A Sweet Forgotten Memory...

I wanted to share a wonderful memory that I found the other day when I was cleaning out my son's closet. As I took things out of his closet I caught a glimpse of something white with a clear plastic bag hanging over it. At first I couldn't figure out what it was, then it hit me. The forgotten article of clothing was his christening gown, from when when he was an infant. I could feel my heart flutter as I grabbed onto the hanger and looked at this precious item that had long been forgotten. Years flashed back so quickly. A sweet memory from years gone by... It was the memory of making the christening gown for my son who was yet to be born. The memories flooded my mind as if it was yesterday. I was pregnant sitting at the sewing machine working on the christening gown. I knew that I was having a boy and his name would be Brandon. As I sewed, I could envision my sweet son wearing this gown, even before he was born. I remember picking out the pattern, and the perfect soft white cotton fabric that would lay against his newborn skin. I searched for the the heirloom lace and appliques that I would use for trim. Even though I was having a boy, I wanted him to wear a christening gown. Months later on his Christening Day, I was so proud. My new son was wearing the gown that I had lovingly sewn for him to wear on this special day.

The bodice of the gown had pin tucking, heirloom lace and ribbon eyelet trim.

The arms gathered up so sweetly on his tiny infant arms. I had never done pin tucking before. I had my good friend Amy from Homeacre teach me how to do this. There were yards and yards of pin tucking. I was an expert by the time I finished the gown.

See how much pin tucking there was. And there was more on the back!

I made a matching coat. It was during the winter months when my son was baptized, so he had to be kept warm. It also gave me another excuse to sew for him. I knew once he got older I would no longer have these precious opportunities.

I had mastered pin tucking, so I added some on the sleeves of the coat.

I found these wonderful appliques in a shop. The appliques had a hint of blue which was perfect for a boy! I had never appliqued anything like this before. The coat was lined with a soft cotton.

Here's the detailing of the sleeve, which had pin tucking and a lace trim that was inset into the sleeve.

The tiny hat was the final accessory to this outfit made with love. The crown of the hat gathered up and was secured with a small baby button. The hat was tied on with some white pique ribbon that I found when I was searching for the lace trims.

This was surely a "Creation From My Heart" for my little boy who had stolen of my heart before he was even born.

"Memory is a child walking along a seashore.

You never can tell what small pebble it will pick up

and store away among its treasured things."

The Perfect Weekend!

What a wonderful weekend God blessed my family with.

Being the mother of two teenage boys (my oldest will be eighteen in 1 month month, so he considers himself an "ADULT") life can get somewhat hectic and challenging at times. Well this was as perfect of a weekend, that any mother could want.

My perfect weekend started off with the letter I received from Apronology stating that they would be using my apon in their new magizine. You can visit the post below for the details of my bliss.

The weather was also perfect this weekend. God has poured sunshine upon the state of Michigan for the past week. I generally do not like Fall because it reminds me of the upcoming winter that is soon approaching. The weather has been like summer here and I have enjoyed every minute of it.

Now for the most exciting news about this weekend... I may be bragging just a BIT, but doesn't every mother have the right to do so every now and then? Well here it goes. My oldest son Brandon, who is a senior was chosen for the homecoming court. Each student on the court must write a speech and it is read at the end of chapel during homecoming week. His speech was funny. He has been gifted with the ability to put pen to paper. I went to school to hear the speech and everyone laughed. His topic was "My advice to a Freshman, on getting a date for homecoming with a senior girl". I watched him in front of the school, I could not believe that there he was a senior! Friday was the the big game. I was glowing just being with him and being his mom. During halftime my husband and I had to walk him out to the center of the field with the other parents and members of the court. I was so proud. Well here comes my bragging... As the king and queen from last year entered on to the field to announce this years king and queen I could not believe my ears when they announced "my sons name" as the king for the class of 2009! He was so happy and turned around and kissed me. That is a moment I will forever treasure in my heart.

The Proud little brother!

Two of my favorite guys!

Since my son was king, my husband and I got to go to the beginning of the dance to see when they announce the king and queen and watch the first dance. More wonderful memories to tuck deep into my heart, like tiny treaures, which I can relive in my mind over and over. As I watched him dance with the "Queen" tears come to my eyes. Where have the years flown by? Much to quickly, it's over in a bink. Being a parent can have many challenges. This weekend there was only happiness . I saw the young boy who was my son grow into a wonderful young man. Yes, God did bless me with the PERFECT weekend!

Making the decision to have a child is momentous.

It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

WHIPPIE!!!

I just got the official letter from the editor of the new "Apronology" magazine... My apron submission has been chosen to be featured in the first addition of the new Apronology Magazine which hits news stand on February 1, 2009! The magazine will feature photos of my apron and an article which I must submit in the next two weeks. If you want just a clue about my apron think "Marilyn Monroe and Glam" and scroll down to my post on September 2oth. I encourage each one of you who enjoy using your talents to take a risk when given the chance and someday submit a "Creation from the Heart". You never know who may send you a letter....

Get out and Vote!!!

November 4th.... don't forget to mark it on your Calender. If you are an American, it's your duty to vote! Speaking of voting... while your browsing the Internet stop over to Apron Memories to check out EllynAnne Geisel. She is giving away this vintage apron. She has some wonderful creations. Check out her site and enter to win the wonderful apron. If you are lucky enough to win, you can wear it to the polls when you VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4th!

Don't forget to vote.....

Voters don't decide issues, they decide who will decide issues.

All stocked up..Now I need to get to work....

Here's my stash of fabrics that I have purchased, for the making some aprons. My son's high school has asked me to do their annual fall craft show. The application has been sitting on my desk for months and I need to get it in the mail today. It's been years since I've done a show. The stress gets a little bit to much for me. What to make?.....Will anyone buy it?....How much to make?... These are all the things that overwhelm me when doing a craft show. I'm going to stock up on items that I know I can use as gifts, if I don't sell them. So everyone may be getting an apron for Christmas this year, depending on how many I sell. I wonder how my father in law will feel about that?

Well today the "TO DO" list is long. I thought you might enjoy seeing the pile of fabric before I turn it into, "Creations From My Heart".

Enjoy the little things,

for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

I'm on a roll...

I needed another last minute gift and thank goodness I had some extra albums in my stash to create this gift. Last week Michaels Crafts had the albums on sale so I stocked up. I'm trying to make some of them for the high school craft show. It's been years since I've done a craft show, but my son's high school asked if I would do it this year. What the heck, I'll try it. Who knows if I'll sell anything. If I don't, I'll be stocked up on last minute gifts for awhile. I hope you're not getting sick of seeing these. Well here's what I came up with...

Here's a close-up photo. I love to use the little jewerly charms on the book. Another trick is that I don't buy the individual silk flower petals at the scrapbooking store. It's to expensive. I go to the craft store and buy and entire hyndraga flower stem and tear the individual petals apart. Remember to bring your 40% off coupon to the store. Add a rhinestone in the center and there you have it. It's much cheaper to do this.

The tag in the pocket comes out and can be a pretty bookmark. Add a little rhinestone and there you have it a bit of glitz!!

Next time you need a gift for someone special, try creating a gift from your heart....

"How beautiful A day can be when FRIENDSHIP touches it".

The Birthday Gift....

I promised I would show you the other photo album I made last week. I was at my Mother in Laws yesterday and I snatched it up. I had gotten the photos developed and wanted to put them in the book for her. I"ll share a couple of those with you also. Since it was an Important birthday I liked the them of "Time". I glitzzed the book up with my favorite gold craft paint and some rhinestones. Two of my favorite things to use.

I really like using the black and creme papers. When I add the gold paint I think it looks quite elegant. This combination works great for a book for a male or female.

Time fllutters by...Isn't that true. Sometime way to fast. This is the inside of the book.

The wide ribbon had a polka dot print. I got the ribbon in the $1.00 bin at Michaels Crafts. Oh, how I love to find the perfect ribbon in that bin. I could spend an hour digging through the large bin for the perfect selection. The ribbon was glued down with a button and rhinestone adding a bit more Bling Bling.

I had to post a few photos that I added to the book. This was the guest of honor at the party, my mother in law. Don't my in laws make a wonderful couple?

Here's my sweetie with me. I love having our picture taken together. It's just another memory that I can look back upon and treasure...

I always enjoy making a gift that can be cherished. I have always thought that giving a gift that was created by your own hands had so much much more meaning and thought put into it. Next time you need a gift, use the talents you have been blessed with to make your own "Creation From The Heart".

I sent my apron to Apronology!

It was a race to the post office last week, but I got my apron submission into "Apronology...Aprons with an attitude".

I had not even thought about sending in an apron, until I got an email from Dawn at "The Feathered Nest". She had seen some of my apron creations and was sweet enough to suggest that I send one in. Well after racking my brain to come up with a unique idea, I finally put a sketch together and was off to the fabric store. Since I use a lot of drapery fabric, I decided to use two different drapery silks. A cream dupioni silk and a black silk embroidered with cream flowers. Then for the embellishments.... tulle with swarovski crystals, handmade beaded tassels, flowers made of ribbon and rhinestones and a beautiful rhinestone broach. My design... An apron that looks like and evening dress. How much fun would that be to wear, when having a dinner party for the holidays. Well here's a sneak peek at the apron I sent. I'm only going to show you tiny parts of it. If my apron is lucky enough to get chosen, maybe you'll see my creation in the new Apronology Magazine. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Here's a sneak preview of what I sent...

I wanted the packaging to be extra special. I used some tulle, paper, ribbons and flowers to wrap the item. I think that the presentation can be just as important as the contents of the package.

I made sure I created a special tag to label my item.

Here's a sample of the black silk fabric I used for the skirt of the apron.

A wonderful rhinestone broach and ribbon flowers with rhinestones , added a wonderful embellished to the bodice of the apron.

I created little beaded tassels to add to the end of the neck ties and finished it off with the same ribbon flowers that were on the front of the bodice. Every fancy evening dress needs a big bow, so why not finish this apron off in the same way?

I just love the wide ties that were extra long for this apron.

I made an accessory to be worn with the apron. Here's just a small detail of the silk yo-yo with an old pearl button that I used to give it a bit more glam....

I am so glad that Dawn suggested that I send in an apron. It was totally out of my comfort range. Isn't that how most of us are when we first try out something new? Once I got into my workroom and started this project I loved doing it, and my confidence began to grow. When I handed the package to the postman, I was proud of myself for taking the risk. Through this experience I learned that if we are unwilling to take a rick and are always worried about failure, we will never grow. I am hopeful that the editors of Apronology like the "Creation From My Heart".

Only as high as I reach can I grow,

Only as far as I seek can I go,

Only as deep as I look can I see,

Only as much as I dream can I be.

Creating a memory board....

Well I know many of you may be thinking, "It's September, why is she going to talk about graduation, the school year has just begun." It's never to early to start planning ahead. These projects require a bit of time to gather up photos. I know many of you throughout the years have placed your photos in a box, and have not put them into photo albums. If this is you, it will take a bit of preparation but the outcome is well worth it. I have a son who is a senior this year and I am already beginning to plan for the festivities. Last year I made this graduation board for the son of a good friend. My friend was having a large party and I decided to make her son a "Creation from My Heart". The board displays each of his school pictures from kindergarten to twelfth grade (this is where you may need to hunt for the old photos). In addition I have placed his senior portrait and the proofs from his senior photos.

Here's a few photos of the board up close.

I couldn't stop at just one board. I also wanted to display photos of him with family and friends throughout his childhood. I made both boards using coordinating papers so that they could be displayed next to each other.

This board was also done this summer for a young girl who was graduating. I was hired to make this board for her graduation party. She did not want the typical board that has all types of picture glued on to it. This idea is a great alternative. After the party is over and the guests have gone home, the five 12x12 pages can be removed and placed directly into a scrapbook. I don't know about you, but I never know what to do with all those photo boards that my kids make in school. This project allows you to have your photos already displayed on scrapbook pages. Each page was attached to the main board with block of foam core board which gave the display a three dimensional look. The five pages each had a different theme...

Theme #1 "CHILDHOOD PHOTOS"

Theme #2 "FAMILY"

Theme #3 "FRIENDS" Theme #4 "School Dances"

This one I printed the song "I hope you dance"

on vellum paper and placed it under the photos...

Theme #5 "SPORTS "

The mom and the graduate loved the board. I'm going to do several of these boards for my son's graduation party using different themes on each board. Then I'll be able to take the pages off the board and put them right in his scrapbook.

I think I have mentioned that I love to scrapbook. I don't do it as much as I once did, because I love to do other paper projects. Dawn from "The Feathered Nest" refers to this as "Multi Media", I love that name, don't you think that it sounds so professional? Ha,ha. No matter what you call it, I'm just a plain old crafter at heart who loves to create items that one can treasure!

"Take time to live- to dance for fun,

to sing for joy, to paint or sew or create a beautiful gift"