American Girl

Well here she is,

 American Girl  Doll 

modeling the

 Finally Finished dresses that were started last summer. Thanks to my niece (and namesake) Jackie for loaning  me her kid's doll.  I promise to return it soon. (I still have a few more half done outfits to complete) 

McKenna and Nina

These outfits will go to my great nieces McKenna and Nina. They were supposed to get them last Christmas but I guess I'll give them to them now . As the old saying goes, "better late than never" right?"Let’s face it kids get too much for Christmas anyway. 

      I have to say this project was actually fun for me.  Dressing the doll brought back memories of my own doll playing days. I must admit though while brushing American Girl's hair I had to resist the overwhelming urge to cut it. You know give her bangs or even put her hair in a ponytail and then cut it off.  What little girl doesn’t eventually do that? I managed to resist that temptation. 

      As a  youngster I played with dolls alot longer than most kids I think. I’m sorry to say those days didn’t end well. It all started when Barbie was having a party with her friends. Before she knew it Ken and some of his friends arrived. Then  G-I Joe ( who is short but  mighty ) showed up  uninvited  with a group of his buddies.  Well pretty soon the party took a bad turn. Nurse Barbie turned into Dirty Barbie and well, you know how the rest of that story.

Have a great day.

 Peace and Love,

Enjoy the final days of Summer



     

Cheers! (or should I say Chairs)

 If being a procrastinator isn't bad enough I am also a obsessive "thriftor". I like nothing better than to spend my spare time (and money) scouring second hand stores, consignment stores and thrift shops. This of course only adds to my procrastination tendencies for the obvious reasons. (no time)  Many of the items I buy need work. i.e painting, stitching or cleaning. Those things, to Bob's delight are stored in my cellar waiting their "refurbishing". Bob by the way has expressed concerns about me becoming a hoarder.....I say peshaw! Don't worry you will see them all in time as they are part of my commitment here. Other things thankfully are ready to wear or use. Here is the chair I bought at the Second Glance yesterday. I love it. It was a steal at only $15.00. It is sturdy, clean and matches my living room. 
    Second Glance thrift shop is my daily stop on the way home. they are on facebook too.
     Last month I entered a chair re-conditioning contest there. All proceed went to the local food pantry. Check out my entry on my finally finishing facebook page to see the results.(link located above this page on right.  Don't forget to "like me")  SPOILER ALERT.....NO I DIDN'T WIN although my mother thinks I should have.

Burning the Midnight Oil



Then



I have come to accept that I do indeed need accountability in some shape or form to get anything done. Why I can't finish anything remains a mystery. Sunday night I dragged my sorry butt  into bed; remote control in one hand and an Oreo Klondike Bar in the other. I clicked through the stations but before I could settle on anything this Blog and the unfinished potholder surfaced. I tried my best to put it out of my mind but NO CAN DO. I wiped the chocolate from my hands and FINALLY FINISHED the potholder from 1981.

 

Now

Where did the time go? 

Stay tuned for the American Girl Doll dresses. I am waiting to borrow a doll to model them. If that doesn't happen soon I'll put them up anyway. See you soon, Peace and Love!

 And as they used to say on one of my favorites T.V. shows way back when:

 Be safe,

Sgt. Stan Jablonski of

 "Hill Street Blues"

 It's a jungle out there. Let's do it to them before they do it to us.

"ONE" is the Lonliest Number

Surprise! Look what we have here! A half finished potholder with my son John's hand print from 1981. I found  this relic while I was searching in the bowels of my basement for the black fabric I will need to complete yet another project. The surprise wasn't really that I found this potholder but that I would make one. I don't cook so I have little need for it and this was years before I "groomed" Bob for such tasks. It must have been a gift for my mother. Who else would give a hoot about how cute my kid's chubby little hand is? This project will present many challenges. First off it is discolored, stained and very dirty, not to mention trying to camouflage the popular 70's early 80's orange and gold palate.  Martha Stewart will have to advise me. In the meantime as not to show favorites or hurt feelings  I  invite you both, Meagan and Justin to stop by anytime and let me trace your hand print too. Of course that will make for two big-ass potholders.



Probably around 1981 when the said handprint was taken.
Once again stay tuned for the finished project.
Peace and Love



The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Well, Lest you think that I am perfect; today I will dispel that notion. I would like to talk about the Good, The Bad and the Ugly. No I am not talking about  the Clint Eastwood movie or about  my family for that matter. I am talking about attempts and results. It would be easy to tell you only of my successes. Sure you could go on thinking everything I do is easy. Not so! Here are three examples of what I mean.



THE GOOD

O.K. these little Mary Jane style booties are good. I started them when my daughter told me she was pregnant. Again, I was sure it would be a girl.....fast forward. It was not a girl so this week I finished sewing them up and added the tiny pearl buttons. They will go to the next baby girl I hear about.

*********

THE (MY) BAD


The Bad, no these darling booties are not bad but I am. You see my mother made these for my daughter 32 years ago. When I saw them they were exactly the way they are now. I offered to sew the buttons on for her because I had some and she didn't.......well you guessed it. I never got around to it and they stayed in my top dresser drawer all there years.  Oops. Oh well I will put the buttons on today.Hey, I'm sorry, I got busy. If you see Lucille, please don't let on.

**********

YOU GUESSED IT!
THE UGLY

 Yes, you are seeing this right. I don't know what happened. I have made baby UGGs before and they came out fine. So when my friend was pregnant with twins I decided to make pink wool UGGs for her little winter babies. Needless to say they didn't get sent and I never made the second pair.  I don't know where I went wrong. I guess I should have checked the gauge (or put down the wine).  If you know of a baby with one foot size 0 and the other size 7 let me know. I will send them along. (anonymously of course) Or second thought I may  just make another right one FOR ME; I am sure it would fit perfectly.
 Peace and Love....Please leave a comment so I know you were here. Feel free to follow me and tell me about your projects or anything else for that matter.









 

Project Runway!!!!

     Models ( neices) Anita Rose and Mailee model Summer dresses; one of the completed projects from Finally Finishing. Could they be any cuter? I am happy for the most part with the results and have learned alot. I do have a few more dresses in the works but they are for infants so I will hold off. (unless of course I become a grand-mother again anytime soon that is....hint,hint, hint.)  Thanks Ladies!  

    

Christmas In July was not as productive as I had hoped.

I only finished three things.  Bob's stocking (a 10+ year unfinished project) is done. My mom helped me master the 4 double pointed  needle knitting technique. Like everything in life

"it isn't hard once you fiqure it out."

Thanks Mom!  

Am I supposed to fill this thing now? I guess I shouldn't have made it so big.

       Merry Christmas Bob !!!
      ******************* 

I will need to borrow an American Doll so that I can post pictures of the two dresses that I am working one. Anyone???  One is complete now and the other one is almost there.
    So now it is time to "shake my bootie"...Oh don't be scared, I'm not talking about "MY BOOTIE"  that would be disturbing on so many levels. I mean baby booties. Apparently I went through a rather extensive "bootie" stage. I will gather the countless pair and put on the finishing touches.  These will be donated to the Appalachian Outreach Project!!!            Thanks, Keep Cool!