Fall Treat Bags

I was feeling crafty this week, so I put together some fall treat bags I saw on Instagram.

They are very easy to make, but they require several supplies:

 

Quarter Pint (4 oz.) quilted crystal jars 

Marzetti caramel dip singles 

A pack of fall ribbon 

Crinkly basket filler 

Brach's Candy Corn 

Cellophane bags (not pictured)

Fresh apples (not pictured)

1. Fill the glass jars with candy corn. Place the jars at the bottom of the cellophane bags.

2. Place a little basket filler around the bottom of the jars.

3. Top the jars with caramel dip.

4. Finish off with a fresh apple before tying the cellophane bag with ribbon.

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An Iris Quilt for Pam

 

It was so fun to deliver Pam's quilt today! What was supposed to be her 70th birthday gift turned out to be a gift for her 71st. It doesn't matter because she loves it, and I love it, too, and it was made with a lot of love (not to mention blood, sweat, and tears).

I have to give Kendall all the credit for the pattern and fabric. She discovered the Iris quilt @penelopehandmade. She also knew what colors Pam would like and picked out the nine fabrics that made this quilt special.

I did the cutting and sewing, which was more complicated than the quilt I made for Gavin in 2023. It's ok, though, because my aim with the quilting process is to stretch and grow with each quilt I make. I only had to rip out a few seams.

One of the things that made this quilt tricky was the order in which the fabrics had to be sewn together. Before I even began sewing, Kendall told me which order to put the fabrics in so the diamond shape would stand out when I was finished. I numbered them A-I. 

These are the strips for one half of the quilt. 

White background strips then go between each vertical row. I trimmed the white strips afterward.

The bottom half of the quilt is sewn exactly like the top half, but it was turned upside down before I sewed it together. A local quilter, Aimee Doershuk, did the longarm quilting.

I found a coordinating polkadot fabric for the quilt backing. I used the same fabric for the hand-stitched binding. The quilt label was from an Etsy shop.

I love how beautifully this quilt turned out, and that I could give it to Pam. I hope it keeps her warm and makes her smile for many years. Love you, Pam!

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Blind Date With a Book

 

Carolyn gave me the cutest gift for Christmas this year. She bought me a book, wrapped it up with all kinds of goodies, and gave me a clue on the tag to figure out what book it was before I opened the gift.

From the clue, "Fiction, Neighbors, First Impressions," I had no idea what the book could be. The wrapping was so pretty that it took me until today to want to open it. I really didn't want to dismantle the goodies.

The first layer included a Yogi tea bag called Bedtime (It supports a good night's sleep), a heart-shaped paper clip, and a cork coaster to set my cup of tea on. 

The second layer had two pieces of chocolate, a purifying facial mask made with avocado, a purple flower stem, a Zebra Sarasa Fineliner pen with red ink, and a Bible verse card of Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

And the last layer contained a notebook with my initial, "M," a sticker sheet, and a bookmark in the form of a library checkout card (so cute!).

This is what the wrapping looked like after I removed everything from the folds. And what book was inside???

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. 

Even though I have already read this book, it was still a fun surprise to find it inside!

Carolyn has promised to show me how to do this magical gift wrapping so I can give these cute little books to others.

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A Labor of Love

Last December after Peter and Kendall found out they were having a baby, Peter purchased some walnut wood in anticipation of making a crib.

The first thing he did was make 44 spindles. 

They took about 30 minutes each. That's 22 hours of work.

Then, he made the corner posts and rails that held the spindles and fit them together. The crib mattress height can be adjusted up and down, and the side rails can be removed to convert the crib into a toddler bed.

Look at the details! The crib is not stained. It is rubbed with walnut oil, which restores the walnut's natural color.

Reese didn't mind waiting five months for her beautiful bed. She slept in a bassinet and then patiently slept in a pack-n-play. The crib took 100 hours, and her daddy worked very hard.

Great job, Peter! This crib will be a treasured heirloom for years to come.

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Tree Fort Rebuild Video

While Don and the boys were re-building the tree fort in our back woods, Daniel had the great idea to set up his phone for a time-lapse video. He pieced it together and set it to music to create a lasting memory for the family. I don't know if it was the music, video, or combination, but I got all choked up watching it. And I've been torturing myself by watching it again and again!

Click here for the Tree Fort Build Video

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Testing Out the Tree Fort

 

The tree fort and lookout tower are finally finished. Don and the boys (mostly Don) worked on these two structures all summer and they look great. All along the way Dean, Marina, and Gavin saw the progress and wanted to try it out. This weekend they got their wish.

After our brunch on Saturday, Don took the kids out to the woods for a test run.

Dean and Marina didn't waste any time climbing up the ladder.

Dean was the first to try the rope bridge. As you can see by the size of the openings in the rope, their skinny 4-year-old bodies can slide right through. I need to recommend a safety net to the builder.

It was scary walking on a rope! I'm glad I stayed inside with Ezra.

Marina was brave too!

Don stood back and checked the tautness of his work.

Look at that! I'm amazed at these kids.

Dean climbed up the rope ladder to the lookout tower with no problem!

And Gavin said, "Maybe in a couple of years."

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Ezra's Nursery

 

This is one of my favorite photos of Marina and Ezra. It was taken in his nursery a couple of months ago. I'm late in posting these pictures!

Ezra's room turned out so nice!

Katherine worked furiously the month before Ezra was born to put it all together. 

Even though Marina lost her rocker, she was very gracious about it.

But Sito and Grandpa gave her a new chair for her birthday. 

The mobile that Cousin Elizabeth made hangs above the crib.

Josh did a great job putting up these boards on the wall and painting them.

The wardrobe that Katherine and I painted.

Some cute wall decor.

The dresser and changing table.

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Curtains for Kendall's Nursery

 

In planning her baby's nursery, Kendall purchased 10 yards of this beautiful fabric from Spoonflower for the curtains. She also found a blog tutorial for blackout curtains that looked simple. 

One day we worked hard to complete three curtain panels in about five hours. It was a two-person job.

Riley helped with the pressing.

We test-hung the first panel on an old closet rod to be sure they looked the way we wanted them to look.

Kendall took the three panels home to the nursery and hemmed them after she found the perfect length. Two longer panels went on one window, and the shorter panel hung on the window with a radiator below it.

Peter custom-made a changing table to fit perfectly into the small cutout in the room. He's also making a crib. Peter made the batik butterfly displayed in the glass shadow box in a high school art class.

This cozy little nursery is all set for the baby's arrival.

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