Did you survive?

How was your Thanksgiving? I hope that you all had a wonderful day. Did you rush right out and shop on Fri like I did? I cheated you see I shopped on Thurs night at Micheals! LOL I got some wonderful storage containers, below are pictures of the three things that I got at 65% off. Although they are listed as scrapbook storage, they work for anything in my opinion. I also picked up this beautiful yarn on sale, 100% wool so I can knit and then felt it. Now to decide what to make!! I have thought of some mitten ornaments so we will see if I can find a pattern. If you have or know of one online would you share it with me, please?

Happy Thanksgiving! Sweet Creating!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my sweet friends that visit me here! I hope that you all had a blessed day! We had a lovely lunch and then got a few chores done! We are so thankful that DH was released from the hospital yesterday so that he was at home with us. He has been one sick cookie and hopefully will be doing better soon. This evening after a quick trip to Micheals (gotta love a sale during the football game! and they had the most gorgeous velvet ribbon ie: on the mittens)) I made up a couple mittens as seen on The Feathered Nest blog. Dawn has a free tutorial and they are so darn sweet. Easy to make and you can add your own touches. I loved them, I did add some fiberfil, not alot but a tiny touch to give them some body. Not a great picture but I hope that you get the idea. The fabric candy canes I (think) I found on Craft gossip. It is a daily newsletter that I receive that always has wonderful ideas. I think there is at least one per day that I see that I want to try! I will be digging through my Christmas fabric stash to make more of these, another Oh sew easy idea!! Hope you enjoy these little crafts that I whipped up this afternoon. DD and I are off early in the AM to do some shopping, must for JoAnn's and some others!! Have a great weekend!

Embroidered Quilt Blocks

I mentioned these quilt blocks that I am working on. I love the colors and the picture is cute. I have this one almost finished, just a bit of the green to finish. I couldn't wait to share it. I think that there are 8 of them to do. I can see this with a pretty purple/lavender print used to finish the top of the quilt. I hope I am up to finishing it, seems a bit of a challenge but I am sure enjoying working on these blocks.

Of course I made a rather big mistake in my haste to start number 2 block I didn't pick the correct side to work on and after doing the dragonfly realized that I had the block backwards! Today was a ripit day for me. I have it all taken out and now am restarting it while I watch OSU beat Michigan!! This AM I put out a few Christmas things out for DD. A small tree on the front porch, a wreath on the door and a doormat on the floor. We also got the village houses out that she collects. Next we need a nice day to wrap the porch rails in greens and lights. A glorious day today but she had to work and didn't want me to do it alone. Next weekend the tree goes up! I can't wait I am like a child when it comes to Christmas!

Here Birdie Birdie!

My latest venture as someone new to SC is to put out a bird feeder! It hangs off the dining room window. I am hoping that I will attrack some birds. As you can see there is a wooded area behind the house and I know there are birds there, just don't get to see them up close. I don't know if this will work since it is so close to the house, but it can't hurt to try! Sorry no stitching pictures today. Also it is a bad picture due to cloudy weather this AM. I wanted to share my Victorian Boot with you but it is supposed to be kept a secret until it arrives at it's new home so we will have to wait. A stop at the Goodwill this AM scored me a brown wool jacket, a plaid silk jacket, plus a silk vest for fabric use, at $1, they were a great deal. I also got a black vest for wearing at the same price. I spent more on a great hardback book on Country decorating and a white metal box, $2 for the book and $1.80. Almost forgot the pansy wallpaper border at $1.50. I learned on my trip to AZ to use wallpaper in paper crafting, card making-duh! So I was excited to find this and espcially in a purple pansy print.

Christmas Cracker

I am in a Christmas Cracker exchange on CQI list and here is my completed cracker. Can't share the inside just yet as it is a surprise. I will share when she has received it ! I wrapped it in gold/red Christmas fabric and used lace for the tie for each end. I picked 2 different laces so she got more than one! We had to use 7" of a paper towel roll, fill it with goodies and then make a CQ block to wrap it in. I did that but then wrapped it with a larger piece of fabric so that everything was covered! Tight squeeze to get much in 7" of cardboard so some of mine was hanging out each end, thought this was a great way to cheat and cover it up. I am so thrilled that it is done and also the CQ block is the first one that I successfully pieced and sewed by machine without being completely annoyed about the whole thing. I usually piece and sew by hand. This was a quick and fun way to get things moving at the speed I needed today! I will be doing more of this in the future I am sure. Now to add the back to my Victorian Boot swap and get it ready to mail tomorrow and I can relax on the swap front until after the holidays! So after tomorrow I can think about turkey and finishing up the Christmas gifts laying on the sewing machine, of course I failed to mention that the "craft" room here at DD's needs alittle adjustment since I brought some of my things here so that it is workable! LOL Minor adjustments I am telling you.........

Black and white CQ block goodies

This is the goodies to make the black and white blocks, including a picture and directions. Sorry thought I posted these the other night. I must have been half asleep when I did that post. I have started a new project, making some preprinted cross stitch quilt blocks. They are in shades of purple and have flowers and a dragonfly on it. Will share when I get the first one done, it is almost done! It is one of those projects that I can't seem to keep my hands off of and once I sit down want to keep it up! Sorting boxes and getting back to the "normal" things of life are on me again! LOL

Ornament swap and Fall Block

This is a fall bloick that I worked on for Jenny in CA from the Season block exchange on CQ4N. I added the pumpkin, the round lace pieces, some SRE and embroidery and the beautiful basket that was a gift from Cobi from the Netherlands. Her crochet work is so dainty and beautiful. Hoping that Jenny will like my work.

This beautiful ornament was a private swap that I did with Amber from NW Ohio. I made her a round blue CQ ornament that I shared sometime ago. Here is what she sent me. Isn't it wonderful? Look at all the work she did!

A Christmas Stocking

While in AZ I visited with BFF Kalli's parents Agnes and Clark. We were friends before DH and I left AZ for SC, so I went and ate meals with them and talked. We also spent time going out to eat and they listened to me whine. Agnes bakes the best bread plus she works with stained glass. She does beautiful work and I have always admired her things. She gave me a gorgeous cross before I left! I feel so lucky to own it and it arrived safely in my carryon! Isn't it sweet?? Gotta love the pink flower on it! Thanks for everything!!

Today when I had time I sat down and went through the mail from the past two weeks and OH MY !!! The goodies that had been bestowed on me!! I did a Christmas stocking exchange over on Lyn's blog: QuiltinLion and this is the stocking and the Goodies inside! I didn't stuff my stocking and I feel so bad about now after receiving mine! Sharon from Chatenooga ,TN was my partner and was I blessed! I got a beautiful stocking with goreous Santa's (the theme for the stocking) on it. See below! Included inside were: beads, Chocolates (!), silkies and then in a cute black bag was all the goodies to make a black and white Crazy Quilt! I mean everything: picture of finished quilt, fabric, muslin, trims etc! Funny thing is a black and white block or quilt where on my future to do list! Sharon was reading my mind. I had seen a splendid block by Janet in CO using black and white with pink accents and had thought about starting one soon. Like I don't have enough other projects, but a girl can dream, can't she?

Pointsettia Leaves

The Poinsettia leaves are beginning to turn here in AZ., first time I ever saw a pointsettia planted outside. I guess that Christmas is really coming soon! Taking my last pictures here as I wait for the shuttle to arrive to take me to the airport. I am not sure that it has hit me yet that I am leaving and will probably never get to come back ! This is such a beautiful state with lots to see and do, I will miss it terribly. I love the big city and having so much close by and now I am back on the road to living in the "sticks" Sounds silly but feels like a big lose to me. Can't wait to get back to DD and the Dgranddog! Will be nice to be "home" again. Mixed emotions here.

Light at the end of the Tunnel

I have worked myself to death but the end is almost in site! Tomorrow the truck will be loaded with what is left of our things to move to SC. I can't wait to have this behind me and be on the plane on Wed morning! It has been so beautiful here in AZ for all but 2 of the days that I have been here. I love this time of the year here, sunny and warm but not hot! I really hate to be moving on, never dreamed that this would happen to us. Funny how life can throw you a curve when you least expect it!! Promise to be back soon with some pictures, I hope to get out with the camera before I leave here.

I am having withdrawal!

Can you imagine: no TV or internet (except while at Barnes and Noble) for the past 10 days? If this really bothers me does that mean I am addicted? What did I do before I had internet or TV? As a kid I played outside, worked in the barn or garden or had fun in the snow! Sounds scarey to me now! LOL

I am still in AZ and have acomplished alot. I have a great friend Julie who came to my rescue. She spent 3 unending days with me, we are talking 12 hr days here! She helped to keep me on task (a big feat in itself), got the condo organized and helped me run a sale for 2 days. We made a wonderful profit for our hard work and got rid of many of the things I have been collecting that I can't move with me. I would still be buried in a corner if it were not for her. THANKS JULIE!!!

Now I am packing the sewing room up. The movers will be here on Tues morning and Thank God I will be heading home on Wed. I miss my family !! I am so glad to have most of this job behind me and can look to the future. I am unsure what it holds for me at the moment but it seems nice to be looking ahead with hope instead of dread.
Thanks to all of you who have hung in there with me the past couple months. Here is to cherrier posts in the near future!!