Halloween 2009

For Halloween 2009 the girls were the Statue of Liberty and Kairi (Kingdom Hearts).

The Statue of LIberty costume was a simple tunic made out of green costume satin, with a wide sash safety pinned at the shoulder. Her crown was made out of an old headband with card stock triangles wrapped in duct tape. The torch was a flash light wrapped in tin foil with a tissue paper flame duct taped on. The tablets are two plain jane foam boards from Hobby Lobby.

I didn't keep a running tally on the cost, but overall it was a pretty cheap costume. Of course she wasn't really green, but I thought it would be fun for her picture.

Would you believe Kristen would only let me sneak one picture of her Kairi costume? ..After all the time we spent looking for just the right plaid. Can't remember what my niece, standing next to her was. It looks like maybe she was a cat.

We had a great time trick or treating on Halloween, and enjoyed Hallelujah night at Dry Gulch. Kristen volunteered at one of the games the entire night, and was exhausted by the time we drove home.

My First Blind Hem

Woo hoo! I sewed my first blind hem! No more hemming pleated skirts by hand for me. Maybe my daughter's uniforms will actually be altered in time for school to start on Monday. The pictures in the tutorial at Threadbanger.com made it so easy. I didn't have the correct foot for my sewing machine, but I was still able to get it done without it.

What's next for me? I think I would like to try this ballet slipper tutorial by Shaggy Raggy Roses.I think they would make great Christmas gifts this year.

Camp Dry Gulch USA 2009

These are a few pictures from church camp at Dry Gulch USA. I went along this year as a sponsor, and I'm so glad I did. Kristen went on her own to Teen Camp, but Coral and I had a lot of fun together.

Church camp was never like this when I was a kid. If we were lucky we went to a camp with a pool. If not it was softball, kickball, hiking, and crafts. Dry Gulch on the other hand is a camp dream land, with horses, go carts, a carousel, bumper cars, water slides, canoes, and more.

The chapels each day were fantastic. Really exciting and engaging for the kids. They seemed to soak it up like little sponges. As a matter of fact, Coral went to camp twice, so she had already seen all of the chapels once before we went together. The first time she came home and told me verbatim about the chapels.

It was also wonderful getting to know some of my fellow volunteers, and even employees of the church a little better. A late night game of Pictionary is great way to get to know each other.

This is one volunteer experience I plan to repeat.

Ribbon Blanket

Finished up the baby shower gift! The ribbon blanket took less time than I thought it would. I can see myself giving this gift at lots of baby showers. My eight year old wants me to make a big one for her. I’ve gotten close to perfecting my wipes case technique, but I think I still need to practice a few more times to get it just right.

Hooray! I’m starting a blog. This is something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time. Is it OK to make a blog retroactive? It’s the end of May. Is it OK to post my snow pics from January? How about my Christmas pictures from last year? Hmmm... things to think about.

In the mean time, I’ve got a baby shower gift to make for tomorrow. A friend at work is having his third little boy in a week or two, and this is my first attempt at making something for a little boy. Since I have two daughters, almost all of my crafts are pink, so this is new for me. I’ve decided to make a ribbon blanket and a baby wipes case. Maybe I’ll try a diaper pouch as well.

My fabric is pre-washed and ready to go. It's time to get started.

A Couple of Tutus

Here are some pictures of tutus and halter tops I've made for my daughter Coral. I love this photograph of her pretending to take a nap. Rather Alice in Wonderland like. This is one of my favorite picturs of her.

I made a cute matching outfit for her Amercian girl dolls to match this outfit. The two of them are just adorable together.


This one is a fun purple tutu, very playful. This one has a matching Build a Bear outfit.

I think what I like about this photo, is that I edited the photo to make our red door purple, something my husband would never agree to for real.