The Mint Needle

Oh it has been so long since my last post!! The holidays, the end of the year, and my daughter's upcoming birthday has come so quickly. The weather in Ohio has been nothing short of amazing. Gardening in the middle of December has it's perks. First, my flower beds are all cleaned up for Spring. Second, I even transplanted a few hardy perennials to our front porch flower garden since their hasn't been much frost. They're doing great and I should have a row of lamb's ear blooming in the Summer.  Lettuce in December..... I know, I can't believe it either... But on the sewing front..... Oh geesh.... Where do I start? I've learned my lesson with quilting, that's for sure. If you start a quilt, finish it. My end of year projects have been all about getting those tops I've posted on Instagram "quilted". (With the exception of 2 that are going to be Christmas gifts.... I can't wait to post those!) I never mind taking sewing requests f...

We've been so fortunate to have some warm and sunny weather lately! I sometimes have to stop and remind myself that Christmas will be here before we know it. There's a couple of secret projects I've been working on that I really can't post.... yet . But in the meantime, I wanted to share a little salve I made for the winter.... ya know, chapped hands, dry skin, dry feet... The amazing thing, this little concoction does so much more than that! Our puppy Charlie, who is actually a full grown German Shepherd, has a bit of an allergy problem come Fall and Spring. His skin gets soooo dry, itchy, and flakey. We tried eeeeeverything from food changes to supplements to conditioners. And would you believe it, that this little homemade cream of calendula and coconut oil did the trick? Ya, I couldn't believe it myself. No more itchy, dry skin for Charlie! Even the vet said his skin looks so much better than before! All you need is 2 cups of dried calendula flowe...

Oh I can't believe I've done only 1 post for the most inspiring month of the year!?!? I have to admit, it's all delightful... ya know the things that have been taking up the most time. And tonight... well.... you guessed it, I wanted to play catch up and share what's been going on... These adorable aprons have been selling out in my Etsy shop! Hooray!! Question for you all.... How many of you would be interested in a sewing pattern? For example, I create all my pieces by hand without patterns. Yes, I know, it sounds crazy, but I do jot down measurements . Creating a PDF downloadable pattern would be a great way to share how these darling aprons are made! Let me know in the comment section:) A photo of these aprons just because the light hit them perfectly that sewing afternoon:) ******************* Halloween festivities are all a go with my little girls that are getting big so very quickly. A witch and her cat as I like to call it..... On a differe...

Hello readers! I'm so glad you stopped by! I feel as though there's so much to talk about & so much to show you! First off, our family took a little trip back to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. It was a blast. We got to do things that we didn't last time, when it snowed. The funny thing... the girls, at first, were so upset it wasn't snowing there already! Seriously?!?! It ended up being warmer in Glenwood than back home in Ohio. (Not surprising...) This time, we got to enjoy a 15 mile bike ride that coasts along I-70. It was beautiful! Then, we took a hike up to Hanging Lake. (Words cannot explain the oasis that exists on top of that mountain.) The question for the kids... how did the fish get there? :) After, we enjoyed a day of lounging at the hot springs... literally all... day... long... And, to get in the spirit of spooky Halloween , we hiked up another mountain to visit Doc Holiday's grave along with all the early settlers. That was nea...

The fields are changing color and soon the trees will too. Happy first day of Fall everyone!! I absolutely love this time of year:) I find it the most inspiring. Ideas swarm consistently and as I've said in the past, it's handy to keep a pen and notebook on hand wherever you go!  The garden beds are cleaned up and only a few pepper plants are left. I know it kinda sounds odd, but I like it. Even though the garden was okay this year... there's something about wiping the slate clean and planning for next year that's exciting.  With the crafting and sewing... well that's taking on some new projects. There's a couple things I want to refinish ~(furniture wise) ~ before it gets too cold. And check out these awesome candle sticks I made with the help of my hubby! Pinterest did it again.. . They were made from old oak banisters we had laying around. We cut them to various sizes and drilled a hole at the top with a 1 1/2 inch spade bit. Sand...

The Country Living Fair was here! And if you were lucky, you got to enjoy treasure hunting at its finest, walking among beautiful, unique, vintage, and handmade items! Check out some pics! Could a fairy house be any cuter? Great items for organizing! There's so much to see! I have to admit... this is one place I didn't mind seeing Christmas items! I absolutely could've walked away with 4 of these giant blending bowls. They were enormous! Inspiration! Vintage toy shop The Ohio Village Tea Demo Could you tell that it was an absolutely gorgeous day? I really can't say there was a specific area I loved the best. It was all so wonderful! Everything was spread out perfectly that as you wandered, you came across a treasure at every corner. The artisans, who hand crafted items right on the spot, were so inspiring. I loved that every vendor wanted to explain the ingredients behind their produc...