Teleflora.com Mother's Day Giveaway

Pretty exciting things are happening here at the Clothesline! Thanks for stopping by today...I'm hosting a giveaway!
A few weeks ago I was contacted by Teleflora.com. Jacqueline, the writer of Teleflora's Flower Blog, was seeking out mom bloggers to feature during the weeks leading up to Mother's Day. I was chosen to represent the Classic Mom....see me here along with the other moms that were featured. I know, exciting, right?! Because I was chosen, Jacqueline has graciously allowed me to host a giveaway for the beautiful Mom's Butterfly Bouquet.

Now, before I share with you how you can enter to win this gorgeous bouquet let me share a few things about Teleflora.com.
* Their Mother’s Day flower arrangements are a great way to honor Mom and make her feel special. To see them, visit: http://www.teleflora.com/mothers-day-flowers/mothers-day-flower-arrangements-97452_97453c.asp. Just remember to come back here for a chance to win.
*Also, if you want to learn more about Teleflora as a company with the highest of standards and the most beautiful, hand-arranged, and hand-delivered flowers available, then visit: http://www.teleflora.com/abouttf.asp

Okay, are you ready? To enter for a chance to win the Teleflora.com Mother's Day Giveaway just leave a comment on this post. Yep, that's it! One little comment. Come on, you can do it. Tell your family, your friends, your neighbors...everybody loves beautiful flowers! You don't have to have a blog to enter just be sure to tell me who you are so I can contact you if you win. And for fun, nice, sappy, sentimental fun, tell me something special about your mom or grandma in your comment while you're at it. Everyone loves a good mom story.

You can have your name entered into the drawing one extra time if you blog about it on your own blog. Just tell me in your comment if you do so I'll know to enter your name twice.

I'll accept comments until Midnight on Sunday, May 3rd. I'll draw a name and post a winner on Monday morning! (U.S and Canada only)

because i can't resist...

if my girls want to match. It's genetic I think. I matched my sister for as long as I can remember (my mom's doing, of course)...until it wasn't cool anymore. And I always get my girls matching outfits, if at all possible. They love it...for now. They ask to match...but if they want to match me...now that is something special! After I finished my shirt for Spring Top Week (where my shirt is one of several featured for day three)they wanted a shirt, too. Well, for instant gratification I made skirts instead. Easy, quick, done by the end of naptime. One long rectangle with a casing sewn at the top and hemmed at the bottom then one side seam...add some elastic and BAM! you've got a skirt...make that two skirts! Oh, and I had to make little covered button flowers for them, too. I sewed them onto the waistband...cute....and matchy! LoVe It!Now, remember these sweet tops I made for the girls last year? They love them and the tops are cute with denim shorts but oh man, I've had a twirly skirt idea floating around in my head and I just had to make them.
So now they have the cute top AND a wonderfully colorful, light and airy, twirly spring skirt to match!
Hmmm, I wonder if I could get away with wearing a skirt like that...

spring top::complete

I did it! I finished my new top for Spring Top Week hosted by Made By Rae. I used Simplicity 4589...and other than the difficulty of gathers and sewing curves it came together quite nicely. I added a couple of inches to the sleeve length because I'm not a huge fan of cap sleeves. I also added a few inches to the overall length. It's came out a little snug around the..ahem...mid-section so I ripped out the seam at the bottom and sewed it with slits at the hem. Oh, and because I evidently can't sew on a curve there was an obvious unevenness at the neckline so I made a covered button flower out of the same material and pinned it on right over the crooked spot! Clever, right?

Yes, I know the fabric is bright. And really, these shots are quite accurate, color wise. Chartreuse, I believe. Very springy. I wore it yesterday with my light blue skirt which seemed to tone it down nicely. It is very comfy and flattering. And....I got a compliment from a total stranger. She said she really liked my shirt...I said thanks. Tim said...You didn't tell her that you made it? Normally I would, but she was our cashier and there was a line...

I think I'll make another top, but with the square neckline next time.

civil war dress

A few summers ago my mom spent most of her time in front of her sewing machine making this fabulous Civil War Era dress. It turned out absolutely beautiful...and now it's for sale.

FOR SALE: Civil War Dress

The dress is a size 10/12 and the waistband is adjustable with Velcro strips. The material used for the dress and the lining is a cotton/polyester blend. The sleeves are made of a nylon material and are removable if you so desire. The dress needs a hoop skirt to hold it up nicely.

The asking price is $300.00 but other offers will be considered.

The dress is in Virginia but can be shipped. If you live nearby a fitting could be arranged.


If you're interested in purchasing this dress please contact me through email (clotheslinechronicles at gmail dot com) or by commenting on this post and I will give your information to my mom so the negotiations can begin.

vintage patterns...

from my grandma. Are they fabulous or what? I am loving that brown dress in the middle...the collar, those pockets! A bright springy fabric would be perfect! Ooooh, or a nice soft corduroy in the fall. Now I just need to figure out how to adjust it to my size because as far as I can tell I'm not petite!

A plethora of crochet hooks in a variety of sizes and shiny colors, also from my grandma. I can hardly wait to start a new project. Hmmm...what should I make? A headband? A belt? A baby sweater or hat for Theresa's new baby? Oh wait, my little one requested a crocheted dress for her most favorite of dolls. I guess that's a good place to start.

Here's my $7 score. A pattern for the girls...skorts are a must and I want to make them myself....stash busting and all. Two yards of 100% cotton for some light and airy dresses, skirts, or skorts for the girls. I know I'm supposed to use up my stash before I can justify any new fabric purchases but it was only a couple of bucks. It would've been more wrong to not buy it! Oh, yes, the most exciting of all purchases....my first Sugar & Cream 100% cotton yarn! I've been eyeballing it for a while. I've been drooling over it every time I see it in the store. I've been picking up each color then putting it down, then taking the yarn that my girls are now sniffing and hugging and putting that down. No more! This time I chose some colors and bought them for each skein was only 98 cents...how could I not!?! You see, I had to. With my newly acquire hooks I felt very strongly that they should be accompanied by some very yummy yarn.

Alas, it is not all good news today. My most wonderful coffee cup has been broken. I bought this cup when we lived on Moloka'i while I was in the midst of learning how to do Hawaiian quilting. It was the perfect size with the perfect handle. You know what I mean? It traveled from Moloka'i, Hawaii all the way to Virginia--not on a plane with me, but in a box on the slow boat across the Pacific, then on who knows how many planes, trains, or trucks until it finally reached it's final destination in one piece, not even chipped. And here we are seven years later and it's broken. One good thing--I did it myself! I can't be angry at anyone. Tim didn't break it, the girls didn't break it. I broke it while putting the clean dishes away. Grrrr! Well, at least it was just the handle. Now it will be a lovely pencil holder for my desk and possibly the inspiration for some new decorations.

today's load....

• homeschool lessons for both girls:: check
• snack time:: check
• wash dishes:: check
• 5 loads of laundry washed and hung on the line:: check
• removed splinter from crying girl's hand:: check
• successful dandelion hunt:: check
• notice huge pile in my yard (no doubt a gift from neighbor's dog):: check
• pray for extra measure of patience:: check
• fix lunch while girls happily watch part of Jonah:: check
• enjoy cup of hot tea with hubby while girls eat:: check
• pull half-chewed fruit from choking girl's mouth:: check
• wait for heart rate to resume a normal rhythm:: check
• run out to rescue half dried laundry on clothesline from sudden rain shower:: check
• throw a load of semi-dry clothes in dryer:: check
• put girls down for a nap:: check

My, my what a day...and it's only 1:30. I think that extra measure of patience will come in handy as I now hear girls that aren't sleeping....and the sun is shining again. A second cup of tea may be in order.

bountiful belated birthday

Sunday my mom came up for a visit so we could celebrate her birthday. We had the traditional, delicious, packed-full pita sandwiches for lunch with a strong cup of coffee...and some wonderful key lime pie! The weather was nice and warm so we sat out on the porch to eat and chat while the girls took their naps. Now that she's received all of her gifts I can show you some pictures. Here's a picture of the birthday girl holding her handmade gifts and a couple of shots of the other gifts. As you can see, her main gift was the wonderfully big, bright and cheery, Summer Adventures Bag that I made when I participated in the Mystery Purse Sew-Along hosted by Lola...again. It's a huge bag so I filled it with all sorts of goodies.

I found some great things at Joann's to add to my Mom's sewing stash: an irresistible pink tape measure, self-threading needles with a handy magnet, adorable leaf-tipped pins, a bundle of subtle, yet beautifully beach-y, fat quarters, and some small spools of coordinating grosgrain ribbon. I also managed to make a few things, too. First, I embroidered a bookmark. (the idea for that came from SouleMama, remember?)Yep, that's the one I made when I embroidered the girls' bookmarks. It was so fun I just couldn't resist drawing on fabric and making one for my mom. I was pretty pleased with the outcome, although, there's probably not a line of straight stitching to be seen. The second thing I made was a tea wallet. I saw one over at Creative Kismet. I thought it was such a great idea so I just had to try it. My mom drinks tea at work instead of coffee so I thought this would be a good idea. I used all of the coordinating fabrics that I used for the Summer Adventure Bag. I found a cute teacup graphic online, traced it onto the exterior fabric and embroidered it. I was quite amazed that I had the exact color of embroidery floss that I needed already in my stash. I didn't even realize I had a stash of embroidery floss. It's just the little box I've had since, ahem, middle school when I learned to make friendship bracelets. Sheesh! Do I save everything? Don't answer that! Again, the embroidery...not perfect, but I was pleased and I think my Mom was, too. The third thing I made was a huge pin cushion. I had to have a place to stick all of those cute leaf-tipped pins, right? Anyway, I found a great tutorial at Creative Kismet for the patchwork pincushion. However, I didn't read the directions right so my patchwork pincushion has 8 pieces instead of 6....oh well. I also made it bigger because I traced a small plate....8" diameter instead of 6". I love the way it turned out though. I may have to make one for myself!

Because there were so many pockets on the inside of the big bag I had to fill them. I found some great summery fingernail polish to match the tulips on the fabric, some yummy vanilla mint chapstick, and some delicious pink grapefruit tictacs. I threw in a few magazines for good measure and a great set of coupons for Joann's...if you're gonna buy fabric you may as well get a discount, right? So there you have it...a bountiful belated birthday! Mama, I had a great time visiting! Oh, and thanks for the goodies! (yes, my mom brought stuff for me and the girls...books, fabric, yarn, crochet hooks. I know, spoiled rotten!)

Next up....Mother's Day!

update

I just finished cutting the grass (a surprise for Tim who's had a long week) after what seems like weeks of rain. My yard is small so don't be impressed :o) Anyway, the smell of the gasoline that I got on my hands combined with the wonderful aroma of fresh cut grass reminded me of my PopPop..if I only had some cowboy boots to wear..... Then I realized that I hadn't posted any updates lately. He's on the rehabilitation floor of a nursing home right now. He's been making progress: eating better, talking more, remembering names, moving his right side more. All good things. Yesterday though, PopPop had another TIA (mini-stroke) yet he seems to be bouncing back very quickly. I continue to covet your prayers.

sewing in sets

It seems to me that I've been sewing everything in sets lately. Pairs, really. For Easter, along with completely inappropriate amounts of chocolate, I also made my girls some handmade gifts. The first set I made all started with some cute t-shirt knit tops that I got on the clearance rack at Wal-mart. The shirts were originally $9.98 each...I got them for a buck! Yep, one dollar! SCORE!!! And to make the deal even sweeter...the shirts were pink! A while back, I'm not sure when, I came across Orange Flower:Patterns & Tutorials with a super cute embroidery pattern...free for the using, of course. I couldn't resist it...I tried. And you know what? It turned out really cute. I opted for just two chicks (again with the pairs) because there wasn't enough room for all three. I must say that embroidering t-shirt knit is a little weird and took some getting used to, but it turned out just as I had hoped and the girls love them!

The next thing I made for the girls was a set of aprons. My sister-in-law gave me a small hunk of this fabric years ago and I never could decide what to make out of it. Well, you know me and aprons, so I thought that would be a good idea for the girls. And, well, those bunnies were perfect!

Another thing I made for my girls was a crayon roll. Okay, this didn't turn out exactly like I had planned but the girls still like them. I was going to use crayons but then I found twist up crayons...perfect solution for a crayon peeler...but I didn't consider their length. Ugh! They stick out past the top of the fabric and the pockets aren't tall enough so the twist-up crayons flop around....all annoying to me, but the girls don't seem to mind. I think I'll add a strip of coordinating material to the top and maybe a strip of elastic midway up from the pocket then tack it down between each crayon. That should do the trick, right?

The last set of things I made was not for Easter, nor for my girls. I made a new camera strap covers. One for my friend and one for me. What? Sewing for myself? Well, the reason was to practice once before I made a camera strap cover for my friend Kim. She just got a new camera and a beautiful piece of fabric for a strap cover. I didn't want to mess up using her fabric so I just had to make one for my camera as practice first. I used this tutorial from Made By Petchy that I used the first time. It's easy and quick...and it looks so cute. This is Kim's camera with the strap cover...fabulous fabric, right?
This is my camera strap cover. More stash busting! That is some of the material I had left over from Miss O's birthday dress and Theresa's baby gifts. I just love the bright yellow with bumblebees. It's so springy!!!

Kim took this picture of my camera (with her new camera) with it's new strappy goodness...thanks Kim!

What's on your sewing table this spring?

fun, family, flowers

...on the hunt at Grandma and Pop's house...

...cousins on the couch...

...beautifully blooming bulbs...

He is risen!

Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in spring-time. ~Martin Luther

Happy Easter!

i spy...

a deer in the woods::we were both trying to be quiet

a tiny nest in an open field::empty but amazing... made of leaves, twigs, and ... horse hair?

a sweet girl peeking out::sunny laundry days are the best

a determined bubble blower::serious concentration...always followed by a smile

the beautiful colors of spring::grape hyacinth, white hyacinth, red tulips

daffodil debut::bulbs planted 3 years ago...first blooms

spring top week

Oh man, I had so much fun participating in the Mystery Purse Sew-Along with Lola...again that I'm going to join in on Spring Top Week hosted by Made By Rae. Wanna join in the fun? Oh, come on, you know you want a cute, new, springy top. You can use a pattern that you bought, make your own pattern, or for fun you could use an open source sewing pattern from BurdaStyle. There's so much great fabric out there just waiting for you. Now, don't worry, you don't have to make a top from start to finish during Spring Top Week, you just need to finish by then. You can start right now! Yes, now! Go ahead. Grab your car keys and go to the fabric store or dig through your stash, choose something fabulous and dive right in! I'll be using a pattern that I purchased last fall when there was a huge sale...Simplicity 4589. I think it'll be a fun little top, plus I have the perfect fabric in my stash so it'll be super springy!Made By Rae also has a free pattern available on her blog for a cute little purse call the Buttercup Bag. I may have to make a matching bag to go with the spring top. Ya know, with all my leisure time. HA!

busy as a bee

I've been busy sewing some baby gifts for a dear friend...busy making--

a teeny, tiny simple kimono wrap::tutorial by Habitual

(a wonderful, free pattern that turns out great every time)

a sweet pair of kimono baby shoes::free pattern by HomespunThreads

(an easy pattern to follow IF you read the directions correctly--ahem--the first time....if I make these again I may use flannel for the inside to give them some cushion and softness)

a two-handled, slightly smaller Kidlet Tidy Tote::tutorial by JChandmade
(always a great bag to make--love it!)

a sweet little bird with a bell inside for baby to enjoy::free pattern by Spool
(these turn out great every time and they are so easy to make)

So what do you get when you make all of those things? An adorable set of goodies for a baby that will enter a home with more love than she'll know what to do with!

a special day--indeed

Happy Birthday Mama!

I hope you have a wonderful day that starts with a great cup of coffee and a classroom full of extraordinarily obedient children and ends with a fancy seafood dinner and a delicious slice of key lime pie.
And as is tradition in our house, may I present....The Beatles.

Okay, this one, the girls insisted I include as well. They couldn't stop giggling!

time flies

Guess what?! Today is April 1st. I know, I know, April Fool's Day....not one of my favorite days, but you know what else today is? It's the one year anniversary of this here blog! Clothesline Chronicles is one year old. Crazy, huh? Click here to see the very first post ever. My girls have grown so much, we've accomplished a lot, things have changed, I've changed. I've grown and changed as a wife, a mom, a daughter, a friend. I have strengthened family bonds, made new friends in blogland (some here in this very town and some as far away as Norway!), built stronger relationships with some dear friends. I've been encouraged and challenged to do more and sometimes to do nothing at all. Action is sometimes required so as not to miss an opportunity to help those around you, but stillness is sometimes needed so as not to miss what's right in front of you. So I celebrate this year of Clothesline Chronicles. What fun it has been so far! I'd like to do a little giveaway to commemorate the moment...that might have to wait a little while because I've got girls growing like weeds, family that needs encouragement, and friends that are beginning new chapters. I'll let you know when I have a giveaway...more than likely it'll be when the sun is consistently warm so that my sewing machine and I can spend some quality time together on the front porch during naptime.

(this picture is from last April)

So, thanks so much for reading my ramblings and leaving comments. I can't wait to see what this year has in store for us.