The Carnival Soiree & A Give Away

Picture courtesy of Lemax Collectibles (The Side Show)

Today is the Carnival Soiree at Lisa's blog Faerie Enchantment This has been one jam packed week for me. We have friends who will be driving north on Monday morning. I have been working like a mad women to get all the projects done that I need to have mailed out. Remember me the gal who relies on "Mules" for her mail service?? ;) Anyway since my attention has been focused in other areas I haven't made my Carnival outfit :( No matter why don't you head over to her Soiree and enjoy a bit of fun!! :)

Mexico in a lot of ways is like the Western developed countries where in the late 50s-60s. There are still quite a few "Family owned Circuses" Therefore especially during the dry season we will have a circus come to town every month or so :) Lisa you would love it here. You finally might get your fill of the "Roasters" life :).

Because these are small businesses with very small advertising budgets they depend on word of mouth that they are in town. Well that and they will drive up and down the neighborhoods with the circus wagons of exotic animals. Just like they did when we were kids. Well that would be when some of were kids :)

One morning we look out the window to see what all the loud announcing and music was about and darn if we didn't meet a tiger and a camel eye to eye so to speak :) Did we have the camera??? Of course not who would have guessed?? Life is never boring here!!!!

Jann of the Vintage Heart is having a giveaway to celebrate her one year anniversary of blogging. She has made a lovely Spring Trifle for her gift. I would suggest you head over there (here) and congratulate her and register for her Giveaway :)

Now it's back to painting, gluing, sewing and packing, only have 28 hours left to have this all packed and ready !!! Have a most audacious day or evening my Bloglandian friends where ever you are in the world ;)

Roses, Roses Every Where Roses :)

I have this real love /hate thing when it comes to flower (especially roses) print fabrics. They are always so beautiful on the bolt, in the store window, or when someone else is wearing them. Then every few years I see some pieces and a weakness comes over me and boom I've bought it and have already made it up in my mind before I even get home. And damn, it does turn out perfect and then I put it on to suddenly remember what the hate part of the relationship is. Such is the fate of my newest apron :(

I'm sorry these pictures were just buggers... the lighting, the time of day, the photographer, where all temping the fates. Actually the apron is really cute :)

Once again I have been reminded that Laura Ashley, meets Rachel Ashwell for lattes at Daisy Kingdom is just not me. :( . I really love these two prints they are so warm, springy and happy. Besides dang it I haul these pieces back from Idaho last fall and I'm using them!! So I attempted to add a bit more of me to smother some the cutsie pie going on with the apron. I copied a vintage French postcard of the Eiffel Tower, a vintage show girl advertisement, and a street scene onto cotton. Then sewed them on as pockets. At the bottom of the pockets I hung a few tassels.

On the back I sewed a copy of another slightly "naughty nineties" show girl. Next to her is a little tag that says PARIS in the SPRING and a tassel. Have you figured out yet that the way to my heart is not with sparkly glittery bling, but give me tassels and I in heaven :)

At least now I won't breakout in hives wearing it, but I think I have just found my new at home doing clean work apron cuz it still a bit "crustless cucumber sandwiches and sweet tea" for my comfort :)

Have a most audacious day or evening my Bloglandian friends depending where in the world you are ;)

Pictures

I've just spent the evening going through our pictures and doing a bit of housekeeping. I thought maybe I'd post a few of my favorites.

These remind me of those most important things in life :) They also make me incredibly proud.

Dylan Ross Bergvall

These are my Mazatlan What isn't to love??

These just make me smile :)

This is what happens when the bus is bigger then the street!!

This is the incredible lushness of the eastern cloud forests

Have a most audacious day or evening my Bloglandian friends depending where in the world you are ;)

Hmmmmmm What to Do

Not too long after I started blogging, you know way back ages ago 5ish months :) I noticed the Blog award phenomena. The first few I saw I thought, wow this is a way to meet fellow bloggers. Which is exactly why they were created in the first place. I think I even may have followed a few links to other blogs. But I don't know if you have noticed that the awards must be spending to much time in dark closets cuz they are breeding at an uncontrolled rate:( After about the 3rd one I got in a couple of days I decided that it was getting out of control. First it takes way to much time to follow through with the instructions and then to pick the required victo er... honorees, then go let them know. By the time I'm done I have lost interest in posting anything more that day. So I just got so I would thank the person who sent me the award without sending it on to anyone. OMG, Horrors, Holy Broken Mirrors Batman, that's just begging for a rash of bad luck! Maybe but then not being very go with following the rules I break chain letters also. I always seem to break out in a rash of hives when confronted with a bunch of have to do, or rules. :( I mean think about it what if I don't want to go to my pictures much less go to the 4th row, 6th file 22nd picture and then post it for everyone to see??

The only thing is that plan's not working all that well either. On the plan B... I think I'll try posting the award and putting it on my side bar. Then instead of picking any recipients I'll invite them to pass the award along if they would like to.

With that being said: Young Tristan Robin Blakeman. Don't you think either his parents or Christopher's parents had a typo ? I mean what are the chances of 2 blond haired cute as bugs and ever so well behaved boys having the same middle name Robin ?? Had to be a snafu at the hospital :) Any way TR gave me this lovely award. If you think the award fits your blog please post it and pass it along :)

This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award."

This next one isn't an award at all it's an invitation to get to know 3 of your blog visitors and create for each of them a piece of art from your heart. There aren't but a couple of "rules" so that makes me happy and there is only one dead line. Here read them for your self, since you do have a chance to say if you don't want to play along. That way I don't have to deal with any of that "Mom loves me best" malarkey :)

For the first 3 (three, tres, 111) people that comment on this posting, I will make a one of a kind, original, made by me, can't buy in any stores, little creation just for you :) What I create will be just for you. You will receive my gift before the end of the year, or sooner. You will have no idea what the item is going to be or when you will receive it.

There is one request, to me this is a way to get to know three of the people that read my blog. That way I can make the perfect just because gift for them. I would like to ask that if you choose to play with me to pass this invitation along to at least 3 other people :) You know it has a bit of that "Play it Forward" thing going on:)

Got to get a little fru fru time in, tonight is Saturday Date Night, and LW came home with a huge bouquet of red roses and new tooth brushes......

Have a most audacious day or evening depending on where in Bloglandia you are ;)

400 Miles of Apron Hem

I'm an apron kind of Girl. I have to be it's the only hope I have of staying clean :) I have my cooking aprons and I have my lets make art aprons. Then I have "going to town aprons". These are my cute sassy aprons. I make these from an OLD Daisy Kingdom (remember them from the late 80-90s?) pattern. It's long about mid calf, straps cross in the back and slips over your head.

I did alter it a bit so it doesn't scream big bangs and padded shoulders meets Earth Mother :) A lot more fitted, grown up colors & materials. Swapped the EXL tee for a med and got rid of the white socks. I wear them over the top of a fitted tee and my longer fitted skirts. In the Summer I make them out of light weight cool materials and in the winter I make them out of regular wt. cottons in darker colors. That's pretty much how you can tell what season it is here, the color of cloths :) So I have two new aprons sewn and ready to be hemmed out of some nice summery colors. The pattern calls for the entire apron edge to be finished with seam binding. Most of the time I just turn the edge over with a nice clean hem. There are about 4 yards of edges to pin under to topstitch the hem. This is a lot of pinning and it always takes me a bit of time cuz I have to give my finger joints the rest breaks they demanded in their work contract. :)

So while I was hemming I was doing a bit of blog hopping, and I found a couple of things to share. In Carol at Raised in Cotton's entry today, she was awarded a best junker award from the Junk Revolution. It's a really great web site that has been created by one of the editors of Country Home magazine. Remember the section where the two "junkaholics" hit the flee markets and then create treasure for their home with their findings?? Ki also has a blog she calls Junk Camp, when you have a bit of time go check it out. It really is fun and she has short, easy tutorials on projects to make.

When I stopped by to say howdy to Tristan he was talking about the kids at Moonlight Hollow having a treasure hunt for their 100 post. I think that will be loads of fun. I haven't been on a scavenger hunt since the kids were little So here's another blog to go visit and sign up to go treasure hunting with us. I just hope they aren't going to have us find to many exotic things like say a snow shovel (no no no don't throw that I didn't mean...) where am I going to find one around here??

Back to pinning aprons. Have a most audacious day or evening my Bloglandian friends depending on where in the world you are ;)

Playing With The Camera & A Give Away

Just in case you have noticed that over in my archives I have run a bit over my 100th posting, I noticed also :) I decided that my 100th posting giveaway will be next week. Why?? Well because I will need a "Mule" to carry my giveaway parcel up to the States and then post it to the winner. We have a "couple friend" headed north on the 15ish, and they will mail it for me. Sooooooo I think I'll post the giveaway on Monday (the 9th) to the 14ish :)

But I can tempt you with a Delicious giveaway. Tristan of Enchanted Revelry decided to celebrate his 50th follower of his blog with his first ever giveaway!! If you haven't stumbled on to his blog by now you need to go a callin. Tristan is the most amazing quilt artist. Very non traditional designs. You won't find a wedding ring or any other traditional quilt pattern in his work. He uses bright happy, feel good colors and loves to put turns and bends in any straight line that comes his way :) But that's not all, he relaxes by making awesome vintage paper theaters, they drip in bling and Dresden trims it's enough to make a girl swoon ;) But that's still not all he also makes lovely tussie mussies, which of course also sport more sparklies then the two Gabor sisters together :) I mean just look at the Tussie Mussie he is giving away!! So what are you waiting for get over to his blog here and sign up and don't forget to read all of his blog, you'll come away with a good giggle for the rest of the day :)

Hopefully you didn't take me to literally when I sent you to Tristan's blog before you passed Go. Cuz I have a couple of pictures to share. They aren't to much really, but I have been practicing. You know down the right side of my blog where I have the Blogs that inspire me?? Well just below those is a list of "eye candy" blogs. These are some of the most beautiful blogs from Sweden Denmark, well actually pretty much most of northern Europe. These Bloggers not only are gifted artists & decorators, they take the most amazing photographs of their homes for their blogs!! I'm in total awe. First they have mastered the French/Danish country decorating style and make it look warm and inviting. Second their whites are always really white!! That would only be a pipe dream for me with 5 furrie critters bunking in with LW and I. But the thing is I've made up my mind that I want to take pictures and have them look like their's. All I have to say is it's a very good thing that we live in the digital age, otherwise I will run us into the poor house with all the pictures I've been taking :) Surly you know what I mean, take 200 pictures to have 3 that are keepers!! Here are a few I took this afternoon out on the patio. I hung the little ivy heart wreath I made for spring on the old white metal door out on the patio. And then just snapped away. Yep I know I've got a long way to go, but some of you I'm sure can remember the first photo attempts when I was a fresh blogger. Remember ?? Yep I am sloooooowly getting better.

I'm off to bed. LW picked up the new Somerset Artist Cafe at our postal box today and I can't wait to get to drooling:) Have a most audacious day or evening my Bloglandian friends depending on where in the world you are ;)