Monday Morning Inspiration/Christmas Gifts

For those of you here in the U.S., and those of you who are not, but still celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you had a wonderful holiday. We had a lovely day with friends, did our traditional Thanksgiving day hike. It was just the boost that my dog Gracie needed. She misses Little Bit so much, but I think that she is finally beginning to move on. 

I usually do a bit of the cooking for Thanksgiving. I did Roasted Cauliflower, recipe HERE(skip the wrap and just serve the cauliflower, it's delicious!), and I also roasted Brussel Sprouts. I always soak my brussel sprouts in salt water for a few hours before cooking, removes the bitter aspect. I then added the same ingredients as the I did for the cauliflower. A great touch for brussel sprouts is to add toasted walnuts and crumbled blue cheese. Give it a try, I think you might like it :) 

The day after Thanksgiving marks the official start of the Christmas season here in America. So many of us enjoy giving handmade gifts, I know I do :) So here are a few ideas that are quick to make.

If you look at the top bar of the blog, you'll see a tab for free patterns that make great gifts.

The Free Beret Pattern

You can find the instructions HERE, and the pattern HERE.

Free Slipper Pattern For The Family

You can find the patterns HERE, and HERE. The instructions can be found HERE.

Free Poinsettia Napkin Ring Pattern

Not only does this make a great accent for your holiday table, it's a fun and easy project to do with your children, or grandchildren. You can find the pattern HERE, and additional pictures HERE.

Make a pile of headbands with THIS tutorial.

From my Fabulous Free Pattern Friday series;

Kimono Bag

This bag is nothing more than 2 rectangles. You can find the instructions HERE.

Necktie Cummerbund 

Just combine 2 coordinating neckties and you have a fabulous belt! You can find the instructions HERE.

Fleece Ski/Winter Hat

This is my favorite winter hat. It's nothing more than a rectangle, so it goes together in minutes. You can find the instructions HERE.

Tote Bag

This bag is super easy to make, just purchase a panel at your local fabric store. It's large enough to carry everything! All the instructions can be found HERE. 

Pompom Collar

Super cute and will dress up jackets as well as sweaters. Find the instructions HERE.

High End Clutch Bag

The lovely Cennetta of The Mahogany Stylist did a guest tutorial for us on making THESE fabulous clutch bags. Just be careful if you do decide to give one as a gift, it might end up being a gift for yourself!!!

Clam Shell Wristlet 

You can find my pattern for the Clam Shell Wristlet along with the instructions HERE. Great for any holiday party. Great gift for upcoming proms and weddings too.

That should be a nice start to get your creative juices going :)

I'll be back tomorrow with a few more ideas.

Just remember....

 Happy Holiday Making!
Rhonda

Monday Morning Inspiration/Gift Giving Made Easy

It's been a rather tense morning as my dog Little Bit is not feeling well. As I drove her to the vet's office this morning, I couldn't help but shed a few tears. She's 15 years old, so our time together is drawing to a close, faster of course than I would like. The good news is that the vet feels that she will pop back. So today, I am making some special food for her and just staying close in case she needs me. 
Since I am in the kitchen today, I decided to make up a few jars of Fire and Ice pickles for friends and relatives who have been asking for a new jar. If you like pickles, and you like a bit of heat, these pickles are just the best. I originally posted the recipe HERE. They do have a little kick, but only a little.

The pickles are so easy to make up and make a wonderful "homemade from your kitchen" gift. And, they cost next to nothing to make! The only problem is that once you give someone a jar, they will want more. So print out the recipe
on a cute card and attach it to the jar. Maybe they'll get the message that they can make their own jar next time...maybe :)
I have 4 batches going at the moment and I'm thinking that I may need another 4. At least they are easy to make!

Remember too that I have a few free patterns available that make up quickly, and make a wonderful gift. The poinsettia napkin ring can now be downloaded by just clicking HERE. They really do give a holiday table a special touch.

I also have the Beret and the slipper pattern available. Sadly, I have not figured out how to get the patterns onto a downloadable file, at least not yet. But if you would like the pattern, just send me a note and I will get it out to you as quickly as I can, sewbussted@yahoo.com. If by chance you don't hear from me, please try again as sometimes the messages go to my spam folder and I may miss it.

Hope you are having a lovely day. 
Just remember to enjoy the simple moments, as in time, they become our most precious memories.
Rhonda

Thrifty Thursday

Good Morning, or Afternoon as it may be for you!
Well.....a little bird told me that you are talking about me :)
I awoke this morning to this most delightful message,

Good Morning!
Just wanted you to know that I hear the most wonderful things about your blog. You are helping people and inspiring them!
I can't imagine how much work it is, but trust me, your readers adore it.
Susan Khalje

So, to Susan, thank you for taking the time to send the note. And to all of you who have "talked about me," my most heart felt thanks. In response to the comment about the work, it's not work when you love doing whatever it is you do :)

Now, on to the day at hand! Before you think that I have somehow slipped into some strange gap in the cyber world and the blog has become a craft blog, i.e. yesterday's pumpkins and now today's post, just wait until tomorrow for Fabulous Free Pattern Friday!!! But in all honesty, I LOVE crafts!!! I think it helps to satisfy the kid in me.
Although Christmas is still a few months away, it will be here before we know it. Since I love doing little gifts for my friends that are actually useful, I need to get started. So I came across this super cute little potholder from
http://missmary.com.au/2013/02/25/easter-pot-holder/

She calls it an Easter Potholder as it's shaped like an Easter Egg. I think it's super cute and very useful for anytime of the year. 

The shape is simple, but Miss Mary has kindly made a free pattern available so that we are sure to get the correct size. It's just one page, so NO TAPING!!!! Print out 2 sheets of the pattern, cut out the egg shape for the body of the pot holder and then cut out the shaped piece for the pocket. Simple!!!

I have a group of friends whom I exchange gifts with and they all enjoy music, so I made musical potholders for them!!! The surprise is over if they see this post, but that's okay :) They'll love them anyway.

As I said, they are so easy to put together and such fun to make. You can customize them for whatever the occasion is or whatever the person enjoys.The thought occurred to me that they would even make a great money holder. So if you would like to give money to a bride to be, she gets a useful gift with a little bonus tucked inside the pocket.

They wrap beautifully around a pot handle.

You can find the instructions and the free pattern here. There are lots of other cute ideas on Miss Mary's blog, so be sure to check it out!

Now, if you are planning to do some sewing for Christmas, there are a few free patterns available from me.
This easy to make Fleece Slipper pattern.

The Poinsettia Napkin Ring Pattern.

And The Clamshell Wristlet. 

If you would like a pattern for the Fleece Slippers, the Poinsettia Napkin Ring, or the Clam Shell Wristlet, or all of the above, just email me at sewbussted@yahoo.com and I will be happy to send out the pattern....or patterns.

Happy Sewing!!!

The Poinsettia Napkin Ring

I think I first posted this little napkin ring two years ago. It is always a popular item as I continue to receive lots of requests for the pattern. I have had this pattern for whew...a VERY long time!

 I think it gives a special touch to a holiday place setting.

 There are 3 simple pieces, a petal piece, a leaf piece and the actual ring that is shaped like a dog bone.

To put them together, simply fold the dog bone piece in half.

 Place the petal piece on the leaf piece.

 Scrunch the petals of the dog bone piece together,

 and push it through the slit opening in the petal and leaf.

 Once the petals have been pushed through, arrange the petals and it's as simple as that!

This year I went a little crazy and decided to make a bunch and wrap them around a wreath. I obviously don't have enough to do with my time ;) If only that were true!! 

This was very easy to do and I will be more than happy to do a little tutorial on how I made the wreaths, but before I do, I would like to offer the pattern to anyone who would like to have it. Since I have yet to figure out how to attach the pattern to the blog, the best that I can do is have you email me, sewbussted@yahoo.com and I will gladly send the pattern to you.