Halloween 2015: Guardi-ukes of the Galaxy

More of our Halloween nonsense:

2009: Sushi Fam

2010 : Volley Fam

2011: Curious George fam

2012: Wall-E Ween

2013: Dora Fam

2014: The Walking Dukes

a few pre-kids group hits ("Clue" and britney/k-fed)

Another October, another insane, homemade family costume for us.

I saw Guardians of the Galaxy months after it came out. I am not a huge fan of the recent Marvel movies (they take themselves too seriously), so despite my love (LOVE-AH) for Chris Pratt in Parks and Rec, I wasn't too interested when this came out.

But I kept hearing great things about it as more of a comedy/rock opera than your typical superhero fare. That, plus a few articles on Chris' new abs sold me. 

I paid $6 to watch it on the plane out to Utah when Noa and I went in December during maternity leave. I paid $6 again to watch it on the return flight too. And then I paid to rent it from RedBox and make my family watch it when I got home. Then I paid to buy it AND its soundtrack. 

It's hilarious and the music rules. Watch it now.

It took maybe 45 minutes watching it before I realized that this could be our group costume--assuming Judah and Layla liked the movie, which they very much did (note: this is PG-13, but most of what makes it so goes over the head of a 4 & 6 year old. I think it might not be appropriate for a 8/9 year old who could catch more of the sexy innuendo jokes or cuss words, but mine are young enough to be clueless).

This year Jesse and I made the BRILLIANT decision to not stay dressed up ourselves when we left the house--drastically decreasing the discomfort and embarrassment factor. This was huge because we went real trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood this year instead of to a contained Fall Festival. I cannot have our neighbors having this as their first impression of us. 

Also, by the time I finish all the last minute DIY's, I am in full Stress-Dragon mode, and don't really want kids coming up to me talking to me like I am whatever character I'm dressed up as that year. GROOT WILL DESTROY YOU.

It was fabulous to be able to just wear jeans and have my penchant for dressing up as a tree in my backyard be my little secret.

Halloween 2k15. Boo-ya

Judah as Peter Quill/Starlord

My favorite part of Judah's was the addition of the orange headphones. Judah's favorite song of all time since watching this is "Come and Get Your Love," so he needed the headphones.

Flying, duh.

Not about it.

Inspiration

The coat (which appears as both a signature trench and a short version in the movie) is made from a ladies' velvet blazer from Goodwill with some leather scraps sewn on. Judah was not pleased at first when I pulled this out of the bag, but the sewing skills made it something he loved so much that he currently sleeps in bed with. Like a blankie. Spectacular weirdo.

The orb. You'll never possess it, Ronan! (Possessing Chris wouldnt be so bad...)

Layla as Gamora. 

Layla plays a raven-haired, sword wielding badass chick for the second year in a row! Green facepaint, a green rashguard from Goodwill turned her into the green-hued beauty you see before you. I cut down a cargo shirt to make the vest and added some duct tape gemstones. Also, toned down the cleave.

Layla was ALL ABOUT getting into character and recreating scenes.

She was even okay recreating the almost-smoochy scence that turns into a butt-kicking and one of the funniest lines of the movie: PELVIC SORCERY! (sorry that image is cruddy)

Noa Lou as Rocket Raccoon. 

Noa was the perfect size to play rocket! I found a used baby raccoon costume on eBay for way cheap over the summer and just added a yellow shirt and duct tape. Noa was pretty steady on the "bewildered" side of things in terms of her reaction to this family production. So she didn't really channel the character like I would have hoped. I'm disappointed by her acting skills.

Speaking of skills, check out Jesse as Drax the Destroyer!

Silver facepaint and swimcap, plus some tattoo stickers and a homemade shirt with implants...of muscles.

aaaaaand as per usual, I get whatever costume and character is left over. This time it was Groot. I AM GROOT.

Groot was surprisingly easy and cheap to make. Twisted craft paper and cardboard over earth tone clothes. I should have added more roots. I'm thinking the whole Mommy-as-Groot thing, is what interfered with Noa's concentration that day.

Yeah. She was...perplexed. If not downright terrified. Even though I was extra friendly version of Groot.

Sometimes terrified.

Weird how Jesse's natural abs are riding up.

 FIIIIIGHT (this one Judah was all about recreating)

 They are the winners of the family acting prizes.

smiling to ensure her safety with the camera person in exchange for escape from the flora that ate mommy.

The thrill of this conquest lasted maybe an hour. Around bedtime that night I was already, "oh my gosh Jesse, what are we going to do next year?!? We'll never think of anything!" And then I put those thoughts away until the very last minute next year.

This is now our most consistent, well-documented family tradition. I don't even know what to think about that.

More of our Halloween nonsense:

2009: Sushi Fam

2010 : Volley Fam

2011: Curious George fam

2012: Wall-E Ween

2013: Dora Fam

2014: The Walking Dukes

a few pre-kids group hits ("Clue" and britney/k-fed)

It's Not a Hobby; IT IS WAR

With 3 kids in the house who are basically just industrial strength needing machines, finding time to pass stool without another human touching me is challenging.  Carving out an hour to sew when I have all 3 kids at home with me is downright comedy. One of my Big Mommy Beach Bags should take about an hour to sew. But unless a minimum of 66% of my offspring are unconscious, it takes about 3 hours--and years off my life--to get it done.

It can get frustrating. And I tend to end up angry. Not so much angry at the kids, because for the most part the interruptions are simply kids being kids; needing attention, a diaper, help, a mammary, a cage match referee. Just angry because my desire to stay seated at my sewing machine and work for longer than 3 minutes at a time feels like it is constantly being thwarted. 

A crash from the kitchen: He scaled the pantry shelves and pulled an entire Fruity Pebbles box's worth of cereal on top of him and all over a basket of clean laundry. PAR-TAY!

They have neediness radars that are tuned to sense any productivity hormone my brain emits and to instantly react with full force to stop it in its tracks. I swear, they can and do entertain themselves happily for long periods, but for some reason when I have something I really enjoy doing, they can't survive 45 seconds without my requiring my undivided attention and my two able hands.

Jesse came up with a new definition for anger recently: he says anger is often just blocked goals. 

It seems to fit:

Cut me off in traffic? I'm angry because you blocked my goal of not having my life endangered and/or personal space stolen. 

Internet acting schizo at work? I'm angry because it's blocking my goal of disseminating my delectable spreadsheets throughout the company.

Somebody talking bad about me? I'm angry because it blocks my goal of having healthy relationships and not getting my feelings hurt.

It's a really useful exercise for me when I feel the anger monster just taking over. Instead of seeing anger as this 3rd party outside phenomenon that I have as little control over as I do the weather, I can break it down a little and better figure out what's going on: What goal do I have right now that feels like it's being blocked? Often times it give some self awareness that my goals might need adjusting (I just want to sleep until 10 am on a work day! I expect the three children to behave in the grocery store when they are hungry and have been trapped inside all day! Jesse obviously needs to read my mind!)

This new perspective also reminded me of the kids' eternal interruptions of any private creative time that I try to take lately. When it comes to blocking this particular goal, my youngins are basically at Dikembe Mutumbo levels against me. (Fun fact: I once found myself with Dikembe in the cough/cold aisle at a CVS in 2002).

I sit down and start threading my machine: in comes Layla reporting a milk spill:

I pull out all my fabrics and get ready to cut them to start on existing orders: Noa wakes herself up from what should have been a nice long nap with an explosive poop:

I take two squares of fabric, place them perfectly under my needle and lower my foot upon the pedal. Judah bursts in needing me to beat a level for him on Lego: Star Wars.

Next thing I know, 2 hours have passed and I have sewn maybe 7 stitches, gotten up 34 times and have rage-tangled my machine at least twice.

When I applied the new blocked-goals to this common source of anger and frustration in my life--and then immediately thought of Dikembe--I starting thinking of sewing not as an activity that the kids ruined, but as a goal temporarily blocked.

Dikembe blocked shots better than anyone, but opposing players scored on him plenty of time. They just had to work around him.

As such, I decided to stop thinking of sewing as a hobby of mine, but have chosen to look at it as a competitive sport. My kids aren't ruining things; they're just playing defense.

Productivity? Think again, Mommy.

Getting angry about someone ruining my plans makes me bitter and teeth-gnashy, but being in competition with someone: well that's my JAM. 

It's now a contest for me: how can I prepare, react and deflect so that I win by being able to get things done AND keep the kids reasonably happy healthy at the same time. (Spoiler alert: they win too because I stop treating them like temporary inconveniences or bite-sized stressors).

Layla comes in, bored with the show I let her watch on Netflix after 6 minutes? BOOM I parry that attack with a new little art project from the $1 section of Target. Noa isn't happy unless I am holding her? BANG! I pick and roll that baby into the Ergo. Judah comes in saying he's hungry when he's just had a snack and dinner is an hour away? KAH-BLOOWIE! I tell him I bet I can finish sewing this scarf before he can pick up all his toys. The Force (of competition) is strong in this one and he loves a chance to win.

Nothing fundamentally changes except for my attitude. I never got pouty and bitter on the volleyball court when opposing teams tried to do their thing. Because, duh, I expected some resistance and adjusted so that I could accomplish my goal (#Winning). My kids aren't against me, but often the flow of their little lives just naturally throws resistance into my perfect idea of a day. Instead of meeting that resistance with a spoiled little tantrum that leaves us all feeling unfulfilled, I am committing to just adapt my strategy and make it a game where I expect to have my productivity momentarily opposed, but still try to score as much sewing time as I can.

Dragon-mommy is mean to kids, gets nothing done and is a stressed out mess puddle by the time Jesse arrives home:

NOT IN MY HOUSE!

Girl Charlee KnitFix (Fabric Giveaway!)

Comin' atcha live from the milky, sleep-deprived fog of maternity leave because it's scarf and gifting season, and that means my braided scarf tutorial is exactly what the world needs now. After, of course, it gets its fill of love sweet love.

I knew approximately diddly-squat-point-five about knit fabrics (think T-shirt material), and had sewn with almost exclusively woven fabrics (think bed sheets). Then I wrote that tutorial and started selling the scarves in my Etsy shop. Here now in my fourth season of churning these scarves out for customers, friends and family (I've made over 300!), I am intimately acquainted with knit fabrics. THEY RULE. No ironing, no fraying, super soft and perfect for truly practical projects.

A quick look in my shop will show you that I get almost all of my fabrics from Girl Charlee. I discovered them through a friend a season or two ago and have been slurping down their yardage ever since. I was even their customer spotlight this past February (I am suggesting a pinup calendar...I will dress as a fat baby holding a bow and arrow as befits my month...and my current physique)!

So how pumped was I when I found out that Girl Charlee has invented a new way to introduce sewists to their yummy goods? Answer: very muchly so. 

Here's the lowdown diggity (if you've tried or read about other "fixes," it's kinda similar, but in yardage form!):

-The first KnitFix sale kicks off on December 9th

-Each KnitFix contains 6 specially selected, unique and exclusive knit fabrics in two yard cuts each (12 yards total).  

-These are fabrics that will never be available anywhere else, ever!

-KnitFix sales are only once a month, the second Tuesday, and are on a first come, first serve basis.

-Each KnitFix sale has fabrics that are only available for that one month's sale so you can buy each month and never get the same fabrics.

-Retail price is $69 (for 12 yards) and each fix comes in a custom designed, limited edition Girl Charlee KnitFix reusable tote bag.

Because I'm a lucky sneaky duck, I got to get my first KnitFix a little early. Wanna peek? 

This tote's adorbs, right? (it's okay to hate me for that one)

Getting my first glimpse. What a fun bunch! I spy floral, tribal, stripes, lace, geometric and quatrefoil. 

I was barely able to snap this photo because Layla kept grabbing at the floral print begging me to make her "sumpfin!" out of it. Guess who is getting pretty flower leggings from mommy for Christmas! 

So if you're digging on these fabrics, guess what? You can win my exact KnitFix yourself for free! Girl Charlee is giving one of you these same 12 yards of sewing goodness free to your doorstep just in time to whip up some awesome custom gifts for your people/self.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Totally Clutch(es)

Four of my best lady friends forced me to have a little baby shower party recently.  I have pictures and a whole post I need to do about how lovely it was. 

For the hostess gifts, I wanted to do something handmade, but decidedly not lame AND have it be something I had never made before that I would try just for them (as opposed to a beach bag or a scarf..."here, have some of my existing inventory," just wasn't the sentiment I wanted to convey).

but THESE say, "Women, I love your faces so hard and appreciate beyond belief the work that went into celebrating my baby girl and covering my with love!" I mean, I hope they do. There's always a thank you note, just in case.

I have been interested in trying my hand at sewing with leather for awhile now. When I scored a gorgeous, soft-beyond-belief, chocolate brown, men's large jacket at a thrift shop for $1, I knew it was time to jump in. Small investment, small risk.

A quick pinterest search netted me the perfect project with a great tutorial. Polka Dot Chair's Leather Foldover Clutch.

source

that caramel colored leather she used is so sexy! I'm on the lookout for some of my own!

I sliced up the jacket, stopping to make Jesse model the sleeveless look, of course.

HAWT

In about an hour I had made a seriously decent clutch. The first one I had decided would be for me and if it went well, I would make another 4 with each girlie's personality in mind. I had a challenging blast picking inside and outside fabrics to match each girls' style (I stalked their Pinterests) and got to work.

I was so giddy about how they turned out, that I decided to take my time and try my best to photograph them well (I have a great camera and know a leeettle about what youre supposed to do with it, but I'm definitely not great, and it takes a lot of effort and thought for me to put it all into action, which is why I usually just settle for meh-quality, or phone pics). 

Plus, I had enjoyed making the clutches so much and had lots of extra leather that I figured I might make some more and eventually sell them in my Etsy shop, so a more professional looking set of photos of the product would definitely be useful.

After plenty of fiddling, and brain-stretching to try to put all the camera-ish things I'm supposed to know all together at once, I ended up with my favorite little set of project pics ever! And since I can only use 5 on Etsy, I wanted to splash the entire set here to remind me why taking the time to push myself with our camera is worth it--AND why trying new materials and projects to expand my sewing skills is too!

this was the one I did first, for myself in case it was terrible. 100% passable, i declare.

the lining and the zip and my first stab at a pull tassel which was pretty fail-ish.

my friend Liz is a crunchy, hippie (hello she birthed her twins at home in water!), earth-mother-of-4 doula rockstar.  She is the sweetest, most caring spirit I've ever known, and also loves a good vagina joke (my perfect mate!). I knew she'd been digging tribal prints lately from her pinterest so I went with the coral arrows.

a better tassel, and the cute cowboys and indians interior fabric.

i love this print!

for Nikki, the classically-styled professional working mama, I went with the gray and white print that is originally from a shower curtain i bought to upholster our barstools. I had to change the stools to a plastic-coated fabric about 2 days later when I realized that the kids would stain non-stain proof  fabric at each and every meal, but since Nikki wouldn't be eating atop her clutch, I figured it would serve nicely.

just like Nikki, a lot more wild on the inside. You may remember it was Nikki who escorted/inducted me into my first Brazilian waxing experience.

My girl Steph, the hot young (25...damn her) newly(ish)wed almost two years!) still has a life (aka no kids) and can pull off preppy and boho with equal panache.  I went for a classic black and white stripe since it will go great with anything and still pop and rock. Steph went to Haiti with Jesse this summer, and is a member of the family that yall helped to adopt 3 kids from Ukraine last year!)

dark pink herringbone for the interior. (totally looks like he is yelling at us)

for Natalie (who was my saving grace/voice of Jesus in this horrifying marriage meltdown moment, and whose baby shower I cohosted a few years back), a vintage-y sort of modern floral print. Natalie is a campus minister with many tattoos and is also a mom of 3 boys. She's one of the most authentic humans alive and is so easy-breezy. This organic print just seemed perfect for my beautiful ginger.

a feisty brown floral on the innards. (I'm sure nat's innards are the same).

And, if you know me, you know how bonkers I am for iterations. I just can't enough of multiple versions of the same thing all stacked up beside each other. I'd love to know what this means about my personality (probably "SUPERFREAK").

I could just take a big gobbley bite out of this stack!

stand proud, my lovelies!

a good shot of my more-perfected tassel design.

all the single ladies in a conga line.

girls, you're as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside.

I was stunned when I posted one of these pics on instagram. So many people wanted to buy them NOW. That made me feel so wonderful that I had made something desirable for my beloved friends. I had a break in Etsy orders one night, so I made a few more of these which are now available for sale. I even got a few new fabrics that I am excited to use if/when I ever get a free moment again.

the for-sale specimens!

Happy, fancy, flirty Friday (I may or may not have a child-free overnight date night with MUH-MAN on the docket!)