New Year Preperations

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy new year.

May all your parties be bright and sparkly!!

Off I go to help peanut finish up.

(She is a better worker than I)

i'll be back on Jan. 5th with more stuff.

Links, winner, swaps, and snow bunnies

ok, all you lurkers...i guess you all got together and decided that Amy would love to have the pocket people....so

The winner is AMY!!! She has the second largest pocket people collection in the World. This will just further her advancement above everyone else. :) Mine is the first--but hers are actually finished!) congrats and i will be sending those on over to you pretty soon.

Lurkers- go to her link. she had a great christmas of handmade.

I thought that i would catch myself and everyone else up on the swaps. I haven't reported a few.

Cupcake Swap. This was really a lot of fun to do. This is what i recieved:

a cute cupcake corispondance package. It has the cute chenille fabric outside with cupcake flannel and ric rac embelishments. Plus a ribbon yo-yo closure. very cute.

Inside: writting supplies. A tablet of pink paper, a journal, a pen, a letter opener, and the cutest cupcake cards and tags (see them on the left?) I should have shown them off better. Way cute!! oh, and please notice the crocheted pink and chocolate cupcake pincushion. love it!!

Please don't be angry with me--- i lost her name and her link. how could i do that? how rude. Well, if you are reading this---please post so we may all know who you are- and i can be reminded. sorry, but i still love it. thanks!!

Up next: SSCS or Secret Santa Christmas Swap

Look at all those goodies. A cookie cutter, some wayyyy cute buttons, 12 days of Christmas the Australian way, a calendar (lives at the computer now so i know what day it is), a little tour info book and take a look at this:

A Christmas stitchery!! and the star hanger even came with it!! yay!!! look at the cute buttons too. Great job and it is hanging in the living room right now above the fireplace. Thank you Thank you. My secret giver was the chocolate cat. I couldn't find a link for her either :( again--post if you would like us to come visit in blogland. we love little trips. missing in photo: chocolates. of course there is no excuse except for eating them. mmmm chocolate....

Take a peak here if you would like to see what i sent my secret partner. This was sooo fun. To have a little extra under the tree and really not have any idea what was in it!!

I also recieved one of the three bits and pieces swap. When i get the other 2 i will post those all together. Fun stuff!!

I also put a few new snow bunnies in the shop. The other ones got sold and went to new owners and so here are some new ones. Ready and waiting for a new snuggler.

And of course if you would like to narrow the gap of Amy's pocket people collection hop on over to the shop for your own.

I am supposed to be picking up and cleaning the house today and tomarrow. We have a new years party here for family and friends every year. Nothing big, just 2 ping pong tables, food for a lot of people, treats, drinks, maybe a movie, games and of course conversations!! If there is any one in the near visinity of us that would like to swing by go ahead!!

kids are definitly allowed and your ticket for entrance is a smile and a plate of goodies

:) mmmmm

is it really that late?

Contagousness

Did you get it? Where you infected? Did you feel it in your home?

Mine did and my kids did too. The week before Christmas my children each decided to do a handmade item for their mom and dad. This was on their own and boy did we get some surprises---oooo, i love surprises--
WARNING: Reading, watching, looking, and enjoying these items might give you homemade overload.

Jerika- She is a sweety and always is making things for others. She especially loves making birthday presents and now, christmas.

This is a picture of a tree. Yeah, great you might say...but wait. See the little round ornaments? They open up. Each of them has a picture of someone in the family and something written about them above their picture. Isn't that just slick????

Jarom-- He is the inventive little guy. I am thinking he got just a bit carried away with the whole handmade thing, but loved every minute of it!!

This is a house. My house with a chimney. This is me....look a picture of my face even. Let's take a look inside shall we?

There is a table and a seat for me to sit on. There is a quilt!!!!!!!! and take a look at that sewing machine!!!!! did you see the toothpick needle????? He has really overdone it!! It is on display in the living room.

The honey got a snake game from him even with little players. I think he was wee bit jealous of my house though... :)

Ammon-- He made honey a spider. It takes some picky work to get it to stand, but it is quite magnificent.

Each of them loved their homemade presents. I found a couple of additions--rubberband guns and a bow and arrow set made from pvc pipe!! the boys love those and they actually work really well. I am thinking we will be missing the collection of long sticks and questions of--will this work as a bow? how about this? this one???

Our Christmas morning was spec-tac!! All was calm and lovely. The kids didn't get much, but enjoyed what they got. They have loved their homemade stuff so much that they haven't done thier puzzles or played their games yet. We even had to open a few little things this morning -littlest petshop, cars. I am not upset at this either. I love that they choose the others first and don't need all that other fru-fru stuff to be content or happy.

I do have to report of the honey. He did it!!! He went into a quilt store---by himself--- and bought me some fabric!!! a fat pack of wools and a moda pack!!! yay for him!!! He told the gals there that he was my husband-(I am an area rep for the Utah Quilt Guild so they know me) and they helped him. Nice bunch of gals don't ya think? Oh, and he loved the dog too. The cute couple is now residing on the bed. They are so cute together.

Well, it's over. Pressure is off. Life begins again. It was a good little bunch of days.
Hopefully we continue to find pleasure in homemade. I know my home did.

Would you like to share your homemade Christmas outcome?

i'll make a post with everyones links listed to take a peak. We all want to see what everyone else did and got.

oh, let's make it even funner. The giving will continue. When i post with all the links I'll draw a winner for a prize. An after christmas gift!!

Just to remind us what it is all about. A Mary holding Baby Jesus, Joseph, and an angel to watch and protect. They are pocket people and are around 4 inches tall. They are available in the shop + other handmade items.

Do you feel the itch???

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS

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PEANUT & I WISH YOU

A MERRY CHRISTMAS

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Thanks to everyone for making my blog world a great one.

I wish Santa brings you everything you asked for :)

Handmade Christmas + extra stuff

I finished yesterday the tops to these play mats. I still need to sew them to the backs and then ---done...yay!! They are for the 2 boys. Sometimes i go a little over board--at first i thought hey, i'll make 4 but after thinking about it, sometimes less is more!! so i did 2.

The first is a water scene. There is a lot of water and a few islands with trees and of course the island in the center with the X marks the spot and a treasure chest.

The second is outer space. I found this great piece of material at Joannes and added a large sparkly white moon, a yellow planet, a big blue one off the side and a melinium falcon. It would be just the landing pad area....can you see it? Get it? ok. neither did the honey, but oh well. i am a sewer, not a space aircraft designer!! Cheese.....what do you all expect? :)

I am trying to get ahead of tomarrow- dinner and all- so i am making pies. I get all the pie crusts ready-2 and mix the ingredients for the apple insides and go to get the apples...what? where did the apples go? there is only 2 apples left? what? who?

So here it is:

I know...how could they? didn't they know? so i looked and looked and dug to the very back of the pantry and alas---i found it!! the can of pumpkin!!! So I had to roll out another vERY THIN crust for a third pie. Because nothing can be that simple- it was a monster big can of pumpkin. Mixed it all up and there. 3 pies. Now that i guess is planning for extra without even knowing it. hmmm

Last item on the get ahead for tomarrow list. HAIRCUT!!! Leave it to me to leave it to the very last minute possible- and then change haircutters, and beg the new one...please today, please.

It was soooooo worth the begging and waiting. I feel like a new gal!! My hair is FINALLY to the length that it needs to be to be a 'style'. Take a peak:

As you can see i am not a professional self portrait taker. I need to follow Boiled Peanuts cue and give it a go. Just a reminder---I am a sewer people!!!

Well- after wrapping a few things today and looking at the little piles of gifts I think i have it under control. I think I am really ready. By this time tomarrow i will be second guessing what i have of course....what else is new?

but today---- today i know it's good.

All hearts come home

This little project i have been working on for a few days now. finally finished and ready to go to it's new owner.

I do have to say that it's definitly not the first little quilt i have ever made or will be the last, but it is the first one that I HAND QUILTED!!!

There are a few of you out there that have hand quilted before, but for me it's a big deal. I took a hand quilting class like 2 years ago and have never done one. So there ya go....hand quilting.

On a different note....i played along with the toy society and this weekend they had a world wide toy drop off. here is the little girl I made to give away. So i stuffed her and her blankie (to keep her warm) in a ziploc baggie and dropped her off at her location and left. Hope she didn't get too cold or wait to long for her new owner.

If I go back and she is still there and i "find" her does that mean i get to keep her? ok, ok i won't..... we'll see.

Handmade Christmas Show and Tell

I have finished one of the presents for the kids. This one is for the oldest. She is 11 years old and just a few months ago purchased with her own money a doll similar to the American Girl Dolls. She has her own little bed, but not much to go along with her......so this is where i go crazy. :)

I picked up this little suitecase at a thrift store for a buck. Then i scanned some postcards and pics and printed them off on fabric and fused them to the sides.

Would you like to take a peak inside? Of course you would--

This is the contents all snuggled inside.

Would you like to see them out?

And on the doll? Of course you would--

pj's.

wool turtle neck sweater and long wool skirt.

wool wrap sweater and black wool short skirt

the wool long coat---the one side is a bit longer than the other at the top.....thus...the big flower.

here she is all ready to go out. scarf, mittens, and matching hat with pom-pom.

And what doll doesn't need their own little quilt and sheet and pillow with 2 pillow cases? her favorite color is purple. I even bought new fabric so she got something all her own.

I will be working on a few more things for the other kids this weekend. Can't wait to show what i've got planned!!

Stockings and Irons

The stocking were all hung...

I am going to play along with Whimsylove today. Stocking show off day!!

This is the fireplace. It is the last thing to do in the house. It needs a mantle and a blower to work right. nice hugh?! some day...some day. The little plant on the right is a Christmas Cactus. I think i've had it for 3 or so years now. It keeps blooming. I can't seem to kill it---oh, and neither can the cat. :) It is sitting in a wedding presen from Isreal. It is a bunch of carved camels and a bowl. When we first got it, I was like...ok. but now, i just love it. Something different. Oh, I should make a quick stitch camel.....how funny would that be? anywho...

The stockings i picked up at Joanne's a few years ago. They are really a great size and have that little pocket on the front for letters to santa--can you see a few sticking out?

Give me some thoughts though on making them personal. I am thinking i could stitch names on the top fluffy part...but is it too fluffy? Should i add toes? birds? snowmen? hammers? or a pile of coal? hee hee ok really -----anything? Let me know, or link me some examples.

I think it's time to add some personality to them.

p.s.- the little one is for sage, the cat.

Look how cute this bag is!!! It is lined with quilted insulated fabric and the front is a pocket. The pull string keeps everything inside......and what is inside you ask?

A MINI IRON!!!

yay!! and a fat quarter, and a little bottle of spray starch. What a wonderful present to get from out quilt meeting/christmas dinner last night. It was a bunch of fun!! I ended up with a cute little pink basket, 3 fat quarters, and a pattern.

Not bad, not bad at all.

Buy, Cut, Pin, Stitch, Snip and Wear--Scarf

Can you handle a 6 step fleece scarf? I sure can---how about 4 of them!!

While I should be sewing other items for Christmas Gifting---I got a little side tracked. We have been out a few times in this bitter cold and I have seen a few scarfs out there......and alas- they have met and this is what i have come up with.

Are you ready to start? Let's begin:

Buy--- you need 2 6inch stips of a fleece. I did mine co-ordinating. You could just do 2 of the same or whatever. Usually fleece comes in a width of 60 inches. **You also need one little 1 inch stip 5 inches long. This is a little loop to tuck the scarf in so you don't have to knot it.

Cut--- You have a choice here. To cut the length or leave the length. I just had little scraps so mine are around 45 inches long. Just leave them the 60 inches if that is what you like.

Pin---Fleece is a funny thing. It stretches and lengthens magically. Laying the 2 strips right WRONG sides together pin all the way down and 4 inches up from each edge.

Stitch---Sew all the way around the outside edge on both sides. Fleece doesn't ravel so the raw edges are ok. If you have a fancy cutter you could pink the edges--mine is super dull and i didn't want to go there.

Pay attention here-- At the ENDS--you need to sew 3 inches from the end. This way you can snip those ends and make them tassely!!

To keep this from being a tie mine-- scarf I added the loop. This loop is pinned in place 32 inches to 36 inches from one end. I pulled my loop up just a bit to give it some slack before sewing it down. The scarf tuckes in a lot easier when you have a bit more give. See below. The loop is layed the long way also- so when the scarf is crossed over each other it can jump in the loop easy. See last pic to see this better.

Snip---Now go back to those ends and snip them. Yay- tassles.

WEAR--- wrap around your neck and slip one end into the loop on the other end. You can just pull a little to make any adjustments. Depending on their neck area one end might end up longer than the other.

Enjoy--- no knots, no dragging, slipping, tripping scarfs. They are doubled up for extra warmth and tuck in that little bit of extra. These 4 are gonna be rolled up into their stockings. I might try one more for the honey. Definitly won't be in the flame fleece...something mellow, calm, and well kind of boring i guess. He is soooo picky :)

note: I used scraps of fleece that I had in my bins. The pieces don't end up to be the same length so only one of the fleece parts got tassled. It would work a little better if they were the same length, but what do ya do. I just went with the flow and here ya go. Plus these are for 5-11 year olds so they don't need to be extra long...and they aren't picky ....or boring.