Looking for the Color Red

Our assignment this week as a scavenger  hunter on ESN is to write about something red.  With Valentine's Day around the corner, there is red everywhere. Well, looking through my store, Hazel's HodgePodge, the only red things I found were Christmas items and a few of my sun hats.  Maybe a few souls who are much less procrastinating than I am would like to look HERE for items for the coming Christmas.

Otherwise get ready for summer with one of these unique sun hats.  They are great for gardening, fishing, going to the local fair or trade days--anywhere you need a portable sun shade. Cute sun bonnets for ladies or girls.

This red little girl's sun hat is reversible.

Cute blue hat is the reverse of red hat above

I will be listing more hats as summer approaches.

For Valentine items see our Featured item blogs last week and upcoming this week.

Also check out the plethora of items offered by our friends at ESN.

Playing Dress Up Never Goes Out of Style!

It's that time of year again when everyone asks "What are you going to be for Halloween?"  It is so much fun to be creative and make your own costumes. Several costumes come to mind that we made over the years. One was a robot made by covering a cardboard box with aluminum foil, cutting holes for arms, legs, and head, adding a wind up key in back-- also covered with foil. Appropriate leggings and arm coverings completed the outfit.  My "Aggie" daughter went to a party her freshman year at A & M as a Longhorn fan decked out in orange apparel and waving a pennant.  She was told that was dangerous. Only the naive....

A local car company ad has their man, Charley, asking "Do you think anyone will want a Charley costume this year?"  Mimi, my 91 year-old MIL told me the other day that she thinks she will be Charley for Halloween.
When we tried,  last night, to guess what one little girl was going to be, she asked "what flies in the air?"  The taunting adult response was "a mosquito" since we are over run with mosquitoes right now. Actually, she plans to be a spring fairy.

Of course, as kids we had a big box of dress-up clothes that included cast off dresses of Mama's, jewelry, purses, shoes, etc.  We even had some old curtains and drapes that were fashioned into "who knows what" designer togs. One year during VBS, my cousin, some friends, and I used the curtains to make what we thought was appropriate garb for Biblical times. We wore said garments for a skit on Friday night. I don't recall anything about the skit, but remember Mama telling me that it was all our Pastor could do to keep from laughing aloud when he saw  our costumes. And, we thought we had some really good costumes, too.

The grands have had some really neat costumes beginning with their first Halloween's when their Mamas made things like a bumble bee costume or a baby elephant suit. And I know they have their "dress up" closets or boxes. One granddaughter had a birthday tea party. I do believe even the ladies who came enjoyed dressing up and wearing a hat. It seems that playing dress up never goes out of style.

My girls and I made costumes for high school plays and special days at school.  The girls also designed costumes for the drama costume contests. Mama, meaning me, usually was the one who sewed the actual garment to be modeled by a Barbie Doll. Lots of late nights were spent working on those projects. The Barbie Dolls at our house had so many designer clothes!

The scavenger hunt this week on ESN is titled: "Dress Up!"  My first thought of Dress Up was not of Halloween and costumes, but of dressing up as in your "Sunday Best" or even for a formal occasion.  People used to dress up a lot more than they do now, or maybe I just don't get out that much anymore.  I searched my store, Hazel's HodgePodge  for Dress up items. I came up with my sun hats. Someone creative could use one of them as part of a costume for Halloween, or they would be good for little girls playing dress up.

You can see more hats Here.
They are reversible and come in ladies and little girl sizes.
Let your imagination go wild.

And then, I found the perfect thing to go with your perfect costume for Trick or Treating. This too cool vintage noise maker from ComycGyrl Collectibles.  All trick or treat-ers used to carry a noise maker.

See and buy this must-have noise maker Here.

Whatever your age, enjoy the season and enjoy dressing up whether in costume or for a special occasion.  Even dress up your home with items from the ESN ecrater sellers.

Hats! Hats! Hats!

Hats! Hats! Hats!
I'm sure that if we had a cat (which we don't) he would be a "cat in a hat"  The way cats have of getting into whatever you are doing. And my desk is stacked high with hats right now.  Great place for a cat to get, right in the middle of the hats.
When we decided to go to the Trades Days in Kountze, I drug out my "old sun hats" and revived the idea. I gathered up remnants and bought a few new pieces of fabric and started making hats to take to the Trades Days to sell. Several suggested that I put them for sale on line also. Well this past week, I did just that.
One morning I took all the remaining hats over to Mimi's and took pictures under her car port while she got to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air and watch the birds a while before the day got too hot.
At the suggestion of Gale aka Bargain Express, I looked up Art Fire and set up a Studio there to sell my hats.
I am very happy so far with listing on Art Fire.
Here's my own Art Fire Studio.
These are really neat hats for keeping the sun off.  They have a wire in the brim to keep them spread like an umbrella.  But the wire is light enough to bend it to shape as you want;

The Texas hats are probably  the most popular.
My former classmate from San Antonio and now facebook friend
was one of the first to buy one on line and this was her choice.
 Also sold  a couple like this at the Trades  Days.
For Sale Here!

  We first saw these at Stanton TX near Midland at the "Old SoreHead Days" Festival. We got a chuckle then out of the sign outside Stanton saying the Population is 3000 Friendly People and A few old Soreheads!  Seems "Old Sorehead Days has grown even bigger since we happened to be there 10 or 12 years ago--or was that 15 years ago?  How time does fly!!!.

The little girl hats don't have wire in the brim.
This is a cute animal print.
Buy it HERE!

All the hats are reversible. But I really like the ones that are very different when you reverse them.

This hat is reversible to the one below.
See it HERE!

This is the inside of the hat above.  Or is it the outside?
Depends how you choose to wear it!

My sister-in-law's sister (there should be a name for in-laws or relatives of in-laws, don't you think?) right off thought of using one of these for a fishing hat. 

She chose this "froggy" print for her fishing hat. We lined it with solid red. Cute!

 If you have a fabric you like or need a special color to match something, let me know and we will make a custom hat for you.

This little girl hat is a special one with the flower on top.   It is lined with 2 shades of green.
Buy it Here!

Here's Gale and I at the Trades Days in Kountze with our Hats.
I'm the one on the left!

I'm excited about listing the sun hats on line.  I hope you will take a look at them.  I am also anxious to make more hats.  I have a good stash of fabric and some neat ideas for other hats. 

Graduations, Trades Days, New Friends, and more....

This has been a busy month or so.  We had two graduations in the family.
On May 6, Pops (Paul) and I traveled to the Kingwood area where my youngest granddaughter Michaela graduated from Kindergarten.  Honestly, of all the grands, this was the first kindergarten graduation we've been to.  That is, unless you count Michaela's brother, Justin.  Michaela and Justin are home schoolers.  When Justin completed his kindergarten year, the family had a medieval banquet which we attended. Justin was "knighted" by his dad after reciting a number of scriptures. It was a really neat thing and as guests we learned some things about medieval times. 

Dad presents Michaela's Diploma

Michaela's graduation was impressive also.  The 39 or so graduates wore the traditional caps and gowns and each child's dad presented the diploma to him or her. A brief bio was read for each one telling some of what they had learned in kindergarten, some of their extra curricular activities and what they want to be when they grow up.

The Graduate!

 Michaela is truly a budding homemaker. She has always loved dolls, housekeeping toys, and pretty clothes.  She is an outstanding chess player. She has been competing at chess since age 4. And it was announced that she wants to be a baby sitter when she grows up.  I have no doubt that she will be a good one and a good mommy also.
After the ceremony, we enjoyed pizza at Lil Ceasar's with Michaela's MawMaw and Papa and some family friends before heading home.

May 27, I took off to Nacogdoches to see my oldest grandson, Eric, graduate from Central Heights High School.  It was the same weekend as the Trades Days in Kountze, so I rented a car to drive, leaving Paul with the van and the trades days booth. I wish I could say the trip up was uneventful. Unfortunately, I swerved, over corrected, hit the brakes and fishtailed across the ditch.  Fortunately, I came to a halt with the front end of the car in a bush, backed up and was on my way again with what I thought were just some scratches in the paint.  The next morning at home we realized there was a minor dent in the front fender of the car. Just glad I was not hurt and there was no greater damage.  I hate to think of the possibilities of what could have happened. Just thankful it didn't.
When I got to Grandmother (Opal) McLemore's house in Nacogdoches, where the pre-graduation party was being held, my daughter, Laura, and her hubby, Brian were already there with Brian's mom from Dallas area. Grandmother is Eric's great-grandmother.  Brian's mom lived in Nacogdoches until recently and had a close relationship with Eric as he grew up.  I am so glad she was able to be there. Of course,  lots of other relatives from both sides of the family along with friends and neighbors soon joined us.  We even got to meet Eric's girlfriend. A very pretty young lady, I might say.
I wish I could have been there for the final choir concert the week before. From all accounts Eric (and all the others) did an outstanding job. Music is one of Eric's talents for sure.

"THE CAKE"

Eric and Friends

"For He's a Jolly Good Fellow"
Congratulations! Eric!

As far as the party, we had some excellent steak, with potatoes and green beans.  The cake was pretty and everything was very nice. Dad and Mom did a bang up job of putting it all together.
The graduation was held on the SFA campus in a packed auditorium. Eric wore the gold cord on his gown as an honors student.
 I must say that for a small school, those graduates got their share of scholarships both large and small.
 Really proud of Eric and expect him to excel at whatever he decides to do in life. He is not as definite in his plans at this point as cousin Michaela.  Oh to be 6 again!?!

I crashed that night in Emily's (Eric's sister) room, woke up very early Saturday morning and headed home.  After we got the car turned in, we high-tailed it out to the Trades Days.

I hadn't been there too long when a fellow ESN member Gale arrived. She lives not too far away and we planned this chance to meet each other in person.  It was really neat! We visited for the longest time and really enjoyed getting to know each other.

Gale and I with sun hats at Kountze Trade Days

customers try out the guitars