you might be a red.neck if...

One of your prized possessions is a Velvet Elvis. Big Hunk O' Love...

a red.neck's right of passage.

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where I had a Rock-a-hula week-end... how was yours?

I'm also wondering where I should store hang the Velvet Elvis.... hmmmm.....

I went - I poppedUP - I partied!

Oh my goodness - the Soiree and popUP shop at Cedar Chest Antique Mall was SEW MUCH FUN!!!

Friday morning I loaded up, loaded up some more - made the resident teen break a sweat before 10am (after I had the red.neck in charge working with me half the night!) - and set up! Shannon, the CEO of Cedar Chest, gave up her own space right inside the front door, so when you walked in and turned to the right...

you couldn't miss me!

In the "popUP shop" section, I had just my "fashion" department ("home" and "life" stayed in my normal shop space)... let me take you on a tour!

As soon as you entered, my "wear it." pearl-snap shirts were waiting for everyone to try them on, and find the perfect name and/or design!

Right past the pearl-snaps, I had a "sitting room", because stuff like that is important, and it came in VERY handy!!!

Lendi (aka: The Threadbare Gypsy) came to celebrate with me at the Soiree Friday evening, and Holli (aka: Holli's Hoots and Hollers) brought me lunch, and hung out with me Sunday afternoon! The rest of the time, the chairs were filled with old friends, new friends - family and loved ones!

The chairs are also filled with bullet holes... *grin*

Next up:

the "sparkle it." jewelry table. Complete with my Velvet Elvis as the table cover!
hunka-hunka-burnin' love!

And then, of course, was my shelf, and various hang-it-on-it things with my "carry it." pocketbooks!

I love the look on people's faces when they find out I made them, and then when they read WHAT they are made out of!!! I don't discriminate... if I can cut it and sew it, I will make a pocketbook out of it.

Friday night was the Soiree. Did I take pictures of it? No.

The food set-up was crazy cute and fun! "the Mama" made mini birthday cupcakes with sparkles, and glitter, and sprinkles, and more sparkles, so I parked them on the license plate cupcake stand you can see in the picture above. She had also thrown in a can of nuts, so the dump truck (in the photo, hiding under the shelves!) held a cute box with the nuts in it! "the Mama" also provided a FANTASTIC vintage metal cooler for ice (she might not get that back!), and a cute little "redneck-ish" igloo for peach tea!

I attempted some cookies that looked SUPER EASY to make on Pinterest, but apparently they aren't THAT easy for the cooking challenged. Luckily, my "Ethyl" made some corn dip to go with Frito's that was so GOOD it had ME asking for the recipe.

That evening, the whole mall was full of laughter! Everyone came to visit, and shop, and visit some more - other vendors stopped in to meet-n-greet and have some fun... My face still hurts from laughing!

I'm READY to go for many more years! I can't thank each of you enough for reading along, for coming to visit, the other vendors for entertaining my insanity, "the Mama" and "Ethyl" for feeding us all - and Shannon for opening the Cedar Chest doors and welcoming a bunch of crazy red.necks!!!

Let's do it again next year!

comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where I made a really grin-worthy observation during the Soiree and popUP shop...

Hauntings...

How to tell if your single-wide is haunted:

1.  A can of pork-'n-beans mysteriously floats through the air.
2.  Motor oil drips out of the simulated wood paneling. 
3.  The eyes on the velvet Elvis painting move.
4.  The room is spinning, and you ain't even doin' donuts in the desk chair yet.
5.  That car in your front yard ain't up on blocks -- it's levitating by itself...
6.  Your dog, Bo, gets sucked into the TV set, and he's blocking your view of rasslin'.

7.  That mysterious scratching below the floorboards? The Telltale Raccoon.
8.  The ghost don't believe in chain rattlin' but DOES believe in duct tape pullin'.
9.  The trailer is shaking, but there’s no tornado in sight.
10.  Your Nascar bed sheets have eyeholes cut in them.

11.  The ghost is completely invisible except for the moon pie stickin' out of its mouth.
12.  Mysterious footsteps seem to be stomping out “Ache Breaky Heart.”
13.  There's a funny howlin' noise comin' from the hay field -- no -- wait... that's Bubba.
14.  The lights turn on and off even though you paid the power bill.
15.  You hear blood-curdling screams, but all the neighbors are still in jail.

16.  You get a mysterious phone call that says, "I know what you did at the last NASCAR race."
17.  The folks on the Jerry Springer show discuss domestic problems that eerily resemble your own.
18.  You come home one day and it's clean and decorated for Halloween...

And... last but not least...
Instead of saying "boo" the ghost says "boo-ya'll!"

Now you know.  Do you have any candy corn? I love that schtuff...

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide (where I'm gonna be a lil' skeert if that thar jack-o-lantern on my front porch has more teeth than I do...) hee-hee

whistlin' dixie...

Flag pillows can be spotted EVERYWHERE lately...

and I decided I wanted a flag pillow for my house. But, you know me...

I don't do anything the normal way. Wanna whistle and sew with me?

Just sew I knew what I was doing, "the Mama" found this info. for me:

The confederate flag (Sometimes known as the Southern Cross or the St. Andrew’s Cross) is square (a few rectangles were used by various Confederate commands, but the original design was square). The blue saltire is edged in white on a red background. The stars are of various sizes and arranged in multiple directions. In reproduction flags the stars are all pointing in the same direction. The flag's stars represented the number of states in the Confederacy.

Here we go:
I cut a 16" square of interfacing and ironed it on to a red fabric sample. I used interfacing 'cause this project is going to keep you in stitches and you don't want your fabric to stretch out like Gumby.

I THEN dug out some lace from my  tooooo many piles of junk lace jar and crisscrossed it. My lace is about 3.250" wide.

Stitch it down.

Next - measure and cut some "wonder under" to iron on to the back of your blue fabric. Mine is velveteen which makes it SUPER slippery (I think I have it left over from a velvet Elvis...). Layer it over your white lace:

I measured my blue strips out at 2.250" wide - but it really depends on how big your stars are.

I cheated and used my 2" star punch - but you could free-hand the stars, use star buttons or patches - embroider them... the sky is the limit!  *snicker*
I cut/punched them out of MORE "wonder under" (I like that stuff almost as much as duct tape!), placed them all wiLLy-nILly - ironed 'em...

Voila! The front of your pillow is done! (I made that sound sew easy, right? Allow approximately an hour for this project.) Slice up some denim (I used a denim mini-skirt)...

and make your pillow back - stitch the front to the back (leaving an opening (or overlapping the denim like I did) for your stuffing (*gobble-gobble*)) - then stuff it with whatever you have on hand! I happened to have a feather pillow form I hi-jacked from somewhere... ssssshhhhhhhhh.

I now have my very own flag pillow - MY way! Are you gonna make one? You know you have your rebellious side... don't try to deny it.


TODAY I'm so excited because for the FIRST TIME EVER I'm linking up with Becky at Beyond the Picket Fence. Her blog is one of my VERY favorites - and her Under $100 Linky Party is ALWAYS fun to lurk around on!!!  This pillow? Didn't cost a thing to make...

I am ALSEW linking up over with the lovely Debra at Common Ground for her "Vintage Inspiration Friday"... the 1860s was a LONG time ago! I think I was.... uhmmmm.... 10?  ;-D You should go visit Debra... talk about some inspiration!!!


comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where a Confederate Battle Flag should fit in superbly with my crystal chandelier and disco ball, right? Oh... and maybe a fur throw... and a granny square afghan... hee-hee


P.S. (And this is very important.) I know there are a number of misconceptions about the Confederate Flag and what it represents. It all boils down to the glorious fight of the states - the economic and political rivalry between an agrarian South and an industrial North. Wanna know more? Read Here and Here! ;-D