November means being STUFFED to the gills!

Carly chose our creative project word for this month, with a very appropriate 'STUFFED'. I immediately knew what I wanted to work on - my ring bearer pillows!!! I went to the fabric store with Tori, picked out the materials that would work with our wedding, and headed straight to the sewing machine.

First, I sized up my pillows. I unintentionally made Tyler's slightly smaller than Matthew's pillow - but it works because of their age difference. Next, I made my cuts and flipped the fabric so the outsides faced flush to one another. Next, I centered my ribbon so that I could sew them in the seam. I sewed around all four sides, leaving a space for the "stuffing".

Next, I filled the pillows with the stuffing I bought at the fabric store. It takes a bit long than you would think, because you have to stuff small amounts at a time and fluff as you go to ensure that your filling is distributed evenly.

 Finally, I hand sewed the open ends with ivory thread and sewed the vintage buttons in the middle. The button was the most difficult, as I needed to ensure that it was pulled tightly through the ribbon and lined up appropriately. I'd say overall the project went really well, and the boys will look dashing going the aisle on our big day!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

It's Sunday evening, and I'm winding down after a long holiday weekend. It was wonderful getting to visit with family and enjoy the time off. Originally, Tom and I were going to get our engagement pictures this weekend, but baby Callie came down with a fever. We are both looking forward to next weekend when Jon, Tracy, and the kiddos come in town. Hopefully we'll have better weather on Saturday. By moving our pictures to next weekend, we both got the chance to enjoy some much needed rest.

As we race into another holiday, I've already swept through stores gathering gifts for friends and family. While wrapping gifts Friday afternoon, I stopped and thought about how quickly this year has gone by and how many wonderful changes have come into my life. A midst the bustling that comes with every December, I realized that this year I need to slow down and soak up the holiday. Too many years have passed where I feel I've missed a chance to reflect on all of life's blessings as I jump from place to place. This year I'm going to make an effort to spend some time to myself, to be at peace.

Next year will bring many exciting blessings, but tonight I am truly blessed as well, while I snuggle up to my dog on the couch.