happy weekend

Our low was 66 last night! I made pumpkin pancakes for breakfast with the windows open this morning! Ah! There is a light at the end of this very long, very hot tunnel. This change of seasons is my most favorite time of year. I feel like a different person, like I am coming out of a sweaty little cocoon and now I can wear real clothes again. Never mind that the high is still going to be over 100. The cooler nights make all the difference.

Two things that helped me this week: getting back into my weekly temple routine and being a little bit crafty. Going to the temple requires me to quiet my mind. It teaches me to be patient and helps me put my life into perspective. My goal is always to bring that peaceful feeling home with me, and then to spread it to my family. I want my children to recognize the special feeling in the temple when they are old enough to go. Attending weekly helps me make it a habit, and that makes me really happy.

I went to our local discount fabric store and raided their doily and lace section to make a bunting for my kitchen. I hardly ever craft, but it was a nice relief from my other duties as a homemaker this week.

And now, the weekend! Hooray! I hope you have a good one.

a mud room

Ok, so technically, if you live in Arizona, you don't need a mud room. This room will likely never see a spec of mud. Dust, yes. Maybe even a scorpion or a rat, or two, but never mud. We call it our little office, and this teeny room off of our kitchen has had lots of different lives in the 10 years we've lived in this house (from laundry room to sewing room to office and back again). I've wanted to build in a bench beneath our pretty antique hooks for a long time, and I finally found the energy to do it.

I used a Kallax shelf from Ikea, in white, placed on its side as the base of my bench. I had to raise it up about five inches, so that the baseboard would fit properly, so first I built a platform for it. Once I secured it to the platform, I used the wall brackets that came with the shelf to secure it to the wall.

The shelf wasn't quite as long as I would have hoped, so I added some bead board to enclose the empty space beside it to make it one long, six foot bench. It kind of drives me crazy that the cubbies are off center, but I've let it go. I had my kids fill out questionnaires about themselves and stuck them with a family photo in the space to make a little time capsule. It will be so fun to find in 20 years when we change our minds about this room again!

I stained some plain boards to match the antique hooks and screwed them in place on top of the shelf. I am no carpenter, but I think they'll do.

I love the clean white bead board. It brightens the whole space. And Stella's little work area has everything she needs. She is an avid letter writer and drawer and homework do-er.

But let's be real. Because mud rooms never ever look the way they do on pinterest in real life, here's a shot of the current (and constant) state of that pretty bench. Backpacks everywhere! But at least I'm not tripping on them in the kitchen anymore.

happy weekend

What a weekend this will be! Four of my five siblings are meeting up at my parents' snow-covered house in the Utah mountains this weekend, and we can't wait! I plan on huddling in front of the pellet stove the entire time. :)

I picked a few boxes of our oranges and lemons to bring up. Freshly squeezed orange juice feels like such a treat when the world outside is white and heavy with snow. Elliot was helping me pick and he had a hard time understanding that some places are just too cold for orange trees to grow. It has definitely been cold in Arizona this week, but not Sundance-in-winter cold.

Our nativity advent calendar is moving right along. I get lots of emails about it. You can find a free pattern to download here (thanks to reader Jessica). And here, here and here are some old posts about it, in case you are interested.

In other news, I cut my hair! Man, it feels good.

Have a happy last-weekend-before-Christmas!

for the desire and the ability to create

Stella turns eight soon and she has requested a special dress to wear at her baptism. I am happy and grateful to oblige. The desire and the ability to create are part of our divine makeup as women, and I am grateful for the opportunity to make use of this special part of me.

I wrote a similar post last November (and probably the November before that, too). I love the quote I shared from President Uchtdorf. He said, "Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty. The more you trust and rely upon the spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come."

Yesterday I popped into my local discount fabric store. It has tables and tables piled higher than I am tall with fabric remnants. I only had a few minutes to search, but I found exactly what I was looking for - two yards of the most perfect ivory crepe, just what Stella's dress required. I've used Butterick 3350 more times than I can count. It is a wonderful basic pattern that lends itself well to alterations. I used it most recently for Stella's Princess Buttercup costume. This time, I am adding a few tucks at the bust, a feminine collar, and dropping the waist. I'm keeping the final product a secret from Stella, but I think she's going to love it.

halloween decor

You're going to want to pin this, I'm sure. Ha! Whenever Halloween rolls around, my kids ask me why we don't have any Halloween decorations. Well, the truth is, I don't really like Halloween, and I'd rather save the little bit of holiday decorating energy that I have for Christmas.

But this year, I gave in. Stella and Elliot spent some very happy minutes after school one day crafting some decorations for our porch. Stella's heavily eye-lashed ghost peeking out of the front door is my favorite. And in the desert, when it's still 100 degrees everyday in October, styrofoam pumpkins from the fabric store are the rot-free alternative to the real thing.

The look on Elliot's face when he went outside to check his handiwork was the best. He was grinning from ear to ear and gave me a very enthusiastic thumbs up. I made him recreate it for posterity. :)

Happy Halloween! (Or not. Bah humbug, sheesh.)

girls' camp t-shirts and fiverr

I am our ward's girls' camp director. That means that I have to come up with a slogan and a skit and cheers and make decorations and cook breakfast and gather all of the supplies our girls' will need at camp this summer. (Luckily I have lots of talented women to help me do these things.) One of the major things we need is a t-shirt. I really want the shirt to be something that the girls will wear again. After lots of tossing and turning over it, I was inspired with a simple idea and took it to fiverr.com.

I had never heard of fiverr, but Mike steered me there when I was searching for a font that would give a hand-lettered look to our slogan. Fiverr is a marketplace where you can hire a "gig" for $5. It seems like you can find just about anything (things like logo design, translation and writing, even jingles and sound effects!). After a quick search for hand-drawn brush pen lettering, I found Kim. Five days and five dollars later, I had the perfect hand brushed design for our shirts. Sometimes the internet is the best.

And these shirts are making me super excited about camp, which is something I am surprised to hear myself say.

a blessing dress

I took a break from sewing my pioneer wardrobe (Mike and I are helping with our stake's pioneer trek next month) so that I could work on this pretty little (and very, very old) blessing dress. I think it was once worn by the baby's great grandmother for whom she is named. Isn't that sweet? It looked like it was originally meant for an older baby, not a newborn, so I took in the sides a bit and repaired some of the tattered lace. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, if I could sew blessing dresses everyday, I'd be a happy seamstress.

roses are red

Stella's valentines contain all of the best things about Valentine's Day: roses, candy, and original poetry. We had lots of fun making these crepe paper roses to give to her classmates. They were a little difficult for her seven year old fingers, but after wrapping a few, she got the hang of it. She penned the poem, which we printed on card stock and tied to the stem of the lollipop.

p.s. Those teeth!

pinterest valentines

Thank goodness for Pinterest. Our valentines are much more creative after a quick pinterest search than they would otherwise be. Elliot and I made these cute wild animal cards for his preschool Valentine's party yesterday. His favorite part was picking out just the right baby animal for each of his friends. My favorite part was watching him write their names.

happy weekend

I'll tell you what, I took it easy this week. My 3 week old cold turned into a sinus infection and I finally gave in to the couch - with a little handwork, of course. I put cross stitch kits in the girls' stockings this year and I had such a good time getting Stella's started for her that I found my own little project to do. I found my free pattern here. Those little splotches up there are turning into words and it is so fun! I'll never get over the satisfaction of making something out of nothing with my own two hands.

Any fun plans this weekend? I think our weather is going to be fantastic, so hopefully I'll get out of the house for a bit and fill my lungs with some fresh air. I hope you get to, too.

Have a good weekend!

for the ability to create

I believe that the desire to create comes from our divine nature. We all have it within us, in some form or another. Some days I feel like baking, or maybe I want to sew. Other days I might want to write, or create order in a chaotic closet. For you, it might be something completely different! I believe that my life's work is to create a family and a home.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf once said, "Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty. The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come."

Today I was sewing a skirt for my sister. It felt good to take the blank stretch of fabric and with precision and care, shape it into something she can wear. I am thankful for the opportunity, the desire, and the ability to create.

Nativity Advent Calendar

I've received a few emails asking about my nativity advent lately, so I thought I'd repost some information. If you are interested in making a felt nativity advent calendar, now is a good time to start. It is rather time consuming, but so worth the effort. This is still my kids' favorite Christmas tradition, and I am always surprised that they remember who's turn it is to put the first piece up every year.

The figures: I made my figures out of a high quality wool felt. It is more durable and easier to work with than a less expensive craft felt. The entire collection requires such a small amount of fabric, that I was willing to pay a higher price per yard. Each little piece has a magnet affixed to the back. This allows them to stick to the magnetic background and can be moved around to change the scene. I hand stitched mine together using coordinating embroidery thread, but if that's not your thing, I'm sure fabric glue would do the trick. I didn't use a pattern (felt is very forgiving that way), but a reader of my blog, Jessica, made templates based on my design that can be found here.

I made 25 pieces, so there is one to put up every day until Christmas morning. Baby Jesus is always the final piece. I keep them in small brown paper mache boxes (from the craft store, you can see them in an old post I linked to down below) that are numbered one to 25. Each morning it's like opening a little present. Oh, it is fun!

The background: I attached two metal shingles (found at the Home Depot for a few dollars) to the backing of my frame. Then I mod-podged craft paper over the top to create the sky, grass, and stable. I wanted a very simple, almost folk look. I put a layer of mod podge over the top, and several years later, it is still in great condition.

Happy crafting!

Other posts about my nativity, including some close-ups, here and here.

knitting revelations

Yesterday was rainy and dark. It was begging for pumpkin bread and a knitting project. So I threw some loaves in the oven and looked through my basket of yarn. I hadn't picked up my knitting needles in years. It was so fun! But here's the best part: as I sat on the couch, knitting away, it was as if my family was compelled to sit with me and talk. One by one, they made their way into the room to tell me about their day. All I had to do was listen. I wasn't focused on a book, or my phone. My hands were busy, but my mind was open, and they must have sensed that difference. It was wonderful. I need to remember this in the future.

Plus, there is just something so satisfying about taking a tangle of yarn and turning it into perfectly ordered rows.

I'm thinking of attempting a sweater next.

to my Valentine

Mike and I like to say that we don't believe in soul mates. Except when it comes to the two of us. That no other couple is meant for each other the way that we are meant for each other. So I stitched up this little Les Mis quote to hang above our bed. I could say it was a Valentine's gift for Mike, but let's be real, it was really for me.

He doesn't read my blog, so he'll probably never see this, but Honey, I love you. This life that we share is something else. Happy Valentine's Day!

boredom buster: perler beads

It's non-stop perler beads at our house this week. Do your kids love these, too?

We've had them for years and years in our cupboard, but they've never seen this level of popularity before. I think I can blame it on summer boredom + some new-found ironing skills.

I finally taught Mabel and Oliver how to iron their own creations, which has made all the difference.

(Do you think these skills would translate to Mike's dress shirts? Because that! That would be something.)

a Peter Pan Collar tutorial

One of my favorite trends right now is the Peter Pan Collar. I've seen it everywhere, it seems, but I haven't been able to find the right top to purchase. Not to be discouraged, I decided to make my own collar necklace. It can be worn with just about anything! Even a t-shirt. And it instantly makes whatever you're wearing pop a bit.

I think it would make a great handmade Christmas gift for someone on your list. Let's get started.

1: Find some scrap fabric (I used white flannel) and play around until you get the shape just right (my approx. measurements are in the next photo). I cut out a basic peter pan shape, then trimmed and reshaped and trimmed some more. I made about three versions until I settled on the one I thought was best. I wanted it to be able to fit wide and small neck styles, including boat necks, so I tried it on with lots of my shirts, making adjustments as needed.

2: Once you have settled on the shape, trace it onto muslin. Add 3/8 of an inch around the collar for a seam allowance.

3: Then use the muslin as a pattern and cut out all of the pieces you will need for the collar. (I used a nice silky cream satin for the back, then the muslin for the center + fusible interfacing for stability, and a top layer of cream pointe d'esprit. But you can use whatever fabric you would like. I think a lace collar would be beautiful. Or even velvet!) You only need a little bit of each fabric, about 1/3 of a yard. Make sure to cut two pieces of each fabric for both halves of the collar.

Attach the fusible interfacing to the back of the muslin. Then stack the pieces in the correct order, as if you were looking at the finished collar (for my collar that meant: satin, shiny side down + muslin with interfacing on the back + pointe d'esprit). To sew them together, flip the top two layers to the back so that the very top layer is sandwiched between the others. For my collar, that meant the right sides of the muslin and satin were sandwiching the pointe d'esprit.

Pin in place and sew the layers together, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Remember to leave an opening in the back so that you can flip the collar right side out later. This part can be a little tricky. I found that to keep the fabrics from pulling and shifting while sewing, first pin and sew one side. Then press the collar flat. Then carefully pin and sew the other side, making sure to keep the collar nice and flat as you go along, starting at one end and sewing to the center, then stopping and starting from the other end and meeting the stitching in the middle. (See the photo above)

4: Now trim the seam allowance.

5: Turn the collar right side out.

6. A chopstick comes in handy. Make sure to get that corner completely turned out, then press your pieces.

7: Now it is time to sew the two halves together. Overlap the point just a teeny bit and use some hidden hand stitches to secure them together.

Now for the ribbon at the back. You will need 2 pieces, each about 18 inches long. 

8: Pin the ribbon to the back of the collar where it was left open during stitching. With right sides together, pin it to the top two layers, leaving the back layer free. Then stitch in place.

9: Turn the back layer in to cover the line of stitching and pin in place.

10: Use a slip stitch to secure the backing and close up the opening.

Hooray! It's finished! What do you think?

the desire to create

I love this quote from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a member of the first presidency of our Church:

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before. Creation brings satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take organized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty."

Isn't that great? I've been working on a few projects lately, and they have filled a part of my spirit like nothing else can. I am grateful for the talents I have been blessed with, and the ability they give me to be creative. But just because you can't sew, or don't enjoy baking or crafting or whatever, does not mean that you aren't creative!

Listen to what President Uchtdorf had to say about that:

"You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter."

Ah! I love that! So today, I am thankful for my talents, and for the desire to be creative. It is an integral part of my being, and of yours, too.

This two minute video sums it up nicely.

Go here to read President Uchtdorf's entire message. It is really wonderful, and sure to uplift.

my nativity advent

Guess what. Christmas will be here before we know it. Hooray!

Years ago, I was searching for the perfect Christmas Advent Calendar. I collect nativities, so a nativity advent is what I had in mind. But I couldn't find one anywhere! Oh, I looked and looked and looked, with no luck. So I decided to make my own. I cut and stitched and covered myself in teeny felt scraps for days. And in the end, I had this:

It is one of my favorite things, and turned out exactly as I had pictured it in my head. Every morning in December, my kids race to put up another little guy, culminating in the placing of baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas morning. It is so fun!

Jessica, a reader of my blog and felt crafter extraordinaire, recently opened an etsy shop where she sells a version of my advent calendar (with permission, of course). If you are on the hunt like I was, you can purchase one here!

Play dough in pink, please.

Have you ever made play dough? I hadn't until the other day. Elliot was napping and Stella was bored (of course). We had already eaten donuts at Mike's office that morning, so our go-to activity of making a treat was out the window. In a moment of pure motherhood inspiration, I searched for a play dough recipe online and we went to work.

It was a cinch! And it kept Stella busy for hours!

And then Elliot woke up.

And Mabel and Oliver got home from school.

And everyone played with it all together all afternoon. It was magical.

I used this recipe, but for some reason my dough was really sticky and needed lots more flour kneaded into it. But I'd use that recipe again in a second!

late to the party

Sometimes I need a quick and cheap project to do around the house. The door to our garage was getting pretty dinged up. It had seen whiter days, so on a whim we covered it with chalkboard paint. Is chalkboard paint even still "in"? I don't know. But these kids sure are having fun with it. I have to admit, it's nice to have a humongous space for a to-do list, too.