2013 Here we come!

Boy, New Year's Eve has changed a LOT for me over the years.

I used to be quite the party animal.

Dancing the night away with friends and family.

But these days with small children in the family

the late night Pictionary, Cranium, dancing and laughing

will have to wait until the babies are a bit older.

No one wants to wake them up 

just to put them into their car seats 

on a cold winter night.

So this year the hubs and I 

will quietly spend the evening 

enjoying each other's company 

with him playing his new "old school" Zelda

and me stitching my new chart I received for Christmas.

We'll welcome the New Year with a hug and kiss

and then off to bed for a good night's sleep.

(That is IF we even make it to midnight...ha!)

I wish you all a blessed and healthy, 

Happy New Year!

I just wanted to share a couple of projects 

that I couldn't show you until now.

Here are two ornaments that I stitched for friends.

I used chenille around the heart 

and it's the first time I've done that.

I really love the look!

I also made these two little clutch bags

from a pattern found in

"Bags - the Modern Classics" by Sue Kim.

I highly recommend this book

if you like purses and bags.

Full sized patterns are included

and the instructions are easy to follow.

I used Minnie Mouse fabric for the lining

because the recipients are Minnie fans :)

I used some vintage buttons from my Mom's

vast stash of awesome old buttons.

And last but not least,

I wanted to share my tree top Angel with you.

I stitched her over 30 years ago 

and she is still watching over our tree each year.

One of the things I love most about hand crafted

items is that they will be here long after I am gone.

Kinda nice to think that she will still be smiling

and watching over my loved ones for years to come :)

My Heart is Full :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

I hope you are all enjoying time with your family and loved ones.

I finished the dolls for the girls at 2:30 yesterday

and we exchange gifts at 6:00pm.

Talk about last minute.....

You can find the pattern at OhSewDollin.etsy.com

The girls loved their new dollies

and the doll beds I made them :) 

The boys were big fans of the Super Hero masks 

they received from us.

This is my new favorite photo!

It will be printed into an 8 x 10 somewhere in my living room.

Isn't it the best???? 

And these are my wonderful children :)

I have soooo many great photos from last night.

Too many to share here.

It was hands down the best Christmas Eve so far.

Lots of laughter and even dancing!!!

The only down side was that my nephew has pneumonia

and my sister-in-law stayed at home to be with him.

Otherwise it would have been perfection.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season

"The Christmas Story" Nativity from For the Love of Cross Stitch Magazine  July 2002 and  Sept 2002

Yipppie!!!!

I finished the Nativity that I was working on for my daughter!

She's coming by this morning 

and I'm going to give it to her so she can display it right away.

I made a few changes to the pattern colors.

I used metallic gold thread

 for the halo and stars on baby Jesus.

I also used a smaller stitch count evenweave

to make the pieces turn out smaller.

I bought the little wooden stable

on a trip to Hobby Lobby when I went

there with my friend Cherise.

I didn't think about it at the time, 

but the stable has a peaked roof,

so I had to make the bottom of the angel

come to a peak as well 

so that she can stay up there without falling off.

All the characters are stuffed with batting

and then walnut shells at the bottom

to keep them from tipping over.

And yesterday I found this lovely box

at Joann's on sale. (60% off baby!)

And it's the perfect size to hold 

all the pieces of the Nativity!

Look at that!

Perfect :)

I love it when a plan comes together!

Ok....time to get back to work.

4 more projects to finish before Christmas Eve......

Ho Ho HO!

I should be working on dolls for my granddaughters.

But I find myself taking it easy today.

Not sure why.

I did manage to finish up the Lizzie Kate

cross stitch into a pillow for myself.

Shocker I know.....

AND I finished up a little zipper bag

for a lovely client that is stopping by today to pick it up.

Yesterday I added one more apron to my shop.

This one just feels like sunshine to me.

Even with the gray fabric.

It's just a happy apron :)

I've got lots of new ideas for my Etsy shop for the coming year.

I also have a BIG giveaway planned for January

so make sure you check back to see what's going on!

It could be YOU who wins :)

Busy...busy...busy....

Just a few more fun aprons listing in my shop today :)

This pink and gray one just makes me happy

and those are totally NOT my colors.

This one makes me want a cup of coffee....

nuf said.

Now this one is more my color palette.

I do love me some red :)

Berry Sweet

I didn't realize it until I posted my photos for this blog post,

but apparently I'm working in a "berry" theme today :)

I made this fun strawberry apron this morning

with bright pink polka dots.

I've used this fabric before,

but always matched it with red polka dots.

(shocker.....I know)

I have to say that it's really fun

and bright with the pink.

Who knew?

I also made this set of 6 coasters for a custom order.

My lovely customer stopped by my home yesterday

and picked out the raspberry fabric 

and asked me to add some red.

They look so cozy, don't they?

So Hard to Say Goodbye........

There are fabrics in my stash that are so hard

to say "Goodbye" to.

These 2 aprons fall into that category......

I came across this adorable print

by Michael Miller.

It is out of print and I was super happy 

to find it.

I made an apron for my daughter last year 

and now I've used what was left.

I mean seriously...

how cute is the Cake Queen???????

Then there is my Robert Kaufman Metro Kitchen Chickens.

They just make me happy......

I'm down to my last yard or so in my stash.

But at this point I realize that I'm bordering

on becoming a hoarder.

I don't want to end up on that cable TV program

buried under piles of fabric,

so I have to part with some of my treasures.

Can you tell that I love me some

Ginormous rick rack????

I hope who ever buys these

loves them as much as I do :)

It's going to be a blustery day :)

Today's forecast is rainy and cold.

LOVE IT!!!

And what makes it even better is that I don't have

anywhere to go today.

I'm super excited!

Rain outside,

hot tea and pumpkin spice donuts,

and lots of sewing!

Woo Hoo!!!

Yesterday I received an email from a lovely woman

that attended the DIY boutique on Sunday night.

She asked it I could make 3 business card wallets.

2 in purple and 1 in blue.

She said I could choose the fabrics 

because she trusts my taste.

Gotta love clients like that :)

So here they are, ready for pick-up.

Fun little projects.

I also managed to finish up another full apron for my shop.

I love these little owls!

When I bought the fabric I didn't even notice

that some of the owls have a glass of wine.

How hilarious is that???

Baking, coffee pots, tea kettles,

kitchenaid mixers, rolling pins,

AND WINE?

Sure...why not :)

Makes me love this fabric even more!

Purple?

I'm not usually a fan of purple....

or blue either for that matter.

But this fabric jumped out at me

on my last shopping trip.

I am a fan of paisley however, 

so maybe that had something to do with it?

Anywhoooo......

since I sold all of my full aprons

I knew I needed to get busy and sew a few new ones.

This one is in my Etsy shop right now

and I'm working on another one.

Hopefully I'll get a few listed

in time for the last minute shoppers :)

*Whew* I made it........

I'm such a "last minute" girl.

I'm just really glad I managed to get these Sandy blocks done

and in today's mail before the deadline.

I've never used black as a border before

and I have to say...it's pretty stinkin awesome!

We were told to use black or a dark color

to make the blocks "pop".

I wish I could see this quilt when it's finished,

but I don't think I will.

Well....now that my project is done

I can get back to sewing some new aprons for my shop.

I picked up some fun fabrics this morning

at M & L (it the last day of their sale)

and it's time to get to cuttin!

Friday Night With Friends

Tonight I decided to join the "Friday Night With Friends"

over at Gone Stitchin'

Since I am sewing or stitching every Friday night anyways

I thought it would be fun to play along.

I worked on the 12 blocks I am making for 

the Sandy Quilt Block Drive.

Leave it to me to wait until the last minute.....sheesh.

Anywhoooo.....

I have the 12 blocks done except for the final

2" strips around the outside.

It's late and I'm tired

so I'll finish them tomorrow or Monday.

I used the Wonky Scrappy Log Cabin Tutorial

for these blocks.

I realize that I'm not very good at "random".

I used scraps and tried my very best to 

make these blocks super scrappy,

but I just have a super hard time 

trying not to be all match-y match-y.

Either way, I am hoping that whoever

ends up with this quilt,

that they will feel the love and prayers

that are going into it.

I can't imagine how hard it is to lose

your home and everything in it.