Bats in the Belfry, Cats in the Attic

Yesterday, October 24, 2013, at 4:39 pm, my grandmother passed away. I wanted to do a small blog post in her honor, as she had such an impact on my life. Barbara Jane Budner (maiden name Maultsby) was born on August 9, 1934 in North Carolina. She was the oldest of five, all girls. She grew up very poor with no electricity or running water, and often times the girls were left alone. Since she was the oldest, she practically raised the others. When she got old enough to go out on her own, she moved to Chicago to get a job. That's where she met my grandfather. After they married, she went on to have five children of her own. She was the strongest woman I've ever known. She had a great sense of humor, and she was always so giving. I have so many memories of going over to her house, where she always kept candy for the grand kids. When I was younger, I would pack my overnight bag and sneak it into the car for surprise sleepovers. We would stay up late into the night talking w

So everyone, I am a little disappointed to say that my Marie Antoinette costume is not a go this year. There has been so much piling up on me between things in my personal life, work, and school, that I have been unable to find the time to get the rest of my costume together. I bit off more than I could chew this year, but I know for next time to plan better. Perhaps you'll see the Queen next year... Although I will not be doing Marie Antoinette, I do have something planned that I can easily do with what I have! I will be using my red dress, a hat, roses, black lace and accessories, and of course some creative make-up, to throw together a Día de los Muertos costume. I think it might even be a better option this year, as I plan on visiting my aunt's house who has decorated her home in a  "Dead Hat Society" theme this year. If you don't remember the aunt to whom I am referring, here is the link to my post about her house.  I will take pictures! It's really spe

I took a field trip over to my local fabric store this weekend with the intention of purchasing supplies for my pillow pannier (while scouting pretty fabric and lace for my next purchase). For those of you who don't know what a pannier is, they're the big poofy false hips. Instead of making a traditional hoop pannier, which can be costly, I decided to sew two pillows. They should work just as well.  I brought home some white muslin, which I got for $2.99/yard. I also snagged a large bag of fiberfill for $5.99. I have plenty of this stuff left over, so for the materials I used to make the pannier, it cost about $5.00. First, I cut out the shape of the pillows. After I pinned them, I prepared my machine. All in all, it was incredibly easy to sew. The whole thing took less than an hour.  My huge bag of fiberfill  After I sewed the pillows, I sewed up the back. I then sewed two spare ribbons to the front. Here is the finished product. In the picture below, I am