tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28226147797291976962012-02-16T13:18:01.784-06:00I make things. What kind of things?? That would depend on what moment you catch me... and it might change within mere moments after that. I sew, crochet, knit, quilt, bead, tat... you get the picture. Just sitting doing nothing in my "free" time is a foreign idea to me. And, not wanting to get bored with the same old thing, I like variety. This is a place to share what I do, the beauty I find around me and the wonderful creativity of others I know or find online.Vickinoreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-3897585141309284342009-10-06T10:51:00.007-05:002009-10-06T12:13:59.486-05:00

How could it possibly have been this long since I've posted??? There has just been too much going on and some things had to give–this blog was one of those things. And it all comes under the heading "life happens and we go on." As requested, I'll try to give a brief update and then hopefully I'll be able to do some posting soon.We've had company a couple of times—my two grandchildren from Alabama

Vickinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-45844492206715901612009-05-31T14:43:00.005-05:002009-05-31T20:02:03.694-05:00

Well, this has been one of my goals for a while and I have now posted my first project (the Garden Serenity Apron) on my Etsy store, A Richer Life at Etsy: Garden Serenity Apron. Whoever purchases the apron will also get some added goodies (in this case the oven mitts and hot pad) as a thankyou surprise.For anyone not familiar with Etsy, it is an online store; you cannot post anything that is not

Vickinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-14814754130086882662009-05-21T23:41:00.005-05:002009-05-22T00:04:31.294-05:00

Well, I'm ready to start posting beginning items to my Etsy store this weekend. The first item that I'll be setting up is my Serenity Garden Apron set. The apron is a medium size and it has a matching set of oven mitts and a hot pad holder. I just fell in love with this fabric line and some of the sentiments on it..."Nurture your garden, nurture your soul.""Serenity... A cup of tea in the garden

Vickinoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-31811227507926932192009-05-16T21:00:00.003-05:002009-05-16T21:10:00.383-05:00

Well, it's been an interesting week, to say the least!Saturday was the Deluxe independent crafters show at the state fairgrounds. I was able to go and was very excited to meet the girls from SheezKrafty and see their beautiful work... even spent a little money! I had fallen in love with their switchplates on their blog and like them even more in the real world!Sunday was Mother's Day and I got a

Vickinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-44998517706415842242009-05-05T22:58:00.004-05:002009-05-05T23:16:12.403-05:00

Well, here are two proud great-grandmas! These photos were taken after Mackenzie's class did their re-enactment to celebrate the Oklahoma Land Run. All the kids in the class had their lunches and most had a blanket and they started off from the start line to select and stake their "claim" (in this case it was the "plot" they were going to eat their lunch). Madison (pink gingham outfit) is in

Vickinoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-90255109326152737992009-05-01T07:11:00.002-05:002009-05-01T07:19:08.332-05:00

Spring is here! and hear! I hear some birds singing and other chirping; the wind (ever-present in Oklahoma) is blowing so I hear the leaves rustling; it rained last night, I went to the car and a gust of wind emptied the rain from the leaves... on me. So I changed. But it is so nice out and we really have needed the rain so I just can't bring myself to complain. I love it when it has the decency

Vickinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-73684724196211345022009-04-25T15:02:00.007-05:002009-04-25T16:23:01.648-05:00

I had the MOST fun Thursday! My apron arrived from my mystery partner in the Flirty Vintage Linen Apron Swap! I am attaching the photos that Kathy had on her blog of the apron I received ( thatallisongirl.blogspot.com) . The print has some purple in the flower petals since Kathy knew my favorite color is purple. She said that she searched for purple coordinating fabric but ended up using the blue

Vickinoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-15679298975435015912009-04-14T21:22:00.011-05:002009-04-14T22:05:00.757-05:00

I've never had much use for hand creams or lotions—they always just sat on my hands without soaking in and left a film that I couldn't stand the feel of. Well, I had a friend ask me to try some and I fell in love with it and now I make my own! This is the only hand lotion that helps my hairdresser's hands not just survive but actually feel better and improve. It's about as easy to make as could

Vickinoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-61803968474163984402009-04-12T22:53:00.006-05:002009-04-12T23:15:51.661-05:00

Well, the last week has been pretty crazy for me. At work the monthly reports were due--that's always a major undertaking but we got them completed and submitted by deadline.I finished the period costume (Little House-type dress, pinafore and sun bonnet) for Mackenzie's part in the Oklahoma Land Run celebration at ther school. We'll be taking pictures of her in it in a week or two and I'll show

Vickinoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-50277690081210473562009-03-31T22:06:00.008-05:002009-03-31T22:26:06.796-05:00

I am working on a silk quilt for a friend who can't have most fabrics against her skin. I've always been a cotton-kind of gal so working with silk is TOTALLY new to me. We were able to get some recycled (we both like that idea) white bridal kimono silk--it's gorgeous! Hopefully, you can see some of the beautiful weaves in the silk. Then we picked up some grabbag packs of colored silk.I'm using

Vickinoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-26912431623555568592009-03-31T07:07:00.003-05:002009-03-31T07:17:09.497-05:00

Hello! I've had a number of people ask me how the contest went and how much the hat earned. We couldn't have it in the contest and in the Silent Auction so I entered the contest and won the Grand Prize! It is a VIP dinner to the Castle Falls restaurant--we haven't had the opportunity to try it but I've heard it is the most excellent German food around so we're looking forward to trying it.I made

Vickinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-36289345076482914242009-03-29T01:07:00.004-05:002009-03-29T01:21:42.080-05:00

OK, I've just plain had fun with this!First, I crocheted a basic hat. The brim can be rolled or open or partially rolled. I haven't decided which way I like it best yet. It's pretty comfortable—more than I was expecting it to be.My Duck Week t-shirt is orange and they are using a Dr. Sueuss theme so this one is "Horton Hears A Quack." It has blue flowers and white daisies.I used a silky-feel

Vickinoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-19910801926189844782009-03-26T22:13:00.004-05:002009-03-28T12:22:35.054-05:00

There is a precious little girl, Abby Jones, who is a walking smile and a walking miracle! You can read her story at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/abbyjones. She was born June 13, 2003, and within a year had undergone 3 heart surgeries and it was two years before she reached 20 pounds. She needs a kidney transplant among other things. The Jones family lives in Piedmont, Oklahoma and were

Vickinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-44860007970302585022009-03-26T18:15:00.004-05:002009-03-26T18:22:46.490-05:00

If you do, I invite you to check out the Secret Angel Network: http://www.secretangelnetwork.com/.This is their brief description of the network:We are an online community of ordinary people who choose to doextraordinary things. We believe that every day, we have an opportunity to bringa little joy, love and happiness into this world. We do so by creating specialmoments for people around us. We

Vickinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-7900424683299630432009-03-24T23:46:00.003-05:002009-03-24T23:52:34.742-05:00

This was a baby quilt made for a friend's first child. The baby room was decorated tropical fish. I thought that the squiggly lines looked a little waves. The quilting in the outside border was a scroll that made waves.Lucky she wanted bright colors, isn't it?This is one of the few baby quilts I've made that wasn't flannel.

Vickinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-21235867999869553312009-03-22T10:59:00.006-05:002009-03-22T20:11:46.674-05:00

For many years I had bulletin board with signs—different sayings that help me keep focused, on track, make me laugh... things that helped me get through. I don't always have a physical board going these days but I still see many of the signs in my mind.Well, today I went to church and heard some powerful teaching and preaching andI have to share this with you. Three points just really hit home

Vickinoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-20333562200412034712009-03-21T20:51:00.004-05:002009-03-21T21:00:19.375-05:00

These are my oh-so-beautiful great-granddaughters. I made "Little House" dress and pinafore sets for them. The dresses were all gingham and both dresses and pinafores used some old traditional patterns from that time.This year I will be working to complete dresses and bonnets for the two older girls to wear to the Oklahoma Land Run programs (see list of UFO's) and I am anxious to see how they are

Vickinoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-24972265836236782982009-03-20T21:53:00.004-05:002009-03-20T22:01:18.019-05:00

This is SheezKrafty...and She Writes! This site features re-purposed jewelry and these two young ladies do some beautiful work. But it's not their jewelry that really caught my eye most—I absolutely fell in love with the Switchplates... these are just two of them. Check out their site at http://sheezkrafty.blogspot.com/

Vickinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-67906489160683524952009-03-20T01:12:00.003-05:002009-03-20T01:31:09.606-05:00

This is the "Fractured Rainbows" quilt that I am making for our daughter Tammy. I've had the blocks made and sewn together for quite a while but it took a lot of time to find the right border fabric. I had two different ones and Tammy and I both agree that the rainbow of dots is the one to finish it off... now it's ready to put together then quilt. All I have to do is find the time and finish the

Vickinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-7938642006869209162009-03-17T23:06:00.004-05:002009-03-17T23:33:47.653-05:00

This is a closeup of the top pendant of a necklace that Carolina Elizabeth made for me. This is hand-painted and the colors and detail just amaze me every time I am priviledged to wear it (not to mention the compliments). Now that you've seen that, let me show you the necklace...The silver bezzels were made by Carolina as well as the S-hook closure.The lower pendant is a forget-me-not... this

Vickinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-9687092178870947912009-03-16T21:55:00.005-05:002009-03-16T22:14:28.264-05:00

This past Christmas (2008) I made aprons... lots of aprons! I've been collecting a wide range of old apron patterns and it is so nice that they are back in style. These four began with the same basic pattern but each one was customized to fite the person they were made for. I made many other styles but for just a basic pattern that goes together quickly, I like this best.

Vickinoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-50055772180279181942009-03-15T15:38:00.003-05:002009-03-15T15:52:39.190-05:00

This was my first adventure into the stained glass quilting technique. I learned a lot while I was making this and was pretty pleased with the results. When I actually worked with the "leading," I decided that this has to have fairly large pieces to work around. When I used smaller pieces, the sense of proportion didn't seem right to me. I did try using 1/8" leading and, while it helped some, I

Vickinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-6598822304330429392009-03-11T23:02:00.004-05:002009-03-12T01:28:06.189-05:00

Last summer I made a christening/baby dedication gown as a gift for family friends. These photos aren't very good to show the work but the best that my camera will do. We are going to get some professional photos taken and I am going to submit them to Sew Beautiful magazine. I used The Old Fashioned Baby's T-Yoke Christening Gown pattern to start (http://www.oldfashionedbaby.com/shop/item.asp?

Vickinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-63842967671917036312009-03-10T00:06:00.013-05:002009-03-10T01:00:28.828-05:00

I have so many different projects that are in process, waiting to be started or still just noodling around in my mind for just exactly what I want to do... and then find time to do it/them!Well I finished one! This is my great-granddaughter Madison's birthday gift—a lunch tote. Madison will be 5 years old and loves to go with Mom and baby sister Kennadie to have lunch with big sister Mackenzie.

Vickinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-2695982614920310082009-03-09T20:21:00.004-05:002009-03-09T20:44:24.712-05:00

Christmas 2003 (Continued): The concept for Victoria's quilt began in "P.S. I Love You," a delightful quilt book. I love the reproduction feedsack fabrics—they always seem so bright and cheerful. I used a couple of white-on-white fabrics for the background fabric. Each 9-patch used one of the white fabrics and one of the reproduction 20's fabrics and were strip pieced. I used the fusible

Vickinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-30725304808636620322009-03-08T20:23:00.007-05:002009-03-09T20:20:53.965-05:00

Christmas , 2003: I made quilts for the grandkids that year. Unfortunately I did not get photos of all of them.This is George with his "No Flies On Me" quilt. The pattern is "Plaid Pigs" by Nancy Barrett, a great quilt designer and teacher from OKC. I am not into plaid or pigs or country but there was just something about this quilt that I fell in love with when I saw the sample. I was lucky

Vickinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-69453549166668591322009-03-08T00:52:00.015-06:002009-03-08T03:50:46.181-05:00

November, 2002: These two photos were taken at the Cowboy Christmas in Fort Worth TX. Bill and I spent three days trying to sell my fabric patch purses--very unsuccessfully!We were supposed to have a booth that had a country Christmas feel to it but I certainly didn't have the money to create and build the normal display booth—and I didn't have the lead time. After much work and brainstorming, I

Vickinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-84252962691891720802009-03-03T21:38:00.008-06:002009-03-03T22:19:53.314-06:00

I have many friends who are unbelievable and add so many gifts to my life and my heart. Right now I would like share the artistry of two of them with you.This is Patti Bray of PR Bray Designs, who I am so fortunate to count among my friends. Her talents fill me with wonder and (when I'm not walking my love walk) a little envy at times.These are ceramic tiles, painted by Patti for a backsplash.

Vickinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-74076269796995486402009-03-01T21:19:00.009-06:002009-03-01T23:27:59.841-06:00

Going back in time...I thought I would take a few minutes to post some of the things I have made in the past...Of course, one of my pride and joys was the wedding dress I made for my daughter Josalyn back in 1991. The base layer was traditional satin, a layer of tulle and a layer of lace... the tulle and the lace were both iridescent. She had an outdoor wedding and the sun shining on her just

Vickinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2822614779729197696.post-22692245873511556922009-02-28T01:26:00.003-06:002009-02-28T01:38:34.956-06:00

This is the applique quilt that I made in the Fall of 2008 as a fundraiser for my Chamber of Commerce. The flowers, borders and backing were all batik fabrics and I was very pleased with how it turned out. I must have tried at least 15 different patterns and styles—I really wanted to do a stained glass quilt but these flowers were too small. Originally it was going to have different flowers in

Vickinoreply@blogger.com0