gifting

It’s the gifting time of year, and no matter how many items I check off the gift list, I never feel right until I include something home-made in the mix.

Over the years, I have made and given:

Ginger Lime Syrup for making home made Ginger Ale – also delicious in tea and apple dishes

A beach bag with a hand made pouch

 

Home made bird suet

A refillable burlap bird feeder

It was popular with the recipients as well as with the birds.

Regifting wine bags

And various gifts for my chicken lover friends –

And my cat lover friends

I hope someone will get some ideas for making some hand made gifts of their own. Let me know if you have any questions about any of these. Happy Gifting!

 

sew news

I just got my writer’s copy of the August/September issue of Sew News.In it, I show how to make these cute leather wrist wraps.It’s always fun to see how the photographer styles the shots.In this shot, they used the wrist wraps to style another article entirely. I love that.

 

garden structures

I finished my main vegetable garden excavation and rebuild (pictures soon) using untreated scrap wood my husband has saved from our many house projects. That kind of got me loving the idea of using up the rest of the scrap wood by making structures for the garden.

Here’s my first little project – a trellis for my Heirloom Cardinal Climbers. I’ve read two biographies of Frank Lloyd Wright lately and am feeling quite architectural. Who knows what else I will come up with?

I got the Cardinal Climber seeds from the great library seed bank we have in my area:  Library Seed Bank  Can’t wait until they get growing!

 

a valentine to my family

When I first read this quote by Iain S. Thomas, it made me cry. Not only did the quote describe the way I feel about my husband, but it reminded me of those first moments after my children were born: when I finally got to meet them. Then I cried again. Anyway, I made the quote into a sign, which I hung in our kitchen, just to give my family a warm little hug this February.

let’s do this

The New Year is upon us, bringing energy and excitement and hope for a finer future.
Here’s to 2015, everyone; let’s make it the best year ever.

wine gift bags

Just in time for Christmas crafting, my latest article teaches how to make these cute wine gift bags.

Instructions are in Sew it All Volume 9. Let’s get stitching!

backyard love

Fall is here and it’s my favorite time to enjoy the yard:  The gardening frenzy of the spring is long gone. The sloth of the sticky summer has blown away in the cool of the autumn breezes. Fall is the time to sit on my swing and admire the season’s hard work. (Of course, I need a nice cushion to sit on, and a quilt to snuggle.)

Oh, and a pillow, too!

hand sewing

I love my sewing machine, but there will always be a special place in my heart for sewing by hand. I love the organic look of hand embroidery, and ***bonus*** I can carry my sewing with me wherever I go.

Here is a pot holder I decorated by hand.

check me out

My latest article for Sew News is in the beautiful April/May issue – available now.

I teach how to make these cute herb cozies.

washi-less tags

I have not yet succumbed to the washi tape craze, but I want to. My homemade Christmas tags were the perfect excuse, but I held to my green Christmas promise and tried to think of alternatives. How about patterns stamped on strips of paper, ribbon, and sheet music?

gift tags

green christmas

My goal this Christmas is to craft a little more and buy a little less. AND before I go out to purchase that perfect thing to finish my crafting, I want to think a little harder about using something that I already have.

grapevine wreath

I had an old grapevine wreath to which I attached fresh evergreen branches and some Christmas ornaments. Snow optional.

personalization

my new gym bag

I have a thing for personalized gifts. I think it comes from a long childhood of searching the racks of toothbrushes and  notebooks and bicycle license plates, always in vain,  for the name “Jodie.”

felt monogram

mini 3 ring binder

I remember when I first saw them; it was during back-to-school shopping 2013. . .  I was in love.  Mini 3 ring binders! Have you seen them? I didn’t need a 3 ring binder, but I needed one of these.
Just to up the cuteness factor, I made a cover and some divider tabs.
Organization has never been so fun.

seed labeling

Popsicle sticks and a Sharpie

My method for labeling plants and seeds: inelegant yet effective.