It's a swamp thing...

pic courtesy of http://movie-shop.us/movie.php?id=254256

No, not that one, more like the low country swamp thing...
We live in the lowland and it is low here, and swampy, complete with Alligators...I rather like the swamp. I think it may have been because as a little girl my mother was always talking about a wonderful trip she took to Okefenokee swamp in Florida. It always seemed like such an amazing adventure. (thought I think really as a little girl I was more intrigued by the name...Okefenokee.it has a nice ring to it) So, when we had the chance to move here to South Carolina, I was thrilled at the prospect of going to the swamp..

That is where I found this diamond

Cypress Gardens--It is here by our home, and movies like The Notebook, The Patriot, and yes, that's right Swamp Thing were all filmed...

yep, that's a slimy alligator butt

don't worry, not one was harmed during this visit (pic taken in 2007, during our first stay in SC)


SO, the moral of all of this rambling is that I love the swamp, and I have seen it reflected in my clothing styles as of late

Can you see it, the swamp influence...
I find all of Gods creation and geographic locations beautiful and try to find the beauty of it all....
I am sure I will back to brighter colors, and cheerful prints again when the sun comes out and the flowers bloom.
I love having the seasons here...
You have to have to have the winter to appreciate the breath of spring

Happy Saturday

sewing in the South, and getting organized...again

The area that I live in is called the low country, and they take a lot of pride in their traditions. When I tell people that I am a seamstress, the first thing that they ask me is if I smock..Smocking is really big here. Girls wear smocked dresses until they are about 10, and the boys even wear smocking on their outfits until they are around 3 or 4. So, the answer is, I love the look. I think it is a classic, but I do not. I am sure that I could, but I have not tried it. Apparently you are not considered a "real seamstress" by the locals until you can smock. I would like to try it though. I can't really take any classes or anything with my little ones, so I am going to learn via E-book. The same way that I have learned everything that I know about sewing. I have never taken a formal class, but I have read many, many, many E books and tutorials, and that works for me.

Here is an example of a smocked dress


this dress is for sale on this site http://www.grammies-attic.com/new-feltman-brothers-pale-pink-bishop-smocked-baby-dress-with-lace-and-embroidery.html 


Another thing that is really big here in the low country is really big bows. I love it!! I used to make a lot of bows for my girls when we lived here last time, but we at some point stopped wearing them when we moved to Hawaii.
But, alas, I have been inspired and am starting to get my bow making supplies organized and ready to go...

One last note, I tried to hold out on this until our attic conversion was complete, but I could take it no longer. I had to get my sewing stuff organized at least temporally until we I can set up my sewing room upstairs.

let me introduce you to

THE GREAT SCISSOR WALL
. when complete it will have all of  my scissors and snippers, which is why my husband affectionately calls it the
 wall of death...



Happy Friday!



finding a rhythm in my new life

So, we are here, in South Carolina, pretty settled for the most part. We are finding a routine and a rhythm. I think we found the church we are going to be attending. It is here in town, and a smallish church, and they really make you feel welcome. I also like that they have Wednesday night service. I really missed not going on Wednesday night at our other churches. I think we all need that community more than once a week. I am a pretty busy mama with all of the activities I have the children in, homeschooling, doctor appts etc. I am now making ready made garments for my shop, and have put a dress in our local boutique for sell, and I plan on adding more.  So far it has got rave reviews. I will be paying the shop owner a portion of the sell, but I love the idea of having my (children's) clothing, in our small town childrens boutique.

My oldest daughter (5) loves doing art, so I made her this

It is a crayon folio, and it is perfect for her, it also has two little slots where my babies hand is that hold a paper pad, and and stickers



Can you tell that my 12 month old really likes it too?

 

It has ribbon handles and a velcro closure

 

I really like how it turned out, and I plan on making several of these for my Etsy shop and our local boutique. I am also excited because I have ordered clothing tags, and new business cards with my current store address.


The builder also made a lot of progress on our attic conversion, here are some recent pictures
Here is the grand tour

from the garage, step door from the garage, and you can see where the archway is going to be into our house

windows that are going to be put in sometime next week

 



heading up the stairs






my sewing room, there is going to be a huge window on the front



This is where my built in corner desk is going to be,

 that box is the frame of the windows, this area is going to be a sitting room area, with book shelves



okay, this picture is blurry because it is dark over there, and I had to put it on a night setting, and this is the best shot I could get. That big unit is going to be taken apart and moved starting Monday of next week, and beyone that is going to be the childrens big play room with again, bit picture windows.



 sewing room again

 storage area

going down the stairs, we are going to put in a chandeler for the light fixture on the landing

There is the door again, with the archway and access to the garage. This conversion should be complete in a couple of weeks, and it is going to be such a wonderful addition to our home. Thank you for touring with me

Happy Thursday!

things and more things...

ahhh, it fills good to finish something right? With the help of Dark Chocolate, I was able to completely file our taxes by myself. I feel a sense of victory. Ever since I was a college student, I had the desire to file our taxes, but have always been intimidated by it, but now, I did it...

On the housing side, here are some pictures of the progress being made on our conversion. It is a lot more finished now, but I will update these for now

ceiling stating to be cut out

do you see a little tiny hole above the molding



this little hole( not the dirt on the carpet) that is where the entryway to our upstairs in going to be



stairway coming along, I will go out and take some  more pic in a bit, they are doing great work!


Also to note, I put my shop in vacation mode for a week. With the renovation, still getting set up in our new location, and homeschooling, I had to take a break, and think of how it all could work better. I opened up again last night, but this time I will only be making ready made garments to sell. That way I can still sew for fun, and not have the pressure of completing custom orders, and being everything to my family at the same time.

I want to encourage you today, to embrace your calling, whatever that may be. To let go of things that He has not put on your plate, and look to the future with a smile..

Happy Monday!