DIY – AngelfromMontgomery et al.

RIP our daughter’s first best friend

01/02/201801/02/2018 by AngelfromMontgomery, posted in Blogging, Cats, DIY, Eulogy, Friends, heaven, Nature, Praying for peace.

We lost Alex this week after only having had him eight months, same age Imogen was when we adopted him.

From the beginning he proved himself to be a capable babysitter…

…except he never learned you’re supposed to pretend you were awake the whole time.

Most of the photos in this post are all from the first month or two. I keep thinking about how happy he made all of us, especially her.

Jacob liked to say that he acted like a reincarnated old miner, the way he held down our corner of 12th and Irwin. True to form, he managed to carve out a huge space for himself in a very short time. He leaves a huge hole behind.

This is random, but notice the cat-shredded bar stool in the picture below:

…because evidently our grief manifests itself in decorative duct tape and clearance paint.

DSCN5091[1] — Keeping the candles lit for the time being helps a little.

RIP in kitty heaven.

Two more holidays and two-digit months old: Imogen Charlotte at 10 mos.!!

12/07/201712/07/2017 by AngelfromMontgomery, posted in Blogging, Cloth Diapering, DIY, Friends, heaven, Nature, Praying for peace.

Taking a rest halfway up Mt. Roberts on Father’s Day

Dad holding Imogen the magic dragon tightly at the top!

In the front carry with mom on the tramway down… because sometimes you gotta

A celebratory roll in the grass with hot sauce (sweet potatoes on face, not hot sauce)

And Father’s Day sorta went right into the 4th of July

(we didn’t get nearly as nice a day for that but still caught the parade)…

Watching the Shriners in the little cars

“Guerilla-style” d-change over the rushing water on the Perseverance Trail

And just trying to take it all in, this beautiful place that we live and get to explore and discover together.

Big girl watching The Last Waltz with us on a rainy day

Three nurseries in nine months (babies are on the move!)

25/06/201725/06/2017 by AngelfromMontgomery, posted in Cloth Diapering, DIY, heaven, Photography, Praying for peace.

Move-in day: another clean slate *sigh*!

Getting there: mobile from Ted and Christina hung, Matryoska doll curtains made by Mom (Jamie), rocking chair acquired by Dad (Jake)…

Her crib with its homemade (by LeAnn and Nana Debbie) afghans and mattress cover (peeking out)

And… finished! Lamp and changing table acquired, pictures hung, rocking chair repainted…

…and today’s project and the finishing touch except for one knob I need to find for the closet door…

Rain gutter bookshelves!! Special thanks to Dad Jake for the help in executing this vision!

Let’s not move for a little while… unless something really great comes up. 😉

PROJECTS Living room curtains i.e. mountain framers

15/04/201715/04/2017 by AngelfromMontgomery, posted in DIY, heaven, Nature, Praying for peace.

One of the best things about our new place, a south-facing bay window with a view of the mountains, was almost totally obscured by whatever you call these heavy sliding blind things that, even when open, took up more than half of the window.

This is what the living room looked like when we moved in (picture from Zillow) – notice the different size windows

But a blank slate is a blank slate and can always be looked at as an opportunity. I took it upon myself to frame those mountains à la full DIY… and it ended up being fun and worth the effort to make curtains.

Foyer and living room… now with curtains! *Heart eyes*

The 8 feet of PVC ($2.29 each) at the same height on each side mostly give the illusion that the windows are the same size (especially when closed). And those are up there with garment hooks we got at the hardware store, and on little rings with clips (to give the “gathered” effect).

My daughter and my dad with a backdrop of that fabric Jaco picked out and I had to go back and buy more of but it was worth it.

Imogen likes the nice golden glow they give in the morning. Mustard yellow is the way to go for curtains, who knew?

They are lined with queen sheets – I found a new-in-package “used” set of 6 and cut the hems off those, so the curtains are nice and heavy. Now we just need some furniture!

PROJECTS: baby wear <6 mos.

07/03/201707/03/2017 by AngelfromMontgomery, posted in DIY, heaven, Praying for peace.

Wrapped my sewing machine in Jacob’s and my auxiliary coats, packed Imogen’s new stuffed animals around it, shipped it to Juneau in a Rubbermaid, and after channeling my 7th grade Home Ec teacher Mrs. Goode here I am on this side of one baby dress and a couple of Celtic knot turbans! (Interested in these because Imogen’s name is Celtic in origin!)

Mom actually sent me this fabric AND THE PATTERN which she had saved over forty years. With great appreciation I got to work, and must say I love the final product, especially the big bows on the shoulders and thickness of the fabric for this particular dress. (Didn’t get it on her yet – waiting for spring – but here it is with the pattern and hanging in her closet.)

For my second project, I wanted to make a few baby turbans and Celtic headbands I had seen on Pinterest – there are some sweet tutorials if you are also looking for a my-baby-is-asleep-at-bedtime activity. For this one just had to convince Jake to sacrifice a couple of old, soft (well-loved) t-shirts and wa-la! Baby headbands.

Celtic knot headband made from re-purposed t-shirt above; store-bought headband below

Imogen in her new blue and white Celtic knot turban style headband.

Finally (for now), our family is featured backup dancing in this video featuring Marian Call and Laura Zahasky at 7:40. And it’s a good show too!