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.

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Pink pencil skirt

Remember that herringbone pencil skirt a few posts back where I forgot stretch material? I learned my lesson. After a quick hour or so of stitching here is my latest. I got a hankering for a pink pencil skirt even though I never ever wear pink. Luckily I had some extra fabric on hand from an old project and put it to use. With no slits and a blind hem I'm pretty well satisfied with it!!!

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. Ev...

High Waisted Skirt and S'More Bites

Hey it's Christmas time, and my little fingers have been hard at work, designing and crafting for loved ones all around. I have to say, Pintrest has been AMAZING in keeping my ideas down to earth and actually feasible. It doesn't help for the multiply of them though. I have to share the skirt that I made (with no pattern) and sorry, I can't give away the original photo or tutorial, since I don't hold the copyright to either. And for those that love reading and eating (sometimes simultaneously) I made the easiest thing ever last night with some of my lady friends, and we ate every single one. They were that great. S'More Bites Using crescent rolls (prepackaged and unbaked), unroll on counter. At the wide end, sprinkle 5-6 choc chips and 3-4 mini marshmallows. Roll and bake according to directions. Try not to inhale all as soon as they come out of the oven. YUM!

Alli Raw

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