Finding Treasures - HA

I'm in my official holiday quilting slump. I have 2 projects on the table, 1 a  very late Christmas present and 1 a baby gift for a baby born last month.

When this happens I generally switch to knitting or crocheting.  Christmas afternoon found me crocheting hats for pediatric cancer patients in RWJ hospital in NJ and a couple for Operation Shoebox.

By this afternoon I was up to 7 hats and out of small amounts of yarn.  I have a large yarn stash buried under boxes in my garage that I really didn't want to tackle.  Stashed away in the spare bedroom closet I knew I had a large tote of misc yarns.  Didn't know exactly what was in it but I figured I'd be able to find something to work on.  

This is the tote,  It's the largest one that Lands end makes.  It was chock full of treasures, some dating back 4 - 5 -maybe 6 years. Some from earlier this year ( the ones on top ) 

These pictures have been taken after I dumped the bag and sorted its contents.

I found missing needles of various sizes.

This bag contains many skeins of cotton yarn and several started wash cloths and pot holders.

The blue bag contains started projects and small balls of left over yarn. the green bag is a sock and a half, the yellow bag is half a knitted drawstring bag. The purple piece is one of 3 pieces I was going to felt and make into purses for a friend for a Christmas long past.

These 2 bags contain yarns that will be given to a local charity that does yarn related projects.

I even found this vest that I barely remember making that only needs to have the ends woven in. 

Then there was some yarn for socks.

I'm not really sure how all that stuff came out of that one bag.  I'm thinking I don't need that Joanns coupon that is lying on the floor on the right. It's for the big yarn sale that they were having yesterday and today.

I think I should be able to keep myself busy until my quilting mojo comes back.

Christmas Gifts almost done

While I was back in NJ I was able to hand deliver my first Christmas  gift to an old friend.

I haven't crocheted an afghan in several years.  I quite enjoyed it.

I got a little carried away with the size.

I got home and finished this table runner from a free pattern by Lee Heinrich

A Holiday Forest Pillow

Yes it was a pillow pattern that I made into a runner. It's the second one I made, the last one had Purple trees.  I kept that one for myself.

This one is in the mail, another gift down.

I also made a fleece throw for friends.  I own one but I had never made one.

.

Very easy to work up.  I'm actually working on 2 more to hopefully be seen in my next posting.

They are so cuddly. Wonderful to snuggle up in.

They received it today and they love it. 

When I headed up to Jersey I neglected to take a hand work project. I lasted 2 days before I hit the local Michael's

I picked up needles yarn and a basic sock book to keep me company.

I managed to break a land speed  record and finished them before I got home.  1 week.  I think they will be a good stocking stuffer  for my sister.

And today I finished my Temecula Quilts - Wish You a Mini Christmas  piece.

They supplied the patterns for the 12 blocks and suggested 3 different settings.  Heaven forbid I use one of their settings when I could go crazy coming up with my own. 

And this photo just makes me smile.  This is how they deliver Christmas packages in The Villages.

A Very Sad Week

It's been a very long sad week for our family.  Last Saturday our mother passed away after many years of battling Alzheimer / Dementia. I know she is at peace and am thankful that she passed painlessly in her sleep.

Mom was an avid reader. Pretty much a book a day type.  About 4 years ago she lost the ability to follow a story. There have been lots of sad moments over the course of this disease but finding several of her books with multiple book marks was the saddest.

My belief is that she has found a fluffy cloud in heaven and is now seated comfortably reading a book from a never ending pile of books.

She never wanted a funeral, but did want a party, so party we did. We had a lovely repast luncheon for friends and family. I'm sure we made her happy.  I'm sorry I didn't get pictures but my sister in law decorated a small Christmas tree with pictures celebrating moms life hanging from plaid ribbons. It was just perfect.

Virtual Cookie Exchange Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Cookie Exchange.  When Carol put out feelers to see who would like to participate in this exchange I raised my hand.  Only one problem I really don't bake.

So as long as she was OK with my cookie actually being a piece of fudge we were good.

Several years ago (10 -15) someone at work gave me this wonderful recipe.  It is perfect for people like me who want to participate but baking isn't our thing.

This is pretty much it.  You dump a can of icing (16 oz) and a bag of chips ( 12 oz ) in a pan and stir until melted together.

This pan is chocolate icing and peanut butter chips.  That's all.

Totally melt the chips and turn into a cake pan lined with parchment paper.

Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Throw out the packaging and wash the knife.

I made 3 pans for this exchange. 

1) chocolate and peanut butter chips

2) chocolate and chocolate chips with almond slivers tossed in after melting and before putting in the cake pan

3) chocolate and chocolate chips with raspberry jelly tossed in after melting and before putting in the cake pan

After sitting in the fridge for 2 hours you take it out of the pan and cut into small, bite size pieces. This is a very sweet mouthful.  I cut my pieces into 1 inch squares.

This is where being a quilter comes in handy.

I scrubbed down my slotted ruler and used a pizza cutter instead of a rotary cutter to cut my pieces.

pretty neat huh, squares and diamonds

The first 2 pans were picture perfect and then there was the pan with the raspberry jelly

The recipe sheet suggested adding things like raspberry jelly, marshmallow, nuts, coconut etc.

I had never tried the jelly before, the recipe didn't include measurements on the add ins. I apparently got carried away with the jelly.  The fudge never hardened up.  The sad part is that the raspberry is the tastiest of the 3.

Because I was taking some of the fudge to friends for part of the Thanksgiving dessert, I placed the pieces in tiny cupcake papers.  The blobs in the middle are the raspberry, we used spoons to eat them.

I also took some of the pieces of fudge and boxed them for take home after holiday dinner and some went in a tin to be mailed to friends across the state.

Thanks for stopping by and please follow along and visit the other members of the exchange listed below.  Thanks to Carol at Just Let Me Quilt who coordinated this wonderful event.

December 1

Kris at Kris Loves Fabric

Selina at Selina Quilts (you are here)

Karen at KaHolly

Deonn at 3^rd Degree Bakery

December 2

Colette at What About Rheema?

Carla at Creatin’ In The Sticks

Velda at Granny Can Quilt

Mary Ellen at That’s My Home

Karen at Sugar Free Quilted Designs

December 3

Beth at One Old Goat and Her Little Farm

Carol at Just Sew Quilter

Theresa at Bumbleberry Stitches

Brenda at Brenda’s Quilt Blog

Pat at Quilting Quietly

December 4

Linda at Food Storage Moms

Susan at Super Mom – No Cape!

Kathy at Just Quilt it

Lindsay at Lin's Kitchen

Carol at Just Let Me Quilt

Happy Holidays and thanks for stopping by.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving wishes to all of my blogger friends and their families.  Thanks for your continued visits and support.

This is our first holiday season in Florida. Both of our families still live in the north east so there is no family to share the holiday with. Our wonderful neighbors have invited us and a few other strays to share Thanksgiving with them.

My favorite go to hostess gifts are dish towels and trivets/potholders.

I make the trivets about 10 inches square, big enough to put a hot dish on and still not to big if a pot holder is needed

The matching hand towels are made with plain white towels I picked up at BBB with a coupon.  They are my favorite  towel to work with.

This is a sneak peek at the dessert I am taking with me.  Can't show you the final outcome until Tuesday.   That's my day to be in the Virtual Cookie Exchange - see that button up there on the right, Yeah that Virtual cookie Exchange.

Here is a list of all of the participants. Hope you can stop by and visit us all, should be great fun.  

See you there.

December 1

Kris at Kris Loves Fabric

Selina at Selina Quilts

Karen at KaHolly

Deonn at 3^rd Degree Bakery

December 2

Colette at What About Rheema?

Carla at Creatin’ In The Sticks

Velda at Granny Can Quilt

Mary Ellen at That’s My Home

Karen at Sugar Free Quilted Designs

December 3

Beth at One Old Goat and Her Little Farm

Carol at Just Sew Quilter

Theresa at Bumbleberry Stitches

Brenda at Brenda’s Quilt Blog

Pat at Quilting Quietly

December 4

Linda at Food Storage Moms

Susan at Super Mom – No Cape!

Kathy at Just Quilt it

Lindsay at Lin's Kitchen

Carol at Just Let Me Quilt

Catching up with Post Card swap, Winning a Giveaway,Another Table Runner and a Snap Purse

I love participating in  Postcard Exchange s   .I recently participated in one  for fall.  It was coordinated by Sheila over at Sheila's Quilt World. I can now show a couple of pictures of my card since I have heard from the receiver that she has it in hand.

The pattern was designed by Michelle May at Raspberry Rabbits.  Her original design was much larger. I shrank it down to post card size.

I actually made 2, one for the swap and one for a friends aunt who made me a Christmas ornament.

Last month there was a Halloween blog hop and Brandy over at Pampered Pettit participated and  had her very own giveaway.  I was her  Winner .  Click on the link and see her wonderful work.

This is the wonderful assortment of goodies I recieved all in this terrific zip bag with the vinyl front.

Each piece nicer than the next.

See this box of candy, I had it finished by the time I finished writing my thank you note, it was delicious. 

And here is my 3rd Christmas table runner.  It is based on a free pattern by Lee Heinrich of 

Freshly Pieced.   The pattern 

My Holiday Forest pillow

is for a pillow but I made two and turned it into a wonderful table runner. Table runners are my home made gift of choice this holiday season.

And just in case the recipient isn't as crazy as I am about my purple trees

I backed it in Christmas presents.

And last but not least is my 15 minute snap purse.

Christmas Is In My Heart Blog Hop

Welcome to my  stop on the Christmas Is In My Heart Blog Hop and special thanks to 

Marian of Seams to be Sew

for coordinating this wonderful holiday event.

I make quilty gifts for several friends and members of my family annually. This is the beginning of this years projects. 

It was a bit labor intensive, it is made up of a bazzillion  1 1/2 inch squares.

It involved lots of organizing.  

But it was so worth it.

I love the shadow.  This was a bear of a piece to shoot. It measures in at 18 by 72.

I couldn't resist the picture with the palm trees in the background. This is my first winter in Florida which is a far cry from New Jersey weather wise

You really can't tell but the deer is really pixilated.

Next gift is the same size and not pixilated.  This one was a breeze in comparison.

I tried to get shots outside but they just looked washed out so I put it where it belonged, on the table.

Both of these table runners are rows from a quilt I made last year, the Fair Isle Quilt.  

This one is going to a friend who celebrates both  Chanukkah and Christmas so I thought I would make it so she can flip it over from one holiday to the next.

And yes I know that a Heart was to be incorporated in our work so I created a mug rug to go with the table runner.

and added a little stitching 

I hope your enjoyed your stop here  and I hope you get to visit all of the other participants to date.

Here is today's list 

November 19

Meadowbrook

Tea Time Creations

Selina Quilts

Living My Dream

Seams To Be Sew

Marian, our host for this blog hop, arranged for Fat Quarter Shop to sponsor this event and they are donating a $25 Gift Certificate every day of this hop.  And, this giveaway is open to anyone.  Just simply use the Rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway today

a Rafflecopter giveaway