I Have a Rule About Buttons

My rule is that when I find the perfect button to complete a project, I have to use that button. I can't save it or hoard it just because I love the button.

I was searching for the perfect button to complete my polar bear purse and I reached into my recently acquired bag of beautiful vintage buttons from the estate of Marilyn Jahn, a dear family friend.

I almost broke my rule, because I am not ready to part with this button. It is magnificent. Very large (hard to find for purses without paying a fortune), and in perfect condition, but just the perfect shade of green with gorgeous carving details on the edge.
I had to go for it, Marilyn would want me to.
So, good bye fabulous green button that I have only had in my stash since June, and have only been able to admire and dream about your possibilities for 2 months. You and polar bears are a perfect match, I hope you go to a good home.

The Cutest Little Girl in a Poncho.....Ever.

Sometimes the thought of trying to have a small business, keep a small business afloat and have a family and kids can be just overwhelming. There is so much to do, so many hats to wear and only so many hours in the day. That is when it is time to team up with a friend who is trying to do just the same thing that you are and pool your talents are resources.

Enter my friend Mary Sweeney (known as "Poncho Mary" in my house) who is the creator extraordinaire of Felted Heart.

Yesterday we got together to try get some photographs for some PR and for our respective websites. I had the camera and tripod, she had the cool backyard and the sister with the cool renovated warehouse space (Judi) and the cute daughter to model (OK, so she had all the coolness and cuteness) AND she had the tanned arms and hip jeans to model some purses for me.

Well, we did OK and got a few shots. It is a little frustrating to take 250 pictures and narrow it down to 10 or 15 or so good ones. But that is the way it goes. One day, oh, one day we will have the money to hire a proper photographer. But then of course we won't be having fun solving life's problems and discussing literature for our 9 year olds. Hmmm, I'll have to think about that.

Definitely Not the Ritz, but

now we have a guest room!

The best therapy for me this week has been to clean Jordi's room. I know, he should clean his room, but well, he didn't clean his room. He liked it dirty. Whenever someone came over, we would say, "Jordi is in his cave."

Little did I know how true that was until I got in there with a vacuum cleaner. I almost took a picture of what the carpet looked like under the bed, but then I decided that would be too embarrassing even for me, so you will just have to imagine what layers of cat hair and dust looks like combined with dirty socks, empty kleenex boxes and many ,many orthodontist rubber bands.

OK, I grossed you out anyways.

He's moved on to his spiffy new dorm room and we were left with the old junky room, so it just felt so good to clean out the dust and debris of middle school and high school and start fresh again.

Oh, and since he probably won't want to come home anyways, now we have a bed for guests to sleep in. I'm even going to spring for a headboard and new dust ruffle (the animal 1 2 3 abc one is now proudly residing a t Goodwill) so make your reservations now!

Officially A College Student

I moved Jordi into his dorm today. Well, with a little help from my brother in Athens I moved him into his dorm. It wasn't so bad, he really didn't have that much stuff.

I warned him in advance that I would cry and he just shrugged, so when the tears popped into my eyes neither of us was that surprised. I felt a little strange and sad just leaving and wished that Alex could have been there to distract me a little.

On the way home, I called my Mom for a little girl talk and she asked, "did he look so small and young when you left?"

yes, he did.

I guess now is the time to grow up.

My New Box of Zippers is Here!

You must run around saying this a la Steve Martin in "The Jerk". I feel exactly like he did when his new phonebook arrived. There is nothing I like better than a box of zippers.

On a related zipper note, I did my first tutorial on how to make a zipper pouch and posted it on Squiddo. Check it out.

How to Make A Zipper Pouch

I noticed at the bottom of the page, they put an ad for Zipperstop, which is where I get my boxes of zippers! Amazing. The Internet knows everything. Thank you again, Al Gore for inventing the amazing Internet that knows everything and can read my mind.

The Secret Life of My New Iron

I recently bought a new iron. This is an annual ritual for me, I need to buy a new iron about once a year. (Why don't I buy and industrial iron? I don't know. I'm being stubborn I suppose.) Anyways, my new iron is fabulous and was the star of my extremely productive work day today.
So, I passed by my sewing room on the way to the fridge in the basement because I remembered that I had a bottle of wine in the fridge (that has nothing to do with this story) and I noticed that the iron was playing shadow puppets in the late afternoon sun!
I wonder what else the iron does when I am not looking. I hope things don't get too "steamy" down there when I am not around......

School Starts Tomorrow!!!!!!!!!

It's a good thing school starts tomorrow because as you can see the children have started constructing weapons out of rocks and dowels and quilting thread. Very primitive, but weapons none the less. Yes, the natives are getting restless.

I Miss the Clouds at Wide Beach

When we were kids we were told that there was never a bad day at Wide Beach and that it never rained.
Of course we knew this wasn't true because we were often told this WHILE it was raining and we were having a bad day, but I am now inclined to tell my kids the same thing. And for exactly the same reasons.
Just have a look at those sunset clouds and you forget the bad and rainy days immediately. It's magic.

Chili Sauce

My neighbor JoAnne grows a lot of tomatos.
Fortunately for me, she grows too many tomatos.
This year, she grew enough too many tomatos for me to make 2 batches of chili sauce!

But since I am going to give her half my batch, I will still have to buy more tomatos and make more chili sauce.
I eat a lot of chili sauce.
Yummmmm