Thompson Family-Life

self-portraits and winners

Sooo, someone very sweet asked me to contribute to a cool project that required me to take some self-portraits. I've actually been wanting to take some self-portraits for a while now and this project kicked my butt in gear. I've been especially inspired by Mandi's Wardrobe Wednesdays for the past few months as well, so Mandi, these are for you. ;-)

I have to admit that taking these was equal part fun and equal part misery. I mean, for real, who likes taking self-portraits? well, scratch that. I think alot of people like taking self-portraits. :-) And wow, i wish I was like them!

For me it's not so fun being in front of the camera, and equally not as fun posting the photos online. (lol) You sort of make yourself vulnerable when you put all of you out there for everyone to see. Being vulnerable can be a not-so-fun feeling.

All that said, if you try to put all of those insecurities away.. taking self-portraits can actually be FUN. :-) I collect alot of vintage clothing and accessories that quite honestly never make their way out of the closet.

I live in the suburbs, so the typical attire of Moms each day is typically "what sweat pants shall I wear today" or "hey, there's some clothes on the floor, i'll just wear those. They've only been worn 2 days in a row, what's the harm in 3?"

ok, well that is usually my philosophy at least, when I wake up. Getting these boys dressed, fed, lunches made, etc, etc each morning takes everything out of me, so the last thing I feel like doing is putting on some lipstick and a dress. ;-)

These photos were fun because it was like getting to play dress-up. I think that should be a requirement for every Mommy out there - play dress up even if you have no where to go other than your backyard to take photos.

Here are 2 that I liked (out of a whole lot, let's put it that way..) I've also added where I got everything  - I always think it's cool when people do that, a la Wardrobe Remix.

Vintage Dress: Thrush on Etsy

Tights & Belt: Forever 21

Shoes: Ruche

Fabric Button hair accessory: made by me

Vintage lace collar: Retrothreads on Etsy

Tights: Forever21

Vintage Skirt: Thrush on Etsy

Shirt: Downeast Basics

Shoes: mall department store (?)

Vintage purse: local antique market

And for those that will raz me about not smiling (Chelsea Ann!), here's a smiling one (the requisite headshot...)

 

Not perfectly in focus, it's hard to take self-portraits in low light.... getting the camera to focus on you that is. By the time I took the headshots I was so over taking photos of myself. But I'm ok with this one.

I hope to motivate myself to do some more self-portrait sessions in the future to get myself out of my comfort zone. I definitely need a remote though!

And i'm SO sorry that I didn't announce the winners for Kirsty's class! I'm two days late!

So I picked randomly... and the winners are Amber Zimmerman and Shannon Taylor! :-) I will get Kirsty to email you with details!

I love this. . .
http://wendyrago.typepad.com/
A waterless snowglobe. I love anything with sparkle! I'd love to win a spot in the class. =) Thanks for the opportunity and I keep checkin' back for those embroidery patterns!!

Posted by: Amber Zimmerman | November 12, 2009 at 02:59 PM

********************************************************************************************

Oooooooo the class sounds like tons of fun!!!!!! Fun camper & congrats on your nightflower!!! I'm so excited for you! I was inspired by this: http://aliedwards.typepad.com/_a_/2009/11/december-daily-qa.html I love the idea of using fabric to cover a mini book like this for Xmas. Doubt I'll be able to get it done but I may use this technique for a different kind of book. ;0) Posted by: Shannon Taylor | November 12, 2009 at 01:04 PM

Headdresses & Camping Adventures

First, I have to say that this is the most AWESOME thing I've seen in a while.

 

 

Secondly, you must check out this artist's other plushie work.. seriously too cute. She has a shop here and here.

I just love that headdress. And how appropriate for Thanksgiving coming up? I really, really, really want to make some for my kids, nephews and niece for next week when we all get together for the holiday.

I always do this: come up with a time-consuming project that comes with an almost impossible deadline. That's me though. I revel in being stressed and miserable. (I know I'm not the only creative-type that does this... anyone?) I wouldn't be me though if I couldn't create some impossible challenge for myself!

That said, i probably won't get it done. Lol. ;-) But I can dream right? I'll bookmark it in my head and maybe I'll surprise myself. ;-)

 

These feathered headdresses would've suited us perfectly during our very first camping adventure with the pop-up camper this weekend. I have to say with a huge sigh of relief that it was a 100% successful trip..

We were worried about:

- the pop-up coming off the hitch while driving on the interstate (we kept looking back the whole way to Red Top Mountain to make sure it was still there)

- (I) was worried about: am I really going to enjoy camping? Mrs.-I'm-so-not-into-the-outdoors?

- was it going to be too cold?

- was it going to be a stress-free trip?

 

 

I have to say that everything went JUST FINE.

It was so nice. Ethan was super-man making sure everything went well.. and also kept us fed. ;-)

It was pretty cold in the morning.. coats, earmuffs, gloves, hats, etc.. and by noon it was almost t-shirt weather. We had PERFECT weather. Which was a feat in itself with all the rain we've been having.

And it WAS so relaxing. It was nice to feel like we were getting a "real" vacation, without having to deal with the typical stressful stuff that comes with traveling with kids.

1. we were only a 40 minute drive away

2. if a child was having a tantrum or meltdown, we didn't have to worry about the glares and embarrassment since the only people nearby were in tents or campers a good distance away (phew).

3. we didn't have to go to restaurants because we could cook our food right there (again, no worries about forcing children to eat in public or hearing them whine about said eating if you're isolated in the woods!)

4. you don't have to worry about your kid running off or into a road because.. dude, you're in the middle of the woods. And if they run, you can see them for a good mile or so, so you don't have to stress out about running after them, for oh, at least a few minutes. ;-)

5. they can run around like wild animals and it's totally kosher.

 

You know how you've felt like you were watching history in the making at different times in your life? Whether it be a presidential election, etc, etc..?

For us, creating these memories with our boys.. it's like one of those out-of-body experiences.. we're creating our history. THIS is what our kids will remember... just like we have things we remembered that our parents provided for us. As we take photos and videos, I'm sitting there thinking, our kids our going to watch these videos 20 years from now and say "remember when?"

It's really cool to think about.

 

(i heart watching little boys sleeping inside those screened windows)

 

and I even fit in a *little* crafting after all of the hiking, s'mores-ing, climbing, eating, sleeping and sunset-taking-in was done.

 

Fabric Pumpkin Tutorial

I have to give a few disclaimers up front:

1. The photos are really, really bad. (did i mention bad?)

2. Because I had to use florescent light. Because it was nighttime when I took them. And I don't feel much like taking them over. ; )

3. Ethan had to take some of these because I don't have three hands. I had to interrupt him watching Sunny, poor guy.

4. Please excuse my absolutely gnarly hands... i'm a chronic nail-biter... for like my whole life. Like til they bleed. It's not pretty. Hence the ugly fingers. Oh, and I obsessively wash my hands and use sanitizer because I'm afraid of the flu(s). Hence the dry skin.

Now that that's out of the way!

Here's what you need:

1. Fabric. (I used a diverse mix of vintage sheets, velvet and new patterned fabrics. If your fabric is sheer (like my "burnout" silk/rayon velvet floral, you'll need to back it with a solid cotton. I used just a regular cream linen.)

2. Scissors/Rotary Cutter (whichever you like to use best)

3. Straight edge (ruler)

4. Yarn

5. Embroidery Floss

6. Tape measure

7. Self-healing mat

8. Polyester Fiberfill (to stuff your pumpkins with)

9. Sewing pins 

10. Vanishing marker/pen

11. Embroidery needles

12. Long embroidery needle (i think what I got was a basting needle) OR if you plan on using yarn, you'll need a plastic yarn needle (this worked REALLY well for me on the larger pumpkins.. if you crochet or knit, this is something you probably already have.

13. Sewing machine (optional)

Step One:

I'll remind you that I got my initial instructions for these from Martha Stewart Living Nov. 2009 issue. (edited: i had to bold and enlarge that because 2 people have left me poo-ey comments saying that i didn't site her as inspiration.. obviously people don't read, since i mention the issue several times in this tutrorial. And as you can see, I have made several changes to the instructions based on what worked best for me.)

But as you may have experienced (like me), alot of times Martha's instructions are vague.. and they show the steps all in one photo that's about 3 x 3 inches (if we're lucky).

Silly Martha.. you must talk to us like we're dumb.

So above.. you need to cut out your piece of fabric. Martha suggests you cut on the bias which i did for the first few pumpkins.. but then i got lazy and didn't.. and it didn't make a difference from what i could see. I'm not a pro-sewer here folks.. and i'm sure an avid sewer would see the difference. But for what I was creating.. it didn't seem to make a difference.

But if you want to cut on the bias.. here are some instructions on how to do that.

I used a rotary cutter to cut my fabric b/c i find it easier than using scissors. That is again probably b/c i'm not an avid sewer. ;-) I use the rotary cutter with my ruler to cut in a straight line.

The size of your fabric should be twice as long as it is wide.. i.e. a 6"x12", or a 9"x18", etc. I made some very small pumpkins and my largest is a finished size of around 12"x12". A grouping of several sizes makes for a great table centerpiece, or put them on a shelf, etc.

Once you've cut your fabric, fold it in half so that the wrong side of the fabric is on the outside.

Line up your ends...

Step Two:

Now thread a regular embroidery needle with 2-ply embroidery thread (embroidery thread usually comes with 6 strands, but just use 2 of those for this.. might be easier to work with.) Knot the end of your thread.

Now I know you're thinking "why is she telling me how to knot my thread, too?!"... i do tutorials based on the assumption that no one knows how to do anything. ;-) So here's my favorite method of knotting my thread when hand-stitching.. I learned this in like 5th grade art class and it blows my mind that I still knot this way today! Read knot-tying method number 2 here (scroll down about half-way down the page).

If you're hand-stitching, drawing a line on your fabric about a half inch from the edge (using a pen or vanishing marker.. doesn't really matter because it will be on the inside of your pumpkin, so it won't be seen) might help you keep your stitches straight, especially if you're doing a larger pumpkin where you'll be stitching a while. Here's where you can cut down on time and use your sewing machine if you want to. I did break down and do that with my largest pumpkin, but hand-stitching this is a breeze as well, just takes a little more time. You will draw this line along the side where you've brought your ends together. Pin this end of your fabric square as well, using sewing pins, if you'd like your fabric to stay together nicely while you're stitching.. this is optional, but might make things easier as well.

 

Now stitch along this line. If you hand-stitch, use the backstitch. Super easy. :-)

 

All done. Make sure to secure your thread when your done stitching. Here's a way to do it. I did it a lazy way by just doing a few satin stitches next to my last backstitch, and then snipped the thread. No one will see them so it doesn't really matter in this situation. ;-)

Step Three: Now pick either the top or bottom of your square (doesn't matter which) of fabric and do a running stitch along the edge (again with a half inch or so seam-allowance like you did in the last step). Draw a line first to make your stitching easier.

 

All done. Do not secure your thread or cut it yet...

Now take your needle in one hand and hold the edge of your fabric where you did your last running stitch. 
Now pull your needle and thread away from your fabric...

Keep pulling. You'll notice the fabric will start to cinch together.

Now you can secure your thread and snip. (again, i did a few satin stiches and then snipped my thread.)

 

Step Four: Now for the stuffing.

Now flip your fabric inside out.

 

 

Now start stuffing your shape with polyfill.

 

and just when you think you've stuffed enough, stuff some more. (this was my first mistake on my first pumpkin i made.. he wasn't stuffed enough)...

When your stuffing is pretty much spilling out the top, then you've stuffed enough. :-)

 

Step Five: Now for another running stitch.

Thread your regular embroidery needle again, knot the end, and do a running stitch around the top of your stuffed shape.

 

Now, pull your needle and thread (like you did before) with one hand while holding your stuffed shape.

Keep pushing your stuffing inside (with your other hand) as the top of your shape is cinching together.

Pull til you can't pull anymore and while holding your cinched fabric together with one hand, secure your thread with the other hand/needle. I did a bunch of whipstitches (below) to secure the thread and to keep the pumpkin closed.. don't worry if it looks messy, it will be covered up by your "pumpkin stem".

 

Snip your thread when you're done.

Step Five: Now it's time to give your pumpkin some shape.

In Martha's article, they used embroidery thread to do this, which I think works fine on the smaller pumpkins.. but once your pumpkins start getting larger, it gets harder to use embroidery thread.. especially because of the sharp needle you're using (you'll see why). I used both methods, but in my opinion, I think it's easier to just use the plastic yarn needle and yarn instead. So that is the method I'm going to show you here. (this is something I did just to see if it would work, and surprisingly, the large plastic needle goes through the fabric just fine!)

Thread your needle with your yarn, and knot the end. Make sure to cut a very long piece because it needs to wrap all the way around your pumpkin several times.

Flip your stuffed fabric shape over.

Stick your needle in the center...

(ok, let's just acknowledge the elephant in the room.. yes, this looks like what you think it does. Lol! ew. Or maybe i'm just surrounded by boys too much and have my mind in the potty too much.)

So now you're going to to pull your needle through to the other side of your pumpkin. this is why a plastic needle works better than a sharp needle.. i stabbed myself more times than I can count. Again, works much better on the larger pumpkins.

Pull it through...

Now you're going to pull your needle and yarn down and back through the bottom of your pumpkin, and repeat all the way around your pumpkin. Up through the bottom, through the top, back down and up through the bottom, through the top, etc.

 

 

Pull tightly as you go around. This was my 2nd mistake when i made my first pumpkin. I didn't pull tight enough. The tighter you pull, you'll get more defined "sections" around your pumpkin. It will look more like a pumpkin, and not just a fabric ball with strings around it.

 

Once you've made it all the way around, make sure you're still pulling tightly. Snip your yarn leaving several inches.

Now you want to tie off your yarn to secure it. Keep it taught, just wrap it around one of the loops of yarn going around the pumpkin...

 

 

And pull... do this several times to knot it and secure it. You don't want your long piece of yarn unraveling and losing your pumpkin shape.

Your pumpkin is done!

 

you can pull and stretch your fabric to make it look nicer and to smooth out the creases.

Step Six: Now make your stem.

Draw a stem shape on your choice of fabric (on the wrong side of the fabric). Doesn't have to be perfect. :-) Just make it a good size that will be proportional to the size of your pumpkin.  Cut it out.

Lay it on top of another scrap of fabric and trace around it.

 

 

Cut it out.

 

Now line them up together with the wrong sides of the fabric facing outwards.
 

Pin it to hold the pieces together and start backstitching all the way around leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance...

 

 

Secure your thread and snip.

Now turn your "stem" inside out.

 

Now stuff...

 

 

And whipstitch closed...

 

 

Now take your stem over to your pumpkin...

 

And whipstitch it into the center of the top of your pumpkin... it's a little hard to get in there with your needle, but you can do it. ;-) You might stab your fingers a few times,, just be careful!

Make sure to secure your thread really well and snip.

You're done! :-)

If you feel like getting even more creative, whipstitch a doily onto one of your pumpkins like I did, or embroider your fabric with embroidery thread or yarn before you sew and stuff it. I hope to add some embroidery to mine before Thanksgiving gets here.

Please share links to your pumpkins in this post if you make some! I'd love to see! :-) If you have any questions let me know.

Fabric Pumpkin Tutorial.. to be continued..

I worked on this all night and had planned on pulling an all-nighter, but my littlest one decided he wanted to wake up all night and ONLY wants Mommy when he does that. : ) (This child has yet to go very long with sleeping through the night. He's two-and-a-half. He's killing us. But we still love him. ;-)

Soooo, I had hoped to finish it for today because I'm going to be pretty busy today and the rest of the weekend.. but I'm not sure it's going to happen. :( But it will *definitely* be up Monday. :-) I had hoped to have it up today so you guys could make some this weekend if you wanted to, with Thanksgiving fastly approaching!

Who knows, i might get lucky and steal away an hour or so to finish it today.. but until that happens, look for it probably Monday. :-)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Class Giveaway*Embroidery Sneak*Pop-up!

This will be a multi-tasking post. First I wanted to tell you about an AWESOME giveaway that Kirsty over at The Copy and Paste Project is offering TWO lucky readers here Thompson Family-Life. :-) I'm a big fan of Kirsty's.. not only because she's part of the Kitschy Digitals Creative Team, but because she's just so darn clever, creative and super*sweet.

The class she is offering is called "12 Days: A Copy and Paste Christmas".

 

Looks super*cute right?!

All you have to do is leave a comment, your email address, and link to a cool Christmas craft that you've seen online, or any other Holiday Inspiration you've seen that you can share with us! I will pick two winners Monday morning. :-)

Here are the class details from The Copy and Paste Project Blog:

We’re very excited to announce (and invite you to take part in) a special online workshop -

12 Days :: A Copy+Paste Christmas - running between 5th and 20th November. With twelve full projects, plus a whole bunch of bonus ideas, downloads and tutorials, it’s designed to help you make the most of your creative supplies in the run up to Christmas. What's even better is that we’ve designed each of the main projects, and many of the additional ones, to be adaptable, which means that, instead of turning into giant crafty pumpkins the minute Boxing Day arrives, they’re just as relevant at other times of year.

WHAT WE’RE OFFERING PARTICIPANTS

:: Twelve full projects, including step-by-step instructions and photographs, plus alternative versions and suggestions for customizing the project to suit your style and skills. The projects cover papercrafting, gift-making, lifestyle and decorating, and each one is available as a downloadable PDF, so you can print and refer to it whenever you want.

:: Four bonus days, packed with extra projects, downloads and giveaways.

:: An additional bonus project, including printable elements, with instructions for making a folder-book to hold your print-outs, patterns and ideas from the workshop.

:: Project options include gifts for men, women and children, as well as simplified, speedy and eco alternatives, where appropriate.

:: The workshop will be hosted on a password-protected blog, where you can view and download each of the projects as they’re posted, as well as asking us questions and interacting with other students.

The class has already started, but if you start late in the class that is okay! All of the projects, downloads and blog posts will be available for students to access and work through at their own pace, even once the ‘live’ part is finished. :-)

Learn more about the class here.

Also be sure to check out her super informative post on making the most out of your digital kits!

And speaking of Kirsty, here's some more of her incredibly cute embroidery that she created from my up-and-coming Vintage Camera Embroidery Pattern. You've seen 3 of the other cameras... here's number 4, the most beloved of the Polaroid cameras. :-)

 

:-) Makes me smile!!

I'll be working on the last camera, #5, this weekend! :-) I also have another KD Team Member working on another craaaaazy cute project using this pattern as well. Be looking for the finished pattern SOOON!

And last, i keep forgetting to share a photo of our new pop-up camper. I know I've mentioned it several times that we were getting one, and we got it several weeks ago. Here's a pic of the boys with Big Yellow:

We are SOOO excited to go on our first camping adventure in the near future! i see many crafts being made sitting in and in front of this thing. Oh, and maybe i'll do some nature stuff too. ;-)

i can't stop...

... photographing them...

 

I am going to try and add yarn-embroidery to the blue one which might be hard since it's already stuffed.. but i'm going to try! :-)

progress

 

Ethan keeps saying "They keep getting bigger."

"We have a small house... where are we going to put all of these pumpkins??"

:-)

I made two more.. the yellow one is around 12"x12". It's a bigun'.

I still want to make two more.. I'm crossing my fingers that the tutorial for these will be done by Friday!

ya know, "life" stuff takes priority ya know.. feeding little boys, cleaning, dealing with a leaky roof (when, oh, when will this rain end?)... ya know.

"life stuff"

They are really fun to make though. And a great way to make a dent in your fabric stash if you're not much of a sewer! (like me!)

got my skate on... and miscellaneous

It's pretty cool having kids, because you get to go to bowling parties and even roller skating parties. I got to go to the latter with Cooper this weekend. His very first best friend's party be exact. I have to admit that when I got the invitation and saw that it was a skating party, i was really stoked. :-)

I literally haven't been roller skating in probably 20 years (yes, i'm that old!).. I haven't even been roller blading in more recent years.... I think I felt like a trator or something if I put on those roller blades. I mean, if I was going to roll anywhere, it needed to be those beautiful camel colored shoes with big orange wheels on them.

So I think I went into this party MUCH more excited than Cooper. I tried to contain my excitement. But I didn't last long before I had to slip those beautiful nostalgic things onto my feet, all the while trying not to think about how many feet had been in those skates over the years.

 

The decor (as you can tell) was stuck firmly in the 80's (with a little 70's thrown in for good measure) and I think the last time they cleaned the place was probably in the 80's. It was filthy and grimy and definitely had a lived-in feel to it.

Just like I remembered.

It could've been the same place I skated at in middle school. They played the EXACT same music that they played when I used to go (and if you wait for it, you can figure out about how old I am!): Ghostbusters? check. Michael Jackson? check. Ok, so they threw in some Single Ladies for good measure, but i'll forgive them for that. All that was missing was some Salt-n-Pepa "Push It" and Lional Ritchie "Say You Say Me" and Couple's Skate. 

They even did races, which I never won back in the day.. they didn't do the Limbo though or the Hokey Pokey, but that might have come later, after we left. ;-)

I sighed a breath of relief when I found out that roller skating is just like riding a bike, you never forget how. And I didn't bust once. 

I made sure to bring my Fuji Instax camera to get some pics... (click on them to see them larger)

 

Thanks to everyone that purchased a Blythe headband on Friday! I mailed them out today! I hope you enjoy them. :-)

Here were a few of my favs that sold:

I love this plaid and green combo!

 

I still have 5 left in the shop.. here are a couple of my favs of those.. these are screaming to stay home with me... i just love the mix of colors and patterns...

 

 

I have a flickr group where you can share photos of your dolls wearing the headbands.. please do! I would love to see!

Here are some fav photos by customers from this flickr group... I think I get more enjoyment out of making these headbands than any other product I've made because of the response I get from my customers.. they are so incredibly sweet and so enthusiastic about them, it warms my heart! Blythe lovers are the best! And by the way, i'm noticing more and more people emailing me about Blythe and where to buy them (i've gotten all of mine from ebay! but-it-now-option!)! My goal is to win each and every one of you over to the Blythe-side. (Lol, just kidding....)

People either REALLY despise them.. or really love them (or it just takes them a while to warm up to them. ;-)

 

(photo by sugaroni)

(photo by lexi)

I died when I saw the photo below.. she's so Tokyo Kawaii! Japanese Street Fashion! She makes me want to go to Japan even more than i already did (and that's ALOT).

(photo by glamourfae)

(photo by atlantis22hearts)

 

(photo by martha)

And i have to share that this girl might be coming to live with me soon as an early Christmas/Birthday gift from Ethan. Still in talks with the owner.. but i feel like it's almost a sealed deal. :-) (thank you SHANNON! :-)

 

I love her pale skin and dark hair.. and i don't own a girl with looong hair yet. Excited about that. And i love that little beauty mark under her eye. ;-) She will be super fun to photograph! (and isn't that why it's so fun owning these dolls? photo subjects!)

And one more random thing and I promise i'll chill on the doll talk in the next few posts. ;-)

What is it about school photos that rock so much?

It's like they're so bad, they're good. :-) and I LOVE this strip of proofs of Campbell.. i love the progression of his expressions:

1. Hey, what's goin' on here.

2. Hey, that lady's trying to get me to laugh.

3. teee-hee-hee, she's pretty funny.

4. Hey, there's a camera!

Love it.

Thanks for the requests for the fabric pumpkin tutorial!! i'm excited to make it. :-) I'll be working on it tomorrow, so hopefully i will post it thursday or friday. I also have an idea for a cute Thanksgiving place-setting decoration.. really excited about it! Hopefully I can pull that one off for next week!

Is it just me or are people trying to rush Christmas decorating already! I mean, i get it, but sometimes I feel like everyone is always in a rush with things.... in general.

I just want to slow down and enjoy these last few weeks of November. I'm excited about Christmas, don't get me wrong, but I'd like to enjoy November's holiday first. It can be fun too. :-) If we rush it all too fast, it will ALL be over before we know it. I want to sit back and soak up every moment.

hope to see you there!

Hope everyone has a nice weekend! :-)

Blythe Headband Update tonight!

Just wanted to give everyone that is interested, a head's-up that I will be listing the remainder of my headbands tonight at 10pm Eastern USA time! :-) (does that make me a loser that I'm doing this on a friday night? lol! no it means i'm a mom. That is what I tell myself. ;-) They will be in my Etsy shop.

I will have around 20-25 headbands.. I THINK! i haven't counted, but i did count a while ago.. and that sounds about right.

Last night I got the girls ready for their photo shoot today to model the headbands. As long as my boys cooperate while I'm taking photos, count on 10 pm tonight!

Aaaand, it looks like i'll be making that pumpkin tutorial!! :-) Probably next week.

Also, I had to chuckle when I saw this tutorial this morning...

 

(photo source)

Remember this pompom wreath I started, in like 2007?

I think I went too BIG for my first one. ;-) I never finished it. It's still in my closet half finished. I'm thinking I need to finish it this year. Or start a smaller one! :-) Although, I'm not quite ready to start thinking about Christmas yet! (eek!)