I love dresses, anyone who knows me usually sees me in a dress. The little black dress was an inspiration for my room. Red is the color so roses are sprinkled across the bed. The dress form wears one of my favorite dresses. The dress form was a special surprise Christmas gift from my youngest daughter Kate, I love it and it is perfect in the bow window!

                                                      

I did not paint the gorgeous dresser but I did redo the lamp and make the wall hanging above the bed. The other three bedrooms are more Victorian in keeping with the 1840's home but I went slightly more modern and decidedly feminine!

Once the new ensuite is finished it will be a very romantic retreat! We should love our spaces, our homes to be a reflection of who we are. Everytime I walk into my room it makes me smile!

Have a delightful creative day!

Well it is about time for Fowl Friday, remember me I am Fran! Debra has practically forgotten our existence, well not entirely she does feed us and keeps the nest tidy but! ....we are surrounded once again by boxes, a big flurry of activity with another moving day coming up! Apparently the new place is some sort of historic home on the river, ugh water, hopefully we won't have any water sports in our future.

Freda has tried water skiing and it wasn't pretty, first the bikini of choice well let's just say itsy bitsy does not work with Freda's figure. Strings can be problematic too lets just say once again Freda did a lot of dangling in very awkward revealing poses!

Debra is a romantic, flowy dresses, lace and lately Victorian crazed especially dresses and dress forms. Her favorite Sizzix die at the moment Tim Holtz's dress form die for Sizzix. Wonder if they ever wear out?

Our biggest fear is the tiny lace outfits we see being fashioned, not sure but they look fowl sized! Yikes! Follow the Fowl!

This month the Designer Crafts Blog Hop Connection theme is Journalling. The talented Julie McGuffee who keeps us organized is host of the show Scrapbook Soup which now can be seen online as well! It features interesting ideas, tools and products for scrapbooking and journalling. Use the button in the sidebar to hop along and see the inspired projects of our designer group!

As primarily a sewing designer I incorporate stitching into as many projects as possible. I decided to create a piece to hang in my studio, a tribute to my grandmother. I have a picture of her when she was a young woman wearing a black dress, it is a beautiful photo and I wonder from her expression what she was thinking. She was always very stylish and wore beautiful hats to church and lovely suits there and to IODE meetings, church teas and bridge club.

Often when I dress up in a classic black dress and add her pearls she left me I am reminded of how we are tied to the memories of those we love, even though they may not be here any longer, their spirit and love is always felt. Remembering my grandmother.

The last few days are going by quickly getting ready for the CHA Craft & Hobby Conference & Tradeshow in Chicago!

My wardrobe for the show is what I like to refer to as a "creatively economical style". One of my bags for the show is a dollar store tote, embellished with bamboo coasters, fabric, felt remnants, trims and accented with beautiful artwork from a friend and local artist who also makes wonderful jewelry, Cynthia Ryder.

I also took a $4 thrift store find of a very plain little black knit dress and embellished it with Cynthia's artwork transferred to fabric sheets, beads, topstitching and another $3 sale belt to make another comfy stylish outfit for the show. Added my little hot pink cardigan and pearls for the finishing touches! So one more outfit ready to go and one that goes with my very comfy black sandals, a necessity on the show floor! The after and below the original dress! Keep creating the JOY! Debra

With only a week to the CHA show we are all busy finishing up new design work, commitments and preparation for the show. Part of this is four days of morning to night on and around the show floor and events and what to wear.

I love dresses and also like to be comfortable. I find feeling good in what you wear is directly related to looking good. If you look good and are comfortable it is great for the confidence. Since sewing is an area that most of my design work is in, I always have a piece on or an accessory that I have made.

For this show I am sewing more than usual. Working with a very small budget for anything new for the show it inspired me to be very creative. I found some great fabrics on sale and hit a sale on belts of four for ten dollars. I also have come to realize even though I spend much of my work time designing items, writing instructions and creating patterns I do not like to follow anyone elses pattern.

I designed this very vibrant black and white dress for myself, super easy, a patternless dress. The fabrics for the dress were $6 and the belt $3 so for less than $10 I have a cute little dress for the show.

I measured around my body added 6" and cut two rectangles. From there using a dress I had as a guide I cut a v-neck and arm holes. Gathered up the shoulders, added a ruffle and trim to both neckline and bottom. Made a couple rose pins from leftover fabric. Added the belt for the finishing touch! The dress to design and make took only three hours. I love how the flirty ruffle on the bottom moves when I walk and at the show there will be a lot of walking! Follow the JOY of Creativity! Debra, CEO!

I am busy getting ready for CHA, the Craft and Hobby Tradeshow in Chicago. One of the big events of the show for me is the Crafty Couture Runway Challenge where teams of designers are creating mixed media gowns to be displayed at the show. I am very fortunate to have the talented team of Michelle Zimmerman, fabulous clay artist and Marie Browning, the craft goddess!

The theme of our dress is inspired by the art of Zentangle and the Zen Tango dance. We are creating a black and white ruffled gown of reclaimed fabrics, clay, ribbon, trims, dyes, stamps, coffee filters and dryer sheets. With the talent and creativity of the CHA Designers there will be stunning gowns. Six of the gowns will be featured in an upcoming issue of Cloth Paper Scissors!

Have I mentioned before that I love dresses, I have been sewing dresses since I was five when I made doll dresses with my Mom's help at my tiny sewing machine. When my first daughter arrived I sewed her entire wardrobe and made many matching Mom and me dresses. I have always loved ruffles, feminine romantic inspired dresses. There are incredible romantic gowns and accessories found on the beautiful site  Bonzie Designs

On Mother's Day my daughter posted a picture of us together in a dress set I had made from fabric strips. It is a hot summer day late in the afternoon so we both look ready for a nap but it brought back "sew many memories!" Follow the Joy always, Debra!