Fall for Organization (Ballet Style)!

It's really starting to feel like fall.  Being a Californian, I probably have no real sense of "fall", but by Western standards, it's getting cooler in the mornings and evenings, and a few leaves are starting to whirl around by the occasional blustery wind.  Fall reminds me of many things: back to school, holiday preparations (including The Nutcracker), soups and warm foods, scarves and new shoes.  If you're anything like me, you might have a strong (ok, slightly obsessive) organizational bone in you around the fall season as well.  Maybe it's the influx of activities, projects and holidays on the horizon, but this time of year tends to kick me into organizational mode.  Here are some crafty ballet inspired items to keep you on track, or give you some gift ideas!

Calendars are always a great gift idea, and are easy to find this time of year!  A quick Google search will land you with plenty of options, and customization is easy these days with sites like Zazzle and Shutterfly.  You may even be able to find some vintage options, which I always love.  Nothing like a great old black and white of Fonteyn and Nureyev to get my nostalgia flowing.

Love the two above ideas for organizing a work/study space (thanks Pinterest)!  Cover the drawers and old cans with wrapping paper of your choice (there are many ballet and ballerina paper wrappings out there!) and voila! A dressed up and pretty container for all your papers, pens and accoutrements!  (Another idea: get the kiddos in on it and use butcher paper.  Let them go at it coloring and decorating the paper and they'll be able to see their own creations as the decoration).  Happy Fall, and Happy Organizing Ballet Lovers!

Fall Tutus

I got to go on a little get away this weekend up to Tahoe, where the colors are swiftly changing to warm fall shades, which made for a beautiful drive and planted a seed of inspiration for a fall colored tutu.  JoAnn's is great for always having lots of seasonal craft items on hand, including tulle, which is great for my seasonal tutu making ventures.  I love the colors I found for this tutu, lots of warm burgundy and plums, along with green and gold makes for an awesome autumn tutu.

I made this Halloween tutu a few weeks ago and have been meaning to post about it for awhile.  Here it is as if it grew off my parents lemon tree, a bit sweet and sour at the same time, perfect for a Halloween fairy to do some trick or treating in.

Soon we'll be falling back and changing the time, which is always a bit bittersweet for me... officially saying goodbye to summer and longer days, but with fall colors and warm holidays ahead it's not such a bad trade off!