A Journaling we go...

I have a friend named Leslie that has the most amazing store! It's a home dec fabric store in Shelbyville, KY. BUT before you go and say "OH, I'm not into that", you need to know that her fabrics and her trims are second to none - even for a dollmaker.
In the back of the shop is an old bathtub where all the scraps are kept. She also has a bin with the littlest pieces in there. You can walk out with literally an armload of fabric for $10.00.

Having amassed this great collection of upholstery bits n bobs, I often wondered what to do with them. I'm wondering no more. I'm making journals!

At first, I was afraid that the fabric would be too thick - it's not!

Let me share with you my journal!

The cover:



The inside pocket:



And the back:



Isn't this awesome?

I think they will make great gifts - especially with photos and memories tucked inside.

OH - and the name of the shop in Shelbyville, KY is "Making Ends Meet". If you're ever in the area, please stop by. I can guarantee your first stop will not be your last.

Finally!

I can now share my pictures with you!

Here is the cover of the journal:


And here is a shot of the inside:


I'm also working on a sketchbook cover and a memory book cover.

This is such a cool class. Check it out at suebleiweiss.typepad.com.

Capture the Moments

I've come to realize the past few days that I don't do a very good job of journaling. My kids have pestered me to write down what little I know of our family history (I'm only second generation American, and we know very little of our ancestors past my grandparents) and there is SO much I want to capture - not only for my kids, but for myself.

I signed up to take a journal making class from Sue Bleiweiss. It's been fantastic with easy to follow instructions and Sue is very accessible and very patient with all our questions.

I wanted to share my very first journal with you! I actually made it for my daughter who is studying Japanese at Indiana University and will be headed to Nagoyo, Japan for her senior year.

Here's the cover:

OK - Blogger is being an idiot again and will not let me upload any pix. Hold that thought - I'll be back later.

In Memory...

It is so amazing the love and fun a dog can bring into your life. It is also amazing the pain that losing that dog can bring to your heart...

My daughter fell in love with Beagles when we were watching Westminster Kennel Club dog show. We've been watching since 1993. When the opportunity to get a Beagle puppy came up, I took it.

Taffy was born on December 30 1995. She was one of 3 girls and 1 boy in her litter. When we went to visit and choose our pup, we were taken with the male. However, Taffy decided that she wanted to come home with us. We listened to her.

She was immediately drawn to my daughter. She followed her everywhere. I even credit Taffy with saving her life. One cold winter day, Taffy was stood in front of Danielle's closed bedroom door. It was 10:00 at night and 7 year old Danielle had been asleep for 2 hours. I told Taffy to get in her bed, but she didn't budge. I said it even more sternly - she still didn't budge. As I started down the hall to bring Taffy to bed - I heard Danielle struggling to breathe. Her severe asthma had kicked in and she couldn't yell for help. If Taffy hadn't been so stubborn...

Taffy developed arthritis as she aged. Who doesn't? Rimadyl and glucosamine helped her to feel like a pup again. In true Beagle fashion, she loved chasing birds and squirrels, running down the yard AROOOOOing at the top of her lungs. But her favorite time of day was dinner time. She never met a food she didn't like.

This past weekend, she began to stumble then did nothing but walk in circles. When we managed to get her to the vet, xrays revealed a damaged spinal cord. Was it degenerative disease? Was it an injury? We will never know. All we know is that she was in extreme pain and drugs did not help.

The vet's words were harsh - even with surgery, there was no chance for a pain free existence. The nerve damage would be permanent. The pain in her eyes was obvious - and heartbreaking. We did the only thing we could do...

Taffy - you brought joy and laughter into our lives. You were a clown in a fur coat and a beloved member of the family. You have left a hole in our lives and our hearts that will not be filled. I hope you are able to run and howl without pain now.

We love you!

Down but not Out...

I know it's been a LOOOONG time since I've posted, but I've been down and out with a bad back. It's very painful to sit for very long, which is why I haven't been in front of the computer. I'm slowly mending and hope I will be back to normal soon.
I did manage to get in a class with my fellow dollmakers, the Circle City Cloth Dollmakers in Indianapolis. I know I don't live in Indy, but this awesome and talented group of ladies have adopted me. We had a two day workshop with Jean Bernard the last weekend of March. If you ever have a chance to take a class from Jean - DO IT! Not only is she an incredibly talented individual, but she's the nicest person you would ever want to meet! I learned SO much and had a great time doing it.

The workshop was Jean's chair - I will leave you with the following eye candy - some of the chairs from the workshop.

Enjoy!

This is my chair:



This is Sandy's chair:



This is Julie's chair:



And this is Jean showing us the fine points of chair making!



See you soon - in better shape (I hope).