Places Everyone!

Okay...it's almost Thanksgiving. Today is my favorite day of the year. I spend all day in the kitchen getting ready for tomorrow and I get my table set.

This is the first time in about five years that I've had the meal here at our house. Being a banker, my daughter-in-law usually has to work the Friday after, so we travel to Houston to have dinner with them. Last year St. Wayne and I took off on a roadtrip to Memphis and had Thanksgiving dinner at the Peabody Hotel with the ducks. It was lots of fun, lots of money, and lots of people we didn't know. My favorite part of the whole meal? Duck shaped butter pats! Everything was quite elegant and delicious with a vast array of choices.

But now we're back to casual at home. My favorite place in all the world. We'll have nine around the table tomorrow. Here it is all set and ready to go. I had a difficult decision with the placecards. Here were my choices. I ended up going with the leaves because I figured I could do the punched flatware any time. Leaves are for fall. At least that's what they tell us. We don't have fall leaves down here in South Texas...just wind-blown palm fronds. We have seen fall leaves on our travels and crave them and would love to live somewhere we could enjoy that. But for now we'll just punch them out of gold and copper metal sheets and pretend we picked them up from the yard. The fun part about the punched flatware is you have left over punches of spoons, forks, and knives for confetti. It's the cutest punch ever and by All Night Media. I've had it forever, but you might be able to find one.

Whereever you are this year...enjoy yourself and your loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving!

A Fabricfic Idea with Drop Cloths

I recently discovered inexpensive drop cloths in the paint department of Wal-Mart. They cost a whoppin' $8.97 and you get 9'x6' with every side hemmed. That's a lot of fabric and the best part is it looks like linen or hopsacking...nubby and textured in a natural, neutral color. I've made a ton of pillows and several table runners from one package.

The first thing you have to do is find pillow forms and cut the drop cloth the same shape plus two inches. So if your pillow form is 12"x12", you cut a square 14"x14" for the front and then cut two pieces of the hemmed edge 14"x8.5" for the back. Then match the right sides together, overlapping the back two pieces so that when it's sewn together, you can easily slip the pillow form in. Or you could just cut two 14"x14" pieces for the front and the back, sew all sides together leaving 6 inches, turn it right side out, cram the form inside the 6 inch slit, and then handstitch the opening. But I'm always looking for a quick shortcut, so I prefer to not handstitch.

Before I sew anything together, I iron a design on the front square. I'm going to include some copyright-free designs I copied from an art book I have, so feel free to save them and use them. I use Avery's t-shirt transfer sheets and they easily print on my inkjet printer.

Here are a few pictures of my pillows and table runner. I traced around a dinner plate to pencil the sewing line for the rounded ends on the table runner, but you can design the ends any way you like. Experiment with this idea and see just how much time you piddle away!

Bee Happy in the Kitchen

Copies of Debby Brock's cookbook "Bee Happy in the Kitchen" were sold Saturday during Move Over, Martha! and the profit of each book went to Habitat for Humanity. We sold quite a few cookbooks. It has come to our attention that some of the books were misprinted. The pages are out of order or missing.

If you bought one of these books, please check it. If there's a problem, email me and Debby will see to it you get you a new book.

My email address is invitickles@stx.rr.com

We apologize for any inconvenience...but the printer is working on this little problem.

Still Floating

Move Over, Martha! has come and gone and we're all still standing. You haven't heard much out of me in the past few weeks because every thought has been consumed with this event. Brides were put off, dinners were uncooked, a husband was neglected, everything got pushed aside until after November 14.

It all started when our family got involved with Habitat for Humanity in 2007 and we wanted to do more. So I sent out an email to the ten members of my "tennis group" asking for their help in presenting Move Over, Martha! and they all responded with a resounding "Yes, I'll help!" And this amazing event was born.

It takes a $65 ticket to get in the door and then we sell raffle tickets for fabulous door prizes donated by local retailers and then we have a live auction. The generosity of the ladies in that audience is overwhelming. The women who attend really open their hearts and their checkbooks.

Presenting this event takes a lot of time and energy...and my friends that help generously give of their time, talent, and money. The feeling afterwards makes it all worthwhile. Saturday night after all the dust settled, my heart felt twice its normal size. If I could only bottle that feeling and sell it, we'd not need another fundraiser. I could be personally responsible for supporting Habitat for Humanity!

This year, we had four homeowners who attended and they really seemed to enjoy themselves. They and their families are now living in and paying for their own homes. They put in 500+ hours of "sweat equity" helping build homes for other families before qualifying for their own. I love that they were there. It's incredible when you can see and meet the folks who benefit most from the effort put forth on behalf of Habitat for Humanity.

To those of you who bought a ticket and joined us Saturday...Thank You for your support of this worthy cause. And if you didn't make it this year, put it on your calendar for next year. The second Saturday of November...and we'll see you then!

Update on the Family Jewels

Back in August I told you about the little marble hearts that my Granddaddy had made and how I wanted to let my cousins know that I was willing to share my stash when I found out not everybody in the family had one. What a kind and noble thing to do, don't you think? Well, I sure think so.

During my formative years, I was surrounded by nothing but brothers and boy cousins. The picture above shows Christmas at Grandmomma and Granddaddy's circa 1959 or 1960. You can see all the stinkin' boys. This picture was actually taken before any of the Luther girls this story is about were even born. I guess I'm just throwing in this photo because I have it and I think a post with a picture is much more interesting. And it shows what a fun, jovial family I was surrounded by! You can click on the shot and enlarge it to clearly see how much Christmas fun this group was having.

Santa must have delivered everything I asked for...at least according to my silly grin. And there is an ever-so-slight smile on Grandmomma's face...she was probably thinking, "Surely, after these blasted pictures are done, they'll all pack up their kids and get out of here." The rest of the family looks like they've had all the holiday excitement they can stand. Isn't that hysterical?

And by the way, don't you think my Grandmother was one trendy chick? Look at that Christmas tree. Not that traditional and boring green tree I bet your grandmother had. I never knew she was so with it! I do remember in later years she had an aluminum tree complete with the multi-colored revolving light wheel. Remember those?

But back to the girls...I heard from my cousin Sandy, my sister Joyce, my cousin Tina, and my cousin Diane. They have all received their hearts by now and are hopefully enjoying the sentimental little treasures. One cousin I didn't hear from is Madeline. But I did hear through the family grapevine that she typed up a long comment after reading the post, but couldn't get it to go through. Such a disappointment. I guess I'll just always wonder what she had to say. I also heard she has three hearts of her own. I don't know why I had six, she had three, and none of the other girls had any. I know Granddaddy didn't play favorites, so maybe he just forgot who he'd given what to...

I received more comments and emails about that post than any post I've done yet. I even heard from one person who volunteered to join the family just to have a heart. Of course, at that point, she'd not seen that picture! Despite the dour faces, we really did have fun when we got together. We laughed at ourselves and each other, unwrapped lots of fun gifts, and always had those stellar meals my grandmother and aunts put on the table.

It was good to be back in touch with my "little cousins" and my "little sister." And sweet to think it was a heart from Granddaddy that prompted us. I just wonder why we're all too busy to stay in touch...and I'm just as guilty as the next relative.

And, Madeline, you could always go to my profile and find my email address if you're out there! Guilt trips...isn't that what families are for?!

"Move Over, Martha!"

Tickets go on sale tomorrow for "Move Over, Martha!" It's a four-hour seminar and luncheon about entertaining at home for the holidays benefiting Habitat for Humanity.

Gary Homan, Debby Brock, and I will present easy and original ideas to duplicate whether entertaining weekend guests or planning an elaborate party. We guarantee this event will get you pumped for the upcoming holidays!

Mark your calendar now to attend on Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Corpus Christi at 900 South Shoreline...in the Fellowship Hall overlooking our beautiful bayfront.

Tickets are $65 per person and will include morning muffins with tea and coffee, lunch, a chance to win door prizes, and a live auction. Rafffle tickets for great prizes donated by local businesses (including two round-trip tickets from Southwest Airlines) will be sold at the door and you must be present to win...which means your chances of winning are greater.

We will sell only 100 tickets and they are available at the following locations:

Four Chicks in the Park, 22 Lamar Park Center

Stitch It!, 4333B South Alameda

Or by calling me at 361.854.8484

I'd love to see your smiling face in the audience to help us raise oddles and gobs of money for Habitat for Humanity...hope to see you there!

When the Stars Come Out

These are easy-to-make, three dimensional stars that look great hanging on a wrapped package. With all the wonderful scrapbook papers available you have lots of options to choose from for the perfect star to match your wrap. Trace the shape of a 5-point star onto card stock. Score it with a bone folder right through the middle of each point. You'll end up with 5 score lines.

Then cut it out and fold and crease each scored point making a "mountain" on the top and a "valley" below the center. That will cause the star to pop and create a 3-D look. You might have to manipulate it a little to make it work, but when you do, it's a great looking little embellishment. You can punch a tiny hole in one point and attach a name tag with twine or metallic thread.

I have to warn you...once you start making them, you can't stop. You can string some together and make a garland...apply glitter to make them sparkle...just let your imagination run wild. Start now and by Christmas, you'll have enough for all your packages and some to hang on the tree! A perfect piddlin' project...

Where Have I Been???

If I disappear for long periods of time, you can rest assured I'm working hard to make brides happy. I've had a very busy August and September with my real job, which is making custom wedding invitations. It's what I love to do, it keeps me off the street, and it puts money in my pocket...which is basically what every real job should do.

Here's a sampling of invitations some of my fall brides have chosen. Hopefully these will convince their guests to join them on their special day. Lots of vellum and ribbon, some understated elegance, and one with a little fiesta flair. I've enjoyed the variety of the past few months as it would get pretty monotonous tying those bows in the same way for every invitation I work on.

So, know I haven't forgotten about blogging. It's just that at times I have to put those sweet brides first! I'll be back soon!

Bonus Brothers

In my opinion there are two types of people in this world...the lucky ones that have great and loving brothers and the rest of us. I used to feel cheated and a little bit ticked off that I didn't hit the jackpot when brothers were being passed out, but over the years, I've come to realize that God put other guys in my life to compensate.

One of those was Woody. He was married to my dear friend for almost 30 years and we lost him recently. He'll be sorely missed by all who knew him. Because all who knew him...well, they really knew him. Woody was one of those people who didn't care if you liked him or not. It was up to you and it didn't matter one iota to him. I was put off by that when I first met him. It took me awhile to get with his program, but once I did I found it refreshing. So many people put on their best face and you're locked into a relationship when you find out they're not what you thought. Not Woody...you knew what you were getting into from the very beginning.

For the longest time he pretty much ignored me when I was at his house. Sometimes I'd move in for 3 days and he wouldn't go anywhere with us or join in any of our conversations. He'd just sit and read and occasionally voice his opinion about something and really just tolerated our giggles and non-stop chatter. But somewhere along the way we decided we liked each other.

One year I was there for my birthday and he told me as he was leaving for work that morning that he'd take us anywhere I wanted to go for a birthday dinner that night. After considering all the stellar eating establishments in Dallas, it would be Keller's. Keller's is an old hamburger/beer joint complete with carhops. It's been there as long as I can remember and one of my favorite places to eat when I go back. Not only do they have great burgers and cold beer, but it's the best place ever to people watch. And thus began a long-standing tradition. But the catch with Woody was everybody had to eat the same thing so the ordering with the carhop was uncomplicated. So we all had a number 5 and tots with a cold beer. Lucky for us all that's everybody's favorite anyway!

Four days after he left this world, as a salute to Woody, seven of us piled into his car and we went to Keller's for lunch. And you bet it was number 5's and tots with cold beer all around. Here's to my bonus brother, Woody, and years of great memories...we're gonna miss you!

A Labor Day Find

We spent Labor Day weekend in Houston with our son and daughter-in-law. On Saturday we went down Westheimer in the Montrose section of town for lunch and a little shopping. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but came across this lonely little chest of drawers in a vintage shop. I don't often find a piece of furniture that really calls my name, but this one did. And the best part, it was on sale. It sat in my garage all week because it weights about a gadzillion pounds and I knew I had to have help moving it. And besides, I didn't have a clue where I'd put it. But you know what they say, "If you really love a piece, buy it and you'll find a place for it."

I decided we'd better take the drawers out until I found its final resting spot. St. Wayne gets testy when I make him move heavy furniture. So here's the spot. It's next to my chaise in our bedroom. I thought it was the perfect place. After my piddlin' around all afternoon lining the 16 drawers with scented drawer liners, it's all set to be loaded. It will really provide lots of storage. But I think it's a powerful feeling to have a whole empty chest, so I might wait awhile to fill those little drawers. It's just good to finally have it in place for when I'm ready. A little bit shabby and a little bit chic...I love the combination of painted with a natural wood top. Yeah, I feel a little more piddlin' time coming for filling all those little drawers!

A "Chair"ished Collection

"There's always a chair with your name on it at our house!" We live in Corpus Christi and we're ten minutes from the bay and thirty minutes from the gulf. In the past thirty years of living that near the beach, we've had our share of house guests.

Some time back I started collecting miniature chairs and I pick one to suite your personality when you let me know you're coming for an overnight visit. I hang a tiny tag on it with your name and put it on a tray along with a note pad and pencil, some snacks, magazines, and anything else I think you should have upon your arrival. The bonus is when my guests leave, they always leave something in their chair to remember them and the fun we've had.

Some of the items left behind include little notes, wine corks, and guitar picks. I even once found a tiny handcrafted mallet to remember the crab dinner we shared.

It's a fun collection and I have trouble resisting cute little chairs I find in the most interesting places. So come on now, make your reservations, and come see the chair I've picked for you!

White Chocolate Popcorn

This week is going to be one busy week. With all sorts of deadlines facing me, I know I won't have any piddlin' time, so I'm giving you one of my favorite recipes. It's quick and delicious and, I'm sure, good for you. Ha! It's a great gift idea. I learned of this when my friend Debby gave me a beautiful Christmas apothecary jar filled with White Chocolate Popcorn a couple of Christmases ago. Not only was the jar spectacular, but the contents were delicious, too.

I made a batch today and have packaged it in little cello bags tied with ribbons. I thought I'd photograph the steps so you can see how easy it is. Okay, here we go.

You'll need the following: a bag of white chocolate chips, 6 small, single serving packages (or 3 large packages) of microwave popcorn, and a large bowl. Pop all the corn and place in the bowl. Melt the chocolate. (I use the microwave for about a minute, then check it after 20 second intervals, but an absolutely foolproof method is with a heating pad. Just place it on the pad and fold it over for about 30 minutes. It's perfectly melted every time and no chance of scorching it.)

Pour the melted chocolate over the popped corn and stir with a big spoon. Just stir and stir. Although you may feel you're not getting it covered, you are. Then turn it out on to a piece of parchment and let it air dry to allow the chocolate to harden. Break it apart and package. It's so easy and delicious.

Here's wishing you a good week. I'll be back when time allows!

Storing Stuff

When you have as much stuff as I've accumulated over the past 25 years, you have no choice but to organize it. About six months ago, it finally got to me and I had to de-clutter. Click on these photos to enlarge and see the "after" and be glad I've spared you the "before." You may be thinking that it's still pretty cluttered, but believe me when I say it could be much worse.

The wire shelves on the left are deep so they hold lots of books and organizers. These came from Office Depot and were not expensive.

The picture on the right shows my ribbon racks. Those are rain gutters from Home Depot, sprayed black and screwed to the wall. It keeps my ribbon in view but neat and tidy.

The little drawers on the left of the ribbon racks are from Ikea (you see them everywhere), again sprayed black and labeled with a chalk marker. I like knowing what's in every little drawer without having to search. I have about 50 of those little drawers and they hide all the little things. The cabinet below is an old file cabinet that belonged at one time to a retired insurance man and and it held legal-size insurance files. It's very deep and holds a ton of stuff.

Once when St. Wayne and I were having a serious discussion about our finances, he was explaining where I needed to go to find insurance information, investments, and all those important things one would need if ever faced with the sudden demise of one's spouse. After all his instructions, all I could offer was, "Should I die first and you need them, the extensive collection of hole punches is in the insurance cabinet, far right side, third drawer down."

It's definitely the down side of being a one-woman show in business for yourself...that pesky subject of lack of benefits. Sometimes, at my age, I wonder if I should have gotten a real job years ago so that I could now enjoy a great big fat retirement package. But, then, I sit real still till that thought passes. And then I get up and open a drawer with adorable little hang tags or pull open the box that houses my vast assortment of watercolors, and I begin to piddle...

Piddlin' Place

My favorite place to piddle is my studio...because that's where all my stuff happens to be. Working from home is a great pleasure and I feel very fortunate to be able to do that. But it does present its own set of problems. I've learned over time, that you have to set boundaries, or it can consume you 24/7. So I have french doors that I close when the shop is not open. I can't even hear the phone ring from other parts of the house.

My studio used to be an unused living room off the entryway. And because of its location, I really try to keep it tidy and presentable to anyone walking in my door.

I keep pretty regular hours...Tuesday through Friday, 9ish to 4ish. Mondays I play cards with the girls and do domestic things. I try to be available to my customers during my regular hours unless I'm running to the printer or I'm invited to lunch. Or Target's having a good sale...

The tour starts off at my computer desk. I bought the desk top at Ikea and put it atop filing cabinets. I ordered the center organizer from Ballard's Designs and then my clever and handy husband, St. Wayne, built the rest. We designed it to optimize the space of the desktop and provide spots for all my necessities.

The shelves above give me a world of storage. I love anything wire, so I use lots of antique gym baskets to store stuff and I am such a freak I had to cover my books up there with wrapping paper. It just looks prettier. Nothing uglier than a phone book.

Overall, I'm happy with this set up. It's functional and not too hard on the eyes. In the next part of the tour I'll show you where I keep my stuff...stay tuned...

Granddaddy's Hearts

My grandparents moved in next door when I was five years old. Much to my mother's chagrin, I might add. Who wants her in-laws within rock-throwing distance? But I was in heaven. I was the only granddaughter for eleven years and Grandmomma doted on me. She handmade everything in my wardrobe...every dress I wore had lots of ruffles and bows and puffy sleeves. (That could be exactly why you'll never find me in a dress today!)

And what a perfect set up it was for a picky eater. Come suppertime, if I didn't like what Fern was serving at the family table, I'd wander down the path to Grandmomma's and check out what was cooking on her stove. Nine times out of ten, I'd like her selection better.

In my mother's defense, I can now understand why it was hard on her, but I couldn't understand at the time. In looking back, I remember a picture window suddenly appearing in my grandparents' kitchen. Not that it was a particularly good look for the kitchen, but it made it much easier for them to know what was going on at our house. As time went by, the path between the houses seemed to grow shorter. As they became elderly, they spent more time at our house and we spent more time at theirs.

Some of my favorite memories involve Sunday evenings on their big porch with my aunts, uncles, and cousins dropping by. I always looked most forward to my Aunt Rita showing up in her big car with a big bag of Dilly Bars from the Dairy Queen. I just couldn't believe that she and Uncle Ed had so much money they could afford to treat everybody to a Dilly Bar! Man...I wanted to be that rich when I grew up.

My Granddaddy was a much loved character. He always made us laugh and we could hear him sneeze from our house. He had an accident as a teenager that left him with a broken hip. One leg was much shorter than the other and left him in chronic pain. I never knew this until he was gone...all I knew was that he wore really funny looking shoes and walked with a terrible limp. He was a marble man who worked for The Vermont Marble Company in Dallas. He would spend hours in his garage making things like bookends and lamps with leftovers from the factory.

The picture above shows six little hearts I've had for years that he made. The interesting thing about these little works of art is that he used the end of a safety pin to fashion a jump ring so they could be worn on a chain. I've always loved these hearts and thought everybody in the family had an assortment of these. In talking with my cousin Sandy the other day, I've discovered they don't. So I'm offering these to my fellow Luther Girls...sister Joyce, and cousins Sandy, Tina, Diane, and Madeline. So let me hear from you girls...first come, first choice. They range in size from an inch to an inch and a half.

I think Granddaddy would be proud to know I'm sharing the fruits of his talent...here's to family memories of a simpler time!

Mail Art Continued

Oops! I didn't get to finish what I wanted to say. Sorry about that. So where was I?

Oh yes...get out your water colors and add a little sizzle to your summer scene. And who says the stamp has to go in the upper right hand corner? It's going to get to where it's going if you put the right amount of postage on it...so just put it anywhere you think it fits.

So give the mailman or mailwoman a thrill with your artwork. And I'll bet the recipient will tear into your envelope before the rest of the mail, too.

Have fun with your mail!

Mail Art

Dress your mail for summer. Never send a dull and boring envelope again. By using a waterproof marker to draw...I like Micron Pigma permanent pens from Michael's...

you can embellish your envelope with your own brand of fun.

As you can see, you can produce a fun masterpiece using nothing but squiggle, circles, and dots and then you're ready for the next step...

Get

Getting the Kinks Out

Thank you all for the emails I've gotten. For some reason, you can't comment in the regular way. I'll have to ask my consultant what we can do to fix that. So in the meantime, if you have something to say, please do. You'll just have to email me at the address in my profile.

Your notes were all so encouraging! I appreciate that. What would I do without all of you dear peeps of mine?! And now I have another fear looming in the background...what if all I want to do is blog? That's what I'm really afraid of. And blogging won't give me spending money...won't pay the bills...

I'm really looking forward to the interaction of this blog. Since closing my store front and moving to my home studio, I have to admit I'm lonely. I really miss having you drop by and chat or running into you at the place next door. Even though I love being here at the house, I do miss getting out because of all of you I encountered everyday. And I miss people working with me. I miss birthday celebrations (not to mention the cakes!) and just interaction with somebody besides Martha Stewart and Oprah...you know Oprah is always my four o'clock appointment. So thanks for being out there and thanks for letting me know you're out there.

I've also been told I need to be sassier. And I agree...I warned you it was a little dry. It will pick up as I go along, I'm sure. A new book called "Blogging for Bliss" by Tara Frey just came out and I got it yesterday. It has all sorts of tips and suggestions from other online bloggers that have me excited about this whole thing. That book's really gotten me pumped up!

I want to give you an excuse to PLAY! I want you to find time everyday for a little joy. And for me, joy is getting my "stuff" out and just playing. Whether it's a pan of watercolors (and they can be from the grocery store for a couple of bucks) or a new recipe or a note to a friend...just find a little while to escape and piddle. You have my permission...now give yourself permission!

Also I want to let you know that you can click on the photos in this blog and they will enlarge so you an see the detail. Like how dirty my kitchen table is...or the fingerprints on my fridge...you know, important stuff like that.

So thank you, thank you...it's like a conversation and I really want you to feel free to jump in with me!

Bordering on Boredom

We remodeled our kitchen last Spring. One of my favorite changes was a wallpaper border that I painted over with chalkboard paint. I'd grown a little bored with the chickens encircling the eating area...although they were pretty cute perched in different little chairs...I figured enough already!

Being a calligrapher, I bought a chalk marker from my local craft store and lettered different quotes all the way around the room. The chalk marker requires a little elbow grease to remove, but it's much smoother to apply and stays. You can actually rub against it, and unlike chalk, it won't smudge.

I change the quotes when the mood strikes and even do little drawings from time to time. It's always a topic of conversation with dinner guests and my friends and family contribute food-related quotes in the hope of seeing theirs on the wall.

Does Anybody Outgrow It?

Does anybody love getting a birthday card with money in it more than I do? I love that. On St. Wayne's last birthday, our friend Cathie sent him a birthday card with a gift card to the Marble Slab. It was so much fun! It was affordable for anybody, and a really fun treat for us...of course I wormed my way into celebrating with him.

Here's a little card I sent today with a $20 bill in it to my nephew. Not much, but hey, a cheap thrill is still a cheap thrill. I love the new stamps available right now and hopefully you can see it's stacked letters spelling "celebrate."

Now if you're reading this and saying, "she never sends me a $20 bill in a birthday card," I have a really hard time keeping up with birthdays. But I could surprise you someday, just don't expect it and we're good. Just don't depend on it, either.

Go to the post office and pick out your stamps and decorate that envelope to match. Just piddle around with and you might be surprised what you'll come up with.

Many Thanks

I have to say "thanks" to Colleen. She's my technologically advanced friend who knows how to do everything, especially those things pertaining to computers. And believe me when I say, if not for her, you wouldn't be reading this blog right now.



Little did I know how much I'd learn from her when I sat down across from her in study hall in 1964. She was wearing the coolest shade of nail polish of anybody in school. And when I asked her the name of the shade and she said, "Coffee," I knew she was sophisticated. The rest of us girls picked out colors like "Candy Stripes" and "Pouting Pink"...but not the new girl from the big city...no siree...she was naturally drawn to names like "Coffee."


We've been through lots together in the past 45 years...boyfriends, weddings, divorces and near divorces, baby boys, deaths of our parents, life's ups and downs in general. I've always been able to count on her...she's always there when I need her. She one of the most unselfish people I've ever known. And I appeciate her...and our friendship. Thanks Colleen!

Piddlin'...an Art Form

I've been a piddler for as long as I can remember. The nature of my business for the past 25 years, producing custom invitations, has always presented lots of deadlines. To keep my sanity, when I can, I steal away a little time to piddle.

Piddlin' was learned at a very young age and I admit I've become quite good at it. And I take great pride in it. I can waste time like you wouldn't believe and have such a good time doing so. The purpose of this blog is to encourage you to piddle and enjoy the process.

I'll be back to share some ideas for playin' and piddlin'...so stay tuned!