A Very Merry Christmas

I can't believe another year has past and we're about to celebrate Christmas once again. I wish you all the many blessings of this beautiful holiday...may your day be filled with joy and peace and may the New Year bring you many happy moments.

 My cat Molly has agreed once more to pose as Santa Claus...She loves this job   ( - : and adds her good wishes for a happy holiday also.

So on that note, I wish to say...Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night

A Very PTA Christmas

Our Christmas party is always the highlight of our year...it never loses its momentum.

We had wonderful appetizers to start our day, mulled wine, coffee, tea and bubbly.

A quick show and tell was in order before lunch...Connie shared her skirt made out of vintage tablecloths (upper left) which looked darling on her. Geogia likes to wear hair art for fun

We gathered in the family room and were teased by the fun gifts yet to come after lunch....hmmmm...some are wonderful, some not so much. All look beautiful, but what lurks inside is always a surprise.

Mary showed us a neat trick with Nexcare tape - to put it on the back of our rulers to help grip the fabric. It felt like it worked well and certainly worth a try....thanks Mary.

Marene showed us a quilt she completed using Barbara Websters fabric. This fabric is printed with photographs she has taken - nature related....beautiful and I love the way Marene has used it so effectively. This might be one of my favorites that Marene has done.

Janice showed us her Christmas tree set on a beautiful cloth...she said she had a tough time getting it into the house  ( - :

And more silliness....

Connie has been making darling baby quilts using Chenille fabric and the added plus of hand crocheted animals that go with the quilt...so clever.

Barbara is working on an apron using interior design fabric samples....and the ring which is often permanent in these samples (upper right on Barbaras)...how to work around them. Barbara is making it part of the design where a neck strap can run through it....Clever girl....Dort show us some of her latest projects....loved the tree on the house...the whispy one on the right...created with whisps of paint...really effective.

Time to eat....the feast.

And now for the white elephant...above a gift from last year a straight pin dispenser......showed up again. I imagine this little guy is going to be around for a number of Christmas parties.

Some old antique clothing which Connie "stole" from Georgia. Connie being an appraiser for quilts.....loved it.

Georgia always stitching and wearing things on her head....this time a big bow...Marene got an assortment of goodies including 2 bras...don't know where that came from...

but also a Charley Harper puzzle....that was very cool.

Lynne got a book....Where's Dan Quayle...this was perfect for Lynne...We went on to have dessert to wrap up the day...but I saved the best for last (in my mind anyway)

As I got this cool umbrella with vintage patterns and sewing tools on it ..... I've always been a clothing person long before I took up quilting so this has 'ME" written all over it. Thanks to Janice who put this present in the pile....And Happy, Happy Holidays to all

The Haircut

My 7 year old granddaughter is doing Elf on a Shelf....fun for the kids...a challenge for the parents to come up with a new scenerio every day. For those who aren't familiar with Elf on a Shelf, an elf magically appears in Dec, sent from the North Pole to stay at your house and keep an eye on the children so he can report back to Santa whether they've been naughty or nice. A very strict rule is that you can't touch the elf or he'll lose his magical powers....

Kids take this very seriously and wake up every day to the elf being somewhere else in the house. Now the elf is supposed to be the good guy but sometimes, he just can't help himself and does wind up doing something naughty.

Like the elf at Audrey's house who decided that one of the Barbies needed a haircut. Well, he thought, there are so many dolls, how could it be a bad thing. So he found himself a pair of scissors and gave her a nice trim. "Oh Dear...what have I done...what to do with all this hair and I hope Audrey isn't mad at me.....
Well...guess all I can do now is to say....Merry Christmas.....

A Fiber Junkies Christmas

Our annual Fiber Junkies party took place at Gen's house...always fun with our small group. Gen showed us a sweater she knit for her "grand-dog". It was so elegant with cable stitching.

We decided this year to do a project rather than a gift exchange. Kate came up with this darling fabric pinecone which uses....

styrofoam, small pins

and small pre-cut squares of fabric. Using a fabric with some color variation makes for an interesting look. It really went very quickly - Susan's on the lower right.

Wine always makes it more fun and helps to make things look better.... All 5 are done except for the naked one which is mine...guess I got sidetracked somehow, but Kate sent me home with pins and fabric to finish....

Our luncheon this year was appetizers and the glorious cake that Denny always brings. She has claimed from day one that she makes it all ....every bit.....from grinding the flour, growing the sugar cane, raising the chickens for eggs....and with the help of elves that seem to show up when she's asleep, she wakes up to this magical, delicious cake...

It's always such fun and having Denny with us again has been a joy beyond words.

And if that wasn't enough, look at this luscious tray of cookies....HAND MADE by our Gen...oh my gosh, if I lived there I would be one giant baloon at the end of the holidays...PS...they were delicious!
Happy Holidays to all...may you all be blessed with the love of family and friends.

Santa Tree

  I've wanted a Santa Claus tree for years after seeing one at my friends house...this was the year. We bought a tall, very narrow tree (known as a pencil tree); one that was frosted to look like snow. Below it's fully decorated and on the right with the lights on.

 It's in the living room so we can sit and see it from the family room at night.

 Besides the Santas, we wanted to add some whimsical items like big candy canes, red berries, white springs and curly que's. All were darling and added so much to the overall look.

We used lots of Santas - no two alike. I've been collecting for years and a nice and easy thing to bring home from a trip. I recently bought some in Switzerland and New York. Surprizingly, I remember where I got many of them.

 Some are fabric, some resin, paper or hand carved...I'm enjoying it so much, will be sad to take it down.