I was the ONLY student, presumably because everyone else already knits.  The nice woman assures me that by the end of next Sunday, I will have made this:

So far I have this:

Work in Progress Friday

These piles have taken up residence in our family room.  The plan was that I could use our remodeled basement laundry room as my project room as well.  Back when my projects only included scrapbooking.  Now that projects also include Sheppard Girls, the sewing materials are outside the laundry room door, and the ironing board is in the family room.  The 1960s model Singer is a very attractive fireplace ornament as well.

 

The sweet girls at Che Bella are waiting for a delivery of onsies and hats, and I have a pile of the dearest Halloween fabric that I want to make into seasonal bibs.  Do people put their kids in seasonal bibs?  I am going to think, yes.  And I have had in my mind to design a bird applique, but am struggling with the little legs and beak.

When in doubt, buy what you know

I've always wanted to participate in the swaps that I read about on blogs, and doing swaps was one of the reasons I started this blog, but until recently, I either missed the signups, or couldn't sign up because - no blog.  My current swap is the Red & Aqua swap listed on the sidebar.  I've seen what people include in swap packages- amazing - so I want to do a good job for my swap partner, but felt the package could use a little something else.  So we made a trip to the scrapbook store, and lucky for me aqua and red is big this season.

And I would leave you with the impression that the red and aqua paper is the only stuff we bought, however, the Cosmo Cricket holiday line is just too delicious to not mention.

Fall projects part one

We are having the playroom and office - well actually the formal living room and dining room, but we have little need for those - so playroom and office carpet cleaned.  I insisted upon wool carpeting because it is so lovely.  My mother assured me that the carpet in my grandma's house, which still looks great, albeit, avocado green, is wool and that wool lasts forever, but it also has to be professionally cleaned, and we've had a few mishaps...

So all the contents of those rooms are piled into the family room.

And I've taken it upon myself to fix the unsightly switchplates, or lack thereof.

old ugly metal switchplate

no switchplate!

Pretty white switchplate covers. 

Is it wrong that the cream colored light switches still bug me?

Just beginning

Just a quick entry for all the nice people who are participating in swaps with me and would like a little more info.  I will do my best to keep this up to date, but since I can't even plan supper from day to day, we'll see how it goes.  I love blog and could spend hours reading and being inspired, but I have little girls who need to play Groovy Girls and the aforementioned supper to begin thinking about.