me, my flouncy skirt and an 'angel in disguise'...

'miss lady luck' shined down on me and my flouncy skirt today...i left the over heated house to venture out on a 'top secret mission'. i had a rendezvous with an 'angel in disguise' (now if you didn't believe they existed before, i have no doubt after you have read this that you will)

the 'angel' went by the name of Priscilla and she had contacted me after she saw the newspaper article...(i did have a rather nice amount of emails from lots of lovely people saying how much they loved hearing about Etsy and how inspired they were)...but Priscilla had something else to share. dear readers ( i love saying that, i guess you have noticed) she had a collection of vintage slips, nighties, dresses and linens that she thought i might be interested in...

and so i pulled up my 'not so pretty van' into the parking lot and in the name of 'dottie' i met up with a complete stranger...but do not fear for me, i had detected in our correspondence that this lady was just like me...an avid 'slip' collector. in fact it turned out that she had spent many years selling on Ebay, but was heading back to college...and so in the searing heat, we moved the bags from her trunk to mine ( i can imagine someone walking by looking at us suspiciously, possibly taking pictures as evidence) and then we parted ways, but not before discussing the beauty of vintage slips and the fact that she would happily venture into thrift stores in the name of 'dottie' to find more treasures...

at home, the full extent of my 'lucky lucky day' unfolded in my bedroom...my man has never seen so much ladies under garments on his bed before (i am a PJ kind of girl, so sorry to burst the bubble...Tif sleeps in PJ's, dottie sleeps in the slip..)...so here are a few pictures that really do not do any of the garments justice... i just kept on piling them up, so underneath is more...in fact as you browse them, i shall go and do some counting...be back in a mo...

i'm back now and this is the count..

1. full slips - 26 (just beautiful, the details and hemlines are wonderful)
2. nighties - 10 ('nellies' and 'noras' in the making...)
3. dressing gowns - 11 (not sure if i will be able to use them, but putting my 'thinking hat' on)
4. dresses - 2 (perfect for customizing)
5. french knickers - 1 (need i say more...)
6. wedding dress - 1 (having a think on this one too)
7. lace cape - 1 (interesting and thinking if i can use the lace trim...)
8. bed jackets - 2 (sweet and would make lovely evening jackets)
9. half slips -1 (just right)
10. linens, doilies and hankies - (too many to count)

some of these are so pretty as they are, i'm not sure i have the heart to 'do my thing' and did you see amongst it all, the four nighties that will make beautiful 'garden summer frocks'...i shall leave you with the vision of my bedroom, haven't worked out where to put it all...or how we are going to sleep tonight, but who really cares...

"feeling very lucky, am convinced you are all 'believers' now and still looking for her pesky cutting tool" ~ Tif

'thing number 7' alongside 'show and tell'...

it hit ninety degrees here today (or at least that's what it felt like) and being a Brit, i don't do well in the heat...it has all gone to my head and i have decided to combine 'show and tell' with 'Thing Number 7' ("why that's just crazy talk" i hear you say). so you have two options dear readers, get out while you can or go get a nice cup of tea (or as i recommend, something stronger) pull up a chair and settle in for the long haul...

i had no choice as 'Thing Number 7' ~ QUALIFICATIONS is relevant for 'show and tell' and with out knowing the former you will not be able to appreciate why i am so in awe of my 'show and tell' this week...so here goes

i have zero, zippo qualifications, i went to school to socialize and dabble in the 'arts', sadly i left school with very little to show for my time there...went on to meet my man at seventeen, worked as a bar maid and by the time i was twenty-three i was married with our #1, by the time i was twenty-nine i had added three more...this really has never been a problem for me as i always hoped to have a large family and stay at home. but over the past few years as my little brood has become older and quite frankly (trying very hard here for the right word...let's just say i call these the 'thankless parenting years') i have become less and less content...

so basically this all leads up to 'show and tell', but first i have to tell you just a little more (are you still there?) this January i stood in the middle of my kitchen and had the biggest meltdown ever (actually not quite the middle as that would be standing on the island, i was just to the left) and this melt down was directed at my man, because if there is one person that has heard it all and still stays put it's him...my big giant 'ranting and raving and crying' session was all down to the fact that i was totally frustrated with my inability to use the computer and that unless i required these skills i didn't have a hope in hell of launching me and 'dottie angel' on the world...

although i shouted at him, really at the end of the day i was shouting at myself, and it was this moment that changed things. my man and our #1 taught me just the basics so i could get started (i didn't even know where to put the camera card thingy and how to get photos on to the computer)...so over the space of two weeks i paid attention and then i started to teach myself, the cogs in my brain started to move, the cobwebs were dusted down and most amazing of all, i started to remember it all...and after the basic website, came etsy and then came the blog...and with all this came my own space...(which we worked all weekend putting together)

drum roll please our #4 , intro our #3

and so i give to you my new 'dottie angel headquarters', at the top of our stairs just below the skylight...this is it before all the clutter has started to appear

i lined the drawers with pretty paper...

now do you see that computer on the desk...i never thought i would ever know how to use one properly, let alone own one, but i do amazingly...and the little cupboard i got earlier in the week, that will have a printer on it very soon.

so when you read my 'mumblings' or see 'new listings' in my shop, you can picture me and where it all happens. i can't even explain in words what this little space means to me, i keep going upstairs just to take a look...if you are still there reading this, then thank you for sticking it out...and thank you to gigibird and others that pointed out to me that if i didn't have the 'avoidance skills' that i have required over time, i won't be the creative soul i am today...

"not avoiding tagging tomorrow" and

"promising never to ramble on for so long again" ~ Tif

three buckets and 'thing number 6'...

thank you for all your loveliness over the past few days, it has really warmed me to read all your messages...and i can assure you dear readers, that just because the 'four hungry children' returned to school today, i was not just lying around admiring my pile of newspapers...

nope, i set to work on a new set of bags, not sure why but i am beginning to like making bags in threes...

so i give to you the 'doris summer bucket bags #1, #2 and #3', if you would like to take a closer look, then you'll find them here

now let's get on with 'Thing Number 6' ~ AVOIDANCE, this is very apt as i have avoided finishing the whole tagging thing for days ("you said it Tif" i hear you cry). so for readers that are relatively new to my little blog world, you can catch up over here, before continuing...

it has been increasingly obvious in the past few years that i have mastered the 'technic of avoiding things' let's just take a look at a few things and then you can decide for yourselves...

1. reading a manual for any gadget or machinery (my camera skills is a classic example, although our #1 commented that they were getting better, and i think she could be right)

2. a menu for the week, i am fully aware that this would cut down on a lot of extra work, but even after seventeen years of marriage i have only managed a total of 9 weeks of menus. (this is why at 6:30 the 'four hungry children' are asking what's for dinner and i reply "salad" and then the meal is unrecognisable)

3. drinking the last drop of liquid in a cup or glass, never have and probably never will

4. 'sleepovers', enough said

5. anything domestic, piles sit around, laundry heaps up and i can't quite manage to pick up the pile i just swept...

6. anything that involves paperwork, oh and school projects...

7. school work, i'm talking my school work when i was at school...yes it even goes back as far as that

8. chain letters, chain emails and also tagging

9. looking in the mirror with glasses on, not cause i don't like my glasses, it's just that if i'm not wearing them, i don't see detail, which in turn means i stay forever twenty eight!!

10. just about anything that isn't fun, interesting or crafty...

basically i walk around with 'blinkers' on, avoiding things...

as i worked on this list, i realized i am no different to the 'four hungry children', who exasperate me when i ask them for the umpteenth time to "pick up", "help me"or "could you do this", yet if i had said "let's go to Target, wander the 'toy' and 'make-up' aisles and then go get an ice cream" they'd be in the car before i had finished my sentence (sadly i realize, i don't say that often enough...)

soon i will be able to cross off one thing on my 'avoidance' list, oh yes by the end of the week i am determined to finish with the 'longest drawn out tagging ever' and send it on to others...

feeling liberated ~ Tif

the one with just him and me...

i love three day weekends, time to catch up on the usual chores but then there's also time to play...

i thought i would start the week out with a few thrifty finds that me and my man found sunday...we went down to the market, together, alone, by ourselves, just him and me...we have realized that the only way to be by ourselves in the past few years (now the 'four hungry children' are older) is to go out. we make a big effort and manage this about three times a year...this was the second time this year so maybe we might break our record before the year is out...anyhow it was all very lovely (except for the rain) and he held the umbrella while i did the rummaging...i had gone with an intention of finding a small cupboard for a 'project' that we have spent most of the weekend working on (unveiling in 'show and tell' later in the week)...i did get lucky as it was so wet and rainy, prices were good and not as many people about.

i found my little cupboard, i will change out the drawer pulls in time, i'm thinking these would look pretty...and i also have some lovely paper to line it with...for now Mr S. Machine is living on top. who by the way has been cleaned up with my toothbrush and is looking mighty handsome along side Mabel...

of course i also had a snoop around for lace, tablecloths and any other fabrics...

i love this old tablecloth i found, my intentions were to use it for bags and cushions, but i fear it will sit waiting for a year or more, just like this one, before i pluck up the courage to chop into it. it is so pretty and i loved the gray and yellow combination along with the polka dots...of course as i type, dear readers i am now imagining it in my airstream trailer, mmm...

and then we have this pair, once again destined to be chopped up and added to bags and slips...but i don't think that will happen either. i have no idea of age, but they are in perfect condition and are the size of a single bed cover. they really would look a treat hanging in front of a pair of old french windows...as i live in a new build which is sadly lacking in such features, i will ferret them away until i am living in a house worthy of them...

so that's it dear readers, i'm 'worn to an unraveling' in the words of Beatrix Potter and i have nothing left to give, so i shall just let you know that 'Thing Number ~ 6' will be tomorrow...

trying better tomorrow ~ Tif

ain't raining on my parade...

in typical northwest style it was beautiful sunshine yesterday and raining 'cats and dogs' today, but i did not let the rain ruin my parade, oh no...

i kept my mouth firmly zipped on this one dear readers, as i did not want to count my chickens like last time... but now i can let you know that today for the first time ever my 'four hungry children' witnessed their 'old mum' buying a newspaper, actually buying ten to be precise. i have not gone batty, nope i had my reasons and here it is...

and for all of you that would like a little light reading on your monday, you can read the whole article here...

i'm not sure it sounds like me, but i guess that is editing and newspapers for you, but after all the fuss i made about having my picture taken, i confess to you, i'm pretty made up with the results...

i have a ton of other exciting things to share with you throughout the coming week. and no i haven't forgotten i still have to get to 'Thing Number 6' and '7' and do some tagging myself. plus my man took me to Freemont sunday market and i found myself some treasures even in the pouring rain, which i shall be sharing later...plus the most exciting news of all. i have moved into my 'dottie angel headquarters'. all will be revealed in the coming days...

"getting a kick out of laying on 'starbucks tables' today and being 'fish & chips' paper tomorrow" ~ Tif

the thrifting and the listing...

as the weekend is close i have had myself a wee strawberry daiquiri after a long week, so i shall proceed with caution and i suggest dear readers you do the same...

last night our #1 asked me if i would take her to the thrift store, tears welled up in my eyes, what a proud moment in a mama's life. i have taught her well in her fifteen years of life. and so as tired as i was, i realized it had been a whole six days since i had set foot in a thrift store.

we jumped in the car (eeek, with her driving and me clutching my bag to my chest and pressing imaginary peddles every now and then)...she was after shirts and necklaces, myself the usual, slips, fabrics, pillowcases, nighties and sheets.

while i was looking through the slips with ever increasing despair, our #1 comes up and mentions she's seen quite a sweet sewing machine and i should take a look...well what a treasure she had unearthed all in its original case with the accessories, straight out of 1956. i have very little use for it, but i had to have it and i know why, it was that pesky little craft book with the cute sewing machine on the front...if i own this machine then i too can have a lovely life like the front of the book...so there it is, i now have to find a place for it amongst all the other stuff i keep bringing back, (thinking of introducing him to Miss. S. Machine, who by the way is doing much better today, thank you)...i only managed to unearth a few bits of fabric, but they look like they will work very nicely as apron skirts!

on another note, at the beginning of this week, our #2 asked me what my 'goals' and 'turn over rate' was going to be for the week ahead, i told her that i had big plans to get lots finished and listed so the shop was bulging. maybe she could help with a schedule. she accommodated me with a 'to do' list, if you can't read this small picture than look over here...

so lets recap shall we...

MON: six full slips - check

TUES: six half slips - only managed three

WEDS: two to three bags - check

THURS: two cushions - check, one to two bags if time permits - check

FRI: make two to three more bags - managed half a bag

SAT: make more slips and more 'stuff' must continue slaving away until fingers bleed - "for your information our #2, i don't do saturdays and my fingers aren't quite bleeding yet but my neck, shoulders and back are completely seized up, hence the STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRI!!!!"

tearing her hair out 'cause those pesky lines are playing up again...

see you on monday ~ Tif

the one with the missing cutting tool...

well, what a fabulous response, i have read every comment (as always) and mentally in my head i have replied to each of you. i have taken note of your in put, all very useful and shall be sure to keep it in mind with my bag making, i do love getting comments, it really cheers the day...which is exactly what i needed, as my day didn't go according to plan (quite frankly i am going to give up having plans, that way what will be, will be)...

i spent most of the day searching through my 'ever increasingly messy studio' looking for my 'missing cutting tool', so i could get on with some cushion making...it had vanished off the face of the earth and in the end i had to make do with good old fashioned scissors and the ironing board...i did however have several suspects lurking in my house at the time of the 'crime', so i haul before you ...

SUSPECT #1 - sleeps all day and all night, definitely shifty and is a dark horse in disguise
SUSPECT #2 - has managed to shred every single piece of furniture and carpet that we own in the space of two years
SUSPECT #3 - very nervy, meek and mild, has irritable bowl syndrome that causes him distress along with myself on a daily basis
SUSPECT #4 - his name is Speedy for a reason, blink and he's gone

do not let any of their sweet faces trick you, i personally am going with SUSPECT #4, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that they have signed a pact not to talk, not even a squeal...

after i had cut all the pieces, the 'ever so lovely' Miss. S. Machine stopped being lovely and developed a rather nasty squeak, so i guess the lady doth protest at all the work she has been doing of late...so i gave up in the studio and decided to get my photos taken so i could fill up the shop with all the treasures i had rustled up this week. out of one hundred and thirty eight photos, i had twenty six decent ones! my camera is allergic to taking green and blue slips...it doesn't like the color and insists on turning them gray...what i need is the wonderful Kristy to model for me and take all my photos as well. i expect you do agree with me...

so it just leaves me to say in the words of geriann and the lovely little boy from 'Finding Neverland' (after which i sobbed for days)...

"it's just a bit of silliness really" ~ Tif

'show and tell' or rather, 'show and click'...

i am pleased to announce that Miss. S. Machine and i have been cooking up quite a stir the last few days...apart from all the usual slip making we have been working on a few new bags...so if you are sitting comfortably then i shall begin with this weeks 'show and tell' which really i should rename 'show and click', you'll find out soon enough. it's a bit different from usual though, because this time i shall do some showing and then i hope that you will do the telling, so pay extra attention as questions will follow!

i have had an order for some bags from a lovely clothing boutique in the UK, i have been procrastinating about it since mid March, not good i know. however, last week a custom order came through that made me 'pull myself together' and get myself into gear...both the store and the customer require bags with a real vintage feel. and so i got busy and here are the results...

now for some close ups. first we have two tote bags here and here...nothing new there. but for sometime now i have been thinking i need to work on a shape that is a little bit more 'elegant' for want of a better word...to compliment the old lace and buttons. taking inspiration from my lovely new craft books, i redesigned the top of the tote bag and also changed to one handle (that's the best bit of all, only one handle to make, yipee)...so here it is modelled for us today by the beautiful Maud

take a good look at the front, the back this detail and the inside (i just love this fabric)...here are two others along the same lines...#1 and #2 and just so you get an idea of size here's moi modelling one...i am perfectly happy with the results, however...

dear readers, i'm asking you for your in put. i have been told before that people like a nice big opening to their bags...i can understand this after all most of us carry around everything but the kitchen sink in our bags...however i feel that a bag like this should have a more delicate, smaller opening, what do you think...also some of the lace that i use is very very old and has certainly seen better days. in fact the bits i use for my bags often date back to victorian days, some of the pieces are marked or stained (just like near the buckle in Maud's bag). do you think this adds to the charm of the bag or would it put you off the bag...just interested to know, basically i feel like i am standing in the street doing a 'customer survey'..."excuse me madam, could you possibly spare five minutes of your time to answer a few quick questions?" if you can i would really appreciate it...

so after all that important thinking you have had to do, i shall reward you with a snap shot of dinner at my house tonight...just little old me by myself, do you think it has anything to do with the "unrecognisable food" in the bowl...

'no more gray for today' ~ Tif

i believe in angels...(she's nutty as a fruitcake that Tif)

for all those 'just like me' crafters out there who needed to know, here is the book that i showed you the skirt from yesterday...talking of 'said' skirt, i ventured out in mine this afternoon to mail some parcels and to buy cookies for the four hungry children.

(i'm not even going to mention the fact that the mirror in our #1's room needs a desperate clean, plus that it took me thirty one attempts to get this shot!)

i like to think they were admiring glances that i noticed, but really they were "what on earth is she wearing" looks. so dear readers, the old cogs in my brain have started to turn...do you think the world is ready for rescued thrift store skirts to be turned into 'dottie angel apron skirts', just watch this space!!

and on to Thing Number 5 ~ ANGELS, yep you guessed it, i do believe in angels...now hear me out first before you label me "nutty as a fruitcake".

angels fall into three categories, you have your Domestic, Guardian and In Disguise...

Domestic : just like you and me, trying to do the best we can in a sometimes bad and often sad world, just doing our little thing, caring for our families, caring for the planet, in the hope that we can make it a better place...(i know it's a bit soppy but there you go)

Guardian : they are all around us, you just can't see them. i know this to be true because we had one that cared for our #4 in the first weeks of his life...he even has 'Angel' as his middle name, lest we forget how fortunate we are...

In Disguise : then you have angels like Tasha , who by day works in a cubicle in the bank but at night crafts away burning the midnight oil, this angel hauled twenty eight slips for me on mother's day. out of the kindness of her heart she has added to my 'chinese laundry look' that is over taking the house. some are now green and brown, some a wonderful 'granny knickers' color and others are awaiting their turn...

so you see i am not a complete nutter, just half way...

and just before i go, i must just tell you about the lovely Kim, who featured me on 'todayscreativeblog' a few days back...of course i was delighted, but it also made me laugh, a) because people actually think that i know what i am doing with this blogging lark!! b) because i have a daily fight with flickr and my grainy photos and c) because i still don't know how sometimes i get a double space between my lines when posting, (just take a look at todays effort) it drives me insane, but i am now going with it being 'an endearing feature' of my blog...so thanks Kim for feeling that my blog was worthy of a mention!

so it just leaves me to tell you that tomorrow will not be a gray day..."why's that Tif " i hear you cry...well dear readers, first it's 'Show and Tell' ("horah", you say) and secondly, i'm getting my hair colored!! ("at last" you all yell) ~ Tif

i know i'm slowly losing it...

it's all because of Manda really, she had to go and show the picture of the japanese book store she visited in NY on her lovely blog... so on Saturday in between all the chores, i persuaded my man that he really needed to take me to our local japanese bookstore. he gave me one hour on the meter and i headed in the door and spent every minute of my hour in a state of 'heart racing, hands clammy and just a little bit dizzy'. even though i adore the crafts they feature, it's also the colors they use, the sleeve covers, the paper, the background settings and all the props for the pictures that just overwhelm me with the need to create (in fact i would be quite happy just living in one of these books)...i collected nine of these treasures and my man said "Tif, try to put at least one of these back, go on see if you can". i replied clutching my pile to my chest "are you mad, have you gone insane, if i leave this bookstore without all of them, i don't think i will continue to breathe, in fact i feel faint right now just thinking about it" (this was said with a mad crazed look in my eye, just so he got the message loud and clear)..

so the money i had been putting aside to buy a pair of "perfect with any outfit, not too high, possibly red or maybe silver" wedges for the summer was used to cover the enormous cost of my new books. later that night when the house was sleeping, i watched my pile of books and carefully looked through a few pages and then my eye caught this ...
so on sunday, when no one was looking i stole one hour again to myself in my studio and ran myself up a summer apron skirt using an old cotton skirt like this (but brown), a thrift store anthro napkin, one fat quarter, some off cuts of cotton and a very tatty bit of lace...

i plan to do this to all my 'seen better days' summer skirts, and my girls will no longer be able to call me "a bag lady" (not cause i have a nice array of bags, but because i mainly dress like one) no, they will now have the excitement of being seen out with their 'old mum' wearing her apron skirts!!

now i just have to work out a way of getting some cute wedges to go with them...Tif

show me (courtesy of Kevin R)...

the weekend was spent in a blur of playing 'catch up' with laundry, cooking and vacuuming up used dog's hair...in the mist of this drudgery, i mentioned to my man that my dottie angel 'hang tags' were eating into a lot of my creating time. "no problem" says he, "there are enough of us in this house, let's get the kids to help. it won't take long"...this is the scene when asked ~

our #4 falls to the floor weeping "i don't want to make slips"

our #3 stays very quiet and then does a great disappearing act

our #1 replies that "quite frankly this family is all nuts and i can't be around you all a minute longer" and disappears to her room...

so me, my man and our #2 started making tags 'conveyor belt' style, for your visual pleasure i give the stages in pictures...

several hours (and aching arms and wrists) later, my man turns to me and says "you're right Tif, it takes forever, we need to find a better way"...and from out of nowhere comes hope...(i'll keep you posted on the results)

and in case you thought i had forgotten, Thing Number 4 - CRUSHES. in my teens i had a huge crush on Kevin Rowland from Dexys Midnight Runners. these days i have several crushes...Orlando B. Johnny D. and Colin F. they keep an eye on me as i put the dishes away, lurking behind my cupboard doors...according to my man, he looks as good as any of them!

laying on the floor laughing ~ Tif

the missing door...

you know when you have one of those days when it doesn't go according to plan and you just end up kind of 'cross' and 'frustrated'...well that's me tonight. last week, when i was in urban outfitters with our #1 who was looking for a pair of microscopic shorts, i came across this...

i ummed and aahed for a while, as i tend to steer clear of the 'angel' connections, but then as our #1 was in the changing rooms trying several pairs of microscopic shorts on, a lightening bolt hit me. these would be perfect for solving my photographic issues that have plagued me ever since i started Etsy . living in Seattle is much like living in old blighty, quite frankly the light is crap for taking photos inside or out...and then when the sun does come out it is so blinding you can't get a decent shot either. now i am sure if i actually knew how to take photos and use the camera it would not be a problem. but i don't because i haven't bothered to read the manual...what i would like the camera to do is to preform some kind of magic and just produce fabulous arty pictures...so my brain lighted upon the idea of attaching this 'angel wing hook' to an old door that i could then move around the house or outdoors for the best light and hang slips from...

so today, my friend Beth and i set out on a mission to find said 'old door', i knew just the place in Seattle, had been there several years back and it was full of wonderful reclaimed and salvaged bits. only problem was, i couldn't quite remember the name or exact street. several hours later we finally find the building that we were looking for only to find it had be turned into a modern kitchen store!

hence my frustration, i spent a day looking for a place that doesn't exist, do not have the door that i was really looking forward to working on this weekend and then when my man arrived home, only to listen to "well surely you looked it up on the web first"

off to sulk...see you monday ~ Tif

playing hooky and thing number 3...

i played hooky today, actually it was only three hours, but it felt good. i hopped on Noa and headed over to my friend's house ( i don't drive a pretty car, too many kids, i can't park an airstream outside, too many neighborhood 'rules', but i can ride a pretty bicycle!)...i spent a lovely few hours with Beth, Suzanne and Laurie, whom i have sadly neglected over the past few weeks. we had soup and watched 'dream girls', ooh i love that movie, i love the clothes, i love the music and i love the furniture in the background...

anyhow, let me get on with 'thing number 3' ANNOYING HABITS. yep, you guessed it, i am a fool to myself. i thought this would give you a more varied idea of me, so i asked my dear family if they could think of any things that i did, that annoyed them (after all i am often complaining about them). well the floodgates opened, it was like they had been waiting all their lives for this opportunity, even my man said "well, now you mention it" and so dear reader, here is what they had to say...

my man ~ "you don't use capital letters on your blog", "the way you sweep the floor and then leave the pile in the corner", "leaving your clothes around the bedroom creating little nests, after twenty one years i've learnt to live with it" then he quickly added '"apart from this you are perfect"

our #1 ~ "when you ask my opinion about dottie angel, when you go on about your business or when you have sold something", "also you are always late picking me up and worst still you forget me sometimes"

our #2 ~ "well, where do i start", "you ask annoying questions", "blogging", "the fact that you have a song for every situation", "you shop at forever 21 (just kidding)", "you favor #4 with photo taking", "you go on and on about crafting", "you say the food you cook is edible when quite often it is not", "you always say it is salad for dinner and then it turns out to be something unrecognisable"

our #4 ~ "asking me to pick up piles all the time", "you always give me dinner after the others have got theirs"

our #3, oh yes our sweet #3 ~ "you don't have any, you're perfect"

off to rewrite her will ~ Tif

old mrs hubbard and her 'show and tell' #2

i am feeling like old mrs hubbard tonight, when i said this to my man, he couldn't understand what i was talking about (this is nothing new). "because the cupboard is bare" I said. "Tif, you have totally lost me" says he. "it's a metaphor, i'm talking about my shop". dear readers, i am not complaining at all (heard that one before!) i am just totally gobsmacked as to the amount of items that have sold in the last few weeks, so if any of my customers happen to be reading this, whether you are a returning 'one' or a new 'one', i send you a great big THANK YOU and i really do appreciate you...

now, let us move swiftly on to "show and tell" which you remember is to help me stay on track with showing you what i have been beavering away at in the studio . as you recall my start to the week was a slow one, but things got better and so i have managed to finish four full slips, four half slips and two camisoles (not mentioning washing and dying a ton of others), a selection of which you can see below and also in the shop over the next few days...

and for my guest appearance this week, i have our #3 who recently got into ATC's (artist trading cards). with the aid of a Beano Comic (sent by grandma from the UK) and a few hours of painting, sticking and stamping, he produced his first series of cards

and just before i go, "thing number 2" is DISLIKES ~ socks, don't mind wearing them, just can't stand washing them and trying to pair them all up afterwards, i've done some calculations and it goes like this,

1 week = 7 days = 7 pairs of socks = 14 individual socks x 6 people = 84 socks + 6 pairs of soccer socks = 96 bloody (excuse my language) individual socks a week that require washing and pairing. I have given up trying to do this, they go straight from the dryer into a basket and sit on the landing for people to take lucky dip!!

and don't get me started on 'holes' in socks ~ Tif

the crafty top and thing number one...

when i woke this morning, the sky was blue and the sun was out, so i put on one of my new crafty tops and set about the studio being creative

and i am pleased to announce i have managed to get plenty done today and shall be showing the results in "show and tell" tomorrow. i am definitely feeling much happier about things today and celebrated with this

in the meantime though, i must tell you i've been tagged by ellene . to start with it bought back memories of being a kid, receiving a letter in the mail that turned out to be a chain letter, that told you to send out twenty copies in twenty minutes to twenty friends or you will have twenty years bad luck, if you live that long! on closer inspection this is not the same (phew!) apparently all i have to do is tell you, dear reader, seven interesting and unknown facts about myself, so that you may get to know me better. um, this is easier said than done. in fact i am beginning to wish for the chain letter, at least that is just copying and sending on...

so for several days i have been pondering this problem, it is a problem because i really don't have that much more to tell, other than what you already know. so to get myself round this, i decided to create seven descriptive titles to help me think. each day i will give you a new 'thing' about me (which chances are you have already deduced from previous posts) and that way, it will spread out all the ramblings...

so today, dear reader i give you

"thing number one" LIKES ~ i like the British seaside, scratch that, i LOVE the British seaside. everything about it from the ice cream, the cold sea, some seagulls (not pesky ones), striped deck chairs, bunting, fish and chips, the landscape, the smells and sounds. one day, I plan to own a small house by the sea (yep, told you, you knew it already!) and outside the back will be my airstream trailer...

but until then, i will have to make do with this...(oh, and please use your imagination...the real thing would have wonderful knitted throws and dottie angel cushions, and hanging in the closet, you guessed it, a customized slip)

thinking of summer days ahead ~ Tif

the birthday and the brain...

spent most of today customizing slips and dying the 'haul' from last week...have made very slow progress as my brain doesn't seem to want to get into gear. i am hoping tomorrow the 'cogs' start turning a bit faster, so i have something to put in the shop for the end of the week. (my heavy yoga limbs aren't helping either) apart from slips i have been making some smaller cushions, ideal for brightening up a porch chair this summer...here's the beginnings of one

today though, was really all about our #4, creator of the piles around the house. he has notched up nine years of living...and although he was sad to spend his birthday at school, he still had a pretty good day, finished off with ice cream and the movie 'Matilda' and yes, i am ashamed to say the cake was shop bought...

hoping her heavy yoga arms will work a little better tomorrow...Tif

breaking my 'sludgy' dress code...

i spent Mother's day taking our #1 and #2 to the big shopping mall south of Seattle, i have managed to avoid going there for seven years, but this place houses the store Forever 21 (even the name scares me) and eventually i knew i was going to have to make the trip and Mother's day seemed like the ideal day to spend some 'girl' time together...

i have never been to this store until today and to be honest i had avoided going because there are two things i don't like being faced with...number one: when i look around me and realize that all the shop assistants and customers are half my age and number two: trying on clothes at the same time as two teenage girls is not good for one's self esteem, doesn't matter how pretty the clothes are, standing side by side looking in the mirror, chances are you will look like a sagging dinosaur...

i have also avoided prolonged episodes of shopping for clothes in more recent years because i am falling into the trap of "well that fits and it doesn't look too bad, so why don't i buy it in several different colors and then i'm done" and when i say "colors" that means different shades of 'sludge'...although i use colors in my crafting, i have a great deal of trouble clothing myself in colors.

so we walked through the door of Forever 21 and it was just like stepping into one of my japanese crafting books...just a riot of colors and kitsch fabrics. we spent an hour and half trying on all sorts of things and the girls managed to spend most of their hard earned cash, and me?

well, thanks to my mother-in-law's generosity, i now have four new 'bright' not 'sludgy' summer tops all to wear with (oh god this is scary) skinny cropped jeans, along with one flouncy skirt...

wondering if i'll attract the bees this summer...Tif