A Few Favorites: Cozy Fall Night

Don't you just love those cozy fall nights?  Rain pounding on the roof, a warm drink in hand, and wrapped up all snug?  These would make the perfect late November evening curled up on the couch.  Can't you already smell that hazelnut coffee candle???

|| acorn locket || leaf necklace || cozy scarf || pumpkin soap || hazelnut coffee candle || chunky blanket || mugs || coffee cozy ||

 

~Kelsey

DIY: Antique Book Pumpkins

 

 

Well hello there!  Today I have my second of three Thanksgiving posts.  On Saturday I gave you some ideas for name cards, and today I have the perfect centerpiece for your table!

This idea came from a lady in California who passed it on to my sister, who passed it on to me, and now I'm passing it on to you!:)

 

You already know how much I love thrifting, right? What do they say, "Name brands at Walmart prices?"  I'm all for it.  But this thrifting shopping trip with my sister was all for the sake of crafting.  First we picked out some books for our pumpkins.  (I had to go with some vintage ones to get those awesome covers).  We ended up with some old fiction, a German dictionary, books on the Alps, dog attractions in California, and how to groom your poodle......random right?  (Oh, and of course I had to pick up that Sense and Sensibility...who could resist?  But don't worry, we didn't cut it up for a pumpkin.)

And this belt-turned-boho-headband.  (Super simple.  Just pulled a few stitches to remove the buckle and re-glued the leather to cover up the braid).  All for a whopping 99 cents.

 Alrighty.  Enough about my love for thrifting.  On to the pumpkins.  To begin with, remove the cover from your book.  It is easiest with paperbacks, because you can just slowly rip it off.  Just make sure to not break the binding.  Next, draw half of a "pumpkin shape" on the first page of the book.  Cut through a few pages with your scissors.

 

Once you have cut the first layer, trace that outline onto the next page and cut a few pages.  Continue doing this until you have gotten through the whole book!

As you are cutting, try to make sure that your pages are not getting bigger or smaller.

It will be hard to cut close to the seam of the book, but don't worry.  You can cut all of that off at the end.

As you can see, you'll be cutting through a lot of paper!!!  When you have cut through your whole book, hot glue gun the front and back cover of the book together.  (Cover the entire page with glue so that it will stick really well).  When that glue has dried, glue a short stick into the hole on top of the pumpkin (see pictures below).  And now you have an adorable little pumpkin!

 

For this centerpiece, Lara spray painted some big fall leaves gold and sprinkled nuts and pinecones around.

Don't you just love how a little gold spray paint can add some sparkle to any project?

Do you have a Thanksgiving centerpiece made up yet?

~Kelsey

 

Linking up:

It's So Very Cheri

Pincentive Blog Hop

Home Stories A to Z

Our Delightful Home

DIY: Thanksgiving placecards

Hello there!

Today is the first of (hopefully) a few Thanksgiving posts coming up.  Once everyone was done with Halloween, they seemed to all jump straight to Christmas.  But we forgot Thanksgiving!!!  So I hope to inspire you with a few last minute projects:)

My sisters and I were scrolling through my Christmas Pinterest board last year before Thanksgiving, and one sister pointed out that we should try our hand at these little cuties! Lara had recently been collecting a bunch of evergreen branches for a Christmas tea, so we just headed out to our woods and grabbed some sticks really fast.  We got some thicker ones for the base, and some with pineneedles for decoration.

For the base, we cut the thicker ones into pieces (4 - 4 1/2" was about perfect).

The best ones were the ones with nobs and different mosses and lichen growing on them:)

We raided Lara's scrapbook papers.....

And used my "Smash" stamp to add the date on the bottom.

We glued the leaves onto a few of them for extra decoration.

(I didn't get any pictures of the actual process because Lara was moving too quickly;)  But just put a line of hot glue on one branch, smoosh the paper on, add a line of hot glue to that, and press the evergreens and other branch on.  (and yes, smoosh is a technical term;)

 

Here is another placecard that I made....with my handy-dandy Silhouette;)  I probably won't be making these for Thanksgiving because they kinda took FOREVERRRRRR.  But I do like how they turned out:)

 

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

~Kelsey

 

Linking up:

The Pearl Blog

It's So Very Cheri
A Pinch of Joy
Home Stories A to Z

Pincentive Blog Hop

Our Delightful Home

Hello Monday!

Hello fall. Hello orange trees and many days of rain.

Hello to the crisp smell of autumn. Hello boots and sweaters, gingerbread scones and pumpkin bread.

Hello new ideas and embroidery patterns. Hello to adventure ahead!

Hello polka dots and floral (though it seems you show up every season!). Hello orange cardigans.

Hello college football!!! 

Hello to more embroidery. Cozy nights on the couch with a warm drink and a bit of stitching!

Oh, and hello to sea salt caramels, just because I love you so much.

(Linking up with Lisa Leonard. What are you saying hello to this week?) ~Kelsey

#neverforget

I don't remember that day very well.  I remember coming upstairs and seeing two buildings burning on the TV screen.  And that's all.  But I do know one thing: God is in control no matter what.

 

A song I recently heard (All is Well by Philips, Craig, and Dean) speaks about how all is well because God has a plan.  It got me thinking "God is control, so all is well.  Because of this, no matter what the circumstance, all. is. well."  For those who have repented of their sins and turned to God, recognizing Christ as Lord and Savior.  I pray that today would be the day of salvation for many and that those who were directly hurt by 9/11 could find the comfort that can only come through salvation in Christ.

 

Psalm 27:1 "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?"

 

Romans 8:31b "If God is for us, who is against us?"

 

 

A few of my favorite things

 

 

On Monday I showed you my version of See Kate Sew's Sweet Scallops Tote.  Today I'll show you my favorite way to use this type of bag.  It's perfect for packing a few items for a change of clothes, using as a full-on purse, or carrying a bunch of craft supplies that need organization *cough cough: stamps*.

1. Sweet Scallops Tote: well, duh.  I like it.  And I fully believe everyone should make one;)
2. My favorite sunglasses, purchased on sale at Ann Taylor.  I'm a big, perfectly round sunglasses kinda gal.  These are the smallest ones I've had in a while, but I love them.
3. Fold-over elastic headbands.  Swoon.  Last year, I bought a bunch of FOE from Elastic By The Yard on Etsy.  My package came super fast, and I'm pleased with the quality!
4. TOMS, yay or nay?  I love the look, but I'm not willing to pay the full price for a pair.  Solution? Rite Aid.  Believe it or not, these shoes were only $10!  I'm not usually a fan of hte knock-off brands, but these ones are different.  They're really comfortable, and have lasted well for how much I wear them!
5. Vintage sheet goodness, mmm mmmmm.  This pouch from Sand and Starfish pairs just perfectly with the vintage florals on this tote.
6. Speaking of vintage....antique jewelry is one of my favorite things ever.  Ok, well it's up there with ruffles and puppies and nutella.  But still.  This particular one belonged to my gramma and was passed down to me and my sister.  In this particular necklace, I love how each of the three layers is a different type of chain.  And I love how the pearl is a perfect accent, and yet not too gaudy.

What are some things you are loving these days?

~Kelsey

The Sweet Scallops Tote

Hello!  Here I am for one last (semi-large) project for the summer.  I don't know about you, but nothing inspires me to create like summer coming to an end does.  I quickly realize how little time I have left to finish up my projects, so I get right to work!  Some of you may have seen the sneak-peek of this tote on Instagram (fancythatnotion).  Unfortunately, it was a sad one.  The kind where your thread runs out one inch away from being done with a 12-hour project.  At 10:30 at night.  But you know what?  It was "totes" worth it.  *couldn't help myself*  This is another bag pattern from See Kate Sew that has been sitting on my Pinterest board for a while.  I raided my fabric stash once more and came up with this combination.

 

 

The pattern and instructions were written so well and all of the sewing was very simple.  This would be the perfect project for a beginner!  Those scallops take a while to cut and sew, but the finished product is worth the time.

 

Kate pays so much attention to detail (You should check out her ruffles series going on right now!).  The top-stitching gives the body of the bag a clean, finished look.

 

 

 

The possibilities of combinations are endless!  You can base off of one color-theme, do an ombre look, or whatever you fancy!!!  The two blue fabrics were vintage sheets and pillow cases.  Pink polka dots and the purple flowers were my gramma's fabrics, and the top two were purses!  This is such a great fabric-stash buster!!!

 

The inside of the bag is my favorite vintage sheet.........again.  I used it for my envelope clutch here as well.

I hope you are enjoying the last few days of summer!  If you are looking to learn to sew, Kate has a bunch of great tutorials, and this project would be a perfect one to start off on!!!  Have a lovely Monday, friends!!!

~Kelsey

 

 

Envelope Clutch

Hi.  My name's Kelsey and I start my Christmas shopping sewing in July.  Ok, maybe I do some shopping too.  Now don't start thinking that I'm on top of my game in any way.  I mean, after all, I haven't touched this blog in almost two months.  And I saw the pattern for this clutch in February.  Yep, FEBRUARY.  I've had all the supplies, plenty of time, the pattern on hand.  And yet........it's August.  But hey, at least I sewed something that has been hanging out on my Pinterest board right?

 

Anyways, Kate over at See Kate Sew created this pattern in February and had a mini series of other ladies sewing up their own versions.  So, here is what I came up with for this awesome pattern!  For the outside, I used a sophisticated and simple tan canvas.  I plan on adding a decorative pin on a chain for the closure (I'm afraid of button holes).

On the inside, I added a pop of color with a vintage sheet that I scored for just a few quarters (remember this shopping trip?).  This pouch is going to be a Christmas gift for my sister (Shhh! If you see her, don't tell!).

 

 I love how you can barely see the edge of the sheet from the outside!

I also whipped up this clutch using a sturdy black denim and then a thin gingham (sp?).  Even with the extreme weight difference, it was still easy to sew up.  And when I said whipped up, I really meant it.  I had been working on a super fun shirt that totally ended up being the wrong size (maybe I'll post that later.....#DIYfail).  I instantly needed a project that I new worked, so I whipped up that clutch in under an hour!  I think these might be my new "standard" gift.  Super simple to sew, with endless pattern options!  You can sew on a fun button, use a snap or magnet for a hidden option, or use a decorative pin to keep it closed!

 

Also, I wanted to point out the graphics that I used for these pictures.  The lower one was created with the "A Beautiful Mess" app (hashtags are #abmapp and #abeautifulmess) and the "Rhonna Farrer' app (#rhonnadesigns_app and #rhonnadesigns).  The lower one used the "A Beautiful Mess" app.  If you don't have either of these, you should grab them up!