Christmas Open House...

Welcome to my Christmas Open House...I'm linking up with Brenda from Cozy Little House and joining with the parade of wonderful holiday decor. I hope you enjoy it!

First, I don't EVER remember having all my Christmas decorations up this early. Usually I drag my feet until at least the 15th or later so it is nice to have everything out and up and finished. Don't know why I got motivated this early, but happy I did.

Let's start with an overall look at the place... most of my decor is in my living room....

looking out to the front window is  my tree ... I was so happy that again this year all the pre-lit lights worked. I've decorated with an assortment of ornaments old and new...

There is a Hallmark ornament celebrating my younger son's first Christmas  25 years ago... and my bubble lights which remind me of my Grandma's Christmas tree...and the sequin studded Santa and Mrs. Claus that my Mom made in her last year of life. Bittersweet memories of her sitting in bed making ornaments while suffering from cancer...gosh how I miss her!

To the right of my tree I've filled this shelving unit with lots of decorations, each shelf having a bit of a theme...

cross stitch and the beginning of my newest collection of deer...

gingerbread men and 2 more deer... three makes a collection, right???

and a selection of Santas!

I added this cute little quilt from my friend Laurey to accent this pillow!

Santa is watching over my little chest that I filled with quilts and topped with the Nativity set I needlepointed over 30 years ago.

I made this when my first son was born, as I wanted a Nativity that he could handle without fear of breaking. If you make the picture bigger you can see all the sparkly threads and dimensional stitches I used. I thought that someday I would replace this with a ceramic set but I never did and I'm glad I didn't. This one has lots of memories in it and I hope more to come.

Across the room I have another tree...this one decorated with only food ornaments. My younger son started this theme a couple of years ago and we've been adding to it every year.

Our stockings are hung on the TV cabinet as I don't have a fireplace in this house...they are hanging out with a collection of tins from Mary Engelbreit.

This is my stocking...

and this is my son's stocking...

These are two of four stockings I needlepointed back in the mid-80's. I don't know what I was thinking back then, as these are BIG...24" long...and it takes quite a bit to fill them up. If I knew then what I know now (and doesn't that apply to lots of things in life?) I would have stitched smaller stockings.

On the big wall in my living room I always hang a quilt and this year I picked this vintage Debbie Mumm Santa one that I did years ago...still looks good in my humble opinion...as does Big Dude!

My newest addition to my decor is this 3 tier galvanized tray. I used my collection of needlepointed Santas as my theme for this...

before I did cross stitch or quilted or knitted I was really into needlepoint... can you tell? LOL All of these decorations are 25 to 30 years old...oh my goodness...how fast the years fly by! I did a whole series of these Santa's dolled up in different costumes. My favorite is this one, which I refer to as my Bing Crosby White Christmas Santa...and you know how much I LOVE White Christmas!

And if all this wasn't enough...and it wasn't...I've added a bit of holiday cheer to my bedroom.

My Christmas quilt is cozy to sleep under and I'm loving my sparkly new accent pillow that picks up all the colors in the room! Thanks Linda!

Okay... are have I worn you out? In looking over all of this I realize it has taken over 30 years to amass this collection of decorations. I remember when I was pregnant with my first child... 30 years ago... that I had a dream that I wanted a home filled with quilts and cross stitch and needlepoint and I think my dream has come true! I am very blessed...

I decorated the outside of my house with multi-colored lights in the bushes and a couple of inflatables... a gingerbread man and a snowman...but the surprise this year is that somehow the lights reflect on my brick house and it looks like my house is polka dotted!!!

It is sooooo coo1... and total serendipity that the Polka Dot Chicken should live in a polka dot house!

I hope you've enjoyed this tour... please go over to Cozy Little House and see all the other wonderful holiday displays. It is great fun to be a part of a celebration of this season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

carol fun

Some Sunday Stitching and a bit of a rant...

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend...the temperature here is low 50's...great weather for December in Ohio...I even went out and put out more Christmas lights and didnt' even need gloves. Thank you to all who congratulated me on my winnings from the Blogger's Quilt Festival. I feel very blessed and can't wait to play with my goodies.

Sooooo... the super secret Christmas stitching has been completed... and the super secret Christmas knitting is almost done (will finish it as I watch TV tonight)...so I decided to start a new chart... Instead of Sheep by Heartstring Samplery. You can see it here.

And this is my progress so far...

I'm using 2 strands of floss over 2 threads...I like that heavier coverage for this linen. Now this little piece has so much I love. First there is the lyrics from the song "Count your Blessings" by Irving Berlin in my FAVORITE movie White Christmas. Did you know it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song? I didn't either till I read it on Wikipedia. Anyway beside the lyrics there are tons of my favorite sampler motifs...a house...a giant woman...scissors...a bird... and a chicken...okay so technically I think this is a rooster but it is poultry so that fits the bill..LOL!

I already know where I'm going to hang it when it is finished and framed... right next to my bed...perfect ,dontcha think?

And this little piece is connected to my rant...you can leave now if you want but I need to get this out of my system.

So if you've been reading this blog for any length of time you know that "White Christmas" is my FAVORITE movie. I've watched it countless times at home and even seen it in the theater on the big screen a couple of times too. I had seen it as a stage play several years ago and it was part of the package I have at the Aronoff Theater in Cincinnati this year. I was excited to see it last Thursday night. Dinner beforehand was tasty (really any meal that ends with cheesecake is tasty now, isn't it?) and the company was wonderful but the play left me a bit ticked off. I didn't know until afterwards that they had "modernize" their interpretation. Big sigh.... I'm not a fan of "modernizing" classics... did I ever tell you about the production of Cinderella where they changed the ending? Oh another rant for another day. Back to the rant of today...

Now I know that the stage play can't contain all the elements of the movie, I accept that, but what I don't want to accept is when you change the personality of the characters and the names of the characters. In the play Phil was sleazy and not at all likable. Emma the housekeeper from the movie was morphed into a loud mouth Ethel Merman-y "I want to be in the show" harridan. And then there was the music... some songs were totally left out of the play, okay I can live with that, but they were replaced with songs that were NEVER in the movie!!! "I Love a Piano" is the opening number of the second act...yes it is an Irving Berlin tune but it is no substitute for "Mandy"... even the girls sitting on stools tap dancing could not redeem this for me...perhaps if they had had tambourines with faces on them I might have been placated. (If you are a fan of the movie you know what I'm talking about here... if you haven't seen the movie go stream it from Netflix...you will love it ...promise!)

The funniest scene of the whole movie is when Bob and Phil (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) lip sync the "Sisters" song for Betty and Judy (Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen). This was totally skipped in the first act where it should have appeared. Instead it showed up mid-way in the second act and it wasn't a bit funny. Insert frown-y face. I will say I did like the tap dancing in the show. It brought back memories of my youth when I took tap dancing lessons for years. However, that can't make up for the songs they left out of the show and the fact that every single song was done at a breakneck pace. Their finale of "White Christmas" was so quick tempo  I thought they were late for their post-show dinner reservations.

Thank goodness for Netflix... I came home and watched "White Christmas" in its entirety. It did get the bad taste out of my mouth...and the next day I watched it again...feeling better...and I plan to watch it again later today. Then perhaps all will be right in my "White Christmas" world. I suppose this is proof that I'm turning into a crabby old lady...or reverting to a whiny 3 year old. I just want classics to stay classic...crawling down now from the mountain I made out of soapboxes.

I'll be linking up with Kathy's Quilts today and Super Mom - No Cape on Monday. I still have some Christmas prep to do but my house is all decorated. This may be the earliest it has ever been done...and  it is nice that I will be able to enjoy it for a longer time.

happy stitching-
carol fun

Oh my goodness...thank you Amy Ellis and MODA!!!

Last month I found out that I was a winner in the Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by Amy Ellis. My version of the APQ's Go 4 It quilt won in the scrappy category. I was thrilled that so many people I don't know voted for my quilt. This is the winning quilt...

I was expecting a package of fat eighths as my prize and was surprised when a very heavy box with a return address from MODA was left on my porch yesterday. Well I tore into that package like a 5 year old on Christmas morning... and it was just like Christmas...OH...MY...GOODNESS... look at all the goodies that came out of that box!!!!

Along with a lovely package of fat eighths were TWO layer cakes...THREE charm packs...an adorable tin with two precuts I haven't seen before they are 2.5" X 5"...an assortment pack of spray adhesive and fabric protector...THREE spools of Aurfil thread...TWO cute little screwdrivers...pins...a zipper pouch...marking pen and eraser...cute vintage-y tote bag...and commemorative banner for MODA's 40th year. WOW WOW WOW!!! I feel like I won the fabric lottery...LOL

And there was this personal touch that blew me away... a hand written (and someone at MODA has gorgeous penmanship) note thanking me participating in the festival.

(And here is a tangent...does anyone else remember getting grades for penmanship...one of my worst subjects...I don't think they even teach cursive anymore...a pity as there is something so lovely about a hand written note...boy I'm showing my age.)


Anyway back to the goodies...here are some up close and personal shots...

The fat eighths are the Mille Couleurs collection from 3 Sisters... some pretty paisleys and a cute bird print in there... a new collection from Studio M Basic Mixologie... very modern and great colors... the yet to be released Flying Colors by Momo. I LOVE Momo...this collection has prints that remind me of Peter Max pictures from the 70's...or at least what I think I remember from the 70's...LOL. The Charm packs include 2 from the new Bright Sun collection by Sherri & Chelsi...love the colors in this line and a Charm pack of Grunge...my favorite go to background fabric.

And here is a close- up of the cute tin...

I wonder what new pattern ideas are in the works for this size of precuts...interesting.

Soooooooo now I need to get back into my sewing room and play with my new goodies. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to Amy Ellis and MODA...you are a quilter's dream come true! THANK YOU THANK YOU  THANK YOU!!!!!

happy stitching everyone-
carol fun

Tweak it Tuesday #169

Well I don't have anything quilt-y or knit-y or cross stitch-y to show at the moment. I'm working on several super secret Christmas gifts which I can't show but I do have a crafty project to share that I tweaked a bit.

This may quite possibly be the easiest wreath EVER to make. First you need a wire frame...

you can get one like this at Micheal's or Joann's or Hobby Lobby for around $5.00.


Then you need a package of multi- color garland tinsel like this...

which is $6.00 at Target and you can see the link here.

You unfasten the garland from the cardboard header and simply wind it around the wire frame over and over and over and over and over and over and stop and untwist it and continue over and over and over and over and stop and untwist it and over and over and well you get the idea. You tuck the ends into the back of the wire frame, easy peasy. Then you can suspend an ornament or two from a pretty piece of ribbon or twine and tie then onto the frame... DONE! You probably spent more time shopping for the materials than you did making this wreath.

I love the look of it... all shiny and colorful and I like that it is a square rather than the traditional circle. I've been working on decorating my house and I'll show more of it later in the week. I don't think I've EVER started this early to decorate for Christmas. Usually it is the 15th or later and I'm just getting the stuff out of the basement. I even have my Christmas shopping well in hand...thank you Lord for the internet... I LOVE online shopping. I do hope that my early success in these Christmas-y endeavors doesn't mean that I'm going to be down with a cold or flu and lose a week... oh ever the optimist aren't I? LOL

I'm linking up with Brenda's Cozy Little House blog... check it out... lots and lots of great ideas.

happy stitching-
carol fun

One holiday down...one to go...

Hello... did you have a nice Thanksgiving? I certainly did. We celebrated at my son's and daughter-in-law's home ...their first Thanksgiving as a married couple...and there was lots and lots of good food and great company. We ate a 1pm and I spend the rest of the day in a food coma...it is nice to slow down that way every once in a while. I'm usually go go going all the time. Yesterday evening I just sat and read...didn't knit or cross stitch or anything crafty...and it was a lovely break from my routine.

And now we all run headlong into Christmas. I have family members who are big Black Friday shoppers, and others like me who will try to do as much of their shopping as they can online. Now I do sometimes wish that there was more time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I like the way the Canadians do it... Thanksgiving is the second Monday in October...that gives you lots more time to do the big holiday meal all over again at Christmas. But then a family member who wondered... how do people in countries that don't celebrate Thanksgiving when we do know when to start Black Friday shopping? (This member is in the big Black Friday shopping contingency if you didn't guess). I don't know what they do but somehow everyone seems to shop for Christmas. Today I am planning to avoid all the big retail stuff...lunch with a friend...maybe pop into my favorite quilt store...they have dollar fat quarters today...but that will be all the retail for me.

This last week did see me finishing another pair of my version of rag rug socks...

These are Drops Fabel 901 and 151. I used a solid plum for the heels and I was going to do the toes in the plum too but I just got swept up in those wonderful little stripes and couldn't stop myself...LOL

And since my needles were empty for a nanosecond I started another pair of ragrug socks...these are looking quite Spring-y...

The yellow is a ombre Austermann  that has been in my stash for a while, and the multi color skein is Red Heart Heart & Sole in the Jellybeans colorway...I picked it up at Hobby Lobby. I have some other knitting I'm working on too but it is super secret Christmas knitting so no pictures right now.

Hope that you are having a nice weekend...I'm going to chill as much as possible.

happy knitting-
carol fun

Happy Thanksgiving...

Hope your day is as happy as these little guys!

It's beginning to look a bit like Christmas...

Well another week has blown right by me...I blame not posting on life and laziness... there was plenty of both in last week. Anyway I did do a little sewing and I actually remembered to take pictures, so maybe there is some hope for me. Now we aren't going to talk about the large stockpile of UFO's I have lurking in my sewing room, instead we are going to focus on a bit of Christmas just in time for the upcoming holiday.

I've been wanting to do this pattern - Diamond Dash from Missouri Star - since it was published back in October. You can watch the video here. It takes a layer cake and 1 1/2 yds fabric for the "diamonds" and the sashing. Here's what I have laid out on my design wall.

The color in this picture isn't great... the close-ups below are truer to reality. The fabric is Tole Christmas by Gina Martin and you can see it here. I'm using an olive green Grunge fabric for the diamonds and the sashing.

There are some lovely prints in this collection...

I think I will use the red print with the white poinsettia for my outer border. In fact, I ordered some this morning from my favorite shop, Fabric Shack.

I have to sew the rows together but the individual units sewed up quickly. I used my Folded Corner Clipper to do the snowball corners. I like using this tool as I have the trimming done before I sew the corner on. Once it is sewn all I have to do is press it in place and it is done. Easy peasy.

I'll be linking up with Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday and Patchwork Times Design Wall Monday...a day or two late and hopefully not a dollar short.

So are you prepped and ready for tomorrow? We are celebrating the holiday at my older son's home, a mere two blocks from my house. That makes it convenient as I'm bringing (by request) a prime rib roast, my stuffing and pasta salad. There will also be turkey and trimmings supplied by my dear daughter-in-law's father and grandmother. It should be quite the feast. Gobble till you wobble...LOL!

happy stitching-
carol fun