Busy going nowhere

I have over 38 blogs that I read regularly. They are all so upbeat and cheerful, full of beautiful handmade items. Everyone, it seems, is winning a blog contests, or getting gifts in the mail for no apparent reason.
Despite entering tons and tons of blog giveaways, I have won nothing. There are no goodies in my mailbox not even when I am told there was one mailed. I would question the Post Office about this, but I get my bills and junk mail just fine. Makes me want to go .......hhhhhmmmmmm...........

My grandchildren had a sleep over last weekend. They are wonderful children and always fun, but not much gets accomplished while they are here. We did get the Christmas tree up and started decorating it, but did not get very far. I have so much more decorating to do and so little time to do it.

I only had 3 takers on my one on one Christmas postcards swap offer. Here is the card I made.



I did manage a little bit of sewing in the past week. This little stocking is my own design and I love to make them. This one is for the gift exchange at work. The little green card peeking out is a Starbucks gift certificate. I have been unable to find a small box that this will fit in, so I think I might try making one. There was a tutorial on Vicki's blog that I think I might try. Don't you just love her work?

More Handmade stuff

Sometimes you just need to sew something quick to get that sense of satisfaction you get when you finally finished something. Winter Welcome which was on the December 2006 (Issue 83) of American Patchwork & Quilting filled that need and is kind of cute too. I think I might make another one this year too.

On the other hand "Christmas Carnations" was not so quick. The pattern was in a book (don't remember which one) and I made this wall size quilt in 1994. I was so proud of myself for doing applique that I decided to enter it in the 1995 Broward Quilt Expo. It was my first quilt show entry ever and I didn't know what to expect. It won an Honorable mention and I was overjoyed. It is now several years later and I see the flaws in my workmanship that I didn't even know about then. It still looks pretty good though. I have often thought about making another on in spring fabrics but I can't find the book.

Snowflakes

The Arts in the Mail November Challenge was snowflakes. I was paired with Kate. My card to her arrived in the UK today, and her card to me arrived here in FTL today. Don't you just love it when that happens?

Kate's card...........................

My card.........................(OK so this is not actually the card I sent Kate, but almost the same)

Handmade stuff

Way back when I used to do counted cross stitch, I made a whole series of stockings. The patterns were from a cross stitch magazine which had two new patterns every year. There is besides these two, one for my son, one for my daughter in law and one for my granddaughter. My daughter in law made the last one for my grandson. They are all different yet are all the patterns are from the same designer. I really love these and surely they will reside on someones mantle far into the future.

I'm not sure if you can see it or not but the date is 1989. When I first started quilting, I actually made a pink Double Irish chain just so it would look like the one on the stocking. The sampler on the wall was never finished because the x's were half the size of the rest and it just hurt my eyes too badly.

Besides a 8 foot tree, I have a mini tree. I purchase some Hallmark Keepsake mini ornaments each year, right after Christmas when they are 50% off. I try too find some that have some sort of sewing theme but that's not always possible. If you have a mini tree, you have to have a mini tree skirt. Too cute!

December Already?

Most people I know do a big spring cleaning of their home. That is most likely because that's when you get to open the windows and let the clean fresh air in. Here is South Florida we turn the a/c on somewhere around May and don't turn it off again until Thanksgiving. We have come to know that if there is a big cold front in New York or Chicago, give it three days and our weather will cool off. So it stands to reason that when the weather cools off and with Christmas coming, that's when I do my spring (winter) cleaning.



So I started last week in the bedroom. Everything was removed, vacuumed, washed, and waxed. The Christmas quilt was put on the bed along with the Christmas pillows and nick nacks. The same holds true for the bathrooms, washed top to bottom and out came the Christmas towels, candles, soap dispenser and nick nacks (Oh yes, I have Christmas bathroom nick nacks.)


My house is really very tiny so the bulk of our Christmas stuff is stored in a storage facility. Today, my husband and I did our annual pilgrimage to the unit to get out "stuff". It will take at least the next two weeks to get the tree up and decorated (8 foot artificial pre- lit tree & 40 years worth of ornaments), and the outside lights put up. We both still work full time jobs , so the decorating takes place in between.


I have managed to get a few postcards made this week (I get a little nuts if I don't do some sort of sewing) but I won't show them to you until they make it to their new homes.


There aren't many pictures this time around because I just don't have a lot to show you. But I did get two post cards this week.

L is for Landscape and this one if from Brigitte in France. It has a dimensional flower there in the corner. I don't know why but it just blows me away when I get a card from outside the US.

M is for Monarch Butterfly by Monica in Texas. Monica says she took this photo herself (and a fine job she did of it too). It also has a dimensional flower with yellow beads. Both cards are really lovely.