1.Tell us a little about you and your blog.

I’m a stay at home mom and I’ve discovered I’m happier when I’m (a little bit) busy, so when the kids are either at school or napping, I’m sewing/crafting/editing photos, etc. I cook when they’re around and they all help a little here and there. My husband teaches psychology at the local university and we regularly argue over which of the two of us is funnier (I am, obviously). I started my blog, itsalwaysautumn about six months ago because I’d been having such a good time looking through so many of the other awesome craft/sewing/cooking/etc. blogs out there, and I wanted to join in. I share tutorials on photography, sewing and crafts, as well as recipes and the occasional book review and scrapbook page.

2.How and when did you start crafting?

My mom taught me to sew when I was eight years old, and I’ve always enjoyed it (except when I have to unpick mistakes or rethread my sewing machine–that’s when I swear I’m never going to sew again!). I’ve been scrapbooking for the past ten years or so, and more recently I’ve gotten interested in other types of crafts as well.

3.How often do you craft?

At least a couple times a week. When my littlest kids are napping, I either craft, sew, scrapbook, read, or watch period pieces while I fold laundry.

4.Where do you get your inspiration?

Anywhere – from Pinterest to packaging to the skirt the lady behind me at the grocery store has on. I love looking at all the cool things people are making and sharing on their blogs.

5.What is your favorite medium to work in?

Sewing is probably still my favorite, although I love digital scrapbooking as well.

6.What is your guilty pleasure?

Dark chocolate ice cream (emphasis on the dark part)

7.What makes you smile?

My kids are complete goofballs, so one or another of them gets me smiling twenty times a day.

8.What is your favorite thing to do (other than crafting)?

I love to read, and I probably get through close to 100 books a year. I read while I eat breakfast, I read while I push my baby on the swing, and if I’m in the middle of a really good book, I even read while I’m walking down to the mailbox to get the mail.

*Tutorial by Autumn @ It’s Always Autumn for her win of the Season 13 Finale!*

Thanks to everyone who voted! What a tight race! I made this quilt in four days, cutting and sewing madly to get it done in time, so anyone who has a couple of weeks to work on a project could definitely do this. As a quilt goes, it’s really rather simple. Here’s the rundown:

1. Gather denim. I purchased all my denim at three different garage sales the morning I wanted to start making the quilt. Garage sales are the best place to get denim cheap! If you want to make an ombre quilt you need to pay attention to the color of the jeans you are buying – be sure to get some that is quite dark, some that’s medium colored, and some that’s lighter. I kept all the denim I had bought in hand as I was looking for more, to make sure the colors all looked like they’d go well together. I only purchased adult jeans because I wanted strips the were a full 6 inches wide. Also, pay attention to how distressed the jeans are – if the dark jeans you buy all have really light areas in the bum/knees you’ll have to end up cutting some of those out. I think I purchased about 18 pairs of jeans and had at least three or four more than I needed. I got all my jeans for $1 or less per pair.

2. Wash and cut. I would not recommend trying this without a rotary cutter and large ruler, as you see below. You certainly could do it, but it would take lots longer! I just sliced the legs off the jeans right at the crotch then used my ruler and rotary cutter to cut them into 6 in wide strips. I discared the knees of many of my jeans because they were stretched out and light – but that’s ok, because you end up with strips of different lengths, which is what you’re looking for.

As I cut up jeans, I placed them into one of four piles based on color, and I tried to keep the piles fairly even. NOTE: I actually decided I didn’t have denim that was quite light enough, so I Read more

*Tutorial by Jamie @ Three Scoops of Love for her win of the Hardware Challenge of 13*

I was pretty excited about the Hardware Store Week challenge.  Lowe’s is my absolute favorite store, followed by Home Depot for a close second.  It’s so fun to walk around the aisles and try to see a new use for all of those supplies.

I had seen vintage turbine fans turned into light fixtures on some pricey websites.  All that I had seen were well over a couple hundred dollars.  I loved the look, but couldn’t justify the price.  I needed a light fixture for my craft studio and I had a feeling I could DIY my own version.

I started with a wind turbine exhaust fan from Lowe’s.  It was about $35, but I have since seen a few on clearance at my local Lowe’s.  I think these are mainly used in attics or barns.  They came in a couple of different colors, but I planned on painting mine, so I wasn’t picky.

Here’s what she looked like after taking her out of the box.  There are basically two pieces. Read more

8.What is your favorite thing to do (other than crafting)?

Read I am an avid reader and I like to read books on just about everything from crafting to parenting to fantasy novels.

*Tutorial by Autumn @ It’s Always Autumn for her win of the Knock-Off challenge of season 13*

I had such a good time putting together this knockoff look! Today I’ll show you how to decorate a long sleeve tee to make it look like a cardigan and how to sew a super easy but adorable ruffled cupcake skirt. (Check my blog for more info on the stamped leggings and spray painted silver shoes!)

Cardigan top

I found a nice navy blue women’s Read more

1. Tell us a little about you and your blog.

After doing a whole lot of thrifting to fill our home with stuff, I’ve made it my mission to simplify and only fill it with meaningful projects and décor that I absolutely love. Every project on my blog is one that means something to me, not something made for the sake of a blog post. I like repurposing and challenging yourself to look at items in a new way. I have three children under the age of four, so many of my posts have them in mind and I get them involved with cooking, crafting, decorating, and maybe even cleaning.

2. How and when did you start crafting?

My mom always had a craft for us at scouts and birthday parties growing up, so pretty much since I’ve been born. I took art classes in high school to release that creative energy. It took a backseat while pursuing a degree in math, but manifested in other forms (decorating, photo editing). As soon as we bought our home, Crafty Ann Marie was back!

3. How often do you craft?

I go in spurts, but at least once a day. I have a few projects hanging that I’ll chip away at here or there. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was diagnosed with crafting/DIY ADD.

4. Where do you get your inspiration?

My 75 year old home is a big inspiration of my vintage modern style. Garage sales, catalogs, other blogs, PINTEREST, colors.

5. What is your favorite medium to work in?

I don’t know that thrifted items are a “medium” so I’ll go with PAINT. Spray paint, latex paint, acrylic paint, I don’t discriminate and I love ‘em all.

6. What is your guilty pleasure?

A trip to Starbucks, I’ll take a caramel latte please!

7. What makes you smile?

Watching little kids figure things out on their own, hearing them talk, having them smile at you.

8. What is your favorite thing to do (other than crafting)?

That’s a tricky one! I feel like all of my extra time is spent on my blog. I like creating recipes from scratch, graphic design, playing with my kids, gardening, and hanging out with friends and family.

*This tutorial was made by Jessica @ The Domestic Fruit Loop for her win of the Sentimental challenge of season 13*

I love this cradle and I was so happy to be able and update it and display it for last week’s challenge. I have pretty awful handwriting and so I use this super simple method of taking stickers and spray painting over them, then peeling them off to create beautiful pieces. With this cradle the first step was to drill holes into the top of the perimeter.

After I did that I took red satin Kryolan spray paint and picked the side I wanted as the front, I sprayed that side red and left the rest. Honestly I love to use spray paint, because you don’t have to sand anything down and it always looks amazing. I waited about 2 hours for the red spray paint to dry fully and applied the stickers to make the saying I used.

I then sprayed the entire piece with Kryolan flat black spraypaint and waited for it to dry. Once the cradle was dry I was able to take the stickers off so that you can see the beautiful saying ” Only you can control your future”- Dr. Seuss, in red.

I then headed to hobby lobby to pick out a suitable ribbon. I found this super cute red and white polka dotted one in the wedding aisle and grabbed it. I took the ribbon and wove it through the holes that I had drilled earlier. The only thing left to do was to move in some of my daughter’s stuffed friends, and show her the finished cradle. She loves it and so do her stuffed animals. It has now taken it’s proper place in her bedroom.

Thankyou so much for allowing me to share this craft with you. Working on the cradle that I played with as a child so that my daughter can now inherit it was wonderful. I don’t save many things but this is something that I hope stays in our family for generations.