Need a Last Minute Christmas Gift? I have one for you!

Right now my Shop is filled to the brim with bags. Bags of every shape and size, perfect for someone on your list that you haven't got anything for yet.  So go ahead and check them out and if you buy before December 20th I will make sure it gets to you before Christmas.

Here is a few of them. See them all at www.sewsewlovely.etsy.com

The Word Eat is in Meat

Once a week my sister and I play a "game" that we call the grocery game. Some might not call it a game but they have not tasted the sweet victory of coming up under budget and being able to put the extra money in the "eating out jar".  Long story short we have a budget and we use an app on my Ipod to add up our grocery prices as we shop. If we are over budget we have to put something back.  We have become very savvy shoppers and sometimes go to three different stores to get the best prices.

We do allow ourselves one luxury: sliced deli meat from the meat counter. This may not sound like a very price conscience decision but once you have a sandwich with fresh sliced meat, it is hard to go back.  We have had several very memorable experiences at the meat counter. Recently, most of them have surrounded the grocery store employees trying to coerce us to buy items from the bakery. There are two reasons why trying to entice us with stories of cinnamon rolls on sale really is a futile attempt. First, as I said before we have a very tight budget and cannot be distracted by cinnamon rolls unless we are willing to give up something necessary like milk or shampoo. And second, my sister is gluten and lactose intolerant and cannot have wheat or dairy.  A simple sneaky cinnamon roll could mean a three day cycle of exhaustion and severe indigestion for the poor girl.  And yet every week as we walk away from the meat counter those carefully instructed grocery employees inform us that pastries are two for one or something like that.  A few weeks ago we thought we had gotten away when the girl behind the meat counter actually shouted at us in a desperate final attempt, " RED VELVET CAKE IS ON SALE!"

Our favorite meat counter experience happened this week though.  We go to the same grocery stores on the same day every week, so we see a lot of the same employees and they have gotten to know us.  One week a few months ago my sister and I were approaching the meat counter when she so obligingly noticed that something was on my face that had once been in my nose. As retribution I brought up another time when her bodily functions had been humorous and we dissolved into semi-hysterical laughter. This did not stop as I ordered our thin sliced Pesto Parmesan ham. The male employee behind the counter also got tickled at our laughter and he began to laugh himself. All in all it was a pretty jolly trip. That brings me to this week. We were once again getting our meat thinly sliced for sandwiches by our jovial friend from a few months ago. It did not seem like he remembered us and my sister and I were very thankful that he hadn't tried to get us to by some gluten saturated treat. But as we walked away he yelled out " I will never forget you guys!" Neither will we, Meat Guy, neither will we.

7 years..Doesn't it go by in a blink?

Seven years ago today I had brain surgery to fix a malformation of my brain called an Arnold Chiari.

Longs story short my brain is positioned in such a way that there isn't enough room for it in my head. So my brain is shoved down the hole in my spinal collumn where your spinal fluid is supposed to drain.

Seven years ago today some very talented doctors fixed that for me. And I will be grateful for them for the rest of my life.

I am also grateful because God used this opportunity (and the months of bed rest following) to change the direction my life was going in. He used this opportunity to show me His love in a way I had never experienced it. And people were brought into my life that I can't imagine the last seven years without.

So here I stand seven years later, in awe of what has happened and excited about what lies ahead...

A Family Afair

I get asked a lot where I learned to sew and the answer to that question is : Theresa Clarke. My amazing mother taught all of her girls to sew at an early age. I remember sitting on the floor of her work room, pinning together doll clothes or pillows while she worked on something else. She would come to a stopping point with her work and help me with mine. I will be forever grateful that my mom passed on this useful and fullfilling skill to me.

The good news is that my mama just opened her own Etsy store!!! Her Etsy store, At Last Wedding Designs, showcases her elegant and unqiue wedding garters. They are all made fomr vintage lace and hand-beaded. If you are soon to be married or know some one who is, these garters are a must have. They would make a perfect gift and will be something a bride can treasure forever. Check out her store at www.atlastweddingdesigns.etsy.com And while you are at it check out the other Clarke girls' stores : www.emilclarke.etsy.com and www.sewsewlovely.etsy.com

Shameless

I just have to say my sister, Emily Clarke, is an amazing artist (and yes this is a shameless plug). If you haven't ever checked out her website and blog you really should. Although I have known her my entire life and I am a little bias, Emily is really talented at taking a treasured family photograph and turning it into a priceless piece of art. Emily also loves painting timeless images from the 1940s and 50's. One of Emily's paintings would make a really special Christmas present or feel free to contact her about getting her to paint one of your favorite photos. Below are a few of my favorites of people I love. You may recognize some of them. And don't forget to visit www.emilyclarkestudio.com.

The one where it has been a while.

I think all bloggers have the inevitable "it has been a while" post.

Well here is mine. August and September have been very eventful months for me.

Two of my very best friends had beautiful weddings. I was honored to be bridesmaids and to be asked to make wedding crafts. First it was Lacie and Daniel's wedding in Birmingham, Alabama and next Kyle and Katrina'

s nuptials in Bend, Oregon (below is the Chuppah/Quilt I made for

Katrina's Wedding. I didn't get a good picture of the flag I made for Lacie's Wedding). After I got back from Oregon, My sister in I had a great time with our booth in the west Greenville Art fair. And then I turned 27 this weekend! So all in all it has been busy busy busy.

Now is the time to get your custom orders in for Christmas though. If you would like a bag or a cuff made for a friend or family member for

Christmas send me and e-mail or conversation on Etsy. All I need to know is the colors you would like for me to use and if there is a patterned that person likes a lot ( example: florals or animal print). I already have a few orders in line for Christmas so let me know if you are interested. I can ship anywhere in the United States and my bags and cuff come gift wrapped.

Thanks! And be sure to check out my shop over the next few days and weeks. I have a lot of new items to post and you may find some of your Christmas gifts there!

No one likes a Drunk Debutante

My summer camp has been open for 60 years, so we had a reunion! Honestly, as I drove up the mountain in my car this past weekend, I was a little nervous about the experience that was about to ensue. I haven't been the best at keeping up with my camp friends while I was living in Texas.
I was a little worried we wouldn't have anything to talk about and sometimes I have a knack for saying awkward things and killing conversations (if you would like to hear some examples of this, just ask).

The weird thing was that when I got together with those girls, after a few catching up conversations, it felt like we had never been apart. There were some other camp things that were harder to get used to, like singing songs all the time and having wet shoes, but it felt completely normal to be in that place with those girls.

Camp brings together lots of different types of people. Take for example one of my good camp friends, Lizzie. Lizzie wears pearls with every outfit.

This weekend I found out that she buys pearl earrings in bulk so that she will always have a pair, in the event that she loses them.

Lizzie is about to join the Junior League. Lizzie was a debutante, I actually went to her ball (this was my first and maybe my last ball). At her ball Lizzie's mom told her one of my favorite deep south words of wisdom " No one likes a drunk Debutante" (isn't that the truth?!?!) I, on the other hand, wear clothes that, more often than not, don't match. One day I want to have honey bees in my yard. I wear weird things in my hair and around my neck (ex: quail feathers and huge butterfly wings). And the older I get them more home-grown I become ( why buy something when you can make it yourself?).

If Lizzie and I had met anywhere but camp I think we might have not given each other a chance. However, within the first few days of meeting each other, back in the day, Lizzie and I discovered we both love birthday cake ice cream, our middle names rhyme and our belly buttons are the same height (discovered while playing limbo). This was enough to encourage a beautiful and lasting friendship.

Oh camp! I don't know how you do it but you cause friendship to spring up in unlikely places. I wish there was something in my grown up life that was like camp. Or I wish there was a reunion every year. I would even face the humiliation of the Reds losing at tug-a-war to the Blues, twice in a row, for another weekend with my camp friends.