Terrarium Update

Last fall I posted about the terrarium I put together from an unused apothecary jar, and I wanted to update you on how our little mossy friend was doing.

As you can see from the pictures, the moss has been quite happy, and has been sprouting like crazy.

I still have the blank spot to fill in some time down the road. Maybe I'll find a little fern to put inside to keep my moss, stones, and gnome company.

I haven't put any water inside since I assembled the terrarium back in September since it hasn't been needed. This efficient little ecosystem has done a great job of recycling the moisture that is already inside the jar. As for the lighting, our living room isn't a particularly well-lit place. It doesn't seem to have affected the growth of our moss, however. Originally I placed the jar on the mantle, but it's since been moved to one of the end tables on the side of the room. The window faces the house next door, so we keep the shade closed. A small amount of light filters through the slats and from behind the curtains.

I think the ultimate test will be when we move to a new home this spring. I plan to leave the terrarium intact as we transport our things. I'll be sure to give another update once we get settled in.

Speaking of getting settled in, I have an update on our house hunting! And what an experience it has been! It was great to finally meet the realtor we had been working with over the phone, and he is fantastic! He really understands what we are looking for, and gives us all the information needed to make an informed buying decision. He hasn't tried to sway us in one direction or the other which is very important, and he is incredibly knowledgeable. I've learned so much in talking with him as we've gone through numerous houses. We spent three full days driving from house to house. There seemed to be more misses than hits, but we definitely came away from our trip with a house that we really like. Hopefully we'll be making an offer on a property very soon. Wish us luck! :)

Vintage Patterns

How many of you out there sew and like to collect vintage patterns? It's a relatively new thing I have been doing lately, and my last visit to the goodwill turned out to be extremely lucrative. I found a handful of vintage children's patterns for only $.25!

Now, I have a little bit of a fear when it comes to collecting things-- mostly because I don't want to become a hoarder! I like my things to have purpose rather than just collecting stuff for the sake of it. I'd definitely like to put these guys to good use, but not much is in Claire's size. For only twenty-five cents, I couldn't pass up such a great deal.  There is only one pattern that is large enough for her in a size 5. Perhaps I'll be able to trade them for something that will better fit her unless I can become proficient in altering a pattern for a larger size. Considering that I am an amateur when it comes to sewing, let alone pattern piecing, I doubt it will happen any time soon! Anyone have experience with this?

In the meantime, here are a few of the patterns I've picked up:

Aren't they darling? If all else fails, perhaps the smallest pattern (which happens to be a 1/2) will fit some stuffed animals. :)

Dressed to the Nines

Earlier in the week I posted about some rainy day projects I had in store now that the munchkin has started school. I said I would come back and update on their progress, and I am happy to say that I finished each and every one! I'm proud of myself not only for sticking to it, but also for completing some things I have never done before (like make a dress). I also took a ton of pictures (warning: photo overload) of my handiwork.

I made this cute 2-tier skirt for Claire to wear on her first day of school. You can find the tutorial for it here. I strayed a little from the tutorial when it came to making the waistband. Instead of sewing on a new band, I just made my skirt lengths longer, and inserted the elastic into a partially sewn top hem. It sounds complicated, but was actually much easier that way. There are lots of tutorials on pinterest for easy elastic waistband that employ the same method.

She was cute as a button in it. Thankfully, daddy was able to come home from work to take her to school on her very first day. It was a struggle for me not to tear up that day, but I am overjoyed at how much she really loves it. I adore the owl fabric. It's colorful without being in your face. I love that I can pair this skirt with many different tops to match!

I also finished the potholder set that I was making for my sister as a gift. It's her birthday next week, so I thought she could use something special for her apartment kitchen. We also plan to take her out for dinner and drinks while we visit this weekend. I decided not to take pictures of this one since it's, well, potholders. But if you're curious, you're welcome to see the original post from earlier this week here. It has a photo of one complete potholder.

The final project I finished was making a dress for my Claire-bear. I found the cutest fabric at Joann's the other week, and knew it would make the prettiest dress. I didn't have any patterns on hand to use (I've never used a pattern for making clothes before), so I gladly snagged one for 60% off while I was picking up some extra fabric to finish the potholders.

Let me just say that I absolutely LOVE how this dress turned out! It was also extremely easy to make! I started it at 6 am this morning (nothing motivates better than leaving it to the last minute, right?), and completed it in time to head off to school at 11:30. Not bad for someone who's never used a pattern to make a dress or even made a dress before!

There were a few challenges in making this dress. I'd never used the button hole stitch on my machine before. That's okay, though, because apparently it doesn't work anyway. I managed to get a small zigzag stitch to work, though, and made small, skinny rectangles to cut the button hole from. I went over it several times to ensure that it was nice and secure. Worked like a charm! I also had to figure out how to line the inside of the dress. The directions weren't very clear on how this was to be done, but I managed to figure it out. I decided to leave the dress plain rather than sewing in an apron like the picture and instructions have outlined. The dress still looks very cute without it. I am glad it is so versatile, and I can't wait to make different versions of this same dress.

And of course, here is my adorable little model. :)

If you've got a little one and like to sew, I highly suggest this pattern! It's easy for beginners, and you can embellish it nine ways from Sunday!

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Happy Love Day!

Happy Valentines Day,  from our family to yours! 

No Business like Snow Business...

So... Winter storm Nemo came through, and our weekend felt a little like this...

Which means we spent a lot of the time bundled up on the couch watching movies to recuperate. Anyone else here from the North East get hammered with snow? 

This weekend we are planning to do a little house hunting with our realtor. I am excited to see some of the places I have been virtually stalking looking at online in person. In the meantime I have a lot more packing to do. 

I've also been trying to knock out some projects in my sewing nook-- like a skirt for my daughter, Claire. Isn't that owl fabric so stinkin' cute? It will be a two-tier skirt with a gathered elastic waistband and a vertical ribbon cinch in the front. 

I also have a set of potholders to finish by this weekend (a gift for my sister). I was a smidge short on fabric so I had to make a visit to our local Joann's Fabric store in hopes that they would still carry it. Thankfully they did. 

Of course, it's impossible for me to walk into that place and not look at anything else. I found some more adorable fabric with little foxes on it that happened to be on sale. Patterns were 60% off too so, of course, I had to find a cute dress to make out of this fabric. It's a sickness. Could you blame me, though? I think I am going to make the little red one first, and Claire is going to look so adorable in it. At least I managed to walk out of there with only ONE extra project rather than a dozen or so. That's progress, people!

This week, while Claire starts Pre-K in the afternoons, I will have a couple hours to get some sewing done. Perhaps she will have a new dress to wear to Grammy's house. I can't wait to share the finished project with you! :)

The hunt begins

We've been on the hunt for a new home ever since we gave our notice last month. Now that February is here, we are just a few, short months away from needing to be out of our current home here in the "North Country" of upstate New York. I like this area. I'm an East Coast girl, and to be honest, the lake effect weather here really doesn't affect me much. I never envisioned that this would be a forever home for us, though. I grew up in the orchard country of south-central Pennsylvania, and we have lots of friends and family there. It's funny because I spent a lot of my young adult years trying to get away from the place, and now I want us to raise our own family there. I realize now why my parents were so attracted to moving there-- it's a perfect place for a kid to grow up. There is so much to do, too. And while I took a lot of that for granted as a young adult (because, lets face it--NYC is just too exciting to pass up at that age), I definitely want my little one to get a taste of the history and agriculture that rural America has to offer while she is still young.

To be honest, buying a home is a lot harder than I thought it would be. It's certainly not as easy as going to the store, picking something out, and dragging it home with you. I think that our being in a different state has also added a little pressure to our search. The first step we took was to ensure that we had already been pre-approved by a lender. Since my husband is actively serving in the military, we decided to take advantage of his benefits by applying for a VA Loan. From what I have been told, they are one of the best loans on the market today if you qualify for one. The amount of paperwork associated with getting a home loan is surreal, though, and we haven't even made an offer on a home yet!

Next, we sought the help of a realtor in the area where we intend to move. Sometimes you land a great one on the first try, and sometimes things don't exactly work out. I'll admit that I am a demanding person. I have pretty high expectations. Not just for myself, but sometimes for other people, too. I can be difficult to deal with (just as my husband), especially when stress is involved. And let me tell you, with a move-out deadline breathing down my neck, I am feeling pretty stressed. But who wouldn't be, right? We had to try a few times, but so far I think we've got a keeper, thanks to a suggestion from our lender.

Our realtor has been sending us some listings that match what we are looking for in our new home. We also have been browsing online sites like Trulia.com and Realtor.com to see what is available in our area within our price range. I really like the Trulia app that I downloaded for our Ipad. If you're in the market for a home, check it out. I love how it has a city map layout of what is for sale within the parameters you set. I've been told by our realtor, however, that sites like these may not always be updated or accurate with their listings. Sometimes they do not distinguish whether or not a home is under foreclosure or if it is still even available. As it turns out, a lot of places we had seen online weren't available. Womp, womp.

Our next plan, now that we have narrowed down some listings that appeal to us, is to take a trip down to Pa and check things out in person. I'll be honest. Looking at pictures in these listings drives me INSANE! I have a hard time getting through some of them as they really do not showcase the homes they are trying to sell. Who really submits blurry or misaligned pictures and thinks it will give a potential buyer a good impression? I am far from a superb photographer, but gracious! At least try to take a more flattering picture!

So that is where we are at this point. I am still packing little by little. I am really looking forward to our trip to Pa. We've planned to go down in a couple of weeks. Hopefully we will find THE ONE! I know at this point we have our heart set on a particular place (and even a contingency home as a runner up should the first one be a bust). It's so hard for me not to get my hopes up, though. I have a serious problem with becoming quickly attached to things. It's a sickness. I've already had dreams about this home that we want. Does that make me weird? I'm trying not to "jinx" it, so mum has been the word. Let's hope that everything works to our favor, though! It might save me from acquiring a few early grays. :)

Anyone else care to share their experiences on purchasing their first home? Was it a stressful experience for you, and were you just as annoyed at the bad pictures provided on the listings? It's becoming a peeve of mine!

Pack it up, Pack it in...

Let me begin...

I have slowly begun the packing process here at the casa. I have never been so happy to have saved my moving boxes and packing paper before! Sometimes I wonder if it is fate that led me to hang onto that stuff. Usually I am the first person to chuck unwanted clutter to the curb. This is an unexpected, and handy blessing.

I've been using our front porch as a staging area for my packed boxes. This definitely helps keep things out of the way inside the house. I have a few more boxes packed inside, but I am electing to keep them there since they contain extra fragile items like my daughters Disney snow globe collection. The front porch isn't insulated at all (heck, the windows are barely hanging on-- esp on the right side), and I wouldn't want the globes to freeze and break. I've also made sure to stack the boxes at a distance from the windows. When it rains or snows, moisture easily makes its way into the room since the windows do not close properly.

If I keep packing at this pace, we will be more than ready to move by the end of April! Now we just need to find a new place to call home. We've already been pre-approved for our mortgage loan. Now we just need to find the right place! It's been kind of fun scouting out all of the possibilities online. Hopefully we will be able to take a trip to Pennsylvania next month (where we are moving to) so we can spend an afternoon touring properties with our realtor. I'm so excited!

In other news, our taxes are filed. I jumped at the chance to get it done early since it will be one less thing to worry about when time draws closer to our move date. We're also counting on some of those extra monies to help us move since teleportation isn't an option yet.

I also received a phone call from our local school district. Back in August I had tried to sign the cupcake up for pre-K, but to my dismay their program was already full and she was placed onto a waiting list. Wouldn't you believe that now we've planned to leave the area, space would open up for her to go to school. I am sending her anyway-- even if it is for only a few months. Pre-K here is only three days a week for a few hours either in the morning or afternoon. The opening they have is in the afternoon, and it will give her some time out of the house to socialize while giving me a few hours to get things done around here. I may even be able to get some extra napping packing taken care of while she's gone. :)

So, that's what I've been up to lately. I've got a few more projects to finish up in my sewing room, and should have a project to share with you all by this Monday. We'll see if I can get properly motivated to finish it! Anyone else enjoy the packing part of moving like I do? It's SO much easier than unpacking, for sure! I feel the same way about suitcases when preparing for a trip. This will hopefully be the last time we will have to move for a LONG time!