Monday, December 21, 2015

Some Christmas Cheer part 2.

As promised here is part two of the Christmas cheer tour!  This is the centerpiece on my dining room table.  I love metal Christmas trees with simple baubles hanging from them.  
This is the tree in my dining room.  It has many decorations from South Africa hanging on it.  The tree skirt was made by me many moons ago.  I think it was actually the first tree skirt I made.  One of my cats loves to sleep on it.  I think he thinks it belongs to him!
This tree is officially called "The Naughty Cat Tree".  It has only cat decorations in it.  I add a few ornaments to it each year.  This year I treated myself to a Jim Shore ornament.  I made the tree skirt a few weeks ago.   I know it is hard to see but the fabric is tree branches with cats perched on them.  So sweet and appropriate for the tree.  I have taken so many photo's of this tree and have yet to get a good one. The light in New Hampshire is not good.  Even during a sunny spell.  
I made another tree skirt for the tree in the family room.  Every once in a while one has a project which gives you fits right from the word go.  I had so many dates with my seam ripper etc.  I nearly gave up on it.  Then I thought it would probably be a good one if I just persevere.  I am happy I did.  I really do like it now.  
Thank you so much for all the sweet comments during the course of the year.  I have so appreciated each and every one.  I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  I hope you will get some time to stitch around the holidays and that not every moment will be spent in the kitchen.  I can't wait to see all the lovely things you make next year.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Some Christmas Cheer!

Oh how I love Christmas.  It is the time of year to be with family and spend some loving time together.  Not everyone can always make it to the same location, but how precious to have some family present.  To do things out of the ordinary for a few days.  To shower loved ones with lots of love, good food, wonderful music, that special gift and of course the spirit of the season.  I have worked hard to transform the home for Christmas and it has been worth it.   My sewing machine has been working hard and I have tried to tuck a bit of Christmas into every corner of the house.  Here is a small nativity on the sofa table in the family room.
The mantle is decked out with Woodland Santas and a deer!
Some yummy minty candies on the coffee table with a small quilt I made many years ago.
A little table in the eating area of the kitchen houses the Advent Calendar and a few baubles hanging from hooks on a shelf.
This is a small needle punch Santa that I hung on the side of an Ikea cupboard in the kitchen.
Here is the front of the cupboard with vintage looking deer on top along with some greenery and lights.
A Christmas quilt made from Dresden plates which I made about three years ago.  I so enjoy taking all these treasures out each year and placing them around the home.  This is not the end of the tour, but because it is so photo heavy I thought I would split it into two posts.  Thanks for stopping by to visit and enjoy your people this week.  Make it count and shower them with love.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Some of this and some of that!

This is always such a busy time of the year.  I think that people who craft and makes things perhaps put too much pressures on themselves to get things made for gifts, made for the house etc.  On top of this is the usual shopping and baking and decorating and.....
My sewing machine needs a vacation!  She has been working rather hard of late!  Lets see what I have been up to.  I made this darling little mini quilt for my stand.  It is a six inch quilt.  So cute.   Connecting Threads.com has a book of mini quilts which they publish.  This is one of the patterns from the book.  They are all extremely cute. 
I made my December Kimberbell Bench Pillow.  This was a really fun project and is so bright and cheerful.  It was rather a lot of work, but so worth it.  
I have been crocheting a bunch of snowflakes for the Christmas tree.  When I have finished making the snowflake I block pin it to my ironing board and saturate it with Niagra Spray Starch.  I leave it overnight to dry.  The next day I iron the snowflake on the wrong side with the iron on a steam setting.  I found all of these patterns on Pinterest - free!
Here is my little helper hiding under some fabric!  I had to lie down on the floor to get this picture.  He looks a bit like a medieval monk!  Funny kitty.  I have been making other things too but I will post about them next time.  I hope you are all staying sane with all the gift making going on.