Bring it On!

Fall is almost upon us, and the warm weather wear orders are beginning to come in.  However, I spent the last few weeks of the summer busting my way through a couple of other orders.   The first was a large custom order: recovering a porch swing.  A dear friend of mine has the exact same free-standing porch swing as I do and hers was really starting to show its age. 

She contracted me to make a replacement slip-cover for the cushions a new canopy and some throw pillows.  I was able to do it because I could use my own swing as a "pattern" to fashion pieces from.  I figured it wouldn't be that big of a deal since it was essentially just like pillow covers only on a large scale. 

I didn't realize that when you make things "on a large scale" you're working with TONS of fabric, which makes it pretty difficult to manage.  I was, however, able to get it done after learning how to wrestle multiple yards of fabric feeding through my machine.  I love the fabric she chose!  The covers  took her swing from blah to wow in a flash.  It literally took us 5 minutes to replace the canopy and cover the seat cushion and arm rests and it looked like a brand new swing.

Another job on my list was the darling "Honey Bee Hat and Tushy Topper" photo prop set for a client who does family photography. 

Unfortunately I still don't have a newborn to photograph, so I have to use my silly cow as a model. 

I had the sudden realization while taking this picture that its possible my neighbors think I'm insane.  They regularly observe me taking pictures of things hanging from trees, or items laying in the grass, or dressing animals up like other things and photographing it :) 

She also asked me to make her a massive flower for her winter hat so she could be looking good while staying warm.  We settled on a 6" diameter flower using a bulky dark green yarn.  She will be the hottest mama on the block this winter! 

Cooking with Kids

Recently my son asked if he could cook dinner.   By himself.  And make up the recipe.  By himself.  Alone.  With no help from me.....  I said no.  (bad, bad mommy!) 

Eli is 7 1/2 and is a wonderful, sweet, caring boy full of amazing, interesting ideas, but he has never cooked.  He's never even shown an interest in what I was cooking.  But, instead of just sticking with my knee-jerk "No" I took some time to ask him what he wanted to make and why.  He told me he wanted to make soup.  And he wanted to do it to be able to help around the house because I am always doing everything.  [Insert mommy guilt and melting heart here]  So, I gave my sweet boy a hug, and sat him down with a piece of paper and asked him to write out the things he wanted in his soup.   I helped a bit with spelling and ideas for a few ingredients (like "soup needs to have a broth of some kind, what do you think would be good?") and here was what he came up with:

The next day we headed to the grocery store with our recipe in hand and picked up all the items we needed.  I suggested he add a noodle of some type and some beans.  He picked out super cool wagon wheel pasta and kidney beans.  We also picked up some fresh bakery bread for sandwiches to accompany the meal.  When we got home I put my youngest down for a nap, sat the middle child down for quiet time and had my first cooking lesson with my oldest.  He peeled carrots, chopped veggies, measured, cooked, and stirred.  He did it all himself... with some guidance on my part, but HE did it.  I will be honest, he did great.  I had to hold back on my admonitions a few times and let him learn by trying, which is really really hard for me!  I helped him learn to hold the (very sharp) kitchen knife, how to position his fingers that were holding the veggies so he didn't lose a digit, and how long to boil the pasta and veggies before letting the soup simmer.  Other than that, he made the meal from start to finish on his own.  He was SO proud of the soup and couldn't wait to eat dinner that night. 

Pairing his soup, the sandwiches and some sweet, ripe strawberries made a perfect summer meal for our first school night of the year.  The soup really was delicious.  Even my super picky daughter gobbled up every bite.  It made me realize that I don't have to churn out complicated, elaborate meals to make something everyone will like.  I think this may be a start of something very good for our family.

Softie

My daughter loves headbands.  She cannot stand the way that an elastic hairband pulls on her (apparently extremely sensitive) hair, so the only way to consistently keep her hair out of her face is with a headband.  I made a rouched headband for a client out of soft knit material and had her model it for me, and she didn't want to take it off.  So, of course, I had to make one just for her :)

It can be worn with the rouched area in front and accented with a flower clip

or, Anna's favorite way, with the rouched area in the back, almost giving full head coverage. Great for keeping hair out of your face, working around the house, or putting on a really good pout.

It can even be worn when coming too close to a "big scary bug" (notice the tear from the trauma of said event)

Good news is you'll still look pretty cute when you finally compose yourself :)

Just like the Interchangeable Flower Headband, these are made from very soft knit fabric. The headbands stretch nicely and the flowers are completely interchangeable. Flowers come in crocheted, fabric, or silk varieties and can be made any color of the rainbow.  Please indicate flower type and color and headband color when ordering.

Pricing:
$15 for one headband and two flower clips
$3 for each additional flower.