Canning, Dress Making, and Early Christmas Prep

Honestly the only reason I'm up at three in the morning writing this is a combination of way too much caffeine late at night trying to stay up for band practice (that ended hours ago) and because in my insomnia stupor decided the best idea was to finish off Dexter season 4. Bad idea. The last scene gave me literal chills. So, here I am, an hour later, too terrified to go and work out either. Wishing desperately for the sun to rise and for the fabric store to open up. Instead, I'll share a couple of things that have been keeping my free time occupied of late. First of all, this song. Oh my, this song. Can't express how much I love this song. It doesn't have all the same lyrics that the one that our church plays, but still- incredible. {This Is War by Dustin Kensrue of Thrice} Making the second dress I've ever made, after my wedding dress.

And busily making my first ever batch of jam, and canning my first batch. So much fun. Learning so much.

For anyone new to the canning world, I highly recommend Ashley English's book on canning: Homemade Living: Canning & Preserving. Working on Christmas gifts, and if I accidentally create anything too awesome, I'll be sure to share, although probably after Christmas, just in case any of the recipients might be reading. Maybe.

Comments

DIY Thread Holder

I had nearly filled up a basket with threads and have seen a couple wall mounted holders that looked interesting but I really wanted something with my own little flair. So I made one. And here's how. First things first, I grabbed a rectangle of plywood I had from a previous project and cut it to roughly the size of what I wanted. Then I painted a background of what I wanted (inspired by Pinterest- an overly pixelated shot of Greenland. If I can find the owner of it I'll credit them.) Once I was happy with how that turned out, I started on the framing. I measured out some trim wood (from same previous project) and painted them black. I also drilled a small hole in the center top of the board for easy and safe hanging. My furry little helper made sure I didn't drip anywhere in his favorite area. While those dried, I laid out where I wanted the thread spools to go and tapped in 2" nails just enough that they would stay but had most of the nail sticking out. Even made

Herringbone Pencil Skirt

Learn how to do a blind hem? Check!! One more night of hand blind stitching for the zipper and putting in a clasp and this little lady is ready to go public!!

Performance vs. Behind the scenes

When I was a child, all I wanted to do was to preform. My mother put me in dance lessons, and then after an bad injury a couple years into it, put me in music lessons. After six years on playing through all middle school and most of high school, I just stopped. I wasn't bad by any means, but I wasn't a rockstar. I just left to pursue being a teenager I guess. I don't even remember what my real reasoning was. I just quit. I question my decision now, but if I would have kept at it I might have missed something that I love now. I've come to realize in the last few years, how much better I like being behind the scenes. I can make the costumes, hang up the set, and run the music as long as I don't go up in front of anyone. It's funny, I don't think I would have ever realized how much more I love this, than if I would have left playing so long ago.

Alli Raw

Search This Blog