We ventured out in our new camper this weekend.
We picnicked,
we played,
we roasted marshmallows,
and we camped out!
Just so you know how hard we had it,
this is a picture of the camper from my end of one queen-size bed.
Yep.
We roughed it—in about 30 feet of camper!
Please be sure to find the kids' posts too! I posted their pictures and they dictated their posts. Too funny!
We went camping this weekend.
We took hikes. This trail led to the bath house!
We had to hang our laundry to dry, 
and made new friends.
Scroll around and read Mom’s post and my brother’s too!
We went camping.
We played games.
We met Popo and we fished and rode in a boat.
When Dad and I finished our baths, I decided to take a picture. I found my camera on the floor and I took a picture of Dad. But, it didn’t turn out pretty. So, Dad took a picture of me and then I got a good picture of Dad. Mom wouldn’t let me show the picture when she was sleeping in the bed. In the picture it showed her pretty nose. That’s all the pictures I took.
Check out my Mom’s and my sister’s posts too!
(Disclaimer by Mom: I only typed and fixed his grammar in a few places. Otherwise, this is exactly as dictated to me! You can’t make this stuff up, Folks!)
I’m a nerd.
That’s your warning for all that’s about to follow!
But, if you promise to hang with me for a couple of minutes, there is some sewing/design info at the bottom.
Here we go!
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144…
Recognize those numbers?
They begin the Fibonacci sequence.
(If you don’t remember it from math class, you might remember reading something about this in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci’s Code.) Anyway, back to the numbers.
You can find the next number in the sequence by adding the two previous numbers together:
0 + 1 = 1, 1 + 1 = 2, 1 + 2 = 3, skip a few,
34 + 55 = 89, 55 + 89 = 144, 89 + 144 = 233, and so on.
So, I promised you proportions and you’re wondering where they are. Here you go:
The ratio between two consecutive numbers in the sequence is about 1.62.
That’s your ratio!
1.618…
Your Golden Ratio.
The Golden Section, the Golden Mean, Divine Proportion, Golden Number, Phi (φ)
In nature, we see this ratio often.
Amazing how nature follows a Plan.
We also see this ratio in architecture, art and design.
Think about The Parthenon. The Pyramids.
So you’ve kept up and now you’re wondering what does all this have to do with creativity?
Well, if you don’t see the genus and beauty of it, you might be beyond help, but here’s why it’s on my mind today:
Some design texts suggest that the most flattering clothing for a body divides a body into this same ratio, the perfect proportion if you will.
For example, if it is 40 inches from my waist to the floor, then following this suggestion, my skirt should to fall to 24.7 below my waist.
This dress obviously doesn’t fall to that length.
Shall we take a look at some others?
18 inches
20 inches
15 inches (Yikes!)
So what does 24.7 inches look like?
Uhm. Not so sure I like that.
So, what’s a girl to do?
Follow the rules—or not?
I was inspired to browse through Dollar Tree with new eyes today. I took up Living with Lindsay on her $5 Challenge.
I spent $4 and made this:
To do what I did:
1. Grab some super cheap supplies. I found all these at Dollar Tree today for $1 each.
2. Paint the wreath and the medallion with something from your stash.
3. Paint the eggs with another great color from your stash. (I guess you really wouldn’t need to paint them if you didn’t want to.)
4. Hot glue the Spanish moss to the bottom of the wreath. 
5. Glue your eggs in place also.
6. Sketch a bunny on your medallion. I just kinda free-handed mine. The kids recognized that it was a bunny, so that worked for me! ;)
7. Paint your bunny.
8. Put it all together and hang it up. Since I’m so cheap frugal, I reused the ribbon that came on the medallion to attach it to the wreath and to make my hanger for my wreath.
Have fun!
Gosh. Spring fever has hit!
It could be this new pedicure…
Bright isn’t it.
Anyway, I’ve seen so much I like that I really, really want to shop—or sew!
I’m thinking this:
Could be faked from this:
And this skirt: 
Could be made with this: 
And these: Click to see!
I’ll just have to buy!
It’s spring break. Never mind that’s it’s not really spring yet. The kids are out of school this week.
To occupy a few of them, I offered a sewing class for a few 1st and 2nd graders.
The girls had a blast.
We learned about the parts of a sewing machine,
we learned to press our projects,
we covered buttons to make ponytail holders,
we made pillowcases,
we learned to make casings and hems,
we learned (or tried real hard to learn) how to sew on a button,
and we made skirts.
The girls did a great job!
We played tourists in Natchitoches this weekend.
We spent the day at Fort St. Jean Baptiste. It was a beautiful day to go back in time.
(Most of the pictures are of LM and weapons. Imagine that. The BG had her own camera and was busy taking pictures!)
Ever been so busy that you lose track of time, but then when you step back, you aren’t really sure what you’ve accomplished?
Yeah. That’s me.
In the past week, I’ve embroidered onesies, appliquéd onesies, made tutus and jumpers and jon-jons and a quilt for teacher appreciation week, taught a sewing class and bought a pop-up tent camper.
With all this craziness, one thing has really stood out in the past week: customer service and referrals! So, I’ve decided to make a list—The Good, the Bad, and the Awesome!
The Bad: Heat n’ Bond Ultra
This stuff is tough. I’m not sure how’s it’s marketed, but it will gum up a sewing machine faster than anything I’ve ever seen. A student brought it to the appliqué class last Tuesday and we fought with the sewing machine, yucky needles and broken thread all night. I’m sure this stuff has its purpose, but never, ever try it for appliqué!
The Good: Hancock’s on Mansfield Rd.
The customer service at our local Hancock’s Fabrics has never been known as “quick”. If you plan to buy fabric, allot yourself plenty of time, because the lines take a long time. Last week, after waiting to check out forever, the cashier suddenly switched lanes and I found myself moving to the back of a new line. As I was the next customer in the original line, I was MAD. But, I spoke with the manager. After telling her about that experience and several prior experiences, she was extremely apologetic and told me she would be speaking with her staff. The good part: I went back in this weekend and found just what I needed with a very short wait! Plus, the staff was cordial. A much better experience.
The Awesome: Bayou Outdoor Supercenter and Crash
We were looking for a pop-up camper. I had a budget. I didn’t have “this much money” and maybe some more I could come up with. I only had “this much money”. For everything. Including taxes and hoses and hitches and whatever else I needed. Well, we found a camper we loved, but it was just a little more than “this much money” . So, I gave the Crash my budget and he made it work! Now we have a camper and we can’t wait to take it out. If you are looking at RVs or need service, head over to Bayou Outdoor Supercenter and tell Crash that Salinda sent you!
Honorable Mention: Shreveport Sewing Center on Bert Kouns
Mom, Aunt D and I all use Shreveport Sewing Center to service our machines. The turn-around time is quick and the technician is very knowledgeable. So, when a student at my appliqué class asked for a recommendation for her machine’s maintenance, I sent her to Shreveport Sewing Center. She called me back to say what an awesome experience she had with them. They answered her questions and gave her a great estimate on a minor repair on her machine. That’s why I refer people there.
DISCLAIMER: Apparently, the powers that be, have now decided that if you recommend a product or a service on your blog, that you have to tell people what they gave you for free, how much they paid you for advertising, etc. None of these people/business/products gave me anything. These are just people/businesses/products that I’ve used lately and I’m telling you what I think.
Need a spring outfit? 
Need a baby gift? 
Looking for something for Easter?
These goodies are available locally at Lil’ Miss Priss & Co. on Olive Street!
Not in Shreveport/Bossier? You can find them here too!
