EYE CANDY to My Eyes

But I'll share with you... my friends !

A photo of my daughters having fun
(The best EYE CANDY)

Wendy and Kristin flew to DC last weekend for a
Bridal Shower & Girl's Weekend.
(I have GREAT photos of the Kentucky Derby themed shower
but I need to get permission to post the photos)




Books are always EYE CANDY to me... and especially Summer reading. Beach books are lighter than
the books I read during the rest of the year.
I prowled Amazon.com looking for something
that grabbed me.
I discovered Elizabeth Adler and her
many yummy-sounding reads.
~
I zipped over to Barnes and Noble and they had
2 of her books.
I was reading before Mr. Yummers had left the parking lot.
~
I've been to Capri with 3 girlfriends.
I remember the blue, blue of the water,
the quaintness of the island
and the delicious fried squash blossoms
with good wine.

A description...
New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Adler invites you on a

decadent Mediterranean cruise—where nothing is what it seems,

no one is telling the truth, and murder is on the agenda…

When English tycoon Sir Robert Waldo Hardwick dies mysteriously

in a car accident,

he leaves behind a note naming six people

he suspects might have wanted him dead.

Daisy Kean, and P.I. Harry Montana team up

o take the suspects—and also six ‘red herrings’—

on a fabulous Mediterranean cruise,

all expenses paid by the late Sir Robert.

As they call at Monte Carlo, St. Tropez and Sorrento,

the mystery deepens.

And the unexpected twists are just the beginning.

Finally, they arrive at the beautiful Villa Belkiss on Capri,

where Sir Robert’s will is to be read…and the killer unmasked.

With the beauty of the Yorkshire countryside,

the Mediterranean resorts

and the magnificent cruise ship,

plus a touch of romance, passions flare

and the beauty of the Villa Belkiss enchants.

~

"Delicious armchair travel & intriguing suspense."


More of my EYE CANDY...

The Jenny Craig logo

It makes me smile as it is changing my life.

Yesterday was one month... it goes by so quickly.

My first month loss stats:

Weight: 10.6 lbs
Inches: 5" in my waist
2" in my bust

7" in my abdomen

3" in my hips

I feel frisky!!

I have a to-do list a foot long as Wendy and her fiancee

are flying in on Thursday.

The wedding plans are numerous...

and it's Mother's Day.

Kristin is arriving on Saturday.

~~

Make this a good day at your house!

Joni

HAVE YOU BEEN TO

"THE RIBBON JAR"?

~

The Ribbon Jar is a wonderful online store

brimming over with beautiful and unique

ribbon.

They have a special jar each month that is

themed and full of ribbon and trims.

Many people collect these jars as they are

colorful, useful, and come with a collector's tag.

They do sell out fast, but there are lots of other

ribbons available to put that finishing touch on a

special project.

I went shopping this morning and bought the

following ribbon for projects still

in my head...

So perfect to go with ribbon I have that has names of

French cities on it.

Perfect around a pillow.




I bought these fish in several colors.



Sooooo Provence... or on breakfast placemats.

~

I lost the pictures of several of my ribbon photos

while writing this.

But they'll show up someday on some handmade

item.

~

Visit The Ribbon Jar just for fun!

Make this a great day!

Joni

SHOW and TELL

~

Here is my new Jelly Roll of 'Fresh Squeezed' (Moda)

in the process of

becoming a table runner to brighten up

the breakfast nook.
I planned on sewing all day yesterday but

the UPS man didn't arrive until late afternoon.

So... this is as far as I got.

I'll work on it this weekend and see if I can

finish it by Monday.

I joined Jenny Craig (a weight loss program & center).

I'm on my 4th week and weigh in on Tuesday.

I've tried other programs and had so little success

but this program seems to work for me.

You choose, buy, and eat their food.

You have a weekly one-to-one meeting with your consultant.

They monitor your journal very carefully.

They monitor your exercise.

~

In the first 3 weeks I lost 9.9 lbs!!

Boyd is so supportive and helpful.

Thanks, Honey!!
The food is delicious.

Last night for dinner I had their chili baked in a green pepper

sprinkled with a bit of Parmesan cheese.

I had fat-free sour cream on top.

It was yummy!

~

Make this a fan-tastic weekend!!

Hugs,

Joni

SEWING PROJECTS

~

I wanted a sewing project, but couldn't seem to find just the

right fabrics in my stash to coordinate with each other.

So I wasted the last few days as far as

accomplishing anything useful.

~

Yesterday I went browsing at

Fat Quarter Shop

and fell in love with this bag style and fabric.

And... it came in a kit!!

The fabrics are covered with

watermelons and cherries.

~

Click here to see the fabrics in all their glory.

I was also looking for fabric for a table runner and

found this wonderful summery collection...

Fresh Squeezed!

And it came in a 'Jelly Roll' already cut for me!!

Thank you Moda fabrics.

Click here to see all the summer citrus fabrics (with a bit

of watermelon thrown in)

and

several yummy quilts made from it.

I had the fabrics sent 2-Day Mail.
No patience whatsoever!!
So... today I'll clean and Thursday I'll be all set to

sew, sew, sew.

~~~
Make this a GREAT day at your house!!
Joni

INSPIRATION

for

Outdoor Fun

~

When the new catalogs arrive, I always

curl up with...

Pottery Barn Kids

and

Land of Nod... first.

They inspire and motivate me more than any others.

~~~

My head is thinking Spring and Summer

but we woke to snow this morning.

That was hard to take!!

~

Onward...

I love, love, love this simple patchwork

blanket for picnics, reading, watching fireworks,

or whatever you can think of.

It's 100% cotton and backed with a striped fabric.

Quick and simple to make!!

This picture made me feel sand between my toes

and think of

the fun of appliqueing on a beach towel,
sewing on bright striped ribbons,

or adding a name, monogram, or fun word.

This octopus is available through the catalog
and makes me smile.


I think the simple fish applique on this table runner
is fun and easy to make!
I sense a table runner collection beginning at our
house as I'm just not ready to make a king-sized
quilt.


This is an octopus napkin... satin stitched
and then cut close to the stitching. Love the whimsical!!

Spray paint lanterns a variety of colors.

Some operate on batteries or votive candles.

Good for indoors or out... a great

centerpiece for a summer dinner.

And for those softie lovers... barnyard

animals!

So adorable!!

However... I'm thinking stuffed fish at

the moment.

Click on the catalog names to browse

other goodies.

~

Make this a great day!

Joni

PS I'm off to make a table runner to brighten up the breakfast nook.

I didn't know what I was going to do until I wrote my post for today.

See how inspiration works!!

"SHOES"

A mini-album

~

I've noticed that I have a lot of photos of shoes in

my computer Picture Folders.

So...

A small and quick mini album was born.

It was lots of fun to create as it was out-of-the-norm

and small ( 6x6inches).

~

It's not completed, and not in it's final order...

but contains enough pages to share.

Click on the pictures for detail or to read

the narrative.

~

The front & back cover are made out of acrylic.

So... when you open the cover you have to make certain

that the inside of the cover works for you as

it is transparent.
Surprise, Junie Moon!!

Your bare feet made my album.

It was fun not worrying about each page being the same sixe.

There are a variety of page sizes and shapes in this album.

Such fun to experiment!

Kristin's socks were my original Blog Header almost

a year ago.

The pink flower has beads sewn to the center.

Kristin's green heels didn't photograph as well as I'd

have liked. But it was 1:30 in the morning

and I was in terrible light.

Wendy was lying on the floor with her feet in the air

when I got this shot of her new clogs.

They're hand painted and memorable.
My favorite 2 pages.

The girls' baby shoes.

Kristin's white shoes on the right have indents in the soft leather

of each precious little toe.

That's all for now!

But there is still a stack of pictures to work on another day.

~

I have another project in the making.

I'll share it with you when completed.

It is Marie Claire inspired.

~

Make it a great weekend!!

Joni

RIBBON SHOES

(( A Tutorial ))

~

I bought the magazine, Paper Trends, because of this tutorial in it.

I want to share it for anyone else who would like to make

a pair... or be inspired to cover something else with ribbon.

Let your imagination fly!

1. Use a pair of shoes that is as plain as possible. Even canvas shoes

will work.

2. Gather up ribbon scraps or buy some ribbon to match an outfit.

3. Paint RIBBONSTIFF by Strano Designs across the back of each

ribbon and let it dry.

4. Start with the heel of one shoe. Measure a wide piece of ribbon
and fold in half over the heel. Glue in place

5. Measure, cut, and glue pieces of ribbon to cover the rest of the shoe.

You can put the ribbon edges flush with each other or overlap them.

6. To help keep the ribbon stay in place, paint over them with several

coats of a decoupage medium.

~

Use strong double-sided adhesive to attach the ribbon

or you can try using the decoupage medium.

Just think of all the possibilities!!

I'm thinking of a ribbon purse or clutch.

~

( Photos are from Paper Trends )

~

Make this a good day!

Joni

INSPIRATION

MONDAY

~

I've been slacking with posts and comments... sorry!

Just so darn busy lately... so much going on.

I, Joni Possin, promise to try to do better.

~

Wendy emailed me some pictures last night and

I had to share them.

They are of her guest room and inspired me

with an idea or two.

~

I love these little felt birds in a nest that she hung

from the ceiling to go with her new quilt & shams.

What fun these little birds would be to make!

I might have to go shopping for a nest today.

This is the bird quilt that Kristin and I gave her at her wedding

shower.

Barb, her mother-in-law-to be gave her the matching quilted

pillow shams.

Wendy bought the bird sheets with a gift card from the shower.

There's a closer pic of them next. Soooo cute!

The picture above the bed is from Kristin and is a sister picture of

the two of them.

Whoops... straighten out the bird picture!

You can see the sheets a little better in this photo.


And this my friends, is my grand-dog WYLIE.
Wendy said that he is so proud of his new float.
It was a great weekend...
1. I won some back issues of Marie Claire Idees on an Ebay auction.
2. I mastered a perfect chain stitch and started a bird pillow.
3. Had a lovely afternoon with Boyd's whole family in Oshkosh
and heard all about Johnny Depp's filming there.
4. Got some miles in on the treadmill.
5. The grass is turning green after our long winter.
6. Started a new mini acrylic scrapbook about 'Shoes'.
7. Bought a cute purse pattern and some great fabric from Fat Quarters.
8. It was warm enough to wear flats without nylons.
Great feeling!!
~
Make it a GREAT day!!
Joni
PS You must read Junie Moon's post today.
It will give you a smile for the rest of the day!!

THE WEDDING SHOWER

PART II

"The Shower"

~

These photos will probably only be of interest to the

people that were at the shower.

But, come in and take a peek if you'd like to.

As so many of you in Blogland are friends and like family.

~

This was Wendy's FAMILY shower.

It was held at her father & step-mom's house

in Oshgosh (B'gosh).

And NO... we didn't get to see Johnny Depp as

the weather was terrible.

~

WELCOME!!

Come in and join the fun.

And here she is... the BRIDE-TO-BE!

All decked out in an Anthropologie outfit.

That does sound like runway commentary! The house was full of pink tulips... Wendy's wedding flower.

Every room had several arrangements.

Soooooooo pretty!

Thanks Marcia!!

Kristin, who will be the maid-of-honor, had just run

a half marathon (13 miles) in the morning.

She looked so spring-like in her new J. Crew outfit.

Love that silk skirt!

White sangria with strawberries and mint was the

drink-of-the-day.

This is Marcia, the girls' step-mom.
Wendy was registered at Pottery Barn and she received so many
lovely gifts and gift cards.

Kristin and I gave her this quilt, with adorable appliqued

birds on it, for her guest room.

Barb, her mother-in-law-to-be gave her the matching

pillow shams.

Wendy and best-friend Jennifer (since they were 5).

The cute lady in the pink is Barb, Wendy's mother-in-law-to-be.

This is Allison, my girls' step-sister.

I've known Allison since she was in kindergarten.

She'll always have a special place in my heart.
This is Mary Robyn and Laurel... also my girls' step-sisters.

Yes, they are twins! But Laurel just got bangs cut.

Now, even I can tell them apart.

Aren't they gorgeous!!

After Wendy had opened all of her gifts, then everyone else

got to open their goody bags.

"The South Loop Girls"
Kristin and 3 friends from Chicago who came up to Oshkosh

because of the marathon in the morning.

They came to the shower to have lunch with us.

Thanks guys!! There was lots of fun and laughter and reminiscing.

That cute little gal with the glasses is Allison's daughter.

"Beanie" is in 3rd grade and extremely bright & talented.

I think everyone had a great time.

The party moved to Jennifer's and then a favorite night spot.

Little sleep was had by the younger set.

Did I hear Kristin and Allison had a 'dance-off' in the wee hours??

Love to all!!

Joni

Next project...

A bird pillow for Wendy with embroidery on it.

So don't give up on me, there's a creative blog on it's way.