No Show Me Wednesday This Week

Just a quick note to let you all know that there won't be a Show Me Wednesday this week--instead we'll do it next week. I'll going out of town for a few days, so I won't be here, so get your Americana decorating all finished up and I'll see you the next Wednesday and we'll have a Patriotic parade of all of your wonderful decorating when I get back.

Show Me Wednesday--Your Wedding Dress

Welcome to Show Me~Wednesday!

Since June is the month for weddings I thought it would be fun to see everyone's wedding dress and don't forget to tell us what year your wedding was in and any special details you'd like to add. It'll be fun to see the styles through the years, so get out your photos, scan them in and post them on your blog so we can see!

Here's how it works....Each week we have a theme of what we would like to see. Snap a photo for us and post it on your blog and then fill out the Mr. Linky near the bottom of the post with your blog name and blog addy and it'll automatically add you to the list so other bloggers can come and see what you are sharing.

Feel free to add the banner above to your post (right click and save it to your own computer please), so it makes it easier for guests arriving at your blog to find your Show Me~ Wednesday post.

Each week we'll also list the theme for the coming week--at the very bottom of the post, so you can prepare and be ready to share!

Don't forget and leave comments where you visit. We all love to hear from our visitors.


This Weeks Theme--Show Me Your Wedding Dress

We were married in 1981 and will celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary in November. I thought I'd show a close up photo, so you could see the husbands attire too--all spiffed out in a white tux with tails complete with top hat. Isn't he cute!

And now for a view of my wedding dress. I wanted the big white frilly dress and if I were doing it today, I'd still want the big white frills. I would however change my veil head piece to a tiara, but other than that I still love my dress. I remember it was featured in Bride magazine and I paid $350.00 for it. My mother in law thought I was nuts! LOL! If only I could still fit into it! We paid for our own wedding and we spent a total of $1700.00 and yes got everything we wanted and that included our rings! You sure can't do that today. And he helped with all of the planning including choosing the colors--pink and burgandy, which was just what I wanted--sort of surprising for two people who pretty much are opposites for the most part, but it seems to have worked out after all these years. LOL!


Ok, your turn. Please show us your wedding dress. Please make sure that you post photos on your blog and then add your name and blog URL to the Mr. Linky box below. Your name will appear on the list as a link, so others can click on your name and be whisked off to your blog and see what you have to share.





Next Week's Theme
Show Me Your-- Americana Decor


If anyone has any suggestions of what you'd like to see in future Show Me Wednesdays, then please post it here and I'll add it to the list.

Thank you!

A Sad Farewell.....

...to my very favorite purse! Yup, today it died. The strap broke and there is no fixing it and as you can see the middle of the strap is quite worn too. I've had this purse for about 3 years now and I carry it everyday. I'm not one to change purses. I find one I like and use it til I wear it out. This one was a Bellerose that I found at the swap meet when we lived in FL. I love their styles and they weren't too badly priced.


It's seen better days........... It's not a huge purse and it's not a small purse and I really liked the silver details on the front. But.................


.....this is what I liked best about it---the organizer in front right under the flap when you opened it up. No need for a wallet--it's built in. Oh where or where will I find another one! I guess I will have to go shop Ebay, since I no longer live in FL. Gee I hope I can find another purse that I love as much and with an organizer close to this one. Good by dear purse. You were a good and faithful friend, never complaining as we shopped along, through good times and bad, during richer and poorer--mostly poorer. The perfect place to hide my chocolate bars and you even carried my cell phone and you never ever got lost--not even once...........I'm off to shop without you for the very first time. Sniff, sniff!!

And the Winner Is..........

............Julie of Oakleaf Hollow Primitives Congratulations Julie you took the Double Dog Dare Challenge and you have proudly been voted the one with the favorite messy work room! I would say that is quite an honor!

Yes this is Julie being crowned as the current Messy Room title holder and in addition to her crowning she will also receive a lovely handmade pincushion created by me for her and that will be finished here in a couple of days at which time I will post a picture--but you can't peek Julie.

Thank you to all of the brave messy, creators who took this challenge and please look for another one in the future and we'll see if anyone can win the crown away from Julie, so get in those rooms and spaces and create and don't forget to pile it high and mess it up good, so you too may be the next Double Dog Dare Challenge winner!

Show Me Wednesday--Your Newest Collection

Welcome to Show Me~Wednesday!

And here I am late again! It's been a busy morning and I knew I should have gotten this posted last night, but I forgot all about it then. I will try to be on time next week--really!

Here's how it works....Each week we have a theme of what we would like to see. Snap a photo for us and post it on your blog and then fill out the Mr. Linky near the bottom of the post with your blog name and blog addy and it'll automatically add you to the list so other bloggers can come and see what you are sharing.

Feel free to add the banner above to your post (right click and save it to your own computer please), so it makes it easier for guests arriving at your blog to find your Show Me~ Wednesday post.

Each week we'll also list the theme for the coming week--at the very bottom of the post, so you can prepare and be ready to share!

Don't forget and leave comments where you visit. We all love to hear from our visitors.


This Weeks Theme--Show Me Your Newest Collection

I don't know about you, but I have many, many collections, however I recently discovered that I have a thing for crocheted butterflies and I now have 3 pieces and 3 items that are alike constitute a collection. Did you know that?

This one above is a dresser scarf that has 4 crocheted butterflies on it--one in each corner and it hangs on an old wood hanger in my bathroom. Don't you just love that shade of orange sherbert on my walls--I don't--but that's another story.....

Then I have this little brown butterfly that is the corner of a pale yellow hankie. I need to figure out where to put it. I really think I need more, lot's more--of course!--so I can make a nice display of some sort with them.
I also have the great big crocheted one that I posted about a couple of weeks ago HERE.

So as I’m out on treasure hunts crocheted butterflies is one more thing to add to my long list of collecting. The next thing I would like to add is linens with the big skirted ladies on them. I don’t have any of those--yet!

Ok, your turn. What is your newest collection? How did you start it? How long have you been collecting it--maybe weeks, months or in the past year or so. We wanna know and we wanna see photos! So please make sure that you post photos on your blog and then add your name and blog URL to the Mr. Linky box below. Your name will appear on the list as a link, so others can click on your name and be whisked off to your blog and see what you have to share.





Next Week's Theme
Show Me Your-- Wedding Photo


If anyone has any suggestions of what you'd like to see in future Show Me Wednesdays, then please post it here and I'll add it to the list.

Thank you!

Double Dog Dare Ya Contest Poll-Please Vote!

Time to Vote! For your favorite messy sewing/crafting/work room. Below are links to the 5 brave and messy entrants who took the challenge of the Double Dog Dare and let us into their messy rooms.

Please visit each link and then look to the right hand column over there and vote in the poll for you favorite. The voting will go from now until this Friday the 13th. Hey Friday the 13th!--guess it'll be a lucky day for one of these bloggers. On Saturday we'll see who the winner is. The winner will receive a pincushion handmade by me, so at least their pins and needles will have have a home in their messy room. Let the voting begin!

And the nominees are.....

1. Angie Platten of Artvisionz

2. Tina Wright of Glue on My Fingers-Paint in My Hair

3. Martha Brown of Destination Unknown

4. Julie of Oakleaf Hollow Primitives

5. Joyce of Crafter Thoughts


Thank you to all of our brave bloggers who took the Double Dog Dare Challenge!

Last Day For Double Dog Dare Challenge & Giveaway!

Just a reminder that today--Monday June 9th is the last day for you all to enter the Double Dog Dare Challenge to have a chance at a handmade pincushion give away. Click HERE to go directly to the post to find out the details and remember--you have to have a photo of your messy room to qualify. Hurry! I Double Dog Dare You!!

Homemade Laundry Soap

I found a recipe for homemade laundry soap on Farmhouse Blessings blog and decided I had to try it and so I did! It is so easy to make and very cheap. All together the ingredients cost me just over 5.00--the price of a bottle of liquid laundry detergent and one batch of the homemade soap will yield just as many loads--BUT it costs so much less, because the ingredients with the exception of the bar of soap will last for many more batches. This soap also cleans great and smells so good.

All you need are these 3 simple ingredients and some water. The bar of soap looks pretty much like cheddar cheese when it's grated up.


Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe

16 cups water
1 bar of soap (your choice but many sources suggest Ivory, Fels-Naptha, Sunlight Bar, Castile or Zote)
1 cup of baking soda or washing soda (I use the washing soda)
1 1/2 cups borax

Before beginning, finely grate your bar of soap.

Boil the 16 cups of water in a large pot. While boiling, add your grated soap and whisk continuously until it completely dissolves. Remove from heat.

Next add borax and baking or washing soda. Whisk it up really well. Continue to whisk throughout the day as it cools. It will begin to gel as it cools, but you don't need to wait to use it.

You may store in old commercial detergent containers or any other covered container as well.

Use ½ cup soap per load.

You can also add 1/4 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle instead of fabric softener..

I found all of the ingredients on the laundry aisle at my local grocery store.

This is what the soap will look like as it cools and when it's finished. It resembles a nice soft hand cream almost. The lemony color is from the soap that I used, so yours may look a bit different depending on what soap you choose to use.

Here it is all ready to use in it's nice glass container. Due to it's consistency it was too much trouble trying to put it into a regualar detergent bottle--even after I cut out the spout thing, so I opted for this glass jar I had picked up a the thrift store a couple of weeks ago for 2.00. Now I'm on the hunt for a pretty little teacup to use as my scoop instead of a plastic measuring cup, which works just great, but not so pretty and we all know if the laundry room is pretty it'll make doing the laundry more enjoyable--well as enjoyable as laundry can be.

I'd also love to hear comments from anyone who tries this, so please feel free to post them here.

Show Me Wednesday--Sewing Machines

Welcome to Show Me~Wednesday!

And yes I am late! Very late! We had an internet outage this morning and when it came back on it wouldn't let me into my blog or a few other regularly visited sites, but all looks to be fixed and back up and running, so here I am! Whew!

Here's how it works....Each week we have a theme of what we would like to see. Snap a photo for us and post it on your blog and then fill out the Mr. Linky near the bottom of the post with your blog name and blog addy and it'll automatically add you to the list so other bloggers can come and see what you are sharing.

Feel free to add the banner above to your post (right click and save it to your own computer please), so it makes it easier for guests arriving at your blog to find your Show Me~ Wednesday post.

Each week we'll also list the theme for the coming week--at the very bottom of the post, so you can prepare and be ready to share!

Don't forget and leave comments where you visit. We all love to hear from our visitors.


This Weeks Theme--Show Me Your Sewing Machine(s)

Ruth Ray of My Creative Soul had requested this weeks theme. Thanks Ruth!

Here's mine--nothing spectacular, but it does what I need it do and it works great! It's a Janome 4612TM. I've had it about 5 years now and I'm quite happy with it.

I also have this cute little Singer Spartan. I love this one! It was made in 1961--the same year as me. LOL! And it sews like a charm. I found it in a thrift store for $30 when I lived in FL and I've had it about 3 years now. It's not a full size machine. It's about the size of a featherweight only heavy and I love it for sewing quilt blocks!

This fancy little machine was my very first sewing machine that I got when I was about 5 years old. It's battery operated and sews with a real needle. I only remember sewing paper on it. Pretty cute isn't it!

This one is my rescue machine. It’s a turn of the century treadle. I had went into an antiques store one day and this particular store was always a mess with things in piles that covered the floor with barely a walking path and right there in the middle sat this old and rusty, but beautiful sewing machine. I knew I had to have it, but could find no price, so I asked the shop owner how much and she said she was on her way out to the dumpster with it, so I could have it for FREE! Now why on earth would anyone--an antiques shop especially--throw out something like this! So I nabbed it and off I went! Recently I found a 1905 working treadle in a gorgeous cabinet just like this--only not rusty and I have it on layaway and should hopefully have it in the next few weeks.

Ok, your turn. We want to see your sewing machines! Just fill out the Mr. Linky below, so we can all take a peek.

************************************************************



************************************************************************



Next Week's Theme
Show Me Your-- Newest Collection


If anyone has any suggestions of what you'd like to see in future Show Me Wednesdays, then please post it here and I'll add it to the list.

Thank you!

The Pit--A Challenge With A Giveaway Attached

Here it is--The Pit! Well ok, so actually it's my sewing room, but it looks like a pig pen. Does your sewing room ever get to this point? I haven't been very creative for quite sometime and can't seem to get with the program and when I do sew you'd think I didn't have a clue what I was doing and I've sewn all my life! I must need a major recharging is all I can figure.

So my goal for this week it to get this place cleaned up and whipped back into shape and we'll see if that helps with the wanting to create again or not. Who knows what wonders or treasures I might find as I clean it all up. Maybe it will be more of an adventure than a job. Well I can dream can't I. LOL!

If you have a pit or sewing room/work studio whatever you call yours and it's in dire need of a good cleaning up I Double Dog Dare ya to post pics on your blog, so we can all see too and so I won't feel so bad. LOL!

Now for the Giveaway part!

Enter and Win a Handmade Pincushion by me

(no picture available due to my messy room and it won't be made til after this Friday when I have The Pit cleaned up)

Now til Monday June 9th

Take a picture of your sewing/crafting/workroom area--HOWEVER it MUST BE A MESS! Post the picture on your blog and then add your name and blog link to the Mr. Linky below.
All you have to do is post the messy pictures. We won't make you clean it up. You have until next Monday the 9th to get the courage up. Then on Tuesday June 10th I'll post a poll and we'll let the readers of Blogland choose their favorite messy sewing/crafting/workroom area. The polls will be open through Friday June 13th and the winner will be announced on Saturday June 14th.

I Double Dog Dare You!

******************************************************************