Have A Happy Thanksgiving!

I love this photo. Of course, I did not take it (I'm not the best photographer). This was done by a wonderful photographer Lindsay B. These are my twins Bridget and Teddy (a year ago) and I just love how she captured their joy. It makes me happy and thankful everytime I look at it.

Of course, I have THREE children, so not to slight Will -- the oldest at almost nine years old -- I wanted to include a photo of him too. This is the three of them at the beach in May. This will also be our Christmas card photo too, so you're getting a little sneak peek.

In honor of Thanksgiving and the start of the magical holiday season, I wanted to share what I am most thankful for -- my three wonderful kids. Happy day to you all!

Holiday Sweaters on SALE

It's Thanksgiving week -- the "unofficial" start of the holiday season. Honestly, it gets earlier and earlier every year. Pretty soon Christmas items will be displayed with back-to-school supplies.

In honor of the upcoming holidays, I have marked my holiday collection sweaters down. And when I say holiday sweaters, I don't mean the ones decorated with Santa's reindeer and elves. They are a special collection of cardigans, embellished with vintage metallic trims. Gotta add a little sparkle to your season! Plus they're really fun the rest of the year dressed down with jeans.

Browse through my Etsy shop to see if any suit your fancy. Happy Holidays!

Nice Girls Finish Third...

Sadly, this season of Project Runway has come to an end, and now I need to figure out what I'll be doing on Thursday nights. While I must say winner "Meana Irina" did have a great fashion show, I really was rooting for southern sweetheart Carol Hannah. She is a dress girl all the way and her designs are so elegant and charming -- the dress above even has pockets! I'd buy one of her designs any day.

Good news though: the next season of Project Runway starts in less than two months (January 14)! And hallelujah, they're back in NYC -- the fashion capital. No offense LA, but it just wasn't the same, even if there was a West Coast Mood.

I'm Blushing...

I "teased" in my last post that I would be part of a special giveaway at the end of the week. So here's the gist: one of my "Scarlett Aprons" is this week's prize over at Miss Mustard Seed's Weekly Giveaway.

You must check out her blog and her work. Truly amazing before and afters -- and extremely creative ideas. Plus I love anything that is "upcycled" and "recycled". I need to go thrifting with Marian -- she has a knack for finding the potential in anything and making it so.

And I must say thank you to Marian for her very generous praise of my items. So sweet and so supportive. It's hard to read nice things about yourself sometimes :) Thank you very much! Please take a look at her blog -- you will become an instant follower and be amazed at her knowledge and creativity.

http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/

The Best Part About Blogging....

I have "met" and befriended some amazing women because of blogging. I follow local blogs (my very talented friends Kara Rosenberry, and Emily from Fern and Flora), blogs from other states (Cari in California, Marian in Pennsylvania, my Aunt Rizzi in New Jersey) and other blogs from all over the world (Frederica in Italy, Kellie in Australia, Sabine in France, and the wonderful Koralee in Canada).

Koralee's Bluebird Notes blog is charming, sweet, uplifting and just the daily dose of cheer everyone needs. She is sponsoring a giveaway over at her blog, so if you haven't visited her yet, this would be a wonderful opportunity:

http://bluebirdnotes.blogspot.com/

And while you're there entering, make sure to take a peek at the interview that Little Monarch did on Koralee. It's an "intimate" look at her life in Western Canada -- and who doesn't want to get to know people better? Especially people like Koralee.

http://iamalittlemonarch.blogspot.com/2009/11/talk-to-me-tuesday-with-koralee.html

More to come on another fellow blogger later this week: Marian from Miss Mustard Seed Creations will be conducting her weekly giveaway on Thursday evening.... and I'm somehow involved in it. Stay tuned.... :)

http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/

Animal Attraction

Because it's the holidays, I decided to warm up the color palette of my aprons a bit. Who doesn't love a little leopard print? Like all my aprons, I make them from recycled sheets. A bit too feline for my taste, but someone enjoyed these in their bedroom at some point. Now ruffled and tiered, they make a sassy fashion statement in the form of a lovely hostess apron. Feeling wild?

Note to Self: More Towels Next Year

So my show over the weekend went really well. The weather was quite festive (snow!) and it really got me revved up for the holidays.

Every year my twin sis tells me: "You need to make more hand towels. They're great hostess gifts." So this year I made more -- what I thought was more than enough. In addition to the appliqued ones I featured a couple of posts ago, I also made these towels. They're recycled vintage linens and table cloths that I embellished with heat transfers.

Sure enough, sold out in about the first half hour. So this time I'm putting it in writing: more towels for 2010 Gifts for Yule show. I'll start scouting recycled linens today!

Second Chance Charm

Before the aprons and sweaters, I was "dressing" inanimate objects -- still do. They're just harder to sell and ship on Etsy ;)

I love to recycle fabrics and items, and give them a "second chance" at charming others. Most of my fabrics are from recycled linens, including the cover on the chair above. I've been selling these lined bushel baskets for a few years now and they are great for storing all your stuff in style. Of course I add a ruffle or pom-pom whenever possible.

Although somewhat "springy" in color (the palette I'm constantly drawn too), these will also be available at my holiday show this weekend.

Have a great weekend, and if you're in the Denver area stop by:

http://www.giftsforyule.com/

Scrap Happy

And finally, for those of you who don't know what to buy for the holidays, a gift card is always a wonderful option. But why not package it in an adorable fabric "gift card sleeve"? I make these from scrap fabric -- have a hard time wasting any fabric. Just call me scrappy.

I'll try to take pictures at Gifts for Yule and post them next week. And remember, my Etsy shop will still be open this weekend selling sweaters. Happy Friday!

Need a Holiday Hostess Gift?

I wish I was a better (or more patient) photographer. This picture does not do this hostess towel justice. I made these from "recycled" fabric, added the crimson and white pleated trim and appliqued fabric images on the towels. I have bunches for my holiday show this weekend. Weather is looking "wintery" too! Let's hope the snow puts everyone in a holiday shopping mode, and not a "stay at home and hibernate" mode...

The Stockings Were Hung By...

Just a simple ticking stocking with a few embellishments to make it a little more special. Can't get enough of those fabric flowers these days. Just a sample of what I'll be featuring at Gifts for Yule this Saturday and Sunday...

www.giftsforyule.com

Merry merry!

Another large down pillow for my upcoming holiday show. I gotta say, these early holiday shows really put you in the mood for Christmas. It can't come soon enough, but I'm savoring all the days leading up to it...

Fa la la...

One of the items I'm selling at Gifts for Yule this Saturday and Sunday... (Excuse my poor photography skills) Burlap and ticking pillow with down insert. Crown and "fa la la" graphic and vintage red sequin trim. See -- I actually do make other things besides aprons and sweaters ;)

More to come in the days ahead...

A Little Lace

I added some new sweaters to my Etsy shop. Love this one. The lace came from a vintage skirt. The best part was the skirt was lined in satin, so I have tons 'o fabric to make other "embellishments and adornments".

I will be participating in a big holiday show this upcoming Saturday and Sunday. I love this show and it has an amazing following. http://www.giftsforyule.com/

Unfortunately I cannot sell my sweaters at the show. There is another artisan who does upcycled clothing. But my cardigans are always available on Etsy, and you don't have to come to Denver to get one. Just click a button.

I have a bunch of other items I'll be selling at the show and I'll try to give you sneak peeks this week at some of the things I've created just for this show. Have a great Sunday!

P.S.: it was 70+ degrees this past week and our 27" of snow are gone! Colorado is home to some strange weather :)