So....

Like my new header? Clean. Simple. I likey a lot!!! *LOL* Thanks to a great online tutorial by Jill for using Picnik online photo editing software, I was able to do this in less than an hour. I could have done it quicker, but I was having fun playing with all the gizmos that Picnik offers for FREE. I really loved the one that I made using my Print Shop 22 program and vast collection of goodies from Susan's Raspberry Road store, but I was feeling the urge to do some paring down.

{in dramatic magician's voice} And for my next trick: a matching blog button for you to grab & share with the world using THIS tutorial! I'll be sharing that very soon, so stick close, my darling stalkers!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Edited to add: I did it!!!! Thanks, Heidi, for the great TUT! Here's my blog button ~ feel free to snag & add to your blog. {Copy the code in the box, open your dashboard to DESIGN, click Add a Gadget, select HTML/JavaScript, paste the code, & Save. Easy, right?}

<center><a href="http://handmadeandheavenly.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd80/NLR_bucket/blog%20backgrounds/myblogbutton.png" width="125"/></a></ center>

What to wear?

No not me. I'm always comfy in my t-s and jeans or shorts. It's this pillow I'm making for my sister that needs dressing. Yes, I'm working on 2011 CHRISTMAS gifts already. No throwing things at me....unless it's chocolate...or David Tennant....or David Tennant covered in chocolate! *LOL*

The only thing that she requested of me is making the gifts that I put together in the future portable. She & her hubby have some traveling plans in the works, and they don't want to leave anything behind if they don't have to. So I got to thinking....she ADORED the little Scottie ornies that I sent for her birthday earlier this month...I have some great vintage embroidery patterns....I'll make a double-sided PILLOW!

This is Mary Kate, named after Mary Kate Danaher in "The Quiet Man." I used straight stitches for the majority of the design, lazy daisies for the flowers & leaves, French knots in the flower center, and the bow is a mixture of split stitches and stem stitching. {You can right click each of the pictures and choose Open in a New Tab for better viewing of the project}

And this is Colin. Again, I stitched them after her little darling Wheaton Scotties. The stitches for this one: straight, lazy daisy, satin, & buttonhole.
These patterns can be found as freebies if you do an online search (I checked), but I was lucky enough to have them already in my private stash. {grin} It just took some VERY careful handling to not destroy the delicate papers. Someday I'll show you my filing cabinet that houses nothing but embroidery patterns here in my she-cave. Now, I get to stare at THIS all evening....

And try to figure out what to use for the borders on these darling pups. I'm trying really hard to keep myself from running to the quilt store for some DARLING 30s & 40s reproduction flour sack prints that I saw while shopping the other day. Believe me when I say that it's not easy, this resisting of purchasing fabric! *LOL* Next project for their Christmas gift package....an MDF monogram!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Ruffle love!

I am on a major ruffle kick here lately! This project, made just an hour ago, is a ruffled scarf. I'm giving it to a friend that will be moving to Texas in a couple of weeks. I wanted her to have an "indoor" scarf for her nicer dresses and sweaters that she wears to church, but I didn't want it to be hot and bulky, like my ruffly polar fleece scarf. I wanted soft and delicate, so for this one, I used a dreamy, cream-colored t-shirt knit that I picked up a JoAnns yesterday (1/2 yd $4.50).

It's 45" wide, so I cut two 4" wide pieces, then used a stretch stitch to join the two lengths together, making a 90" length of fabric. I don't have a ruffle foot for my machine, so I went in half an inch and started pinching and sewing...very slowly feeding the material under the presser foot....all the way to the end. Then I flipped it to the other long side....

And repeated the pinching/stitching process until I got this GORGEOUS double ruffle.
It's ruffle-tastic! I sure hope she likes it. I know I do...in fact...I have enough material left over, I may just have to make one for myself! *LOL*
Don't forget ~~ if you haven't joined in on the Stalker Fun for the $30 gift certificate to CSN Stores here on my blog, go do it now! I'm off to work on an embroidery project for the evening that I'll share later this week. Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Linking to The Lettered Cottage

The Creative Itch

The Creative Juices

Sugar Bee's

& All Thingz Related

Feeling a Wee Bit....

Scottish! *LOL* I made these for my sister's birthday. She owns two of the cutest little Wheaton Scottish terriers & I thought she'd like to have these ornies for her tree next year (or if she has a little one to display year-round). I had a set of twelve made, but the red one at the bottom had an issue with its hanger, so I put a back on it and it's now a pin she can wear!

These were very simple to make, thanks to an applique pattern from Bustle & Sew. I used pieces out of my scrap box, some warm n natural batting, cream twine, and didn't even bother to get out my big machine. The little Janome Sew Mini machine I got for Christmas handled the job like a champ!

I was going to share a card with it, but today has just completely gotten away from me & I'm drained. After supper, I'm going sit on the couch for a bit of Gibbs and the Gang (aka NCIS). Maybe I'll have a card to show ya by Monday...and I'm working on a little bit of fun for y'all, so stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Ah! The Joys of Home Schooling

My current FaceBook status reads: today's headache as The Home Schooling Mom ~ quadratic linear variations. I'm totally rockin the concept...Eldest Child....not so much. In fact, because I'm working the solutions in my head, I apparently suck rocks to the end of time!

{now...my challenge...how do I get him to understand so he can pass his online quizzes???}

Any ideas, my darling stalkers?

I'll have a craft project, with card, to share tomorrow. Till then, thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Edited to Add: Well, he FINALLY understood enough to take 2 quizzes & a mid-unit test. The scores ~ 100% (quiz), 100% (mid unit), & 80% (quiz). That'll do!