With Apologies

I've been neglecting you, my followers. Somehow I keep running out of time. Do you have people in your life who are always productive? Who seem to have time to run up a quick skirt, bake a couple of loaves of bread, run 3 miles a day, clean their baseboards, have cookies and milk ready for the kids, and even more? Where do they find the time!!! Does their day have 28 hours?

Well, my day only has 24. Truthfully, the morning hours between 7 & 11 are the ones that really count. After lunch I begin to slow down. For me that means going from a saunter to a crawl. I guess I really only have 4 hours in my day. No wonder the rest of you are so far ahead.

Tomorrow is set up for the Red Poppy Festival then with just a little help from the weather man an exciting weekend connecting with old friends and making some new ones. Come on out to say hello!

This little reversible pillowcase dress should be ready and hanging in the booth for some smiling little 2 year old.

 

 

After the weekend, I have one day to pack car and set out for Wilmington, DE. For all of you on the East Coast Annarella Girl will be at the Wilmington Flower Market from May 9 -11. See you there.

www.wilmingtonflowermarket.org  has all the info about the event.

 

I'll try to stop in here once in a while to chat with you. If I'm neglectful it's because I've run out of hours, but I'll be thinking of you.



Saturday Countdown

The sun is shining through my sewing room window, but the temperature is unusually chilly. Who left the refrigerator door open last night?

sunny skirt, size M (5-6)

I'm into the final countdown before the Red Poppy Festival which kicks off next Saturday. So much left to do. That dreaded to-do list is soooo long. Most of the sewing is done, but I have a few "if I can get to it" dresses and onesies I'm dying to do. a lot of the tasks are now organizational and business details. Print off handouts; tag everything; iron, iron, iron all the goodies; make headbands; gather all display items; stamp receipts. Seems endless, doesn't it?

Why go through all of this work for a show? I love meeting all the customers. I look forward to talking to the girls. The feedback is invalauble. For months I work in the solitary confines of my sewing room. A show gives me a chance to see if I'm designing and creating clothes that a little girl wants. Every smile affirms that I'm on the right track. Each excited buyer gives me a shot of love.

Recently a reader left a comment saying that Annarella Girl clothes made her smile. That is the ultimate compliment for me! When someone walks into my booth and smiles as he/she looks, I feel it as a warm hug. Does anyone remember the Oscar acceptance speech of Sally Fields when she exclaimed, "You love me! You really love me!?" I want to shout those words with every smile and each purchase. Yep, these are my creation "babies," and you think they are cute!!! I am a proud mom.

I hope you will be able to put up with my obsessing about Red Poppy. And it doesn't end there. Two days after, April 30, husband and I start the long drive to take Annarella Girl to the Wilmington Flower Market. Hooray!! Another dose of love, I hope.

Hey, if you are close to either show, stop in and say hi. I'd love to see you!! Now, I'm off to make some headbands. Busy, busy , busy.

Why You Haven't Been Hearing from Me

Busy days. There are 3 projects that are converging. I'm as busy as a one-armed paper hanger.

Two weeks until the Poppy Fest. Georgetown's Square welcomes 30,000 visitors to hear the music, see the cars, eat fair food, and visit all the arts and crafts vendors - that means me!!! Go to the website to see the stars and schedule for all events. www.poppy.georgetown.org.

I'm also helping the Georgetown Art Works create an outstanding  booth to spread the word about the new art center coming to Georgetown. Look for the big blue elephant at the Red Poppy Fest. There you can find out what the art center will be doing this year, how you can become a member and support this exciting project.

Then 2 weeks later, May 9th - 11th I'll be at the Wilmington Flower Market. I had to skip it last year, but I'm back!!! Great show which benefits lots of worthy children's charities. Come out buy a plant, famous flower market mustard and a colorful sundress!!!

All this has kept my fingers flying at the sewing machine and attending more meetings than I'd like. Here are a few new creations for my booth at Red Poppy and the Flower Market. Spread the word. Mark your calendar. Annarella Girl is coming.





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A Good Show for All the Handcrafters

Poppy Fest was a great success, and not just for Mama D and Annarella Girl, but for all the handcrafters around us. That included a basket maker, stained glass maker, woodworker, and jam maker. Everyone was happy with the turnout. People were so supportive and appreciative of the handmade goods. Kudos to the organizers. It is such a huge job. Thanks to Mother Nature for being cooperative. I can't say enough for the experience.

Now on to the special orders. I will be busy in May. Hurrah!!!! The store in Georgetown called "Wonderful Things" on Austin Ave where we have a few things has just reordered. Thanks you very much!!!! So I'm working on that. If you are local, you probably know what a great gift store they are. Now that you can find Annarella Girl there, they are even better. Is that blatant self promotionn?

You can always find me on the internet if you are out of town or "Snickelbritches" in Temple, Texas.

 After a string of mediocre shows, it was certainly nice to feel loved again. Thanks again to all who stopped by, talked to us and bought. Feeling the love. Back at ya'.

The Bees Knees

Where did this expression come from? We humans have cute knees but they give out after a certain amount of use. Bees have spindly knees but I've never heard of a bee knee replacement. Maybee we need to learn from them. Fly instead of walk. Does that lead to shoulder surgery? Just asking.

Tomorrow and Sunday I'll be at the Red Poppy Fest along with thousands (I hope!) Should be lots of sunshine. Please come and enjoy all the music, food, family activities. It's been a buzzy week leading up to it. Special orders coming in. Looks like I'll be buzzy as a bee in the month of May!

I am skipping the Wilmington Flower Market. I'll miss all my fans there. Always a good show for me with lots of returning girls. Fun to see them grow. Maybe next year. In the meantime if you are used to finding me there, try my etsy or facebook pages.

Bee good and enjoy whatever your buzzy weekend brings!! Remember you can find me on 7th street in downtown Georgetown on the street outside The Exchange's new location. Parade starts at 10. Come early and stay late.

Red Poppy Time

Some Georgetown Poppies. Proudly, we are designated red poppy capitol of Texas and celebrate with a 2 day music festival. Weather cooperating, more than 30,000 visitors crowd our streets to listen to good music, sample fair food and shop the best handmade arts and crafts vendors from inside and out of Texas. Mama Ds and I are part of it all. Love all the crowds, commotion and confusion!!! It starts with a parade at 10 and goes to the late hours with a street dance and concert on Saturday. Sunday opens at 12 and closes at 5. Come one, come all. Great family fun. And if you're not familiar with downtown Georgetown, it is a good time to explore the many restaurants and stores. If it has been awhile since you've been here, there are new shops and restaurants you really need to see.

Link to Red Poppy Fest Here

10 Days

Red Poppy Festival is over. It was wonderful - lots of people to meet, good weather and successful sales. Thanks to all who bought from me! The onsies with attached skirt made their debut, and people loved them. I do have a pic or two that I will post tomorrow. Now I have 10 days to restock for the Wilmington Flower Market. Let's see - that is 240 hours. So if I don't sleep, limit the potty breaks and eat only once a day, I should just about make it. Posting on this blog will be spotty for the next month, but I'll try to check in for brief updates. Thinking warm thoughts about all of you.

No More Time

I wish I had a couple more weeks, but I don't. Red Poppy Festival starts tomorrow at 10 am. I'm as ready as I'm going to be. There are a few more headbands to make. Then it's a matter of gathering together everything I need, packing it in the car and setting up booth. Luckily Jennifer D of Mama Ds does most of the heavy lifting and booth design. I just come in at the end with my racks, clothes and a table.

At this point I'm always nervous. How will the show go? Will I meet lots of people? I love when I get to share the excitement of a girl picking out something beautiful to wear. It's such a joy when I can make someone happy.

There is a dark voice whining in my mind - an old, familiar demon. What if no one buys? This makes me feel very unloved. I can only liken the bad show experience to dressing up your new baby who you think is adorable and taking her into a crowd where noone appreciates her, ooh and ahs over her cuteness or tells you how beautiful she is. Hoping for a weekend full of love for my "babies."

Have a great weekend. Be kind to each other. Enjoy the spring flowers.Celebrate the specialness of each baby you see.

Sew Much to Do; Sew Little Time

The title sums up my life right now. The Red Poppy Festival takes place this weekend. Make plans to come. Great entertainment starting Friday night as some of the arts and crafts vendors ar setting up. Check out the official site http://www.redpoppyfestival.com/ for times, events and entertainment line-up. A great party put on by the city of Georgetown., and all free. MamaDs and Annarella Girl are on 7th St across just east of Main.

Working frantically to get ready. Sewing, of course, but there is a lot of odds and ends to do to get displays and handouts ready. Just trying to keep focused and mark items off my to do list.

Ten days after Red Poppy I start my journey east for the Wilmington Flower Market. Leaving a bit early so husband and I can stop in New York City to visit my son, Tyson Skross, and wife, Allyson Smith, who are now living in Brooklyn chasing their dream to be established artists. (I'm so proud of them for taking on this challenge!) They are so good and deserve more regonition. I can't wait to see where they are living and what they are doing. As a mom I need to know their surroundings so when I'm thinking of them I have a framework for visualization.

While I'll be on the road I will still have some things at the Good Water Gallery, 704 S Austin Ave, on the square in Georgertown. Here are some pictures of our, Mama D and me, space there. I think Jenny D has done a wonderful job of creating a warm, casual look.

Sew, a busy time, and I'm loving it. Hope to see a lot of you soon.

Spring Report

It's another spring update. You'd think after all these years spring would no longer bring me such anticipation and joy, but it does. And I am once again delighted with noting the progressions and changes that occur. Most of the lawns are more green than brown. Dandelions wave their yellow heads in the breeze. Trees sport a haze of green as the leaf buds begin to unfurl. The Bradgord pear trees that line the entry to my development are filled with white flowers - reminds me of brides with full veils. I haven't spotted my first bluebonnet yet, but soon.

Georgetown, where I live, has red poppies. It's known as the red poppy capitol of Texas. There are many homes in our historic downtown that sport yards full of red poppies. It is quite a happy sight. In April the town has a festival which honors the flower. (In truth, it's a good title but it really celebrates all of Georgetown and its inhabitants.) This year it is April 16-17. There is always good music - local and national. Mark Chestnut is the headliner on Saturday night. Fair food favorites range from kettle corn to funnel cakes to sausage on a stick. Lots and lots of arts and crafts booths. Annarella Girl will be there sharing a space with Mama Ds. Put it on your calendar. For all the up-to-date information go to the Red Poppy Festival website.

Black and pink skirt with pink underskirt and black and bright pink flower sundress will be at the Red Poppy festival. They say come and see them in person. My poor photos do not do them justice.

Poppy Time

Sunshine and rain mean good poppies. When in Georgetown, drive around Old Town and enjoy the stands of red poppies in so many yards. They are glorious this year. This picture comes from Gwen Green and is one of 17 posted on Flickr of the red poppies in Georgetown. Beautiful!!!

Come on Sat and Sun to enjoy the Red Poppy Fest. "Paint the Town Red" parade starts at 10 on Sat. Great music both days. Little Texas is headline act on Sat.

The Exchange will be open Sat 10 - 8 or until Little Texas start. Sun open 12 - 5. See you there!

More Hands, More Time

Back in January or early Februart I made a comment about frittering away time that should be spent sewing. Well....I need that time back! So much to do, and not enough time left before Red Poppy Fest, April 24 & 25. I need to sprout 2 extra hands and 8 more hours in each day! I want to make sure I do the girls, like Laura, justice.

PS. As I reread previous posts I see how sloppy my spelling and typos are. Mea Culpa.

Last weekend continued & this weekend begins

There are a few impressions of Bloomington, Indiana that I want to share. We had a fantastic brunch on Saturday morning at Farmbloomington on Kirkwood Ave in downtown. I've eaten a lot of meals in very good restaurants worldwide, and this meal was among some of the best I've ever had. If your are ever near the area, eat here. Biscuits and apple butter were memorable, french toast was sinful and eggs were fresh. Wait staff was mid-west friendly and professional. Decor was interesting and unique. See collection of old bed pans on the wall.

You can tell by the smiling faces, we were all very happy. Good job FARMbloomington.

To walk off the good meal, we strolled around the farmer's market. Although it is off season we did find some flowers and plants to buy.

Bloomington and the surrounding countryside reminded me a lot of northern Delaware/Southern Pennsylvania with its rolling hills, tall trees, and many streams. With early spring flowers giving splashes of color against the new green of the grass and just budding trees, it was a great place to relax and enjoy family. We had sunny, warm weather so we basked in the spring sun.

Coming up this weekend here in Georgetown is the annual Red Poppy Fest. See the website for a schedule of all the music, headliner is The Bellamy Brothers. You can also find a driving map to many of the Red Poppy yards in downtown.

There are lots of vendors. In front of Annarella Home will be Nick Conde Dudding. photograper, and Mary Louise Poquette, jeweler, who also has many interesting items such as aprons, scarves and totes. Annarella Girl will have a few things outside and inside the store.

As in all festivals there's food and a children's area. The weather is suppose to be warm but not hot, so come and enjoy.

Taking advantage of the large crowds, Annarella is holding a SALE - 75% off all remaining furniture. There are even some bigger bargains for other assorted items. The sale runs for just Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 1-4. Its a great opportunity to buy quality furniture at low, low prices. Cash or check with a surcharge of 8% for credit cards. See you this weekend!