Let's Talk Turkeys

I am in the process of finishing up an order for some Thanksgiving blocks and figurines.  This involves making turkeys.  Lots and lots of turkeys.  This brings me to my question.  Do you like the tall feathers or the short feathers?  I have typically made the turkey feathers tall, but this year I decided to experiment with shorter feathers- and I think I quite like the look of it.  I would love your opinion:

Tall

Or Short?

I will probably end up making some of each, but I'd like to know if there is a trend toward one style or the other.

And here is the whole Thanksgiving crew.  You can see that one couple is still missing their legs, but over all I think they're pretty cute.  The blocks they sit on say "Gobble Gobble", but I may make a set or two that say "Happy Thanksgiving" because with the addition of the turkeys- the set is quite large.

And since we're taking about giving thanks- can I just say that I'm thankful Halloween is over and I can move on to the next fire in my life? :)  

Just keep swimming.....

XOXO,

Amy

Point of View Reveal- Burlap

The collage this month is just awesome.  Camilla is the genius behind each of our collages each month and she does an amazing job each time! :)
When thinking about burlap, the possibilities are endless- and a glance over the variety of projects in our Point of View reveal this month is a good example.  See something that catches your eye?  Check out one or more of the projects by clicking on the links below:
Leanne at Organize and Decorate Everything
Gwen at Gwenny Penny
Angie (our awesome guest poster- Please show her some comment love!) from The Country Chic Cottage
Camilla from Rosy Red Buttons
Amy (don't go anywhere)
Michelle at A Little Tipsy

I went to the launch of Amanda Herrings' new fabric line- Delighted for Riley Blake last week.  The samples she had made up were amazing!  One of my favorite things was the banner lined with burlap and topped with quilted pennants.  The contrast between the quilter weight cotton and the burlap was terrific and inspired my project this week!
Want to make your own burlap centered accent flower?  I'm here to help. :)

This tutorial is pretty simple- you can adjust the size of the flower by changing the size of the circle you use.  I am using a charm pack of Gobble Gobble from Moda that I had on hand, so I chose a circle that would fit on the 5" square.
1.  Trace your circle on the wrong side of the fabric.  2.  Cut out the circle with pinking shears (this will save you needing to clip the curves later)  3.  Fold in half and sew along the outer edge.  4.  Using sharp scissors, cut along the folded straight edge.  Make an approx 1" hole.

Next you will need to turn the petal right-side out.  (repeat for all five petals)

Sew a gather stitch (long running stitch) along the straight edge of the petal and gather.

I lined my burlap with a scrap of natural colored cotton.  Cut out a circle the same size as the petals and run a gathering stitch around the edge.

Pull the gather stitches to make a pouch and  put a small amount of fiber fill inside- tie it off so it's closed.

To make the flower I just used some pearl cotton and a running stitch to sew the petals onto the center.  Depending on what you're going to use the flower for, you can finish the back of the flower with felt, paper or another center to make it double sided.

On this tote- I sewed the flower directly onto the bag.  I think it makes a fun accent to this girly bag- and the contrast with the burlap really makes the cotton fabrics stand out.
What would you use these flowers for?
So, now you've seen my Point of View on burlap- what's yours?  Visit Michelle's blog at A Little Tipsy to link up your projects that use burlap and get your Point of View heard! :)
XOXO,
Amy

A Quick Rundown

It started with a preschool trip to the pumpkin patch.  (right in the middle of Red Ribbon Week).  Followed by Fall Break from school.

 During Fall break we celebrated a birthday.  A pretty significant birthday.  8 years is pretty old.  Many thanks to Amy from Increasingly Domestic for the fantastic birthday balloon idea- it was a major hit!

I needed some pics of my banner for my boutique.  I think I like this one. :)  The best part of the setup?  It only cost me about $20 for the whole thing because most of what you see I already had on hand.  I like to fill up the candy jars with the special birthday child's favorite treats and snacks for a day of indulging- which is where the majority of the cost went.  Plus $.97 for balloons. ;)

Ummm... I think he liked it. :)

 

This week we've been busy getting ready for our ward Halloween Party (held last night).  I was asked to be in charge of the decorations.  How do you decorate a huge Cultural Hall with a budget of $0?

 

 Dead tree limbs!  I put a large branch in each of the accordion doors and decorated them with my lights and other decorations.  They looked great.

And the centerpieces?  2X4 blocks of wood painted orange with a stick stem glued on top and tied with a raffia bow.  3 per table for 30 tables= a LOT of pumpkins!  Luckily I have many AMAZING friends who dropped everything and helped me paint, sand, glue and tie!  They turned out wonderfully.  I gave most of them to my friends who helped, but I still probably have about 30 pumpkins left!  Wonder what I should do with all of them?  I'm thinking Thanksgiving centerpieces. ;)

In the middle of all of this there has been production for the boutique (pics coming soon), head colds and Point of View projects, plus I was able to attend the launch party for Amanda Herring's new line of fabric for Riley Blake- Delighted.  It was wonderful!  Tonight is my Grandfather's 80th birthday party and a blog event I may or may not attend.  Then on to more production for the boutique.  I need inventory my friends and it's not happening as fast as I want it to! 

So if I sound a little flustered or out of control- it's simply because I am.  I keep hearing Dory- "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!"  I wonder if I should be worried that now I'm hearing voices.

Enjoy your weekend and Halloween if I don't pop in before then!
XOXO,
Amy