Happy Christmas

Just popping in to wish you a Happy Christmas! Hope you have a wonderful day filled with family and friends.

(Yes, I finished knitting Santa, just in time too.)

See ya real soon.

The Coupon Organizer Pattern Saga

I don't like to just go on & on about things I put in my shops, but I'm just too excited about this one not to mention it.

Yes, I finally got the sewing pattern written for my coupon organizers, HOORAY!! I do spend a lot of time writing and designing my patterns, but geez, this one was months in the making. 

I swear all I make these days is coupon organizers, but they're pretty fun. I think my favorite part of sewing is putting fabric combinations together, these coupon organizers are great for that.

See what I mean? Look at those crazy colors. What's your favorite thing about crafting?

Of course, I'm still knee deep in monkeys and owls. I've got some new Christmas monkeys in the shop this year.

How do you like the Grinch? haha, it's fun to do a grouchy face now & again.

I think I've sufficiently advertised myself in this post to last at least until the end of the year. :) Thanks for listening. I start sock knitting class tonight, wish me luck!!

Christmas in 1976

I received a very fun little package yesterday from the lovely and kind Mrs. Kwitty. She happened upon this Wilton Christmas book from 1976 and thought she'd send it along for me to enjoy. I think I'll bring it to my Wilton class tonight for everyone to see. haha, it's great!!!

Check out that coroler doll cake on the left. Nick would flip his lid if he saw that on the counter.

Mrs. Kwitty wrote lots of notes and left them in the book for me to discover. I have to agree with her, that snowman is pretty great.

I love these little Santa cakes, they're super cute! They're made with heart shaped cupcakes.

These are mint patties really pretty. Put them on a modern plate and you'd never know they were from the 70's.

Thanks so much for sending the book, Mrs. Kwitty. I really love it. You're a sweetheart too. By the way, Mrs. Kwitty is looking for some good fundraiser ideas, stop by her blog and lend a hand if you can.

This picture is just to show you that I am actually still making things, besides cake. This is a new bag design I made last week. It's a smaller diaper bag/craft tote. There are lots of pockets and it ties at the ends. I think I'm pretty happy with it. If you want to see a couple more pictures, check it out in my shop. Have a great week!

Warm Wishes

Just popping in to wish you a Merry Christmas or happy whatever you might celebrate this time of year.

I'm enjoying a week of doing what I want (for the most part). I spent the whole day baking today, and tomorrow I'll be cooking again. It's just Nick and I this year so it should be a nice quiet Christmas for us. Happy Holidays, stay warm!

Decking the Halls

Now that I've made my final (hopefully) trip to the post office for this holiday season, I can start decorating the house a bit.


This snowman was carved just for me a few years ago by my friend Sue. Remember her? She made my wedding cake topper. Isn't it cute? Mickey ears, sewing tools, hockey skates and a quilt...perfect.

Little George is hanging out in the kitchen window. We've got a larger version of this guy that lives in our room all year (that's how bad we are with the cuddly toys).

I can't resist a snowman, especially one that's filled with soap! (You can get one here.)

The first ornament on our tree again this year. A little craftsmanship from my lovely friend Jenn. It's adorable, no?

My Grandpa's Christmas tree sits on our dining room table. It looks even better at night!

Now for some holiday baking.

Disneyland!!

Did I ever tell you that I used to work at Disneyland? Yep, for almost 15 years! And no, I'm not tired of it. I still love the place, and this week I got to pay a quick visit to the Happiest Place On Earth.

Here I am with my niece and my sister in front of the castle. (I'm the pumpkin muffin)

Check out these candy apples! Aren't they the cutest?

Carnaby loved the Christmas tree on Main Street, U.S.A.

I've got some mugs that match these. I was strong though, I didn't bring them home. sighhh

I had a great trip but I'm up to my eyeballs in monkeys now. Back to work.

Happy Christmas

Hopefully none of you are sitting at your computers on Christmas day, but if you are...Merry Christmas! Nick & I are having a lovely and quiet Christmas together with the kitties. I'm off to remove the ugliest apple pie in history from the oven. Cheers!

Productivity

It's amazing how much I can get done by just taking one day off from the farmer's market. I've been super busy and I'm actually seeing some results now. I'll try not to get too wordy with you, I'll just show you what's new with me.
First off, I finally got my Look and Learn Fat Quarter Bundle. I've been awaiting the arrival of these fabrics for a while. I got a quilt top done using these prints. I'm hoping I get the backing & binding fabrics in the mail today so I can get the quilt finished for the market on Sunday. Next I'll make a Catie Diaper Bag. I think this style looks best when I make it from the vintage kids prints. I'll make bibs from what's left. They sell pretty regularly at the market.

I also got a chance to use some Fall Back in Time prints. For now, this little bag will just be at the farmer's market.

For a long time I've been hoping to make some soft blocks to add to the shops. The other night, I took out some scraps & made up a prototype. I think the colors are great, but I'm not happy with the block at all. I much prefer the ones Amy makes (I love her shop), but I certainly can't copy them. I guess I just need to work on the edges. It's a little lumpy too. Makes a bright pin cushion anyway.
I've also been planning to add some baby gift sets. I've started offering deals on bibs & booties at the market, but half the time I don't have matching sets. That's not very good business, is it? Well, yesterday I made a new easier and quicker baby blanket that I can sell along with a bib & pair of booties. Here's the first set I made up with some fabrics I'd purchased to make a tote or two. The swirly print reminds me of The Muppet Movie (You know, the part when Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem paint Kermit & Fozzie's car?)

I've got enough flannel to make 3 more sets to test them out on Sunday. I'm thinking about $40 for the set. What do you think?
That's almost everything, this post is getting way too long. You can always see my stuff on Flickr too if you're ever interested.
And last but not least...I finally got around to making a little Christmas ornament monkey. His name is Kringle & he's not in the shops yet. Just thought you might like to say hello. He's about 4.5" tall.