Ho Ho Ho!

Dear Santa,

First, I'm grateful for the lovely Christmas that arrived for my children. They are all happy with their new toys. Thank you for remembering that socks and underwear are lame gifts. As always, you remembered batteries. You are truly a wonder. You were a smidge noisier than in years past. I realize that some noise is necessary ("arose such a clatter" and all), but did you have to knock those photos off the wall? Yes, they are non-believers, but they are family.

I do have one teensy-tiny complaint. It seems you must have forgotten something for me. Was it the rain here in Seattle that threw you off, you being used to snow? Or maybe our lack of chimney (although rumor has it you can conjure one up if needed)? I received some lovely things in my stocking (notably chocolate things), but no gift card for fabric. Since I was rather specific in the fabrics I wanted, I was sure I would find them wrapped under the tree.

Imagine my disappointment upon discovering there was no fabric-shaped gift under the tree for me, especially after I baked your favorite chocolate chip cookies (by the way, here is the recipe for Mrs. Claus, but please tell her she must be strong and wait the requisite 24 hours before baking, no matter how much you beg).

Santa, I rarely ask for gifts, and typically turn the gifts I do receive into outlets for gift giving (my Kitchenaid being the workhorse around here for Christmas cookies). Some lovely little fat quarters would have been most welcome, and would have made a wonderful quilt for one of my star-eyed little ones to snuggle under.

I've contacted your customer service elves who instructed me to contact you directly. I'm sure we can clear this up. A mistake must have been made. You were most likely exhausted, having taken care of Europe, Africa, South America and the Eastern U.S. before arriving in soggy Seattle. Perhaps you were expecting a latte with your cookies (sorry, we're a non coffee drinking family). My apologies if you were. You certainly polished off the cookies and milk.

There is a giveaway going on at p.s. i quilt. If you've got any pull, I think a $50 shopping spree at fat quarter shop would fit the bill and save you a return trip to Seattle - it's horrendously gray this time of year. You just have a lovely vacation somewhere warm and let me make a quilt so I can keep warm too. I'm running out of hot chocolate.

Sincerely,

Jennie

p.s. If you happened to drop two gifts, my birthday is in March and I'd be ever so grateful for a new sewing machine. I realize it's off-season, but I have been very understanding about this whole gift-dropping business. Just saying.

Sunday Show and Tell

Here's a modeling show if what I've been finishing up this week. Kit volunteered to model her new clothes for me. I am so excited to give these little dresses to Laurel (and a couple for Grace!). And so I introduce the lovely Kit.

Here she is wearing a sundress with matching hat. I am making a little white t-shirt to go underneath because we believe in modesty, even for our dolls! Pattern: McCalls 5554

I discovered BunnyBear, who designs historically accurate patterns for American Girl dolls. This is one of the dresses from the 1930s line, #9361.

A little party dress. After making the BunnyBear designs, I'm less interested in patterns from the big pattern companies. They just don't have that polished look. But it's a fun dress anyway. Laurel loves it, and that is what counts the most.

Another dress (this one's for Grace) from BunnyBear.

Another BunnyBear pattern (I'm starting to feel like a commercial for them!) - this one is the Emily dress from the 1940s. LOVE this one. This one is on it's way tomorrow to Grace as well.

Another sundress, same pattern.

This cherry dress is, without a doubt, my favorite one. I love everything about it, especially that red collar. I might go crazy and make Laurel a matching one - I have plenty of that cherry print.

Another one...

A blue butterfly Emily dress. I played around with the collar and cuffs. I think I'd rather have them be white/contrasting from now on. But I like it just fine and Laurel likes it too.

I've got a sitter for tomorrow afternoon so I can sew up my bean bag fish. Then I HAVE to sew that apron. It's a quick sew, so I'll be done with it by Tuesday evening. I might work in a new batch of stockings before Friday, but it's not a priority. I've also got some dinosaurs to make. And a birthday present to make and ship after Christmas.

Happy sewing! Just five days to go!

We have two winners!

Wow! 442 comments later, we have two winners.

For the patterns, I offer you #253, Stephanie Zito, whose favorite holiday treats are shortbread cookies. Those are quite popular around here.

And for the fabric, I offer you #133, Kathy, who loves snickerdoodles.

I've e-mailed you both, and congratulations.

Thanks to those of you who chose to become followers. I'd thought of making that an extra entry, but I'd rather you become a follower because you really want to, not because you just want another entry. It's like bribing people to be your friends. I'm not down with that.

As for holiday treats, I'm now seriously craving shortbread, gignerbread, English toffee, sugar cookies, stollen, linzer cookies, and peanut brittle. And I just discovered a recipe on Martha Stewart's website (yes, I'm a HUGE fan!) for pecan pie with English toffee bits in it. How spectacular is that? Totally going on my Christmas day menu!

Tomorrow I'm posting photos of finished Christmas items - I've been a busy little elf this week. I've already posted some on Wednesday - more to come tomorrow!

Wordless Wednesday

Giveaway is here!

To Do Tuesday

First, if you're looking for the giveaway, it's still up! Never fear! Just click on the link or scroll down. And thanks to all who've left comments - it's been so fun and I'm already wanting recipes!

Okay my friends - here's my list for this week:

• Sew blue/brown Emmeline apron - it's all cut out and ready to go.
• Sew black/lime Emmeline apron - this one is for my awesome friend who's been babysitting for me.
• Sew art journals for kiddos.
• Cut and sew fish bean bags.
• Sew doll dress.
• Finish doll blanket.
  

Actually, this brings to mind a question. In years past, I could do my Christmas sewing with my kids right there - currently, there is not the space for a separate sewing room for moi. Now, I have curious little eyes with lots of questions, usually: "Is that for me?"

What to do? Stay up late? Make the husband take them away? Now my boys, all I have to do is put on a movie. But my girl - she is one curious little bee. I'll for sure have to do hers late at night. Rats. No early bedtimes for me!

Happy sewing! And, my apologies for no pictures this time. Promise to have several for Wordless Wednesday.

Giveaway Time!

It's giveaway time at Sew, Mama, Sew!

I've got two. The first - Patterns! A Portabellapixie dress pattern and Heather Bailey's stacking baby toy pattern.

The second: three half-yard cuts of some Christmas-y fabrics.

What do you have to do to enter?

Leave a comment telling me your favorite holiday treat. My favorite would have to be spritz cookies - batch after batch and I can't get enough of them. But I'm also a fan of caramels and Russian tea cakes and now I'm starting to miss baking with my mom, so go ahead and comment away. One entry per person please. Giveaway is open until the 17th. Winner will be announced on the 18th and I'll ship on the 20th. Deal?

Awesome. I'm so excited!

The Apron I'm Making

Honestly, I needed a quick distraction from this blasted paper I'm writing. So I'm blogging about fabric.

Here are the three fabrics for the Emmeline apron I'm making for the wife of a friend at church. He said she likes blues and browns. Well, it's his lucky Christmas, because Moda's Pure collection is a stunning one, and all blue and brown.

Side A

Side B

The binding and ties and neck strap

Will she love it? I hope so! I know I would!

To Do Tuesday

Friday is the ward Christmas party. I signed up to bring something from my "heritage" - y'all should know by now that I claim my Southern heritage first and foremost. So I'm bringing a glorious coconut cake.


Our ward did a service auction a couple of months ago. I put up for auction a custom apron. It was a hot item, and there were quite a few disappointed ladies when it was all over. Well, one very perceptive husband, who listens this time of year when his wife mentions she likes something, contacted me - he's a friend of my husband. He asked me to make his wife one of my aprons. He even knew what her favorite colors were (how many husbands can readily have that info available). I ordered the fabric and it got here yesterday and it's gorgeous! Now I want one in blues and browns! So that will be cut out this week and stitched up next week so I can get it to him in time for Christmas. Can I say that I love being an elf?


Here are some preliminary ideas. I'm thinking ours will just have one big hole for the shark's mouth. Y'all are going to be so impressed with Aaron's awesome artistic skills, I promise.

And this is about how basic I'm going to get with my fish - in fact, I just downloaded a picture of Goldfish crackers and blew it up for my pattern! Aaron says I should make them all orange, but I'm thinking lots of colors would be more fun.

Happy crafting! I cannot wait for school to be done so I can get serious about all these plans. One more week and I'm a free woman. Just one week.

Fuzzy Math

Okay, this is a test. Ready?

What do you get when you add plywood+grey spray paint+fabric+navy beans?

We'll find out on Christmas.

Wanna know how? Okay, here it is. I have three little boys. They have a lot of energy. This is a blessing and a curse. In the winter, in Seattle, it's more curse-ish. William walks around like a caged mountain lion in the wintertime.

I've been burning brain cells trying to figure out a fun, homemade gift for these boys of mine for Christmas. Laurel is easy. Coloring wallet, doll dresses, doll blankets, heck, a bag of fabric scraps! But what to make for my boys that they would honestly love? Tough.

The solution is so beautiful, and it also involves Aaron and I doing it together, which makes me even happier. I'm making fish shaped bean bags for the boys with their initials on them (5 or 6 each). Aaron is going to cut a plywood bean bag toss thing in the shape of a shark with the hole being the shark's mouth. He's going to use his awesome artistic skills to paint it and I just know it's going to be the coolest present ever. I can't wait!

This will be a tough one - we'll have to hide it at Uncle John's house (who fortunately has the woodworking tools Aaron will need for this). The bean bags will be a bit easier to hide. Cutting and sewing them might prove more difficult...

I love Christmas! I love coming up with ideas for people.

Oh, and I practically wore out my rotary cutter this morning. I prepped a whole mess of quilting stuff so when I finish school in a week (HOORAY!) I can get busy. I'll have to work on my kids' gifts at night. Priority is the stuff being shipped - that's gotta get done first and in the mail. Then I'll get stuff done for home.

Isn't She Pretty?

Replaced my MIA rotary cutter.

You see those lovely shadows? That is sunlight - an unusual occurrence here in Seattle. And it's sunlight coming through my Christmas tree. Can't beat that, can you?

If I can crank out a paper and get some homework done today, I'll be able to use this girl.

Non-Wordless Wednesday

When you're worried and you can't sleep,
Just count your blessings instead of sheep.
Then you'll fall asleep counting your blessings.

That is most definitely how I feel today. But I have so many blessings that I slept just fine.

I meant to post pictures of my amazing accomplishments yesterday. But I didn't get to sew last night. The group that was in the community center didn't leave on time.

So I will sew this weekend. It's okay. I have a paper to write anyway. It's no secret I'd rather be sewing instead though.

To Do Tuesday

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Everywhere you go...

Okay, it's the last day of November. That's Christmas season, y'all. And it's especially looking like Christmas in my sewing room (what passes for a sewing room around here - I'll give you the grand tour another day).

I have our community center reserved for tonight for a little sewing party. Might just be me and Rendy, but we're going to be busy bees working on Christmas. Here's what's on my list for tonight:

Sew at least one new dress for Kit

William's boy doll

Just discovered this art journal here and I must make them for my munchkins. I might even get one too!

Can I just say that I'm longing for the days when handmade goods were appreciated as gifts? At church, instead of choosing gifts, maybe even making them and then wrapping them, now we are instructed to just buy gift cards. It's just so cold and impersonal to me. I'd love to make a little girl a doll and blanket and one of these art journals. Now, it's just about giving people money.

It makes me glad for those who do still appreciate handmade gifts. I'm even making a commissioned apron for a friend at church - he's one of those perceptive husbands who listens when his wife says she likes something. Well, she told him I made pretty aprons and he e-mailed my husband and we picked out fabric and now I'm making an apron for her. I hope she likes it. I'll take pictures, of course!

But that comes after my finals and such. Classes officially end on the 10th, and I have just one final on the 13th.

And here's my early Christmas present - I discovered yesterday that I will graduate in June, if all goes as planned! Hooray!

My Christmas Kitchen

Corrie over at retro mummy is the inspiration for this post. So here's what will be coming out of my kitchen this Christmas - some are traditions and some will become such.

The first - peanut brittle. Aaron is not a cookie man, and we paid out quite a bit for a baking and pastry education, so let's produce some candy! He gets a tin of this every year under the tree. I'll have to make more this year though - Laurel is a fan now too!

Next: December 15th will be our family Doughnut Fry. A family friend back in Kennewick has been doing this their whole married life and we're officially adopting it this year. We love doughnuts and we like our friends and family. Aaron chose the date because it is not only part of the Christmas season but because it also celebrates Bill of Rights day. Yes, we're flag-waving Americans around here and proud of it.
This coconut cake is heavenly. I just made one for Thanksgiving and I'll be making one for our church Christmas party.
Aaron and I fell in love with these coconut macaroons this year. We have some special family members whose favorite cookies are coconut macaroons. Will be shipping some out in December!
Spritz cookies. It's all about the butter. I've been making them for years, first with my mom, now with my kids. We like the tree shapes and the stars. I don't want to think about how many pounds of butter I will use up creating gift tins for friends. I know some people like to give a variety of treats, but I like to give just a bunch of one thing. It's easy on me, they taste great and the kids don't fight over them.
Course, I have to get through my finals first before I start baking. But I'll be going to the store to stock up on butter and sugar. 'Tis the season.

Can I leave it up forever?

Loving my new blog decorations. I'm limited at home regarding decorations for Christmas. Still creating what I want. In the meantime, I thought the blog could use something fun.

Busy week this week - and some sewing time on Tuesday night. Getting together with my sewing buddies for a few hours after bedtime. I'm super excited to get some projects done for Christmas.

You. Must. Try. These!

Okay, my first Thanksgiving dinner as hostess was a success. The turkey was perfect, the gravy was spectacular (well-worth the four, count 'em, four pounds of shallots), the dressing was yummy and the mashed potatoes were just dandy.

I have an oven space issues, however. As in, not enough. So I was wracking my brain, trying to figure out how everything was going to arrive on the table on time and hot. I was not leaving out my yams. Even if I was the only one eating them.

Enter my gorgeous slow cooker. This girl has been coming to my rescue more often than I'd like to think. So I did a little Googling and lo and behold, it's been done. Candied yams in the slow cooker. I just peeled, sliced, layered with brown sugar and white sugar and butter and four hours later, awesomeness. I kid not. Oh, and I pulsed the sugars with the scrapings from a vanilla bean. When they were all done, I put the yams and most of the liquid in my mixer and whipped them up. Topped with marshmallows (don't judge) and I was in yam heaven.

This one is on the list every year now. I will get my kids to eat them. Who wouldn't like something with toasted marshmallows on top?

And now that I've fed my husband one of the best meals he's ever had (he can't stop going on about that gravy), maybe he'll fix my sewing machine tonight so I can sew tomorrow. Homework can wait. I need some crafting time.

Happy Thanksgiving all! I hope it was a lovely day for everyone!

My Thanksgiving Menu

Because we're on our own for Thanksgiving this year, and because I know, I just know, that my kids will most likely eat only a few things on the menu, I'm making what sounds good to me.
Here it is, in all it's excess and glory (links provided when possible):

Herb-Roasted Turkey with Shallot Pan Gravy

Sausage, Cranberry, and Pecan Stuffing

Perfect Mashed Potatoes

Rolls - lots and lots of rolls from my zoji

Ambrosia - Gran's recipe, and this is all for me - oranges, coconut, pecans and maraschino cherries - Heaven!

Mom's Famous Orange Jell-o - and I even have the Jadeite green mold just like hers - I searched and searched on e-bay for one for quite a while. This is the. best. jell-o. ever. It's orange jell-o, boiling water, orange sherbet instead of cold water and a can o' mandarin oranges, drained. Awesomeness. We've been eating it in our family for years and years. I can't imagine Thanksgiving without it.

Brown-Sugar Glazed Yams with Marshmallows - I must have these. I will eat them all myself if needed.

Brussels Sprouts with Onion and Bacon - Aaron and I share a deep and abiding love for brussels sprouts. Yeah, we're weirdos.

Carrots with Shallots, Sage and Thyme - my kids love carrots, so we'll see if they eat these

And for dessert:

Chocolate bundt cake - for the kids
Pumpkin tarts - for Aaron
Lemon tarts - for me (I might share for Laurel)

I'm not meaning to exclude my kids from the process. I know what they will eat (turkey, potatoes, maybe carrots, definitely jell-o and rolls for sure) and I know that I want more than just kid friendly food. I also want them to see adults enjoying different things. James and Will can be quite adventurous if they see Aaron and I enjoying something.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Thanksgiving Plans!

I have big plans for this four-day weekend coming up. They are primarily centered on my family and feeling grateful, but I've got other things on my plate too. Such as:

• catching up on homework, maybe getting ahead (don't count on it - how boring!)
• fixing my sewing machine (today) so I can work on some projects
• Of those projects, I think I can crank out two Christmas quilts
• avoiding any shopping like the plague - I know there are great deals, but dealing with crowds of bargain hunters is not my idea of fun. I'll stay home with the leftovers.
• decorating the "kid" Christmas tree - we bought a tiny one years ago and it's going in the kids' room this year.
• decorating the house for Christmas - getting ready for the Christmas tree

That's a good list, isn't it?

Okay, I might go buy one thing. A rotary cutter. Mine is clearly not wishing to be found. I cleaned (and I mean REALLY cleaned) yesterday and still no sign. It's gotta be hiding under the washer/dryer or something. So rotary cutters and blades are on sale at JoAnn's for $6.99 on Black Friday. I'll be there at 6 a.m. (or whenever they open - I'm up early anyway) to get one so I can use my fabric therapy for finals coming up.

Have a lovely Thanksgiving week!

Hot date

No, silly, I do not have a hot date with Gordon Ramsay. I'm a married woman. He's married. But I could have a smidgen of a culinary crush on him. Just a smidge.

No, the hot date is with my awesome husband who is as much a Hell's Kitchen junkie as I am. We don't have a TV, but we do watch our HK episodes on fox.com. We were going through withdrawals a few weeks back during the World Series. But Chef is back and we're watching the latest tonight. SO excited.

And then we get to fix my sewing machine together. The old girl needs her tension fixed so she can get me through the holidays and continue to provide fabric therapy for me. Poor girl - she needs a break!

That is all. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I win a Go cutter. Because a little business idea is bouncing around in my brain and I'm wondering how great it is. We shall see.

Have a lovely weekend!

Go! Giveaway round 2

Yet another Go! Giveaway, this time over at Simply Solids.

I've got big plans for one so it would be awesome if I could win one instead of buy one. But we'll see. Here's hoping the random number generator works in my favor this time around!

When life gives you grapefruits....

(also known as Jennie can't find her flippin' rotary cutter!)

You make do, that's what you do. And let Aaron eat the grapefruits.

I've had a ginormous stack o' HSTs that need to be cut - because they aren't quite yet HSTs. Do I need to explain?

So I sat down with my new scissors, my stack o' blocks and started cutting. Sure makes me appreciate that little wonder of a rotary cutter that is still in hiding.

But I got something done, so that makes me feel good.

Still, I'm running out of projects to do that don't require a rotary cutter or a wonky-tension sewing machine.

So Here's a Question....

I love my husband.

He can fix lots of things.

But he can't fix everything, although he tries. He has successfully extracted many many pins that little fingers have stored inside my sewing machine. But, in the process, he has also made some adjustments to my sewing machine that are giving me unsatisfactory results.

My tension is off. WAY off. So now he has to take it all apart, again, and try to figure things out. He refuses to let me spend money to have someone else look at it. Not that he knows exactly what he's looking at all the time, but he's a figure-outer kinda guy. So I now have no sewing machine. Again.

I will grant you, he did figure out the blown fuse problem. That was pretty impressive.

I just want my machine back. I need the therapy time.

So I wish you happy crafting. I'm off to my corner to sulk until I get my rotary cutter found (turns out he put it somewhere - where, we still don't know) and my sewing machine back.

Winner Winner

I'll have to figure out how people post a picture of the random number generator. I have witnesses that I used it - I was going to just do eeny-meeny-miney-mo, but Aaron though I ought to do it the right way, even if there were only three of you.

I feel torn about this. It's like inviting your entire senior class to a party and three people showed up. But three awesome people, so who cares who missed it, right?

Okay, so the winner of the lovely fabric is (drumroll please):

Adrienne, who likes to sing the second and third verses of the national anthem. If you don't know them, look them up. The third is my most favorite, and here it is, in honor of our winner:

Oh, thus be it ever when free men shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto "In God is our trust!"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Okay, I got chills just typing that! We need to hear that verse more often. I'd tell you to e-mail me your address Adrienne, but I know it already. I'm thinking my next giveaway will be something that is finished. Little coin purse? Some Christmas potholders? I'm going to keep at this.

One other thing! There is a lovely giveaway over at Retro Mummy. Fat quarters - lots of them - in the sweetest prints imaginable. Just looking at them makes me baby hungry, but only if they are babies of the female variety. Adrienne, you are so lucky!

Okay, I'm blessed to have three awesome boys. But the girly stuff is beyond cute.

Finished!!!

I just love finishing projects. Even little tiny, easy ones like these little beauties:

They whipped up so fast and simple - just have to put a snap on the inside and embellish the outside with a button or something else cute. Super fun and completely from scraps - that's always a great thing, right. So, friends and family, don't be surprised if you end up with one for Christmas!

And then there are big projects that just needed two rows to be done. And so, while introducing my children to the Sound of Music, I finished this off. It's a perfect, large, snuggle on the couch lap quilt size, although with some borders and binding, just might work for a twin. You know, I'm beginning to get serious about the twin beds in the master bedroom....

I also finished a few pillowcases for fun. That's the trouble I'm having these days. I have Christmas sewing that needs to get done, but I can no longer do it in front of my inquisitive little kids! So I'm stuck doing that at craft days (oh darn, need another one!). And I still cannot find my rotary cutter. Grrr. I'm beginning to run out of already prepped projects. Girl's gonna need that soon...

In the meantime, happy sewing!

Sewing Day Recap

Since Rebecca asked, I might as well 'fess up. I did get some things going during my sewing day. I've just discovered how quickly piecing together a quilt is compared with fiddling with doll clothes. Love making the clothes for my girl and her dolly, but the hemming and gathering and facings and all that are time consuming! I almost completely finished a Christmas dress for Laurel's doll. That's it. Sheesh!

So I'm really glad I'll get to have yet another one of these days. Because I've got quite a bit of sewing to do in not a lot of time.

Happy Veteran's Day and a Giveaway!

First, I have to say that I love this country and I love veterans. I'm married to one. I'm the granddaughter of two, the sister of two, and the friend of several. We owe a lot to these men and women who risk so much and sacrifice everything so that we can be free, and that others can be free too. Democracy and freedom isn't just for Americans.

Okay, now to the part that most are interested in. You are dying to hear about my super productive day, right? That's why you're here. Well, it was awesome. We had about 13 ladies show up all day and we got to visit and work and it was just what I wanted it to be. And we planned the next one, because we had such a good turn out and such a good time.

Oh, and the giveaway. If you don't know the routine, here it is:

1. For one entry, leave a comment. That's it. But to make it interesting, tell me your favorite patriotic song.
   
2. For two entries, link it to facebook or your blog. Or both, for three entries. Leave me a comment for each extra entry.

That's it. And you win what is pictured above - 4 half yard cuts of this lovely decor-weight fabric in blues and browns - perfect for fancy grocery bags or anything else you might think of. Giveaway closes Sunday and I'll announce a winner Monday.

Let's roll!

Go! Giveaway

Before you get excited, I am not giving away a Go! cutter. Don't hate me.

But I am telling you to zip yourself over to Lavender Ridge and enter the giveaway (thereby reducing my chances, but I won't judge you).

If you win and you are my friend, please share. I will if I win!

Happy crafting - and look for my not-quite-as-exciting giveaway tomorrow.

To Do Tuesday

I am up to my eyeballs in papers - papers about Marianne Moore, papers about some critic's opinion of Marianne Moore, my own poems to write (and I've written one about quilting, one about waiting tables, and one about ice cream - I take the advice of "write what you know" to heart).

But I'm getting giddy with excitement that Thursday is coming so soon. I have projects prepped and ready to go - doll clothes for Laurel and Grace, a boy doll for William (he's been asking for one!), dinosaur families for the kids, pillowcases, cute little clutches, bags, zipper pouches, and a sleeping bag for Will's doll. Phew. I won't get it all done, but won't it be fun to start it?

There's really just one thing on my to do list for today.

Find my rotary cutter.

So embarrassing, losing that. A child has not found it, as we have no bleeding fingers in my house presently. But I am at a loss. Just another reason why I need an entire room dedicated to sewing and cutting and crafting. Then the supplies don't have to leave their room.

Oh, and I will be having a giveaway on Thursday, in honor of my craft day on Veteran's Day. So be prepared to work for this giveaway (okay, not much, I promise). It's my first, so I hope it goes well.


What's on your to do list - even if it's not crafting?

To Do Tuesday

Unfortunately, even though I'd rather be creating something, I get to spend most of my week studying for a mid-term, writing the rough draft of a paper and celebrating three birthdays. That last one, that's the good one. I'm SO excited for birthday week this year. I've had their presents for two months now and it's KILLING me to have to keep them hidden. Ask Aaron. I'm terrible with secrets.

But I do get some time in the afternoons when I can't get any studying done and my kids are happily playing. So I've managed to almost finish my chimneys and cornerstones quilt top. My one craft goal for the week is to have it finished. Then we're off to Gran and Opa's house for a family party. Hooray!

Happy sewing!

Photo Cards - or why I don't do Christmas newsletters

I don't do Christmas newsletters. I know, they are a way to catch everyone up on your family. But they just get so long. Some people do them by person. Some do them chronologically.

I'd prefer to let the pictures do the talking. If you want details, read the blogs, right?

So, here are my top choices for picture Christmas cards from Shutterfly. I've been a customer of theirs for years and they have always exceeded my expectations. This year, the cards to choose from are all so darn cute. What's really super is the chance to put more than just one or two photos on a card. We had some fantabulous pictures taken in September and I would love to use the individual ones of everyone on one of these cards. You can find th photo cards here.
This one is my all-time favorite, mostly because I can include so many photos. I don't like having to decide.

I really liked this one because I can just give you all a picture of my Christmas (year-round, really) blessings. But you want to see me, don't you? Nah. I look the same as I always do. It's my four little ones that change so quickly.

Love the blue. Really love it. We look good in blue.
Or dark blue. We look good in dark blue too.
Christmas cards aren't the only thing you can get. I'm ready to throw a party, and these invites just might make me do it.

We're starting our annual donut fry this year. Aaron's been wanting one ever since we attended the donut fries hosted by the Stites family in Kennewick. Well, he's strong-armed me into this year. Get this. We're having it on Bill of Rights day - anyone who knows Aaron will laugh and say that is so appropriate. This polka dot card is so me and would work perfectly.

Why don't we do tree-trimming parties anymore? Who do you invite to a tree-trimming party? Who cares? It's a party. It's for fun. Just another chance to get together. I want my holidays to be more about the people and less about the gifts. Maybe that's why there used to be so many get-togethers.
Really love this invite. Maybe for a cookie exchange? Or a Elf-fest (I'm seriously contemplating this one so I can get all my Christmas sewing done on time!).
And for those family members who have everything and you want to give them something truly personal, why not one of these? I chose my two favorite desk calendars for you.


So head on over to Shutterfly. Once I get my photo CD, I'm placing my order. Look for one in the mail! And if you want a card (or invite!) from me, send me your address!