Happy Halloween!

I love Halloween! I don't like the creepy, scary horror movie type Halloween and I don't particularly love trick or treating but I do love dressing up and having fun! I love that I don't have to worry about the over commercialization of Halloween or if my kids understand the "true meaning" of Halloween because there isn't one! Halloween is just for fun. I love letting my kids decide what they want to be and then creating it for them.

This year we dressed up as: A sumo wrestler, a mime, a lion, Strawberry Shortcake, and Nacho Libre.

Michael's Nacho Libre costume was made from ladies pants and jacket from Goodwill, a flesh colored t-shirt from Walmart, an old (but never even worn) swimsuit, a wig and a moustache. The knee pads and the boots were made from parts of the jacket.

Liam chose to be a mime and he took it seriously. He watched 'how to mime' instructional videos on youtube so he could play the part right. The hat, gloves and t-shirt were purchased at wal-mart, pants at Goodwill. I made the suspenders and the scarf.

Sutton loves Strawberry Shortcake and decided weeks ago to be her for Halloween. I was glad because I knew it would be a really easy costume to make. I bought the tights and made the skirt and hat. I appliqued the strawberry and diamonds onto a white-shirt she already had. Sutton's costume was the most expensive because of the tights and the fabric. I justified it though because it looked perfect and now that Halloween is over the skirt can be part of her regular wardrobe.

Ezra was a little lion. Liam and Sutton both wore this costume when they were little. I love it!

I decided to take advantage of my rotund figure and be a sumo wrestler. The shirt and the old lady stretchy pants came from walmart ($3/each on clearance!). I made the mawashi (diaper-y thing) from felt.

And because I have no pride... here is a shot of the back view:

To help you get that image our of your head here is another cute one of the kids:

I hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween!!

a sad farewell

Making the play kitchen for Sutton was truly a labor of love. During the process I kept thinking about how much she and her brothers were going to love it and the hours of imaginative play that would ensue. I even hoped that many many years from now my grandchildren would play with the kitchen. Fast forward just a short 16 months later and the kitchen has been loved and played with BUT we are running out of space. We bought our three bedroom house when we had one child and now we are on the verge of having our fourth. It's getting a little cramped. Buying a bigger house is not an option right now so we have to make this little house continue to work for us! That means making some sacrifices... and the play kitchen is one of them.

(Sutton playing with the kitchen)

It was one of those situations where I knew the kitchen would have to go but I had take some time to get used to the idea. I considered storing it in the attic but that seemed silly since it would benefit no one in there. I didn't want to sell it. Finally we decided to donate it to Sutton's preschool. We figured it would be taken care of there and that lots of children would be able to enjoy it. Sutton cried a little the day her Dad and Grandpa carried it out of the house but she was fine once we saw it at her school and all the kids playing with it.

(the play kitchen in it's new home)

The teachers reported to me that the kids are loving kitchen. They even sent this cute Thank You note. The kids thumbprints were made into faces. Love it!


The director of the preschool was very kind and told me that if/when we buy a bigger house we can have the kitchen back! So maybe my grand kids really will play with this kitchen someday!

art notebook: a tutorial

This is the tutorial I put together for HowDoeShe? .

I created these art notebooks for my kids a couple of years ago before a cross country plane ride. Since then I have made many notebook covers and have been able to perfect the pattern. In addition to plane rides the notebooks are great for car trips, church and doctors appointments. Basically anytime you need to encourage some quiet play. There are several steps but if you take them one at a time I know you can make one too! After you have made one and understand how it all goes together you can even adjust the dimensions and make covers for other size notebooks. They make great gifts! Now let's get started!


You will need:
-8.5"x11" spiral bound Mead sketch book (I bought mine at Wal-mart for about $4)
-1 yard fabric
-1/4 yard contrasting pocket fabric (this is optional- you can omit the pockets completely or use the main fabric for pockets)
-1 yard 22" wide fusible interfacing
-matching thread
-1.5"x2.25" piece of sew on Velcro
-Sewing basics, i.e.- scissors, measuring tape, pins, sewing machine, marking pen.

Step 1: Cut out pieces

Main fabric-
Cut two 21"x13" for outside and lining of cover
Cut two 17"x13" for front and back sleeves
Cut two 12.5"x2" for straps
Cut one 9"x3" for tab

Contrasting fabric-
Cut one 8"x7" for sticker pocket
Cut one 12"x7" for marker pocket

Step 2: Cut and apply fusible interfacing for each piece except the lining (one of the 21"x13" pieces) and the contrasting pocket pieces.


Step 3: Make tab. Iron the tab in half. Sew the loop piece of Velcro just beneath the fold. Fold the tab again (right sides together) enclosing the Velcro. Sew each side leaving the bottom open. Clip corners, turn right side out and press.


Step 4: Make the straps. Fold and press the strap in half lengthwise. Open. Fold and press each raw edge toward the center. Sew down the length of each side of the strap.


Step 5: Make the marker pocket.
-Grab the 12"x7" piece of contrasting fabric. Press the raw edges under 1/4". Turn and press the top (12" side) under another 1/4" and sew (top edge only).
-Fold and press one sleeve piece (17"x13") in half (wrong sides together). With the fold on the right side, pin the marker pocket 1/2" from the folded edge and 2" from the bottom. Sew right of pocket side only.
-Place one marker under the pocket material next to the seam. Line up the straight edge with the left side of the marker (don't make it too tight- leave a little ease so the marker will be able to slide in and out easily). Mark with water soluble ink or chalk.
-Pin and sew leaving the bottom edge open. Repeat until you run out of fabric. The number of marker slots will vary based on the size of your markers. I have nine marker slots.
-Sew the bottom edge of the slots.
-Your front sleeve is now complete!


Step 6: Make the sticker pocket
-With the other contrasting pocket piece (8"x7"), press the raw edges under 1/4". Turn and press the top (7" side) under another 1/4" and sew.
-Fold and press the other sleeve piece (17"x13") in half (wrong sides together). With the fold on the left side, pin the sticker pocket 1" from the folded edge and about 1.5" from the bottom.
-Sew each side and the bottom of pocket leaving the top open.
-Your back sleeve is now complete!

Step 7: Attach straps and tab
-On the raw side of the back sleeve, pin one end of the strap at 3.25" from top. Pin the other end of the strap at 9.75" from the top. Sew about 1/4" from raw edge. Repeat for other strap on the front flap.
-On the back sleeve center the tab (Velcro side down), 6.5" from top, pin and sew 1/4" from raw edge.


Step 8: Attach hook Velcro piece:
-Center (6.5" from top edge) the hook Velcro piece on the front right side of the cover (the 21"x13" piece with the interfacing) and pin 1.5" from the raw edge.
-Sew around the perimeter of Velcro piece.

Step 9: Put it all together
-Layout the outer piece right side up.
-With the strap and tab tucked in, place the back sleeve (the one with the sticker pocket) face down on the left side of outer piece lining up raw edges.
-With the strap tucked in, place the front sleeve (the one with the marker pocket) face down on the right side of outer piece lining up raw edges.
-Place the lining piece (21"x13" piece without interfacing) on top right side down. Pin.
-Sew around the perimeter leaving about a 4-6" gap along the bottom center. To reinforce the seam at the straps and tab sew over it and back-stitch 2-3 times.

Step 10: Finishing
-Clip the corners and turn right side out. I use a chopstick to push out the corners. Press.
-Sew around the perimeter about 1/8" from the edge making sure to close the gap at the bottom.


DONE!

Now your little one can quietly play while you go make more notebook covers! :)

halloween decor 2010

At this very moment: I am curled up in bed with a nasty head cold. Not ideal timing. My baby turns two this Friday, I have hardly even started the costumes and there is lots of church stuff to attend/prepare for this week and weekend.

Last weekend was great though. I felt good and got much accomplished and I finally finished putting up the Halloween decorations. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays to decorate for. I think it is because I love the color orange!


Many of the same elements from last year. (Side note: One of the things I love about blogging is having a record. I don't remember exactly what my house looked one year ago. I love being able to see the subtle changes from year to year. I wouldn't have that if it weren't for this blog!)


The mantle. My Halloween tree is now three years old. A lot of the branches have been broken in storage. This might be it's last year. :(


New this year: BATS! These would be so easy to make yourself but I went the lazy route this year and let Martha take care of the cutting for me. Isn't she a dear?


The bats lend just the right amount of creepy to the room.


The dining room got just a touch of Halloween too. My favorite part is the pom-pom and pipe cleaner spiders hanging in the windows.

Only 11 days until Halloween! Are you ready?

thrifty finds: good, better, best edition

GOOD: Michael spotted this bench in our neighbors trash. It is sturdy and in great condition. It's a little country but after I paint it it is going to look fantastic!



BETTER: We scored this small (only 73 keys) and simple piano for $100. It is the perfect size for our little house. Now the kids can take piano lessons (what is a good age to start that??). Ezra, my two year old, is already driving me nuts opening and closing the top and pounding on the keys. I have to keep reminding myself "I wanted a piano"!



BEST: Two Herman Miller fiberglass shell chairs in the awesomest orange color- $4.99/each!! I never thought I would find something so cool and valuable (these go for hundreds of dollars on ebay) sadly, I don't get bragging rights for this find. I had a ton of big heavy stuff to drop off at Goodwill and needed Michael's help to load/unload it. As we were unloading Michael spotted these chairs in the backroom. If you are a thrifter you know they won't sell or even answer questions about items in the back room. I staked out the store for the rest of the evening and snatched them up the second they were brought onto the floor.

How Does She...?

Today I am blogging over at HowDoesShe?. My first ever guest blogging gig! I created a super sweet tutorial. Here is a little sneak peek of the project:


Check it out here.

spinach and artichoke savory bread pudding

Last Saturday I bought a bag of ciabatta rolls from Costco. Sadly, they were totally stale and hard- horrible for sandwiches which had been my purpose in buying the rolls. I knew I could return them and get my money back but it seemed like a waste because I knew they would just throw them away. I did a little googling and decided to make this savory bread pudding since I had all the ingredients on hand.


When I told Michael what we were having for dinner he actually said "Ewww". First time in 11 years the man has ewww-ed anything I made (well before actually tasting it anyway!). He also said "Don't tell the children the name of this dinner or they will never eat it". I didn't really hold much hope that they would eat it no matter what I called it since it has spinach and artichokes- two things they won't touch!

It was so yummy. Sort of like a fancy stuffing. Everyone ate it and even more miraculously everyone liked it! Granted the kids picked out most of the spinach but they didn't get it all. Which means they got some actual nutrients. Score!

I made a couple of adjustments:
1. I halved the recipe and still had leftovers (most of which I just ate for lunch). I imagine the full recipe makes a TON.
2. I didn't use brie. I used some other fancy cheese that I paid too much for (anyone else notice the price of diary skyrocketing lately?) but I think pretty much any cheese would be good.
3. I used half and half in place of the heavy cream.