My new years eve skirt.

Do you ever find really awful long wool pleated skirts when you are thrifting and you love the plaid but can't picture yourself looking luvvly jubbly in the thing? Look beyond the style,  close your eyes, buy the skirt and go home and get out your scissors. I like to buy 2 or 3 sizes larger than my frame so I can wash (hot) and dry (hot) to season the wool. Sometimes it can even felt the wool which is always a nice gift. If the skirt still looks too new, sand the wool, make small slices into the wool, stretch and abuse the wool until you are satisfied.

Let's get the party skirt started.

Cut off the hem leaving around 4" for your new hem. I wanted my skirt to fit low at my hips rather than be a high waisted skirt. It was a size 12 so it worked out wickedly.

Fraying the newly washed and dryed hem is easy peasy. Just pull a  thread and start creating the fray.   I like a 1/2-1" edge of fray.
Now it is time to iron your hem up to begin stitching. Try turning the fabric up on the outside of your skirt to reveal the hem. This gives a nice exposed look.

You might want to use yarn or a contrasting color of waxed thread or even jute. Stitch like crazy. Stitch all of those barmy pleats down. Create the line you want for your skirt. Mine turned out to be sort of a bubble skirt after I nailled down all the pleats. GOOD BYE pleats.


Happy 2012!

Ta, xo J

It's midnight somewhere. 2 0 1 2

Do you have friends or family in another time zone? When the clock strikes twelve New Years it might be nice to know when the new year begins around the world. Try wearing 2 watches, one in your time zone and the other in theirs.
Find slim vintage belts and make your own watch bands. The buckles need to be petite so they don't overwhelm your wrist.
Using the leather or fabric from your belts create a system that nicely secures your watch face onto your belt/band. Your sewing machine should be the best tool to stitch with. Otherwise, you may need to punch holes and use heavy thread or torn fabric to hand stitch.
Measure your wrist and determine where to cut the excess length off the belt.
Punch new holes for the buckle. I use a cutting board and a thin screw. You can also use a hammer and  nail.

It is an easy peasy project that takes about 30 minutes to do 2 bands.


I hope you get to kiss someone at midnight. I sure plan to.




Ta, xo J

Death fairy.

Hello Jubblers,


When I shared my love of the little red riding hood doll it made me remember the death fairy.


This story begins with my aforementioned Aunt Edie. She was my hero and more of a mother to me than my own. When she was diagnosed with terminal cancer she taught us all so much. She was prepared to die and talked very openly about it. Discussions took place about what her last breath would feel like and how she wanted her body handled. She was a knitting rockstar. She took her knitting to church, classes, the theater, in the car, on the toilet, in the bathtub and to bed with her when she died. She even knit hats for babies that hadn't even been born yet. The thought of bestie babies being born after her death not having her knitted gifts was not acceptable. Edie asked me to be with her when she died. I lived in Missouri and she lived in California. We talked on the phone everyday. I would ask her, "when am I coming?".  She promised me she would give me 2 weeks notice. I wondered how a person knew 2 weeks before the day they were going to die. When she called with the date I quickly purchased my airline ticket. This was Sept 11, 2001.  She wanted me there on Sept 21. 


Death fairy.


A very good friend of Edie's was a doll artist in Marin county California. She made dolls that were so luvvly jubbly you would go crazy when you saw them. Leigh made death fairies that would be suspended over your bed as you died... they would protect you, guide you .... bless your path towards the light. She would fashion the doll in your style.....coloring/hair/favorite dress/wings...bob's your uncle.
I did NOT want the death fairy hung until I got there. On Sept 17 I got a call from Edie. She apologized and said she would be dying very soon and would miss me being with her. At 11:00 p.m. that evening she left us. 


I was sent the death fairy. I don't have her out but I did take some photos of her.

I think most dolls look weird but this concept of a fairy hanging out with you at the end is pretty wicked.

Above is Edie with her husband, Brook. (my son's namesake)




Ta, xo J

Jane Troup.

Jane Troup is one of my luvvly jubbly heroes. I consider her a friend. We share a love of nature and the celebration of taking images to a new level of whimsy and respect. She can weave a story of magic through painting like most of us breathe in air. Her personality and joy of life is like no other. Her love of art makes me want to try harder to be a better creator of everything. I feel so honored to own and enjoy her art. Jane is a a very down to earth rock star. She is one of my favorite girls in town.

My husband Bob made this. It is part of a series of short videos about artists. 

Enjoy.

Ta, xo J

My A N N doll.

Little red riding hood.
Made by Ann Stewart.

S H E  L I V E S.


Ta, xo J

A D D R E S S books.

I have not come up with a more sensible address book system so I guess I will just stick with this one for 2012.
I have memorized where people are in this book even tho it is NOT in any order. (don't ask me why)

This is an old book from the junior high where my husband attended. He didn't steal it, I bought it at a flea market.

I tend to tear pieces of paper or labels off and just haphazardly duct tape them on the pages. I have cut most of this book up (it is about luvvly sea shells) so there are not a million pages left. Enough to last me a few years.

Ta, xo J

A N N S T E W A R T.

Hello Jubblers, 


My very bestie's mother, Ann Stewart is 95 years old. She moved to our town years ago to be closer to her daughter. She is a self taught artist and a luvvly jubbly one at that. She has been well known for her Ukrainian eggs. For many years she created the most off the charts wicked little red riding hood (and other themed) dolls. Mine stands 4" tall at most. I will share a photo of her soon, I promise. She is hiding from me at the moment. (It is time for me to clean my work room)
Ann now spends her days in bed at a care center. She suffers from a lung condition and is in her last days. She only has use of her right hand (her dominant) and spends hours a day drawing.  Her thoughts, dreams and worries center around her drawings. 
When I was given one of her drawings I thought I might faint. It is a treasured peice that means the world to me.


Please enjoy this work of art by ANN STEWART.

( I took the liberty of adding my take on the drawing by using the word T I M E ....the braids and clothes pin. I simple adore the white bird...just luvvly)

I didn't know how much I love P U R P L E.

Hello Jubblers,      I want to share more about all the many people I am in awe of and think you might be interested in hearing about. An amazing blogger, luvvly jubbly artist in everything bestie sent me a  PURPLE present recently. It was HAND SPUN ALPACA yarn. She has such a talent in spinning and dying wool. I am now finding purple all over my work room. Even purple glitter.

I love purple even more now thanks to Courtney. As I grew up many colors were FORBIDDEN to use in our home. Mainly orange and purple. I love all colors now and mix them all together and celebrate them. On my body I prefer gray, brown and light green.

Please visit Courtney! You will LOVE her!

http://sassafrasandwinterberry.blogspot.com

Ta, xo J

Bathing less means more quality water time.

When you make a decision to create change in your life there are so many sweet things that enter your world. It seems the universe gives back when you attempt to take a new road.

Shall we try to conserve power, water and cleansers.....and prevent dry skin by bathing less? It is just a thought. I have decided to start 2012 (actually today) by taking on this habit.
I love creating a challenge for myself and finding ways to make it luvvly jubbly.

I ripped out my vintage book cover splash border aroung my tub. I found left over wood from our new deck and installed (ahem...glue gunned) a nice new/old border. After gluing some little wood ledges for candles, baking soda shampoo, my transistor radio and a whiskey bottle full of slumgullion (dick worthington used this slang for cooking up leftovers) bath gunk..it was almost ready to go.

For a neck pillow I rubber banded some bubble wrap...waterproof and blooming comfty and...you guessed it... I glue gunned it up.

Where ever I use candles, I like to use mirrors. I went through old make-up compacts and busted the mirrors out. A mirror that had broken (7 years of good luck) was perfect to piece/glue on the teak board with other misc. mirror pieces that are plain and not even special. Candlelight makes everything look good. Do not rule out the ordinary junk items when teamed with special stuff.

A lootah and a crochet scrub cloth are essential.

Have some soft music to make it calm and luvvly.


Do you do yoga stretches in the tub? My friend Cynthia taught me to do this. It really helps open up the spine.

Thank you for hearing about my new bathing routine.

Ta, xo J

T H A N K Y O U for thank you notes.

There are two luvvly jubbly things about Christmas being over.

1. I get to see my U.K. children very soon.
2. I love sending thank you notes.

My life is so blooming luvvly jubbly. I am showered with minimal gifts all the time. Food I can eat, drink I can guzzle, stuff I can use on my face and body, materials I can design with...bob's your uncle. I enjoy receiving dispensable things. My Aunt Edie taught me that when you get older it is better to get things that can be used and not just looked at.
Thank you notes are very important to me. I love showing the bestie how much I love them and their kind act.
It was such a thrill to get to send a note to my new posh daughter (i.l.).

Try to spend time on the envelope you send your note in. When they walk to the mailbox and see your trademark style it will be luvvly jubbly.
Try ordering postage stamps with a photo of something or some one you love as the the design. I adore my stamps with Ty and Kate standing on a bridge in my home town. The fond memory of the photo shoot that evening is one of my favorites.
Use a creative (found in your drawers) medium to write your note on. Kate flies professionally so I wrote her note on a paper airplane.

(I had the honor of designing the paper airplanes that were thrown at their wedding....WICKED)


If you have an old photo that you don't mind parting with, write a note on it.

Enclose a little something small that will mean something to your bestie. I enclosed a small cross stitch made by Kate's grandmother (i.l.), Marjorie Worthington.

Saying T H A N K  Y O U means so much to people. It is a little gift.

Ta ( a.k.a. thank you!) xo, J

RAINY DAY...make a luvvly jubbly 2 0 1 2 calendar.

Just for fun start out the new year by choosing one day every week to create a cool thing using only materials you have at home. That was my goal for this rainy day.

Here is a generic calendar that I quickly produced to get started. Remember that a calendar only lasts a year so don't stress out on it being blooming perfect. I use #2 pencils or any pen close to my work station. I am not picky. If you like my calendar print it out. You can reduce it for a purse size datebook or enlarge it for a table or wall calendar.

Print 12 copies of the calendar. For each month circle the month on the horizontal list at the top. Fill in the day numbers by hand or print them with rubber stamps. Now is a good time to enter birthdays/anniversary dates/etc. This is your own special diary calendar.

You can style your calendar many ways.
 I like the manilla envelope design. Start with your 2 0 1 2 cover page envelope. Print your 12 envelopes with the months stamped or penciled in on the front. Stictch the 13 envelopes together on the top or side. Be sure to allow the envelope flap to open easily. You now have a system of storing your monthly calendar pages and misc. scraps of papers, appointment cards, concert tickets, party invitations etc. for each month.  VERY easy peasy.

Using vintage book pages makes this datebook at 30 minute project. Sew together as described above after printing your 2 0 1 2 cover and month pages and glue stick them on! Super cute and carefree.

Of course the BROWNPAPERBAG can be a datebook.

So can The NYT. Maybe use the Jan 1, 2012 publication. How fun is this!!! Make calendars on New Years Day with your friends while you continue to sip wine.

Dulcy gets her calendar book today so she can enter in our girl dates for the year. I included 2 sheets of pink paper stapled to the left of each month for her to make notes. This style was a little bit more complicated. It involved sewing and solving construction mess ups. I like installing a pocket to hold a flat (stanley type) pen. I also always install a basic wrap band so the book will not fall open in your bag or back pack.

I also used note cards with tabs. I replaced the tab number with the month name

BELOW is my book. It is T H R O W N together but I like it rugged and messy. It looks better month by month as it ages on the floor of my car or in my swimming bag. I save all my datebooks every year and often look back at them for forgotten names/dates/etc. They are fun to look at.

I love the look of wool scraps smashed down on my datebook. I have pockets inside my book also. I end up stuffing everything in there. By December of 2012 it will look bloated but loved.


Happy New year, Jubblers.

Ta, xo J

Christamas day...time for friends and rest.

We had a VERY simple and minimal gift exchange this morning after breakfast.  Bob and I don't do gifts but one real gift for sons and other silly things for the stockings. It is now time for us to head over to a bestie couple's home to lay around.
I decided to wear my HOBO wraps today.
My sister, Kay was my inspiration for these. She saw a shoe/ or is it a sock? ad for a pair of ballet/ slipper/ wrap type foot wear. She made me a pair out of black tights to recreate the piece from what she had in her own drawers. They wrap up the leg like a ballet toe shoe. I love them. I have had them maybe 3 or 4 years. Somethings you can't get enough of. Thank you, Kay.

Simply stitch together any scraps you have handy. I used sweaters scraps that I had cut while remodeling  several sweaters for Christmas gifts. Make the HOBO strap wrap l o n g (around 8') if you plan on wrapping it over the knee to the thigh. I like knee length unless it is super cold out. I have very "all to pot" (ugly) knees but I still love showing them.

When you get to the top and are ready to secure your wraps, use safety pins here and there. Let them show. No one cares. Let the world see that you are repurposing and be proud. Sometimes I like to call it "luxory for less" (NYT David Friedlander 12/18/2011). These are luvvly jubbly to wear and quite practical on a sunny day.

Sweater, Funtiques, dress, D.A.V. (it was a swimsuit cover with a built in bra 1970's), pink leaf pin, Salvation Army, brown clogs, D.A.V.
My hair stylist for today is a HUGE BESTIE that moved away from me (but she is visiting me tomorrow) and she styles me via text message. She had me sprinkle white flour in my hair to enhance the color and texture. I LOVE this wicked idea. Thank you R....I love you! xxoo (see you tomorrow!)



Ta, xo J

A M A L I A.

Amalia is my nephew and neice's (Jon and Lisa) darling daughter. They live in Portland, Oregon.
Nice trees but ADORABLE girl.

Love her...

Ta, xo J

M E R R Y E V E R Y T H I N G.

I am getting ready to go on a bike ride. I used Dulcy's wool gifts to tie my pants so they won't get all marmyed up in the spokes
Below is a vintage leather pin cushion that my mother gave me. I got it out of the box for this holiday card I am sending you.
What I wish for you today is a genuine gathering of hearts and minds as you love and enjoy those who mean so much to you.

Merry X M A S or merry E V E R Y T H I N G today.

Ta, xo J

Christmas Eve at the work table.

Hello Jubblers,
Is anyone else at the Royal typewriter, ironing board or sewing machine today? All my boys are hammering, shooting video or editing video at the moment. Where else would I want to be than creating and sharing with you?

I created 4 of these T-shirts for my 21 year old son, Brook (the one shooting video today at a wedding) to wear as undershirts. I do his laundry so I know he needs them.
I bought them for $.50 at Thrift Haven.

I typed (on my Quiet Delux Royal typewriter) song lyrics on a small piece of cotton fabric and stitched it down with my sewing machine, rather than by hand to endure the wear it will get.

"Let It Sway" is a SSLYBY (someone still loves you boris yeltsin) album that we all love.
You can make your own and use favorite poems, quotes, jokes, will you marry me?, luvvly jubbly or anything you like on yours.
I think you have time to make one before midnight.

Merry E V E R Y T H I N G.

Ta, xo J

Time with Karen at F U N T I Q U E S

Yesterday the best part of my day was spending time with Karen at her LUVVLY JUBBLY shop, Funtiques.

1. 1135 E Commercial St  Springfield, MO 65803 (417) 864-0948

We had so much fun running up and down the aisles.

If you have any shopping to do you MUST head over.

There is plenty of parking at the door and it is by far my favorite shop in Springfield.

She has things for amazing prices that are as rare as hen's teeth. You can find gift paper, gift cards, and even wrap it up there.

I am always so excited to shop and 'ave it the minute I walk in the door.

Also...find your Christmas luvvly jubbly outfits, shoes and jewelry there. You can find me wearing Funtique

fashion almost everyday.

Ta, xo J

I love steel wool.

Steel wool is a staple in my home. I love the color, the feel, the texture and the high fuction of it.

One use for it is:

Scrubbing tool for pans.

Find a neat rock and tie the SW on with jute. By the time you scrub it to death the jute tie will shred.
Store it at your sink steel wool side U P. It gets real rusty (and beautiful) and will stain your sink (also beautiful).

Have a blooming good scrub.
Ta, xo J

Do you regift? I do.

I think regifting is OK if you tell the person who gave you the gift.
I found my dining room table COVERED with baked goods yesterday. They were made by one of my best friends. She approves of me regifting.
The tree atop the fruit jar was a gift from another friend. I will send her this post so she knows I have regifted it.
I say,  SHARE THE JOY.

Have a luvvly jubbly eve of Christmas eve.

Ta, xo J

P.S. Here is a quote from my bestie:

Regifting is just another way to pass the love along... Sometimes our special things move on to new happy homes, and I think that's great!
xo 

H A P P Y birthday, Courtney.

Courtney turns 50 today!
Have a luvvly jubbly day. I know you will be surrounded by people that love you.

Ta, xo J

Use what you have for your bestie party.

Use old ladders for cocktail tables. If you use floor seating, the lower rung serves as a low to the floor location for a jar of wine. They are old and shabby so no need to worry about damaging anything.

Ta, xo J

Getting ready for friends sharing some box with us tonight.

When friends are coming over use scotch tape and cover your wine box with paper. Newspaper, catalog pages, BPB, maps, blueprints, old pattern tissue, iron on transfer paper, holiday wrap, bob's your uncle.
I love to use this afghan that my sweet Mother-in-law made years ago for a table cloth. It is washable and luvvly jubbly. Use old jars for wine and sit on the floor with pillows to play s c r a b b l e. Sometimes I get my vintage creepers out (and some of Bob's from the garage) so people can move around on them. They are great topped with pillows for floor games. After the party gets started we play indoor hop-scotch. Can you come over?

Have a luvvly jubbly time tonight.
Ta, xo J