One Creative Family

How many of us just go thru the years enjoying the Holiday season (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Holidays you celebrate and New Years) knowing what why we celebrate, but sometimes some hit harder.  This has been the case for me this year.  It has been a tough last 6-8 months and it makes me appreciate the importance of the meaning of these Holidays.  I am looking forward the most spending time with family and embracing every moment of it.

We put out tree up on Friday,  we will get the rest of the decorations out today and get it set up except the Manger Set.  This is has always been the job of the youngest in the family to set it up.  Tomorrow Destiny will set it up and will help decorate the lower part of the tree.  I am excited to see it all up and ready.

Get ready for some wonderful photos of our little house decorated.

Since this is blog is about our family here is a little bit about the other members.

Ashley and Jim(our son and daughter in law)bought a new home and it is a large old home.  It is 109 yrs old with the original woodwork and steep staircases.  They are hosting our Thanksgiving and have gone all out on decorations.  Their first house was quite a bit smaller and didn’t feel they had the room.  They are making most of their gifts so I don’t know what they are working on.  For some stupid reason they won’t tell me.

Mary is working on bath bombs and some soap.  Last year she came up with toilet bowl cleaners and I love them.  I’ve hinted at wanting more. Just drop one in the toilet and it keeps it fresh and clean.

Alicia is conspiring with the grandkids on Christmas so no news there.

Hubby is making puzzle boxes for the family.  As we give them all a little cash, he gets creative on ways for them to get their money.  He makes puzzle boxes and puts the money inside.  If they want their money they have to open the boxes.

Me, well I will share on little thing on my agenda.  I have been asked for different recipes that I make and so each Grandchild will get a cookbook with recipes from me, my family, and Gary’s family.  So the beginning on One Creative Family Cookbook.

Lots of fun and gifts made with love.  The best part of giving.

Enjoy and live each day as your last with no regrets.  Make it a joyful day.

Today my littlest granddaughter and I made Snowmen ornaments. She got so wrapped up in doing this that we made 14 of them. After this we got paper, scissors, and glue sticks out. She is conquering how to use scissors. A great fun day.

Yesterday was a beautiful day and in the mid 40s.  Last night got cold and woke up to temps in the teens and snow.  As of noon we have 1 inch of snow and it is going to continue with a winter watch until 6pm.  I don’t mind the snow, but the road outside my window is slick.  I live on a hill and just watched a delivery truck get stuck.  On the good side I don’t HAVE to get out in it unless we chose.    I am wondering if we will have more snow for Thanksgiving, or what the winter will bring.

Yesterday, Monique from Farmhouses Quilts posted a cute flower box pattern, and I made one of them.  I do think I will be making more of these.  They are so cute.This took only about 30 minutes from start to finish.  Imagine make up brushes in it, pencils and pens on a desk, full of candy.  You get the picture.

This afternoon will bring working a quilting a wall hanging and some applique.

Stay warm and safe this week.

Remember and never forget our Service men and women who have endured and still enduring so much for our Countries.

We had about 1″ of snow the other day and the temp. started dropping.  Last night it dropped to 16 degrees and today’s high was 24.  I have been moving some things around to get ready for the Christmas tree to be set up and all my other Christmas goodies out.  I love the Christmas Holidays so much, but this year is even more special.  I am enjoying seeing the Wonder of the decorations, expectations and excitement of a 3 yr old.  Just makes you appreciate it all so much more.

After the cleaning I sandwiched a wall hanging and am trying to decide on the quilting of this and start marking it.

Tomorrow will bring making cookies and tamales.  What will you be doing tomorrow?

Did I mention, I love this time of the year?   Have a wonderful day and stay warm.

Woke this morning to the weather man saying by Thursday we will have our 2nd snow of the year.  Fall is here and it seems winter is pushing its way into the fall and telling me “Deal with it, Lady.”  I start thinking of what to do while the snow is falling.  Any ideas???????????  I know….. QUILTING!

I have my applique quilt to work on and a whole summer of craft fairs to get ready for.  I decided I need to keep a notebook handy for what I need to get done and any new ideas.  How do you keep your mind focused and not all jumbled up with ideas and stuff?  While I worked I had a big desk calendar that I wrote EVERYTHING on.  So now I need to organize my ideas.  Sounds good right?  I don’t know if this will work.  I am trying it and will let you know.

Have a great day.  I am organizing today.

I am attempting my first needle turned applique quilt.  I love the southwest colors scheme and have had these colors in my home.  While on our vacation to the SW I fell in love with the pattern Quail Trail by Adriane Walsh.  I didn’t like a few things so I changed them.  My background is a light and med cream 10.5″ HTS arranged into diamond shapes.  I am enlarging it from wall hanging to queen size bed.  That means more appliques and may throw in a few reminders of our trip, like the cactus, gecko in the shower, and just  few other things.  Did I say I liked her pattern?  Maybe the idea of it.  Oh well such is life.

While waiting at the hospital while hubby was have outpatient procedures done I got the first applique finished.  In the bottom right hand side of this block will be an adobe building.  I think I will like this.

I have never made a whole quilt with hand applique on it.  I grew up doing embroidery, cross stitch, and some applique on my kids clothes.  While on vacation I fell in love with the pattern Quail trail and purchased. I think it was the border and colors more than anything sucked me in.  I didn’t like the size, or background for the applique.  I am making it bigger and the background fabric is 2 different light and 2 med, cream colored fabric.  I will be making them into 10 1/2″ HTS and 10 1/2″ pinwheel blocks.  The applique will be spread out a little and maybe a few other pieces thrown in.  We will see how it turns out.  Also IF I can stay focused.

Wish me luck.

Today I have been on a rant and will just touch on it.  You have heard me talk about Destiny(my 3 yr old granddaughter), well she has been wanting to pretend she has a baby in her tummy.  I talked to her mom and she has done some checking and one set(she has 3 sets of grandparents) let her watch youtube cartoons and there were a series of Minnie Mouse giving birth.  Not the Disney Minnie, but still cartoons on toddler’s channel.  STUPID.  I told Youtube so.

Now today we will concentrate on the fun of Halloween.  We will get ready for the trick or treaters and have fun.  Her older sister is taking her out around our neighborhood(I have lived here for 30 yrs).  I have a large iron pot hubby’s grandmother and her mother made lie soap and did laundry in.  I will have it out front with quilt batting in it and a large bowl of candy in it.  We will sit on the swing handing out candy.  I will have 2 quilts for us to wrap up in.

What are your plans for this day?

I think this morning we will have to get the leaf blower and mower out to get the leaves up that are falling.  FALL is here and I love it.  Have a great day.

The last few days I have been trying alcohol ink on different types of fabric.  I tried muslin  I wasn’t over joyed with this.  Ink didn’t spread with the alcohol and turned a little dull.  Next was 100% cotton.  This one a little better  Then I tried silk.  I also used permanent markers and I got more of a run with the markers than the ink, but the inks are more vibrant.  I will be trying some brushing it on.  I do think this will be something fun to try for the winter..  Have you ever tried anything like this?

Just think of the designs you can make for your quilts.  Yours from the beginning to the end.  Now to start practicing.  We will see how it goes.

Today I cut out a tote and then played with alcohol ink.  I do think I like this and will be experimenting more with this.  I have some white scarves that I need to try and do something with.  More and more fun will be coming.  I have my fabric dying table set up in the garage so I won’t ruin the kitchen.  Last winter I tried some fabric dying and then got side tracked.  I have started digging out all my things in the basement and now to bring them up to the garage.  This will be my messy work space and I can get as messy as I want.  I also have lots of plastic to cover the ground and table.

Do you have a messy work room?  What is it?  What do you do?

How do you decide on your next project?

Do you jump from one project to the next?  The more you try different projects the more you want to learn more.

Will post pictures tomorrow.  Let’s see how things go.