"My Embroidery Machine....

I'm sure at one time or another you all have stood in the sewing shop and watched those little machines humming away, making the cutest designs. This is a photo of my machine and I must admit "I don't use it much"... I'm a 'hand needle work" kinda person. But my sister does a lot of work on her machine  and has created so many items.. she makes usabl little items rather than just designs on fabric.. My sister bought me this machine to get me to learn how to use it... I did, but I still enjoy hand stitching more.  

Notice the machine has the "Disney" logo.. it creates all the characters you see in Disney. It can also upload all the designs the embroidery sites offer.

If you will notice the 'roll' in the photo... This is called "Sulky" it is used in place of fabric. It's like a heavy duty plastic wrap but is made of 'starch'. You do the embroidery on this then after the item is finished you simply wet it and the 'sulky' dissolves, leaving the finished product in tact... 

Really an ingenious idea!

I'm new to machine embroidery,  as I have always done hand stitching over the years. My sister loves this machine and is involved in offering her services for weddings  and other events that need favors for the guests....

Here is one of her creations. She gets the patterns off the net and downloads them into her computer then transfers the pattern into her machine. The machine then takes over and makes the design on what is called "Sulky", this medium is used in place of fabric. She then walks away and lets the machine do it's thing.  The one below was made in 9 parts then sewn together... then rinsed under running water and the 'starch' is washed away leaving only the design.  

Rather clever! 

This is called "Free Standing Lace"

Although I love the designs this machine makes you must have different sizes to create larger patterns. My machine makes only 4 inch designs while my sisters machine is designed to make 6 inch. She is on a quest to get a much larger machine, for larger projects.

Here are a few photos of the quilt  made for our Niece JoJo.

It seems the machine runs from anywhere to 5 minutes to 20 minutes, humming away creating each square of design. My only problem with this small machine is you must change the color thread each time one part of the design is finished. I'm one always looking for speed and shortcuts.

The finished product is amazing.  

The fabric used is a soft flannel of different pastel colors.

I have three grown children that have produced three grandsons. Although I love them dearly, you would think one of them would give me a graddaughter so I can make cutsie little designs on her clothing...The boys are into 'manly things' and grandma has no chance here.

Hey kids, "anyone listening"?

Imagine the possibilities.

Big smile here!

I'm linking to these parties

me and my bucket

It's So Very Cheri

Look at what I made

Life as Lori

Strut your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple

Mothers Day.... 2010

Mothers Day is a bitter sweet day for me.

My mom, Mary, Died on Mothers Day 11 years ago.  Although I'm a Mom and a grandmother, this day will never be the same for me.

Mom lived with me and my family the last three years of her life.. she was somewhat frail after loosing her leg to PAD.

Peripheral Artery Disease

 This disease came on about 5 years earlier.. Mom always had trouble walking. It got to where she had to stop after only 20 or 30 steps.. her leg and calf hurt, too much, but she made light of it... until one day I took her to a doctor.. after many tests they found her arteries in both her legs and chest were clogged.  She had surgery to clean out the arteries in both legs, and a balloon stent in her chest arteries...

A few months after her leg surgery she developed a sore in her large toe that turned to gangrene, and her leg was removed.  This was a very hard time for her and she did not take to the new prosthesis very well.  She did have her own apartment in a very nice assisted living  complex, then I moved to Florida and could not leave her there alone... So I brought her with me... yes, kicking and screaming.  I talked to my family first and we all agreed 'it's the best thing for all of us....So she finally gave in and we flew her to Florida and set her up in a nice bedroom in our home.... she started smiling again.  But......

Mom stayed mad at me for the next three years... although I truly did all I could to be of help to her... Then after the third year, I came home from work, flowers in hand for Mothers Day, and found Mom laying in her bed, morning coffee still on her bed table, TV on, and her, very much gone.... I was later told, "Renal Aneurysm". 

 The night before Mom died she told me "Your Eggplant dinner made her sick". Then next morning before I left for work she again complained about my food.  I asked her if she wanted to see the doctor, "no" she said, I'm ok.  I went to work

 See the Eggplant to  the left side of the fountain

The day after Mom was cremated my sister and I went to the fountain in the cemetery to pay a visit to where the ashes were... to our surprise my daughter came running wide eyed, "Mom, come look"!  There in the fountain was a full size, real, Eggplant!  We all stood in amazement not able to speak.   Mom was always a fun loving woman and a good joke was her favorite!  To this day we all tell the story of the Eggplant in the fountain.. Who would carry an Eggplant into a cemetery and toss it into the fountain?  Mom put it there to let us know, "She was ok and with us"... no one can tell me this is not true!

 Mom was the most important part of my life.. she was a wonderful mom who did so much for me and my children.... She was the only sitter my children ever knew.  When Mom passed away I was devastated.  I walked in a fog for the first 6 months of her death.

I came to realize death is part of life, and I finally learned to live without her, but she is still here... Moms always here with all of us... 

If you have lost your mom you know what I'm saying.   If your Mom is still with you, cherish her!

 Black eyed Susan's, from my garden, just for you "Mom", your favorite!

My sister made this needle work for me in 1999

                                                     

 "Happy Mothers Day Mom"

I love you with all my heart

My $5.00 Front Hall Table

 

I'm participating in "Thrifty Homes"

 Refinished Furniture Party!

I found this really nice table on my "Saturday Sailing Day" (garage sale) No haggling was needed, the lady only wanted $5.00 for it. "SOLD"
Since I'm on the quest to do my entire townhouse in "French Country", I thought it was perfect for the front hall....I also found, yes in the trash in front of a house, a really nice, heavy, mirror! I thought this would be perfect to replace the very old and not very sturdy one, that hung there for the past 5 years....
The found mirror had many layers of different color paint on it.. not wanting too much work for myself, I just primed and painted white.

My plan, is to distress my kitchen cabinets, and thought this might be the perfect piece to test my skills.  I do know you put on white paint and sand the areas you want to distress. Since this table was painted red I thought better, then primed and painted with a satin, heavy white, used for cabinets and trim. 

After letting the paint dry overnight, I put some dark brown craft paint in furniture gloss... shook it well,  then with a soft paint brush, I applied the gloss, trying to go with the grain of the wood. (that was tricky)

 After letting the gloss remain on for just a few minutes, I then removed most of it until I saw the desired look I was after. Although I did have to reapply in certain areas.

I'll tell you, "It was easier than I thought".  I loved the finished look!

Now that I'm looking at the photo above, I think I'll put some pewter craft paint on the key hole.

I found the perfect spot to display the "Black Eyed Susan's" growing in my garden!

Now that I know how easy it is to distress furniture, 

it's "On to the kitchen cabinets"

Use the link below to join in the fun

Thrifty Home Refinished Furniture Party

Mothie's having a baby!

When I first found out my Niece, Mothie was having her first child, how excited I was.

Mothie is my sisters 4th child, and is exactly one year younger than my baby, Gina.  

When I announced "I was going to have my third child" at the age of 34, my sister laughed.  My big sister laughed at me.!"Your kinda old to be having another child" she said. My two other children were 13 and 10 years old.

  Well to my sisters surprise, one year later, she too had another baby. Mothie. That gave dolly 4 children.  You know I had to laugh at her.

I had to do something nice for Mothie, so out came the knitting needles.  

My first thought was color.  Not knowing  if it would be a boy or a girl, yellow was the first choice. A soft yellow....

Knitting is my first choice for crafting.. My mom taught me when I was about 9 years old.  Today I can look at a design and without a pattern, make it! I do look at a pattern simply for the number of stitches to use, to start, for each different size.          Bless you Mom!

When I first had my children, they all had new sweaters each year when the Illinois winters came blowing in.  I can't count how many I've made for family and friends. 

As you can see, I chose to crochet the booties... they seem to be heavier using crochet. (no, I did not use a pattern here)

The new baby is due in August, and Ohio weather is rather nice during this time.. so I made the set in 3-6 month size.. except the hat is for a newborn.  I'll get some more hats made for the chilly winter to come.
My thoughts are, Mothie can bring the baby home from the hospital in a new Layette set...

                                             
My Niece called me yesterday to let me know the package with the new Layette arrived safely in the mail... she was happy and I was so happy to do it for her!

  Don't you just love "New Babies"

Gearing up for Mothers Day....

I'm Just a Mother? --- Excuse Me!

A few years ago, when I was picking up the children at school, another mother I knew well rushed up to me.  Emily was fuming with indignation.

"Do you know what you and I are?" she demanded.

Before I could answer and I didn't really have one handy...she blurted out the reason for her question.  It seemed she had just returned from renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office.  Asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation, Emily had hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

"What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job, or are you just a... ?"

"Of course I have a job," snapped Emily.  "I'm a mother."

"We don't list 'mother' as an occupation... 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall.  The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high-sounding title like
"Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar."

"What is your occupation?" she probed.

What made me say it, I do not know.  The words simply popped out, "I am a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations."

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair, and looked up as though she had not heard right.  I repeated the title slowly, emphasizing the most significant words.  Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was
written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?"

Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply: "I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn't) in the laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters (the whole darned family) and already have three credits (two girls and a boy)!"

"Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree)? And I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it).  But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and
the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money."

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13 and 7.  Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (6 months) in the child-development
program, testing out a new vocal pattern.

I felt triumphant!  I had scored a beat on bureaucracy!  And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and dispensable to mankind than 'just another mother.'

Motherhood ... what a glorious career.  Especially when there's a title on the door.

 Whether a stay at home Mom or a career Mom, we should all carry this title.

Does this make grandmothers, "Senior Research Associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations" and great grandmothers, "Executive Senior Research Associates?"  I think so.

And what do you do for a living?

I'm linking up to "Are You Gifted @ Mrs. Clause 

I need help with my kitchen floor.....

Ok,, here is the story...

When I first bought my house I was told, "the house was once sinking into the ground and sliding down the hill".  The previous owners had engineers come out and fix it.. The insurance company gave it the OK, and I loved the house and yard so much that I bought it anyway!
This first photo is from the creek looking up at the house.

See the slope that the house was sliding down! And the creek it was sliding into!

After I moved into the house my first project was the kitchen and I wanted to pull the floor. It was a very inexpensive ugly laminate floor and it had to go!

What I found under it was the most wonderful old world looking Terracotta Tile, and it fit right into my design idea for the kitchen.. French Country... but,, when I pulled the laminate floor I found three spots about the size of a throw rug where they cut out the tile... they put into the ground steel pilings and filled it in with cement!  Yes.. three ugly spots in the floor!

This is the tile, it runs from my front door all the way throughout the dining room and kitchen.

Now, I love the tile. It looks like something you would see in an old world French Villa in the South of France!  And I want to save it, if I can.

My question is for anyone that knows anything about restoring a tile floor.
I have been all over to my local Tile/Flooring stores and can not find anything that would match... I don't think I can put in new anyway,, the subfloor-cement that was put in the spots cut out, is much too hard to cut, for the tile to lay flat with the floor....
  So I got this idea (?)... sand the concrete smooth and use paint on it.. try to match the yellow and swish in brown??  Then somehow create lines to mimic the grout?
    This is a project that will not be finished until I get the kitchen finished ( a few months), but I'm looking for suggestions... 
I will be forever grateful to anyone that might have some ideas and comments for me......

All comments will be truly welcomed!

   To be continued...... 

*********************************
I have my first suggestion.
photo from "My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia"
Pam from "Design Fanatic" sent me over to her blog.

Look how they solved their sub floor problem. They moved the original island to make a new one, only to find cement under.. This is really a great idea, and the new island is just beautiful!

Thank you ladies!

May Day.....A word of warning and a bit of humour....

My Time's UP?
   
A 54 year old woman had a heart attack and was taken to the  hospital.  While on the operating table she had a near death  experience.

Seeing God she asked "Is my time up?"

God  said, "No, you have another 43 years, 2 months and 8 days to live."
 
Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a face-lift, liposuction, breast implants and a tummy tuck.  She even had someone come in and change her hair color and brighten her teeth!

Since she had  so much more time to live, she figured she might as well make the most of it.
After her last operation, she was released from the hospital.

While crossing the street on her way home, she was killed by  an ambulance.

Arriving  in front of God, she demanded,  "I thought you  said I had another 43 years.
Why  didn't you pull me from out of the path of the  ambulance?"

God replied:  "I didn't recognize you!"