Happy New Year!

 

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Who wouldn't want this fabric?

Oh how I would love to get my little paws on this!  I'm giddy over the possibilities!  Check out Retro Mummy's awesome Flower Sugar fabric giveaway!  You could be the lucky one - but, let's just be honest here... I hope its me!  Hahaha!

Good luck!

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Ode to Kenneth

I wanted to take a moment to pay tribute to a very special man - my father-in-law, Kenneth Landers.  It was ten years ago on Christmas Day that he left this world to be with our Father in Heaven.  We miss him very much.  He was a kind, gentle, hard-working man who always put his family first.

A while back, we were visiting with my mother-in-law, Lynda and came across these pictures of Kenneth.  They were taken when he was quite young.  The first, taken in 1955 was with his father, Les (sitting in the back).  Can you tell that Kenneth was a tall, lanky fellow?  Handsome, too!

The next is Kenneth's graduation photo.  I'm not sure when this picture was taken.  I always teased Kenneth that he needed to go back and put dates and names on his photos!

What struck me so funny was actually on the back of the photo.  He used the back of it to write his mother a note one day!  Apparently while dating my mother-in-law, he was at her house and his car wouldn't start so he took her car home for the night.

Such a man, huh?  I cracked up.  I would have never have written on the back of a photo like this!  Would you?  Well, I'm glad he did as it gave us a little peak of him as a young man!

We miss you, Dad. Pin It

Merry Christmas!

Luke 2:4-14

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.  13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.

 

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Everything's Rosy

I got swept away with making the shabby fabric roses.  For headbands, brooches, purses... you know.  I found this tutorial to be quite helpful.  She has some pretty neat stuff over there!

Headbands...

 

JoAnn's had this awesome fabric for only $2.99 a yard (60") and so I snatched it right up and made these bags and of course, added roses.  It is a utility fabric - the meshy, "green", recyclable kind of material.  It was so easy to work with. I also put a lined piece of cardboard in the bottom of each one to hold their shapes.  The smaller bag turned out a little too tall so I folded it over and voila - it's a lunchbag!

 

 

 

 

 

More headbands...

 

Pins for teacher gifts...

 

And, finally (this has nothing to do with roses but didn't merit its own post)... I'm official!  Whatever that means!  I added my tags to the bags and this little skirt I made for the youngest daughter.  I feel so, so... professional!

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Red, White, and Green

Pillowcases for Cook Children's Hospital through the DFW Stitch a Wish program.  They try to give one to every patient during the holidays.  These are so fast and easy to make -  I need to start sewing pillowcases now for the new year also.  Unfortunately, there will always be sweet kids at the hospital.  Fortunately, there's Cook Children's Hospital and the Stitch a Wish program.

 

New curtains just for the holidays.  I made a skirt for my four year old with the remaining fabric.  Now she can tell her friends she has accessory curtains to go with her skirt!  HA!

I love the red and white in the kitchen.

 

Last year's little 12 Days of Christmas hanging I made.  Still love it!  CELEBRATE!

I bought a white tree with white lights for my bedroom last year just after Christmas.  I put it in my room several weeks ago and have yet to decorate it.  Yes, I made paper garland.  Yes, I bought ornaments.  Yes, it is still undecorated.  I really don't know why.  But, it serves as a great night light.  Maybe I will do that today?  Or not.

Have a great weekend! Pin It

Lucky Duck... duck... goose?

Thank you everyone for stopping by to leave comments for the felt pattern giveaway.  I was surprised to see so few comments because hello(!), Jen's patterns are too cute to pass up.  Believe me, I know.  Been there, bought those!

A super big thank you (and a hug) to Jen of Gulf Coast Cottage PDF for sharing one of her patterns to this.... lucky... winnner.....

Congratulations to Goosegirl (Ms. Sivje) of Goosegirl Sews!

Sivje is such a super-duper talented lady!  I know she will have fun with her new pattern.  (I believe she had her eye on Coco ballerina bunny!)  Not many people can handle moving, a child going off to college, a young one at home, and turning out beautiful clothing for customers - all at once!  Congrats girlfriend!  Jen will contact you about your free pattern.

Can you believe Christmas is just around the corner?  Are you ready?  I'm going to leave you with this question:  What was the best present you ever GAVE?

Hmmmmm......

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Hurry, hurry...

... don't delay!  Don't forget to check out the fun giveaway here for a chance to win a sweet pattern from Gulf Coast Cottage!  The deadline is midnight TONIGHT!!!

 

Christmas is upon us and if you don't have time to fit in one of these precious projects, you'll have plenty of time after the holidays!

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Holiday Inspiration and free Christmas Tags

I don't know about you, but I love to have a theme for my Christmas wrapping paper.  Since the large Christmas tree in our living room is filled with jewel-toned ornaments, I picked these to wrap our presents with this year.  

 

The ornaments on this paper inspired me to play a little in Photoshop.  Not only did I change my blog header and sidebar buttons, but I made some Christmas gift tags that I would like to share with you.  There are several color combinations to choose from.  You can click on the picture to enlarge it for viewing and click on the PDF link to download and/or print.

 

PDF version here

PDF version here

PDF version here

This one looks like stained glass!  Photoshop is so much fun it should be illegal.  I can't imagine what kind of cool and mind-blowing things I could do if I really knew what I was doing!!

PDF version here

This was my first time to post PDF files.  Blogger doesn't make it as easy to post them as it does pictures.  Please let me know if you have problems opening them.  I would be happy to email them to you.

I hope you enjoy the tags and the holidays as they are fast approaching!  Also, don't forget about Jen's Pattern Giveaway on my last post!  Go check it out!

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I "felt" like having a giveaway!!!

I recently posted about felt food and thought you might like to meet the talented owner and designer, Jen of Gulf Coast Cottage PDF.  I only know Jen through purchasing patterns from her sweet Etsy shop so I thought I would pick her brain a bit and get to know her a little better.  Here’s what Jen had to say:

Your professional background includes upholsterer and seamstress.  Can you tell us a little more about that and how that ties in with your felt creations?

My family has owned an upholstery business for over 20 years, and I have been actively upholstering for about 15 of those years.  This is where I have learned most of my sewing skills and pattern making. I love upholstering- I always have something new to work on.

What was your most challenging project to design? 

I think the most difficult for me was my cupcake cottage.  Just trying to build this pattern in my head before I got started really was difficult. The toaster comes in a close second.

Is your family involved in your business?

Absolutely. My kids first and foremost are the inspiration for beginning to make felt toys. The help me with new ideas and are my testers. My husband and parents are huge supporters and fans.

If you could narrow down all your creations to just one favorite, what would it be?

Wow, this one is really difficult! I think right now it is my dinosaur set. They are just so little and cute.

Do you craft/create art other than your felt items?

Oh my, yes. I am a compulsive crafter! I love sewing quilts, pillows, stained glass, making glitter houses, have been known to paint a watercolor or two, draw and probably more that I am not thinking of at the moment. I love to try just about any craft. I have tried to crochet- but that was not so successful. I would love to practice that and take up knitting at some point as well.

Do you and your family have a favorite holiday family tradition?

We get together on Christmas Eve and have appetizers and finger foods. We exchange gifts and just have a nice time being together. My sister and nieces usually spend the night and we all open gifts together in the morning. Christmas breakfast always consists of potato pancakes and eggs.

What tips do you have for beginners working with felt? 

Don't be overwhelmed- felt is probably the best fabric to begin sewing with. Making your stitches even, and consistent will make your finished project look neater. Be careful not to stretch your felt as you sew.

I see you have a Facebook page.  How has this impacted your Etsy shop? 

My fan page has had a huge positive impact on my shop. Facebook is a great way to let interested parties know about new patterns, sales & specials or other goings on. I also love to see the photos people post of finished items using my patterns. Just seeing the color choices and personal details is really neat.

What are some new items we can expect in your Etsy store in 2011?

I do have several patterns in store- but they are top secret. If anyone wants to know as soon as they are released, they should join my email mailing list or my Facebook fan page.

Thanks Jen!  I wish we lived closer - I think we could stir up some fun!

 

So, how about you?  Have you had fun sewing with felt?  Making felt playfood?  Whether you have and would love to create more or you have not and would love to try… Jen is graciously offering a FREE pattern from her Etsy shop!  Here’s how you can enter to win one of her awesome patterns:

• Go to Jen’s Etsy shop, Gulf Coast Cottage PDF and check out all her great patterns.  Then, come back here and leave a comment on this post and tell me which one you just cannot live without! 

• For a second entry – join her Facebook page and be sure to let me know in a comment on this post.

• For a third entry – post on your blog about this fun giveaway and leave a comment on this post.

The deadline is midnight, Wednesday, December 15^th and the winner will be announced on Thursday, December 16^th.  Be sure that I can reach you via email if you are the lucky duck!  The winner will receive via email one pattern of their choice from Gulf Coast Cottage.  Thanks Jen for your generosity!

Look at some of her cute patterns.  Ack!  Just in time for Christmas!

 

Good luck everyone and Merry Christmas!

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"And tomorrow... I'm makin' waffles!"

Can anyone tell me what movie that came from?  

Anyhoo, I had a chance to work up some toaster pastries and waffles and I thought they turned out so cute.  My daughter just loves them.  I used the Toaster PDF Pattern from Gulf Coast Cottage and they were super easy.  I didn't make the toaster as my daughter already has one.  But, her next request was for the bagels and cream cheese!  "Commmming right up!"

Stay tuned for my next post and some exciting news!

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My Smokin' Hot Roller Skates

Mimi - this is for you!  Yes, these are my roller skates.  I think they are about 30 years old now.  Gah!  Gasp!  Ack!  But, they still skate like it was yesterday and I was cool with my painter's pants and a comb in my pocket for my "fly backs"!  Cuz, that's how I (still) roll!

The best part?  When I turned around to skate backwards (yeah, I can still do that, too!), my son said, "Cool!  Look guys, my mom can twirl!"  I love that boy!

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