My Dear Mother’s 80th Birthday Party

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

I am happy to announce that my dear Mother’s birthday party went off without a glitch. I hope the pictures will tell the story. It was a wonderful day for my Mom to be able to be the one that got the attention; as she has always been the one who stands in the background and lets everyone else shine. My Mother was a star for a day.

I loved being able to use some of my old antique china for the reception table.

The drink counter.

My Mom and my sister Tamara. (you can see more pictures on her blog here)

My dear friend Rayma and my sister.

My Childhood friend Debbie.

Bev and Steph.

My son, Jarred and my sister-in-law Linda.
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My beautiful daughters; Angie and Emilee.

My granddaughter Ava and her Momma. Ava didn’t know what to do in such a big crowd.

My Grandson Truman slept right through all of it.

My cousin Brenda and me.

My Mom and her sister; Aunt Marthie and her sister-in-law; Aunt Martha Ann

My Mom’s brother Uncle Wayne, Aunt Martha Ann, and their son Mark.

My dear friend Rayma and my Mom.
It was a good day and everyone seemed to have a good time. My niece Carrie Ann made a Power Point slide presentation and it was beautiful. Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated my dear Mother’s birthday with us.

Every woman needs a creative space.

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

Setting aside a dedicated space for sewing and crafting is, to me, the difference between enjoying your project and completing it versus a stash of “someday” dreams and unfinished projects.

A “creative space” means different things to many people. I know lots of women who have sewing rooms, even large studios,  but whether your space is a separate, dedicated room, or just a small work table in a common area, the 2 most important functions it should serve are providing you the opportunity to personalize it, and having the freedom to walk away and come back to your work, undisturbed, when both time and inspiration are on your side.

I love painted furniture, this pink cabinet houses my stash of buttons, sorted by color, my scrap-book materials and boxes full of crochet embellishments, ribbons and trims.  Clear containers and a label maker are indispensable tools for organizing!  Vintage purses are another favorite for filing, sorting, grouping and transporting odds and ends I need for teaching.

Magazines, blogs, Flickr and other photo sharing sites are full of beautifully arranged and organized craft/sewing rooms of all sizes and for all types of crafts.  The following links are fantastic and dreamy..

Pink Studio, Quaint Handmade , here you will find photos of her lovely guest room/sewing room.  Her blog is also full of some of the most beautiful photography I have ever seen.

The Domestic Diva , she provides links for designing your craft room, chosing color, organizing techniques.. awesome information.  Plus, great sites to visit to see what other sewer’s rooms look like.

Flickr: you can spend hours here, I entered Creative Spaces and found a “pool” of kindred souls.  Click the link to see a wall of buttons I love!

For me, it’s about soft pastel colors, antique and vintage textiles, beautiful pottery that store my utensils, tools that match my color pallete, down to notepads and pencils and clips!

This is an imortant subject to me and one that I will talk about regularly on my blog.  Until a crafter feels inspired, comforted, and free to work, frustration overrides the joy of the project itself.  I encourage you to claim your space, surround yourself with what you love, organize it and maintain it!

More on this later!

Favorite Spot

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008

All of us at JCD love antiques, garage sales, thrifting and fun boutiques. This is one of my personal favorites.
Juliana Daniel in Wichita has been a favorite spot for many years, but her shop recently moved.
On a business outing last week, Bev, Steph and I managed to fit in some shopping. We had to see her new location.
It is roomier, there is a wonderful, spacious upstairs that looks out over the street to the Crown Uptown Theatre.
Inside she has wonderful vinettes that inspire me and I had to take pictures to share with you. We loved this room of linens. The stacked pillows with ticking are delicious. We could have stayed all day, but life was waiting back at home!