Happy Fall! My Hopes for the Season

Enjoying breakfast on the porch this morning.

It's the day after Halloween! Time to get started planning and making holiday goodness. This is the first holiday season as a family for my Fisherman and I, plus the wee one on the way. Being on bedrest, moderate or not, it's a humbling chance to slow down. Soak up the season. Enjoy tiny moments. My hopes for celebrating the season:

• not spend any money on decorations, including a Christmas tree. use what we have, make the rest, use nature to bring the season inside. 
• purge even more of my own holiday decoration collection 
• make a short list of simple gifts to make and share and stick to it. 
• spend time on handmade cards. mail early.
• above all else: keep it simple and roll with it.

Bam. That's really just about it. How do you hope to celebrate this season?

xo,

Amy

Easy Gnome Costume with a Vampire Bonus

This isn't really a tutorial. It's an idea you can easily re-create.
A few years ago, I was a gnome. One of my guys was a vampire. Easiest. Costume. Ever.
For the mere hefty price of some super realistic glue in fangs and a black jacket, you have one instant costume. I know. It's been done. Because it's pretty darn good and easy.

A friend was going to be a gnome and had some great ideas on the basics. We split up the sewing, each making two of the same piece. Easy peasy! Share the work or spend a couple of hours whipping up the basics.

The Basics:

• red felt cone hat (tutorial here, and here, ) 
• beard (tutorials here, and here )
• peasant blouse
• wide leather belt or sash cut from brown fabric and tied
• rain boots, faux boots, brown shoes or just forget the bottom half 'cause people will see the hat and the beard and smile and that is enough for me. 

Bam. You are a gnome!

Enjoy!

xo,

Amy