A little Fall here...a little Fall there...

For those who have been to my house...you know that I have a small house...so I try and keep my decor simple...my favorite thing to do is put garland during Fall and Winter...to cozy it up a bit. This is the top of my curio cabinet...I took this picture from a weird angle...I learned at Blog Sugar to try different angles...but now I'm not sure on this one...I made the cross stitch angel ages ago...she's a favorite of mine....

I little wagon of pine cones and pumpkins...real pine cones we have collected throughout the years...fake pumpkins...they are very small...

A metal basket full of pine cones and other assorted pods I pick up whenever I see them...yes...I am one of THOSE people...I pick up stuff everywhere...you never know...

Another basket of pine cones and pumpkins...do you see a theme here...I love pine cones...and there are so many different types out there...some of the smallest pine cones have come from the biggest trees...there one from the sequoias in there...it's the small one on the very left...it's hard and when I got it home it opened up and the little seeds exploded...good thing it was still in a bag!

Some creamy ceramic pumpkins ...I love pumpkins too...I have to get some real ones next week!

Fall weather around here is different than so many other places...it is a great time to garden...see which cool weather annuals pop up in the yard ...these are volunteer zinnias...a beautiful Fall color don't ya think?

This plant came up about a month ago right near my tomato plants...it has a ton of pretty flowers on it now...

Zinnias seem to do very well in the Fall here...I have collected seeds from other plants and I will sprinkle them about in the Spring...who knows what I will find next year!

I hope you enjoyed a bit of Fall at my house...how do you do Fall at your house?

Have a great day, my friends!!

It's almost time...

The time is getting closer for my first ever craft show...I am nervous and excited...I finished my apron yesterday...look who's modeling it...let's just say she's not happy to model an apron...I kept it pretty simple...it's a working apron...I made it out of canvas with lots of pockets... there's a side pocket with a flap for all the money I'll be making...oh don't I wish...and pockets for business cards and my cell phone and an extra one for a pen and paper...

I needed to jazz it up a bit so I used the logo from my labels and stitched my name on there too...I think I like how it came out. I was going to add rick rack around it...but it looked too busy...I think simple is best sometimes. So now that my apron's done...I feel like I'm ready as I ever will be! I would have liked to have more inventory...but because my bags are so time consuming...and some people would call me a perfectionist...I don't...so look out Costa Mesa...here I come!! If you are in the area...stop by...if just to say hi! This show is so much fun...there's music, great food...and lots of talented artisans...it's in the parking lot of Piecemakers on Adams...

Now on to a completely different topic...notice on my sidebar that I have a Facebook page now...isn't that cool! The lovely Anna got it started for me and now I have to keep up with it...if you are on Facebook...and you "like" my page I am going to have a giveaway when all this craziness is over! You can "like" me now if you like...I am going to include all those that already have. I will give you more details next week...

Now back to work...enjoy the day, my friends!!!

It was a sweet day...

I think the best part of joining the blogging world for me has been meeting new friends...surprising as it might sound...I am a pretty shy person...I find it hard to put myself out there...in the real world...I can't just walk up to some one and ask if they want to be my friend...I think that's why this blogging world has appealed to me so much...anyway...enough with me...here are two new friends I met this past Sunday...this is Holly and Tammy...I was lucky to meet them in person because of the Blog Sugar conference we were all attending...

We met up with Kris, Tammy, Holly and Jen at Islands on the way to Blog Sugar...it was like we had known them all for years! I met Kris a little over a year ago and she is just the sweetest...and her daughter, Jen is too! It was the first time I had met Jen...but I felt I knew her through her Mom's site...

In the park outside the event there was this Viet Nam War Memorial...there was a fountain flowing down all around it...it was a sad but beautiful place....

There were pretty pink roses along the walk way up to Blog Sugar...

And here we are at the entrance...everything was done with such perfect details...

There was a drink station outside...and a snack station with fruit and cheese...even a cotton candy station and a photo booth...

The tables inside were lovely...

such pretty flowers on the table...we all loved the combination of the orange and pink!

Even a little donut by each place to welcome us! It was a nice time...I met a few new people...listened to some other bloggers talk about interesting topics...we had a nice dinner...

And then the sugar rush began...

I learned some new things, met some new friends, ate too much and spent a great day with my sister, Debbie...all in all...a nice day...now to try to use what I learned and jump in there and be the best blogger I can be...which is one who respects all of you out there wherever you are...and what you do..you mean more to me than you will ever know..and for that I thank you!!

Have a great day, my friends!!

Look what I got...

I have a great letter carrier named Pam...she brings me wonderful things like bills and junk mail with a smile everyday...today she knocked on the door and handed me this!! Oh yea!! I having been waiting for this...I have always wanted one of these...well...maybe not this exact model...I really want a vintage one that costs an arm and a leg more than I have...but this one was up for bid on ebay...so...

I bid on her and I won! I admit she was pretty cheap...but easy...and a little wonky...but then I'm not perfect so why should she be...

I tried a bit of bling...she told me she likes bling...I have no bling...I wear shorts and T shirts and flip flops...but she insisted...this is the best I could do on such short notice...I mean I couldn't show you her naked could I??? We talked it over and I told her I would work out the details of her life here...she insists on some better scarves and jewelry...and a room of her own...we'll see I said...I may be able to come up with something a bit more dramatic...until then...we have to think of a name...nothing plain she said...OK...OK...but you're going to have to work for this...

Thanks for the package , Pam...even it did come with an attitude!

Enjoy the day, my friends!!

Dreaming of Autumn Colors...

Every year about this time I start thinking of going here...the one place near my home that I can see real Fall color...this is a stand of Aspens in the San Bernardino Mountains...I took these pictures a couple years ago when Don and I went up there. We never made it up last year...too many other things kept us away...but not this year...oh no...I'll be visiting here soon. In about 3 weeks these beauties will be showing some wonderful color and I plan on being up there to see it!

This is a short lived show too...it only lasts for about 2 weeks if we're lucky...

The thing of it is...we live so close... there should be no reason not to enjoy this every year...

There's something about Aspens that make me happy...it's so peaceful up here too...

It isn't one of those places that that many people know about... or visit...

It sits down in a mountain valley...by a creek...because Aspens love water...and the last 2 winters have been pretty wet and snowy up on the top of the mountains...so there should be lots of water in that little creek that waters them...which means...even more color! That is if the weather cooperates and it seems to be...the nights are getting cooler...they are even cooler up there...so, yes, as I decorate for Fall...I dream of this place...it is the closest thing to true Autumn color that this Southern California girl gets to see in her neck of the woods!

I thought I'd show you a couple bags I finished in the last week...I have more done...but I don't want to bore you with too many at once...I really like this striped fabric...it feels sort of like men's suiting...a grayish blue color too...perfect fabric to add whimsy to...

I made a few bags out of this fabric...all different...this is the last of it and so I added some little cardinals that I drew...I love redwork...it's fun and I like how this one came out...what do you think?

Today I will be sewing most of the day...trying to get things done for the craft show...I need to design and make a little apron to keep my phone, money and a few other things in while I work at the show...I have a design in my head...I just have to figure out how I want it to stay on...a clasp or a tie...then I will start the work on it. The way I work is probably not the way I should...I see things in my head...and I don't do much in the middle...it goes from my head to the fabric...the only thing I draw are the appliques...I've heard that's strange...but I've never followed the rules...how do you design?

Enjoy the day!!

Is it Autumn yet...

The calendar says it's almost Autumn, but here in my neck of the woods...Autumn is more a state of mind. The temperatures stay pretty warm this time of year...although the days are getting shorter and the nights and mornings cooler...the temperature today should reach a high of about 92. Welcome to our front porch...I decided it was time to change it up a bit...make it a bit Fallish...we have a long covered front porch...but it's not too wide, so it can be a bit of a challenge to decorate...

This bench was the first thing that Don and I bought for our house 28 years ago...we wanted a spot to sit and watch our young boys play in the big front yard...Don has taken this bench apart so many times through out the years to freshen it up...with new paint and varnish...

We had this little folding table out in the back yard under the apple tree along side a rusty old chair...Don fixed it up with some spray paint and now we have a table to go along side the bench...a pot of thyme and a pumpkin made of sticks on a felt place mat works here for me...

This is right above the little table...I found it on sale at Joann's...

I've had this scarecrow and corn for years...he's made of a long branch...the perfect addition to the snake plant that is next to the front door....

Here's a big wooden pumpkin...our house is mostly stucco, but we have some big beams going down the front porch...perfect for hanging signs...

I don't know what it is about mats and rugs...I seem to collect a lot. When Don was helping me get the Fall items down in the garage...he said I had several Autumn mats...I like this one for now...

This is a stretched out piece of canvas on a metal frame that's starting to show some wear ...ahh...it makes it a bit rustic I guess...

This is the wall next to the porch...I had a geranium in this basket...it looked tired so I transplanted this grape ivy into the basket...

Here's a little flag on the other side of the driveway...the birdhouse keeps the flag secure...it gets pretty windy here...and the flags tend to blow right off the stand...it's weird because they're kind of hard to get off and on...this was the most attractive solution I could find to keep the flag on!

I couldn't leave without showing you a couple flowers...I have been gardening all morning...and these cone flowers are on the same plant...such different colors on one plant...

It's called Harvest... all the flowers come out in different Fall colors...

I hope you enjoyed your visit to our front porch...I will layer on a few more pots of mums and some pumpkins later when it starts to cool down a bit more. I have mums in pots in the back...they have a ways to go before I move them out here...they are resting in the shade right now...

Enjoy your day...I hope you are enjoying the wonderful Fall weather wherever you are!!

It's that time of year....

Yes...can you believe it...it's already that time of year again! This weekend all the names were passed out and I got....oh...I can't tell you...it's a secret!! A secret of the most fun kind...I will now be stalking my swap partner to see what she likes...I already have an idea for my ornament...this is a great swap...and I must say the Chookyblue does the BEST job organizing it and keeping all us gals in line! This is also the best swap because it includes gals form all over the world...everyone gets a partner from a different country than their own..I feel honored to be included!!

Now...back to my sewing machine...

Take time to smell the roses...

Or in my case today...the ocean! You see I have been so busy lately getting things done for the craft show and I haven't taken time out to go visit my sons in a bit...so ...they let me know that they both going to have a day off together...and I wasted no time making the decision to go down to San Diego to see them! It turned out that Stephen got called into work and so it was just Joseph and me.... Joseph knows how much I love the water...so he suggested we go down to Ocean Beach and take a walk down by the water...

It was kind of a dreary day...perfect for me though...anytime I am with my sons and near the water is perfect!

Here's the little pier...not too many fishermen out there now...

The ocean was almost as gray as the sky today...funny how that is...pretty though!

All the gang was there...lots of gulls trying to rest...they didn't seem to mind us as we walked by...

This little black bird was napping...but he opened his eyes when we came by...

Here's a young gull...I like the pretty brown downy feathers...

I think these are Herring gulls...

I couldn't find this one in the bird book...maybe another baby...

This Sand Piper was very busy looking for a bite to eat...

We sat and watched him for quite a while...he didn't seem to mind...

Ahhhh...a tasty sand crab!

We walked over past the pier onto some rocks...aren't they pretty...

We stayed over there for a while watching the waves hitting the rocks...I liked how this section was cut out and the water came in it...

There are all those areas in the rocks that are little tide pools...but the tide was much too high today to go out and explore...another time...

We stayed out there just long enough for the tide to come up pretty high...we thought we better get going before we got trapped out on the rocks and had to swim in and the surf was pretty rough today...so we weren't going to take that chance...one wave came up just as we were leaving and I had to hop up on a rock really fast...Joey was sure surprised that his old Mom was that nimble! It was too cold to get wet...I can be fast when I have a mind to!!

After our walk we walked over to Bronx Pizza...it is New York style pizza and very good!

Then it was time for me to go...it's a good two hour drive back home...Today was wonderful...it is always wonderful to spend time with my sons...

Thanks Joey!!