Are you curious about our big announcement I teased you about the past couple of weeks? :-)

We keep trying to find ways to keep US motivated to make a Christmas gift or two every month. We're really excited about this idea and hope you are, too.

In addition to having a winner every month we're also going to have two Grand Prize winners next December. Cheryl and I are going to set aside an additional gift every month. The number of entries you have for the Grand Prizes will be based on how many months you participated. So if you participate all 12 months, you'll have 12 entries; 6 months - 6 entries and so on.

So...............my fellow Christmas Elves will that help keep you motivated to work on Christmas gifts and make your life easier next December?



The Christmas Through the Year train is pulling into its first stop - January 31. We know that many of you have already completed Christmas gifts for family and friends. WooHoo!!!! Cheryl says we're YOUR cheerleaders and have pom-poms; so do you have a mental picture of us jumping for joy just for YOU. (ok, maybe not - LOL)


I've been fighting a cruddy flu bug since Wednesday (it's been a long time since I've been this sick - ugh) however in my stupor I came up with yet another time saving idea for you.

Bearing in mind that this is suppose to be about 'no stress, no pressure just fun with great results next Christmas' I had a lightbulb moment. :-)

We've suggested that you store your finished gifts in a fun container (a pretty box, basket, totebag, drawer, etc) however why not wrap your gift NOW. If your gift is small use those cute Christmas treat bags, plain treat bags found in the cake decorating dept at your local hobby store (make it fun with pretty ribbons, rick rack, etc) or a plain brown lunch bag that you can decorate with fun stickers found in the scrapbooking dept of the same local hobby store. If you don't want to scrunch up the brown bag to tie it then simply fold it over, punch two holes and thread pretty ribbons, etc through the holes. Or, make a special bag following a tutorial you might find on Cheryl's blog - goodness I'm glad she took that on - not my strong suit. Now you just need to find a shelf in your sewing room, hall closet, etc to store your wrapped gifts.

These are my January gifts - not quilted but will be later this week.

I failed to take a picture of the finished January gift but here's a refresher!


I've added Mr Linky to end of this post - please add your blog with a link to your blog to show your completed January Christmas Through The Year gifts. I'll leave this up until Wednesday February 1 and then a winner will be announced.

If you're participating and don't have a blog please send a picture to me or Cheryl! :-)

One more thing - you can follow Cheryl's and my blog via e-mail. Sign up on the top right!

Thank you for having Christmas fun with us!

In Friendship!

Have you jumped aboard the Christmas Train?

We're near the end of January, the first stop in our Christmas gift making journey!

Are you excited because you've completed your January Christmas gift goals? I've heard from several of you who are chugging right along - woohoo!!! Mary completed two Full House Schnibbles projects, Carol has some adorable kitchen towels, Carol completed a pillowcase for her granddaughter - the list goes on.

If you're still struggling with gift ideas please visit Cheryl's blog for lots of wonderful tutorials. And, there's more to come - she's really good at finding lots of terrific ideas!

Last week I told you I'd have a big announcement today! Well, you'll have to wait till next Monday because I don't quite have my act together. teehee!!! I will tell you that it should provide more motivation for you to jump aboard the Christmas Train as we continue our Christmas Through The Year journey.

Next Monday I will provide Mr Linky so you can link your blog to show your finished project(s). You'll have till the end of the month to provide your link and on February 1 we'll draw a winner of the January stocking!

If you haven't started working on your Christmas gifts now is the time to get busy. Remember it's about no stress and no pressure with fabulous results in December!

In Friendship!

Snippets

(a small bit of something)

I've had snippets of time to play with snippets of fabric (12 Days of Christmas scraps).

This box full of snippets probably should be sealed up and put on a shelf but I've been having way too much fun! :-)


Using my snippets of time and snippets of fabric I've created these four little quilts. I've been thinking enough already but I have two more ideas. LOL


Lest you think I've only played with Christmas snippets - here are pink and brown snippets, as well.

Thank you for spending a snippet of your day with me - please come back soon.

In Friendship!

Can you believe half of January is gone?

I hope you've started working on your January Christmas Through the Year gift project.

In case you haven't I'm here to offer a little motivation - teehee!

I managed to squeeze in some 'me time' this evening to piece the January giveaway project. I'll quilt and bind it later this week so I can show you next Monday! Remember your name can be in the hat to win if and only you complete a gift this month!

Before


After


I'll be back with Christmas Through the Year next Monday to show the project finished and a surprise!


Remember no pressure, no stress - just fun with great results next Christmas! Imagine how good it'll feel to have 12 projects ready to give - so start sewing for Christmas!


Cheryl will be posting tutorials and such on the first and third Mondays please stop by to visit with her for more motivation and ideas.


In Friendship!

Shaye's

1st Birthday

already?????

In Friendship!

ME TIME!

Before you read on please know that I'm not here to whine or complain. I'm looking for solutions, guidance, ideas, etc regarding TIME. Specifically ME TIME!

Since my mom came to stay with us in November 'me time' has been non-existant. My days have been consumed by my mom's needs but she's not an invalid (she's suffering from short term cognitive impairment). Sigh I was biding my time until the day I took her back to Texas. As a family we've decided that my mom is staying with us permanently - it's the best decision for her and her needs. This decision impacts me the most so I need your help.

I'm trying hard to find time in a day to work on some projects. I made the decision some time last year to focus on small projects in 2012. Even time to work on small projects has been elusive.

I willingly admit that I crave alone time. I enjoy time in my sewing room - it's really my sanctuary - I feel very at peace in there! In my personal Disneyland. LOL I can't remember the last time I spent time alone in my sewing room - just me and my thoughts. Sigh!

I thought I might be able to find that time in the evening after my mom goes to bed. Guess what? She refuses to go to bed until I go to bed (yes, we've tried tricking her but she figured us out - LOL) and when she finally goes to bed I'm exhausted. I'm an early riser so I've considered enjoying 'me time' in the early morning hours but then Cooper is demanding my time. aarrgghhh! LOL

So, can you offer some suggestions? Please I need help. I have to find a solution - really I do.

In Friendship!

So many have jumped aboard the Christmas Train - welcome aboard!

I've been peeking over some shoulders and have seen Christmas gifts in the making - woohoo!!!

The incredibly talented Kaaren at The Painted Quilted has finished her first gift! I was so excited when I saw it on her blog.

How are YOU doing? Have you picked out your first gift to be made this month? Are you sewing? Have you finished? I'd love to hear about your progress.

Cheryl's been working really hard getting some tutorials for ideas for YOU. I've almost finished the giveaway gift for January. teehee!!! And, I have some planned surprises, as well. :-)

No stress, no pressure just fun with wonderful results at the end of the year!!!

"I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year!"

Charles Dickens

In Friendship!

Welcome aboard the Christmas Train!!!

I'm so glad that so many of you are excited about the "Christmas Through The Year" bloggy club.

This is a fun and simple bloggy club - no pressure and no stress!! I'm going to suggest that you start small (mug mat, pillow case, table runner, etc). If you're ready to start BIG then by all means. :-) We're here to cheer you on. Remember you have all month to get your first gift completed. Cheryl, has done her first post about the bloggy club and has some awesome tutorials for some adorable projects.

By the way, I know it'll be tempting to give your gift away right away...........don't do it! LOL Finish the first gift and put it away in your box, totebag, drawer or basket. It's going to be fun to look back and see your pile of gifts growing.

Here's a little teaser - teehee!!

I'm already having fun - could this be the start of my first gift or the giveaway prize? LOL

I promise this is my last post about the "Christmas Through The Year" bloggy club until next Monday. :-)

In Friendship!

Christmas Through The Year

(I'm late - I took a nap teehee)

Did you participate in Allie and Cheryl's "Christmas Through The Year" club in 2011? I kept telling myself that I should participate but kept procrastinating. Sigh! I watched from the sidelines while so many were making Christmas gifts throughout the year. Yes, I did manage to make a handful of Christmas gifts but not as many as I planned and ended up very frustrated with myself. Bigger Sigh! I kept waiting and hoping that Allie would announce that she was going to do it again in 2012 however she has other plans and decided that she couldn't devote the time to the club as she had in 2011. I sent her an e-mail and asked if I could continue it - carry the torch (so to speak). She said, "Yes" and then shared that Cheryl wanted to do the same. An e-mail and a phone chat later Cheryl and I were very excited partners. WooHoo!!!!




We hope that you'll make plans to join us in 2012 and enjoy making a Christmas gift (or two). Cheryl is a huge testament about the club - she made a gift every month and at the end of the year she had 12 gifts ready to give. Can I get a huge WOOHOO for Cheryl. :-)

Charles Dickens said, "I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year!"

Starting January 2, I’ll be doing a post every Monday to help keep us focused. We’ll be making ONE gift per month – if you make more, that’s excellent! Then, at the end of the year, if you play along every month, you’ll have at least 12 gifts completed. We'd like to suggest that you find a spot to store your finished gifts (box, totebag, drawer, etc); I have that cute snowman box for my finished gifts.

One simple rule: Your gift doesn't have to be sewing related nor Christmas themed but it does have to be handcrafted. Bear in mind that you do not have to sign up to participate - this bloggy club will remain open all year. If you want to do it that month, you're in if you choose to skip a month, no problem.

There will be small give-aways each month and will be sent to you in one of the stockings shown in the picture. This is an open invitation to anyone who’d like to play along. At the end of the month, you’ll have to post a picture of your gift you’ve made on your blog. We'll tell you where to post about your gift as we get close to the end of the month.

We're carrying the torch for Allie so we're using the button she created. :-)If you'd like to add the button to your blog, just right-click the picture, save, and use the "add a gadget" on your dashboard.

Cheryl and I are really excited and have some ideas and plans. We'd be even more excited if you played along with us.

In Friendship!

The Number 12

I don't make New Year's resolutions; really don't like setting myself up for failure. I suffer enough failures in my life I certainly don't need to create more. LOL

In my stitching and quilting world I do like to set goals; albeit sometimes they are silly ones but goals, none the less.

So, in the spirit of setting goals and such this post is brought to you by the number 12. Why the number 12? No, not because it's 2012 (although 12 in '12 is catchy but maybe a bit cheesy) LOL!! I've had to make some huge adjustments in the time I spend in my sewing room. I really miss rotary cutting, measuring, fondling fabric, planning projects, etc - it's very therapeutic. I've been thinking about this quite bit in recent days and came up with what I believe is a realistic solution. I told myself to think small - small doable projects - small quilts, x-stitch ornaments , Christmas gifts, etc. And, then it happened - the inevitable light bulb moment - LOL. I can make a small quilt a month, a x-stitch ornament a month, etc. So, 12 months = 12 ornaments, 12 small quilts, 12 Christmas gifts. I'm really excited about my goals featuring the number 12.

So, what do you think - can I do it? I hope so because I'm planning to do a post at the end of every month brought to you by the number 12 and I want to show successful results not failures.

"I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year!"
Charles Dickens

Come back later today for an exciting announcement about Christmas Through The Year.

Thank you for stopping by to visit today!

In Friendship!

From me and mine to you and yours

Happy New Year!

In Friendship!

In Friendship!

Happy Holidays!

Hello, my friends!!!! I've missed you all bunches and bunches! Are you ready for Christmas? I've been peeking over your shoulders; oh my so many of you have been so incredibly busy.

I've been trying to decide whether I'm a Christmas success or failure. ;-) I had a grand plans and a good start and then life got in the way (dagnabbit - LOL) I planned to spread holiday cheer to many of my blog friends - those that never forget me at Christmas or on my birthday (you know who you are!)

The picture above shows a Schnibbles George and quilt and pillow for my daughter and her family. I wanted to make the same for us but it didn't happen. Dishtowels and word pillows - wanted to make lots more. grrrrrr! That simply didn't happen.

I did finish these six stitchery gifts. As I was wrapping and packaging them to mail it occured to me that they are pillows or wallhanging. (does that count as two gifts in one? LOL

Simple wrapping!

I did manage to get to the post office twice this week so hopefully some will arrive before Christmas. I have two more packages to mail - please be patient with me. :-)

I've received some very thoughtful e-mails - checking on me! Thank you from the very bottom of my heart. Life in our home is very different but 'it is what it is'.

Living for Today, forgetting about Yesterday and not fretting about Tomorrow is our way of life now ---- it's working!

Happy Holidays to you and yours from me and mine!

In Friendship!

Adjusting!

Have you missed Darlene? Has it really been two weeks since she visited with you? She hasn't had much to blog about :-( Actually, she's been peeking over your shoulders but sadly not leaving many comments. She's sorry!

She flew to Texas, packed up some of her mom's personal belongings, loaded up her car and they drove to AZ on Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Long drive but good.

This is a new journey with adjustments for all - especially her mom. There have been a few bumps in the road but for the most part things are going well. She's really been enjoying seeing her greatgrands, Seth, Eli and Shaye

Can't seem to find or make time to sew but she's been doing lots of Christmas stitching. She's planning to finish up a handful of giftees this week so she can get them to the post office.

If you're still visiting - thank you for sticking with her (us). She appreciates you more than can be expressed via the written word. Come again soon.

In Friendship!

The Wabbit Daze Gang

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

We're embarking on a new journey in our household. Tomorrow I'm flying to Texas and on Tuesday my mom and I will be driving back here. I won't bore you with all the details; she's been suffering with some short term cognitive impairment for a few months now. My sister has been bearing the burden of caring for our mom and simply can't handle it anymore. As a family and with advice from her doctor we've decided that she should come stay with us for a few months through the holidays until Feb/Mar. Time will tell but we won't be surprised if it becomes a permanent move.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Life has been full of challenges for so many this year - illness, finances, loss of loved ones, etc. Please take a few minutes to be thankful for all the gifts you have in your life. There's so much 'stuffus' in our lives that simply doesn't matter (really it just doesn't) - we can't do anything about yesterday, we don't know what tomorrow holds, however today is NOW. Enjoy every minute of today - things can change very quickly. I've been trying to live my days this way for a couple of months and it's working for me.

In Friendship

(I'll be back to visit with you in a few days)

Under Construction

(no building permit - shhhh)

Have you visited Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co fame?

Seriously you have to go visit and see what she's been up to - go now - I'll wait. :-)

Are you back?

I'm going to assume that you are!

I've been in the construction business for a few days but without a building permit. teehee!!!!

Here are pieces parts awaiting transportation to the building site:

In the construction faze:

Two little houses needing some finishing touches - giftees for a few friends!
You?
Can't tell you - sorry!

This is my Christmas Village waiting to be quilted. I have to make three more just like this one. I'll be in construction mode for a few more days. Whew!


Remember my scraps from my 12 Days of Christmas BOM from The Fat Quarter Shop?

Look at my Christmas Village ready to become a sweet pillow!



To create your 'hood, town, village, etc you'll need a Schnibbles Full House pattern by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

Thanks for popping in! Come again soon.

In Friendship!

Sunshine & More

I like to say that we live on the "Surface of the Sun" (the AZ desert) - very, very hot summers. :-) I don't know whether or not I should admit that I do get tired of the sun - too much sunshine. I crave overcast, cloudy, rainy days. I crave colder days, too. Silly I know! LOL Ironically, we're having a "Darlene Day" today - woohoo!!!!

I found a major ray of sunshine in my mailbox a few days ago! A very dear bloggy friend sent the little quilt top to 'bring sunshine into my challenging world'. I was very touched and must admit to tear filled eyes. Thank you, my friend you've truly touched my heart.

Yesterday Mr Daze celebrated a very special birthday and our daughter Kristie and her family put together a fabulous surprise party. We enjoyed cake and ice cream with lots of wonderful friends. The best surprise for Mr Daze was his much younger sister and her family shared the day with us - we hadn't seen them in at least 9 years. After the party we took him to dinner. A wonderful day - he's still on Cloud 9 today. LOL

Thank you for visiting - please come again soon.

In Friendship!

Enjoy your Halloween doing exactly what makes you smile. :-)

Mr Daze had surgery on Friday and everything went very well. Now the healing begins and hopefully he'll be feeling much, much better soon. Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers, kind words, etc during this stressful and challenging time in our household.

In Friendship!

Less Than 60

A gentle reminder!

There are less than 60 days till Christmas.

Be gentle - I'm just the messenger. LOL

I'm crazy about Countdown to Christmas by Sweetwater for Moda! I want to make lots and lots of projects using these fabrics but I'm trying to exercise moderation. Sigh!!!

George decided to join me in my 'Countdown to Christmas'.

Doesn't he look spiffy?

There are lots of scraps now to use in various giftee type projects.

No, you can't have George! LOL

Enjoy your day - we have a stressful day ahead of us!

Please keep us in your thoughts today.

In Friendship!

Inquiring Minds

I've been working and finishing Christmas pressies/giftees for YOU. teehee!! During my stitching frenzy I was chatting with a friend about sending a pillow as a gift. Pillows are not easy to wrap or ship - light but bulky.

So, would it be tacky and/or rude to send a finished pillow cover without the pillow form? All YOU would have to do is purchase the size pillow form indicated on an attached tag.

Please tell me (us) your thoughts!

A sneaky peek at one of the finished pillow covers. It's stinkin' cute - even if I do say so myself. LOL

P.S.

A finished wall hanging for Little Miss Shaye's room. I'm off to sew down the binding.

Thank you muchly for popping by.

In Friendship!

A Good Day!

I had a very relaxing day in my sewing room and finished my 12 Days of Christmas Designer BOM from the Fat Quarter Shop. I made a slight change - why - because I could. LOL Rather than wonky stars in border I decided to simply add sawtooth stars in the corners.

When I tossed it on the floor to take a picture Cooper decided he wanted to help. :-)

(ignore the wrinkles, please)

Backing pieced - check

Binding pieced - check

I hope you spent time playing with fabric today, too. :-)

Thanks for stopping by - come again soon.

In Friendship!

Bits and Bobs

Last Saturday Carrie of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co was scheduled to do a book signing (surely you know she has a new book - Another Bite of Schnibbles?) at The Olde World Quilt Shoppe. So after much hemming and hawing I decided to take a drive out to visit with her and to see Dee, Jordan and Whitney (missed her). I'd also received an e-mail from Jan (my quilt retreat friend) telling me that she'd be there with a friend and would love to see me.

Carrie was the "Bell of the Ball", Dee and Jordan were super sweet and happy to see me (it had been a year since I'd been there - what is up with that?) and it was fun to see Jan and meet two of her friends.

I HAD to do a little shopping however I'd promised Mr Daze that I'd be good! You do know that being 'GOOD' is definitely overrated but I managed to be very 'Good'. teehee :-)

I grabbed the new Better Homes and Gardens Sew Scrappy magazine, a layer cake and background fabric of Count Down to Christmas by Sweetwater for Moda. Need it for some of my Christmas giftees! :-)
After visiting with everyone and looking around I headed home. When I got home I sat down to read my new magazine. I was anxous to see Sherri's sweet new pattern Gum Drops (in the lower right hand corner) but I was shocked to discover a pattern by Kathie (it's the cover quilt). It's definitely a delightfully scrappy quilt with elements of surprise. If you don't already own this publication then you really should. :-) Two of my favorite bloggy friends are STARS! :-)

The Christmas stitching continues with a vengence and I'm having tons of fun. No, can't show you! You wouldn't want me to ruin surprises, would you? 'wink'

Thanks for popping in to visit with me. I hope you come again soon.

In Friendship!

Moving Right Along!

I managed to finish the final six blocks f the Fat Quarter Shop BOM and later today I'll finish assembling the quilt top. WooHoo!!!!!

And, now I have lots of scraps to use on a couple of planned Christmas projects/gifts - woohoo!!!

And, wait till you see all the Christmas embroidery/stitchery projects I've been doing!!! I have such big plans and I'm excited that I'll see them through and send handmade gifts to many friends.

Thanks bunches for stopping by - please come again soon.

In Friendship!

Out of the Dark

I'm in full Christmas sewing, quilting & stitching mode :-) My mind is racing with ideas for gifts and such. So much so that I've started making a list (and checking it twice - sorry couldn't resist) LOL

It was time to pull this project 'out of the dark' and finish it as quickly as possible. This is block #7 of the 2010/2011 Fat Quarter Shop Designer Mystery quilt - five to go.

It'll be wonderful to have the quilt finished but I need to finish it because I need the scraps for some gift ideas and plans. The Fat Quarter Shop is incredibly generous with BOM fabrics so I know I will lots leftover. :-)

There is a method to my madness.

No, no, no I can't show you any of the finished projects because that would ruin the surprises.

I appreciate that you've popped in to visit with me - I hope you'll come again soon.

Christmas is less than 90 days away

(gentle reminder - teehee)

In Friendship!

Christmas Stitching and Such

Yes, the man of the house is home and resting comfortably. As I look to my left I see him sitting in his recliner with his heart monitor (aka ALF - a little friend) and his pal Cooper. :-) So, for now it's not all about him. Whew! LOL

Can you believe it's already October 1st - seriously????? That means that Christmas is less than 90 days away - seriously????? The time has come to start a ton of planned Christmas stitching for gifts and such. I used a super cute Christmas tin to gather embroidery needles, scissors, DMC #321 and the first project already in my hoop.

I need to do a little shopping for some cute Christmas fabric to help complete said planned projects.

Have you been 'Naughty or Nice'? Are you on my Christmas list? What's your wish? :-)

Enjoy your Saturday - if you need me I'll be propped stitching the day away while watch game 1 of the baseball play offs. Go D'backs!

Thank you again for being such wonderful friends!

In Friendship!