So, I kinda feel like I'm failing at the whole blog thing. There have been so many cool things going on this summer, and I can't put them all in one post. I definitely have to work on posting more frequently. Maybe now that I'm getting into a routine with school again, I can try to catch you all up on what's been happening.  It's been a good summer.

Mark & I had a great time on vacation visiting people all over Minnesota plus family & friends in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Missouri.  I'll share pics and stories later though. I have been wanting to share some of my summer projects. Some of them were made for gifts, so I had to wait to put up pictures. Then, when we got back from our trip in July, I didn't make time to write about them until now. Like I said, this blog is a work in progress :)

My first projects were purses that I made for my sisters for their birthdays. Last winter, I learned about "fat quarters"- quarter yards of fabric that lend themselves well to many simple sewing projects. Of course, I had to try some.  The ones I made for Summer & Shadee happen to be reversible.

Summer's purse

I "messed up" and got ruffles at the top. I like it.

The other side of Shadee's purse.

After the purses, I was inspired to make eye pillows for Tracy's bachelorette party. We had a spa night and it was great.  We gave the eye pillows to each of the girls who came. I filled the pillows with flax seed, dried lavender, and dried chamomile.
Then, I found a magazine article about how to make a necklace organizer. I'm sure there is a catchier name for it, but a necklace organizer is just what I needed. I was on the lookout for a cheap frame, and found one for a quarter at a garage sale. It had a pale picture of some landscape, and the poor lady started to tell me all about the picture. I felt kind of bad that I was going to throw it away. After I painted the frame it was ready for a new job.
My final and most challenging project was making my own dress. I stumbled across a really great blog called Grosgrain Fabulous. It is inspiring and has led me to many other crafty blogs. On it, there are some tutorials called "A Frock by Friday". It took me step by step through the process of making the dress. I was rather nervous, but when it was all done I felt really good about it. I even wore it to parent night at the school where I teach.

As you can see, I've been on a DIY kick. It feels so good to make things for others and for myself. I'm hoping to find time to do more soon. I have a wish list a mile long of things I want to try.  What do you like to do?

P.S. If anyone is interested in trying these projects, I can easily share patterns and/or instructions :)