the first woodlanders desktop calendar...

Happy New Year's Eve! I can not believe that 2010 starts tomorrow.

In 2009 I really noticed how fast time goes by when you turn the calendar each month. Or for me, when I posted the desktop calendar for your computer each month. It almost bothered me...to the point that I considered not posting them in 2010. But alas, I've succumbed, because what would go on my family's kitchen computer?

This year, I'm creating the desktops in two sizes. They are different proportions so that both Macs and PCs can use them. You may need to have it shrink down, but better that than stretching it. And so here we go...

Perplexed Stump isn't sure what to do with himself. He was once a beautiful tree, but was recently cut down to be used as a Christmas Tree. Oh dear.

Download January's 1280x1024
Download January's 1440x900

And coming soon, you'll find Perplexed Stump here as a free embroidery pattern!

the good, the bad and the gifts...

OK, I don't want to brag, but I got some fantastic Christmas presents this year. Seriously fantastic. Like Stitch-opoly. And a bunch of eco art supplies. A mega DVD set. And a rotary cutting machine, PLUS a bias tape maker...the electric kind! That's just the big stuff. There's also lovely little things. Whoa.

And here's where I sound ungrateful.

One of the things that I dislike about Christmas is getting gifts. What? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the things that I received. I know that all were given with love, and much thought. But now I'm at the point where I need to find a place to keep them. And I stink at this part.

I can barely keep from drowning in the mess I already have. Adding one new thing throws me, and adding a bunch all at once overwhelms me to no end.

So here I sit, with my wonderful new stuff, and it's just sort of all around me right now. New Year = Time to organize and clean out! Who knows...maybe I'll find some things that will need new homes...via giveaway! How do you feel about second hand supplies and fun stuff?

almost gone...

Eep! Look at all these Advent Teeny Tinies that Kristi stitched! The only one not pictured is the heart, which I posted after she took this shot. But whoa, I love seeing them all together, and the red is perfect. I confess, Kristi had more dedication and determination than I ended up with this year.

In addition to showing off this amazing use of the free patterns that are in the sidebar, this is also a reminder that the patterns will be going away. Soon. As in, they are only available until the 31st. Then they'll go away, and not return until next Christmas stitching season, and they'll be in the shop. As in, not free.

Get your set while you still can!

keepin' me busy...

I feel like I've been very absent from this blog. I guess I haven't really been, since my last post was just two days ago, but my mind and my days have been occupied with other things.

...like Rock Band. (I think that I CAN sing, but just not in this game. I think.)

...like plans for 2010. (This will deserve its own post.)

...like lots of cooking. (A family of 8 eats a lot.)

...like being oh so tired. (The cooking and doing dishes takes a lot out of me!)

...like avoiding real work. (Thankfully, I haven't had a lot of work emails, because I don't want to reply.)

...like coming up with new ideas. (These get me excited, because they are the work I can't get enough of!)

...like not crafting. (All of that elf work makes me feel that I need a small crafty break.)

What are you up to during this week between holidays?

merry...

Did you have a merry Christmas? I hope so. I had planned on popping in here with a post, but Christmas got busy. Just for about two days. Leading up to Christmas, I can't remember a time that I was more aware of God's gift of Jesus. THAT is a blessing.

Speaking of blessings, how about your family? Yesterday I got it in my head that it would be fun if the six of us kids took a picture together. You know, the self-timer kind of thing. Thankfully Anna suggested using her remote, which saved a lot of trips, and we were able to just snap away. Eventually, it turned into this...









Yes, it was a very merry Christmas!

(Somewhere in the mess of photos, I do think that I got a decent shot...I hope!)

i heart baking...

It's officially Christmas Eve now, and I'm happy to say that I got in a bit more baking tonight. I do love it. And although cookies can sometimes get tedious, especially the cut-out variety...it was a wonderful Christmas-y thing to do.



What I'm not usually thrilled with, is having help with my cookie baking. Last year I made cookies with a friend and it took everything in me not to kick him out of the kitchen. Tonight Grace helped by rolling balls of dough in powdered sugar. She did well. As did I, because I don't think I yelled even once. And I was able to laugh at the dusting of sugar on the counter. And her clothes. And her stool. And the floor.

ten...

Yesterday my brother turned 10. We had a rather quiet sort of day (due to my mom's back being out of commission), and he was OK with that. So mature of him. I made him a set of Elf Skittles for his gift, and although I wasn't sure if he'd know what it was, he opened them and went, "Oh, bowling!" He hasn't played a round yet, but there were, of course, Star Wars and Batman things which needed more immediate attention.

Today it's more getting ready for tomorrow and Friday. I really want to bake some more cookies. Cut out ones. But we shall see if that happens or not. There may be post-Christmas cookies instead.

the gifts are wrapped...

Last year's super simple wrapping was lots of fun, and I wanted to do that again. But given the amount of time that I spent at the sewing machine already (and that it continues to hate me!), a variation was needed. Instead of sewing my brown paper into little packets, I used masking tape around three edges (the fourth side is folded).

For the "tags" I used some of my colored masking tape. It was perfect (and easy)! Speaking of colored masking tape, have you been to the Happy Tape blog? There are lots of fun ideas for using their tape. It makes me think that I need to order a bunch of colors.



And the other night I mentioned that I stayed up making a little hair accessory. This is it. A mistletoe hairpin. I love it...

You can make one too. Head to Matsutake.

Tomorrow is a birthday around here, so more baking is in order...and then, whoa...Christmas is so close!

rock the baby...

...Baby Jesus.

On Sundays I have the pleasure of leading preschool music at our church. It is the best. Truly, I can't express how much joy it brings me to sing with two, three and four-year-olds. They are adorable, excited about singing, and so sweet! It may sound silly to some, but worshiping God and celebrating His Son with little ones takes it to a whole other level.

Anyway, at Christmas, it's even more fun. We've been singing one of my favorite songs, "Rock the Baby." (from this CD) In the song, we all hold our arms like we're cradling and rocking a baby. (Baby Jesus!) It's really cute, and the kids get into it.

For this week, I got my mom to help me with something. We made a little baby Jesus felt hand puppet for each child to use while we sing, and to take home with them. It really made singing today extra special. One little boy even said that he was going to take the puppet to bed so he could snuggle it!

When I sing with these kids, I always think of a Charles Dickens quote:

"I love these little ones, and it is no small thing that they, who are so fresh from heaven, should love us."

(And special thanks to my mom, who hurt her back from sitting at our kitchen counter and sewing for so long!)

christmas with frank...

That'd be Frank Lloyd Wright, not Frank Sinatra.

We headed to Oak Park today and took a Christmas tour through Wright's home and studio. It was so lovely, because students talked about the Wright children, and their Christmas traditions. So fun!

And of course, the house was fantastic. Around every corner we were all oooh-ing and aaah-ing. With the snow outside, it was so wonderful. A nice little Christmas-y thing to do...one that we will probably do again...perhaps every year. It's funny how you can see traditions forming...

What traditions do you have that you've started? Are there any that you would like to start?

just a few cupcakes...

So, I really tired, and should be in bed. But I'm also still a little wired.

Today I baked nearly 275 mini cupcakes. And two kinds of cookies. And another kind of dough. With homemade pizza thrown in for good measure.

And now that it is close to 1AM, what have I been doing for the last little while? Making myself a new hair accessory. What?!?

the elf is nearly finished...

I should start by saying, if you're family, or a certain family friend whose mom likes to read my blog (Hi, Mrs. Woods!), stop reading.

I am AT LAST nearly done with the gift making. Just two tiny things to finish off on things. YAY! There are things that I still am hesitant to photograph, and I don't want to entirely bore you, but here are the things that I finished off in the last two days:



Grace's 5th birthday comes right after Christmas, so I made her this ADORABLE panda bag from the RVA autumn class. The supplies I had on hand determined the colors, and I'm so glad that it came out this way. A light pink and orange panda bear? Perfect.



The 7- and 10-year-old brothers are each getting one of these teepee t-shirts. I appliqued the cotton jersey, and added a bit of stitching. I hope they like them, but if they don't, they'll probably fit me.



Another RVA project. This was supposed to be made out of leather, but I didn't find white, and for a baseball loving brother, white with red stitches was essential. Canvas worked perfectly. And it gave me a chance to try out the feather stitch learned from Jenny Hart's latest book. Oh, and how fun was it to actually bind the whole thing? It was an accomplishment!



Speaking of accomplishment...This entire scarf was sewn without sewing machine incident! Yes, it was just straight stitching, and it was after my dear mother had done some threading, but give me this. Believe me...this has been a stressful sewing machine gift-making year. But hey, only two total flops!



But this was the best gift to make. Those boxes outside my window were filled with supplies for Caregiver Kits. They arrived today, we assembled them tonight, and in the morning they are getting shipped out. Yay! The best part was having little Grace help in packing the supplies. She really got into it. So again, to all who contributed by making a purchase towards Caregiver Kits, THANK YOU!

Next up, the gift elf becomes the baking elf...

a december workshop for you...

This one is super simple, because, well, it's December, and I've been doing a lot of making lately (in fact, I'll be back later with a post of all that this elf has been up to!). This painting is easy enough for anyone to make. Really!

I made an egg for my papa, because he loves chickens, but it can be customized to be whatever simple object is suitable for your recipient. Or yourself!

Download the workshop PDF.

And if you have more ideas for making little paintings like this, feel free to share them here!

ah, the dichotomy...

He says that he's not a doorstop, but that's just what he is. Finally, I finished the Frustrated Fruitcake doorstop for my dad. And shocker! I didn't break any sewing machine needles today! Basically, I sewed a canvas bag (sort of like a paper lunch bag) and stitched my embroidery to it like a patch. Then I wrapped a brick in batting, stuck it in the bottom with a bit of fiber fill on top, and stitched the top closed by hand. It's a little wacky looking, but I think that's only appropriate, given the fact that it's a fruitcake doorstop, don't you think?

easy gifts to make for boys...

I feel like an elf at this point in December, because I've been trying to get lots of little things made. And I've been managing...Right now I feel like it may happen in time for Christmas!



Anyway...last night I was trying to think of something easy and small-ish that I could make for my little brothers, just to add to the other things that I'm making them. So I googled "easy gifts to make for boys". And I wasn't really excited about what I found. But then I remembered a simple little toy that is super fast to make. I think they are sometimes called button yo-yos, but I'm not sure.

Basically, you tie a string into a loop through a large button. Then you hold the string from both sides with the button in the middle, and spin the button around a bit. When the string twists, you pull the two sides out to tighten it, move your hands in to loosen it, and you continue...keeping the button spinning.



To make my own for gifts, I took some 1.5" plain wooden discs and punched two holes in them with my Crop-O-Dile. (A simple wooden button would also work) Then I painted them to look like peppermints, added an initial to each, and then threaded red cotton crochet thread through. Easy!

I love too, that kids could paint these themselves to have their own custom button yo-yos. AND, we've found that for little ones who need some resistance/heavy work, they are great for little arms (Tracy...your girls need these!).

There you have it...a fast, easy, fun little stocking stuffer type gift for boys...or girls. Happy Monday!

the fruitcake of my labor...

My first official holiday baking has happened. And it's fruitcake.

This was my first try at this traditional treat, and I have to say...it was a success. I know that some folks really don't like it, but this stuff was good. And not entirely difficult to make either. I used a recipe for White Fruitcake, and adjusted the fruit/nut amounts a little. It really came out like a nice, dense, moist bread with fruit and raisins...Certainly not a doorstop!

In other fruitcake news, you can download Frustrated Fruitcake printable gift tags over at The Sampler this month!

And, I'm still working on the doorstop for my dad, which will use my embroidered Frustrated Fruitcake. Should I be worried about this obsession?

christmas light love...

so very cozy...

Yesterday I showed a glimpse of this...well...a version of this...and today here it is:



A tea cozy!

In the RVA Autumn class Rachel had a tea cozy project. This is that, but I made mine differently, so I'm sharing my tea cozy construction plan with you. I suppose there are only so many ways you can make one, and so none of them are new...but this one was un-researched. Except for consultation with my mother.





First off, I stitched and appliqued the gingerbread house. I drew up this pattern after looking for something that I liked. There was a vintage Hansel and Gretel pattern that came close, but this worked out better for adding felt. It's not perfect (which I'm cool with), but if you'd like it, you can grab it from Flickr.



Then I cut out the pieces. I used an existing cozy from home as the basis for my pattern. It's sort of a basic shape, you just have to make sure that it's large enough for your tea pot. Since this is for a gift (for Nanny!), I went just a bit larger than the minimum so that it would accommodate a large tea pot. The one I showed glimpses of yesterday is smaller to fit my little sister's toy tea pot.

There are two pieces of my outer fabric, two of the lining, and two pieces of cotton batting.



With the pieces layered in this order: batting, outer fabric, lining (face down), I stitched straight across the bottom of both sets.



Then I trimmed the batting close to the stitches, flipped the lining to the back, and pressed both of them.



Pin the two sides with lining to lining. Make sure that your ends match up really good. Mine shifted just a bit, and I've opted to live with it. You may be more picky than I am. Anyway...stitch around the top of your cozy. You're almost done!



Trim around your seam so that your rough raw edges are now smooth raw edges.



All done!

Even with all my sewing machine issues, this was simple. So simple, that I wish I had decided to make these for everyone on my list. Even my brother. Hey, he could wear it as a hat!

making cookies...

No, I still haven't done any baking...

But I have been back to the sewing machine.



I took some of my Cookies for Santa ornament panel fabric, and decided to make soft play cookies for my little sister. So, I cut white fabric for the back, and trimmed cotton batting just a bit smaller than my shapes. (Also, on some of the cookies, I made them just a bit larger than the outline on the fabric.)

Then I layered them as you see in the photo.



Stitched around them, and left an opening. These shapes were great sewing machine practice for me. But oh...I'm still working on how big an opening to leave. Most of them were tricky to turn.



But at last, they all were turned. Then I pressed them, and they were all set to stitch closed.



Yay! Cookies for Santa! (and Grace!)

Since I'm not listing anymore ornament kits in my Etsy shop this year, I've made the fabric available at Spoonflower.

Also today, I worked on this:







I'll share more about this one tomorrow. But I will say that I remained faithful to my sewing machine experiences: I broke two needles today. My mom tells me that she's going to start charging me for them, which is only fair!

One last thing...

Thanks for all of the love on my stocking post! It was a kit, which I kind of remember seeing in stores during my childhood years. No pattern here anymore...but perhaps a close look at the stitches could help. They all seem to be standard crewel stitches. Good luck!

30 years ago...

My mom was stitching something up for me...



I was enjoying my first Christmas season...



I got my first stocking...



Today my mom found this again and gave it to me. How delightful! It is about 7.5" tall, and is all crewel work. Given the fact that I was born at Thanksgiving, that I was a total surprise (as in, there's a baby...would you like to adopt her?...just come to the hospital in a day or so), and that Christmas is always super busy, I'm amazed that my mom was able to get this made. Just look at all those loving stitches!

(sorry for the dark photos...I just couldn't wait until daylight to share this!)

parsley, sage, rosemary and...

...time.

I'm seriously starting to panic. Quietly, but it's there. How is it December 8? There's hardly any time left until Christmas! I'm waaaaay behind, or at least I feel that way.

Above is where I'm at with my Advent Teeny Tiny stitching. In case you're wondering, that present is from day 4. Mmmhmm.

I've baked zero Christmas cookies (other than helping with some for a church event).

Only one gift is entirely made.

I need more time!!!!

a woodland christmas...

Well, the tree is finally decorated. We ended up with only five types of ornaments, because the last ones I was planning on just didn't seem right. We feared they would take away from the look we have.

Originally, we talked about doing the tree in all white. But then, my Woodlanders started getting us talking about a new theme, and indeed, woodland was the way to go. But still, with plenty of white, and not too many other colors. Here's what we have:



Stars made from twigs. I just cut the thin twigs and hot glued them. They don't have hangers, but instead they are tucked into the center of the tree. You have to look to find them.

The mushrooms/toadstools were made using My Little Mochi's tutorial. Super fun and easy. I made like, 20+ of them, and it didn't take too long. Again, here we kept them simple and pure white (well, sort of a creamy shade of yummy wool felt).



Styrofoam balls, covered in birdseed. Messy, but easy. Some of the seed is falling off of them, so we'll see if they make it to another year. Which would be OK because, if we use them again, we can just add more seed. I'm a little surprised, but these are probably my favorite ornaments on the tree. There are two sizes of balls, and they add warmth and detail to the tree.

Wool felt feathers were cut out using a pattern from the RVA class I took. Real feathers, I don't particularly like, but these work for me!

It's a happy little tree, especially with all the cranberries that my sister strung for it. The color from them is so nice.

Now...just a few extra details to the top and bottom, and we're done!