Handmade in Texas Showcase

You love handmade, and what's not to love about Texas, right? (let's not get started on the heat..... many other things to love about the Lone Star State!)

Check out this site - Handmade in Texas - Showcasing handmade arts & crafts from all over the great state of Texas.

I've just linked up my Retro Hippie Chic Steering Wheel Cover to this site.  This cover is so cool because it is made from some awesome olive green and gold 70's bark clothe and handmade crochet trim.  Perfect for cruisin' down the road this fall!

Little Cabin in the Woods

What's that song??  It's driving me crazy! "Little Cabin in Woods, Little Man by the window stood, ..... something, something...."  Anyone? Anyone?

Well, since my hubs is starting a new job - tomorrow! - (yikes, excited, scared?, mostly excited!), and we may not see much of him once he gets going, at least in the near future - we decided to take the kiddies down south of Fredricksburg, Texas to stay in a little cabin (in the woods,... yes.) for a few days.  No cell phone service, no TV.   Lost Maples Cabins.

We hiked a few miles at the Lost Maples State Park on Saturday, ate a bunch (seemed like all potato products to me - it's german country after all!).  Yummy Bed & Breakfast food too - smores too...., watched deer, squirrels, etc - and even fairy shrimp in little puddles at the top of Enchanted Rock.  Hubs and I were sore from all the hiking - kids, not so much.  no big surprise there, huh?

Kids bickered and whined allllll the way down (5 hours) and alllllll the way back (yep, 5 hours).  But - they insisted on sleeping together on the "Crouton" (as my 4 year old boy says) - (Futon bed) - and, they played together wonderfully once we were out of the car.  Silly kids.

At the top of Enchanted Rock

It's a long way to the top!

I didn't think the Kool Aid stain would ever come off his face!

Checking out the critters in that yecky puddle of water

Awesome!  A tree split this rock in half

Loved the hammock

Bunkbeds - fun to play in, but not so much for sleeping

The Red Rooster Cabin

Are You Thinking Thanksgiving Yet?

Thanksgiving is exactly 1 month away - I can't believe it.  I'm stressed already, just thinking about it.  Because once Thanksgiving hits - you know what, is right around the corner - and I NEVER have enough time to plan, execute, then actually sit back and just enjoy the season.
I guess I like fall so much because we get 3 months of it - I count September, October, and November.  I don't feel so rushed.  Even though in Texas, September is still blazing hot - so it's a bit of a stretch.  But, at least I know cooler temperatures are around the corner.  (Supposed to get up to 90 today!!!  What????!  - Ugh - and here I was thinking I needed a Pumpkin Spice Latte (go here to see my hil-ar-eeee-ass friend "Charles") today - boo!!)
Oh well -

I've been playing around in my fall fabrics, getting ready for another awesome Trunk Show - October Shop & See at my dear friend Jenn's (from Hippie Bliss) house in Fort Worth, on Thursday night, the 28th.
I just can't let that 1970s fabric go!  I love it!  (See, barely a mention when I first found it hiding out in a thrift store in Indiana, but it's one of my favorites, ever!) I've saved every little bitty scrap, thinking I may be able to use it in some project later....  I know it's not for everyone, maybe it's the 1970's born child that I am that makes it feel so familiar to me.  I'm betting that my mother had me dressed in a jumpsuit for elementary school in a fabric similar to this one!
How about you?  Do fabrics take you back to a time in your life?  Or a person perhaps?
So, anywhooo..... whipped up this garland/banner/bunting thingy to hang over the fireplace.  These suckers are verra difficult to photograph, I might add!
I'll have it at the Trunk Show - along with all sorts of goodie, goodies!  If you live near Fort Worth, would love to see ya!!

Rotten Tomatoes

This tomato pin cushion has lasted me through many years - probably a good 15 years of sewing, but I'm thrilled to see it go.  I think it was the green leaves at the top that finally did it in - see the shavings popping out?

So, I'm happy to say I have a nice, new, pretty tomato to hold my pins.  I even decided to pitch all of those dress shirt pins that I had saved and opt for keeping my trusty long yellow headed pins.  Looks so much tidier, huh?

Speaking of rotten tomatos, one of the things I crave in the summer is fresh tomatoes from the garden.  If you don't already know, I live in Central Texas and we are on day 20 of 100 degrees or more - ugh!  

Each summer I've tried to plant a garden, and this year, mine got in a bit late so, my poor tomato plants are baking in the sun each day.  

I thought this garden was an improvement to years past in a way because normally I've planted WAY too many plants and ended up with a giant gnarled mess of a garden this time of year.  But - what was labeled as "Cucumber" at the garden center was actually a jalepeno plant, my "Zuchinni" was enormous bumpy Squash, and "Squash" died a pitiful death by some rooting animal early in the summer.  So....I would really, really like just one or two pretty tomatoes to eat on my turkey sandwich!!!  But, as you can see they aren't looking so hot.  I may try for a fall tomato, which apparently one of our local garden centers is advertising.  

This is what they look like now - barely hanging on - but I'm hopeful still for a few sweet fruits of my labor. (I'm curling my toes even taking these pictures, because I'm sceered (that's "scared" in "Texas lingo") to death of a creeping nasty snake biting my freshly pedicured toes!  Blah!)

It's hard to tell in this photo - but there is a dirty rotten catepillar just making himself at home on one of my juicy delights - I'd pinch his little head off and squeeze it between my fingers if it wouldn't totally gross me out!!!  Dang catepillar.  

Funky Finds Spring Fling!!!

Since I am packing my bags, getting ready to head out to San Francisco with the hubs, and since I haven't had a spare nano second to do any bit of sewing or crafting, and since my brain is fried trying to remember to get everything done before I leave (laundry done, house picked up (this is relative, I assure you!), bits and pieces of paper to-do's done, books returned to the library, grocery shopping done, notes for Grandma on "where to be when's", carpets cleaned, yardwork done, cabinets cleaned out....seriously...you don't still believe me, do you???????) Tomorrow night, I'm bolting outta here regardless of the chaos I leave behind!

I am just going to remind you all in the Dallas Fort Worth area about.....

Funky Finds

Here's the scoop....

"The Spring Fling is an indie art & craft fair to be held on March 13, 2010, in Fort Worth, Texas. The mission of the event is to create a marketplace where a diverse group of local artists and designers have the opportunity to showcase and sell their wares to a large local audience.

The Funky Finds Spring Fling will showcase the coolest handmade items, including clothing, jewelry, art, plush items, accessories, paper goods, home goods, etc. Our goal is to put together a vendor list that provides shoppers with a wide variety of handmade items.

The Funky Finds Spring Fling will be held on Saturday, March 13, 2010, in Fort Worth, Texas in the Small Exhibits Building, also known as the Poultry Barn, at the Will Rogers Memorial Center. The event will begin at 9am and end at 3pm (event may end later if crowd is still going strong at this time). The physical address of the building is 3409 Burnett-Tandy Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76107."

I do wish that I could be here to check this out - cause man, I'm telling you - there's been A LOT of buzz about this show! If you can make it out at all - GO! Then, come back here and tell me all about it. I promise I'll read your comments (after coming down from my no-kids trip to San Francisco!! Wooohoooo!)

P.S. = Etsy Fort Worth is a sponsor!

Love Surprises in the Mail

Squid Ink Kollective held a Giveaway recently - and I won! What fun....see....I told you to enter those giveaways!

I love this t-shirt - a happy Narwhal riding a Segway? So strange, it's cute! All of their items are printed by hand with non-toxic ink. It's printed on an American Apparel t-shirt - mine is a medium - nice feminine cut - not too boxy.

Also, loved the little touches on the packaging - cute stamps on the front envelope and again, strange but cute pink grizzly bear on the inside envelope....screaming "To Lee-Ann" lol.

Not sure if I'm scared or not - he's pink, so can't be that dangerous, can he/she? And...I see a bit of a pot belly on that bear - might slow him down in the chase. Then again, maybe it's a trick....hmmmm.....deep thoughts.

Anyhoo....Love this Etsy shop - check them out for really unique, quality, fun t-shirts, bags, hoodies, linens...and - they are in Austin, Texas. Shoutin' out to my fellow Texas Etsy-ers.

Thanks Squid Ink!