Happy New Year 2012

If it didn’t Bring you Joy,
Just Leave it Behind.
Let’s Ring in the New Year
With Good Things in Mind.
Let Every Bad Memory Go
That Brought Heartache and Pain.
And let’s Turn a New Leaf
With the Smell of New Rain.
Let’s Forget Past Mistakes
Making Amends for This Year.
Sending You These Greetings
To Bring you Hope and Cheer
Happy New Year!

Author Unknown

I wish you a safe, prosperous and Happy New Year!!!  Sew until next time, have a "Stitches" kind of day.....

Merry Christmas

It's going to be a great day here in Iowa, USA.  The sun is shining very bright and there is no snow on the ground or forecasted so travel will be good too.  I hope all of you have a great Christmas with your family and friends. Sew until next time, have a "Stitches" kind of day..

The Twelve Days of Christmas History Lesson

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

This week, I found out.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.-

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching,Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness,Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.'

Merry Christmas Everyone

A Christmas Postcard

Christmas Greetings from my house to yours!  This greeting is another old card out of my Grandmother's postcard scrapbook, it is literally falling apart but I don't want to try to put the cards in a new book so I handle it with care and leave it as it is..I hope to share more of these from time to time with you.  I am going to bake bread again today, the stockings are stuffed, the candy and goodies are made, at least all that I am going to do this year. It's time to get the house in order and have time to relax just a bit, and I hope you can do the same thing. Sew until next time, I best get busy and get that bread started.

My Tree is Not the Same Old Tree

My tree is not the same old tree that I have year after year..I decided that it was time to have a "themed" tree for once in my lifetime....so in September (believe it or not) I was at Hobby Lobby and they had a very good selection of ornaments and I decided I would have a silver, crystal (plexiglass), and white lights..I anxiously decorated the week after Thanksgiving and it turned out to be really glitzy and totally different for me...I like it but doubt that I will do it again next year, maybe every other year or so.   I feel so bad for all of my old family decorations, I can almost hear them crying and moaning about being left in the boxes..I missed going down memory lane when I put them on the tree. There are some very specials ones that have such memories for me and I really missed that.  I am thinking that I will have to put up another little tree and get some of the old decorations out of the box, just so I don't feel so guilty, my heart aches for them.  Does anyone else ever have weird thoughts like this??  I'm afraid that I am just going to have to do it!! In the meantime here are a few pictures of my 2011 tree, see what you think.  Maybe in a few days, I will be posting another tree with the other ornaments that are so sad, stay tuned!!!!

I think that next year I will have to have a Christmas quilt behind the tree!!!  I really like the dragonflies, they are so neat!!! And the pine cone, the cross, the swan, the bird, the heart and all the rest too!!  Gee, I think I like it better since I took the pictures!!  Well, I best go make another batch of nut brittle..I call it nut brittle because I make batches with dry roasted peanuts, cashews and smoked almonds..whoa, the smoked almond brittle is soooo good. I have made 4 batches so far and about 6 more to go..I will make a few batches every day until I'm finished.  I have GOT to quit eating it!!!!  Sew until next time, I hope you have a Stitches kind of day, fa la la, la la

A Quickie Doll Quilt

I have had two young men working at my house for the last week and they are really special workers, I think. They have been putting in replacement windows, fourteen of them to be exact. You get to know someone pretty good when they have been around that long, anyway I do.  They took all of my drapes, sheers, curtains and shades down so while I had the chance, I have washed and fluffed all of them. The "boys" have been troopers when it come to putting them back up and helped so much..I don't know many workers that would mess around with drapes and curtains like they did.  One of the guys has a little 16 month old girl, so I decided I wanted to make her a little doll quilt. after her Dad told me she got her first Barbie doll. Aaaagh!!!! That just didn't sound right to me for a 16 month old so the old grandma in me, came out..She will have a "baby doll" quilt now and I don't think Barbie will appreciate it one bit.  I'm going to ask if she has a baby doll to wrap in her quilt, if not, she needs one!!!!  I sure hope she likes her little quilt..I made it using the technique the Missouri Star Quilts had on one of their tutorials, called Summer in the Park. They used jelly rolls for their quilt but I just cut strips (1 1/2" wide) for the doll quilt. I made 2 strata's of each set, added a border and the quilt came out about 16 1/2" x 20 1/2" and I used the 30's reproduction fabrics..I can't wait to give it away.





The Back

I hope you are having a "Stitches" kind of day at your house,,,sew until next time, take care!!



Comment #5, Quilter's Delight is the Winner of my Christmas Blog Give Away

I want to thank everyone who left comments on the Christmas Blog Hop that I participated in, they were very appreciated. The winner of the 100 Blocks magazine was comment #5, Quilter's Delight and  I will be contacting her soon. Sew until next time, have a "Stitches" kind of weekend.

Let the Blog Tour Begin!!!

I am participating in the 1st Annual Quilt Blog that was organized by Sally Johnson of Sally's Quilting Corner.  Our blog hop will be active from 7:00 a.m. (EasternTime) on Friday until Saturday at 7:00 p.m. (EasternTime), only 18 hours. There are just a few of us and we would love it if you would "hop" to our blogs and check the quilts that we have posted for you to look at.  I have posted some pictures of Christmas quilts that I have made over the years. I have a little "blog candy" to give away too, its the Quiltmaker "100 Blocks" Volume 4, a  special edition magazine. You will need to become one of my followers (if you already are a follower, great!) and leave a comment on this post. 

 

Here are some pictures of my favorite Christmas quilt. It is called "Welcome to the North Pole" and is a pattern from "Piece O' Cake" designs. It was so much fun to make and I made it with a friend and that makes it even more special. I hope you like it and don't forget that you can click on the picture and it should enlarge it. Thanks for looking and at the bottom of this post is the list of others that have participated so scroll down and check their blogs and pictures out too.

Mr. & Mrs. Claus' house

North Pole Bakery





Jerry's Cars & Trucks--------Sandy's Quilt Shop





The Reindeer Barn

Santa & Welcome---------The Marble Maker's

Wang's North Pole Carry Out





Royal Toy Works---Candy Cane Factory--Hats & Mittens



Elves Recreation Center

Welcome to the North Pole Quilt

Here is another one that I really enjoyed making several years ago, called "And to All a Goodnight" It is a pattern designed by Sue Garman and is still available.

And just a couple more items that I made.

Christmas Tree skirt, I made 3 of these for gifts for my kids.

This was a mystery quilt by Debbie Caffery

I wish to take this moment to thank all of the people who made comments and who took the time to come and visit us for out first Blog Tour of Quilts.  I want to especially thank all of the participants who took time out of their busy holiday schedule to make projects or just posted projects on their sites so we could enjoy looking at their wonderful creations.

I've joined a Blog Tour of Quilts, it starts Friday at 7 a.m., come back!!

And that's about all I'm going to say today. Sew I"ll "see" you on Friday, okay?

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Just wanted to stop by and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you are spending the day with family and friends and thinking thankful thoughts and saying thankful prayers. Blessings to everyone!!  

Thankfull for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is beginning here for me. Two nephews are coming with their families to share Thanksgiving with my family.  One is coming from California and the other from Oklahoma, they are brothers and we haven't seen them for 5 years nor have they seen each other in that long. So we will really have a lot of catching up to do, whew, it's going to be fun. They will leave early Friday morning to drive to Lincoln, NE for the big Iowa/Nebraska game and then leave from there to go home on Sunday..we only get to see them a very short time, but we take what we get and enjoy it!!..Well, I have to close now and get ready to go to the airport, I'm really excited to see the "kids". They will all be here this afternoon.. (The postcard is a very old one out of my grandmother's postcard book)

Sew until next time, I hope you have a "Stitches" kind of day!!!

It Was a Good Bread Day!!

This is what I made this afternoon, 2 loaves of braided bread and a loaf of Focaccia...it is also the same thing that I made yesterday and it will be the same thing that I will make tomorrow.  And hopefully, that will be enough bread for my family for Thanksgiving!! It will all go into the freezer until next Thursday.  Ymmmm!!  It smells so good in my house right now, I could gnaw my arm off. I wonder why I didn't make myself a little dinner roll? but I didn't so I guess the smell will have to satisfy me tonight. Maybe I can remember to do that tomorrow!!

Sew until next time, have a "Stitches" kind of evening..

I Have A Winner!! Drum Roll, Please!!

I have a winner for the free copy of the My Memories Scrapbook Software and it is................KAREN..  Congratulations, Karen. I will be contacting you soon with the special code that you can use to download your free copy of the My Memories software. I know you will find many ways to use this program and you will really enjoy it...Congratulations!!!!

I'm sorry "astitch" you were not entered into the drawing as I had no way to contact you and I feel bad about that. You should go into your account  and add your email or contact information so when you enter another contest, you will have a chance to win...sorry!! I hope everyone has a "Stitches" kind of day, sew until next time....Stitches

This is the Last Day to Register Here for My Memories Scrapbooking Software

 You still have until midnight (Central Time, USA) tonight to leave a commnet and get a chance to win a free copy of My Memories Digital Scrapbooking software from my blog. You can go here to find out how to get 4 chances to get in the drawing. I will be drawing Tuesday, November 15th and then I will post the winner, good luck to everyone!!!

If you don't win or want your copy today, you can use this Coupon Code STMMMS52842
to get your copy of MyMemories Suite that provides a $10 discount off the purchase of the software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value!). 

We Remember Veteran's Day

Today, we remember and honor all veteran's who have fought for our country and our freedom. I want to honor my Dad today, he fought in WWII, in the Navy as a SeaBee. I am posting some pictures of him and some you might have already seen in previous posts. In the photo and fabric portrait in his uniform, he was about 28 years old and was taken before he went overseas. The small photo was taken a year or so ago. Dad is in the nursing home right now but working very hard to get his strength back so he can go back to his home. And I know that he will be home before very long.  My husband was in the Army during the Korean War as were many more relatives and friends. Without these veteran's, our country could be a very different place for us to live and enjoy our freedom. So, let us salute the men and women who have served our country, in war and in peace.

This page was made in My Memories Suite software program. You can still register for a chance to win your own copy of the MMS if you go to Monday's post and read how you can do it. You could actually have 4 chances to win, if you do each of the suggested ways to get a chance. Be sure and register to win, it's free and you could be the winner!!  Good Luck!!

More Garden Scrapbook in My Memories

Here are a couple more pages that I made in the My Memories scrapbook software. I think they really make my flowers look good!!! If you would like a chance to win a free copy of the MMS software free, you still have time, go HEREto sign up for this give away. You could actually have 4 (four) chances to win if you use all of the suggestions. 

My flowers are all gone now and these pictures make me anxious for Spring already..I better get over this as we are just now getting ready for Winter.  It could be a long one..I hope you to see that you have signed up on Monday's blog post to win a copy of MMS, it is really fun to play with...Sew until next time, have a "Stitches" kind of day!!!

My Memories Suite Scrapbook Software Give Away

I'll bet some of you had already guessed what my give away surprise was going to be, right?  I was really 'takin' back' when a week or so ago, I got an email from Liz at My Memories Suite, asking me if I would be interested in hosting a MMS give away.  Those of you who know me, know that I am not a scrapbooker, although I like photos, making things and trying to be creative. Liz offered to give my a free download so I downloaded it and began to play. Needless, to say, I'm hooked on the digital scrapbook program. It's alot of fun and you sure can waste spend a lot of time playing around with it. As with everything, there is a learning curve but it doesn't take long and you will be making fun stuff. I think it will be very good for bloggers as well as scrapbookers.  Here are a couple of pages I made for a garden scrapbook. I think they are pretty neat!  Here's how you can get a chance to win a free copy of the software for your own use.

.Simply visit their site at My Memories.com, have a look around, come back here and leave a comment about your favorite digital layout, pack or how you would use the program.  You don't have to become one of my followers to leave a comment, but I would really love it, if you would!!
Please make sure that your email address is on your post or available on your profile so that I may contact you, if you win. You can also enter for additional entries if you follow My Memories on their blog http://www.mymemoriesblog.com/ or

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/MyMemories/140359372717593  or

Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/mymemoriessuite

Then come back here and tell me you follow them in a separate

 comment for each following for additional chances to win.    I don't have a lot of followers so your odds of winning could be pretty good.



If you don't win or want your copy today, you can use this Coupon Code STMMMS52842
to get your copy of MyMemories Suite that provides a $10 discount off the purchase of the software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value!). 
Best of luck to all of you! I'll be drawing and posting the winner on  Tuesday, November 15th

Surprise on Monday

On Monday, I will be blogging about a sponsored give away that I am going to be hosting. I hope you will come back for a chance to win something that you would have a lot of fun with. It's new to me and I'm having fun playing around with the program. See you on Monday?

Happy Halloween!!

Griselda's pretty little face!

I want to introduce you to Griselda. She's a happy little witch that I made a few years ago and I love getting her out at Halloween to join the fun.

Here she is in a full body portrait. She is such a "doll". And to the right is her favorite black cat, Coal.

Here another that I bought at a craft fair, I guess I'll call her Gourdilocks, for a lack of anything else I can think of. She is a real "gourd" girl and gets lots of candy on Trick or Treat night.

This is a little table topper I made about a week ago. I just sewed some strips together and took my triangle ruler and cut six pieces and then sewed them together. And then I put the border print on, that was the trickiest part, getting those angles all mitered and flat. I wish I would have had time to do a little tutorial on this. I also made a couple more without the border print and gave them to 2 of my sisters. The little mugrug was just a few scraps that I sewed together, waste not, want not!!

This little plate is new to me, as I picked it up at a "flea market store" along with a few other things that I will show you at a later date.  I'm still reeling from the last 4 hours that I have spent in front of this computer. Please read my last paragraph and you will understand why my afternoon has not gone as planned. I need to get in a good mood before tomorrow night to get ready for all the ghosts and goblins. The weather is supposed to be quite nice here and I will have between 175 to 200 little ones knocking on my door. Yikes, I hope I have enough candy. Hmmmm, I have enough for 200 but don't spread the word!

This afternoon hasn't been totally wasted but it's been a frustrating one for sure.  I have uploaded pictures from the camera (slowly) and then rotated some (slowly) edited and cropped (slowly), tried to make a couple of collages (slowly), tried to transfer pictures to a couple of blogs (slowly), including this one and I am (slowly) getting very tired of this. I want to make some decent collages or slide shows but so far have not found the great program that I think must be out there somewhere. I have tried Photobucket (gave up there), Smilebox (kinda okay), Slide (hmmm, don't know for sure about it), Picasa (so far the easiest for me) but I am thinking should I just buy a Photoshop Elements and hope that will do everything I want it to..I need some input from you, suggestions, information and any help you would like to offer. Please!! Sew until next time, I hope you have a nice Halloween and get lots of trick or treaters..I know I will!!