Adventures in Buttonholes and Ric Rack

I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to make this o-so-cute jumper for a certain cousin of mine. And while it's not without its share of novice mistakes, I'm pretty pleased with my first adventure in adorable jumper sewing :)
For this project, I mustered up the courage and learned how to make a buttonhole- as opposed to taking the easier velcro route. I was so excited to learn that my machine has it's own buttonhole function; it made the job so much less intimidating. I'm so glad I took the tortoises way on this one, and I'm happy to report that while it's certainly a learning experience, sewing a buttonhole was not all that scary!

In addition to my first buttons/buttonholes, I also pulled out the Ric Rack on this one. "Ric what?" It's that pink, zig zagy trim at the bottom of the dress, and one of my new favorite accessories. I just love my new hobby...who would've thought fabric could be so fun!

A Thanksgiving Medley

Chris and I had a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving weekend with family. A few of my highlights, aside from a delicious Thanksgiving feast in Goldsberry, would be:

*My first experience in pie making-pumpkin and chocolate pudding to be exact. I actually made two pumpkin pies, considering that Piper got his sneaky paws on the first and devoured almost half of it before he was caught. Lesson learned-don't put out pies to cool on the edge of the counter! Needless to say, I got some extra practice in, and the second was better than the first if I do say so myself:) See Exhibit A: RIP Pie #1.

*Decorating the Abrahamson family Christmas tree. I'm was so glad to take part in this special family tradition even though I'm married and "grown up" now...it's such a blessing to be close to family, and I'm so glad we can advantage of it during the holidays :)

*Going to dinner at one of Chris' favorite restaurants, Texas Roadhouse, with mom and grandpa. Grandpa lives in FL, so it was a treat to see him over Thanksgiving.
*Shopping! While black Friday didn't turn out to be a sweep for us, I was able to get some great deals on a few Christmas presents. On Saturday, my mom and I spent the day shopping in Durham with my beautiful cousins Gara and Vive :) A leisurely lunch at an all time favorite PK Changs definitely iced our day.

Another milestone of the long weekend was having my mom spend the night at our house-a first in our married/grown up/homeowner life. It was alot of fun and I can't wait for our next get together. All in all, a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend-topped off with another great Sunday in church, playing with the kiddos and getting to know a friend better in the nursery:-)

Thankful...

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Adventures in Tote Making

Alas my latest sewing endeavour-the simple tote. As I am still climbing the learning curve of sewing, this very easy project was met with much trial and error. Thankfully, with a little perseverance and some serious pep talking, I finished my project with success. Whew! And to think, I was starting to worry... The second time around was much much easier than the first, and I have to say the third time was a charm. This isn't the greatest picture in that you can't see the little details-i.e the folded over/top stitched top and my mad ribbon skills- but that may be a good thing, lol. It's true, practice does make better :) I'm so excited to start putting my budding sewing skills to good use for gift giving, these totes are just the perfect Christmas/Birthday present(or at least a fun and stylish wrapping for them)!

And of course, Piper(camera hog extraordinaire) had to get in on the picture! What a cutie :)