Whoa, Momma!

See that?!  That's my grandbaby!  Yes!  I'm finally going to be a Mimi!!!!  A real Mimi!!!  Now, don't get me wrong...I love my step-grandchildren, but how cool will it be to look into the baby's face and be able to pick out the family resemblances.  So excited!  My daughter, Ashlee, is 5 months along and very healthy...all is going well for her and baby.

Ooooohhhh....I smell a giveaway coming to celebrate!

Until then....

 Baby say's "Bye-bye" :)

Bicycle Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

 You are not going to believe this giveaway....you have to go there to see it!  I hope you like retro!!!!

Okay...I will give you a sneak pic:

 I know, right?!  Gotta have that!

So, now that you have the heads up...go check it out and enter.  Who knows, you might win!

Bicycle Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

I Won!

Last month, I entered a giveaway on the wonderful blog of Christie Cottage....and I won!  I follow the blog as it is a promote handmade Christian blog, and I love to keep up with what is going on in the handmade world.  Makes buying Christmas presents that much easier when you are exposed to them all year long :)

Anyway, the giveaway was hosted on the blog, but the giveaway was actually sponsored by Butterfly in the Attic and Postcards in the Attic.  I found the giveaway on Butterfly in the Attic's blog (as I am a follower!).

So, what did I get?

What started out as this ordinary box:

turned into these wonderful little sachets:

Organza Fabric Lavender Sachet

and this amazing bath soak:

Handmade lavender Oatmeal Bath Mix

and finished with these sweet postcards:

Cute Puppy Postcards

I have already figured what I am going to do with the post cards:

I am going to tie string on the upper left and right corners to hang on the bathroom doorknob....with the words "The worst is yet to come...you are going to make dinner cuz I'm in the tub!" scrawled on the back!

Be sure to stop by Butterfly in the Attic and Postcards in the Attic to say "Hi!"

Edwardian or Victorian?

Which is your favorite?  When it comes to jewelry design, that is.  It is a tough toss, but I have to admit that Art Nouveau designs win out for me.  That's not to say that I don't love Queen Victoria's style, especially her mourning period.  But a gorgeous art nouveau piece keeps me wanting more : )

Art Nouveau Amethyst Ring

Opal Art Nouveau Dragon Brooch

Antique Opal Necklace

So, What's your flavor?

Valentine's Day Wishes

To my friends who celebrate Valentine's Day :)

Monday Mood Board

What's the mood today?  I know it is supposed to be love love and valentines.  I don't celebrate valentines day.  In fact, when I was single, I hosted anti-valentines day parties.  Hate the day.

So what is the mood for today?  Confusion.  Indecision.  Wandering.  To sum it all up:

Around The Corner.

Stepping Back Around The Corner by shashamane 

You see, I have been toying with the idea of going back to school to get my doctorate.   I earned my bachelor's degree in Psychology with a concentration in neuroscience in the late 1990's.  I had to retire from school and enter the work force as my children were very young and we were alone.  Gotta work to pay the bills.  

Around the Corner by stephmel

I always thought I would go back to school to get my doctorate when the kids got older.  Well, one of them is graduation high school this year and I am starting to hear that neuropsychology degree calling my name (as well as the student loan grinding to a screeching "Pay-Me-Back-Now", which I cannot do on my current salary.  However, I have a dilemma.

Around The Corner by GlassiqueCreations

I am unfortunate enough to live in an area of New York State that is economically depressed.  Unfortunate for me as I am living here against my will...hubby won't move.  In turn, there is only 4 neuropsychology positions where I live and I can assure you, all of them are taken and are not going to be opening up any time soon.  So, to follow my dream will render me a degree which I cannot use and don't bother telling me to tell my husband to move.  He won't....I've been down that road already.  So now I am faced with  the decision of what I can  turn my bachelor's into without adding on too much extra school.  

I will just have to wait to see what pans out....around the corner.

Don't worry, I don't plan on ditching Love, Yesterdays.  However, I do admit that this little dilemma is putting a damper on my creativity.  Every piece of jewelry I try to create lately turns into an epic fail.  I have been, in turn, knitting my fool fingers off....socks, scarves, hats, cup sweaters!  Just sent some socks to my Mother this morning....but they are not related to my business, so I have to get back to work!  I was hoping that re-vamping the studio would help with the creative road block.  I feel like I have reached a fork in the road and don't know which way to turn.  

So now the question to end the mood board:

What do you do to beat that creative roadblock?

Studio Space.

Studio View from the hallway

Finally finished! Whew! I had so much crap crammed in the studio that simply had to get weeded out: stuff for the garbage, my personal crafting stuff that was being stored in the studio, etc. The closet was crammed with boxes and bags of stuff, stuff, stuff!

Since I never really got around to creating an official office space, I thought now is the time to do so.  So, after all those boxes left the closet, I made a desk top lined with felt on the bottom to place on my antique sewing machine table...added some shipping storage and a halogen light and WALA...an office!!!  No more kitchen table for me!

Office area in closet. 

Close-up of office area so you can see that gorgeous sewing machine table!

 Closer view of the "office".  I have been using it for several days now...what a difference!  Everything is right where I need it and although it looks a little cheesy, it really is more functional than my lap or a table!

There, you have seen the north wall where the magic happens and the east wall where the admin stuff happens.  Now.....the west wall:

The west wall keeps my bookshelf full of crafting books for inspiration and a couple antique and vintage sewing baskets full of supplies.  The bed?  Yea.  If you have been following my blog, you know that this is where I come to retire when the dog's gastrointestinal system is in an uproar.  I simply cannot sleep in my bedroom with him...I don't know how hubby can stand it!


The history of the room:
The room was originally designed as a 1930's 1940's guest room.  The south wall holds a bookshelf loaded with books and curios from that era (forgot to photograph it!).  When my business began, the spare bedroom sort of doubled as the studio, but I simply could not tear down all the hard work I put into the room, plus I still needed room for when family comes to visit!  The quilt is an antique dresden plate quilt top that my mother picked up at an antique shop in which I backed, bound and hand quilted.  The yellow pillows on the bed are modern pillows cases with antique crocheted filet lace from the turn of the century which I have stitched on (same antique shop).  The little throw pillow is left over uphulstry from the head board I created (in art deco style) with several antique doilies embroidered on the top.  The original spare room sported my antique sewing machine table  in the north west corner with the original head, belt and all.  It also featured a small curio cabinet chock full and spilling over curios of the time (including a 1939 Worlds Fair music box!) and with antique textiles.  I even had an art deco dresser (that I grew up using!) in which guests can use to hold their clothes while visiting as well as an antique rocker.  Those have been removed, needless to say, and the antique dresser currently houses my calico fabrics!

Thanks for visiting my studio!