A Little Bit of This and That
Hello there, everyone! Today's post is just a whole lot of this and that around the house. Nothing earth shattering-just a few pics I have taken recently and some random thoughts. I moved the tiered tray with 4th of July items off the foyer table and replaced it with my pretty large Longaberger pitcher filled with flowers I bought myself at the grocery store. The colors of these flowers were so pretty and I hadn't bought live flowers for inside the house in forever so I splurged. I'm so glad I did! I stop and "smell the roses" literally every time I go down the stairs to the basement. The flowers seem to be lasting a long time which is nice. This happens to be a great spot for live flowers because it's in a place that "Little Missy," AKA Cassie, can't climb to get to!
Speaking of flowers, here are my back porch Impatiens. You may recall that, last summer, my Impatiens were huge and mounding and popping up everywhere on our driveway and even between the porch steps! This summer they haven't done that great at all. It's a bit disappointing. I don't pretend to be an expert Gardener but it just seems like one year plants grow well and the next year they don't. Who knows?
We started the summer in a drought and then had days of heavy rain. The zinnias look just terrible. Last summer they were gorgeous. The one plant that has truly excelled this summer is the New Guinea Impatiens you see in this picture. They are a bigger variety of Impatiens and they seem to love this spot on the porch! Go figure! Petunias always look spindly this time of year and I think mine are about finished for the season. But, I hate to get rid of any flower when it still has blooms on it. Never give up hope, right?!
Dollar Tree has already put out their Fall faux flowers and I picked out some stems the last time I was in the store. I'm thinking ahead to Fall decor coming up soon! It always seems exciting to anticipate a new season, doesn't it?
And in "Barbie news" I have been experimenting with sewing some items from patterns I fashioned from a purchased skirt that I took apart and used to trace my own pattern. I'm using fabrics that my friend, Sharon, gave me. I love this skirt fabric with the black turtleneck and heels. I would totally wear this combination myself! And, yes, I know the skirt isn't hemmed yet.
And, I sewed this dress and belt using two different materials that I thought would coordinate well. Again, I would love to wear this dress myself! I'm still experimenting with how to handle necklines and sleeve areas. Doll clothing is on such a small scale that it's hard to know how to handle these areas. I have tried "Fray away" and spray starch and it does help but I need to figure out a better solution. As a relatively new sewer, who never sewed her own clothing, I still have a lot to learn.
I've also done some creative journaling lately using a scripture and hearts that I received at a gathering at a friend's house recently. We were each given a scripture to read and share with the group and pretty paper hearts were scattered on the ground. We were invited to "collect" as many hearts as we wanted to take home with us. I added those hearts around the scripture and then added in some other stickers that I liked. What a pretty journal page and so meaningful! We surely have had some "mighty downpours" of rain this summer!
Until Next Time,
Debbie, This and That