Friday Finish!

I have decided it is time to get going on Christmas, it comes so quick and I am always rushing, so I am starting early. A friend gifted me an older book, Kindred Spirits Christmas. I love the older books and designs, they are prim, easy to work up and can be modified, if I want.

This one was a large stitchery, so I reduced it for a smaller pillow. It is 9" x 7", just the right size to set in a grouping or on a cupboard. I really love the design and think it would be fun in bright colors or with applique figures, so I may do another for people who don't do prim. The material on this one is a medium brown, but it is hard to see that in the photo, this one I may keep for me.

I also want to do at least one new thing each week, something I can make to give or hide in stores during the holiday. I loved doing this, it worked up quick and you can use felt, which is easy to get. I happened to win a batch, years ago, so now I can use the green bolt for these trees. If you like the idea of giving gifts to others, just to bring a smile, you can check out my facebook group; DSmiles4miles.

I didn't add a hanger yet, but I will add a tag with a saying and the group name. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, we have one nice day and one rain day, so I plan on making the most of tomorrow and checking out areas, we missed last week.

The pattern for the trees and other free felt patterns can be found at Touch the Beauty.

Friday Finishes!

I hope everyone is enjoying the last week before the busy holiday weekend. I have been taking it easy and working on projects, before I run around to get the house clean and food prepared.

The first thing I finished was a nativity pillow with a design by Cheri Payne. It was a fun piece to do and worked up quickly, so I can use it in time for Christmas. The design is free and in the files at Cheri's group, Quilts by Cheri on Facebook.

The next pillow is a design from an older book by Kindred Spirits. I took the saying from one design and the snowmen, from another. I realize it is a bit cockeyed, but that is ok, my brain seems to be that way lately.

And I got back to working on my punch needle, a design by Michelle Palmer. And with my backwards brain, I realized I forgot to reverse it, the design is supposed to be facing the other way, which is the way I liked it. Of course I got too much done to redo it, and took me this long to notice, lol. I took a phone photo, so the colors are a bit off and I will wait till I am done, then I can decide what doesn't look right and fix it.

And I have been the recipient of some wonderful gifts this week. One thing is a real Native American flute, from my sister. When she was here, I told here I loved the smaller one, that she had, much better for my small hands. Well, she sent me this beautiful flute that is larger and fatter than the one I have, so I am having a hard time playing it. I don't want to hurt her feelings, so I am practicing every day and hopefully I can coordinate my fingers and breath to stop squeaking so much.

And an unexpected gift from my friend Kelley was a beautiful quilt, made by her mother. Her mom became a part of my life, through stories and gifts she would send each year and I would make a few things just for her. She made this quilt for Kelley and now Kelley wanted me to have it, a gift from the both of them. It is something I will treasure, as well as their friendship through the years.

“May you be blessed

With the spirit of the season, which is peace,

The gladness of the season, which is hope,

And the heart of the season, which is love.”

Merry Christmas to you all!

Friday Finishes!

This week I was able to spend more time working on my projects, so I was able to finish one, make a quick one and start a new one. It is nice to relax a bit and just enjoy the season and make a few new things for fun.

I finished the pillows, a pattern from All Through the Night. I love the preprinted fabric, but find it a pain to sew on. But, it is still worth it, love how the prints look, behind the stitchery and wool. I realize that they are not all the same size, guess I should have trimmed by measuring from the cutting line.

The snowman was a free pattern and I changed it a bit. He looks good sitting by the box and just the right height to be seen. The original was actually a floor size, but I like the smaller version. I also found the Christmas box at at the craft store and like how it looks with the pillows. The dividers make it hard to display them nicely, I may take them out for next year.

I also started something new. I still had leftover gift money on etsy and finally used it. I love Michelle Palmer's designs, she is the one who offered the free fox. I fell in love with this design when I saw it and it is so fun to punch. It is large, 11" x 8.5, so I am not sure if I will finish by Christmas, but I am taking my time and enjoying the process and later if things need fixing, I can change them. Not sure on some of the shading and detail on areas that need more definition, but I can wait to see how it looks, all together.

And here is what I have done so far, using what colors I have and added some height to the cuffs and areas around the hat. I am thinking this would be fun to mount on a peg board, that I can use to hang stockings from, for next year.

I finished decorating but seem to see things, I just have to have. Last week it was another church, a prim tree and a snowman piece, I really need to stay out of stores, lol. It is just too fun to decorate for when the boys come over, Alex is at the age where everything is magical.

Here is a little of what I have around the house.

I also like lights and a bit of glitter. The house is on top of the kitchen cabinet and the creches are on my other shelves. Please ignore the beehive cookie cutter, I forgot I put it there, it goes in the craft room. I have an idea for it, with needle felting, another project for next year.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a week filled with joy and peace.

Friday Finishes!

I was actually able to get a few things done this week and even decorate the house for Christmas. It is a hard time of year, but I keep busy and enjoy making presents for others and decorating for the boys. I even put up my pencil tree and my unbreakable kitty ornaments, I know Alex will love that. He goes around my house and says kitty kitty, meow meow. Maybe grandma has way too many cat collectibles, lol.

I finished and hung my snowman piece, a free design by Buttermilk Basin. I really loved doing this one and love looking at it. It hangs from my front windows. I did the back with a premade quilted backing in black, that way it blocks out the sun and it doesn't shine through.

I also made up 14 balsam pillows. I still have a balsam, so I guess I need to make more, the next will be with the snowflakes. I cheated and bought a runner for my table. I plan on making runners for each season to fit the new table, fun projects for next year.

I also made two of the pre-printed pillows by All Through the Night. I have mixed feelings about these. I love the designs and they seem simple, but it took me awhile to stitch them, you have to be exact since the designs are printed on. The material is also a bit stiff and thin for my tastes. But, I still love them and love how they look, so I would do more of her pre-printed designs.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Always make sure you take the time to enjoy the holidays and creating for them, sometimes we try to do it all and put too much pressure on ourselves.

Wanderings and Working on!

We had a nice weekend, and of course we had to take advantage of that, and get out for some walks. Since we went on a no dog walk, we decided to go somewhere with Bean, then we decided to take Nick too.

We took them to Tillinghast pond, which has a nice walk around the pond. It wasn't as easy as I remember it, but then again, we had Nick who I watch like a hawk with all the rocks and tree roots, lol. Then Bill put on Bean's short leash which is not a good idea on walks when he needs to explore back and forth. I am not sure who got tired out more.

Nick loved hiking, loved climbing rocks and jumping over trees that had fallen. On hills I worry about him falling on a sharp rock or sliding down an embankment, so I told him grandma needed help because it was hard to walk up the hills. After a few times, he would see a hill and turn around, and say, let me help you, I don't want you to fall, lol. The boy warms my heart, he is so caring for his age.

He and Bean played at the picnic area.

Here is a photo at the beginning of our hike, and one near the end, quite a difference in his expression. Actually he would not sit still for a nice photo and then said, I have to go to the bathroom, so that is, I have to go look.

We did 3 miles over rough terrain and he does really well, I think we need to get him a pair of good hiking boots for next year. Sadly we both started feeling sick when we got home, and Nick was throwing up all night, guess we were at the verge of a stomach bug and over did it.

We decided to buy a pencil tree, fits perfectly in the corner without taking up too much space. I realized my cat ornaments are heavy and bulky, so I am going with a rag tree. Today I made rag candy canes in a red check and then I will do mini rag balls with yellow and maybe blue, depends on what I have in my stash. For the candy canes, I took two chenille stems, folded them over and twisted them together, then wrapped a long piece of homespun around them, quick and easy. I used a glue stick to tack down the end piece.

I will add a few primitive ornies too, I have a few that were gifted to me, over the years and they will go  perfectly with the rag look. Now I have to decide what to put on the top. Maybe I can make a raggy angel?

Weekend shopping!

This weekend was cold and windy, so no walking on the beach or hiking on hills, and we need to get ready for Thanksgiving, so we went shopping.

The problem is, I never found anything that I was looking for but I did find a few new things for Christmas, lol. On Saturday we went to the shop to drop off our tapes, which was housed in an old mill. If you are ever in the Mystic, Stonington area, it is worth a visit.

It is called the Velvet Mill and hours various businesses, including crafts and antiques, as well as, a brewery that has kegs for tables. On Saturdays in the winter, they have an indoor flea market with various food vendors and crafts. A great place to spend a few hours on those cold days.

I didn't find anything interesting, but I knew there was a thrift store in the area, so of course we stopped there and I found a few things to decorate with. The nice thing about thrifts is I can buy things for a couple of dollars and not feel bad when I get sick of looking at them.

Here are the items I found, 2.00 dollars for each item. The ornament has a little girl in a bed with a kitty, I couldn't resist that. The small creche is perfect to add to my collection and I can add some items to it. The tree is a two piece wooden tree, not sure if I should leave as is or prim it up. I do like the fun look and maybe decorate around it, to have something the kids would like.

On the way home we stopped at the antique store, I needed some more lavender. They have a section with new items and lots of booths, so of course we had to walk around to see what was new. I didn't see anything else that I wanted or needed, but I thought these mini cast iron stoves were nice, I know someone who collects them, but too pricey for me.

On Sunday we went to the Bees Buzz, another antique barn with booths that has new and old items. I was thrilled to see a new vendor who had roving, and wonderful curly locks that I can use for sheep or beards. They look yellowed in the photo.

Another vendor sells handmade pottery and I love the coloring, but there is never anything I can use. This time I spotted a toothbrush holder and it is something I need and beautiful blue/brown hues to match my bathroom colors.

Next weekend is a large craft fair at Sturbridge Village and I thinking about going, but they charge to get in. I do not understand that, I am going to buy things, so why do I have to pay to shop? I can go to a prim store or the vendors and buy from them without an extra fee, money I would use to buy something, so I am not sure if it is worth it? One of the vendors will be Sassafras Hill Primitives, her booth looks wonderful.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. We are hosting the family and friends and I am sitting here wondering how I am going to get this house clean and cook food in three days, ugh. I work well under pressure and good at hiding dirt if I have to, lol. May you all be blessed with friends and family or a nice quiet day enjoying some stitching.

Christmas Pillows!

I loved making the pillow with Cheri Saffiote's free design, that I had to make two more. One was for me, the one with colors and the other two will be gifts. Though, I have been buying new things this year and not sure where I have room for the pillow, lol.

This one is done on a tea towel, I think it would be better if I used towel yardage to fit it better, this was wider than I realized. I also added a few extras to balance it out a little. No tea stain on this one.

I also finished the red work pillow. I like the thicker thread but I think the red is a bit bright, but also nice for Christmas, it will bring out a pop of color in a prim room. Mine was done a little smaller and using more color. I added an extra tree and some stars for balance and they were both done on tea stained fabric by Moda.

You will also notice the star mat on the chair. I was the lucky recipient of the star rugs, that Kelley made to fit my dining chairs.

You can find the design, as well as others, on Buttermilk Basin's blog, still more freebies to come on the hop.

I also had an idea to make a stocking with wool roving. I found a mitten cookie cutter and used that, by putting the roving inside and felting it. I made them too thin, so I ended up putting the two together and just made one. I think it is not worth using my roving on something like this, better with wool or old sweaters.

We did a lot of shopping this weekend. Presents for the kids of course, but I am refraining from over doing it, they are still young, and Nick loves mega blocks, so I am adding to his collection. We also did some antique and thrift shopping, love finding Christmas items that are hard to find and we finally found a tree we liked. My grandmother had a ceramic studio and made a large beautiful tree that I loved and Bill decided he loved the ones he saw in the store too. Most are expensive and we found this 13" tree at an antique store that has booths. It has bulbs and birds and just the right size to put on top of my book case. Of course my red glass angels come out for Christmas.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I am hoping to get all my gifts ready and cards and done by this weekend, so hopefully that works out. I would like to have some rest time this year and I also found some fun snowflake material to make lots of mini pillows to hand out at Christmas. Last year I hid pillows when I went out, this year I want to hand them to people who need a smile or even the clerks at the stores. I can imagine what they go through in a day with all the crazy customers, so they deserve a smile too.

Working on!

This week I finally got my Buttermilk Basin blocks made up. Now I am working on them, but not finished yet, life got in the way;)

I did two so far and one more to go, and I still have embellishments to do. I really love this BOM and it will be a fun piece for Christmas. I still have the S to do, that has a sled and lots of little pieces, so I saved that for last. Next will be the W and a long side piece, can't wait to finish these and just in time for the next one.

One of the things that is keeping me busy this week is slides. I got a smaller slide viewer that loads right into my computer, so I can view the slides and just take the ones I want. There were a lot of old slides and most were from trips, so scenery and ones my brother took when he was in the navy, but I finally got through that batch and got some fun ones. I need to learn how to do them into photos if I can and my nephew said he can try some, he does graphics, so he may be able to do it better than I could.

This is one from a camping trip to Maine. I am pretty sure it is on Sebec lake, they had a camp then, now it is just house rentals. I loved going there and one year Bill and I drove up there, but it was not the same. A lot of good memories, camping with my family. This week Bill has off, so we may just stay home, I have some places I want to visit and if I change my mind, we can always go camping for a few days later in the week. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

This is my mom and me and one of my twin sisters, they look alike at some ages.

It is still Christmas and Good News!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and are still enjoying the spirit and love of the season. I notice a lot of people are taking down their trees and ending the holiday, but did you know that Christmas is not over? 

In the Catholic church, Christmas is still celebrated. From the Epiphany, when the Magi found baby Jesus to the baptism of Jesus, which closes the season. I never knew that or maybe I forgot, but I have always kept my decorations up through the month of January, so I celebrated, without even knowing it. So, if you love the warmth and feeling that your decorations bring to your home, enjoy them and keep them up for a few weeks longer. 

I have always felt that let down after Christmas and now I feel a renewed joy with the special masses each week. Next week we will have a special concert after mass with the children depicting the events of the nativity. Whether you are catholic, christian, or any religion or belief, why not keep the spirit of Christmas in our hearts, just a bit longer and continue to feel the joy that we get leading up to Christmas, maybe even start your own, new tradition with your family.

This is our church, I love how it is decorated in natural greenery, along with the poinsettias and creche. The church has been a source of strength for us since we lost Danielle and I only wished it hadn’t taken her death to lead us back. The photo is a panorama so it looks a bit distorted.

Saturday was family day, we had Nicholas for the day and since it was nice out, we took a ride to the ocean and enjoyed a picnic at the beach. Grandpa and Nick enjoyed watching the ferry, as Nick ate his lunch.

After lunch, we walked a little on the beach. It was nice and sunny, but the breeze was a bit cool. Nick loved walking in the sand and exploring the items that get washed up with the tide.

I love how he starts getting more independent when we take him places. I am blessed to be able to spend time with him and share our love of nature with him. 

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and would love to hear what new things you will be making this year. I have new ideas and will be creating again, so who knows what I will create next.

And the good news? If everything goes well, Nicholas will be a big brother, so something to look forward to in May, a new addition to the family.

              

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a nice day, no matter how you celebrate the holidays. One of the things I did to celebrate was to share the love and memories on a tree for Danielle, in our beach room. I think of it as her room and now it is my room, so it is our room. 

I found a prelit tree with pinecones, simple but nice. I made christmas cards using photos of her and her friends and family and printed them card stock. I hung those on the tree and yesterday I found two hanging signs, one says Believe and one for Joy. I turned it on, on Christmas eve and it will stay lit till midnight tonight, my gift to her this Christmas. I also wrote a little poem to her, not the best literary piece, but it came from the heart.

I made a special gift for you,

a little Christmas tree,

Filled with family, friends and love

and all our memories.

May you see the bright shining light,

as you celebrate Christmas in Heaven tonight.

Love you and miss you,

and this I do pray, 

to be with us in spirit, 

especially today.

Christmas Eve was spent at our house. We made a turkey dinner and let Nick open a few presents. He loves wearing my watch, so now he has his own. 

Today we visited her grave.  It was a nice feeling to be able to see her stone in place and I knew she is smiling down on us, when the sun broke out and the beam cast it's rays on her stone, creating a rainbow of color across the angel. 

The afternoon was spent with the kids, yes I still call them kids;) My son and  wife made dinner and after we enjoyed present opening with Nicholas and playing with his new toys.

We got him a little bike so he could learn to peddle and not have to worry about falling, this was perfect for a learning bike. 

He wasn't too sure about going in his new fort, but then he drove his new firetruck into it, so he had to go in to get it. The house is nice since it pops down and fits into a small carry sack, so he can bring it to my house when he plays here.

Now it is time for me to have some me time, lots of projects to finish, new ones to start and lots of ideas for new creations.

Countdown to Christmas!

This season sure crept up on us, and only a week to get my cards and gifts ready to mail. I know I can send after that, but I plan on getting things done this week and then I can sit back and relax for the rest of the season, at least that is the plan;)

Of course I broke my, not making any more new things rule. I just felt like trying a new punch needle and wanted to try a church. I found the design on a coloring site, and I changed the windows to look more like our church.

I want to put a cord around it, but none of the yarn ones, that I tried, worked. So, I guess I need to run to the craft store tomorrow and get a nicer one to fit with this piece, it needs more shine to go around it. I was going to write in the snow, the word joy, but I punched it all and then remembered. Short term memory has its drawbacks;)

It is not exactly like I wanted, but it didn't come out too badly and hopefully the recipient will like it.

I had Nicholas on Saturday and we went to the school to play. I learned, take Nick or take Bean, but do not take both at the same time, lol. Bean was all excited and wanted to run and Nick was all over the place, so hard to keep track of two kids;) He got to swing and go down the slide and then we walked around the school yard.

He was quite impressed when we encountered a bear.

Another project I am doing this week is, making card ornaments with photos of Danielle, family and friends and I also told her friends that they can also make an ornament or buy one, and write something on it. I am putting up a small tree in the beach room for her, it will be filled with memories and messages.

I found a wonderful website that has beautiful cards that you can insert photos into. I also like that you can move the photo and edit it, so great for photos that don't quite fit. Here is a photo I used of Danielle at her friend Maya's wedding, this frame was perfect for the theme and Christmas and it helped to fade out the white flash that was on the top or the photo. I will print them out on card stock, so her friends can write on the back when they visit.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and are remembering to enjoy the season with those you love.

You can make your own photo cards by visiting Photo Fun Editor. Another idea for those of you who have parents in Nursing homes. Make up some photo cards that they can hang as a banner, on a tree or tape to the walls.

Free Valentines and Projects!

This week I wanted to make something to add to my tree, but I am limited on time and wanted something quick and easy. I searched the web and found a wonderful place with free printables that you can use on a tree or just to decorate. I was also looking at her vintage cards that you can stand on a shelf, might print those out, this weekend.

I printed my designs out on card stock so they would be stiff enough to hang and the aged card stock gives the prints, more of an aged look, instead of using white.

I also printed out some by accident with regular paper, since I forgot to put a piece of card stock in. I used the paper hearts for the back of my hearts and just used a stick glue to put them together. I used a piece of black floss and made a hanger by threading it through the middle. Simple project to do while you watch tv.

I changed my kitty doll with the one dressed in red, to match the setting, better.

My camera was acting up again so I took a photo without the flash. It yellowed the photo, but the valentines are that color in person. I reduced the sizes of the hearts and the envelope to fit my tree. I used the hearts with flowers and the one with writing on it. You can find the designs for these and a lot more at Wings of Whimsy.

Another thing I wanted to try was, dying velvet. I read about dying velvet online and it all depends on what type  you have. I have no idea what type I had, but I assumed it was not natural fibers and I was right, it took the Rit Dye. The bad thing was, I used brown and without thinking, put the red piece in with the others, so the dye bath turned reddish brown.

The original colors I used were, bright red, tan and white. The red got darker and has a nicer mottled look, the tan turned browner and the white is a pinkish brown. Next time I will have to try it without the red. I like how it comes out, after washing and drying, gives it a nice aged look.

And I am also working on a new project. I wanted something simple that I could use for Valentines and spring and decided to use a pattern by Quilts by Cheri, called Live Simply. This is one of  her older patterns and there is a fourth block, but I decided to do three and make a longer piece for my wall. Once I finish the stitchery, I can put them together.

My camera flash decided to go wonky and for some reason when I take a shot, facing down, my lens starts moving on its own, so I guess it needs to go to a shop and see what is wrong and maybe get a good cleaning.

I am also using washable, one sided, fusible to see how I like it. I will talk more about what I do and don't like, after I finish the piece and my brain is working again;) I hope everyone has a good weekend.

Monday Musings!

I didn't get anything made this weekend, but I finally got all of my Christmas decorations down. The only problem is, my house looks empty since I don't have too many Valentine items. I did spend the weekend out and about, shopping and antiquing.

One of my favorite items is an antique yarn winder. One handle turns so you can wind your yarn, though I am not sure how they actually do it, and I got it, just because I liked it;) I put it on the shelf for now and draped a vintage crazy quilt piece, that a friend gave me. The two little figures are carvings, I did, years ago.

Another thing I was hunting for, was a primitive tree to use all year round. Last week I saw them on sale and when we went back, they were all gone, that is what I get for waiting. I found a similar one, though not as prim. I had some hearts that were given to me and I guess I will make some more valentine items to add to the tree and then next month it can become an easter tree.

I will redo the area with a table topper and valentine pieces, guess I need to get busy.

We also went to an antique store and I found a used basket that I can put in my sewing room and they also had lavender that you bought by the scoop, so I was happy to find that. I put a lavender sachet in my wool box and it keeps the wool smelling fresh. On the way back we stopped at a local pottery store, they had beautiful pottery but nothing I could use with my decor. The store is in an old mill building next to a river and the falls were beautiful to watch as they tumbled over the rocks.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and if you want something fun to make for Valentines, visit Bird in the Hand Primitives. Robin has a wonderful free pattern today. And when you visit, you will noticed the doll in her banner is the same as the one next to my tree. I was the lucky winner of her valentine doll and I just love her.

Friday Finish!

This week I worked on some more punch needle stockings so I would have six, in total. I did two in crazy quilt pattern, which look more like stained glass. Two were, hit and miss stripes and the last two I did in the traditional red and white stripe, ticking pattern.

I took a piece of jute and wound a piece of red  homespun around that and tied it to my curtain rod. I used mini wooden clothes pins that I stained with walnut. They seem a bit bare all by themselves so I added a piece of homespun in between them. I think I like the idea of making the ropes with homespun ties and some with bells and other items, then I can hang stockings or mittens from them. Lots of possibilities and it will be fun experimenting.

This is a closer look at the new ones, that I made this week. I aged them all with walnut ink, so they have a nice grungy look. I think the hit and miss stripes is my favorite. This is a great way to use up those scraps. The stockings are about 6 1/2" long and 1 1/2" wide.

I was going through old photos, trying to find some Christmas photos, when the kids were young and found this photo. I had forgotten all about these. I made them in the 80's and sold them to my friends. We lived in a townhouse complex, so I had lots of customers for my hand made items. I just wish I knew where I got the pattern from, I think a box of old magazines got thrown out by accident since i cannot find the ones with my wood nativities in them. Would love to make these again, so if you happen to stumble onto it, in one of your old magazines, would love to have the pattern again.

Not the best photo, I should have scanned it in at a higher resolution and maybe clean my scanner glass;)