I craft some stuff

Yes, that is shocking, I know.  As a SAHM, I do feel this little bit of pressure to be this crafty domestic fantasy matriarch, adept with needle, thread and glue gun.  But alas, I fall wildly short of this persona.  BUT, sometimes, very rarely, I am inspired enough to actually make and do.

So, tiny backstory.  I have a front door.  It has a nail in it that has been there for, ? 65 years?, and I feel that it was likely the nail upon which many a wreath has adorned.  So, I wanted a wreath this holiday season.  Since my last Christmas wreath was stolen off my door in Charleston (the wreath my now deceased Grandmother made for me...*ahem), I haven't had another.  Looking around at various places that sell those kinds of holiday adornments had left me rather unimpressed.  Alas, I thought, I'll just get some pine boughs and be done with it!  But then, I read Jill Krause of Babyrabies' excellent Felt Pomp Wreath Tutorial, and was inspired to try my hand!

I followed her directions pretty much to the letter.  I did need more than one yard of felt, (which, by the way, I bought the same sparkly red, as my black front door would swallow anything green, and the other reds were a bit too... hmm, orange - and sparkly red is quite festive!) I used about 1.25 yards and I severely underestimated the amount of ribbon I'd need, as I forgot to write down how much Jill suggested using.  Sooo, after running out of ribbon TWICE, I bought a heck of a lot more than I wound up needing, but likely I'll find a use for red satin ribbon this month... sometime.

As for cost, well, I'm not chock full of crafty supplies.  So, I needed a glue gun, glue sticks, and a rotary cutter, because even this talentless hack realized from reading her tutorial that scissors would make me NUTS after about the 300th felt square.

All in all, I am quite pleased.  The red is pretty and the wreath is simple and unique.  I might not even hang it on the front door, and put it over the fireplace... such decisions have not been made yet.  But here you go, for your viewing pleasure.  My take on the Felt Pomp Wreath!

This wasn't too difficult a project, and it's so cute, I can imagine that many of Jill's readers will be pomping some felt this holiday season to make a cute, economical and festive little wreath!

Craftiness...and Peonies

Peonies 

Knitting

I had intended with high hopes to have this finished by Miss I's birthday last week, but as crazy as things have been preparing for our upcoming move to Florida, and the fact that knitting in a tiny hotel room is next to impossible with two small children, especially since we basically had to keep it dark if we were trying to get them to sleep, and augh, I get a migraine just thinking about it.  Needless to say, "adjoined room" is going to be HIGH on our priority list when we travel with the kids again.  For reals.  And so, due to this, I didn't even get a stitch on this long sweater.  

It's the Bobby Kimono Sweater from Vintage Baby Knits.  It's a LONG long sweater with lots of room to ensure she can wear it for a while yet.  I wish I was a rapid knitter, but I'm just not.  I love it, but I am slow, and I get distracted and I'm pretty bad at bringing it with me wherever I go like some clever knitters out there.  Anyway, I am hoping that it will be done SOON soon.  

As for other crafty endeavors, well, let's just say, I'm a work in progress.  I have lots of lofty ideas and high hopes for myself.  I dream about making my kids pajamas, and cute simple skirts and sundresses for me, and easy care playwear for the tots.  Maybe a Christmas tree skirt someday, and placemats, and you get my point.  Simple stuff.  But I suck at sewing and even though I have my mom's hand me down Singer, I'm pretty hopeless.  Ah well, hopefully with the move and the space promised me by the hubs designated for crafting, I will teach myself how to sew.  After all, I taught myself how to knit.  BUT, I'm trying to be realistic, changes to patterns do not happen overnight, so I'm hoping that our move will jump start some sort of healthy change in how I spend my "free time"  (read: time I spend watching tv *ahem*) .  

I will say, there is nothing quite so satisfying as finishing a project that you worked hard on, and seeing someone you love using it.  Hopefully my baby will have lots of use for her sweet warm weather kimono sweater.  

Do you craft?  Make stuff?  Watch too much television?  Spill.  

(and leave comments, seriously folks, I can see you visiting... comments keep me inspired to keep writing, 'kay?!)  xx