winter projects

Amy, I love the new color on our opening page....and we need color during the dreary days of winter.   I have started a colorful project...and in fact it is all over the kitchen table...I took a photo and tried to post it here but nothing happened..and I suspect I need a bit of adjustment....when I took my computer in for repair there are a few things that are not right and this is one of them...but the guy did fix the problem..just created a few more......at any rate, I am painting......have 20-5ft. stakes with a  rounded pointy end, all over the table...yesterday I cleaned them with a wire brush and primed a few of them...today I have painted 5 of them like colored pencils and they are so cute...they will be put together with a piece of wood to create some trellises for our spring plant sale.....of course in the meantime we cannot eat breakfast or dinner there...is a mess...I need a heated workshop

Wool Rug

I have started a warp on the warping board to use some of the rug wool that I have in my stash. I am hoping that I can use a linen warp for the rugs. I didn't have any wool that I thought would work for the warp, only the weft, so I am trying the linen. The only thing I am concerned about is that the linen is "hairy". Although I haven't used 100% linen before, I know that it is difficult to use. That it needs to have even tension. So even though the linen is very strong, I am not sure that I will be successful using it. Time will tell!

I scanned some of the linen. You can see the how
hairy it is-wish me luck

Amy

Empty Boxes

I know that Diana got a giant frog but did any of you get an empty box? My husband received two empty boxes from our oldest son. On the side of the box is a website, www.lifeboxcompany.com. If you read the website you will realize that the boxes only appear to be empty. The directions on the side said that we should tear, soak, chill, peel, cover and water and our box will come to life. A project to do with our grandsons this spring.
Amy

Christmas rarities

sure you are all stuffed with goodies, tired from frivolities and playing with your new toys....I received so many of them from favorite books to good smelling stuff.....and perhaps that is close to what you received too....but I bet none of you got a frog like me....this guy is so heavy and is huge...about a foot and a half long and a foot high and wide......and he will be so at home on my deck this next summer....and I had to share him with you today.....he was a gift from my husband's daughter who always finds the 'bestest' gifts for me and I love it of course...

A Little Present

These are a couple of Asian dolls that I got at a
yard sale. I love them. They appear to be vintage, but
I am unsure how old they are. The have some stains but such
character.

This little doll was made by Diana and was
a Christmas gift a few years ago. Her clothing is
made of felt with yarn hair and a little heart mouth.

This one was made for my daughter when she
got her job. It was made by a woman that
I worked with about 25 years ago. My daughter
thought she was a little creepy, I thoughts she was
great, so she is at my house.

I am sure you have seen the commercials about getting a new car for Christmas with a beautiful red bow on the top and the commercials about getting diamonds, "He went to Jareds!" Well I haven't got any of those things but I do have a really big cold. I haven't had a cold in years, but now that the Christmas season is here I feel like just sleeping. So not much weaving going on here, I am almost finished with the warp of bibs, but I am unhappy with the selvedges. So I thought I would show you my small collection of dolls.
Amy

Wait these aren't dolls, these are my grandsons. 

Amy forgot something

It was great to see all that loot that Amy displayed but she forgot to mention the beautiful weavings that she    has created for us.    I received that beautiful set of blue napkins but there is a problem.   She wove that great washcloth and her hubby made the soap, then she gave me that sweet dishtowel and now the napkins...but I  can't use them....never washed my face, wiped a dish and now am I expected to wipe my greasy lips with those napkins?......how did those folks a hundred years ago use their things they wove?.....they are just too wonderful and heirlooms to me...We did enjoy a wonderful lunch and gift exchange and I am so lucky to have sisters with such talent.  Thank you to both of them.

Christmas cards

Amy already mentioned the cards I made that have a packet of hot chocolate inside but I thought I'd show another picture. I found the idea on line but failed to note where. Sorry about that. Anyway, they are made from a piece of 12x12 scrapbooking paper that is heavier than the just printed paper kind and are cut approximately 4-1/4" wide by 11"long and are scored at 5" and 10". These measurements are approximate so if yours is a 1/4" larger, that's okay. Fold  paper on the folds, decorate the front however you'd like, stick a pack of Swiss Miss up under the 1" folded end, punch 2 holes (use a 1/8" or 1/4" punch) about 1" apart and about 1/4" down from the fold through the front, the hot chocolate mix and the back of the card. Thread a ribbon (about 12" to 14" long) through from the back, tie on a jingle bell and tie ribbon into a bow. Fold the front up and tuck it under the top so it looks like a matchbook. I liked making these so much that I made 30 of them!

Goodies

I know some of these pictures

should have been rotated, but 

I hope you can see them without

rotation.

This is a paper mache snowman on a box-made
by my sister, Gail. Isn't he cute?

This picture is of the pillow, made by my sister, Diana.
She does a beautiful job on her counted cross
stitch. This also shows a star made by our friend and some
towels she gave me.

This is a little blurry and should be the other way, but it was
made by Gail and if you lift the flap, it has a package
of hot chocolate inside, too cute.

Gail also gave me this purse made our of a Little
Golden Book, she bought it and if you want
to make one yourself, you would need a
heavy duty sewing machine.

Diana gave me a very old doll, she appears to have legs made
of oilcloth. I will have to show my other dolls that I have
I don't really collect dolls, but I do have a few of them.

Yesterday, my sisters, a friend and I went to lunch. We usually try to meet at least once a month for lunch and in December we exchange some gifts and get a gift box ready for our sister that lives in another city.  I know she always reads this blog, so she should be on the look out for her box. Hopefully it will get there before her birthday and it can be a birthday/Christmas box. I got a lot of goodies and I took a few pictures of them.

I made this runner to go from our side door
to our kitchen. This is the door that we use
the most and we are always tracking things in-after
I put the rug down, I spilled a large pepsi on it and
then I had to wash it and a threw it into the dryer.
It came out a little smaller but really stayed
together well.

This is the start of my first bib, I am a little off on the
tension, I may cut this one off and tie on again.

I also finished my run of rag rugs and have started on some bibs.
Amy

Love Christmas

don't you?...love Christmas that is.....cookies, and festivities, music too......when we were kids we thought we had the best Christmas, but looking back it was really not much, but our Mom made it feel that way...there was always new colors, and coloring books, jumpropes, candy and oranges, and new doll clothes she made for our dolls...we were in Christmas Heaven.   One of the things our Mom always gave us was a new book for Christmas and it is one of the things I miss from her...I would save that book till the hustle and bustle settled down and then I would settle down with that book....My daughter has taken her place and always buys me a book to read.   So I am in the midst of doing for Christmas just like all the rest of you...isn't it fun........oh and the photo?...the Santa is my favorite of course because he is a gardening one given to me by my good friend Dawna years ago...and the sheep is a gift from just last year, felted by my friend Patsy...isn't it cute?     Gail I love that advent banner and think it would be a great seller to others.

advent calendar

I made an advent calendar for one of my granddaughters. I found it posted at www.skiptomylou.org/2011/11/24/fabric-gift-tag-advent-calendar-turtorial  This person used red clothespins to pin each pocket to the jumbo rick rack but I couldn't find my clothespins so I just sewed all the pockets onto the rick rack, then I filled the pockets with little trinkets like buttons, shells, thread, labels, and a few dollars. I originally bought candy to go into the pockets but we somehow ate it all before I got the calendar made. Imagine that!?:

 And a close up pic.

I used bingo numbers on each pocket. Gail