Make Mine Pink Show and Tell Monday

One of the things to keep us motivated at Make Mine Pink, is Show and Tell Monday. We show what we have been working on during the previous week. This week, I am so very practical. I made something for me! My ironing board cover was disreputable, my ironing board is very old, but I love it. It's the perfect height for me, nice big pressing surface-but it's an off size and the commercially made covers don't fit properly, too small. I had read about making your own covers awhile back on line (wish I could remember where)so decided to tackle it. Flipped the ironing board upside down to trace the shape. I added 3 inches to accomodate the edges and the batting. I cut out 7 layers of cotton and wool batting the exact size of the board and stitched the edges together to prevent shifting. Then the cover was cut out to the larger size. I made self fabric bias tape, applied it to the edge of the cover, inserted the cording and ta da---the most beautiful ironing board cover ever!!! (It doesn't take a lot to keep me happy) Looking at this gorgeous pink chintz fabric with huge blowsy peonies makes me smile.

On the board is a tote I have started.

Have a wonderful week, stop back soon.

JDRF Fund Raising Walk

Well, hello again. Just want to let everyone know, that in my family it is a very important time of year. JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) is planning for their fund raising walks. We have a family and friend team, Justin's Jungle Joggers. We have been walking for JDRf since Justin, my grandson, was diagnosed 6 years ago. This is a life-changing disease. My grandson has been enduring having his blood sugar tested everyday a minimum of 5 times. Along with the testing, there are the insulin shots. This year has been an especially exciting time for Justin, he was put on the insulin pump, which is attached to him at all times. He can bolus when he needs to and gets a steady dose of insulin throughout the day. Of course, now that he is growing like a weed, his blood sugars have been a little unstable, so in addition to staying on top of this all day, my daughter and son-in-law have to take turns getting up at 3AM every single night to check Justin's blood sugar. So on a very personal level, this is why we walk every year. Justin gets such a kick out of the walk every year and we all enjoy seeing members of all the other teams each year. Thousands of children are affected by Type I diabetes and recent research seems to indicate that we may see a cure within our lifetime. That makes the walk all the more important! There has to be enough funding to make this a reality. So, for the rest of the year, Patricia Rose will be donating 10% of all sales to JDRF. You can make a difference in many childrens' lives. If you would like to make a donation to JDRF, please visit their website:

http://walk.jdrf.org/walker.cfm?id=87017559

Just let them know that it is for team Justin Jungle Joggers! Remember, no donation is too small, this is a grassroots fund raising and we have raised so much with $1 and $5 donations.

Thank you for any help you can give us.

Recipe Exchanage for MMP Mother's Day Shop Hop

Hope everyone has been busy finding shopping bags! Aren't the boutiques some of the best shopping on the web? Just love this group.
Well, today is event # 1 of the Mother's Day Shop Hop. Recipe exchange Thursday. It's such a busy time of year, here's a really simple one that everyone seems to love.

DIP FOR STRAWBERRIES AND OTHER FRESH FRUIT

Take one 8ounce bar of cream cheese and one jar of Marshmallow Fluff and a teaspoon or two of vanilla. Beat on high speed of mixer until well blended and light and fluffy.

Here's another use for the chip and dip bowl. Put the dip in the bowl and surround with fresh strawberries and any other fresh fruit you enjoy.

I know, it sounds terrible--trust me on this one. The cream cheese cuts the sweetness of the Fluff and it is a truly delicious dip. This was shared with me by my sister in law, Susan Stevens.

Spring has finally sprung around this neck of the woods. It is just gorgeous outside. I never get tired of waking up one morning and seeing the green wisps on the trees. The tulips have finally opened, they are so pretty. Daffodils and hyacinths are almost done. With the windows open, the scent of the hyacinths comes wafting in--gorgeous!

Oh, have to tell you--one of the boutiques at Make Mine Pink, Beloved Creations, had a giveaway contest and I WON!! Janet, the owner, does beautiful hand embroidery and the prize is one of her hand-embroidered hankies. Such a lovely person to have such a special giveaway--can't wait to have one of my very own "Beloved Creations". Thank you so much, Janet. Please make sure you visit Janet's boutique, it's lovely.

Well, off to enjoy this wonderful weather. Everyone have a wonderful weekend and try that recipe--you'll be surprised at how good it is!

Hmm- blogger seems to be having some tech difficulties right now, so I can't get the link up for the Shop Hop. If you have time to search for some more shopping bags, you can use the link from the last post.

Make Mine Pink Shop Hop

As of midnight tonight, the Make Mine Pink Shop Hop takes off. Go to the Make Mine Pink website to see the wonderful prizes. Visit the participating boutiques websites and find the shopping bags. Click on the bag and it will register that you found the bag for that particular shop. Just like the scavenger hunts we had as kids! I'm sorry, my shop will not be involved until tomorrow afternoon, so sorry for any inconvenience. This is due to my severe lack of computer savvy! I'll get it figured out soon (I hope). Several of us at Make Mine Pink are in the same dilemma and have a brilliant friend there, Sharon of C'Est Chouette has bailed me out and gotten my shopping bag set up for me! Please do visit her website and find her shopping bag. She runs a 'vintage needlepoint rescue' and makes the most beautiful tuffets out of them! Do try and visit as many of the shops as you can, you will not believe how many talented people are gathered in this one site!
I will post in another day or so--there are lots of fun activites during the week ahead!

Pat

Computers!

I have spent the better part of a day trying to get my website in order, to no avail. To relax, I went to visit a blog of one of the Make Mine Pink Boutiques, tried to leave a comment and, for some unknown reason, my password is not working. Either this has been the mid-life moment of all time, or the entire computer kingdom in falling down around our ears! Hmmmm, wonder which that could be????

Please go check out my Little Pink Boutique, though. I posted some eye pillows which are really great for headaches and eyestrain! Also, I finally completed a "Makedo". This is a Victorian pincushion, embellished with silk ribbon embroidery. My interpretation of this is filled with over a half pound of rosemary! Purported to keep your needles sharp and clean. Go take a peek, I'm very proud of that. I had seen one several year ago and have been wanting to get one made--tada!-finally did it.

We have had the most spectacular weather for the past 2 days, this time of year just makes you happy to be alive. I was able to get some pictures retaken for my Little Pink boutique at Make Mine Pink, and am going to try to learn how to resize them for my website--now doesn't that sound promising?

Make Mine Pink in having a special contest for Mother's Day, a May Shop Hop. Participating boutiques will be hiding a shopping bag on their websites-that's the picture you see in the upper right of this post (this one doesn't count, just showing you what to look for)-you absolutely have to go over and search out the shopping bags--Good Luck All! Great Prizes!

Show and Tell Monday

Show and Tell Monday

Show and Tell Monday Sorry, folks--am having a dickens of a time with this!At Make Mine Pink, we have started a new event, Show and Tell Monday. We show what we have been working on and get a glimpse of people's workrooms and new projects, the new finds from buying trips. It will hopefully be an enjoyable way to share and become more and more part of each others success. I have attempted to get some pictures of my projects for the week. If they show up here, Picture 1 is the top of a "Makedo". It is a very fancy, Victorian style pincushion and hand embroidered with silk ribbon and embroidery floss. Picture 2 is the muslin base for a heat/cold pack which will be filled with lavender and flaxseed. These can be stored in the freezer in a plastic bag for a cold pack or microwaved for a heat pack. This one fits around your neck--heaven is! Each pillow will come with a removeable cotton cover. The cover is washable, not the herb pack. The next picture is of Eye Pillows also filled with lavender and flaxseed. Relieves eyestrain (from all this computer work), headaches, stress and is said to aid insomnia. And just because it works so very hard for me, a picture of my sewing machine. So those are the projects that will be finished today and posted in my Little Pink Boutique and website. Everyone have a wonderful, productive week--Pat

P.S. I can't seem to get the photos on here. I know it's something silly, my pink sisters will get me straightened out, I'm sure! The photos ended up way at the bottom of all the posts, so please do scroll down and take a peek--aren't you glad I haven't been here long, there's only a couple.

Not As Much Progress as I Had Hoped

Well, another week has gone by and I haven't accompished nearly what I would like to have. I have more trouble with getting decent pictures. Have to start studying up on this. The highlight of this week was getting a completely decadent jar, yes jar, of fudge from one of my pink sisters at Make Mine Pink. You have got to go to www. clutterbugstudio.com to order some of this fudge! It is far and away the best fudge I have ever had. It comes in an adorable little rounded jar with a little pink bow on it and a glittery pink label, "ooh fudge". The double jar comes with 2 little demitasse spoons for eating. Unbelievable!!

Well, have been stitchin' away this week on an adorable 'makedo', which is a victorian very fancy pincushion, all embellished with hand sewn silk ribbon flowers. Pictures (I hope) soon. Also did up an apron in linen, covers all of you, and looks good at the same time.

Please stop by my website and Little Pink Boutique next week, I promise, more product will be up! Have a wonderful weekend, stay safe.

Making Progress

Well, in the course of a week, I have, once again accomplished quite a bit! My boutique is up, only has 2 items in it at the moment. It takes me an awful long time to get things posted--it'll come! I cannot believe how excited I am that this is actually happening.

Have spent alot of time organizing my sewing this week. Got alot of items cut out so that I will be able to sew when I have small chunks of time here and there. My dining room table looks like a fabric store! I don't mind, that's one of my favorite places to be, but hubby and son don't think it's quite as much fun as I do.

Got an exciting bit of news on the Make Mine Pink forums today. There is a Yahoo contest offering grants to women entrepreneurs from Carolyn, the woman that worked with the Donald and was on his show, "The Apprentice", so I entered. Cross your fingers for me! Being I didn't win the HGTV Dream House, I figure I should get this one! (How's that for logic!)

So, by next week I hope to have my Little Pink Boutique full and then it's time to tackle the web site (groan). Don't forget to visit, "Patricia Rose: A Potpourii of Fabric, Fragrance and Findings".
Am going to attempt to get my banner up here on the blog, wait 'til you see how pretty! And, of course, my Make Mine Pink Widget! I am sooooo very proud to be a part of this amazing group!

...and I'm Off!!

Feel like I have been going a hundred miles an hour. I've been busy learning all kinds of computer skills, which is no easy feat for me! It has been an awful lot of fun, though, and each time I get taught something new, I feel so proficient. Doesn't take alot to make me happy.

This mad race to learn 'computer skills' is so I can open my brand new on-line boutique. I read about this amazing woman, Joyce Lucas, a CountryLiving magazine woman entrepreneur of 2008. Her organization, Make Mine Pink, seemed like it would be a wonderful thing to check into. So, I went to the website and dashed off a quick note. Well, the very next day, there in my email is a note from none other than Joyce. Well, my next thought was that this was what a cute little enterprise this must be. Well, let me tell you, this is no little enterprise. This is a group of women banded together to help each other succeed in the business of their choice! What a concept! From the first day I posted on the forums there, these ladies were there offering to help and suggesting what was the best way to go about setting up my business. There is no competition among the group that I have seen and I am so proud to be counted among the "Pink Sisters".

So, from going on to simply investigate and see what was out there because I've had this idea for several years that I would like to eventually open an on-line boutique as an outlet for my crafting and antiquing, I've become the owner of an on-line boutique! Please visit soon, you go to MakeMinePink, then the Little Pink Boutiques----then go to Patricia Rose-A Potpourri of Fabric, Fragrance and Findings. My heart did a little jump (well, actually a pretty big jump) when I saw it there for the first time! Check out all the other boutiques while you're there. Really a wonderful assortment of goods and services--and no, everything is not pink!

Watch out world--here I come!

'Til Next Time,

Pat