Holiday Gift Wrap Up

I have just about finished up on my holiday gifts for this year. Now to get them in the mail or delivered. I wrapped up my cross stitched cards with this adorable Santa and I have to say, I am having a hard time deciding what to do with him. I just love him! Would it be wrong to keep him for myself ?

I made two Hanukkah dish towels for 2 dear (sisters) friends. But with the holiday almost over I don’t think I’ll deliver them in time. As it turns out – not only friends but DNA revealed we are distance cousins connected abt. 5/6 generations back.

Skye (our mini schnauzer fur baby) will head for one last groom for 2021. I always give her groomer a monetary tip at the end of the year and something yummy for the staff. Her groomer, Katie will be getting married in the spring and I wanted to do something a little extra special this time. I decided on a wedding junk journal and I could tuck her tip into one of the pockets with wedding ephemera. Below Katies journal.

Here is the cover of the journal. I photographed the cover of this on a 1935 copy of the Delineator Magazine. How perfect, looks like a wedding reception party for the background. A luscious satin creme ribbon and gold sari fabric ribbon holds a gorgeous envelope in place. Perfect for tucking any gift checks/cash they receive. Below is a few of the pages that I created. I had so much fun with this project.

Stashed in a pocket, ads I got off of newspaper.com papers, a sweet envelope, and Journalling card.

I used wedding photo copies from my collection of family photos. The black/white opens into a card for journaling. I love the vintage pearl botton

Under the book page ribbon is a wedding reception announcement from 1929.

I kept the signaturen for this all in the same white pages. There are 12 pages for writing in. There’s an envelope and tag clipped to this page. I used my sewing machine and zig zag stitched around the envelope.

And in this tuck is two wedding ephemera also from newspaper.com

More stuff tucked into pockets. A vintage Valentine postcard proclaiming her love.

‘Your Words’ is another writing pad to journal on.

Below a fun Christmas Journal ~ darn word press – as hard as I tried I could not delete this grouping. I decided I just wanted to show you a few pages from a bunch of journals but for some reason I couldn’t do that. So this grouping is of 5 photo’s from 1 journal.

The cover will be wrapped up in red sari ribbon

In all the journals I put in vintage photo’s of the Virgin Mary, as well as a vintage Christmas postcard.

Adorable paper doll cut out peeking out from the next page. She has a few winter outfits as well. I clipped on a few plastic holiday goody pages.

Below are just some random covers and pages from a few different journals I worked on. All of these were created out of 2 lunch size brown paper bags. Just like our hand quilting/quilting community, there is a huge junk journaling community that can be found on you tube and the ideas are endless…….

There’s a Theo Chocolate bar peeking out of this one.

I bought a lot of junk Christmas pins off of ebay and added some to covers.

This one is a boho themed journal for my next door neighbor.

This is a photo of a group of children (1950’s) caroling. It is clipped on and opens up to whole bunch of children, found in a random magazine. Theres also some stickers behind the picture.

I used fabric from my stash and created ruffles on some pages. A match book cover ‘ignite your spark is peeking out on this page.

Photo of the woman is from my adopting ‘Brown’ family. She just looks so wintery in her fur lined coat and hat. Who wouldn’t want to go for a sleigh ride in that outfit.

One of the boho pages. I had these Freda cards in my stash for years, finally a use. I used that great red button for a closure for the envelope I made,

I hope this post sparks some new and exciting crafting ideas for you. These junk journals are a totally new art expression for me. And as I said you tube was a huge help in getting me started.

It May Be Spring Time But

It may be spring time but there is a lot of holiday magic going on here.

I have been busy working on some cross-stitch Christmas cards. With 4 in the set, I’ve got 3 completed. I think I like the Santa the most, although the candy canes are cute and I can hear the church bells ringing with this sweet bell.

You may notice on the bell there’s a green border. I had accidentally trimmed one side to short when prepping it. To fix it, I found some green material and added it to both sides. You’d never know 🙂

Nothing like a tea towel for gift giving. I bought some new transfer patterns at the beginning of the year. I really love this one. I like adding red potholders or those holiday boxed tea bags along with the towel.

I was able to get one more transfer out of this pattern from the year before.

This is a set of 2 of the Happy Hanukkah pattern. This transfer was actually not good for a 2nd try. The pattern did not show well and I am really struggling with seeing and getting her done.

Have you started anything for the holidays yet? Here we are in June and I know, I know I know, I shouldn’t dare say it, the holiday season is just another six months away.

SAL: Wildflower Jar Update

At our last posting I showed you a picture of my next project. A counted cross-stitch, called Wildflower Jar, a kit bought off of Amazon. The perfect project to have started with Spring making her entrance yesterday.

I have gotten off to a good start and below is where I am.

Now it’s time to take a look at the progress of the others in this stitch a – long. Wishing you all a spring in your step ~ stay well and smiling 🙂

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

Wrapping Up

Wrapping up my Holiday gift giving crafts for this year. I have added a few more cross stitch cards, tea towels and mini pillows filled with love.

I made two of these. Poinsettia’s are a favorite and I couldn’t resist making a second instead of another pattern.

Most people throw out their plant at the end of the season but have you ever kept your poinsettia plant? Just google the directions. It’s easy and fun to see the plant come back to life.

Small Pillow and Tea Towel will be a gift combo. These pillows are so quick and easy to stitch up whether by hand or machine. The pillow is pieced in the Friendship Star pattern, just perfect from a friend.

• 

• 

I peaked in to my remnants box and found about 1/2 yard of this great snow scene material and matched it with the gray and white material. The white dots look like snowflakes – perfect! I loved using the string of pearls for the edging with these pillows. I am pairing this pillow with the card below for a special friend.

• 

• 

Two more cards completed.

One last tea towel finished

This year was difficult for so many. A second wave has hit our country and the numbers infected are rising, additional restrictions are being enforced and for the first time since this began, friends I personally know and am close with have become ill with the virus. Thankfully a vaccine is on the horizon. As I continue to hunker down and nestle in for a long winters nap I will continue to craft with gift giving in mind. It’s easy to spread some happiness around, not just through the holidays but throughout the year. Be safe out there!

Lots Going On

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. Not just for the gorgeous foliage or the every thing pumpkin spice ~ yum ~ but as the weather turns cooler with more time indoors, I find it so much easier to have lots going on.

I participate in two different sew alongs. A HQAL, where I am working on a hand quilting project – The Dahlia Project and a SAL with a great Halloween cross stitch in progress but I have also been busy with a few other projects.

5 daughters will each get 2 dish towels this year. I’ve have 9 completed with this one just finished.

This years passion has been cross stitch Christmas cards. I had done one last year that was sent to my Uncle. He absolutely loved it. With this year filled with so much uncertainty, filled with social distancing, and actually not even getting together with friends, I thought these would really make the perfect non gift, gift to say you’ve been thought of and are special to me. Here are 3 of the latest completed.

These 2 Current cards are 5 x 7 and came in a set of 4. I have 2 more to do.

I just picked up these 2 Hannukah cross stitch cards off of eBay and am excited to get started on them. (about 6.50 ea give or take) I would have liked a couple more but only spotted these 2 at this price.

And some tiny pillows for gift giving using The Friendship Star pattern will make perfect friendship gifts.

Keeping me busy, as if I haven’t been busy enough, is a lap quilt for a friend. Using the Friendship Star pattern, I started this on Monday and have completed 8, 9″ blocks. I think 12 blocks may be enough with the added sashing, I’ll see. These blocks, a first for me, have been machine assembled and not hand stitched. When I get to quilting her though, she will be hand quilted 🙂 No idea on the backing yet.

The last on my doing list is this pinwheel block pattern baby quilt. I have been working on it through this last year. The blocks are all hand stitched with the sashing done by machine. I still have 1 more strip to piece together. I had used this pattern and material before in another baby quilt. With a few extra blocks I just kept going and made some more blocks, enough for this second quilt. She will be hand quilted.

It’s been a crazy year for so many. Blogging, reading and following blogs has been so important these past 10 months. It’s kept me focused on not being bored, one of the greatest complaints I have heard from friends. Along with keeping me busy, it’s connected me to those who share a similar passion.

I have been thinking about how the holidays, traditionally, can be a very difficult time for many regardless of this being the year of COVID. I want to make a little extra effort to connect with friends and family this holiday season.

A Lot Of Christmas Happening

Where has the time gone? As I write this there is only 90 days left till Christmas. NO way, I have too many projects left that I want to complete. I have been working on tea towels and cross-stitch cards since the beginning of the year and while I do have quite a few gifts completed – the stack of projects doesn’t seem to be going down. I have completed these 3 cards from the original 4 I purchased in January

I just love these cross stitch beauties and thought this year I would really like to send out a few more. They really do say “your pretty special” I purchased a few more off of eBay or was it amazon…oh hec – one of those two.

I have completed friends and am working on Happy Holidays right now. The other 4 look rather easy to stitch up and will make the perfect gift cards.

I have added another two tea towels bringing a total of seven completed with another being worked right now. The quality of these towels and the ones completed are fabulous, heavy and with a sewn in hook for hanging. The towels were purchased from Joann’s, Stitch Em Up 2 pack Flour Sack

I needed more towels and since I am staying in and doing most shopping on line, I ordered from amazon Utopia Kitchen Flour Sack Dish Towels 12 pack Cotton Kitchen Towels 28 x 28 mid Sept. I was so disappointed when they arrived. They are thin and see thru with no hook. I begin doing some embroidery on one and well – I have ordered on line from Joann’s and will most likely not use any of these for gift giving.

90 days is simply not enough time to get what I want to get done – I will be shifting my expectations very soon now 🙂

I have been working on a Halloween cross-stitch and a quilt, both also for gifts. No deadline on these, with the Halloween being worked for 2021 🙂

May I share with you our blossoming fur baby Skyes The Limit Johnson. Saved thru Cozy Paws Rescue she came to us in mid July. We feel so blessed to care take her or is it her us? She has brought so much happiness wrapped up in her 14 lb mini schnauzer bundle of love. The picture was taken yesterday on a mini nature walk along the Puget Sound.

A break in the weather got us out and enjoying but you should see Skye in her blue with yellow duckies rain coat – adorable and perfect for here in our northwest corner of Washington state where we are no strangers to wet weather.

Enjoy a relaxing weekend ~ I am off to do some baking.

Christmas In July

It’s time for a little Christmas in July and an update on what has been keeping me busy. I had already posted these 2 projects but am adding to my stockpile for gift giving ….

I finished 2 more dish towels

There will be no shortage of reindeer for Santa

And this sweet old world Kringle will add some sparkle to a kitchen

But lets remember to always spread Joy

I have a few more towels stamped and ready to start but I also have this sweet little scene to stitch up along with one more holiday card.

 

There has been no shortage of projects to work on during this sheltering in place business. I have been participating in 2 craft alongs 🙂 a hand quilt along (HQAL) and a stitch along (SAL) Both post at 3 week intervals, the progress on our projects. It’s been a great way to get lots done with the encouragement of others – that accountability that keeps you on track. I think the best part has been the friendships with other crafters from around the world that have formed. Certainly, for me, it has been a way to really stay positive and uplifted and in communication with so many wonderful people.

Please remember to

 

 

Progress on the Fun & Funky Baby Quilt

I’ve been busy with quite a few projects the past few weeks. We’ve seen cooler temps and rain here in the northwest, but it always seems by the late afternoon, the clouds break with the sun bursting through to warm us and remind us, we truly are in spring.

One of the projects I have been working on is a baby quilt for my grandson Kris expecting his first – a girl, due in August. I have shared the photo below, of what I am working on before, a quilt that’s fun, funky, bright and bold to match his and his families personality. I had stashed, massive amounts of the Curious George material and the pink flowered scraps  (picked up at a yard sale some time back) They seemed to be the perfect choice to use for this project.

Midway during the construction I ordered material from Connecting Treads for the sashing, ordering a few choices, hoping one would match. I wanted the sashing to be in the pink but once the material was received I was disappointed that the 3 choices I ordered were totally off. I had however ordered 2 other sashing choices to go with the other baby quilt I am working on (for no particular person)

On a whim and a prayer I thought ~ why not try the two turquoise I had ordered, one dark and one light. Since the theme of the quilt was fun and funky, bright and bold ~ throw in comic and outside the box – the dark turquoise seemed perfect to pick up the hint of blue in the pattern.

Here she is pieced together

38″ X 36″

The backing will be done in the Curious George material. The blocks were all hand pieced together but I admit it – I turned to the machine, the first time, and machine stitched the sashing to the blocks. I will be hand quilting her though. I just felt like time was becoming an issue for me after waiting so long for the material order. I want to get her in the mail to Texas by early July if possible.

Also in the craft basket for the last few weeks has been these 2 Christmas kitchen tea towels

And this cross stitch Christmas card to go along with them

Thank you for stopping by

 

 

 

Sheltering in Place, from my home to yours

It occurred to me I haven’t shown to much of what I have been up to while sheltering in place. I have updated you on my projects for the HQAL and SAL that I participate in

but other than that I haven’t shared any of the other projects I have been working on. I finished 2 sets of tea towels/dish towels for two daughters.

Just last week I picked up a baby quilt I had started some time back. Its done in a simple pattern, the pinwheel, my go to favorite. I had hand pieced the middle pinwheels with about 14 completed and now have added the border by machine.

I don’t think I had shown you the quilt I picked up from the Goodwill quite some time ago, pre COVID – 19, I have it doubled up and folded over a fence line. It has all been hand stitched.  The back of the quilt is what the pinwheel blocks are photoed on.

I have continued to make masks for friends, requests are still coming in but more slowly now as more and more people are making them. These two were for friends heading into Seattle to a medical center for a scheduled procedure

My daughter Marissa (in Japan) had told me about using Instacart for grocery delivery. Monday we had our first delivery. Our experience was perfect, our personal shopper on the ball, efficient and friendly while texting through the store with what was and wasn’t available, replacement possibilities complete with pictures. The best surprise was learning her name was Marissa. It was like having my daughter shopping for me (they were both in the same age bracket too, 30’s)

The weather has been beautiful in our northwest corner of the country giving me lots of time outside and in the gardens. I have two strawberry beds like this one, loving the warmer weather

The raspberry are showing their beauty and leafing out. Last year was my first year for them to produce. I have 6 main ?canes? are they called canes? The 3 blueberry bushes are limping along still. Two lone tulips popped up – none of the others yet. The daffies are done.

There’s a real quietness to the garden this year. Only the established perennials will display their beauty, I will not be adding anything new or any annuals, it’s victory garden time here. On one of my last outings late Feb. to the local rite aid, I picked up some veggie seed packets. I have spinach started and outdoors in pots and these chives are gorgeous coming back from last year.

I killed 3 tomato plants I put outside to early and the frost got them. I have new seedlings sprouting again. I have radishes coming up, lettuce started, basil and peas all started indoors – a first batch of peas out doors is no more. Carrots and squash need to go in soon – I really have no idea what I am doing; this is a real learning curve keeping me busy.

The bread machine has been put to great use and while Easter was uneventful and quiet, I managed to whip up a picture perfect Pineapple Upside Down bundt cake.

Thinking about the virus and all the changes in our lives right now has kept me busy, reflective and thankful. I find I wake anxious to see who has posted what you have been doing and what is going on where you are. Like many I have spent countless more hours on the phone and face timing with family, checking in, confirming all is ok.

We have 2 resident squirrels who have kept us company and amused this spring, stopping daily for their peanuts and corn. And look at this little guy trying his best to get this peanut…..hey you have your own bird seed to eat.

My hope and prayer is that you and your family members are all well and everyone is safe.

2020: Starting the New Year

An invite to a birthday dinner party for a special friend called for something special.

After some thought, I decided on making a small pillow, using a recycled a vintage linen and a scrap from ‘Wishing You Goodwill’ the double wedding ring quilt I have been refurbishing (for years). It’s about 5″ x 8″

I used two different lace accents, layering one on the other for the edging.

 

Gift wrapped and ready to go

And to start the year off, some new tea towel transfers ordered off of eBay …. I love them all and can hardly wait to get started. Each motif has a specific person in mind.

Delight in the Desert

Who doesn’t love a chicken in kitchen and the chance to honor Native Americans for their cultural contribution to the world of arts and crafts

I love the little mouse and I was thinking an adorable felted holiday mouse ornament with him repeated as a border on it would be perfect!  The ideas are endless!

Wishing you all a year of fun, exciting crafting ahead.