Meet Our New Family Member

After thinking about it for well over a year, and putting it off, then thinking about it some more, Kyle and I decided to add to our family. But not in the way that everyone around us keeps asking about- no, we are not having a new baby. Or at least not a new HUMAN baby- yet. We have added a new kitty baby to our family, and we could not be any more excited about her. 

Meet Alice.

She's the sweetest thing since candy. Her spunky, playful personality fits in so well with our family.


We brought her home last weekend, and we have spent the week loving her, and allowing her to adjust to her new forever home.

Our first baby, Jasper, who is about 4 1/2 years old, has had the roughest time getting used to her. However, to our surprise, he has adjusted must faster than we thought he would. He went from hissing at her every time he saw her, and hiding upstairs all day, to running through the house with her, and playing kitty games half the day- all in a matter of 4 short days.

It's almost like instant friends.

We can't wait to watch her grow, and see how the dynamics between Jasper and Alice develop. (Does anyone understand where their names come from?) ;)

8 years down. Many more to go.

Today is the 8 year anniversary of when Kyle and I started dating. 

Want to hear a story?

I'll tell you how it all began...

(2005, I was 17! Holy Moly!)

I was the photo lab girl at Eckerds Drug Store when Kyle was hired as our new cashier in June 2005. 

I wouldn't say it was love at first sight, but when I saw him for the first time, I knew something was different. I like to think I knew that he would have a very special meaning to me.

4 months later, we had our first date at the movie theater- we saw The Exorcism of Emily Rose (awful movie, BTW). He was a gentleman. He came to pick me up, and met my mom for the first time.

It was a night I will never forget. I remember the next morning walking around school with a permanent smile plastered to my face all day long. I seriously could not take it off. I had had my first date. Little did I know, my first date would eventually become my husband.

(You can see the tutorial on how to make this graphic here)

This all happened 8 years ago, and I still remember every detail like it was yesterday. Not many people find a love like ours, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend a lifetime with an amazing man, who loves me for who I am. He's supportive, and kind, and just perfect for me.

In the last 8 years we've been on quite the journey together.
In 2008 we moved into our first apartment together.
Shortly after that, we added Jasper, our first fur baby to our family.
In 2009, we were married.
In 2010, we moved into a house, and welcomed our first baby, Jackson, into our family.

We've laughed, we've cried, we've worried, and we've dreamed. But through it all, we were together, holding each others hand, and supporting one another.

I couldn't have found a perfect partner in life.

DIY Sewing Machine Cover

A few weekends ago, I finally finished converting a section of our basement into my workshop for Hoot & Bumble. That weekend, I completed a few projects I've been meaning to get to for a long time. It felt good to knock them out of the way.

One of those projects was a sewing machine cover. I had wanted to make one for a while, but since I didn't have a craft area, it was never a priority. Now that my sewing machine is in our unfinished basement, I figured now I must have one to keep my machine clean and free of dust.

I didn't set this project up to do a tutorial, so excuse the lack of pictures, and proper measuring. 

I had some soft apple fabric I bought over three years ago, and never used. I decided to use that along with some yellow ribbon (it doesn't match great, but I was trying to use up things I had sitting around).

I did this project without a pattern, so it's not perfect. I didn't measure great. Instead I kind of draped the fabric over my machine, and marked where it landed on the table. Then I cut out a rectangle using my markings. 

From there, I draped the fabric back over my machine, and marked where the corners were. Since the back of my sewing machine is wider than the front, the markings were not even. 

Then, I cut the corners out where I marked them, so the fabric looked like a big lopsided cross. 

I cut 8 pieces of ribbon a few inches in length, and sewed them as ties onto each corner a few inches down from the top.

If I wanted it to look perfect (I was being pretty lazy), I would have folded the edges all the way around, and created a hem for a more finished look. 

When finished sewing, I placed my cover on my sewing machine, and tied all 4 corners into a bow. 

And it's done! If you make one, link me to it in the comment section below. I would love to see it!

All NEW Hoot & Bumble VIP Club 3 Month Subscription

Hoot & Bumble is soooo excited to announce our new subscription program! It's a unique way for our customers to enjoy our products in a subscription much like getting a magazine!

It works like this:

You go to the Hoot & Bumble online shop, and complete a purchase for either round 1, or round 2 of the 3-month subscriptions. Then sit back and wait for your subscription to begin.

On the specified dates for each subscription disbursement we will ship your package. A few days after that, you will receive your package. 

Your new Hoot & Bumble items will be exclusive, never-before-seen products. The products you receive will be a mix of Hoot & Bumble products, and all fabrics, and designs will be new. 

Subscriptions make great gifts that just keep on giving- for holidays, birthdays, or a daughter that is off to college.To send your subscription as a gift be sure to specify that shipping address is different than billing address. 

Round 1 will ship- October 14th, November 14th, and December 14th(Deadline for purchasing Round 1 is October 1st)

Round 2 will ship- January 14th, February 14th, and December 14th. (Deadline for purchasing Round 2 is January 1st)

Spots are limited with this subscription, so snag it quick before you miss your chance! If you miss round 1, you can purchase round 2 until supplies last. 

We are also now offering Hoot & Bumble Gift Cards! Great for the holidays that are coming up soon!

I can't wait to start shipping goodies out to you!

Crafty Weekend + My "craft room" reveal!

I finally finished cleaning our basement up, and organizing all my craft stuff. I am SOOO beyond excited to finally have a space of my own for crafting. I no longer have to lug all my stuff upstairs to the kitchen table to craft, and then lug it all back downstairs when I'm finished. It is all contained, in the half of our basement I am calling my craft room and new Hoot & Bumble Workshop! Since our basement is not finished, it isn't pretty, but it's functional. I'm looking forward to creating decorative pieces to spruce the room up a bit.

Here is what it looks like right now:

As you can see, it's not pretty. But I love that I have so much space and storage. I would love to get a carpet down there, and hang some things on the walls to make is feel more like a creative space, than an unfinished basement.

I am still trying to figure out how I want it set up for efficiency. I like to feel organized and efficient, and I am constantly looking for ways to be more efficient. 

This is my work table. I love how much space it gives me.

Over the weekend, I was feeling very crafty, and inspired (probably because of my new space), and I finished up a bunch of projects that I have been meaning to get to for a long time. Over the next few days, I will show you the projects I completed this weekend. Many of them, you can see in my craft room pictures. I was so excited to do these projects, that I didn't take pictures, or set them up for tutorials, but I can explain how I did them the best I can, and would love to answer any questions you may have.

Spread the Message

I'm sharing this blog post with you today because I believe this message is something worth sharing, and remembering every single day.

Last week, I read this article. Briefly, it is about a man who suffered a brain injury that affected his entire family, and their life for many years, until he fully recovered. They had a booming business that his wife had to take over, and after a while they suffered from many financial hardships. During one of the mans random back-to-normal-mentally streaks, he rented a sign and filled their yard with every one of the family's big ticket items in order to sell them to help his family. An angry neighbor called to yell at him for the gigantic sign, and the man told him what was going on with his family. The neighbor apologized, but felt awful for the things he had said. The moral of the story is not to judge people because we have no idea what they are going through.

I believe this is something every one needs constant work on. It is so easy to judge someone based on what's going on in our life, when in actuality, we know nothing about their specific journey and situation. Even if we are lucky enough to know their situation, we are not them, and have not walked the same journey through life that they have. 

In the article, the author, Melody Ross, states that she wishes people could walk around with signs hanging around their neck telling people what is going on with them. Signs like "I lost my job", "My house is being foreclosed.", or "My husband gambles all our money away."

Because everyone has a story. Because every story is different. Because not all situations are black and white.... We need to be gentle with each other. We need to be kind, and generous. 

After I read this article, Jackson and I read the book Stone Soup, one of my favorite books from my childhood. It shares a similar message about kindness and sharing. In the beginning of the book, the people in the town only work for themselves. They don't share anything, and when three monks come to town, they all shut their doors and refuse to answer. In great efforts to teach the people of the town a lesson, the monks begin to make Stone Soup. They start with just three stones and water. A little girl comes to watch and is eager to help. In turn, all of the towns people come outside to see what's going on, and everyone ends up contributing a little something to make the soup. At the end, they have a hearty Stone Soup to share, and there is a huge feast. The towns people learn that everyone must pull together as a community so they can all reap the benefits. 

(You can click the link above and purchase this amazing book for you and your children to read and discuss together. It is linked to my amazon affiliates account.)

That's what I want for our world. That's what I want for my town, and especially for my children. I want them to grow up helping people, and being generous, but also knowing what it's like for others to do the same for them.

I'm calling all of you, big, and small, old, and young, to make the changes within yourselves to accept people as they are. Love one another always. Be generous, be kind, be gentle, even if someone doesn't deserve it. It is those people who don't deserve it that need it the most.

Please spread this message with everyone you know. We can only benefit from making this change.
Have a lovely day.

Favorite Sewing Product Highlight: My Rotary Cutter

Hi everyone!
How do you cut out your projects?

When I first started sewing I didn't even know what a rotary cutter was. I was using scissors to cut out every single project. It took forever, and could be quite frustrating getting the measurements and my lines straight some times. Until I discovered the rotary cutter. I was a little intimidated to try it at first, but once I did, I was hooked.

Now it is one of my favorite sewing products and I use it more often than my scissors. I use it for almost every project because it makes cutting large, straight lines so much easier.
Here is the one I have:

It is the OLFA 60mm Straigh Hand Standard Rotary Cutter. You can purchase it right from the link above.

(I am part of the amazon affiliates program, so I will get compensation if you purchase from my link. All opinions of this product are from my own personal experiences.) 

(See how straight the lines are?)

The steel blade is so sharp, and cuts through multiple layers smooth as butter. I've used mine to cut cotton, fleece, flannel, terry cloth, and even denim. I've had it for about 9 months now, and the blade is still going strong too. 

I recommend buying a clear ruler to use with it. It really helps to line the ruler up against where you want to cut, and run the blade alongside the ruler. 

And as always, use a self healing mat along with this rotary cutter. 

Have you ever tried a rotary cutter? Which one is your favorite? I'd love to hear about your rotary cutter experiences!