Snowlady Pillow

While straightening up my sewing room a couple of weeks ago I found this cross-stitched snowlady from 2002.  I wouldn't have believed it was that long ago if not for the date being stitched on it!  Amber loved snowmen and of course the color purple :)   I had been very sick a few months before and to keep myself busy while sitting around connected to an oxygen machine I stitched it!

The snowlady was never framed so I decided to make a pillow.  I tried several fabrics to coordinate with the colors and was about to give up when unexpectedly while in Joann's in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago I found THE fabric!  I was just glancing at the fabrics and there was this cute snowflake print with all the right colors!  (I just took the pics and I don't have the greatest lighting at night.)

So here she is all completed!  I made it for less than five dollars  ... backing, stuffing and fabric.  I also made the piping from cord I already had on hand.  That's the great thing about knowing how to sew is making something for a few dollars.

Here is a closeup of her!  Look at those high heel shoes and purple accents!  Amber loved purses (that was HER obsession).

She is really not Christmasy so I can leave her out during the winter months and reflect back on when I sat and stitched this little cutie!  In fact this may have been the last thing I have cross-stitched.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my little snowlady pillow!  I really need to give the snowlady a name :)

Thanks for visiting!

Hugs,

Donna

I am joining Linda at Coastal Charm for her NTT party.

Christmas Giveaway at A Gathering Place

Rebecca at A Gathering Place is having a giveaway over at her gorgeous blog.  She is giving away a vintage train case.  I would so love to win this gorgeous case to store some of Amber's special treasures!  I can imagine putting her baby shoes, some of the items she made me and the book she was reading before she went to Heaven in it.

I recently ordered some of Rebecca's gorgeous Christmas notecards and received them in a couple of days.  They are more gorgeous in person than her website shows!  She included an extra special card also that brightened my day.  She is a lovely person and I love reading her blog just to see all her beautiful creations.

If you are looking for something shabby chic hop on over and check out her blog and website.  Her stockings she makes are spectacular as well!

Thanks for visiting!

Hugs,

Donna

Giving Thanks

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Ours was very low key this year.  I cooked and we ate well.  I even learned to use my husband's electric smoker to smoke the turkey!  Only out of necessity. 

My mother-in-law has not been doing well the last few months.  To make a long story short we got a call early Thanksgiving morning that she was sick and was being taken from assisted living to the hospital.  She is 85 years old and has lived a blessed life with five children.  Needless to say my sweet husband spent most of Thanksgiving with his mother.  He came home to share our meal with our little family.  Jennifer, her husband and I spent Thanksgiving night visiting "Granny".

I am just so thankful for the wonderful man I have been married to for thirty-four years.  As I sit here tonight he is at the hospital sitting with her.  Sweet man!

Now I am going to try to decorate for Christmas.  My Christmas angel is the first thing I bring out for the holidays every year.  I have had her for years ...Jennifer bought her for me.  An angel bought an angel!

I give thanks for the readers who read my blog and the wonderful friends I have made in the last couple of years.

I am trying to update my blog with the help of a sweet friend I met through blogging.   Didn't she make the cutest header!  I will tell who she is when I make sure she approves!  Just want to get her okay :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,

Donna 

Happy Thanksgiving

 

The holidays were changed forever for my little family when Amber went to Heaven.  We will always miss her at our Thanksgiving table. 

Our last Thanksgiving with her we spent in Nashville for "A Country Christmas".  I have so many pictures from those few days that I look at often.  Pictures of her and Jennifer ... always my little girls in my heart. 

Of course when we came home from Nashville I cooked Thanksgiving lunch on Friday.  She would always request "mommy made" macaroni and cheese ... made from scratch!  She always called it "mommy made".  Nothing out of the box for her.  It reminds me of the night we took her to the hospital.  That day for lunch I had made "mommy made" mac and cheese :)  What memories my heart holds and forever will.  My little family will never be the same.

Today would have been my mother's 80th birthday.  I can only imagine the Thanksgiving celebration in Heaven with Amber and my mother!

May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving and tell your loved ones "I love you"!

God Bless,

Donna

Christmas Ornament Winner!

The winner of my Christmas ornament is Marilyn!

I used Random Generator and number 19 was Marilyn's comment.  I will email you Marilyn for your address.

I could probably have a giveaway every week with something I have made, however I want to give whatever I am giving away to everyone that enters!  And I wish I really could!  Thank you all for entering.

There are tutorials online that you can watch or download on how to make the ornaments.  Also tutuorials are available to purchase on Etsy for making the ornaments.

If I have time before Christmas I will see if I can make time to sit and put another one together for another giveaway.  They are very time consuming but I enjoy making them!

I will post soon about ornaments I made for myself last year and let you see other color choices also.

Thank you all for entering and I wish I could send you each an ornament!

Big Hugs,

Donna

Finally My Chair(s) Makeover

I have two chairs that were my mother's she had purchased for her living room in the 1970's.  It was a formal living room but rarely used ... just pretty to look at.   The chairs were still in very good shape ... they were never sat in!  After my mother passed away in 1981 my dad had closed off the living room and the chairs sat for years unused.  A couple of years ago my dad passed away and I brought the chairs home and they sat in my garage for two years.  I finally decided I would use them in this room (I posted here and here)  that I am making over.  This room has taken forever!

Here is one of the chairs before.  The lovely olive green with gold that was popular back then.  This picture makes them look better than they were :)

 

Finally I got the chairs back yesterday and I love the new look!  I chose a cream fabric since I want to use all natural colors in my "new" room.  I have enough fabric to make cushions or perhaps a tree skirt for my Christmas tree I use in this room.

I have two end tables that match the french provincial style also.  I now have to decide which one to use ... either a drum table or the square table she had between them.  They both have marble inserts in the top.  I will try them both to see which one I like the best.
I finally found THE fabric last week I was looking for to use for drapes.  Isn't it funny how you go searching for a certain something and can't find what you want. And then one day I was in Birmingham (not looking for drapery fabric) walking in a store and there the fabric was!  Now I have to get at least one window made before my Christmas tree goes up next weekend in this room.  I have a busy week ahead with lots of sewing.  I will be so glad to get this room finished!
Thanks for visiting!
Hugs,
Donna

I am linking up to Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday.

My Singer Featherweight

I love my little Singer Featherweight sewing machine.  I purchased it two years ago and I rarely sew on it but I know it is here if I need it. It sews great!  I often wonder when I look at it who owned the machine before me and if they made quilts or clothing.  If only it could talk!  The serial number on mine when I researched says it was produced around 1957.  This little thing is older than me! 

Many quilters take their featherweights to quilt retreats because they are so light weight.  It only weighs a few pounds.  The machines came with their own little black case for carrying.  I was fortunate that mine has all the accessories with it.

Right now I have mine sitting on top of my grandmother's treadle sewing machine in my sewing room.  I have several sewing machines from over the years but this little jewel makes me happy.

Technology is amazing and how far it has come over the years. When I look at my Bernina sewing machine and look at this one it makes me smile!

If you haven't entered my ornament giveaway click here or the picture in my sidebar and it will link you up! 

 I have had several questions and emails on how to make the ornaments.  You can research online and find instructions or there are tutorials that can be purchased on Etsy.

Thanks for visiting!

Hugs,

Donna

Christmas Ornament Giveaway



Finally here is the Christmas ornament I will be giving away for someone to hang on their tree this year.  Although these are very time consuming I love making them.  In a previous post I mentioned I made many last year to give as gifts.  I love handmade gifts and appreciate the time that goes into making them.

If you would like to win the ornament just leave me a comment.  If you follow my blog leave me a second comment telling me you follow my blog.  You can enter the giveaway until next Monday, November 21st and I will announce the winner on Tuesday the 22nd. If you are not a blogger please make sure I have your email.  The winner will have it in time to hang on their tree! 

*I have had several comments asking questions and I can't reply to them because the blogger comes up as "no reply".  You can go to the dashboard and update your profile by checking the email reply box.  It is very simple!  I apologize if you have asked me questions .... I just didn't have an email to respond to.

Thanks for visiting!

Hugs,

Donna

Delicious Apple Pie

I have made this apple pie every Thanksgiving since I found the recipe about 10 years ago ... it's yummy any time of the year!  I made one just this week.

The pie is usually piled higher with apples but I kept eating them as I sliced :)

Crunchy Carmel Apple Pie

Ingredients for the Pie

1 pastry crust for a deep-dish pie 9-inch (homemade or store-bought - I like Mrs. Smith's)

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (golden delicious and fuji apples were recommended)

1 recipe crumb topping (see below)

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup caramel topping


Ingredients for the Crumb Topping

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats

1/2 cup butter


Directions for the Crumb Topping

Directions for Crumb Topping: 1. Stir together brown sugar, flour, rolled oats.

2. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until topping is like course crumbs. Set aside.


Directions for the Pie

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt.

2. Add apple slices and gently toss until coated.

3. Transfer apple mixture to the pie shell (I remove the store-bought pie shell from the aluminum pie plate and transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate of my own, but you do not have to.)

4. Sprinkle crumb topping over apple mixture.

5. Place pie on a cookie sheet so the drippings don't drop into your oven.

6. Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil.

7. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for 25 minutes. Then remove foil and put back in for another 25 to 30 minutes without foil.

8. Remove from oven. Sprinkle pie with chopped pecans then drizzle with caramel on top.

9. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy warm or at room temperature.

I am still working on my ornaments and will post them hopefully tomorrow for a giveaway.  This week has not gone as I had planned ... does life ever go as planned?

Thanks for visiting!

Hugs,

Donna

*Kathleen ... you asked me a question in my post about the ornaments and I couldn't reply ... came up with a no reply blogger.  If you leave me another message with your email I will get back with you!

Book Review ... Longing

I was honored to be chosen to do a book review for my favorite Christian author ... Karen Kingsbury.  Amber got me hooked on her books years ago.  We have every book she has written.  Believe me after you read one of Karen's books you can't wait for the next one! 

Longing is part of a series of books that she has written over the years.  I received the book from her office on Thursday and read it in two days.  I just couldn't put it down!  Now I have to wait until March of 2012 for the release of the next and final book in this series.  If you are looking for a good read you can go to karenkingsbury.com and see a list of all her books.  She is a true Christian woman that has a God given talent for writing.

She was always so kind to Amber and spoke about Amber at the last EWomen's conference Jennifer and I attended.  Needless to say we were both in tears.   I posted about Amber and Karen in this post. 

I emailed Karen's office to see if I could share her book on my blog and of course she said yes!  It will be in stores on November 22.  If you are looking for good wholesome books just read one of Karen's and you will be like me waiting on the next one!

Blessings,

Donna

 

What Happened to Thanksgiving?

Christmas trees will be going up before long.  Mine doesn't go up until the day after Thanksgiving.  I was listening to the news today and they were discussing how Thanksgiving seems to be forgotten.  My sister said the other day her neighbors were having their outside lights put up for the holidays!  I know in years past I have seen Christmas trees in windows the day after Halloween.  I love Thanksgiving!

I try to work on Christmas crafts in the months leading up to the holidays.  However the past month I have been sick with a little bit of everything and I am so far behind!  (If I haven't replied to your comments or visited your blogs please forgive me)  I began decorating for Fall and half my pumpkins and decorations are still sitting in their box here in our floor :)  I just put them up today thinking next year I will get them back out.  I am finally feeling better today and I am so thankful!!

Here is what I am working on this weekend ... Christmas ornaments!  I love making these and made lots of them last year for myself and for gifts. 

 So this weekend I will be making one for a giveaway.  So come back next week and I will have the details.

Have a wonderful weekend. 

Hugs,

Donna