What I've Been Up to Lately

Summer is winding down for those of us who are teachers in southern Mississippi. I've been cleaning and purging my house like a mad woman because I know once I set foot on campus I'll be lucky if I ever come back. Okay, just a little teacher humor. Other teachers understand how busy the first couple of weeks back at school are...organizing your room, lesson planning, and tons and tons and tons of workshops and meetings.

So, without further adieu, here is what I've been doing lately...

 

I made a homemade vapor rub (it's cooling in the picture above) from this recipe here. It smells so amazing! The blog author recommends making it half strength if you plan on using it with little ones.

Jason brought home a bunch of tomatoes from a coworker, so I peeled them, chopped them, and made salsa. (This is my favorite recipe!)

 

My mother-in-law got me this gorgeous vase, but I wasn't sure what I would put in it. Then, my sister and I were walking around Hobby Lobby and she decided she needed some flowers for an arrangement. The flowers happened to be 50% off, so I immediately grabbed different white flowers and some greenery. I'm definitely not a florist, but I think the arrangement turned out cute!

(Oh, and how awesome is Rhonna Farrer's new app? I absolutely love it!)

 

Nikki and I also came up with a great idea for a table runner. I wanted something with burlap because I love to mix rustic and pretty. She suggested adding a lace trim (as seen here). It was the perfect suggestion! The runner looks great and is a perfect mix of styles. I will warn you that burlap is a little messy when you cut it. But, overall, this was very easy to make. I found a roll of burlap in the correct width while at Hobby Lobby and used my 40% coupon. The lace trim also came from Hobby Lobby. 

I trimmed the burlap a little longer than I wanted. Then, I hemmed the burlap to keep it from fraying. After I hemmed it, I attached the lace. I covered up my stitching with the lace, but left enough of the trim hanging off. I also folded the lace over the edge and onto the back of the runner (just a tiny bit), so the trim wouldn't fray.

I'm going to help a friend make one, so leave a comment if you want an actual tutorial.

 

We watched a marathon of Mulan and Pocahontas (yes, both the first and second of each). If you want a good laugh, watch Pocahontas II because Billy Zane sings. It's not the song during the movie that cracked me up; it's the special song as the credits roll. Anyway, while we were doing that, I made some earrings (from this tutorial here) and a bracelet (from this tutorial; swarvoski sew-on crystals from this store). I did end up added two more beads to each of the silver earrings because it didn't seem complete. 

And, the biggest project of the entire summer has been the hobby room. I used to have an entire room devoted to crafting. However, when little man came along, the craft room merged with the guest room. Now, before you get too excited, we ARE NOT expecting. However, I know eventually we would love to have another child. So, I decided to once and for all set up the hobby room in a permanent place. (I was tired of moving my stuff!) A tree fell on our house two owners prior to us, so the owners took that as an opportunity to redo a few things. They added a master bathroom and made a small room at the front of the master bedroom. It's the perfect size for a home office, reading nook, or craft nook.

The hobby room is no where near ready for a full reveal, but a few stations are set up so I can go ahead and use them.

And, that about sums up the last few weeks for me.