A Wonderful Package

Yesterday I had a Wonderful, surprise package come to my house. A kind, wonderful, good witch from the south, sent me a package. Now I have to tell you, this couldn't have come at a better time. You see I was wrong about feeling better yesterday. Within an hour of posting, my head and body started becoming achy and painful. I spent hours on the couch staring at the TV, till I finally fell asleep. Late in the evening I was feeling almost 40 percent better when my MIL called. She told me that I had a package at her house. My in-laws live 13 houses away, on the same road. These aren't identical houses, nor do we have they same sized lots, but we must have a very lazy UPS driver. He has done this many times. Can you see the difference in these numbers, 5789 and 5885? Well he doesn't seem to be able to.

So back to the story, so my MIL drives this package down to me that evening. Of course when I saw the name on the return I knew exactly who it was, the Good Witch from the south. So PugsLee and I opened the box right up. And you know what? I think that was about the time my head stopped throbbing. Want to see what's inside?
My good friend from the south, after this she'll never get rid of me, sent me 4 cans of Libby's canned pumpkin's. I have seen one of these cans on the grocery store shelves in months. They used to be so prevalent, you could find them in almost any store.

Also a beautiful card of one of my favorite quilt blocks, also a must on my list! Ranette, Thank You doesn't seem to be enough. You made my day in so many ways. Please, please let me know if I can help you in some way. (http://ranettesdailystitch.blogspot.com/) blogger is given me trouble with this link! If this doesn't work,

Ranette's blog is on my list to the right.

I did manage a finish of sorts. Do you remember me showing you this pillow, from last year? I had given it to Cousin Linda and "cough" regretted it? Then I had the brilliant idea to make my own?
I finished the embroidery last night. I even added a monogram "C" for own last name. Ain't it pretty?
I did change the design a little. In the antique original, there were very small circles embroidered, I made french knots in their place. You can still see the slight pink lines that I marked.
Now the next step is to quilt it up and have it ready for my Christmas bed.

So all in all I ready did have a Wonderful Wednesday, Thanks Ranette!

Take care, Brandie

More from Grandma

Remember yesterday when I said that my Aunt is still finding stuff at my Grandmother's? Well here is something else she just found. Isn't it pretty and delicate? What would you do with something like this?
I framed it and put a specimen label in with it and called it a widow web. It is now is with the Halloween decorations. I'm not sure where it will finally live, but it will do as a decoration. If Grandma only knew...
I really didn't get much done yesterday. I had woken up with a sore shoulder and unable to raise my arm higher than half way. So I babied it and read till I got a headache. Then I realized that it wasn't a headache as much as it was sinus pain. So like a good girl I used my Netti pot and soaked in the tub till I felt better.

So far so good on the head this morning, the shoulder is a little better, but I have high hopes that all will be well much better later today.

What I did do is make a little pillow. I was cleaning out a sewing drawer and I came across this little pumpkin block. So I finished it up and turned it into a pillow that sits on my bed.
And since I had so much fun with the rick-rack, I added some to this pillow too.

Thanks for stopping by, have a Wonderful Wednesday!

Take care, Brandie

Old to New

When my Grandmother passed away, we had to have an estate sale. All the family members pitched in to help. Our goal was to find homes for all of Grandma's treasures. You see, Grandma was a collector. She had many collections and came from a time when everything was useful. Even to this day, my Aunt who inherited the house, still finds things to bring me. Mostly sewing items. Unfortunately, I seemed to have inherited that same gene. I feel that everything must have a use and it's hard to get rid of some things. Take these mirrors...
I brought them home from said mentioned estate sale. We didn't sell them and I thought they were kind of neat, so into my car they went. Then into my storage unit they went. Till yesterday, I knew if I just thought hard enough I'd come up with an idea.

As I was cleaning one of the mirrors, the back fell off. Can you see what that date says? July 11, 1928. WOW! Grandma had these in her basement and nobody knows the story. If only the mirror could tell us it's story.
After the first cleaning. You can see the difference between the two mirrors, just ignore everything else. By the way, the cracks you see, are in the mirror, not my ceiling, but they would look good for Halloween.
So I took this poor sad, flaking mirror and turned it into a Halloween decoration. If I change my mind later, I can just scrape the paint off.
And just so you know, taking pictures of mirrors is not easy! I had a very hard time. If I wasn't in the pic, then there was some other problem. Arggg!

So if you have a mirror or you're lucky enough to have an old window hanging around, paint it up for the season. Just pull out the acrylic paints and have a go.

Take care, Brandie

Shared Coasters

Over the weekend, I had several comments about the coasters and a couple of pics of the finished products.
First up we have The Queen of Halloween, Kim from http://www.kimsbigquiltingadventure.blogspot.com/. She put a spin on hers with some beautiful leaves. Go check out her blog, she'll crack you up!
Then we have some from Wilma at http://wilmanc.blogspot.com/. She has been working on some fun Autumn projects.
Then we have a very prolific Sandie from http://crazyboutquilts.blogspot.com/. She whipped out a couple of sets in no time.
She even made her own pattern for apples. Aren't they all so cute?
You all did a fabulous job and if you come up with any other shapes, lets see them!

On another note, remember the bunny quilt? I decided that I wanted to give it a name like an English Estate. So I can't decide on: 1. Meadow View Cottage 2.Robin Hill Cottage 3. Hillside Cottage 4. Red Door Cottage. Give me your opinions and maybe I'll get a label on that puppy! Take care and have a Mellow Monday,
Brandie

Them Bones

In the back of that magazine, Create & Decorate, there was a recipe for "apple crisp bars". I gave it a whirl and a spin and this is what came out. I used my homemade applesauce and layered it in the bars. They came out oh so gooey and cinnamony. Delicious! I think you should give the recipe a try, specially if you have a surplus of apples to use up.
Last week I had ordered these bloody bones candy for Halloween. They inspired me to make my own bones.

So I started small and worked my way to the big bones. Just so you know, I'm no artist or even a DR. but I think we can all recognize a bone when we see one.

Then I moved on the the femur. They were a little more complicated. I was having problems keeping them from looking like a male member, if you know what I mean.

I used this great, light weight foam. I found mine a "Michael's", after much searching. Our store is moving into a bigger place and so the current store was half full with many, many empty racks. But the good news is that the new store opens October 1. I think I'll be at the door waiting. I'm very excited about this as the old store, is very much out of my way and the new store is next door to our "Barnes and Noble", which we visit on a weekly basis. Boy, that was a mouthful!

So if you're feeling like an anatomy lesson, Google femurs and such and make a batch of bones. Just be careful how you Google that!

By the way, I heard back from a few of you about those coasters. Maybe next week we'll have a show and tell. Just don't get carpal tunnel from making too many!

Take care, and have a wonderful weekend!

Brandie

More Scrap Fun

Yesterday I got out my scraps and came up with another way to use them. Coasters. Season appropriate coasters. How cute is that? Well what ever you think, I love them, and my dog loves them! I'm thinking now I need to do some for every Holiday.
So I started with some scarps. I did cut the batting so that I didn't have to wrestle with big pieces, just big enough. You want to have something to hold onto, so don't cut it too small.
Layer a quilt sandwich, with 2 pieces of batting. Draw a pumpkin shape on paper, cardboard or plastic.
Draw around that template onto your fabric. I used a pencil, because you will be sewing over it, but you don't want it to be seen.
Go to your machine and get ready to free motion.
Sew around the outside line several times, 4-5. Then the inner segments of pumpkin a couple of times.
Next, cut a stem and sew him down, also several times around the outside. Carefully trim the pumpkin stem away from the body of the pumpkin.
Then cut as close as possible around the stitched outside line. Till you have a pumpkin coaster.
They are so fun and easy, you'll end up with several before you know it.
Have fun and send me pics if you make any. And just to let you know, Oct 25 is my first year Blogiversary. And because I made so many coasters, you will have a change to win some of these.
Take care, Brandie

Pumpkin Stitches

It's finished, and I'm so happy! When I saw this pattern, I knew I had just the place. My bathroom needed more orange. Now most people wouldn't put orange and turquoise together, but considering the season, I just went with it. In all honesty, I think it's garish and would never recommend these colors being paired.
As you can see, I had a big ol empty spot.

If you want the pattern, I found it in this magazine. There are many other wonderful things in this mag to make. And they even have patterns on-line too.

I just had to show you this. A couple of years ago I got tired of this candelabra. So Hubby took it to the garage. Over the course of a year, it was filled with cobwebs. So last year we of course used it as a decoration. After that, it was again exiled to the garage. This year it has an even spookier look from the candles melting from the heat.

It's really hard for me not to clean it! I have almost picked it up to dust several times! I do think it looks great, I just don't want people to think I'm a bad house cleaner. What's even sillier is that I wiped down the real cobwebs, to hang fake cobwebs, can you see them behind the candles?

Today I have more pumpkin fun planned. Stay tuned for tomorrow...

Take care, Brandie

Tom, Dick, Harry...

A very Grimm fairytale...
Witchy Poo has always had bad taste in men. So bad that she has to do away with them at the end of their relationship. She feels that she is now doing a great service by ridding the world of these terrible men. She has also kept them around as reminder and a deterrent to other men, which never works.

Meet Tom, He was a gambler who thought he owned Witchy Poo. Not so Tom! Now she owns you!
And Dick, he was a thieving rascal, who tried to "borrow" Witchy Poo's car. Enough said.
And Harry. He was an interesting character. He thought he was some sort of royalty, and expected to treated as such. What a pain he was, but not any more!
Charlie and Bob. These 2 were more like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Witchy Poo just felt that living was too rough on them and so she sent them to a better place.
So be careful not to get mixed up with Witchy Poo, specially if you're a bad man. She has no patience for evil.

More Orange

I had a long weekend, how about you? We sent 2 days looking for the perfect turtle home, before Lucky moves in with my Daughter. If the weather was nicer, we'd just leave her outside in the fairy garden, But winter is approaching and the fish tank we have her in is not big enough for her to live and play in. So 2 exhausting days looks for the perfect turtle habitat. Boy are my feet and back tired.
So long story short, I completed no sewing. The last thing I did was make pillowcases. Why? Because I needed a new Halloween look. Remember those sheets? Well I used the top sheet as a cover-up over my white comforter. I also got down one of my black quilts. It's not a Halloween quilt, but it does have orange, so I thought it would work. What do you think?

The weird patch on the right hand of the quilt, must be dust, from the shelf. Funny thing is, you can't see it in person, but every picture that I took has the look. But now you can see how I quilted it! Yup, a simple grid.
My white pillowcase weren't matching as well so I made black ones. I had a little bit of that black polka-dot left over, so of course I used it up. And to the other set, I added rick-rack. How cute is that? I may have gone a little over board, but I can live with it for a while. This has made me realize that I really, really need to make a cheddar quilt. Just cheddar and more cheddar. So I've made a pact with myself to do that by next year.

Tomorrow I promise to show you all the shrunken heads. I went to take a pic just now and my camera is full and just ran out of juice, so tomorrow.

Take care, Brandie

Halloween crafts

Yesterday I channeled my inner witch and whipped up a batch of shrunken heads. This is what they look like before they begin their journey of drying out. I have high hope that they turn into something ghastly or ghouly. They have clove eyes and some even have a few whole grain rice teeth. Creepy!
The inner witch has also been working on a little something that she plans on putting in the bathroom. Can you guess what it is?

How about now? It's orange...

OK, do you have it figured out now? Does the brown area give it away?

The weekend is just around the corner and I have plans for my Hubby. But they are predicting rain. How inconvenient. Oh well, we'll have to find something else to do, maybe more Halloween shopping! I may need more orange stuff!

Have a great weekend! Till next week,

Take care, Brandie

7 down 13 to go, UFO's

I did it! A finish, Hurray! A 10 year old UFO is done and now I can complete something else. I'm so happy with myself. I love to have things checked off my list. I makes me feel proud. I do need to sew the binding down today, but that's no problem for me, I could do that in my sleep.
Some close-up of the feathers, my all time favorites!
I love how it looks from this distance. To far away for you too see any mistakes, like uneven stitch length or even a wonky feather. I'm far from perfect, but I strive to be better every day, in every thing.
Today I'm going to try to complete my Halloween decorating, this binding and maybe even start another UFO.
I'm still looking for a name for this quilt, technically, a quilt isn't complete without a label and I feel that every quilt needs a name. So put your thinking caps on and send me a name. Donna, keep it clean!
Take care everyone, Brandie

Wonderful Wednesday

Thank you all who had suggestions for the quilting. I took your advice and did not remove and of the feathers. Instead I pressed on. And looky here. Doesn't this look Oh SO much better?

I just came back and filled in some of the blank areas with...more feathers. What a great idea! Free form feathers are very liberating. I just need to remember to let my mind go blank and just do it. I need to stop my brain from taking over and just do it! Let my hands do the work.
After I had a talk to my head and hands, I think the quilting went much smoother. Now I just have to finish the other 2 corners. I'm so close I can feel it. Today is my small group get together, so hopefully I'll get much accomplished!

I just want to share some cuteness with you. A couple of weeks ago I had order some fabric. Well after being back ordered, it finally arrived. This is probably not new to any of you. It came out a year or so ago. When I first saw it in a catalog, I knew I needed so. But when I ordered it then, they were out so I figured that I didn't really need it. But now I might need it. You never know.

My cousin and I used to play with her Mom's paper dolls. So when I saw this fabric, I thought of her and I still do. One of these days she may get married and have a little girl and when she does, I'll have the perfect fabric to make a quilt out of. So this will be added to my stash, just for Cindy.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday,

Take care, Brandie