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THANK YOU!

Thank you. Thank you to everyone who came out to the Open House this past weekend. Once again, I am amazed at the turn-out. I am always thrilled to see my returning customers (the ones who would NEVER carry a handbag made in China!!! They much prefer theirs to be sewn in Bostwick!!!) and equally as thrilled to meet the ones who are new to LFW. It just thrills me that you all come out to support my little business, which in turns supports my growing fabric addiction!!! Hey, I could be addicted to worse things!!!

Our next event will be March 6 & 7 @ the Palatka Azalea Festival. Then we will schedule another Open House at the end of March. After that there is the Bostwick Blueberry Festival on May 22, and if Palatka gets it together, the Blue Crab Festival. So, a busy few months ahead for LFW. In the mean time, there are a few openings for purse parties, so if you are interested in hosting one, give us a call 386.937.9929 or drop us an email, lfwdesigns@bellsouth.net.

Thanks again for all the support and for all the inspiration.

Y'all have a great week!
xo
Laura

PS: Yes, I know the top picture is leaning....remember I am still not a photographer....or picture editor!! :)

Dinner Tonight

So, I know I am horrible at photography. Sorry. However, the only way to improve is just to do it over and over, so I will experiment with you all....and since I was going to make a delicious dinner, I thought I would chronicle it for you all, and practice my blogging and photography techniques all at once. Sounds good.

Dinner tonight started out as the recipe I copied out of the Florida Times Union years ago (when I still lived in OP, so it had to be at least 8 years ago. They had written a story in the Food section detailing what the sailors eat on the USS John F. Kennedy. The title of that article was "Feeding a Floating City"....anyway the recipe was for Shrimp Scampi, something that they prepared for the 5000 onboard for special occassions. I have fixed that recipe two other times, and really liked it.....but tonight, I found it hard to stick to the recipe, so I created my own. It was delicious.....So here is what I did:

First, preheat the oven to 350*. I decided that bacon makes everything better, so I chopped up 4 slices of bacon....I put that into my trusty Lodge iron skillet (which is my favorite cooking item at the moment!) and stirred it around for a few minutes on a medium-high heat. Then I added 1/2 stick of unsalted butter and 1 chopped medium onion. I cooked that for about 4 minutes, just until the onions were tender, then I added 2 teaspoons of minced garlic...the kind that comes in a jar with a little olive oil----it is found in the produce section of most grocery stores. Next I added 2 tablespoons of dried parsley, then the 1/2 of stick of remaining butter looked lonely, so I through it in the pan as well. Can you ever have too much butter? I stirred that up, then chopped 2 medium tomatoes, throwing them in the pan along with a tablespoon of dijon mustard, a splash of lemon juice and let all of that simmer for about 5 minutes. At that time I tasted it and added salt and pepper (and just a few red pepper flakes!!!). I had already peeled and rinsed 1 1/2 pounds of large shrimp, so I stirred them into the pan, adding 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs on the top, then into the oven for 15 minutes. Served it over steamed white rice, with crusty French bread and yummy San Sebastian Vintner's Red Wine, and it was a meal made in Heaven!!!

Once again I apologize that the photos are all after the text.....like I said, I still haven't mastered any of this.

Here is the list of ingredients for MY Shrimp Scampi:

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 stick unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 t minced garlic

2 T dried parsley

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 T dijon mustard

1 t lemon juice

sprinkle of red pepper flakes, more if you like it hotter!

salt and pepper

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined and rinsed

Saute bacon over medium heat for 3 minutes, add 1 stick of butter and the chopped onion, stirring constantly while cooking for another 3-4 minutes. Add minced garlic, parsley, tomatoes, mustard, lemon juice, simmer for a few minutes, tasting and adding salt and pepper (and the red pepper flakes) stir in the shrimp, top with the bread crumbs and cook in oven for 15 minutes. Serve over rice. Delicious!

If you all are interested in the original USS JFK Recipe for Shrimp Scampi, here goes:

4 T butter

2 t minced garlic

1/4 c chopped fresh parsley

2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 t lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 c bread crumbs

Melt butter in a largeskillet over med-high heat. Add garlic and parsley and saute for 3 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and lemon juice. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and place in the bottom of a 9 inch glass baking dish. Pour tomato mixture over the top, sprinkle bread crumbs and bake for 15 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings.

Happy Cooking!

It's a Beautiful Morning!

Aren't these little chiffon flowers adorable? They will soon be pins adorning the handbags. (some may even make it to a tee shirt or two! I know who will be claiming all the orange ones!!)
These actually came from a woman in Turkey, and it took several weeks to get them, but they were certainly worth the wait!



On the cutting table today is the following fabrics....it is my goal to get at least 6 bags finished...if I do I will post! This is Summer Soiree:
This, obviously, is the Giraffe Print:This, Graysy Daisy:

This is Olive Lavendar....I love it!Orange Damask:

Gotta run, I will let you know about my progress! Have a good day!

Welcome 2010!

It was a wonderful year. 2009, that is. 2 highschool graduations, 1 college graduation, 1 wedding (and the 10 million festivities that went along with that)....and all the regular things that happen in a year. It could not have been better.

Happy 2010...today was the first day in my studio, in quite awhile, except of course for the last minute orders I agreed to get out before Christmas.

I was in a zebra sort of mood....cute beach bag, don't you think? Fringe adds a nice touch too.

I had a to-do list for today with 10 things on it. So far I have only accomplished 7.5 of them. However, after reading the January issue of Real Simple, I feel much better, they say to never have more than 7 things on a daily to-do list. Who knew? 7 things is the average persons limit. Any more than that and you are setting yourself up for failure.....so the other 2.5 that I left undone must be moved to tomorrow's list, along with 4.5 more!

Gotta run, it is time to make dinner: Potato Soup and Mexican Cornbread. A perfect meal on a freezing cold evening like tonight.

Y'all have a good evening.....
Laura

Finally!

Hello Dear Friends!

I have been gone for so long I couldn't even remember my password to log onto my blogger account. How sad is that?

If you have been wondering where I have been, I have been @ Woody's Bar B Que in Palatka...My brother opened this restaurant on August 17. It took all summer to get it ready and the last month to make sure it is operating smoothly! I signed up to help him, but finally we are all able to breathe a little easier and my expertise :) will not be needed quite as much!

So, tomorrow about noon I have a date with my sewing studio!!!!! I cannot wait! I am even going on a little fabric buying excursion at 9 in the morning just as a little treat for me. As you probably know, I do like to sew, but it is the fabric shopping that really makes me high!!!

On Wednesday, I have another date, this time with my favorite graphic designer, who also happens to be the bride-to-be.....We will be mostly doing wedding stuff, but have promised to squeeze a few hours of photography of the new bags for the site....which brings me to more news. Shelby is in the process of changing my website. It is a long process, and one that you all will not get to see until it is done, but it thrills me! A new logo and everything.

As for the wedding, we have a bridal shower this weekend, and then the wedding invitations go out next Monday morning. The wedding is 8 weeks from yesterday...my how this year has flown by...And, just for those of you who may be wondering, NO, I do not know what I am wearing to the wedding. And, NO, I haven't even been looking....and I don't intend to until halloween. October 31....plenty of time!

As for my new college freshmen, they are awesome. Tyler loves the Florida Arts program. It is a perfect fit for him at this time in his life. He really wants to go away to finish college, and I know he will.....Jami is really doing great in her first year as well. Karl & I are so proud of her....I even saw where she is looking into FSU's nursing program. I have teased her all weekend that I am not speaking to her----she got her nose pierced. Yuk. I don't like it....but if that makes her feel like a rebel, well....it could have been worse! :)

My furry girls are wonderful, as always....I make them stay inside most of the time since it is snake-crawling time!

It was fun to catch up----I will be updating more regularly now.
Thanks for visiting my little corner of the world.
XO,
Laura

AWOL again!

I apologize....I have been absent.
It has been a busy summer and it has shown NO signs of slowing down anytime soon.

The graduation was fantastic. Tyler gave the closing remarks and sang the Alma Mater and just like that he and Jami were graduates. I did not cry at the ceremony.....but that was only because I had cried all day! :) Good tears though, really!

Since then, my family has been crazy busy trying to get our restaurant open in Palatka. We are putting a Woody's Bar B Que in the old Walt's building. It is a major undertaking and we have all been there 24/7 it seems. Opening Day is slated for August 17, but we are hoping that maybe we can get it together before that.....we will just have to see if we can line everything up before then. My parents and brother have been in the restaurant business for the past few years, having owned a Woody's in Jacksonville....I, however, was only ever there to eat dinner....and I had (notice I say had) no restaurant experience at all.....I am becoming quite the expert!!! haha

Tyler is in Orlando this week auditioning for American Idol.....along with Shelby's best friend Amy.....I am so excited for the both of them. Both are such talented singers....and both will be singing at Shelby's wedding in the fall. They sing today at the arena....their 20 seconds of fame before they find out if they get to move to the next round. Keep your fingers crossed!

Shelby starts her last semester of college next month, Tyler and Jami start their first. Miss Ashlie is somewhere near her last one....so they are all busy! Hunter will be in the 7th grade....

Purse orders are coming in and I am doing my best to keep up with them. I have tons of new fabrics......and actually have some new bags made (fortunately sewing is therapy to me!) one day I hope to have time to load them on the site.....If I get quite a few more made I am hoping to have an Open House in August......of course all of that will depend on the restaurant.....
I will try to keep you informed.....
In the mean time --- Have a great summer!

xo
Laura

Yes, The Waterworks Have Started & A View From a Graduation Party...

Jami and Tyler and Karaoke!
Even Dear Old Dad was having a good time!
Our dear friend Nancy....
A little shade, anyone?
The amazing, and I do mean AMAZING, theatre kids!
Blue and gold cupcakes, homemade---of course!
The gorgeous graduates. They both make me cry. I am so proud of both of them. Jami and Tyler, you two are AWESOME! You both are such blessings to me!
Wasn't Jami such a cute little Panther cheerleader? And what about Karl as a graduate? Doesn't he look so young...
Beautiful Jami.

And, what about Ty in his blue cap and gown, Pre-School Class of 1995! My, how the time has flown.


Sorry you all haven't heard from me all month....May flew by. It has all been a little overwhelming. And it isn't over yet.... Graduation is this Friday. 8pm. I have used more than my fair share of tissues over the last 3 weeks, but I know Friday will do me in. I am even packing an extra tissue for Mr. Weaver. I think I saw a tear in his eye yesterday at Baccalaureate.

You all have a good week.

Laura