Flip that Chair!

 In the beginning...there was a lonely chair that lived in a house where it was lonely, outcast and felt no love

As many of my friends know, I was laid off from my job of eight years at Edy's Ice Cream.  To supplement my income and to keep my mind busy the past five months I have been training/working under the leadership of my Mom, Mary, in learning how to work the trade of upholstery.  I have developed a passion for "flipping" the old, unwanted chairs and furniture into a beauty that one loves again.  I have many favorite tools and "foo-foo" items that make the process easier and add that special touch in the end.  My love for nail heads is very popular these days.  They come in all different colors, finishes and shapes.  The two below are the most popular with customers.  I would estimate that 50% of the work we put out has some type of nail heads on them.  We buy by larger quantities because of cost and each piece takes way more than you could ever afford to buy at the fabric stores.  Someday...I will count them as I install them!





In the end...........
The ugly duckling became a beautiful much admired, wanted and loved piece of the family!

My passion for yo-yo's continues!

Anyone who knows me at all knows of my passion for yo-yo's.  I am continuously searching for new templates from Clover to make them with.  I can make them from just circles and thread but find that I can use the templates when I want to do something mindless while I visit with friends or when I am on a road trip and can be more accurate.

The Clover small green template is the latest addition to my addiction.  It makes the cutest little yo-yo's to put on cards, headbands, in a cluster of different sizes on apparel or just about anywhere you would want to add a little splash of color.  These templates are becoming so popular that they are hard to catch in stock in the stores locally.  I found mine at the link below.  Happy yo-yo'ing to you!

Last of Graduation Celebrating

Well after graduation we finally had a date in common with everyone so that we could celebrate Nikki's graduation. We had aunts and uncles and cousins over for a hamburger cookout feast. Banners were handcrafted by Clarissa complete with yo-yo's and TLC.

Nikki's gift from big sister Clarissa and Piper was a coffee maker for her dorm room. It came complete with two coordinating coffee mugs, a frother and the coffee make itself was white and orange to match her colors.

These two pester each other relentlessly when they are together and have done so ever since the day they met eight years ago. Dustin actually gives the smile that shows how he really feels about his step-sis Nikki....proud of her and what a good gal she is to him.

This gift from me was a project that I had worked on since last November's scrap at the lake with my scrappy friends. It was a book of all the plays that Nikki had been since she began in eighth grade. It was really fun to see her look at every page in detail.

Nikki's cake that Clarissa designed and her friend Anna, who works with her at Beth's Bake Shop, decorated. We loved it because it says, "Nikki is Wicked Awesome!" We are taking a girl's trip to St. Louis to see our favorite musical very soon...all 12 of us (sorry Allen, 11 gals and one dude!)

After all these years and she still claims me as one of her Mommas. Watching her graduate was such a thrill and now she will be on her own soon. She is holding her bedspread and pillow sham that I made from the fabric she chose at Urban Outfitters online. Little birdies, their cages and lots of orange. I just took the panel of fabric and cut it to size, selected a coordinating fabric from JoAnn's for the backing and off to the machine quilter that I use in my area. When I got it back I bound it with orange/white polka dot fabric and made a pillow sham to match. I can't wait to see it in her dorm!

I love the conversations that we have now that she is a young woman making decisions on how she would like to see her life unfold. The most recent saying is WWPD....What would Paula do? We have been talking a lot about situations that she might get into dating in college, what to look for in a future mate and what God fearing men look for in a mate. I now pray for her as an adult child instead of a teenager!