turkey feathers

Time Out & Last Post for 2010

 
There's been some talk about snow and the hope for a white Christmas, but even if the weather doesn't cooperate--we do have a white tree this year, which I absolutely love.  Yes, I do miss the pine scent of a live cut tree, but that's about all.  No muss, no fuss, no awkward watering, no creepy-crawlies on the ceiling--or bizarre insect noises coming from the branches--like last year.  (When you get a truly fresh tree, you are likely to find anything.)  So yes, LOVE it!  The initial set-up is always a bit of a chore, but I plan to throw one of those covers over it instead of breaking it down and trying to get it back in the box.  Armchair shopped here and got very fast delivery.  I've actually been dreaming about a white tree for a couple of years now, but it took awhile to convince the family.  Some traditions are hard to break.  But they all agree this tree is beautiful.  Lilly's cozy place underneth is slowly shrinking as presents trickle in.  We left a spot for her in the back but she's a bit disgruntled.  Unfortunately, she will also chew and swallow any type of ribbon or string, so our presents have to be left rather plain for her sake. 

 
But I found some snazzy wrap at Michael's to (help) compensate.  I'm "mad for plaid" and this paper is wonderful.  I want to paper the walls and line all my dresser drawers with it.  Wouldn't that be grand?  BTW my 'Gift Wrap Holiday Special' has run its course and the links have been taken down.  It's getting down to the wire and time is up for Christmas deliveries.  Thanks again to those of you who took advantage of that.  I only have one book left!  I'll order more soon to keep on hand for anyone who wants a signed copy.  I also want to take a moment to thank everybody who visited my blog this year.  Your kind words and gestures of friendship are precious to me and reminders that there are still a ton of good peeps out there.  Love you guys! 

Unrelated, but I keep forgetting to mention this; someone asked me if I was "Turkey Feathers" on Facebook, and the answer is NO.  Infact, I don't even have a Facebook account.  (Nor am I part of any other social network sites, games, or discussion boards for that matter---just mentioning that so there's no confusion.)   

Anyway...now it's time to finish wrapping a few more gifts and start the holiday meal prep to freeze for Christmas morning.  I'm going to make my mini-quiche brunch cups (recipe here) and the usual apple turn-overs with puff pastry.  (With much gratitude to Pepperidge Farms for the frozen sheets.) Everyone always asks me if I'm going to make them again, so I guess it has become another tradition we can all look forward to.  Sometimes I make a few with our blackberry or raspberry jam.  Can't go wrong there, and it's quick if I run out of time to prepare the apple filling.  The girls have been baking and decorating an array of cookies all week.  It seems everytime I leave the house and come back there is something new and delightful cooling on a rack.  They made peppermint bark with white and dark chocolate a few days ago that was quite impressive too.  I think homemade peanut-butter cups (for Papa) are on their agenda for today.  I tell ya, the smells and aromas coming from the kitchen have been intoxicating!  From here on out I expect we (and you too) will be fairly busy...so farewell for now.  See you on the flip side in 2011!

 

Sweets for the Sweet

 
And speaking of candy canes dancing . . . I was pretty thrilled to find these all natural organic ones, and the fact that they are PINK makes me want to dance! I hung them all over the Christmas tree, but they're disappearing fast.  Can't blame it all on the kids either.  Or elves.  I've discovered they make pretty good peppermint cocoa too. 

The December/January issue of MaryJanes Farm is full of sweet things too and nifty  ideas for "upcycled" holiday crafting.  I was happy to see over a dozen recipes for soup included.  Because we are big on soup around here, especially this time of year.  

I always make mine in an extra-large crockpot, starting first thing in the morning.  That way I get the added benefit of smelling it simmering all day long and knowing that dinner is cooking itself while I am busy bouncing from one activity to another.  Any left-overs get ladled into 16 oz.  mason jars and stored in the fridge.  It keeps well--for up to a week, even longer if you use freezer jars and freeze it.  (Good idea to label with the date.)  After a day or so, the flavors "marry" and the soup is even better the second time around.   It is so nice to have the convenience of canned soup at hand, that is nutritiously homemade (and economical).  Shown are a few jars of vegetable soup I made last week.  Let soup cool a bit before screwing on the lid. 

 

Like everyone else, I have been super busy these last few weeks, but I made time to slip away and visit my favorite thrift shops.  I've got more pictures to show you of some of the neat things I came across.  Here's an old chair covered in patchwork that I thought was brilliant.   And get a load of that red aluminum tree!

 

Holiday Treasures

 
I knew some of you would appreciate our miniature creation--thank you for the applause for our Farm Stand.  We most humbly take a bow.  It really was fun, and the time spent working on it with my girls will be what is most remembered down the road.  Especially all the girl-talk while waiting for glue and paint to dry.  These can be the best of times for thoughtful conversation.  So now Grace has her sweet treat bakery and Ginger has her organic farm stand.  There is a nice juxtapostion to that!  Just like their personalities.  On the subject of miniatures.. the above was at the antique mall last week.  It was sitting up high with a lot of stuff around it so I couldn't really get close enough to look inside.  Isn't it wonderful?  That little balcany above the door just kills me.  Darling.  This has that old fashioned 'Colonial Christmas' charm about it.  I really don't have room for anymore dollhouses, but I secretly want it. 

Other vintage treasures . . .found along the way:

 

A family of prospective doll house shoppers perhaps?

 
Happy textiles cheering from the corner!  That green top-hat worm cracks me up.

 
 Frosty and friend look on in suspense.

 
Shy caroler's sing from the sidelines. (I'm developing a strange facination for these and that worries me.) 

 
More singing.  Very nice red cross-stitched hair.  Seriously love it.

 

Frosty and family on an outing. 
 

If you go out... don't forget your overcoat.  It's cold and dark here--the shortest day of the year.  Time to have breakfast by candle light and enjoy the peacefulness of winter.  Light the fire, make soup.  It was dark by 4:20 yesterday afternoon.  I was ready to crawl back into bed.     

 
A delightful display of sparkling wonder.

 
Pinecone placecard holder.  Perfect!

 
The clock is ticking . . . time to go! 

Oregon Farm Stand

 

It's Friday already--and the 17th of December at that!  My-oh-my the days are just flying by.  Does it seem that way for you too?  'Tis the season.  I just looked up from my piles of various ongoing projects and realized I hadn't shown you guys the pictures of the FARM STAND.  If you missed the part about why we made another dollhouse, the back story goes like this . . .in 2009 the girls and I entered a contest hosted by Hobby Builder's Supply--the challenge was to do something with their GAZEBO kit.  Our theme was for a "Garden Party Reception" (see it over here.)   We didn't win, but were surprised to get a great BIG BOX in the mail a few weeks later; the consolation 'thank you' gift from HB, containing THIS dollhouse kit for the 2010 contest.  (This is their 17th annual -- check out the gallery of past winners and entries--all very inspiring.)  Well, we were in no way obligated to participate, but found we could not resist doing so!  However, at that point in time, I was still working on my book, Embroidery Craft:  Stitching Through the Seasons, and had absolutely no time to start anything new, so it just sat in the box until the December 15th deadline started creeping up, and for the past few weeks it's been a mad rush to get it done in time.  (When I tell you that I am bouncing from one activity to another I am so not kidding.)  Anyway, here it is and we think it turned out pretty cute. 

 

Here's a close-up of the "shop".  I knew I wanted scales, but for the life of me could not imagine how to make them.  I asked Grace, and she made both scales by cobbling together bits and bobs from old spice can lids, broken Barbie accessories, jewlery rings, and chain.  She is just SO brilliant that way! 

 
I made the chalk board signs and fashioned a produce stand.  Ginger has tiny delicate little hands and went to work making miniature crates of goods, preserves, fruits, & veggies . . .

 
. . .  free range eggs, impossibly small  fruit pies and wee jars of honey.  Those innocent looking honey jars had us reeling.  Ginger hand-painted the labels and spent quite a bit of time on them so I was trying my best to handle them gently.  But as I attempted to place the three jars in the basket, old fumble fingers here, dropped the whole thing and it went tumbling down under the table.  There's a very colorful wool braided rug under that table and in the fading light I could not find those honey jars, (which are actually glass beads with lids on top).  I crawled around under that table on my hands and knees for ten minutes.  Then Ginger joined me with a lamp and we both crawled around looking--and eventually we found one.  The other two seemingly had vanished into thin air.  We lifted the rug and looked far beyond where they could have possibly traveled, queeried the cat who was watching from the corner of the room.   Hmm . .  It was a mystery...until I stood up and felt something in my slipper.  Sure enough, that's where they were hiding.  What a shock!  I still can't figure out how that even happened.  After our hysterical laughter died down, we got back to work and glued them into place once and for all. 

 
We made the crates and tried to use Oregon packing labels for authenticity.

And pickles! Of course had to have those.

 
Here's the front porch.  I am so happy with my Dutch door!

 
Grace made the perfect paper flowers in the window box.  We gathered moss and lichen from tree branches for the greenery.  Those cedar shingles were left-over from another dollhouse roof (made long ago), and Ginger and I spent days and days and days gluing each one down.  I forget where I found the wheelbarrow.  It seems we've had it a very long time as it was broken, and needed repairs to stand upright.  I couldn't resist adding the 'Happy Bee' crate label.

 

Here's the back side view.   I've got another dollhouse to show you too, along with more thrift shop treasures.  But now it's cookie baking time (still bouncing here), so until next time...have a great weekend! 

Marshmallow Kitty Christmas

 
I've never seen a cat that loves Christmas as much as Miss Lily here.  As soon as any tree goes up, fresh or faux--she's immediately underneath it, curled up and cat-napping.  After hanging a few ornaments and trying not to step on her tail because she is literally under foot and will not budge, we paused for hot cocoa, joining Dean Martin crooning, "It's a marshmallow world at Christmas, when the snow comes to cover the ground"  . . . for the umteenth time.  And I sat down across the room with my feet up, warm cup in hand, to admire our pretty scene--and I caught Lily gazing up from her vantage point underneath the tree, like a small child in awesome wonder.  It was so cute.  I grabbed my camera, but by then she had stretched back out and was lost in dreamland.  With candy canes and sugar plums dancing in her head.  Naturally!

*Merry & Bright*

 
Ahhh...and more sweetness from Fantastic Toys:  Christmas Collection and check out the Cute Tutes.     

 

Don't ya just love these adorable mushroom pincushions?   The girls and I are winding up another dollhouse project (soon to be revealed), and then we are going to be all over these. 

 

Sweet Treats

 

It was time to put my State Flower Quilt blocks aside for the time being to make way for these. Scrumptious morsels of goody goodness. They're my new (free-with-purchase) BONUS transfers for December, and I love them!  I know how much some of you look forward to these little surprises each month--and I so enjoy creating something to fit the moment, the season, or the sweet tooth.  So there ya go.  I just uploaded them to the PatternBee website, where they will be on display HERE until the end of the month...and then something new will replace them on January 1, 2011 and all the bonus designs for 2010 will be bundled into one collection and made available by Valentine's Day.  (It helps to have a plan.)

OK.  Here's a wonderful find.  Some of you ladies may remember these fabulous candy-striped towels that were so common in grandma's day, but over the years became scarce.  That's why I was SO happy to discover that these old-timey towels are once again available.  They are just so cute.  And they are perfect for embroidery.  I recently purchased these, by the yard, from the Susan Branch website.   I must say, the quality is top-notch and a pleasure to work with.  The sides are hemmed--you need to hem the ends though, which is easily done.  (I turned under 1/2" twice and stitched straight across.)  For non-sewers, Colonial Patterns now offers similar towels in finished sets of twelve!  I'm stocking up.

For inquiring minds...I used 6 delicious strands in outline and back-stitching for most of the designs here.  3-4 strands for small details, like stripes on the candy canes, faces, and lettering.   (The designs are not necessarily limited to towels either, you could use them on a pillowcase, or individually to decorate other items.)  Enjoy!

For me...I think it's time to bake some cookies!