thanksgiving, and the last of the leaves

"...It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection, aid and favors....Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these states to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the Beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere hand humble thanks for His kind protection of the people of this country, and for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us." {1789, George Washington, Thanksgiving Day}

On that note, here is some fabric that looks like it's from 1789--a Thanksgiving toile, if you will. I don't normally go for this style, but I loved the colors and how old-fashioned it looked. It's called "Plymouth," available at JoAnns.

I bought a yard of it, and decided to make it into a table runner. I cut it in half, sewed the short sides together, and then seamed all around, and voila!

I also had fun with some gingerbread dough I made a few weeks ago, using tiny acorn and leaf cookie cutters (although they look huge in the photos). They're only about an inch long.

The pumpkins, however, are about the size of my hand, which is the perfect size for a cookie, really. :) The E is for my mom (Elaine)...we are very grateful to have her with us this year as its been 2 years since her diagnosis. She is an incredible woman, and I'm looking forward to eating lots of good food together tomorrow! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

huh...?

I've promised sewing projects, and sewing you will soon see... Once I have a few more minutes, I will post some photos, most likely early next week as I have the whole week off. Yipee! Visions of yarn and fabric are dancing in my head...

Do you ever have so many projects going on, both in your mind and in your hands, that you feel giddily overwhelmed? That's kind of where I'm at right now.

And now, for the "huh" moment... Found this online today at Knit One Crochet Too.  Deer Antler Buttons.  I'm half repulsed, half amused. Well, more like 3/4 repulsed. 

Yay or nay? Waste not, want not... 

humble beginnings

I am really looking forward to filling up this little book with Dexter's puppy pictures. It's little--6x6"-- with 10 plastic pages to fill (20 total). I believe I bought it at Hobby Lobby for a couple bucks--bonus!

R and I have taken a photo with our pup every week up until a couple of weeks ago to track his growth... and wow, has he grown. Here's a quick look back on his smaller days! I'm planning on keeping it simple, mostly because there's not much room to begin with. I think orange/red/brown/gray will be my color theme.

The circles are cut from scrap Christmas paper--the tan markings on the red were words like "joy" "peace," etc.

And of course, the star himself, unable to resist a quick cameo...

twiggin' out

Over the last year, I've grown a striking liking toward bare trees. I love how intricate the branches are, twined up together; still, yet strong, hibernating before bursting again with personality. Isn't that what we should do from time to time? Take time to rest and rejuvenate and just be still?

I've slowly been introducing our home to this theme, but didn't notice it until I started to look around. It started when I saw these twig sconces on clearance at Bed Bath & Beyond, and snatched them for our bedroom.

Soon after, I bought this embroidery piece to hang on the wall at an anqitue fair...


And then I couldn't resist framing this wintery-tree stamp of my mom's on some cream-colored paper. (Cheap art! :)

Before long, nature began to appear downstairs as well. We replaced the old light fixture in our dining room with this branchesque chandelier last winter (now decorated for fall).

This week, I found a couple of fun pieces on Etsy a la bare branches:

A necklace by Under The Looking Glass...

as well as some sharply-painted shot glasses by Mary Wibis. I haven't purchased them, but fun eye candy they are. I am twiggin' out and lovin' it.

thanks and come again

Hi friends. Trust me when I say posts are in the works, as well as projects... Excited to unveil them. (One is sewing-related, how great is that!) 

Please check back in the next week for some updated posts. Hope you're well and enjoying this glorious fall season. :)

surprise

Look at this cute card my bf Leanne sent me! Er... to Dex, I mean. :) (Note: the bandage & cone are finally off, and Dex is once again running around with puppy fervor.)

I loved this organza-ish flower. She also included these fun items: Some adorable stamped images, as well as homemade recipe cards!

Thanks Leez, what a fun mailbox surprise! Be well!

seed stitch in blue

Just a little scarf I'm whittling away at.

Hmm. Whittle? It's not possible to "whittle" yarn...But I sure am whittling away my time, knitting bit by bit here and there.

Okay, so I'm obviously trying really hard to make a negative into a positive. :) According to Merriam-Webster, aside from a wood-working term, whittling can mean "to wear oneself or another out with fretting."

Note to self: Do not be a whittler.

ruh-roh.

Poor Dexter. We had to take him to the emergency vet Monday night after he collided with our couch. {He was running into the family room to see Raul and somehow managed to squash his wrist against the wooden leg of the couch. Much yelping ensued, and for us first-time puppy parents it was pretty scary.}

It's only a sprain, so he should be better within a week. That's what we're hoping, anyway. It's pretty tricky to keep a 13-week-old lab quiet and off his leg when he's so determined to play...

He hates wearing the cone, but will tolerate it. I think the crossbones decal makes up for it. {Isn't that funny? The tech said he seemed like a wild one...hmm, imagine that...}

a change'll do ya

So in June, I posted some photos of my craft room. Unfortunately, because it is usually in a state of disarray, it does not get used as much as you think it would!

Last week I finally put my foot down, and had the following conversation with myself:

Me: What good is a craft room if you aren't using it? Why not just make it a guest bedroom after all?

Me: What??? I'll clean it, geez.

Me: I think it needs more than just organization. It needs fun. Why did you buy those candy-colored crochet hooks anyway?

Me: ...You're absolutely right.

As with most things, the room is a work in progress. But at least I can use it now, and with glee!

The major change was bringing up a shelf from the basement to hold my knitting supplies, and moving the dresser to an adjacent wall. This instantly made the room feel more full and orderly, and allowed for me to add an extra lamp.

A closer look:

In the bottom basket on the shelf, I'm storing my fabric. The pumpkin pattern will most likely be sewn into an apron; the next two to the right--turquoise and plum patterns--will hopefully become skirts. The other two are undecided.

And these pieces came from the remnant bin at JoAnns...love that blue toile.

This dresser was where the knitting shelf now stands. This now holds extra stamps and stamping supplies, as well as a candy stash, heehee.

I found those three plastic baskets last week at Walmart for $3.97/3 pack. They even have matching green detail. Perfect!

I'm feeling a little more inspired. Sometimes a little change is all you need.

awaiting progress

The last month has been fairly quiet, both online, as you can see, and in my day-to-day happenings. To be honest, there just has not been much to post about.

Progress on crafts & writing has come to a trickle, and so I await inspiration. I feel like I'm waiting for a lot of things these days... but Romans 12 encourages us to be joyful, patient, hopeful, and faithful in prayer during these times, and so that is what I will try to do as my dry spell carries on.

On a lighter note, we had some wonderful company this weekend: My best friend Leanne and her husband stayed with us, and brought their two dogs to meet Dex for the first time.

It was so great to visit. {Dexter is getting bigger by the day, but he looked so tiny next to these full grown girls, Daisy and Java!}

Check back tomorrow for some more updates... Even though things are moving slowly, I DO have some updated craft room photos to share. :)