Keeping My Hands From Idleness

Hello Friends! Well I haven't been making cards lately, but I have been trying not to be idle either.  I have a few things to share with you that I've been making and I hope you enjoy.  The Lord has greatly blessed me with a lot of free or cheep yarn so I've been making use of it.  Some insights into my life at home. 

My girls and I have made some wonderful little sachets to go in our clothing drawers and around the house.  We used these beautiful sachet templates from Stranger's and Pilgrims on Earth. She has a huge range of wonderful teaching on herbs and household things.   

The above blanket is a baby ripple blanket.  Pattern found at Peanutzmom's Pattern Place . It's made with Little Mouse, Soft Fern, and Prince Pebbles yarn from I think Red Heart.  Very soft.

In our yard are four bird feeders that my children and I have put out made from recycled milk and apple juice containers.  We have a variety of birds and the local squirrels that vie for the seeds and it often makes for some very entertaining moments. :)  Above are a couple pine grosbeaks that were outside the kitchen window today above the feeder. Then below is a picture of the squirrel who was trying to guard the feeder and keep them away.  We also have Whisky Jacks, chickadees and Magpies that come around.

I've made yet another pair of warm mittens for myself.  The yarn was from a dear friend and it's a washable wool.  That will greatly help for I have a tendency to get dirty. LOLI didn't actually use a pattern for these, I just remember certain steps from a previous pair I'd made and just made them to fit my hands.

Then I found this sweet yarn.  It's Rosebud and I don't know who it's from as I've already gotten rid of the labels.  It's very soft as well and I love the vivid colour.  I had enough yarn left over to make a little doily to match.  I used this shell stitch pattern from Yarntopia for this blanket.

I've also made a granny square blanket for a little one from chunky yarn in Wedgewood.  This one is fairly heavy, but SO warm.  I found all the yarn at the free store and it was just enough to make this.

Then I've made a little granny square blanket from odds and ends that I've found/ collected.  I like doing square blankets with scraps since I never know how big it'll get and then if I have to improvise it doesn't look odd.

I've been making lots of yummy things with my children.  Below my daughter made some apple pies with me.  We've been making cookies, cupcakes, and much more.  My daughter's are also doing very well at making meals and we are working on menu planning.

So there is a glimpse into what I've been keeping my hands busy with.   I have a quilt that is mostly finished, but I have lost my walking foot attachment for my machine so I'll have to wait to finish that project when I have the right tools again.
It is a blessing to have things to do that can be shared with others.  What have you all been up to?
Praying you have a blessed day!

Sharing over at the Art of Homemaking Mondays.  

Ribbon Embroidery

Hello crafty friends!  Today I have something a bit different to share with you.  I was encouraged by a sweet lady to try ribbon embroidery.  I've never done this before and thought I'd give it a try.  I cannot say that it is my talent....but I did finish what I started.  There are many many ways to do this skill but I tried a free hand on a small bag that I found.  It was a material with a looser weave that I thought would be easier to let the ribbon pass through.

I used an upholstery needle to fit the ribbon through the eye, and plunged right in.  I used four different ribbons, but all were satin and were very smooth to go through the fabric.  I struggled with getting the ribbon to lay lay just the right way. :)

It was an interesting project, and I'll be adding an insert to the bag to protect the backing of the work.  I have yet to find the right material....I'll keep looking.

Here are some pictures of the little panels that I worked on a little closer.  I tried to make three different kinds of flowers....yes, feel free to laugh.  I almost didn't share this...but I suppose it's all part of the crafting process.  

Thank you for taking the time to drop by and check out my blog! Praying you have a lovely day!

Sharing this post with The Art of Homemaking Mondays.

A Special Outfit for a Special Bear

Hello Friends!  Today I have something a bit different to share with you.  My son wanted a little camouflage outfit for his teddy.  He picked out some yarn that he liked and so I thought...for a long time how I would go about doing this.  It's not perfect, but for the most part it fits well.  He now has an outfit of a hat, a coat and mittens on a string.  So he won't get cold this winter....well....I am thinking of making him pants.  What do you think?

Here's a back shot.

He's a well loved bear and my daughter sewed a button nose on for him after the original one wore off.

I sewed on a couple buttons on with brown thread to keep the jacket front together.

Then to keep the mittens from falling of or just plain getting lost....I sewed a string on to them.

It was a fun project, and I have an outfit to make for my other son's stuffy.  That will take a bit more thinking since it's considerably smaller.  So that will be forthcoming. :)  

Well, I've had some feedback...so here're the Teddy with some pants. :)

Praying you all have a beautiful day! 

Sharing this with The Art of Homemaking Mondays.

Homestead Apron and Apple Treat

Hello Friends!  I have an apron to share with you.  A friend of mine gave me this lovely homestead fabric and I thought that since she was moving into a new home and into a new kitchen I'd make her something new to wear in it.

I added some little eyelet style lace to accent it along with the two pockets.

I have also tried to make these sweet apple flowers with a butter pastry bottom.  I must say that it's not my thing to get them to roll nicely.  But.....they tasted so very yummy!  I will definitely use these ingredients, but in a different shape next time. :)  I do need to learn to make my own butter pastry.  Any tips?

Sharing with Art of Homemaking Mondays

A Couple Cute Snowman Cards

Hello Friends!  Today I have something a bit different to share with you.  This week From the Heart Stamps put out this very adorable little snowman stamp set and it was on sale at the store HERE for just $1.00.  So I had to grab it.  It's very fun to colour up and every time I see it I smile. :)
With having a new one of Faith's images I also wanted to play along in one of the challenges on the FTHS blog.  It's a sketch challenge with a twist.  So I followed the sketch and added the twist which was stitching.  It's a bit hard to see in the pic, but you can click on it and see it bigger if you'd like to.
I used my Spectrum Noir markers to colour with and I used My Mind's Eye papers as well.

Since it was so fun to play with I made another card right afterwards.  I had printed out a few of these sweet snowmen in two different sizes.  For this card below I also coloured the image with my Spectrum Noir markers and used My Mind's Eye papers and pre-made card base.

Thanks for dropping by to see me. :)  It was nice to play with paper again.
Praying you have a beautiful day!

A Butterfly Birthday

Hello! Today I have a card to share with you that I made for a sweet friend of mine.  She lives far away so this is a birthday greeting that fluttered  her way.

I used a My Mind's Eye decorative card base and added some papers from My Mind's Eye, a doily piece some ribbon and a cute pre-made flower.  I stamped the sentiment over the butterflies.
Something simple to fit in an envelope to fly over the ocean.

I hope you are enjoying the day!  Here in the Yukon, the sun has come out of the clouds and the wind has changed directions...winter is on it's way. :)  God is so good and orders things just as they should be.

Sharing with Word Art Wednesday.  

Embroidery Hoop Storage

Hello! Yes, It's me again. hehehe I'm loading you all down with posts this week.  I hope you are all having a beautiful day!  Today I'd like to share with you a fun project that I have been itching to do.  I saw a picture of it posted somewhere and I though it was just the perfect way to store my crochet needles and then other items as well.   

I have different sized embroidery hoops that I already had some fabric in from a display I did at the last place I lived.  Thus far since moving they'd just been stacked away in a safe place.  So I was already partly there.  Now I have my hoops hung up with those non-marking hooks on the wall in my sewing/ craft area.

What follows is a bit of a tutorial on how I made my hoop storage thingy's if you'd like to see how I put them together. :)  Hope it's clear enough for you to follow easily.

First pick out some material you'd like to use.  I had just a couple different ones, but you could use the same kind or three different ones....you choose.

I cut a piece to fit the whole hoop, and one to fit about 2/3 of the way over top.

Then using a good hot iron, baste the edge of the overlapping fabric down on the one side.  ( I use about a 1/4- 1/2 inch myself.)  That way it won't unravel on you.  Then sew along the basted line to keep it in place.

Then set the material over the larger piece and pin it together in the desired place.   Then you need to sew some vertical lines  to make your pouches.  You can add as many as you'd like and in varying widths.  I just eyeballed mine, so they aren't all the same. LOL

The next step is to add a smaller band or ribbon.  This is to keep all the items you're storing at the same level.  If you make a band, you need to remember to bast it under and then sew it down on each bast line so that it's secure.  When I used the ribbon, I just used one sewed line for it.

Now it's time to put it on the hoop.  Lay the material over the inner circle and secure with the outer circle.   Final step is turn it over and cut off the excess material.  

Voila!  You're done.  Now you can fill it and hang it up in a convenient spot. :)

Thanks so much for dropping by and I pray that you enjoyed the tutorial.  It's always fun to try new things, and to create things that are not only functional but pretty!

Sharing at Art of Homemaking Mondays.