2016 April
4/29/2016
These past few days have been a whirlwind of getting ready to hit the road for a week. I left with a van FULL of ottomans, items for blue light baskets, signs, tablecloths, dishes, a 'mini' office set up, and even a few clothes.
This fun checkerboard ottoman was ordered by a friend at ARW and I was told to do it in 'Leslie colors'. She likes blues and greens more than orange and pinks so I think this will work... at least I hope she likes it!! I know I do... and would love to use this combination in another piece!
I have been so blessed to have my Mom here for the month of April. She may not have thought it was such a blessing since I included her in all my plans. LOL I think she used to do that to me so turn about is fair play!
We enjoyed some time on the patio in the sun as we punched letters for signs, worked on centerpieces, punched out designs for some of the game pieces, and did what ever popped up! Thanks Mom, it was fun having you here!
The theme for the week at ARW is 'Unexpected Unexplained'. Sounds like it would be easy to work with, but not so much. How do you do things different without people thinking you are being lazy by not doing everything as you have done it before? We'll see if what I've prepared works!
Here's a stack of cut foam core boards that will be used as a different type of door tags. I'm looking forward to seeing how this week plays out. Wish you could be here!!
A friend of mine, Lee Webb has just written a book titled "Go Outside" and the book release will be on May 5th. You can check it out at altonleewebb.com I look forward to getting a copy and meeting all the fantastic folks that have actually "Gone Outside"!
I was honored to be able to work with Lee, his wife Rachel, and their friends to plan this event and I am so sorry to miss the festivities. This is one of the centerpieces I made for the evening. They'll sit on top of whiskey barrels in the Brick Room venue in downtown Shelbyville.
If you are looking for a quick and easy (and very inexpensive) centerpiece let me share a little of how this was put together. It started with a quick trip to the Dollar Tree (my go to store for a lot of my centerpieces). I purchased their vases, an 8" round metal cake pan, two styrofoam rings and some spikes that actually looked real when they were worked into the design. I added a little sheet moss to cover the styrofoam, some random leaves into the foam and some twigs from my curly willow tree. I pulled some rocks from the driveway and added a votive. Voila! A centerpiece to be proud of!!
I'm off to bed so I can get up and organize the Montreat Youth Conference office before they bring in the youth for the summer!
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Loving the Game...
4/22/2016
How did I ever 'work'? Well, not that I'm not working now, but how did I ever hold a 9 to 5 job which really was at least 8 to 6 ? It hasn't taken me long to get in a routine that is anything but the same old same old.....
I told you I was getting ready to work on the items I'm making for the Annual Recreation Workshop... well, I finally got them done. The preparation for this retreat week is always exciting for me because I know when it arrives I'll meet up with friends, some of whom I only see once a year or on Facebook. It's a week of play (and really hard work) with old and new friends. Check out the website and think about joining us for a week.
At the right here is a sample of the Game Table Toppers (20 total, 5 different games) that I'm making for one of the parties that's being planned. These are 30" square toppers that have a 2" batik border sewn around the edges and each topper has a bag to hold its game pieces.
Besides the Matching game and Checkers shown here, I am also making a Connect the Dot game, a Tic Tac Toe game, and the 'Pegs' game that Cracker Barrel has sitting on their tables. :)
At the left are 20 table toppers I made with this fun Orange and Red fabric for the dining hall. This fabric displayed on the bolt didn't do it justice. I really like the way they turned out.
I still have to come up with the centerpieces for these 20 tables. They need to be interactive and be able to be used somewhere else during the week.....Hmmmm, better go to bed thinking about it and maybe I'll wake up at 5:00 in the morning with a great idea!!
On Monday I met with Bev and Joey. Bev is a wonderful lady and the owner of a fabric store in Ohio. They came down to purchase a load of fabric and trim that was left after our big closeout sale. We had their truck loaded as full as the shocks would let us!
I'm glad they made it home safe.
Stop by and see them if you get a chance. I'm hoping to make a trip up there to see her store sometime this summer.
The basement is looking more empty all the time. I still have some fabric and trims to get rid of so if anyone is in the market for a bulk buy, let me know. I also have tassel trims left that I will sell in a bulk buy at good prices. Slowly but surely we are getting the building cleaned out.
Off to think about centerpieces!
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We enjoyed some time on the patio in the sun as we punched letters for signs, worked on centerpieces, punched out designs for some of the game pieces, and did what ever popped up! Thanks Mom, it was fun having you here!
Here's a stack of cut foam core boards that will be used as a different type of door tags. I'm looking forward to seeing how this week plays out. Wish you could be here!!
I was honored to be able to work with Lee, his wife Rachel, and their friends to plan this event and I am so sorry to miss the festivities. This is one of the centerpieces I made for the evening. They'll sit on top of whiskey barrels in the Brick Room venue in downtown Shelbyville.
If you are looking for a quick and easy (and very inexpensive) centerpiece let me share a little of how this was put together. It started with a quick trip to the Dollar Tree (my go to store for a lot of my centerpieces). I purchased their vases, an 8" round metal cake pan, two styrofoam rings and some spikes that actually looked real when they were worked into the design. I added a little sheet moss to cover the styrofoam, some random leaves into the foam and some twigs from my curly willow tree. I pulled some rocks from the driveway and added a votive. Voila! A centerpiece to be proud of!!
I'm off to bed so I can get up and organize the Montreat Youth Conference office before they bring in the youth for the summer!
Jayn Lando - Your energy and creativity never cease to amaze me! I am always inspired just being around you. Look forward to seeing you at ARW! Actually, doing the same thing the same way is lazier ... it's a lot more energy and time consuming to do things a new way!
Loving the Game...
4/22/2016
How did I ever 'work'? Well, not that I'm not working now, but how did I ever hold a 9 to 5 job which really was at least 8 to 6 ? It hasn't taken me long to get in a routine that is anything but the same old same old.....
I told you I was getting ready to work on the items I'm making for the Annual Recreation Workshop... well, I finally got them done. The preparation for this retreat week is always exciting for me because I know when it arrives I'll meet up with friends, some of whom I only see once a year or on Facebook. It's a week of play (and really hard work) with old and new friends. Check out the website and think about joining us for a week.
Besides the Matching game and Checkers shown here, I am also making a Connect the Dot game, a Tic Tac Toe game, and the 'Pegs' game that Cracker Barrel has sitting on their tables. :)
I still have to come up with the centerpieces for these 20 tables. They need to be interactive and be able to be used somewhere else during the week.....Hmmmm, better go to bed thinking about it and maybe I'll wake up at 5:00 in the morning with a great idea!!
I'm glad they made it home safe.
Stop by and see them if you get a chance. I'm hoping to make a trip up there to see her store sometime this summer.
Off to think about centerpieces!
Jayn Lando - As busy as I am these days, I too wonder how I ever had time to work before I retired!
A Little Ray of Sunshine and...
4/15/2016
A little ray (or two) of sunshine does a girl good! At least it does for me! I had a short but wonderful visit with Brent, Natalie and their dog, Murphy. The weather could not have been more perfect. We were able to enjoy the outdoors and spent some good time just visiting and exploring.
Needless to say, not all of the projects I packed in my suitcase were finished, but they did have a nice plane ride in my new luggage with those rollie wheels. It was much more fun to be outside watching Murphy chase the drone than inside doing projects. He actually came close to catching it a time or two.
I spent some time exploring when I went to the Delray Affaire to say hello to some of the vendors that I have come to know. I checked out the booths to see what was new. I then wandered through several places on Las Olas Blvd. in Ft Lauderdale and Worth Ave. in Palm Beach.
The best part about wandering and visiting other areas are the ideas that pop into my head. I was so excited at the end of Monday on my way home from Ft. Lauderdale that I wanted to stop along the freeway and write them all down! Instead I called to tell Judy so that she could write them down. Smart of me don't you think? My mother would think so.
You know that we always have to have a project while I am visiting. Now that the house is pretty much done, the projects are smaller and smaller. But we did tackle one thing that Brent wanted finished.
A Little Ray of Sunshine and...
4/15/2016
A little ray (or two) of sunshine does a girl good! At least it does for me! I had a short but wonderful visit with Brent, Natalie and their dog, Murphy. The weather could not have been more perfect. We were able to enjoy the outdoors and spent some good time just visiting and exploring.
I spent some time exploring when I went to the Delray Affaire to say hello to some of the vendors that I have come to know. I checked out the booths to see what was new. I then wandered through several places on Las Olas Blvd. in Ft Lauderdale and Worth Ave. in Palm Beach.
The best part about wandering and visiting other areas are the ideas that pop into my head. I was so excited at the end of Monday on my way home from Ft. Lauderdale that I wanted to stop along the freeway and write them all down! Instead I called to tell Judy so that she could write them down. Smart of me don't you think? My mother would think so.
We put in an irrigation system for his raised garden. Actually let's say, he put it in and I made the 6 (or more) runs to Home Depot for the 50 cent parts. Success again and one more thing to add to our resumes!
Brent and Natalie were like little kids when he went to the mailbox and realized their ladybugs had arrived. They let 4500 lady bugs loose in the garden to try and keep a good balance. I'm not sure exactly what is 'balanced' but they were happy! It was fun to watch them... the lady bugs, I mean.
I loved, loved, loved, getting to spend some time and have lunch with a friend of mine from youth group as a teenager. It's hard to imagine it has been 40 years since I had last seen him. Oh how time flies. Life has brought many changes and it was great to catch up. The memories made in childhood are oh so precious!
Look at these great finished ottomans I picked up on the way home from the airport. Thanks Bobby! I love them. Now to get them online and for sale.
I am off to try and get creative on ARW and try and get all my ducks in a row for one of my favorite conferences. Will give you those pictures next week!
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Games, Art & Upholstery...
4/8/2016
Headed out midweek and ready to go. As I sit here in the airport trying to get a start on this week's blog, I realize how much I got done in the short week that I had at home. I've been on a roll coming up with ideas for creating things for the Recreation Workshop I do each May.
-nothing like waiting till the last minute- Sometimes I think I work best under pressure.... actually, I know that I do!
I was able to get the new Hipster shoulder bagdesigned for the upcoming studio class...
And I finished this fun game ottoman that I had started awhile ago. You know that you can never get in a rush about finishing a project. This was started well before the store closed and took about an hour to finish. It's all about finding that one hour!
We call this one The Game Stack Ottoman and it comes with three fun game boards.
It has a Connect the Dot game on the bottom cushion that is attached to a wood platform with legs, and the next two loose cushions are Tic Tac Toe and Checkers. It is made with Heavy Duty Canvas, 4" poly wrapped foam, has a zipper closure and comes with all the fun game pieces needed for each game. I think this will be great in a family room, a youth group room or a child's bedroom. This first ottoman will be donated to the RECREATION WORKSHOP held in Montreat, NC this coming May, but I'll be making more!
I took some fabric to the upholsterer this week and got a sneak peek at the two newest ottomans I'm having made.
Brent and Natalie were like little kids when he went to the mailbox and realized their ladybugs had arrived. They let 4500 lady bugs loose in the garden to try and keep a good balance. I'm not sure exactly what is 'balanced' but they were happy! It was fun to watch them... the lady bugs, I mean.
I loved, loved, loved, getting to spend some time and have lunch with a friend of mine from youth group as a teenager. It's hard to imagine it has been 40 years since I had last seen him. Oh how time flies. Life has brought many changes and it was great to catch up. The memories made in childhood are oh so precious!
I am off to try and get creative on ARW and try and get all my ducks in a row for one of my favorite conferences. Will give you those pictures next week!
Games, Art & Upholstery...
4/8/2016
Headed out midweek and ready to go. As I sit here in the airport trying to get a start on this week's blog, I realize how much I got done in the short week that I had at home. I've been on a roll coming up with ideas for creating things for the Recreation Workshop I do each May.
-nothing like waiting till the last minute- Sometimes I think I work best under pressure.... actually, I know that I do!
And I finished this fun game ottoman that I had started awhile ago. You know that you can never get in a rush about finishing a project. This was started well before the store closed and took about an hour to finish. It's all about finding that one hour!
We call this one The Game Stack Ottoman and it comes with three fun game boards.
It has a Connect the Dot game on the bottom cushion that is attached to a wood platform with legs, and the next two loose cushions are Tic Tac Toe and Checkers. It is made with Heavy Duty Canvas, 4" poly wrapped foam, has a zipper closure and comes with all the fun game pieces needed for each game. I think this will be great in a family room, a youth group room or a child's bedroom. This first ottoman will be donated to the RECREATION WORKSHOP held in Montreat, NC this coming May, but I'll be making more!
These are quilted panels I purchased at ART UNRAVELED a few years ago. I no longer have wall space to display them, so I decided that they would make fantastic tops for ottomans. I can't wait to see them finished!
A package was sitting on my front porch the other day and I was so excited to see it. It contains these custom labels that will be put on the bottom of all my Funky Fibers furniture.
I feel so official now.... just like all those big name companies with labels on their furniture. I better get busy to use all these labels!
So, I am off to Florida for a few days. Hopefully a little time in the sun, a little time with my son, some time to explore venues to sell my furniture, and time to visit the Delray Affair.
I miss not being a part of the Delray Affair this year. With the closing of the store I was concerned that I wouldn't have enough time to create the products needed for the show... and I was so right.
And though I won't be a part of Delray Affair, I still brought an extra suitcase packed with lots of projects!!
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I miss not being a part of the Delray Affair this year. With the closing of the store I was concerned that I wouldn't have enough time to create the products needed for the show... and I was so right.
And though I won't be a part of Delray Affair, I still brought an extra suitcase packed with lots of projects!!
Pat Pleacher - Leslie... Always love seeing what you are doing. You come up with such clever ideas. The Game Stack Ottoman is so unique! Keep on with your amazing journey!
Horsing Around...
4/1/2016
Some things just make you smile and this beautiful view up my lane does that for me!
I do love spring! And how can you not smile when you drive down this drive to go to work? (after I get my Dr. Pepper) Now that I live where I work I find myself appreciating the things that I missed because I was in too much of a hurry to get where I thought I needed to go! Life is good!
So spring involves getting out, cleaning out the yard and gardens, getting in shape by walking, and this year by riding my fancy, colorful bike for exercise.
Lydia and I decided to take our first bike ride this week and were so excited to actually have a scheduled bike-riding time on the calendar.
She met me at the store to haul my wild and crazy bike to her new house so that we could take advantage of the beautiful neighborhood. We filled the tires and were off and pumping pedals!... for about 30 seconds. I then realized that my chain had come off my bike and my pedals were spinning and I was going nowhere. How like life so much of the time... spinning wheels and going no where.
Horsing Around...
4/1/2016
Some things just make you smile and this beautiful view up my lane does that for me!
I do love spring! And how can you not smile when you drive down this drive to go to work? (after I get my Dr. Pepper) Now that I live where I work I find myself appreciating the things that I missed because I was in too much of a hurry to get where I thought I needed to go! Life is good!
She met me at the store to haul my wild and crazy bike to her new house so that we could take advantage of the beautiful neighborhood. We filled the tires and were off and pumping pedals!... for about 30 seconds. I then realized that my chain had come off my bike and my pedals were spinning and I was going nowhere. How like life so much of the time... spinning wheels and going no where.
Off to the store to get a chain repair kit so that we can start again next weekend!
I've been working on my next chair designs and ottomans this week. I have two ottomans at the upholsterers and decided to work on another horse chair. This one will be different and a smaller version of the High Stepping Saddlebred chair.
The Grays, Neutrals and Tans make a beautiful combination. Love the Black legs and leather that are going to embellish it too! The ideas are spinning!
I love these birds. I purchased them from a wonderfully talented mixed media Artist, Leighanna Light at Art Unraveled in Phoenix last year. www.leighannalight.com. I started with the colors in these birds to design my sitting room.
Slowly but surely I am trying to get this sitting room done. Redecorating the house this time is taking me a little longer than normal since I am trying to make sure and have pieces that I love instead of just finishing it immediately to say it is finished.
Along with artwork from some of my favorite artists, I'm hunting for fabrics that just make me happy. Wouldn't you have thought I would have done this before I sold out the fabric at the store??? LOL!!
I found this fun bird fabric on my last visit to Delray Beach and thought at the time that it might look good with the colors in this room, and I was right. I picked up the chair from the upholster yesterday and am really pleased with the way it turned out.
I woke up at 5:00 this morning with a fun idea for a new tote bag class. I wanted to jump out of bed and get right on it but other commitments got in the way. So... I'm headed there now. Watch for the new class online next week!
I appreciate the response with our Quilting and Crafting Club! I have an appointment on Tuesday with a batik salesman so I will keep all of you in mind. Let me know if there's something special you're looking for. Check out all the new pieces that Judy has gotten online in the Members Only section!
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Slowly but surely I am trying to get this sitting room done. Redecorating the house this time is taking me a little longer than normal since I am trying to make sure and have pieces that I love instead of just finishing it immediately to say it is finished.
I found this fun bird fabric on my last visit to Delray Beach and thought at the time that it might look good with the colors in this room, and I was right. I picked up the chair from the upholster yesterday and am really pleased with the way it turned out.
I woke up at 5:00 this morning with a fun idea for a new tote bag class. I wanted to jump out of bed and get right on it but other commitments got in the way. So... I'm headed there now. Watch for the new class online next week!
I appreciate the response with our Quilting and Crafting Club! I have an appointment on Tuesday with a batik salesman so I will keep all of you in mind. Let me know if there's something special you're looking for. Check out all the new pieces that Judy has gotten online in the Members Only section!
Dixie Taylor - Leslie, I'm not an artistic or crafty person but I do so enjoy reading your writings about life now and how you are evolving in your next chapter. Very exciting...inspires me to move on with new projects that I enjoy....
thank you for sharing your thoughts and life.....
Leslie - Hey Dixie... Thanks for reading and following what is next. I find that I am really enjoying the blog and it keeps me on task.:) I am glad that maybe this blog helps you and others follow their dreams and do what excites each individual. It's great that we all have different talents!! Have a great day!!
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