Monday, December 1, 2025

Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange 2025


           Yahoo, we're back to celebrate the holidays.  What a wonderful gift from Carol and Joan.

                         I think I'm so happy that I'll do a gift too.  Details somewhere below.

I am writing this up while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade,  one of my favorite shows to watch .  I have been known to cry when I see Santa. (this year no tears just sniffles)

So some hops are harder than others to come up with wonderful ideas.  This hop was the opposite. 4 weeks ago one of the crafting groups I belong to had a group sew and we made Santa Hat Pillows using Quilt Company Designs by Karen Montgomery - Santa Hat Pillow pattern.

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It was a super easy project that holds a 14 inch pillow.  I've made 2 already. I don't think anyone in the group stopped at 1.  It's a project that has tons of potential.  Several members added names of kids or grands  or one side saying Naughty and the other Nice




                                      I already know who is Naughty and Nice at our house.

The flap of the hat can go either way.  I though that this year I would send this to my sister without telling her in advance what was coming.  That way I only had to send one.  Well the bonus to sending this unannounced was that I had to use a box that was too small and I really jammed the pillow in and super taped the box shut.

5 days later I get a call from sissie.  Apparently when she opened the box the pillow sprang out of the box pom pom first and her first thought was that it was a live animal. So, so sorry I didn't get to see that reaction live and in person.  thankfully by the time she called me she was laughing.

I generally participate in the swaps organized by Heather at  Sewing With Scraps.  They are usually scrap based, I needed to swap a placemat by 12/1.   I went into my bin of unfinished mini projects looking for a something to use as a starting point and found this block from I don't know when. My best guess is I was making it for me and didn't get if finished before the holidays and lost interest . 


Not only did I find this for the center I still had a chunk of one of the fabrics that was big enough to make it a full size placemat.


Forgot to take a real picture before mailing it out but it did make for a great placemat.  Hope my swap partner likes it. She should be getting it Monday.

While seeking out a mini block for the placemat I found the center for a table runner. I think the block was a design  from Cindy at Quilt Doodle Doodles.


Just another seasonal UFO.   I took it to a mini quilt retreat 2 weeks ago and is now a finished and active Christmas decoration or maybe a gift??????


 My most recent crafting adventure is using a Glowforge Laser. I started using it around Halloween at The Villages Woodworking Shop.
 
I have included a couple of pictures of several of the Christmas items I have made in the last couple of weeks. Hope you don't mind.





This Merry Christmas  piece is my give away.  It is made of MDF and is Laser cut.
It measures approx. 11 inches across, 3 inches high and
the base is about 1.5 wide. 


I won't be able to mail it until 12/10 so I will draw a name from  the comment list on the 9th.  All you need to do is mention that you would like to be included in the drawing.

Last but not least I am including Christmas Cookies for the Cookie Exchange, sort of.  I found this recipe back  in 2023  I think for gingerbread kids and a gingerbread house..

                               This batch is fresh. I made them this week specifically for this hop.


 


  When your recipe calls for cork they don't get moldy with time.  They will be good til they hang on                                                                      the tree for Christmas.


This was a wonderful way to kick off  My Holiday season. I'm one of those people who believes that Christmas season starts when Santa in his sleigh passes Macy's. 

Thanks so much Carol for coordinating yet one more wonderful Exchange of Cookies and Holiday ideas with friends.

                                                    I am including a full list of participants.  

                                  Stop by and visit and get inspired and leave a note of good cheer.  

            Wishing you and yours a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year.









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Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Out of the Dark - Blog Hop

Good morning fellow hoppers.  It is wonderful to be back and hopping with all of you again.  Thanks so much Carol and Joan for taking the time and energy to host these 2 hops.

When I signed on to this hop and started to look for a new idea or 2 I tripped over this unfinished table runner.  I know I made the bulk of it at least 11 years ago but never did the binding.  I assumed that I had started it for a Halloween Hop back in the day but I can't find where it may have appeared.  I do know that I used it for several fall seasons on my dinning room table.without the binding and no one ever noticed.






Sew in honor of this hop, it is officially finished. Ya Hoo,

Next up, Bouncing around the internet I found the Free Pattern  for this adorable  Ghost.  If you look her up you may see a slight difference. 



I have a very, very bad habit of seeing a pattern and breezing through the instructions a little tooooooo fast.  My little Ghost is stuffed, the patterns adorable ghost was not stuffed. Hers holds its goody box well, mine needed a few props to get her to remain standing. I did do all of the stitches by hand as in the pattern which is something I haven't done in quite some time.


The pattern included the design for our sweeties treat bag.


On an annual basis we go to Disney World to celebrate at their Halloween Event.  We went earlier this month.  I feel that their price for this event is a bit much even though you can trick or treat throughout the park. They even give you a bag.  Did you notice the candy displayed around my ghost?


 Well that is what we came home with from the trick or treat part of the evening.  Yes it is more than average but I need to get something for my money.  I worked diligently on finding every candy location that there was in the park, a couple more than once.. tee, hee, tee, hee.

We were at the park for 3 days.  Michael loves the Haunted Mansion and we always visit it every day we are at the park.  I decided that I would memorialize this trip by taking a couple of the photos that were taken while you are on the ride and making them into Placemats. 





 Michael loved them but I don't think he understands that they are for him to look at not eat on. That they fall under the heading Halloween decoration.

  


Well this has been a wonderful Hop.  Sharing again with all of you. Thanks again to Joan and Carol . I do hope to visit with you all again for the Virtual Christmas Hop.

But before we get to far off track please take a few moments to visit with everyone participating in this hop and if possible leave them a good word on their wonderful work. They are all listed below for your convenience.

                                                                  Monday Oct 20

MooseStashQuilting

Karrins Crazy World

Scrapdash

Just Sew Quilter

Quilt Schmilt

 

Tuesday Oct 21

AQuiltery

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Lynn’s Blog

Ms P Designs USA

Melva Loves Scraps

 

Wednesday Oct 22

Just Because Quilts

Quilted Delights

Songbird Designs

Crazy.bout Quilts

                           Quilting Between the Rails (on Facebook)

SelinaQuilts

 

Thursday Oct 23

Just Let Me Quilt

Sew Many Yarns

Kathleen McMusing

BeaQuilter

The Quilted Snail


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