Happy New Year!

Well Christmas has passed again for another year, I hope you all had a wonderful time, now it is on to celebrate the New Year.

These two little bunnies will be celebrating the New Year in Florida, I tried to find a box big enough so I could jump inside too...I just don't think my lovely customer would like the bill for all the extra postage, how lovely it would be though to gather shells on a Florida beach, well, I can dream I guess.

I hope each and everyone of you have a safe and wonderful New Year!

Flora

Flora received a new scarf for Christmas, it was the perfect gift for our cold snowy weather that we have been having here. I hope all your Christmas celebrations went off without a hitch, and you all had a wonderful time.

Happy Boxing Day!

Lots and lots of snow and a Christmas memory

What a weekend we are having, we had a bit of a snow storm yesterday, the good news is that we didn't lose power as they were predicting. The garden looks so wonderfully white and fluffy, my little pond has now gone from being frozen last week to almost buried this week, I just might bundle up in a little while and go out there and enjoy it!Yesterday I had a headache, and as I opened the brand new pot of Tylenol and pulled out the cotton from the inside I had a wonderful memory flood my brain. Many years ago when I was a little girl and living in England our mum would save the cotton from inside those pill pots to use on Christmas Eve. We always had a real tree, and I mean not a cut fresh tree, but one with a root on it, which our dad would carry home on his back, like a lot of families we didn't have a car back then. Every year our dad would plant the tree in a very large pot filled with dirt, so that when Christmas was over the tree could be planted in the garden. You are probably thinking that we must have had a forest of Christmas trees in our yard, well unfortunately not one tree survived, but every year the tree was planted anyway just in case.

Once the tree was set up inside the house our mum disguised the pot with red crepe paper and a large festive bow, then it was decorated with wonderful ornaments, some bought and some handmade, the finishing touch to the tree was the cotton that our mum had been saving. The last thing that my brother, sister and I would do on Christmas Eve was to decorate the tree with "snow", the cotton would be doled out between the three of us and we would pull off pieces and throw them on the tree to resemble snow flakes, just to let Santa know that we were completely ready. In my eagerness to get my snow on the tree my flakes rather resembled large hunks of white glue thrown all over the tree, my sister on the other hand was much more careful, pulling off tiny wisps that looked like delicate little feathery snowflakes. As I stood yesterday with the cotton in my hand and the wonderful memory in my brain I just couldn't resist, I walked over to the tree and pulled off a tiny piece of cotton and threw it on the tree, this time it looked just like my sisters all light and feathery, and only I know it's there.......until now.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Time out

Amid all the hubbub of Christmas, time out for an afternoon tea party with friends. There were real cakes and fake cakes, but most definitely real tea! Sweet Charlotte stopped by, and even brought a basket of fruit with her, she tells me that pears are her most favorite. If you are in the neighborhood stop on by, you never know when we will be having another tea party!

Brrrrr!

What a cold snap we are going through, my poor little pond is almost completely frozen, but we are all warm and snug....
...and very merry!I made this Santa probably ten years ago, it was my first venture into making a jointed movable doll, and I might add my last. I was frustrated many times over putting this little fellow together, but eventually all his parts were put in the right places and he has sat happily ever since in his sleigh.Yes, Christmas decorating has come together very nicely this year!

Oh my!

This was the first sight I saw when I opened the blinds this morning, how lucky I am to be able to see these beautiful mountains. I never get tired of them or take them for granted, they still are as impressive to me now, as they were the first time I saw them. We have been having some very cold days, and as you can see lots of snow up in those mountains, today it was lovely and clear, so it was perfect for taking a picture.As if one glorious picture wasn't enough, look at what my husband captured today on his way home, this wonderful immature bald eagle was apparently chasing the geese and ducks down by the Puget Sound, my husband tries to remember to take his camera with him whenever he comes home that way. The poor dear was just about frozen trying to get the perfect shot, and I think he succeeded brilliantly!

Enjoy your Tuesday everyone!

Guess who came for tea?

Look who came to my house for tea on this snowy afternoon, he was most polite and didn't even drop any crumbs! Well I'm back to Christmas again, although I keep looking longingly at my new Spring fabric, but for now I am feeling all Christmassey again, thank you Santa!

I had a nice surprise waiting for me over at Terri's blog, it was a fun tag, so here goes.

TAG!

I'm supposed to do the following:
1. Open the 4Th picture folder on your computer.
2. Choose the 4Th picture and post it on your blog.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag 4 people to do the same. Well here is my photo...it seems I'm back to Spring again, ( I'm just thankful it wasn't a pic of me!) I loved making this little ellie and I do believe she is living in California, I remember the knitting yarn was very soft which made her fun to cuddle.

Here are the people that I am tagging,
Jen at Frazzy Dazzles
Twiggy at The World of Twiggypeasticks
Tess at Driftwood
Rachael at Rachael Rabbit

Have fun you four, I can't wait to see your pic's!

And the winner is...

Dottie and her new baby Poppy would like to announce the winner of our small Christmas Giveaway, it is entry number 6, Hetty who blogs at Crafts and Stuff, congratulations Hetty! If you would be so kind to send me all your contact info I will get your little package mailed off to you.Posy wants to thank everyone for entering this small surprise giveaway, and you just never know when it might happen again!

Have a super weekend everyone!

Looking ahead

Miss Primrose part of my new Spring sewing. What, Spring sewing already you ask???? I'm always one to plan ahead, it was actually fun sewing lighter colored fabrics, it put me in a better mood, I really don't do well with these dark gloomy days. Of course Miss Primrose had to have a mate, so........here's Alfred, all decked out in his finest.
I also made three sweet little pincushions, already listed in my shop, I really am loving these softer shades of fabric, although they are still a little hard to find at this time of year.

Good Wednesday to all!

A small surprise giveaway!

I know that everyone loves surprises, especially at this time of year, so I am having a small giveaway. I had a few people ask if I could do a snowman tutorial for my snowman family, well as it wasn't my own pattern that wasn't feasible, so I dug out the pattern along with two other new ones and decided to do this small giveaway. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and I will announce the winner on Friday December 12th. Although it is probably a bit late to make the snowmen this year you will surely have a head start for the next Christmas season.

Good luck to everyone!

Finishing

This weekend was a finishing weekend for me, I just love tying up loose ends and finishing up projects. I finished this little ellie for a sweet little girl for Christmas, I hope she likes it. Then I finished three more little scottie dogs for my Etsy shop, and lastly.... drum roll please, I finished Christmas decorating!
I am quite pleased with how it turned out so I thought I'd share a few pics, first the tree, it took forever but it makes me smile,then the mantle
this is where the majority of my snowmen spend Christmas.These little angels are one of my favorite decorations, they came back from Germany with us and I put them out year after year.The last pic for today is of our living room, on the coffee table is a quilted table runner that was my very first attempt at piecing and quilting, it was from a free pattern and I searched long and hard for just the right fabrics. So as you can imagine I am feeling pretty good right now with all the finishing that was accomplished this weekend, now if I could just finish the Christmas shopping then I would really be happy!

Have a good Monday!

I just love snowmen!

I have a thing for snowmen, that is probably why I have and have made so many of them. This is my favorite little snowmen family, made many years ago now, but they still look as good as the day I made them.

I can hardly believe that the weekend is upon us already, the good news is that all my Christmas decorating is finished so maybe I can relax a bit this weekend, well, maybe after I have made just a couple more little Scottie dogs for my Etsy shop!

Have a wonderful weekend from the snowman family and me!

Taking a break

Yesterday was a very long day for me, I worked long and hard on sewing, decorating, emailing, cleaning, well you get the picture. I did however make time for that all important ritual, afternoon tea, I think sometimes that is the only thing that helps me make it through. Like most crafters this is such a busy time of year, taking custom orders, finishing off projects, running to the post office and standing in line for what seems like an eternity, thinking to yourself...I could have stuffed a dog by now, or cut out another little project! Having that tea break in the afternoon I think is very good for me, it gives me a chance to sit for a spell and unwind.

While "unwinding" yesterday I looked around at some of the Christmas decorations and realized over the years how many things I have made for our home and family, from all the clothing, to the toys and numerous home dec sewing for our home. I have to tell you it give me a nice warm fuzzy feeling as I looked about, and that brings me to the photo above, I made this little snowman so many years ago now, we were in Germany at the time and with money being a little tight making things was the only option. I remember how long and hard I looked for his little carrot nose, let alone trying to ask for it in German!

Well today looks like it is going to be another one of those days, I will be leaving shortly to make another trip to the post office, I will be mailing of Dougal the little Scottie dog who will be joining his brother Hamish, who went the day before, it is so nice to know that they will be spending Christmas together.

Don't forget to take time out for a cup of tea, trust me, it does a body good!

Dougal

Dougal has such a terrible sense of direction that he once got lost while playing in the snow, so I tied a small jingle bell around his neck so we can always find him!

Hamish

Hamish wants to wish everyone a lovely Tuesday!

Lovely long weekend

What a long weekend, lots of things were accomplished and I'm feeling pretty good! Friday was the day to bake for my brother-in-laws party at his store, which by the way was a great success. My lovely hubby was such a great help being my assistant, I couldn't have done it without him, sweetheart you're the best.It wasn't all baking, I put together another little pillow and I made a load more aromatherapy sachets after an excited phone call from my daughter who was participating in a craft fair on Saturday. My little sachets were a great success and sold like hotcakes, how great is that. So now I have made them in some lovely scents, Lily of the Valley, Lilac, Gardenia, Honeysuckle and Jasmine to name a few. Once again my home smells so wonderful and I am so relaxed and very mellow. I hope I will be as successful with these little sachets at the next two upcoming craft fairs.Here is another lovely pic of my brother-in-laws store decorations, I wish I could have him come over here and do the decorating for me, our living room looks like a truck ran through it, there are Christmas boxes and decorations everywhere, as soon as it is all done I will post some pics.

Have a great Monday everyone!

An award, a tag and a storybook pillow

I had fun today, lots and lots of fun! Many years ago when our daughter was a little girl, I used to make her applique pillows, I think she still has some of them tucked away somewhere. Today I decided to make some more children's applique pillows for my Etsy shop, the theme of this little pillow came to me last night when I had trouble sleeping. I imagined little mushroom houses dotting the countryside, I may be the craft person in our family but our mother was the story teller, oh how I wish she were still with us, she would have made up such a wonderful story about this little pillow that children would have been spellbound, just like we were. But alas the story will have to wait until this little pillow goes to a new home, maybe one with a story teller with a wonderful imagination just like my mothers. Now on to my award and my tag:
Tess over at Driftwood gave me an award this week, thank you Tess, along with the award came these wonderful questions, now you can find out even more about me...if you dare!

7 Things to do before I die

Refuse to eat a piece of chocolate (that will never happen)
Learn how to crochet
Visit China
Finish all the projects that I have started ( I think there is more of a chance that I would refuse chocolate)
Write a book
Swim with dolphins
Hug a panda
Visit again, the place where I was born

7 things I do now

Eat to much chocolate
Drink to much tea
Start to many projects
Don't say "no" enough
Take baths that are way to hot!
Put other peoples feelings before my own ( got to work on that one)
Spend to much on Etsy


7 things I can't do

Swim
Crochet
Drive a stick shift car
Cartwheel
Draw anything
Leave the house without make-up
Give up chocolate!



7 things that I find attractive in the opposite sex

Being manly and sweet at the same time
Calling home just to say they miss you
Always making me feel that everything will be OK no matter what
Being able to figure any mechanical problem out
Getting teary eyed at a good movie
Being able to parallel park
Making the best cup of tea in the world


7 things I say most often

Make me a cup of tea
Do we have any chocolate
Do we have any more chocolate
That was your chocolate
Love you too!
Are you doing anything right now?
Can you come here a minute

7 celebrities that I admire

I'm not really a celebrity person but here goes

Maya Angelou
Kevin Spacey
Audry Hepburn
Meryl Streep
Robert Redford
Ina Garten
Duchess of Kent

7 favourite foods

Well I'd like to say chocolate but you all know that already...
Bread pudding
Brussel Sprouts(weird, huh?)
Roast potatoes
Strawberries
Fresh peas
Pomegranates
Potato salad

7 people to join in the fun..

Whoever wants to, I think you've all been a little tagged out, so join in if you wish.

Phew, this is a long post, finally I want to wish everybody a lovely Thanksgiving, have safe trips if you are traveling, and enjoy the wonderful day with your family.

See you all next week!

Romantic and smelly!

I wish you could all smell my house right now, it is simply wonderful! I have been incredibly busy all weekend long making things for a few craft fairs that my daughter is once again participating in. For some reason I have been feeling soft and romantic so I decided to make some pillows complete with their own wonderfully smelling removable potpourri sachets. This one smells of Magnolia and it is just divine. I even used some of my lovely vintage lace that I found a while ago in an antique shop.Then I decided to make some Lavender Sachets, it took most of the afternoon to make them and I have to say that I was wonderfully relaxed after smelling all that lavender. I think in time I may make more and add them to my little Etsy shop, just for a change of pace and to add more variety. I have so enjoyed making these, it as a nice change to make something that doesn't have arms or legs!It wasn't all sewing this weekend, believe it or not I did leave the house for a while to run errands and stop by my brother-in-laws shop, here is another one of his beautiful Christmas decorations. I don't imagine it was to easy getting that large wreath onto the ceiling above this wonderful chandelier, but it sure does work, doesn't it? I hope you can get some decorating ideas from these pics, he really is very talented when it comes to Christmas decorating.

Now for a couple of thank-you's, first to Tess over at Driftwood for a lovely tag, I promise I will get to it this week, that was so very sweet.

Next I can't end this post without thanking my wonderfully talented daughter for updating my blog header and my Etsy shop header. Now I am all Christmassy looking and I just love it! She has been busy updating her own blog and has some neat ideas on there so pop on over and take a look and say "Howdy!"

Hope you all have a great start to your week.

Beasley's new clothes!

Now that Beasley is properly attired and not feeling quite so self conscious he would formally like to say hello!
Beasley and I are going to take a long weekend to catch up on some much needed house cleaning and errands, so we will see you all next week.

Beasley!

Beasley hoping soon that I will start to get motivated and make him some new clothes! He is quite a big boy and would like everyone to know that he is 1 foot 4 1/2 inches!Just when I thought I had seen the last of my roses this year this little yellow one popped out, even through all the wind, rain and chilly temperatures. My husband bought it in to me...what a guy!My mother-in-law had a bit of a clean out this weekend and I was lucky enough to be the recipient of these wonderful tablecloths. She brought them back from Germany many years ago and never got around to embroidering them, I hope I can find the time to do them as I think they will be beautiful when finished.There was even a roll of iron transfers in with them, I think there is enough to make a border around a pretty good size tablecloth, I am feeling so lucky lately with all the wonderful goodies that are coming my way!Anyone want an apple??? I wish this was mine but it isn't, it is another one of the decorations in my brother-in-laws store, I just think it is so wonderful, I would love to have a bunch of them in a very large basket sitting on floor by the fireplace, maybe if I bug him enough he just might let me have them....not!

Hope you are enjoying your day.

A very productive weekend!

What a great weekend it was, I managed to get lots done and I am feeling quite proud of myself...even if I do say so! I made not one, but two pair of slippers, first I made a little pretty pair, then.......I made what I affectionately call my old comfortable granny bootees from my lovely warm piece of boiled wool fabric. I have to admit that they don't look very feminine, but once your tootsies are tucked inside, well, its like a hot flash on your feet!Next I made a Christmas pillow, still not sure if I will keep it or put it in my little Etsy shop, I have been thinking of some different things to make for my shop, I think a variety of things is probably a good idea.This is a wonderful find on Etsy, these lovely little hearts cut out from damaged quilts, they were so reasonably priced and I can think of a lot of ideas on how to use them, so I am sure you will see them pop up from time to time on projects.We stopped by my brother-in-laws antique store to wish him a Happy Birthday on Saturday, and he already has his store decorated so beautifully for Christmas, I will share more pics as time goes on, just to put you all in the Christmas Spirit.

Well time for dinner and my granny bootees, have a lovely Monday all!

Rain, rain and more rain....

Well it is that time of year again in Western Washington when the salmon swim in the streets, thank goodness that the flooding does not affect us, although my heart goes out to all those that are in the thick of it right now. The only problem that we have is a very soggy garden and an overflowing pond, so I consider us very lucky.Finally after having a month long wait my Birthday gift finally arrived from my little sis in England, it was worth the wait, she sent me a lovely knitting book and a bunch of beautiful yarn, I sure wish it wouldn't take stuff so long to get here from the UK though!Here are a few pics from inside the book......I just love the legs on this little horse.......and these little sea creatures are just so adorable, what a lucky girl I am.A while ago I was given this lovely piece of wool fabric, well of course you guessed it, yes I boiled it and now I have a wonderful thick soft piece of boiled wool. Today while browsing around the Internet I came across these wonderful handmade slippers on the Martha Stewart website, so I am going to give them a whirl and see if my lovely fabric will give me a great new pair of boiled wool slippers to keep my tootsies warm!