Our First Normal-Sized Cucumbers

Finally!

What I've been working on...

July is almost over.  I can hardly believe it!  This has been a wonderful month for me.  It is amazing how inspiring rest can be.  I am practically overflowing with new ideas for garments, paintings, songs--you name it.  I need to take time off more often! ;)

So here's a little peak at what I have been working on sewing-wise lately:

1. Transformed Muumuu

This muumuu was picked up at a local thrift store.  There were several elements that I really liked about it--the cool zipper/zipper pull, the trimmed pockets, and of course the lovely fabric!  I thought it would be a great candidate for transformation...and it was.

The sleeves are still unfinished because I cannot decide exactly what I want to do with them.  I still have the original sleeves, but I am thinking I might just keep it cap-sleeved.  Except cap-sleeves do not look very good on me.  Ah well--we'll see what happens with that.  I'll post more pics when it's all finished!

2. Tucked and Tied Blouse

I have just started work on this blouse.  The fabric is a vintage silk print that I found at an antique shop in Alabama.  It has the most beautiful drape and feel, not to mention a charming print!  I have drafted the pattern using a vintage design as my inspiration (Simplicity 3401, version 1).  I made the tucks a little smaller on the blouse front--more like pin tucks (about 1/4" wide), and have lengthened it a bit.  It will have a side zip.  I am very excited about this one, and will post more pics of the process as I have them.

So that's what I've been working on. :)

Have a fantastic day!

Bessie

Growth, Life, Summer.

I haven't posted much this month because I have been working very hard to organize my art and sewing room.  I am happy to say that it is *almost* finished!  There are so many projects and ideas to post about, but for now, please enjoy a few pictures of summer at the Miller house. :)

Rose of Sharon

Rousseau

Desmond (who needs a bath!)

Yellow Beans (like green beans, only yellow)

One of my favorite flowers: Nasturtiums

Sunflowers and Zinnias (which are a LOT bigger now--they've grown about 10" in only a week!)

Baby Hollyhocks

My herb garden (Lemon mint, chives, and sage have been added since this picture was taken)

Baby Dahlias

Baby Cucumbers  (maybe these won't be crazy-looking)

Rose of Sharon II

The Art Room...so far.  Trust me, it's an organized mess. :)

~Bessie

Back Home.

Home.  Ah, how I love to be home.  And oh, how I love having the summer off!

Davis and I had a wonderful time on our travels out west.  We attended a dear friend's wedding in Arizona, visited the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam, played the penny slots in Las Vegas (woo-hoo!), and spent time with Texas family that we love very much.  All in all, we drove close to 5,000 miles and through 6 different states.  It was quite an adventure!

One of my favorite little side-trips we made was to the Petrified Forest National Park.  We passed by a sign for it on our way through Arizona, and I got very excited because I have an old Bette Davis/Leslie Howard movie called The Petrified Forest.  The movie is very dramatic and romantic...I love it.  I had no idea that the petrified forest actually existed!

As a side note, The Petrified Forest was Humphrey Bogart's first movie!

This movie was the inspiration behind the corduroy jumper I made last year.  Bette's character wears a really cute little jumper in the movie (you can see a bit of it in this picture) The style that I made is a couple decades later than Bette's, but I really love how it turned out. ;)

Me on a petrified log!

Anywho, the Petrified Forest was really cool.  Do you know what petrified wood is?  I'm sure I learned about it sometime in the past, but definitely did not remember.  In case you are interested, allow me to educate you. 

A petrified tree (or wood) is an ancient tree that has been buried deeply in oxygen-free, mineral-rich sediment for a loooonnnngggg time.  Over many (many) years, the silica (quartz) and other minerals crystallize within the cellular structure of the tree.  The crystal gradually grows and takes the place of organic matter as it decays, turning the tree into solid stone.  Petrified wood is made up of clear and smoky quartz, purple amethyst, and yellow citrine. (Info from nps.gov: http://www.nps.gov/pefo/naturescience/petrified-wood.htm) 

The neatest thing to me is that there is an ancient forest of petrified trees--thousands of them--right smack in the middle of the dry, dusty Arizona desert!  How amazing to think that the desert of Arizona was once a lush, tree-friendly place.  It's really mind-boggling.

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So! Another highlight from our trip is an AMAZING Salvation Army find.  Are you ready for this?

AHHH!!!  (Pardon the funky face here--I really was excited about wearing this darling 1940's dress!)

And the back... (only missing one button back there)

Complete with peplum.  Need I say I am happy with this find?

Many thanks to my second cousin Becky who took Davis and I around to the local thrift shops in TX! 

There are so many things to say about our adventure--so many stories and memories and pictures.  I won't try and relay them all here in anything but this:

It was a delight.

I hope you are all having an equally delightful summer so far!

Love,

Bessie

p.s. A.G.-- our cucumbers are still round and yellow--even the straight eights!  *Sigh*  I guess we won't be making any pickles this fall year...;)