Fall Favorites {Shannon}

I honestly can't believe that autumn is here! I swear my life right now is like those movie montages of the calendar pages floating by way too quickly. Between finding a new routine for back to school, little league practice and games for my middle boy, nutcracker rehearsals for my ballerina girl, and engaging with my youngest during the day, my time seems to be stretched thin! When it's hot here in Texas there is only one place I like to be: under the AC! Which means a lot more time spent inside, and a lot more time available to be making and creating.

Now that the weather is nicer we are stretching our legs and moving to the outdoors. Less time sewing, and more time being together as a family. Which I love. Something about fall just brings us all together, everything feels cozier and just...better. I have to be a little more creative when it comes to finding time for projects, but I love a good challenge, and fall is definitely worth it! It's definitely my favorite season!

I thought I'd share with you five of my  favorite things about fall, and even some ways I've found to sneak a little "me" time into all the hectic, activity filled days.

1. Snuggling. I LOVE being cozy. I love when it's cold and I get to bundle up in socks and sweaters and scarves and blankets. We are never lacking in blankets in our home. We have a mix of handmade and store bought, but no one ever has an excuse to be cold! I've got my eye on some quilts I'd love to make this season, and really who doesn't love to cuddle under a brand new mama made blanket?

I absolutely love this quilt (and look the name is already perfect!). It's such a simple design, but so amazing. {source}

This bunting quilt is SO cute, and SO simple. I'm pretty sure at least one of my kids is going to get one of these cuties for Christmas! {tutorial here}

2. Baking. Now that the weather is cooler, you will find my oven on a lot more. Baking makes me happy, and since I'm trying not to keep all the goodies to myself, it allows me to make my friends happy too. Nothing brings a smile to someones face like a plate of homemade goodies, especially if they include pumpkin. Yum.

I've had this brown sugar pumpkin cheesecake pinned for forever, I think this year I'm finally going to try it out. {recipe here}

This recipe is the closet I could find online to a dessert I've had many times, such a good twist on the traditional pumpkin pie. {recipe here}

3. Layering. Honestly who doesn't love a good cardigan/scarf combo? Because I don't wear tank tops, summer dressing is always a little tricky for me. I still end up wearing layers, but they make me hot and cranky rather than confident and cute. In the fall bring on the layers! Nothing sets you up for a great day like loving what you've got on.

So many tutorials for making your own scarf! Maybe this year I can actually try one out? And how fun to have something custom made just how you like it! {tutorial here}

4. Shorter days. Call me crazy, but I love when the sun starts to go down earlier and earlier. When the kids are nestled in their beds, and the house is picked up, I love to hunker down on the couch for some good TV. Usually I can be found with a project in my hands. Embroidery is something  I can do and still get to spend some quality time with Keith.

I ADORE this hoop idea. This scripture is perfect for a sweet little reminder to hang on the wall, and it's wordy enough to keep my busy for more than a few nights. {original here}

 5. COOLER WEATHER! Obviously this the BEST part of Autumn! I feel so much more relaxed when I'm not in fear of constant sweating, haha! Though I love swimming, and the lazy days of summer, a cool climate is top notch in my book. Of course that begs the question, what the heck am I doing in Texas! And while the cool season isn't long here, I make the very best of it!

Writing all these out has me excited for what lies ahead! September to December has to be the best time of the year, hands down!

my {little} addiction

Hello, my name is Shannon. (Hi, Shannon) I am addicted to craft supplies. BUT, thankfully for me I have found a way to completely justify it! Lucky for you, I'm going to teach you how to justify it too. ;) Your husbands (or wives) can thank me later.

Fabric is my number one craft supply. This is a small corner of my stash. I try to keep it organized, and varied so that no matter the project or color I need there is a great chance I have a little bit!

There are few things more frustrating to me than wanting to work on a new project that I've come across during my Internet browsing or brainstorming and finding that I don't have all the materials I need to even get started on the first steps. When the creating bug hits me I have to get moving! Most times for new endeavors I may have to get one or two special items to complete a project, but I love to be able to start the first stages of a project right away.

My ribbon stash has severely lessened since I stopped hard core scrapbooking, but I still love to have a few spools on hand, and I never throw away the ends of the spool!

By having a well stocked craft area I have ensured that when I get the itch to create something there is a pretty good chance I already have more than half of the needed supplies. Over the years I have gone from a tiny box to hold all my things to a full blown craft room. You can have a good selection no matter the space that is available to you. You may just have to edit a bit more, and really decide what things you love and use the most. Those are the things you have handy.

Any time thread is on sale I buy another color. Sitting down to start sewing only to realize you don't have the correct thread is so aggravating!

 The key is keeping an eye on the sales! When the notions wall at Joann's is 50% off I stock up on things I know I'm going to use (elastic, velcro, snaps) and maybe if I can afford it I buy a few things I'd like to try using or just some extras add to my notions supply at home.

I love to have a good variety of paints. The kids and I both use these for many things! I always buy a color or two when they go 50% off!

I also try and use every coupon I'm given. My store of choice is Joann's (I seriously LOVE that store), and they are great at sending 40-50% off coupons out in their mailer. They are currently running a special called "coupon commotion" where there are two pages full of coupons in the mail-out add. Jack. Pot. I will take an evening to browse the whole store looking for things that I need or could be useful just so I can use each coupon!

My kids have a drawer full of supplies that have been collected over the years that they are free to utilize at any time. Beads of all types, glue, pipe cleaners, construction paper, canvases, markers, etc.

A lot of the things I like to use never go on sale, coupon commotion is when I will stock up on those (embroidery hoops, spray paint, thread). You can always use another can of spray paint, and if it's half off you can be brave and try a fun new color! There's something so satisfying about wanting to paint a frame and having a wide variety of colors to choose from right in your own garage.

all this plus 6 cans of white...

I also hold on to things I have accumulated.. I haven't scrapbooked in ages, yet I have all of my paper, alphabet stickers, brads, embellishments, stamps, etc. that I never used. I can use these things in many different ways, and to me the money I may have recovered by selling them didn't outweigh the money I may have had to re-spend if another paper based project came up. I have them stored nice and neat, and ready to be used at a moments notice. Perfect for cards and projects, and my oldest LOVES when I let her dig into my massive collection of stickers and paper and go to town. We are big on handmade birthday cards, and I can't think of a better way to use up old supplies.

The white drawers hold all my remaining scrap embellishments and tools. Easy to access, but not in the way.

So there it is, my dirty little secret. I stockpile craft supplies like nobodies business, but the key is that I use them! So my stash is in a constant flow of in and out. Plus then it gives me a reason to buy something new!

Summer's gone!

Wow! Whoever said time flies when you're having fun wasn't kidding! The last few weeks have been filled to the brim with out of the ordinary fun stuff. Which means all of the ordinary not-so-fun-stuff gets pushed to the back burner, and even some of the ordinary fun stuff! Not much time for crafting when there are a million other things to get done!

First we had my oldest friend (longest friend?) and her two kiddos visit us for a week. She lives in Spokane so I don't get to see her nearly enough. We realized that this year marked a pretty big milestone for us! We have been friends for half our lives. That's crazy. She has been through so much lately and I'm glad that she was able to come visit. We spent the week doing pretty much nothing, except just being together, and it was quite fabulous! We did manage to sneak a trip to IKEA in, but that was basically it. A true, relaxing vacation. Which meant I was left with loads of chores when they left. Lame.

A few days after they packed up and left town The Garaging Mavens headed to our first vendor booth at a local consignment sale. Let's just say this was great practice for further sales. Even with all my preparation, I still wasn't prepared! Next time I want to have a lot more items made, in a larger variety. We did have a great time meeting lots of new faces, talking about how we would do things differently next time, and just getting to be with one another and visit without the constant background of children's voices. It was a great weekend!

Wasn't what we originally envisioned, but I think our space turned out pretty inviting. Makes ya want to come in and SHOP!

Tuesday night after the craft fair my family and I packed up and headed to the beautiful (yet horribly humid) state of South Carolina. My husband was born and raised there and our youngest brother was getting married. It was a wonderful ceremony, and I am truly grateful we were able to be there to share in their special day. So much fun to see so many family members. Our kids have a gaggle of boy cousins right around their ages, so you know that's gonna be a crazy good time. Our kids were completely exhausted by the weekends end, and then we got to drive 16 hours back home. Yay.

Our lovebirds freshly married. Such cuties!

Now we are back to reality. With all that hoopla summer just slipped away without me realizing it. Now with no trips or guests in sight it's time to break out the chore schedules (for Mom and kids), dust off the old menu board, and try to find some semblance of routine. First order of business, clean my craft space. Ha!

Time to get cleaning. Ick.

And just like that 3 weeks slipped past. Did anyone else feel like summer just disappeared? I totally wasn't ready for it to go! I always learn to love the lazy days of summer with time, but honestly I thrive on the scheduled days of fall! And bring on the sweater weather!

about me {MamaBowers}

I thought maybe it was time to start talking about who's behind the blog! My name is Shannon, and I am one third of the Garaging Mavens. My personal (very neglected) blog is over at Life with These 3 Kids. I haven't posted on there in ages, but I love having that record of those blogging years!

A little about my family. My husband, Keith, and I have been married for 11.5 years now, we met my first year of college and have been best friends since. We've been through 3 colleges, many moves, multiple job changes, the birth of 3 babies, buying our first home, and settling here in Texas away from family. Though we have made many friends that are as close as family can be without the same blood running through our veins. 

The five of us 1.5 years ago, Keith and I look pretty much the same, maybe just add a little more fluff. Ha!

I have been sewing since middle school. I took as many home ec classes as I was allowed to take all through high school and even a few in college. I had to put my sewing machine away for quite a few years while we moved around a lot, and started having babies. During that time I was able to expand into paper crafting and just generally learning how to be creative and really make something from nothing. I love the creative process. I love seeing something I like, and figuring out how I can make it more "me" and for less money!

I was able to dust off the sewing machine about 4 years ago. I started my own etsy shop and filled it with baby things. This helped me to find joy in all of the babies that were surrounding me while I was unable to become pregnant with a third. Funnily enough just when the business started taking off, I became pregnant! Through the fatigue that comes with pregnancy my store fell neglected, and though I kept on making things for friends and family I never had the chance to reopen my little corner of the internet.

current shot of my loves this spring. Natalie (9), Wyatt (2), Brady (7)

Needless to say when the idea started flowing between me and my friends to open a shop and start making a name for our products and ourselves, I jumped at the opportunity to start sewing with a purpose again. I love to sew, and seeing things that I have put time and love into find their way into others homes brings me such joy. I dabble in many different crafts, but baby goods (blankies, burp cloths, bibs, etc) are my first love. I love to see people ditch the pastels in favor of cute and modern colors and patterns. Cute and functional is the best kind of craft!

I'm always looking for new ideas. My favorite is when a friend comes to me and says, "can you make this?" I'll always do my best to figure it out to the best of my ability. I hope to be able to continue learning new skills and putting them to work for the Garaging Mavens!

About the Garage Girls

We have a passion for finding a bargain and therefore love us some garaging. We are housewives that dream of sand paper and spray paint.  Follow us on our journey as we find some amazing deals by turning their junk into our treasure.  And don't forget to comment and let us know what you think!