SNOWMAN PLACEMATS

I've been having a hoot making Christmas presents this year!   This first project has been in my head since last Christmas.  I was cruising through Kohl's at the end of the season last year and saw a white placemat with the face of a snowman screen printed on it; two black dots for eyes, six black dots in a semi-circle for the mouth and an orange carrot shape for the nose; really basic.  That was the inspiration for my snowman placemats.

I knew I wanted my little guys to have a bit more style and personality.  So, I came up with the idea of a design where it looked as if the snowman was wearing a hat.   I had one tartan fabric already and I spotted another on a remnant table at JoAnn's.  As I started playing around, I decided it would be fun for each of them to have different caps to add some variety to the dinner table.  So, I went to the local thrift store and bought two winter scarves at $1.50 each.  What a steal....since it would be just the amount of fabric I would need!

I chose a white quilted cotton as my base fabric; that meant an already finished front/back.   Once I added the hat and face, I just needed to finish the outer edge.  It was fun watching them take shape and I'm going to be little sad to see them go....but, hopefully my recipients will love them as much as I do!

Here's what you'll need to get started:
Supplies for 8 placemats:
1 ½ yards of quilted fabric 
1 square black felt
2 squares orange felt

shape for the hat

¼ to ½ yard of knit or tartan remnants
4 pkgs. of double fold bias tape
fusible hem tape (stitch witchery)
black fabric paint
black glitter
....and here are the steps to make your snowmen come to life:
Cut 8 circles from the quilted fabric (15"diameter)

Cut 16 ovals from the black felt

Cut 8 triangle shapes from the orange felt

Cut 8 caps from the tartan/knit for the hats

Cut 8 strips of tartan/knit 2" x 14" for the pom-poms

After cutting out the circles, develop the shape of the hat by placing it onto the circle.  I allowed for a 5/8 hem and a 3" brim; fold the hem (right side to right side) and then pull the folded edge up 3" to form the brim. Baste the hat into place around the outer edge.  Now topstitch the upper edge of the hat brim through all thicknesses.  To finish the outer edge sew double fold bias tape around the outer edge.

For the face, I first used fabric glue to adhere the eyes onto the fabric, but I didn't like how "crisp" it made them.  So, I then tried  fusible hem tape and it worked great!  So, those are just steamed onto the fabric with an iron.


The smile is drawn on with fabric paint and glitter sprinkled on top while it's still wet.

Finally the pom-pom for the hat is made from the same fabric.  Use pinking shears to cut the fabric to prevent fraying; then cut the small strips the full length of the fabric in approximately 3/8" widths stopping just shy of the edge.  Roll the fabric, gluing periodically.  Once you've rolled the full length, glue the pom-pom onto the top of the placemat.  

I'll be honest, I see these as decorative placemats....I did spray scotchguard onto the finished product, but the combination of cotton, felt, and wool definitely calls for handwashing in cold water.

Anyway, they put a smile on my face when I look at them and because they're not totally holiday themed, they could be on your table to enjoy all through the winter months!

LEMON COOKIES

It's that time of year, I'm baking and taste testing some new cookie recipes to see if they have what it takes to make the 2013 Christmas cookie assortment.  Last year, I started this process in December...too close for comfort!  So, this year I've moved everything forward a bit.

I've come to realize most of my really good cookies have some form of chocolate in them.  I know....I LOVE anything chocolate, but it would be nice to have a couple that aren't, for variety sake.

I thought I'd share one with you that I tried out this past weekend.  They were tasty and so simple, so they're definitely a "keeper"; but I haven't decided whether they're Christmas worthy yet.

INGREDIENTS:
1 package lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. lemon extract
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar (for decorating)

DIRECTIONS:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees (190 degrees C).  Pour cake mix into a large bowl.  Stir in eggs, oil, and lemon extract until well blended.  Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into a bowl of confectioner's sugar.  Roll them around until they're lightly covered.  Once sugared, put them on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 6-9 minutes.  The bottoms will be light brown and the insides chewy.  After they had cooled, I dusted the tops with a bit more sugar.

High Altitude adjustments: none

WINE LABELS

I can't believe how fast time flies!  My daughter and her husband celebrated their one year wedding anniversary on the 28th of September.   I still look back on the photo album fairly regularly, and I have a couple of enlargements throughout my home that I see on a daily basis; it was such a special time for our family.

I knew I wanted to do a little something as a gift for the two of them....nothing too over-the-top, so I opted to make a wine label to commemorate the day.  I used Microsoft publisher since it offers lots of options and I'm just really comfortable with the program since I use it a lot at work.  I developed the design as I went along; I knew I wanted to use one of their wedding photos so I used that as my focal point and worked the other design elements around it.   Since they were married in the fall, I used the fall colors we used as the theme throughout their wedding.
As far as the rest of the project goes, I removed the existing label off the front of the bottle by soaking it really well in water.   I suspended it over a bowl, since I wanted to keep the back label.  It really came off fairly easily; in three large pieces.  I removed the first piece, then re-soaked and pulled off the second piece and one more soak and I was good.

I printed the the label on a buff colored resume' paper so it was a bit more sturdy than your standard copy paper. To adhere my label to the front, I used a glue stick.  I felt it would cause the least amount of rippling, being more of a dry adhesive. It worked like an absolute charm, it went on so smoothly.

I decided to also make a wine bag out of some burlap that I had on hand from another project. I won't share the dimensions since it can vary depending upon the brand of wine you choose (due to the size/shape of the bottle). I serged it on three sides and then stitched a line from the bottom edge to the side in order to eliminate the pointy corners when it was turned right side out. Then, I added some fun embellishments to make it special.

I opted for a dessert wine; I thought it would go well with the wedding cake that has been in my freezer all this time.  Yup! We saved the top of the cake for them, just like my husband and I did when we got married; and we did eat ours (I don't think I've ever met a cake I didn't like)  Happy Anniversary-- Enjoy you two!!

LAPEL PINS

I know I've blogged on this topic before, but I decided to write another....Hey it's my blog right?   Anyway, maybe I can inspire those of you who also love lapel pins to continue your love affair...and possibly convert some of you who have never been a fan to try it out.

These ideas were just waiting to come to life...you see these little beauties were either found in my jewelry box or my Mom's.  Cool huh?  So, out-of-pocket investment was minimal.   The first one is so simple, it's a circa 1980's earring.  You see back then, hand painted ceramic earrings were BIG!! in more than one way---Big as in popular and Big as in Big....anyway, I've gotten more compliments when I wear this as a lapel pin. Just take advantage of the existing hardware and push it through the lapel as if it were the hole in your ear lobe and you're golden.

The next one I made with old clip on earrings of my Mom's.  I was inspired when my daughter and I went digging into Mom's jewelry box for the something "old" for my daughter's wedding.   My daughter opted to take a couple of clip-on earrings and a brooch and give them to the florist to place in her bridal bouquet.  It was so sentimental. So, when we were rooting around, there were other earrings that I thought were cool and decided to do something with them.  I started with the green earrings, then found a few other doo-dads and glued them all together....then, just add either a piece of felt, or in my case I had some suede and glued it to the back and then glued the pin hardware (yep....I got it at Hobby Lobby...my home away from home). There's more fun to be had in the jewelry box, but I moved on to a fabric flower that I wanted to share.

This one is made from three types of fabric remnants that I've used in various projects.  You cut various size circles and then fold them in half and then in half again.....hand stitch them to a piece of felt or interfacing for support and sew the pin hardware to the back.    There are a ton of great tutorials already out there both on blogs or You Tube, so I'm not going to bother you with that.....but look how cute it is!  You never know what treasures you have that you can bring to life with a little imagination!  Go for it!

ELBOW LENGTH BRIDAL VEIL

I had the pleasure of helping a bride with a few items for her wedding day recently.  On the gown that she purchased, she wanted to add some custom touches.  The first item involved the hemline; she was looking for a more pronounced scalloped lace edging around the perimeter.  I was able to find a beautiful wide alencon lace trim at Allyn's Fabrics in Denver which matched beautifully to the gown color.  The second item was to add a rhinestone trim (she had purchased) just underneath the bustline; beautiful touch!
Finally, so that she could dance the night away with ease, I added bustles.  To bustle the gown it took a double bustle with three bustle points in each tier.

The upper bustle, since it took the majority of the weight of the gown, I used buttons and loops similar to the other bustle I recently shared with you.  The second tier was done with three pairs of ties.

For me....anytime I can design and create, I'm in heaven.  So, the best part was the elbow length veil she wanted me to create.  I used the same scalloped trim from the hemline of the gown for the border of the veil.  I chose to make the width of the veil just a bit wider than shoulder width since we wanted to be sure not to obscure the back of her gown.  The back bodice of the gown was particularly interesting so by minimizing the width, it left the veil very sheer across her back.

Take a look at beautiful Miranda!   What was especially cool was I was able to be a part of Miranda and Lance's special day, since I was honored to second shoot alongside KB Digital Designs.   Congratulations and may the two of you share many, many years of sweet anniversaries together!

BRUSCHETTA

I made these bruschetta this past weekend for hors d'oeuvres before a steak and roast veggie dinner.   It took a bit of prep; toasting the bread, chopping up the tomatoes, etc....but it was definitely worth the time. I'd say the prep was about 20-25 minutes. You'll see there is one step with the tomatoes that requires 30 minutes time; I toasted the bread and mixed up the ricotta during that time.

I can't take the credit, I found it on Sweet Pea's kitchen; it was so yummy I wanted to share.  This gal has a ton of recipes on her blog; there were lots that I thought looked really yummy!!  I'll be visiting her site again, for sure.

I will take credit for one "enhancement" to the bruschetta recipe that I made....I sprinkled a little fresh grated parmesan cheese over the top of each one. :)

Looks good enough to eat, huh?   Enjoy!

CATHEDRAL LENGTH VEIL

I decided it was time to make another cathedral length veil; the last time I made one was in the '80's.  I made the veil along with the bridal gown, bridesmaid dress and the three little flower girl dresses.  It was a real treat to make the entire wedding party for sure.  I just learned that one of the flower girls was a bride herself this year....my how time flies!

Anyway, here is the finished product.  It is made with white illusion and has two different types of laces.

I know....have you ever seen a veil look so sexy??!!  The scalloped lace is a venice lace which goes all the way around the edge of the veil.  The appliques are alencon lace; I added some pearls and sequins after I had sewn the appliques into place to give it a little sparkle.  The sequins will catch the sunlight or reception lighting and shimmer.   Finally, I added some horsehair braid to the bottom edge and sewed a strand of pearls over the top which created a light flounce.  

I took a course on lace when I was in college; can you imagine an entire semester of lace?  It became a bit of a snoozer of a class, but I learned to appreciate the hours of labor and years of tradition that go into laces from various regions around the globe.

A cathedral veil looks so regal paired with the right gown. I hope to find a bride in need of this very one for her special day!  A cathedral veil can also be bustled the same way the hemline of a gown is bustled, that way if the bride wants to, she can wear her veil all night long.   Visit the SheaMarie Designs shop