HOT, HOT, HOT!

THE #1 REASON WHY I LOVE SUMMER IS...

HOT, HOT, HOT!

I remember telling you that I hadn't found a basket purse to add to my collection this year, but I never told you I didn't find shoes with wicker heels and a gingham lining to boot (no pun intended)! :) Now I can carry a basket on my arm and walk around in a pair both at the same time! These shoes are Etienne Aigner and came from the new Marshall's Mega Shoe Store - clearance rack - last pair, in my size no less. I think they were waiting for me. Hey Sharon - this song's for you!

S.W.A.K.

P.S. - Don't forget that tomorrow is my "Blogiversary" and I'm going to have a fun giveaway (hope I get it posted by then), so check back and be sure to enter!

I LOVE PARIS

A thank you gift for a random act of kindness. It is Amy Butler's drawstring purse pattern that I made out of some Eiffel Tower fabric along with some Polly Goes To Paris. Lined in white with black polka-dot. I got the idea from a Halloween drawstring purse that Sharon over at Red Geranium Cottage made for Frannie. It's so cute I never put it away and have been wanting to make one ever since. Thanks for the inspiration Sharon! I hope the recipient of this French themed purse loves it just as much.

Inspiration

S.W.A.K.

CHRISTMAS COOKIE SWAP

(This is the Christmas card I sent out last year - Mary Engelbreit - I'm so glad I saved one!)

You Are Cordially Invited
To Take Part In A
Christmas Cookie Swap
Hosted By
Cute Stuff Inside
Sunday, December 14th

Bake up a batch or two of your favorite Christmas cookies
(hey, make 3 or 4 batches, who's counting?!)
Invite your friends and family over
Take lots of pictures
Write up your recipe
Enjoy Your Cookies!
Then, on Sunday, December 14th
(or a day or two before if necessary)
post everything to your blog
Next, check in with Cute Stuff Inside to find links connecting you
to everyone who's joining the party
Print out all those recipes that look yummy!

To join in, leave a comment telling me that you want to sign up for the Christmas Cookie Swap with your name and blog address. I will put up links to everyone who participates. Maybe there will be Christmas music - if I can figure out how to do it. :) You may even want to offer a fun holiday giveaway like I'm doing. As a matter of fact, everyone who signs up has a chance to win this fabulous prize :)

Remember, The More The Merrier, so, if you can, let's share the fun with everyone by putting up the Christmas Cookie Swap icon on your blog with a link (it's the red one above with the Mary Engelbreit card in the center).

Okay ladies, start your engines - I mean ovens! :)

Let's make this holiday a little more SCRUMPTIOUS!

As promised, here's a photo of all the wonderful goodies I received from my Polka-Dot and Rick Rack Swap partner. Look at that haul! Santa couldn't have done better himself! Janet, thank you ever so kindly.

Okay Frannie, you can wrap your doll up in the Christmas quilt now. Sharon, you've got competition! :)

BOP SHOO-OP, A BOP BOP SHOO-OP

S.W.A.K.

FRONT AND CENTER

Here's a photo of Frannie's class getting ready for their school's annual Halloween parade. Can you guess which one Frannie is? Now, I won't tell you that I love sewing tulle and slinky fabrics, but I do think it was worth the effort. That crown and scepter look especially grand, if I do say so myself! Those two items were a lot of fun to make.

Apart From The Crowd

I think Frannie made a great costume selection. She received quite a few compliments on her costume while out trick or treating on Friday evening. She was very proud!

Now scroll back up and take a look at the first photo. Do you see the paper owl, cat and pumpkin hanging up on the front board? I used the instructions provided in the Martha Stewart Living (October issue) and taught the children how to make these. They did a great job!

Thank you, Sharon of Red Geranium Cottage. Frannie just loves her Halloween purse and all the goodies that were stashed inside. It was such a wonderful surprise! Not only that, do you see the fabric that was used in the center panel? My sister, Ellen, just brought me a yard of that the weekend before your giftie arrived. I just love it! I asked Frannie if I might borrow her purse (yes, I would) and she said I could use it as soon as Halloween was over! Isn't she something! I don't blame her.

Now I want to tell you about something exciting and fun - I was just notified today by The Woolie Ewe that I won their contest. I entered a name for their newest knitter, Woolamina, and I won a $100 gift certificate to their on-line knitting store. I can't wait to shop. They have all kinds of yarns and patterns, so if you're a knitter, go on over and check them out!

Jen, thanks for boo-ing me!

S.W.A.K.

A GIRL AND HER PURSES

Here's another easy organization/decorating suggestion for a girl's bedroom: Purchase one of those accordian type wall brackets with the pegs (I got mine at Walmart in the coat hanger aisle). I painted it black and put on those pesky little white polka-dots. Voila!

Oh look! There are a couple more giftie things that Sharon of Red Geranium Cottage made - an adorable little purse that has rick-rack along the top edge and a button on each side of the handle. There's also a yo-yo flower with a button in the middle. It even came with a handmade tag! Frannie loves it - won't take the tag off either - not even when she takes it out to the store! There is also one of Sharon's wristlets - love those fabrics! Thank you again, Sharon.

Here's what the wall bracket looks like when it's full of purses. Well, how about that? There's a polka-dot purse hanging there. Looks like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Frannie can see every purse she has at a glance (well, not everyone - there are probably three times (who's counting) as many as these, but I spread them around the room as part of the decor). What is it about a girl and her purses?

I'm thinking about making another one of these to use as a holder for Frannie's necklaces and bracelets. I'll probably hang it right below her wall pockets - easy for her to reach and plenty of pegs to hold everything. Hey, if you've got this many purses, you know there's going to be a lot of jewelry to go with it. Now if only I can think of a cute solution for those hair ornaments!

S.W.A.K.

KEEP THOSE GUESSES COMING IN!

A DAY AT THE FAIR

The Danbury Fair Mall, that is. I'm not much of a shopper (unless it's for fabric), but today we took a drive up to the Danbury Fair Mall. It's your typical expansive mall, except that one of its highlights is their double-decker merry-go-round.

This carousel was originally designed for the Great Danbury Fair in 1869 and was there until 1981, when the fair ceased to exist and the property was turned into a mall, hence the name.

It is quite grand!

It is in the middle of a huge atrium where the sun comes streaming in.

Oh, look who's going for a ride. What a surprise! Does this girl have a thing for merry-go-rounds? Looks like Hello Kitty went along for the ride too.

Here's a special note for Sharon of Red Geranium Cottage:

Early morning mail delivery - the pefect way to start off your Saturday. I received my prize package from Sharon from her PJ party giveaway. Inside there was an extra special gift for Frannie - an adorable purse and a crown. She loves them both! I love mine too! I'll post a photo of the goodies as soon as I can get the picture out of my camera. Having a few technical difficulties. Sharon, Frannie is working on a little something for you too!

Don't forget to cast your vote(s) in the Halloween Giveaway/Contest!

S.W.A.K.

HALLOWEEN CONTEST ICON

I would love it if someone out there in blogland would post my Halloween contest icon on their site - we need to make this a little more interesting. Thanks in advance. Don't forget to sign up for the polka-dot and rick rack swap at Red Geranium Cottage. That picture is adorable!

S.W.A.K.

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL... AND GIVEAWAY TOO!

I know it's just the beginning of September, but here at my house, when school starts the Halloween planning begins. After all, we need something to look forward to, right? You can see from the photos below that for the past three years Frannie has opted to be a fairytale princess. Well, this past weekend we went to our nearest Joann's (about 25 miles away - for some reason they won't put one closer - arrrrgh!) and purchased our costume pattern and fabric for this year.

Snow White - 2005
(Would you believe I hand-sewed those red-sequins around each of the red tear drops on the sleeves individually. What was I thinking?!!)


Cinderella - 2006
(Thank goodness for Walmart - that's where I purchased all this gaudy fabric!)

Sleeping Beauty - 2007
(By the way, the trim at the bottom of this costume is vintage, from the 50's. I have oodles and oodles of it, that's why I didn't mind using it on a costume.)

? - 2008

So here's the deal: Make a comment and tell me who or what you think Frannie will be for Halloween 2008. All the people who guess correctly will have their names put into a hat, and on Wednesday, September 30th, at 8:00 pm EST, Frannie will pick a winner. If no one guesses correctly, then everyone's name will be put into the hat. Now, when you make your comment, make sure you specify which prize you would like. You may choose either a Halloween banner made by me (if you liked the cupcake banner at Sharon's party, then you'll probably like the Halloween one too (I can't show you a picture of it because I haven't completed it yet), or you may pick a bead knitted purse like the one shown in my post of Saturday, August 9th. It will be made out of these festive, fun and funky orange/silver-lined seed beads (they really sparkle!) - just right for the upcoming Halloween/harvest season.

Orange w/Silver Lining Size 11 Seed Beads

So keep those comments coming in girls. I love to hear from you all!

S.W.A.K.

CUPCAKE GOODNESS

I received my cupcake goodies from my swap partner, Sharon, at Red Geranium Cottage. It was like taking out at all the goodies in my stocking on Christmas morning. What fun! Look at everything I received:

Inside the box were cupcake wrappers, pick, tins, non-pareils, mini heart-shaped silicone baking cups, a really clever measuring spoon, cupcake take-out box, stickers, bath fizzy, cupcake card with polka-dot handkerchief inside (I do love those polka dots!), 500 Cupcakes book (love, love love), a cake tester with a little cupcake on top (it's sticking out of the book), and also a cupcake wristlet that Sharon made (adorable!). Also,

Is this cute or what? It can hold photos or recipe cards. Wait, something's missing! Oh, there it is. Somebody, whose name is Frannie, took this out of the box when I wasn't looking.

This is an adorable little quilt that Sharon made. I hope you don't mind Sharon, but please feel honored because next to this little crib is another bed:

And upon that bed sits Frannie's favorite doll, Lauren, along with the doll quilt my grandmother made when I was a little girl.

And one more thing Sharon, I'm honored that I was picked in the contest, but just reading your blog and seeing your photos is prize enough. Keep 'em coming!

Next post, contest (giveaway) details, stay tuned.

S.W.A.K.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU!

I can't tell you how happy you have all made me by sending me such wonderful comments. I appreciate your coming over here from Red Geranium Cottage to take a peek at my blog (especially since I am very new to all of this). It is such a thrill to see so many viewers! I hope you will come back often as I have so many ideas and pictures to share. Now I want to do something special for you. I'm going to have a giveaway. I hope to post this within the next 24 hours - it will be open for the entire month of September, so you will have plenty of time to join in the fun.

S.W.A.K. S.W.A.K. S.W.A.K. TO YOU ALL!

RED GERANIUM COTTAGE CUPCAKE SWAP - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Sharon, over at Red Geranium Cottage, has finally received my package of goodies for the cupcake swap, so I think it's safe to reveal what I sent to her. I wanted to give her a cupcake party in a box, and she received the following: Funfetti cake mix, Funfetti frosting (I wanted to send her the pink one, but I could only find vanilla, so I had to settle for that), pink cupcake wrappers with pink polka dots (can't send out something without some polka dots involved somewhere now can I?), a small Martha Stewart cupcake take-out box (in case Sharon wants to give a few of those cupcakes to her neighbors), four adorable little cupcake candles to light up her party, a cupcake banner, and, last, but not least, a cupcake hat (you can't have a party without a party hat now, can you?), and I knew Sharon would be brave enough to wear it, at least once! She didn't disappoint me either. Take a peek at Sharon's blog and see how fab she looks in it!

Cupcake P-A-R-T-Y Banner

This is made from a 4-ply paper for the backing which I traced a whole cupcake pattern on.to Next, I cut out various papers with stripes to resemble cupcake wrappers. Polka-dotted (there's those pesky polka-dots again) and glittered papers were used to look like frosting with non-pareils and sugar coating. Of course, you can't have a cupcake without a cherry on top - those were made with red foil holographic paper. The frosting part of the cupcake was also outlined with silver glitter just to add a little extra sparkle. Letters were printed off the computer and backed with a crepe paper streamer that I gathered up on the sewing machine. I used spray adhesive to attach the papers and then weighted it down with heavy books for a couple of hours to make sure it was going to hold. It's a good idea to put a sheet of waxed paper between the paper and books to make sure they don't stick together. When it was all done I put paper tabs on the back and strung a ribbon through. It can easily be folded flat for easy storage. I do love to make banners, and it this was a lot of fun!

Cupcake Hat

Now on to the hat! Believe it or not, I purchased just about everything I used to make the hat at Walmart. This included an 8" round kraft box, lots and lots of pins with white tops on them, paper in various shades of pink, a Martha Stewart hydrangea punch (I also use her glitter because it's really good and comes in lots of nice colors), and an 8" half styrofoam ball for the frosting. The cupcake wrapper, lining, foam cushion, and ribbon were out of my stash. The cherry on top is made from a styrofoam ball, painted red, glittered and attached with a piece of floral wire. The wrapper is made from several strips of paper that I accordian folded. I'd tell you exactly how to make this hat, but I'm afraid I would bore you to death, so if you really want to know, just ask. I've made lots of hats and crowns, each one different, but all are great fun to create. Just let your imagination go wild!

S.W.A.K.