Gingerbread Houses and Log Cabins

Last week my sisters, mom, and I had a big baking day but didn't get to the gingerbread houses like we had hoped. So my kids did them instead. All I did was make the frosting!



If you're not using a kit, we've found in the past years that big pretzel logs are the easiest to build with and look really good!



Of course, my kids are incredibly competitive so wanted to know who's is "best". In true Mom form I awarded the best to each in different categories. They're old enough to know how lame that is but that's what we Moms do!



Will's has an attached garage...



With a sun deck on it!



Claire's was a kit that I found on sale at the grocery store. All you need- ready to go.



I'm telling you, if you have little kids---or grandkids---when you see these on clearance after Christmas, pick one up!! Who cares if the candy is old next year, you'll NEVER eat it. The ease of this for little kids is awesome and it turns out so cute! I mixed the frosting for Claire and gave a little "advice" but then she did the rest and she's 10. What's really nice with the kit is that you don't have half a bag of candy left over.

Now, to find a place for the creations is a bit of a challenge!

I hope all of you are finding time to prepare your hearts also this Advent for the birth of Christ. It's so easy to only get caught up in the "stuff". I know because I struggle with that EVERY year!

OK, Here It Goes

A picture of me. EGAD, never thought I'd post one on my blog, but I like seeing other people on their blogs so here I am. And, of course I had to take it in my laundry room, standing on a laundry basket with flourescent lighting so I'd have excuses for how I look! But, folks, that's where I spend my time so I guess that's really me. Bad lighting, weird hair day, and all.

This post though is because of the scarf. I made it yesterday and it matched my sweater I put on today, so I'm wearing it.



Scarf details. (For the record, my 18 y/o asked me if I'd make her one!) I used strips of fabric and yarn. Of course mine is all thrifted and vintage which makes me very happy! I just love to use a little of this and a little of that in a project.



I sewed 1" strips of fabric together wrong sides together. I let the edges stay raw because I like that look. I know that would grate on many people. If you're one of them, sorry. The ric rac is very old and so pretty. As is the black lingerie lace; old and beautiful. The black yarn I crocheted into a cord as I did with two shades of gray yarn and string together. Then I pinned them the way I liked to "wash away" stabilizer and sewed across with clear nylon thread in my machine and a light gold in my bobbin. I anchored about every 3-5".

I'm not sure the stabilzer was necessary; you could just feed each piece into the machine as you sewed. I washed away the stabilizer, let it air dry and then pressed it all back into shape. **If you make one and use the wash away stabilizer then think about what you put into it because a mish mash of fiber will react differently to the water when you wash it. I was nervous for a bit because the yarn all stretched out. But, after it dried and I ironed it, it's back to where I started. Whew!

I've been thinking about this for awhile but HuggyBear from Junk Revolution posted about this web site and that got me moving and gave me the idea to use the wash away stabilizer.

I practiced making a couple of bookmarks using the technique as described in the web site Favcrafts and I love how they turned out. But, because I used ric rac and fabric, it made my piece more "fabric like" and less scarf-like. They only used yarns and fibers in their scarf. That's why I decided to only anchor it ever 3-5" so it would stay softer and lay nice like a scarf. And, it did. Whew!

A Moment to Savor

Ahh.....new lights out of the box....they all work....no tangles......sa-weet!

Time To Decorate

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!!

Now it's time to decorate around here!

Junkin' Monday

I'm afraid no junkin' this past week here, but thought I'd show you the ties I bought at the auction I went to two weeks ago. Pretty, huh?



The patterns and colors are SO nice!



I like to imagine the suit these were worn with. AND, there was only one suit at the auction and I did bring it home too! Now, what to do with the ties....



I have a few boxes of great old wood hangers. So, here are the ties now in my sewing room held up on a couple of those hangers. So, if I want a snippet of tie fabric for something I can just go clip a bit off the back and still leave the great display of color in my room.



So many old things are just nice to display as they are.



I hung two of my antique pocket watches on the hangers and I think that's a nice finishing touch.

If anyone has any suggestions for projects with ties, I'd really like to hear them. I have another box or so of ties...

My mom made quite a few throws out of them and they looked quite sharp. I made a skirt for my oldest daughter for Sr. pictures, BUT ties are cut on the bias....and that was an issue. I wouldn't do it again without really good instructions. (I was winging it!)

Now, I'm off to see what everyone else is up to over at Clara and Marcela's!

Urban Habitat

I just got done painting my son's room. Long story which if I told would reveal way to much of how we roll around here. His room has been in an upheaval for a loooong time. 'Nuff said.

Two of the walls are Deep Bronze and gorgeous. We got a simple but sharp black coverlet to go on the bed and I think it will all look lovely but very masculine.




But, this post is about these. Paint samples--aaarrrrhhhggg--I love them! and Yes, I know I've posted about them before. (Whoops, If you click on that link, you'll know how long this project has been in the works!) But none of those were what he wanted so yesterday we went back for more. This time to the lumber yard in town. Which means new paint samples. I took so many I had to tell them because I felt guilty. Store guy says "go ahead". Now, if Valspar paint goes up in price we know why. Because I know all of you are going to want to get your own too.

This collection is called "Urban Habitat" by Valspar Medallion. Of course the display was much of the beauty. Each one very evenly spaced all lined up in glorious color splendor. It's like all my favorite vintage colors with a new twist.



And, look at some of the names! Under Construction..... Arbitrary.....Poetic Justice.....!!!

I don't know what I'll do with them---HA! big surprise right?! For now, I'll leave them in a stack on my sewing room table to thumb through and enjoy.

Mid Life Mini Crisis

So I went to buy myself a new wallet. The old one had broken and was quite shabby. I went in search once again for the perfect wallet. I knew what I wanted because I have carried the perfect wallet for about 24 years. It holds everything and has room for a bit of expansion as you stuff it, and believe me, I stuffed it! I've carried black, blue, and brown, but basically it's a plain (but perfect) wallet.
24 years!--it hit me there in the aisle of Target. I don't care if it's perfect! I don't want to carry the same ugly wallet while all the cute ones continue to taunt me with their style. Even though I know they'll NEVER hold everything I need. So, I bought a stylish fabric wallet that looked like it could have come from Fossil--but my midlife crisis wasn't that bad. I wouldn't come up with the money for a Fossil wallet, so I settled for "similar".

So--now I had no place to carry my checks--I couldn't even find one of the cheap ones lying around the house. Besides, I didn't want boring.



So, I ordered from Etsy some of those plastic checkbook covers that you can add your own paper in. I used fabric collage instead-- some from that lovely big bag I bought on Sunday and posted about yesterday.



I even used vintage text from an accounting book I bought on Sunday. It was from an example page of how to record your transactions and it mostly listed shoe purchases--fun!



More vintage fabric for the liner.



Here's the checkbook opened up flat. I used a rubber stamp on fabric for the bottom layer just to give it all some depth.

NOW, I still have to find something to carry all my pictures which used to fit in my perfect wallet too.....at least now I have something interesting in my purse!