Halloween 2015

As I've discussed in previous posts, I LOVE Halloween. I LOVE making homemade costumes for my boys and myself. This year, my sons wanted to be characters from their current favorite video game: Five Nights at Freddy. Thing 1 wanted to be "Nightmare Bonnie" (which is a tattered and scary version of the regular Bonnie) and Thing 2 wanted to be Foxy the Pirate.

These costumes were great fun to make. It took a lot of craft foam, fleece, and hot glue, and I'm really happy with how they came out.

Throw Pillows - Pinterest Project

Last week, my MIL handed down a gently used sofa and love seat to us. We really needed a new set, but were reluctant to invest in something new, seeing as we still have two very spill prone and messy 7 year old boys! We had been trying to make due with new slip covers, but the key word is SLIP, as in they kept slipping out of place. Anyway, I digress...

New-to-us love seat and couch

I LOVE throw pillows. The more the better. I use them to prop, to lean, the cuddle, to nap on... And I especially prefer the look of lots of random throw pillows over the matchy-matchy-came-with-the-sofa throw pillows. I have had for a while, this vision of making lots of throw covers for all of my throw pillow in cool, unique, matching AND contrasting styles. In fact, I even made a pinterest board called Throw Fluffies where I've been saving up these ideas.

Getting the new set last week was the perfect excuse I needed to start working on this goal. First up: animal silhouette pillows. A while back, I found a blog where someone did her own copy-cat version of a throw pillow design she found at Restoration Hardware, and I really liked them.

Original Restoration Hardware version

Version by lessthanperfectlifeofbliss.blogspot.com

I decided that I'd like to copy her copycat version, making my own version of a gray cat for my cat Persy and a black cocker spaniel for our dog McGarrett.

Persy pillow

McGarrett pillow

I love how they came out! And I can't wait to tackle some of my other throw pillow ideas!

Anniversary Quilt

Remember when I made all those matching tshirts for my family's trip to Disney to celebrate my sister and her husband's 25th wedding anniversary? Well, for Christmas, my sister requested I turn those tshirts into a memory quilt for her and her husband.

Her favorite combo of colors are purple and black, so I used those as the main filler colors and for the backing and binding. She loves this full-sized quilt and it now adorns the bed in her guest bedroom.

Memory Quilt

When something unimaginable sad happens, like many people, I never know the right words to say. The experts say all you can really say is "I'm so sorry." But sometimes sorry, just doesn't feel like enough. So when one of Superman's co-workers lost her 6 month old baby to SIDS last summer, and I didn't know how to express just how I felt for that mother, that father, and their darling baby... I offered to make a memory quilt from his baby clothes. This was the most touching sewing project I've ever worked on. I hope I never ever have to make another one.

Update: Here is a picture of Cooper's newborn baby sister, his mom's Rainbow Baby, laying on his quilt.

Note: Through this story, I have learned that siblings born after a SIDS loss are usually called "Rainbow babies." I love this term because it means: a beautiful and bright rainbow follows a storm and gives hope of things getting better. Storm-clouds might still be overhead as the family continue to cope with the loss, but something colorful and bright has emerged from the darkness and misery.

Disney 2014

This was the first time in 7 years of marriage, and the first time in my sons' lives, that we spent Christmas at home! It was wonderful for my boys to wake up in their own beds and come out to our own living room and open presents around our own tree!

However, a few days after my parents and brother left to go home, I also experienced my first bout of post-holiday sadness. I think I usually don't feel this, because at the end of a vacation I'm usually so anxious to get home to my own creature comforts, that that wins out over any potential sadness of the trip ending. But this time I just had to sit and stew about how sad I was for my family to leave, and I literally spent the day in bed alternating between crying and sleeping.

My husband, who gets this often, suggested that I focus on the next big thing in our lives...so I took his advice! And to battle my sadness, I started thinking about our Walt Disney World Vacation that is 4 months and 23 days away!



When my family went to Disney last year, I made us all matching tshirts. And I liked it so much (not only is it cute, but it was also very helpful when a kid wandered off, because people could identify us as a group and say "he went that way!"), so I am making tshirts for all four days for our entire family!

The day we go to Magic Kingdom, we will wear traditional matching Mickey/Minnie heads (will be done using applique and embroidery):

The day we go to Epcot, we will wear colored tees with different character silhouettes (will be done using the freezer paper method):

For Animal Kingdom, I originally proposed tie-dye tees with Mickey heads, but I was overruled by my teenage/early 20s nephews. So instead, we are doing black shirts with animal fabric Mickey heads.

And the day we go to Hollywood Studios, we will wear Star Wars inspired tees (my favorite!), using the good old fashioned iron transfer method:

Little girl apron

I raided the fabric closet again!

This time, I used two pretty floral fabrics and a solid pink to make a sweet little dress apron for a little girl. 

Like the Garden Party dress, I did this without a pattern or tutorial, so I'm pretty proud of how it turned out.

In fact...I think I need a big girl version of this for myself!!

Click to make bigger

If you have a little girl in your life that would like a personalized skirt apron, you can win one in my first ever Free Giveaway Contest!

1. Like my Facebook page.

2. Share the link to the Giveaway contest on your own Facebook page.

3. And finally, comment on this blog post with the name and color scheme you'd like for your little lady.

I'll put all names who do all three into a hat and draw a random winner.

Contest ends January 31.

Front

Click to make bigger

Back

Click to make bigger

Update: Here are some pictures of the aprons in action...