Another Winner, Winner,

No, still not a chicken dinner!

I won something from Lynette Anderson!

 I got this air mail package while I was gone last week.

See the post mark on this envelope? 

All the way from Australia!

That means it's a Lynette Anderson something!!!

She had a giveaway and

she let me choose a pattern...

since I had already  purchased from her

the other two patterns she offered,

I chose this cute purse with stitchery - SNOWFRIENDS. 

I love her little stitcheries. 

Isn't it a cutie?
Thanks, Lynette

(click on her name and check out her blog.)

This pattern will go into

my basket of projects for this year -

another project I can't wait to start!!!

Part two of a two part story

The SECOND part of the story:

I didn't know that I HAD a Tree Collection. 
Don't know how or why it happened.

Who has a Tree Collection? 

And why? 

Trees

are

not necessarily

small things

to collect.

So, on to the story:

The real tree this year was a (partial) family ride out to the boonies,
a tractor pulled hay ride out even further
and a saw and drag affair that ended with this:

Then, not very many ornaments made the tree - just popcorn and cranberries and lots of lights, a star for the top and a couple of old quilts wrapped around the base.  I thought it was beautiful.

But as I am taking down what I thought was my pathetic attempt at decor, I realize that it's not really pathetic at all.
I'm going with tastefully sparse.
Minimalistic.
That's a trend, minimalistic,
and I think I'm going with it.

So, the second tree I am taking down is a favorite of mine -  (yes, I dusted after I took the picture!)

I made it with real goose feathers many years ago.  I made it when I had been to an auction and saw an old feather tree go for way too much, in my opinion.  But I liked it and decided I would learn something new that year:  feather tree making.  I put on all of the old ornaments that I had collected, a few of which are family ornaments.  A couple of them are cracked or missing pieces, but I still like them.  I figure  flawed doesn't mean trashed.  

Then, I had a few bazillion feathers left from the two pound bag (which was the minimum order...do you know how many feathers are in two pounds!?!!!), so I made a "flat" feather tree for a specific space in my decorating:  It has mini ornaments, new and old.

Next down, I was given a "fake feather" tree that I love, so I carved some mini counter-weight candles and added some little tin molds to make this a very rustic tree.

Then, there is this little one, I made it with a spool and some thread and a twig and some little clumpy greenery on a wire, then added a tin star.

Next down:

A little Candy Cane tree.  This was something that I saw at a local quilt shop, and told myself that I didn't need, but if it was there next time I was in, that it was meant to be mine.  Almost a month later (ok, just two and a half weeks), it was still there, so it came home with me (thank you, Good Wives!). 

Then, there is this collection of these little trees: 
single brush bottle-brush tree,
many brush bottle-brush tree,
miniature clay tree,
white feather tree,
antique (train collection) tree from Germany...

All of these trees....
as I put them away,
made me realize
that I now have
a Tree Collection!

These trees make me smile,
and that makes me want to skip. 
So, it fits right into my plan...

the part of this two part story...
that shows the happiness and eagerness of a child.

Will you join me in skipping happily through this year?

part one of a two part story

As I am taking down the pathetic attempt at Christmas decorating this year,
I realized that I have a Tree Collection. 

There are two parts to that sentance that I'd like to address...

First, Pathetic Decorating
and
second, Tree Collection.

Today I'd like to address the FIRST part:   

Pathetic Decorating

I realized that the decorating this year was lame
as I was doing it or not doing it as the case would be. 
Just too little time spent
on getting all the boxes out and re-arranging furniture. 

But what brought it home was sonny boy. 
He brought his girlfriend and her daughter over for a couple of fun times,
and I then realized that I was lacking in the Decor Department. 
Little kids have the excitement in them all of the time. 
And I usually do. 
Sometimes too much so. 
That's how I got all of the collected stuff
that I normally decorate with.

So,
I will try
to put the little kid excitement
back into my everyday life...

I will put fresh fruit in my glass of ice water...

because I like it and it's fruity and fun.

I will laugh out loud every day, multiple times.

I will take the time to cut out paper snowflakes,

so I can have snow anytime I want it.

I will take a different path to work

or the library or the barn...

not just straight there and back.

I will take the fork in the road:

I will stitch a little every day -

 hand or machine or just cutting something out to sew tomorrow.

Will you join me in taking a different path?
A path we will skip down?


See you tomorrow!
Tomorrow I will address the second part of the equation:  Tree Collection.

Winner, Winner,

No, not chicken dinner...

I won! the book "DOUGH"by Richard Bertinet.

Yep, lucky me! 

Alma and Barb, of Blackbird Designs,

were having a giveaway right before Christmas,

and I was one of the lucky ones!

Jump over to the B.D. blog and check out the link for this great book and tutorial.

(The book comes with a dvd to teach you the technique of making bread,

for all of you "yeasty scaredy cats".)

I am just home, at 7 o'clock p.m.,

and haven't unpacked from our family get-together out of state,

but I really want to make some bread!

Mix and knead. 

And smell the yeasty scent as it rises.

Not tonight, but pretty soon,

(like tomorrow),

I will be making some dough!

 I want to make these:

 And these:

Tomorrow...

Thanks, Alma & Barb of Blackbird Designs, for the great giveaway.

Thanks, Richard Bertinet, DOUGH author.

Now, while I am unpacking and cleaning up and laundering,

I will have DOUGH rising in my kitchen!

rotary, continued

I have a little time off this week and weekend

- going to meet up with some family and friends

for the last Christmas celebration of the year...

Well, timing-wise it will be a New Year celebration, I guess,

but we will celebrate Christmas with them, first

(that is if they can get out of that east coast blizzard!).

I am multi-tasking,

(which is part of the running in circles/rotary feeling)

so as I am packing and

going through my quilting/UFO stash,

(trying to choose a project to take on my trip)

I am also watching a favorite Christmas movie -

It's a Wonderful Life.

(I can't believe that this was a 1946 movie -

and that it really is still relative to 2010 in most ways.)

I'm also thinking that this truly is a wonderful life, even with the rotary!

So, instead of wishing you only a happy 2011,

I also wish you
a wonderful life...

with health, prosperity
and abundance.

Debra

rotary...

not the sewing implement/rotary cutter this time,

but the traffic rotary

you know - a round-about....

I feel like half of the time I am running in circles.

Too many things to do, not enough time.

Getting into the circle, and not getting out,

just running and running - a never-ending rotary...

Do you feel the same way?

I know that it is a choice, this running in circles...

that I could just say no to a whole lot of stuff,

and I really don't drive myself craZy... most of the time...

Maybe I just need a new blade???  :)

I know, I am going to go sit in my lazy-girl chair, put my feet up and stitch a little. 

That will slow down the round-about  just a little!

to the tune of 12 Days of Christmas, please...

Five Stockings Hung...

four gifts wrapped,

three pans of rolls,

 two quilts to bind,

and a pecan-apple-cranberry pie

Merry Christmas!!!