salty

So, I completed another mini punchneedle project last week. I thought it would be fun to try something more structured than my funky pumpkin, and I wanted to see what it was like to make my own design. I was able to do the entire thing in a few hours one evening, which is pretty great! I made the design in Illustrator, printed it out, and traced it onto my weaver’s cloth with a fabric pen…

Uh, yeah, then once I finished the whole thing, I realized I should have drawn it on backwards. Oops. In punchneedle, you work from the backside of the fabric, so I basically did the entire thing as a mirror image. Whoops! At least you can still tell it’s an “M”, even though it looks kind of funny. Oh well.

Then got to work using just a few colors. Nathan and I both really like green, so:

It’s about 3 inches square. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I think I did it just the slightest bit too tight (punched too close together on a few spots - you can tell because the fabric is kind of puckered around the edges) but I’m excited to know that it’s pretty easy to sketch up my own patterns now. So many of the punchneedle patterns that are readily available are just a little too “country” for my taste (funky primitive is one thing, country kitsch is another) so now I can basically do whatever I want with them! I think they would be cool framed, of course, but also maybe sewn and stuffed into little hanging pillows.

We had a fantastic weekend on our short trip up to Nashville. My parents have been planning for a few months to take Nathan and me up to Tennessee for a weekend so we could go to the Nashville Flea Market and enjoy ourselves. We had a great time! We stayed in Brentwood Friday night and hit the flea market Saturday morning. It was amazing…if you haven’t been, it seemingly goes on and on. I had no idea how we kept track of where we had been and where we hadn’t (but maybe part of that was due to the cold medicine I’m still taking.) We snagged some really great finds. My favorite vendors, of course, were all the antique/vintage booths.

Nathan liked checking out all the knives and manly stuff with my dad…

But I think his favorite thing of the day was the vintage Coca-Cola stickout sign he was eyeing that my dad bought for him/us.

Later on Saturday afternoon, we headed down to Franklin, TN so my mom and I could hit up one of her favorite quilt stores, Stitcher’s Garden. It really was fantastic…she treated me to some fabrics, too.

It was so hard to choose. I cannot wait to use them!! Anyway, when we got to the square at Franklin we realized we showed up at their annual Pumpkinfest, and there were woodcarvers and carved pumpkins all down Main Street. It was really fun to see the artist pumpkins and all the kids in their Halloween costumes.

Sunday morning, we (finally) woke ourselves up after a fun night watching Bama roll over Tennessee in the football game…Roll Tide!! We stopped at the Dog Days Flea Market in Ardmore, AL and my mom and I had a hard time tearing ourselves away from all the baby puppies, especially these little pugs…

It was gorgeous - all-in-all a fantastic weekend. We were exhausted when we got home and I napped on the couch for awhile before church last night. I can’t believe it’s so chilly outside, or that this weekend will be Halloween already, and then November. ?!?! Guess it is really time for me to crack down on the Christmas crafting, eh?!

Happy Fall, everyone.

Organza Envelopes @ craftstylish
These are really beautiful and would be great to make even just for your own jewelry.

Trick or Treat Tote Tutorial @ craftblog.com.au
Fun use for all those great Halloween fabrics!

Scrapblog
“If you already have everything wrapped and ready to go, but still want something a little more personal and special, an online scrapbook may be the way to go.”

Creative Reuse 2008: Wine Corks and Salvaged Wood as Cork Board @ Apartment Therapy Re-Nest
I’m always on the lookout for wine cork crafts..I think this is a great one.

Beaded Flower Tutorial @ Bead Studio
I’ve made beaded flowers before, but I love how whimsical this one is! Lots of great things you could make using these ideas.

Felt Ornament How-To # 2: Baubles @ bugs and fishes
100% up my alley.

Tutorial Tuesday: Gilded Lace Crowns @ Bitter Betty Blogs
You can’t go wrong with a good crown.

Necklace Organizer @ Laughing Daisies
L.O.V.E.

Be careful of who you work for @ Seth Godin’s Blog
This is so true.

I finally finished my Halloween punchneedle project that I bought at the Country Living Fair! He’s certainly not perfect, but what are you going to do? I love him.

The pattern is #638 - Prize Pumpkin by Threads That Bind. I bought a kit for it and all my supplies from a store called Country Threads, who had a great booth at the Country Living Fair. They actually also designed the 30th Anniversary Country Living quilt, for which my mom bought the pattern along with several other things. We kept going back to their booth!

So, I still need to figure out what kind of glue to get for the back, and I want to frame it. The instructions say it has a wool bias binding and is backed by wool as well, but I love how Country Threads had theirs framed. I’ll have to do some research. I’ll post again when I’m 100% finished with him!

I’m home from my work trip to the 2008 SAGA Convention in Atlanta. Despite it being a work-related thing, I really had a great time. It was so cool to get to see all the amazing sewing these women do and be in the middle of it all - it’s definitely different from my usual days behind the computer. I got to meet several of our contributing designers as well, so that was a lot of fun. We got to stay at the Westin Peachtree Plaza too, which was also great. Our room was surprisingly small to have two double beds, a couch, a desk, and a dresser…but it was super comfortable. One of the best things of the whole trip? They had the most amazing sheets! Haha.

I took a couple pictures of our booth from the market on Saturday…

…and I spent most of my time behind this table waiting to cut trims for customers.

We were exhausted Saturday night. Friday night we did get to have a little fun and went to eat at PittyPat’s Porch across the street from our hotel. They had a piano player:

And we had some really fantastic peach cobbler with cinnamon ice cream.

On the way home, Leighann and I stopped in Chattanooga to do some antiquing. We didn’t buy much ( I just got a little Dukes of Hazzard wind-up car for Nathan) but it was a gorgeous day to be out. The drive was really pretty. But as always, it was great to come home to my sweet husband. Sunday was pretty relaxing…I went shopping with my mom for a bit and got a new purse and some craft books, ran some errands, and lounged on the couch all evening. I’ve got a little bit of a bug that has me feeling kind of down today, but I’m surviving. Here’s hoping it goes away soon..we are headed to Nashville next weekend with my parents for a trip to the Flea Market, and I definitely want to be well for that!!

Alrighty guys, I am headed out of town on a work trip, but I didn’t want to leave you hanging…so here are a few early links. Sorry it’s not much, it’s been a busy week!!

DIY: Shutter Earrings Display @ casasugar
I totally did this when I was in college! I got a shutter at the Habitat for Humanity Surplus Store…but I didn’t decorate mine, I just leaned it against the wall on top of my dresser. Whatever, it worked. It was great for all my big dangly earrings. Got to show them off and keep them from getting tangled at the same time.

Halloween Fantasy Mask Tutorial @ Craft: Magazine Blog
Great idea, especially because those masks can get super expensive.

Campaign-o-lanterns @ Associated Press
Carve yourself a political pumpkin!

Halloween Candy Bucket @ Little Birdie Secrets
Really cute and crafty little tutorial.

Martha Stewart Bloopers
Oh my gosh…this is TOO FUNNY! I want to hang out with Martha.

a sewing space @ lovelydesign
I. want. this. So bad.

We had a long weekend! (Do we ever not seem to have one of those?) Our good friends Jason and Jessica got married, and Nathan was the best man. We had the rehearsal dinner Friday night and then wedding festivities Saturday. The rehearsal dinner was so much fun - they had it in Jessica’s parents’ backyard, Italian-style with homemade lasagna and lights strung up across the yard. It was really nice. We ended up all just staying and celebrating until the parents of the bride kicked everyone out about midnight.

Me with the bride, Miss Jessica:

The wedding was out at Crosspointe Church (Jason did the website!), where Jessica’s mom works. It was really gorgeous…I bawled the whole time, and I’m not even a big teary person at weddings! Here is a shot of the new married couple with the bride’s parents and her sister, Danielle, maid of honor…

The reception was at the Huntsville Depot Roundhouse, which I’ve always wanted to throw an event. I just couldn’t get over Jessica’s flowers. The food was delicious and I loved the buffet table:

Jessica’s mom Melodie sent me home with a centerpiece which I LOVED.

Nathan helped decorate the car…

And my parents came, so that was a lot of fun for me.

Sunday morning I went to the Madison County Farmers Market with my parents in search of pumpkins. It was an extremely successful trip.

I loved how they made pumpkin stacks.

All in all, between my mother and myself, we made out pretty well. We had to get a grocery cart to carry our pumpkins to our cars.

I’m so excited it’s fall. The leaves in our yard and my pumpkins on the front stoop make me so happy when I get home every day. We’re still planning on a Halloween party…I think we are going to be Buster and Mother from Arrested Development. Haha…we watch it on DVD every night before bed!

Eyeball Costume @ Craftster
Hysterical!!

Halloween Garland Tutorial @ Kansas City Street Team
Y’all know I love a good garland.

Felt Birthday Crown Tutorial @ Juicy Bits
I think I need one of these for everyday use.

Real Estate Boom (amazing landscape pincushions) by Mimi Kirchner
These are fantastic, as is Mimi Kirchner’s entire blog - gorgeous projects! Check it out. 

Pumpkin Stitched Card Pattern @ Make and Takes
Embroidery + papercrafts = two of my favorite things in one.

Trick or Treats Cake Pops @ Bakerella
I know my sister is going to love these!! Super fun for a party. Maybe I’ll get ambitious and make some for our Halloween party. We’ll see.

Fantasy Pumpkins How-To @ Hallmark Magazine
I love love love the “Scary Stitch” one!

No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating @ Good Housekeeping
I like the first picture of the little ones with ribbons, and I really like the tablescape ones made into hurricane lamps too.

Shadow Tree Decoration @ Folding Trees
Excellent for Halloween partying!

Solistone Metal Stones
These things are awesome!

70s Tie-Upholstered Switch Plate @ craftzine-digital.com
I’m not a huge fan of tie crafts, but this is pretty cool.

a little orange & black @ Apron Thrift Girl
Because I love looking at other people’s holiday decorations.

Skull Crushers @ Cut Out + Keep
These are kind of gross… but also fantastic. Great for Halloween parties, hmm?

Scene Inside a Craft Pumpkin @ Craftster
I just love this because it would give me a chance to use all those fun Halloween “village” accessories, since I don’t actually have a Halloween village.

Preaching politics from the pulpit? @ Think Christian
Just adding this to the commentaries I posted earlier about religion and politics.

Halloween Bottle Brush Trees @ The Misadventures of Mama & Jack
These are great. I love little trees…although I think I might try them for Christmas instead: leave them bleached and glitter the poo out of them. YES.

Gourd Dollhouse Tutorial @ Bitter Betty Blogs
A tutorial for that awesome gourd dollhouse I posted last week!

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread Recipe @ Pinch My Salt
Two of my favorite things in one.

Cute CD Cupcake Stand @ The Swell Life
This is adorable - I love cupcakes and cake stands. Another combo of favorite things.
 

I should be in time out - I am having the hardest time keeping up with my blogging lately! So sorry. Maybe with the upcoming holiday season I’ll have more to show for myself. Last weekend Nathan and I went to his sister’s house in Smyrna (Atlanta) and doted on our nephew Mac all weekend.

We always have a blast at the Flinns’. We were able to drive over Thursday night, which was great and let us have two full days over there. Friday we had a Low Country Boil with some friends of Sean and Michelle, and Saturday night we went to go see our favorite comedian Nick Swardson again at the Tabernacle in Downtown Atlanta. The opening comedian he had was pretty terrible, but he was hysterical as always. It was pretty cool to see him again - we saw his first show of the tour in Nashville, then the last in Atlanta.

Last night I finally got Nathan to get our my fall/Halloween decorations and decorated the house. Hooray! It is not as good as last year (can’t top my mantle from last year, and this year we don’t have that shelf up anymore) but it does feel very “fall-y”, as Nathan says. We got some good smelly fall candles and left the windows open last night. The cool weather is fantastic…not only does it feel good, but it helps on the power bill. Ha!

More soon. I’ll try to take some pictures of our Halloween decorations, and of the goods I got at the Country Living fair as promised a few weeks ago.