Current countdown:

Packed: 4

In the midst of cleaning out one of my closets I found something that I didn't know I still had: my paper doll collection. I've gotten rid of all of my other toys and random things from when I was a kid, but for some reason, these are still hanging out in my closet.

I don't think these are all mine. The princesses definitely are, but I'm pretty sure that some of these styles were from before my era.

Like these...is this the 80's?

Then I found another set that dates back even earlier. Back when Barbie was still friends with Midge and Skipper.

These bring me back to the days when my mom would let us play with some of the toys she had saved. Such as these play-acting paper dolls.

Well I think that's all the packing I'm going to do today. Although I should probably try to pack as much as I can while it's still fun.

shoes

I've been working a lot more the last couple of weeks so I haven't had a chance to share my latest crochet projects.

This one was inspired by a baby shower that I went to a while ago. There were so much adorable baby stuff that I had to try some of my own. Thankfully there is an abundance of babies in my life these days so I know nothing will go to waste. Just to clarify, none of these babies are mine.

So this is attempt #1. A cute slip-on (there are laces attached underneath the front part for a little extra stability). This idea came from a pattern for baby boy sailor shoes that I modified.

I made this with my friend's little baby Elyse (who should be joining us any day now) in mind.

Once I got the hang of making the sole, I got a little carried away in the creativity department. This is an attempt at some cute sandals. I saw some similar ones on a crochet blog, but there was no pattern. To be honest I got kind of bored about half way through, and so it turned out a little sloppy in the end. Also, without a baby foot to size, it was hard to gage how long the straps would need to be.

Notice that there is only one of each. I like to think of myself as a finisher of projects, which most of the time I am. However, after I finish a project I usually like to move on to something new. This becomes a problem with shoes. I finished one of each shoe. I currently have not completed either pair. I also have moved on to other projects.

There is a bug living un-er my keyboar-. Currently he's hi-ing un-er the letter -. I'm afrai- if I push that key he will get squishe- an- never come out. I'm not sure if I can be okay with that. I even trie- vacuuming him out, but I can't tell if it helpe-.

It's going to be a rough morning...

My latest project:

I pulled out some rags that were once t-shirts and pillowcases and converted them into twisty flowers. It would have been a whole lot easier if I had a hot glue gun, but unfortunately, I left my miniature princess hot glue gun at my mom's house when I moved about 6 years ago. Instead, I used a thread and needle to stitch these together. Still turned out pretty good I think.

This one I put on a stretchy headband.

The bead is from a pair of earrings I took from my sister's garage sale. By "took" I mean grabbed before she could even put them outside on the tables. It's called revenge from the days that she passed down her lace-collared floral dresses that were 8 years past their prime.

And these ones are just on bobby pins.

By the way, I actually had a place to go wearing this black dress (which has been hanging in my closet for months).

I think I might have to put hot glue gun on my Christmas list, right after sewing machine, job for Ryan and new house.

Happy October!

October is one of my favorite months for several reasons. The most important: Pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bars, pumpkin milkshake, and the newest addition: pumpkin cornbread.

Add a little butter and syrup...and may I say, it is fantastic. Cornbread happens to be another of my favorite foods, so this recipe is a perfect marriage. It's a little heavier than regular cornbread, and definitely more filling. Perfect for our cool, cloudy, October Sunday.

Here is the recipe for pumpkin cornbread. Try it.