Good Things

~~~SEWING~~~

Blue Moon Original Aprons

~~~Booth display at Texas Country Reporter Festival~~~

Blue Moon Soaps

Hello everyone.

It's been awhile since my last post but believe me, I've been busy!

Between work, sewing and soapmaking there hasn't been much time for anything else.

Oh, and moving into a new home... Can't forget that.

We just did The Texas Country Reporter Festival and

I sold out on most all the ladies full aprons.....
WOOHOO!!!!!
 And, I've added water bottle carriers and wristlets to the
Blue Moon Original line and they also did well .

The soap and related products always do good.

I find the water bottle carrier and the sling bag
very useful on my walks with the dogs.

Blue Moon Original Water Bottle Carriers

Blue Moon Original Sling Bag

As to the job.....
I am now working at Cato Fashions here in Waxahachie and I love it!
I get to dress nice, meet new people and get a 20% discount to boot.
Plus my manager has no problem working with my show schedule.
Tres Bien!

Well, my sewing machines are calling,
so I'll say Bonjour for now.

Till next time, enjoy life.

Trains, Traffic and Trying Times, OH MY!

It has definitely been trying times around here.

We sold our house in Ennis.... We bought another house in Waxahachie....

I found a job.... Hubby lost a job....   Hubby found another job....

As to selling the house....

Trying to keep a home "show ready"
and maintaining a normal life is next to impossible.

Keep in mind that a normal life for me
is running a soap factory and a sewing factory in my home.

Five sewing machines just doesn't look normal,
neither does the bread rack that I dry my soap on,
 or the show props, or the other ga-zillion things that go along with the businesses....
We sold  the house,

Ennis House

must have been normal enough.

Ever try to sell a house and buy a house at the same time?
I don't recommend it....
BUT
We had a fantastic real estate agent who made it all happen!

The new house.... Upside....
Charming, 1940's Craftsman style home, within walking distance of everything.
Two miles from my job, one point eight miles from his job.
Grocery market, historic downtown, post office, cleaners, thrift store,
everything so close....

The new house.... Downside....
Train noise, traffic in town, sirens, neighbors, postage stamp size front yard.
When the only noise you're used to is cows bellowing to be fed,
 town can be somewhat of a sensory overload.
We're adjusting....

Up next?
The new job.

Till next time,
Bonjour

Crazy Handmade Doll

Just a crazy doll I made.

Handmade Doll

The body fabric, which is pretty loud, 

has umbrellas printed all over it so I chose

 more subtle fabrics for her dress and pantaloons.

I sewed a piece of crochet edging to her forehead to represent a crown,

and the hair is three different colors of yarns with some pink ribbon thrown it.

Handmade doll

Handmade Doll posing with Carl's Sewing Machine

Now if I could just teach her how to sew!

OH,

if anyone has a users manual for this machine that they would like to share?????

From what I can gather on the net,

 it's a Sewmor brand that Carl's put their name on.

Till next time, keep creating,

Bonjour

Waxahachie Junior Service League, Christmas Market Preparations

We had a fun and profitable day at The Texas Country Reporter Festival.

With the help of my grandson Brian and 

my daughter Ginger we sold lots of product, kept the money secure,

and generally had a great time.

I sold out of my full aprons and dolls and moved quite a bit of soap.

Needless to say I've been quite busy replenishing the stock

for The Junior Service League Christmas Market, December 6-7

at the Waxahachie Civic Center.

Halter Style Apron

This style apron, with it's halter top, seems to fit the broadest range of women.

But, I don't want just one style,

 so I'll be working on creating a more diverse selection.

The taggie monsters and ballerinas are getting some notice also.

Taggie Monsters & Ballerinas

Mini Christmas Stockings

I've also been working on my mini stockings,

I market these as gift bags.

Well, there's a lot yet to be done and only 

32 days left till show time.

SO....

Till next time,

happy creating!

Bonjour

Up-cycling an old office chair

New sewing chair

Second hand store, office chair

I found this office chair at my local thrift store for $5.00.

 Pretty ugly wouldn't you say?

But I could see it's potential, a little spray paint, some new fabric

and I would have a great sewing chair.

I took the seat and backrest off, then spray-painted the frame  a gloss black.

Off came the old seat cover.

The foam cushion was still good so all I needed to do make a new cover.

Since the seat frame was metal I couldn't staple a new cover on

 so I opted to sew one.

I cut a rectangle of fabric, hemmed the edges to form a casing, 

 inserted some elastic, 

pulled the elastic tight to form the fabric around the seat and then tied it off.

Kind of like a shower cap.

The backrest was in two parts, front and back, held together with screws.

The leather cover was in good shape so I just covered over it.

I cut a rectangle of fabric for each piece.

Using some embroidery floss, I did a gathering stitch around the edges

of the rectangles, then gathered them up around each piece.

 I also stitched from top to bottom and side to side, 

(kind of like tying up a corset) to get it good and tight. 

After cutting off the extra fabric in the corners,

I screwed the two pieces back together and re-assembled the chair.

I like the vintage vibe of the old steel frame mixed with the modern fabric.

Vintage office chair

What do you think?

Till next time,

Bonjour

Vintage Dresser Redo

Dresser body

 

Drawers



OK, having a few issues with blogger, moving on.....

I found this dresser at my local thrifty several years ago for $50.00.
Although it didn't have any hardware, I thought it was well worth the price,
well made, solid oak, heavy, just needed a little help.
I slapped some pulls on it for the meantime, put it in my bathroom
to house towels etc, and there it stayed, looking forlorn and neglected.
Time for a redo!

After a good clean up, I gave the body several coats of
white latex satin, then did the  drawers in black latex satin.
~~~~Yes, I am painting in my office, library area.
I just put down an old shower curtain as a drop cloth.~~~~

The hardware was an issue...
Over the years I've collected a few drawer pulls and knobs....
You know what I mean, the cheap, falling apart
cabinet or chest by the roadside on trash day?
Grab that hardware!

With what I had on hand, hardware wise,
and a little gold spray paint, I was able to stylishly open the drawers.

Now I have a cute, new dresser in my sewing area to store my fabrics.


Till next time,
Bonjour




New Items For The Fall Shows

Half Aprons

Full Aprons

Dolls and Bags


Lots of exciting things going on here....
~~~~Busy, busy, busy~~~~
I hope you' all have a great weekend.

 

Everything's Coming up Roses/Free Rose Petal Masque Recipe

Rose Bush

Spring in North Texas, what can I say?
Tornadoes, rain, wind, sun and roses....

Pink roses, red roses, yellow roses, I have them all.
I like to clip a few to bring into the house,
so pretty arranged with a sprig or two of rosemary.
But so short-lived, in a day or two the petals are falling off.

Let's put those petals to use.
I collect the petals and place them into my bamboo steamer basket to dry.
Once they're dried, they go into a large jar and live in the fridge.
Mixed with some old fashioned, rolled oats,
and put into a muslin bag, they make a wonderful soak for the bath.

OR.....
Perhaps a facial masque.

Rose Petal , Oatmeal and Honey Masque

 

Ingredients:

1 cup dried rose petals

½ cup of old fashioned rolled oats

¼ cup of local honey (farmer's market)

two teaspoons of rose water (recipe below) or distilled water

Equipment:

food processor or blender, bowl, jar, rubber spatula

Method:

1. Put the rolled oats into a food processor. Using the "pulse" feature, grind the oatmeal for a few seconds until it resembles a coarse flour.

2. Add rose petals to the oatmeal in the food processor. Pulse again to break up the petals.
Remove mixture to a mixing bowl.
3. Add the rose water or distilled water, and the honey to the rose petals and oatmeal mixture. Mix well. (Add more or less water to form a paste).
4. Apply the rose petal mixture to your face and allow it to stay on for 30 minutes. Rinse off with warm water and gently towel dry your skin.

Store any remaining masque in a covered jar in the fridge.

 

Rose Water

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh rose petals

2 cups distilled water

Equipment:

tea kettle, bowl, jar, strainer

small pump bottle (found in the beauty travel section at most stores)

 

Method:

In your tea kettle, bring the distilled water to a boil. Place the rose petals in the bowl.

Pour the boiling water over the petals, cover the bowl and let the mixture come to room temperature.

Strain off and compost the petals and pour the rose water into a jar. Keep covered in the fridge.

The rose water can also be used as a facial spritzer, just pour a little in a pump bottle and spritz away.

 

I hope you give these recipes a try,

and feel free to share your own handmade beauty recipes.

 

~~~AND~~~

thanks to my sister Jamie for reminding me.

Love and miss you Jamie.

 

Till next time, enjoy God's gifts!

Bonjour

 





Handmade Cloth Dolls

Handmade Cloth Dolls

 

Handmade Cloth Dolls

 

Handmade doll sales are hit and miss for me at shows,

but I do so enjoy creating them.

I usually take three to every event and since I sold two

at the Bluebonnet Festival I didn't feel guilty

creating a couple more.

 

Usually, their hair flowers/ornaments are pins

that can be detached and worn on a jacket.

Their necklaces are bracelets, also wearable.

At the price of $14.95 I figure that's a pretty good bargain.

 

My hubby thinks I way under price my items but in these times,

and vending mostly rural, I feel the best option is

to move items rather than sit on them.

 

They're approximately 18" tall.

What's your opinion?

 

Till next time, thanks for your input,

Bonjour

 

 



Around the Property

Bluebonnets





Pomegranate



Walnut Tree

Harry and The Bass

Oliander

 

This is what's hapening in my yard....

 

I hope you' all have a wonderful and profitable weekend.`

~~~Happy Mother's Day~~~~

 

Till next time,

Bonjour



Bluebonnet Festival

Handmade Soap

Altered Hats



The DIY Mannequin

 

Little Girl Aprons

 

Handmade Dolls



Oh my, we had such a great time at the Bluebonnet Festival....

 

I sold all but one of the altered hats, one of the hat stands and

two of my dolls found new homes.

More aprons, pouches and bags need to be made and

the soap inventory is way low.

 

Today will be spent making soap.

Guess I'll get a cuppa and get busy!

 

 Till next time, happy crafting.

Bonjour

 

 



Little Girl Apron/Mom Apron and The Dress Form

Where to start?

 

Little Girl's Apron

We had a super show last weekend.

Sold lots of aprons, baby stuff and of course, soap and bath products.

 

WOOHOO!!!

 

 Since I lost my job, I've had more time to focus on my sewing abilities,

and it seems to be paying off.

The little girl aprons are a big hit with the Grandma crowd

and the little boy's/matching Dad's BB-Q aprons seem equally as popular.

The Mom aprons and the garden aprons went over well also.

 

 

~~~~ As to Miss Mannequin ~~~~

 

 

She is un-molded and awaiting her PVC pipe innards.

 

Till next time,

happy creating!

Bonjour

 

Vintage, Dressmaker Sewing Machine

My new find...
~ The vintage Dressmaker DeLuxe ZigZag Sewing Machine ~

Vintage Dressmaker Sewing Machine

Vintage Dressmaker Sewing Machine

 

 

1960's?

I've got myself a little sewing factory going on.

 

 

 

The vintage Singer Touch & sew. 1970's

 

 

The not so vintage Sears Kenmore. 2003

(I think the Kenmore is getting jealous).

 

With both a soap factory and a sewing factory going on over here,

the house is, shall we say, getting a little full!

 

The DIY dress form is still in the works.

Part 2 is on it's way.

 

Our first show of the season is this Saturday at the Waxahachie Civic Center,

maybe I'll sell enough to justify buying two "new" sewing machines.

 

Till next time, happy crafting:-)

Bonjour