Not so Itsy, Bitsy, Orange Polka Dot not Bikini!!

I have a confession.  I am a swimsuit hoarder!  Now, granted, we live on the lake and we have a pool, but really, 22 swimsuits??  Really????  I can't help it.  I am in them almost every day and I like variety and now that I know that I can make them, I can see that number climbing!!!  I really, really love this orange polka dot 2 piece suit:

I made it out of a poly/cotton blend and it is fully lined.  I used this pattern for the top:

I've had this in my stash for quite some time, but for some reason thought making a swimsuit would be hard. But it was easy peasy.  The bottoms were made from another vintage pattern that belongs to my niece and I returned it without photographing it first.  Oh well.  This suit fits perfectly and isn't too revealing.  I do admit however, that I will only wear a 2 piece if NO ONE is around! 

This was actually 3rd swimsuit attempt.  Here is my 2nd one made from the same pattern using the bottoms on the pattern as well.

I don't like this one as well because it's a little bit too big in the hips and the elastic in the legs is too "puffy".  I may take the bottoms apart and redo them, because I really like the fabric and the fit of the top.

I will show you my first suit, which is made from a 1950's pattern another day, I still need to photograph the pattern!

This weekend is full of wedding activities for me as my cousins son is getting married and I am chauffering grandparents around all weekend!  My DS and DH are out of town for the weekend for a boat race (please say a little prayer for their safety!)

Blessings

Linda

The Dogwood Skirt

I love dogwoods!  Did you know the are the state flower for Virginia?  Springtime here is just beautiful when the dogwoods are in full bloom.  I have 3 of them in my yard that my Grandfather planted for me 25 years ago.  So when I saw some fabric with dogwoods on it at the thrift store, I knew it had to be mine.  There were 3 yards and I paid $1.50 for it!  Quite the bargain!

A few weeks ago my niece and I attended an estate sale not far from where I live that advertised sewing stuff!  When we got there, she started digging through the closets and we came up with 120 vintage sewing patterns!!!  There was no price on any on them so I asked the lady running the sale and she said $15 for all of them!!  OH YES!!!  I gave Rebecca all but about 7 of them, since she is becoming quite the seamstress.

Here is what I made with my "new" pattern and fabric!  Simplicity 7394 from 1976.

I loved this skirt that was made with the front panel and two side panels!  Upon looking into the envelope I found this:

It's an ad from a 1976 magazine showing this pattern made up! I can just imagine the women who owned it before me seeing this ad and knowing she loved it so much she wanted to make it.

Anyway, I decided to use my beloved dogwood fabric and I couldn't be happier with the way this pattern went together and how it turned out.

This is a terrible photo, but you will have to trust me that the skirt is really cute and I've worn it a couple of times already and feel so springy in it!  I will definitely use this pattern again as I was able to make this cute skirt in about an hour from start to finish!

Hope everyone had a grand weekend!

Blessings

Linda

The Kitchen Garden

(Edna Jaques)

A row of onions raising up their heads,

Green pepper in their special beds;

Long rows of carrots, cucumbers and chard

Make such a lively showing in the yard.

A hill of beans with crisp transparent stalks;

Borders of thyme and sage along the walks;

A row of chives...lettuce in a leafy clump,

A bed of radishes, rosy and plump.

Tomato plants staked up in tidy rows

To protect them from the wind that blows,

Long rows of turnips, neat and trim,

For all the world like ladies, cool and prim.

For he who tils a garden comes to know

That there is magic in a tiny row

Of sproutiing beands and miracles seem

Present everywhere, bright and serene.

Cream Dressing

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon grated onions

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped chives

Mix well and serve with a green salad.  Combine lettuce, green pepper, tomatoes and cucumbers.  Garnish with radish slices and chopped onions to taste.

An Abandoned Blog!!!

It seems that I have all but abandoned my blog.  But you know what, sometimes life gets in the way of the things you have good intentions of doing! 

I have been very busy in my greenhouse and garden.  I raised over 400 tomato plants!  Some green, red, yellow, purple and chocolate peppers, jalapenos, haberneros, banana peppers, eggplant, etc....

My garden has done so well this year!  I had tons of the most beautiful radishes and I don't even like radishes very much, but these were not too hot and were so good in salads with my black seeded simpson lettuce and spinach, fresh from the garden with tiny green onions, also from the garden!  I have 92 tomato plants in the ground and a couple of them even have some teeny, tiny tomatoes on them!  I can't wait for that first tomato sandwich!

Now on to the crafts!  I am still making my tags for the year long tag-a-long!!!!!  I haven't taken any pictures of them yet, but I will get to that and get them posted!
I have been doing a lot of sewing!  I have made two bathing suits, and while I will post a photo of them, it won't be of me in them!  I am very modest, which is why I made my own bathing suits, they cover everything that needs covering!  I have also made 3 skirts and a dress, again, I have taken no pictures but hopefully by posting today it will give me the kick in the butt I need to get photos taken!

Some very exciting news is that my niece Rebecca has started sewing!!!  She just turned 23 yesterday.  I gave her some basic instructions with an apron last year and she has taken the ball and ran with it!!!  She has made aprons, skirts, tops and dresses!  You can find her blog here Rebeccas Blog .

So today I am posting a recipe and photo of the cutest little cookbook I got at an estate sale this weekend.  It's just a small booklet by Ideals but the photos are so pretty and they have really good recipes!  I have already made this one.

Baked Beans

2 lbs navy beans

1 teaspoon soda

1 onion

3/4 salt pork

3 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

3/4 cup molasses

Soak the beans overnight and parboil with the soda in the morning for about 15 minutes.  Rinse in cold water.  Cut the salt pork in small pieces and place about half of the pork on the bottom of a bean pot. (luckily I have my husband's grandmother's bean pot!).  Place half of the beans in the pot, then the onion ( I sliced my onion), the rest of the beans and the balance of the pork.  Mix the seasonings with enough hot water to cover the beans.  Bake for 6-7 hours (I only baked mine 2 hours and they were more than done) at 300 degrees, adding water when necessary to keep the beans moist.

My Kitchen

(Caroline S. kotowicz)

This is my kitchen where meals I prepare,

Well seasoned in old fashioned brown earthenware;

My daily haven of joy and bliss,

Where everyday toil finds happiness.

This is my kitchen of honey and spice

Here in my cupboards stand glassware and rice.

This is where duty sways with the sun,

And laughter is shared by everyone.

This is my kitchen where abundant love

is in accord with the Master above,

Where neighborly spirit seems to abide

And a hearty greeting invites you inside.

Blessings!

Linda

Late to the Party!!

I swear I had these ready and then totally got busy and forgot to post them!!!  These are my February tags for Elizabeth's Happy Homemake Tagalong Bluebird Papercreafts.

                I went with a pink and blue color scheme for my February Tags!  And a kitchen theme!

 Of Course I made two of them!!!  One for me and one to share!

No pictures of the process, but do I ever make a mess!

 I continued using my Mod-Retro stack.  How I love these papers!

                                           I did add some of this gorgeous glittey ribbon!

And here is my latest antique store find!  Another Big-Eared Mouse to go with my collection!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Valentines Day!

Tag-A-Long January Tags

Good Morning!

I had so much fun this morning sitting in my craft room, watching it snow and making my January tags for Elizabeth at Bluebird Paper Crafts  tagalong!

I am using the Mod Retro stack!  It has some really cute paper and I am so excited to share my tag!

I chose an adorable little vintage skunk image from an old birthday card (which I copied) and cut out.  I layed a tweed look paper with a aqua and red stripe.  Any because today has been a good day so far, I added the word "Happy"

The snow has stopped but the clouds are still ominous, who knows, there may be more to come!

Good Tuesday morning!

No, I still haven't gotten a new computer.  I am still deciding whether I want a Mac.  My son's friend is totally into Mac's and says it will be the best money I ever spent.  Anyway, I'm came into work early to work on this post! 

Believe it or not we had a White Christmas!  It started sometime during the very early morning on Christmas day and when I got up to let the dog out at 5:30 this was what I was greeted with!  So exciting.  Just enough to barely cover the ground but not enough to keep the family from visiting!  Perfect!

This was one of the hilights of my Christmas.  This is my neice Rebecca with her brand new sewing machine.  She was so excited!  I taught her to sew last spring and she has been doing so well, but her machine was just a terrible and very cheap machine.  But, look what she made for me and her mom (my sister) for Christmas:

Are these not the cutest aprons ever?  Sherre's apron fabric is called Domestic Diva and mine is called Betty Bakes.  I love my apron!

I thought this was the funniest pic of Yngwie!  He is really into fishing and got lots of lures.  I can tell he is dreaming to that 20 lb bass that he will one day reel in!
And I would like to introduce you to my newest great neice!  Miss Reagan!

Isn't that the sweetest little face in the world! 

I have been putting away Christmas stuff and cleaning house and haven't started my tags for January yet, but hopefully this weekend I will have time to get started.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Blessings

Linda

Computer is Kaput!

Just a quick post from work.  Our computer after struggling along for a couple weeks is finally kaput!  I will be computer shopping this weekend and hope to get pics from Christmas up!

Blessings

Linda

Our Christmas Trees!

How I love Christmas trees!  I remember when I was little, I loved to lay under the tree and look up through it at the lights.  Especially when we had the aluminum tree with the color wheel! 

Yngwie and his friends came over and put up our tree in the living room.  Our ceilings are tall so several years ago we found this 14' tree at an after Christmas sale!  It is quite a bear to put up, but 4 strong college men can get it up in no time and their pretty girlfriends can do a great job decorating!  I made Chili beans with all the toppings and some desserts and we had a wonderful tree decorating party!

This little Elf/Pixie tree is in my kitchen and I must say it is my favorite tree this year!  I love the face of the little elves on it and it makes working in the kitchen even more pleasant.  This past weekend I created a little scene with vintage toys under it but have yet to take a photo.  I'll put that on my ginormus list of things I need to do!

I am in the process of completing a few more handmade Christmas projects and will get them posted soon.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday!

Linda

Puppy Slippers

Good morning all.  It is a beautiful day today and unseasonably warm, which it has been all fall.  I'm not a fan of winter weather, so I am totally ok with that.

Last week while surfing around on the web I stumbled across the pattern for crocheted puppy slippers!  Fortunately I printed out the pattern right then and there because now I can't find the link!  I whipped these up in no time and have another pair that are pink almost finished.  I think they are just adorable!

Yngwie and his girlfriend are home from college for Thanksgiving and spent Sunday afternoon making hard candy.  YUM!  They made raspberry, spearmint, cinnamon, and grape.  The first batch they did was the grape and apparently they didn't get it quite to temperature because it would never harden.  They had thrown that over into a bowl and given up on it, but I wouldn't let them throw it away.  After they left to go fishing, I re-boiled the grape blog and it hardened up just fine.  Just so you know, if it ever happens to you, it can be re-boiled!

Spending the rest of the week getting ready for Thanksgiving!  I think we will be having around 10 people for lunch!  I love to cook for crowds!

Blessings

Linda

Christmas is coming.....

This weekend went by in a whirlwind!!  Yngwie and his friends came in Saturday to decorate the Christmas trees!  It was so much fun having all these teenagers in the house, laughing and having a good time!  While they were busy decorating I made some homemade chili, with all the fixin's, pigs in a blanket, chocolate chip cheeseball with graham crackers and a homemade pumpkin cheesecake!!  YUM!  All was devoured in a matter of minutes!

While the kids were decorating the big trees, I decorated my little aluminum tree in the kitchen.  This year the theme is ELVES!  I love elves and pixies and have been collecting them for years!  Here is my first ever elf tree:

I love this tree!  It truly makes me smile every single time I look at it!

And speaking of elves,

I saw an estate sale listed in the paper and yesterday was the last day and everything was half price, I had to go into work for a little while anyway, so decided to run by there on my way into work and am I ever glad that I did!  Look at the elves I found!

A cute and sexy little elf lady on an ashtray.  (Do they even make ashtrays anymore?)

An adorable little kneehugger who is already on my tree.

I also bought this little ornament

Isn't she a doll? and speaking of dolls

Too cute for words.

and these Easter chicks came home with me too!

Total cost of these adorable purchases??  $4.00!!!!!

Then on my way home, I swung by the antique store and snagged these cuties.

He is a music box that plays "Jingle Bells"  Isn't that the cutest face ever!

Yngwie says this elf looks like he's up to something!

an Annalee reindeer!

I love going to the antique mall, you never know what you'll find

With so much going on at home and work, I didn't have time to do too much crafting, but made some headway on the elf I am making from Elizabeth, a Bluebird Papercrafts pattern.  He should be finished tomorrow!

Hope everyone has a great week!!

Linda

Debbie Mumm Back Pack!

 Good Friday Morning to everyone!  This week I have been sewing in "snips and snatches" between cleaning and putting up my Christmas decorations!

I got the pattern for this adorable backpack from http://www.debbiemumm.com/Projects/Sewing/2009/08/

It  was super simple and I love how it turned out.  It will be the Christmas gift for my little great niece and will be filled with coloring books, activity books, and makers and probably some candy thrown in just to spoil her even more!

fully lined and quilted

Large enough to carry lots of books

Your's truly thinks she might like one too!

This weekend some of Yngwies friends are coming to decorate the large tree in the living room.  I am fixing chili, cornbread, and the fixin's.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Blessings

Linda

Happy Birthday Yngwie!!

19 years ago today I arrived at the hospital at exactly 1:00 p.m.  The nurse said "What are you here for"  I said "I'm here to have a baby!  Let's get this show on the road".

At 7:10 p.m. the most wonderful gift God has ever given me was born!

Happy Birthday Yngwie!  We love you so much and are so very proud of you!

Today is the day!!!!!

GO VOTE!!!!

Just think, no more political ads for awhile!!!  YAY!!!

Tags, Tags, and more Tags!

While surfing through Blogland, I have seen some of the cutest tags from some incredibly talented ladies!  I seem to be on a tag kick myself!  Michaels had their Halloween craft supplies 50-60 percent off last week and I definitely took advantage of the sale! 

 When I saw a big cannister of Peanuts cut outs I was thrilled!  Who doesn't love Good Old Charlie Brown?

Then I decided to make some tags for Christmas.  These will be attached to gifts, except for the bottom one with the Teaberry Ad.  Do you remember Teaberry gum?  I love that stuff.  It's sometimes a little hard to find now.  But what I really want is the vaseline glass Teaberry Gum stand.

I have really wanted one of these for a long time, so this year I have put it on my Christmas list.  It will give DH and DS something to look for!  Nothing like being hard to buy for!

So this tag is hanging on the tree, just so they don't forget!  What a Brat I am! 

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Blessings

Linda