Square Neck Alteration

This is such a cool, easy hack!

I've always liked how a square neckline looks on me, but I have problems with tops I purchase because the neckline is often too wide. My bra straps show. Not good.

I purchased this top last July but haven't been able to wear it for that reason. 

I finally took the time to research how to make a wide neckline narrow. I found several methods, but this looked like one that would work on this particular top.

It took very little time to complete the alteration, once I found this method. The little tucks bring the sides of the neckline in just enough, and without messing with the shoulders or the bust, which fit me well. 

I found a lone pink button in my stash that fits the bill for this casual top.

Here's what it looks like when I wear it.

So often, the hardest part for me to learn a new technique or fixing a problem is simply starting.

Bonus: Learning this technique brings me one step closer to my 25 Goals in 2025.

Eugene Park Tour: Friday Blitz

A few weeks ago it was raining on Friday, so Dale and I took an unusual Friday Fieldtrip. We visited (drove by) nine of Eugene's parks. There was a lot of Fall color in the trees to enjoy.

Most of these are neighborhood parks, fairly standard with a kid's play structure, an open field, perhaps a basketball hoop and walking path.

Others are more like a nature trail or an open space with a place to walk your dog that's the home of a future developed park.

We concentrated on parks mainly in residential areas in the center of the city and included:

1. Chase Commons Park
2. Glen Oak Park
3. Hawkins Heights
4. Marche Chase Park
5. Melvin Miller Park
6. Tugman Park
7. Warbling Creek
8. Willis Park
9. Willow Creek Natural Area

Occasionally we saw some wildlife.

Now that we know where they are, we can revisit each park again and spend some time enjoying them when the weather is more favorable.

They Find Me

This morning I took my walk through a new subdivision being built near our neighborhood. The houses are starting to go up with lots of contractor trucks coming and going, lumber being dropped off, concrete trucks, workers constructing the curbs.

As I walk along the curb, this caught my eye.

I walked by before my brain caught up with what I thought I saw. When I doubled back ...

The heart wasn't just in my imagination.

Some Evenings are Like This

For Jodie

Me.
Tonight.

Couch Potato

Tonight's Sunset

 

Puzzle Weather

As the days get shorter, darker, and cooler, it feels like time to snuggle in. It's ideal jigsaw puzzle weather.

I started with a little 350 piece puzzle that I did by myself, rather than with Dale. I like colorful photographs like this.

Olga Nikiforova is the photographer. Pickleballs is the name of the puzzle.

This is the kind of photo I enjoy taking. I took a similar photo back in July 2013

And another that I photographed in August 2013.

I'm looking forward to months of puzzle pastime. 

2025 Pumpkin Wreath - Part 2

So! This is it! The result of my attempts at a yarn-covered pumpkin wreath.

I tried four different ways to wrap the wire wreath form with the chenille yarn. Every attempt was unimpressive. Eventually, I gave up and cut the yarn off the wire.

I was ... unhappy.

But determined.

I looked through Pinterest boards. I got some more ideas. I looked through my stash for different supplies. I slept on it. The next day I visited three Dollar Tree locations looking for new supplies. None of what I wanted was available. Then I found this:

It's a four foot plastic garland of creepy twigs/branches covered -- and I mean COVERED -- in glitter. The problem was, there was only one orange garland left. So I bought it, and one that was a deep red-orange, and this purple one.

That glitter shed everywhere. Oh, the sacrifices I make for my art!

I tried attaching the garland to the wire wreath form three different ways. What I eventually did was 

• snip the garland into pieces
• twist a dark orange piece around a light orange piece
• twist the joined pieces onto the wreath spine and hold them in place with a twist of black chenille stem.

I cut a piece of foamboard into the shape of the pumpkin. Then I covered the board with some black fuzzy fabric I had on hand.

I used straight pins to attach a string of orange fairy lights to the black fabric, taping the battery pack to the back side of the board.

Finally I used black zips ties to hold the black background to the wire wreath form.

Then I took the thing outside and sprayed it liberally with some hairspray to slow down the glitter fallout.

This is what the finished pumpkin wreath looks like in the light.

And here's what it looked like hanging up next to the spiders on the front porch ... basically a glowing orange blob. 

I like this version of a pumpkin wreath better than last year's ... but I doubt I'll hold onto it. It's time to release this idea from my head and go make something more satisfying.

On a positive note, though ... We had an excellent Halloween! We had at least 250 trick-or-treaters. It was like a block party out there with all the kids and the parents dressed up and having a great time. One of my favorite moments was this exchange:

        Kid: "Trick or treat!"

        Dale: "Well, now look at you! Happy Halloween!" as he dropped candy into the kid's bucket.

        Kid: "Wow! Thanks, Grandpa!"

It's the dream of our retirement to become the neighborhood grandparents!