Drawstring Gift Pouch (Project 2)

Project 2 is a drawstring pouch. I've made drawstring pouches before, but this method is new to me. I used the pouch to wrap a present (Marie Callender's Cornbread Mix) I was giving to my friend Cynthia.

Cloth Napkins (Project 1)

For the longest time, I've been wanting to fine tune my sewing machine skills, and by 'fine tune' I mean learn. A couple months ago, I came across a posting for an online do-at-your-own-pace sewing class at Freckled Nest! The class ended a few weeks ago, and I had yet to start on a single project. Eventually, I forced myself to sit down schedule all 26 projects into my calendar.

Here is Project 1 - two different ways to make cloth napkins. The first way is a single layer napkin. The second way is a double layer napkin with decorative ric-rac along the edges. These new napkins have become hand towels in my apartment kitchen.

Ribbon-Tied Baby Shower Card

This past weekend, Jess commented that the trend seems to be: 1) she has a baby shower to attend and doesn't think about the present/card until hours before the event, 2) we scramble around gathering materials together, and 3) I end up taking over everything cause I'm a control freak (kidding, but not really).

So, there was nothing different about this baby shower. Jess' presents were ordered online and being delivered directly to the mother-to-be's house. She did not want to show up empty handed and thought to bring a card as a placeholder for the presents. Scrambling ensued, and what resulted was a pretty cute handmade card.

Room Reorganization

There is no need to deny it - I love organizing things. This love combined with my semi-OCD tendencies can make for a deadly combination, which is exactly what happened recently when I realized I had run out of room for my craft supplies and materials. I have also been wanting to 'upgrade' some of the furniture in my room. Once I get thoughts like that in my mind, I will fixate until I find a solution and execute it.

After...
countless hours of online research...
two trips to Ikea...
one yummy cinnamon roll...
several phone calls to locate a screwdriver...
one trip to Michaels...
two near-sleepless nights of reorganizing...

My room is finally done! I found a kitchen cart that provided both ample storage and crafting surface space. I also purchased a simple unfinished wood shelf for my personal items. Yay for finding pieces that look nice and are still practical/functional =)

K&M Wedding Dessert Table

And.... wedding dessert table extravaganza once again! Kathy was catering desserts for Kim, a friend of ours from college. I got to flex my styling muscles. My roommate, Jess, played the role of the "crazy assistant sidekick" for the day.

I am always amused by what we have to endure while setting up because the couple and the guests have absolutely no idea how hectic things can get (I feel like I say this all the time too). This time around, we had problems with the backdrop (hand painted by the bride!) falling halfway through setup, lack of prep space from the caterers taking over the entire kitchen, hot weather slowly melting the desserts, and stylist's block hitting me when I most needed inspiration.

Regardless of anything that happened during prep and setup, everything came together when it needed to. The resulting dessert table complimented the feel and look of the wedding, which by the way was designed and created (a lot of lovely and creative handmade accents) by Kim. As usual, Kathy's desserts looked fantastic!! Can we say "yum"?

All photos courtesy of Orange Turtle Photography