This and That- Catching Up (or "Not Cleaning Out My Sewing Area")

I should be cleaning out my sewing desk and the area around it. It's not a pretty sight.  The thing is, if I position myself behind the computer monitor, I can't see it.  And I haven't finished catching up with the blog...and...shoot, I know there was another really good excuse...

So, between now and my unintentional blog break (again) I have been busy.  Throwing kindergarten into my mix has brought it's own time challenges, but I think I've got it (mostly) figured out now.

Since September I've made things to celebrate babies:

Newborn neighbor Bryce got some bibs and a bag!

Baby Coover's bibs and football gear

Baylor onesie for Christi's nephew. She's the coolest aunt in the world, I'm sure of it.

Teeny circle skirt for the adorable Miss Morgan (and the sticky tie that I found for the very dashing Mr. Collin

Birthdays:

Happy #1, Mallory!  (Because everyone loves Black Apple Dolls!)

Happy #5, Kinsley!  Disney princess ribbon sculpture headbands

Rory modeling her Ariel headband

We quickly discovered that being in kindergarten means lots of party invites!  I decided to pick a gift and stick with the theme throughout the school year.  So far, so good.  I've made each kid a set of pillowcases and everyone has seemed to really love the idea.  Rory is tired of it by now, but hey, she'll get to give something different next year.  I've made several more sets, but apparently finished them as we were headed out the door to the party and they never made it in front of the camera.  Happy birthday to Jack, Michaela, Sophia, Deegan, Ryleigh and Elliana!  And thanks to Heather for the genius idea!

For Deegan's Star Wars party, Rory and I came up with a quick Princess Leia outfit, made possible by an old sheet, some posterboard, foil and some sockbuns!

Holidays:

My trick-or-treaters requested a red Angry Bird and She-Ra. Jack's was pretty simple. We found his red suit at the thrift store and I added a fleece tummy. I made him a fleece hat and glued foam onto some cheap red glasses frames. He was a hit!  Mini She-Ra started with a cheerleader pattern that I adapted to velcro in the back for easy dress up later.   I added a velcro removable cape and  made her crown by using a headband and some painted foam.  Her galoshes made great boots when covered with stretchy gold fabric.  The result was a happy, happy girl. And hey, now her friends know more about 1980's cartoons!

I decided we needed new stockings for our family. They needed to match.  I didn't use a pattern, just kind of made it up as I went along.  The main part is a fabric that I can't remember the name of, but it's a bit more pliable than burlap or canvas. Ruffles for the girls, altered pintucks for the boys.  Next year I'll figure out how I want to add names...or just initials?  I'll revisit that part next Christmas.

This past Christmas was my niece's first Christmas with our side of the family, so I finished Addison's stocking.   Soon I'll need to get started on one for her little brother or sister!

It wasn't a calendar holiday, but we celebrated Rory feeling better by trying our hand at homemade root beer.  She'd had some awful virus and everyone was thrilled that she was back to her old self.  The root beer was pretty tasty, too!

And we even gained a new houseguest:

Rory and Jack discovered the "fairy door" a few days after it ...ahem...appeared.  Our fairy guests don't directly interact with us, but we do get to see some of their activity. They put a wreath up for Christmas, have left their broom out and decorated their tiny porch with flowerpots.