More Preparations

More Xmas fun! Our house has been a flurry of tinsel, wrapping paper and stuffing.  The tree looks awesome.  We found some really beautiful decorations this year and I have struggled to choose a favorite.  I am leaning toward the glittery white reindeer but I also really like the birds we found.

Rather handsome bird isn't he?  Talking of  handsome things my lovely son Corey graduated from Junior School last week.  It was a mix of emotions; sad, exciting and nostalgic.  We are extremely proud of him.

*Sigh* they grow so fast!  At the risk of getting nostalgic I remember when he went off to Prep in his first school uniform. Good luck Corey and enjoy everything!

Christmas Crazy Busy!

I am sorry it has been so long since my last post!  I have been working a fair bit and doing some of the volunteer roles I have. Things have really mad here even though I have been organized.  Xmas shopping has been done, menu set, cards sent, tree decorated and house almost finished..... I need a holiday!  Still have plenty to do unfortunately.  My lovely husband Chris is turning 40, two days before Xmas so there has been plenty of 'secret squirrel business' going on. It is so hard to keep secrets from him.  He is such a sticky beak.

Would you like to see what I have been up to?  I finished, hung and filled the advent calender for Corey to plunder every morning.  After all the hanging dramas it looks really colorful hanging in the hallway above the real stockings.  Corey has enjoyed eating the choccy every day.

I had a chance to finish off the xmas stockings I made a few years ago and hang lovely sparkly name tags with them so we know who they belong to.

These are the little name tags we made. Chris helped.  Late at night we were both up sticking, cutting and filing the cardboard baubles.  The red rhinestones make them look very special.  Everyone loves a little bling.

I have begun making some cute little elves to go with the little lit up houses I have.  They are very cute.  They will have a little white hat, red felty shoes and olive green scarves. 

He has a cheeky little grin this elf.  We are debating names for them.  Any suggestions? Off to the makers market tomorrow in Main Rd Ballarat.  Sounds like heaps of fun.  Do go and check it out.  It is on Sunday, Dec 12th between 2 - 5 pm.  There will be some awesome things there!

A Herd of Giddy-ups!

"There was movement at the station for word had passed around,  That Christmas was coming and three little girls needed a pony".  He he.  A little poetic license there I know but we thought it was fitting.

We were Christmas shopping the other day when Chris (husband) noticed Melly & Me Giddy-up hobby horse.  We had thought of some fabric horses for our little nieces as presents but had been unable to find any.  I started off planning to make one but the herd grew to three! 

With my trusty fabric consultant (Chris, who is suprisingly good at coordinating color!) we now have enough fabric for three steeds.  These are the body fabrics that we chose:

The birds are really very cute. 

Thought the apples were fitting seeing it was for horses!

Between what seemed like a million trips down the street yesterday I was busy cutting out horses heads.  I got Chris to do something handy (shock & horror!) and drill holes in the poles needed for the noble steeds.  I wanted to keep the fabric selections all seperate so they have a kitchen chair each.

That big bag of stuffing means work!  And lots of fun.  Here is a close up of the fabric choices for each horse that goes with each main fabric......

Have a great day and I will keep you posted!

Cupid Smiles for the Camera

After some debate today I abandoned the use of felt for Cupid's eye.  It didn't work the way I wanted it to.  That being said, I think that Cupid is a dashing little reindeer.

Smile Cupid, people are looking!

Let It Snow

I do like a cute little snowman.  So how about three!

These little guys were really fun to make and easy.  I will have the pattern up very soon.  Hope you all love them as much as I do!

Maybe they are watching for Santa?

Not Enough Time

It has been busy at my house! Not enough time to craft grrrr.  Usually when I am really busy I can atleast take my sketch book and draw but I haven't even had time for that.  I suppose you all know how I feel though. 

However on the positive side I have completed Corey's advent sock calender.  They even have chocolates in them.  It was a bit of struggle not to eat them though.  I love those Magical Elves with the popping candy in them (yum).

  
The suction cups didn't work all that well.  Some stuck and some sucked. I got a bit grumpy when I was hanging the full socks and occasionally one would fall off.  I have to get some hooks today and try that.  I am happy with the finished socks though.  See the sock with the bling?

I have also been working on a snowman to sit on the television unit at Christmas time.  I had drawn a snowman a little while ago but haven't had time to make him.  I have made his arms and legs though. 

I am sure Frosty is wishing he had a body!

Snowballs and Cupid

Strange post title wouldn't you say?  Don't worry I haven't lost my quilting mind.  I have been working very hard on finalising the applique designs for the Reindeer quilt.  The poor men in my house have heard me grumbling on the placement and shape of ears and eyes.  At one stage I wrote something in fineliner instead of using pencil first and complained loudly that it was in the wrong spot.  Chris asked if I needed to have my fineliner license revoked.  Smarty pants!

I can't complain though (although I will) the kitchen table has been taken over by paper, pencils, card and felt.  We haven't seen the wood on the table for a couple of days.  The men in my house are very understanding.

Corey was sick today so all the plans I had made went out the window so I sat quietly at the kitchen table and cut, ironed and hand sewed.   All the patterns completed and I decided that the first reindeer to come to life would be Cupid.  Isn't that felt I have chosen just make you want to pat them?!

I really wanted the reindeers to have texture and touchability.  This reindeer sitting on the snowball pile is Donner.  Such a proud chest and cute head.  I really love the red collar.   

I fiddled around a little trying to get the 'snowballs' right.  The backing fabric that I got from my lovely local embroidery lady worked  a treat.  It is nice and soft so that it drapes nicely still and does't stiffen the fabric.   No red showing through my snowballs making them pink. Yay!!  I have a nice pile of snowy white snowballs.  I hand sewed the first one on today.  This is the beginning of Cupid's snowball.  Don't you just love his heart shaped chest?

I am happy with the nice curve that I got on the snowball.

This is Cupid.  Such a dainty and lovely creature.

Forgive the pins in his head but I have to get some embroidery floss tomorrow to match the fur and they are a temporary fixing solution.  Hope you think that Cupid is as cute as I think he is. 

Advent Calender Adventures

Corey has been nagging me for the last little while about getting an advent calender.  I agreed, thought it was about time we got one.  Being the creative mother that I am I thought that I could make one so searched on line for some interesting decorative touches.  Thank Christmas for Martha Stewart.  She has some awesome Christmas craft on her site.  If you are as Christmas crazy as I am check the "Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive" blog.  There are some great things there to get you into the Christmas spirit.

Anyway, back to the advent calender.  After much sighing and groaning from the child (why can't we just buy one... sigh...huff) I decided that we were making 25 paper stockings (more groans).  The kitchen table was soon covered in scraps of paper, glue, stamps, ink pads and numerous other decorations.  The sewing machine even got a work out.  You know it is really hard to sew paper!

I got into the 'zone' and had done heaps before Corey was pleading with me to leave some for him. He he! I think they look great!

We decorated them with stamps, white pen and strips/circles of patterned paper or plain cardstock.  I really like the little Santas I drew.

I will thread some ribbon through the little hole I punched in the top corner and tie them off.  We are going to hang them on little suction hooks on Corey's wardrobe door and put a choccy frog or a candy cane in each one.  You could easily do these with fabric as well to make an amazing Christmas banner.  If anyone wants the link to the instructions let me know by email and I will send them to you.  Don't forget Corey, Santa can see when you are naughty and sneak a frog!

Getting There

It is Creative Space Thursday!  I love this day.  Kootoyoo is lovely blog that invites fellow bloggers to leave a link to what they are working on for the day.  Check it out.  There are so many creative ladies out there.

My Reindeer quilt is coming along nicely.  All the pieces are cut out and layed on the spare room floor like a big jigsaw.

I am off today to search for something to place behind the white fabric so that the red from the centre blocks does not show through.  I like the idea of the pure white snowballs.... not kind of pink ones.

Talking of pink.... I made this quilt for my 5 year old niece a little while ago and it has been awaiting backing and quilting.  This will be her Xmas present.  It was my first adventure into making a quilt with absolutely no pattern at all.

Forgive the glimpse of my very ugly clothesline at the top but it gives an idea of the cut and sew technique that I used.  I wonder if this was the type of washing my physio said I shouldn't be hanging he he.  It should definitely satisfy Audrey's liking for pink.  It kind of looks like a candy stripe gone mad! 

Next time I might try one with one consistent background fabric so that you truly can't see the blocks.  It was quite easy to piece.  You cut one large rectangle and cut where you want to insert a strip.  Sew in the strip you want and cut the opposite way (vertical or horizontal) insert another strip and carry on cutting and inserting until you go cross eyed and then go a little further.

The backing fabric will suit it down to the ground!

Back soon with hopefully a Reindeer to show you! 

Photo Shoot

Yesterday was very odd weather here.  Warm one moment and then windy and wet the next.  Corey (son) was attending a  mud camp on the weekend so Chris (husband) and I had time on our hands.  I had been saying for awhile that I needed to take some pattern cover photographs to start putting my patterns out there. With a choice between mowing the lawn and taking photos with me in the bush it wasn't a hard decision for the man to make.

The little red car was packed up with the camera and all my creations that needed modelling and the artistic director and I headed out to find exactly the right 'bendy' tree to hang the quilt on.  We didn't need to go far!  Check these out....

I started this quilt some time ago and designed it with complete beginners in mind.  There are no seams to match and the quilt pattern will cater for three different sizes.  It is also a really good quilt to gain confidence in choosing and coordinating colors.  It has simple quilting on it and was just a joy to stitch.  Hopefully I will get a moment this week to write the pattern (wish, wish and hope!).

The wind was picking up a bit and the quilt just blew out at the right angle but I didn't get the right shot in time.

The quilt must have known it was being photographed it....work the camera baby, show us some movement!

The Paw Print of Approval!

It's a hard life testing out quilts but someone has to do it! 

Husband wants to change places with Puss if he ever gets sick of his job.  Puss checks out all creations by testing for softness, fabric scent and fur stickability.  This quilt scores on all accounts.  Cleared, with the purr of approval, for the pattern process.

Can you hear the sleigh bells?

Christmas is sneaking upon us all at a quickening pace.  Yikes!  I have not got one present yet and in some instances have not even thought of anything for certain loved people in my life. 

Christmas is a big deal in my house.  I love it.  The food, the decorating, the wrapping and oh, the tree.  The men in my house think I actually become a little Christmas crazy.  The boys shake their heads whilst I am in the middle of debating whether a certain glass ornament should hang a little more to the left or to the right and exchange knowing looks. 

In the spirit of beginning to go 'Christmas Crazy' I have started on a few projects.  I found the most gorgeous reindeer fabrics the other day that just made me go 'awww'.

Isn't that reindeer the cutest thing you've ever seen.  I began cutting last night......

Laid out a few blocks ready for the 'conveyer belt' of sewing.  Husband will have to wait for tea now.  When I took over the kitchen bench he lovingly offered me his desk as well.   I detect notes of sarcasm.  LOL!

The big red square in the middle will have 'photos' of Santa's reindeers appliqued on them.  I have not settled on a method for the reindeer yet; stitching, fabric paint or applique.  I have been auditioning felt.  Still undecided.  Not sure.  Plenty of viewing from different angles and playing around in my head thinking.  I do like the dark felt though.

I have picked some snowball fabric also. I chose it because it looks like little specks of snow.

Sewing commences and it was all going really spiffy until I accidentally ran over a pin.  Yikes!!! Was the Grinch in my sewing space?  Major surgery for the sewing machine needed because the bottom of the needle dropped into the bobbin case. The pin that I had attempted to stitch looked like a giant correct tick!  It was then that I thought perhaps I should give it a rest for the night and go back to drawing the reindeer.  Will give you a sneak peak in a day or two!

It's Raining Cats and Cupcakes!

After another rainy day the boys were restless.  Computer games no longer held their interest so new pursuits needed to be considered.  With the right supplies cupcakes were baked and left cooling on the bench while lunch was devoured.

This was the result of my sons creativity......Enter stage right Cupcake Cat!

Introducing Cupcake Monster......

Even dear husband got in on the act....

While the boys were creating (a mess) I turned my attention to a beautiful roll of bright fabric. 

I think that this roll of delicious colors may become the start of an owl quilt.  Off to the drawing board!

In the Beginning!

In the beginning there was an idea that a little fox was needed.....

A trip with dear husband was called for to gather suitable fur and matching fabric (that was such a chore...not!) and a new little foxy lox was created. Yes, dear husband the orange does look wayyyy better than the red and thank you for getting off your Blackberry on a Saturday long enough to tell me so!

At first he was the 'quick brown fox that hopped over the log', as he only had one leg. Things progressed rapidly and soon he had four legs, two eyes and a black shiny nose. The crafty little fox was born!

He can now jump over all the logs he likes. His face is very sweet. I wonder what he would say if he could talk? 

What do you think?