Friday, February 26

I'm all tied up.


In a box of ties! I have a blast with ties! I know, I'm weird like that. BUT! In my defense - they make GREAT and FUN stuff!!! I found my big box of ties last night while digging around the laboratory for some fabric I just KNOW I have..... somewhere.... still haven't found it. Sew today I've been looking for some inspiration!!! If you don't have to wear 'em - here are some fun things to make with 'em!!!

Skirts and Dresses (I would wear this... if you go to her store and it's sold...)

Throw Pillows

Bracelets (uh huh - is this not tooooooooooo cool?)

A Pennant Banner (yep Jill, this is for you...)
Did ya'll know that Jill is having a FIELD day making the cutest ever banners?  AND - if I recall correctly - the girl has an INSANE pile of the coolest lookin' ties - go look! I'll wait...

Are you back yet? Okay - I also found...

A clutch!

No worries if you have to actually WEAR a tie...
I can whip you up one in a Jiffy!!!

Ah... the ideas are just bouncin' around in my brain... I need to tie them down!!!  What do YOU do with ties?  Wear 'em or make somethin' out of 'em?

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

Thursday, February 25

If...

I had this kitchen...

I would make this:

Pink Lemonade Pound Cake
CDKitchen
Serves/Makes: 12 | Difficulty Level: 3 | Ready In: 1-2 hrs

Ingredients:
1 package (18.25 ounce size) lemon cake mix
1 package (3 ounce size) instant lemon pudding mix
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
4 drops pink or red food color, optional
***Glaze***
1 cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup white sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour one 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan.

Combine the cake mix, lemon pudding mix, eggs, vegetable oil, 1/2 cup lemon concentrate and the milk. Mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350F for 50 minutes to 1 hour. If your oven runs hot be sure to adjust accordingly!

Remove from oven and prick cake all over with a fork. Immediately pour lemonade glaze over top of cake.

Let cake stand in pan until almost cool.

LEMONADE GLAZE: Combine the thawed frozen lemonade and the white sugar. Mix thoroughly and pour over still warm cake.

But everyone is safe and the local FD won't be called - I'm not cooking. The fire damage would TOTALLY ruin the stainless steel finish and mess with the overall gorgeousness of the kitchen - then where would I be?

So... who's baking? Directions to your dining table please.

Comin' to you LIVE from a fire-free single-wide...heehee
;-) robelyn

Wednesday, February 24

hay!


Yep - you read that right! It snowed in Central Texas... and I got to play in it!!! Whooooo Hooooo!!! AND! Since all ya'll people were so kind to share your pictures with me (and make me wish I was leavin' my boot prints in your snow) I'll share MINE with YOU! heehee


This is one of my fav.o.rite neighbors... she was grocery shoppin'.

It seems that she didn't like people watchin' her shopping exhibition so...

I went to dog-watchin' instead!  This is just two of the monsters that eat too much.  The blond one - he just wants hugs, kisses and cuddles.  The black one?  He's a baby - he just wants to play and play and play.  The third one... he's ornery (and my favorite!), but smart.  Therefore, he's in the barn under a few blankets in his dog house that sits inside of the barn - totally protected from the elements (and crazy girls with cameras).  LOL

This is as far as the fattest cat in the whole world got.  He put his left foot out... then I didn't know he could move his blubbery self back inside that fast. He was later spotted holed up on my bed under 2 blankets and a pillow.

And...
Since the schools let out early and businesses closed early (yeah - I bailed at lunch time!!!) I pretended I was on a mini-staycation and got bizzzzzzy in the laboratory!  I made some purses, made some MORE purses and finalized a new pattern!  Meet "Merry Poppin' "!

She's big (12.5" x 17") - she's feisty - and she can hold some junk - just pop it in and go!!! And she likes to play in the snow.  HA!

I made some snow angels - I left my footprints - I had some fun!  AND!  I can throw a mean snowball... heehee  I'll show you next time it snows in Waco... could be next week, could be next year... could be 20 years from now!  The weather in Texas is as crazy as your favorite red.neck...

Happy Wednesday!!!
Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide...hee-hee
;-)  robelyn

Tuesday, February 23

Lace 'em up!


Shoes.  Shoes!  I have mad-shoe disease!  I can't get enough of them!  The number of shoes in my closet FAR exceeds the number of clothing items (on the floor of my closet).  So sad...


My pay-the-bills job requires the occasional slippin' off of the peep-toes and slippin' on the tennis shoes.  But - alas - no need to sacrifice the "girly" stuff when that happens, right?  And it only happens every so often.  I have been spotted working in a cherry picker (a number of times) sportin' my ruffly skirt and to-die-for stiletto's while arguing with a 20 foot sign (it always wins)... I have been spotted tip toeing across the top of very large trucks in my strappy sandals with sparkles. I have even been spotted under the hood of a car in the most incredible pair of black patent leather heels with ruffles that went great with my pencil skirt and ruffled 40's silk blouse! I'm a great source of entertainment for the surrounding community. And - you can blame it on "the mama".  I'm fairly certain that while she was learnin' me how to fix a car she had just dressed me up in a ruffly pink dress with happy daisies on it. Shoes to match.

I do my part to put the "Chic" in "red.neck".  *snicker*


Any way - I got the cutest pair of tennis shoes the other day... but they just weren't girly enough!  So - what's a girl to do but dig around in her trim drawer!  Well, one of them any way. And start playin'!


Grab some bling...

and your needle and thread...

work your magic...

and Voila!  You're all laced up and ready to go!  See?  You don't have to sacrifice the ruffles and lace when you slide on your tennis shoes!  I even have a pair of tennis shoes that CAME with lace on 'em!  Oh... that could be why I own them...
huh.

Sew - go forth and bling out your shoes!!! Add some ribbons!  Add some lace!  Don't you have a pair that are needing some fun?  I know I have more... and I bet "the mama" has some... and the neighbors... and the other neighbors...

Comin' to you LIVE from a SNOWY single-wide... whoo hoo!!!
;-) robelyn

Monday, February 22

Staycation


What would YOU do?  As much as I would love a road trip right now I am fairly certain I need a STAYCATION!!! I NEED to be on lock down in the single-wide!  I hit some estate sales over the weekend and hauled everything into the house... where it still sits... I made some purses over the weekend and hauled them all into the house... where they all sit.... the single-wide is in danger of toppling from the loads of laundry.... chances are it will have a growth spurt once I actually CLEAN the single-wide... I still need to make more purses...

Is that considered a STAYCATION? hmmmm....




Where should I go on my road trip?  Seems like a wiser choice.
Happy Monday!!!

Comin' to you LIVE from a danger zone single-wide...heehee
;-)  Robelyn

Friday, February 19

It's the WIIIIIIIIIIIIK-END!!!


This week-end I'm just hangin' out!  I've got a few shows coming up and really.... can you have too many handbags?  Too many chandeliers?  Too many things that come out of my red.neck brain?  I think not.  I've gotta get bizzzzzzzy!

What kind of havoc are you going to wreak this week-end?
Have a great one (and just call me... I'll bail you out.)!

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

Thursday, February 18

Style Me.


Or... style my photos (and I will take that whole outfit, Thank You.)!  The more that I gear up to do something interesting with redneckChic.com (don't go look - it's horrible right now) the more I get interested in not just photographing my handbags and various assortment of other fun stuff... but have the WHOLE photo look as interesting as the featured item - photo styling. I am the worst about seeing a cool wall or door or window or pasture, hanging or setting my handbag then turning to my fav.o.rite photographer with a big cheesy grin and saying, "okay - shoot!"
"The point of styling a shot is not to obscure the qualities of an item, but to enhance them while opening the viewer’s mind to more possibilities. Try to show the item, but also to tell a story." A story... yes, this I can do... sometimes I can even tell a tall tale!  Everything IS bigger in Texas... that includes stories and fish... or would that be fish stories?  huh.

I love the idea of just linin' up my goods and gettin' to work!

Anthropologie for example.  I STALK my mail carrier when I know it's catalog time.  Seriously - stalk.  And, to be honest with you - it's not the items IN the catalog (though they are cool... they are just pricey enough to shock my fluffy pink socks off!) it really is the photos!  They make me tear them out and hang 'em all on my inspiration board! And yes... I do look through a magazine to peruse the photos... then I will go back to read the articles.  Or look at the photos again.

On the knack blog she is introducing a new piece of furniture... now how cool is the "hello"?!

Helpful Things To Keep in Mind... (these tips are from an Etsy article you can find here)
  • Keep your eyes open. Props are everywhere! Sometimes, just walking through a new environment can give you some great ideas. Take a stroll through the dollar store and see what you come up with. What about that margarine tub of mismatched buttons hiding in the craft closet? They might make a great background...
 Here FaireHoure is displaying her clock that is for sale... though I would take the chair too!  LOL
    • Look for examples. When you get a magazine and a photo pops out at you, take a closer look at how it was styled to learn technique.
     I am a sucka for Tine K Home... I could spend hours flipping through her on-line catalog... and she makes me want to set my cake stand on the floor - and be the owner of that chair.  ha!
    • Incorporate more of your own items. Try putting other items from your shop into a shot without losing focus on the main item. This shows how well items in your collection work together!
    I can see a "red.neck" handbag on a pile of vintage cases... I can also see myself in that suit...
    • Last, and most importantly...be free. Sometimes, the best way to come up with an idea if you’re really stumped is just to play. Remember, you are the art director. Look beyond the typical use for your item, and just have fun with it.

      Sew... I am on a mission. My goal is to make my photographs look as stylish as my handbags.  Please keep your fingers and eyes crossed for me and the surrounding neighborhood and my poor photographer... this should be nuthin' but interesting.

      How do you do it?  Do you just shoot your photo as is or do you play around with display and pull in props and other fun things? Do you drive around the neighborhood and slam on your brakes when you see the perfect backdrop? I'm all eyes...

      Friday Update:  This morning Decor 8 has this post about photo styling!  It has some great links!!!

      Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide (that could be gettin' re-styled)...hee-hee
      ;-)  robelyn

      Tuesday, February 16

      When I Need a Laugh...


      I refer to this...andlaughhysterically... then watch it again...andlaughhysterically...then watch it again...andlaughhysterically...then watch it again...
      It's a vicious cycle.  Seriously - watch it... you'llseewhatImean...

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

      Monday, February 15

      Cherries Anyone?

      He won the Revolutionary War, served as president of the Constitutional Convention, and was the first president of the United States. He is quite possibly the most famous of all the Founding Fathers.

      But - did you know...

      Once during battle, a cannonball almost hit him and his men. Everyone hid, except George, who kept on fighting. I admit... I'd be skeert of a flyin' cannonball.

      George’s first set of dentures were made from cow’s teeth. Later, he had a second pair made of hippopotamus ivory. Mine have duct tape... cool, huh?  LOL

      Contrary to popular belief, George Washington never wore a wig. I'm taking mine off now.

      According to Newsweek, 14 percent of all pre-school children think George Washington is still sitting in the oval office.WOW.

      And the Cherry Tree Story? When George was about six years old, he was made the wealthy master of a hatchet of which, like most little boys, he was extremely fond. He went about chopping everything that came his way. One day, as he wandered about the garden amusing himself by hacking his mother's pea sticks, he found a beautiful, young English cherry tree, of which his father was most proud. He tried the edge of his hatchet on the trunk of the tree and barked it so that it died. Some time after this, his father discovered what had happened to his favorite tree. He came into the house in great anger, and demanded to know who the mischievous person was who had cut away the bark. Nobody could tell him anything about it. Just then George, with his little hatchet, came into the room. "George,'' said his father, "do you know who has killed my beautiful little cherry tree yonder in the garden? I would not have taken five guineas for it!''  This was a hard question to answer, and for a moment George was staggered by it, but quickly recovering himself he cried:
      "I cannot tell a lie, father, you know I cannot tell a lie! I did cut it with my little hatchet.''
      The anger died out of his father's face, and taking the boy tenderly in his arms, he said:

      "My son, that you should not be afraid to tell the truth is more to me than a thousand trees! Yes - though they were blossomed with silver and had leaves of the purest gold!''

       That story made me hungry!!!
      Ingredients:

      1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust
      pie
      4 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
      1/8 teaspoon salt
      1 cup white sugar
      4 cups pitted cherries
      1/4 teaspoon almond extract
      1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
      1 1/2 tablespoons butter

      Directions:
      1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Place bottom crust in piepan. Set top crust aside, covered.
      2. In a large mixing bowl combine tapioca, salt, sugar, cherries and extracts. Let stand 15 minutes. Turn out into bottom crust and dot with butter. Cover with top crust, flute edges and cut vents in top. Place pie on a foil lined cookie sheet --- in case of drips!
      3. Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.

      So -  who's cookin' for Presidents Day?  I'm on my way...

      Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide...heehee
      ;-)  robelyn

      Saturday, February 13

      xoxo

       

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

      Friday, February 12

      Snow. HA!


      Here I am getting all psyched up yesterday for some SERIOUS snow fun - so SURE it was coming my way!!!  Dallas was getting it - HUGE happy flakes all day long!!!

      I was bundled up!
      Wrapped up!
      Layered and layered and layered up!
      Had my mittens and a pair of gloves too!
      Had my coat!
      Found a scarf!
      Was sportin' my favorite boots with my happy daisy wool socks inside!
      I WUZZZZ READY!

      Just waiting.... and waiting.... and waiting...


      And this is what I get?

      Please keep posting your pictures in blogland 'cause I'm living vicariously through your camera lense.  Oh, and will you PLEASE make me a snow angel?  Pretty please?

      Comin' to you LIVE from a de-iced, non-white single-wide...hee-hee
      ;-)  robelyn

      Thursday, February 11

      You See I See


      Trash Bags!  You know... grocery store bags - hefty sacks - craft store bags... everybody's got 'em! If you are like me, toooooooooo many of them!!!  I even have a bag to hold my bags!  I know, that makes no sense, but it's the way it is.

      Sooooooo many things to do with them...

      Keep your coffee warm.

      Wear a pretty happy daisy!

      Watch the butterflies...

      or how about make a rug out of them?
      (they are also great kitty litter disposal systems... but we won't discuss that...)

      Fun stuff right?  Well - I decided to make a purse.  A garbahhhhhhge bag.  Better than that?  Remember when the trash talkin' DIVA Debbie herself gave me a sparklin' brooch to "mimic the sparkle she puts in my eye"?  It came attached to

       a pillow!
      Sew -  I decided to mix it all up...



      and I ended up with some...


      What a perfect combo, right?  Some fused trash bags and vintage-y fabric... with a sparklin' thing! (Every time I make a garbahhhhhhge bag now I giggle and think of Debbie. hee HA!) What should I name her?  "The Trash Diva"? "Talkin' Trash"?  I'm all ears and she really needs a name (not Debbie, the purse)...

      Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide...hee-hee
      ;-)  robelyn
      And Thank You Debbie - I hope you like her!!!

      Tuesday, February 9

      I'm in a Bind!


      I'm all wrapped up in seam binding!

      I know you expected duct tape - but nope!  Seam binding!  I have SEW much fun with that stuff (and it CAN be found in duct tape color!)!  Have you considered all of the many things that can be done with it?  Let me offer up some fun ideas for you to consider:

      Brooches...

      A little scrap added to your sparklin' thangs...

      Tie up some gorgeous lil' gifts...

      Make a chandelier or decorate a cake stand...
      (Martha LOVES seam binding... do a search on her site - you'll see what I mean!)

      And the lovely Magnolia Pearl...

      Adds it to her handbags and furniture...

      It can even be used as an organizational tool!
      What do you use your seam binding for?

      Comin' to you LIVE from a tied-up single-wide... hee-hee
      ;-)  robelyn
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