More snowmen! These are coasters that I was able to get finished in time for Christmas. They didn't take long, so I'm eager to try the other patterns (sail boats, flowers, etc.) and see how they turn out. :-) A fun afternoon project, and Nicholle was pleased with her snowmen coasters gift for Christmas :-)

I can now post the "top secret" projects I've been working on :-)

This is a table runner that I made for Nicholle for Christmas. She loves snowmen, and I happened to find quite a number of crochet patterns online that were snowmen. This table runner is the second one I made, as the first one turned into a bit of a disaster. I was able to salvage the first one and made it into a wall hanging, so all was not totally lost :-)

I haven't been on for a couple of weeks, but wanted to at least post my holiday wishes that everyone will have a very Merry Christmas! I hope all will be with loved ones!

We will be flying to Santa Barbara to be with our daughter Nicholle and can't wait to give her a big hug! We so appreciate Steve's brother Mark staying with mom to give us a break from our usual responsibilities.

After the holidays, I can post a couple more projects that I have been working on. As a side note, the arts n crafts show that I was in turned out to be a total bust - didn't sell a thing. But it was a good experience, and I was able to share some of my projects as Christmas gifts. :-)

Signing off by wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I haven't been posting here for quite some time - been busily working on projects, working part-time at my old job, and time has gotten away from me.

I can't post pictures of my current projects since they will be Christmas gifts, but will do so after the first of the year, or at least after Christmas :-)

I'm excited now that we have finalized our plans to travel to Santa Barbara to have Christmas with our daughter Nicholle! It's SO hard to be so far from her, so we cherish any chance we have to be together!

Well, back to work... Happy Thanksgiving, All! Hope you will be with loved ones and friends!

Tonight I finished a few more of the trees. Will take them to the arts n crafts fair and see if they sell :-) It's so enjoyable working on projects and seeing the finished product :-)

I love that Nicholle's baby picture is in the background of the top photo as well as a picture her boyfriend Robert took of her in our back yard a few years ago. Our beautiful "baby" girl! :-)

My latest project - doesn't photograph well, but it's kinda cute. It's the tree made out of "yo yo's" that I mentioned in my last blog.

This "tree" and the crocheted nativity will be gifts for my mom.

I'm hoping that this might sell at the arts n crafts fair, so I'm making one or two more... :-)

Happy Friday the 13th! :-) Steve & I got married on Friday the 13th of August 1971 :-)

Yay, tonight my crocheted nativity is finished including small pearls in the sky portion for the twinkling stars! Whew! This was a labor-intensive project, but I love it! :-)

I just started crocheting on my next project, but shhh! it's a secret! After Christmas, I can reveal what it is :-)

I have a third project that I'm starting, but this one is a sewing project. It's a Christmas tree made from fluffy "yo yo's" stacked one on top of the other. Hard to describe, but will post a picture when I get it done :-)

Here's my little donkey! Cute lil guy, huh?

Lamb and dove

I'm thinking I'll crochet another background for the wall hanging. With this color, the lamb blends into the background too much, so I need a bit darker color for that section. Poor lil lamb looks pitiful skewered to the background, huh? Work in progress... :-)

Joseph and Mary :-) Need to work on their hands and as I attach them to the wall hanging, their posture, etc. will be adjusted.

I've been working on my nativity wall hanging the past few days. More complicated than I anticipated when I bought this "easy" pattern - ha! But it's good to "stretch" our abilities, huh? This is just two of the pieces - will add more in the next entry to my blog. :-)

I'm loving keeping busy with my crocheting! :-)

I'm excited - just downloaded more crochet projects - hopefully for Christmas gifts. Also have the fabric pre-shrunk and ready for the bread basket project, so my hands are itching to get started. Also have one more pattern to go buy at Joanne's fabrics for another gift. I love having projects to work on! :-)

I finally finished my crocheted pot holders last night - whew! I can understand why artists might say "it isn't fun when it's work" when they're creating something - ha! It really is more fun making these for gifts rather than production work :-) But I'm glad they're finished, and now we'll see how they'll sell.

Next project is to make bread baskets out of fabric. I bought one in Solvang, CA last year, made a pattern today, and hope these will be a good item at the fair. They're pretty cute. :=)

The sun is out today, most of our snow melted, and we're enjoying a bit more fall weather :-) Happy Saturday, All!

This is a couple examples of aprons that I made this past summer. My friend Amanda loves lady bugs, so when I saw the fabric with them, I knew I had to make something for her. I also made a series of aprons with various polkadot fabrics which are going to be items available for sale at the December arts n crafts fair. Each apron comes with a recipe for a Southwest style entre. I love Mexican food and thought it might be fun to share some of the dishes we enjoy :-)

I had worked on my business cards for the arts n crafts fair a couple of days ago, and I almost had them done. Then I noticed as I was cutting them apart that the ink hadn't adhered to the paper - what a bummer! So today I re-printed them on our other printer; now have a stack of them to cut apart. I guess it's good to have projects to keep me busy :-)

This is the watermelon slice pot holder - crocheting it goes fast, so it shouldn't take too long to get a stash of them made. Then I need to get back to the piggy and the chickens. Thankfully, the fair is several weeks away, so I still have plenty of time. :-)

This is the reversible Christmas tablecloth that I stitched recently. Can't decide if I'll keep it for our kitchen table or have it for sale at the arts n crafts fair. Love the fabrics, though!

Name Change :-)

Decided that this isn't just a posting for my quilts, so changed my blog name to more accurately reflect my projects.

It's a bright sunny fall day, cloudless sky - perfect for creating more crocheted pot holders!

Happy Friday everyone and have a great weekend! <3

Here's the crocheted piggy pot holder.  Have to confess, this one was a bit trickier than the chicken.  But check out the squiggly tail!

I found some cute wiggle eyes with eyelashes - couldn't resist.

So with the long eyelashes, this little piggy's moniker is "Petunia"  (anyone remember the Porky Pig show and Petunia???)  :-)

Just finished chicken number one. Four more to go!  He's about 14 inches tall, and if I do say so myself, he's a cutie, huh?  :-)

Am hoping these guys will sell well at the December 12th arts n crafts fair!

Okay, back to work...   :-)

More projects :-)

The past couple of days I've been crocheting pot holders for an arts n crafts fair that I'm going to be in this December.  Just finished a pile of apples with worms, then it's on to crocheting chickens, pigs, and watermelon slices. 

Will add pictures as I finish each group.  I'm anticipating that the chicken will take much longer than the apples.  :-)  But they come out cute, so it's fun :-)

Guess I should change the name of my blog to My Quilting, Sewing, and Crocheting Corner???  :-)

This is our beautiful daughter Nicholle Christmas 2008 admiring the snowman quilt I made for her.  Would love to make another quilt for her this year, but I'm afraid I'm becoming very predictable with all my loved ones after giving everyone a quilt for the past several years - ha!

This fabric practically begged me to buy it.  Wasn't sure what I was going to make from it, but knew I had to have it.  (What doesn't show up in this picture is the small glittery sparkles on the fabric)  Decided to make a pair of sheer curtains.

We usually put up the Christmas tree (I know, I'm planning early! ha!) in the living room in front of the glass patio doors, so I'm planning to hang these curtains there behind the tree.

It's amazing how quickly the stores have their Christmas decorations out each year, and this fall is no exception.  Summer is barely over, and Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations are vying for attention.  But I have to confess, I like getting Christmas gifts early, so have already purchased a few things.  In addition, I bought a couple sets of salt-n-pepper shakers for the Thanksgiving table.

Even though I'm not a winter person, I do like the holidays and all the baking and decorating as well as the anticipation of being with family around a table heaped with food :-)

Old World Christmas

I found this fabric on sale after Christmas, and it stirred that "little child" in me as I looked at the face of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas.  I don’t think any of us ever lose that child-like wonder as we decorate the tree and lovingly place our beautifully-wrapped gifts under the tree.

I also hope we never lose the wonder of the precious and priceless Gift of that very first Christmas – the birth of our Savior. 

Victorian Dreams

I've always been fascinated by the fashion and "look" of the Victorian era - the long dresses, the elegant hairstyles, the lace-up boots, lacy doilies, and especially the elaborate hats.

I have to confess, though, that even though I love seeing pictures of the Victorian era, I'm grateful to be living in the current age with all the modern conveniences, not to mention modern medical advances.

I love America!

This quilt reflects my patriotism and love of America.  I served three years in the US Army and during basic training had the honor of being on flag detail.  It was a dream-come-true for me, as I had always hoped to be a member of a flag detail.

I come from a family of military - my dad was in the Navy, my older brother was in the Air Force, two other brothers were in the Navy, and my husband and I both served during the Viet Nam era.  My husband's family also has many military members, and his dad earned a medal during his tour of duty in World War II as a ball turret gunner.

A few years ago, I had the privilege of visiting Washington DC with my family at the inurnment of our father's ashes at Arlington National Cemetery.  I think I had goose bumps the entire time I was visiting in DC, and my hope is to return for another visit, this time with my husband.

For all her faults, America is still the best country in the world, I think we have the most beautiful flag as well as the best National Anthem in the world.  God bless America!

Alpine Meadows

Just finished another quilt today.  This fabric is a tad on the dark side, but I was drawn to the cabin-in-the-woods theme.  When I first saw it, it reminded me of the cabin near Ruidoso that my husband's parents own.  We recently spent three wonderful days relaxing there with our daughter Nicholle, and we look forward to next spring and the opportunity to enjoy the cabin again!

The fabric also reminds me of the Pacific Northwest where I grew up - lots of pine trees with that wonderful pine scent.  I love traveling back home and taking in the fragrance of the evergreens.  When I was growing up, my dad and I loved to hike in the hills behind our family home where small streams of clear fresh water ran through the thick woods.  In the winter time, the snow would weigh down the tree branches forming a canopy over the road.

In 1975, my parents moved to an area near Hayden, Idaho called Alpine Meadows which is where the above picture was taken.  Daddy passed away in December 2005, but mom still lives in their home which she now shares with her dog Karlee, and where she still attends their church, goes to lunch with her lady friends, goes shopping, and enjoys baking her famous cinnamon rolls, brownies and pies.  This quilt is entitled Alpine Meadows in honor of mom and daddy's special homestead.

This is a quilt that I made a number of years ago as a gift to my mother-in-law.  I also made a matching pillow to go with it.  Mom was an avid cat-lover, which is why I chose the pattern.

Though mom is no longer able to enjoy her quilt a result of advanced Alzheimer's, the colors are cheery so we have draped the quilt over one of her rockers in the living room for her to see.

Bon Voyage

This fabric is reminiscent of the wonderful experience of an Alaskan cruise which my youngest brother and his wife so graciously invited me to share with them and their family, their daughter's teacher, and our mother. I had never been on a cruise, nor had mom, so this was a thrill of a lifetime for us!  Beautiful, rugged Alaskan scenery, a thrilling helicopter ride over glaciers, breathtaking skies, whale sightings which had everyone leaving their dinner tables to crowd around windows, each night being rocked to sleep on the gentle ocean - memories to remember and treasure forever!  My heartfelt gratitude to Perry and Sandy!

Joy of Spring

I love this fabric sprinkled with butterflies, flowers and all the other symbols of spring. Those who know me know that I'm not a "snow person" so the arrival of spring is a breath of fresh air and begins a re-awakening of my spirit after the snow melts. I love seeing the first daffodils peek out from the newly sun-warmed soil and seeing the first robin of the new season.

This quilt is my ode to the Joy of Spring.

Auntie's House

The pattern of this quilt brought back memories of my aunt's house from when I was about 4 years old. She had this beautiful Victorian-style carpet with large burgundy flowers against a soft gray background. Though the colors in this quilt aren't the same as that carpet, it still stirred those memories within my heart.

This quilt is dedicated to the memory of my darling Auntie Blanche who I miss very much (the picture above is of Auntie Blanche and "baby me").

Serenity

I fell in love with this fabric at first sight. On a recent trip to Idaho, my sister-in-law Lorna and I were sharing our new-found love of quilting, and when I showed her this fabric, she too fell in love with it. Upon my return home, I purchased some and sent it to her.

We both share a love of Oriental fabric themes, and this one was no exception. The cascading flowers around the illuminated pagoda evoke the peacefulness of a quiet moonlit night.

Another of my prized quilts that I entitled "Serenity."

Paradise Quilt

Each of my quilts reflect a part of my heart and bears a title symbolizing something meaningful to me, and I think this one is my most prized quilt.

This fabric really caught my eye. I love deep contrasting colors, and the deep green felt almost velvety to me. Then I saw the fabric with these beautiful flowers, and I knew the flowers belonged with deep green fabric. The blossoms reminded me of the gardenia plant that we had in our back yard in Santa Barbara. We also had a hedge of jasmine around the back yard and enjoyed relaxing in the back yard during summer evenings with all the wonderful fragrances. Thus the name of this quilt, “Paradise.”

Blogspot is one of my many new ventures this year, and I'm having fun learning how to set this up, make it fun, and also to document my projects.

It's been a busy year, and I am currently unemployed. As I job search, I am also doing quite a bit of sewing and have now completed my current quilt projects, have made several aprons (for some reason, I seem to be stuck in the 1950's mentality, and some of the aprons reflect that style), even made a couple pairs of lined kitchen curtains (out of the red bistro style fabric shown above), have a blouse almost finished, oh yes, made a skirt without a pattern, made several sets of reversible placemats, stitched tablecloths and have drawn up the plans for a queen sized bedspread for us.

In March, I was in a car crash (which I have to qualify was not my fault), and my neck, upper and lower back injuries have curtailed a lot of my projects. I can sew for a short span of time and then walk around to work out the kinks, have done physical therapy and am doing massage as well. Feels so good when I feel good! :-)

Bought myself a new sewing machine - a Janome DC2010 and can give you a glowing recommendation if anyone is considering a new machine. This is a dream, and it really is user-friendly, quiet, easy, and just generally a joy to use and own!!

Here's wishing you all a very creative day and many creative days ahead. And may all those creative days be filled with God's richest blessings!