Searching for Inspiration...

To design something classic and timeless...

To design something new for fall...

To design something fun and interesting...

(or to at least get off of my tail feathers and clean my sewing room...)

Who or What inspires YOU?

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide...hee-hee

:-) robelyn

And We Have A Winner!

Happy Friday!!!

I want to Thank You ALL for coming to my tea party!!! It was so much fun to sit and chat with each of you - and to hear your stories!!! Welders (Jill, I have some things to bring over that you can practice using that on!!!) and Easy Bake Ovens (Karyn, (my soul sista') do you think you could teach me how to cook WITHOUT using fire extinguishers?) and Grandchildren (Marge - I think it's wonderful that you are such a young and hip Grandmother!)! Laughter and Memories (Maggie, hold your memories dear and you will certainly smile at the wonderful things!) and Tears and Hugs...It was Great! Sue (with her Sons and Sister that throw her Surprise parties - HOW FUN!) and Ann, Midge, Jo, Jan , Handmedowntreasures and Kim all came to visit (I'm moving into Kim's house under the guise of helping her remodel, but I really want to get into her junk piles and see what I find - she cooks mac & cheese...I'll convince her to add some pineapple upside-down cake to that menu), Linda came to visit (I'll host more parties for you AND your back to come visit (no ironing necessary))! Then from the Junk Revolution I had Greta stop by (now she sets one FIERCE tea party table...think she'll come help me with mine next time around?) and Rosie (We'll find a fairy God-Mother to waive her wand and get that pumpkin!) and Lisa - isn't that dress incredible (Happy Birthday to your dear Hubby!!!)? There are so so so many more at Timeless Vixen it was INCREDIBLY hard to decide which to choose!!! And Leveta - she's so much fun (You REALLY have to jump on Junk Revolution to see what she's CONSTANTLY up too...and she almost ALWAYS sends you into giggles!)!

Thank You ALL so much for coming to visit - let's DEFINITELY party together again SOON!!! But in the mean time...I filled the tea pot up with each of my guests names and my wonderful Son (who is STILL shaking his head and wondering what the heck a blog party is!) drew out...

How exciting!!! I love to send my bags to various places (Jill, uh...could I get your address please?!) LOL This "e.liz.a.beth" bag (Yep! It's named after Grammy and my niece both!) is made using fused plastic (I'm certain there is a junk store bag in the layers somewhere!) topped off with a silver bag from my favorite fabric haunt in Dallas, TX! The sides of Miss "e.liz.a.beth" are up cycled upholstery vinyl - the handles and up cycled belt! Add some sparkly beaded ribbon and a vintage shoe clip and Jill now has the perfect "tea party" bag! I know she's going to a good home!!!

Now, for one last story...

"I'm a little tea pot, short and stout
Here is my handle, here is my spout.
When I get all steamed up
Hear me shout
Tip me over and pour me out!!!" (You know you're going to be singing that song in your head for the rest of the day...haha!)

This cherry red little tea pot was my Great-Grandmother's on my Dad's side! He loved it (and her!) so much that she willed it to him! He just grinned when he thought about it a couple of months ago - then looked totally shocked when he said "that thing is over 100 years old!"! I love it!!! Oh, the stories it could tell!!!

'til the next time!!! I hope you have a wonderful week-end - and THANK YOU for celebrating my August birthday's with me!!!

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide...hee-hee

:-) robelyn

It's a Birthday Celebration!!!

and Welcome to my Tea Party!!! Please do come in, I am so glad you are here!

August is a month of BIRTHDAYS in my family! First, we have my Grandmother (the black & white photo), Elizabeth (but she went by "Betty" or Grammy...I prefer Grammy!), then there's your local red.neck - mwaa (peeking out the side) - and my oldest Niece, Elizabeth, front and center!! (I have 3 nieces, but Elizabeth was MY Birthday present just like I was my GRANDMOTHER'S Birthday present!) Lovin' It!

I decided to fore-go the overalls and muddin' boots and don my party pretties in honor of your arrival!
Oh, okay - I'm in my camo jammies and you've busted me (you know me so well!!!), but I AM so honored to have you here! Please, take a seat - let's chat the afternoon away...

share some laughter, hug through tears, swap some good stories and memories - just celebrate life!

It was so fun to pull out all of the "good stuff" to have tea with you! Even the chandelier got to join in the fun! Did you know that just about EVERY piece on our tea table has a story?

How about a cup of tea for you as I tell my stories?

Would you like some lemon with your tea? Maybe some cream and/or sugar?

The tea pot that I have out for you is ACTUALLY a chocolate pot (hey, I'm a red.neck, did you REALLY expect an actual tea pot?) that my Great-Grandmother Ella (my youngest Niece is named after her!) got as a wedding gift in 1906! And, yep - the little cup and saucer are a part of that set! And your tea spoon? It was part of my Grandmother's (is it okay with you if I refer to her as Grammy?) silver set - and the sugar spoon was her baby spoon! Her name "Betty" is engraved on the handle with the year 1922 engraved on the back side...she would whack me with her wooden spoon if she knew I just told you that...

Don't be afraid to use the linens! Would you like to wear one of the sparkles? It would look so gorgeous with your outfit! These lovelies were actually a garage sale find that Grammy u-turned for! I mean, really...you can't just pass by a garage sale, you have to U-turn as many times as necessary to find the good junk spots (one of the various life lessons taught by Grammy... I will have to pass that along to Miss Elizabeth...)! I thought she had found the greatest sale in the world when she handed them over to me!

Would you like a piece of cake?

Now...this cake has a couple of stories baked into it - isn't that the best tasting?

Story number One...
My Mother (pictured above with my Grandmother looking over her!) made it for me to share with you today! She had too...she's a big believer in letting the local fire department rest for the evening...I tend to be a pyro in the kitchen (can you say "kitchen reno number 3?") as well as forgetting some of the ingredients. Aren't we lucky to have her cooking for us? What a tasty treat!

Why Pineapple Upside-Down cake you ask? Well...here's story number two! It's my fav-o-rite!!! I have requested it for years! I'm not sure if it was Grammy's favorite too, but she made me one each and every year (now my mother caters to my insane consumption of pineapple sugar!), then ate it right along with me! And - each and every year I tried to "sweet" talk her out of the gorgeous pink depression glass cake plate! Our last birthday together (this is not a bad thing, she is now fishin' her way through the crystal clear lakes in Heaven along with my Grandfather (aka: the old goat - yes, there is a goat at our tea party too...did you see him?) she handed me the cake on the plate and said, "Happy Birthday"! I love LOVE this cake plate! I will have to show you the next time you come to visit what it looks like WITHOUT the cake! I'll have my Mom make us a cake on a different plate...

I hope that you like pineapple-upside-down cake as much as I do!!! And the dessert plate? Nope, it doesn't match the chocolate pot, but it was my Grandmother's china - which mixes right in perfectly with my collection of...well.......pretty much anything I find pretty!

Your presence at my Birthday Celebration today is such a gift to me! Now, it's YOUR turn to don the tea party/story-tellin' hat - duct tape and all!

Do you share your birthday with family members? What is your favorite birthday story? My favorite story spans about 36 years...oh wait!!! 29 years (and I'm sticking to that like duct tape).

Thank You sew much for coming!!! I am enjoying exchanging stories with you over a cup of tea...

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide...hee-hee

:-) robelyn

You're Invited...

It's a BIRTHDAY celebration!!!

When? Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
Time? 11:00am
Where? RIGHT HERE!!!

Please do come join me! We will enjoy some tea and cake - I would love to hear YOUR birthday stories (and oh, do I have some stories for YOU!) - and a whole cup-o'-fun! So grab your friends and come on over!!!

No gifts necessary, but I might have one for you...
See You Tomorrow! ;-)

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide...hee-hee

:-) robelyn

Oh...Give Me Some Shade!

A LAMP shade that is!

I have made you aware of my bedroom decorating dilemma (or, my multi-personalities' decorating dilemmas...) - now I will inform you of the fact that I'm having the same issues in my dining room! Well dang, you caught me, THROUGHOUT MY WHOLE HOUSE! There, I've said it - I'm admitting to it - I will probably address it again somewhere down the line...is there help out there for those who feel they have to TOTALLY re-do their house every few years? (really, couple of years, or yearly...who's keeping tabs?)

ANY.WAY! I burst into the 20th centry and kicked my china cabinet out of my dining room! Well, I turned it around the corner into the kitchen - but it's not the center of attention on my dining room wall anymore! It always bothered me for several reasons...

1. It was very traditional in style - I'm not.
2. The way the glass doors and side panels are situated almost made doing displays inside useless...couldn't really see the GORGEOUSNESS inside. (I love my dishes....all 38 place settings of mix-and-match styles/patterns... is there a 12 step program for dish hoarding following the decorating program?)

3. It was very "normal" - I'm not.

So what did I do? Grabbed the very "commercial" / "modern" chrome shelves out of my laundry room, painted the dining room walls, painted the trim and went to displayin' my dishes! (well, some of them...all of those place settings require the addition of 2 more shelves and I don't have room for that....) Throw in a "distressed" wooden box that my gorgeous child made for me, some vintage locker baskets, a wooden toolbox to house some platters, some tractor gears on top of the candle holders - and I have the perfect mix of "me"! There are still some finishing touches - tweaks to be made...

ONE being a lamp shade! Augh! So many choices, so many decorating personalities...and I'm not confessing to how many lamps I have the option of stealing the shade from. Might need to have a 3rd, 12-step program called "I can light up the World".

I have combed the endless regions of the internet, I have searched the pages of any magazines - I have wandered through my mother's house - looking for inspiration (well, and at my mother's house I was looking to see what I might need to take home.) Here are a few shades that I have found...

I like this one for the simple lines. But, I'm afraid that it won't get the correct "exposure" on a Homer-Laughlin china pattern inspired lamp. So...on the the next.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this one! Anything number, letterpress - TEXT related and I have it in my house (for example: the big E A T in the corner of my newly re-painted dining room!) Oh, and the WALL of letters, numbers and words that hold up my kitchen. LOL But, again, I don't think it is the right shade. (for that area anyway - but you never know where I might sneak it in... i'm cool like that. LOLOL)

Now, something like these wire beauties is RIGHT up my alley! AND - believe it or not - I have about 20 of them! Why you ask? I make them into pendant lights, or lamp shades, mannequin hats, or anything else that tickles my fancy...they are WAY cute with little salt & pepper shakers hanging from them! Oh, got off topic - about the shades...
I like these for the simplicity, the fun (and a little funky) and because - like my shabby chic, crystal laden off-white chandelier (hanging over my 1950's red and chrome dinette set... see? I make no sense, but my house is LOADS of fun!!!) - the wire shade could be changed with the seasons! Run some tiny sparkley fall leaves through it for fall, some vintage garland for Christmas, hang some tiny snow flakes for winter - and so on!

But then the OTHER part of me adores these GORGEOUS doily shades...so feminine and pretty and man, do I have the doilies! Some family hand-me-downs, some "i couldn't walk away without it at the garage sale" finds - some just jumped right out of my mother's house and into my bag while I was perusing the lamp shade possibilities...

So - when you are seeking shade, what style do you go for? Do you try to make it work just for the lamp or do you take into consideration the whole 8' wall? Do you need a china cabinet? I have one...

'Til the next time - I hope you have a WONDERFUL week-end, I'm going to find some shade...it's HOT HOT HOT in Texas!!!

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide...hee-hee

:-) robelyn

photos courtesy of:

country living, eravintage, skonahem.com

nice, http://www.carpeitem.blospot.com

Look...it's GOOD to be an ASS!!!

Wednesday's red.neck Wisdom...

"To carry his load without resting, not to be bothered by heat or cold and always be content: these three things we can learn from a donkey..."

- Indian Proverb quotes


Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide...hee-hee

:-) robelyn

P.S. This guy likes cherries...I left the store with a full bag, went home with half missing...

Donkey: I just know, before this is over, I'm gonna need a whole lot of serious therapy. Look at my eye twitchin'... from the movie "Shrek"