Spring Stylin'

Spring can't be far around the corner when this

Little Miss is readied with

a new haircut and perky pink flower!

Still in Disbelief

Though it has been one week since Rollie (pictured on far right) passed away, I am still in disbelief that this special man is no longer with us here on earth.

He was very much like a member of our extended family.

He was my (dipping and spinning) dancing partner at dress-up events and parties.

He was a friend of my beloved father, and would give me hugs saying, "This is in place of your father --- and not a Lutheran hug." At just the same height as Dad, it would truly feel like a moment of him being with me again.

He looked out for my own children when they were younger and was very much a presence in their lives - and hearts - as well.

He appreciated Wes and vice versa.

His grandson, Alex, is one of John's best friends.

I taught two of his Grandchildren back in the LCNS days.

His Grand-daughter, Heather, went to Prom with John back in the LHS days.

He was a special friend to my sister and her family.

My library friends knew him from Farmer's Market as my special friend.

His wife, Janis, is about the coolest woman I know and could only hope to emulate as I age.

My heart breaks for her incredible loss.

His family has grown from his to his and hers and all are one family now. And my heart breaks for them as well.

Rollie, know that I will always remember you.

Heaven's even a better place now with you there.

A Zippy Posy

Gray day + ZIP "word of the year" = Posy! With a little time on my hands, I made a cheery little project. First, I cut out 6 little circles from a scrap of yellowish fleece. I used the bottom of the spray starch can as my template because I was too lazy to look elsewhere. Four circles were folded into quarters, then stitched together to make the petals in the middle. Next, a half of a metal zipper (9") was coiled to make the posy center. This was stitched to an unfolded little fleece circle and the top part of the flower was completed. On the bottom of the posy, another unfolded fleece circle was stitched. Two little leaf shapes were cut from felted wool and attached the the bottom of the posy. Lastly, the pin back was stitched to the bottom of the posy. Voila! A cheery little posy that can be worn as a pin or attached to a bag or hat. The pin back could be omitted and instead stitched directly to something or glued to a gift package. In mini size, it could even work as a barrette with the clip stitched to the back. Now I'm up to date with one zipper project a month.

My Kind of Couture

Yes, I have totally fallen in love with this book!

Years, years and years ago, handkerchiefs were a staple in a woman's wardrobe - working women to fancy women. Both of my Kansas grandmothers, my mother and the ladies in the church could often be seen removing a little hankie from an apron pocket, the sleeve of a shirt or dress, a pocketbook or even an upper underwear "stabilizer" which I blush to even name by its name today!

Luckily, I have ended up with many of these special cloth squares in a collection I treasure.

But... what to do with them?

Not long ago, I found myself browsing in a book store, and stumbled upon this sweet book featuring 11 1/2 inch dolls (not Barbie) modelling couture fashions made from hankies. I was immediately smitten. Not only are the pictures and fashions wonderful, but the writing of the text is, too.

The author, Marsha Greenberg, has a way with words - clever, proper, catchy.

You might enjoy this book synopsis I found on the web:

What is Hankie Couture?

"A stunningly original collection of doll-sized fashions--everything from pajamas to wedding gowns--meticulously crafted from vintage handkerchiefs. Accented with slyly witty Hankie Couture girl "philosophy," this book is a stylish showcase of 125 unique fashions and accessories. It is also a how-to guide that allows you to transform treasured heirlooms or colorful flea-market finds into one-of-a-kind fashion ensembles.

Whether it's a floral sundress that fans out as it twirls, an apron dress with a scalloped border, or a neatly pin-tucked linen dress with pearl buttons, the book encompasses a seemingly infinite variety of exquisite dresses. Neither crafters nor doll collectors have ever seen a book like this, making Hankie Couture a uniquely irresistible challenge to crafters. And with its beautiful design and kitschy lifestyle advice, this makes a great gift book."

(Or a great calendar --- maybe on half-priced sale as we're nearly into the third month of the year?)

Too bad my Barbie/Project Runway challenge is past. I so would have been making her

challenges out of hankies! (By the way, I am rooting for Mondo to win P.R.A.S. currently underway)

Butterfly Whisperers

Apparently the two of us have something that makes butterflies happy.

Something that makes them slow down from the all the fluttering.

Maybe we smell good? Maybe we are sweet like nectar?

Or maybe we are just old and not running around in their sanctuary like the younger ones is more like it!

Whatever.

We like being able to give respite to a butterfly now and then.

This weekend found us out and about at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

with Miss E. We had a wonderful time.

I love the modern art that butterflies give us on their gossamer wings.

Thumb's UP for this Performer (And his Blog,too.)

See this man with Miss E? He the one. The only. Mr. Jim Gill!

He's a child-development specialist, singin', banjo pickin' wonder! And Ellie loves his music, especially Alabama, Mississippi. So when I heard he was giving a 'concert' nearby (sponsored by the Vernon Area library at Stevenson High School), I knew E. and I had to go see him.

She clapped, bounced, stamped, circled, tapped, watched, listened and

was beside herself when he actually performed Alabama, Mississippi just for her

personal pleasure.

For you out there in blogland, might I highly recommend going to your local library to grab one of his CD's and sharing it

with a little loved one in your life? Or ordering online?

You might wish to check out his blog link below as well.

http://jimgillswordsonplay.blogspot.com/

Not only are his music games delightful for the young ones, but his words/thoughts/observations about early learning hit a bulls eye with this MeMo!

Apron Art

Hearing that an art exhibit by Women's Journeys in Fiber presenting

"Aprons: Myth & Fantasy" meant only one thing:

I had to go!

Not only did I have to get there, but I had the treat of being taken by my adventurous friend, Marti.

We drove to Kenosha, Wisconsin yesterday to the

Anderson Arts Center right along the shoreline of

a very beautiful, frozen Lake Michigan coast.

The show included quilts by several talented quilters,

a 3D gallery of The Three (Dis)Graces: Poverty, Neglect & Indifference and works on display by Central High School (Kenosha) students all set inside a glorious older mansion formally inhabited by the Simmons (as in mattress) family and now turned into an art gallery.

Might I highly recommend this show currently on display through March 25, 2012? It's that good!

As much as we enjoyed the quilts, our favorites were the

30 aprons on display and the stories behind their creation by their makers. Whimsical, nostalgic, poignant, sad, clever, creative, innovative....the list goes on.

These women are true artists in my way of thinking.

Let the pictures speak for themselves:

I loved seeing an apron that Marie Antoinette might have worn shouldst she ever appear in a kitchen.

Seeing a rendition of a combined Julie & Julia apron tickled me due to my former

Copycat Challenge in which I sewed my way through a whole book of projects.

Reading about a Granddaughter's memories of summers spent with her Grandma

at a Wisconsin lake cabin and interpreted into an apron tugged at my heartstrings.

Seeing a woman's work who is an expert gardener (and seamstress) and lover of flowers translated into a gorgeous apron was a feast for the eyes of one who has had enough of winter, mild as it might be presently.

I just might have to think about making a "statement" apron myself one of these days!

(Thanks, dear Marti, for a wonderful day!!)

Drumroll, Please: 2012 Theme Recap

When the Nelson Sisters get together to celebrate a birthday - my turn this time - you know there's bound to be quite a bit of merriment, adventure and fun! This time, one of us ended up getting kissed by a random man in a restaurant (our waiter, in fact) and one of us ended up walking into the men's restroom by accident.

(I am not telling you any more than this regarding this.)

Above: a gift from Emily's mom pretty much captured the two of us as peas in two pods toting my Pink behind us which I had to publish with this post. Thank you, Laurie!!! But, I digress.

We took the train into Chicago and our first stop was to the movie theatre to see a 10:20 AM pre matinee of THE ARTIST.

That's the earliest we'd ever gone to a theatre and it was a surprise to see how many others had this early bird idea.

This movie is good!

Seeing as we do theme gifts, I was really wondering how the movie fit into the overall plan.

Then, Diann suggested I take this picture below as my next clue for the guessing the theme. Apparently we were going to the building behind the Wrigley Building for lunch. Because I don't want weird comments, I am not going to write down the name here, but will give you the clue that "The Donald" started it and it rhymes with "bump."

And read the next sign if you still haven't a clue: This restaurant was amazing! Not over-the-top-glitzy as you might expect, but contemporary and cozy on the 16th floor with a spectacular view from our by-the-window seats.

The food was delicious and beautifully presented.

Our waiter, Geoffrey, was most accommodating and even sang "Happy Birthday" to me in French.

My chocolate birthday confection was personalized!

After dining in the restaurant named "Sixteen" we headed back to her place to uncover that the theme title for 2012 was....

STORIES!

Diann had gone through Dad's old slides and included stories from my life growing up that I might not have known about. Stories about houses we lived in, trips we took, toys I had,

fashions I wore. Stories. Sweet stories, funny stories, tug-your-heartstrings kind of stories.

Including the picture of my first little suitcase - incidentally pink - with an elephant on it and which my father rescued from a Colorado mountain stream when I was a girl about 5 years old.

Plus the story of my Grandma Ethel's grocery store china with a pitcher found on EBay so that I have a daily reminder of that ancestor. Grandma baked the best orange-glazed rolls and took us to swim at an indoor pool nearby.

Perhaps you are wondering how the movie The Artist and the restaurant (Sixteen) fit into the theme?

Diann found pictures of me in the slide boxes from when I was 16 myself. Sitting at the beach with a green swimsuit on, sitting on a tree stump while taking a break from a mountain hike...these really brought up memories of the me from long ago.

She also recalled that, at an early age, I showed signs of being a budding artist with all the pictures I drew for her, and again on my college graduation day as I received my diploma with an Art Major to boot.

I received an album full of pictures and stories that will forever fill my heart with the person I was becoming the person I am some five decades later.

I am blessed beyond belief.

Thanks, sis, for being there my whole life through! You've been the best theme of all times!

A "Bad" Zippy Project

Back in November, nephew Jackson (age 7) visited us and, knowing that I like to sew, drew me a picture of "Bad" SpongeBob with the request that I make a custom one for him. After he made his drawing, we discussed the color scheme and details. Because it was the holiday season, Jackson had to wait a bit for the fruition of his design to be turned into reality.

Now that "Bad" is done and the recipient has taken ownership, I can publish the pictures of this fun project!

I used felted wool from shrunken sweaters to complete this project. Both machine and hand-sewing were employed.

"Bad" has a removable hat.

The socks were made from actual socks that were cut to size.

And, due to this being my year of zip, I put a zipper down the back of "Bad"

with an inserted pillow that can be removed and the inside can be used as a secret storage place

for Jackson's treasures.

I hope the two pals have a long, happy relationship

together!

Our Little Miss Turns Two!

Today is Ellie's second birthday!

We had so much fun at her party and here you see her personality in full force: she was wearing pink wings found in a dress-up closet, a yellow apron given as a gift along with a peach tutu skirt given (by us) as a gift. All on top of her birthday party outfit. A pink boa-wrapped headband was also a part of her self-adorned ensemble, but ditched somewhere along the way.

She apparently is following along with her MeMo's love for parties!!

These past two years as Grandparents have been sweeter than honey.

Grandparenthood is everything and more than you can imagine.

To those of our friends who have reached this milestone, you know exactly what I'm talking about. To those who anticipate it someday, it is well worth the wait!

We know we are blessed and we are truly grateful!

H A P P Y

S E C O N D

B I R T H D A Y

to you,

dear Ellie!

With love, Papa and MeMo

Our Kitchen Got a Unibrow!

Before

New Year = New Look for the kitchen! We did a simple update after the leaky "throne" upstairs decided to drip down below to the kitchen ceiling and soffit. And why not add a little zip to the small, galley kitchen in the repair process?

It's very nice to have a handy-man husband. He replaced the toilet, patched the kitchen ceiling and soffit and then he got a surprise from me: Yes, I really wanted a "unibrow" in orangey red for our newly refreshed soffit. That was a bit out of his comfort zone.

But, he's quite a good sport, thank goodness!

After

Here's the new look. It makes me happy.

Resolution Word for 2012

First of all, here's to a Very Happy New Year for all readers of this blog! Thank you for checking in on this little spot every now and then - I do so appreciate your companionship and comments along the way! Now that the holidays are past, and the new year is here it is time to reveal my Resolution Word for 2012.

I have been pondering this word for some time now.

Instead of coming up with a list of things to try to accomplish in the year ahead, I choose one word to inspire my thoughts and actions to make me a hopefully better "being" as the year unfolds. The word of last year was Turnover and it was meant to turn(me)over with my eating and exercising habits. Throughout the course of the year, this inspired me to lose over 20 pounds, so I'd say the word was a powerful one! (And a true challenge, to boot.)

Being one who likes to create things with my hands, I knew that my word had to include a reminder to stitch, sew and seam. It's been a long, dry spell for making garments requiring buttonholes and zippers, and I now have a very special little girl in my life to serve as my model.

Another definition of my word includes being active and involved as I zip through daily activities and keep up to motivation to sty fit and healthy.

Still a third definition involves an action of closed lips. Remember as a kid when your teacher or Mom made an action of index finger and thumb touching and silently made a pass across the lips as if signalling, "Zip it up?" That's a goal for me to achieve as I might be thinking unkind thoughts to keep them to myself.

Without further ado, my word for 2012 is zip.

That's right. ZIP!

And I might even make some zipper flower pins along the way! I do have quite a few colorful zippers in my stash...

Have you thought or your own Resolution Word yet? I'd love to hear about it.