Well, it's finally here. Our big shop hop weekend. We've worked hard to get everything neat and pretty for our guests. We're ready and look forward to welcoming you.
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I wanted to post this slide show for those of you who can't be with us.
We'll miss you.
Encourage one another,
I've been wanting to try some fancy chalkboard printing for a while now, but since I hadn't planned ahead, when I pulled out my box of chalk, all I had was colored chalk.
Dang.
Before making a trip to Office Depot I took one more look around hoping to find a stray white stick hiding somewhere. What I found was this.
After all, I do work in a fabric store and this IS chalk. kinda. So what the hay. Thought I'd give it a go.
Oh, my gosh - my printing isn't the best but it totally worked!
The two things I hate about trying to print with chalk sticks is that my hand gets tired and crampy holding those short stubby little pieces and because chalk sticks are fat and blunt it's hard to get any detail. And if I can be totally honest here, there is a third thing that I hate about writing with chalk - it's when kids come along and run their fingers through my hard work to see if it will smear. Duh...it's chalk... OF COURSE IT SMEARS! (Look with your eyes little people)! Sorry but it ticks me off when they do that!
Anyway. These pencils are harder than regular chalk so they don't smear at all, but they are soft enough to get that "chalkboard look" I was after. I may never be able to erase it completely - that is definitely a possibility, but I'm thinking if you were to do a wall or a decorative board that might be just fine since it can be a bit time consuming.
I'm sharing this with you today because I accidentally stumbled upon something that I am totally thrilled about and just wanted to share. All my chalkboard printing will be done with fabric markers from now on.
This weekend is our big Heart of the Valley Shop Hop and we have been prepping for weeks. My team has been so supportive and giving of their time. They each share my vision and are proud and excited to show you what we have planned. We have some wonderful home grown surprises in store for you (all 100% organic of course) and we sure hope you'll come!
Encourage one another,
I've been quiet lately, I know. Here's what I've been up to.
Last week I:
1. Watched my car's odometer click over 100,000 miles. I've never driven a car this long. I really hope feel it's just getting broken in. #fingerscrossed
2. Made fifty two treats for Bernina Club.
3. Worked on the final design of our Shop Hop quilt. #challenging
4. Cooked a super healthy Sunday night dinner and threw it in the trash. (Sometimes you need a little fat in a recipe to make it edible). Had a fudge bar instead.
5. Stayed in my PJ's all day Saturday sewing and nesting. #myperfectday
6. Unpacked box after box of fabric and ended up moving half the store so I could put it all away. # ohmyachingback
7. Picked a winner to our Pillow Pop giveaway. Congratulations to Jan Richards from Washington! Thanks to everyone who entered!
8. Had my teeth cleaned, bladder scanned and roots colored. #goodnews #badnews #muchneededmaintenance
9. Ate oatmeal everyday for lunch. There's nothing better on a cold day!
10. Played with our pretty new felted wool balls.
11. Saw another Oscar nominated film for best picture (that makes five out of nine - we never see that many).
12. Stocked up on those cute little colored clothes pins - we finally got some in.
13. Easily found at least one thing to be grateful for everyday.
How about you?
Encourage one another,
You know, I see a lot of books in this business and to be honest, I haven't been a huge fan of late because I rarely find books with more than one project in them that I think you all would want to make. #runonsentence It just seems rather expensive to have to buy a whole book for one stink'n project.
So when uber talented friend and customer Terri Harlan dropped off an advanced copy of Pillow POP I was anxious to have a look.
A bunch of us gathered around the cutting table
and flipped through the pages
oohing and awing over
pillow
after
pillow.
All delightfully modern
and all beautifully done.
This is the pillow Terri submitted for the book.
It's a modern twist on a Cathedral Window. She calls it Violet Cathedral.
I call it mine. I can't believe it but Terri GAVE Violet to me! #oneluckygirl
Just look how happy she looks in my house.
I totally recommend Pillow POP for anyone who wants fresh, modern pillow ideas and inspiration.
I promise you'll find lots of pillows you'll want to try. #suchadeal!
Which brings us to the give away.
If you'd like a chance to win this copy of Pillow Pop just leave me a comment. I'll select one lucky winner next Sunday. Good luck everyone!
Encourage one another,
What are your plans for the weekend?
I'm elbow deep in the last of the cleaning - three bedrooms, three bathrooms and my area of the garage to go. I can do this - the end is in sight.
My house feels so much more welcoming and homey when it's clean. I'm loving it and highly recommend it if you're so inclined. I thought I was probably the only one who needed to do a good deep house cleaning but I have heard from lots of you that have the bug too. Some of you are over the top crazy sick like me and others had just the 24 hour abbreviated version. Some even wanted me to come breathe on them so they would catch it. You girls are too funny!
One thing for sure is I'm sure missing my sewing room. Can't let myself go there until the last floor is scrubbed and the last pillow fluffed because once I stop I know I'll never want to go back and finish and it could easily be another three years before I get the urge to really clean again. My sewing machine is a dangling carrot - my sweet reward for a cleaning job well done. I have a super fun project all laid out and ready to sew once this cleaning is done.
How are you doing with your word for 2013? Do you have one yet? It's not to late to join in. This year my word is Gratitude and so far I'm loving writing a daily blessing on a slip of paper and popping it into The Gratitude Jar.
Today I am grateful for simple pleasures.
Hot oatmeal for lunch with freshly made almond milk. Simply delicious!
Cleaning can have it's unexpected sorrows too. Today I opened a drawer to discover a little box filled with treasures that I had been saving for years.
As I pulled out the note from Jeff along with his soccer picture one of his favorite songs came over the radio. At that moment I knew he was there cheering me on. I love you too Jeff and miss you lots!
Encourage one another,
I've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus but I have a good excuse.
I've been sick (some would argue I still am).
Perhaps it was all those trips through crowded malls or the long stretches of time away from home visiting friends and family. Maybe it was the hours in packed airports waiting to board cramped airplanes, but for whatever reason I've somehow contracted...
Deep Cleaning Thrombosis.
Have you heard of it? It's rare. I googled it and it's supposedly most common right after the holidays and in the early spring.
It starts with the innocent urge to dust.
Progresses into fluffing pillows,
airing quilts
and rearranging furniture.
In a weakened state, the poor innocent victim may be compelled to display collections all over the house.
(and to put votives in old Jello molds)
and in its full blown stage, it presents itself with the uncontrollable desire to polish silver
and set every table in the house
to look as if they were having a dinner party.
Extreme cases have been reported to cause violent and uncontrollable projectile closet purging and in some extremely severe cases, its victims have reportedly been known to (gasp) label!
This is my second bout with DCT in three years. I know, that's a long time between flare ups but my resistance is normally pretty high and I can usually fight off any urge to clean at the first inkling that an episode might be coming on. I've found leaving town to be especially helpful when I first get that feeling. But this time with all the holiday preparations and merriment I was caught off guard and bam, before I knew it I was in the throws of a full blown episode! Gosh, I even missed a day of work so as not to infect my co workers just in case it is contagious - I'm thoughtful that way. (Actually I stayed home to clean the crud out from under the refrigerator).
Anyway. I should be back to normal in a day or two - sitting in my favorite chair in front of the TV, feet propped up watching Housewives and wasting time on the computer and blogging.
Seriously, what I love best about getting DCT is that it costs next to nothing (except for the cost of Advil and maybe a manicure). I had all this stuff hiding in cupboards and under three inches of dust. All I had to do was uncover it. My only purchase was the two preserved boxwood topiaries here
and here.
Friday I went out to a local interior store to find some good faux plants (I haven't had much luck with house plants. Someone said it's because you're supposed to water them. Have you heard of such a thing?). Anyway I was prepared to spend some bucks but when I saw that they were asking nearly a hundred dollars for six inch boxwoods I left empty handed and I might add, a little sad. On the way home I zipped by my fav HomeGoods for a look see and guess what they had? Um hum those three times as big boxwoods for a third the price. Score. I would have done a happy dance on the way to the car but I was waay too sore from all that scrubbing.
Now, if you will excuse me, I have a junk drawer to put in alphabetical and labeled order.
Welcome 2013 - I'm ready for whatever you throw my way and I now have a labeled place to put it!.
Encourage one another,
I've wanted to make an advent calendar for as long as I can remember but to be honest, the thought of sewing twenty five little numbered bags has always stood in my way. I'm basically lazy like that, so this year when I found these
I took the easy way out and opted for a bottle of Elmer in exchange for my Bernina.
I pretty much just used what I had - various left over mismatched chipboard numbers and some stickers. The frame is a picture frame from Michael's.
I stapled chicken wire to the back and added baker's twine with mini clothes pins to hold the tiny bags.
I'm happy with the way it turned out but the best part is now I can say I've finally made an advent calendar.
I put little treats in each bag for my sweet husband. He has a bit of a sweet tooth so I thought I would surprise him with a little treat on his pillow each night for the first twenty five days of December. Awww. (I know).
Like my mom always said, Sweets for my sweet.
You're never too old to make a little Christmas magic don'tchathink?
Encourage one another,
In keeping with my last post on labels I thought you might like to see this.
It's one of our new display pieces. We sure had fun accessorizing it and labeling the chalkboard drawers.
A place for everything and everything in its place.
I think Martha would be proud.
Encourage one another,
How was your weekend? Mine was just about perfect, doing the things I love:
A little crafting
and sewing
some rearranging and display work at the store
and I even finished up my packing for our trip to London.
Hopefully I didn't forget anything.
Encourage one another,
I just came home to a dark and quiet house. Bill is in Ventura watering the house plants one last time before our trip to London on Thursday. I stayed in Bakersfield to finish packing and to receive delivery on our new fabric cabinet at the store. Dennis delivered it after we closed tonight and OH. My. GOSH. It's GORGEOUS! I certainly don't deserve such beautiful fixtures.
I promised Bill I'd come right home after Dennis left but I couldn't help myself; I had to stay to fluff and puff a bit. Of course I didn't have my camera with me but I'll go back in the morning and snap a few photos to show you.
I stopped and got a latte on my way home and plan to sew and craft into the wee hours of the night. I foolishly have Ghost Adventures on TV so will probably scare myself to death! I doubt that I'll be able to sleep much tonight anyway because I keep thinking about what fabric I'm going to fill the new cabinet with and how I'll decorate the top.
Tonight I'm one happy camper.
Encourage one another,
