Tornados, Clouds, and Water Everywhere!

Normally when I write about the weather here, it is about the heat and lack of rain. For the past two years, you could not go far around here without seeing "Pray For Rain" signs.

Having enough drinking water to get through the Summer was a very real worry only a month ago. 

The weather of the past few weeks has been a dream, at least for me. I thought that I would share some of the pictures that I've taken. There were days when the radar would look fairly clear, but a couple of hours later you might be dodging tornadoes.

This has made for beautiful skies.  I am not sure if our exact drought status as I write this, but most of our lakes are either at capacity, or rapidly filling.

A Rainy Day - Late April 2015

Lake Graham - Graham Texas May 9, 2015

Right after I took this, a tornado warning was issued.

Same storm, May 9, 2015 Between Graham and Newcastle, TX

After this one, it started raining and hailing so hard, you could barely see the road.  Was thankful to get past the storm and see this...

Double Rainbow May 9, 2015 Newcastle, Texas

I love storms, and with the drought, each one is something to really appreciate.  It has continued to rain and storm. This was our backyard last week...

Feather enjoying the flooding...

I had to go to Wichita Falls (the big city) last week.  This was close to the Little Wichita River.

Flooding Between Archer City and Wichita Falls Texas May 22, 2015

There were places where logs were stuck in fences.  I do not remember seeing this much water around here in a very long time.  

-- Jess

The Elsa Costume

Had to have blue eye shadow and braid :)

Keela loves the movie Frozen, and Elsa is her favorite character.  This costume brewed for a while in my mind.  Miss Kee was consulted on the style.. poofy skirt or not etc. etc.. Then, the fabric was purchased, and then it sat....and sat... until finally, Bryan and I purchased one of her Christmas presents from a fellow Etsy seller, Punkin and Me Bowhouse.

With an Elsa tiara on the way, it was time for mom to get busy!  To make the pattern, I just used a roll of brown kraft paper.  I had decided to keep the bodice and skirt separate, so I traced out pieces for a round skirt first.  Then, for the bodice, I tucked the sleeves into one of Kee's t-shirts and just traced around it.  I just kind of guessed on the sleeves, tracing them out and then making sure the paper pieces matched up okay.

The only tricky part was sewing the material for the top part of the bodice and sleeves.  I have had to go back and fix a few spots that have started to fray.  I think that mastering poly-satin and similar fabrics are definitely on the horizon for me!

A few layers of tulle added the requested "poof" to the skirt.  I found the easiest way to go about this was to first line up the layers and attach them together with a single thread by hand.  Then sewed them into the waist.  The next time I make one of these, I will try to take pictures for a tutorial.

Originally, I had planned to add applique snowflakes and glitter, but ended up just keeping it simple with a few ribbons.  Now, that the new Cinderella movie is out, I am glad that I left it so simple.  She can just as easily be Cinderella as well as Elsa depending on her mood.

Her crown I am thrilled to report has held up against considerable wear and tear since Christmas.  I highly recommend Punkin and Me Bow House.  The owner is very professional, and her work is excellent!

Here are a few pictures...."Queen Elsa" was not too interested in holding still...

A better view of the tiara...

Action shots!!!!

-- Jess

Halloween 2014 Costume Re-Cap

Wow, things have been so busy!  It has been entirely too long since my last post.  I thought that I would show off the girl's Halloween costumes before the next one rolls around.  Also, I finally made Miss Kee's Elsa dress.


So to start, I mentioned in my goodbye to Summer post, that the girls wanted to be Micheal Jackson for Halloween.    I think that the end result turned out pretty well.

Feather helped me plan the actual costumes.  We decided to go with the Billie Jean look - black sequined blazer, white shirt, black pants and fedora.  The only things that I had to make for this were the blazers and hats.

For the blazers, I drafted patterns based off of jackets that they had, making adjustments with the muslin.  I used stretch sequin fabric, and I would recommend keeping rubbing alcohol handy to clean off your needle periodically, as the glue that keeps the sequins on tends to build up.
Aside from the glue build up, the blazer construction was pretty much a breeze.

Next up.... the fedora dadadum..  I had not sewn a fedora before, but I thought "how hard can it be?"  I took the measurements from a fedora that Feather already had that was denim, and set about drafting my pattern.  Everything looked lovely.  I even took a picture of all my tools laid out in the evening twilight.  That is were it ended.  There is no way I am showing the results! lol  Maybe at a later date I will be able to take the time to master the fedora.  Until then, Kee's dress up arsenal has gained a sparkly, misshapen, floppy hat.
Now in full panic mode, I covered the denim fedora with leftover fabric, and by pure luck found an old black one that we had for a long time.

Halloween was saved! lol  Never underestimate the power of fabric and glue!

The girls had a blast and were a hit trick or treating.  They had to moonwalk several times, and their mom learned how to sew sleeves.


-- Jess

New In The Shop!

We have a few new items that are new in the shop & I thought that I would share them!  :)

Santa Fund Money Jar

Cute Christmas Headband

Steampunk Piston Key Chain

OOAK Necklace "Ring My Bell"

Upcycled Hat

Metallic Blue Square Earrings

Jagged Leaf Eco Friendly Earrings

Santa's elves are hard at work!

- Jessica

Goodbye to Summer...

tomato plants!  

By the calender, it is officially Fall.  Weather wise, it still feels more like you would wish Summer to be.  The temperature has finally dropped enough to where you can really enjoy being outside.  We did attempt a garden this year.  Maybe a bit insane, considering that we are in the middle of a severe drought and do not have a well.  I did learn from this that if you have even a minimal water collection set up in place, it is possible to take care of your outside watering needs (especially if you are not in a drought stricken area) without having to rely on outside water.  

Baby Basil and Dill plants

We have 55 gallon barrels set out in places where the most water drains off of the roof.  On days that we were lucky enough to be at home when it did rain, every container that we could find was filled up.  Needless to say, my appreciation for water has greatly increased.  

I will not jump up on my environmental soap box and tap dance, but any precautions that can be taken to keep our fresh water supply uncontaminated and clean is of utmost importance.  

Roma Tomatos

So, although it was not a life changing success, and none of our pumpkins survived, I think we did enjoy this year's garden.  It was a 4' x 8' raised bed.  We built it from old bricks, and filled it with compost and saw dust.  The pest control employed, was a cinnamon/chili powder / water mixture that we sprayed on the leaves, and then picking the worst bugs off.  I also planted peppermint, and marigolds.

Early Days!  The area close to the shop had Zinnas, Marigolds, and Pumpkins

 The girls have decided that they both want to be Micheal Jackson for Halloween.  How to pull this off correctly?  Is it even possible?  We are going to attempt the Billie Jean look with the sequined jacket and fedora.  I have drafted the patterns for the jackets, and done the muslin for both that turned out well, especially since it was my first time to do sleeves and I was really intimidated.

Pumpkin and Squash plants

Of course it is possible that Kee will decide that she wants to be Elsa at the last minute. I do not have a pattern on paper yet, but it is in the works.








-- Jessica

What's going on? Home Construction 101

Summer is here!  Thankfully, the weather here has been kind so far.  We have even gotten a little bit of rain!  The wind continues to blow almost everyday.  This is not something that I remember as being a normal thing in this part of Texas until a few years ago.

I thought that I would share the "house" that the girls built one windy day this Spring.  Their creativity and imaginations are a constant inspiration...  

The house that Feath built....

See, this is the wind I am talking about in action....

It blew the back off of their house, and almost carried Miss Kee away.

Of course then later on, a storm popped up that had enormous hail stones.  Bryan got to go out and take down the house with all of this coming down so that he could move the car into the barn.  

Work on new and existing projects continues.  Definitely not as fast as I would like :), but we are having a lot of fun a long the way. Check out this post to see some of the recent additions to our Etsy shop.

 -- Jessica

New Arrivals!

We have new arrivals in our Etsy shop!

I am excited about our completely new tree organizers.  We always seem to have tons of hair paraphernalia laying around.  A while back, Bryan made one for me out of recycled materials that I love.  Since then, he has played around with different designs and prototypes.  The trees are a product of this.  Right now, we have two different types.  One that is made from wood, the other has a wood base and twisted wire makes up the actual tree.

These are just a great organizing solution.  You can keep them on a table top or dresser and just hang your jewelry, keys, or hair things on them.  This minimizes clutter, and helps you find what you need quickly.


The "Spiral Tree"  is made completely from wood, it has been finished with linseed oil, and features a burned in spiral.  The base measures 6" x 5 " and it is approximately 11.5" tall.

Wooden "Spiral" Tree Organizer from Feath & Kee

Wooden "Spiral" Tree Organizer from Feath & Kee

This next tree has the same measurements as above, its only real difference, is that it has been hand painted with acrylic paint and sealed with a coat of polyurethane.  I think of it as the "Flower Tree".

"Flower Tree" Hand Painted Organizer from Feath & Kee

"Flower Tree" Hand Painted Organizer from Feath & Kee

I really like the "Wire Tree"  you can bend and move its limbs.  It is made from 100% recycled materials.  The wire is recycled baling wire, and the base is made from recycled oak.  The wire has been painted copper,  and the base has been left to it's own natural beauty with a linseed oil finish.  The base measures 5" x 4" and and the height is about 8.5".

"Wire Tree" Organizer from Feath & Kee

"Wire Tree" Organizer from Feath & Kee

All of this wood working produces scraps, and you know what I do with these :).  All of the following earrings have been sanded shaped, have hand burned designs, and are finished with linseed oil.  They all have stainless steel posts.  To create the designs, I literally bent a piece of metal, heated it with a torch, and burned the design in free hand.  So they are definitely one of a kind.  This is not a fancy exotic wood, but I believe that its beauty speaks for itself.

Triangle Earrings from Feath & Kee

Sunburst Upcycled Earrings from Feath & Kee

Delicate Recycled Wood Leaf Earrings from Feath & Kee

Leaf Earrings from Feath & Kee

"Shot Through the Heart" Earrings from Feath & Kee

ReCycled Wood Heart Earrings from Feath & Kee

I almost forgot this pair of painted square earrings.  They are a bright electric blue.

Recycled Wood Earrings from Feath & Kee

Well, that is it for now.  There are so many different plans and designs in the works.  I hope that I am able to share more with you soon!  Also, I love the new logo that Bryan has designed :).  Let us know what you think about the new look.


-- Jessica