"M" is for Monday-Part 2

Luckily, I was able to get some stitching done this week!  Much of my stitching time was used to finish the "M" is for Monday project. 

 

 

And now that the stitching is finished, I'm not sure I like it with the fabric. It's a good thing I haven't attached the fabric (haven't even cut it) because I'm not sure it's the right fabric for this letter.

 

 

But I can't put my finger on why I don't like it with the fabric.  I think it might be the color of the blue that outlined the letter M.  Had I outlined it in pink, I might feel better about it.

 

The towel still needs to be washed and ironed, but for now, it is done.  I've moved on to a couple other projects that I will blog about real soon!

 

That's all for today!  Until another time, have a happy stitching day!  And if I don't blog before Thursday, have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my followers! 

Here is a hodge-podge of little pictures from past Thanksgivings in our family.

 

Last year's Thanksgiving table at my house.

And here are my Mom's little Pilgrim People wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.  They used to be cardboard wall decorations from Hallmark (Remember those?  She had some for every holiday!) Dad glued them to some ply-wood and then used the band saw to cut around each shape.  Now they will last forever!

 

Mom's pilgrim people.

One year, I had it in my head that I was going to quill everyone a place card.  I think I made a total of two.  They were so difficult!  Fun, but difficult.

 

Attempt at quilled place cards.

Blue Turtle wants Thanksgiving dinner too!

 

And finally, my Momma's cute corn bowl.  It's only for the cutest corn.  

 

 

This year, we start a new tradition in our family. Most of the family (on my Mom's side) is headed to my cousin's for Thanksgiving.  It's hard to believe how time flies, seems like just a few years ago she was graduating from High School, now she has a beautiful home and family and is hosting holidays!  Until another time, count your blessings and enjoy Thanksgiving Day 2014!

"M" is for Monday-Part 1

Another embroidery project I've been wanting to tackle for some time now is the "M" is for Monday pattern I found on pinterest a long time ago.  I had to print the pattern from the computer and I think I've seen it on Tipnut's Blog.   That's the trouble with these sites like Pinterest....people re-pin things so many times that it's difficult to know who the original credit should be given to, unless you really do some digging!

So, thanks to the person who has this in their possession (possibly Tipnut) and thanks for taking the time to post it on the vast internet.  It's a really cute pattern!

 

 

This particular towel will be a "tea towel", so it's half the size of a large dish towel.

I decided I would embellish the bottom of the towel with some of this cute fabric I found at JoAnn's.

 

 

Above I am trying to match floss to the colors of the fabric.  That green looks dark on the bobbin, but it actually looks kind of nice on the towel.

 

 

Here are some of the colors I chose for the project.  As always, there is one color I am wanting (a darker turquoise you can see on the outside of one of the butterflies) that I don't have in my floss box!  Off to Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's I will have to go.  But before I get there I will use the rest of the floss to start the project.  I'll keep you updated as to my progress throughout this week.

Until then, have a happy stitching day!

 

 

Embroidering Again!

This week I folded up my quilting supplies and neatly tucked them away for a little while.  I'm taking a little vacation away from quilting until the holidays are over.  Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas are such busy times for our family, I'd rather take the time to work on some little projects. 

 

So, I took out my embroidery supplies and stared at them for a day or so, then I browsed my computer file full of embroidery patters.  I visited Bits of Stitching's blog for motivation and then browsed pinterest for embroidery inspiration.  It all worked because now I am embroidering again after a very long time away from it.

 

I'm starting with one of my favorite patterns, a vintage kitty carrying a bag of groceries.  The pattern had been transferred so many times that it would no longer transfer.  I had to put it on my light box and trace it.

 

 This will be a tea towel, so I am only using one half of a large dish towel.
I plan to add this fabric to the bottom of the towel.  It is a Diane Zimmerman pattern from her "Sweetheart" line of fabric that I bought from Quiltin' Gals.com. 

Here is the kitty finished.  Now, I just need to sew on the piece of decorative fabric and maybe a strip of rick-rack. 
The box in the kitty's grocery bag is suppose to be Rice Krispies.  But it looks like Rice Pies. Haha!

 That's all for today, I've got more stitching to do!  Until another time, have a happy stitching day!
 

The Busy Little Squirrel

Sometimes I wish my neighborhood had a squirrel, but we don't have any trees.  Well, we have trees, they just aren't very big.  They're not "squirrel" trees.

 

Our one and only tree this fall.

This week in Daycare we've been talking a lot about winter preparations such as getting our snow shovels out and the snow blowers gassed up and ready to work.  We've also talked about the geese flying south to warmer weather and the busy squirrels gathering food for the long winter.  This book, The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri is perfect for this kind of lesson.

Plus, the illustrations are really cute!!

 

The busy little squirrel can't stop to play, he has work to be done. 

Images from Amazon.

If you would like to see more of this book it is available HERE at Amazon.com. 

 

Another fun fall-time book that we've enjoyed at story time is We're Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger and Illustrated by Miki Sakamoto.  Also available at Amazon HERE.

 

 

We're Going on a Leaf Hunt has been a popular request all week long.  And you can even sing it to the "Going on a Bear Hunt" song, and have the children repeat the song as you sing it.  It's a hoot!

Unfortunately, we don't have enough leaves around here to make a leaf hunt worth our time.  I should have a bag trucked in from Vermont.  Haha!

 

That's all for today!  Until another time, have a happy reading day!

 

Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in 1940

With Thanksgiving just around the corner (and because Thanksgiving is slowly being squeezed out by Christmas), I'd like to do some Thanksgiving posts.  Yea!! 

 

 

As I've mentioned before, in previous blog posts, Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday.  Thanksgiving is a time to count our blessings, enjoy the company of family and friends, without all of the greed and stress that comes with the Christmas Season.  Not that I don't like the Christmas Season.  I do love the Christmas story, going to candlelight service, listening to Gene Autry's Christmas CD and hanging out with family.  But let's face it folks...Christmas ain't what it used to be.  It has become SO commercialized and over-the-top.  Whatever happened to children getting one or two gifts from the Sears Wish Book.  Whatever happened to an orange at the toe of a stocking being a treat!?  (heck, with the price of oranges being what it is up here where I live, they are still a treat *wink*)  Anyway...back to Thanksgiving.

 

 

This first post is actually about a Youtube video of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1940.  The balloons are most interesting!

Take a minute to watch (it's only 2.5 minutes long).

 

I find the clown balloon a tad creepy and the Superman balloon looks mighty serious, but I'll bet the kids LOVED them!  Apparently Superman had just come into being in 1938, so it's pretty impressive that he had a balloon already.

And of course, at the end, we see a Santa balloon and Santa in his sleigh!

 

The blog "The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit" did a neat article about the Superman Balloon HERE.
 

That's all for today.  Until another time, have a happy vintage day!

 

 

 

 

1940s Safety in the Kitchen

I get such a kick out of these vintage "Home-Economics" type of videos on You tube.  This 8 minute video is about kitchen safety.  It's fun to see the vintage kitchens at work and the tidy way the cupboards are arranged.  There are no sippy-cup avalanches in this 1940s kitchen, just neatly stacked dishes and the cutest little toaster you ever did see! (at minute 6:48).  And I just love the little step stool she uses at 7:28.  If we are ever lucky enough to have a vintage kitchen, I will have to invest in a step stool.  

I hope you enjoy the video!   

 

I think I'll clean out one of my cupboards now.  Have a happy vintage day!