in stitches

CLICK ON ANY PICTURE TO SEE THAT ITEM IN ITS CORRESPONDING ETSY SHOP!

This ain't your grammas embroidery!
This is a slogan from Sublime Stitches, an online store that I have just ordered some iron on embroidery transfers from! This made me want to browse some fun embroidery on etsy and I found these colorful and creative goodies. It might be time to break out the needles and floss...

sidewalks. try one today.

It's funny how little things can trigger such vast emotions when you least expect it. Like today, I went for a late afternoon walk just after it had stopped raining. There were little bursts of wind along my route that showered me ever so lightly with rain drops that were still clinging to the leaves. The light hits everything differently at this time of day and as I sauntered along I briefly felt like a teenager when I would walk a mile to and from my high school or from my friends house that was on the way.
I actually loved walking back then, not because I was in to health or anything, but I loved the golden glow of late afternoon, the sound of the wind rustling through trees, the smells of homes where savory smelling dinners were roasting. I loved hearing and seeing the birds chirp about, the leaves change in fall, the bare trees in winter, looking at peoples yards that were cheerfully landscaped with colorful foliage, imagining the cozy interiors of those places. I liked being just a little too cold on my walks because I knew that hot tea or hot cocoa at home would just hit the spot.
As I have mentioned many times before, I lived in Florida for 25 years before coming to Alabama and I now live in a neighborhood that is quite similar to some areas in New York. Stores nearby in a small downtown, homes close together but with nice back yards, tree lined streets and sidewalks. Sidewalks just weren't that common where we lived in Florida, and I had no idea that I missed them until I moved here and were excited about them.
You just never know what will make you feel young again. Sidewalks. Try one today.

Thanks Oklahoma Granny!

Oklahoma Granny recently gave me this award and I must share 7 things you don't know about me...hmmm...let me see...
1. I was once almost a hippie! I lived communally for a year in New York in the seventies.
I actually learned to cook from a wonderful real live hippie named Hazel. I always wanted to be one, but I was just slightly too young and considerably too uncool to be!

2. when I was little I would go hunting with my older brother and he would shoot the rabbit or grouse or woodchuck and make me carry the dead carcass home. And now I think, what was i crazy? How gross! Besides, hippies frown upon that sort of thing.

3. If I had to choose between being a meat eater and a vegetarian, I'd choose to be a vegetarian. Sometimes, I actually crave veggies...and chocolate...ice cream (neither of which are meat).

4. When I was 17, I briefly dated a guy with a bright red afro, who was a monk in training. He would sneak out of the Monastery to see me, but eventually had to move to a monastery far away (I really didn't like him that much anyway).

5. When I was in college, I was supposed to room with an annoying party girl who secretly switched roommate names around so she could room with one of her fellow partiers. Thankfully that resulted in me having a great roommate who became my good friend and later introduced me to my husband. She was maid of honor at our wedding!

6. From '89 to '94 I was part of a dance group at our church and performed in many Christmas and Easter productions. Long live sequin belts and headbands!

7. For ten years ('80s-'90s) I was a blonde with a firm poof atop my head that would flap in the wind as one large unit, all the while sporting my dark roots. By the time I went back to brunette my roots were gray, never could quite get it right.

hope you enjoyed these startling revelations!

and now to pass this award on to:
considerthecoffee
allotment2kitchen
jesseandsophiasgrandma
lanyardlady
bundlesofblossoms
whatsinmyattic?
picklesonpizza

Folly and Glee amazing lampshades

50seedheadatomic1, originally uploaded by FollyandGlee.

Love the creativity and the colors of these fabrics. A great way to revive an old lamp, and even though I don't sew, I can envision decoupaging with fabric or patterned papers.

perfectly mod



a great use of vintage fabric scraps




a little more granny chic style


love the touch of blues



love the contrasting fabrics together

These types of pictures really do ignite creative ideas in my brain. All of my lamps and shades are pretty boring and this seems like an easy way to make them more one of a kind. So many ideas... so little time...

Check out the Folly and Glee Blog or visit her flikr photostream for more inspiration!

granny chic - wonderful inspiration!

granny chic - wonderful inspiration!, originally uploaded by CoffeeCupcake.

I need to get knitting and crocheting now that fall is upon us, but I soooo procrastinate when it is still in the 90s outside! This Sunday, cooler weather will finally be upon us in Alabama and I am hoping that warp speed inspiration will come upon me so I can load up my etsy shop with crocheted and knit goodies and so that I can have some good inventory for my craft show in December!
I love the granny chic look and well, just the phrase "granny chic"! Makes me feel a little less ancient when "chic" and "Granny" are put together!

love the colors in this room....



and the simplicity in this one...



and the coziness of this one!

Bountiful Birthday(s)

me and my friend Jane , we share the same birth date!

a cake I made today, cookies from our sweet neighbor Jenn and some birthday gifts

my husband gave me these roses on my birthday morning

and this gorgeous fall bouquet!

This past Sunday was my birthday,my friend Jane's bday and our friend's little girl, Sophia's bday! We celebrated at Sophia's party at an outdoor water blow up place. It was 100 degrees that day and I spent most of my time inside at the "parents lounge" I thought I would die when I was outside.
After that, me and my husband, daughter Jenny, Jane and her daughter Rachel went to Birmingham for our free birthday meals at Max's Delicatessen. We all loved our matzoh ball soup, and sandwiches.
Well, today is my husband's birthday and we celebrated with a Philly themed night with Philly Cheese Steaks and I baked him his favorite made from scratch cake. His Nana on his Dad's side always made him a 1234 cake with cherry glaze when his birthday rolled around. His Dad often made this cake and so did his sister Margie and he always loved it.
His Nana passe away in the 80's, and his dad in 1998 and also sadly his sister just a few years ago.
Well, I found a recipe online and prayed that it would turn out good for him and thank the Lord it did. You see, I am not much of a baker, having tried this cake before but either burning it or having a raw middle. And, my current oven heats rather unevenly, so I went to Walmart to acquire a bundt pan and it worked wonders! There was, after all, no middle that could be raw!
And...he said it tasted just like his family would make, and even if it didn't, I know he loves any kind of cake, if it is made from scratch!
It was a great few days between having Jane and our friends Chriss and Nancy visiting from Florida, going to the ballet and celebrating with family. Kavi, (our sweet 2 1/2 year old grandson)said happy birthday to each of us on the phone and it would have been just supernaturally awesome if he and his mommy and daddy were here too!

a night at the ballet

My good friend Jane is visiting us from Florida this weekend and we had a wild and crazy girls night out....at the ballet!! You see tomorrow, is her birthday and my birthday as well, and she and her daughter Rachel and me and Jenny (really wish Stina was here too) decided earlier today to see Ballet Magnifat perform the Hiding Place at our local community college auditorium. Boy was I glad we did. I knew enough to pack tissues in my purse, since I have read the book and seen the old movie and can't help but sob through some parts.
I was so impressed by the talent of the dancers, the costuming and how the makeup even transformed these young women into their characters. The true story takes place during WWII when Corrie Ten Boom and her sister were sent to a women's concentration camp for hiding Jewish people from the Nazi's in their home.
I felt as if I were transported in to that era and felt the strong emotions of pain, suffering, fear and hope and forgiveness.
If it comes to your area, you should really consider seeing it.
On a more shallow note, the dresses and outfits from the 40s were so darn cute, it made me want to dress like that and be the size that could dress like that.

click here to go to the Ballet Magnificat website

Ballet Magnificat! The Hiding Place

Going to see this tonight! A professional ballet troupe with this performance telling the true story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family,who were imprisoned in a concentration camp during WWII for hiding Jewish people in their home. The trailer alone makes me want to cry!

I must confess...I've never been camping...there I said it!

I know it is so lame of me to be obsessed with vintage campers, when I have never even been camping before. I guess I am addicted to indoor plumbing and AC, and renting an RV when the kids were little was OUT of the question. We could have stayed at the finest hotels for the cost of renting one, paying nightly hook up fees, not to mention the 4 gallons per mile !
I have begun to enjoy the beautiful State Parks in Alabama though and that has added to my yearning for a small but air conditioned possibly with a toilet type camper. I don't know if it will ever happen, but, I do enjoy the day dream!

the shady side of the street

Even though this next week's weather forecast still calls for days in the 90s (yuck!), this morning it was in the 50s when I woke up. I hurried to get dressed in my walking clothes and hit the pavement a little before 8 AM. I felt a slight chill in the air which encouraged me on my journey to the edge of my downtown and back, a good hour walk for me! 57 degrees when I left, 67 degrees when I returned home. I can't wait until this is more of the norm, since expected lows the rest of the week will be 70, which may seem cool to you guys, but I know that it will turn into 80s during my walk, which is a little too hot for this hot flashin momma!
One drawback to walking downtown is the glaring sun in my face, but I stayed on the shady side of the street and it was just fine!

Prague Fashion Week

Just thought I would also post some Czech Fashion, since I am half Russian and half Czech. My grandparents on my father's side were from Prague, and when I was a teenager my dad would always take me to a Czech Restaurant in Manhattan called the "Praha" which is Czech for Prague. The food was absolutely delicious and my dad said it was just like his mother would make.

It mostly consists of pork or beef meat with sauce and a side dish, the most common and liked being dumplings. Dumplings (“knedliky”) are the Czech traditional side dish made from wheat or potato flour, boiled in water as a roll and then sliced and served hot.

I used to love Svičková (read “svitch-co-va”) which is a beef dish prepared in a brine with a delicious sour cream gravy. Another favorite of mine was Boiled Beef in Dill Sauce. I know it doesn't sound appetizing but it was tender and tasty!

Czech Pancakes (Palačinky – read “Palachinky”), filled with ice-cream, jam or fruits and coated in whipped-cream, almonds or sugar along with Poppy Seed Strudel were my favorite desserts there.

My father passed away in 1982 and a year after the Praha closed down. It would have surely broken his heart to have arrived there to find the "no longer in business " sign in the window. And no Czech Restaurant has ever come close. I will always remember how we would go to the Praha where the waiters were dressed in starched white shirts with starched white tablecloths, but my Dad would have his little transistor radio with him, (held together by rubber bands) so he could listen to the Off Track Betting results of the horse races. He also asked every waiter if they were "Bohunk" (the familiar word for a Czech person), and seemed a little disappointed when they said no. He always made us guess the amount of the check, just for fun, and it was fun to watch my Dad make his "you're close" and "you're not close " faces when we would start calling out numbers.

This classy restaurant was a special place for this working class "Bohunk" and his daughter and son in law (after we were married, the tradition of going there continued).

Russian Fall Fashion

This post is in honor of my lovely cousins in Russia who are beautiful ladies inside and out! I really like the colors and textures of these outfits!
I look forward to all things Fall! The crispness in the morning air, chilly nights that make you yearn for a hot cup of tea in your favorite tea cup, Pumpkin Spiced Lattes, fall scented candles, the colors ( orange , red, yellow),wearing sweaters and jackets, Thanksgiving coming which is such a cozy holiday, winter just around the corner. I love when the leaves are brilliantly colored on the trees and I love the end of Fall when the trees are bare. I don't think it looks depressing at all , I love the classic look of a bare tree!
But, alas, it is 94 degrees outside today! Please come soon sweet Autumn!

Pumpkin Spice Frappaccino Time (cause it's too hot for a Latte)

GDRAGONHEARTS 8.99

All I know, is that I better start training to jog or run or something, because I find it near impossible to stay away from certain things for too long. Like..the Pumpkin Spice anything from Starbucks! Thankfully, it is not available all year round and thankfully, (no not really) the nearest one is 45 minutes away. Otherwise it might become a daily obsession. I think I have been brainwashed into believing that fall and winter equals Pumpkin Spice. I loved the lattes when I lived in Florida as it was the only way you knew it was Fall since the thermometer never got the memo. And this year in Alabama, the summer was sweltering, and even though this past weekend was simply gorgeous out, it has returned to the sad and miserable, low to mid 90s. That is why I got the Frappaccino instead of the Latte and boy was it tasty!
Maybe I will try to focus more on the scent instead of the flavor by buying more candles...

Good Times Labor Day 2010

Just a quick post to say that we are having a fun weekend with Christina, Suj and Kavi! (daughter, son in law and grandson!) who are visiting us from Florida! The weather was cooler so our front porch and back yard has been quite delightful. Yesterday, Lake Guntersville State Park for brunch, donkeys and deer. Today...who knows what adventures await our two and a half year old sweetie pie!
Also, today I discovered that I had been featured in a treasury on the front page of etsy! It is my first time there and I am very excited about it!
Hope your Labor Day is awesome for you all!