Summer by the Sea

With all the back-to-school stuff out there, and even Christmas already showing up in the craft stores, I thought I'd share a bit of beachy love today! I'm ready for some cooler weather from our 100 plus temps but not quite ready for fall!

On the Blogging Business Artisans team (aka BBArtisans) we like to promote our fellow teamies, and we make at least one treasury per month to help do that.  Since my middle name apparently is "Procrastination" I seem to get mine done at the end of the month, usually by the skin of my teeth at the last minute!

This summer treasury features members of the BBArtisans team, plus a few friends.  If you click on the treasury name, or right here, you'll go to the treasury on Etsy. And if you click on each lovely item, you'll be whisked away to the shop!

And when you visit, please click, comment and/or share!!  : )

Summer by the Sea 

Seashell necklace, ... SpringFresh $28.00	SILK SCARF, hand dy... SplendidLittle... $23.00	Turquoise and Wood ... BeadedTail $12.00	Abstract Lunar ACEO... clockworkghOst $10.00
Blue handmade paper... storybeader $8.40	SALE, Beach Pillow,... chimeracustomq... $12.00	CIJ Sale - Pebbles ... PruittDesign $30.00	Knit Purse Clutch Z... NFallonDesignS... $40.00
Ocean Blue Post-it ... MisterPenQuin $8.50	Sea Shell Zipper Po... pasqueflower $9.00	Under the Sea Digit... SherHastingsDe... $3.00	Message In A Bottle... Keytiques $30.00
Fun In The Sun Prin... PoppyHillCreat... $5.00	Fish Aquarium Craft... SmartBottomKid... $12.00	Mermaid Fin Pouch, ... tiffanymeising... $30.20	Additional Letters ... memoriesforlif... $2.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

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Summer Lovin' ~ A Challenge

Each month on the Blogging Business Artisans team, we have a challenge to make or post about something that follows a suggested theme. July's theme was suggested by Jenny of Bird in the Hand Art who challenged us to post about anything summer-related, love-related, or Grease (the movie) related.

I like to make something that will go in my shop, so what immediately came to mind was a cute pattern I had of a little girl bear dressed in her swimsuit just waiting to jump into the water!

She is so cute wearing her headband with its colorful bow!

and her ducky swim ring is so cute I can't stand it!

I crocheted her a hot pink swimsuit with a multicolored skirt that matches the bow. She's got matching shorts under her swimsuit, 'cause a girl bear has to be modest you know! Now in my shop!

This has been a fun challenge and there are a number of entries -- be sure to check out the BBA Blog to see other interpretations of this Summer Lovin' theme!  

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Jacks ~ Remember When

Onesies, Twosies, Threesies  -- do you remember playing jacks?

I was going through a drawer the other day .... no, not cleaning it out, merely going through it ....

why on earth would I clean out a drawer anyway?!!  If you clean out a drawer, there't nothing fun in it to go through ....

Anyway, I came across this little bag of jacks. They were mine and I hung onto them for reasons unknown -- although I did love to play the game! I guess the ball bounced away a long time ago!

Obviously old, just look at the bag! From ancient times for sure!

I wrote "Jax" all over it to identify its contents lest anyone (my brother...) think it was just a bag to be tossed out ....

They were red, blue and silver, four of each color, 

although it's hard to tell now! 

And made of steel -- I tried it and they stick to a magnet!  

I remember playing Jacks for hours on our front porch (screened in, wood floor, perfect playing area). And if none of my friends could come out to play, it was a game that was just as fun played alone.  We went through the typical turns of picking up one at a time, then two at a time, then three and so on. Picking up all ten at the same time was always a challenge for little hands!

There were lots of variations and made up games -- I remember one where we had to hold the picked up jacks on the back of one hand while bouncing the ball and picking up with the other hand -- all before the ball bounced twice! You had to concentrate -- it was like patting your head with one hand and rubbing your tummy with the other at the same time!

When you threw them and a couple landed piggy-back like this, it meant something .... 

but for the life of me I can't remember what! 

Did you play jacks when you were a kid?


♥♥♥ I'm linking up my jacks to Alphabe-Thursday over at Miss Jenny's where we are studying the letter "J."

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I Scream for Ice Cream!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Did you say that little jingle when you were a kid?  Getting louder and Louder and LOUDER every time?  Oh yeah, I remember that!

I must confess .... I have no control when it comes to ice cream --
No Control -- just ask my hubby! That carton of deliciousness just calls out to me in the night.

I can be innocently sitting on the couch, watching a movie that has NOTHING to do with ice cream, when the siren song starts .....  and I try to ignore it ..... I TRY I tell you ..... but suddenly I am being pulled toward the kitchen ..... and the freezer door opens ..... and that evil ice cream laughs .....  mwahaha .....

Braum's is mostly in TX and OK -- and a few other states

If you've eaten at a Braum's or can buy the ice cream where you live, you are very lucky indeed!

 

Then there's Blue Bell -- made here in Texas

Moo-llennium Crunch is my favorite, along with Cookies 'n Cream with its big chunks of Oreo's, and Homemade Vanilla is THE BEST vanilla anywhere, hands down! Not sold everywhere, but if it's in your grocer's freezer, grab some!!

I found this great ice cream bowl on Etsy, made by Sue Patrick Pottery

Isn't it just the best?!!

She's got a popcorn bowl too -- who says ice cream and popcorn
can't be eaten together?

And, of course, I must toot my own horn! 

It's a good thing the freezer was out of ice cream while I was crocheting this, or I would've been a goner!!

That's Braum's Birthday Cake on the bottom 

(yes, it's BLUE and has little pieces of pound cake throughout!) 

and Braum's Strawberry on top with real strawberries mixed in!

(in my Etsy shop, of course!)

So grab your ice cream scoop and a big bowl and listen for that
siren song ......  I'll never tell  ; )

Hmmm, next time I think I'll make some scoops and a bowl!
What do you think?

QUESTION ??   What's your favorite ice cream flavor -- or flavors, 

'cause I know you have more than one!!

♥♥♥  Linking my love of ice cream over at Miss Jenny's who is teaching us all about the letter "I" today on Alphabe-Thursday! You're sure to find lots of I-inspired posts there!!

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Hot Diggity Dog! It's National Hot Dog month!

Did you know that July is National Hot Dog Month?

  Make this to celebrate! 

If I can find a vegan or vegetarian hot dog, you better believe I'll make this for Noli! She'd LOVE it!!

Do you constantly sing "Oh I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener ......"  (Now that it's on your mind for the rest of the day -- hehe I've accomplished my goal! LOL!)
(Oscar Mayer Wienermobile photos from the official Oscar Mayer Hotdogger blog) 

Following in dad's footsteps .... 

Look, look!  A hot dog coat for your pooch! 

It's a pattern from Caron yarns if you want to make your own!

Did you have an autograph hound when you were a kid?  I did! It was just like this one, but yellow! I had everyone sign it in my class that year -- wouldn't it be fun to look at those childish signatures now!

This cute vintage autograph hound is from Jill Ruth on Etsy.

And, ta da!! A hot dog set for your kid's picnic play! Made by yours truly and just listed in my Etsy shop! This set is made of acrylic yarn, but I think I'm going to make something similar in cotton too!! And the cute storage bag can be used for a picnic cloth -- complete with ants!!

Oh, and when you visit my shop -- look in the "Christmas in July sale" section for some great deals!

Yeah, yeah -- I know -- shameless self-promotion.... : )

♥♥♥ Linking up all the hot dog madness to Alphabe-Thursday over at Jenny's place where we are studying the letter H!  Check it out to see what everybody else has come up with! Maybe some more hot dogs -- you never know!!

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"Sonoma Rose" ~ On the Bookshelf

I love the Elm Creek Quilts novels by Jennifer Chiaverini. As soon as I see a new one, I grab it! She started out by writing about a group of women who run a summer quilt camp, peppering the series with historical novels, and always weaving the stories around quilts. You might like to see an earlier post featuring one of her books, The Union Quilters, which takes place during the Civil War.

Now, you don't have to be a quilter to enjoy these novels -- you don't even have to have a quilt on your bed! I wouldn't know how to quilt if one came up a slapped me on the face, but I do love to look at them and appreciate the work that goes into creating one. When State Fair time rolls around, you can find me in the Women's Arts building enjoying the quilts hanging from the ceiling -- awesome!

 

Sonoma Rose is set in California during Prohibition. When Rosa Barclay finally works up the nerve to leave her abusive husband, she flees with only a few things -- among them, her precious heirloom quilts and one special possession each for her four remaining children. Caught in a flash flood, she is rescued and helped by her first (and true) love, Lars. Together, they make their way to the Sonoma Valley and find work and refuge on a vineyard (now illegal, though that is unbeknownst to Rosa and Lars).  

This book has it all -- a mother's search for a cure for her children's mysterious, and fatal, illness, gangsters, bootleggers, and above all, the love of a good man.

One of the things I enjoy about Ms. Chiaverini's books are the drawings of quilt designs on the end papers. I like to see the design of a quilt mentioned in the story, since I am not that familiar with quilts as a whole!

If you'd like to read more about Ms. Chiaverini's works, and for more info on this book, go to her website. And, there's a new book coming out in October, this one about a winter Elm Creek quilt camp where the quilters gather to make quilts for Project Linus. That's another charity that's near and dear to my heart so I'll be on the lookout for this book for sure!


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A Geologist in the Making ...

On the same day as the Great Katy Bug Adventure (A Budding Entomologist), Noli also tried her hand at geology (more like a rock collector, actually).

She loves to look for rocks with crystals in them and fossils and those with funny shapes.

When she found this one, I pointed out that it kind of looked like the shape of Texas (loosely, I'll admit) which she thought was cool since we live in Texas!

and then she turned it over .... a heart!

Can you see it?

She found one with crystals ....

and another sort of heart, and a perfectly rectangular one ....

and this really cool one that looks like a real human heart!

From the front

and the back

"Isn't that just the coolest," she says. "There are tiny shells in it!"

and then, oh my! A FOSSIL!

don't you think those are dinosaur toes?

inside to wash her loot ....

clean rocks!

We learned that geology is the study of the earth, including rocks, and that petrology is specifically studying rocks! And that someone who likes to look at rocks is called a "rockhound." 

She thought that was pretty funny!  

Then we read the Magic School Bus book "Inside the Earth" which was pretty good and funny too!

I think she did quite well with her geology lesson!

♥♥♥  Linking Noli's Geology lesson to Alphabe-Thursday at Miss Jenny's classroom, where we are studying the letter G!

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