birdsandtrees

Well, it's almost a week later and I'm just now sharing some pics from the birthday bash.  I will admit that I don't think I've completely picked everything up from that night.  Workin' on that. 

I had such grand visions for James's 30th birthday party - I wanted it to be outside, with lots and lots of candles and lights, a cold, crisp October night with a fire to crowd around.  I think when I get ideas in my head, I just go for it and I won't settle (or be happy) until they are accomplished and enjoyed. 

So I did get all the supplies and necessary things to make that happen.  I was pumped.  Even the unseasonably warm weather couldn't get me down. 

I had wonderful friends who were helping us make the backyard pretty magical.  And then...the weather report changed and that afternoon, all of a sudden, we're taking everything inside because a storm was going to pass that night.  Right in the middle of the party.  Great.  

 

So I did have a panic moment,  maybe letting out a pout or two.  But then Amanda gave me the pep talk I needed (which she's so good at) and told me exactly what I needed to hear: we worked so hard on all the decorations, bought several things for that night, and we weren't going to let a little rain that was coming later that night get in the way of the party.  So we brought all the stuff back outside and made sure to usher everyone out back as soon as they got there.  We were going to enjoy it, darn it! Stacy even made a fire (see blurry pic above).

Once the rain started, we all crammed into our teeny living room and made it work - it turned out to be a great party. 

 I made these cupcake toppers (the idea is from Martha's Encyclopedia of Crafts) using several baby/childhood pictures of James - I just printed two square copies of a picture, cut them out, and then sandwiched a coffee stirrer in the middle...all held together with double stick tape.  That picture (above) is the day he was born...a little bit scary but definitely called for.  I'm realizing that I didn't take enough pictures...but you get the idea, right?

Good times.

Thirty years old.

Today is James's birthday.  And not just any birthday, but the big 3-0!  We're having a little shin-dig later this week with friends and family, but I wanted to have something festive up for the actual day.  So using Posie's book, Stitched in Time (I can look through this book over and over and never get tired of it), I made the birthday banner.  I tried to pick fabrics that weren't too girly (notice that there is not one calico print here, thank you very much) and I think it came out pretty well!  To make it, you basically just cut out the pairs of fabric for each each letter, and then use freezer paper to make stencils and then paint each one with fabric paint.  But I do recommend getting the book if you don't have it - this project is worth it alone!

I love the idea of having this from now on, hanging it on his birthday for years to come.  Growing up, whenever there was a birthday in our house, you could always count on the Muppet paper cut outs (that fold out as birthday cakes and other weird things) to be on the kitchen table that morning.  And my mom still put those out for my last birthday this past summer.  And even though I don't really watch the Muppets anymore, there's something really fun about having them there.  It's a small tradition that I'm starting today with this lil' banner. 

Now that this is done, it's time to move onto some other preparations (and lots and lots of cleaning) for this weekend that I'll share soon! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES!!

Share Time

Every morning at school we carve out just a few minutes for "Share Time."  I thought I'd have a share time on here as well, showing one of the projects the girls are finishing this week.  I mentioned a week or so ago about how we might make some "Hankie Holders."  The project instructions can  be found here.  With runny noses and coughs making their way into our classroom, I thought this would be a perfect fall craft for us to work on!  

 

All you need is some felt (I love Purl's collection of felt, found here) - you could use fabric as well, but the felt is so nice because you don't  have to worry about frayed edges.  I just cut all the edges with my pinking shears and then folded it in half (and I made our measurements slightly bigger than what Martha said).   The girls sewed the sides together using embroidery floss with the simple running stitch. 

 

Then, using a different colored felt, they wrote their initial and embroidered over it using a backstitch.  We cut it out in the shape of a heart and used craft glue to glue it on.  Easy peasy!

Stuff it with a small pack of tissues (or a beautiful handkerchief) and you're set for the flu and cold season in style.  I remember my grandmother used to keep one tucked under her watch or bracelet, but I think this is a much cuter (and cleanlier) way of holding them. 
The possibilities of this project are endless...some embroidered flowers or fancy monogrammed initial would be lovely - and they'd make wonderful gifts! 

Hi. My name is Stephanie and I'm a homebody.

 

"Ah! There's nothing like staying home for real comfort."

~Jane Austen

Jane had it right, and I couldn't agree more.  I've always known I've been a homebody - I think I've been like that as long as I can remember.  I'd choose staying at home over pretty much anything.  Even when we're visiting some amazing places, I'll always look forward to coming home.  And with the dreary, rainy days we've had around these parts, I've been staying close to home as much as I can.  Now, don't get me wrong - I love the occasional outing into the outside world, but when I get back to this cozy home, it's a good feeling. 

And I've even noticed that my crafts I've chosen to make lately are all things that would be used in our home - like this bathmat I made a few weeks ago.  It's from Soulemama's Handmade Home (a beautiful book about using thrifted, vintage, and old materials that you have at home).  To make it, you just use an old towel (I used one of ours that was fraying in the corners and had seen better days) for the backing and strips of it for the front.  You sew the strips of the towel onto some fabric,  then sew both the top and bottom sides together and then turn it inside out and you've got a homemade bathmat!  I love the ones that others have created, found here and here.  You can even take the idea and make a towel for your dishes, like this blogger did.  Genius!  I love it because it just adds that homey handmade touch to another part of your home.  Count me in.    

And while we're on the subject of towels...I don't know about you, but sometimes our towels get a not-so-clean smell after awhile, even after coming right out of the washing machine.  If you have this same problem, here's what we do at our home to get them smelling like new:  Put about 2 cups of regular white vinegar into your washing machine and fill it with warm water. Let your towels soak in there for a minimum of 6 hours...up to overnight. Then drain.  Wash with detergent and smell them to make sure they don't smell too much like vinegar - if they do, re-rinse them and then dry.  Voila! Good as new! 

"Breathe it in folks, smells like fall." *

I love days like today.  The weather is absolutely perfect.  It makes me want to drink pumpkin spiced lattes, make a pot of soup, and get out the flannel sheets.  I had to do something to celebrate fall's arrival.  So I decided this morning that it was time to break out the finished picnic blanket!  I gently encouraged the girls to do some schoolwork out back today and put this blanket to the test. 

To make the blanket, I used scraps of fabric that I already had plus one yard of fabric from etsy.  I used binding that was leftover from my quilt, and the backing was from tablecloths I got from a yard sale (see picture below).  So all in all, this project was super cheap...my kind of blanket, right? 

I cut all the fabric in 7x7 squares and then sewed them together in a random pattern.  This was the first time I have actually "quilted" something - I decided just to go for it and use my sewing machine.  After pinning the three layers together (top, batting, bottom), I just lined it up with the seams and sewed along every row and column.  It puckered in places, but I didn't care.  I was on a mission. 

I'm really pleased with how it came out.  I'd say it passed the test. 

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*quote from Taylor Doose, Gilmore Girls

Patchwork continued

When I finally finished my quilt, I couldn't get that whole patchwork thing out of mind.  I know I should move on to something other than squares, but for right now, I'm loving them.  When I saw Posie's "Summerhouse Pillows," of course I had to get the pattern.  Of course!   I've got tons of scraps and this is really the perfect way to use them. 
Her pattern is really easy to follow and I know there will be many more in my future.  The thing that makes them so quick and easy is that you use interfacing (when you iron fabric onto it, the fabric sticks).  So basically, you cut all your squares and them place them on the interfacing in the pattern and order that you want them.  Iron them on, and then sew through each column and row until it's quilted.  It's easy, I promise.  I did have some trouble with the piping (never really done that before), mine came out a little smaller than it was supposed to (how'd that happen??), and as I was sewing the back on, a roach crawled on my foot.  But I persevered and I'm so glad I did, roach and all!

A finished quilt and a cute dog.

The past few mornings it has felt like fall.  And that makes me incredibly happy.  I know it will get hot and muggy again, but at least I know it's coming.  So in honor of the arrival of fall, I thought I'd share something I've recently finished that will really come in handy when the temperatures start to drop. 

I can barely believe it myself, but I finished a quilt I started a couple of years ago.  And let me tell you, when I finished sewing that last bit of binding, it was an amazing feeling. 
It's a basic quilt.  Simple design, light colors, all things I like.  I  really love it and am excited that I will have it forever.  Molly was excited, too.  I can't blame her, really.

 

I pieced the squares using my sewing machine (with the teaching and help of my friend Lauren- I've got to give her some props, because I probably would have never made a quilt if it wasn't for her!), but then sent the quilt off to a fabulous lady named Lena here in Birmingham.  Together, we came up with a quilting design...I thought doing a flowery pattern would work well, since so many of the fabrics have flowers.  Along with books and baskets, I might have a slight obsession with flowery fabrics.  I can't stop myself. 

Now that I've finished this one, I'm on to another.  This time it's a quilt for picnics and for the kids to use in the backyard for reading and working during school.  Later this week I'll show you how that one's coming along. 
But in the meantime, I'm going to go and enjoy this one.   

Good Things for Kids

I've been going through my binders of magazines and clippings recently.  Every few months I like to go back and flip through all the pictures and projects and articles that I've collected over the years.  I was looking for some new craft ideas for the upcoming school year and came across my collection of Martha's Good Things for Kids magazines.  After the Kids Magazine ended, they put out these smaller versions like once a year or so.  And I always grabbed them as soon as I saw them.  I miss the Kids magazine so much.  Looking through these reminded me how amazing they were!  I thought I'd share some of the really cute projects from the two magazine above (and you can click on the images to make them bigger).  Sort of like a good things show and tell, if you will (and I hope you will).  

 

 I know I've probably said this before, but if you can get some of the Kids magazines on Ebay (or wherever you see them), I highly recommend it! 

A is for Apron

 

A few months ago I got Heather Ross's Weekend Sewing.  It's got such a variety of patterns, from dresses for you or your friends, to a kid's outdoor tent, to house slippers, to pajama pants.  I've been wanting to make something from it (I made the outdoor tent for the kids at school, but haven't managed to take a picture yet), and I finally got some motivation to make something - a group of friends decided to  get crafty and all make aprons.  So I decided to make the pattern from Weekend Sewing. 

The great thing about aprons is that you can make it super simple or go crazy and add embellishments or whatever you're feeling.  I made one right after college using a bandanna and a long piece of white twill tape that you just sew to the bandanna- so simple!  This pattern is pretty simple, but I will say my seam ripper definitely got some use.  This one just has a couple more extra steps in that the ties are lined and there's pleating (both which are really easy to do, now that I've figured it out).  But I love the way it came out.    

I got the fabric from Hancock's of Paducah (no relation to the chain of Hancock's) on our way back from St. Louis.  If you ever find yourself in Paducah, Kentucky, you seriously need to go (if you like fabric, of course). I had to go in really quick because we were having dinner in Nashville, so I felt a little like I was on Supermarket Sweep, rushing up and down every aisle, picking fabric, running over to the cutting station..you get the idea.  I ended up getting this fabric for the apron, which I love!
I'm thinking there will be many more aprons to come- such a quick and easy sewing project!

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ps...if you're ever looking for ideas or inspiration for aprons, check out the "Tie One On" flickr gallery- it's got hundreds of pictures of aprons people have made.  Very inspiring!

C'est fini!

So when Posie said she was coming out with a bag pattern, of course I had to get it.  That's just how I roll.  This is the Jane Market Bag, which she created to use as a shopping bag, or really, whatever you want!  I'm thinking it'd be a great bag to take to the library and stock up on all those books for summer reading, ya know?

I really loved working on this project. It was fun from start to finish, even the part where I sewed the handles on the wrong way and had to do them all over.  And when I had sewed the bottom corners incorrectly and had to do those over.  I think the fun part was really that I knew I was making something for myself.  That's always good motivation to get things finished.  

 

I used some of the Alexander Henry print that I am really loving these spring days, along with a polka dot print that I had lying around.  I got the liner fabric from Hancock's, and it was really cheap, maybe 2 or 3 dollars a yard.  Such a great project- I highly recommend it if you're looking for something to make.  So get your craft on, people!