Perfect Day To Play

I have spent the last week stitching non-stop, working on my Halloween class design for the New England Stitcher's Retreat. I was so happy when the fabric arrived and I have been completely focused on the project ever since...it is coming along beautifully and I am about 75% done with the stitching and hope to start putting it together later this week. If all goes well, you will be seeing some photos very soon!

This afternoon I took several hours off to have lunch with my dear friends Merry and Kimber - I had made plans with them several weeks ago...and I am so glad I did - I really needed to get out of my stitching chair and take some time away. It felt absolutely marvelous to get out of the house on such a beautiful day and enjoy a leisurely lunch with my BFFs.

I was excited to give them each a special gift I had put together while waiting for my fabric to arrive. I know, they aren't Easter baskets...in all reality, they are collapsible cocktail napkin holders...but I thought they would work perfectly to hold some Easter treats. I used a Terry Atkinson Groovy Girls Club Pattern called Napkin Holder....and it gives you the option of 4 different sizes of collapsible holders: Cocktail (5.5" x 5.5" x 2.5"), Luncheon (7" x 7" x 2.5"), Rectangle (5" x 8.5" x 2.5"), and Sugar/Tea (2.5" x 3.5" x 2"). I chose the cocktail napkin size and I picked out fabric specifically for Merry and Kimber. I was pretty happy with how they turned out, considering this was my first try at this pattern....once all the pieces were cut, they went together rather quickly....and another fun thing - I got to go through my vast button stash to pick buttons for each...and the button ties are colorful hair elastics. After finishing both, I put Easter grass in the base and filled them with special treats...then I foofed them, using GiftGloss and springy green tulle. Didn't they turn out adorable??! I have plenty of the ultra firm single-sided fusible stabilizer - in fact, I have an entire bolt of it - so I see many more of these in my future. The smallest size will be a perfect little collapsible ort container to take with me on my travels...and the larger ones are perfect for gifts and organization. Now that I have made a couple, I'm sure I can adapt the pattern to any size holder I want...it is easy to adjust.

After spending the afternoon with Kimber and Merry, I have a better attitude and feel refreshed and ready to get back to work. My chores for the day are done, so I am headed back to my stitching nest - it will be another late night (early morning)....

Heavenly Chocolates

Happy St. Patrick's Day to those of you celebrating today...I hope you are wearing your green and you have a chance to enjoy a nice cold green beer or margarita!

This morning I took Simba to his monthly grooming appointment and I was lucky enough to spend my late morning/early afternoon with my dear friend Merry...and if you are already wondering, yes she made these phenomenal chocolates for me! Don't they look like they came from a wonderful gourmet chocolate shop?! Merry and I have both had a rather rough week and definitely needed a little "girl time"...but I had no idea she would try to fix all my problems with a gorgeous plate of delicious chocolates....even the presentation was fabulous (my foofing obsession has rubbed off on her) - I love the polka dot plate and festive green ribbons. I have already savored one of the hearts - which had scrumptious, creamy, ooey gooey caramel inside....there are even homemade peanut butter cups, and a chocolate truffle (in the center ) - yep, I am so spoiled (and she is so amazing and thoughtful)...and I will definitely need to do some extra workouts this next week. Plus, I almost forgot to mention she brought me her last jar of Jalapeno jelly (which is "to die for")...she definitely treats me like a queen!

Merry and I made a trip to a wonderful local quilt shop - and of course we found some new fabrics that we just had to give a new home...then we went to our favorite little Japanese restaurant in town and thoroughly enjoyed our sushi lunch....and then somehow, *poof*, my terrible week was not so terrible anymore.

May you enjoy the company of a good friend and a sweet decadent treat to soothe your soul...

Happy Birthday To My Dear Friend!

One of my very dear friends (who by request will remain nameless) is having a milestone birthday tomorrow...yep, the big 50. She is truly one of the most giving people I know and is always volunteering and making things better for those less fortunate...and although, she is not one to have people make a fuss over her, that is exactly what we did today! Another dear friend and I have been planning (or should I say plotting) her birthday celebration for months...we decided since she was turning 50, she should have 50 gifts to open...and not just 50 single gifts, we decided each gift should be something with a quantity of 50. A few months ago we started making a list of gifts...both of us took 25 items of 25 and started collecting...and to make it even more fun (if that is even possible) we wrote little notes for each item. For instance one of my items was cotton balls - so I wrapped 50 cotton balls with a note that said "50 Cotton Balls - to remind you not to get soft in your old age!"....another one was "50 Thank You Cards - to thank people for forgetting how old you really are!"...and so on. We tried to come up with 50 things that she really could use...and as we did our shopping, our lists did fluctuate a little bit for size and cost reasons....and some of the little notes had to do with her age, but some were just sweet little sayings. My list included 50 skeins of DMC, 50 needles, 50" of rick rack, 50 pins, 50 mini candy bars, 50 wet wipes, 50 oz. of oatmeal....you get the idea! Over the last couple weeks, I have been foofing (wrapping) and labeling my share (25) of the fifty gifts (shown below). To carry all the gits, I made her the cutest market tote bag with one of her initials on a pocket (shown right)...but of course, all of my gifts didn't fit into the tote, so I had to use a big gift bag, as well. My other "partner in crime" put her gifts in a neat recyclable tote bag...and also brought a bouquet of flowers and a singing balloon (yes, you heard me correctly, the balloon would sing "Happy Birthday" at the push of a button). We met today at a wonderful local Thai restaurant called Cool Basil...and it was a good thing we arrived early, because during our meal, the power went out and all the businesses around were without power for most of the afternoon. You would think the biggest laugh for the day would have been opening the gifts; however, that was not the case....when my "partner in crime" arrived with the balloon and flowers, she accidentally popped the balloon on the way to the table (it touched a hanging light and popped immediately)...first a loud "POP", then it started singing "Happy Birthday"....we all had a very good laugh about it...especially the staff in the restaurant! After a fabulous lunch and opening presents, we did a little shopping together - and although many places were closed due to the power outage, we still made it enjoyable - the three of us always seem to have the best laughs. I truly hope this was a "birthday to remember" for my friend - she certainly deserved all the fuss!

A Little Extra Sweetness

I love to bake....in fact, I rather bake than cook...I am not much for eating baked goods, but I really enjoy making them...to me, it is relaxing. Since it is just me and my husband, I find I give away a lot of the items I bake. This week, Travis had a sweet tooth and wanted me to bake something....and due to limited supplies on hand, I narrowed it down to peanut butter cookies. This is a pretty standard cookie recipe, except I have a little twist before baking - I like to roll balls of dough in granulated sugar before flattening with the fork...I like a little crystal sugar on the outside of the cookie...a little extra sweetness!

Peanut Butter Cookies
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine peanut butter, shortening, light brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl - beat at medium speed (I use an electric mixer) until nicely blended - add egg - beat until blended.
Sift flour, salt, and baking soda - add to creamed mixture at low speed - mix until blended.
Roll heaping teaspoons of dough into balls - roll in granulated sugar - place approximately 2" apart on an ungreased baking sheet - flatten with fork (I like to do a criss-cross pattern).
Bake at 375 degrees F for 7 to 8 minutes or until just starting to turn brown. Cool for a couple minutes on baking sheet - then place on sheets of foil to cool completely.
This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies. I almost always double the batch, as they freeze nicely.

I decided to foof (wrap with GiftGloss) several packages of cookies for our neighbors - just a fun little summer treat!

This past weekend, I started shipping my new designs ("Liberty Stitchery" and "Sweet Simple Samplings") to needlework shops and distributors, so they should be available VERY soon from your favorite shop....visit my website for more details. I am keeping quite busy with new designs for the Fall Needlework Market, but I did manage to design a new complimentary chart that I will be posting soon - in fact, I will debut it here first...so you can look forward to that later this week (think Christmas!)...

Happy Mother's Day!

It was a beautiful Mother's Day here in Iowa - the sun is shining...and although it is a little cool (which I LOVE!), it was the perfect day for a barbecue. My mother-in-law and father-in-law joined us for a little cookout this afternoon...we had a lovely time. I thought I would share the mother's day gifts I put together this year.

For my mother, I made a new set of hot pads and a set of snap bags. I have posted about the hot pads before, but in case you missed it, the pattern/tutorial is FREE on YouCanMakeThis.com. ...and of course, I foofed the gifts!!

For my mother-in-law, I made an embroidered scented trivet...then I picked up a pie plate and server to go with it. The scented trivet was a class I took at a local quilt shop last year - a Martha Pullen "Gift of the Month" project - the class focused on Gimpwork and Machine Embroidery. The back side of the trivet has an opening where I put a cinnamon scented sachet...so when you place your hot pie (or anything out of the oven) on the trivet, it make your home smell even more wonderful.

Wishing each of you a very special and very relaxing Mother's Day (especially my mommy who I was unable to be with today)!

Owlivia Giveaway Recipient

Happy Thursday friends and followers!

It is time to randomly choose the winner for my Owlivia giveaway....thank you all for your entries and comments....and don't be discouraged if the random generator doesn't choose you today - you all know I love to make things and give them away and there will be more chances to win in the future...

So without further ado, here are the entrant names...and the random generator chose number 6...which is Jan. Congratulations Jan - I will be sending you an email shortly....

Again, thank you for following my creative journey...I appreciate all your comments!

Jan - your new stitching companion is "foofed" and migrating your way....

Odds and Ends...

This past weekend was filled with home improvement activities...a birthday party for my mother-in-law...and I actually found time to do a little stitching on some community outreach projects.

As some of you know, I have been doing some major spring cleaning and organizing...and with that I have been picking out little home improvement projects I want to get done. Last week, my husband was out of town on his yearly fishing trip with the boys and I decided to research changing toilet seats and installing them myself (which was super easy)...then when my husband returned this past weekend, he humored me by replacing all of the water faucets in our house (three bathroom sink faucets and the kitchen sink faucet), along with replacing the seals and springs in my shower faucet. I couldn't resist taking a photo of Simba being the plumber's assistant...he is such a good helper! It is nice to do those little jobs that make such a BIG difference...next up, fixing our master bathroom door (which needs the shims replaced)....

You know I love to share with you my favorite things....
This weekend we celebrated my mother-in-laws birthday...I had so much fun "foofing" her present! Many of you know how much I like giving and wrapping gifts...and last fall I shared with you my new love of GiftGloss...I am so addicted to "foofing". The highlight on my MIL's gift - I used a bendable bloom to add a little springtime touch...this beautiful glittery flower has a small alligator clip on the back, making it easy to attach to the gift. If you are not familiar with foofing or the FoofQueens, you should visit the "features" page of their website and check out their products and videos!...it is such a fun way to "spruce up" your gifts and you don't need to have boxes, wrapping paper, and tape on hand. I am inspired every time I visit their website...their community even has great ideas for that special occasion gift. Seems like every week I "gloss" something...and I am going to start sharing some of my unique foofs with you...maybe you will be inspired to give a special gift!

...although my weekend was pretty full, I did find time to do a little cross stitch. I worked on community outreach projects for my local EGA guild (Valley Junction Chapter). I did several kissing pillows (our Chapter just signed on to make 100 more) - these 4” X 4” patriotic pillows were designed to be used as a keepsake for the children and loved ones left behind by the soldiers being deployed for military service - the soldier kisses the pillow and gives one to each of his/her loved ones to hold onto until he/she returns from war. I also worked on a handful of baptismal shawls - these are given to the neo-natal and birthing units at Mercy Hospital. I challenge you to find a local stitching group or organization that has community outreach stitching projects...for an investment of your time (doing something you enjoy), you can make a HUGE difference!

...and finally, I saved my BIG BIG BIG news for last - if you are in my local stitching group, you may want to sit down before you read the next sentence...
I have finished my Papillon Creations Mystery Sampler (can you see me happy dancing?!)...you know the one I have been working on since February 2006...the project I take every time my local stitching group gets together. I put in the final stitches this afternoon and it is ready for the framer. Thank you to all my friends and readers who have given me encouragement, compliments, and gentle pushes to complete this project! Tomorrow I will share the finished photo with you...along with a photo of the next project I need "shamed into finishing"...

Holiday Wrapping - Do You Foof??

Here is another one of my favorite things...this holiday season, I have been glossing all my gifts!

If you haven't heard of the FoofQueens or GiftGloss, then you must visit their website: http://www.foofqueens.com/. "Foofing", also known as "glossing", is a great new way to spruce up and embellish your gifts...and I warn you, it is highly addictive! GiftGloss is a clear, tubular wrap that comes with its own dispenser...you can slide your gift into the GiftGloss alone (as a clear wrap)...or roll/wrap your gift in tissue paper before sliding into the GiftGloss to conceal the gift. You can tie each of the ends with ribbon (these are called "piggy" tails) or you can pull the excess to the top and tie a "pony" tail. My favorite part is finding the perfect tie-on to embellish the gift. The FoofQueens website has all sorts of inspiring photos and videos....you will be amazed at the creativity. I have been enjoying my first "foofed" Christmas...finding fun ways to wrap my gifts...it is also a fabulous way to cover baked gifts and treats!