Happy 19th Anniversary

Happy 19th Anniversary to my DH. I love you.

You make life grand.

What would I do without you and sweet Ben?

Gift swap gift

I recently participated in the Etsy Texas Crafters April Color Green Gift swap. My partner was Jaclyn of the etsy shop Jaclyn43552. She sells charming hand knit and sewn items for baby.

Our task was to use the color green predominantly in our gift. After reading Jaclyn's profile and visiting her blog, I discovered that she likes to bake. So, of course, I had to make her an apron. Funny thing is, she made me one too!

Here is the cute green apron I got from Jaclyn.

It is a gardening apron but I think I will also use it at craft shows. It's perfect for holding money and pens, etc. She attached a key holder and put in 3 pockets. The fabric is very durable and washable so I should get lots of use out of it. Thanks Jaclyn!

Now, here is the apron I sent Jaclyn. It's a half apron similar to the full aprons I sell in Handmade Whimzy but without the bib. I hand embroideried the "J" onto the pocket. I also sent her 2 of my families favorite recipes - the Peanut Butter Bars that I've shared on this blog and also my Buttermilk Pie recipe (my son's favorite).

I think this half apron turned out really cute. Mayhaps, I'll start offering them in my shop.:)

My new Janome!!!!!!

I'm so excited, I'm about to hyperventilate!
I complain at home and to friends all the time about my sad sewing machine. It actually belongs to my mother. She bought it YEARS ago at Big Lots. It was one of those super cheap Singer "specials" that they have sometimes. Anyhoo, she has left it at my house all these years. I don't think she has ever used it - even 1 time.

So when I started sewing again last year, of course I used it - because I don't actually have a machine. Or I didn't :)

Well, as thankful as I am to have a machine to sew on, it's a really crummy machine. Singer used to be the best brand out there but according to all the reviews I've been reading the past few days, that has really changed. Now they are not very reliable and poorly made. My machine won't even sew more than 3 layers of thin cotton fabric without having to manually manipulate the needle and pull the fabric through. It's very frustrating.

So every spring I usually do the Azalea Trails Arts and Crafts show in our area and I do really well at it. I had planned to use that money to buy a new machine. But I couldn't - and why you ask?? Because it snowed! The show was snowed out.

But my DH (who I love tremendously) has helped me scrap enough money together to get a new machine. I had exactly $400 to spend ($50 was a b-day gift from my in-laws - THANK YOU!)I did tons of research over the last few days, read a bunch of threads, looked at prices. I found a Singer with lots of bells and whistles but also lots of bad reviews from buyers who hated it. It was tempting to buy because who doesn't want bells and whistles? But I didn't want to get stuck with another crummy machine.

I finally settled on the Janome DC2010. There is a local store that carries Janome, so I went on by there this morning to check them out. And I bought it!!

It's so awesome! I'm so excited!! I got it for about $30 cheaper than the internet price PLUS I'm getting my old machine serviced for FREE (a $70 value). How about that?

I've got it set up but I think I'm almost too excited to use it. I'm going to take a deep breath and go thread my new machine. YAYYYYYY!!!!

1 more day left for my sale!

Only 1 more day left for my 15% off sale at Handmade Whimzy. All items in my shop are 15% off until midnight, Sunday night.

Also, I'd like to give a shout out to amberike who has included my black flower hair pins in her really pretty etsy treasury. Thanks Amberike! She has some really sweet hair accessories in her shop as well. Check her out.

Click the picture to go to the treasury.

Happy Earth Day!

Today is the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day.

I've decided to have a sale to celebrate. What better way to celebrate Earth Day than by shopping? LOL

So I'm having 15% off all items at Handmade Whimzy. Sale goes until midnight on Sunday, April 25th.

It's Green in Texas by Gemuine Creations

Steph of GemuineCreations has been busy again! She is on fire with treasuries!

Her latest uses shades of green and features all members of Etsy Texas Crafters. Thanks so much for featuring my Funky Dots apron.

Please check out her treasury and click and comment.

I've been blessed with treasuries!

Clean as a Whistle from Beth at Corkycrafts.

Thanks so much for including my hair pins, Beth! You rock!