Giveaway and Sand Cranes

Jo from 'Home Sweet Home' is having a 100th post giveaway, and her question is, "what are three crafty things you can't live without". Very thought provoking and hard to narrow down three, but I came up with my machines, my iron, and my rotary cutting tools. What are yours? If you go to Jo's blog and let her know and post it on your blog, you'll be entered in her giveaway and you'll also be able to congratulate her on her wonderful blog.



If you follow my blog you probably already are aware that I love the Sand Cranes. I was very excited yesterday to have five in the field behind my house, and it was like they waited for me to get my camera, and then they stayed there as long as I liked to have their pictures taken. Notice the cow watching in the background, that can give you an idea of how big the birds are, they are really tall, and I think that they are beautiful with their red heads.
I got to spend the afternoon yesterday with my DD, we went to Ikea, it was her first time, and she couldn't believe how big the store is. I told her it was like 2 Targets. We didn't make any major purchases, but got a few little good deals. I got a new chair for my sewing room and after I get it put together I'll take a picture of old and new, and you'll see why I needed a new one. After we walked and walked for about 2 hours or so we went to Bahama Breeze, my favorite restaurant and had a really nice splurge. We had the Roasted Cuban bread, which is toasty bread with sweet tomatoes and basil on top, then a fruit cup with I believe mango sorbet, and shared the lobster, shrimp pasta. It was more than enough for both of us, and truly did have shrimp and big pieces of lobster in every bite. It was a very nice day with my daughter and we both enjoyed the time together.

Preperation for Pay it Forward

If you read my blog, you probably have noticed that I stick pretty much to easy, and that's ok, but for Pay it Forward I would like to try something a little different. The little quilt below is about 13 inches by 15 inches, and is from a book that I got by Debbie Mumms. It is appliqued Easter eggs, and is the only applique that I have done to this point (except for a little heart on the back of a quilt that I accidently made a hole in). I think it's kind of cute, but I decided that I needed a little more knowledge.

Today I checked out the website for our LQS and they were having several classes, one of which is for the little block below. It is part of a quilt that they are doing a block a month, but I only have to do the one block if I want to. I think that if it turns out nicely, it might be an idea for the Pay it Forward, if not, at least I will have a little more knowledge and hopefully will have enjoyed my class.

We bloggers sacrifice for our blogs. My DH is always getting onto me about climbing on stools and chairs and such, and I'm glad he wasn't home tonight. I have a little ladder about 2 feet high, and when I was trying to get the Easter egg quilt off the top shelf of the closet I took a tumble and things were flying everywhere. I broke the bottom shelf on one of my bookcases, but luckily not any bones. I'm dreading what might ache tomorrow though.

Pay it forward

Here I am, out of my comfort zone, but "when we're green we're growing, and when we're ripe we're rotting". That's one of my favorite quotes, and I guess that now's one of the times to grow. Amy is taking part in the Pay it forward, and while I was thinking about it her's filled up, and one of the participants is Amanda. I thought awhile, but Amanda still had a slot, so I gathered my courage and signed up. ***Correction, I just went to Amy's blog to get her link, and she only has Amanda so far, so I'm asking for Amy and Me***
The rules for the Pay it Forward are like this:
1) Three people will be chosen to participate when they leave a comment on this post asking to join (I'll obviously choose the first three)
2) You then agree to post a similar announcement to this on your blog, asking three more people to join in, etc
3) You will create a hand-made item for your three people sometime over the next 12 months.
If you are like me and have been a bit afraid to participate in things in blogland due to lack of confidence in your skills, you have a whole year on this one and only have to make 3 gifts. It seems a good way to jump in and get your feet wet without a quick deadline or any rules except to make 3 gifts and send them to people that you like and who like you well enough to follow your blog and sign up with you. It seems like a fun way to get started.

Kolbie's Quilt and DD Fabric

Kolbie's quilt top is finished, and now I need to get it basted and quilted. First step will be to watch the video on basting with the boards again, and then when I get that done, I have 6 tops to baste including this one and the one that I made for my 3 year old granddaughter. After that, I will need to watch the DVD that I bought on machine quilting and see if I can do better than last time on my FMQ'ing.

Isn't Kolbie a cutie. My favorites are the one where she looks like she's about to cry, and the one after it where she is asleep on her mama's hands.

My daughter called this morning, she Tabitha and Micah were out doing errands and wanted to know if DH and I would like to meet them for lunch. We did, I had a very good salad with grilled chicken, cranberries, pecans and feta cheese, and we enjoyed the outing and the company. When we got home I was a little disappointed not to see my package for the DD fabrics for Bonnie Hunter's latest mystery, and then when I opened the screen door the package tumbled out. DH and I liked them all, his favorite is the dark blue in the top corner, and I think that they, along with some scraps that I will probably add in, will look nice together. I hope so anyway. I'm not a patient mystery doer, so even though I haven't started yet, I have looked at all the clues, and I must say, I think it is a pretty one. I wasn't so sure about my Orange Crush, and now I love it, so I think this one will be a favorite right away.

I have a full sized laptop computer, but I have been very tempted to get one of the little 9.8 inch, 2 pound Acer's. It seems like it would be nice to have to carry around the house and to take anywhere that I might go. I was wondering if anyone has one and if they like it. It's hard being a gadget person, and being enticed by technology. The one I am interested in is here.

Happy New Year

This morning I have been busy and a little productive. Long story, but due to a bit of drama between x-wives etc., I decided that I wanted to make DD's fiance's DD a quilt. I had some prequilted fabric, so I did a little machine embroidery with her name, and used some assorted leftover binding, and now it is out of the washer and dryer and ready to be delivered. Not fancy, but she is in kidergarten and probably not too hard to please.
I also took a few pictures of my more organized stash (and I use the term loosely as it isn't a very impressive one) The top is my batiks and some smaller mostly half yard pieces. The middle is assorted colored and neutral larger pieces, and the bottom is children and baby fabrics.

Below is my backing stash, I bought several oxford cloth sheets and some flannel sheets from Land's End and am going to see how they work out for backings. I had one done with a sheet at the LA'er with her permission, and it turned out nicely, I'm hoping that I can do it, too.

The still a bit messy picture below is actually the shelf above my backings, and it is my scraps. I always thought that I had mostly pinks, but it seems that I have more blues and purples than pinks. I never would have known if I hadn't tried to make some order from the chaos.

This is just the side view looking in from the closet door. I still have a lot of organizing to do, and that will be done as I put away Christmas decorations. I think that I also need to get rid of some things, but that won't be easy. I can't stand the mess though.

This is a not very good picture of the fabrics that I have ordered from Thousands of Bolts. They are for Bonnie Hunter's mystery, and I'm anxious for them to get here. The email says January 6th, and I'm sure I'll survive.

I am supposed to do the Shakespeare in the Park with an internet friend, and these are the fabrics that I purchased for it about 4 or 5 years ago. They are still intact except for one piece of fabric that I robbed and replaced with another similar one. I just need to take Nike's advice and 'just do it', as for some reason it scares me. She has already started hers and has a couple of snail's trail blocks. done.

Sorry to have gone on and on, if anyone is still with me, I can imagine that your eyes have glazed over.

I wish all a Happy New Year.

New Year's Eve Day

Well, here it is (a deep subject) and New Year's Eve day. I was going to be busily working on Bonnie Hunter's mystery, or on my Shakespeare in the park, but instead, I am working on sorting and arranging my sewing closet and fabrics. I don't have a huge stash, so I have ordered fabrics from Thousands of Bolts for the mystery, and have had about all I can stand just like Popeye. My closet wasn't a thing of beauty but I also keep my Christmas things in it for the most part, and the tearing through for decorating was the last straw. The top picture is my scrappy scraps, and I'm not sure what I'll do about them. I have decided that I don't really 'like' scraps a whole bunch, but maybe some day I'll master the art of crumbs and strings.

On the bed is my more organized scraps (by color) and the little stack in the back is my bigger pieces. I'm hoping to make them look nice with the ruler folding techniques that I have been reading about on the groups.

Here is the back of my closet, which I have mentioned I have been tearing through for the holidays. I have quilts in progress or some that I have just set aside fabrics for in the organized looking part, and strips that I have cut in the shoebox size containers. On the bottom right is Christmas and Halloween fabrics. What you don't see is the empty shelves in front and to the left that held all the mess of fabrics before. I'm hoping to make a vast improvement.

The picture above is more of the same, plus my sewing machine tools and the cardboard box has my Shakespeare in the park fabric.
On a little lighter note, DH and I went to Target this morning and got some of the 75% off Christmas things and a few groceries (had to get Black eyed peas for New Years day). We got a 7 1/2 foot prelit tree for next year that was on sale for 32 dollars and change, and some pretty Christmas cards, too.
My DD would like us to go to a club with her where her fiance is working tonight, he handles the technical part of the sound system, but I don't know if I'll make it as if I don't take medicine for my restless leg syndrome, I will be pacing around, and if I do I may be dozing. She would like to have her father to dance with, so hopefully he will be up to making it for a little while.
We usually just stay home on New Year's Eve.
I'd like to wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year. I think after this past year, most of us could use a little of that.

Warning - Bare Bottom

Other people have gorgeous wonderful dolls that they share on their blogs, but I will share my lowly kitchen witch.
I was looking for candles the other day and lo and behold there in the box (I can't explain why, it was probably put in a place that I wouldn't forget) was my Christmas kitchen witch that I made about 10 years ago. They aren't elegant or fancy, but they sure were fun to make. The first batch I made was at my SIL's who showed me how to make them, and the second batch was at my house with 2 or 3 generations participating. I never laughed so much, as there was hilarious discussion about which part we were working on, and a joke to go with each question or instruction. It was really fun, but if nudity offends, you may want to skip the third picture.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone, we made it. The big day is finally here, and I'm almost ready for dinner and just about to go take my shower and get dressed.
Yesterday my DD and her boyfriend and his children and her youngest three went to Sea World, so DH and I picked up their pictures from Walmart. I don't think they'd mind if I share, the top one is his two girls, and the next 2 are my daughters children. I think the pictures turned out well.

I'm trying some recipes from various internet groups and blogs, and the picture below is my Hot Buttered Punch in the cooker and getting hot. I hope that it is good, if not we have other things to drink, but I thought that we'd try some new things this year.

Below is our table set and ready to go, there will only be seven of us, unless I get any surprises, so we can sit at one table and hopefully be more civilized.

I am having trouble with my camera (bummer), it isn't very old so hopefully I can find proof of purchase and send it off under warrenty. I take several pictures and only some transfer to the computer. I hope to take some today here and at my DD's house after we have dinner, and I hope that it holds out.

I'm off to get ready, and I hope that you all have a wonderful day today. Merry Christmas.

New Niece, Baby Quilts, and Christmas Tree

Two posts in two days, lots better than 2 weeks in between. The fabrics above are what I have chosen to make my newest niece's baby quilt from. She was born the first of last week and is named Kolbie May. The May is after my mother's middle name. Her mama was pretty much raised by my mother and she feels as close to her grandmother as I do. Isn't little Kolbie a cutie? She has 2 brothers and 4 sisters so her mama has lots of help with 2 teenagers, two pre-teens, and 2 toddlers. Her daddy pitches in, too. I have decided to make one of MaryQuilts Quick Strippie's, I think that the pattern makes some really cute little quilts (and it looks easy too).
The quilt top above is for my 3 year old granddaughter, Breanna. It was supposed to be for Christmas, but it will be a little later. In the middle it says "Angels are from Heaven" and the machine embroideries are little angels on clouds. Right now they still have stabelizer on them, but that will go away when they are washed.

My brother always told my mother she was wishy-washy, and I inherited it, but I finally stopped being wishy-washy about a Christmas tree, and got a small one last night. I think that it looks kinda cute.

I wanted a big tree mostly so I could use the tree skirt that I made about 18 years ago, as you can see, it's a bit large for this years tree. It's pretty wrinkly from being in a bag. Maybe next year.

Almost Ready for Christmas

I've been visiting blogs and being awed by the projects and decorations, and mine aren't in the same league (need greenery), but I thought that I'd share a bit too. Above are figurines that I got probably 30 years ago from Home Interiors, and I still like them. The crystal nativity set I got piecemeal from the Waterford outlet store that we have (or had?) here in Orlando. When I liked to shop, I had my rounds, lol. Now, I don't go to the stores much, I do a lot online when I need something, or want something. Below is part of my Rowe Pottery Collection, and the little quilt that I won in a giveaway on Donna's - in the attic and she's having a quilt party today, too. I was surprised to see how well this little quilt goes with Thanksgiving and Christmas, I love it.
The picture below is my china cabinet, just a little decorated. I live in Florida, and am kind of afraid of fresh greenery due to critters, and I don't know where to store the artificial stuff. Maybe one of these days.
Below, is one of the tabletoppers that I made a few years ago, the other side is autumn, so I use them starting about the middle of October and then flip them over after Thanksgiving. The pillow covers I made about 10 years ago.
Below is just the middle of my table, I just got one of the fake candles, and it is very nice, it even has a timer and goes on in the evening and stays on for 5 hours automatically, pretty neat. The sleigh is more of my outlet wandering booty.

Can you tell I like the Old World Santas?

Do you think Santa will find our stockings?

No tree yet, I have gone back and forth (vacillating is my #1 skill). I've decided to split the difference, and get a little table top tree, I'm going to shop today. Next year I will go for the big tree, and use my tree skirt. I made one years ago, and have been missing it. Maybe I'll take a picture of it just because, but I have to get batteries first.DH and I were anticipating Christmas alone, except for going to my daughters for a little while, but my son and his family will be coming. Part of the group won't be here as they are traveling, but we should be seven or more. I have also wobbled back and forth on a menu, but this will be it:

Ham
Potato Salad
Tamales
Crockpot Sweet Potatoes
Fruit Salad
Fruit Dressing
Hot Buttered Punch
Cool-Aid
Pumpkin Cake
Mrs. Smith’s Pies
Ice Cream

The tamales will be made by my DIL, and I'm sure they'll be delicious, as they are one of her specialties. The sweet potatoes, hot buttered punch, and pumpkin cake are recipes that I have gotten off blogs and yahoo groups, and I'm hoping for the best. We'll see.Merry Christmas, everyone and Happy Hanukkah.