Out with the old...

...and in with the new? And what is that?

Over the course of the last year, I've seen a tremendous drop in apron sales. No, not just in my shop alone but also in others, as well as a decline in vintage apron pattern sales on ebay or etsy.

Perhaps by now every other person owns an apron?

Perhaps by now every other person is sewing their own aprons?

Perhaps by now the vintage apron craze is over?

Such thoughts have run through my mind, and while it may or not be true, a seamstress who relies on sewing for extra income needs to be somewhat aware of what people are interested in. Why make scores of tea cozies if no one buys them, let alone uses them anymore? Of course on the flip side, if halter tops are in I will not be making or selling those because of personal modesty standards.

This summer the question that my mind is often thinking is "What do I sew?"

It has been well over a year or two since I last made a garment for myself since I'm finding hardly worn or new clothing at thrift stores for way cheaper than what I can make. As much as I love and miss sewing historical sewing there are no opportunities for me to wear such fun things outside of my own four walls.

Perhaps by now, after well over 11-12 years of having some kind of a sewing business (my sister and I did custom-made modest apparel for about 5-6 years, complete with a website and mail-order catalog) is it time to close this chapter of life and move on?

Last I saw, there were well over 70 readers. I'm amazed that there could be so many who would take interest in my postings, and I'm humbly grateful. While I don't normally call out to any non-commenter's or lurkers, if you have any thoughts or ideas for me, I would love to hear from you!

Well, enough of my ponderings for today. I need to run to the store to pick up another package of bias tape (I was to lazy to make my own when I started this apron). It is almost finished, and I'd like to complete it this morning if possible. The fabric was cut out in the Ginnie style, (personal tastes coming out here, but the Laura Ashley fabrics seem to look best in this design) and how fitting too, since my last Ginnie apron was worn until practically thread bare. That was a couple of years ago, so it's been awhile since I've had one of these.

Yes. I'm still in love with vintage style aprons, and am constantly wearing one for either gardening, housework, or cooking. :)

New Appearances

Many blessings have been counted these last few days. I'm assuming that in exchange for the yard work put out with great fervor, I've given a gerber daisy to plant along side of the day lilies.
This afternoon, a gorgeous blue hydrangea plant was bought on sale for me to put in my garden. This is another thing I've always longed to have blooming on our property. Personally, I think they are just as romantic as roses. Maybe next year I'll be able to plant some of the rambling lovelities instead of those boring hybrids.

While I was out doing my daily watering, I couldn't help but peek in to see that the five little eggs have hatched within the last few hours. At first I only saw one egg, but then a day or two later there were five that made their presentation. That mama bird will be busy!

Oh yes, and then the lilacs. No, not in bloom, but rather making its appearance in the shop. :)

Saturday's Treasures

A garden-park bench. Something that I've dreamed to have and prayed to find for many, many years. Today that dream came true.

Much to my great gratification or satisfaction, which ever you prefer, I kept asking members of my family to guess how much it was. One particular person threw out the amount of $100. Oy! I can't remember I last saw that amount of money! :) If I were to ask all of you ladies to guess, we might be here all day, so I'll tell you:

This morning I was out doing errands and when I was finished and heading home, a road was closed and I had to take m.a.n.y. odd twists and turns just to get back onto the main road. One of the turns was into a neighborhood where shortly after making a right, I saw this park bench sitting close to the sidewalk with a man standing in front, taping a remnant cardboard piece to it with the letters F-R-E-E.

My heart lept, and my car seemed to automatically gear toward the curb. I hopped out and inquired after the older gentleman, "Is this really free?" Indeed it was, much to my great ecstasy. Yes, there are a couple screws missing, and it probably needs a good coat of paint, but overall it is just lovely.

And it seems to have adapted itself quite nicely among the daisies, pansies, forget-me-nots, evening primroses, and delphiniums. No more indoor reading for me! :)

Summer Evening Studies

What better way is there to spend a cool summer evening than in reading and journaling?

["Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalms 119:105]

Something to Keep

Many times a week I search for Laura Ashley fabric. The winsome, old fashioned, and sweet prints are often just my tastes, and the fabric is always high quality. Several days ago I found this piece of yardage on etsy for a good price, and it arrived with today's mail.

As all of my other Laura Ashley fabrics, this one will be made into an apron of sorts. But unlike every single one I've sewn before, this one will not make its appearance into the shop. I like it to much to part with it. ;)

If you're sadly disappointed, perhaps if I hint of three *adorable* fabrics that include peonies, lilacs, and butterflies - you'll know to watch for items in the shop early next week!

Cracker Barrel Biscuits

It is very rare that we ever go out to eat at Cracker Barrel, but the atmosphere and food is usually quite delightful. A few of my favorite things they serve are their cornbread muffins and biscuits. Quite awhile ago I got a craving for them, and with a bit of google searching, I found a mock recipe for their biscuits. ::happiness::

I love this recipe since it is super easy to make, takes very little time to have piping hot biscuits out of the oven and ready to serve, and the ingredients are ones that aren't hard to track down. Who knows, maybe you have them hiding out in your kitchen cupboards!

♥Mock Cracker Barrel Biscuits♥

2 1/4 c. bisquick
2/3 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. melted butter
extra melted butter

Mix first three ingredients, and then add butter to make a soft manageable dough. Turn over to a floured counter top and knead a few times while flattening dough to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter and place in 8 x 8 cake pans. Brush tops with extra melted butter.

Bake @ 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Makes 12.

(If you have a large family like we do, you'll want to make a couple batches of these! They also freeze well.)

Ways to eat them:
-Drizzle honey on top (my favorite!)
-Split open and fill with fresh butter
-Make a sausage gravy to pour over, and you have "biscuits 'n gravy"
-Serve with a favorite soup

Gifts for a Bridal Shower

Over the weekend I attended a friend's bridal shower at her home. I honestly never looked at her wedding registry's (didn't have money to buy anything, quite honestly!) but looked rather in my sewing room stashes to see what I could pull together for her home.

Drawing inspiration from this hip bag, and knowing that these are her favorite colors, I used some tan corduroy, a blue green stripe cotton, and some cording to make a pillow. Oh yes, and the assortment of buttons to decorate a corner.

She has faced alot of health issues over the last year or so, and while she continues to prepare for her August wedding through her physical suffering, I knew that the devotional book, "The Tender Words of God" would minister to her heart. A cream tatted bookmark was included too.

All packaged up in brown paper tied up with string with some wildflower seeds to share.

The bridal shower was a lovely event with a house full of friends, guests, and gifts. The table was spread with many delights.

A fruit tower a friend made for the bride-to-be.

'Tis the season for budding relationships, engagements, and weddings around here, and I'm loving it!

Summer Tropical Smoothie

One of my all-time favorite drinks in the summer is a homemade smoothie. Yes, even more than the coffee-raspberry frapps at Starbucks.

One of the places that I work at is now carrying organic fruits and vegetables over the weekend, and so while my family is on vacation, I stocked the fridge, freezer, and counters with such good things for one's body.

One of the treats that I picked up were mango's being sold for 3 for $1. I bought a bunch to cut up and freeze for smoothies, which I added in the recipe below.

--roughly 1/4 to 1/3 cup orange juice (I didn't measure)

--1 small organic banana

--1 frozen 6oz. carton of coconut yogurt (Liberte' brand)

--1 frozen organic mango, chopped

Blend juice and banana until creamy. Add yogurt and blend until smooth. Add mango and blend until there are no more chunks. This will be deliciously thick.

Pour into a vintage ice cream or soda glass, a strawberry to perch on the side and to eat later, and a fun colored straw if you're going for color. I prefer my fruit smoothies thick, so I eat mine right away with a spoon. :)

Pictorial View of a Tea Party

Originally my plans were to have a tea party out on the lawn near the gardens, but with temperatures rising in the 90s, I knew we ladies and the chocolate would melt. The a large majority of the guest list were unable to come or never responded, so that meant we could have it in our dining room, much to every one's delight! It made for a more intimate setting with dear people.

Pansy's and a few books greeted guests at the door:

The decorated room...

...with lots of teas to choose from!

Treats of chocolate sticks, chocolate marshmellow cakes, cucumber sandwiches, and scones were served.

Of course there had to be fresh mock Clotted Cream!

with homemade cherry jam,

and fresh organic blackberries to perch on top!

We also had clotted cream & butter biscuits,

and peach iced tea if we wanted something cold to drink.

Alas, there are no pictures of the tea party in action. We were to busy stuffing ourselves with these delightful treats and teas! :)

Tea Essentials

Memorial Day sales at the thrift stores are my favorite. Today's treasures included three spools of tatting thread in size 30 (very hard to find!), a William Sonoma cookbook featuring chicken recipes, lovely white damask cloth napkins that appear to be unused, and my most expensive item today was the Victorian Rose china. Four little mugs, four soup bowls, and three dinner plates for $3.50 isn't to bad, especially for Laura Ashley. I'll be hard pressed to find a replacement plate for that price alone.
It's kind of exciting when you pray for things, and the Lord answers them. "Lord, what about white cloth napkins for my tea party? If the china is on sale, then I know you are saving it for me" have been a few of my prayers, as I've had my eye on these items for a couple of weeks, but didn't want to pay full price. They were there today and 50% off. :) The pair of antique silver candlesticks were gone, but that's okay. God must have something else in mind.

For years I have wanted to host a tea party of some sort, and it is finally becoming a reality next week. If I can get the back part of the house cleaned up in time, I'd like it to be outdoors near the gardens and blooming lilac bushes.

My menu is for the most part already together, but if any of you could/would offer any other thoughts or ideas, I'd be most grateful!

-Tea, of course!

-Clotted Cream Biscuits (from the Norfolk Manor in England)

-British Chocolate Tea Cakes

-British "Finger" chocolate cookies

-Scones with homemade cherry jam

-Watercress & Cucumber sandwiches

Cooking in a Fix

Last Sunday night after we got back home from evening services, some opted for the usual popcorn snack, but a couple of us were a bit more hungry for something substantial, so I made up this recipe on a whim based on ingredients that we had on hand. It turned out delicious!!

This afternoon two of my siblings were attending a graduation ceremony, and they were short on time to where they didn't have time to fix lunch. So I whipped up the same dish while trying to remember what I did. This time I made sure to write everything down. The food went with them in the car, so no picture to share today!


♥ Easy and Tasty Rice ♥

Cook:
2/3 c. organic chicken broth
1/3 c. jasmine rice

Add a vigorous shake of turmeric to the rice. It's good for your brain, and arthritis - or so I was told from an older woman. Don't allow the rice to cook until dry. It should be slightly wet. I check and stir it every so often since it doesn't take very long to cook!

While that is cooking up, stir fry:
1 generous Tablespoon of organic butter or olive oil
1/4 of a green, orange, yellow, or red organic chopped bell pepper
equal volume amount of chopped onion

Once the veggies are softened, drop one egg into the pan and stir as for scrambled eggs. Cook until done. Add the rice and stir. Shake in some garlic powder and parsley flakes. Stir once again. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves two.

Mama's Granola

We girls love it when friends out east share their recipes with us. These friends are well known for being good cooks. Several years back when Mom was out visiting them, they served her their peanut butter granola and Mom was given the recipe for it too.

Growing up, I detested peanut butter with a passion. There is even a little story I could tell you that included an escaping from a bed room window but I won't tell you the rest. ::wink:: As I've gotten older, as in the last year or two, I find that I LOVE peanut butter. So yes, I really like this recipe. :)

♥ Peanut Butter Granola ♥

Mix:

• 10 cups oatmeal
• 2 cups coconut
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups brown sugar

Mix and heat on stove:

• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup oil
• 1 cup cream
• 2 Tablespoons vanilla

Pour heated "wet" column over dry ingredients.

Bake at 300 degrees for 30-45 minutes.



Enjoy and a Happy Tuesday to you all!

Lilacs in Bloom

Along the back fence, we have eight lilac bushes with every other one being white or a lavender-purple color. They are in full and happy bloom right now.
We look forward to the day when they are as big as the ones our neighbors own. Imagine all of the bouquets we could bring in by the arm-fulls. Mother would be quite pleased, as would I! :)

Enough writing for now. Spaghetti, Fried walnut balls (Mmm! They're deliciously healthy, too!), Broccoli, and fresh Spinach Feta bread are all calling my name.

PS. I think this rain contributes to fun and creative meals around here. Today Mama made some peanut butter granola. I think it's my favorite. A recipe for it will be up on the blog next!

Under the Covers

The delightful British-like weather we've been having has caused me to sneak underneath my covers and quilt by spending much time with these lovelies...

The spot where a book has been gone missing, is the one that is currently being read.

Lest you think I've been lazy, I have been in the kitchen alot lately and have been grossly repaid for the hours spent by words such as, "Cheri, you're gonna be a wonderful cook for your husband someday" and other sweet remarks by my family.

AND this afternoon I spent some time in the sewing room making this little "Pocket Full of Posy" apron for the shop.

On The Menu Tonight

My brother is coming home from college today. Mexican food is his favorite, and so tonight I'm making him a fully fledged south-western meal with some recipes that I picked up while down in the south.

• Easy Authentic Mexican Enchiladas



• Margarita's Rice



• Corn & Bean Salsa
  


• Normal (ie, tomato) Salsa



• White Corn Tortilla Chips



• Sweet Tea

A special thanks to my friend Laura and her family for the recipes. :)

Sunshine and Yellow

Say hello to some yellow sunshine!


"Follow me. It's right this way..."

Please note that during the month of May, 10% of all profits from both etsy shops will be donated to these families that were hit by the southern tornadoes a few weeks ago.

A Gift for Mother on a Budget

Arriving home as a very poor college student left me with very few options in wanting to give my mother a gift for Mother's Day. Earlier this week as I was browsing a local thrift store, I spotted three lovely machine-embroidered squares. One especially looked as though it would fit in with the colors of home, and the price tag of 50 cents made it even more attractable.

I pulled out a square piece of dotted pink and cream home-decor fabric from my scrap bin, and some cream piping from my stash of notions to sew up a pillow in no time. My sister let me use some of her polyester filling to fill it with, since the pillow forms I have were to large.

Using these things made this gift less than $1 to make, and most importantly, Mom says she loves it!

Evening Thoughts

Many thanks to you ladies who have been generous in delightful welcome over the last few days, as well as to the dear ladies who left comments here on the blog the other day.

The sewing table has been cleaned up and everything put into a semi-organized fashion that would allow me to start working on projects. The fabric bin however needs to be replenished, since I believe it was nearly emptied before I left. Is anyone wanting to get rid of any stashes? :)

My container of tatting thread and patterns have been left out, and while relaxing over Sense and Sensibility this afternoon, two bookmarks were completed. Hopefully by the end of the week, several more will make their appearance in the Threads of Color shop. Design ideas or color suggestions are always welcomed.

Before I left, a major pruning was seen in my closet and among other possessions, and now that I'm back, it seems as though a second wave of deep-cleaning has hit me that I've already made several errands to the local thrift stores to drop things off and hopefully the consignment shop can be visited twice to sell a few things to them. With living off of very little in the south, and then coming home to all my things, I'm certain that I've become rather materialistic! A rather sad confession, isn't it? But in a way, it's good to realize anew how the things of this world are nothing in comparison to the things we have in Christ.


Dusk has settled in and I'm thinking an evening cup of tea and a thoughtful book will finish this day off quiet nicely. I have several books who seem to be calling my name to open their covers. Are there any books that have been added to your list of favorites this year?

Emerging

How does one begin blogging after being tucked in the southern hills for four months learning and studying? Yes, I drove back home over the weekend where I'll be spending my summer before going back in August. Perhaps you all have wondered the same question that every other person asked me at church, "How do you like college?" In three short words: I LOVE it!!! If you want more details I'd be most happy to share more, or direct you to my public violin blog if you haven't already been there.

When I had a few rare moments to think about something other than homework or violin technique, my mind would reflect on how much I missed the domestic affairs of life such as being about the kitchen, sewing, or start seedlings for the garden. You can be certain to see some sewing projects or other such happenings in domesticity here on the blog over the next three months.

The first order of business in the sewing department is to somehow clean off my sewing area that became a "free for all" while I was gone. Though a good majority of it IS my stuff, but don't ask me why my family moved the stuff they did and WHY they put it there. :)



It may take a few days to get back into the swing of normal blogging, as I feel as though I need to take some time to emerge from school life back to home life, get caught up on much-needed rest and sleep, spend more time with God (so challenged by my pastors message yesterday on Philippians 3:10, "That I may know Him...") and of course, spend lots of time with my family and friends.

It is lovely to be back. :)

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a very wonderful and merry Christmas!

Save 25% in the shop by entering in 25SALE in the coupon section while checking out! This will be my last week to be open, as I head off for college next week!