On The F0uth Ghastlie Day…

Here are my Ghastlie sistahs that are participating today:

Mrs. Katherine Ghastlie

Ms Sharon Ghastlie

Mrs. Gooden Ghastlie

Ms. Selina Ghastlie

Mrs. Melinda Ghastlie

Here’s a sneak peak at the Day 4 Giveaway

I’m especially loving the alarm clock…think I’ll have to make myself one!

It’s A Ghastlie Day!

 

If you have this thing for Ghastlies

and they have tied you in a knot

and you wish you could get them out of your mind

than this may be a thought.

We heard her plea for a cure

Mdm Samm was pos/it/ively sure

that we could stitch the nights away

in hopes that we MAY----???

( all 54 of us) 

BUT....

The side effects are Ghastlie

there is no mistaking too.

if you don't run this very minute

YOU too will catch the FLU...

We suspected all along

this was her master plan

she did not want to be alone,

with all  YOU Ghastlie FANS..“

When Madame Samm put out the call for Ghastlie lovers around the internet, I just couldn’t resist. I had to play along with the blog hop! I discovered this material by Alexander Henry last year and fell in love.

For those of you who don’t know me…I have something of a purse fetish. I have made so many that I have lost count! I knew right away that I had to make a purse…or two… from this addicting fabric.

First I made an everyday purse. I sketched out the shape I wanted and went to work! I used a metallic braided ribbon and made a shabby rose with an antique rhinestone button for the center. Lots of pockets inside and a magnetic clasp…it’s my new favorite everyday purse!

front:

back:

Then, since I had a wedding to go to and just COULDN’T carry a dress purse I’ve been seen with before, I knew I had to make a fancy one with my two favorite Ghastlie ladies! I used the tutorial from here to draft my pattern. Mine was a little fiddly since I have a shaped purse top. I had to sew my purse to the frame as it is the sew in type. I used antique lace from my grandmother, a necklace for the strap and silver beads on the trees. I LOVE how it turned out! Here are both sides:

Life wouldn’t be complete without a journal to write things in…we must record the important things in life! I covered a composition notebook with the dinner table vignette since this represents the Ghastlie family so well!!! First I had to paint the cover white so the book’s pattern wouldn’t show through the material, then I adhered the fabric to it. I finished it off with more of my Grandmother’s antique lace and a ribbon on the edge!

Last, but most definitely not least are these portraits framed and ready for the wall. They will hang above my sewing area so that I will always remember the fun I had joining in this blog hop!

Here are the other participants for today:

Mrs. Barb Ghastlie

Miss Karen Ghastlie

Ms. Jen Ghastlie.

Ms Penny Ghastlie

Mrs Rhonda Ghastlie

My Ghastlie Sisters…

…have you been visiting them???

Our Ghastlie blog hop has begun! Today is day two for the festivities! Tomorrow is my day so be sure to hop on in and see my lovely…er… ghastllie offerings!

Here are my sisters showing their goodies today:

Mrs. Annie Ghastlie

Mrs Doris Ghastlie

Mrs Brandie Ghastlie

Ms. Alidiza Ghastlie

Mrs. JudyC Ghastlie

Did I mention there are prizes???

Don’t You Just Love Babies…

My daughter’s dance instructor is having a baby…a little girl. Of course, I had to make something for the little one! I made an elf hat and a pair of Mary Jane's. I think they turned out darling!

The hat was a free pattern found here. I did double rows of color instead of single ones. The shoes are a paid for pattern found here. I don’t recommend the shoes for anyone just  beginning to crochet.

Speaking of babies. My baby boy, Boy Genius, had his first date last Saturday. He went to the homecoming dance. Don’t they look awesome!

Oh…by the way…I have a surprise in store for you all next week so don’t forget to check back!!!

Fashion…

…through the years…

I totally stole this from Bloom.

Recognize your styles?

Giveaway Alert…

Jenny over at Elefantz.com is having a giveaway! Check it out! (just click on the picture!)

Fungi…

Do you pintrest? I do. It’s amazing the things you can see on there! Things you wouldn’t normally stumble across unless your whole life is spent online.

I found a darling, and new to me, pincushion tutorial that I thought I would share with you. Aimee Ray over at Little Deer Tracks shares it with us. While you’re there you should check out her other crafting goodies…they’re adorable!

Why “My Art, My So Called Life”

So Dawn over at Sweet as Cinnamon wants to know how some of us got the names for our blogs. She’s even offering a lovely gift for one of us to win if we participate by explaining ourselves! So here goes:

“My So Called Life” was a short lived show that ran for only one season in ‘94/’95. I was very disappointed when the show was cancelled. I was fascinated by the main character, Angela, played by Clair Danes. I don’t know why I identified with the character Angela. I never went through a rebellious stage in high school. I didn’t have an antagonistic relationship with my mother, but still I get something about the character. Maybe it’s her social awkwardness or the not knowing exactly how to define herself or what group she belongs in.

“It just seems like you agreed to have a certain personality or something. For no reason. Just to make things easier for everyone. But when you think about it, I mean, how do you even know it’s you? And, I mean, this whole thing with year book, it’s like, everybody’s in this big hurry to make this book, to supposedly remember what happens. It’s not even what really happens, it’s what everybody thinks is supposed to happen, because if you made a book of what really happened it’d be a really upsetting book.”

– Angela Chase “My So Called Life”

I honestly believe that most blogs are “books” about what we want people to think happens. If we truly told the day to day, boring, grinding, sometimes angry and annoying truth about ourselves…well…really, who would read out blogs? And seriously, anyone that would like to read that type of blog is not really someone we want to be friends with. We want to surround ourselves with people who exhibit the same personality traits that we ourselves show to people. When we see only perfect lives on blogs…they’re lying!  What we see is a “so called life” as it were. That’s the honest truth in my humble opinion.

The “My Art” part of my blog title is rather self explanatory. I like to show off my “art” in all it’s varied forms. I have had many different “so called lives” over the years when it comes to my arts and crafts.

For years I crocheted. I started crocheting when I was five and at my pinnacle, I made the most beautiful doilies and pretties. I think I was pretty good at it.

Next came cross stitch. I did that for years, made lovely large “paintings” with thread.

Then came beading. Probably the art that I have been the most skilled at. I ended up branching out from making beaded things to teaching others how to make beaded things. I helped my father to design a bead loom that he still sells and gets wonderful reviews from those who have one.

Now, I am a bit more eclectic with my art. I sew. Both by hand and by machine. I like to embellish what I have sewn with beads and embroidery. I have started to incorporate many of my skills into single pieces. I really like it as it adds an extra dimension to whatever I am working on.

So now y0u know why I have chosen the title I have for my blog. It’s all about my art and my so called life…the part I want to show you!

Terrible, terrible picture…

I know this is an awful picture but I wanted to show you what I have been working on lately.

This is a 20”x20” appliqued quilt block for my husbands niece. In my husband’s family, when someone gets married, they receive a quilt made up of blocks from whatever relatives wanted to participate. My niece wanted all fall colors. I wanted to do some applique. So that is how this block was born. I would have a better picture of it, but, as is par for the course for me, I left making it until the last minute and it had to be delivered tonight…so no natural light to take the picture by.

My hubby was so sweet to offer to drop it off at my in-laws after all the hard work I put into it.  

Christmas gifts…

Wouldn’t these darling bath bombs make great Christmas gifts? I see some of these in my future!

Go visit Little Birdie Secrets to get the tutorial!