This Month's Giftaway, Passing an Award and a New Stove!

Okay, it's time for the July Giftaway prize packet reveal! (Where's the Vincent Price music, needed to make this announcement sound even a little dramatic?) BTW - for any "Newby" readers: To thank those of you who leave comments, I have a monthly Giftaway - drawn from the names of those who (ta-dah!) leave comments within that month. This month's package includes: this cute little vintage (?) apron (no, I didn't make it, this was an estate sale find!). Take a close look at this sweet thing - it's a four gore apron! I ask you, what woman of any decade would would take the time to stitch a four gore panel apron???? No, it's very obvious I didn't make this! Oops, sorry, I'm digressing still again. The package also includes this little resin bee and bee hive , , a handful of my scented handmade hang tags, a handmade bookmark and this altered tobacco tin that I made especially for the winner of this Giftaway. Anything else, you ask. Answer: Yes, but that's a surprise and will be sent with these items, not revealed until after the winner receives her/his package. It's also time to pass along the Furniture Whisperer Award I received from Margo. Who better deserving than Ki Nassauer? Congratulations, Ki, and thanks for all the inspiration you've given all of us! Remember my stove dilemna? (Remember when spellcheck didn't correct you for this spelling of dilemna????!!!!) Look what I finally got a few days ago! OMG, I LOVE it! No more cleaning those messy, awkward, goofy drip pans that were always beyond cleaning after one spill or over-boil, no more cooking on two (and then only one) burners. No more second-guessing how long it would take for my oven to over-bake. And look here: it's a convection oven, so it doesn't have one of those elements at the bottom that need to be carefully lifted and cleaned around! *Sigh*, I'm in cooking heaven. The only drawback that I see (so far) is that you're not supposed to can on these smooth top cooktops. Some say it's because of the weight of the pan and jars on the glass top, others say it's because of the amount of time the cook elements need to stay hot. Still others have told me that they use theirs for canning and have never had a problem. What does someone like myself, who does a TON of canning in the summertime do? Be thankful for our barbecue grill that happens to have a gas burner attached to the side. It does the trick and I'll happily trade the inconvenience of it for my new stove! (Still doing the happy dance!) And...my upholstery tutorial is basically finished. From the point I left you at last time, the only thing left on my particular chair is to trace the shape of the old cushion on a newspaper for a pattern (depending on the size, you may need to tape two pieces of newspaper together), buy a sturdy piece of foam large enough to accomodate your project, trim it off as needed (you may need to borrow an electric turkey carver - it's the easiest way to cut foam this large), cut and sew your cushion pattern, stuff it and you're done! Why haven't I posted a picture of my final chair? Uh...(clearing throat and blushing a little)...I keep forgetting to buy a piece of foam. Speaking of forgetting to post pictures (awkward segway, but it works), I forgot to post a pic of my newest flower potty. Here ya go: Before I go, I want to show you a picture of one of my gardening mistakes: Do you see what it is? These four o'clocks and gladioli are the same exact color. I love gladiolas/gladioli (whatever) and happened to grab a hand full of bulbs (color unknown at the time) and couldn't believe the coincidence. I keep telling myself that I will replant them in the fall, but they've been like this for eight years now. Before YOU go, be sure to leave a comment!