Gratitude

 Thanksgiving totally gets the shaft. Its the truth. But not in this house. Except for Christmas merchandise for my etsy shop, I keep all Christmas cheer pent up until the day after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving deserves some respect people.

 So I put up a sheet of butcher paper that some fabric came wrapped in and have started a Gratitude board. A cup of pens nearby allows us to jot down the simple things we are grateful for as we think of them. Anyway who visits us is also encouraged to participate.

Its a nice way to remember how blessed we really are before we head into the consumerism of next month and all our lists of wants.

And November wouldn't be complete without a couple of hand turkeys. I had a roommate who loved hand turkeys and I always think of her when I'm tracing my hand. You know who you are...

Have a great weekend and be grateful its a three day one-unless you're a teacher at UGA and then its not but that's okay!

Opossum Fest 2011

 Every year our friends Doyle and Chelsea have a Fall Party or Opossum Fest. Yes, Doyle shoots and cooks up an opossum. Welcome to the south! Last year I didn't try it but this year the whole Clark family tried some of the opossum stew and it wasn't bad. Its nice to know that if times really get tough, we can make it work with Georgia's natural resources.

Natalie and Josh Findlay with Joshua, Andrea and May and me

 The party was so fun with lots of great food, pretty decorations and lights and the UGA football game set up to entertain all the husbands. Plus their was a tailgate full of desserts.

Me Sara Michelle Chelsea Andrea

 Henry had lots of fun running around and eating off everyone's plates.

 

I helped Chelsea make flowers for the centerpieces. Very fall Asian.

Henry also tried his first apple. They were supposed to be decorations but that didn't stop him from devouring a few apples. He has had apple in the past but not a whole apple. He was a happy, sticky mess and refused to let them go when it was time to leave. He held on tight up until we plopped him in the tub.

So now I have eaten Alpaca, Guinea Pig and Opossum. What is the weirdest thing you've eaten?

All photos courtesy of Chelsea

Refashion: Chevron Skirt

 Last week we did a "Maria Von Trapp" refashion well here is another one. Instead of a curtain, this time I am using a sheet. Isn't this the coolest sheet EVER? So chic. Coral, grey, chevron. It is totally on trend. So when I found it at America's Thrift I knew it was going to be mine. And it was $1. Happy day! Then I remembered this cool tutorial for a paperbag waist box pleated skirt. The two together created something awesome!

 

And how wonderful that I have a belt that matches perfectly.

 Her directions are really easy to follow and this skirt came together pretty quickly. She uses the selvage of the fabric as the waist and since I didn't have that, I made a quick bias tape out of extra sheeting and finished off the top before I put the pleats in. I also lined mine with another sheet since sheeting is very thin and my mom taught me to always wear a slip but I hate wearing slips so lining it is.

Also trust her measurements. I didn't, thinking I would need to add some extra inches. Well it threw my pleat placement off because I made it too big. So trust her.

 I also added a zipper to the front because I couldn't figure out how she did it with the hook and eyes. The zipper easily hid in with the other box pleats.

So if you don't like boots or skirts you have probably been pretty bored around here lately. Well tomorrow's post is about something completely different.

Grey Boots and Pink Skirt

 I have been selfishly sewing for myself lately. Its not really selfish. I am entitled to new skirts made from fabric from my stash. Right? Yes! Another skirt from New Look pattern #6843 with slight alterations.

 You know, I didn't even know that this was cheetah print when I bought it. Well it is and I like it. No I love it.

 Also like the boots?

About a month ago, I had a customer contact me through etsy with a request. Could she send me a picture of her living room and have me design a pillow concept? This actually happens more than you would think. Well after weeks of emails back and forth, the pillows were decided on and I spent the hard earned profits on these fabulous babies. Chelsea and I spent a couple of lovely hours in the Belk shoe department trying to make the most of the sale. Ah bliss. I know I already have a box of boots but no grey ones. And they look fabulous with my skinny jeans.

Henry's Football Head

 Just a few things that we have been up to in the past week. Henry's football head is compliments of our friend Chelsea. She made this hat for her nephew but needed a mini male model to get some pictures before shipping it out. Pictures have nothing to do with the contents of the blog post.

I took Henry trick or treating on Halloween night. Since we did it kind of late it was cold and dark but Henry had lots of fun and I think by the end he really started to understand that if he went up to the door, he would get candy. Popeye was in class so it was just the spinach man and I and some families from our ward.

On Friday, Steve presented a paper at a conference in Atlanta and Henry and I, having recuperated enough from our colds, went along. We dropped Steve off and headed to IKEA for lunch, shopping at Atlantic Crossing (Hello! H&M) and then off to the best fabric store I have been in in Georgia. Forsyth Fabrics is my new favorite place and I am trying to think of how often I can feasibly consider driving 90 minutes each way to buy fabric. Hmm...

Since Henry was still a little sick and most likely contagious, we decided not to do our date night swap. So instead we feasted on Pizza Hut carryout and watched D2: Mighty Ducks 2. I used to have a little crush on Adam Banks and Gunnar Stahl. And I never realized what a shrimp Emilio Estevez is.

TOUCHDOWN! Look at my awesome braided hair?

The rest of the weekend was spent in productivity after a week of sickness induced laziness.

A really fun refashion is coming Tuesday and a brand spanking new pair of boots!

Sick Thoughts

Not dirty thoughts. Sick Thoughts.

First I wanted to say thanks for all the positive thoughts and comments on my green lace skirt. I feel so loved. Seriously. Thank you.

We have been under the weather here. Not Steve but Henry and I. Coughing, hacking and being snotty. We are the recovering side so don't feel bad for us.

Being sick does have some pros.

Any excuse to take a long afternoon nap is fine by me. I also love going to bed early and not feeling lame.
Also I love the time I need to rest and relax. I have been enjoying many Grey days. (ie: watching episode after episode of Grey's Anatomy)
Being able to walk around the house in a fog noticing but not having the energy to attend to cleaning and such. Those dishes and clothes will still be dirty in a couple of days

But being sick has lots of cons too.

I meant to get lots more done this week like more blogging and crafting but that is always the case whether I am sick or not. Right?
Being sick sucks.

Here is to feeling better and having a good weekend!

Refashion: Green Lace Skirt

 Today's refashion is what I like to call a "Maria Von Trapp" moment. Growing up I always loved The Sound of Music and how she just made all those kid's clothes out of her cast off curtains. Ah, Maria. No one quite solves problems like you.

So remember when I wanted a lace skirt? It was next on my list after I made those lace shoes. Well, I really wanted a green lace skirt. Why green? Who knows. So I found some awesome lace at America's Thrift store. Its a curtain! My budget being what it is, I knew I wasn't going to be able to buy bright green lace. So I found some that I liked with the intention of dyeing it. Let me just tell you, sometimes I think I know more than I do. I found some RIT dye in the color that I wanted, grass green. Even though the box said it wouldn't work on polyester, what do they know? Well after wasting an entire bottle of dye and $4, RIT proved me wrong. You just can't dye polyester with RIT dye. I even had it sit overnight. Boo.

 So I ordered some dye online. I used iDye Poly* in green. I got it from the dharma trading company and was super impressed with the results. I LOVE it! I used New Look pattern #6843 with a few minor adjustments. This pattern is a super simple one and has a few basic skirt options that can be easily altered.

 

 To make the cotton lining shorter than the lace, I measured and hemmed the bottom before sewing the sides together. I also hand sewed the bottom seams where it is just lace since it wasn't working with my machine. I am sure there is a way to do this but hand sewing works too.

*poly dye has to be done over high heat meaning you have to boil the fabric and the dye. It stinks something awful. So heads up, do it during the day when your husband isn't home and you can really air out your house.