Kids Beet Costume

I am so excited to share with you the first Halloween costume I've ever made! I never thought I would be making costumes. If you've spent half a minute on Pinterest lately, you've probably seen all the amazing creations people come up with. It's a little intimidating!

In fact, I wasn't sure I would be making a costume this year because it still seems intimidating. I'm still working on getting over the fear of what other people will think of my work, but I think the best way to get over it is to just put it out there! So here it is!

My little guy loves beets. I may have encouraged him a just a little bit when I realized he actually liked these vitamin-packed veggies! I've had fun picking them out at farmer's markets and finding ways to prepare them for him. And I've had a little more fun taking pictures of him eating them (and not as much fun cleaning up after he's finished!).

I'm so thankful that in the last few weeks I've learned a few new tricks that helped me put this costume together (just in time!).

My hubby's co-worker donated to my fabric stash several yards of this fun beet-ish color about a month ago and I got the idea to make pants out of them using Made's Kid Shorts pattern + tutorial. I have been practicing making her Kid Shorts (so much fun!!) and all I had to do was lengthen the pattern and add 1/4" elastic to the ankles. It's definitely worth it to download her pattern! The come in sizes 12 months all the way to 10 years! Score!

For the top I used a plain white onesie and some more maroon fabric. I cut out a beet shape (about 1/4" bigger than I wanted it to end up) by tracing a circle shape and adding a root at the bottom and stems at the top (all in one piece). I didn't fret too much over how it looked, I just wanted to get the basic idea across. I used my new hand-binding / hand-applique skill to stitch it on and it came out great!

To finish it off, I got some green knit fabric and made a green headband to represent the greens that grow on top of the beet! The headband tutorial came from Made as well and can be found here! She is really great about teaching you how to use a basic sewing machine to sew knits. So fun!

It was so fun to see it all come together!

Have you ever made something you never dreamed you would? I'd love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments!

Happy Friday everyone!!!

Un-afraid

We are in process.

Just like our favorite characters in books and in movies, we change, we grow, we adapt, we become.

I am in process. I am God's process. My life is just a small (yet important) story in the Greatest Story Ever, written by God himself.  The one in which God creates the universe by speaking it forth; in which the man and woman, created in his likeness, tell God their story isn't good enough and try to rewrite it themselves, resulting in sin and death and hundreds of years of wanderings and loneliness and questioning God's goodness; in which God himself enters into this Story and kills death through his own death and through his resurrection to life he authors the way for eternal life for all who would trust in God to forgive their wrongdoings; in which he then writes their names into his Book of Life (best. ending. ever.).

I sometimes wonder why God didn't write my story differently, or why he didn't give me a different character. I enviously look at my neighbor and try to tell God that my story is not good enough, that I deserve better.

Better? Do they have it better than I? Are they perfect while I am not? Do I lack any good thing?

No, not while I have Christ. 

And here I am, in this process, and so you are too. But what shall we become?

We are God's process, God's masterpiece.  We shall be perfect (Mat. 5:48). And since I have Jesus, I already am.

I am unafraid because that is who God says I am. Yes, I fear. Yes, I am anxious. I can create scenarios  in my head that result in death and loss because my heart clings to things that can be lost instead of treasuring Christ (who can never be lost).

I am unafraid because anything I could imagine to be fearful has already been defeated at the cross. If Christ is my everything, I have nothing to loose.

But I am not there yet. I chose a name for myself that I will grow into. 

And, who could help but play with the spelling when my favorite hobby is sewing?

My life is frayed, tangled, imperfect. But I am not. God entered into my little story and wrote my name into his Big Book and told me that because of Christ I am perfect. I am so thankful that God is writing my story, and that the end is good.

I am unafrayed!

Herringbone Quilt

I made this quilt for my sister who is currently residing in the Pacific Northwest. I was inspired by the location to create this herringbone pattern with blues, grey, black, and white. It measures about 48" x 60", which is the perfect size for a lap quilt.

The PNW is so gorgeous and gave me the perfect background for my photo shoot! 

I followed the tutorial from the Missouri Star Quilt Company (thanks, Jenny!). You can find the tutorial HERE. 

My baby and I had such a wonderful time visiting her and I was so happy to be able to give this quilt to her in person. We can't wait to go back!

I just love seeing all the different herringbone quilts out there! 

Thanks for the love!

Pumpkin + Apple Muffins Recipe

I can't talk about pumpkin recipes without talking about the weather. 

I just can't!

It's October - the first full month of Autumn - but we live in Southern California, which means today's forecast is 100. Did I mention it's October? Ok, weather talk over.

So why did I make pumpkin muffins this week? I'll admit to being one of the enablers of the pumpkin craze this season, although I've toned it down quite a bit since I first started baking. But pumpkin is still as wonderful as it always has been, and muffins are always a win in my home (especially with coffee). 

Side note: My toddler son is allergic to nuts, so baking from scratch is the best way for me to ensure a product is safe for him to eat! This recipe has NO NUTS and NO DAIRY (sorry, butter lovers - but you can always add a huge dollop of butter on a piping hot muffin and be happy).

First file all your pretty ingredients in a line for picture day. 

I never do this, except when I'm blogging. But can I say that it was so helpful to have all the ingredients already out? 

Using a handheld or stand mixer, first mix together your wet ingredients + sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Place the dry ingredients in a separate, but also large bowl.

Time + soap saver tip: Just use your teaspoon to mix the dry ingredients together real quick so you don't end up with a lump of salt in one of your muffins.

Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients while mixing.

Fill greased muffin tin about 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes.

Yum yum yum.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil (I used coconut)

1 cup applesauce

1/2 cup sugar (or 3/4 to make it a little sweeter)

3 cups all-purpose flour (can be mixed with whole wheat)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease your muffin tins or place paper muffin cups in.

2. Place canned pumpkin, eggs, oil, applesauce, + sugar in a large mixing bowl and mix until smooth.

3. Place all dry ingredients in a separate mixing bowl and stir to even out the mixture.

4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients while mixing on low-medium speed until it is all incorporated.

*Optional* You can add 1-2 cups of chocolate chips at this point if you wish!

5. Use a spoon to fill muffin cups 3/4 full.

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 14-16 minutes. Try not to overcook for best tasting results!

Makes about 20-22 muffins.

Enjoy!

Inspiration + Bandana Beginnings

When I was pregnant with our little guy, I received a hand-made baby blanket from a dear friend. It was her first sewing project! I was incredibly impressed and touched by this special gift.

Since then, I could not stop thinking about how precious it was to receive that hand-made gift. It was so special to know all the time and love that went into creating this unique gift. Even as a child, I have always loved making my own cards for special occasions because the time and creativity seems more special. Gifts are my favorite thing (giving as well as getting of course), so I began to wonder if I could learn to sew as well.

Then I had the baby. The baby was amazing. 

In case you didn't know, babies take up 100% of your time and energy. I was tired. I was busy. We decided I would stay at home with the baby rather than pursuing a career in education (yay!).

Then the baby got older. The baby took longer naps.  The baby slept at night. I was still busy, but I wanted needed a creative and fun outlet to get me through the long days of homemaking and child rearing. I had a sewing machine, but no idea how to use it. Once I had my first ever sewing lesson on my machine I couldn't stop!

Sewing is so much fun!

Many months and YouTube videos later, I found myself wanting to make a baby bandana bib for my especially drooly almost-one-year-old. I had seen a few pictures of them and fell in love right away.

If the baby has to wear a bib, it might as well be a super cute one, right? I mean, I can't stop taking pictures of this cute babe so I know his bibs are going to be in the picture as well. I found a free pattern and tutorial from white and bright's blog (you can find her awesome tutorial here), tweaked the pattern to my own liking, and I now have a size and pattern of my own that I love!

I'd love to hear from you! Who inspired you to sew? Leave a comment!