Feelings of Fall

This morning I am home, cleaning house, catching up on calls, and planning to sew all afternoon. It is a beautiful, crisp fall morning that I wish would never end. It is quiet - which I know will change very soon - and peaceful and I am officially drinking my first cup of hot chocolate.

Mine doesn't look as elegant as the one pictured, but it marks for me a new season - my favorite season, Autumn.

There is nothing like a warm cup of hot chocolate, coffee or tea (whatever your preference) on a cool fall morning. It is sweet, yummy and full of warmth, kind of like the season.

For all of you that live more to the south than me I do not envy you. The falls here are beautiful. Growing up in south Alabama, autumn only lasted a couple of weeks - sometimes one week depending on the weather. Here, we actually have a season. The leaves have not changed yet, but they are slowly turning. Soon everything will be full of color and being outside is heavenly.

It is awesome to me to see how God created such beauty in what essentially is death. I guess there is beauty in everything. We just have to look for it.

So... my friends, take a minute. Sip a hot beverage tomorrow morning, relish in the cooler tempertures, and look for the beauty in whatever you are experiencing. Enjoy!

Scones Anyone

It is Monday and I am worn out. I worked a golf tournament this morning for my job and got home around 1:30 p.m. I usually don't have my afternoons because I have work to do, but since I had to be up bright and early for the tournament I decided I would finish my day in the early afternoon.

I came home to quickly retreat to my sewing room to finish up some burp cloths for my baby and start on a gift for my sister-in-law, Mary Catherine's, baby shower. I am almost through with the project and I can't wait to post it and show you what it is.

In addition to my sewing all afternoon I also undertook a new baking recipe, scones. The above are not mine - I cannot take credit for such a beautiful product - but mine didn't turn out too badly. The above were created by one of my favorite chefs', Ina Gartin of Barefoot Contessa (you Food Network junkies know who I am talking about). She made these look so easy the other day on her show. Doug and I both decided we had to try them. I actually formulated her recipe to make blueberry scones. The above are orange cranberry. They turned out pretty well, but they were quite the project. I believe it took me almost an hour just to assemble all the ingredients. Needless to say, I am beat.

We may never have scones again, but at least I tried and was somewhat successful. So fellow readers beware! Just because the recipe says that the prep time is only 20 minutes know that you may be in the kitchen for a much longer time. Did I mention the time it takes to clean the mess up? I don't think they added that time into the prep time on the recipe. Happy creating, whatever it may be. :)

Pink Showers

Has it really been over two weeks since my last post? I guess I have been busy. I had my first baby shower on the 23rd in my hometown of Atmore, Alabama. It was lovely and wonderful to see so many friends that have loved and supported me over the years. Everyone was so generous and needless to say, my little one will be beautifully dressed from head to toe. Thanks to all of you who so graciously remembered Doug and me during this special time in our lives.

No, the baby's name is not Katherine (as much as my sister-in-law would love that because that is her name). The above picture is of the bedding my grandmother gave me as a shower gift. It came last week and I LOVE it. Doug and I are painting the baby's room this weekend and as soon as all of our furniture arrives and is in place I will share a real picture of the nursery. I am really starting to get excited.

Less than 7 weeks left. It is hard to believe that our time is winding down and our little princess will be here soon. I am feeling well, just fatigued and like my stomach can't get any larger. People keep telling me just to wait and see. It is going to get much bigger.

Hopefully I will have some new posts soon of my designs. I have two in the works right now. Off to my sewing room...

Aprons Gallore

Finally, I am almost done with my line of full arpons. I will still have to pattern a few more half aprons and childrens' aprons, but things are well under way. Above you see The Carol Brady in both the Green Paisley and the Retro Orange (notice the pink striped bias around the edge - a detail I really love).


This pink stripe seems to be a favorite with many. It is simple and has that slight scallop along the edge. Formally called The June Cleaver, it will also come in a lovely blue floral - next on the list to complete before the baby comes.


Okay, I must admit, I thought I would be through with half aprons, but after creating this I changed my mind. I love it! This is The Carol Brady in a half apron style. This will also come in the Retro Orange with the pink stripe - not to mention that if you like another fabric, but you want this style you can just order it custom. :)


The perfect gift for a bride or aspiring chef- a mixing bowl, wooden spoon, whisk, monogrammed apron and a personalized recipe card. I had to include this just so you could see what I have been talking about all along. Very unique and very personal.

Hope you enjoyed my recent creations. Now back to the sewing room to complete the finall two in the full apron line.

Crafting Projects

My gift list for new little ones seems to just expand. My craft room has been full of ribbons, thread, burp cloths, and now cardstock. One of my good friends, Stephanie Harper, gave me a brilliant idea for both the photographs you see here. She has a precious four month old (my daughter's future husband - she and I have already decided) and she received personalized cards and burp cloths for him from some friends. She LOVED them. After seeing how cute both were I decided to create some as gifts for my long list of friends having little ones.

Above you will find one of the note cards I created. Obviously this is for a little girl. I created several styles - which I will have to post at a later date. I thought these turned out cute. This little note card belongs to my hairdresser's daughter - of whom I have been waiting for her to get back from maternity leave so I can get my now long mane cut. I see her this week.




Here are the burp cloths I mentioned above. Aren't they cute? One set also goes to my hairdresser and the other went to a co-worker's grandson. I also have a darling set of cards I made up for the young men. I will have to post this at a later date.

It is such fun to put together something for other people and see their excitement at my creations. I really think this is one of the reasons I love crafting, sewing, cooking - anything that has to do with creating with my hands.

If you see something you love here and you want to get your hands on it for yourself or a friend, just let me know. All my creations are available for sale. I will capture a few grown up note cards soon. Stay tuned...

Under Construction

You can see here that this is a new design obviously under construction. This is some of my favorite fabric that I purchased for my line of aprons and I am thrilled to finally be working with it.

This apron already has an owner, though. It is a very belated gift for my sister Sarah who had her birthday back in July. Thankfully she has been understanding about the time frame in which she is getting her gift. I am not so sure she would be as understanding if I wasn't providing her with a niece come November.

You will notice that the style is a little more flirty. My mother calls it "sexy." I think it beckons femininity. I don't know how you couldn't feel like a girl wearing this apron. I don't know, maybe I will just have to make one for myself - My husband keeps asking how many aprons can one girl can have. I say never too many... I need one to match every outfit and mood, right? By the time I get done, I am sure that will be the case. :)

Yellow Daisies

This morning I purchased these adorable dresses at the Yellow Daisy Festival at Stone Mountain Park. It is one of the largest craft festivals in the U.S. and was so much fun.

These cute little desgins are made by a company called KidBodiEs. They have adorable styles and a great selection. I could have bought one of everything. How foolish would that have been - my little one isn't even here yet. They do have a website if you are salivating over these cute little ansembles. Check out their fall wear at www.kidbodies.com (you can only buy it online or at the shows they attend. Check out their show list to see where they will be). So much fun. Having a girl is going to be trouble. I can already tell.

My reason for visiting the Yellow Daisy Festival was to check it out for my little business. Right now with a little one on the way I am looking for alternative ways to sell my goods. This festival may be a good place for me. We shall see (a lot of work will have to happen before I could go). Such fun shopping and reasearching at the same time. And while I did not walk through the entire festival I did not see one booth with aprons - nothing like mine. I think if I could include childrens' aprons in the mix I could probably be successful (we women really are suckers for kids' stuff).

Stay tuned for an apron currently under construction. I am really excited about it and can't wait to get it done and posted. I just have to get through all my baby gifts first. I am almost there. Until then...