I've Been Published

I was very excited to get my advance copy of Apronology in the mail last week.  If you click on the image to the left it will take you directly to the site where you can order your very own copy.

Today is the official day it has hit the newsstands.  

As of today I can say that I have been published for the very first time.  Check mark that on my Bucket List!

Back, in the summer of 2010, I submitted 3 of my custom designed vintage aprons to the magazine.  I found out in October that I had one of those chosen to be published.

My Simple yet Sophisticated apron can be found on page 50 and 51 of the current issue.

Thanks for visiting,

Danine

The Love Tree

My friend, Angie, always has these wonderful ideas.  She is continually posting amazing decorating projects and ways to organize over at her blog, Echoes of Laughter.  

So...last week she shows off her super cute "Tree of Love" craft project.  I decided that is was so great that I needed to tackle it too.  

I made it a project my boys could all be involved in.  One helped me adhere vellum sticky letters to the flower pot, 2 of them trooped outside with me, in snow to their hips, to find the perfect branches to snap off trees in the yard, and they all had their chance to pick out 3 baby pictures of themselves.  We matted all the photos and added a little valentine bling.  Now I was short on a couple of items and so it was time to make a real fast trip into the dollar store. 

Here is how the Love Tree turned out.  

And here is what my van looks like after that quick trip to the dollar store.  

It was a very icy day and I managed to slide through a stop sign in the parking lot just as another car was coming around the corner.  And to top it off, the store did not have the clothespins that I was going there to get in the beginning!  I carried on to another store and decided I was not going home until I had what I needed and that cute little project would be finished before I went to bed.  

Hope this brought a little laugh out.

Thanks for visiting, 

Danine  

Embossed Valentine's Card

Today I am sharing the card I made with my stamping technique group last week.  The technique showcased this month was embossing.  The elegant lines embossing folder by Stampin' Up! was used on very vanilla and then the edges were distressed with scissors and inked with soft suede.

I stamped the flower in riding hood red and and "i love you" in chocolate chip.  It was fast and easy to  use the square punch and create the perfect square.  I then added a chocolate chip mat behind my square and distressed those edges as I had with the vanilla mat.

Cherry cobbler seam binding was tied around the bottom of the card front before being adhered to the crumb cake base.  The stamp set used was Three little words which can be earned FREE when you spend $60.00 on Stampin' Up! product until March 31, 2011.   There is a Sale A Bration promotion going on right now and I can teach you how to take advantage of that.

Thanks for visiting,

Danine

Tea Party Hostess

Who would not want to be the Hostess of a quaint little Tea Party wearing this apron?  This apron represents everything feminine and dainty.  As a mother of 4 very young boys I enjoy escaping to my craft room and creating one of a kind masterpieces that I can wear and enjoy.  Looking pretty in one of these creations gives me the renewed energy to carry though my busy days.  I love sharing my passion with others and this is one way I have chosen to follow in doing just that.  My typical preferred look usually involves softer earth element colors with that worn vintage look.  Although I do stretch myself to create aprons of completely different styles.     

In this Apron, perfect to host a Tea Party, everything has been repurposed.  The apron base was once a skirt found at a local thrift shop, the cream overlay is a combination of 2 table napkins sewn together with a few pin tucks.  These napkins journeyed across the country from eastern Canada to the western prairies and were gifted from my Mother.  The pink ties are constructed from leftover quilting cotton my mom had made a quilt 10 years ago (a quilt for me that is used each day).  Vintage buttons were an amazing find at an antique sale just recently.

As much as I love wearing an apron around the house I wish it were acceptable to wear one anywhere my days took me.  It shows the true inner spirit of how I feel and I believe if you feel good and inspired then others can sense it and then they suddenly feel good too.  

I had gathered a few items to start this design that sat on my craft table for nearly 2 months before I had a chance to sit and work.  I did not have a clear vision of what the final apron would be, only that I liked the colors.  Once I sat down the ideas started flowing and I had a very hard time stopping to go to bed.  I stitched to the wee hours of the morning which is not in the schedule of having 4 little boys under age 6 very early each morning!  However, the energy gained from this creation worked to my advantage in facing those smiling faces just a few hours after I laid down.

The name for this apron was the baby girl name I did not have the chance to use.  With all the testosterone in our house I need every bit of girl, frill, daintiness and Grace I can find.     

Thanks for visiting

Danine

Simple yet Sophisticated

This sleek and minimal white design personifies elegant sophistication to me.  It has been designed as a modern interpretation of a classical style, reminiscent of the 1920’s.  A white batten-burg lace duvet and pillowcase were repurposed to create this unique piece. 

I received a duvet and matching pillow case from a woman who felt that their intended purpose had expired.  I knew that I could use the items for some kind of apron but wasn’t exactly sure until I laid them out flat and assessed the potential.   With a coffee in hand, I contemplated the imperfections carried over from years of use.  Inspiration had struck and a vision developed which would feature the designs of elegant batten-burg lace.

With the apron now complete I can say that the only purchase I made were snaps.  I have had to convince myself of not being scared to wear a white apron.  It is an understanding that an apron is a protector; it was meant to be used, and stains are inevitable.  In the worst case scenario I have to remember that a white apron can be dyed a darker color ensuring longevity.    And then I also need  to stop and remember that stains hold the stories of our lives. 

Thanks for visiting,

Danine

Strawberry Inspired

In the last issue of Apronology I fell in love with the “Sew Strawberry” apron designed by Julie Thompson.  When I was out on a regular hunt for vintage pieces I came across this strawberry embroidered tablecloth.  There was no turning back once I saw it and I was immediately drawn back to the apron I had seen in the magazine.  The designing artist had stated in her article that she hoped her apron would inspire the apronologist in others.  Well, she did just that, I was inspired.  I have kept the vision of Julie’s apron in my head and followed the similar strawberry theme.  With some scavenging through my stash of fabrics I found the exact right red pieces for accompanying the tablecloth. Embellishments added the final details I felt were missing at the end.  Black seed beads were hand-stitched to the berry pocket and then I topstitched veins on the leaves.  I felt a great sense of accomplishment once all the texture with the fine details had been added.

All the seed beads were individually hand-stitched to the pocket.  The knots were purposely tied on the outside of the pocket to avoid catching fingers in any thread when using the pocket. 

Danine

A Homecooked Meal in a Rush

I love the idea of always having a homecooked meal to feed my family at night.  Even when there is a rush to be at activites and I do not have all day to prepare I am not one to cave and but frozen boxed chicken fingers on the table.  This is not to say that I have never served them that however!  

Last night I had planned on meatloaf but the day got away on me and there was not an hour and a half to wait for it to cook.  Improvise.  I dumped all the ingredients into my new Kitchen Aid mixer, including the grated cheese.  Gave it a mix and spooned portions into the greased muffin tin.  A squirt of ketchup on the top of each protion and into the oven.  The meatloaves were now kid sized portions and were ready in 35 minutes instead 90 minutes.  Huge savings of time and energy on the stove too!  The part that is the trade off comes when cleaning out the muffin tin afterwards.  My advice, don’t leave the tin to wash until the next day. 

Left over protions are perfect to freeze and then send for hot lunch at school.  So easy to pull from the freezer, warm, and dump in a thermos.


Danine