And Here We Go!

I know. By now you thought I would be posting a perfectly lined up parade of witch hats ready for Halloween gifting. I kind of thought so too...but, as they say, life got in the way.

Each time I think I have a pretty empty week ahead of me and start to scramble to find a project, I seem to get unexpected "interruptions" that do nothing but brighten my life. Such was this week.

It started on Sunday with a call from daughter #2 asking if she and grand daughter #3 could come down for the day-as IF they ever have to ask! We had such a lovely visit...lunch from one of our favorite restaurants, lots of game playing and, of course, lots of talking. Such an unexpected way to spend the day. Couldn't have been better if I planned it!

Then, on Monday, daughter #3 and her three kids showed up carrying bags of food from some of my other favorite restaurants. We had the nicest visit catching up on my daughter's adventures in Europe and, when I finally had all three of my grand children together at a time where I thought things would be peaceful, I decided to get their picture to fill in the Father's Day frame we gave their dad with the IOU for a cute picture.

Here is what Father's Day looked like this year. My son-in-law actually cooked and then my brother, sister-in-law and I went over for a visit. My brother and sister-in-law brought dessert and it was a really nice afternoon even though the decor and table settings were kind of "down to earth" (paper recyclable?)! Lol Gotta love the difference between men and women. The food could not have tasted better nor could the company have been more engaging. Maybe I could take a leaf from his book...well, probably not but it does bring home the fact that it's really all about the time spent together.

Back to the picture taking. Of course, with this gang, I should have known better. I really tried to take the picture right after lunch but my daughter was so excited about her trip and wanted to share so I was assured...we'll do it before we leave. Can't believe I didn't recognize that ploy-I think she thought I'd forget! Lol

Sure enough, after several hours of visiting, they had to scoot as Presley had been invited out to the horse farm where she takes lessons to meet the newest horse just born. Of course, now they're running late...and it is the usual scramble to find a place to take this picture-ended up in a spot I never would have chosen...but, I digress. Then we had to get them ready and the pens kept running out of ink...and it tickled so they kept moving...and the littlest was not happy sitting next to her brothers....

And so, once they were anywhere close to resembling what we were going for, my daughter started snapping pictures and, let's just say that if I had been looking through that lens, there would have been some editing. But, in the end, it IS for their dad and he has witnessed these same attempts many times so I know he will be grateful for what he gets...if they remember to even give it to him! Lol

My daughter must have taken more than 20 shots and believe me when I tell you that this is the ONLY one even close to usable! In actuality, it definitely speaks to our family-what you see is what you get! Lol No pretenses here! As I'm looking at it here, I'm starting to think it is kind of cute. I hope my son-in-law likes it.

Then, since her brothers were off to the river for a few days with two of their friends, I'm getting to spend more time with Presley this week. I had a few errands I had to do and she has become quite the little shopper as she tags along on these adventures. This week is very low key as it is just so hot outside that our energy is sapped by the time we get home and we're both kind of happy just to chill!

Presley is off on a play date today with one of her best friends so I have the whole day...and this is finally about to happen. I think I will make one from start to finish before I move along with the others. That way, if I am going to make any mistakes, I will only do it once.

There is always something I have to think about before I cut. Usually when I am sketching my pattern, I am making it the size I want the finished piece to be. And, sometimes I can cut exactly that. But other times-as was the case here-once I factored in the amount of width taken up for hot glue "seam allowance", I thought this hat may be too thin-sort of dunce "cap-ish". And so I just cut it a bit larger. I will make the final decision once I actually start painting but it is always easier to take off a bit than to put a bit back on. Lol

I also did this step a little differently this time. Usually I coat the raw burlap with a clear spray sealer but since this burlap is black and takes up a lot of "paint surface", I decided to do this coat with matte black spray paint. It will serve the same purpose and it might even look good enough to serve as the black base coat. If it does it will save a LOT of paint and painting. If not, it will still be ready for the next step.

 
 I really am excited to see what they look like...and definitely happy to do anything that even hints about the fact that summer will not last forever...there is an end...even though it truly may not be in sight just yet. Stay tuned.