Pink Lemonade

This is my apron submission for Tie One On's July theme "Pink Lemonade."



I had so much fun with this. The pattern is a vintage 1940s Marian Martin and the embroidered fruits are from a vintage Vogart transfer pattern, modified slightly so the cranberry and lemon are holding hands. Actually the cranberry was originally a cherry but I wanted to stick to the recipe that Amy posted at the start of the theme.



I had planned to use just yellow and pink stripes but it turned out that I didn't have enough of the yellow and a quick cruise through the sale racks at Joann didn't yield any more. I know, I need to buy more of fabrics I really like. So I went to plan B and used another fabric in coordinating colors.

The best part (in my opinion) is the braided rick rack. I saw this on a photo of a vintage apron and loved it. As I braided the two colors it got kind of twisted up (and my cats had great fun "helping"), but it ironed flat in the end and looks very cool. Here's a closeup:



This apron has a button back waistband instead of the usual ties so I used a bright yellow vintage button.



Want to see more pink lemonade aprons? Check out the gallery. And I can't wait to get started on next months theme. Mini-me. As in mother and daughter. Since my mini-me is a cat this should be interesting!

Summer Porches

I have such wonderful memories of sitting with my grandmother on her front porch, sipping lemonade and watching the hummingbirds visiting the honeysuckle that grew up the lattice and over the railings.

And I've been fortunate over the years since to have porches on most of the apartments and houses I've rented. They were often small, sometimes tiny, but if they were big enough for a chair and some pots of herbs I was happy.

Part of the reason I decided to buy the house I bought 3 years ago is the screened porch that runs along the back of the house. We added a tile floor which is cool on our feet in the summer and easy to clean. You'll find all of the houseplants there on summer vacation from their usual homes and a comfy hammock that is the perfect place to read and dream on hot afternoons.

My cats love to curl up on the twig bench with the barkcloth pillows I made. It's the perfect vantage point for bird and chipmunk watching, and for sleeping, too.



So, here's to lazy days and hammocks and porches. Happy summer!

Shop update: Just added two vintage aprons and a few more fruit pillows. And the Accessories section is finally open for business. More items coming this week!