Bandana Quilt

Kiddie Quilt, originally uploaded by melissa.coats.

I'm so excited -- I made my first quilt, thanks to this easy online tutorial from i have to say! It was intended as a project for younger girls, but I have no shame. It's for my little girl, does that count? Kennedy liked watching me sew and mimicked the machine's noise. That's the crafting stage she is currently at.

My quilt consists of 6 bandanas from the craft store (the tutorial uses 4, but I wanted this one longer - tall girl and all), a twin sheet for backing, and batting. I've never bought or used batting before, but luckily it comes precut in bags. Who knew? I started it this evening, took a break for bath and bedtime, and finished in time to blog about it. How easy!

Here are some tips, should you try it:

* Make sure all your bandanas are the same size. Mine weren't, and I didn't know this until I started sewing them all together. It just means some extra cutting before the final stages.
* Pre-wash and iron everything, except the batting of course.
* If you don't have a disappearing ink fabric pen, use chalk to mark lines for the 8" opening for turning.
* When she writes that the turning inside out stage is like wrestling, she was right. In fact, it was sort of like birthing a baby....

Now I've got to sneak into her room and cover her up with it. She'll be so surprised when she wakes up in the morning!

Pumpkin Cans

Pumpkin Cans, originally uploaded by melissa.coats.

This year I decided to upcycle some cans from the garage to make a pumpkin family for Halloween. We each decorated a size-appropriate coffee can, and in K's case a vegetable can. Her face is so tiny you barely see it. :-)

Tools:

* Coffee or other cans
* Orange spray paint
* Sharpie markers
* Tea lights for the inside (optional)
* Drill for holes (optional)

Way to Blue-updated

The lighting is completely different between the two pictures, but you get the gist. Of all the rooms, of all the colors I've painted over the years, this is by far the one I've been the most pleased with.

Coo Coo for Cookie Jars

Vintage Cookie Jars, originally uploaded by melissa.coats.

The cupcake belonged to my grandmother Ross. It sat on her kitchen table, and I remember always peeking in at its contents, usually coupons and receipts, maybe some recipes. I wouldn't be surprised if the few small chips by the lid were caused by me. After acquiring this piece, I had to look for more. That's how collecting goes. I found the ice cream cone to pair with the cupcake, and the owl was just too cute to pass up!

Call Me

Call me, originally uploaded by melissa.coats.

This was the week of new phones. I (finally) purchased an iPhone, after patiently and responsibly waiting for my T-Mobile contract to expire. When I pulled out my Razor phone in the Apple store the "genius" laughed, not only because it was so old-school but because it was in such a state of disrepair. It was only two years old.

Then, after seeing some REAL old-school phones at an antique mall, some wheel dial, some push button, I thought it necessary to give the lone candlestick phone in my collection a mate. I knew I wanted a working model though, so Kennedy can have a REAL phone to see and use. They learned about dialing 9-1-1 in an emergency and our cordless house phone has three steps to go through just to dial out, once you locate the thing.

After some searching online, I found a new model on eBay, and it arrived two days later. It actually rang a few minutes after hooking it up, and the whole house filled with nostalgia at that REAL phone ring. Then, I realized there was no caller ID.

It's funny how I can be so excited about something so modern and something so retro at the same time. I suppose that has always been a part of my personality and taste. I can trace it all the way back to my own childhood when my mom would take me to an antique clothing store called Pink Flamingo. I used to love looking at the dresses and purses and jewelry. Take me to a mall, and I would kick and scream, but take me a vintage store and I could stay for hours. Even today I get lost browsing amongst all the memories and treasures of years past. The day I spotted those old phones, Turner and Kennedy went to a toy store. They came to get me in the antique mall, finding me in a booth with old baby dolls and Raggedy Anns, touching them and thinking, "Who had these, and loved them, and when? And how did these dolls make it here, in my hands?" Everything has a story, and I didn't want it to end. "You guys are done already?" I asked. "You've been in here almost an hour," Turner informed me. Leave it to the present to bring you back to reality.