Featured Seamstress

My good friend, Diana, has a sister named Carolyn.  Carolyn makes these FABULOUS bags!  Janie, their younger sister, was carrying one when she came over to my house one day and so I immediately jumped on the bandwagon and asked if Carolyn would make one for me.  Carolyn actually made 7 or 8 for me to choose from.  You know me - I couldn't choose just one.  These are the ones I selected:

Large brown batik print with big pocket on the outside...

 Inside of the bag - obviously this is the one I am using - that's my stuff. 

You can't see it very well, but there are LOADS of pockets.

I already have another friend who ordered one of these large bags. 

They would be great for traveling - so roomy.

 I call this the Mary Engelbreit bag - the colors are gorgeous!

 The inside is ladybugs - and here's a much better photo of the pockets...

 This is the third bag - I fell in love with this floral print.

 And again, the inside - lots of organization!

Carolyn did a beautiful job on these purses, making it very difficult for me to choose just one.

Thank you, Carolyn!  I am so happy!

Some news for Sunday

I slept in just a bit this morning and then went to Cindy's to pick up some tables.  I am getting ready for a garage/moving sale this next weekend, and she so graciously offered me hers to use (table, not garage).  I then wanted to pick something up from Michaels and since they didn't open until 10:00, we treated ourselves to Starbucks.  Mmmmmm.

The news?  My house sold and the new owners need to move in by May 11, which means I need to be out before then.  Have you ever noticed most homes now only have "For Sale" signs or real estate signs?  Rarely, or never, is the "sold" sign put out like it used to be.  I think it is a sign of the times, the short sales, the foreclosures.  I have been told nothing is for sure until the paper work goes through.  Regardless, I am gearing up for a move.  Never fear - my craft room will the last room to pack up and probably the first thing to unpack.

I will be renting a house from my friend and I have been there multiple times, but discovered I never really paid a whole lot of attention to detail.  But while Cindy and I were waiting for Michaels to open, she made me a drawing of the house with suggestions on where I could put my furniture.  That's what you see below - it is on a Starbucks napkin.  It was a fun morning and now this afternoon, I am going to start going through cupboards, with the idea of getting rid of stuff.

P.S. Cindy's dad made this pen - it is made out of wood.  I have seen his others, and they are absolutely beautiful!

Accordion Class

Yesterday was the accordion card class which was held at Paper Vineyard in Chandler.  I sold a total of 22 kits!  It was a lot of cutting, and the ladies were very pleased that I "pre-cut" the papers.  I did, however, have them cut their own card bases, so that they could do this when they got home.  The paper line was "Fun House" by GCD and so the theme was vintage circus/fair.  It is a gorgeous paper line.  Here are a few photos of the class while it is in progress.  Treats?  Yes!  Everyone received an individual bag of Animal Crackers!  Perfect fair food!

 This was my favorite card - I just love the lady standing/riding the horse.  Someone else loved it too - it was missing from the store, so we did not have this sample for class.

Before my class on Saturday, I actually attended the Maricopa County Fair held at the State fairgrounds at 19th Avenue and McDowell.  I left my cell phone at home, so I don't have any photos.  (I was totally bummed out about this fact because I use my cell phone for taking pictures just about everywhere!)

I was able to pull a photo off the web, though.

This looked like the fairway that we walked yesterday.  Nicole and her girls, Myah and Kylee, met me at the fairgrounds and we have a good time riding rides, playing games, and eating lunch.  I have to say it was hot, though.  I did get some sun, but I'm sure I needed it.

So...

It was a fun-filled, fair kind of day!

Done and in the mail!

I've mentioned before that my "baby" is graduating from ASU in May.  I finished her graduation announcements/open house invitations and put them in the mail yesterday!  Yippee!  One more thing I can cross of my "to do" list!

Kim did not want to go with traditional ASU colors and nothing too blue (too boyish), so she picked the colors of lavender, blue, and purple.  We were both pleased with how they turned out.

No crafting today...

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on.

~ Robert Frost ~

Did you all study Robert Frost when you were growing up?  We did.  I grew up in Columbus, Indiana and Robert Frost was a fairly good part of our poetry instruction.  So midwest.  I miss it.  I miss the green, soft grass and the trees that change colors.

I came across this photo and it really reminds me of the midwest - Indiana, Minnesota.  I lived in Minnesota for about 9 years as an adult.  Cold winters, but great hiking and biking trails around lakes. 

Just a few thoughts for today...

Happy Birthday, Susan!

Today is my sister's birthday!  Happy Birthday, Susan! 

This is Susan with her granddaughter, Mikayla. 

You might remember we had breakfast together for my birthday last weekend.

This was taken on a trip to Florida for my parents' 60th wedding anniversary.

I came across this picture of Susan while visiting my parents in January. 

This is Susan at age 3 - a great photo - she is still just this spunky!

Have a great day, Sis!

Saturday night

This was my night to go to Gammage at ASU and see Fiddler on the Roof.  Surprisingly, I had never seen this play or movie, so it was a real treat for me.  It was long, but I really enjoyed it.  

I went with Claudia and we met MaryAnna and Ken at the play.  Before the play, though, we went to Pita Jungle, which as usual, was very very good!

So, it was a night of food and fun...

This is the lead character - Topol

 And the cast...

It makes me want to rent the movie and watch it again.

Next play?  Billy Elliott.  I am so excited about that one - I LOVE that movie!  In fact I had to choose between giving up my ticket to Billy Elliott or go to a Debby Schuh class in San Diego - Billy Elliott won out!

My baby is graduating...

My youngest daughter, Kimberly, is graduating from ASU in May and we are really excited about that event - for many reasons really.  The obvious reason is that this is a great accomplishment for Kim and she will be starting a new career for herself (she has a job with the State of Arizona - yeah!!!).  I am already an empty nester, so that doesn't count.  BUT... Kim will be independent and ... on... her... own!  I realize there will be a transition period, but hey, she's starting to travel down that road.
So we made a trip to Paper Vineyard last night to buy paper for her graduation announcements.  What you see below are the papers we selected.  She did not want to use the typical ASU colors of maroon and gold and she didn't want anything blue because it would be too "boyish" so we selected two lavender colors and hopefully will tie it in with the decorative paper on top which is a blue and lavender swirl - a subtle print that we think we can print on.  If not, it will make a beautiful background.

Wish us luck as we put this together - I will be sure and show you the announcements once they are done.