Happy Holidays

Today Hanukkah begins at sundown. It is celebrated with excellent food, an exchange of gifts, and the lighting of beautiful menorahs (special Hanukkah candelabras)
filled with brightly colored candles.

According to the Jewish Outreach Institute, "Many Jewish holidays commemorate events invested with historical and religious meaning, and Hanukkah is no exception. Hanukkah means "rededication," and it commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by foreign forces. The celebration also reaffirms the continuing struggle to live by God's commandments and to lead Jewish lives. In a period of eight days, Hanukkah offers us a glimpse of the Divine, an opportunity to dedicate ourselves to all that is holy in the world, in our family, and in ourselves. We hope that the lights of Hanukkah illumine your path in the world, and through your life's journey."

Unlike some of the other Jewish holidays, which require intense spiritual reflection or elaborate preparation, Hanukkah is easy to celebrate. Spinning the dreidel is part of the fun. Take a minute, learn something fun, and join in part of the Jewish celebration. Click here to play. Then click on Spin the Dreidel on the sidebar.

To everyone who celebrates this holiday, many blessings to you in the coming year and a wish that we can all deal peacefully with each other.

Until next time....
Happy Quilting,
Sharon

I'm Baaaaack!

Sorry for the long absence, but life and illness got in the way for a while! You know you've been bad when your kids tell you you need to sit down and update the blog, lol. This is my official excuse--and I'm stickin' to it! So now I'm trying to catch up with everything at once.

Let's start with the ALQS swap. Kate emailed me to tell me that my quilt to Margaret in Australia was well received and that she loved all her goodies. I had fun making a wallhanging I called "Falling Maple Leaves." Since I live on a street with Maple in the name and it's mile after mile of maple trees, I thought the Maple Leaf block would be perfect for a Fall quilt. Those are my favorite colors, too! I also included a coffee mug with maple and oak leaves on it, some locally made maple sugar candy and fancy coffee, a FQ, and some post-its.
And of course, Katie has to be right in the middle of everything and put her stamp of approval on it! I hope Margaret's not allergic to cats, lol. But so far, I haven't received my quilt yet. I can't stand the suspense of waiting for it to come. Kate (that runs the swap) said it'll be coming along, to just be patient. Does she know who she's talking to???


My next project was the Halloween Trick or Treat swap. Here's the lovely package I received from Roslyn in the UK. A beautiful hand-made padded box, some Halloween pictures that I framed, a bookmark cross-stitched with my name, some yummy chocolates, pretty ribbons and charms, a tissue holder and tissues, and a darling cross-stitched pumpkin.
It was a wonderful package to receive and I starting using the box right away to hold my hand-sewing items. Thanks so much, Roslyn.

In between those, DD had her 40th birthday and we gave her a Turning Twenty lap quilt I made for her, among other things.
Then we went to Outback Steakhouse with her kids for dinner, 'cause that's her favorite place to go. I confess I love their cheese and bacon covered fries! I know they're so bad for me, loaded with fat and cholesterol, but once a year won't hurt, will it?

I was lucky enough to win half of the November Happy Blocks, so after the holidays I'll be starting a great fall quilt. The blocks I've been receiving are just terrific, so I'll have a wonderfully scrappy quilt when I'm done. Thanks to all the ladies who made them.

I mailed out my swap quilt for Chookyblue's Secret Santa Christmas Swap on the 5th of December, so it should be there this week. I hope the person likes it. Katie and I had a difference of opinion when I made it. She thought the decorations on it were for her to play with and bite off, and I told her they weren't! She doesn't like "NO" any better than my kids did, vbg. BAD KITTY ! This was a fun project and I love making my labels on the computer. I received my package for the swap from Tracy in Australia. She takes wonderful photographs and makes them into notecards and post cards and she sent me some of them. She also made me a darling round bucket, a small tote bag with a kitty on it that looks a lot like Katie, and a Christmas hanging pad. Also a zippered pouch that is perfect to keep my cosmetics altogether in my purse. A great package of gifts to receive!
I sent out my package for the Quilted Angels Secret Santa swap last week also, but I forgot to take a picture of the things I sent Debbie. I received a really cute pincushion basket that held lots of spools of thread and a Santa hinged box, with an ornament inside it, wrapped in a fabric bag just perfect for potpourri, from Kat in the same swap.

Next time I should have pics from the Miniature Booty Swap and Doll Quilt Swap 5. I promise it won't be so long before my next post. Until then.........

Happy QuiltingSharon

Halloween Trick or Treat Swap

I just received an email from Jennifer, my swap partner in Susan of Blackberry Creek's Halloween swap. She received my package and liked it. YAY!!!! Now I can show pictures of my gift to her. I made a Dresden Fan Tabletopper and added a candle for the center and little spiders crawling around, a pair of Pumpkin socks, a pumpkin ice cube tray, a deck of scary Dracula playing cards, and a cute Pumpkin witch plate with pumpkin cookies. If you click on each picture, you can see a bigger view. I had so much fun choosing all those things and Katie really enjoyed trying to eat those little black and orange plastic spider rings. She was chasing them all over the table while I was trying to take these pictures! I even made my first computer printed label. My next one will be better, now that I know how to do them and how NOT to do them! The tabletopper was so easy to make, I think I'll make more for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanks, Susan, for such a fun swap. I hope you make this an annual event!

Until next time.....
Happy quilting,
Sharon

Miniature Booty Swap Round 2

I mailed my mini quilt today for The Quilting Pirate's Miniature Booty Swap Round 2. I wasn't supposed to participate in this until the Special Holiday Round, but I owed "The Pirate" a favor, so she "let me" participate early and work off my debt. WHEW!!! You don't want to make "The Pirate" mad, 'cause she'll make you walk the plank, lol. Can't have that! Seriously though, Toni is the just nicest person and always willing to help out her fellow quilters, so when she needs help, how could anyone deny her? I'd feel like this if I did, 'cause she was so nice to me.

This is the quilt I sent out, plus a couple of extra goodies just because she/he had to wait so long for her/his quilt. I hope she/he likes my package.




Now to move on to my quilt for Kate's

This is what the hills here around the lakes were looking like a couple of weeks ago. Here's what they are looking like now.
I love the colors of the Fall season.

Until next time....
Happy Quilting,
Sharon

Finally, some completed projects

Just a short post today so you can all see how busy I've been. Completed and mailed off my October Fun Food Theme Happy Blocks to the 2 lucky winners, Barb McF and Gerda. My fabric was blackberries, raspberries, and currents.

Have my November Autumn in the Country theme blocks done with a plaid center and autumn leaves bordering. I love these. I hope I can win this month and collect all these Fall color blocks.

Finished and mailed out my Halloween Trick or Treat Swap to --------. Just a peek at what I made until Susan or my swap partner lets me know the package has been received. This was such a fun swap, I hope Susan at Blackberry Creek
makes this an annual event. I think Halloween is my favorite holiday after Christmas.


I'm working diligently on my ALQS piece. This is the fabric I chose. I'll have more pics later.


And I just finished off a piece for Toni, The Quilting Pirate and her Miniature Booty Swap. That goes in the mail Tuesday when the PO re-opens after our Columbus Day holiday. Pictures to follow.

Katie says she doesn't like it when I hand sew 'cause I won't let her play with the thread, so I have to go find some more fabric for her to play with. She is getting grumpy lately when she doesn't have a project to lay on--er, I mean quality control check.

Until next time......
Happy Quilting,
Sharon

I'm a Woman....

so I can, too, change my mind if I want to!
And I did on my October Happy Blocks. I kept the same center, but every time I saw the picture of my block with the raspberry border, I liked it less and less. So I went completely different and chose a green leaf fabric to go with it. Don't you like this better? Katie does, but she says the green is prettier in person. She said to quit taking pictures at night, 'cause the colors don't show up real good in the dark, even with the flash. Boy, she is such a know-it-all!
Added 2 new Fall projects to the line-up today because the 2 HB's projects are done. Katie and I had all the Fall fat quarters out again. I just love to look at them, and touch them, and arrange them, and..... Yah, okay, I have that sickness called fabriholicism (or something like that!) Yes, it's an addiction, but so far the only one to suffer from it is hubby--he says I CANNOT have the other half of his closet for any more fabric, LOL. Boy, is he a grump! I don't tell him he can't have new golf clubs. But let's not go there tonight.

Had to go to the Dollar Tree today to get more of their large, clear, scrapbook page envelopes. They are perfect for organizing each of my projects. I put the fabric, pattern, book, or magazine, and anything else pertinent to the project (like a paper with the deadline project is due, rules for the swap, or pictures for ideas) in the envelope and tie it closed. Then I can file it in my project tub in order of date due. Everything is all together and stays clean and dry. They measure 12.75" x 13" and open to about a depth of 2 inches. Perfect to hold 12 1/2" blocks, and they're only $1.00 each. They wouldn't hold the fabric for a lap or larger quilt, but they are perfect for all my smaller projects and extra blocks. You can get an idea of their size by looking at Katie standing on one and trying to get the string on the other. To see them better, click on the picture. Actually they are just a touch bigger than my 12 1/2" square up ruler. If you have a Dollar Tree near you, you should go check them out!

Until next time...
Happy Quilting,
Sharon