Thorner Peg People

Let me start by saying: I am not an artist. I can't draw or paint to save my life (It's true Corinnea! I can hear you in my head right now!). My talents lie elsewhere..blah blah blah. But I really wanted to do these for my friend Steffi in Germany before I left. I should have finished them way before they packed up our stuff instead of the week before and I should have bought the bigger ones. These are tiny but I have since ordered and received the large 3.5" ones. Much better (these vary from about an inch to 2 inches)

Steffi has 4 kids and a big dog named Zoe. I am very proud of Steffi's outfit because she's German so she ALWAYS has a scarf around her neck and she has a tank top like this and cardigan. She wears her hair to one side a lot and loves flowers in her hair. 

Left to right: Zoe, Mia, David (twins) Hailey, Tara, Steffi and Josh.

The above picture is how I packaged it for her. Josh didn't have his pockets, button or fly drawn on yet.

These peg people were bought on Amazon (link here) but the new ones I got are from this etsy seller and they are nice and big. I used one doll to practice on a lot, trying different things. I also used a black fine tip marker when I needed to outline in black and a white pen for the white stuff.

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In other news, we survived our move from Germany to San Diego! Jon is in school in another state but other than that we are enjoying being home. Feels like a vacation though and I'm eating like I'm about to leave again:)  I'm staying with my parents for a while till my apartment is ready. The weather has been unbelievable. I left Germany mid January wearing a jacket to my knees, ugg boots, beanie and gloves. I get here and immediately put on shorts.

And one other little tiny thing. Ava turned 6!! We flew here on her actual birthday so we had a little party the following weekend and my sister flew in from Sacramento! Best gift ever (even though it wasn't my birthday).

Going back to Cali..

I really cannot believe I have not blogged once this December until now. I have a really good reason though. We are moving back to San Diego in about 3 weeks! Jon will go to Korea for a year while me and the girls will live in our hometown then after that year who knows? Germany again? D.C. area? Who knows! It has been the worst move ever for us and soooooooo draining emotionally and $$ and about to be physically when they come pack up our 16 thousand pounds of fabric household goods:) Never ever move during Christmas. We got our orders the day after Christmas and have to be out of here by mid January. Nice huh?  It's a long story but to sum it up, we have been trying to get our orders since before October.

*below is our Christmas Cards from this year*

What have we been doing? Visiting friends back in Stuttgart, 

Kelly from my old work. She's one of the last from the original group of girls still working there.

Below is our friends from Stuttgart also. Jayery and Andreas. Jayery babysat Emily from about 1 month to about 3 years and Ava a little bit. And Andreas was Jons roommate in the Barracks before I arrived in Germany. We will miss them.

A lot of embroidery that I need to photograph. This was the perfect craft project to take outside and do while hanging out with my friends. We put my swing in the garage and sit there every single day at 2 with coffee. It's awesome and I will really really miss them.

one day of snow

Just a cute photo of the girls titled "the unsuspecting bathers".

Sewing little stuff to keep me busy while we waited for orders and our house was already half in boxes. The movers are supposed to do this but I'm a little anxious to get this done so I started boxing stuff at the end of October. 

Got this knitter for Emily but really I enjoy it more. It just makes these tubes but I'm so anxious and uptight lately that it's nice to do this while watching t.v.

Got this super cool wolf-eating-granny at Ikea

And Mendocino Feathers! I made 3 large ones and 3 small ones.  I have made other things but all the motivation has left me for now. I just want to get this move over. Not anxious to leave Germany and all we've known for the last 10 years but anxious to get on with my life and get Jon back from Korea. I want to blog again and sew and all that good stuff. I might show up again with stuff I've done over the last couple of months or you might not see me again till I'm in California!

Oktoberfest Wood Burned Table

Above is a typical German fest table. Or Oktoberfest table or beer fest table or just an awesome table!

They come in different lengths, widths and even with backs on the benches, they fold up and they are what you will find in the tents at Fests (and a Fest here is the equivalent to a Fair in the States). You'll also find them EVERYWHERE. At events, in back yards, at parties, etc. And one last thing, you can't buy them in the States or if you do then they are expensive (or so my sources tell me!). Like $300-500. Ours was $100.

Anyway, I had the idea to buy a wood burning kit and burn a Parrishplatz banner on ours. Actually I had the  idea and didn't even own the table yet so I bought the table, consulted the experts and now I have this super cool one-of-a-kind personalized German Fest table!! Kelly really helped a lot with this as I had never ever picked up a wood burning tool. She helped via email and then my friend and neighbor Yesenia who had never wood burned did the shading. Had she not helped it would not have looked as good as it does. The shading is exquisite, no? And totally makes it. I have plans to add an Edelweiss and more pretzels to the benches but that will have to wait. I finished this MONTHS ago but you know, life gets in the way of blogging sometimes. 

I used a beer and two pretzels because Jon loves German beer and I love pretzels. End of story. I found the images online and the banner was one I had from a scrap-booking kit. The font is Oktoberfest. I practiced on a wooden TV tray table 1st. After sanding off the finish which took forever.... Also, I sanded off the finish of the fest table and have yet to refinish that area.

Below is a beer tent at Oktoberfest in Munich with all the fest tables.

And below is a tent filled. 

Imagine a lot of smoke and stink and drunk people  and it's hot and as the night goes on people get on the tables and clothes come off and vomit happens and a good time is had by all. I did the tent once our 1st year here and then never again. That would have been my thing in my early 20's but in my early 30's ..not so much. Just not my thing and i had quit smoking about 2 years before that. Had I smoked I might have enjoyed other peoples smoke:) And really it's not a tent. They say "tent" but it's a building nowadays. Might be a temporary building but it's still not a tent. 

*I took the images without permission from a google search.

I realized I had not blogged in almost a month! The reason is.. we are moving back to AMERICA!! 

We have an idea where it might be and when (very very soon, hence the no blogging. I have been packing and throwing out and selling stuff) but I cannot say for sure and don't want to jinx it so I won't say. Lets just say it might be a warm place and I use to live there....:) 

Halloween 2013: How to Train your Dragon

*this "bunker" is in our town and there are one on each side of the road.*

Emily & Ava as Hiccup and Astrid of How to Train your Dragon.

These were so much fun to make and then photograph! Jon is my right hand man when I do these Halloween shoots with the girls. He helps me keep them in line other wise it's like herding cats.

I have made a separate page of what I used to make the costumes and some pictures of how, here. 

Bunny Baseball Shirt

ring ring, pretzel phone!

Not this bunny tee but the one below! This shirt is H&M.

Fabric is from Girl Charlie (both stripe and bunny) and shirt pattern is the Tee for Two from Figgy's.

I have since used my serger for knits and can't believe I hadn't been using it this whole time! See the hem? See the pucker in the back by the shoulders? blech. I think the puckers and mangled hem are a combination of my sewing machine and that the sleeves and body of the shirt are two different knits. Not one of my best creations but she loves it:)