January 15th???

Sheesh, at the rate time is flying by, I won't have to worry about missing my husband when he leaves for Turkey.  It'll be a snap and he'll be back.....right?  Okay, probably not.  Here is what I've been doing since Christmas and my last long, long ago post!

Flash back to a couple of weekends ago...  I know everyone is WAY passed Christmas but I had this picture and decided to load it.  I got a little melancholy when I was packing away my ornaments.  I keep all the ones I made on the top on my ornament box so they are the first thing I see when I unpack that box.  It just makes me happy.  I have been making ornaments on and off since around 1970-something.  Some were painstakingly cut out of wood and were a labor of love.  There were years my sisters had to help me finish them at our Christmas party so they could take them home for their tree but they usually didn't mind.  The Christmas tree at the bottom is the one that started it all.  :o)

 

My friend Debbie's daughter is getting married so we played with my Cricut and cut out some things she can use on the tables for a vintage/classic theme.  The umbrellas will be glued to a stick for the centerpieces (flowers) and the other smaller cuts will be sprinkled on the table like big ol' chunky confetti.

The landlord where I work was cleaning out the phone room.  I was walking down the hall toward the ladies room and saw this spool in his hands.  I asked him if he was throwing it out and you should've seen the look on his face!  I wish I had my camera.  He said, "Uh, yes, why, do you want it?"  Again with the face, I said "YES!"  One of the girls across from me and Kelley at the craft shows this winter put little eye hooks around the top edge, wrapped the center with jute and displayed her jewelry.  I thought this would be vintage for Kelley to use for any of her stuff....after it gets cleaned up and "modified"!

I went to the sewing machine store and traded in my lemon sewing machine.  I guess I really shouldn't call the old machine a lemon.  It ran okay.  I just never liked the puckery seams.  Lesson learned on getting a machine for all the bells and whistles!!  I just can't seem to tear myself away from the Pfaff IDF (dual feed) that stitches fabric so beautifully!  And this one has a nice deep throat so maybe I can even get some quilting done!!!

I've been doing some cleaning and organizing in the sewing room.  I need to clean out underneath my sewing tables and add some bins to put some things away.  I hope to get that done by the weekend.  It's supposed to be lovely, finally in the 70's, so I think we'll be spending some time cleaning out the garage.  Now doesn't that sound like a blast!  lol

Can you guess?

Working on some ornaments today. I love the picture on the pattern. I jut hope mine come out as cute!!

Tis the Season.....

....for giving and love and twinkling lights. And a little exhaustion. :o) I finished my decorating the weekend after Thanksgiving and got my cards done at my card party but I was four short. I cut four more out last night and finished addressing all the store-bought cards. Got the postage and labels on and mailed them off today.
With all of the activities going on, and trying to squeeze in some shopping here and there, it is also my turn to hostess Bunco. Needless to say, there is no sewing going on at my house. :o( So I've got Bunco tomorrow night and our family Christmas party on Sunday. I thought I better post something so you knew I was alive. hehe
I bought this wire basket last year at an antique mall. I got two packages of ornaments from the after-Christmas sale at Target and this year, I have a pretty centerpiece. The tablecloth was an after-Christmas item too, from Gooseberry Patch when they still sold giftables and not just cookbooks. (The day I got that email that they were no longer selling gift and kitchen items.....I was SO SAD!!)

Here is my Christmas tree....... Using "The Clapper". "Flash on"...

"Flash off!" I can never quite capture a perfect picture of my tree with my little Sony camera. My husband says I don't need a new one because this one works just fine. Somehow, I don't think my reasoning of it taking bad pictures for my blog a good enough reason to get a new one. LOL

This is the first ornament I painted back in the old "tole painting days". I made it in 1987. I got a scroll saw for Christmas the year before so I could cut out my own stuff. That saw is collecting rust now but I sure got my use out of that puppy!

This was another painted ornament. A little heart upside down to look like a cute chubby Santa.

A few years ago, I 'paid' someone to cut these out for me and I painted them up for an ornament exchange at a retreat with quilty friends. I didn't realize it was blurry until I posted it. Darn it.

I'll be missing again for a few days but will try to check in soon. Until then, I hope you are able to check things off your list and get all of your "to-do's" done. Try to grab a cup of warm tea or cocoa and sit by the fire and take in the wonder of the season. Even as crazy busy as I have been, I am trying to take little breaks in my house with the lights turned down low while I catch a classic Christmas movie!