12~12~12

12~12~12

It's been a very good day.

 

Actually, the last couple of days have been very good days!! Lots of good plans being made for 2013.  And, of course, stitching with friends is high on my list!  Makes me smile when I thing of some of my favorite crazy quilting friends. It all started when we made a crazy quilt for a fundraiser at The*Landing in Shakopee. We had so much fun we wanted to keep stitching together. So we were invited to stitch at the Stans Museum in Shakopee, the home of The*Scott*County*Historical*Society.  In January of 2000, I presented a program on crazy quilting and from that event, came the group we call "The Scott County Crazy Quilter's".  At the end of November we celebrated with a potluck and the 13th Christmas of our little group! We are one happy bunch..........

 

That's Laura, Carol and me in the back row and Judith, Sharon and Deana in the front. Deanna works at The Landing and we met at an Info Expo when she set up a booth for The Landing. If I had never met her, we wouldn't be stitching together. Judith was a member of the staff at the Historical Society when I first met her. We wouldn't be stitching there if I had never met her!  I am so thankful that I met both of them! Our group meets in the evening (4th Thursday of the month at 6:00 p.m. in case you want to join us) but some of us wanted to stitch during the day. So, we just started meeting and pretty soon we called ourselves "Tuesday Crazies". That's because we met on Tuesdays........not because we are crazy. LOL!

In early November, the weather was fine and so we gathered at my house for lunch and an afternoon of stitching. Sue is working on her Baltimore Album blocks.........

 Kate was handquilting a Civil War project.

Pandora had just returned from Florida and shared this gorgeous quilt she made. Looks like she can still be at the beach!

Adella was doing embroidery and applique on her Sunbonnet Sue dishtowels.

And Carol shared this adorable little embroidered sampler quilt.

 

Arlis has been working on this tiny hexagon quilt and shared her finished quilt. So sweet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And my project? It's one I've been working on since 2006. I was sure I'd have all the rows sewn together for my Mary E crazy quilt by December of this year................

Ummm, I'm hoping that I can make that happen! There are still 19 days in December so it could happen.  Wish me luck. Lots of Christmas stuff to do but I am determined to finish the rows. I am handstitching the entire project..........just because. :-)  When it comes to projects that need to be finished, though, I have decided that some of the things on my Christmas list will not get done this year. They are now on the list for next year. Hope you all had a good day!

Sandi

What's on the tree?

Snow is on the tree.........make that trees!! We got a big snowstorm yesterday and here are some of the lovely snow scenes.........

The pine trees above are on the corner next to St. Joseph's Catholic Church here in Henderson. And just down the hill from St. Joe's is the church where I am a member, St. Paul's United Church of Christ.

Every tree and bush looked like it had been "frosted" or as if it was growing cotton fluffs!

This big old tree is at the entrance of St. Joe's Cemetary and it looked lovely in the sunlight.

And across the street from it was this one with the sun shining right through it...........

And then at Ned and Mary Pilling's place, their apple tree had plops of snow on it and there were still apples on the tree! It made me think that the apples looked like ornaments!

 

And speaking of ornaments, I said that on Monday's I would share an ornament and how to make it. So here's my ornament for today. Since we got all this snow, I thought I'd share "snow-themed" ornaments.  This is simple and fun and any age can make these snowmen and snowflakes. All you need is styrofoam picnic plates, scissors, glue and white glitter, scraps of yarn, a bit of paint for the snowman and some pretty pins for the snowflake.

I just drew a simple snowman shape on the styrofoam plate and then cut it out with a sharp scissors. I painted his eyes, nose and mouth and let it dry. Then I spread glue all over the snowman and sprinkled on a large dose of white glitter. I added a yarn bow and Voila!! it's a snowman!

To make a snowflake, I cut my shape from a paper snowflake and traced it to the styrofoam plate. This one is harder than the snowman. I used a very sharp, pointed scissors to cut the snowflake shape and a paper punch for the holes. I used glue when I inserted the pearl pins that are at each point and then I spread glue all over it and lots of glitter. I added some pink sequins for pizazz!  I was trying to re-create some styrofoam snowflake shapes that I bought in 1970 in a market in Tokyo. I have six of these, three large ones, three medium and they are one of my favorite things to put on our tree.

They are die-cut from a thin, soft foam and I inserted beads on pearlized pins at various points on the snowflake. In all these years, I have never seen snowflakes like these in any craft store! I would love to find more of them someday!
That time in December has come when I have to decide which of the many projects will get done and which will be rolled over to next year. LOL! Does that happen to you?  I always think I have plenty of time and then it just ......... slips away!  No one but me, though, knows what I was planning to get done.  ;-)  You all have a good week!
Sandi

P.S. Be sure and check out my previous post for the birthday celebration for Quilting Gallery.......just go here!

It's a birthday party for Quilting Gallery!

Michele at Quilting Gallery is celebrating her 5th birthday with a huge blog hop!! You'll find all the details here !!!  I started following Michele's Quilting Gallery when it was just a baby and oh, my how Quilting Gallery has grown!! Thanks to her site, I've met quilters from near and far and shared projects with so many quilters!!! And so to celebrate, I put together a little birthday package of fabrics that might make a cute little project if you used my "Candlelight Candlemat Project" that was shared at Quilting Gallery a couple of years ago. Just go here for the tutorial. And then..............
in order to have a chance to win the fabrics that you see above, just leave me a comment and tell me what is your favorite cookie?!!  I have been in my kitchen most of the day baking up these goodies that I need to get mailed to some special folks. I finished them and then realized, oh, my.........must post about the birthday giveaway!

So, leave your comment, then swing over to Quilting*Gallery and get all the details so you can hop from blog to blog to blog! Have fun!
Comments will remain open until December 29th. This is a busy time of year and I want everyone to have a chance to enter. Winner will be drawn on December 30th at noon CST. Good luck and share those cookie favorites with me!!
Sandi

Please note.........I am amazed at all the entries, but.........more than a dozen comments have no way for me to contact you. Please make sure you have left your e-mail or that you have a blog and I can leave a comment there or your e-mail is on your blog link. 

And the winner is............

Mary Mahoo at Sew*Maybe*I*Can blog.

Congratulations, Mary!!!

Oh, my! so many things to do!

For the past three days, I have been preoccupied with getting the big tree in our family room up and decorated. I finished it last night. I think there are about 400 ornaments on it.  I'll take some pictures of it and share in a post on Saturday. It was hard work decorating that tree but I loved every minute of it.
Today, though, I was "out and about" most of the day here in Henderson (MN). It may be a small town but it offers a ton of fun and interesting things to do. My husband calls it "the Festival Town" because there is always an observance of some kind going on so it's a fun place to live. Tonight, there was a new event........."Ladies Night Out and Santa Anonymous Toy Drive". It was the "first annual" but I think it was a success and it will be back next year. When I told my husband that I was going to go downtown to the "Ladies Night Out", I'm not sure he was giving me his full "listening ears" because his answer was......"uh, I'm not really interested in going".  Ha ha, and my answer was "well, that's good because it's for Ladies!"
So, what did I find that you might like to know about? Well, since this is a quilting/stitching blog, I think you might enjoy these adorable figures..............

I found them on display at The Knitting Knest (all lit up for the holidays!). They were designed by Marie Mayhew and you can find the snowman pattern here and the wise old owl pattern here.  The projects are knitted, then felted. If I could knit, I would be making that large snowman!  Street and headed to the Roadhaus Event Center where about twenty-five vendors were set up. 

The first vendor inside the door was my favorite. You'll know why when I tell you she was sharing samples of CHOCOLATE fondue!! And not just any chocolate but Belgian chocolate! That's Lisa Mathwig sharing info on Velata*Fun*Fondue.  I think this is something I might have to have. It would be a definite improvement over the fondue pot I still have from the 1970's. :-) You know how much I love chocolate! 



Everything from jewelry to mittens to fruit cake, children's books, scrapbooking, soaps, etc. etc. etc. was available to the ladies attending the event! Here are my friends Monica and Sue checking out the jewelry. Were they shopping for me? Oh, I don't think so but ya never know............

I headed back across Main Street to one of my favorite shops in Henderson, Antiques & Uniques.  There was lots of Christmas goodness for the eyes to behold.........

This unique Mary and Joseph caught my eye.............

Owner, Jane Schuette, commented that it would have been great to display at the CrecheFest........but that's coming up in a minute.  I found, and bought, a most unique little item in the shop that I will share in a future post. 
Just a couple doors down the street is the newest business in Henderson, Peaceful Landing........

The name alone is inviting but owners Lori Streeter and her husband make it doubly inviting! Lorie is a Reiki master. For more info, just check out her website here.

I enjoyed chatting with other vendors at Peaceful Landing.  Cara Bishop of St. Peter Family Dental shared goodies that will keep my smile bright and Jinelle Markham, an inspirational speaker and teacher who shares about the "Angels Among Us". I also enjoyed conversation with Michelle Burns who is a Life Coach. I recently learned that a good friend met with a life coach to help her define her career and goals. You can learn more about Michelle's coaching at Design*Your*Destiny.  I suspect I could really use time with a life coach. Might have to consider this, too. Oh, my so many things to see and do!

And speaking of things to see and do..........earlier in the day, I took two batches of fudge and headed off to the church (St. Paul's UCC) where our Women's Guild filled goodie bags for those in our congregation that are homebound.

And when the bags were filled, then we enjoyed a delicious potluck lunch!

When the clean-up was done, some of us went over to Centennial Lutheran Church to their CrecheFest. From simple creche scenes like this one............

 to simply beautiful chrech scenes like this one..............

 and lots of angelic angels like all of these.............

it was clearly a feast for the eyes!!  The event continues through Friday so if you are nearby head to Centennial to see the lovely display of creches and angels.
So, am I tired tonight? You bet I am.  But I have one last photo to share. With all the trees decorated, I realized they might look better if I put the tree skirts under them. I had to share this one under the little tree next to our fireplace...........

A couple of years ago, I happened into the Lutheran Home Thrift Shop (Belle Plaine, MN) and found this little treasure for just $1.50. I suspect it's from the 1960's perhaps even the 1950's. It has that wonderful feel of old-fashioned felt, not that stiff feel of today's craft felt. I love it!
That's all for tonight. Time to get some sleep!  Back soon with Christmas tree photos and more ornament stories to share.
Sandi

What's on the tree?

I'm going to replace "What's on the line?" with "What's on the tree?" for the next four weeks. Each week, I'll share an ornament and a pattern or tutorial for how to make that ornament. Today, I'm sharing this heart ornament ................

You'll find the pattern page here.  It's a very simple heart ornament, made with one red wool heart on the front and a plaid wool heart on the back. I designed the ornament for a class at The Knitting Knest here in Henderson. There were students of all ages who enjoyed learning tips on how to work with wool, then stitching their snowflake and adding the blanket stitch to finish off the heart.

The first thing you need to do is cut your two heart shapes, then with a pretty white wool yarn or Perle cotton, you will stitch your snowflake to the red heart.

One of the tips I offered in class was to position the paper heart over the red wool heart and stitch through the paper using the dots on the pattern as your guide, then tear the paper away.  

When the snowflake stitching is finished, then pin the two heart shapes together and stitch around the edge with a blanket stitch or for a quick finish, just use a running stitch.

You will leave an opening of about an inch, so that you can stuff the heart with a bit of cotton or poly batting.  Then you'll add the final stitches and add a loop for hanging and your ornament is ready for the tree!

Everyone finished their ornament during class time .............

and that made students smile....... and me, too!! These hearts would also look great as a decoration on packages and gift bags. If I get busy stitching, I might even get a few made for my gifts!
Here's hoping you have a good day and a great start to this first week in December!!
Sandi

Over the river and through the woods........

............and off to New Ulm, Minnesota! That's what we did yesterday. I convinced my husband that a good way to celebrate our 44th anniversary (it was November 24th) was to take a day-out and visit New Ulm. The weather was very mild and so that's just what we did!  We only live an hour from New Ulm so it was a short trip across country. Our first stop when we got to New Ulm was at the Convention and Visitor's office where we gathered up lots of goodies for other day trips. :-) Then we went around the corner to the Brown County Historical Society. It was very overcast so not good for taking a photo in the morning but if you go here you can see what a lovely building it is and it's history. We were interested in the exhibit on the 1862 Indian Uprising and also found the Century Farms exhibit very interesting. And because it's Christmas, the display of the Menzel Christmas village was just lovely!!

Many shops and places of interest are within walking distance around New Ulm.  The German heritage of New Ulm can be seen up and down the street............

And for lunch, well, of course, we chose .............

If I remember right, this restaurant has been run by the same family since the 1930's. For a moment, we felt like we were stepping back to one of our trips to Germany several years ago! I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and added the "house barbecue" sauce to it. Very yummy! Steve ordered up a Reuben and we both enjoyed a leisurely lunch.

 

After lunch, we took a walk up the street to the Glockenspiel. It sounds so lovely when the bells chime their tunes. I took a picture of Steve taking a picture of it...........

Here's the info on it.............

As we were looking up at the tower, a gentleman approached us to ask what brought us to New Ulm this day. He said his name was Fritz Busch and he was a reporter for the local New Ulm Journal. So we answered his questions and I'll share the photo if it makes the paper. ;-)
With the German Heritage in New Ulm, there are, of course.........Christmas goodies and ornaments to shop for and this little place was a delight! It's another business that has been around since the 1930's!  Earlier, we had bought a little gingerbread ornament at Lambrecht's but Steve was looking for something a little more special. He walked around Domeiers again and again, then finally spotted the ornament that he thought was perfect. And yes, he really did walk around the store three times to find the perfect ornament!  I was impressed!

Our last stop was at the Herman Monument ...........

It was closed for the winter but we're coming back in the summer or fall so we can climb to the top and get the panoramic view out over New Ulm and the Minnesota River Valley. Here's the details on the monument...........

Now you'd think that when reporter Fritz took our photos for the newspaper that perhaps we would have asked him to take a picture of us together. You know, so we would have a record of our day in New Ulm. But no, neither of us thought of that until we were several miles on our way home. So I told my husband that when we got home, we'd take a picture of each other hanging the two ornaments we bought. And so, here he is with the perfect ornament he found at Domeier's............

It's a delicately cut wooden angel in a star and he hung it on the gold and silver tree in our living room.  He's pointing to it so you won't miss it.  :-)
And then in the family room next to our kitchen, I hung the gingerbread ornament on the little tree next to our fireplace.............

We had a lovely day on our trip.........over the river and through the woods.......to New Ulm!
So, that's the story of two new ornaments added to our Christmas goodies. Today, I'm going to set up the tree in our basement family room. More ornaments, more memories, fun way to spend the day.  Happy Sunday!
Sandi

Good morning, December!!

Tis the last month of the year, the lovely month of December. For some there is the celebration of Christmas, for others it is Hannukah and then Kwanza.  It's a time that brings families together in many corners of the world. 

Here in our little "corner of the world" in Minnesota the weather is unusually mild. Today the temperature will reach near 50 degrees and a little rain is predicted!  More often at this time of year, there is a blanket of snow on the ground but not this year. There was no snow at this time last year either!  I guess I wouldn't mind if Mother Nature waited til Christmas Eve to add a dusting of snow for that "white Christmas".  But I would wish for just a dusting so that travel is not affected. And, oh, if it was only that easy to wish and it would be so!! Life is so often full of ups and downs, some expected, some not, some work out, some not. Just last year at this time, I was having a bit of "down" time with unexplained health issues (got answers in the spring and doing well now). At the same time, I was having an "up" time because I was busy doing my Christmas decorating, something I just love to do! It's a time filled with so many memories as I get out special arrangements, decorate the trees, and read familiar stories. Doing all those things was extra-special last year because as I shared in this post, our Christmas trees and decorations were to be featured in Womeninc magazine. Late this fall, though, the magazine "took a break" and the December issue will not be published. I'm hopeful the magazine will return soon but in the meantime, editor, Kay Sauck posted the article and photos at the Womeninc website. Just go here and read the article and you'll see the lovely photo of the tree in our basement family room. It's loaded with 40+ years worth of ornaments.

I'm thinking that I will share the story of some of those ornaments in the coming days. If someone asked me, I could probably tell you exactly where each and every ornament came from or who made it or gave it to me. I smile just thinking of all the family and friends and memories tied to those ornaments.
And now, I had a thought.........I wondered........would you like a chance to win one of my handmade ornaments? I would love to surprise one lucky reader with one of my real egg ornaments (like the one with the little blue angel in the first photo above). All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me your favorite ornament and why it's a favorite. I'll need your name and link back to your blog or your e-mail address. You'll have until December 8th at midnight CST to leave your comment. Now it's time to get out the Christmas tunes and enjoy this festive season! Have a lovely day!
Sandi