Handmade Shoes~Summer 1974

A SUMMER MEMORY!~

When - June 1974

Where - Holiday Park Campground - Destin Beach, Florida

What - Embroidered Shoes - Made by Me

In 1974 on a summer camping trip to Destin, Florida with my family, my sister Linda & I sat on a picnic table & spent our summer days at Holiday Park Campground embroidering shoes. We made the tops out of muslin & embroidered colorful flowers on them. Then we took the tops off of our old Dr. Scholl's sandals & replaced them with our newly embroidered tops!

Needless to say, from looking at them I wore mine to pieces. Chips in the wood & very dirty!

I washed the tops & was amazed that they cleaned up very well ~ and they are now attached to a brand new pair of Dr. Scholl's that I found at a garage sale.
36 years later they are good as new! Linda recently wrote on her blog that she is embroidering a bedspread! Wow - So now I think I must look for a new embroidery project to do!

I love thinking of summer memories from the past just as much as I love making new ones! I hope everyone is having a GREAT SUMMER!!! Kathy xoxo

My Happy Garden ~

A little tour through my Happy Garden :-)

New Rooster ~ "Buddy"

Poppies & Bachelor's Buttons.....

The Secret Garden.....

Hollyhocks by the pond.....

The FAIRY ROSE was gorgeous this year.....

Beehives & Hollyhocks....

Mexican Hats & Larkspur......

I have a very happy summer garden & I'm loving these early summer days ~ Happy SUMMER! xoxo

From Chicken Coop to kattz*cottage studio ~

WELCOME to my little kattz*cottage studio! Since we moved to our Texas Cottage Farmhouse 6 years ago, this cute little cottage has gone from chicken coop to TZ's pottery barn to it's new owner - ME - & it is newly named kattz*cottage ~



TZ helped me put down a real wood floor (like father like daughter because the wood flooring came from a ditch, discovered by my dad), and my lovely kattz*cottage sign was made & painted by my dad ~~ Thanks Dad!
Within a couple of days work this chicken coop turned pottery barn turned into a lovely little Cottage Studio where I love to do my work. I have set it up as my ebay shop where I will keep my shelves stocked with things to sell. However, I'm now contemplating turning it from ebay shop to sewing & creating shop! I could fill the shelves with tons of fabric, lace, & replace computer with sewing machine!


Floating Flowers welcome me at the door :-)

Isabella watches over the little welcoming garden @ the doorstep ~ I love walking down here in the morning - I walk through the gardens & around the pond to get here & I do stop & smell the roses.....

My needlepoint chair is my "guest" chair - please come visit & sit with me in my cottage ~ It's in a very sunny spot beside the window where I watch the birds on the feeders :-) I suppose it's really a "chihuahua chair" since Cabo or Cookie usually claim it.....lol

Lovely, Cozy, Sunny, Old-Fashioned, Cottage-y, Love it! It makes me wanna go to work!
And that pretty wood floor came from a ditch!! THANKS DAD!!

This Cozy Corner is where I sit & work ~ & look out the 3 windows to watch the birds, see the gardens, hear my new rooster, along with mama hen, turkey, & pigeon who are just behind my cottage outside the windows :-) My laptop fits perfectly on the little lace-covered "desk" which was a one dollar find ~~

Things for sale are all around me, on shelves, hanging on the walls - everything is for sale & will come & go & be replaced with more goodies for sale....

One of the 3 windows where I can see the birds & feel the breeze ~ kattz*cottage is surrounded by trees so it's always nice & cool inside.......

I splurged 3 dollars on the huge mirror on the back wall - it makes this little cottage feel more spacious as it reflects the trees & sunshine.....

One of my first "finds" for my cottage was this little blackboard which says it all - I do "heart" my cottage! My Top-Seller Ebay Award Certificate is above it ~ I need to frame it......

Found this ADORABLE slate sign at a garage sale the very weekend I fixed up my shop -- another one dollar find ~ It hangs beside the door & says it all because it truly is very small :-)

Just a little "peak" inside.....

I Can't believe CHICKENS use to live in here!! ~~

A Bright Spot in My Day ~

I'm coming out of hibernation after a way too long & cold winter. Enough is enough & I'm super happy that spring is here - officially in five days but it already feels like spring. After all those freezing cold days & too much snow I've never been happier to see the sun & warmer weather. Yesterday it climbed into the high 70's & it was so sunny & beautiful.


My kitchen window was a bright spot in my days during the long cold winter & when the sun shone through all the colored glass it was just lovely. Mom gave me the cut orchids in November & in January & they are still blooming! They just seem to last forever & I love them. She also gave me the pretty yellow primrose & I found the purple cyclamen at Lowe's. The little bowl on top of the red dish holds some green moss that I dug up on our fall camping trip ~ I sprinkle it with water every day & it stays pretty & green.

I love the time change & having that whole extra hour in the evening. I am working on some fun new spring projects & am just loving being outdoors ~ enough hibernating ~ SPRING is finally here & I couldn't be happier! HAPPY SPRING! xoxo

~~Winter Wonderland ~ again!

What a crazy winter Texas is having! It has snowed all day long & it's still snowing - 8 1/2 inches so far at kattzcottage! Not normal but it sure is Beautiful!

I'm happy to have stayed in all day long, feeding the birds, keeping warm with soup & hot tea, & watching the snow fall from INSIDE where it's nice & warm!

SO COLD OUT THERE!


The wintery white trees are gorgeous......

I'm hoping this is our last Winter Wonderland - come on Spring! xoxo Kathy

Pink Prom Cowgirl ~~

I couldn't help but laugh when I walked by my dress form after a night of dancing & found TZ was using it as a hat rack for his Cowboy Hat ~~

What could be cuter or more fun than a black cowboy hat with a 1950's pink frilly prom dress ~ I smile every time I look at it ~

Isn't it a gorgeous dress by the way?! One of my favorite finds from last summer's garage sales. It was custom made for a prom in 1952 for the lady who sold it to me - for one dollar!

I adore this pink confection with it's layers & layers of frills & it's history & even more so now that it's become a cowboy hat rack too - I don't mind sharing it ;-)

~~A CONFECTION IN PINK~~

And speaking of dress form ~~ I'm off to watch Project Runway! ~~ xoxo Kathy

Nothing Better Than This.........

It doesn't get any better than this ~~ my boys have been home after teaching English to children in South Korea, Eric for a year & a half, and Ryan for a year ~~

No words can express how much I missed them & how happy I have been to see them after such a long time.



And.........how sad I am that they are going back---to South Korea. And so again, I will miss them. But what a wonderful adventure they are getting to experience!

So, through the tears, I keep this smile on my face :-) They are happy & I am a very proud mom!


I'm gonna miss you!!

SO, now, on to SPRING time!! xoxox