Merry Christmas from Canada!

Hi and welcome!

Hope you're all enjoying these last days of the year.

I thought I'd share a few photos from my home with you.

I'm addicted to Pinterest!

It was there that I got this idea of turning a tomato cage upside down and wrapping it in lights, creating a "tree" for my front porch.

 

And also, stuffing a bunch of lights into a burlap sack--so simple.

As you enter, you'll be greeted by Eggplant, a Lakeview Primitives doll pattern, holding a Christmas Blessings cross-stitch pillow (pattern by La-D-Da).

Look straight ahead and this is what you'll see. 

 I stuck a few white poinsettias into this vintage carpenter's box and stuck a little snowman and a few greens into an old sifter.

Look up and this is what you'll see.
It's not exactly a Christmas quilt but it does have stars.
(You can find it in my At Home with Country Quilts book.)

 I put the tree in the center of the window.  I love all the lights!
My Ikea stars stay up all year.

My "Home for Christmas" tree-skirt lies underneath the tree.

 This is my favourite cupboard.  I hung a few ornies on the knobs and put a Christmas pillow on the chair.

 What's Christmas without a few sheep?

 My favourite home-made Santa--a Pineberry Lane pattern--sits on top of an old Bible and quilts stuffed into what used to be a wood-box.

 Here's my fireplace topped with my Santa collection.  A little creche sits on the floor beside it.

 A handmade rug from Primitive Gatherings sits on the coffee-table.  On top of it is a pantry cake (also handmade) surrounded by greens.  Beside it is a little quilted sachet stuffed with greens from last year's Christmas tree.

 This poinsettia is already looking kinda straggly but I still love how it looks in an old sieve filled with pinecones.  It's sitting on top of one of my penny rugs, on top of a big old tin.

 I tucked this little Belsnickle into another rusty, old sieve and put a few greens and pinecones around him.
These old sacks are my kitchen "curtains".
I love how my Merry Christmas penny garland contrasts with them.

Of course, you need some primitive gingerbread boys in a wooden bowl.  These are from a new pattern of mine, now available at www.patternmart.com.  Just in case you've forgotten where to find me!

I wish all of you a wonderful Christmas and a new year filled with joy and dreams come true!

Happy Thanksgiving from Canada!

So very much to be thankful for!

(And thank you to Ralph Waldo Emerson for penning the poem which inspired this quilt!)

A Wonderful Holiday

Guess where dear hubby and I were last month!

Here are a few hints...

We visited some beautiful cathedrals,

 and some incredible markets.

 Got a new perspective on "upcycling",

 and watched masterpieces being created in chalk on the streets.

 Climbed almost 500 steps up a bell tower for this view,

 saw lots of buildings in my favourite colors,

 and a boat or two.

 We hiked along the side of a mountain

 to a little town perched on the hillside.

 We saw grapes ready for harvesting

and sampled wonderful wine.

 

We explored medieval villages

 and more beautiful cathedrals

 and saw views like this around every corner. 

Good bye, beautiful Italy!

We can't wait to go back.



Yours, mine, and ours

I love seeing your versions of my designs!

Donna Reed from San Tan Valley, AZ  sent me a picture of the quilt she made from my Welcome Home book published by Kansas City Star.  She says, "I've wanted for so long to make a saltbox house quilt, now it's hanging up at my house !  Yea.  Thank you so much for the designs, loved the houses.  I did change it somewhat, hope you don't mind." 

 No, Donna, I don't mind at all if you change the pattern.  

That way, it becomes your own.

And it looks gorgeous!

Lu Ann Leonard wrote, "I love your book, At Home with Country Quilts (published by Martingale) and decided to use one of the patterns to make a wedding quilt for my niece and her new husband.
I chose to make "Starry Nights in Winter", but made it one row longer. Instead of doing appliqué the whole way around the quilt, I chose the appliqué for "Scrappy Squares". This also worked well, because it had hearts in the design. Anyway, they loved the  quilt and I thought that I would enclose a few pictures (I apologize for the poor lighting). Oh, and I hand quilted it! Yikes! Finished 2 days before the wedding :)"
 

 I love how Lu Ann combined two of my patterns into one quilt.

Didn't it turn out great?

What a labour of love and a wonderful gift to the newlyweds!

Keep those pictures coming!

They inspire me to keep doing what I do.

Thank you all!

A Fun Fall Fair

Well, I"ve been busy!

Next weekend (September 14-15)

 is the Campbell Valley Fair and I've been making things to sell in my booth.

Like what, you ask?

Well, there will be pumpkins.

Painted fabric pumpkins,

 pumpkins with faces, 

 little pumpkins with faces,

 burlap pumpkins,

 painted, flat pumpkins,

 wool pumpkins, 

 pumpkins on sticks,

and in garlands,

 scarecrow pumpkins,

 pumpkins with crows,

 and crows on pumpkins.

Of course there'll be food...

 I can never grow these gourds with the long necks

so I decided to sew a few. 

 You can't have a fall fair without sunflowers,

 or a few cats,

and some crows,

 and a few more pumpkins.

Halloween's just around the corner

so we need a few scary things.

 How about a burlap owl or two? 

 Or a fat chenille spider and little spider-web coasters?

 This oh-so-creepy bat?

 Or some of these?

Did I say there'd be pumpkins?

And lots of other fun stuff!

Hope to see you there!