12 Days of Elf…Say Cheese

Practicing for my picture with Santa.

12 Days of Elf..Merry and Bright

May your Christmas be merry and bright.

12 Days of Elf…Tree topper

There has to be an easier way to get the star to the top of the tree!

12 Days of Elf…Santa I can explain!

Honest Santa…I’ve been good!

12 Days of Elf…Oh how sweet it is!

I couldn’t find a quarter anywhere and just had to have one!

12 Days of Elf….Get a Grip

Frank…knock it off, it’s not funny anymore!

Dear Hubby has had enough of Elf on the Shelf………..

12 Days of Elf….Mug Shot

Peppermint Hot Chocolate please!

12 Days of Elf…Letters to Santa

Get the postal code correct…H0H0H0

12 Days of Elf…Christmas Cookies

I’ve go my new  Christmas Apron on and am ready to start my Christmas baking.

The color purple

Dear Eldest Daughter loves purple…purple everything! i saw on Pinterest this cute idea for old skates…painted then dolled up with fancy ribbon and adornments.

I thought that they would look nice displayed on her front porch….found an old pair at the local second hand store, found the perfect purple spray paint, found the perfect gingham ribbon and feathered trim.

Scared the crap out of her though…..she ventured to ask…..”Hey Mom, those aren’t my skates are they?”

Four done and one to go

Monica, Bev, Trish and Donna are right on track with there blocks and only have one more block to complete before we start to put their masterpieces together. They have done amazing…best beginner group to date.

Pinecone Wreath…redo

Believe it or not I made this wreath about 35 years ago. It looked much different then, just pinecones with red berries and a bit of baby’s breath. My mother, bless her heart had tucked it away all these years and recently gave it to Dear Eldest Daughter. Well, everyone knows that Dear Eldest Daughter is all about the bling, so I re-did the original wreath for her. It was all spruced up with silver spray paint then some glitter birds and baubles added and it looks amazing. She couldn’t wait to get it on her new front door.

Ready of Baking

I had a fun time making this Santa’s Helper Apron and even more fun teaching the class at Kindred Spirits Quilt Co.

We  thought it would be a great gift for hubbies out there…wives could wear the apron…..just the apron.

Doubt we would get much baking done!

Circles of Love

Beginner’s Rock! Here are the girls proudly displaying there center blocks. Appliqued beautifully I must say. Beginner’s are the best…the only group that actually loos forward to homework!

The lights are on…but nobody’s home

I love vintage things and when I saw these little Christmas cottages I just had to have them…adorable.

The house have a little switch underneath them to turn the lights on and off and the lights even change color every few seconds…red, blue, green white.

They are all glittered and look like they have been just dusted with a recent snowfall.

Don’t you just want to go up the path and knock on the front door? So inviting.

Vintage do-over

Found this wonderful French provincial looking coffee table at a local vintage store a while back and immediately thought of Dear Eldest Daughter. She is getting married in May and they have purchased a home but are not living there yet nor do they have any furniture. She has been collecting pieces here and there that have been redone in a Shabby Chic look, sort of Paris theme. When I saw this solid wooden piece I knew it would be perfect.

I sanded it down, then layered the piece with flat black paint, grey primer, and finally an antique white. Once dry I sanded some of the areas that would have had the most wear over the years and Voilà!….an awesome vintage redo…and she loves it!  What a great find for $30.00.

Countdown to Christmas

I found this adorable Christmas Advent Calendar at Kindred Spirits Quilt Co. for my grandsons. It was easy to sew and quilt up and has these wonderful little pockets that little hands just love getting into. A stack of small goodies to put in each secret place and we are ready to go.

To hang it I used a simple technique of attaching a folded triangle to each corner at the top edge before sewing my binding on. Then a small dowel slips in behind and acts as your hanging rod.

Margie…you’re a bad influence

I’m checking the staff schedule at the store before I go in again. EVERYTIME that I visit when Marg is working I end up leaving Kindred Spirits Quilt Co. with a stash of new products. Look what she sucked me into last time. She makes is so appealing……Lesllie, look at the little tape measures, and the little ducks, and look at the vintage colors….ohhhhh!  She’s evil!

She sucks you in slowly, before you really notice what has happened….

“Hey, Leslie, oh did you see this new line that came in!”

“Oh, Leslie, look at these adorable new charm packs, ohhhhhh!”

“Leslie, I thought of you when I saw this new Jelly Roll!”

“Ohhh, this one has little sewing machines on it, don’t you just love it Leslie!”

She’s the devil, you know that little guy that sits on your shoulder opposite the guy that is saying don’t buy it….that’s her…she sits there and smiles all sweet, ohhhing and awwwwing, soft as butter, then she has you in your grips, it’s too late, you’re done….you reach for your wallet as she stands behind the cutting counter or the cash and just gloats……she has done her job.

Michelle…does she work on commission?

Pinwheel Princesses

The ladies in my Beginner Class at kindred Spirits Quilt Co. are doing fabulous…..look at these pinwheel blocks. Tricia, Marion, Bev and Donna are naturals when it comes to quilting, every block finished at the correct size. Eleanor Burns would be proud.

Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda

Hindsight is always 20-20…..I’m looking at this quilt for my future son-in-law and not really loving it, but it is complete(not quilted yet) but done. Dear Eldest Daughter had wanted me to make a quilt for her hubby to be for Christmas as he is a huge tractor enthusiast. Has a tractor, farms, just loves the things.

I had bought the fabric in the summer, a nice fabric with large vintage tractors which I thought would be great cut out for the centre of a block. I matched up the tractor colors with co-coordinating fabric and thought it would work well……not so much. In hindsight I should have bordered each centre square in neutrals instead as the quilt turned out rather loud.

However, they are looking at a neutral sofa for the man cave so hopefully the quilt will accent the room instead. Sometimes you have quilts that work out well, turn out perfectly….sometimes they are woulda, shoulda, coulda quilts. I’m hoping that when it’s long armed it will look a bit better.

Let me count the ways

While I was in Cayman with my brother and sister-in–law I taught her how to quilt. I had brought everything she needed with me, stuffed in my suitcase except the sewing machine which Dear Uncle has at his residence. It was wonderful to get my fix while I was away.  Prior to coming I had called my  Dear SIL and asked what she might want to work on. I told her I would dig into my stash and she could pick whatever she wanted. I said you can pick “Baby, Halloween, Christmas, Batik…you name it I probably have it”. She opted for Christmas and I did have a few options stashed away. We went with a log cabin in Christmas colors and the quilt in a day method. For her first quilt ever, she did amazing. The only dilemma……what layout?

She ended up choosing Arrow…..we are just learning how to put the borders on properly and it will be complete, just in time for the Christmas season!

Awesome job Dear SIL.

Elf on the Shelf…soaking up the last rays

Later today I fly home, back to the snowy cold weather I call home. I’m making the most of the last rays of sunshine before boarding the plane donned with boots, coat, hat and mitts. I wish I could stay, but alas Christmas is just around the corner and this is the busiest time of the year for me. This has been a relaxing, rejuvenating holiday so I am well prepared or the hustle and bustle that awaits me over the next few weeks.