Merry Christmas!

Before I forget, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!! Hope your holidays are filled with family, friends, laughter and good cheer!

Merry Christmas!

Hugs!
Jen and Amelia

Am I done?!

I keep thinking I'm not.  Well, I'm not.  Sewing, I am but I have tabs for those coupon clutches to cut out yet.  My hand aches just thinking about it.

Here is the last of my Christmas gift sewing that I finished today.  I made 3 fleece blankets.  2 are going to TX to my BFF's little girls and one to my sister in law who is always cold.

First is my SIL's.  Her favorite color is orange so I think this one fits her well.  I backed it with "tangerine".  I kind of want to keep this one for myself.  :)

Now for my BFF's girls.  This one is for Julia:

And this one is for Sydney:

They are going to super late for Christmas but that's okay.  They are getting wrapped right now and delivered to the post office tomorrow morning.

And just to finish out this post... Punkie got sick at school this morning so she was sent home and has to stay home tomorrow.  24 hour rule.  She was sick a little at home but now she is feeling much better.  She needed to pose for some pictures.

do  you like her "scary face"??!

Enjoy the rest of your day!
Jen

Getting down to the wire!

5 more days!  Just 5 more days!  And I hope these 5 days pass fast!  Punk is ready for Santa and I mean READY.  That is all she has been talking about the last week.  Hurry up Santa!  Everybody else ready or are they stressing to the last minute?

My "go to" gift this year were these coupon clutches.  Modified just a bit using a focal fabric instead of making a patchwork.  Kris was kind enough to send me her measurements for using one focal fabric as she did here.

Well, here are mine.  I took Punkie to the fabric store and she had a good time picking out the fabrics for everybody.  The 3 fruit ones (apples, blueberries and strawberries) are for her teachers.  Rest are for family.  I am working on getting all the inserts printed out, cut and laminated.  Which reminds me, I need more laminating sheets.

What else?  Oh.  I would like to make a couple of these for my cousins.  They look super simple.  I think I can do it.  I would also like to get my house picked up for Christmas morning.  We aren't hosting anything here at home but it would be nice for the house to be pretty for Santa.  Don't want him tripping over anything on his way to the Christmas tree.  :)

Well, I need to pop onto a 3 hour telecom soon.  Must get my water and snacks at the ready. 

Enjoy your day!
Jen

Santa Sack Swap - Part 2

MY TURN!  To be honest, I almost forgot all about gift opening today.  I am so wiped out from my traveling that I really want to be lazy today but I can't be lazy today so I won't be lazy today.  :)  My day started before 5 am yesterday because I just couldn't sleep anymore; my internal clock was still on east coast time and I was at the airport for 7:00 am.  I landed at 7:30 pm.  I stopped at Target on my way home to finish up some Christmas shopping last night.  Crazy, I know but I figured I was already out so why not?

Okay!  Present time!  Melissa made/gave me some wonderful gifts!

Here we go!  Just a little overview on my couch.  Not everything is in the picture.  I broke some things out.
3 wonderful wall hangings or table toppers.  Love that "Ho Ho Ho" one.  I think some short person in my house will claim it as her own once she sees it.  Fabric ornaments (that are already on my tree).  "Chocolate"mug with a sack of Dove dark on the inside.  MMMMMM.  All MINE!  And more and more!

"Citrus" charm pack.  Love the colors.  I think I'm going to use my Lil' Twister tool to make a table runner out of them.  A scissor keeper with a cute pair of scissors inside.  And a close up of the ornaments.

These trivets ROCK!  Melissa, please share what the pattern name is?  I would love to make these next year for Christmas gifts. And if I start in January; I should be done by Christmas 2012, right??  LOL!  They are SOOO COOL!

Hanging kitchen towels.  One is already on my oven door.

A pair of Christmas pillowcases.  Funny.  Pillowcases was on my potential gift list for Melissa but I never made them.  They are going on my bed today... before Amelia claims those too.  A zippered pouch that I can use for travel or in my person and the pattern to make more!

Melissa, THANK YOU!  I love everything.  And a thank you to Cheryll for hosting this wonderful swap.  It was a big commitment and I don't know if I could do it again.  Having the summer off this year REALLY helped but who knows?  If there is a 2012 version, I may change my mind.

Merry Christmas!!
Jen

Santa Sack Swap - part 1

Hello!  I can't show you what my partner Melissa made for me since I'm in San Fran for a few days but I CAN show you what I made for Melissa!  Check out her post.  She loves everything and that makes me really happy.

When I get home, I'll do a post with everything that I made for her and of course, show what she made for me.  I can't wait to get home and open presents!!

Enjoy your day!
Jen

Candy Sleighs!

Ellyn posted some very cute candy sleighs that she made a few days back.  I put them in the file for "next year" and then, as always, I needed to make them NOW.  I made a list and hit Target on Saturday (finished my Christmas shopping, btw) and loaded up on chocolates and candy canes.  Amelia and I set to work last night and we finished what we could this afternoon.  We had enough mini Hersheys for 11 sleighs.  I have one lone one waiting in the wings.

I intend to buy more mini Hersheys (and Kit Kats) when I get back from my business trip to make more.  I have another whole box of candy canes to use.

Cute, huh?  We'll be giving them out to the little kids in the family and maybe some "big kids" too.

A little bit of sewing has been happening here.  I'm almost done with those coupon clutches but they will have to wait until I get back this weekend.  Unless I find some spare time to finish those up before I leave.

Enjoy the rest of your day!
Jen

Quilters ADD

I have Quilters ADD.  Seriously.  I have 4 more coupon clutches to make and I need to finish them all up (sew the turning hole and print out the inserts).  I would like to finish 2 pillowcases for my bed.  I would like to start a new tote for myself.  I am traveling for work next week.  Yes.  Week before Christmas and I need to fly across the country for 4 days.  You would think that's enough on my plate.  Nope.

I want to make this.

Sigh.  I love it.  Here's my dilemma.  I have been collecting pinks and oranges for a pink and orange quilt for myself.  But I love the bright and happiness of this scrappy look.  Now, scrappy is not "me" but then if they were MY scraps, it WOULD be "me" right??

So do I make a pink and orange version or a fun scrappy version (using some of those pinks and oranges that I've been collecting)?  This is going to be a "when I'm bored with other projects, I'll work on this one" kind of project.  No rush.  No hurry.

What do you think?

Enjoy your day!
Jen

Sunkissed Wallhanging

I have a goal to get a few quilt tops that I've had done and in waiting, quilted in 2012.  I started small.  Jill is starting a little quilting side business and I sent her my Sunkissed Schnibbles and had her quilt it.  She did a wonderful job on it and I'm very pleased.

She did a mini paisley design and it matches the top just great.

close up of backing and quilting

Now it's up to me to get the binding on.  I have no good pink yardage in my stash or enough for a binding so a trip to the fabric store is needed!  Awww shucks!  LOL!

Thank you Jill!  You did a great job and more will be coming your way!  Oh... and my payment too.  In the mail tomorrow.  LOL.  Almost forgot about that part. 

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

Okay. Christmas can come now

Last December while scrambling to finish all my other Christmas gifts, I felt I NEEDED to make stockings for our family.  I got one made for Punk and hadn't thought about them again.  Fast forward... Sharon had a fabric sale this Spring?  Summer?  and I bought fabrics for my stocking and Chris'.  You would think having all Summer off from work that I would work on them.  Because believe me, the fabric stared me right in the face and I totally ignored it.

Then the scramble started.  Thanksgiving weekend.  And I finished them last night.  I'm happy.  We don't have a fireplace or mantle so they are hung on our staircase.  It's the only good place for them.

Countdown to Christmas by Sweetwater for Chris

Christmas Candy by Riley Blake for me

All three together

Ahhhh.  That's better.  Santa can come fill our stockings now.

Enjoy your day!
Jen  :)

My Santa Sack Is FULL!

So, ummm, WHEN are we allowed to open our gifts?!  I'm soooo ready now!  The last of my gifts were waiting for me on my front porch when I got home last night.

Sorry for the lousy lighting.  I snapped these pictures last night.  Melissa was even kind enough to add a Christmas card to my package.  I was so focused on getting my gifts to her in the mail on time, I spaced adding a card.  Sorry Melissa!!

I really enjoyed this swap.  It was a big time commitment but not working all Summer really helped me there.  I had fun creating my gifts for Melissa and I hope she likes everything that I made/gave her.  And I found a new blog friend.  :)

I had another nice surprise in the mail.  You'll have to come back tomorrow to see.  :)

Enjoy your day!
Jen  :)