OH CHRISTMAS TREE...

I have fond memories of picking out our family Christmas tree every year when I was a kid.  My sister, brother and I waited in anticipation for my Dad to get home from work.  We would all load up in the stationwagon (boy was that thing ugly!) and head over to Our Lady of Lourdes Church to buy our beloved tree.  We would all run around searching for the perfect one.  Each of us standing by the one we thought would be the "chosen" one.  Screaming "Mom, Dad, come look at this one!"  We didn't always bring home the one I picked out which caused a little disappointment but not enough to keep me from enjoying decorating the tree once we got home.  Putting on tinsil (which I don't use now...what a mess!) was my absolute favorite thing to do.  As we got older, we didn't help much with the decorating and my Mom eventually put up a fake tree (actually, she puts up 5!!!).  They are all beautifully decorated.

When I moved out of my parent's house xx years ago there was no doubt that I would be getting a real tree once Christmas came around.  Now that I am married and we have 3 boys I am SO happy to carry on the tradition of getting our family tree each year.  Today, we went on an adventure at Pumpkins and Pines to find the perfect one (and I think we found it!).  It's even more enjoyable now to see my boys having so much fun.  It brings back so many wonderful memories from my childhood.   Here are some pics of our little adventure...

A little fun on our walk up to all of the trees...

Boys will be boys

no matter how old :)

The search is on!

We found it!!  Thankfully everyone agreed so there were no tears :)

Each of the boys took a turn at cutting down the tree...

While Dad took over the boys played hide and seek.



Tag!  You're it!



We hitched a ride back up to the shop. 



Silly boys!



 

Our view on the way back...so beautiful.



Sipping on some hot chocolate while waiting for our tree to be shaken...yummy!

 No matter if you go on your own adventure to find the perfect tree or if you simply take a trip into your storage area to get your tree the memories are sure to be treasured by you and your family.  I would love to hear about any Christmas tree traditions you have :).  Happy decorating!!

~Beth



I AM THANKFUL FOR...

I was rushing around my house today trying to get things picked up and clean while also make a gazillion (yes, I know that is alot) things for our Thanksgiving celebration tomorrow.  I began to feel frustrated and I yelled at the boys.  They didn't really do much to deserve it, they were just being boys.  I stopped and thought for a moment...this in not what Thanksgiving is about.  I decided to sit down, take a break (eat one of the delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I baked today using this recipe from MADE...yummy!) and really think about some of the things I am thankful for.

1. My one-of-a-kind family.  They keep me going and are my biggest fans.  Oh, how I love them!!
2. Our health, both mentally and physically (ok, so my mental health is questionable depending on the day but I am still thankful for the brains God gave me ;o)
3. My friendships in life...both new & old and also for the ones in blogland :)
4. My sewing machine.  It may sound funny to you but it truly brings much joy in my life.  Afterall, you wouldn't be reading this right now if it weren't for that little machine.

I am also thankful for the pictures I received from a couple of readers showing off the Turkey shirts they made using my tutorial.  Thanks for making me smile :)



made by Lacey



made by Jeanette

Made by Mendi

I would love to hear what you are thankful for.  Feel free to leave me a comment.

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Beth

CROSSING THINGS OFF

It is such a wonderful feeling to get things crossed off my long list.  I still have a ton more things to complete by Christmas but thanks to a productive week I was able to get a bag, 9 shirts and a cape done...whew!  I forgot to take pics of the bag, oh well. 

such a lovely stack of completed to-do's

These 2 initial tees are for an order

I couldn't find a font on liked in Word so I ended up freehanding the initials

I made 3 of these.  1 for each of my monsters :)

I made 3 of these for an order

I made another cape (that's my littlest monster testing it out for me ;o)

Super Kaden!

The other side is a Jayhawk.  As in the KU Jayhawks. 
Did you know that Tigers eat Jayhawks ;o)

And last, but certainly not least, I finished the Monster Shirt from my giveaway.  I have to say that this is probably my 2nd favorite monster so far!  I hope the recipient likes it as much as we do :)  All 3 of my little monsters asked if I could make one for them! 

I think I will name him Miles (wink, wink @ Angie)



Have you been crossing things off of your list? 

Oh, don't forget to send me pics of the Turkey shirts you have made.  I have received a few and would love to post them all a little closer to Thanksgiving.  If you have a blog I will happily link to it as well.

That's it for now.

Smiles

~Beth

TURKEY SHIRT TUTORIAL AND TEMPLATE

With Thanksgiving a mere 15 days away I decided it was time to make my littlest monster a Turkey shirt.  As I was cutting out my template I realized this was a project that ANYONE could do, not just the ones of us that sew.  I decided to make this my very first tutorial!  If you have any questions please let me know (I am sure I missed something obvious).

What you will need:

Shirt

4-9 different scraps of fabric, (depending on if you want each feather to be different)

Pellon Wonder-Under  (you can find this at Hobby Lobby or Joann, by-the-yard or in a package as shown in link)

Disappearing Ink Pen or fabric chalk 

Pencil
Sharp scissors

2 Googly eyes (not pictured)

Craft or fabric glue (something that won't wash out with water-Fabric Tac is great, I just didn't haven't any on hand)

Heat n' Bond fusible stabilizer (optional...you can find this at Hobby Lobby or Joann, by-the-yard or in a package as shown in link)
Coordinating thread (optional, not pictured)

Iron (not pictured)

First, download the free printable by clicking this link.

Cut out each piece. 

Grab your Wonder-Under.

Using a pencil, trace your templates onto the smooth side of the Wonder-Under.  Be sure to trace 2 feet and 6 feathers. 

Cut out each piece, just outside of the lines.

Iron your cutouts onto the back (wrong side) of your fabric (following manufacturers directions).

Cut out each piece, on the lines.

Peel the Wonder-under off (you will now have glue on the back (wrong side) of your fabric!

Grab your t-shirt and start arranging your turkey until you like where it is placed (I liked mine centered and about about 3 inches down from the neck opening).  Using your disappearing ink pen, chalk or pencil (press lightly and the pencil should come out in the wash), trace your Turkey onto the shirt (do not remove your Turkey yet).

Now grab your fabric feathers and feet.  Arrange them, putting the edges slightly under the Turkey (I arranged the feathers from the bottom and worked my way up on each side, overlapping them a bit).

Once you like what you see, remove all of your cutouts (try not to forget what order you put them in, taking a picture might help).  Now, take your t-shirt and cutouts over to your ironing board (it's easier to arrange them here rather than having to move them later).  Arrange the fabric feathers and feet back onto the t-shirt, using your traced turkey as a guide.

Notice how I put the curved edge of the feather inside the outline

As long as your curved edges are inside the outline you are fine

Get your turkey.  Place him on top of your feathers, using your outline as a guide.  Iron your Turkey, feathers and feet in place (following manufacturers directions).

Now it's time to iron the beak on.

You are almost done!!!  All you have to do now is glue the googly eyes on!

I am not positive that this glue will last through the wash so be prepared to
have glue them back on if using it.

Hooray...you are done!!  Now step back and pat yourself on the back for making your son/daughter such a darling little Turkey shirt.

If you want to sew your Turkey onto your shirt you will want to put fusible interfacing on the inside of your t-shirt.  This will keep your shirt from strectching while sewing.  Cut the interfacing bigger than your Turkey and iron on (using manufacteres instructions). 

I grabbed my coordinating thread and using a zigzag stitch,

I outlined the body, each feather, feet and the beak.  Then I put it on my own little turkey :)

I did have his hair somewhat fixed but the darn wind took over

If you make a shirt for your little Turkey (and I know you can!) I would LOVE to see it.  Please add your pics to the Turkey Flickr group so we all can see!  I would also love to hear what you think about my first tutorial (love it, hate it, need more info, etc).  This will help me with future tutorials.  Comment away!!!  Thanks so much!!

Linking up to:

Smiles~Beth

**When washing you should wash inside out on a gentle cycle.  Low heat or lay flat to dry.  The ends of your fabric will fray just a bit if you didn't sew around them but it adds character :)

WINNER!

And the winner of the Monster shirt is...

(imaginary drum roll please)

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 10 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Thanks for the doing all of the work random.org.  Who is #10?  It is Angie who said "Whoohoo! I am a follower!"

Well, Angie, I am happy you are a follower and a big congrats to you!!!  Please contact me (your profile is private) so we can talk details.  

Thanks to everyone for visiting my blog and taking the time to comment!  Be sure to come back soon.  I will be posting a tutorial for a turkey shirt (just in time for Thanksgiving!).  Don't worry, you don't have to sew a thing (if you don't want to).  

Smiles
~Beth 

A THANK YOU SCARF FOR JAMIE

Jamie, my good friend and neighbor, was the first person to ever leave a comment on my blog (thanks, Jamie!).  I thought she deserved a little something for cheering me on.  Jamie seems to wear scarves quite a bit so I made her a lightweight version using this tutorial by Dana over at MADE (i LOVE her blog!!).  I originally tried to make it with jersey knit cuz it's getting colder here but it wasn't giving me the bounce I wanted.  I decided to use linen instead since it is lighter weight, it turned out much better.  It won't keep her warm on one of our cold Missouri winter days but it makes a great accessory.

Isn't she lovely

Have a beautiful Saturday!

~Beth

THE LIST AND A GIVEAWAY!

Why, oh why did I think it was a good idea to make a list of all of the things that need to be made by Christmas (or sooner!)?  I knew there were a lot of projects I wanted to complete but it wasn't until I wrote them all down that I felt like this...

Is it child abuse to make your sick child pose for pictures?

I guess it's better to realize my craziness now rather than in December.  The good thing about making the list was that I started working on some of the projects this week. They aren't all completely done but close enough to show some pics.  Oh how I love all of those colorful fluffy monsters! 

I also crossed these things off my list...

a tie shirt

an initial onesie

some really soft ruffily burp cloths made from this tutorial

 

    



With all of this progress I decided I would add 1 more thing to my long list.  I want to give a monster shirt away.  Crazy, I know, but crazy is what I do best ;o).  Honestly, giving is one of those "little things" in life that makes me happy so it's actually a selfish act on my part.  Want to win a monster shirt for your little monster or maybe even for yourself?  You can pick the shirt color and size, I will pick the monster (i like to surprise people, at least a little).  All you have to do is become a follower (on the right side of this page) and write a comment on this blog telling me you did so.  Already a follower, just comment saying so and you will be entered as well.  Be sure to include your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win.  And, don't forget that girls like monsters too :)  The contest will end on Sunday, November 7 @ 7:00 pm.  I will let random.org choose the winner.

If I keep on track I might actually be able to get everything done.  Who needs sleep, right?  Don't worry, if you are the winner, the monster shirt will go straight to the top of my list :)  Have you made a list yet?  If so, I would love to know what's on it.  Good luck!

Smiles

~Beth