Projects #4.5,and 6 ........... or the good ,the bad and the UGLY!

I have been having myself quite the time! that is for sure. Here is project #4. I so love her and hated to give her up. but, I can make another one right? This is for a little girl in California. Hope you like her too!

Project # 5. This has completely undone me. All my plans for Christmas Day evaporated with the arrival of these two boxes, with a note inside, return ASAP, need by Christmas. Who does this to someone a week before Christmas????????? I wanted to scream something very bad at the owners of this sporting goods store, but instead I imagined all the faces of the parents and the little ones who wanted their soccer jersey for Christmas. Sure hope all MY pain and Agony, was worth it to them! That is all I can say. 102 patches sewen on the front of each and everyone of these jerseys. I am beyond words at the moment.

So after I get these done, one last project for the day. Project #6. The UGLY! What do you say to a guy (toothless and three sheets to the wind) who comes to your door so pleased with himself that he has found the perfect gift for that someone special in his life, and you are his answer to his idea?  Here he is, as big as day, holding tightly onto a ginormous bag, and he says to me, Can you make pajama pants?
Well when you have a sign out in front of your home that says custom sewing and mending, what can you say? So he opens this bag, and inside is a heavy fleece blanket, with two wolves heads on it, howling at the moon.  I think j o y . I said I could do it, what size do you want? I want it to fit a 38-42 waist, and be 30" long at the inseam. I say, well, I am going to need another blanket, that one does not give me enough fabric. No problem! There is another one at the store, just like this one! I'll be back tomorrow with it. j o y. But he was so HAPPY that I was willing to do this for him.  I asked my husband  if he knew a so and so? He said yes, and I explained to him the request, he goes, I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY. But this guy was so very happy! Hope he will be tomorrow when he comes by to pick them up. I still have to make a pair of slipper socks out of the scraps, but the pattern I bought to make them will not work with the heaviness of the blanket material. To   bad,    so    sad.

I sure hope that who ever it is that receives these, will not wear them out of the house! Beleive me, my photos do not do them justice, if there is any justice to be had.
  Tomorrow I will catch up on my matchbox swap, as my embroidery orders run on the machine. Maybe I can even post a picture of the to be chef's outfit for my Grandson.

 Is Christmas over yet?

A good reason to be missing in action in blogland

Well, I have some serious catching up to do on my matchbox postings. I am a whole week behind! I have so many orders to get completed and out the door by this Friday, I was afraid I was not going to get them all accomplished. Today, there looks like there may be hope. Still have some local orders to get taken care of, hopefully I can do them tomorrow. The sad thing is, my hopes for my Christmas Celebration have been ruined. I still may be able to get the chefs costume done for my grandson, but other than that, not much else. The list is a mile long.

 This is project # 1 and took me the longest time! Way longer than I expected it to of course. Does it look like an over-sized gift box?  I hope so! I had this old silverware box laying around, and this piece of lovely blue velvet. But what a challenge to bring it about! This is for a lady who collects rhinestone glitzie cocktail rings. This is to hold her collection. The idea was so cute, I had to give it a go. Sure hope I do not get into trouble!
 Project #2 is this great-grandma shirt. This was a lot of fun to do! All her Great Grand kids are represented by a pair of hands in their birthstone colors. How cute is that? Just love that font I used for the lettering. This came out really nice.

Project # 3 is this tote for a mom who LOVES to crochet. Pockets were requested. I also included a roll up case for her crochet hooks, and another pocket folder for patterns and row markers and such. Sure hope it is what was expected, and more!

Are you tired yet? I am, exhausted is more the word. Projects 4,5,and 6 are in the next post.

Matchbox #'s 12 and 13, plus my Christmas swap box

Well the weekend certainly got away from me! I get so engrossed in doing something, the time just flies by! Sometimes I even forget to eat. I did not get my post up for Matchbox # 12 because of this, so sorry. This box comes from Sarah. She used such lovely paper for this box, it is so pretty. The gift inside is a little tag made from the same paper stamped with a gold Christmas tree. Thank you Sarah.
   Box #13 comes from Anne from A Shabby Life. This is so pretty, and just what I need more of today. J O Y.

 Inside the box is a little altered scrabble tile pin, with a Santa Clause graphic. So cute! Thank You Anne.

Mrs. Rudolf, isn't she adorable?

my filled up tea cup

stuff I included in my box, all up cycled, remade, or just created by myself!

some edible gifties, and some things for the table top. Aren't those reindeer candles adorable?

some more little things

a ribbon brooch that I had made, I think I have over three hundred of these, waiting for their pin backs to be sewn on, I just love making them, and it is not an exaggeration on the amount that I have to complete

So now for what has been occupying my hours. I so love to create things, and I have so many ideas popping around in my head. Even when I narrow it down to a theme, I still get so many ideas! This is for a Cup of Joy swap over at Vivians blog. I signed up for this at the last minute, because I didn 't have any thing to do. Then all of a sudden, I got several orders all at once. So I am going to post this, go to the post office, and then get back home at have at it some more!

matchbox #11

I am out of sorts today. Sorry I am just getting around to posting my matchbox for today. This is so darling. makes me want to go play candyland with a grandchild!   This box is made by Becky at a patchworkposse. It is the sweetest thing. Inside is a gingerbread man ornament that is wearing a top hat! 
 HAVE A NICE DAY!

Matchbox #10 ,my poor little Deer, and an American girl doll's St. Lucia wreath

Well it seems that winter has arrived very early this year. We are having January temps, and there is a lot of snow outside my door! I just can not get warm. Anyway......  Today's matchbox is this really cute snowman stamp, with this exhausted little boy leaning up against him. So cute! reminds me of my son when he was little. The gift inside is a little snowflake ornament, and two Christmas stickers.                                                           Remember my poor little Deer from the other day?

                                                       

This was in such a sad condition when I purchased it. I just completed its makeover, and I am so happy with the results.

Also the other day, I completed this little order for a customer. She requested a St Lucia wreath that would fit her American Girl doll. This was also great fun to make. I love things that I have to start from scratch and come up with a plan as to how to accomplish. I know the dress that is to be worn with the wreath is white, however, this is my daughters American Girl doll, and she is now 30 years old. She left her behind when she moved away years ago! So I dragged her out of the closet to make sure the wreath fit. I covered her with a green velvet bag, that is part of another project.

Matchbox #9

Today's box come from DeniseMarie. If I ever had to choose a favorite box,from amongst the 25 I have received, this one would be it! I just love it to pieces! The graphics used are just wonderful, and it speaks to my heart. Inside the box is a tiny angel lapel pin. Thank you so much !
  I see from visiting her blog, that she also has one of my boxes, can not wait for her to open it! http://denisemarie-christmas.blogspot.com/

Dec. 8th

31 years ago today, I gave birth to my beautiful daughter Kathryn Jane.  She was a really beautiful baby. All the nurses kept remarking as to how beautiful she was, just like a little china doll they would say. One of the nurses so wanted my husband and I to name her Crystal. No, that did not quite fit. I wanted her to have my Mothers, and my own middle name. I did not like the way it sounded together. Kathryn was born in Buffalo, NY. There was snow on the ground, but thankfully no snow storm at the time!

  This year, Kathy has her own baby daughter, who is five months old, she too is beautiful, of course I'm her Grandma! Just like Kathy, Lydia bears her mothers name, and she also has an older brother.
           Happy Birthday Kathy!                               

matchbox #8, and one more item finished and sent on its way!

Today's matchbox comes from Valery Anne Williams, her blog is Mrs. A  This box is so nice,I love it! When I was a little girl, some kids came to my parents house selling little handmade Christmas tags made out of old greeting cards. My Mom bought a few bags from them. I so adored these little cards, I think that was when I was bitten by the crafting bug, and  I've been infected ever sense!. Ever since I have collected and saved old greeting cards. Anyway. this little matchbox looks like Valery was dipping into her stash of old greeting cards to make this box so special.. So love the charm of this little matchbox. Inside the box is a little red stocking covered with tiny beads.

 Today I finished the embroidery on this jacket. It is for sporting goods store I have worked for, for years. I their customer likes it.

Matchbox#7 and a poor little reindeer

Todays box comes from Kim at " blackberrycrowsprims'. So very special! I love it lots. Inside the box is very pretty charm hung on a green ribbon.

  I have a lot of projects going on at the moment. It is amazing to me how I can go from being bored one day, and the next I am spinning like a top. It is so much fun owning ones own business!

I am putting together a little somthin' somethin' for a swap box that I am doing. One of the things I am recreating is this poor sad little reindeer. When I bought it, it was sitting on the floor in this secondhand shop, all dusty and forgotten. It reminded me of some reindeer my Aunt Helen used to have displayed at Christmas time. Of course us children were never allowed to touch. Her reindeer were made of red velvet with the cutest of all faces on them. How I loved them so! This one however, was pinned all over with common pins stuck through a plastic bead. So I removed the pins and the beads ( that is the bag of them next to the deer),and low and behold. this little deer was made of the same red velvet! I have tried to recreate a pattern for, so can can make myself some of these little deer, but I am not sure how successful I am going to be. I thought I was going to just take the beads off, wash them up, and reattach them to the deer. I am not going to do that now.Tthe velvet was pretty sun faded and damaged from the pin holes,so I am going to paint it with the metallic paint and then I am going to cover it with some glitter, and then find a way to redress it. I am also going to do something to the eyes, like add eyelashes, and probably paint them a new color. I will  Post pictures of her when she is all beautified!