INSPIRATIONAL "STONES"

Using any "stone" colored polymer clay, form a flat stone-like shape. Something like a river rock. I used Sculpey's Granitex in black and brown.

Round up your permanent ink, and whatever word, phrase, even image

stamps you want to use.

Stamp that image into the unbaked clay. Don't worry if the image doesn't come out just right the first time. You can re-knead the clay

and the ink will never show.

Then, just start over.

Bake the clay according to the manufacturer's directions.

Place your inspiration stones among some moss balls in a pretty dish.

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DECORATOR FABRIC HEAVEN

As I mentioned in my last post, me and my friend Gladys, headed out Sunday morning to decorator fabric heaven,

The Interior Alternative.

I talked about this place here in this post.

Gladys needed some fabric for a couple new projects she's working on, and asked if I wanted to tag along. Well . . . how could I resist a trip to fabric heaven on earth??? The trip worked out well for me. I found a few more pieces of fabric to work in with my new color palette for my master bedroom.

This fabric . . .

is most likely going to be used to make some new Euro sham covers and part of the new covering for a small wing-back chair I have planned for the room.

Oh, I wish you could see it in person. It's so yummy and rich. Three days of cloudy, rainy weather resulting in bad natural light is not allowing the true richness and vibrancy of this pattern to be conveyed well in these photos.

I grabbed up just a yard of that sailcloth you see up there in the pic to add some solid to the all the patterns I'm adding. Not sure how I'm going to use it yet, but with the gazillion pillows I have planned for the bed's new ensemble, it'll come in handy somewhere!

This fabric . . .

I just had to have. I plan on making a lumbar-type pillow for the recliner I just covered using canvas dropcloth.

The girls working at TIA were happy to let me snap some pics. The told me to remind you all of the website, and that you can order fabric right on line. There's even a search function at the site so you can search for a particular fabric you may be having trouble finding.

Once you step through the doors, you're in total fabric nirvana . . .

There's Gladys getting her fabric cut.

They don't just sell fabric by the yard. You can shop for premade pillows, valances, table coverings, placemats, bedding, pillow forms and foam. They also sell small pieces of furniture, and soft furniture that can be custom covered using their custom upholstery services.

All fabrics are grouped by color. There are silks, damasks, tapestries, brocades, toile, outdoor fabric, sailcloth, etc.

When you visit this place, be prepared to spend some time. There is an unbelievable amount of fabric here. Sometimes it's mind-spinning. There's even a little TV area set up for the little ones whose mom's get lost in the sea of fabric bolts.

There are always new fabrics being stocked. Every time I visit, it feels like there's more and more rolls than the time before. I wonder if they're worried they'll grow out of the 16,500 square foot warehouse they're occupying now.

The selection of tassels and trims is amazing. If you can't find it here, then you might as well give up your search!

As mentioned in a post a few weeks ago, we're so lucky to have this place right in our backyard. It can be dangerous, though, for someone like me who tends to "collect" more fabric than I actually use in projects!

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RANDOM SUNDAY RAMBLINGS

Hope everyone is having a restful and peaceful Palm Sunday.

Not much going on here today. I'm hoping to get done something . . . anything . . . on my to-do list. It's been a pretty unproductive weekend so far for me.

Not sure why.

Just being lazy, I guess.

I'm planning on heading out to the big fabric warehouse store, Interior Alternative, today with a friend. Think I'll take my camera and see if they'll let me get some shots so I can share with you all just how massive this place is.

I do want to share some exciting purchases I made this weekend. The first being new cookware. I have used the same old pots and pans for the last 25-1/2 years. Right after our wedding when we returned home from our honeymoon, Hubby went out and purchased cookware. I wasn't much of a cook back then, so I really could have cared less what he bought. He did good, though. That cookware has lasted and served us well these past 25 years. Now, they're getting passed along to Son No. 2 who's getting his own apartment this summer. I was like a kid on Christmas morning diving into the box pulling out each pretty, shiny new piece!

The new cookware came from Kohls. It's from the Food Network line of kitchenware. It's so shiny, and fancy, and new! I can't wait to use every piece. And, we got a tremendous deal on it. It was originally $399 . . . GASP!!!! . . . but on sale for $299 - little better. But - and here's the great part - in the mail, we received the much coveted extra 30% off coupon. WOO HOO!!! The set came down to just a little more than $200. Not bad! After all these years, I think I've earned a $200 set of fine cookware, right?!

Wanting to work that extra 30% off as much as possible, I moseyed on over to the bedding department. As you may remember, I'm in the planning stages of redoing my master bedroom. I posted about it here. However, I've changed up the color scheme. Instead of the colors I originally choose, I've decided to go a different route. I'm going to use the colors I have planned for our master bath. It just makes good decorating sense to have the connecting room's colors coordinate for a better flow.

I was so excited when I found this great buy on a new coverlet for the bed. Our bed's a queen, and this clearance coverlet was a king. I grabbed it up anyway hoping it would work. And much to my absolute joy, it does!!! YAY! The color's exactly what I wanted, and the price . . . WOW!!!

As you see, it was originally $149, on clearance for $29, and brought down to $20 with that glorious 30% coupon. What a find! And I snatched up these throw pillows to get started building on my new color scheme. Originally $30 for the pair, they were on sale 50% off plus 30% with my coupon. SCORE!

Now I'm ready BIG TIME to get started on this room. The walls are going to be painted that restful Juniper Breeze color. And I'm planning on working in the other two colors, the Blue Lagoon and Sea Sage, along with some more of that chocolate brown color of the coverlet with accessories and fabric accents throughout the room.

Here's the only obstacle. The drywall finishing all throughout our house was done horrendously. This all needs to be repaired before I start painting. Oh, and I'm planning on prepping then painting the stained woodwork and adding crown molding. That should be a job.

The really bad, or sad, part is that we've left the walls like this for years. I've just been ignoring it figuring nobody's in our room but us.

Oh, and while I was snatching up all the great bargains at Kohls, I had to grab a little summin' just for me. Like these cute new shoes. ;o)

On to more random ramblings. I'm pleased to say that the South Beach plan has been working very well for me. I've managed to drop 4 pounds in the last two weeks. I'm really psyched about that! Phase One of the plan has you omitting almost all carbs and sugar (including fruit) the first two weeks, but adding lots of lean protein and vegetables. I've always felt I had way too many carbs and sugar in my diet, so this plan, I believe, will help me make some long-term changes. I've missed carbs a little, and I have cheated just tiny bit (Cosmopolitans have carbs, right? hehe ;o), but in all I've not felt deprived or hungry at all. It's been a very positive change.

Like my hillbilly window curtain?!

Not really. There's a goofy robin that's been fluttering into the window for the past couple days. Annoying. I've had to tape trash bags to outside of the window to keep it from seeing it's reflection. Seems to be working, but the neighbors probably think I'm nuts - as usual.

When I was snapping the pic of my trash bag window treatment, I spotted our rabbit friends. They're always together ever since they were teeny tiny last spring. I'm convinced they're "siblings".

How could I resist these pretty irises at the grocery store last week. The purple and yellow are just classic spring colors for me.

A pot of daffodils on my kitchen counter finally bloomed. I decorated some cheap plastic eggs one night like I didn't have anything else to do. They came out kinda cute, and look right at home nestled at the foot of the daffodils.

And finally, a bunch of branches from the forsythia I forced into bloom are almost done their inside show.

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