Just WHO starts a trend?

I'd like to be a person who starts a trend.

Just once.

I mean, who makes something, or sees something, and DECIDES it's gonna be "the newest thing?"

In the DIY, craft world, it used to be, and maybe still is, the felt flowers, burlap flowers, t-shirt flowers, etc.

I also think it's BUNTING.

And I have to say, I'm hooked too.

Just for curiosity sake, I typed BUNTING in the search line of Pinterest.

I found some of these images...which are beautiful I might add.

Triangular shaped bunting is probably the most popular, but they have rectangular or square as well...

or even "rag" bunting as they called it.

There is bunting for cakes...

and decorating.

I use it in  my house for many decorating ideas...I'm not gonna lie.

But, so far, I've only ever made it myself out of scrapbook paper, and material.

I've seen it made out of maps...(which is awesome...and a GREAT idea)

and old children's books...(an even AWESOMER idea!)

I just think it's beautiful to look at.

And colorful.

Maybe that's why I like it.

I have some in my ETSY shop, but I think I'm gonna make more...I've gotten some new ideas.

Now, if I could just think of something to be the "newest trend" I'd be all set!

Mustard, or Gold, the new black?

I'm a little obsessed with the color mustard.

I want to wrap myself up in all it's goldy goodness.

The beautiful gold leaves all over the ground lately are NOT helping with my obsession.

I want some mustard sweaters...  (from Lands End)

and maybe some scarves or belts, or gloves?

I'm even a little gaga for mustard colored crafts...that look like they would be very easy to make.

Like these chevron (which I'm also a little obsessed with lately) pillows.

or some of these mustard yellow/slightly distressed initials too.

I've made some magnetic clothespins for my ETSY shop, but I like these in all their mustardy polka dot glory.

Since I've learned how to sew a zipper, I might need to find some of this material, and make one of these for myself.

If YOU like mustardy goodness too, check out these yellow/mustard items in my shop.

Mustard....maybe it's the NEW BLACK.  I've seen it everywhere lately.  

What color are you obsessed with?

Is it bad to shoot guns at a Church function?

So, is it?  Bad to shoot guns at a Church function that is?

No, really.  It's all innocent fun and games...AND it happened at our fall Sunday School party.

At our house.

With our guns.  BB guns to be exact!

Saturday we had our annual fall party.  We go all out. 

First a carry-in meal, then games (sometimes Strongman competitions...), a hayride, and a campfire to end the evening.

Our good friends help us plan it, and pull it off.

We had it all planned out...start earlier than usual, eat, have a barrel rolling contest for the kids, archery, and a BB gun target contest.  For the adults...strongman...pulling the haywagons with all the kids in them.

Yeah, it never works out how you plan it...

Sure, the BB guns were a hit!

Our friends Ross and Amy provided all the gun safety we needed!

The barrel roll...well...this is what happened all night instead...

The kids couldn't leave the barrels alone.  They jumped off of them, rolled INSIDE them, and just couldn't plain get enough of them!

The archery never got much use, and there was no strong man pulling wagons. 

But we had an AWESOME time.

Rudy didn't know what to do with himself what with all the kids and new people!

After supper we took our hayride.  It was pretty nice weather, and not too cold.

By the time we got back, it was getting dark.  The kids got the barrels out AGAIN, and the adults sat around the fire and talked.

And the kids ate every bit of the smores ingredients that were brought, plus the extra I had stashed away.

It was fun as usual.  It was Great. 

Now we need another year to plan the next one!

There's no use running...

There's no use running from your past, it'll catch right up with you again.

I'm surrounded by mine everyday.

And I like it.  For the most part.

You see, I grew up in a SMALL town.  And I've moved away, and moved right back again.

The town has gotten slightly bigger since I first lived there, but it's no metropolis by any means.

We're not talking Gotham city or anything.  (Gee, you think we've been watching too much Batman around here lately?)

My town boasts my old school, just around the corner from the new school where my kids attended.

It has the same post office building...

and the first church I ever attended, and where I now work in the preschool three times a week.

It has added some businesses like the quaint little country store...and a new Dollar General around the corner...

but it's still my same small town.

I was very much reminded this week of how small town I really am.

I was filling in at a preschool this week, and I was with a speech therapist who I work with everyday.  I was meeting her at the school, (a school I've never been to,) to help her with a class for the afternoon.  I walked into the school and said hi to the nurse who was a sub that day, the principal, a mother of a student in the class and the helper on the school bus that the kids arrived on.  The teacher was with me each time, and remarked, "I can't take you anywhere...you know everyone!"  We laughed about it...but she's kinda right.  I had went to college with 2 of the people, the bus aide was a relative, and the principal was the brother of one of my good friends.

Growing up, my youth group at church was filled with my friends from school, and a couple of cousins.  I went to school with some cousins, some friends of my cousins, my friends, etc.  I was related to alot of people, and we had small classes in school.  Nothing like they are today.

When my husband and I moved back to my small town, we built a house on farm land owned by my family, who lives just around the corner from us.  My grandparents also live two houses away on the same road.

This community is close.  Maybe TOO close sometimes, but it's nice to feel familiar.  It's nice to just KNOW who you'll see when you go to the small bank in town, or the post office, or the country store.  

The past has a way of catching up with you.  I'm reminded of mine everyday.  How about you?

What a combination

I had a custom order to do this week for a lady getting married.

She found me through my ETSY shop and asked me to make her some chippy yellow chalkboard frames for her "vintage themed" wedding.

She chose two of my favorite colors for the frames.

Yellow and Grey.

I was excited, and a little nervous.  Will she like them?  Will they fit with her theme?

But anything chippy can't be bad, right?

Especially if it's Grey...

or Yellow...

or both...

They turned out really well, and I plan on making more for the shop.

I've got some ideas for color combos.  What color combo would you pick?

The Best of the BEST

Have you ever tried a tutorial and then used it over and over because it was SO GREAT?

I have.
I wanted to share them with you.

I have used ALL of these more than once, and they are just as great every time I use them.

I've found the easiest ways to do these things, is only through trial and error.  I've followed tutorials, and redone them many times, but it usually always works in the end.

For example...ever wanted to learn how to sew in a zipper?

Personally, I've been terrified of this for years, but after doing it, I realized how easy it is.

The tutorial is here.  I STILL use it each time I make a purse or a lined pouch, or even a pillow cover with a zipper.

The other day I used this tutorial that my cousin pinned on Pinterest.com.  It's for stinky towels, and it gets them smelling SO MUCH FRESHER!

Take 1 cup vinegar, and add it to your load of towels and wash once on HOT.  When done, add 1/2 c baking soda to the same load, and wash again on HOT.  After that, dry as normal.  They are much less stinky and musty smelling.   I only wash my towels like this anymore.

Another great tutorial I've seen is how to hem jeans and keep the same original hem so they don't look "fake."  I'm a short person, and I've done this at least 5 times on my pants, and on a pair of capris for Grace.

You think it would be very hard to do, but it's not.  The tutorial is here.

For those of you who want to make an infinity scarf, this is the best tutorial.

And lastly, I've made most of my flower pins this way.  I made a sturdy pattern so it's easy to do

Some show you how to make these, and hot glue as you go, but I sew it as I go, and add a pin to the back.  Here is the link for you.

These are only SOME of the tutorials I've come across that work.

If you have a favorite tutorial, list the link in your comment.  I'm always up for more ideas!

My Friday

I LOVE instagram.

I don't know why.

Maybe because every photo looks old-school.

Maybe because it's just cool to take a picture, and have it automatically show up online.

Either way, I'm kickin' it old school today with my pics.

Here is my Friday, at least part of it, in all it's Instagram glory.

I leave every day of the week an hour after the kids leave on the bus.

It's GLORIOUS to have that time to myself.  This is the first year they've ridden the bus.  They used to go to school with me, since I was at their school, but that's all changed.  Now we all have some freedom.

This is what greeted me this morning on my way to work.

HELLO DAY!

The van told me the temperature was this...

It's fall.  I'm getting used to getting up in the mornings and feeling like I want to cozy back up in a blanket...but hey, it's FALL, I'm DIGGING fall!

I'm carrying around this latest purse I designed.  I'm new to interfacing, so I happened to get the "weakest" kind around.  I've learned my lesson, and have another purse project planned for this weekend with sturdier material, and MUCH sturdier interfacing.
I am in love with the gray chevrons and yellow and white polka dots, though.

This is where I start my mornings on Mon., Wed., and Fri.  I help out a set of triplets in their preschool class.

Their preschool is at the church I grew up in.  I could tell you from front to back, what I used to do in the rooms of the church.  It holds a lot of memories for me.

And today, because it was Friday, because it was PAYDAY, and because they are only $1,  I treated myself to a Coke at McDonalds.  I've pretty much stopped drinking pop, but once in awhile, you've gotta live a little.  For me, that's a fountain Coke.  Yum.

There is no glamour to my day.  Its just an all around great day.  I have a great job, a great set of co-workers, and I'm having a good time.

Happy Friday!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner...and why I love Wednesdays...

I love Wednesdays, I do.

I know that's crazy, but Wednesday is a little bit of great every week.

For one, Wednesday is the day my kids get a little extra sleep in the mornings because their school starts 20 minutes later every Wednesday morning.  This means the bus picks them up 20 minutes later.  They think it's fantastic!

Two, on Wednesdays I start my job at the preschool in town helping a set of triplets.  Because it's close to home, I don't have to leave for work as early, and it takes up my morning, so when I get to the office, and go to lunch, and come back, my afternoon flies by.

Three, Wednesday is in the middle of the week, and I usually don't have any errands to run, so I can come straight home, and beat the kids off the bus, and have a little time to wind down.

Four...and this one is the best...every Wednesday night my kids have youth group at church, and Brent has Men's Bible Study, and I have nothing, so I can stay home alone for a couple hours.

Of course I clean up, and get a lot done, but it's also time to just be quiet.  I don't turn on any music or TV, I just am.

It's nice.

I love my family dearly, but sometimes it's just nice to be alone.

I promised I would end my giveaway today, so I'll announce the winner shortly.....

I am giving away 3 small pieces of things I've made.

A composition book, chalkboard vase with all the pencils, and a denim pouch with detachable flower pin.

I asked you to tell me what were your favorite things in my ETSY shop and what I should make more of.  Thank you so much for your answers.  It helps alot.

So, without further delay....Da Da Da DUH........The winner is....Anonymous (Melody S.)  I know nothing about your Melody S.  Please send me your address and I'll send you your goodies.

Thank you all.  Keep trying...I'll have more giveaways in the future.

Love,
Me.