Saturday, January 29

martha, martha, martha


Martha emails me.  She emailed me the above photo along with the directions on how to achieve this masterpiece...


To imprint monograms on velvet ribbon, you'll need an iron, rubber stamps, and velvet ribbon wide enough to accommodate the stamps (silk ribbons and silk-rayon blends work best).

Stamps that have intricate patterns or are too shallow will produce less-than-perfect results.

Plan on making a test ribbon or two with your chosen materials to determine how much heat, time, and pressure produce the best imprints.


1. Cut a ribbon to desired length; to create a monogrammed ribbon for a photo album, cut the ribbon the length of front and back covers, plus binding, and 2 extra inches (the extra ribbon on ends will wrap around inside covers). Use a fabric pen on the reverse side of the ribbon to mark stamp placement.

2. With the steam function off, preheat the iron to the cotton or wool setting. Place the rubber stamp, relief side up, on a sturdy, heatproof surface. Place the ribbon, pile side down, over the stamp. Using the portion of the iron's soleplate that has no steam holes, press down evenly on the ribbon, covering the stamp.

Hold the iron in place without moving for 10 to 30 seconds. Then lift the iron straight up off the ribbon. (If the ribbon sticks to the iron, the heat setting may be too high or the velvet used may contain heat-sensitive synthetics.) Gently remove the ribbon from the stamp, and check whether the image is clear. Let ribbon cool.

3. To attach the ribbon to a photo album, carefully apply a low-moisture paste-style glue, such as Yes Paste, to inside front cover, and secure ribbon end. Let dry 5 minutes. Then wrap ribbon around album, and glue other end inside back cover.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Monogrammed Velvet Ribbon - Martha Stewart Crafts


I WILL master this before the month is over - mark my words.  Have you ever done this before?  I think they would look really cool as "tags" on shirts - or on shirt cuffs (by-the-way, have you entered my giveaway?) as soon as I can tap in to my inner Martha...

I hope you are having a wonderful week-end!!!

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide (where it's very possible I'm melting some ribbon or burning some ribbon... or I could be melting or burning something... you just never know.) hee-hee

Thursday, January 27

gettin' hitched...


Anthro's email to me (I get all flushed with excitement when they email me...)


said: "What if Anthropologie did weddings?"


And, of course, I had to go check it out here.


Who knows what they are gearin' up for - but are the photos not incredibly gorgeous?


'Til they email me again I'm just gonna sit and wait.... perhaps with my hands in cuffs... have you signed your name on the "wanted" poster on my give-away?

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide (where I'm thinking I need ALL of those rhinestones... and the shoes.  I'll take any of those shoes.) hee-hee

Wednesday, January 26

i fought the law...


I've been locked up workin' on some Saddle Tramp shirts and other fun stuff...


and some of them are just totally off the cuff (literally)...sew I took the cuffs and made some bracelets!


(yes indeedy - that is a faucet handle thingy...)

Cool, huh?


 Tell me which one you like (out of the four convicts)...


(this is my favorite... vroom, vroom)

and I'll have a drawing at the Tailgate party "The Mindy" is hostessin' (to watch the hockey game between Ol' Miss and the Miami Dolphins)


 and we'll see if YOU fought the law... and won (yes, you get cuff'd if you're the winner... 'cause I'm a red.neck and that's how I roll my cuffs up.)!  How's that? (deadline for writin' your name on the "wanted" poster at the post office is midnight: Friday, February 4th.)

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide (where I fought the law - the law won - and I have a jail story (I know - that totally surprises you, right?) I'll go into story tellin' mode when I announce the winner Monday, February 7th... have you ever been to jail?  Curious minds...) hee-hee

Tuesday, January 25

wanna know?


Go HERE to find out what kind of havoc I'm gonna be wreaking...
(It involves soccer.  No - bowling.  No...uh... water polo... it's the World Series of Chinese checkers...)

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide (where heck-YEAH I have Christmas ornaments buried in my freeze-my-freckle winter decor... "the Mama" gave 'em to me for Christmas 'cause I'm the polky-dot queen...) hee-hee

Monday, January 24

Today in History...


January 24, 1922


Christian K. Nelson, of Onawa, Iowa, patented something quite sweet. It was an ice cream confection that we commonly know as an Eskimo Pie.


I just thought that was cool...


Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide (where I'm thinking I'm hungry now... are you an eskimo pie fiend like I am?) hee-hee

Friday, January 21

Old McDonald...


Old McDonald had a farm. E-I-E-I-oh.


He had a bull. E-I-E-I-oh.
with a "moo-moo" here and a...

 (okay fine. he had two bulls... but who's counting)

Here a "moo" - there a "moo"
everywhere a "moo-moo"
Old McDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-oh!

And on that farm he had


'cause everyone needs a tractor.
E-I-E-I-ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.................


I'm having sew much fun with the Saddle Tramp line of FUN (available at Hillsboro Antique Mall, The Primitique and SOON in Warrenton (augh!))... I'm going back in the red.neck lab this week-end to see what else I can grow.  oh... I mean farm.  oh... I mean think of...

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide (where I'm wonderin' what kind of fun are you planning for this week-end?  I hope you have a WONDERFUL one!) hee-hee

Thursday, January 20

The trash talkin' Diva...


Debbie's done it.


(I hear you thinking "what has she done now?")


Debbie over at Talking Trash gave the "Mar.go" bag a name!


Let me introduce you to:


Fun, right?  It was a toss-up... you cRaZy rednecks have some GREAT ideas and I can't thank you enough for helping me out! I've been busy, sew... just get ready for some more insanity. In the mean time, Debbie is over talking some REALLY GOOD Trash - have you gone over there to put your two cents in?

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide (where it's cold and windy and I just want to take a nap...) hee-hee

Wednesday, January 19

Get in - Buckle up.


When I was a little roll of duct tape "the Mama" had a station wagon.  A very large - odd color of goldy/brown (think... bad diaper day) station wagon. (Verrrry large.)


We never really fought over who would sit in the front seat - it was more of an arm wrestling match (with a few kicks and elbow jabs) to see who could sit in the BACK seat.  You know the one... the BIG back seat that faces out the BIG back window 'cause it was a VERY BIG station wagon.


Well, one time the older red.neck brother o'mine and I were waiting for my Mom who had run in to an electronics parts store (it was right off of a fairly busy city street...)

Me: "I think you should drive."

Him: "I can't - I'm only 8 (or 9)"

Me: "So?  I dare you to back us out of here."

Him: "No - Mom will kill me."

Me: (and these are ALWAYS the fatal words) "I double-dog-dare you"

Who knew "the Mama" could run that fast when her boat got launched out in to the middle of a fairly (okay- really) busy street?  Poor older red.neck brother... I think I heard "the Mama" yelling things like: "she didn't do it - I SAW YOU!" and "she's sitting WAAAAAAAAAY back there - you're sitting in the driver's seat!"...


Later on the man that owned that parts store became my step-dad... he too can move pretty fast when boat launching happens in front of his store.  I think it's 'cause we were so much fun he couldn't live without us anymore.  He's just smart like that.

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide (where when I was a baby baby (this is all hearsay over the past centuries) the older red.neck brother was found in the DFW airport at the flight desk of Delta airlines inquiring about a one-way ticket to China... seems his little sister was absolutely chomping on her teething ring to get there... *pffffft*) hee-hee


P.S. I like the photo styling in the newest Anthropologie catalog. AND! I picked a name for the "mar.go"... stay tuned! And drive safely.

Monday, January 17

Stylishly Breathtaking...

Pssssstttt...  Christine thinks I'm stylish - and Kori thinks I'm breathtaking!!!  I'm blushing fer sure!!!  And sooo honored!!!  Thank You to BOTH of you!


Christine's award required that I tell you 7 things about myself.  Well, that's a tough one for me because I'm not a "volunteer" of information... usually you have to ask me something specific - then I'm happy enough to answer!  THAT is where I got lucky that Kori finds me "breathtaking" (I like that word, don't you like that word?  I like that word.) 'cause she gave me 7 specific questions!!! Here goes:

1. What inspires you?


This question is HARD to answer - and it's the first one!!!  Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) inspires me.  The lines of something/anything.  The color of something/anything. YOUR blog and/or your comments on my blog!!!  A word - a phrase - a sound - a smell - a song - silence - a touch - a taste... it takes very very little to get me going off in some other direction - a new idea in my head.  Very very very little...
"Creativity contributes to our sense of aliveness and our playfulness."

2.  What is your favorite season and why?


Late Fall/early Winter.  When the mornings are 30 degrees and the afternoons are 60 degrees.  It's fantastic - I feel so renewed and energetic!

3.  What are you most looking forward to this year?


I'm looking forward to each day of this year. Each sunrise. Each day holds something new.  I learn something new or I feel something new or I think something new or I make something new or I meet someone new.

4.  If you could write a book about anything, what would you write about?


I seem to have a thing for water meters/man-hole covers/gas line cover thingys... I don't know why. But I think it would be great fun to travel the world (and Route 66) taking pictures of those and doing a coffee table book.  Title it - "red.neck - Under Cover" or something like that...
you would buy that, right? *snicker*

5.  What is your greatest passion?


hmmm..... Life. "The resident-teen." (Life maybe 'cuz "the Resident Teen" hasn't killed us yet while driving...) Love. Family and Friends. Creating. I live my passion.

6.  If you could change one thing about your life or yourself, what would it be and why?


I wouldn't be normal if I said, "there isn't somewhere else I would like to be living" ('cause there is) or "something else I would rather be doing" ('cause there is.)... but for now I'm practicing patience. Oh. And I would like to loose about 100 pounds (and loose the freckle on the end of my nose)... but uhmmm.... this reese's is REALLY good.

With age has come the knowledge that change just naturally happens.  2010 was an interesting year.  Yet for the most part, I didn't realize ALL of the shifts and alterations that I had experienced until I did a mental check at the beginning of 2011.  I woke up about 2am on the 1st - snuggled quiet happily under the covers and did a mental review... hyperventilated through some of it - cried through some of it - giggled quietly through some of it... was skeert of some of it - was SHOCKED by some of it (my thoughts could be heard saying, "WHOA!  When did that happen?!") It doesn't seem to matter whether I'm actively trying to change my world - or whether I wake up to my world having changed all by its big ol' self... each day produces a change of some sort.  And most days I don't notice - and some days I do notice and do a little bit (or a whole lot) of "freaking out" or "high-five'n" the Universe... but then I just re-adjust and know tomorrow is a new day - and it's all just part of a grand plan. A grand plan for me - my life. My heart. My soul.  Today and every day, I'm working on me. Not anything in particular - not any circumstance in particular - just me.

I'll sketch my world as a prettier place
draw my self with a smiley face
and make this picture perfect...I'll start with where I'm standing now
and begin shaping where I want to be
no one can tear my picture down
because it's me
and as long as I'm still proud of this self portrait I'm creating
I'm doing fine
and what I'm sketching doesn't have to be anything fancy
no, I'm just shaping stronger sides of me

Life - and we as the fortunate souls that get to live it, breathe it... take it in and make it our own - is always changing. It wouldn't be HALF as much fun if it wasn't!!!

7.  Lastly, what is your favorite novel?


yikes!!!  Which one ISN'T my favorite?!  I'm a bookworm!!!  But - there are 4 (well, 5 if you count my scratch pad 'cause sometimes I'm inspired by my sleep.) constants right beside my bed.
Ice Castles - the ultimate 1970somethin' romance! (uh huh, I see your eyes rolling...)
The Promise by Danielle Steele
Small Business for Dummies (I saw that - quit laughing at me!!!)
...and - a biography, a thriller (with some romance and some mystery thrown in) a sci-fi and a self-help - elements of humor and crazy adventure - great travels and suspense... ALL in one book. My Bible.

There you have it.  Thank You again to Christine and Kori! I won't tell you how many days it took me to come up with my answers... again - I totally stink at "volunteering" info.  If you haven't been to visit these two lovely ladies - you should go immediately!  Fun - Fun - FUN! Take 'em and run - because YOU deserve them both as well...

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide (where even though I'm breathtaking I have to start breathing again 'cause I'm turning blue and that's not very stylish...) hee-hee
Blog Widget by LinkWithin