Birthday reflections and progress on the jacket

Thank you for the birthday wishes! It really was a wonderful beginning to my birthday month :-)

• Co-workers surprised me with homemade mango cheesecake and black birthday balloons.
• Hubby surprised me with a gift for my sewing studio - a small flat screen TV with a DVD player...now I can actually follow along with all of those Sandra Betzina sewing instructional DVDs I own
• Best friend sent a wonderful card with a beautiful handwritten note - brought tears to my eyes.
• Daughter surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered to my office and showed up later with a favorite DVD to add to my collection.
• Son and girlfriend treated me to a facial and pedicure at the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis Aveda
• Family members gathered together and called to sing happy birthday
  

See what I mean? It was the best birthday ever - or should I say so far? From what everyone's been telling me, it only gets better after 50.

In between the busy weekend, I did manage to find a little more time to work on the turquoise jacket. The lining is pinned in place so I only need to do a bit of hand sewing, add a buttonhole, sew on a button and do some serious steaming as this fabric holds wrinkles more than I had anticipated. Anyway, another jacket almost completed.

Now, on to the tropical print dress for this weekend's party... Pin It

Flashback Friday - July 4, 1960 - Happy Birthday to me (and America)

SHARON~2
Originally uploaded by Sharon Sews

July 4, 1960

The family gathers at Grandpa an Grandma's house along with the two uncles. They've either returned from a weekend at the cabin or will soon be heading out as the boat is outside.

Big brother is busy setting off his rockets and baby sister, who isn't shown in this clip (sorry, S!) is probably sitting on mom's lap, while little Shari-Kari (my grandma's nickname for me) is busy toddling around twisting her hair, wearing a fabulous 1960s full-skirted dress. The baby doll must have been a birthday gift because she doesn't leave my arms for too long.

Dad teases me by pretending to not give me my baby doll - which results in a foot stomp. To this day makes my father chuckle when I unconsciously do it when I don't get my way. I guess we all have a two-year-old tucked inside of us don't we?

Apparently some time after this video was shot, I was bit by a spider or stung by a bee, which resulted in huge swelling and a ruined birthday party. Perhaps that explains my extreme fear of any kind of bees or wasp. My brother says he remembers feeling really badly for me because I was hurt - isn't it great to have a big brother!

This Flashback Friday is for me. Today as I celebrate my 50th birthday, I can look back and know that I am blessed to be part of this wonderful family. Pin It

Dogs on Thursday - a dog left behind

Do you ever read something and exclaim to yourself "what's wrong with people?!?"

I had one of those moments last night when I was browsing the Etsy forum (yea, yea, I know...I said I was going to sew instead of surf) when I saw this heading "Would you like a dog?"

Of course I had to read the post because my mind was busy trying to figure out how the post could possibly be related to selling or buying on Etsy. (Turns out I had been browsing the etc. forum so it had nothing to do with buying or selling on Etsy.)

The post read:

My friend's brother and his fiance just bought a house that came with an unexpected bonus. The people who owned the house before (dead beats) left their dog. My friend's brother and his fiance just bought a house that came with an unexpected bonus. The people who owned the house before (dead beats) left their dog. The dog is a male chow chow mix, about 50 or more pounds, friendly, and also extremely well behaved. It basically looks like a lion (when his hair is long -- he was bathed and groomed yesterday), and he is very very cute. They don't have time to take care of a dog and are going to have to give him up to animal control where it will surely be destroyed, so..............if you have ever had the desire to have a really awesome looking and well behaved dog for free, now is your chance.

Seriously, what is wrong with people? How could someone knowingly leave their pet behind when they moved! That poor dog.

Here's the link to the thread with photos of that absolutely adorable dog. I do hope they take him to a no-kill shelter...

(More Dogs on Thursday posts here) Pin It

Vintage apron giveaway over at Vintage Indie

Instead of doing a lot of sewing this week I've been catching up on reading blogs and surfing the net. Well, I should say I've been surfing the net in between preparing the house for the big birthday bash that's happening soon. Nothing like a big open house/party to force you to get your house in tip top shape.

Reading the posts from the numerous blogs that I follow is how I came across the Rick Rack Attack Swanky Swag Giveaway over at Vintage Indie. If you like vintage aprons you'll want to stop over there and enter ... and you have until Thursday, July 3 (11:59 EST) so you still have time to get some sewing done before jumping over to enter the giveaway.

And tonight? No surfing! I'll be working on my turquoise jacket so I can move onto the coordinating knit top. Pin It

$3 Back Issue Sale at Stampington & Company

You know, home of the fabulous eye-candy magazines including Altered Couture, Artful Blogger, Somerset Studio, and Belle Amoire. Oh, there's just so many more. All filled with gorgeous photographs and inspiring art projects ...

Sewing is not my only creative outlet. Recently I've been experimenting with altered art - both with textile and with paper - and I find the Stampington & Co. publications very inspiring.

So anyway, I was on their website debating with myself as to whether or not I actually needed a subscription to any/all of the above magazines (the "no, you do NOT need another magazine subscription" won over the whiny "but I want it", just in case you were wondering) But, then, out of the corner of my eye I spotted the words "$3 back issue sale" and, before I could begin another internal debate with myself, I had a number of back issues ordered and paid for.

Now don't get too excited because not all of the magazines aren't actually on sale for $3. However they are all cheaper than list price and if you're missing any back issues now is the time to order them. Pin It