Wednesday's Works

~*~

I've been fortunate to have a few custom orders rolling in to sosorosey!  This jute wine bag was specially made to accommodate a large bottle of wine.

~*~

 ~*~

I made some stars for a customer from her baby's blanket back in 2010, and she recently came back for more- for the new baby!  She sent me two bamboo receiving blankets, and these 6 stars are the result.  I had never worked with bamboo fabric- it worked up much like gauzy cotton, with a slight fray to the edges.  Super soft!

~*~

~*~

My most important work today involves being a mother to my little batling.  She got to dress up for her class party, and I led the "ghost making" station.  Good fun, and now we're preparing for some trick or treating around the neighborhood.  Woohoo!   Happy Halloween!

Makeover Monday: 10/1

~*~

Happy October!  I'm not sure how many people would see this extra large, extra bright tie-dyed tee on the thrift rack and give a little squeal of delight.  I sure did, though!  It's so very *candy corn*, isn't it?  I cannot wait to dig my claws, scissors and hook into this tonight.  Stay tuned to see the results tomorrow :)

Makeover Monday: Halloween edition

For today's makeover, I started out with my lovely almost-six year old tomboyish daughter. 

~*~

A little bling and a crown and a gown, and she became an Egyptian princess.  She wouldn't admit it, but I think she had fun being all dolled up!

~*~

~*~

Not the greatest photo in the world, but I wanted to share the fun of the "hand bowl".  Sophie has wanted one of these for about 3 years, and this fall her dream came true.  We got the last one at Target a few weeks ago, and it has been a riot to have around the house.  The motion detector works from several feet away, so we'd often get a sudden, creepy voiced "trick or treat" or "happy Halloween" or "want some candy" just from walking by the table.  Made me jump a few times, that's for sure!

~*~

Did you have any fun Halloween adventures?  Do share!!

Makeover Monday: Halloween Edition

Back in the day, it was cooler to have a homemade costume than store bought. Store boughts were plastic and cheapo looking; mama-made suits were the finest quality. Times have changed it seems, and Target, The Children's Place and Pottery Barn seem to be making out like bandits on Halloween. For four years, I've been right there myself, buying my girl the best outfit I could find for whatever she wanted to *be*. This year she wanted to *be* a mummy. Oh, heavens! Mommy had to conquer her fear of making a costume!

~*~

So, I found a lovely pair of ecru long johns to serve as the mummy undersuit. Then we went to the fabric store and purchased a couple of yards of unbleached muslin and some cheesecloth. I was all set, though I had no idea exactly how to go about putting this together. I didn't want to use pins, I can't sew more than a button. Hmmm. Think, think. Aha! My glue gun is my friend.

~*~

I tore the muslin into strips and fashioned a headpiece, vest, armbands, and a kind of skirt that could all be tied on. At the last minute Sophie wanted her whole face covered, so we did a makeshift cheesecloth mask.

~*~

She looks pretty great, doesn't she? Very mummy if I do say so myself. It was really special when she'd put her arms out straight in front of her and mutter some sort of made up trick or treating rhyme about giving candy to the undead. Eh- zombies, mummies- what's the difference, right?

~*~

So, while I had no idea what I was doing, and while the bottom did start to kind of loosen and drag around as the trick or treating wore on, the homemade costume was an overall success. When people complimented her on her get-up, she proudly said, "My mom made it for me!" Now that was a treat better than anything found in the candy bowl :)

Thursday's Treasure

As many of you know, I grew up in a Navy family. We moved every year or year and a half throughout my childhood. While this afforded me many new adventures and challenges, it also left me wondering just what it would be like to live in one place for many years. To grow up in a town where you truly knew your community. To be the one to welcome the newcomers, to have friends "forever". To know how far deep roots can grow.

~*~

While we may not be in our "forever" place, (indeed we probably definitely are not), it has been such a neat experience to have Sophie live her first five years in this home. To have the librarians, grocery clerks and thrift store cashiers know her by name. For her to randomly run into someone she knows and say, "Gosh Mom, I seem to know everyone around here!"

~*~

Another cool thing about staying put is getting to go to some of our same favorite places year after year. I was thrilled when I uploaded pictures from our recent trip to Cox Farms and found the photos from all of our other years there too. So, besides celebrating this amazing organizational feat, my treasure to share this week is a half-decade tour de pumpkin patch with my favorite Halloween-loving munchkin...

~*~ October 2006

~*~

October 2007

~*~

October 2008

~*~

October 2009

~*~

October 2010

~*~

Here's hoping that you are creating many of your own fond memories this fall :)

Makeover Monday: 9/27

I started today's project with some lime green cotton yarn,

~*~then I kicked it up a notch with some of this adorable Halloween owl bandanna.

~*~
What a fun contrast!
~*~

I usually weave in the ends of the fabric on these rag-topped bowls, but I couldn't bring myself to do it on this one. The little knotty ends add such a cute, whimsical touch.

~*~

Happy Monday! After a fun-filled weekend here, it's back to our regular routine. The big items on the agenda this week are my trip to the dentist for the permanent crown fitting and Sophie's school pictures. I will be finishing the project that I blogged about yesterday, and starting a rug set for an extra special customer. How about you? Do you have a fun week ahead? I sure hope so!

A Fine How Do You Do

I logged in to Etsy two nights ago to find several "congrats" convos in my inbox! I was thrilled to see my nested bowls on the front page, and there they sat for a full hour. This was my 4th and longest front page appearance! What an incredible honor, and what a beautiful treasury...many thanks to katinkapinka for including me :)

It's taken me two days to figure out how to post this picture to my new blog, and I have a feeling this whole bloggy thing will be a slow process for me. Please bear with me as I learn, and check back often to view my progress!