Beaded Forest

Yum, yum, yuck!

My niece Kate:

Fabric giveaway!

My stash is taking over!  I'm expecting more fabric in the mail soon (I got an eQuilter gift certificate for Christmas!), and I'm running out of space.  The JoAnn's near me is closing, and they're offering great deals on fabric...but you have to buy cuts of at least 2 yards.  So I ended up with more of some materials than I needed.  And then there's those other fabrics that seem to work their way into my home from various sources, just more than I need.

So...I want to give some of them away to loving homes!  I made two sets of the pictured fabrics, so two people can win.  Most of the fabrics are quilting cottons form JoAnn's, with a couple of other cottons mixed in from other sources.  The light purple is actually a Marimekko print.   Most cuts are 1/4-1/2 yard.  All have been through the washer and dryer.

Just leave me a comment on this post, and I'll randomly draw two names sometime toward the end of the week!

Mushroom madness

Here is my Christmas dessert masterpiece!  It's a chocolate mousse layered thing (Martha Stewart recipe, I believe) formed in a loaf pan, covered with meringue mushrooms.  The mushrooms took me eons to make, but I'm really pleased with how the whole thing came out.  It looked just like a log covered with real mushrooms!  And it tasted really yummy...the most important thing, of course!

Now, what can I do next Christmas to top this????

Dinner at Barb's (and family)

Christmas was great!  It started a few days early, when we went for dinner at my friend Barb's house.  She, her husband Rob, and their kids Alyssa and Matt were great hosts...and they just sent me a few pics of the event!  Barb gave me a beautiful quilt she made, and they all showed off the homemade gifts I gave them: Alyssa's dragon, a doggie for Matt, and scarves for Barb and Rob.  The last pic is David being swarmed by kids and stuffed animals!  (By the way, I don't know why my hair looks so incredibly red in these pictures...it's not really that color!)

My scarves

Now that I've given out most of my Christmas presents, I can show these scarves I made!  Some are using Pink Chalk Studio's Rubblework Scarf pattern (see this post), others are my own creation.  I'm happy with how they turned out.  The last one is my man scarf version!

Yay! I got my swap package!

After a difficult day at work, I arrived home this evening to a big box from Ellia Hill of Green Bean Baby...my swap partner for Storme's 2nd Annual Handmade Holiday Swap! My mood changed instantly.  I opened up the box to find a whole assortment of beautifully wrapped and labeled packages.  I thought about waiting until Christmas to open them...but that thought passed very quickly!

So, I tore into them with wild abandon.  And what goodies I found! 

There were some wonderful thrifted fabrics, some Christmas-related (including the background material in the photos) and some not, verrrry yummy dark chocolates (and yes, Ellia, dark chocolate is my favorite!), Warm Vanilla incense cones, a really lovely stationery set with flowers and birdies, a box with a great assortment of buttons and beads (and some itsy-bitsy doll eyes, how cute!)...and best of all, one of her cut paper illustrations. 

I love it!  I am simply amazed at the detail and use of texture and color, and most of all, it's just adorable!

I can't begin to thank you enough, Ellia!  Such a great package, and very much worth the wait!

Monster/Kangaroo

Every year, my neighbors Kathy and Alistair host a great Christmas eve party.  Silly games are involved, and great food and great company.  An important part of the evening is a gift exchange, and each year has a theme...something broad, to be interpreted as each guest sees fit.  This year's theme is "Dreams".  Well, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to create a strange dream monster.  I started out with a green cotton print, and the result had lots of arms and legs and other odd appendages, but just didn't have "it".  So I scrapped that idea, and decided my creature would be furry.  I made a pear-shaped body and a round head, added a long neck and eye stalks, which later became ears, and a silly nose.  Once the legs were added, there was no denying it: this guy looked like a kangaroo.  I really don't know how to interpret this: my dream monster turns out to be a kangaroo.  What does that mean???

Swap Scarf

Now that I know my swap partner Ellia of Green Bean Baby has received and opened her package, I'll post this scarf I made, using Kathy Mack's (Pink Chalk Studio) Rubblework Scarf pattern.  Poor Ellia's been super-busy with unforeseen events, and is so sweetly apologetic about being late with her swap package.  I have no problem being patient, since she does such wonderful stuff...it'll be worth it!

This scarf pattern is terrific, and I've made several with different fabrics (I'll have to post those after Christmas, since they'll be going out as gifts!).  I'm having a lot of fun making them, figuring out which materials to put together.

Well, back to work, making scarves and other Christmas gifts!  Plus doing some baking prep...

Harry by the fire

Here's Harry, in his favorite chair, right next to the wood stove.  He's got the life!

Otter!

Well, my dad couldn't resist opening his Christmas present early (and his dog was threatening to eat it!), so I can now reveal this guy on my blog (I gave a little preview here).  He's a sea otter from a pattern by Aardvark to Zebra, a wonderful company with a great variety of different stuffed creatures.  It's where I got the pattern for my aardvark, too.  The otter is made of mohair, his nose is wool felt, and he has glass eyes.  The shell uses an upholstery fabric for the exterior, and a pink satiny material for the inner part.  I'm pleased with how he turned out, and my dad is thrilled!  He has a "thing" about otters, so when I saw the pattern, I knew I had a Christmas present to make!  Now, as long as he can keep it away from the dog, who continues to be fascinated (Airedales are descended from Otterhounds, after all!), all should be well!