more scenes from the clothes line

57 vintage scarves........
amazing yard sale find....$1.00






some of my favorites

if I could turn back time.......

if I could find a way......
what is it about Cher that makes me break out in song?
double click here
100,000 sailors can't be wrong....Cher is fabulous....and for all of you who snub your noses at shopping at the Salvation Army...you are all going to just die with envy......


jealous much?


ok, so it isn't much now, but my friend Charlotta lent me this book....




I am going to transform this fabulous
Cher...."the farewell tour" t-shirt into something spectacular....
what do you think....Cher's face on the left or right breast?
should I design it for my alter ego as a gypsie? tramp? or theif????? hmmm....

click here - gypsies, tramps, and theives

stay tuned....

sketch book / wii update

Taa Daaa....new craft project... Scrabble sketch book
I love scrabble tiles.....I have made necklaces and bracelets from them, and now books....I was think of doing a series...or custom orders with names.....
I could make ones that say.... draw, write, great ideas, dirty little secrets.......
there are endless possibilities...


check it out on my etsy shop.......

now for the wii update...
I really like it! granted every bone in my body ached for days.....my neck still hurts, but it is pretty fun.
I had a gathering for my friend Shelley's Birthday, and I brought out the wii.
I never laughed so hard in my life......
Tanya hula hooping....if only I had a camera. You are suppose to swing your hips in a nice even motion......It looked like Tanya was on a bad 60's drug trip at Woodstock...dancing to the Grateful Dead!


actually this video shows what we are working towards....and we are getting very close to this level! click below.
hula hooping

High Tea

This Friday it is my turn to host our "monthly" book club meeting.
The book this month is Three Cups of Tea.
I thought it would be fun to have a tea party; little did I know there are quite a few rules that I must follow to throw a proper one.


Afternoon Tea or Low Tea vs. High Tea

"Please do not refer to your afternoon tea as a high tea. Remember, a high tea is served in the late afternoon or early evening (5 PM to 7 PM), taking the place of dinner. Served at a “high” table with seated place settings. The foods are heartier and consist of salads, one or two hot dishes, pot pies, cold chicken, sliced meats, cakes, fruit tarts, custards, and fresh fruits. The tea may be served hot or iced. The addition of any supper dish would be appropriate."

"High Tea is often a misnomer. Most people refer to afternoon tea as high tea because they think it sounds regal and lofty, when in all actuality, high tea, or "meat tea" is dinner. High tea, in Britain, at any rate, tends to be on the heavier side. American hotels and tea rooms, on the other hand, continue to misunderstand and offer tidbits of fancy pastries and cakes on delicate china when they offer a "high tea."

Afternoon tea (because it was usually taken in the late afternoon) is also called "low tea" because it was usually taken in a sitting room or withdrawing room where low tables (like a coffee table) were placed near sofas or chairs generally in a large withdrawing room. There are three basic types of Afternoon, or Low Tea:

Cream Tea - Tea, scones, jam and cream

Light Tea - Tea, scones and sweets

Full Tea - Tea, savories, scones, sweets and dessert

In England, the traditional time for tea was four or five o'clock and no one stayed after seven o'clock. Most tea rooms today serve tea from three to five o'clock. The menu has also changed from tea, bread, butter and cakes, to include three particular courses served specifically in this order:

Savories - Tiny sandwiches or appetizers

Scones - Served with jam and Devonshire or clotted cream

Pastries - Cakes, cookies, shortbread and sweets"

above information is from the web site What's Cooking America.







One must know and understand proper tea etiquette....

Tea Etiquette

In order for one not to spill the hot liquid onto oneself, the proper way to hold the vessel of a cup with no handle is to place one’s thumb at the six o'clock position and one’s index and middle fingers at the twelve o'clock position, while gently raising one’s pinkie up for balance.

Tea cups with a handle are held by placing one’s fingers to the front and back of the handle with one’s pinkie up again allows balance. Pinkie up does mean straight up in the air, but slightly tilted. It is not an affectation, but a graceful way to avoid spills. Never loop your fingers through the handle, nor grasp the vessel bowl with the palm of your hand.

Do not stir your tea, with your tea spoon, in sweeping circular motions. Place your tea spoon at the six o'clock position and softly fold the liquid towards the twelve o'clock position two or three times. Never leave your tea spoon in your tea cup. When not in use, place your tea spoon on the right side of the tea saucer. Never wave or hold your tea cup in the air. When not in use, place the tea cup back in the tea saucer. If you are at a buffet tea hold the tea saucer in your lap with your left hand and hold the tea cup in your right hand. When not in use, place the tea cup back in the tea saucer and hold in your lap. The only time a saucer is raised together with the teacup is when one is at a standing reception.

Milk is served with tea, not cream. Cream is too heavy and masks the taste of the tea. Although some pour their milk in the cup first, it is probably better to pour the milk in the tea after it is in the cup in order to get the correct amount.

When serving lemon with tea, lemon slices are preferable, not wedges. Either provide a small fork or lemon fork for your guests, or have the tea server can neatly place a slice in the tea cup after the tea has been poured. Be sure never to add lemon with milk since the lemon's citric acid will cause the proteins in the milk to curdle.

information is from the web site What's Cooking America.



"Rules, rules and more rules...the best etiquette of all is to relax and have a good time without noticing the Faux Pas of others!"

hmmm...how on earth will I be able to do this???

clink on the link below for all information needed to give a proper high tea....
Etiquette Faux Pas and Other Misconceptions About Afternoon Tea



I will let you know how it goes.....

battle of the buldge with Wii Fit

Americans are always looking for easy ways to stay fit.
myself for one would like to just take a pill that magically insured that my BMI is exactly where it needs to be. I like to make things, I like to sew, make jewelry, read a good book, read blogs....all of this is done sitting on my ever growing buttocks.
My husband and I gave the Wii Fit to ourselves as our 6 year anniversary gift. In these 6 years I have put on more than 40 pounds......oh ya....hmm.
Blame it on my Bob's sweet tooth(ok, my sweet tooth).....having a child, long cold winters, happily nesting with my family, the LOVE of good food.....
regardless since I am on the doorstep of turning 40....I must do something to ensure my longevity.
So I got myself a trainer.....

he is actually really cute and very encouraging.
we did basic balance and yoga poses yesterday....then I had a great time hitting soccer balls with my head, ski jumping, skiing threw crazy flags......today I am going to try some Hula Hooping, and boxing! I will keep you posted on my progress.

scenes from the clothes line

I wish you could smell the fabric.....
it smells so good.






I had a blast at the Salvation Army yesterday, they had table after table of fabric.
I think some one donated it from an estate sale.
It was priced at...... fill a bag for 99 cents.
I filled 3. This represents 1/16th of what I got.
This fabric is so 50's....the type, textures, and colors.
It's a stretchy knit. Some of the price tags were still on, and one had 29 cents a yard tag.....
I wonder how long ago that was??!!
I think I may make some wrap skirts for me and my ETSY shop.

what not to wear

I love vintage sewing patterns, it is a brief history of "homemade fashions".
Patterns from the 50's, 60's, and 70's are my favorites!
The image above is a Simplicity Pattern from 1956.
Check out the faces, wasn't this the decade that "happiness by meds" was introduced? Alcohol was the food of choice, because beef and that waist line certainly did not mix!

Here is another great pattern from the year I was born....1968.

I remember my childhood quite well(except for all of the stuff I have chosen to forget).
I do not recall any of my play mates in such an outfit.
I do know about this stuff, I took baton lessons when I was younger. I think I only went once....I got hit in the head by the baton of the girl standing next to me.....I think I cried all the way home, and had my mother roll her eyes at me when I told her that I would not return. It was a dangerous sport! ( I should have worn a helmet) I think I was suppose to live up to my cousin Linda's expertise....she was head majorette in high school....

these next vintage pattens say it all!

um...Dad, I have something I need to tell you.
Yes, son...there is something I need to tell you as well....

these are actually a gift for my friend Shelley, she crochets......I am going to see about getting her to make the shoes...I think they would be a hit on her ETSY shop.
I also think she should make all the men in her life vests for Christmas.....now that would be frigin' funny... especially on her husband Lincoln, and brother in law Mike....I would pee my pants!

if you look closely at these dresses there is nothing under them, but you see no "private stuff"...did they have photo shop in the 70's?

check out the "shoes"! I would kill for a pair of these( in Maroon yarn)!
Jimmy Choo eat your heart out!

Goodwill towards women shoppers

ahhh.............. I do love the Goodwill.......loads of treasures just waiting to be discovered.......shopping there is tons of fun, and doesn't count as consuming, because it has already been consumed, and I am just re-purposing it..... So I am doing the planet a favor(how is that for shopping justification!) Today I went to the Biddeford Goodwill. I found some really great sheets and fabrics.....

these will make great market bags....so I am re-purposing, and then creating to save the planet
(I am so damn good).
I also found a totally spectacular vintage dress......
One way you can tell if something is vintage is by where the tag said the item was made.....

as you can see the tag says made in the USA. Since 99% of clothing is made over seas(china)....and looking at the fabric and style of the dress, I would say late 60's-early 70's.


ooh la, la! I think it will look smashing with my Frye boots!!!!!!!!
One other thing, to all you Goodwill virgins...........bring along some wipes....I always have to wipe down when I am done my rummaging....oh, and remember to smell before you buy..... most odors do come out...the moldy, mildew-ey smells stay away from....and BO in polyester(eww...like we would buy polyester)......also moth balls are another no-no. stiiinkkkee!
other than that....have fun!

summer plans

This summer I am embarking on a quest to become more green....(not green with envy)....but more aware of what I consume and waste (no, I don't mean bodily). You know as consumers we over consume....we buy, buy, and buy some more.....I am going to try to cut that way down.....I will be posting through out the summer on the success of my quest.

One of the first thing I did was install a clothes line in my back yard........It took my husband and I quite a while....we would get one side done and then the other would fall....back and forth......but at last it was up, and I was eager to begin the domestic life as a primitive laundress......nothing is more domestic or primitive than hanging clothes on a clothes line....my first basket took me 20 minutes to hang...not kidding.....It was tough. My friend Terri whom is a total Diva gave me some advice (not from her own personal clothes line experience, but from what she remember as a kid). "Be sure to use fabric softener or you wont be able to get into your jeans". hmm, I thought....what a great excuse for those extra pounds........yup, jeans are too tight...out of Downy again.

saving the planet 1 pillow case at a time

check out my new summer craft passion.........
99.9% recycled materials
(I had to buy the thread new).
These fabulous market bags are made from recycled vintage pillowcases, sheets, old pants, and out-grown skirts. All bags are lined, and are double sewn.... most can fit a gallon of milk and lots of canned goods......or bananas, kiwi, and mangos.....at least a dozen ears of corn......and 30 whoopie pies.
Sooo, when the person bagging your groceries asks you.... paper of plastic? Say... neither thank you, I have my own designer market bag handmade by Julie.
All bags can be order through my ETSY SHOP