Getting Ready - Babies, Weddings & Fall

Supposedly, the first official day of fall is around the corner. I would beg to differ. Today is the day. It's crisp out there. It's official sweater weather. The communal desire to pick apples and carve pumpkins is palpable. People around these parts are ready for a change in the seasons. (Here's a couple autumnal shots from the farm in Covington where my department held our staff retreat late last month.)

So, now... I'm finally in the clear of a long "season" of busy-ness and excited to tuck in for a cozy crafting season.

I made some little booties the other day. I made up the pattern on the spot, it's super easy. Its all single crochets. I started at the toe from a circle cast on, and then just added and reduced until I had a nice toe, then once I'd reached the arch started crocheting back and forth as if on a scarf leaving  3 or four stitches at the top open for the foot to go in. I blanket stitched the heel shut and added cutesy things when it seemed appropriate. This set made its way to my gal pal expecting twins.

Amongst sampling some of those tasty looking pumpkin baked goods on pinterest, I've got some serious autumnal work cut out for me. I have three more 2012 weddings and several babies in progress to make gifts for. I've done a little reconnaissance for the wedding gifts, and a little supplies shopping for the baby-kins but the real work has yet to begin.

I'm headed up to Michigan this weekend. I'll have to transfer my design to fabric and get a move on the detail work for wedding gift #1. Other crafts in the works include a possible recovering of my crazy blue chair. Several years ago I acquired 5 yards of italian merino wool herringbone suit material at a garage sale in Minneapolis. The seller was hesitant to part with the fabric, he told me he was a costume designer in the theatre world there, but gave me the bolt anyway (a crazy steal at $10). I had always intended to cover this cute little fainting couch I had in college. Now I'm thinking that my chair might suit the fabric well.

This isn't the fabric, but it's a pretty close match. What do you think? Should I make the transformation? Part of my reasoning is that I feel like my living room needs to calm down a little.

More to come. It has been a season of productivity on the work front lately, and my own personal projects fell to the wayside (hence my absence here). I plan to make up for my lack of creativity with an exponential output of awesome in the next couple months. Get ready.

Fall's So Close I Can Smell It

My dad had his first day of school today. That means summer's almost over and the cooler winds are coming soon. There was something like a dewey frost on my car this morning when I left for work. My windows are open right now and a can smell hints of the coming harvest- a musty warm scent. Maybe I'm imagining it, maybe not. Either way, I'm excited for the change of seasons.

I love the way fall feels. smells and looks. I adore the crunch of leaves under my bike tires, the baled hay in the fields, jeans and sweaters. This evening, the setting sun dappled my walls through the lace curtains in my living room window. It is something that happens every season, but it felt like fall to me. 

A new season begs new decor. Out with the old pink wreath and in with some seasonal flair. Pinterest told me that foam tubing was cheaper to buy in the plumbing section. (True!) I twisted a length of that foam into an "O", wrapped and hot glued some upholstery fabric samples around the wreath in strips, fashioned a tidy accordian bow, and finished it up with a bit of matching yarn. Presto, wreath! Total time spent: 1 cheesy movie, give or take some snack and rest moments.

And now, a tune for the upcoming turn of the times. If you don't already love it, you should: Autumn In New York by Billie Holiday. 

The Passage of Time (or) November Already?!

For a couple months I have been taking periodic pictures of the tree across the street from our house here in Farmersville. I like to believe that it's the best autumn colors in town, it certainly lasted longer than most other trees. Fall has come and blown the leaves down already. One day it was summer and now I have to scrape my windows off before driving to work in the morning. How did this happen?

It's a generally accepted fact that time speeds up as you grow older. It doesn't make much sense. The minute still lasts 60 seconds. Why should my 18th year of living have felt so much longer than my 28th? (I'm about to cross that marker, eek.) Time has been slipping through my fingers lately. Perhaps it is a good moment to recognize some overlooked moments from the past season.

• My nephew lost his first tooth.
• I celebrated 1 year of living with my parents.
• Timber (my beloved 1996 Saturn SL) reached, and surpassed, 200,000 miles.
• I have worked at my "new" job for 1 month.
• My niece finally has enough hair for pigtails.
• I am now an official Ohio resident with a Ohio Driver's License.

Other milestones have passed. Each day is full of learning new things about patience, family and love. I must remember to stop and recognize them more often. 

Spring Pillows on a Fall Day (or) Pushing all the Right Buttons

Do you have any idea how easy making your own covered buttons is? And they look so great! I have a great big urge now to buy a gross of covered button supplies and start using up all that awesome vintage fabric I have on hand. Is the market to full on Etsy for one more vintagey button maker?

These buttons made their debut on a recent afternoon pillow project I tackled. The replica handkerchiefs were a gift from my Aunt Sue. I had fun experimenting with freehand quilting on my mother's machine (without a quilting foot, I might add). The future intent for these cuties is to lounge on my teal, vintage couch when I finally find that perfect cozy apartment. For now, they are modeling in the great outdoors.

After taking these pictures, I noticed a similarity to portraits for high school seniors. What do you think? Is one of these pillows the homecoming queen? Class clown?

Pigs, Pumpkins & Photography (or) Preble Pork

This weekend was perfect for a Pork Festival. Gorgeous weather. Cool enough for a long sleeve t-shirt and warm enough to never fear a shiver. I love going to festivals and fairs whether they be small town or big city gatherings. Whether you know the area well is irrelevant; Everyone belongs at the fair.

I grew up on old MGM musicals. One of many random Huff family traditions is that my Grammalo (My father's mother- named Lois) LOVES to watch and re-watch the movie, State Fair. Her four children, on the other hand, detest the movie because of how many times they were forced to watch it in her household. I side with my Grammalo on the issue, and request the movie in spite of the hissing crowds. Fairs are simple and fun and pure American.

I walked with my camera in hand for 3 hours down dusty roads and stalls. It was fun to pretend to be a photographer. I'm starting to really yearn for a real camera.

My fair dates. Mar and Par Huff. Our lunch: Sugar Cream Pie and Porkchops.

How to find your lunch- find the red balloon.

Steam engine powered apple butter.

Pork Festival Montage.

Pointing piglets.

After the Pork Festival, we stopped a a couple local garden stores on the way home. I found this gorgeous orange scale. I wish I had a huge open home where I could have large pieces like this.

Weighing in.

Gourds and the mother of our Lord.

Fall orange, spring blue.

It's always sad when summer is ending. I love the way people are drawn out into community  with one another by warm weather. This fall and winter I will make a point of trying to coerce others into growing community with me in the cold. Perhaps a competitive snow tubing team? (Oooh, too soon to talk about snow. Eek.)