Blessed Year

As I think about 2010 I recall that though there were highs and lows, I seem to recall most vividly the highs. 2010 was good to me and I can only hope that 2011 is half as good.

:: After thinking about it, and talking about it for a couple years, I took the plunge and started the old blog here. It felt good to *finally* put my money where my mouth is and just do it!

:: I made my first full size quilt top and it wasn't too scary!

:: I spent my 34th birthday with Walt and Minnie and it was splendid.

:: I adopted *one* of the cutest dogs ever. She has definitely changed my life....for the better.

:: though Tex may never forgive me....

:: Harry just goes with it....he knows that he was the *first* pet.

:: I pinched my 14 year old self 'cause it seemed to be a dream when I got to cruise with my teen heart throb in the Bahamas....

:: And made some good friends along the way!

:: I visited NYC for the first time....and I may have left my heart there.

I am looking forward to 2011 as I embark on a new adventure. I made the decision to leave my full time job, and my first career in order to pursue school full time to train for a new career. While it is slightly daunting, it is also exciting. There is no time like the present!

Happy New Year to you and yours!

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

Christmas Gifting

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas holiday spent in good company of family and friends. Here at chez swing kitten we all had a lovely holiday...and that includes kitties and puppy too! Puppy was showered with gifts and it was so fun watching her run around, in her Christmas jammies no less, playing with all her toys! Here she is in action!

I have to report that the eggnog bars were not my favorite. They were good but I still like the chocolate gingerbread bars the best. Martha has some good recipes for sure!

Something else that is a favorite is Amy Butler's book Style Stitches. I made a small clutch for a friend for Christmas. Now that she has received the gift I can post it here. The clutch came together pretty easily over a few sewing sessions, and I dare say I love the results!

The clutch is just big enough for the necessities for a night out and has a perfect little wrist strap attached to the back. I really like the Hunky Dory print for the main section, accented by some Heather Bailey. I love that it is a reminder of spring despite

the current winter temps in most of the nation.

For a friend out in Colorado I made an apron. I used a pattern from the book One Yard Wonders and altered it just a bit by adding a pocket. I enjoyed working with the fabric choices as they are outside of the usual color schemes I tend to be drawn to.

Now that the Christmas holiday is over I have all these ideas of things I want to make for spring! I am going to try and be better about making things in advance of the season. *Try* being the operative word here! :)

What fun things did you make for the holidays?

Pickledish, Baked Goodies and Embroidery Not Necessarily in that Order

I'm knee deep in Christmas Cheer at chez swing kitten and I hope you all are too! I baked these chocolate gingerbread cookie bars from Martha Stewart and they are divine. Seriously, could be my new favorite Christmas/Holiday treat! However, I just took the Eggnog Cheesecake Squares out of the oven and time will tell if they run a close second! I only wish I had this kind of baking time all year long!

Now that these gifts are safely at their destinations, and one recipient has already opened hers, I can post them here. These may be my most favorite gifts I made this year. I embroidered the designs, taken from a Rainbow of Stitches, on white linen, backed them in cottons I had in the stash, and then stuffed with equal parts fiberfill and lavender. I added the recipient's monograms and I dare say, the monograms add that certain "je ne sais quois". I know I'll be making more of these in the future!

Yay pickledish! I spent the past few days cutting out wedges and I think I actually may have enough now to start piecing the arches! I was originally going to make the 80 by 80 but I'm afraid I may not have it in me to make a quilt top that large! So, I think I'm shooting for the 60 by 60, and then I'll add a border.

I guess you could say I'm going for scrappy pickledish of sorts. I generally chose fabrics in 5 colors: pinks/reds, blues, greens, and grays. We'll see how it turns out! While I did buy some new fabrics, I also chose some fabrics I already had in my stash. Tomorrow I may start piecing the arches. Hooray!

I hope everyone is almost done with holiday prepping and is taking some time to enjoy family and friends now....with some sweet treats too! Happy Holidays to all!

Christmas Is Coming...

I can hardly believe it is almost here! Been busy as a bee making some gifts and got some sent out today. Now on to the next gift on the list!

I found this fantastic vintage postcard on Etsy and just had to have it. It's a Victorian postcard sent from a department store advertising new items for the holidays. I love the poodle!

In between gift making I made these Christmas ornaments for the tree. They are a test run as I was testing an idea I had in my head for a while. I am happy with how they turned out!

Today, Lola and I went to see Santa. It's just not Christmas without a photo with Santa. :)

Now back to White Christmas on TV and some cocoa while I crochet.

Hope everyone is getting gifts made, and whatever shopping you need is also winding down.

I'll have to wait till after Christmas to post about the gifts I made! My Christmas gift to myself is going to be *finally* starting my Pickledish quilt.

Happy weekend!

Shop Update!

The elves have been hard at work editing photos and listing items in the shop. Mini quilts have been listed today as have my latest projects....

I am really excited about these Christmas pillows! I am tempted to keep them for myself. ;)

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week and finding some time to create!

Post Turkey Post

Hello peeps! I hope everyone had a very nice Thanksgiving complete with pie, and
surrounded by family and friends. My cousin joined us for dinner and she baked the pie. A very lovely, delicious pie, I may add! It tasted good the next morning for breakfast too! ;)

During the glorious 4 day weekend, I managed to finish quite a few items, including 3 mini quilts. They will be listed in the shop this week but here's a sneak preview! I am really, really enjoying making these. I've got a few gracing my bedroom walls as decoration, and I love how they soften the walls, giving the room a cozy feeling.

Being a Frenchie at heart, I added the French words for "dog" and "cat". I'm digging it!

Something else I'm digging is this oil painting I bought from Etsy seller Candylei. The painting reminds me of my cat Tex when he was a new kitten. Candylei sells her art on Etsy and Ebay. Check her out!

My mom's birthday was on Saturday so we celebrated with this Amaretto/Chocolate tart. Believe me when I say that it is one of the most delicious desserts I have ever eaten. Three cheers for chocolate tarts! I will definitely be making this one again.

I'll leave you with a photo I snapped of Tex on Thanksgiving. Much to his dismay, he didn't get as much turkey as he was expecting! ;)

Back soon with more holiday sewing goodness that I finished on Sunday!

Pre-Turkey Post

What's good peeps? Did the end of November sneak up on us or what? I hope everyone has great plans for the big T-Day. I, for one, will be sewing to my heart's content...with a side of turkey and pie! I've been busy making some things for the shop. I finished some mug rugs, and the squirrel mini quilt from the previous post. I am also working on some more mini quilts that I'm super excited about. Good stuff!

I pulled out my Heather Ross Far, Far Away II fabric to make theses mug rugs. I was saving it for just the right project and I think these fit the bill!

Farmdale by Alexander Henry also makes me happy. :)

See, even Lola's smiling!

Lola got a haircut last Saturday and came home with pretty bows, and started prancing around like a princess.
On Sunday I made some blueberry muffin tops. Yum!

Have a happy Thanksgiving one and all! I'll be back here soon with more crafty goodness.

I'm Still Here

It may be as quiet as a mouse around here but stuff has been happening! Work has been such a bear this week that my blog time has been non-existent. But last weekend I did manage to make these delightful lemon ricotta cookies. I used Giada De Laurentis' recipe. Yum!

And I got started on a new project for the shop. I hope to make many more of these!Harry and Tex are being cooperative these days...letting me get some secret Christmas sewing done! Can't show those projects yet but I'm happy with how things are going so far. :)

Tex says, "what are you looking at? I'm the king here!" lol

Autumn Leaves Quilt

Why does the weekend always fly by so fast?? So many projects, so little time! I did manage to piece together my latest quilt top. I'm calling this one Autumn Leaves. All the fall colors remind me of falls up North. Speaking of falls, I was absolutely loving the cool weather that we were blessed with in Florida last weekend. It got down into the 40's at night and I slept with my window open. It was lovely. Anyway, here's a close up of the quilt top. I have decided that I don't mind that all my squares don't match up perfectly. I'm learning to accept the imperfection as perfection!

Here's a view of the entire top. It measures roughly 60 by 60 square. Just enough to cover the top of my bed. I really like the way it turned out. I was able to work in some of my favorites including Farmdale by Alexander Henry. I hope to work on it some more this week, as I have a mini break of sorts Thursday through Sunday. Love!
And here's my helper, Tex. His job is to lay on top, and cover it with gray fur before it's even finished. Brilliant! ;)
Someone had a tough day....he needed a nap immediately!
What fall projects are you working on?

Trick or Treat

Someone was a lobster for Halloween!




Harry was not happy to play jester!


But he did sit for a nice portrait...
So did Tex...
I've never eaten so many cookies....yum!




Happy Halloween!

Back soon with more sewing goodness! Hope your Halloween was spooktacular!