Severe Blog Neglect!

Hello to all of my sweet bloggy friends! I have finally completed something! Yay me! It's funny, but I thought being unemployed meant I was going to have a spotless house, finished projects, lunches packed, dinner on the table by 5:30, dogs bathed, lunch dates with girlfriends, garden weeded, daily walks taken, plenty of time and energy for "on side business" (watch Australia.....then you'll understand!)with my hubby, house painted, books read, lots of quiet time, and last but not least, my blog would flourish!!! Somehow, not being at the ole 9-5 job became busier than when I worked!! How'd I do that?? I think I put sooooo many pressures on myself! Do you guys do that? I guess that is a woman thing! Enough rambling on....Here's the latest little creation! I am totally crushing on this one!! I can see how much my sewing skills grow with each new project I tackle.

Check out the magnetic snap and cute green lining and pocket fabric!


Speaking of the movie Australia, I had the rare joy of having all of my babies home on Saturday!! We had a fabulous dinner (Chicken Fried Steak, yummmmmm) and kicked back to watch a movie together! Did I mention that we pigged out on brownies and ice cream too!! I love family time! (notice my dog baby is in the middle of the mix!)



**NOTE** hubs says I misquoted the movie....he said it is "wrong side business" not as I said "on side business"...hmmmmf! I am still looking for a way to incorporate the quote "big fat cheeky bull" from the movie into my blog! ha!****

And the Winner is......

And the lucky winner of My 1st Giveaway is......Nikki from the Blah, Blah, Blah Blog. Everyone head over to Nikki's blog to tell her congrats!! WOW! What a fun first for me! Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

I have finished up the purses for Little Missy's 16th Birthday!


This one is lined in brown and this print is soooo fab!!!! It is super roomy and double reinforced seams soo she can load ALL of her stuff in this bag!! :)


This Vans inspired bag is a bit shorter and I toyed with a stiffer interfacing to give it more oooomph! It doesn't photograph well....my camera had trouble focusing on this print!...I added an elastic loop on the seam of the back panel and now need to add a BIG button on the front to finish the closure! What do you guys think about adding a different color BIG button like bright yellow of blue to make it a bit more funky??

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Lotsa New SITStas!

I had such a blast meeting all of the SITS girls on Tuesday! Giveaways GALORE!! It was literally an all day party! What fun! By Tuesday night I wasn't feeling too well. Too much party?? Actually I caught some kind of nasty bug from the hubs and am just now getting my strength back! Talk about a party pooper!

I will draw for my giveaway tomorrow! My sweet newbie blogger friend, Sami will be coming over to help me with that!

Tonight I got a sudden burst of strength and starting working vigorously on some projects for the Little Missy's 16th Birthday!! She is the biggest fan of my purses, and is always trying to sneak away with them soooooo...here's a teeny little sneak peek of a couple I am working on for her.


This is such a poor picture but this bag is coming together BEATIFULLY!! **squeeeeels**


You would have to understand how nutso my teen is about Vans to understand the true beauty of the fabric I chose for this bag!
look closely to see even the socks are vans!

Enough babbling on....I have to get out there and leave some late night comment love for some of my new friends!!

Here's a pic of the new friends I made on the way to the mailbox today.

My 1st GIVE AWAY! Brown & Aqua Yo-Yo Bangle!!

The SITS girls are having a Spring Fling!! With tons of giveaways!!! Soooo...I decided it was the right time to do a little giving myself!! Since this super cutee brown and aqua bracelet has really gotten a lot of attention on my etsy shop, I thought it would be the best one to give away!!



I am sooo loving how great these yo yo's came out on the fabric wrapped bangle!

Comment this post for one entry. Follow this blog for 5 entries. Post about my giveaway on your blog for 2 more entries! I will draw an entry on Friday and announce the winner Friday night!!

Mental Blogging A.K.A. Talking to Yourself

Am I the only one that mentally blogs?? Oh come on...You know what I mean! You are driving down the road, taking the dogs for a walk or waiting in line in the grocery store and a great blog idea unfolds. There you are, mentally jotting down the whole post. Tell me I'm NOT the only one! I do it ALL THE TIME....so much so, that I believe I have told you guys things when actually I haven't! I decided it was high time I tell you a few things I have obviously NOT told you in real life! Just know I am always talking to you guys in my head! (does that make me crazy?)

Thought I showed you this:

My mission style coffee table that I repainted for a more cottage style!!


Or these curtain rods made from broomsticks...betcha wondered what happened to the ragballs from this post, huh?

silly me....can't believe I didn't show you THAT!!

Remember how I talked about how fabulous my aqua and brown bedroom was gonna be?? Well....after an unfortunate accident with an ink pen in the washer WITH with my bedding, my room may have to take on a whole new color scheme!! I am mad at aqua and brown and am not ready to kiss and make up! My new best friend might be red and ivory toile! (NO I am not willing to consider counseling for me and ole a&b! sometimes it is just best to say farewell!)


This one was really big! Remember when I told you about my Christmas Toy

well....she didn't last!!! I broke two things off of it by mid January!! Sears stood behind the product and gave me the cash back!! YAY Sears!!!
My new, new toy looks like this:

My sweet Wilson went off to college with my oldest daughter! I do miss that pain in the bootie! (the dog not the daughter....geez guys!)**more clarification needed here...I miss them both but only one of them is a pain! heeeheee** I would have a pic of the two happy roommates here.................

but Meggie still hasn't sent me ANY!!

I have a new obsession with drinking lemon water

...just thought you might want to know....

I made my sweet Little Missy two purses

one super cute plaid one for her trip last weekend and a lightweight, soft "flour sack" style one for everyday.

Remember the rockin' Amy Butler fabric and pattern that I got on my Birthday??? Well here it still sits...

I cut out the pattern but that is as far as I get....I am intimidated...Ms. Butler stop bullying me!!

Ok, I think you guys are all caught up now!!!

Weebles Wobbles and Failing Forward

Are you a child of the 70's like me?? Did you ever play with Weebles?? We called them "Weeble Wobbles" Remember the slogan from tv?? "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down"?


Wikipedia defines Weebles as children's roly-poly toys shaped like eggs with a weight at the fat, or bottom end, they wobble when pushed, but never fall completely over. How funny is that??? I feel like a Weeble Wobble...roly-poly and weighted at my fat end! I wobble when pushed but NEVER fall completely over!! Mind you, I belive I have kissed the earth on a few of those wobbles, but never stayed down!

One of my all time fav authors, Dr. John C. Maxwell recently wrote an article entitled "Failing Forward" that really struck a chord with me.


He told how Vincent Van Gogh failed as an art dealer, flunked his entrance exam to theology school, and was fired by the church. He also explained that Albert Einstein was expelled from school and even failed his college entrance exam!!! I couldn't believe it when I read that Michael Jordan was cut from his sophomore basketball team!! WOW! Some would say these guys were FAILURES!! Thank the Lord their stories didn't end there.....And neither does mine!!!! In a failing economy I was recently layed off from my job. (I definitely wobbled then!) But I can't let that become who I am! Maxwell goes on to say that "failure didn't stop Vincent Van Gogh from painting, Albert Einstein from theorizing, or Michael Jordan from playing basketball, but it has paralyzed and prevented countless others from reaching their potential." I will not be paralyzed by my latest encounter!!! Will you??? What has happened in your life lately that has made you feel like a failure?? Made you feel like you are wobbling? Like your little weeble self might not wobble back upright? Will you let this event define "who" you are??? NOT ME!!! Maxwell goes on to say: "In the face of adversity, shortcomings, and rejection, they (achievers)hold onto self-believe and refuse to see themselves as failures."



Maxwell gives seven principles for "Failing Forward"

Reject Rejection
I will not base my self-worth on my performance. I will maintain a healthy self-image.(ooops...does that mean no more roly-poly/fat end jokes??) I will learn from my mistakes!


Don't Point Fingers
If I blame and point fingers at others I become a victim!! I will take personal responsibility for my decisions!! Cuz, GUURL!! I am no one's victim!!!


See Failure as Temporary
I am not permanently stuck in the current failure! It is TEMPORARY!!
I will not wallow in failure, I WILL look forward to success. Maxwells words: "By putting mistakes into perspective, achievers are able to see failure as a momentary event, not a symptom of a lifelong epidemic." Now that's just good....

Set Realistic Expectations
Unrealistic goals doom people to failure...... nuff said...chew on that for a minute!

Focus on Strengths
Don't invest time on trying to change your flaws while not spending time investing in your strengths. I loveeeee how Maxwell sums this up: "You're built to give your talents to the world; be diligent about finding expressions for them in your career."


Vary Approaches to Achievement
"In the Psychology of Achievement, Brian Tracy writes about four millionaires who made their fortunes by age 35. On average, these achievers were involved in 17 businesses before finding the one that took them to the top. They kept trying and changing until they found something that worked."

Bounce Back
I will have a short memory when it comes to my failures!! I will not let the memories of my mistakes eat away at my self confidence!! I will quickly forget the negative emotions of setbacks and press forward resiliently. I will remember that the past can not be altered but I can learn from it!!



Maxwell sums up his article with this:

"I believe it's nearly impossible for any person to believe he or she is a failure and move forward at the same time. For those who have been downsized, let go, or bankrupted, the temptation may be to internalize failure. My hope is that anyone who has suffered setbacks recently will be able to separate life's unfortunate events from their self-worth. Failure, like death and taxes, will happen. Your response to failure holds the key to your future."

Wow! Has he been readin' my mail, or what!?? Couldn't have come at a better time!!
Just remember if we are like those little Weebles and just keep bouncing back, with good attitudes and belief in ourselves we too can wobble back upright!!!






You can read the full article at Giantimpact.com or Maxwell has a book entitled "Failing Forward" also available.

Back in the Saddle Again!

Ok Guys! I had lunch with a gal pal today and then went thrifting with another friend. WOW! I can say that today is the first day that I really stopped and enjoyed NOT working the ole 9-5er!!!! I kept having to "retrain" my brain.....I mean.....I always spent my lunch hour looking in these places and having to hurry! I had to tell myself a hundred times today...."you have time....stop, take your time and enjoy"!!

Thought you might enjoy seeing a few of my finds!!


I found these little ribbon belts for .75 cents! I'm thinking the blue one and the solid red one will make dandy purse straps!! and the "D" rings are great for purse making!!! and Oh boy, Oh boy I loveeee those little bamboo rings! Watch for those to show up on a bag real soon!

Aren't these just the sweetest little vintage hot pan holders?

And look at these super huge wooden purse handles!! These may be on the first purse I make!! Only one problem....I MAY not be able to give this one up!!!!



I fell in loveee with this small decor shelf!! I think I will remove the metal detail and put a vintage fabric over it instead...what do you think??? I'm kinda diggin the blue paint and will probably leave it be.


Here's a pic of all of my thrift store find this week! Do you see those fabulous brown and orange placemats???? I'm thinkin' apron!!! and check out the red/yellow/navy combo placemats with red and yellow napkins! I love those! Did anyone notice the wood bread box?? and YES another chandy!! YAY!!


I can just hear Gene Autry singing the words now..."Back in the Saddle Again....out where a friend is a friend......"

I had a blast and am feeling more like myself than ever!!! I have enjoyed taking care of my family a lot more!! Yay for MOMs!!!



ps...have you checked out my etsy shop yet?? SHAME ON YOU! go check it....dottiepearldesigns.etsy.com