I’ve been coveting these slippers on Etsy for a while now. Since I can’t justify the price tag while we’re in Penny Pinching Mode, I thought about adding them to my Christmas wishlist.

But then, while doing an errand at Walgreens, I stumbled across a pair of slippers in the $1 bin. In general, I try to steer clear of those kinds of cheap products because they aren’t really cheap at all (they take a huge toll on the environment, workers, etc.). But sometimes I compromise those values in favor of my values related to saving money.

I scooped up that pair of

Henry’s outgrowing the elephant hoodie I made for him

As you probably know by now, Feeding the Soil should not be your go-to blog for the most hip and updated information about trends in the blogosphere. See, I don’t even know a cooler word for “hip” than “hip.”

So sad.

Anyway, today I will be sharing something cool that I just learned about, six years after the fact: using wax paper to make stencils.

I’m finally getting inspired to start making a few clothes for Henry, since his rate of growth is slowing down. He can now wear something for more than a day before I have to toss it

So it’s finally finished! What a relief. I remembered that I’m not actually a big fan of following clothing patterns, and when they say “Beginner” they mean, “It’s easier than other, super-complicated patterns, but it’s still going to be almost impossible for you to figure out by yourself if you are truly a beginner.”

Thankfully, I was able to schedule three craft dates with my friend who has a baby around Henry’s age. It was fun to chat and sew (and watch our babies when they weren’t napping).

I’ve been wearing the dress almost constantly, like to a little, free Blind Pilot concert at a local music store (and–get this: