Category Archives: crafts

Crunch time

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Edit: I had this ready to post on the 19th but forgot to click the “publish” button.  My apologies.

I did not fall off the face of the Earth.  I’m still here.

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I’ve been decorating, cleaning, decluttering, partying, praying, gift-wrapping, knitting and sewing along with the usual working, eating, and sleeping stuff that happens whether I want it to or not.

My brother-in-law is coming to our house today Thursday the 19th so that’s the cleaning, decluttering, and decorating part.  He’s doing the narration for Mr. Aitch’s Cantata on Sunday evening.

Three and two-thirds slippers have been knitted.

Birthday gifts have been wrapped and hand delivered for the twin’s birthday party last Sunday.

Pillow cases, quilt backs, and a drawstring bag have been sewn.   The drawstring bag was a last-minute gift idea, and I mean last-minute gift for their birthday.  I filled it with four squeeze bottles, a package of neon food coloring and instructions for making “snow paint”:  Fill bottle half way with water and add 4-6 drops of coloring to paint the snow.

I made pillow cases that match the quilts…that aren’t finished.

Crunch time list in no particular order:

  1. Finish the quilts.  They are not even sandwiched together yet let alone ready to be quilted.   Do you think I’d still have a job if I took my sewing machine to work on Monday?
  2. Sew pencil/marker cases for four grandchildren.
  3. Make snowman kits (carrot nose, eyes, buttons, felt hat).  And make another drawstring bag for the kits.
  4. Sew a “taggie” ball for my newest grandbaby.
  5. Knit the last third of the second pair of slippers.
  6. Make a cheesecake for Saturday.   Done
  7. Make cheesy potatoes for the party after the Cantata on Sunday.  In the oven now.
  8. Make another cheesecake for Christmas Day.
  9. Wrap all the gifts that are en route.
  10. Wrap all the gifts that will (soon) be completed.

At least my Christmas cards are ready to be mailed.  Mailed Thursday afternoon.

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Nothing to say

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I’m at a loss for words.

And I’m procrastinating.

We went to our daughter’s yesterday to spend a belated Thanksgiving Day with her and her family.  We got home earlier this afternoon and I’ve been putting off the one thing I promised myself I’d do today.

My list of things to do while procrastinating:

  1. Go through the mail.
  2. Unpack the overnight bag.
  3. Wash a load of clothes.
  4. Change the wreath on the front door from the wine bottle wreath to the Christmas wreath.
  5. Put the Christmas candles in the front windows and synchronize the timers so they all come on at the same time.
  6. Iron a couple of shirts.
  7. Unload and fold clothes from the dryer from Wednesday night.
  8. Add wet clothes to the dryer.
  9. Eat dinner.
  10. Work on another felt ornament.
  11. Eat a second dessert.
  12. Check my email.
  13. Download photos from my phone.
  14. Write this blog post.

This is the Number One thing I promised myself that I would do today:

  1. Clean this mess.

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Craftiness-2

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This is my dining room table.  It’s covered with the Christmas Wishes kits and paraphenalia.

Enough procrastinating.  I’m going to tackle it now.

Right now.

As soon as I wash the dishes.

Ok, dishes done.

I’m going.  Now.

Really.

Bye….

X-stitch

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aka – cross stitch

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A lovely family moved into our old neighborhood in 1984.  Janet and I bonded almost immediately.

All

Cross stitch Sampler Finished size 10×15 inches

She taught me all about counted cross stitch.  Every time I look at my projects or see any cross stitch, I think of her.  We still write once a year.  At Christmas.

My first project?  A huge wedding sampler (18×24) from a magazine for my brother and his wife. It was supposed to be for their first wedding anniversary in 1985 but I didn’t get it finished until that Christmas…just a few months late.  Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of it nor the magazine pattern.  It was quite an undertaking but Janet encouraged me constantly.

She and I would go to a small shop (that no longer exists) and look at patterns, linen and Aida cloth.

My second project was much smaller.  In fact most of the cross stitch I did was small.  The following one was done on 32-count linen.

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I bought at least 20-25 greeting cards with the patterns on the back intending to copy the pattern and mail the card.  I still have them all.  The cards were 4×6 so you can see that the finished piece isn’t much larger. 

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apples

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My daughter completed this watermelon when she was six years old using six-strands of floss on Monk’s cloth, which is large enough for a child to see and use.  The pattern was simple and used four colors of floss.  I got it framed for her and it hangs in her house.  Again, no photo.

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My aunt did this Father Christmas and included it in a quilted 36-inch wall hanging that I hang in my house during Christmas.

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I made this for my Mom and was going to make it into a Valentine’s Day card for her but never did.

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I should do something with all these x’s.

Someday…

Snowman kit

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The snowman ornament kit for a Christmas Wishes Craft.

From left to right:

  1. Naked tongue depressors
  2. Painted tongue depressors. 
  3. One bottle of white paint.
  4. One bottle of pealizing medium for the icy sheen.
  5. Painted tongue depressors with a ribbon loop attached by a glue dot.  The paper covering the top is to keep anything else from sticking to the glue dot.  Also penciled in eyes for placement.
  6. Strips of paper with glue dots attached.  Felt would be nice, too.
  7. Paper noses. (Orange Post-it)
  8. Black felt hats with glue dot on the back.
  9. Buttons with glue dot backing.
  10. Black marker.  Oops!  Not shown.
  11. Finished Snowman.snowman-kit-cropped

Actually I’ve prepainted the tongue depressors so the first four items aren’t in the real kits.  As much as 4-5 year olds would love to paint and use real glue, I’m thinking of the mothers and the ensuing mess.  This is supposed to be fun for everyone!  This is my first time with glue dots so I’m anxious to see how it all works out.