Flop Earred Bunny Auction

At Nancy's Sewing Weekend, they had a charity auction event. I was honored to once again be asked to be the auctioneer...

Nancy's Notions employees and sewing stars participating in the event were all given the same pattern -- and they made various charming versions of the flop earred bunny: some of them are hitching a ride to the auction stage on a cart...

The Hey Rita tote made friends with this group...

At the end of the day -- she was just as tired as I was. We raised over $1600 for the local homeless shelter.

THANKS EVERYBODY for all your efforts!! Sew-ists and bidders alike! The bunnies were amazing. I bought two for Lillian -- and as soon as I figure out my new camera, I'll post some pictures.

Lillian is Walking!!

Hey -- how is it possible?? It seems like just yesterday this baby was born -- and now she's already walking! Sorry -- but I NEVER GET TIRED of posting pictures of me and Lillian! Here we are, on the porch during my May visit. Okay, so she might be a little tired of my fixation with zebra stripes...



I have NO REAL IDEA what the video will be until I upload the darn thing. So I was delighted when this one turned out to be Lillian -- moments before she started to walk. Because she is a very cautious toddler -- she did a lot of knee walking...between crawling and actual walking. It is soooo cute!!

Midwest Ya Ya SISTERS ACT

Because Mary and I were both so proud of our new outfits from the Coats & Clark Pink & Red Fashion show in Puyallup -- we decided to wear these stylish garments to begin our Ya Ya show in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Here we are, backstage, moments before the show...

It was a thrill when we realized that having a SOLD OUT SHOW meant Nancy Zieman and Pati Palmer had to find and then actually carry in their own chairs!!

Here's my biggest tickle of the night -- guess who was my "techie" for the Power Point? THAT'S RIGHT -- PATI PALMER HERSELF..!! SHE had been speaking in the same room earlier in the day -- and because she is way more computer advanced than I AM -- she offered to load my Power Point on her laptop and then hook up her projector (ALWAYS the missing link)...

THANKS, PATI -- for coming to our show and being such a good little helper!!

If I eventually find them -- I'll post pictures of the audience from that special night. YOU WERE AMAZING. I cannot remember when we ever had a better time. Thanks, Nancy's Notions, for inviting us to YA YA at the 25th anniversary of Sewing Weekend. It was a very big deal for us -- and Mary and I loved being a part of your very special event.

Lillian's New Room

Okay -- I'm a little confused about where I left off in the GREAT ROOM REMODEL...
To review -- I started clearing out the little bedroom formerly known as the "office" -- to turn it into a suitable room for Lillian Claire when she comes to visit. WHICH, HOPEFULLY, WILL BE VERY OFTEN...

Of course, part of the fun is to SHOP for the perfect accessories. The baby needs a nightlight, right? How about a vintage 70's cassette tape player that looks like the back of a 1963 Pink Cadillac? When the taillights come on, it's a GREAT night light..

Remember the wall with the starched fabric treatment? That's right..this is Lillian's new room. I showed you the starch process...and then, because it makes me smile, I cut some mottos from t-shirts and also starched THEM over the fabric wall.


Then, I hung some fabric dolls on the wall...remember this doll? It is one of my favorites. From the doll artist, Jan Byron.

The words say, "Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes, even I have trouble doing it."

I AM LOVING IT!! The next step will be window treatments. I bought two plain white roller shades and I'm thinking I should paint them with zebra stripes. Then, of course -- it'll be on to t-shirt FRINGE VALANCES...

I can hardly wait for Lillian to see the finished room!!

My Artistic Soldier

When my son Elliott was 8, he started making friendly plastic jewelry. Remember that craze? Soon, he was "selling" artistic pins at Grissom elememtary school for $2-$5 each. One month he made over $300...it was really amazing.

But when he was 12, he started competitive shooting. High power rifles to be exact. The rest, as they say, is history. By the time he was 14, he was a nationally ranked shooter, and he still holds records in many states. Eventually, he joined the Army shooting team. He has always marched to his own drummer...and his creative nature and his love for guns makes him the talk of any competition, because his guns are always unique. He once took a gun to the auto-body shop to have it spray painted bright metal-flake BLUE. It was stunning.

Here he is with a plain-jane gun..


But most of the time -- Elliott's guns look more like this:

He did a beautiful job on the gun stock of this particular gun...the fabulous purple and pink wood doesn't really show up in the picture...

This one is my favorite...

When it comes to his "shooting life" -- for me, Elliott's tremendous shooting scores are overshadowed by the artistic beauty of the guns he builds...And I know that's wrong on soooo many levels...

New York City MTA

No matter who I take to New York City...I MAKE THEM GO TO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY...it is one of the most amazing public spaces I've ever seen. Ann and I were about to enter the grand Rose Reading Room...



Every time I enter this room, I feel a sense of awe...

Also -- whenever I show somebody around New York City -- I make sure they use public transportation. New York's subways and buses are the best in the world...and the biggest bargain in America is the one-week MTA pass. For $27 -- you get 7 days of UNLIMITED RIDES on either the subways or the buses.

Here's Ann Sagawa -- buying her first Metrocard...


Sometimes, the bus makes more sense. Then, you can SEE THE CITY as you travel...

Ann took this pic of me & Hey Rita -- another bus ride...

This was a VERY QUICK trip. I got into town on a Sunday -- and bought my MetroCard on Monday. Because I was leaving on Thursday -- there were still 3 days left on the card.....which I knew would happen -- it always does. As I walked back to the hotel that morning (on my way back from the TODAY show) -- I gave the card to a woman waiting at a bus stop.

Hey -- I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the 7-day unlimited Metro cards!!

Who Bought What?

During the "shop & dine with the Ya Ya Sisters Beaver Dam Goodwill event -- I ended up buying LOTS OF GREAT TREASURE. I was greatly encouraged by the GROUP to buy this lovely silk jacket...which I intended to embellish or alter...but, at the end of the day, the jacket breaks my "TB RULE". (too brown)...

I never, never, never wear anything brown. Or blue (same rule, when you think about it)...so we'll see if this jacket actually makes it into my wardrobe rotation...

In the next picture, Betty Cotton is LOADING UP on fabric in the Nancy's Notions retail store. There were such incredible bargains -- EVEN THE TEACHERS WERE SHOPPING LIKE CRAZY.

My favorite Betty Cotton story is when she talks about naming her daughters...."Polly & Ester"...get it??

Gheesh...she cracks me up...