Jackpot!

We found this at a yard sale...for $10!!! I think it must have been made for James. :) The stable doors slide open on the front and the back. It is in really nice shape and very, very sturdy. Can you tell he's just a little bit happy??

Jackpot

Saturday Mom and I dragged the kids to my favorite yard sale of the year. Its this really old little town (like 1682 old) on the creek, and the whole town rolls out their stuff to sell. Of course, James found something to buy right away and then proceeded to ask when we were going home for the duration of the outing. He also threw in the 'I'm so tired!' line about a dozen times. (Mind you, this was as I was pulling he and Katie in the wagon) While we always find a few fun things there, this year I hit the jackpot. My best deal was getting 3 pairs of like-new shoes (including a pair of Crocs sandals), 6 pairs of really nice, adjustable waist jeans for James (including a pair of Carharts just like Jeff's), a cordouroy jacket, a pair of snowpants for James, and 9 shirts, all for...........$4.25!!! That pretty much made my day. After buying at least five pairs of shoes for the kids since July, that was a nice reprieve. Speaking of shoes, Tyler already outgrew the shoes we got him for his birthday, after only a month. Katie grew out of all her shoes, so we got her a new church pair and some tennis shoes. James grew out of his too, and he pretty much skipped up two sizes. I had a rude awakening when I found that my baby boy must now shop in the BOY section for shoes (as opposed to the toddler section). These kids are growing like weeds. They are going to be taller than me in a matter of a few years I think.

The Birthday Dress

I just finished this dress for Katie's birthday in September. She caught me working on it once when she woke up early, but she didn't even ask what it was, so its going to be a big surprise for her. She likes dressing up and being a 'princess,' so I think she'll like it. Even more exciting, I made it out of curtains I found at a yard sale!! :) The buttons, which are not as crooked as they look, are from Grandma Cheyney's button stash! I think its going to be big on her for a while, but at least she'll get lots of time to wear it.

Curtains to Dress

Remember when I bought a whole bag o' curtains at a yard sale? Well, here is the first thing I've made from them. As curtains, they must have been hideous. Pink micro-suede with pink beaded dangles. As a dress, I like it better. And I took the opportunity to add a little rick-rack, which is an obsession of mine. I love rick-rack. Glad I got that one out. Moving on, the hideous pink curtain has found a new useful life as a dress, and I still have enough for another dress or two.

I could really get into this...

After making the coat for Katie out of yard sale fabric, I have been scouring yard sales for more fun fabric to claim as my own. I've kept my eye out for sheets, table clothes, anything that I can get my grubby little paws on. But, I haven't had much luck. Until this morning. Mom called to tell me of a yard sale where someone who did product photography was getting rid of a bunch of brand new curtains, scraps, and table clothes. I found two huge tafetta curtains, one in a light green and one in light blue. They even have decorative rouching on the bottom which you better believe I'll be using somehow. They are both destined for Katie dresses. I also found three other gorgeous and huge panels that I will be using for clothes for Katie or myself. In addition to that I found some cute polka dot tulle type stuff in a huge chunk, which will be used to make a ruffly underskirt for the aforementioned dresses!! I also got a couple pale pink microsuede panels which again, destined for Katie. And a fun ______ that I will use to make a ______ for Rachel for Christmas. Oh, and four bamboo spoons. All for $10!!! Stay tuned to see what I will make out of my finds!

The Coat

Here are a few pictures of the coat I made for Katie. (Click on it to make it bigger) I am very happy with the way it turned out, especially since I have never made a coat before. It also has hidden pockets which were a first for me. The coat fabric I found at a yard sale for 50 cents and washed it several times to get the musty smell out of it. The lining fabric I also found at a different yard sale and knew I'd find a good use for it. The buttons were from Grandma Kate Heppner's button box, and were perfect for the coat! She would be proud, I'm sure, except I didn't include any sparkly lace or sequins which she loved to sew onto anything and everything. :)

Starting to smile!!!

Auntie Rachel


Blackberry picking...Katie is semi-contained in the backpack which means she can't indiscriminately pick berries

Grammy holding Tyler

Apple picking

Katie getting her hair done by 'Geoffrey' and 'Filip'

Webby checking out the garage

My $45 yard sale find!!!

My Christmas lima beans (I am up to 80 pounds of stuff from my garden!!!!)

Now is the time when I subject you to 286 pictures.....

On the left, you will note our lovely gray and red rental house. On the left, you can see an example of Jeff's new faux-finishing technique 'le Beverly Hill Billy.'

Next up we have a lovely shot of Jeff with his 'I can't believe I have the privilege of painting this house' look; on the right, our lovely model (in my childhood sunbonnet) is showing off the progression from 'le Beverly Hill Billy' to a new paint job.

Here is our trusty assistant extraordinaire, commonly known as Chappy. He and Jeff have a nice system going and they are kicking some house-painting-butt!

My yard sale HAUL!!!!! I stopped at one yard sale this morning. Do you know how hard it is to pass up yard sales?! But I was good, and only stopped at one. Boy, am I glad I did. I got all of the clothing shown above (4 pairs of shoes, 5 dresses, 12 outfits, and 5 other clothing items), all of which have no stains, and are name brand (even Gymb0ree) for...drumroll, please....$13 bucks! I am so thrilled I can't even stand it!



Here are a few embroidery projects I have going on. On the left is a project for a swap I am doing. It is going to be made into a tote bag, and is inspired by my swap partner's favorite artist. On the right is a tea towel I finished for my friend from high school who is getting married next week (!!!)


ERIN: If you are reading this, STOP HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We must not spoil the Super Secret Project Maxwell....just keep checking your mailbox!













Here is an apron I made for my friend Erin. She likes to cook, she appreciates handmade stuff, and she has a cool dog named Maxwell. Somehow this idea popped into my head and I just had to make it for her. So, I busted out the vintage rick-rack, some funky green fabric and my embroidery thread. I am really happy with it. I hope she likes it!