Gettin' Crafty! Tutorial Week, Day 1

In the midst of the packing and the editing and the mothering and the "wife-ing" and all the other "ings" I must do to make my life flow smoothly, I find that somewhere in there, I need something for ME. I think we all do.

I'm blessed to have such a sweet husband who understands this, and who perceives this need within his wife, helping me to get moments to myself. Given these pockets of time, I have two pet ways to spend it. The first, more indulgent way, is to go away from home, get a luxury hot chocolate at Starbucks (Pumpkin spice in the fall, Gingerbread or peppermint in the winter), and either go window shopping at pretty stores (Anthropologie, Pottery Barn Kids, Urban Outfitters, City Sprouts, etc. etc.) or catch a movie by myself, tucked in the dark with some chocolate and a soda. I live for these outings. They take me back to the "free self" of years gone by.

But though I love these adventures, more commonly (and less expensively) I have been taking moments for myself in front of my sewing machine. This dear machine, a wedding gift from my parents, has become, more and more, my sanity. The place I can be creative without the added burden of BUSINESS attached to it. The tool I can use to create things that are lovely AND useful, handmade and real and all my own. Made in the USA. And as my skills have grown, my satisfaction at my completed projects gets deeper and more profound. I truly LOVE this release-- the "escape" of making things with my hands.

And so, though I have been entirely too busy to talk much about it, or show my handiwork here, I have been sewing as much as I can find time for-- my sponge-mind always soaking up way too many "future ideas", a basket of started projects waiting for the spare moments I can sit and move them along a bit. I love it. I love the conception period of a project, love the gathering period, love the preparation period, love the making period, and adore the "sitting back and seeing it done" period. Love.

Now it is the holiday season, and some of these projects have started to fit into gift plans. And I think perhaps it might be a good time to share some of my little obsessions and completions with you, in case someone needs a last-minute gift idea-- something to try for your own purposes. And at the very least, even if there's no time or money left for you to make Christmas gifts, you can bookmark these next few blogs posts of mine for future "winter blahs" projects.

So. Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, I am going to post a tutorial a day... Show you what I've been making, show where I got the inspirations (and sometimes even actual patterns), and show you some of the steps visually, to walk you through it. I have several cool things to share.

In fact, one of my very favorite projects ever will be revealed at the end of the week, and you won't want to miss it. It is RIDICULOUSLY cool/cute... A piggybacked idea I got last year, and thought about for months before attempting my own design. something so cute, I think it deserves to be given away in a blog contest.

Oh yes, my friends! Tutorial Week needs to also be Contest Week--- just in time for Christmas!

So here's what you'll need to do to be entered to win this as-of-yet-unrevealed prize: come visit me all week. Leave me a comment on EACH post (can't skip one!). You will be entered into a drawing if you do this. And if you want an extra entry in the drawing, blog about Tutorial Week and tell me you did, and you'll get another entry.

And if you need to know more about what you are entering to win, a few clues: It is based off of something darling I saw at Anthropologie last year. It is perfect for ages 3-12 (or, as my 32-year old friend said when she saw it, "I would want this!" So it is charming for us 32-year olds, too. But in a "kid" sort of way). It involves sewing, of course. It would be a wonderful gift for your child. And I am in LOVE with it.

So, to recap:

Tutorial Week is beginning!
One tutorial every day, from Tuesday to Friday.
Grand Prize is revealed Saturday.
Contest winner is drawn Sunday.

Leave your first comment tonight, and we'll see you tomorrow! First up, The "Celebrate" banner you see in the storyboard above. :)

I hope at least a few of you are as excited about crafty tutorials and ideas as I am... It truly is my sanity and release these days. I can't wait to show you more.... to share this piece of me.

Until tomorrow, good night...

*