Autumn decorations

We don't have much space for decorations, but lately I've been wanting be creative. A good side effect of feeling so much better...

I bought a few pumpkins from Hobby Lobby-
Dug out some alphabet stickers I've had for a couple years but never used-

Added some autumn leaves (the same ones I used to make my new background)-
The finished product. Yes, they're sitting on our dvds- the only flat space available. I thought it turned out pretty good, though later I might find some different letters and modpodge them on for next year.

Then I made a pine cone wreath like the one Vanessa made (we were in the same ward when our husbands were at language school, and she's super creative). Mine didn't turn out quite as well as hers did, but that's because of the pine cones I used. She used small ones that fit together really well. I used Ponderosa Pine pine cones which are bigger, prickly, and don't fit together very well. I think it turned out pretty good, though.

Next time I make a pine cone wreath, I won't be using Ponderosa Pine pine cones. My fingertips are sore from being poked multiple times, and I have scratches all over my arms. I also won't drop the wreath when I'm almost finished. I did that last night and the styrofoam wreath cracked right in half. I hot glued it back together (getting a second degree burn on my thumb in the process) and let it set overnight. This morning I checked it and it was dry and hard, so I finished it off and hung it up.

We went to Mr. M's parents' house to gather the pine cones, and I brought my camera along to take some pictures. LMS picked up this pine cone and said 'take a picture mommy!'.

The finished product hanging outside the front door. I used some muslin for the hanger and bow, but didn't hem it or anything- just cut it and tied it to the length I wanted.

This week's projects (Sleeping Beauty dress)

This week I managed to keep busy. We went walking/running as a family (Mr. M is trying to get back in shape to pass his PT test next month) most days this week. The investigator finally came around to check on stuff (good news, since this means Mr. M's clearance is getting taken care of finally). I finally fixed the bike trailer- it had a bit of an accident when we did the 50 mile bike ride.





Before fixing.














After glueing fabric behind the hole.









After blacking out the dried glue, so it's not as noticeable. It's not perfect, but it should hold pretty well.





I listed some stuff on ebay, and some of the stuff I listed on half.com last week sold- now I just need the rest to sell.

I spent most of the week working on LMS's Halloween costume. I made a Sleeping Beauty dress for her, which she loves.

This is what I was aiming for, and I think I managed to do pretty well.


I started out with some fabric...
It ended up being a bit more fiddly than I anticipated, since I added and changed quite a few details from the pattern. This meant it took longer than I thought it would. Of course, part of the problem was that I worked on it in the evening after LMS was in bed, so I would reach a point where I needed her to try it on, and would have to stop for the night.In any case, I think it turned out pretty good. And while the materials cost almost as much as a store-bought Sleeping Beauty costume (a good one), I suspect that my fabric and workmanship will hold up a lot better than a store-bought one would.

Ribbon skirts

Yesterday I made a ribbon skirt for LMS's cousin who had her 2nd birthday party today. I've seen them in stores and decided I could make one pretty easily, which was true.

finished skirt

sequins on the ends

the hair band I found already had sparkly pink flowers attached!

Today I made a mini version for LMS's lambie. LMS is quite excited that lambie can dress up too.

Project progress (hooded towel)

I've been fairly productive lately.

I finally got a picture hung on wall. There was actually two of them, but one of the cheap IKEA frames broke, and then the glass broke, so I settled for one picture. It's on the wall above the futon in our room, but I didn't do a full shot because Mr. M's bags are all over the futon.

Awhile ago I bought LMS a soft pink blankie from the Pottery Barn reject store ($1 for a blanket that's usually around $20!). She's taken to carrying it around with her lately. Since she already carries her lambie around, I don't think she needs to carry a blankie too. So I made the blankie into a pillow for her. I wasn't sure how she'd react, but so far it's all been positive: she calls it her snuggly pillow, and has only tried to take it out of her room once or twice.

While we were on vacation, one of Mr. M's young cousins had a different type of hoody towel that I thought was pretty cool. Instead of a wraparound, it's more of a poncho. Since LMS is constantly complaining because hers slips and falls, I thought it was worth a try. A bath towel, a hand towel, and some ribbon, and LMS has a new bath towel. Overall I'm happy with how it turned out, but if I did it again, I think I'd use narrower ribbon. I used the ribbon to cover the rough towel edges and to make a bow, but 1 1/2" was a bit too wide.

LMS did not want to smile for the camera

I also hemmed some pants for LMS's cousin.

Flowers on a suitcase

I didn't run or bike yesterday, though I did get a good workout. I shifted boxes around and crawled across boxes and bins and dining chairs to get to our cooler that was at the back of our storage container. It was really hot, so it was like exercising in a sauna. Fun! I also sorted the boxes of stuff to get rid of into a 'garage sale box' and an 'ebay box'. I brought the ebay box in and will be photographing and prepping listings so I can list the stuff this weekend. The sooner I get rid of it all, the better. We need the space, and a little bit of extra money would be nice.

I also brought in a suitcase to work on. Last time we went on a road trip, we stopped at the store that sells Pottery Barn rejects and got the duffel bags that we're giving as Christmas presents to Mr. M's nieces and nephews. We also picked up a suitcase for me, but when I tried to pick out the monogram I realized the fabric the suitcase is made of is not conducive to having thread picked out of it.











The holes were going to be too prominent, so I found some flower patches on ebay and sewed them over the monogram. The pink one on the left is actually covering a small hole that I found when we got home, and I sewed the white one on so the pink one wouldn't seem quite so out of place. My fingertips are still sore from pushing the needle through all those layers. I think it turned out pretty good, though.

This morning we went for a four mile walk. It was very hot, but a good workout. Afterwards, we got out our $5 WalMart special slip and slide and had fun with it. It was a good way to cool off!

I've started working on the thank you notes, so with what I did yesterday and today, I'm making good progress on my current projects. My list never seems to actually disappear- new things are constantly being added to it. At least I make good progress and can cross them off as I finish them.

Fun with my sewing machine

I had a really great run yesterday. It was just me and my ipod (only one earbud in so I can hear what's going on around me).The ipod made a huge difference. My sister shared her workout playlist with me awhile (thanks!), but I don't use my ipod when LMS is with me. I've started running more without her, so I'm starting to use it again. I ran a mile and a half in 15 minutes, which is a 10 minute per mile pace, which I haven't managed in quite awhile. I walked the mile and a half back, and expected to take 30 minutes to do it. I managed to walk the mile and a half in 19 minutes! I credit my pace to the upbeat playlist- apparently a faster beat really does help you keep your pace up.

I got the duffel bags all finished last week, now I just need to go to the dollar store and get toothbrushes, toothpaste, and combs, and 5 Christmas presents will be done!

What they started out looking like
The finished products

As I was working on the duffel bags, LMS brought her backpack and lunchbag out and said 'sew e, mommy'. She calls all letters 'E', and wanted me to sew her name on her backpack and lunchbag. Since she might use them for preschool or kindergarten, I did her initials instead of her name. I even got adventurous and tried out some flowers, which didn't turn out too bad. It was fun experimenting and seeing what my sewing machine can do.

Not professional results, but I am learning

I decided not to make felt food for LMS. They're cute and all, but she has some play food that I found on ebay awhile ago. We had these when we were little, and they're great. I decided she didn't really need more play food, and we don't have space for more, so there will be no felt food at this point.

The car seat cover is finally finished!

I finally finished Little Miss Sunshine's car seat cover. The first picture is her old car seat, with the cover I made for it. I loved that fabric, too bad I couldn't find more...

The second photo is her current car seat. I really like it, and I like the pink, but unfortunately it gets dirty very easily. Especially since LMS has a habit of stepping on it as she climbs into it, and her shoes aren't always very clean. So my OCD takes over and I find myself making covers for her car seats.

The third and fourth photos show her car seat with the new cover. The darker purple line across the back, near where the seat joins the back, is where the removable piece attaches. I made one (and will make another as soon as I buy more bias tape; I barely had enough for the first one) removable piece that covers where she sits and where her feet rest. Those are the places that get the dirtiest.

The main seat cover is two pieces: one that covers the seat, foot rest, side pieces and goes up and around the top; the other covers the head rest and the back rest. The removable piece sits on top of the main piece and attaches to the back rest. Now I can just unhook it, toss it in the wash, and put the spare in place, without having to take the entire cover off. Which can be a massive pain. I know a lot of people don't worry about keeping car seats clean, but my OCD won't let me let it go.

Next up: making a slip cover for a chair. I've been gathering various pieces of furniture so I can furnish the room LMS and I share for my parents when we move out. I've found some great deals on craigslist, but in the instance of the chair, the cushions are red, which completely clashes with the color scheme. The price was too good to pass up, though, and I don't mind a bit of sewing. I also got a killer deal on a log bed, but will have to strip the crappy stain job (I kinda think that's why they were selling it: they got tired of looking at it) to make it look decent.