WIP Wednesday: DIY Clothing?

One of my many goals (fantasies?) is to start making, altering, upcycling my own clothing. I really don't believe that I have great fashion sense, but there is plenty of inspiration out there to help me along the way. Of course I'd like to express my creativity, but this goal of mine is also environmentally and financially motivated.

My first project: Rosa's Sleeveless Cardi (Ravelry link) from Emma Fassio Knitting (there's a pdf link to the pattern on the right sidebar). I did have to make some adjustments since my gauge is different, but hopefully it will work out in the end! I'm using a bamboo/wool blend yarn, so this little top should be a great layering piece this spring. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it before July! :)



Do you have any favorite clothing patterns/tutorials/ideas? I remember seeing diy-clothing challenges before, but can't seem to find them now.

Great Finds

Elderberry syrup recipe and testimonial
The elderberry syrup tastes much better than cough syrup!
Felt Valentine's hearts
I'm planning on making these for the boys for Valentine's Day. They love putting items in little pockets.
February Simple Living Challenge: Pick 5
I'm proud to admit that I got a head-start this weekend when I cleaned out the boys' rooms!
Creative Play for Your Toddler
This is my new favorite book. It has the best of both worlds of theory and projects. I can't wait to get started!
Wee Folk Art's Preschool/Kindergarten Spring Curriculum
Looking ahead to the spring... Wee Folk Art also has some great tutorials. I am grateful for the sharing of ideas in this free curriculum e-book.

Have you stumbled across any great finds lately? Please share!

Blessings,
Katie

Christmas 2010, plus a "God" Conversation with a Three-year-old

Hello again, and happy 2011! I decided to take a bit of a hiatus from blogging to refocus, work on items for my little stall at the Crop Around the Corner, and just, well, take a break. This is not a resolution, but I do hope to be back in this little space on more of a regular basis. Now that I've been absent, I have plenty to share! :)

First up, the holidays. My husband is a teacher, so we enjoyed a wonderful two weeks with him being home. We did not go on any big vacations or outings, but we did go to the various parks in our community and enjoyed being together as a family. I, of course, enjoyed the company of my husband as well as the extra help with the boys.

We fed our friends, family and neighbors with special Christmas goodies:

and fed the birds with Winter Solstice treats:

Ben enjoyed his cleaning tools from Grandpa and Grandma:

and Matthew and Buzz have been inseparable since Christmas morning:


We're now back to our usual routine, and that's a good thing. We love the holidays, but that's partly because they're once a year, therefore making them very special. There's something to be said about the routine and consistency of the rest of the year.

Now, I feel the need to document the following conversation before I forget it. Although it is a personal mother/son discussion, I decided that it was well worth sharing:

This evening I was reading Matthew "The Little House in the Big Woods" (picture story version) as his good-night book. There was a picture of Pa with a gun in the forest. Matt asked me what he was doing, so I told him, "Pa is hunting. He is going to kill an animal and use its meat as food."

Matthew just stared at the picture. I asked him if that made him sad. He thought about it for a minute, then responded, "that doesn't make me sad. God made animals for people to eat. They need to eat meat." He then went on to tell me all about how God made good people and bad people, and the good people are fighting the bad people, but it's ok. When I asked him who told him about this, he said that no one told him.

Matthew then told me, "God made a baby. A king was going to kill the baby, but the baby got away and was safe. The baby was Jesus."

Again, I asked Matthew how he knew this. After a couple of minutes he told me that he heard it in the "big church." He said it like, "duh, Mom, this is where I heard it. You should have known that."

Wow. We go to church, but I have to admit that it's not on a regular basis. We're Episcopalian, so there isn't much fire and brimstone in the teachings, and Matt is only in the sanctuary (the "big church") for about a third of the service. As a Christian, I am proud of my little man and the lessons he is learning from being at church roughly once a month.

As a parent, I am awed (and a little frightened!) at how perceptive he is. I wanted to share this because it is very telling about how much children really do listen, perceive, and pick up on, even (especially!) if we don't think they're necessarily paying attention. It's made me think about the conversations I have in front of him, the words I say sometimes say when I think he cannot hear me, and the music I occasionally listen to in the car. I'd like to say that all of the words I speak in front of my children are positive, uplifting and moral, but they are not. I'm not judging myself too harshly, but now I am more aware. I am also thankful for the above conversation and will hold it in my heart always.

Blessings,
Katie

Crop Around the Corner

Last Monday I set up a booth in a new local shop, The Crop Around the Corner. For years I've been toying with the idea of entering a craft fair, or setting up an etsy shop. I've been putting it off for many reasons, but mostly due to lack of creating time and a fear of failure. This new opportunity seemed to occur at just the right time for me, so I took the leap!

So far I am selling crocheted hats and chain-stitch cowls. The flowers are removable and can be interchanged with other flowers. I'm also thinking of making hearts for around Valentine's Day for a little festivity. I've been working on more patterns, but time is always my biggest issue, especially around the holidays. The old adage, "the shoemakers children are never shod" may fit perfectly for me this Christmas! I feel very blessed that just about my entire first batch of items sold in the first week. I guess I didn't have too much faith in myself, though, because I didn't make any extras! Today consisted of a yarn run to Santa Fe, and I'll be very busy the next couple of evenings.

I am proud to announce that just about all of my Christmas shopping is finished! :) We are having a much simpler holiday with gift-giving, I've been hunting for the perfect gifts throughout the year, and some recipients may even receive *treasures* from garage sales! The most difficult person to shop for on my list is always my step-father. He likes coffee and hiking, so I've pretty much given him enough caffeine and hiking gear to last a lifetime! Any ideas for middle-aged men are very much appreciated!

Hope that all are enjoying the holiday season,
Katie

Coupon Madness

During the past two days I have done things that I never thought I'd do. I'm not ashamed, but I would have never pictured myself being that woman at the check-out with forty coupons in hand. I never would have imagined myself dumpster diving either...Here is what transpired:

Lately I've been doing some modest couponing, but nothing too extravagant. I would check the Sunday paper (if we got it), as well as the Red Plum pamphlet that came during the week. If there was a coupon for something I would regularly purchase anyway, I would cut it out and save it in a drawer. After I started seeing savings, I started cutting out more coupons. I'm still limiting these to items I would actually use, but in terms of "more," I mean duplicates. I've started raiding my parents' newspapers, checking the local library's "free" bin on Sundays, and having my husband ask my father-in-law for the coupon inserts from his papers.

Then came the dumpster diving incident. This week I didn't make it to the library until Tuesday. When I looked at the "free" basket, it was completely empty. I asked the librarian about it, and she told me that it was just taken to the recycling bin and everything should be on top. So, it really was more like clean recycling-bin diving as opposed to dumpster, but I know I received looks from the patrons walking by while I sorted through the coupons in the library parking lot. I'm happy to report that I found what I was looking for! :)

Our local Smith's grocery store had a promotion today that all coupons under $1 would equal $1 at check-out. I gathered up my stash, looked through the store's flyer, then wrote out a detailed list of what I wanted to purchase. I couldn't believe it; here's what I got for FREE (the discount was higher than the sale price on these items):

Regular price: $20.29 My price: FREE!!!!!!

I also purchased the following substantially discounted when sales were combined with coupons:

I'm don't want to be selfish or greedy. I also don't want to become that hoarder on 20/20 with 500 bars of deodorant stashed in the garage. Here are some steps I'm taking to ensure that my couponing doesn't spiral out-of-control:

1.) Keep a price book! This way I know if a deal is really a deal, or if I can get the same item for less somewhere else (or make a substitution, use a generic, etc).
2.) Only clip the coupons for products we already use or for products that I could easily donate
3.) Clean out my coupon folder (I have one of those accordion pocket folders) weekly to eliminate build-up and expired coupons
4.) Have fun--there is no need to stress about coupons!
5.) Try to have a little more dignity--no more pulling out the papers from the recycling bin in front of the library (but I'll still check inside the library...)


I believe that I was pushed over the couponing edge today due to reading the following book earlier in the week: Retail Anarchy by Sam Pocker. This book is filled with conspiracy theories, colorful language, opinions and tips--about coupons and retail in the United States. Despite the colorful language, I really enjoyed the points made and fun had. I do recommend this book as much for entertainment as for ideas about how to use coupons.

Today I was that woman--the woman with one child crying and another eating a chocolate donut he was bribed with in the shopping cart. The woman who pulled out forty coupons. The woman who held up the line while a manager was paged to make sure everything was correct on the receipt. The woman who came back two hours later to challenge a discount not given on the receipt (and was rewarded $8 for it). The woman whose children grabbed shampoo off the shelf and squirted it all over the floor by the meat aisle (of course I apologized and cleaned it up).

Even though I was that woman today, I am proud of myself for being assertive. This is something that is often difficult for me and I have to work hard to do. I was polite and courteous, and the sales associates were helpful in return. It worked out well. I know that I have an important role in my family as wife and mother, but I don't get the validation of a physical paycheck for my stay-at-home profession. Today I enjoyed the feeling of adding economically to my household instead of blindly spending the funds entrusted to me.

Happy couponing!
Katie

Quiet Time

Yesterday, for about an hour, both boys were napping (a rarity in our household!) and my husband was at the hardware store. I savored every minute of my quiet time!

With two young children, two dogs, two cats, and a husband home for the summer (he's a teacher), it is often difficult to find the peace and quiet that I crave during the day. I do my best, however, to find small moments here and there. I find such time while watering and weeding my garden, washing the dishes, and rocking and nursing my younger son to sleep. If I feel like I really need some thinking time, I'll even take the boys for a little drive in the afternoon for their nap time (something I thought I would never do as a parent). I also find peace while taking walks, swimming laps, and just sitting at the public library. I love my boys, but having some quiet time to myself helps me to refocus and feel refreshed.

When do you find your quiet time?