The House on Abbey Loop

It's ours!

We closed yesterday morning on our new home, and I can't wait until we are in it!  I'll have to wait, though, as we're having a little remodeling done before we move in... mostly paint and flooring stuff.  We have to be out of our rental by the 20th, so we'll have some busy weeks ahead of us.  Translated:  little crafting progress will happen... bear with me!

Have a great Halloween weekend!

School Days Jacket

I've been slowly working on the oliver & s School Days Jacket that I'm making for Lil Sis.  Temps are dropping into the 70s here, so it's almost jacket time in Texas. 

*giggle*

The hood is actually completed with the cute owl fabric liner already:

Is that little owl print ridiculously cute or what?

I KNOW!

I digress...  anyhow, I've also sewn the front yoke and panels, the back yoke and panel, and the plackets for the toggle closures.

It's starting to look more like a jacket and less like a pile of intimidating pieces.  Even my dh was intimidated by this sewing project - asking me if maybe this was a little ambitious for me.  Puh-leese.  I can do this thing, no problem!  (Hope I'm not speaking too soon...)

I wish I had more to show you but all that topstitching left me with this:

Not quite enough to get started on the next step of the jacket.  I guess I could use it to make one of these:

Seriously, how cute is that?  Make a little spool dog?!  oliver & s is just a little cute-bomb, waiting to explode at any second.  The patterns... the spool dogs.  Too much.

Note to self:  Need more thread.

Etsy Eye Candy: 10.21.10

So, I'll be moving again in another month or so, so this Etsy collection is inspired by the pending change of address... enjoy!

Love this cute little postcard from jackandellapaper to let your friends and family know your new addy:

And then, of course, I'll need a new address stamp!  This one is from stampshandmadeforyou.

This sign would be nice in my entry, welcoming guests to our new abode.  It's from RumpelstreetBoutique.

And then... it'll be good to be home.  From DesignDivasGallery.

12 Days of Handmade Christmas

Edie from Life In Grace is hosting her fabulous 12 Days of Handmade Christmas... in just a few short weeks!! 

I hope I can escape a little from the home-moving madness and join in on the fun!!  And right now, she's giving away a fabulous dishmat handmade by none other than the fabulous Edie - click on over and be a part of it all!!

Something's Going On In the Kitchen

I've been busy with a little baking... Cookies!! 

I'm working to stock up the lollipop kids etsy shop with my signature felt sugar cookies and some fun little aprons to earn a little extra money for Christmas this year.  It's been a while since I made these, but it's been fun starting it up again.  *good times*

Cookies anyone?!





When one door closes...

another will open to this:

After two and half months, we finally closed on our home sale today.  In two more weeks, we should close on our next home.  And this will be my backyard.  (Minus the cool furniture - darnit.)

Pinch me, would ya?

Serendipity

Today we are scheduled to finally close on the home we decided to sell this past summer.  We've had delayed closings for the past two months, so it's surreal that this is actually going to happen.  And although I've been a bundle of nerves about it all, things are actually falling into place, albeit a little differently than we had planned.

Our original plan was to build another home as we had done with this one.  We painstakingly drew up plans, moving around rooms, changing doorways, etc.  Our lot was set to close right after we closed on the house.  And then it was delayed.

After we had already moved out.

Yikes.

So we extended both closings, waiting for the bank to decide we were all good to go.  In the meantime, we went to see a house.

And fell in love with the idea of raising our girls there.  With both closings pending, we weren't certain how this would work out.  But then came closing day #2...

And it was delayed.

We forfeited the land, made an offer on the home, holding our breaths until we could close on our previous home and make this all happen. 

Today is the day, and I'm still waiting to exhale.

Linky Love

I'm linking up my pumpkins with Sachiko over at Tea Rose Home today... go check it out!

{Tutorial} Burlap/Linen Pumpkin!

I realized as I was starting the tutorial pumpkin session that I didn't have enough usable burlap left over from my first two run-throughs to make another pumpkin... so I substituted with a similar fabric: linen.  It worked fabulously and made for a softer pumpkin, which is more fun for your kids to enjoy!

What You'll Need:

1/2 yard burlap, linen, or fabric of your choice for pumpkin body

scrap of felt, burlap, fabric for pumpkin stem

embroidery thread/needle

poly-fil, stuffing beads, beans, etc.

freezer or parchment paper for template

Instructions:

1.  You'll need to make templates for the pumpkin sections and stem. 

For the pumpkin section, fold paper in half and draw a shape that is similar to half of a cat eye.  Then cut around shape.  (This can be customized to whatever size pumpkin you desire.  I used a nine-inch center section to create a six-inch round pumpkin.)

For the stem, you'll create a template that looks like a cross.  You'll also need to adjust this based on the size of your pumpkin.  For mine, I drew a one-inch square center with three-inch sections from each side.

2.  Next, trace templates onto fabric and cut.  You'll need to cut out six pumpkin sections and one stem.  (I double my fabric for the pumpkin sections so I can cut more quickly.)  At this point, I sprayed the linen pieces with starch and pressed them to make the fabric a little sturdier.

3.  Now it's time to put your stem together.  Line up the side of one of the end pieces with the side of the nearest end piece.

Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, sew a straight stitch, beginning where the two edges meet.

When you are done, it should look like this.

Repeat this step for all remaining sides.

Turn stem right-side out and set aside.

4.  Now on to the pumpkin sections.  Place two pieces WST and pin along one side.

Next, mark a dot one-half inch down from each pointed end.

  

Starting at dot, sew a straight stitch along pinned side to other dot, using a three-eighths inch seam allowance.  When you're done, it should look like this.  (Don't trim your threads just yet... you'll need them later!)

Layer another section inside, WST, and repeat previous instructions.

See the pumpkin beginning to take shape?

Repeat until you've added all of the pumpkin sections.  Then pin together the final seam in the same fashion and sew as before.  To keep from sewing over the other sections, keep the pieces you've already sewn folded accordion-style to the left of your working section.

5.  Now it's finishing time!  Remember how I told you not the trim your threads?  Here's where you use them:  on one end of your pumpkin, separate out your threads so you'll have two between each section.  Taking the threads from one section, tie them to the threads from the opposite section, repeating several times to make a sturdy knot.  Repeat with the other sections until all threads are tied, then trim.

6.  Now get out your stuffing material and fill that stem!  When you're done, pinch in the ends of the stem and sew a straight stitch, to keep the stuffing inside.

7.  Stuff your pumpkin through the top opening with your filling of choice, shaping your pumpkin as you go.  Then place the stem inside the opening.

Using embroidery thread, attach stem to top of pumpkin using a whipstitch.

And that's it!  You're done!  At this point, you can embellish some more if you want by adding leaves or ribbons... or a simple jute bow, as I did.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial - if you make any pumpkins, come back and comment to let me know so I can visit your blog and see your creativity!

Happy Fall Ya'll!

I love this time of year... cooler weather, an occasional crisp breeze, the background noise of football games on Sunday, and of course, pumpkins!  I took the girls to the first of many area Fall Fests yesterday...

The gratuitous pumpkin patch picture... love!  Lil Sis was a little freaked out by the warty orange pumpkin behind her... thankfully the teensy pumpkins were a good distraction.

Is that not just gorgeous?  I love all of the different types of pumpkins - and I find that I like the non-traditional pumpkins better.  They're charming.

And these two little punkins?  They're my favorite!

To celebrate the pumpkin... I also have a new tutorial coming your way for this:

the Burlap Pumpkin!!  I'm hoping to have this posted by this evening, but that all depends on how productive I can be this afternoon... stay tuned!

Oh... and Happy Fall!