~ My Slip is Showing ~

I have always started to salivate when in the presence of slipcovered furniture.  At one point many, many years ago, I paid a man to custom make slipcovers for me and was absolutely facinated by his work.  It was a surprise to me that he didn't take the furniture with him, he cut the fabric in the exact shapes ... in some sort of a whirlwind ... while we stood and watched.  My children were most facinated by the fact that he did this while holding approximately 157 pins in his mouth.

 Several years after that, I happened upon a good quality wing chair and ottoman in a very unpleasant looking fabric for a whopping $35 at a yard sale. (Hence, my link to Nifty Thrifty Tuesday) I decided it would be a grand experiment for me, using the wing chair the talented man had slipcovered as a guide.

I cannot begin to tell you how excrutiatingly hard it was for me as a sewing project (I like to cut pieces of fabric into smaller pieces of fabric and sew them back together ... that's what I like to call a sewing project)  but I developed a system where I would work on it in the morning until I hit some sort of a snag, and then I would just go back to it the following morning.  It took me about 2-3 weeks to finish. Thank heavens for "shabby chic" which allowed for a certain amount of looseness and imperfection.

I went on to slipcover every pillow I had ever purchased (I cut up a mattelase spread for this one, utilizing the scalloped edge to my liking) but I swore I would never again slipcover furniture.

I lied.

Stay Tuned.

~ Surveying the Landscape ~

When I first saw this picture online at Better Homes & Gardens, I believe my heart skipped a beat. The pale blues and greens had me at "hello", but then I found my eye kept coming back to the landscape painting over the bed. I have always loved landscape art, but I felt like I knew this painting more personally. Oh yeah ... I do.

This painting which hangs over the dresser in my guest room has a very similar structure and I cherish it.

I bought it for a whopping $15 at a thrift shop years ago. Later I had it reframed for much more than that. The tole-painted bucket was also a steal on the bargain table at Anthropologie. Also years ago. It's place in the guest room is somewhat temporary while holiday decor takes over my pseudo-mantle.

I can't talk about landscape without a picture of the actual landscape just a hop, skip and a jump from my home. I walk this way every morning. I actually do not hop, skip or jump. I just walk.

I do love the landscape around here.

~ Where was I? ~

 I took some time off for a little R & R.  Robust fun and Recreation.  Trust me, no rest at all was involved.  The question is ... where did I vacation to?  Was it to a cool and woodsy cabin in the mountains?  Noooo.

 Was it a warm and arid trip to the desert? Ummmm ... I don't think so.

 Was it a stay at the ocean?  You know I love the ocean.  But that would also be a "no".

 Perhaps I went duck hunting.  Think again.

 Oh ... I know ... maybe I went to jolly old England and stayed in a quaint cottage?  Nope, I'm afraid there was not enough time for an overseas adventure.

 Which also rules out that trip to a castle in Bavaria.  Oh no. This was just a mini-vacation.

Or perhaps I should say a ... Minnie ... vacation.  I spent 2.25 days at the Happiest Place on Earth with my oldest daughter, Ms. Gee.

And boy, do I feel happy.

~ Butterflies ARE Free ~

 My title may be a reference to a 60's movie with Goldie Hawn, but try not to let that date me, and cause a flurry while you rush to find a calculator. I just noticed that I had more than my share of butterfly pictures.  All of the quilt ones are from a sample I did at the store in AZ where I used to work.  The whole purpose was to make them in different styles ... and yes they actually went into the same quilt.  Odd, but true.

 This picture is of a sidewalk I walk on every single morning here in SoCal Land.  More butterflies.

 More fabrics.  More fun.

 A "Butterfly Bench" ... also on my morning walk. My grandkids are quite enamored of them.

Butterflies are also Bright!

This is all in honor of the fact that it could possibly be back in the 90's this week.  It just seemed wrong to post any pictures of the frost on the pumpkins.

Happy ... whatever season you want it to be.

~ Inspiration from the Southland ~

I spent the most lovely day today with a group of fellow bloggers from California.  We toured the oh-so-lovely shops of Old Town Orange and filled our bags to the brim with even lovelier ... free ... stuff, aka "swag".  We had a delicious lunch and listened to Mark Montano answer questions about crafting and publishing.

 As you can see every single detail was exquistely attended to.  (Although for the record ... I had Diet Coke.) It took me a half hour after I returned home to rummage through all of my goodies and a much shorter amount of time to consume some of them.

I would like to thank Paulette of Summerland Cottage for inviting me and then taking me under her wing once I was there. 

The theme was Inspire * Create * Connect.  I was definitely inspired and I cherish the connections I made.

Eh ... two out of three ain't bad.

~ Fall Feathering ~

Oh ... it's Fall all right. For one thing, I'm freezing after yesterday's rain.

For another thing ... I got out these guys.
I'm feathering my nest (at this party!) with some Fall ... friends.

Next stop: A Pumpkin Patch.

A real one.

~ Crisp ~

Here is a tip for the day, whether or not you are a sewer/quilter/crafter. This tip is for anyone who fancies herself "a wearer-of-unwrinkled-clothing".

Best Press is the only thing I starch with. No yucky white residue and it comes in lovely scents (or a lack thereof, if that's what you want.) My favorite scent is Caribbean Beach which I buy by the gallon.

I use it consistently to stiffen up a background block in order to machine applique on it. I also use it to put a nice crease in my sleeve.

All Good.