wall of memories

The hallway in the house I grew up in was always filled with pictures.  Family pictures that were taken for the church directory.  Pictures from vacations.  Pictures from weddings.  Pictures from the cabin.  Pictures of memories.  I loved that hallway.  Being a rather nostalgic person, I would often pause as I walked to and from my bedroom to look at the those pictures and would then carry those memories with me throughout the day.  

As I've mentioned before, we have a lot of windows in our little house and very little wall space.  So, while I've always loved the idea of filling our house with photo memories, it's easier said than done due to the lack of wall space.  Over the past few months, though, I started looking at our staircase and realizing that there was perhaps some wall-space potential there that I had been missing.  Because, while I love the idea of a hall/stairway filled with pictures, I also love the simplicity that comes with clutter-free walls.  Our stairway has two walls that can only be seen when you are on the stairs, and so it was decided that these would become the designated pictures walls!

A project soon commenced.  Photos were selected and printed and a frame search began.  I love finding old frames at thrift stores and then spray painting them all the same color to make an eclectic collection.  The different frames add character, while the matching color unites them.  Not only does this make for a fun project, but it is rather economical as well.  I have a rule that I won't buy a frame it if is over $3.00, and I usually try to get most of them for $2.00 or less.  I was able to buy 11 frames, two cans of spray paint, and print my pictures for $25-30.  That's not bad at all, if you ask me! 

We left room in the collage to later add other pictures as we make more memories.  I'm so excited to watch these walls fill up with images of our lives and the things that make us who we are.

a yolk blouse

I had big plans this summer of sewing up a storm!  However, as most of my creative plans go, there has been very little sewing happening in this house over the past couple months.  With August now upon us, the itch to make things and check things off my list has grown and I've found myself sitting in my sun room, as I call it, many times over the past two weeks either making plans, or making things!  It's been lovely!

This week, I finished a yolk blouse for myself!  It turned out exactly how I wanted it to and I'm throughly pleased with the result!  I created the pattern based on a simple yolk dress that I've had for several years.  It was fun to take something that fits me so well and adapt it to make a different article of clothing.  The fabric was a lovely cream and green vintage floral that my brother gave me for my last birthday.  Such a thoughtful gift!

It's so fun to see dream up something in my head and then be able to wear it just a few days later!  It's also been good to spend multiple hours in my sewing area, while listening to chickens cluck in the garden and yard just outside the window.  I truly am soaking up these last few weeks of my summer break!

hanging storage

We live in a 100 year old house with little storage and many, many windows.  I love the windows, but they leave me with very few walls to put things on.  So, I've found that I need to be creative about where and how I store things.  

My sewing area is off of our dining room.  It has three walls.  Two windows fill one wall, three windows fill another, and a piano fills the third.  The natural light is lovely, but all that glass makes it rather difficult to store all of the crafty supplies that belong in a sewing room!  To add a little extra storage, I started working on a simple little project last fall.  Like most projects, it got tossed to the side when another project with a deadline came along.  However, last night, this little storage project surfaced again and finally got its finishing touches!  

I created these three simple bags to hang on a little nook-like wall between my bookshelf and window.  In order to be better organized in my sewing area, I wanted these bags to hold random craft supplies that have previously resided in messy baskets or bins.  Each bag was made with left over fabric and buttons from my stash.  I do so love projects like that!  The workmanship is nothing spectacular, just functional.  

I hung the bags on sticks with two nails in the wall for each one.  Once the bookshelf is pushed back into place, the bags are rather hidden, but that's one of the things that I love about the design.  They are cute and functional, yet they are mostly hidden from view.  With the open floor plan that our house has, it's great to have things tucked back into corners like this.  It makes the rooms seem less cluttered and full, while still fully utilizing the space.  It feels so good to have this little corner cleaned up and better organized!  It's amazing what a difference a little project like this can make.

an apron for me

One of my very first sewing projects was a pair of aprons, one for my mom and and one for my step-mom.  Now, I realize that many people often choose aprons as a good starter project, and that is essentially what I did as well.  However, instead of choosing a simple apron with a few seams and straight stitches, I choose one of the most complicated and advanced apron patterns in the known world.  These starter aprons of mine included a full bodice, a waistband, two sets of straps, and a full lining.  I remember staring at the rounded bodice pieces and thinking, huh! these simply can't fit together!!  They sure enough did, though, and through that project I learned so much more than I ever would have gotten out of a sewing class.  Sewing classes are great for some, but I learn better on my own, with my hands and brain deep within a task.  

After all of these years (and many more complicated projects), I'd made several aprons for other people, but had yet to make one for myself!  A couple years back, I made an apron for my step-sister out of this lovely lemon fabric that I found at JoAnn.  I adored the simple look (and relatively simple pattern) and I adored the fabric!  So, when I ended up with a bit of extra, I tucked it away for an apron for myself.  I've pulled the fabric out a few times since, but other projects (Christmas presents, birthday presents, my wedding dress, tree skirts, etc.) have taken precedence.  This past winter break the cutting and pinning finally began, and an apron was in progress!  It wasn't until this past week, though, that I finally finished it! 

Other than the polka dotted green ruffle and straps, I was able to make the apron from leftover fabric, which is always so nice!  The lining had to be pieced together, as did the ruffle and scraps, but an apron was made, and that's the important thing!  My kitty-cat was also right there along side of me through the process.  He loves our sewing times together! (Also, it's lovely to have my sewing area back to normal without all the dust and stinkiness!!) 

I must say, that I'm very thrilled to finally have a cute and clean apron for myself!  Hooray!! 

How about you??  What have you been sewing these days?!

mother's day candles

This past Christmas I received a box of the lovely blue vintage tribute Ball jars from my step mom, and ever since then, I've been contemplating what lovely creation to put in them.  With Mother's Day approaching and a plan for candle making in the back of mind...I decided to put them to use!  

Using the "Winter Holiday Candles" directions in Taproot, Issue 8 :: Reclaim and the very helpful "Essential Oil Blends" article in Taproot, Issue 9 :: Breathe, I set to work!  

Side note...If you've never heard of Taproot Magazine, I encourage you to check it out!  It is a fabulous ad-free quarterly publication about living fully and digging deeper.  The pages of the magazines are filled with thoughtful prose, practical how-to's, and touching stories.  This is my third year of having a subscription, and I love it.

I got my soy wax and wicks from Bramble Berry and used a few essential oils and fragrance oils that I had on hand for the scent.  For this batch, I used a vanilla, orange, clove blend of oils and with 3 lbs of wax I was able to make 4 candles.

For having never made candles before, I found this project to be a breeze!  They are so cute and they smell delightful!  It made me want to order a lot more wax and never buy a candle again!  I may just do that....

Our moms also loved them!  Dan and I both have large families, and with all of the birthdays, holidays, and Christmas gifts, I'm always looking for creative ways to keep our gift expenses at bay.  These candles fit the bill and I couldn't be happier with them!  

How about you?  What kinds of lovely and creative things do you make for gifts?