While I WASN'T Blogging...

...I was spending a lot of time in the studio with Suzy Singer.  These are  a couple of things we put together.

This little half apron has a fabric flower pin at the waist that can be removed to be worn on a jacket or sweater.

The rick rack on this apron is two inches wide.  It is the widest  I have ever seen.

This cute little apron was made from an old pair of blue jeans.  Click on the picture to enlarge it and you will see the vintage hankie peeking out of the pocket.

There have been a lot of cute things coming out of the studio, so stay tuned.

It's Friday!

Family and friends frequently remind me that it should not matter what day of the week it is since I do not work.  It must be an ingrained feeling as I am always excited for the weekend.  Life is just different on the weekends, don't you think?

 It has been an active week here as we have a little visitor.

This little guy has gone from being a baby to being all two year old boy.  He keeps his Grandma Bea and PaPa on their toes.  His vocabulary is rapidly increasing.  At two years old, a child should be speaking two word sentences.  This week, we have frequently heard these things:  "I will do it."  "You just wait a minute."  "Don't say that."  I have had a little hand put over my mouth and been told to "Shush." He told me "abajo" (Spanish for down) when he did not like me carrying him away from the watering hose.  He knows that speaking Korean at our house will get him a blank stare.  And I am sure that when he says, "Goob dado do dic go", his own made up language, he is cursing at me.  But as the grandma, I get to turn my head and laugh at his cheekiness.

I have not been able to work in the studio while Boogie has been visiting.  This apron was a gift I made for Mother's Day.

We return our grandson home tomorrow.  While in the big city, we hope to attend Artsplosure in downtown.  Then we have tickets to Preakness Pints.

On Sunday, this grandma will probably spend the day in bed.  

Finished for Friday - Another Apron

My lovely neighbor, Anne, turned 87 in mid July. She and her husband, George, have been so wonderful to us since we moved to this new town in a new state. I love sitting on their front porch listening to the stories they have to tell.

Anne always says, "If I knew I was going to live this long...", she would have redone the kitchen or painted the living room. And then she looks at George and knows he would never have let go of the money to do these things. They are the funniest old couple.

Another thing Anne says she would have done different is made sure she had not given away all of her aprons. She has one apron that she wears all the time. It has been worn and washed thin. She always makes a comment about its ratty state every time I visit with her in her kitchen.

My intention was to give this to her for her birthday. I missed that deadline. After finishing it yesterday afternoon, I took it to her. She was thrilled to have a new apron, made especially for her. Here she is standing on her front porch wearing her new apron.

Here is a close up the apron. It is a simple cafe apron. Anne liked that there were no gathers at the waist as "they get so dirty". She can hardly wait to have company so she can wear her new apron.

Finished for Friday is hosted by ThreeUnderTwo at Lit and Laundry. Click here to see what others have finished this week. Tell us what you have accomplished.

Vintage Thingies Thursday - Aprons

Happy Thursday to you! Come on into the kitchen so I can show you what I got a couple weeks ago at the local flea market.



I found a stack of vintage aprons. When the vendor told me they were $2 each, I had to hide my excitement for fear that she would decide they were worth more. This one had to come home with me. I love the bright yellow waistband, pleats and binding at the hem.
But I lovelovelove the kitchen print used to make this.
Look what is tucked inside one of the pleats. A pocket, of course.

I gasped when I uncovered this one. It is so soft.
There is no waistband. Instead there are little pleats tacked with cross stitching.

The cross stitching also adorns the pocket and the hem. Tucked behind each cross stitch is a bit of ribbon. I wonder what woman put so much time and effort into this black and white beauty?

This is an apron I purchased on Ebay last year. It is brand new, never been worn. I bought it to use as a template for some aprons I want to make. My vintage sack material would work up really well with this pattern, don't you think?

I showed my mother in law this apron on her last visit. It brought tears to her eyes as she told me her grandmother always wore an apron just like this. Same style, same floral pattern and always, always in purple. Whatever I paid for it was worth the money bringing back this memory for Hubs' mother.

I would wear this apron, but then I would get it dirty and have to launder it. Then the tag would be lost. What year do you think you could have purchased this apron at Woolsworth for sixty seven cents?
Thanks for stopping by today. Make sure you check out the other vintage, antique and retro things shared by my friends this week. You can click here to take you to Suzanne's lovely blog. Be ready to say awhile.

Finished for Friday - Apron

This apron was started back in May. It was not a difficult pattern, but it seemed like things kept going wrong. And of course, sometimes life gets in the way...

This apron is a size small so it does not quite cover my ample waist.


The ties on this apron are really long. I should have altered them, but it was to the point I just wanted to get it off my WIP list.

What have you finished this week? Let us know at Lit and Laundry. Check out what others have accomplished this week.

Tuesday Tidbits - I Lied and Contest Entry

Is that a face only a grandmother could love? That is our cute grandson, Mr. Porter Pants.

I've been looking for one image to use for my Tuesday Tidbits. Last week I had the pineapples, which reminds me of tidbits...pineapple tidbits. This week I wanted to share this picture as it reminds me of tidbits...all over his face! Maybe I will just use different pictures each week...

I lied. My last post was that I was taking a blog vacation as I'm going back *home* for a week. But, I made the mistake of checking email and my blog roll and read about this giveaway. How could I not enter! Click on the Apronista button to see the giveaway.

Yesterday afternoon, I visited with my 86 year old neighbor, Anne. She never throws anything away. Really. She saves everything. When I left her house yesterday, I had four bags full of vintage goodies and a vintage toaster. I'll have to share those with all my Vintage Thursday pals once I return.

Now, I must TURN OFF my computer and get packing. Literally!

Now I'm taking a

See you next week!

Finished for Friday - Sewing Apron

It's been a "slow" week around here due to a dreadful allergy attack but I'm better now. Well enough to chase around our 19 month old grandson for the weekend.

This week, I finished up the embroidery pieces for two more needle cases. Since the entire project is not complete, I'll wait until next week to share those. Pictures of the needle case I have finished can be seen here.

Youngest daughter and her husband's renewal of their wedding vows and reception is rapidly approaching. I got several things scratched off that list this week. Must finalize plans with the florist today.

When I'm sewing or working on a crafting project, there is nothing more frustrating than having to look around for the tools I need. Even though I gather all the things needed before hand, a lot of time is wasted looking under material or on the desk or on the ironing board or on the sewing table for the scissors or the rotary cutter, the seam gauge or the seam ripper. I started wearing a bib apron with a large pocket across the front so I could easily find these items when I needed them. I loved the pocket, but hated having the fabric of the apron hanging around my knees. Seeing one of our son in laws wearing his carpenter's tool belt while tearing down the front porch gave me an idea.

Here is the "prototype" of my sewing apron. I'm going to wear it for a while to see what I need to fine tune.
I can already tell I am going to have to do something to the widest pocket, the flowered one on this apron, to keep the scissors and rotary cutter from falling to the bottom of the apron. Maybe stitch a seam across the apron just above the narrow, bottom pocket?

I made a matching pin cushion with a velcro loop that can be attached to a side loop sewn into the apron. Since I am right handed, I might want it on the right side?

What have you accomplished this week? Share it with us at Lit and Laundry. Make sure to see what others have "Finished for Friday".

Blue Plate Monday - Menu Planning and Pasta Shells with Italian Sausage and Broccoli

What’s for dinner? Do you hate asking yourself that question as much as I do? Years ago, I learned the way to avoid answering that question was menu planning. There have been times when I’ve set aside the practice for one reason or another, but I eventually make my way back.

Since our big move almost eighteen months ago, I have not been very diligent in my menu planning. When Kelly announced Blue Plate Mondays, I decided I would get back to my menu planning again.

My system isn’t very sophisticated, but it works for me. Here’s how I plan:


• Check to see what has been stashed in the freezer.
Since I usually only buy meat on sale, there is probably something in there that I purchased but haven’t used yet. This week, I found a package of sweet Italian sausage, a large chuck roast (too big for just the two of us), and a container of spaghetti sauce.
• Look at this week’s sales circular from the local grocery store.
The only grocery store in my town besides Wal-Mart is Food Lion and they have four stores. Guess where I shop. Since I typically only shop the outer edges of the grocery store, I’m most interested in the meat, produce, and dairy items on sale. This week, Food Lion has pork tenderloin, two pound chubs of ground chuck, center cut pork chops and packages of frozen boneless chicken breasts (buy one, get one). In the produce section, they have yellow and zucchini squash and broccoli crowns on sale. They also have Birds Eye Viola! Pasta meals in the frozen section and New York brand Texas Garlic Toast. I’ll pick up one or two of each of these items to throw in the freezer to use if I need a meal in a hurry.
• Take a quick look through past menu lists.
As you can see from the above photo, I keep all my menu lists. I look to see if there is something we haven’t had in a while or if there was a new recipe I tried that we really liked.
• Look through my file of new things to try.
If I am looking through a cookbook and find a recipe I like, I note the name of the recipe along with the name of the cookbook and page number on a list. I might also note the key ingredients. A lot of times, I find recipes when I’m browsing the internet so I make a copy and put it in my file. My file also contains recipes torn from magazines or the back of boxes or cans. There is no real organization to my file other than a section for main dishes, side dishes, and things to bake (cookies, cakes, breads, etc.)
Each week, I try to include one new recipe, whether it is a main dish or a side dish, in my menu planning. If the recipe is from a cookbook, I note where the recipe can be found on my weekly menu. Otherwise, I paper clip the recipe to my menu list. After trying the recipe, I make a note on the menu list as to whether we liked it and if I should fix it again.

Wow! This looks like a daunting task in itself. But I’ve been doing it this way for so long that it really only takes me fifteen to twenty minutes. Then I sit down with my trusty yellow note pad and make out my menu for the week. While I’m making out my menu, I also make out a grocery list. My grocery list isn’t anything elaborate either, but I do list things by section: meat, produce, dairy, etc. Saves time in the grocery store which makes a task I dislike a much more pleasant experience.

Here’s what my menu looks like for this week:

M – Pasta shells with broccoli and Italian sausage, green salad, copy cat Macaroni Grill rosemary bread.

T – Leftovers from Monday. *We eat a lot of leftovers. We don’t mind them and it saves me from having to cook every night. If there are still leftovers after two dinners, Hubs knows it is fair game for lunch.

W – Grilled chicken breast, herbed rice, sautéed zucchini and yellow squash w/diced Italian tomatoes. *Since Hubs is the master griller in our house, I try to include something grilled each week which eliminates me having to cook the entire meal every night. I will have him grill the entire bag of chicken breasts so they can be used in menu items for the next day or two.

TH – Salad with grilled chicken and honey mustard dressing.

F – Stir fry using grilled chicken and any fresh veggies left OR omelets and toast.

S – Fish sticks, mac and cheese, peas. *Our grandson will be visiting so I need something “kid” friendly. Thankfully, Hubs also likes this meal.

Because I picked up pork chops and ground chuck on sale this week, I already have two menu items on my list for next week. I’m getting back in the groove!

The recipe I would like to share with you this week is the pasta dish we will be having for dinner tonight. This is one of those recipes that has no set amount of ingredients. Just play it by ear for your family.

Pasta Shells with Broccoli and Italian Sausage
8 – 16 ounces of medium shell pasta
1 package Italian sweet sausage links (The sausage I use comes in a package with a little over a pound in it.)
2 – 3 cups broccoli florets
1 sweet red pepper, diced or cut into thin strips
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (more or less to you taste)Tablespoons crushed rosemary Dried or fresh, whatever is on hand
Olive oil

Cut casing from sausage or leave casing on and cut into 1” pieces. Brown sausage in large skillet. Just before sausage is completely browned, throw in garlic, red pepper and rosemary. Finish cooking sausage while sautéing the pepper. You may need or want to add a little olive oil. In the mean time, cook pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is two minutes from done for your liking, throw the broccoli in the pot. After pasta is cooked and broccoli is tender crisp, drain well. Place pasta in a large bowl and pour the sausage mixture over top. Stir well. Serve with grated Italian cheeses.

Part of Kelly’s give away is sharing a photo of us wearing a favorite apron. Go to Kelly's blog here to see the cute apron she has made and the guidelines for winning it.

Let me say that I am really not as "plump" as these pictures portray. These pictures were taken in December and we had NO heat. I have four or five layers on underneath those aprons.

Above is my favorite vintage apron. It has a bib and hangs below my knees. Make sure you OH! and AH! over that beautiful loaf of cheddar cheese braid coming out of the oven.

For Christmas, I made aprons to give as gifts to four girlfriends, five daughters/daughter in law, my mom and Larry's mom. I picked out material that reminded me of each person and included vintage buttons from my grandma's button box. I had to make one for myself when I found this fabric with bees. To see all the aprons I made at Christmas you can go here.

Join us for Blue Plate Monday at (un)Deniably Domestic and see what others are cooking for dinner. Tell us what's cooking at your place.

Finished for Friday - What Do You Do with Ugly?

While doing spring cleaning and preparing for guests a couple weeks ago, I spent a lot of time in the upstairs bath. Usually, I only use this room for quick pit stops while working in my studio, so I was appalled at the look under the vanity. UGLY! The entire bathroom is ugly, but as Hubs says, "That's on the list."

See what I mean?

To answer the question, "What do you do with ugly?' Around here, you hide it. With a few yards of fabric, a tension rod and two sash rods, it now looks like this:

Much better, huh? I did as little cutting to the fabric as I could so that *someday* when we redo this bathroom, I can use the fabric to make something else.

I finished this cute apron for a birthday gift to a friend. Which of course, is late! It was my first attempt at machine applique. I thought it turned out pretty cute.

I also finished this apron.

It is one of those fabric panels you can buy that just needs to be cut it out and sewn. I altered it a little bit by stitching the neck pieces together so they slip over your head instead of tie. I also added bias to the raw edges as I thought the fabric weave was too large to not ravel if I just turned it under like the directions said. It has been neatly folded on a shelf in my studio since I stitched it in January. This week, I "Finished for Friday" by sewing on some embellishments. While they can't be seen well in the photo, I added a jingle bell to the hats of one of the snowmen on the bottom and to the one on the pocket at the top. I also added some buttons to a few of the polka dots.

Another project that can be checked "DONE" are these envelope style pillow covers I made for my studio.

They sit in the old rocking chair of Hubs that I never could quite find the right place for in our house. It would get moved from room to room until it finally landed in my studio. When redoing the room, I decided to make it finally belong somewhere and used it as the inspiration to the colors used in this room. The fabric used for these pillows can be found in my window treatments as well as in my fireplace "screen" that can be seen next to the rocker.

Since I know you are wondering... the fireplace screen is a vintage frame I have had for years because I knew someday I would find something to do with it. It was the perfect size to go over the opening of the unusable fireplace. Some foam board cut to fit the frame and covered with fabric created just the piece to hide UGLY once again.

"Finished for Friday"is hosted every week by Lit and Laundry. Click here to see what others have accomplished this week.

My Entry for the FABULOUS not-a-contest GIVEAWAY

Apron Memories is hosting a contest with the most FABULOUS prizes! The entry requirements were so easy, I couldn't NOT participate. Click here to see why I am so excited.

When we moved into our fixer upper's (That would me my husband!) dream, the kitchen was going to be the first thing we remodeled. Gut it, redesign it and Viola! The kitchen of my dreams. After almost a year of using a crock pot, electric roaster, microwave, electric griddle and our gas grill to fix our meals, I told my husband I didn't want to go through another holiday season with out a stove or oven. The fridge is still in the dining room, but at least we now have a good used stove.

Here are a couple of pictures of my depressing kitchen.
Because it doesn't look like I'm going to be getting that dream kitchen soon, during my spring cleaning frenzy I decided to "spruce up" the kitchen and at least make it look a little homier. Not wanting to spend any money, I dug out some of my vintage kitchen things, including a table cloth. Then I dug around on my apron rack. Here are some pictures of the results.
It is not my dream kitchen yet, but with many of my much loved vintage things displayed, it is a much nicer place to work.