If it makes you smile, buy it

Today was shopping day for me & son. Not fun shopping, the kind of shopping that stocks up the house for a while. On our way home I spotted a thrift shop. My son was nice enough to stop and let me spend some time just roaming around all the junk.

I think everyone has a style. There are just some things we like when we see them and other's that we past by without seeing at all.

I like to have things sitting around my sewing room, things that make me smile when I look at them. They usually fit my style. I have a few doll sized dress forms that I just love. This one is my style, girlie and cute.




But today I spotted this one. NOT my style at all..Fru, Fru style...but it made me smile and ended up in my shopping bag. Sometimes when something makes you smile it just needs to become yours!

Getting in the holiday mood..Santa's house

Santa's house is never done. There is always something to add or repair. This year I should make a quilt for the bed and finish the sleigh and deer for the roof. Last year I added the tree lights that really do light. I wonder what will happen to all this junk when I'm gone?

My first carving..done! Ta da

I can tell you one thing, a slip of the knife and Santa becomes a wizard or gold rush panhandler! The eyes are not a clean cut so he ended up with just a dot of blue for an eye. He also has a problem with his mouth being too far down. I was so busy with his mustache I didn't leave room for a mouth so I just slid it in where I could. Maybe not a good idea?

I still have all my fingers and although he is crude, I'm told I used the wrong wood and knife..I just love him anyway!

Carving, a new art?

This may not look like much to a quilter or even to other's, but it's my latest challenge. The piece of soft pine is from my days of making doll houses. The locking brass ended knife is a gift from the days when we were in the buggy business with the Amish.

The idea is to learn how to carve a face into this wood. Today I went through at least 2 pounds of potatoes trying to carve a simple face. I was able to get a really nice nose but each time I tried to cut in an eye the nose broke off. Of course a potato is not wood, but I would think it would be
much easier. Tomorrow I'm trying a yellow turnip which is much harder..so stay tuned.

CQ birds and swaps

Finally the partners were posted today for the Bag Swap. I didn't end up with an international partner but I did end up with one that is into crazy quilting and "off the road" quilts. I've looked over her blog and I think I'll be able to come up with something she'll like. I can't wait to get "The Bag" and see what I have to work with. This will be soooo fun!

I also finished another swap today and it's ready to ship tomorrow. Twenty four gifts in this one and a hostess gift. Feels good to have them done!




I did get the BB Birds stuffed and tails on. They just need the clip and they are ready to pack up.
The tree has so much flocking on you can hardly see the birds. Now that one tree is out, I might as well work on the other decorations!


Week 6, the hill is showing more rock then tree now. We did have 3 days of lake snow last week but it's been 60 today.

LADY GNOMES ?

Today I'm waiting to see who my partner will be in the "bag swap". The idea is too send your partner fabric and she will make you a quilt with it. The only man quilter was wondering what we ladies would think if he sent fancy girlie fabric. Since he also carves cute Gnomes, all I could picture was fancy Lady Gnomes dancing on his quilt.

This made me wonder. Is there Lady Gnomes? So of course I had to google the matter. I came up with these cute Lady Gnomes! Now I know I have to learn to carve! I found them at:

http://www.gnomeandgarden.com/gnomes.html

Here's how it works. I am one of the three people who committed to 'Pay it Forward" on everythingquilts blog, which means everythingquilts will send me a hand made gift sometime in the next 6-12 months (or sooner if she can). In turn I promise to send a hand made gift sometime in the next 6-12 months to the first three people who comment and commit on my blog to playing.

In order to play you must post it to your own blog, and promise to send handmade gifts to the first three people who leave you a comment committing themselves to playing along. (I sure hope that makes sense - if it doesn't and you're not sure how this works just ask me.)

Who wants to play? Just leave a comment and post this to your blog and you'll get a handmade gift from me sometime in the future! I will send internationally.

The title of this post came from the blog where I commited to do this :

http://fabricfun-everythingquilts.blogspot.com/