News and Even Bigger News

So yes, I have been away for a while. I finally got the first apron done from my collection and I haven't done much else but sell some fabric on ebay and finish up a couple of custom projects for family.

I loved the way this new apron turned out. If you remember, I chose the fabric after I received the brown in the same print. I am much happier with these colors. I just can't wait to finish the rest. I already almost have two more done. Stay tuned...

The news is that an apron popped up this week on Martha Stewart that was made out of one of my fabrics - the orange floral. I was so excited to see it on television, I immediately contacted the designer of the fabrics (www.hellomynameisheather.com) - who lives on the west coast to let her know. It was nice to know that others obviously think that these fabrics are great!

The Big News and the reason I have been slacking in the creative sewing department and from blogging on my site is... we are expecting our first baby! I have not been feeling too hot and it has been difficult to come up with the energy to sew. We are excited and appreciate your prayers as I am only 8 weeks. We are due November 19th - kind of a tough time for my business - but I will just have to get on a stick this summer and get a lot of aprons made. :)

Recipes

Here is my newest design for a recipe card. I created it to match the featured fabric you see here. I am sure it will go through some revisions - as I can't seem to always be satisfied the first time around. We shall see. :)

More Fabrics

Well, I got samples of all the fabrics that I ordered and I loved all of them except for one. The brown. I thought it was going to be more of dark chocolate brown. Instead, it wound up being a milk chocolate brown. Thankfully, they still have it on backorder, so I went to a store in Atlanta that carries all the fabrics and found an alternative. The only problem is I have ordered two new fabrics now instead of just the one. I loved both of them. They are both shown above. I just can't wait to get them all here so I can begin working. :)

Sewing, Sewing, Sewing

With my current time off, I have been sewing away finishing up a few custom orders. Check them out. Please note that the grilling apron is reversible, so you are getting to see both sides. Enjoy!

Life With Father

You may wonder what my title has to do with aprons. Well... let me tell you.

For those of you that are old movie buffs you are familiar with the movie Life With Father. We were brought up on the classics - thanks to my mother - and we watched this movie repeatedly. We thought it funny and amusing with all the many wonderful stories that spun around together within the family featured in the film.

My most memorable part of this movie comes from the scene where the older son, who was courting a young lady (Elizabeth Taylor) was wearing a "hand-me-down" suit worn previously by his father. Earlier in the movie we learn that the boy feels uncomfortable in the suit because he feels like his father in the suit. Anyway, the couple is alone and about to make their parting wishes. The young man sits down and Elizabeth Taylor's character plops in his lap and throws her arms around him. He immediately pushes her off of his lap and screams - not the reaction most young men would have while a young lady they are interested in shows them attention. We later find out that this reaction solely came from him feeling like his father in that suit. He felt his father's presence around him and therefore was extremely uncomfortable at the advances of the woman he had feelings for.

So why do I say all this? I was thinking about my history with aprons. I remember wearing aprons as I grew. I remember wearing a smock as a child while painting, wearing an apron while baking cookings and icing them, wearing my mother's apron as a young adult helping out in the kitchen. With all of this experience you may think that aprons have always been a part of my kitchen ware. Unfortunately, they were not. Why? Because my biggest and most outstanding memory of aprons is watching my mother cook for the last 28 years in one of her many aprons.

So... whenever I put on an apron, I, like the boy in the movie, feel like my mother. When I was younger (late teens and early twenties) this sincerely bothered me - because I was too immature to appreciate it. :) Now, it comforts me to know that everytime I put on an apron, I can feel my mother - the messy cook that she is - cooking away in our home kitchen in south Alabama.

They're Here

I was so excited today to receive my first ever wholesale shipment. Three out of the four prints that I ordered from Freespirit are here! They are beautiful and I can't wait to begin cutting and sewing. I will keep you posted as designs emerge from my freshly painted studio. I will also include pictures of my studio once it is completed - I still have a lot of work to do, but I am getting there.

Living Well

What does it mean to live well? This afternoon I realized probably more with my heart than my head what it really means to live well.

Many of you know of my personal struggle recently with my job. I quit a job where I was burned out to start a new venture, only to discover that I hated it. With my husband pursuing a life-long dream I had to quickly find another job to help pay the bills. I found one, but was so distraught about the whole situation. Then I realized, why am I so upset about this? Look what I have around me. A lovely home filled with anything I could ever need, food, a car with which to go to work, another job (three jobs in less than a month - more than what most could dream of), options, the ability to have my husband pursue his dreams, the ability for me to pursue my passions in my off-time, a loving husband, a wonderful family, great friends that let me cry on their shoulder, a God who is ALWAYS looking out for me. What more could I need or even want.

So... this got me to thinking this afternoon, what does it mean to live well? Ironically, my mind normally goes directly toward money, but money is not needed to live well. Wealth is so much more than just money - it is family, health, love, friendship, faith and whatever brings life to your soul. In my case - a good meal, finishing a sewing project, decorating a room, hosting friends for dinner, a good glass of wine, a cup of coffee in the morning, the beach, a sunset anywhere. Enjoying those moments I realize is the meaning of living well. So my friends... every once in a while when you feel that life is overwhelming you, stop, breath and cherish this thing we call life because we have everything we could ever need or even want. Cheers!