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.

              

Monday Finishes!

I was able to get in some sewing time this weekend and finished one piece, made another and started to finish a UFO.

The first piece is a design by Plumcute Designs. This was one of the free designs in the Buttermilk Basin spring hop. The original design is in a small hoop. I planned on putting mine on a wood heart, but the piece was too big for my heart. So, I went with a simple square pillow and added the saying.

I added a bumpy yarn by using  two strands and gathering it, as I went around to get a full decorative border. I added a cord so I could hang it on my peg rack at the top of the stairs.

This next piece is a free design from the Wool Applique group on Facebook. Trish from Attic Heirlooms is offering the designs and she also offers them on her website, but you have to get them during that month. I am making mine over sized because I will be hanging them on a line with clothespins, for a Christmas garland.

Another project that I have been wanting to do is a Christmas runner with blocks that my friend Lauri sent me. I finally got it into my head, how I should have sewed them to get them even, after I was finished, lol. I do not take things apart, so the uneven edges will stay;)

The middle section is white so I am trying to decide, if I quilt it, how should I quilt it and what design. I wanted to hand stitch it with black threads but not sure if i can do a nice design that way. Or, should I put an appliqué in that section? Would love suggestions.

I bought material to match it, but I wonder if it is too light? What do you think of the border fabric? It is more tan than the middle sections, but I plan on tea staining the piece, so the middle will be darker in the end. I hate to buy more fabric but I could also go with a dark red or green for the border?

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;)

Pillows and Presents!

Last week I won a contest sponsored by Kelley of With Hook and Needle. She had two snowman rugs to giveaway and I was the lucky winner of one of the rugs. I just love my new rug and it looks wonderful on my chest. Kelley has such a wonderful gift of hooking prim rugs and the colors do look wonderful in person.

I also made some tree blocks last year and didn't know what to do with them, so I decided pillows would be fun and easy. I kept them simple and added balsam to each one, then put one in different areas of the house to get the pine scent since I don't have any real trees. I put them in the photo all together so you could see what they look like. It is something simple you can do yourself, just use patterns you have with trees and make them into little pillows. If you don't have a pattern, search the web for free christmas tree graphics. Great to put around the house or for bowl fillers. An added benefit is, you can have a tree that is cat proof.

Another surprise this week was a gift from Anna of Woolie Mammoth. She surprise me with this beautiful framed wool piece and I love the saying. I decided to put it in my office to remind me to enjoy each and every day of my life. It is also a reminder of the friendships I have made through blogging.

There are still 6 days left to enter the contest, sponsored by This-n-That Fabrics. All you have to do is submit one of your christmas quilts that you made this year, easy as that.

Christmas Kitties!

I haven't been able to put much up for christmas, but I wanted to put a few things up and I had found three alpine trees that I could decorate and put on my chest. Doesn't Dora look so sweet.



I don't even want to think what is going in her mind, right now. Actually Dora helped me decorate, try putting on homespun garland with a cat;)



It didn't take long for Moki to notice the trees and he saw just what he wanted.



Yup, he is a candy cane thief. For the last few days, I find them all down the hallway.



And it didn't take long to come crashing down. I decided I needed a new place for the trees, now they are in a corner, on the floor.



And I decided a new, simpler Christmas display would be better, but they found a way to entertain themselves with that.



Nothing is sacred from kitties, it is all fun and games;)

More christmas at my house

One of the things I love at Christmas is Nativities. This nativity was our first, it is italian plastic, lol. I just love this set and I am always on the lookout, at the thrifts, for pieces that match. We got it at a discount store that is long gone, so I have to rely on finding them second hand. It is a great set for a kitty house, they can't break this one;) The wonderful stitched pillow was a swap present from my friend Imi, in Holland. I really wanted a piece like that and didn't have time, so I was so happy when I found that in my goodie box.



I found this wooden horse at the thrift store. I do like brighter folk art toy items, to decorate too. It cost me a whopping two bucks.



I love this sled and wish I had gotten another. I got it from a post Christmas sale. The snowball and crow was made as a gift, from my good friend Jacque.



And from Christmases past, this hand carved Santa. Yes, I carved him myself. I am not a great carver, but I have made a few things and enjoy making things with wood.

Thrifty Monday

I don't know if I would call this thrifting, but I found some items today in our local consignment store. I actually find nicer things and some antiques, and a lot cheaper than the thrifts lately.

I wanted a big basket for my dining bureau, but I guess I got one, too big. It just didn't look right sitting up there, so I put it on the floor and an old piece of cloth and guess who decided it was a fun place to play hide and jump out at the dog.



It is a wonderful old basket, with the wood staves on the outer sides and bottom. There is a little damage, but the basket is still in good shape and perfect for prim decorating. I played around with what I had and some more pines from outside. Would love ideas on what to do with it. I was thinking old quilts and dolls would be nice too. If you have a picture of a big basket and how you use it, would love a link, to see it. The cardinal was a swap gift this year and the sled, something I painted years ago.



Izzy loves to follow me around and play games, as you can see, when I put the other items back on the bureau.
I spent half my time, vacuuming the cat hairs, off of the fake poinsettia.



I also found another tin candle holder in the sale aisle, this time in black, for only 2 dollars. I hung it above the old basket, I found, earlier this year.



Another fun find today, was this pair of folk art rooster, candle holders. They are hand hammered, they look great on top of my kitchen cabinet, but had to take a picture in a lower spot, to show you.

More decorations and free designs

It was a rainy and windy day today, so i decided to clean and see what new decorations I could make with what I had.
I made some paper cuttings and finally hung them. I had an old wreath and I put that to cover up the big hole in the wall;)
I love the hanging ornaments and if you would like to make your own, you can now get the patterns free on papercutters.info
Look for the link to back street designs. They have the books scanned in and lots of other patterns too, even stitchery patterns.



On the kitchen side, I added some greenery and a poinsettia swag, along with my red candle holders. A nice simple gathering.



I decided not to put out my ceramic nativity, it is a larger set, and I am running out of space, lol. I always put my first nativity up, it is just plastic, but I love it. Sometimes I get lucky and find pieces for it, at the thrift stores. Someday, I would like to make a creche to go with it.