Three Leopard Outfits

I keep telling Emily what a beautiful young pregnant woman she is...AND, of course, I am always delighted when she plays my sewing games.  Even though I am aware that brown velvet with a leopard print is a real challenge to Emily's taste level...lol...she was a VERY good sport about it.

During the initial "fitting" -- I discovered the pants were too big in the leg...easy fix...

This is Lilly and me on Thanksgiving morning. My best picture of her little velvet jacket...it was SO ADORABLE...and she felt sooo completely dressed up. Because she spent the night, we'd been cooking all morning...and at this point, we were just waiting for her parents to arrive so we could EAT TURKEY...

THANK GOD I did insist on THIS ONE PICTURE of the three of us before dinner. You can see the turkey on the table...we were moments away from sitting down to eat. Lillian had set the table --choosing the tablecloth and napkins all by herself.  Aunt Rozella's silver is in place...and we're about to get gravy GREASE all over our leopard frocks...

Oh, yeah -- like most really good moments in life -- it was just a nanosecond.

The marriage of VELVET and Leopard...

Sewing IS art. For me -- it's always been the thing that lights me up AND the thing that relaxes me. It's all about being creative. Making something with my own two hands. And isn't that what art is about?
What I love most about sewing is that it's such a unique hobby...it's different things to different people. Some of my sewing sisters love to quilt, others enjoy designing their own patterns or making intricate tailored garments...
For me -- at Thanksgiving -- it becomes all about the recycled LEOPARD.  and VELVET. I've been teaching Lillian about how special velvet fabric is...her little outfit started out with a brown velvet bodice and layers of beige that swirled around when she spins...

Then -- AS RITALUCK would have it -- for Emily, I found a brown velvet one-piece jumpsuit at the local Goodwill store. ON QUARTER DAY. Unbelievable to me that nobody beat me to this bargain...it's tht wonderful, soft, stretchy, washable velvet...

Since Emily is 8 months pregnant, a jumpsuit is out of the question...but I knew all I had to do was CUT IT APART...

PERFECTION. I simply added a casing in the top of the pants -- and they became the PERFECT maternity pants...

The REAL FUN was cutting apart a leopard blouse to create the maternity part for the brown velvet bodice...Emily liked it layered over black silk....and it was her idea to gather the side seams up a bit so the black silk would show...STUNNING...

JUST WAIT until you see what I did with Lilly's dress. YES, I KNOW -- LIFE DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS...

Happy Thanksgiving

The reality is that most of my regular readers will be too busy today to read this blog. I get that. They're actually going to read this post DAYS after recovering from their Tri-to-phan-turkey coma...

If you're in the middle of a hectic day and just came here from sheer habit for a little break -- HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Take a deep breath. It's easy to get caught up in wanting everything to be perfect. Your goal is to have the most beautiful table, the moist turkey, the perfect gravy, the delicious pies...it's always more work than it should be. But none of that matters at the end of the day...

It's about the people, people...

Appreciate your people. For who they are. For what they bring. Say some encouraging words...You never know if or when you might be saying the words they remember 40 years from now...Let them know you are proud. If not proud -- at least hopeful. Kiss all the kids on the head. Tell them they are kind and smart and important...

While every single thing you do today may not be appreciated -- Thanksgiving is one of those days that often remembers better than it lives...

But, hey -- if you're reading this blog because your Thanksgiving sucks and you don't have anything better to do -- BUCK UP. You're not alone. Sometimes our people disappoint us. That's life. Remember -- the very BEST thing about Thanksgiving is that it is JUST ONE DAY. That's all it is. Read a book, take a nap, walk on the treadmill -- SEW A T-SHIRT DRESS. Make yourself a whole pan of fudge. Find the recipe on Pinterest. If you are reading this blog -- you have some comptuter skills. Start on my Pinterest boards -- I know the fudge is there...

And don't forget Cable Television!! Holy Cow -- get out the Kleenex and watch the sappy Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel.  HGTV has a marathon of the Property Brothers. I LOVE THEM. My personal favorite mini-series of the year -- the Hatfields and McCoys -- is the HISTORY channel marathon. PERFECT. It's about two families fueding -- and a lot of people kill each other. Ít could make you feel better about your own people...  The message from the History channel is that YOU ARE NOT ALONE.  EVERY FAMILY HAS ISSUES.

Thanks for reading my blog today. If you got run over by a turkey -- remember -- Thanksgiving is JUST ONE DAY...

Pinterest Picks

Yes, I'm spending WAY TOO MUCH time on Pinterest. But the best part for me is when I get one of those DUH!!! moments. Like -- why didn't I ever think about doing this?

BRILLIANT....Use a celery stick for a fishing pole -- peanut butter -- and pick up a little Goldfish. What a fun way to snack...

AND who doesn't have one of those big, clunky entertainment centers sitting in the basement?? WHAT a great re-purpose!!

AND HOW MUCH FUN IS THIS?? Dip a plastic spoon in melted chocolate -- enough to set a marshmallow. After it's cooled -- dip the whole thing in choclate AGAIN. Then, decorate with sprinkles. YIKES. CRAZY GOOD IDEA...

And THIS is my newest board cover on my "Style" Board. I am in love. It's a Donnybrook fake fur FACES coat from the 1980's. And why did I make it my board cover??

Could there be a STORY BEHIND THIS COAT??? Stay tuned...
Hey -- Happy Thanksgiving. If you are wishing you were somewhere else right this minute -- TAKE A TRIP ON PINTEREST. Oh My God. SUCH entertainment!! Start creating your own boards. Whatever your favorite things are. Make a bucket list. Places you want to go -- things you want to do -- people you want to meet.

Really...Pinterest is way more fun than any Calgon bath ever thought about being...

Good News/Bad News

The BAD news is that Hostess Bakery -- the home of Twinkies, Ding Dongs and WONDER bread -- has gone belly up. Kaput. Done. Closed their doors. Turned off their ovens. There are so many troubling aspects to this disturbing turn of events...

For one thing -- THEIR PRODUCT IS SO POPULAR. We eat them by the millions -- we crave them, we love them!! Hey -- if we were having a bad day -- TWINKIES WAS THERE FOR US...
 How could one of the most popular, recognized brands in America disappear from our lives??  WE DESERVE BETTER.  What went wrong?

So many things....the company was owned by a hedge fund.  That's never good.  Beat-down union workers are hard pressed to agree to yet another pay cut...and who can blame them.  American companies are forced to use artifically-inflated high-priced sugar -- thanks to our crazy sugar tarriffs that only protect a few rich families in the south...

The MINUTE we heard they would soon be unavailable - we mobbed the stores. Grocery aisles were emptied of their Wonder Bread products overight. People were stocking up on Twinkies so they could freeze them -- or maybe sell them on the black market -- I wonder if they'll be worth thousands on Ebay soon...

Yes, it's a black day for America. Such a sad passing. How are we supposed to deal with this loss...??

Then I saw the good news. THE McRib IS BACK...

Thank you, McDonald's. Yes, Virginia -- there is a Santa Claus...

ZEN Saturday

My idea of a perfect ZEN Saturday is to kick around at a country auction with my friend Bert...

It's relaxing -- we sometimes find treasure -- or at least fill our cars with junk...

Thanks, Linda -- for sending Zen Teachings to me.  You ARE the Zen Master.  The Iowa Budda...our own personal Dahli Lama...

You always make me think.  Or laugh out loud.  Both worthwhile, good things...

ZEN Teachings

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me for the path is narrow. In fact, just leave me alone. 2. Sex is like air. It's not important unless you aren't getting any.

3. No one is listening until you fart.

4. Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.

5. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

6. If you think nobody cares whether you're alive or dead, try missing a couple of mortgage payments.

7. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

8. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

9. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

10. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably well worth it.

11. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

12. Some days you are the bug; some days you are the wind shield.

13. Don't worry; it only seems kinky the first time.

14. Good judgment comes from bad experience and most of that comes from bad judgment. 15. A closed mouth gathers no foot.

16. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

17. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.

18. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

19. We are born naked, wet and hungry, and get slapped on our ass. then things just get worse.

20. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night......

Another one of life's little treasures...

This week's BEST video

I am tryig to get my Blogging Mo Jo back...and I was inspired at the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo show. It is always such a pleasure to spend the whole day with really CREATIVE women. I LOVED IT...HEY -- if you're in the area of Chicagoland -- you can still GO TO THE SHOW...it goes on today AND Saturday...Visit their website for more information. Until I get my pictures downloaded -- I wanted to provide you with a chuckle. THANKS to Linda Boothman -- who shared this on Facebook. And Martha Pullen put it on her page with the comment that she couldn't stop laughing. Hey -- I've SEEN Martha dance -- this little guy is probably her grandson...