And the Winner Is...

I had two lovely assistants this morning. Goofball placed each entry into the teacup from my Grandmother's china that hasn't seen the light of day in about seven years. It was her day of glory as she held all 21 entries.

Proof that it was legit ;)


Sweetpea was in charge of the draw...

And the winner is... Courtney Rae!

Who said:
"I Love the wire letters!!I am expecting and we're in the middle of deciding/designing the nursery ideas, and I keep imagining the wire letters on her shelves or dresser.:)But the magnets would be amazing in the kitchen with both our cabinet and back-splash being magnetic!Fabulous Stuff!!"

Congratulations! Please contact me at lalfabeto@gmail.com with your letter and color choice and shipping address.

Half Off!

I'm gearing up for Christmas, how about you? I'm offering 50% off any one item in the shop for Facebook Fans only. Join the fan page to get the discount code.

Also, due to technical difficulties (and by that, I mean sheer laziness), the giveaway announcement has been postponed until tomorrow. That means you can still enter!

Felt Applique

I just finished making this relatively easy felt applique for a little library bag for Sweetpea. I will start on the canvas bag that it will go on this weekend, but had so much fun putting this little guy together. I just used regular felt pieces from Joanns, sewable interfacing, and a little imagination. You could cheat and use any design as a pattern too to make it even easier. After I ironed it together, I machine stitched each piece. My lines aren't perfect, but that just adds to the handmade feel, right? That's what I'm going to tell myself anyway.

I was then chastised by my four year old that I was making "too many girly things" and that I needed to make him some boy stuff. So I asked him what he wanted on a t-shirt. He told me a robot, and I envisioned a cool retro looking model. He quickly added, "a Transformer robot"... uh... not that talented! So he humored me and settled for this one. I cut out the pieces and machine stitched the them onto the bright green felt. Then I took embroidery thread and handstitched the details. I cut around the robot leaving some room to machine stitch the whole thing onto a white t-shirt (which, by the way, I got on clearance at Target). The whole thing cost just under $4.00.

We're actually going to give this one to our special friend Will who will be turning three next week. Goofball was thrilled when I told him I would make him a matching one. To avoid the "too girly" trap again, they will actually be "coordinating", not matching. That's more boyish right?

Giveaway Time! Come and Get It!!!

This week's giveaway is from me! I'm making one lucky winner a custom wire monogram in their letter and color of choice. Think of the possibilities! :) These letters are a conversation piece and are a unique addition to your decor. They look great on a bookshelf of picture ledge, hanging on a wall or door, or in your funky cool baby's room!

To Enter:

1. Become a follower of this blog (click on the right).

2. Become a Facebook Fan (click on link on the right).

3. Blog about it, and leave me a link.

4. Visit my shop and let me know what you think!

Please leave a separate comment for each one. A winner will be drawn on Friday, September 25th. Good Luck!

Custom Coloring Pages

I discovered (via Parents magazine) that at Crayola.com you can download pictures and create customized black and white coloring pages for your little artists from the pictures! How fun would that be? I know The Crazies would love to color pictures of themselves. Follow this link to the page and get started! Use this code: PR23QCHT to make as many printouts as you'd like for 24 hours, after that you'll need a code from specially marked boxes of crayons.

I'm thinking of using this little gem first. That was his choice of pose, by the way...

My Mammaw

Roberta Mae Covington, 1937

My Grandma, "Mammaw", passed away recently and we had her memorial service today. We had a wonderful day reminiscing and spending quality time with our family. My Dad asked me to speak on my immediate family's behalf and I wanted to share what I said and to record it here for posterity's sake.

"This is a true story... I had a dream last week that it was today and we were sitting just as we are right now, the only difference was that Mammaw's ghost was sitting right here in the front row, and she was heckling me! She cut me off during the middle of stories she didn't want told, and put in her two cents about what stories she did want me to tell. In my dream, she insisted that I tell the story about the time she climbed out the window after getting a look at her blind date waiting below at the front door, apparently she wasn't impressed by what she saw. This is, by the way, also a true story.

This dream wasn't like Mammaw for several reasons. She wasn't bossy, she never ever heckled me, and I know for certain that she did eventually grow out of judging people based on their appearances. The Mammaw I remember was full of grace, kind and generous, proper, and elegant. She was a life long learner, had a love for music and fine art, and an appreciation for creativity. She also smiled so easily, and wore one most of the time.

My favorite memories of Mammaw are going to listen to the Phoenix Symphony, Yo Yo Ma in concert, art museums, and teaching me how to sew. I remember finding a small snake in her dining room when I was about eight, and running frantically to tell her. She calmly picked it up and took it outside. I was impressed! I thought, 'wow, my Mammaw is one tough broad!' She made the flower girl dresses for my wedding and I remember the skill and care she took in creating them. I loved listening to her stories about attending the World's Fair in New York City with a sorority sister. And how many granddaughters can boast that their Grandma was once Miss Portales, New Mexico?

We all have things that we remember most about my Mammaw, and we simply cannot sum up her life in one short conversation. We can however, choose to live and carry ourselves with the same faith, grace, and kindness that she shared with us.

After Mammaw passed away, my son asked if Pappy was driving Mammaw to Heaven. I told him no, that Pappy wasn't driving her there, but I had peace assuring him that Mammaw loved Jesus, and was indeed with Him in Heaven."

Roberta Mae Covington

April 21, 1920-August 19, 2009

We Have a Winner!

After using the trusty random number generator over at random.org, we have a winner!

Click HERE to see if it's you!

Please contact Mulry Jewels via Etsy to claim your prize!

Congratulations!

Check back on Friday for another giveaway!

Delish!

The other day I was craving a portabello mushroom sandwich from one of my favorite places, but alas, we were without date night money or a sitter. What's a gal to do? Recreate! It was so good!!! Although it didn't win any praise from Goofball or Sweetpea, Gary and I loved it. So much in fact, we had them again for lunch today. Paired with baked sweet potato fries, so good and fairly guilt free.
So ignore the poorly lit, and slightly blurry photo. Super simple: lightly sear/sautee portabello mushroom slices (or the whole head), use the rolls of your choice, top with fresh spinach leaves and Green Goddess dressing (found with the salad dressings at the grocery store). Shake slices of sweet potato with olive oil to coat lightly, dust with about 1 teaspoon salt/pepper, bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, then broil for 2-4 minutes to crisp up. So tasty!