FNSI results

stocking #1....... and I'm going to make 3 more. thank goodness we are having 2 FNSI this month!

i used THIS pattern and THIS tutorial to make it. It had pretty easy instructions.....but the stocking is a lot smaller than i thought it would be. its definitely for "decoration". Santa Clause leaves my family LOTS of goodies in their stockings because we have all been so good all year long.

yep, that's some red corduroy around the top and gives it the added touch it needed.
(you all know how much i love my corduroy!!)

I have spent the morning in my sewing room. I am trying to get a few things done before my husband drags me out of the house for errands. ok, his errand is sitting at DMV changing our addresses. I think i would rather poke a sewing needle in my eye.

don't forget to come back tomorrow because I am doing this weeks winner for our giveaway/drawing!!! I have made up something a little special because of the holidays. HEIDI will be doing next weeks FNSI winner.

still sewing....

heres a peak....
its 10pm and I am still sewing. WOOHOO
im wondering if it was the coffee, coke and ice tea I drank this afternoon??

I wish I was up north along with some of the sewers this weekend. they are about to get hit with a TON of snow and a blizzard. is that a perfect excuse to "sew all day" or what?

does decorating ever end?

when i bought my house......i couldn't wait to do this. banisters just scream to be decorated!

this is a word that means a lot to me during christmas.....JOY. because my family loves to be happy and laugh.

(not a christmas item) my sis bought me this painting as a house warming present. Birch trees always remind me of where i grew up-North Dakota. sitting outside, in front of our apartment, trying to tear off a big enough piece of the bark of the tree. the spiral chunk giving me hours and hours of thrill. ok probably minutes and minutes but when your a kid heck everything seems like hours. LOL

this picture i just HAD to add. see my carpet? no, i don't have a cleaning lady....my husband vacuums like that. its good to be bobbi :)

i just ordered Camille Roskelleys PDF version of her stocking pattern. Im gearing up for Friday Night Sew-In this week. I think me and my guys all need stockings this year made by me. Figgy pudding ones to go with our tree skirt i haven't finished yet. 17 days till christmas....heck i have plenty of time. WINKWINK

its beginning to look a lot like christmas!

we put up our tree tonight and i love this ornament below from my childhood. it just reminds me of simpler times when ornaments were handmade. i even bought some of these wood blocks last weekend at target in the dollar section and want to make a few ornaments for my kids.

this ornament cracks me up every year. my sis gave this to me as a "joke" a few years back. im sure it was true back in the day....LOL

here is my fav xmas decoration. a santa doll my sis made me. he even has a teddy like mine when i was a kid and a quilt/blanky! see my old red sled i bought at an auction in minnesota?

lastly, remember my homemade stocking stand? i blogged about it HERE last year. simple to make....and its almost better than a mantel. (almost) BUT she does still need to be repainted. (put that on my to do list for 2011).

anyone have any ideas for simple quick ornaments to have kids make? i would love to hear about them or see some links :)

Friday Night Sew In x2---12/10 and 12/17

Its double the fun this month ladies and gents.

I know we all have a bunch of projects and are down to the wire. so we have added another date at the request of all of you!

christmas is just 3 short weeks away. i know i have a few projects on the burner, so lets do this together!

click HERE for the sign ups on heidis blog for the first FNSI, 12/10/10. The sign ups for 12/17 will be coming soon.

im in love...

i heart this tree skirt.....

i adore figgy pudding........

i cant wait to put up my tree......

i need to decide on the backing.....

i cant wait to quilt it....

Merry Christmas to me!

my tree needs her skirt!

I have discovered how easy wonky stars are to make! as i said last week, i dug out my figgy pudding stash and layed out a plan for a tree skirt. i better get crackin too because my tree is going up soon. my 4 stars are done--woot woot.

im using bits and pieces of a tutorial that is on Sew Mama Sew's blog. who doesnt LOVE tutorials?

ive never been a "put the tree up after thanksgiving" kind of gal. no clue why....but i can be a bit of a bah-humbug too. (do people admit that openly on blogland?)

while taking these photos, i realized i need to put my husband and his saws to work this weekend. i need a design wall! hanging a chunk of batting up with stickpins just isnt working for me.

well, back to my machine i go!

Aprons are a MUST

Here is a picture of my sister and i cooking on thanksgiving. i am SOOO glad she gave me an apron and brought hers. along with it being very practical, it was kind of fun. those ladies in the 50s had the right idea!

my sisters is adorable! it has lucille ball in a chefs hat. next week im going to hunt around my LQS for some of this fab and make myself one of these. we hope to get some sewing time in tonight. she is going to make her grandson a little mans apron because he loves to cook with his mommy. :)

these 2 have been inseparable all weekend. aint it sweet?!!

Time to go do some shopping. These girls are getting pedicures .......because after cooking for 8 hours on thanksgiving i think we deserve it!!!

gum is banned!!! (call me oprah)

i have a helpful hint for all of us moms and dads out there who have found gum stuck in our dryers. i had bought a brand new shiny washer and dryer.....and day 4 of using these beautiful pieces of machinery, i opened the dryer and found the gum pictured below ALL OVER the inside of my dryer. not just a few specs.....oh heck no.....an entire pack of rasberry flavored AND colored gum on everything. it seemed to cover almost my entire drum. (the clothes only had a few spots--strange i know)

so after a little cussing and crying.......i ran downstairs and googled "gum in dryer". i was desperate. well let me tell you the very first helpful hint i found was this. (see picture below).

i said to myself NO WAY could it be this easy! after a quick late night trip to the store, i tried it and it WORKED.

all you have to do is take a dryer sheet of any brand, get it wet, lay it on the gum for a few minutes and then rub. it came RIGHT OFF! ! there of course were a few spots where a hefty chunk o' gum had glued itself to the inside.....so it took a little elbow grease and a few more sheets (i think i used half the box) but it worked like a charm.

make life owly

i had a few people ask me about the kit i bought at my LQS friday night. here is what it will look like.....this is the one THEY had made up! caught my eye and my wallet :)
the pattern is BITTY OWL by BunnyHill Designs. just think of all the fun ways to make it!

last night i was doing a little blog surfin and came upon a few ideas for tree skirts. SewMamaSew has a link to an idea that i like, but didnt love. i liked 2 diff things on 2 diff skirts. so out came the drawing pad and i think ive come up with something i will love to make.

10pm last night i was rummaging through my fabric (cuz we all have a huge stash of it) and i came across my figgy pudding stash. WOOHOO.....ive got PLENTY for this tree skirt project and heck, maybe even a quilt...... maybe 2 quilts.....maybe a few potholders......

lets just say i have loads of it ;)