Note To Self: Halloween is in October

I am SO excited for Halloween. It is my favorite holiday. I just love the cool weather, dressing up (when else can an adult woman wear a tutu and get away with it?) and the decorating.

I thought up a cute project for my worn ladder that sits by my front door. I covered pumpkins with stickers and then gave them a coat of black spray paint. I love the way they turned out.

But...Here's what happened after only a few days of sitting on the porch.

Note to self: Halloween is in October not September. Don't get to ahead of your self.

Guess I'll wait a few weeks and then try this project again. Cross your fingers cool weather gets here soon.

Peg Board System

Who hasn't seen this peg board system from Pottery Barn and instantly fell in love? But at a whopping $300 I knew it could be done for less.

So I hunted around and found this tutorial to make something identical. They said their cost was just over $100. Better, but still to steep for cheap ol' me!

I thought and thought and TA DA! Here is what I came up with.

I know it really is nothing like the PB board where I got my inspiration from, but I like it so much better! And, best of all...It was CHEAP!

It has a large magnetic board, 2 fabric covered cork boards, a chicken wire peg board, 2 hooks, and decorative wood letters spelling SEW.

Cost breakdown?

-picture frames: FREE (yes I really had that many black frames lying around)

-sheet metal: $6 (from the duct work section of Lowes)

-Cork board tiles: $6

-Chicken wire: $5

-Fat Quarters of fabric (to cover cork): $1

-wood letters: FREE (had them lying around too)

-Scrapbook paper: FREE (from my stash)

-Knobs: FREE (left over from the kitchen at my old house)

-peg board hangy things: $3 (from the kitchen section at IKEA)

TOTAL: $21

Here are a few detail shots of some of the elements:

This project is so versatile, you could do a chalk board, regular pegboard instead of chicken wire, endless possibilities!

And doesn't it go great with my sewing desk?

I almost posted...

I almost posted a craft project/mishap this morning. And then something terrible happened. I'll tell you all the long story even though you probably don't care...

So I was uploading some pictures of a project I wanted to blog about. I got them uploaded and was moving them around to different folders within my pictures folder. (My pics are organized by family/blog then by year, then by month, then by major event) I got everything where I wanted it to be. Deleted some pic shortcuts that I had put on the desktop for a minute, the logged into blogger. I hit the "add image" button, searched for my images and NOTHING! I couldn't find my picture folder. I frantically looked in the recycle bin, did a search, NOTHING! I panicked, called my IT/computer whizz brother. He suggested restoring my computer to how it was yesterday. I did that and my folder reappeared. PHEW! I opened the folder. There was the folder 'Blog', and the folder 'Family'. I clicked Family. I saw 2007, 2008, 2009. I clicked 2009, yada-yada-yada. Kept clicking along in my freakishly organized photo file. NOTHING! All the folders are there with no pictures.

Luckily I have never deleted a picture of my son off of my camera for fear something like this would happen, but there are still plenty of pictures of him that family had sent me or bloggy pictures which I usually don't store on my camera.

This is what I wanted to do to my computer!

I didn't though, in hopes that my brother can work some computer magic and find the files.

Welcome Baby Quilt

I will start this post with an apology. These pictures are CRAP! My DH (dear husband) is still in Nashville and he has the camera with him. I am taking dinner in to DH's cousin tomorrow night who had a baby this past weekend, and I am giving her this quilt. So, my only option to get it photographed and blogged about was to use my camera phone.

This was my first real quilt. I have played around before with rag quilts and such but never what I would consider a "real" quilt. The original idea was to have guest at the "Would Have Baby Shower" write on a quilt block for the baby. But, after that idea flopped I decided to have family members help with this quilt instead.

Parents helped the little kids trace their hands.

Most of the adults wrote a little something to the baby.

And other's just graced the baby with their printed name

Now, I made up the dimensions and such as I went along for this quilt. I don't know much about quilting, but here's basically what I did.

Quilt Details:

Overall dimensions: 44" x 53"

Supplies:

21- 7" x 7" squares, fabric A

21- 7" x 7" squares, fabric B

2- 5" x 37" sashing, fabric C

2- 5" x 53" sashing, fabric C

1- 44" x 53" backing, fabric B or fabric D

1 1/4 " x perimeter of quilt- binding strip ironed in half, fabric E

crib size quilt batting

Directions (1/2" seam allowance):

1 Ask family member to write something to the unborn baby with a PERMANENT marker on fabric A squares.

2. Piece 7" x 7" squares together alternating fabrics A & B. 6 blocks across, 7 blocks down

3. Attaching 5" x 37" sashing to top and bottom of quilt

4. Attach 5" x 53" sashing to sides of quilt

5. Baste quilt top, batting, and back together.

6. Machine quilt using this method

7. Bind the quilt

8. Wash the quilt in the machine to fluff it up

9. Don't forget to label your quilt so the baby will remember the occasion the quilt was made. I had one extra quilt block after everyone had signed on so the block in the right hand bottom corner is labeled to the baby.

My First Feature!

I was featured today over at ModPodgeRocks! Yippee!! Check it out here.

If I weren't so tired from flying all day I would be dancing around the room right now. Yup, I'm in Nashville for the weekend, Nope, I didn't get the bulletin board done. Next week. I promise!

Go ahead, play with your food

Skip to my Lou has a darling tutorial here for a felt sack lunch. I had so much fun making this. I am going to donate it to the elementary school in my neighborhood for their silent auction.




Now I need to get working on the felt food to go with my sons play kitchen he is getting for Christmas.


By the way, I've created I really cool bulletin board collage. I hope I can get it on the wall and post pics before I leave for Nashville this weekend. {fingers crossed}

See Ya...

I'm off to the woods for to go camping with my family. See ya all next week.