And Sew It Goes ...

hey y'all,

how many clever ways can you use "sew" in a sentence or blog title? i guess we'll never know. because they keep on coming, don't they?

wanted to update y'all with the latest regarding my on-going sewing saga: terry lee in search of a sewing machine that will sew a simple seam, a stitch or two. if you need a review, please refer to my "life should be sew easy" post.

two things:

1. while on a recent 3 day long junking adventure with pal bonnie (sans jannetta who was on vacation in the land of daaa-vy crockett, ♪♫♪ king of the wild frontier), i found sewing machine #2 in marble falls. it's a singer, sew it has to be better than the stinky "sew easy" machine, right?! we can only hope. $35 for model 2517c (for you sewing-types who might have a notion to look it up).



2. i called the woman who sold me sewing machine #1. you might recall she offered a money-back guarantee. she made good on that promise and returned my $15. i was never so happy as to hand that piece of you-know-what back into her hands ... and i didn't even have to needle her!

3. sew, as i see it, i'm at -$25.00 and in possession of a sew-far-sew-good singer sewing machine.

it does seem to be working fairly well. i had to replace the light bulb ($2.99) but was able to download the manual online for free. i love the inter-webs!

mainly, i've just been playing around with it ... which after all, is all i wanted it for anyways. to play with. it's a little unseamly to believe in jinxing things, but i'll say it anyhow: it hasn't jammed ONCE! it just sews and sews and sews like a good little machine. of course now that i've said that, all hell will break loose.



have been making some fun little card/collages using recycled greeting cards, scraps of vintage lace, material, pictures torn from vintage year books, etc. i LOVE using the sewing machine for these creations. it gives the pieces a different look and feel than when just using glue.

(she says, as IF she knows ANYthing about crafting).

found this wonderful set of stamper words at a "divorce estate sale", along with some other stamps and stuff ... for practically nothing. it's an ill wind that blows no man good ...

here are some of my faves (but then, i'm a little biased). i keep making them ... for what, i do not know. it's not like i have a shop or booth. i guess i do it because it's therapeutic. and sewing is cheaper than a shrink. heh heh

my personal favorite ... i crack myself up sometimes













love and hugs, y'all!

terry lee

Memorial Mayhem, Estate Sale Ecstasy

hey y'all,

as i sit here at my computer, thinking on all that's happened in the past few days, i realize a couple of things.

1. there's no way i could include everything because the blog would be too long.

2. you probably wouldn't believe it anyhow.

and that's what kind of long holiday weekend i've had.

but lemme give it a go, touching on the high points (or low ones, as the case may be).

chronologically speaking, i'm going backwards. mainly because i want to share the most recent (and unfortunate) incident that happened to bonnie and me ... to get it off my chest. well, my proverbial chest.

we went to see sex and the city 2 sunday afternoon ... which was very good, imho. don't listen to the critics.

so we were in the parking lot after the movie, chatting next to my car. the space next to mine was empty and i noticed a vehicle wanting to pull into it. i quickly shut my car door (which i had opened so i could put my purse inside the car) and got out of their way.

the driver aggressively swerved into the space and in the process, drove over the white line, coming within a hair's breadth of our legs. i screamed, thinking we both were about to be hit by this car.

when the driver and her two passengers got out the car, i was so stunned i said to her "you nearly hit us!"

well! that was all she needed. she lit into us, using all manner of foul, abusive language ... calling us names ("bitch, ho" ... and other sundry pleasantries), threatening violence if we "opened our mouths again", etc. after she and her entourage went into the theater, i took a picture of her license plate and car. then i called the police.

i've already checked. it's not easy for the average joe to run a license check in the state of texas. apparently the websites that offer this service are disreputable. however, if any of yous guys know someone who knows someone ... heh heh

we were v. shaken by this incident and i'm not sure what, if anything the police will do about it. but at least he gathered information and made a report. i'm thinking it should be against the law to nearly run someone down with your car. and i'm also thinking that it's against the law to threaten physical violence against a person, yes??

sheesh.

there we were. two middle-aged ladies out on a sunday afternoon for a chick flick ... minding our own damn business, when all hell breaks loose in the theater parking lot. a word to the wise: you're not safe anywhere. it's a wild and crazy world out there, folks.

sure makes me want to enroll in the concealed handgun class we have here in texas. can y'all just imagine terry lee packing heat?! don't mess with me or my peeps. argghh.

previously, on saturday, bon and i found two v. cool estate sales. at the first one, i ran into a sweet gentleman and his wife, who were close friends with my parents when they were all young newlyweds. he looked at me and said, "are you B.T.'s daughter?"

"yes, i am!" i replied.

claytonANDnell ... that's how i remember mama saying it. as one name. he's clayton, she's nell. :-)

without any prompting, he began telling me story after story about my parents back in the 50's and 60s.

"in 1957, B.T. bought himself a brand new '57 chevy. it was aqua and white and boy did he love that car!"

this was taken in 1963, and i think that's the '57 chevy in the background. i'm not a car person, so please, feel free to correct me if i'm wrong. btw, that's 2 year old me, easter of '63 with my daddy.

we stood there for a good half hour while he told me about mom and dad and things they all used to do together ... how funny they were and the stories my daddy used to tell. i was in heaven. there aren't many folks around that still remember my parents ... or who were that close to them. what a treat that was! i plan to visit them in the future (with a notebook and pen) to tap into more of their memories.

my purchases ... a vintage tin FULL of buttons and a sewing box filled with old sewing notions. fun fun fun!! grand total: $3

the next estate sale was larger and quite interesting. the house was built in 1966 ... and as blake, the son-in-law of the deceased told us, that's when his in-laws moved in, decorated the house according to current styles ... and never changed a thing.

don't believe me? check this out. when i walked into the front, formal living area, i thought i'd walked onto the set of madmen. or bewitched. or i dream of jeannie.







yes, it was all for sale. true vintage, mint condition 60's furniture. if i'd had room in my house i would've bought it. love love love that turquoise color. we didn't want to leave that room!

the den was much less formal, but still mid-century-ish. i was having my usual bout of junkin' hot flashes, so i decided to take advantage of the ceiling fan and sat my vintage arse down in one of the chairs for a rest.

i took out a kleenex and began blotting away at my perspiring face. allow me, at this point, to say that my right eye continues to be problematic ... it weeps constantly. so i also had to dab at my eye for a while.

as i was wiping my drippy eye, a woman walks close to me in order to see the items on the bookshelf behind my chair.

"i'm sorry, do i need to move for you?" i politely ask.

"oh no, you're fine dear."

and then adds ... "this must be very difficult for you."

i looked up at her (quizzically) and instantly recognized sympathy in her eyes. oh.my.gawd. she thinks i'm crying. she thinks i'm a family member of the deceased.

well, the bad girl in me desperately wanted to play along with her fantasy. under normal circumstances, i would have. but for some insane reason, i got the worst case of giggles i've had in a loooong time. i glanced over at bonnie, who btw, was just waiting and watching for my response and that's when i lost it.



like the perfect idiot i am, i finally choked out, "no, no. i'm a customer just like you. it's just allergies." then i turned my head away from her and buried my face in the kleenex because the giggles became so violent, my entire body was shaking. if you didn't know better, you'd think i was sobbing with grief.

whew.

later, when blake had a break between customers, he'd come in and chat with us. i always enjoy learning about the people who lived in these estate sale houses, especially if i'm buying something. i want to know a little about who they were, what they did, what they liked. it's the history that's important to me when it comes to collecting vintage pieces.



his in-laws met on july 4, 1946 at the bell county independence day festivities. they were married 3 weeks later. he passed away in 2008 and she is currently in a nursing home.

we were reveling in the sweetness of their long-lasting marriage (sometimes love and marriages DO last) when another customer, who had overheard this story, butted in with, "and sometimes people stay married for health benefits and income reasons or for the children."

ouch. so much for love and warm fuzzies.

"umm, do i detect a cynic in the house?" i said to no one in particular. yeah, yeah, i know. it takes one to know one.

that's when she and her grown daughter started sharing personal details of their sorry-ass, no account former/late husband/father, respectively. that's respectively, not respectfully. i was sorry for these women, truly i was. but they almost seemed proud of their stories. and let's not forget that we. were. perfect. strangers (emphasis on the perfect. heh heh ).



perhaps a bit o' counseling/therapy is in order? i'm just sayin' ...

speaking of therapy, i really needed this baby doll i found there! isn't she the best?! well, she could only be better if she had blonde hair. but i love her still. soooo sweet!

sorry about the string around her neck. forgot to take off her $2 price tag before i took the pic!

yes! her eyes close when you lay her down. it belonged to one of the daughters in this family.

also found a grrreat lamp for my office! really needed some light. my chandie just doesn't put out much. blake sold it to me for $6. love how you can move the angles of the three lights.



continuing on, backwards, on friday bon and i went out to lampasas, where fellow FAG and dear friend jannetta was hosting a garage sale with her sisters. she's been busy with family as of late, so we haven't seen much of her. you are missed, girl!! can't wait till we're all three back in the junkin' saddle again. together!



so long, farewell to the month of may. the bluebonnets have faded and summer's heat has already arrived. time to hit the indoor sales!

love and hugs,
terry lee