Friday Finish!

 

Tonight I shut down and it hit me, I forgot to post my blog, lol. The holidays have been hectic but worth it and today I spent all day taking down fall and putting up my Christmas decorations and I am still not done. I think I have too much, so just using my favorite things. 

I wanted to make some balsam pillows for the kids and Ivy likes gnomes, so I found some clipart to copy and made up some stitched pillows for them. They were fun to do and I added glitter thread for the inner stitching, details.

On Saturday we went for a ride and unfortunately, the new park we went to was impassable. The only way to the trails was across a stone slab bridge and the waters have been so hard and high, the river pushed them over sideways. No way was I going to try to walk on that. So, we ended up at another park and enjoyed a nice walk there.

I have also been seeing more hawk activity. This time it was a pair of Red Tailed hawks, flying over my house. Of course they got higher as I came out with the camera, but beautiful to watch them.

And Sunday was another birthday. I really don't like celebrating, so we spent some time at the beach and then the kids came over for a bit. The boys made cards and gifts for me. I found a few treasures at the beach, but it is getting colder and harder to stay out long. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a wonderful week ahead.

Monday Finishes!

This weekend didn't go as planned, both Bill and I woke up sick, so we spent the weekend at home. The good thing was, free HBO this weekend so we watched movies and I worked on some stitching.

I am having fun making stitcheries from the kindred Spirit's books, and made two more pieces, this time I made them into pillows. I think they would be great bowl fillers or a shelf sitter, great to tuck into those primitive gatherings and nice for gifts.

I added the X's and 1,2,3; I have an obsession with filling in empty space;)

Also, if you like free patterns. Theodora Cleave has the last of her free patterns. They are additions to the original ones that she offered. The designs can be done in a quilt or as small quilts since the designs stand on their own.

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a nice day, no matter how you celebrate the holidays. One of the things I did to celebrate was to share the love and memories on a tree for Danielle, in our beach room. I think of it as her room and now it is my room, so it is our room. 

I found a prelit tree with pinecones, simple but nice. I made christmas cards using photos of her and her friends and family and printed them card stock. I hung those on the tree and yesterday I found two hanging signs, one says Believe and one for Joy. I turned it on, on Christmas eve and it will stay lit till midnight tonight, my gift to her this Christmas. I also wrote a little poem to her, not the best literary piece, but it came from the heart.

I made a special gift for you,

a little Christmas tree,

Filled with family, friends and love

and all our memories.

May you see the bright shining light,

as you celebrate Christmas in Heaven tonight.

Love you and miss you,

and this I do pray, 

to be with us in spirit, 

especially today.

Christmas Eve was spent at our house. We made a turkey dinner and let Nick open a few presents. He loves wearing my watch, so now he has his own. 

Today we visited her grave.  It was a nice feeling to be able to see her stone in place and I knew she is smiling down on us, when the sun broke out and the beam cast it's rays on her stone, creating a rainbow of color across the angel. 

The afternoon was spent with the kids, yes I still call them kids;) My son and  wife made dinner and after we enjoyed present opening with Nicholas and playing with his new toys.

We got him a little bike so he could learn to peddle and not have to worry about falling, this was perfect for a learning bike. 

He wasn't too sure about going in his new fort, but then he drove his new firetruck into it, so he had to go in to get it. The house is nice since it pops down and fits into a small carry sack, so he can bring it to my house when he plays here.

Now it is time for me to have some me time, lots of projects to finish, new ones to start and lots of ideas for new creations.

Must be Monday!

It seems I do so much to get ready for a vacation that it takes all week to relax and then it is time to come home and clean up after the vacation, now I need another one;)

One thing that is fun on a vacation is shopping and buying some goodies to bring home. I spent more time outside and enjoying nature but we did hit a few stores along the way.

In Jackson, we found Flossie's General Store. They had a lot of different gifts and local items. I got some Christmas items, a miniature handmade creche and angel chimes that move with a candle flame. I also found more balsam, so I will be making lots of pillows this year. In Center Harbor I stopped at Keepsake Quilting and bought a little wool pillow kit and next door they had yarn and roving, white to dye myself and the beautiful dyed roving will go into some art projects.

On the way home we stopped at Calefs in Barrington NH, which has food related items and Bill got a sandwich and some goodies for my son. Next door is Elfmade and Company, primitive heaven, candles and scents and I was in heaven. I had to smell all the different scents, they have them in bowl fillers and the matching sprays are available so you can use that when the scent dissipates. I got lemon merringue and it smells so good, as well as coconut crunch, I love candy smells. A few small items for gifts and some scented items for my son, he loves their candles. I also got a large primitive pump bottle for the kitchen, now I have something nice to keep my dish soap in.

Across the street was a store that was like an over stock store. Lots of Carhartt clothing and miscellaneous items. I found primitive picks at a fraction of the cost and some fun potholders, great place to find some bargains. This is a great place to stop if you are in the area, a lot of fun gifts in one place.

I will use the blue picks in the basket, in the beach room.

I decided I wanted to put some of the scented filler in the beach room, but I didn't have something to hold it in. After church we went down to a gift store that sells a lot of beach items and I almost gave up, when I spotted this shell shaped pottery dish, hidden behind some other items. It is the perfect blue green shade for the room.

And a few more photos from our trip. This was a stop along the Kancamagus, a historical homestead with a walk through the woods to a pond and you can visit the home and grounds, as well. This was such a peaceful place, I would love to live here.

And for those of you who have never gone over a covered bridge, this is what they look like in the inside. If  you ever travel along the Kancamagus, you must stop at the ranger station and pick up a map. It is only two dollars and it shows all of the scenic points and trails along the way.

Christmas Goodies!

Today was a rainy day and I was having one of my bad days, too much paddling  yesterday;)
The mailman bought me an unexpected package, what a way to perk  up my day.
My friend Lauri, Threads of Miz, sent me a box of goodies.

This is a quilt that she made years ago and never finished. It is made up of christmas kitty fabrics with a kitty border and she does the most beautiful piecing I have ever seen. I will just need to add a border for the binding and quilt it, now I need to decide, how should I quilt it? Would love suggestions for designs.

Of course, you know who, had to check it out.

She also sent me finished blocks that I can make into a table cloth or runner, will have to play with them. She made the ear muffs to keep my ears warm when I go for walks, she does beautiful work, and I think that is roving that she made herself, yes she even spins her own yarns.

And a lot of wonderful patterns that I can make and use for gifts, what a wonderful package and lots of wonderful things that I can make. Because I have been so blessed with so many wonderful gifts and prizes this year, I was thinking of starting a giveaway box, filled with goodies that I won't use anymore and have a drawing for those who are interested. Then the person who wins the box, can take what they like, add items from their stash that they won't be using and pass it on in a giveaway on their blog. What do you think, would you be interested in starting something like that?

Giveaway Winner!

Still resting, which is not fun, but I spent half the day working on a new cross stitch and the rest, working on the piece.
I could not finish it tonight, so tomorrow I will finish the piece and tomorrow, I will have a new freebie pattern that you can make up for the holidays. Since I have no photos tonight, I stole this one from facebook. This is how santa arrives in our town. In place of reindeer, kayakers lead the boat into the harbor.



I want to thank CSN for sponsoring the contest and hope you will visit their site to see all of the wonderful things that they sell.
And now onto the winner, The generator picked number 31, which is Kelley Belfast! Congratulations to Kelley, who has told me that she is using her prize to make someone else very happy this Christmas.

Fridays Felines! Giveaway Continues

I want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts while I get through this wretched cold.
Today I took a break and started a wall hanging from the free pattern on Jan Pateks blog. I want it for the entryway, so plan on adding some words to mine.

I have also enjoyed the wonderful posts for the giveaway and the ideas of how we can all help out this season.
There is still time to enter the giveaway and hopefully I will have something new for everyone else who visits.

One of the ideas I had was to bring mini trees to nursing home residents. I have seen so many empty rooms and it is sad that they have no decorations or things to remind them of home. I go to the thrift stores a lot. You would be surprised at how many cheap mini trees they have and some are already decorated. If you sew, walker bags are a great idea to make and give to residents. Mini quilts are another quick and homey idea that they can use to warm up those cold sterile rooms. Or a lap quilt for those in wheel chairs. This year I am planning on spending more time quilting and making lap quilts for the residents.

On the home front, the kitties are being pretty good, at least by their standards, haha.
On some days the girls band together and before Moki, they never slept in the same area.



Izzy loves helping me unpack christmas items and this wreath, I need to decide what to do with. Izzy decided it made a nice nest and had lots of little things to bite off.



And Moki is still fascinated by water.




He just can't get enough, sometimes he uses his foot, sometimes he sticks his whole face in and sometimes he just sits and watches the water run. I think the kitties need santa to bring them a water fountain.

The Spirit of Giving Giveaway!

CSN online stores, an online superstore, offering Briefcases, Household goods, electronics and more, has made me an offer, to either review a product or offer a gift certificate to my followers. In keeping with the Spirit of Giving, I will be hosting a giveaway for a $55.00 certificate, good to use at any one of their 200 plus stores.

With the economy the way it is, many families are having hard times this year.
Many parents are out of work and looking for new jobs. What better gift to give than a new Briefcase, to carry their portfolio, giving them that professional appearance, to make an impression at their interview. The photo below is one of many, that you can buy with your certificate.



To enter, leave a comment, telling us a way in which you help others during the holiday. Or a quick and easy craft idea that would make a great gift for residents in a nursing home, shelters, etc. If you are not a crafter, then tell me, what you would buy with your CSN gift certificate.

This contest is open to all followers, new followers are welcome.
The winner can use the gift code to buy something for their family or use it as a gift for someone in need. If the winner would like to pass the gift onto someone in need, you can send them the gift code, or email me their address and I will send them the gift code with a note that it is a gift from a special santa or your name, whichever you prefer. So.... don't forgo this wonderful giveaway. If you are like most families, this is a great way to help out this Christmas and if you are doing well, you can enter and help someone else.

Contest is open until December 7'th, just in time for the holidays!
Winners will be chosen by a Random Number Generator.
Shipping for this prize is only available in the USA and Canada.
If you have any questions, please free free to email me.
If you are looking for an Easy way to shop, check out the CSN Stores for your holiday shopping.

Goodies and Goofs

I am truly blessed with friends I have met on the internet and their generosity and talents.
Today I received two packages, I feel spoiled.

The first was from Bren, Hey Diddle Woolies. She belongs to our ebay group, USAPRIM and was a prize giver in one of our contests. She didn't just send a prize, she went through the trouble in making me a wonderful quilted piece, that I can enjoy in my home. I can't believe how thoughtful it was and was never expecting something some wonderful. And to top it off, she sent me beautiful wools from her stock. New wools are a treat for me and I will definitely use the wools in my next big rug. I want to make a large rug for my living room, so I have been keeping all the nice wools that people send me, along with some I bought, so this year I will design and work on it.



The second package was from my friend Kelley. She truly spoils me. Not only does she make me wonderful gifts, but she always sends me beautiful fabrics and books from her stash. I am really going to have a ball this year, making quilts with all of the fabrics she has sent me. I love the punch needle sheep, they look good on a shelf, standing against a prim box that I have. The punched pillow is now in my box shelf with some strawberries and a pear, that I made. I can't wait to start some patterns in the books and enjoy reading the copies of Mercantile Gatherings. This magazine is coauthored by TIffany, the same woman who makes the wonderful patterns, that I use in some of my punches.



Now the goof? Who else, buy Izzy. Izzy who does not seem to have a very good memory and didn't learn her lesson yesterday. My brother was visiting and had the door open while he said goodbye. Izzy with her one track mind flew out the door and into a deep snow drift. The poor girl was mortified when she landed and sunk into the snow. She was crying and struggling to get up and out of the snow. Will she ever learn?

Kitty Kapers

Today is what I call a lazy day, which means I only worked half the time I normally do;)
Yesterday I decided I was going to sand the sets of things, I am making as presents.
That is a lot of sanding and then I had to clean the house and spent the night punching wool into weavers cloth.
That did it for me, now my whole arm is in pain, so I could only paint a little today with braces on.

This week I received a fun package from my friend Joanne. She sent me lots of kitty goodies, including a mouse. She said her kitty dropped it in my box, so she took it as a sign that he wanted to give the girls a present. Dora could care less, she is not into mice, but Izzy just loves it. She really loves to play and she even sat on the bench watching me paint today. She has come a long way, since the psycho kitty stage.



Later on, she discovered the box that it came in, which still has the wool she sent. Izzy loves to lay on things and it was a great place to relax. That was until Dora came along and decided to do a sneak attack.

My Blackbird Designs Prize

Being sick for so long was really trying on my mental state, but winning all those contests, just when I needed a lift, was a blessing. I am finally feeling better enough to get out and do more around the house, so hoping to finally get back to normal soon.

One of the prizes I won, was a wonderful hand made sewing box from Alma Allen. It is so beautifully done and love the fabric she chose for mine. It was filled with wonderful trims and two patterns, that I can use to make gifts this year. The bundle of fabric is beautiful, and I think it would make a nice quilt for my DIL who loves florals. Or maybe I will make a quilt for the new guest room, when it gets done;) I was thinking this box would make a nice theme for the room, sort of victorian prim. I already have a cherry desk in there too. Maybe I can use some of the trim in my new project.

If you visit their Blog, she has a wonderful tutorial on how to make your own. I will show the other gifts later, each one is special and I want to show them off individually.

More gifts!

My sister sent me a surprise package this week.
Last year she was in a bad car accident and she almost did not make it through the first night.
Thank God, she made it and although it has been a long recovery, she is doing much better.
Being so far away, I wanted to make her something that would make her feel like I was with her, at least in spirit.
I made her an angel quilt with sayings and at the top of the quilt I put an angel with her arms outstretched and hugs.

This was my first real quilt and got me into quilting again. The reason the angel is backwards, is because it is a lap quilt to comfort her and I wanted the angel facing her when she was using it.



She loves that blanket and wanted to send me something and knows how much I love cats and collect cat ornaments.
She sent me two beautiful ornaments to add to my collection. I guess I am going to need two cat trees at this rate;)
I have been busy with a new project and will talk about that soon.