Mommy & Me Aprons Now Available!

Ta dah!  I've officially launched Mommy & Me aprons on Retro Revival!  And my first customers, my (step) sister Suzanne and my niece Aubrey were sweet enough to model them for us!

How cute are they?!

Aubrey's decorating cookies here with her assistant, my nephew Evan:

I'm a serious sucker for customer pictures!  Please, send me yours!

This is my last blog entry for the month so this means it's your last chance to leave a comment for a chance to win:

...Two vials of handmade, lavender-infused bath salts!  Drawing is on the 31st.  Good luck!

Amusing Myself!

I'm always looking for creative ways to help advertise my business and sometimes (well, maybe more often than not?), I get a little dramatic!

Paul shot these pix recently...

Does mopping the floor make you feel mopey?

Brighten the task by wearing a Retro Revival apron!

(My new "Classic Kitchen" apron, featuring 1950's kitchen icons in pink and aqua.)

Cheesy enough?  Hahahaha!  We had fun with this.  And fair warning, we shot LOTS more - of other household chores.  Check back, I'll post more soon!

And here's a closer look at the dress I'm wearing, that I bought from my friend Becky's tag sale (check out her blog at http://sewinstitches.blogspot.com/):

Isn't this GORG?!  It's my new, favorite frock!  An authentic, 1950's dress!

For a chance to win this month's free blog giveaway leave a comment on this or any of my January entries.  I'll draw a winner on the 31st.  Good luck!

Aprons Upcycled from Vintage Pillowcases

When I design my aprons I am inspired by so many things, including my stash of vintage pillow cases:

These lovely, vintage pillowcases have really stimulated my sense of whimsy!  I've been collecting them for years as I've traveled across the country and picked through many dozens of antique and thrift stores.  So many of them have exquisite hand tatted details and are in remarkably great condition, including vivid color!  I've been giddy with excitement as I've upcycled each of them into unique, one-of-a-kind aprons; here's a peek at a few of them:

And here's a closer look at my two favorites:

(I've name this one "Sweet Rose," and you can see why!  The top layer has this incredibly beautiful, hand crocheted rose pillowcase; the bottom layer is a vintage tablecloth with a softly scalloped edge.)

("Pink Daisys" also has two layers, both from the same sweet pillowcase.  I stitched on coordinating green pom poms and pink ric rac for some added whimsy!)

I have lots of these luveries available on Retro Revival, but please keep checking back because I still have many more pillowcases to pull and upcycle from my stash - yay!

This month's free blog giveaway:

I'll randomly draw a winner for two vials of lavender-infused bath salts from all of my January blog entry comments.  Leave a comment for a chance to win - each comment counts as one entry so the more you comment, the more chances you have to win!  Drawing is January 31st.  Good luck!

Mmmm Good - Lentil Soup

Up until about two years ago, I'd never eaten lentils; thought they were kinda wierd looking and not very appealing.  Desperate to find a new soup recipe to add to my winter menu repertoire, I found a lentil soup recipe in "Southern Living Magazine" that looked pretty good.  Two years later, I make this delicious soup at least twice a month - it's one of our favorites!

(One of my new fabrics on this Retro Revival 1940's styled apron - it's "Colorful Pears.")

In case you'd like to try it...

FRENCH LENTIL SOUP
Ingredients:
1 pound kielbase, cut into bite sized pieces
1 diced onion
2 sliced carrots
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 pound lentils
8 cups chicken stock
1 dried bay leaf
1 tsp crushed rosemary
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  If you're like me and can't find finely ground rosemary, grind it

2.  Brown kielbase in a big non-stick pot
3.  Add carrots and sautee for about 3 minutes

4.  Add garlic to pot and sautee for about 2 minutes
5.  Pour chicken stock into pot

6.  Add remaining ingredients to pot, bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer for 50 minutes
7.  Enjoy!

So easy and so delicious!

Remember to leave a comment on this blog entry for a chance to win this month's free blog giveaway!  Drawing is January 31st.  Good luck!

Caught in the Act!

After the Christmas feast, the guys grabbed Retro Revival aprons and got busy cleaning up the dishes!  What they really need are my MEN'S aprons!  Thanks Christina, for sharing this picture:)

Janie ordered my 1950's Style Lucky Charms apron as a Christmas gift for her mother-in-law and a custom Irish half apron for herself:

Thanks for sharing, Janie.  You both look adorable!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE seeing your pictures so keep sending them!

Leave a comment on one of my January blog entries and you're automatically entered to win this month's blog giveaway:

The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!  Drawing is 1/31/11.  Good luck!

December 2010 Blog Giveaway Winnter

Congratulations, Christy (Lil Bit Brit), you won my December 2010 blog giveaway!

Please email me your address and I'll ship you the vintage tablecloths apron.

How does a nice, warm bath sound?  After all of the hubbub of the holidays, I'm thinking soaking in some of my handmade, lavender-infused bath salts would be nice!  So this is my blog giveaway for January, two vials Retro Revival bath salts:

Each vial is enough for three to four baths.

I'll randomly draw a winner on January 31st from all of your comments to my January blog entries.  The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win.  Good luck!

Vintage Apron Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to

Christy (Lil Bit Brit)!

Christy is the winner of my December 2010 blog giveaway (the apron I made from two vintage tablecloths) - yay!

Christy, please email me your address so I can ship you the apron.

For this month's blog giveaway, I thought some of my Retro Revival handmade, lavender-infused bath salts would be nice (2 vials that'll give you 8 baths).  Who doesn't like the idea of soaking in a warm bath after all the hubbub of the holidays?

I'll randomly draw a winner from all of your comments to my January 2011 blogs; the more times you comment, the more chances you have to win!  Drawing is January 31st.  Good luck!