Not for a lack of ideas . . .

. . . just a lack of energy. I've always got a list of craft projects a mile long, but I've been working some long hours lately. Add a lovely cold and a sick family on top of it, and my projects are just sitting there, staring at me . . . incomplete. But that's ok. Tomorrow will come. And now that I look at them, all but one of these projects requires a trip back to the store to get a few more supplies - how is it with the craft room FULL (OVER FLOWING) with stuff that I still need something else?

Anyway - here is a peek along with a reminder to myself about what I need to stop for so I can complete them . . . maybe this week.

#1 - look, an actual pattern. I haven't sewn a clothing item for myself for a very long time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one. I need another 15" of this fabric, if it is still at the store - or I'll take plain black of the same type of fabric.

Here is another pile of fabric that I'm thinking about making a dressy jacket with. I tend to where a lot of browns and this only adds to my closet full of browns, but it was too pretty to pass by. I'm more than a little nervous about this one, but the pattern instructions look pretty simple. Surprisingly I think I have everything I need for this one.A little bit of a blurry picture, but I need some bronze chain and jump rings. I feel another Anthropologie knock-off coming.Oh, wait - I feel yet another Anthropologie knock-off coming on too. I need some gold-tone chain for this one. Think bubblegum!And, yes - note the shades of brown appearing again and again. I can't seem to stop myself. Ok - caffeine, saying "no", and eating right are the plans for the week. Let's see what I can accomplish. None of these projects is even on my Christmas to-do list. I'd better get working!

Book Review - My Mama Had a Dancing Heart

One of the things we love at our house is children's books. Of course with a daddy who is an elementary school teacher and a mom who is also an educator and loves books, it is kind of a given that every bookshelf in our house is overflowing. Of all the things we spoil our children with, we never feel guilty about buying books for them.

One of the books we recently read is called "My Mama Had a Dancing Heart", by Libba Moore Gray.

The Publisher's Weekly review from Amazon.com describes this book as:

"a girl's remembrance of her mother, who welcomed each season with boundless enthusiasm and bade her daughter to do the same: "Bless the world/ it feels like/ a tip-tapping/ song-singing/ finger-snapping/ kind of day. / Let's celebrate." The two danced barefoot in the spring rain, ran through the summer surf with balloons and kites tied to their wrists, performed a "leaf-kicking/ leg-lifting/ hand-clapping/ hello autumn ballet," and lay on the ground to make snow angels in winter. Shifting to the present tense, the girl-now a ballerina-notes how these memories serve as inspiration as she leaps across the stage. Gray has crafted a genuinely affectionate, personal tribute to someone who embraced life wholeheartedly."

When my husband read this book to the boys for the first time a few nights ago, son #1 cried. He is my sensitive one who wears his emotions on his sleeve. But son #2's understanding of the book really touched me yesterday. Son #2 says that he's going to be a doctor when he grows up (wonder where he gets that prompting from?). He picked up a play stethoscope last night and came over to me and held it up to my chest. After listening carefully for a minute, he put it down and said - Mommy your heart sounds like it is dancing".

Indeed, I hope that is true!

My Halloween Banner

Is it too late to post my cute Halloween Banner? It is still (barely) 24-ish hours before the official Halloween holiday arrives. Sometimes life and good times just get in the way of my good crafting intentions. Anyway . . . I finally had time tonight after the boys were in bed to finish the last parts of putting this banner together. Now it is hanging on my mantel and I absolutely love it!

It was so simple - cut some 6 inch black burlap squares. Using the amazing freezer paper stenciling technique I previously blogged about HERE, paint Halloween silhouette images on the burlap using white acrylic paint. Let them dry well - in my case, that turned in to a few weeks :-).

Cut out some larger (at least 7 inch, preferably slightly larger that that even) squares of cute Halloween fabric. Zig zag stitch the burlap centered on the Halloween fabric. Then find some cute clearance trim at Hobby Lobby and sew the blocks on to the length of trim that you need for your mantel.And wa - la, there you go. The cutest Halloween banner ever! I like the pops of color from behind the black burlap blocks.
Plus - best news ever - I used fabric and burlap from my super giant stash of fabric. The only thing I bought was the roll of orange/black trim for $1.19. Thrifty and cute - even better!Happy Halloween!

Halloween Bingo

I love the fun printables people take the time to create and share - - all over blogland. This is one that I found the other day over at Artsy Fartsy Mama - Halloween BINGO.

A quick print, a stop at the store to laminate all of the cards and pieces, and now we have a really fun (and cute) game. The boys love it!

Freezer Paper Stenciling

I'm probably the last person on earth to try freezer paper stenciling . . . but I officially {LoVe} it!
I've had a new little Halloween decoration brewing in my brain for a while and I had some unplanned time on my hands today. So I decided to get brave and try it out. The project is still taking shape and I'm using lots of inspiration from other craft blogs. But hopefully by the end of the week I'll have a finished project that I love. Just a couple of little peeks at step one of the whole project. For a great tutorial on Freezer Paper Stenciling go HERE.

Catching Up and Getting Ahead

By some miracle, I made some time this week to finish up a cute little baby blanket that needs to be sent off. It goes with the "A" monogram taggie I made recently. The theme for this baby was monkeys. I had made this same blanket a year and a half or so ago for my husband's nephew's baby. They loved it and baby D carries it around with him all the time. It took me a long time to find the same fabric but I finally got it ordered and it has been sitting here, staring at me, waiting to be sewn together. So off it goes in the mail this week.

And by another miracle (or an unplanned trip to Hobby Lobby), I whipped up two of the cutest Christmas pillowcases for my boys this week. Yes, I am a little obsessed with these pillowcases. They absolutely love their Halloween pillowcases as well as their Thomas the train and Curious George pillowcases. Why not add Christmas ones? I had been looking for some cute fabric that would be "cute" to them, not just me. I found it as I was buying some frames at Hobby Lobby. These pillowcases stitch up so quickly. A huge thanks to Little Birdie Secrets for her custom pillowcase tutorial. These pillowcases are some of my favorite crafts of all time! Husband has now requested that I find Thanksgiving fabric for the boys, since they are already a little sad knowing that the Halloween pillowcases go away at the end of the month (I have to draw the line somewhere!).

Halloween Pillows

Slowly, but surely I'm getting in to fall. I really hate to see summer end, but at least we're having a beautiful fall to end it with!

I wanted to decorate the house and yard for Halloween this weekend, but it was too nice outside to be stuck cleaning the garage - to get to the decorations. So I rounded up a few things to put up so that it felt like we acknowledged the fact that it is now October - like our Halloween Advent Calendar.

I also whipped up these adorable Halloween pillow-cases for the boys. I'm completely in awe of these super easy and incredibly cute pillowcases from Little Birdie Secrets. I made the boys each a custom pillowcase earlier this year and they have been a huge hit. I think I'll work on rounding up some cute Christmas fabric and make them each one for December.

So quick, so easy . . . why not have one for every holiday? Love them!