meet the ladies & a gent

This is Joy. A fitting name for a delightful person.

Joy is my neighbor and garden club friend.

The ladies and gent of garden club have been pals for a very long time.

Our neighborhood club was formed in 1956.

Club flower: daffodil.

Club colors: yellow and green.

Margarete and I have a lot in common. Like me, she married a Jewish man and learned the ways and traditions from scratch. She's funny and outspoken. She's also a little bit famous around here for her decadent pralines.

These gals and gent are open minded, curious, lifelong learners.

They have embraced technology. They email, poke around the web and send attachments.

You won't be surprised there are many former school teachers in the bunch.

The light is always on.

They've raised passels of fine children who grew into fine adults.

I want to be just like them when I grow up.

One of my goals in 2010 is to become an active member once again,

rather than occasional participant.

Because they always remind me to slow down and enjoy life more.

Plus these gals are loads of fun. And so is this gent.

I'll take a group photo in coming months so you can see the whole lovely crew. I wouldn't want to overlook Rose and Marigold, two of our aptly named members!

attitude free monogram

Eric isn't the monogram type. It's a little upper crust for him.

A tad elitist.

He's not a flashy guy. His style is subtle, but sharp.

This was Eric's Hanukkah gift from me.

Hand embroidered monogram meets vintage western.

I started with a super soft pearl snap western

shirt from a vintage clothing store in Austin, Texas

called Bitchin' Threads.

Cost: $24.00

Alan knows type. He always picks the perfect font.

I traced the letters with a water soluble marker. It was tiny.

No more than 1/4" letters.

Eric being flash averse, I decided to match thread to shirt and stitch tone on tone.

It was just right.

I used 3 stands of embroidery floss. Embroidering so small

is a little challenging. I used a basic stem stitch.

Would any of you enjoy a stem stitch tutorial? It's an easy, versatile stitch.

Next, I decided to doll up the arm holes a little bit with

a simple running stitch.

Can you see the placement of the monogram?

Well, he loved the shirt and the special details.

Eric, who you might recall from this post, is in Tel Aviv right now.

He's attending the wedding of a friend from Alaska.

Yesterday's Facebook status from Eric:

Macgyver meets Martha moment.

Just used a tea kettle to steam wrinkles from my sport coat.

I'm so proud.

42/52

52 Projects is a blog full of small, random ideas for the everyday joe.

Some are acts of kindness.

Occasionally, they are more introspective, requiring much of your memory.

Won't you please click away and read #42 from Jeffrey Yamaguchi,

boss of all projects? Wouldn't this small gesture make you happy?

Photo via ladysadie

magical

Welcome back friends! Did you enjoy the holidays? Since we last visited, I:

celebrated my birthday,

delivered 6 quilts to happy clients,

made a tallit (Jewish prayer shawl) for a very special bat mitzvah girl and

a Christmas stocking for a fresh new baby,

baked oodles of ginger snaps and shipped dozens of Red Llama aprons,

consumed a steady diet of caffeine and sugar,

and finally crumbled at work only to pick myself back up again.

After all that, I was able to have fun with my family and friends.

See ya, '09.

What can I say?

You weren't my favorite.

But I'm certain there were some great life lessons in there.

Somewhere. And don't get me wrong '09, I'm grateful for you and every other year.

That said, have a stellar and inspired 2010!

Thanks to Sadie for sharing this magical video she happened upon.

Happy Monday everyone.

to:

via nowvoyager

lucky peas

Like many southerners, we always make a point to eat black eyed peas on New Years Day. After all, who couldn't use a little extra luck in the coming year? Here's todays version using what I had on hand.

New Year's Day BEP's

1. soak a bag of dried black eyed peas overnight

2. rinse and put in soup pot

3. cover with water and add two chicken bouillon cubes

4. add 4 slices applewood smoked bacon, a chopped purple onion

and a handful of cilantro

5. bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook until tender

Happy New Year!

happy new year

I'll be back January 4!

Photo Credit: Unknown

need a last minute gift?

Want to make some delicious cookies like these?? My Drusilla's Ginger Snap Recipe Aprons would make a super fun and unique last minute gift for the foodie or teacher or tutor or hostess on your list. Email shari@redllamastudio.com if interested. I hope some of you are last minute shoppers like me!

The aprons are $29.95 + tax and shipping when applicable. Checks or money orders accepted. And of course cash too if you're a local!

first night

First night of Hanukkah was great! Olive just found out she's Jewish. I hope all of you have a nice weekend.

apron winner!

Congratulations to Sheryl from bitch cakes, the first rotten bananas giveaway winner! Check out her super blog. I just love it. Email your address to me Sheryl! Your apron and cookies will arrive soon! Thanks to everyone who entered! It was so fun to hear from you.

hallelujah everybody say cheese...

For your Wednesday enjoyment, a couple of pretty great holiday tunes that never get old.

You're welcome.

it's not too late!

This is the last day to sign up for tomorrow's drawing. It's not too late. Winner will be selected midday Thursday. What's one more password to remember? The cookies alone are worth it!

I think it's about time for a Rotten Bananas give away, don't you? First up is Drusilla's Best Ever Ginger Snap apron, my original design from Red Llama Studio. Drusilla lived in my hometown and she was justifiably proud of her ginger snaps. They are simply delicious! The recipe is handwritten (just like a recipe card) and silk screened upside down onto a 100% cotton apron so you can lift the corners and read the recipe as you gather ingredients and bake.

For a chance to win an apron and a tin of cookies (cookies for U.S. winner only....sorry), this is what you need to do.

1. Sign up as a follower to my blog. If you have trouble with this, any kid should be able to help you. In my experience, they are the computer know it alls!

2. Once you become a follower, please make a comment to this post.

That's it.

I'll randomly select a winner and post the name one week from today.

Follow, comment and win!

You can still get an apron even if you don't win! The Drusilla aprons will be available for sale next week for $29.95 + tax.

holiday field trip - neiman's

I took the girls on a little holiday field trip. Festive mood a prerequisite. Today's stop?

Neiman Marcus, downtown Dallas. The theme of this year's elaborate holiday windows is Innovations and the design is based on narratives created by local third graders about the future sources of energy. Click right here for a Q&A with the designer, Ignaz Gorischek.

A super cool Christmas tree made of books!

Sadly, the girls were too old and I'm too big and old

(does Winnie the Pooh come to mind here??) to climb into the display.

A perfect holiday outing.

mike and ike monday

A couple of days a week I rise at crack thirty to work an early shift at my part time gig. The up side? Off work by 9 am, job well done, with the rest of day in front of me. The down side? It's 3:30 in the morning! It's so quiet my ears are buzzing. Today I'm treating my coworkers to Mike and Ike's. Just a little something for my sleepy eyed compadres. Happy Monday everyone!

feeling felted

I love the simple shapes and beautiful colors of these felted wool tree ornaments. They almost make me want to revisit the old Hanukkah bush conversation. Click right here for more information and styles.