She's living in a faux world...

I know what you're probably thinking. Does it go something like this? "First it was fabric flowers. Now it's fabric strawberries. Isn't anything real over at her house?" As I was taking these snapshots this morning, (in between a few chuckles) I could almost hear you all saying those very words.

It is after 8am and the sun is nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, these images reflect how dark it is around here.



I hastily assembled these strawberries for today's post. They aren't as elaborate as usual, but I think you get the main idea. Up to three years ago, they were a staple on my craft table. I'm unsure if I will have the time to do more this year as I'm already overwhelmed at the volume of things that still need to be done. November will be here before we know it.



So, my dear friends, it's time to head back to my craft dungeon. I hope creativity and inspiration fill your day!

Aloha!

It's Netter's Special Day!

I have been very fortunate to have met some really fantastic people through my blog. Netter is one of them. She has a number of blogs that she maintains. If you have a blog of your own, you know the amount of attention that it requires. Mix that in with every day life and it can get overwhelming fast.
Netter has 5 blogs. She's a very busy woman. If you need a book recommendation, a great recipe, or crafting inspiration, I'm sure you will find what you are looking for in one of her blogs.

Netter was also the winner of my last giveaway. After receiving her package, she sent me an email saying that she will wait to open it until today, which happens to be her birthday. How is that for willpower? Happy Birthday, Netter! If you'd like to see what she received, you can visit her
here. I hope you have a fabulous day, Netter!


Sometimes I make things just to see if I can. Of course, I usually get carried away and end up making way too many of whatever it is.

These are beaded beads that I made late last year and I still have no idea what it is that I'm going to do with them. They are made from faceted beads that were beaded onto fishing line. I left the tails of fishing line on the beads just in case I needed to use it to attach it to something. Whatever that "something" is has yet to be determined. And to make matters worse, I don't even remember how to make them anymore. What would you do with these? Any ideas?

And last but not least, new fabric flowers continue to bloom...


Have a nice day!

Aloha!

Yes, I can be fickle at times...

I usually know immediately if I love something or not. Then there are the times that something has to grow on me a while before I decide that I like it. Just call me fickle.



A couple of years ago, I saw a completed handbag somewhere out there in blogland that was made from this pattern. At the time I thought that it had an interesting shape but it wasn't something that I would like for myself. I ran into this pattern again last week and had an immediate attraction to it. Who would have guessed!?!

My hubbie said it reminds him of a boat and I tend to agree with him. Although I'm excited to start on it, it will have to wait it's turn in line behind the zillions of other things that I have going on.





I'm constantly making prototypes from ideas that pop into my head. This is a strawberry key chain that I have been working on. I know that the center of a strawberry flower is yellow, but somehow a yellow button just didn't look right so I added a blue one instead. It's a bit "cutesy" but I think the tweenies would love to hang their house or locker key from it. This will be added to the pile of items that need to be thought through a bit more.

I hope you all have a wonderful Spring day and enjoy the beautiful flowers that surround you. Me, I'll just go sniff my fabric flowers while thinking of some of your fabulous gardens that you described to me yesterday. (grin)

Aloha!

No Fresh Flowers Here!

Since the beginning of Spring, I have noticed an explosion of flower images in a large number of blogs that I frequent. I bow my head in shame as I present to you more flowers of the fabric kind. Don't get me wrong, I love fresh flowers. The problem is that I am not an avid gardener. In fact, I enjoy gardening less and less as the years go by.



When we first purchased our home, I planted many trees, shrubs, and flowers. At one time a huge part of the garden consisted of lavender agapanthus which profusely bloomed throughout the year. It often looked like a sea of lavender in my front yard. I was constantly asked by my neighbor about how I got them to bloom so much while she struggled to keep her agapanthus alive. I could never answer her because my garden bloomed with little help from me.

Several years ago we hired a landscaping company to come in and redo our yard. It soon became a yard of rocks, grass and very few plants. The belief was that I could at least manage something simple. Unfortunately, I also neglect my little patch of plantings too.

Here is a picture of my front yard. A garden gate now fills the hole in the wall. Take notice of the sparse plantings.



So, if you've come to my blog expecting to see fresh blooms this Spring, you have come to the wrong place. The only images that I can offer you are of fabric flowers. I hope they make you happy just the same.

Have a fabulous Monday!

Aloha!

A Bevy of Blooms

Flower pins in progress.



Have a good weekend!

Aloha!

The winner is....

I would like to thank each of you who faithfully stopped by each day to enter my giveaway. My heartfelt thank you for all of the lovely comments you have made.

Now on to the giveaway. Sorry for the poor picture quality. They were taken in a hurry prior to hubby leaving for work this morning.

With the assistance of my hubby, the date that was chosen is April 22.






The finalists...




The lucky winner is Netter! Congratulations!!

Netter, I will be contacting you via your blog.




I am still chipping away at the pile of tooth fairy pillows and also working on a prototype for a new flower pin. I'm still playing with petal size and leaf shape. You know I can't limit myself to just one project at a time, right? LOL

I hope you all have a very wonderful day.

Aloha!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'd like to share a great recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I have several favorites but this seems to be the one that I revert to whenever I want something that is quick and easy to prepare.




1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 oz. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.



Combine the butter and both sugars. Cream together until light and fluffy.



Add vanilla and eggs. Mix until well incorporated into the creamed mixture.



Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and stir until a stiff dough forms.



Stir in your favorite chocolate chips.



Place cookie dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet or onto parchment paper. I like to make large cookies so I use a medium-sized cookie scoop to form the dough balls. Bake for approximately 18 minutes. Adjust your time to 10-12 minutes if you are making smaller cookies.



Transfer to a wire rack to cool.



Voila! Now go save yourself a few before your family devours them!


I am currently in the process of making tooth fairy pillows. These were started earlier in the year and then were tossed aside after I got bored (standard modus operandi).


It feels good to finally see the piles of UFO's getting smaller and smaller. I keep reminding myself, one bite at a time, Lettie, one bite at a time.

I hope you all have a creative day!

Aloha!


***Don't forget to enter my giveaway. If you are new to my blog, please refer to my post of April 8 for the rules. Today is the last day, so hurry and get your entry in!***