Exciting news!

I am happy to report that I am off to Rome in a few days for some siteseeing as well as shopping and inspiration!  I can't wait to visit a fabric store in Rome with over 200,000 fabrics and off course the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Coloseum, Spanish Steps...Ciao!

Opulent Valances!

I just finished these valances for Finishing Touch Interiors.  They are so decadent!

Sewing room update

I have 3 paint swatches on the wall. 

Oh yeah...I managed to move my daughter's dorm room nick nacks out of my sewing room and back into her bedroom.  She's in Rome so she couldn't put up a fight!

I'm still working on the Raider/Harley paraphanalia.  He (owner of the paraphanalia) is not in Rome (though I'd like to send him to Rome).

I have been busy with lots of projects.  My Etsy shop is starting to get some traffic.  I have sold  a few poufs and pillow covers.  I even had a request for a custom pouf.  In addition, I made some white seersucker roman shades with scalloped trim for Paisley Powell Designs. 

I have a new project that I am excited about.  Two of my teenage nieces are in the process of redecorating their bedrooms and have asked me to make some items for them.  I am so thrilled that they want to include me in their project.  We are in the process of selecting fabrics.  They have great taste.  I will post some pictures later on.

End of the year

So, here we are again at the end of another year. 
I sit here at my desk wondering where all the days went. 
What did I accomplish? 
What happened to all the grand goals? 
Did I fix any past mistakes?
What will the new year bring?
New clients?
New ideas?
Fresh perspective on the old stuff?
Will I be a better person, mother, wife, daughter?
At this point I do not want to review the past year for fear that I fell too short of my goals and  I am certainly not ready to plan the new year.

I think I will let things stew for awhile.  See how the new year feels before I go any further.  After all, I have all year.

Applique panels.

This week I am working on an interesting project.  The assignment from the designer is to take exhisting solid color panels and applique individual flowers to create a bold new look.  This is tedious but very satisfying work. Flowers are cut individually and arranged on each panel.  Once I am satisfied with the placement, I applique them by hand.  This is back breaking. I stand for hours at a time hunched over my sewing table making tiny stitches.  My fingers  feel like pin cusions! Yet, I am so content working on this project.  It feels so creative...artsy!  This is the type of project I really enjoy.  The end result is one of a kind.  I don't like repetive work.   I get bored easily.  I need variety and creativity.  I still have one more panel to finish but here is a sneak peak.  I hope you enjoy them!

Today

Today is a new day.

Today is a fresh start.
Today, I will find solutions.
Scratch that.
I will find one solution.

Today is a new day.
I will find courage.
I will not worry.
I wll be strong.
I will feel normal.

Today is a new day.
I will impress someone.
I will be creative.
I will be successfull.

Today is my day.

Good friends

I attended the Harvest Festival at my grandson's school last Friday evening. There were lots of games, great pumpkin pie, and a superb book fair.  While my family was volunteering at various booths,  my mom and I had the simple task of following the grandsons around. We were ready.  We did the ususal grandma stuff like taking pictures of them on the rock wall, feeding them lots of candy, losing them, getting the evil eye from the son-in-law as he brought one back to me.  (Oops! I was watching the wrong kid!-What?  It was dark!) 
What I did not expect was to find a Hot Rod show!  My husband and I love hot rods.  I love hot rods!!! My love of cars started when my husband and I were first married.  He had this awesome 1974 Dodge Challenger...318, Carter 4 barrel carburator, headers, Fairbanks racing transmission, traction bars...I can still hear that engine thumping!  Everyone on the block could hear that enging thumping!  I still get shivers when I think about that car. 

I, on the other hand, did not own a car.  My husband and my dear father-in-law (great wise men of the Vargas clan) decided to buy me a beat up, rusty, 1972 Volkswagon Beetle that they found by the side of the road.  No kidding!  Mind you, I did not drive stick and I did not like Volkswagon Beetles-EVER!  I hit the roof.  What were they thinking! This waaas war!  When the dust settled, the Challenger was mine! 

I loved that car.  I was hot in that baby-well, the car was hot.  It was so much fun to drive.  So much POWER.  You could hear that car roaring down the street from a mile away. Life was gooooood!  Unfortunately, we all have to grow up some time.  Silly me to think I would allways be carefree and young and drive a hot rod.  When it became apparent that we were spending our daughters college fund on car parts and gas (7 whole miles per gallon),  we traded in the Challenger for a family car.  A car with actual seatbelts and safety stuff...and boring!  Well, that daughter did get her college education but  I sure would love to get that Challenger back!   Maybe someday the lottery gods will look favorably on me...

Oh yeah...I suppose I should talk about sewing somewhere in this blog.  It was such a treat to run into my friend Sandy at the Harvest Festival.  She is one of my oldest and dearest friends and by coincidence also has a love affair with cars.  As we were catching up on family events and aquistions,  she remembered that she was my first window treatment customer.  I made a light blue balloon shade for her first baby's nursery.  That baby is now 24 years old.  I guess I have been doing this a long time. 

Cheers!