Friendsgiving Charcuterie Workshop

Hello friends! For those that celebrated, I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving Day. My husband had the day off work (for a change) and we enjoyed a nice meal with a dear friend that we invited to share the evening with us. After cooking a turducken (at the request of a friend) last year and all the fixins', this year I opted for catering from our local grocery store - way less work and mess. We had a traditional meal with ham instead of turkey, opened a nice bottle of wine and enjoyed a day of rest before the busyness leading up to Christmas.

Today I am sharing photos from another festive event I attended over the weekend. I took a Friendsgiving Charcuterie Workshop at KC Wine Co with a VERY fun group of friends! This was such a great event - and while I didn't really need a class on how to build a charcuterie board, I did learn a few things. The workshop was held in the incredible KC Wine Co Black Barn (a fabulous venue) and it was decorated beautifully for the holidays. There were thousands of twinkling lights, a full-size sleigh, lots of colorful trees and special cocktails for the holidays. The class included a 9" x 9" disposable plate to craft on, class materials and a take home box, crafting tips, and a complimentary glass of wine (we all had the hard cider - I had the Caramel Apple Pie Hard Cider and it was delish!). The workshop was sold out and the tables were decorated beautifully - each tray had a mini jar of honey with wooden dipper and a cute selection of autumn cocktail picks/skewers. We thoroughly enjoyed building our own boards...then we had a holiday cocktail together and watched the first half of the Chiefs game. I tried the Mistletoe Margarita (so good!) that came in an adorable glass that I was able to take home. Best of all, I had quality time with some of the wonderful women in my life...and that was just what I needed!

Cookie Class - Chiefs Edition

My cookies!

Greetings friends! It has been a super busy week, but I had to stop by and visit with you again today - I wanted to share photos from my second cookie decorating class over the weekend...

You may remember reading about my dear friend Leslie and I taking a Christmas cookie decorating class in December. This past Saturday (the day before the Super Bowl), we took a second class and invited two more friends along for the fun! Living in Kansas City, of course this class was a Chiefs cookie decorating class. We visited the same local small business owner that teaches cookie decorating classes in her home. Cindy's Cookie Co. is located in Olathe, KS...and if you are in the area, you should check her out! We arrived at 10:00 AM on Saturday morning for the 2-hour sold-out class. We each had our own workstations with six fresh baked sugar cookies, several bags of royal icing and all the tools needed to complete our decorating. This time we were able to be a little more creative and pick how we wanted to decorate a couple of the cookies. I opted to put #95 on my jersey (popular numbers were 15, 87 and 10, but I opted for a defensive player) and I decided to put TRAVIS on my friendship bracelet (it worked for my husband - his name is Travis...and for Travis Kelce). I felt more comfortable working with royal icing this time and I did a pretty good job - in fact, everyone did...we had a great teacher. She gave us more tips and tricks regarding tools and supplies and where to purchase materials...we had a practice sheet to work with the icing before starting our cookies...plus she had a bottle of water and a snack at each workstation. We had such a great time! Plus, Leslie embroidered matching Chiefs aprons for the four of us, which made the day even more special and memorable!

The teacher's assortment of cookies...

I also have some photos from Union Station in KC with all the Chiefs decor - the entire city has been RED for a few weeks! I asked for a Super Bowl win again this year for my birthday and our hometown heros did not disappoint (my husband told me not to get used to this gift every year! 😂). We will be headed downtown bright and early tomorrow morning to attend the Super Bowl parade and rally at Union Station - which we know will be insane (plus the best people watching around). We will be spending our Valentine's Day with a million plus members of Chiefs Kingdom...it will be an adventure!

Christmas Cookies and Holiday Hearts

My cookies at the photo station...

Greetings friends! I had to stop by and visit with you again today - I wanted to share how my holiday spirits were lifted over the weekend...

My dear friend Leslie and I took a Christmas cookie decorating class and we had the best time. We had signed up for this class almost two months ago and had been anxiously awaiting the date. We took the class from a local small business owner that teaches cookie decorating classes in her home. Cindy's Cookie Co. is located in Olathe, KS...and if you are in the area, you should check her out! We arrived at 1:00 PM on Saturday afternoon for the 2-hour class. There were ten total students and she had everything set-up so nicely! We each had our own workstation with six fresh baked sugar cookies, several bags of royal icing and all the tools needed to complete our decorating. This was my first time working with royal icing and I did pretty good for a first attempt - in fact, everyone did...we had a great teacher. She gave an educational lecture on each of the tools and supplies, her tips and tricks, and where to purchase materials...we had a practice sheet to work with the icing before starting our cookies...plus she had a bottle of water and a snack at each workstation. 

The teacher's sample cookies...

My first cookies decorated with royal icing!

Once we decorated all six cookies, she had shopping set up, a station where we learned to tie bows for our cookie boxes, photo albums of her work for inspiration...even a staged photo area where we each placed our cookies for a photo op. She took pictures of each of us with our cookies...and had a gift bag for us when we departed that included a shiny new cookie cutter! It was a super fun afternoon and I am already looking forward to taking another class with her in the future. Best of all, the cookies were delicious. Goody, goody, yum, yum, yum!

Stitching, Sewing, and Celebrating

Last Friday, I was blessed to spend an afternoon with my dear friends Mary and Kimber...it was a friendship Friday birthday celebration! Both Kimber and Mary celebrate a birthday in August, so it was the perfect excuse to have lunch and catch-up. Spending a few hours with Mary and Kimber is incredibly good for my soul...and even more special when we are celebrating! We had lunch at a local Italian restaurant and enjoyed great food and extremely fun conversation...is there any better way to spend an afternoon?! It was delightful putting together birthday gifts for my friends...they truly appreciate handmade gifts and really notice personal touches and details...and now that they have received everything, I can share the treasures I created with you...

I decided to make each of them a small tote/purse/bag and place small wrapped packages inside. These are Mini Charmer Totes (pattern by Quiltsillustrated designed by Penny Sturges) - the lighter colored bag in pinks and grays (Puttin on the Ritz by Bunny Hill Designs for Moda) was made especially for Kimber...and the brighter bag (kitted fabrics, not certain of the designer) was made especially for Mary.

I tucked an assortment of small gifts inside each bag, including: a floral pen set, a little owl notebook, special hand cream, and a small cross stitched pincushion/bowl filler. The pincushions were stitched from an old Eye & Eye & Friends pattern (Petite Exemplary 2) - I changed several floss colors and added to the border...plus I decided to stitch them on Graziano Soft Rose/White Gingham Linen. I backed each one with polka dot fabric and filled them with crushed walnut shells...then added several cute pins.

I don't know what was more fun - putting together these birthday bags...or watching my friends open each of their gifts...it made my heart happy. To have many of the important people in my life spread across the country, what a joy it is to have two wonderful friends just a few miles away - I always look forward to our special outings!

Saturday Samplings

I thought I would stop in for a quick blog visit this afternoon. It's been a bit of a whirlwind here the last several weeks....I have had an abundance of crazy work deadlines, a miserable head cold, and I have been preparing for the Komen 3-Day event that takes place in less than two weeks. Thank you to those who have checked in to make sure I'm doing okay - all is well, I've just been over-the-top busy and feeling under the weather.

This weekend is the International Quilt Market in Houston (a wholesale trade show that is not open to the general public) and I have been working on a plethora of top secret projects. I can't share anything with you just yet - but I have been designing and creating samples - basically sewing/quilting round the clock for the last three weeks...probably why I have been suffering from a nasty head cold/virus. I still have five quilts, a table topper/set of placemats, and a tree skirt left to complete before I leave for Dallas to walk 60-miles in less than two weeks. All of these projects are in the works...in fact, I am taking a brief break from the sewing marathon to write this post.

Also going on in my world...some VERY FUN new stash arrived over the last several weeks. I won an incredible giveaway from the Therm O Web Blog for National Sewing Month - the package consisted of 7 Deco Foil colors of my choice, Deco Foil Hot Melt Adhesive, Liquid Adhesive, Spray Adhesive, along with a selection of Kona Cotton Solids (5 charm packs) and collectible canvas tote bag from Robert Kaufman! I about fell over when I got the e-mail - what a treat to win this incredible giveaway...and I can't wait to try the new Deco Foils. Then, believe it or not, the very next day I won an Instagram giveaway from Robert Kaufman Fabrics -  21 Small Cuts (Fat Quarters) from the new collection Naptime 2 by Darlene Zimmerman - they are ADORABLE 1930's reproduction fabrics featuring kitties, elephants, and bunnies. I should have bought a lottery ticket - that is the luckiest I have ever been - someone knew how badly I needed a pick-me-up and the stars aligned TWICE! Then if all of that wasn't enough, I received an incredible surprise package earlier this week, just when my head cold was in full swing - it was packed with bright and cheerful fabric yardage, several needlework kits, and a couple special owl gifts. Friendship and fabric is truly the best medicine - this package from a very dear friend brought me comfort and love when I needed it most. I may be feeling under the weather, but I am definitely feeling blessed.

Other than that, when time allows, I have been walking and working out at the gym...taking Schatzi on my long walks and playing with her at the park. I have been taking in the beautiful autumn scenery and enjoying the cooler weather...getting prepared for the Komen 3-Day....and of course, nursing my head cold. I am also looking forward to getting out on the water very soon on my husband's new bass boat - it will be a nice break from the chaos...

For now - I'm off to make another cup of hot tea and then it's back to the sewing machine...I'm going to be chained to it until I leave for Dallas (and that is just fine with me!)....

Friendship Friday - A Celebration

Today was the perfect day for a friendship Friday gathering...it has been rainy, gloomy and gray all day, but having a long lunch with dear friends was like having a beautiful, sunny day! Spending a few hours with Kimber and Mary is incredibly good for my soul - and today was extra special because we were celebrating Kimber's birthday. We had lunch at our favorite local restaurant and enjoyed great food and extremely fun conversation...so fun, we completely lost track of time and were there for three hours (is there any better way to spend a rainy afternoon?)! It was delightful putting together a birthday box for Kimber...she truly appreciates handmade gifts and really notices personal touches...and now that she has received everything, I can share them with you. I decided to make her a couple small zippered pouches to use in her favorite purses/bags...and since she loves wool, I thought one of my wool applique pin pillows (featuring pink, of course) would be a perfect addition. I have also been collecting yardage of ribbons in her favorite colors that I wrapped around a large vintage wooden spool (found at a local antique shop). I wrapped all the presents in gift gloss and tissue paper and put them in a photo storage box, tied with a bright pink grosgrain ribbon.

I don't know what was more fun - putting together Kimber's birthday box...or watching her open each of her gifts...it made my heart happy. To have many of the important people in my life spread across the country, what a joy it is to have two wonderful friends just a few miles away - I always look forward to our special outings!
...and just like that my rainy day was filled with sunshine!

Eye Candy and Inspiration

I'm a day later than I originally planned with this post...but sometimes, life gets in the way. I spent most of the week hunkered down in my studio, playing catch-up and working on a variety of projects, including some needlework finishing for a customer. I still have a pile of cross stitch pieces I am working on this weekend, but I thought I would share a couple of the projects that were returned to their happy home yesterday. I really enjoy needlework finishing for customers...especially when they let me finish each piece as I see fit...it's just carving out the time in my schedule to get them completed...luckily my clientele are EXTREMELY patient! I tend to go "off the beaten path" with a lot of my finishing...especially when the projects don't include finishing supplies or if the finishing instructions are questionable...and if I know the stitcher, I try my best to finish them to match their personality...

Blackbird Designs: Loose Feathers #20 - Secret Garden
Box Top and Strawberry

Milady's Needle: Cottage Charm Stitcher's Pocket and Needlebook

Inside Cottage Charm Needlebook

 ....and speaking of beautiful needlework...I received the most AMAZING gift from a very dear friend...a set incredible handmade berry pincushions that were each personalized especially for me (and all the tops are finished differently)...and they came in a lovely glass-sided box that holds them all...and I can't stop staring at  them...aren't they breathtaking??!!

This week, I also got to take an impromptu road trip with my fabulous friend Mary...we headed to my very favorite quilt shop in Creston, Iowa called Quilts and Other Notions...I needed a few more yards of fabric for a project I am working on a customer...plus, we both *needed* a little time away. Luckily, the quilt shop still had the fabrics I was searching for (plus a couple others)...and we got the first stamps on our All Iowa Shop Hop passports. We then stopped at the local Mexican Restaurant for lunch. Driving back, on a whim, I turned off on the highway to Winterset...we got to see more of the Iowa countryside and visit the Fons & Porter Love of Quilting Quilt Shop and the Ben Franklin (I always enjoy a visit to Ben Franklin - it is like going back in time!). We had a lovely day!

My very favorite quilt shop - if you are in the Creston, Iowa area
you should definitely make arrangements for a visit!

I have also been getting in daily training walks and play sessions with Miss Schatzi. Now that our favorite trail is open again, we have been getting in at least 5-miles per day (and that is saying a lot with rain, rain, and more rain in the forecast almost every day). I try to Instagram a photo from most of my 3-Day training walks - we see so much beauty each day...

This afternoon, I will be busy with some more needlework finishing...then cutting/sewing/quilting some custom projects...and I have design work to do tomorrow...I am ready for a very creative weekend!