A Sew Loquacious Handmade Holiday

Halloween is in one week.  There are 33 days until Thanksgiving!  There are 62 days until Christmas and 69 days until New Year's!  What are you planning for the Holidays this year?  I recently posted about my pledge to contribute to handmade charity this season as well as my plan to either make or give handmade gifts this holiday season.  With this handmade pledge in mind, I've decided to document my Handmade Holiday here on my blog.

The The Sew Loquacious Handmade Holiday will include sewn, knit, or otherwise handcrafted gifts, as well as food ideas.  What are the most memorable gifts you received or gave?  I am certain that most were handmade.  I remember my grandmother giving all her grandchildren crocheted slippers one year.  I wore mine until they had holes in the soles!  When I was in my 20's,  my mother made pajamas for everyone.  I still have the pair she made for me!  Holiday baking always evokes memories of my childhood.  My mother made divinity every year.  Truth be told, I hate divinity, but she also made fudge, almond bark covered pretzels and Party Mix.

Grab the Sew Loquacious Handmade Holiday button if you'd like to join in!  Whenever I post a Handmade Holiday project, I'll add it to the linky tool at the bottom of the Sew Loquacious Handmade Holiday page..  If you write a post about a holiday project you are made, you can link up on this page as well!  Be sure to leave a comment, too!

I'm excited to get started!  I'm on the hunt for an easy knit slipper pattern or tutorial.  I'd like to make a pair for my youngest daughter.  If you know of an easy (not using double pointed needles), let me know!

Thanks again for sending me "get well soon" wishes!  I've been feeling much better in the last few days and have completed a couple of knitting projects, which I've added to my Etsy shop.

I've also managed to get into my sewing room to work on two birthday gifts.  I tried my hand at freezer paper stencils.

I bought two ready made shirts and cut about 2 inches off the bottom.  I then sewed fabric/ruffles to them after painting the stencils.  I'm really pleased with how they both turned out.  I made a yo yo for the top shirt.  It is attached with a button pin so it can be removed for easier washing.  I had a lot of fun doing the stencils and I am still amazed how well the freezer paper works!

Have a great Sunday everyone!  Please have a look through the Charitable Links page and consider making a project for charity.  Also, please join in the Sew Loquacious Handmade Holiday!  I know it's going to be a lot of fun!

Tootles!

Sew Many Reasons To CELEBRATE!

I have several reasons to be on cloud nine tonight!  The first is: 

Oh Yeah!  Guess what?  THIS IS MY 100th POST!  Can you believe it?  Actually, I hadn't realized that my next post would be number 100 until I looked at my dashboard after my post about my fall favorites!  I've spent the last few days trying to figure out just how I wanted to celebrate this event!  So, I've decided to have my very first GIVEAWAY!  I went shopping for goodies and just look what I've come up with:

Okay, so photography isn't my strong suit.  I'll just say that this basket o goodies is brimming with "stuff" related to my new addiction...paper crafts, including stamps, cardboard thingies, jeweled brads, and other embellishments!  I've also included stuff related to my love of sewing.. yummy fabric selections from Moda

and some super cool handbag patterns!  I've tried to keep a Thank-You theme with this giveaway.  The reason:  I've feel so very thankful for all of the friendships I've made through these last 99 blog posts as well as for my blog itself.  Without getting too sentimental or mushy, I actually started this blog at a time when I felt I was sort of at a crossroads in my life.  I'm not sure crossroads is the right word, but I was going through a sort of identity crisis at the time I began writing.  I wasn't sure I actually wanted to continue in my occupation at that time (frankly I still ponder this everyday), I also turned 40 near the beginning of this journey, and, I guess, still struggling with the loss of my life...my mom.  Still struggling there, too.  And while I'm not exactly okay with being 40, I guess I'm dealing with that the best.    Well, writing, as well as sewing, has been a sort of therapy for me.  The reason I started sewing was that I found when I sew, I think of nothing but making the line straight and that the end result will be something pretty.  I've now found that blogging, and what that has brought to me...new friends, new art mediums, and connections with people globally has made me a truely better, more rounded (hopefully not literally) person!  Okay, I am totally rambling now. Stay tuned, though, I'm getting into this self reflection, etc.  You know I started my Discovering Myself Journal Class with Bonnie this week, so forgive me if I am a little, you know, loquacious.  Okay, so how do you win this GIVEAWAY you ask?  Well, I'd love for you to be a follower, but it is not MANDATORY!  Wouldn't it be cool to make it to 100 for my 100th Post though?  Anyway, just leave me a comment telling me one thing about yourself that your followers would be suprised to know about you.  Obviously anything goes here...like you have a Rolling Stones tattoo (which would be cool), you love Marilyn Manson (not so cool), you have a Mr. Potato Head collection.  You get the picture.  The winner will be selected radomly this Friday evening.  Oh, I'd love for you to grab my giveaway button and post about it on your blog.  Doing this, on top of your comment, will give you bonus points!  Oh, I promise to tell you all something suprising about myself, too.

My second reason for being happy tonight:

I won!  I won Amy's giveaway at Ruby Moon Art.  I won a gorgeous bracelet she made.  It is absolutley fabulous!  Thanks Amy so much...thanks also for your blog.  It was actually a visit to your place that led me to Bonnie's site...and, again, the journey to discovering myself!  Anyway, here is a picture of the bracelet:

Isn't it awesome?!

Third reason for celebrating:

My computer keyboard wrist rest was posted on Craft Gossip!  I got an email from Anne Weaver last night and she said she loved it!  This totally makes me feel great!