Round Bunting

Happy New Year! Did you make any resolutions for 2014? I usually don’t wait till the New Year to make resolutions because my motto is that each DAY is a fresh start and a chance for change and improvement. BUT, there is something a little extra magical about making resolutions at the dawn of a new year so I couldn’t resist!

Hopefully you won’t get tired of me but one of my resolutions is to post here at least once a month! Yep. Surely I am the first ever blogger to make such a resolution, right?? Ha! Now that I’ve told you that…I’ve really gotta stick with it though, huh? Except, that’s exactly why I told you! I know there are those of you out there that will hold me VERY accountable. (Cough Cough Silpa and Shez Cough Cough) I am so excited and looking forward to what God has in store for me in my creative pursuits this year so I appreciate all the prayers and positive vibes you can spare my way!

My inspiration received a much-needed boost from my latest read, “Creative Thursdays” by Marisa Anne. If you are in a creative rut or feeling some frustrations with yourself, I highly recommend this book! Marisa graces each page with her beautiful artwork and photography while sharing her knowledge and wisdom  about creative practices in a great conversational tone. I seriously read this book feeling like she was one of my good buddies and had written it JUST for ME. It is a VERY easy read and both encouraging and inspiring.

The Update – I finished the 4th project of my online Home Ec. course – Sewing a Round Bunting. Since my son’s room was lacking in deco, I designed the bunting with his name so I could hang it on his wall. Although it’s been a while since I’ve completed this project, I just got around to taking some pics to share with you, so without further ado:

Here’s a close-up of a few of the letters:

Felt was used for the lettering as well as the backing for this bunting. Quilting cotton (navy blue with vibrant green) was used for the front face. The font for the lettering is called KB Stick to It and can be downloaded from dafont.com for free. (I love the internet!)

The bunting adds a great personal touch to the room AND has the added bonus of being a great visual for helping my son learn the letters in his name.

The bunting was only part of my plans for the wall though. Right under the bunting, I also hung up a stretch of twine which I now use to display the latest and greatest of my son’s creations! Jayden feels such a sense of accomplishment every time he looks up and sees his work. “Mommy! I did that!” And so with this great bunting project, my son now has his very own “Wall of Fame”.

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Playing Catch Up

Yikes! Where did the time go??

I’ve been a busy girl! Let’s catch up, shall we?

In August, we made a trip to Chicago for a wedding. This crafty mama decided that the little man was over-due for a pair of snazzy suspenders and so that’s what I worked on!

I had a LOT of help from a tutorial I found from the blog, Make It & Love It. I picked out an adorable pin-dot fabric and found all the necessary clips at my local Joanne Fabric Store.

Paired with a bow-tie, the results were absolutely timeless and adorable.

While in Chicago, we also did a little sight-seeing. Here is a quick glance at our trip:

[Left to Right – Top Row: View of Lake Michigan and Chicago skyline from Navy Pier, Deep Dish Pizza from Lou Malnati’s, Chicago’s famous “Bean” aka “The Cloud Gate”. Bottom Row – Entrance to Navy Pier, Family Photo from Wedding, Live Jazz Festival at The Jay Pitzker Pavilion at Millennium Park]

Then in September, I continued working on my craft room (which is still a work-in-progress), learned how to use Mod-Podge, and got good practice with pant alterations. FIY-When you have pants that can do double-duty as socks when you wear them, it’s time to hem.

Here’s the Mod-Podge project I had worked on:

As handsome as the Quaker Man is, I used scraps of scrapbook paper and covered over a few empty oatmeal containers I had. They are the perfect size for storing all of my ribbons and add a nice bit of color to my craft room. (If you add a vertical slit in the canister, you can turn the storage into a ribbon dispenser.)

And now it’s a beautiful crisp autumn over here and I’m practically rolling around in pumpkins! We’ve been roaming pumpkin patches, painting and carving pumpkins, having Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal for breakfast, sipping on Pumpkin Spice Tea and Lattes, and even having Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese for my Bagels! Pumpkin overkill? Not for THIS pumpkin junkie! Bring on the Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie…and perhaps a treadmill. Yes, I think a treadmill will be necessary.

I also love Autumn for all of the colors that it brings out in nature. So,  I brought some of those colors indoors!

Left: Family Photo from J’s 1st Pumpkin Patch Visit at 6 mo. old
Right: Squirrel was J’s special request for our Fall decor

Oh Autumn! – a time for cozy sweaters & hoodies, hearty stews, boots, pumpkin pies, knitting, bright foliage, hot chocolate, curling up with good books and enjoying the holidays with family and friends. I do love Autumn.

Phew! This post was long so kudos to you for making it all the way to the end! And now we’re (finally) all caught up!

Stay warm and have a beautifully blessed autumn, my friends!