I’ll be out of town for a while, honoring my father-in-law, Joe Derrick, who passed away last night.

Please say a prayer for our family.  Thank you.

1. wiksten shawl collar tank top, 2. Halt Mich, 3. Untitled, 4. Untitled, 5. DSC06201 corduroy, 6. Wish Mountain, 7. Budget Week Purchase, 8. esta colcha foi minha avó quem fez.., 9. Skirt-turned-ruffled-scarf Refashion

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys

Coming to the Thimbly Things Shop. :)

Credits:

1. Happiness, 2. a little tree…, 3. BFF red & yellow, 4. colored cardboard-box, 5. more purple. more stripes., 6. Untitled, 7. powerline quilts, 8. Surprise Top by Adrianna, 9. this jar

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys

I find myself getting nostalgic about college as I grow farther and farther from that era of my life.  It’s been 7 years now since I graduated from Wofford College with my B.A. in English.  And now that I have real responsibilities to little, dependent human beings, I realize just how precious & carefree those college years were.

I mean, at what other time in my life could I take a nap in the afternoon on the lawn of a gorgeously green college campus, go read & discuss Shakespeare, and then lazily traipse to the dining hall to be fed by someone else?  And then someone else clean up my dinner dishes?

Dang, I miss that.

Oftentimes, dinner would be followed with a meeting.  I was a sorority girl.  Did I ever tell you that?  True story.  Nearly everyone at my school was “Greek.”  I was a Kappa Alpha Theta.  And still am.

So yesterday, I got a bit inspired and made this little homage to Theta:

I was going to share a metaphor about spools of thread being like students with all their potential or something, but it was way cheesy.  Of course, I seem to have shared it anyway. ;)  Please pardon my sentimentality.

Graduation season always makes me a bit nostalgic.

There are five amazing finalists for Spring Top Week over on Rae’s blog.  Go vote!  The polls are closed tonight at midnight.

I finally got inspired to make a top of my own on Friday night, and here’s what I cranked out:

I made this shirt from pattern A in The Stylish Dress Book.  That would have happened more efficiently if I understood Japanese.  Alas.  When I finally figured out that the back pattern piece was not the front, I was good to go.

The pattern is really quite simple.

And it looks a lot better on me than the original, ill-fitting thrifted sundress ($1!!!), which looked a lot like a maternity dress on me:

Although I still have to be careful how I wear it, or I’m certain I will look pregnant. ;)  (Which I’m all for when I actually am pregnant.  But I am decidedly not.)

It’s much better tucked-in.

I love the neckline on this and might have to make a dress from the pattern.

Thanks, Rae, for hosting a great week of inspiration!  You (& all the super-talented ladies who submitted tops) certainly got me inspired. :)

1. Porta de Maternidade - Yellow Submarine para Juliana!, 2. may 7/31, 3. just dust, 4. coffee break, 5. cerf volant, 6. Untitled, 7. Lady Portrait on canvas, 8. hand drawn ceramic teacup, 9. ikat cut out sleeve top

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys

…I’ve been taking them lately, and I just finished this set of paintings for my friend, Amy:

And here’s the start of a family tree for my friend, Mandy:

The pink heart may or may not be in the finished product.  I can’t decide.  But I’ll keep ya posted. :)

And my French virtual friend, Régine, commissioned several hot pads:

If you’re interested in commissioning a painting, embroidered wallhanging, hot pads, or anything else that you’ve seen on Thimbly Things, please shoot me an email (see sidebar).  

Oh, and just a reminder: Vote for your favorite top today on Made by Rae.  Once again, tons of inspiration.  If I have time tonight, I might start making a Spring Top for myself.

Get out there and vote for your favorite handmade top on Made by Rae!

Here are today’s tops:

Lots of inspiration and talent on display this week, so don’t miss it!  :)

Just to give you a frame of reference for the new wall arrangement, this is what the “art wall” looked like last year in July:

(Photo by my friend Sarah)

And have you seen the site Art Wall and its Flickr group?  Tons and tons of inspiration there.  And I’ve contributed to it probably more than I should have. :)

Enjoy!

P.S. Here’s what I was talking about last year on Cinco de Mayo.  I sure don’t seem festive.  Weird.