To Tokyo and Back

My hubby just got a new job,

and right away he had to take a trip to Japan!

He was there for a week and just got back.

It was really a great experience for him!

He did take some pix, which I will try to get on the blog

very soon. He also brought some great souvenirs for me and 

dear daughter, such as these yummy candies.

My daughter liked it all. I liked the chocolate, but 

the raspberry Kit Kat had a strange taste that I didn't care for.

 

He also got us these cute little toys.

Aren't they neat!

Also, today dear daughter went to stay with her grandparents 

in South Dakota for part of the summer.

I know she will have fun, but I miss her already!

Bye for now!

Yellow and Blue

Yellow and blue are definitely my favorite color combo,

it shows up in my decor, in my art and in my clothes.

It reminds me of the sun in the blue sky,

and it never fails to make me feel good.

 

 Sometimes blue can have a bad connotation, 

like having the blues. But it also can seem calm

and serene. My mom was fond of blue and green, 

and she used blue a lot in her decor. 

We even had blue shag carpet when I was a kid.

I don't think I would ever have blue carpet,

but I did grow up with an appreciation for blue!

And I remember yellow being a popular color in the 60s

for fashion. Pretty yellow dresses; sometimes in gingham

and sometimes in a floaty chiffon. But always so pretty!

I dream of painting my walls in my house white to show off the colors.

But I'm also tempted by blue and yellow, 

maybe someday!

Bye for now!

Girls Day Out

My girl just finished her classes,

so it was time to celebrate!

And since my hubby is out of town we decided to 

have a girls day out. And I got to wear my new top that I just made.

It works great with this skirt I made last summer. 

Blouse, skirt and belt: made by me

Purse, necklace and pin: vintage

 Here is the vintage pattern I used to make my top.

I used view #2, but I didn't add the elastic on the sleeves.

 

 My girl went for a boho look.

I took her out to lunch, for some shopping,

and later a walk in the neighborhood.

We had such a blast!

Linking to Turning Heads Tuesday

Bye for now!

Cats and Birds

Smoke really likes to hang with me, when I'm on the loveseat,

no matter what I'm doing. Even if I'm on the computer. 

Just looking for some love!

Sometimes I have to tease him a little, like putting my glasses

on his nose to see how he looks. Pretty cute I think!

 

When he's not napping we watch the birds,

like this lovely morning dove couple.

Or the young hawk that came to have his lunch in our back yard.

We sure have had a lot of wildlife in our back yard lately,

which Smoke and I just love!

Bye for now!

Back to Sewing

Well, I finally got back to sewing again, and I'm so glad I did!

I just finished this pretty little peasant top using a vintage pattern.

These are supposedly on trend right now, but they were never

off trend for me!

 I made it once before in a pretty pink and yellow floral,

but this time I made it in white cotton, and left the sleeves loose and flowing.

And I added some crochet lace trim.

 Can't wait to wear it, hopefully this weekend.

Bye for now!

Orange Gingham Heart Pin

I'm going to be adding smaller gingham heart pins to my Etsy store

in the coming weeks. Here is the first one in orange. Such a summery color, 

it makes me very happy!

Here is a sneak peak of the other colors coming soon!

For fun, I've been crocheting some colorful flowers to put on my wreath.

Won't they look great with the butterflies I made?

It definitely feels like summer here now,

with highs in the 80s. But it will cool down again later this week,

never boring weather here! At least it is sunny for a change. 

Well, hope you get a chance to visit my shop.

If you have a summer birthday coming up,

a pretty gingham pin would be a great gift!

Red, White and Blue for Memorial Day

For Memorial Day weekend I wore,

red bandana print, blue gingham and white. 

Skirt, jacket, blouse, belt, purse and sandals: thrift

Tank top: Target

Bracelets : vintage

Gingham pin: Made by me

I decided to make a gingham pin for myself,

in blue naturally.

This is the new style that I will be selling in my Etsy store soon.

The silver charm bracelets have a western theme,

and were part of my mom's collection. 

The red, white and blue beads are a necklace of hers

that I wrapped around my wrist. 

Linking to Turning Heads Tuesday
and Top of the World Style

Hope you had a great weekend!

Bye for now!

Chalk Painting the China Cabinet

I've been think about painting this old china cabinet

ever since I brought it home, but I didn't want to sand it 

and use a primer. But now that I know about chalk paint,

I decided to see if it would work as well as it did on my coffee table.

No sanding and no priming,

and it turned out great.

.

I did it in turquoise and white. 

 

It is so much more bright and fresh looking,

I love it! And it was such fun seeing how all my 

collections look inside it. 

That's my mom's old cookie jar on top.

And her tea set inside.

I can't wait to paint something else with this chalk paint!

Today was my hubby's birthday,

so we will be going out to celebrate this weekend,

can't wait! 

Bye for now!

Green Gingham Personalized Heart Pin

 I've got one more color of personalized heart pin 

to show you, in spring green!

It's in my shop now, so check it out!

I'm just about finished with some gingham heart pins

that are a bit smaller, without the personalization.

 Hearts waiting to be decorated.

 Drawing little swallows.

Stay tuned!

Bye for now!

What I Wore

It was supposed to be a hot humid day, 

though it never got past 71 degrees,

so I wore my summery patchwork skirt

with blue and white accessories.

I was pleased that I got a couple of really nice compliments,

someone even thought I was wearing a dress!

Skirt with matching bag, belt, and crochet collar: made by me

Bead bracelet: thrift

Tee: Old Navy

Ring: Vintage

Linking to Visible Monday, Turning Heads Tuesday and Top of the World Style!

Bye for now!

Butterfly Craft Ideas

 

 Not long ago I crocheted some pretty butterflies using this

and this pattern.

 It got me wondering what other butterfly crafts

might be out there. So I headed to Pinterest 

and this is what I found.

 

I'll bet you would never guess that these lovely butterflies are 

made of plastic milk jugs! I really want to try this one some time.

They look so real! Head over to Alpha mom for the tutorial.

These clothespin butterflies would make great accents for presents

or fridge magnets. Go to Crafty Morning to see the how to.

 

  

This last one is my favorite though, it's just so simple and pretty.

The tutorial is in Japanese, but it is pretty easy to follow

the pictures. Head over to MaMan for the instructions!

Bye for now!