project happy

I have been really into doing a lot of projects lately. I am not the creative person who thinks up these things. I usually get the idea from someone and then run with it...be it either following their step by step tutorial or getting the general idea and doing it on my own. I like to do these things, I just need to find the inspiration. Lately I have had a lot of inspiration!

A teacher at the school has let me borrow her sewing machine for awhile. I am now in love with sewing. And by "sewing," I mean uncomplicated things that require just a straight stitch with no pattern to follow. Just fabric and thread. Maybe one day when we move back I will figure out how to do more. My mom sewed us all sorts of clothes when we were little (my favorite was and still is our yellow and white Easter dresses when I was five years old I think), and she always made us our first day of school outfit.

I don't have a good grasp on using a sewing machine, and this sewing machine that I am borrowing is really old and has no book to help me learn. This is by no means a complaint! I am super thrilled and excited! I am just figuring it out as I go, and it has taken me longer than I thought. I finally figured out a bunch of things when Kevin was gone at the staff retreat the last two days, and I stayed up until almost 2:00 a.m. last night because I was so excited! I am paying for it today. :)

The most difficult thing for me has been finding fabric...and then I found this hobby store at the Allee mall in Budapest that has a big fabric section. Of course all of the fabrics I like are super expensive, so I can't afford them. They do have a lot of fabric remnants, though, at a very cheap (for here!) price. But the teacher who gave me the sewing machine told me about a little (and I mean TINY) store in the next town over that sells fabric. It is such a cute little store with floor to ceiling fabric. There are some darling fabric choices, but since I didn't go in with much of a game plan of what I was looking for, I will have to go back and check it out again.

I got some remnants and repainted and recovered the stool that was in our living room, the one that I got for a couple bucks at the antique market and redid for a few dollars more. I decided to repaint and put it in Kate's room.


Anyway, my projects have included sewing things and all sorts of other projects for the home, for Kate (way more adorable things to make for girls than for boys, or so it seems!), and a few I would like to attempt as gifts.

I made a book page canvas for Audrey before the start of school. I got the tutorial from jones design company. Have you visited her site before? If not, you must! I am in love with everything, even the wallpaper on her blog background!!! I have gotten a lot of great tutorials and just plain fantastic ideas from her site. Amazing. Go check it out. Ah, love.


I have also been into decoupaging! I made a great canvas for our room and am excited to make some more. My head is just exploding with ideas for decorating. Ah, I love decorating. And I love that it doesn't have to cost much. The canvas I bought was a couple bucks, and the napkin I decoupaged was a few cents.

On to more projects... :)