Wordless Wednesday (Patagonia, AZ)

Okay, I just could not be "Wordless" today...

Oh! Jingle Bells!

What's the matter, human?  Never heard a cat sing?

Christmas is over, right? ..so I can eat the tree now?

Did I hear a nut crack?

Tough guy to follow...with the camera, that is!

My World and Welcome to it!

Featured Christmas Treasury (Patagonia, AZ)

This Treasury was made by Dess from The BesssCorner.  My Reindeer has sold, but you can stop by to see what is available in my shop.

Thank you Dess for including my Reindeer.  Stop by Dess's shop . She has some cool items!

  

I'm going to leave you with a cute LOL Holiday Kitty, and a classic tune White Christmas by The Drifters....Enjoy!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!




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Tuesday Treasury - A little Christmas Sparkle

I did a little window shopping for Christmas.  How about you?  Are you still shopping or are all your gifts wrapped and under the tree?

Here's to Winter Solstice, our shortest day of the year,  21 DEC.   There's always a little sunshine somewhere..

365Project - All a Tweeter

365Project - Sitting Pretty

The River is my favorite Christmas song by Sarah Mclachlan.  I like this video because it is a loving tribute to this ice skater's dog - Bear.  A home video shows the owner skating while Bear follows along on the ice.  Sorry, it can only be played in YouTube, but it is worth watching.  Please remember to feed the animals by clicking on the Rescue the Animals button on the right.  Thank you!

Sarah Mclachlan - River

What's Smaller Than a Placemat, But Bigger Than a Coaster? (Branson, MO)

Mug Rugs!

Okay, I'm starting to see some results on all the time spent on the sewing machine.  I finished two Reindeer and three Santa Claus mug rugs.  Yep, thinking about Christmas in August.  Why not....

I'm working on a few more for the fall.  I hope to have them done soon.

I have linked the photo's description to the individual mug rug or you can click here to see all of the mug rugs on Etsy.

  

Reindeer Mug Rug with plaid scarf

Reindeer Mug Rug with blue scarf

Santa Mug Rug with stripes

Santa Mug Rug with polka dots

Santa Mug Rug with snowflakes

And back to quilting.....I finished appliquéing the larger Kokopeli and added the borders.  I really like the way Kokopeli comes out of the border.

Large Kokopeli

I'm using the same border material for the back.  I plan to use black cotton batting so the batting will not show through when I quilt it.  I'm thinking of doing swirls instead of my usual meandering.  This one will take some time to finish since it is a lot bigger than the other lap quilts.

Well, back to sewing...oh, wait...I have to feed the cats first...THEN back to sewing.

Seasonal Potholders or Mug Rugs

Summer has barely started and I am ready for some cooler weather. Well, I certainly don’t want to rush Father Time so I will be patient. While I am waiting, I will start working on some seasonal items.   In-between my quilt projects, of course.

I have been fusing fabric together with Steam-A-Seam2, but I’m find this fusible hard to get the needle through. It’s a little hard on the fingers and hands. Especially when there are 3 layers!  I think I’m going to try a lighter weighted fusible. Any suggestions? What do you use to fuse fabrics for appliqué work? 

Pumkin parts are ready to be cut out.



Tracing the pattern onto Steam-A-Seam2



I find using a pin to score the paper in the center works the best.

Peel towards edge.

Appliqué Pressing Sheet

I like using the appliqué pressing sheet.  The pressing sheet goes over the design. I can see the design for placement and iron on the sheet.  The fusible webbing does not stick to the sheet.  I start ironing the smaller pieces together.  I go backwards as I add the larger pieces.  This makes it easier to place each piece in its proper spot.  

3 more ready for embroidery

Working on Snowman.

Button Hole Stitch

I finished the Snowman and I am thinking of selling these as decorative mug rugs instead of potholders.  The reason for this?  I have been embellishing the 'potholders' with buttons and they might melt if a hot pot is put on them.  I think they will make a very festive mug rug, don't you?

Mug Rug?

Happy Quilting!

Merry Christmas!

I hope this finds everyone surrounded by loved ones enjoying this wonderful time of the year.









This year has been a mixture of great joy and sadness for us.



My sad news is the loss of my Mom. In November, Mom was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. She decided not to take treatments to prolong her life. She moved in with my cousin Linda who invited her to stay during her illness. My brothers and I were able to visit her at the same time while she stayed in Vancouver, WA. In less than six weeks, Mom was in a coma and passed away quietly on December 16. Mom will always be remembered for her sense of humor. Even when she was in pain, she would joke about being ready to party after her nap.

We are so thankful to my cousin Linda and her husband Bill for easing the pain for Mom during this difficult time. We do not know what we would have done without them.

Our joy is our full-timing lifestyle. We are still enjoying our life on the road. Gail and Don, owners of American Sunset RV where we are work-camping put together a Christmas potluck party for all the work campers and monthly residents. Don roasted two very large rib eyes while the rest of us brought lots of delicious side dishes. No one left the party hungry. As a matter of fact, there was so much left over, we had lunch the next day. Tasted twice as good the second time around. Yum! I have decided that I like this new tradition of holiday potlucks. I don’t have to do as much cooking, but I do get to try new dishes and walk away just as stuffed.

We decorated the coach’s dashboard with a 2-foot tree and some small Christmas favorites. Of course, the cats think the tree is there for their entertainment. They like batting at the decorations and leaning on the tree when we are not looking. The windshield has also been decorated with flashing LED lights powered for 150 hours by two AA batteries.

I made a mini quilt using "Holiday Cheers" clipart by Rebecca Carter. I find great clipart from different artists at pcCrafter. Here are some close-ups of the Santas.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!

Chocolate Covered Cherry Mice

One of my friends and co-worker showed the rest of us how to make these cute mice. I wanted to share these with you. Easy to make and a great project for the kids!

Ingredients:
1 jar of Maraschino cherries with stems
1 bag of Wilcox chocolate melt candies
1 bag of 1/2 peanuts
1 bag of Hershey Kisses
1 tube of red decorating gel
Wax paper

Hold stem, dip cherry in melted chocolate. Place on wax paper. Press unwrapped Kiss to the chocolate covered cherry. You now have the mouse's head and body with tail. Add 2 half peanuts between the Kiss and cherry for ears. We used peanuts, but I would think sliced almonds would work just as good. Add eyes and nose with red gel. The mice will be ready to eat or decorate within a couple of hours. Cute garnishes for your cold dishes during the holiday season.
So Cute!
Enjoy!