Fall Porch Update

So I decided to Fall-ify our porch, but I wanted to do it on a budget, so I went to see what could be found that didn't look like total cheap garbage at the dollar tree.

I found a few fall branches, garlands, and floral bunches. I also found some Halloween items that I decided to sprinkle in too.

The first place we (the kids and I) decorated was the front door light. We hung a garland off of it, with a couple of skeletons tied on.





We gave the same treatment to the candle-ier






The school desk (it's super dusty, I haven't gotten around to power washing it recently) got a couple of garlands, and a few Halloween pieces. (the iron dogs always live there, Emmie wants to make them little outfits to match the seasons)







Lastly we added a few flower and leaf bunches to pots that were already there, the flowers in those pots didn't survive how much time we were gone this summer. We also added a few tombstones and some rats and scary busts.













I am pretty happy with the little touch of Fall we added to the front of the house for under $20, we will just take down the Halloween touches when November 1st hits, and we can keep the leaf stuff up through Thanksgiving when it will all come down in exchange for Christmas decorations!





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A Dapper Gentleman's Plaid Wool Vest

So here are some not so great phone camera pictures of Paul in his vest that I made him. It's made from a plaid wool with a wheat colored Irish linen lining. I was super happy with how it turned out and plan to make him a couple more because, let's be honest, how CUTE and dapper does he look?







These were taken in his hotel room since he is at the Air Force Association conference all week, so sorry about the lighting.







The front has 2 welted pockets that close with a button, and I also added a welted pocket to the lining of the left breast.  I added a running stitch in DMC floss to the top of each of the pockets on the front, I like making it look couture as though there were tailor's tacks there or something. (I would also like to point out the pattern matching, I am pretty proud of myself for that, it was a PAIN to get the wheat stripe lined up on the pockets.







The back.









There is a detail on the lower back just to jazz things up a bit, I added  more embroidery floss to continue to add to the couture look.









Anyway, I was pretty happy with the pattern matching in the wool, and I love how cute he looks in it! He has honestly got the body to pull stuff like this off!





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Saturday mornings...

So I'm fully back in the swing of school again in weaving, (tapestry weaving this semester,) psychology, history of film part 1, and consumer choices.





This is just a sample, not a perfect mushroom by any stretch.......





The kids have been back at school for 2 weeks now, (Emmie's sporting her Disney outfit in this one) and they are loving their classes so far.





And my Saturday mornings are now spent in swimming lessons for the kids.

I have been sewing too, just in such a hurry I didn't stop to take pictures. I made my Hunny a plaid, wool vest to wear with a dress shirt and tie (I am going to take pictures because I feel like it turned out really well.) And I have been making a formal dress for the Air Force Association diner again this year.

Busy but good times! I still have a million and one pictures to upload from the summer and various projects I took pictures of with my good camera, but it seems like anymore, if I can't quickly post it from my phone, I don't have time.

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Emmie's Dresser

So I am in the middle of redoing Miss Emmie's bedroom, she wanted a bigger girl room, and she needed more storage.

I really like fancy furniture stores like Arhaus and Restoration Hardware, (but not the prices) so I have been picking up a few pieces of thrift store furniture here and there, to paint and redo for her in a "fancy" feel.

Here is a chest that I really love at Arhaus, it's Emmie's FAVORITE color, I love the knobs, and I really love distressed things since every time we move stuff gets banged around and distressing sort of hides that. What I didn't love though was the $600 price tag.

 

So one afternoon I was out thrifting when I found this chest on sale for 1/2 off. The knobs were almost exactly the same as the one's on the Arhaus chest, but I actually liked the drawer shape better! (I'm not sure why these pictures are so small, but if you click on them they get bigger and more clear.)









I simply stripped the doors and knobs off, and sanded everything down to put a tooth on it. I sprayed the dresser with light teal spray paint, and after it dried I sanded back all the edges. After all the sanding I then rubbed a walnut stain into everything to make it look more antique. As a final step I then sprayed the whole thing with a clear varnish and then put the doors and knobs back on.









I am pretty happy with how this turned out, and can I tell you it looks great in Miss Em's room, which I will reveal once finished.









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