Original Designs by Paulette Stewart
Before I announce the giveaway news, I'd like to let those of you who inquired about where to find my designs at on the online Needlework Show know that you can find them in the Kelmscott Designs "booth!" 🙂
And now for an exciting giveaway! Head on over to Four Seasons Cafe to find out what it is! (And enjoy another delicious recipe from the Muffins and Soup Queen herself, Marsha (hi, mom).
Look – Mike is heading over there now!
(If you bake them, he will come.)
… From painting shoes! I've painted my last pair (which makes a whopping total of 2 pairs), and I'm officially retiring from it now. 🙂 When Bre saw Bean's shoes last week, she decided to present me with her own blank footware – complete with an enormous, cheesy grin on her face.
After stammering a bit, I agreed to paint them. Here they are after being given the Sharpie-treatment.. Breanna's ink bled just a bit more than Sabrina's did, probably bc of the larger canvas weave (for lack of a better thing to call it). So if you decide to paint your own, be sure to get a finer "weave" when it comes to the canvas.
I used just a few sizes of flat and round brushes (between the two sets, I spent around $8) and the cheapest acrylic paints I could find. The point is not to try to get it perfect, but just to "scribble in" the paint, giving it more of a cartoon feel. If you do go outside the lines, simply wait for the paint to dry and re-draw the line with your Sharpie pen.
I didn't use any sort of fabric medium (which is designed to make the paint go on more smoothly when working with clothing) bc I didn't need it to. I was working in tiny spaces, and I mostly just stippled the paint onto the shoes, rather than brushing it on.
This is as fun – or stressful – of a project as you want it to be! If you decide that you're going to have fun with it, then you'll most likely love your shoes in the end. But if you worry about how they're going to look bc you messed up here or there, it defeats the purpose of having a pair of shoes that no one else has. 😉
You don't need a whole arsenal of paints, either. I bought 5 small bottles and when I needed a color, I went to mixing! For example, the light green squares on the top of the right shoe were made by combining a little turquoise and a little yellow.
And there you have it!
It really is a fun project to do, but the reason I'm going into retirement from it is bc I have way too many hobbies already. And besides, I can't paint with one hand and drink coffee with the other.
Or can I?
Many many many days (weeks?) ago, my Sabrina bought a pair of plain white canvas zip shoes that she begged me to paint for her.
"What do you want painted on them?" I inquired.
"Oh, I don't care – just paint something!" she replied.
They sat on top of the dryer for ages, and every so often she'd say, "Mom, I thought you were going to paint my shoes? Pretty soon I won't be able to wear them…"
Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Sweet-face guilt trip.
So today I picked them up and decided to paint them. I hauled all of the acrylic paints up from the dungeon basement and found that most of them had dried. I also found that I hadn't properly cleaned my brushes the last time I used them, which rendered them useless. So off I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased new brushes and new acrylics. Then I grabbed my Sharpie and got to work…
Who knew Olga would show up? And what is she drinking??
I really hope Sabrina didn't have something else in mind, like just a solid color. Cuz then I think I'd join Olga in her imbibition.
Yesterday I got a completely fur-brained idea that I'd try to get a fall photo of the dogs together, all sitting on my front porch.
This was a complete fiasco.
When I opened the front door and called for them, they immediately obeyed, and the raucus sound of 12 clawed paws stampeding across the kitchen floor was enough to make me want to change my mind and just photograph the quiet pumpkins instead. Nevertheless, I pressed on, willing myself to be patient with the beasts, knowing they were just thrilled to death that I was allowing them out in the front of the house instead of out back.
I let them get some of the wiggles out by running from driveway to driveway, sniffing what they may, and I called them back. They all ran up onto the porch like good little hounds, but that's when the trouble began…
"Friday, sit!" Friday sat, but Tasha jumped up to nip at him bc he was being a brown-noser.
"Tasha, stop!" Tasha stopped, but Missy lunged at her neck, growling like Cujo bc I had spoken to Tasha and not to her.
"Missy, quit!" Missy quit, but Friday got nervous that he was still sitting and hadn't gotten a treat for it, so he got up to sniff at Missy.
"No, Friday, sit!" Friday sat, but Missy again lunged for Tasha's neck, growling like Cujo bc I spoke to Friday instead of to her.
"Missy, that's enough!" Missy looked at me adoringly, but Tasha jumped up and tried to nip Friday bc he was being too compliant and refuses to get in touch with his inner samurai, as she has done.
It was then that I got the idea to get their favorite treats: Wheat Thins. I opened the door to go back inside to fetch them, and all the dogs came running in after me. When I tried to lure them back outside, only one at a time would follow me, darting out onto the porch, but then running back inside, hoping I'd follow them so they could eat their treats inside the house. Back and forth, back and forth we went, trying to convince each other that inside or outside was better, and I finally gave up and decided to just take each of their photos as they'd come to the door.
Mind you, with each photo I'd have to dole out a Wheat Thin, and then the next pooch would take their place…
Next.
Next.
(She would die of embarrassment if she knew her face was that dirty.)
The sun was quite bright on one spot of the porch…
If you haven't already gotten the Boris chart, I'd like to give one away! I'll also include a couple of treats for your pooch! Just leave a comment IN THIS POST, and I'll announce a winner on Saturday.
In the mean time, I'm going to go photograph the quiet pumpkins.
Last week I had the task of dog-sitting my parents' hound, Major, while my parents were visiting the rest of our family out of state. Before leaving town, my mother had made sure to pull out all the autumnal stops, and when I turned the key and walked through my parents' door, I was immediately greeted by the familiar smell of home – warm vanilla and caramel and apples. My parents' home always smells the same (delicious!), and the way my mother decorates for the season is so cozy, no one ever wants to leave!
So I got it in my head that I, too, wanted to decorate for autumn, and promptly headed to Hobby Lobby. I mostly wanted a new centerpiece for my dinette table, but since I am very much centerpiece-challenged, this endeavor proved most difficult for me. "I wish I could just put things somewhere, and make them work like my mom does!" I thought. Seriously, my mom could scrape a dead racoon off the street and turn it into the most astounding, beautiful floral arrangement you've ever seen.
Not that she'd go anywhere near a dead racoon. Or the street, for that matter, since she's always home quilting or stitching or working or texting my dad to say that she's pretty sure he wants Arby's for dinner.
Anyway, when I was perusing the aisles in Hobby Lobby, I finally decided to stop over-thinking everything, and just BUY something already. I have a tendency to walk around the store with something I love, and then by the time I'm finished walking the store, I've thought up 35 different reasons why I shouldn't buy it, and I end up leaving empty-handed. I was determined this was not going to be the case this time, and I ended up purchasing a 3-tiered stand that I honestly had no clue what to do with. "But it looks like something my mom would buy," I thought. So I bought it.
As I drove home, I began thinking about what my mom would put on it, and then my buyer's remorse started turning into something a little happier… Here's what I ended up with, and I really like it!
As a matter of fact, I liked it so well, I took pictures from every angle!
After I was finished with the table, I moved on to the rest of the house. I decided I would decorate with all the Halloween models that were collecting dust in my dungeon basement. I had to do some rummaging bc they're all stuffed away in boxes, but I managed to find quite a few and got them upstairs.
Grim Gourds in the entryway…
Dead Man's Chess over the fireplace, next to Halloween Hornbook and Salem Sisters…
Here's mean old Emma Nettles…
And here's the next tombie sampler subject, watching me decorate…
Here's Ghoul, right behind one of The Boney Bunch figures from Yankee Candle…
Btw, this is the newest addition to my Boney Bunch figures (truth be told, I only have 3 of them), standing in front of Garden of Eerie…
Amos Figg… (his wife, Tillie, is hanging just above)…
(Btw, Mom got me hooked on these holiday candles by Bath and Body Works. This is one of my favorites! I also purchased a few more in Christmas scents, but I'll wait for the weather to turn brittle before I light them.)
I even placed a couple samplers in the bathroom. I thought Mehitable's epitaph was fitting for the back of the toilet…
(There's my first Boney Bunch figure, above, gifted to me by my mom as a fall present a few years ago!)
And here is Salem Sisters II on the wall nearest the sink…
Sophie loves the seasonal towels in my parents' bathrooms, so I decided to surprise her with one…
However, she decided to hang it on top of the crown towel my friend Chris got for me, which almost got the little Halloween towel returned to the store. 😉 Just kidding, Sophie!
Finally, here's one of the Blackbird Designs ornaments I stitched a few years ago to hang on my wire tree in the entryway. I have a few of them, and I love them all! (Who doesn't love Blackbird Designs?)
I had so much fun decorating this year! The pumpkins are on the front porch, the mums are blooming their burgundy best, and I even hung my Thimbleberries quilted pumpkin doorhanger on the front door. I can't wait for Sophie to start bringing home her artwork from school… the days of fingerpainting projects are gone, sadly, but I'm sure she'll have a new school masterpiece for the refrigerator this year. 🙂
I'm sure Mom would be proud of my fall decorating this year. I had fun with it, just like she always seems to. As a matter of fact, the only time I didn't see her having fun with decorating was when I was very little, and I'd bring home my school masterpieces.
But that's what my therapist is for.
Happy Decorating!
P.S. My sister got into the season, too!
What a wonderful day it's been! I've been decorating for fall, stitching, creating my own spice mix for apple cider, enjoying the aroma of Yankee Candle's Autumn Leaves, making my new blog banner, and Mike just called to say he's bringing home lunch. Hallelujah!
Btw, if you're interested, here's what I put in my cider today… this will do for about 2 or 3 mugs:
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
A pinch of… nutmeg, ground cloves, ground ginger, and… chili powder!
Trust me. 😉
Mike and I cannot express our thanks enough to those of you who supported and encouraged Mike through your comments, emails, and giving. We were overwhelmed by the generosity shown, and thanks to you all, Mike exceeded his financial goal he set for his team – and he completed his very first 10K race! (I think I mentioned before that Mike has never been, nor has he ever wished to be, a runner. However, since he began training just a few short weeks ago, he found that he actually started to like running, and has now set his sights on a half-marathon.)
We arrived downtown early for the check-in, and then it was time to head out into the streets. The day was a drizzly, chilly 53 degrees, but according to the seasoned runners in the group, this made for an excellent day.
Looking past the 2-mile start point, I was shocked at how many people were up ahead!
With Sophie cheering him on, it was going to be a great day for a run. 🙂
Here was another runner for the OPD, Nick…
When the loudspeaker called for everyone to get ready, Mike started his warm-up…
And it's time to go!
As Soph and I walked to where the finish line was to be, we saw a peculiar sight…
"Who the heck are they?" Sophie asked.
"You are un-American," I replied.
It was just over an hour later that we spotted Mike coming around the bend, headed toward the finish and probably wondering if we were going to be there…
I think he found us!
"GO DAD! GO BEST BUDDY!" Sophie called…
We were so proud of him!
And he couldn't have done it without his training partner, Sophie.
And he would like to thank the following people for their kindness and generosity:
Paula S.
Marika C.
Diane A.
Sandra H.
Ladonna S.
Connie P.
Jeanne B.
Joseph A.
Margaret C.
Noele P.
Katrina D.
Robin H.
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I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who donated to the American Lung Association. It was very nice and thoughtful of each one of you who took the time to donate to such a worthy cause. Like most of you, I really enjoy reading my wife's blog. I always read the comments left by readers and am amazed at how kind and nice everyone is that leaves a comment. I also wanted to take a moment and thank everyone that left condolences and thoughtful messages when my parents passed away. All of those were very helpful to me. Thanks to all of you for being so thoughtful.
Mike
The last time we were in Kansas, we spent the entire week trying to clean out Mike's parents' things, and ended up having a 4-day garage sale for the sheer volume of items that we had no room for in our house. Sophie manned the checkout line, I tried to keep tables and signs organized, and Mike brought out box after box after box after boxboxbox of things, finding storage areas in his parents' home that none of us knew existed.
Every so often I'd look around the garage to see what new items he had brought out. And that's when I spotted it: a bulging vinyl bag, stashed in with all of the other clothing and candle holders and dog toys. I pulled out the bag and unzipped it, revealing – not one – but THREE very old hand-pieced quilts.
I sputtered and twitched and tried to keep my composure, quite shocked at what I'd found. And even more shocked that Mike had chosen to add that dusty old vinyl bag to the sale without looking inside of it first. When I told my friend Kim about it, she said, "And that's how old quilts end up in garage sales: MEN!"
All three quilts appeared to have some sort of water damage on them, outside of the regular wear and tear. They were all made by Jimmy's (my father in-law) grandmother, who helped raise him after his mother died when Jimmy was three years old.
Here is a photograph of Jimmy's grandparents, Homer and Viola…
And here is Jimmy as a baby…
This next photo makes me smile bc Jimmy's father, James Leonard, is hiding behind his son, trying to make it look like Jimmy was in the chair all by himself. (It makes me smile bc I used to do this with my girls when they were babies.)
The three quilts were actually given to Jimmy by his Grandma Viola, Mike explained to me. This one was my very favorite, bc of the happy colors and pattern…
I'm so happy these were found before they were sold! (I declined to photograph the other two bc of the obvious water damage and tearing.)
I never knew Viola, but I imagine she was a wonderfully sweet lady, and I bet she and I would have gotten along just fine. 🙂
What a surprise I received in the mail last week! I was truly touched by such a kind gesture from Pirjo of Finland… Look at all these lovely things she sent me from her country (and I can't wait to take a look at that dvd)!
Oh my gosh, those Smoothie candies are very addictive…
Or should I say "were" very addictive. 🙂
And look what she made for Sophie! Soph loved it!
And look what else Sophie is having fun with…
A reindeer! From Finland!
Did you see that hand-written note Pirjo enclosed in the prior photo? Well, as happy as I felt when I was reading it, something stopped me up short…
Did you catch it? Let me help you out, just in case you didn't…
THE 'G' WORD!!!!!!!! PIRJO, I THOUGHT FINNISH PEOPLE HATED GAMES!!! Okay, I didn't really think Finnish people hated games, but I was hoping they did. Needless to say, Mike was positively thrilled to find out that a woman all the way in Finland was thinking of him. Well, he's got a woman right here in Nebraska (with Smoothie candies stuck in her front teeth) who's thinking of him, all right: thinking how she's going to pretend that game got lost in the mail, should it ever arrive.
Moving on to more lovely things… look what else Pirjo sent!
Much of what Pirjo mailed was tucked away inside this handmade bag. :) And I have no idea where she got the notion that I like crowns (teeheehee), but what a grand surprise this was!
What a sweet, generous person you are, Pirjo. I thank you from the bottom to the top of my heart. And so does Sophie! 😉
But wait! Joann from the great state of Texas sent my Sophie a little sumpm-sumpm too! (Good grief, all my mother's friends ever did for me was tell my mom, "You know, no offense, but Paulette could really use some discipline.")
If you have school-age kids, then you've no doubt heard of Silly/Wacky Bands. They're the new Beanie Babies, which were the new Cabbage Patch Dolls, which were the new "Vote Mike for Class President" buttons that were all the rage in the 1960's. (Or was Mike fibbing about that?) Except I refuse to camp out overnight for them and beat off other crazed moms who are after the limited edition ones. Anyway, here are just a few of the Wacky Bands Sophie has, including some of the ocean-themed ones that Miss Joann from Texas sent to her. Thank you sooooo much, Joann! Sophie was absolutely thrilled!
I'm disappointed that I haven't been able to post much lately – I'd been meaning to get on here and thank you (and post some more reader finishes) much sooner, but our days around here have been very busy since school started – and noisy! We're getting some things done around the house and the contractors are out before the roosters crow, waking us all up with the hammering and painting. This was what I saw when I walked into my dinette area this morning…
All of the framed samplers in my house are hanging crookedly on their walls now, but that's okay. There's work to be done, so hammer away, contractor-men! Even though it drives the Yorkie crazy and she does nothing but bark for 9 hours straight.
I have a facial tic now.
(Btw, before I posted that last sentence, I had typed "I have a facial tick now.")
Thank you again, Pirjo! And thank you for the Wacky Bands, Joann!
Oh, the heat! I can't remember when it was so hot for so long here in the heartland. It's usually about this time that I wonder what possessed me to plant any vegetables during the springtime, bc I certainly don't want to have to go out in the heat and water them. Poor veggies. I'm a very bad veggie mom.
The flowers have been languishing as well, but yesterday I was very pleased to see a new neighbor in the gardenhood… the brown-eyed susans my parents brought from their garden last year have made their debut!
And just in time, bc all of the spring annuals are beginning to lose their luster. Here are the few that are hanging on for dear life…
Friday loves being outside, despite his tired expression (he'd stay out all day if I'd let him)…
This little guy is a transplant from Mike's parents' garden. They loved garden gnomes, and since Jimmy was a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, I gifted him with this Dallas gnome one year. But now I'm a little startled when I see him hiding in my landscape, bc he reminds me of that creepy Travelocity dude that shows up in people's suitcases or bathtubs…
Now today… today was a welcome change! We woke up to rain, and it was glorious! Not because the rain makes everything look fresh and anew.. no, no, that's not it. Today was glorious bc I finally got to pull on my new pair of rain boots!
I've never owned a pair of rainboots before. But a week ago I realized that I've always wanted to own a pair. This revelation came to me when Breanna and I were shopping at a department store and they were having a huge clearance sale, and these glorious red rain boots were on sale from $40 down to $8. How could I refuse?
(I have also always wanted to own a Scottish Terrier. However, since the Yorkie has come to dwell in my once-quiet home, I no longer have a hankering for a pooch in the terrier family. So I wear my would-be dream dog on my glorious new red rainboots.)
And since I thought Sabrina would look so stinking cute in a pair, I bought these as well!
They're so me her!
Sabrina was very excited when I told her I bought her a love present, but strangely enough, her countenance dimmed somewhat when I pulled these babies out of the bag. Maybe she got a cramp in her foot or something that kept her from being as giddy as I was.
As I write this blog post, I sit here wearing my glorious new red rainboots, drinking coffee, and listening to the patter of rain outside. In a little while, I may have to go pull on Sabrina's new boots, just to make sure they're broken in for her when she decides to wear them.
Besides, in the spirit of keeping up with the Jones', I'd like to match my new neighbor…