Archive for the ‘make it’ Category

The next week is coming at me like a freight train.  I have two wedding showers this weekend (I am helping to throw one and just attending the other), a family birthday party, my darling niece’s Baptism, in charge of a Back to School Luncheon for 40 teachers and staff on Monday, Ben’s 9th Birthday Party (all homemade) on Tuesday, and the kids start school on Thursday.  Last night I didn’t sleep going over checklists in my head.

But instead of relaxing in between I need to throw a little sewing project into the mix, I want to make Lily and Emma school bags before school starts.  I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pick up a wonderful bargain on home weight fabrics at Pine Needles at Gardener Village in West Jordan, Utah.  Gardener Village is a delightful place to shop.  Pine Needles has a really nice selection of fabrics, and the darling geese above are wandering around right outside the store… What more could you want, entertainment for the kids and great fabrics.

Right now they have a sale going.  They have a whole line of beautiful home weight fabrics for only $4 dollars a yard (and it’s 60″ wide!)   I was able to buy all the fabric I needed for the two bags for only $8.  (I’m just kicking myself for not buying some fabric for a tablecloth.)

I let the girls pick their own fabrics and was a little surprised at what they wanted.  But their fabrics are growing on me and I think they will be fun as bags.

I found a wonderful bag pattern I want to use via Diary of a Quilter.  She had posted this link:

I’m going to be making the Basic Messenger Bag from MMMCrafts,   And I just need to finish the two bags before next Thursday morning.  So just like Mr. Incredible, “I got time.”  Wish me luck.

We spent today working on some wonderful wedding projects for Josh’s (my brother) and Jen’s upcoming wedding.  I am amazed at the wonderful projects you can create on a budget.

Here are a few things we worked on today:

Did you know you can age a terra cota pot with stain?  Sometimes a brand new pot is just too new looking.  We aged them with gel wood stain (or you can use liquid.)  We simply applied two coats with an old rag.  The pots really have a lot of character now.  I can’t wait to fill them with Maiden Hair Ferns, Golden Spike Moss and Orange Kalanchoes.

We also filled wonderful pillow covers that Jen found on a business trip to New York City.  She paid $1 for each pillow cover!  We will be placing them around on the ledges to provide comfortable seating at the wedding… and to provide color of course.  But filling the pillows with a form was expensive… so we made do with an old foam pad of my mother’s.  We simply cut the pad up with a pair of big scissors.

Don’t you love this old wood basket?  Jen and I found them at Tai Pan Trading on closeout.  The were a steal at only a few dollars a basket.  And they look like they came out of a wonderful old garden.  As you can see, we are filling the baskets with wheat grass and a small paper butterfly.

We will be decorating with mason jars filled with Queen Anne’s Lace.  We tried to see how it was going to look by filling a jar with blooms from my Mom’s parsley.  Parsley blooms are similar in shape to Queen Anne’s Lace only smaller and not as white… but I loved the way it looks.  Next time my parsley blooms it will be in a vase on my counter!

I love the organic nature of all the decorations.  I love that many of the decorations are re-purposed items, and most of the decorations will be useful after the wedding.

I can’t wait to share pictures from the wedding in September.   But in the meantime, we are having a wonderful time getting together as a family and making things.  And in the end this wedding will be a labor of love.

You might also enjoy taking a look at other wedding posts for Josh and Jen:

Wedding Mason Jar Lanterns and Key Lime Cupcakes