Tweet! Tweet! Felt Birds.

I finished the craft I started in my last post.
Bright colored felt and ric-rac birdie ornaments.

I originally found inspiration for the birds at Craft Kitchen

I pinned them to my craft board on pinterest several months ago,
 so I would not forget that I wanted to make them when it got closer to Christmas.

She did not share a pattern, or post instructions, but they were

easy enough to make just by looking at her photo. 

Here is how I made my birds:

(You may need to adjust your measurements, depending on the size of circles you start with.)

Gather your felt, fabric, trim, thread, beads, sequins and needles.

Start with two different sized circles in coordinating colors-

4.5" felt circle  and 3" coordinating fabric circle.

(I used a coffee can lid and a biscuit cutter as patterns for my circles.)

Lay the smallest in the center of the big one (right side up)

 and zig-zag them together with matching thread.

Fold in half (right side out).

Cut  a beak from orange felt and tuck in at the head.

Cut several 5" pieces of ric-rac.  Fold in half, and tuck in at the tail.

Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam, making sure to catch all the pieces. 

Cut a 10" piece of ric-rac.

 Hand stitch it along the edge of the "wings" (the smaller circle). 

(Be sure to include enough extra to tuck the ends under for a finished look.)

Stitch sequins and beads on to make the eyes.

(I used doubled thread so I could pull it tight and not worry about it breaking.)

 Switch to a larger needle to sew thick floss and beads to the top for a hanger.

Knot at the top.

Finished birds are 7" long and 2.25" high.

Viola!

Tweet! Tweet!

What Is It?

What is it?   

It's a little crafty project I started working on last night.

I needed to use up some of my fabric stash and ric-rac.   LOL!

(Actually, I needed a sanity break from the family project
I've been working on all week.)

I'll post photos of the finished product in a couple of days.

Anyone care to take a guess as to what it could be?
(Don't go looking at my pinterest boards, or you'll figure it out for sure.)

The Bushytail Family

With autumn just a couple of days away

I thought I should introduce you to the adorable Bushytails:

Bertram, Hazel, MaryLou, Benjamin, Emma and Baby William.

This darling squirrel paperdoll family of six 

was illustrated by Kathy Lawrence and published by Shackman in 1992.  

(Kathy is the daughter of Queen Holden, a name that paperdoll collectors will recognize.)

The Bushytails come with six pages of clothing 

suitable for various holidays and family activities. 

I betcha the real squirrels in my yard would love to have 

a wardrobe like this for the blustery days ahead. 

  

Giant Granny Completed!

I finished my giant granny!

Learning to crochet has been a huge challenge for me.
So this was a major accomplishment.

It's not perfect. 

I still have some of that wonky twisting going on.

 But I don't think the wonkiness will matter this winter 

when it's freezing cold outside and I need something to cuddle under.

Someone suggested that I try turning my project around, from front to back,

 between each row.  Have any of you had success doing that? 

 I will try that on my next granny and let you know how it goes.

Yes, I want to make another one!

I used a size  I/9 (5.5 mm) hook and "I Love This Yarn" in soft blue, medium blue, 

turquoise, pistachio, limelight, soft pink, pink, cream and white.

Mine has about 50 rounds and a scalloped border to finish it off.

I used two skeins in the colors I repeated most often, soft blue and white,

but only needed one skein for each of the other colors.

Flowery Cups and Linens

I enjoyed a nice hot cup of Irish Breakfast tea this morning.
Using some of my prettiest flowery cups and linens
helped to put a smile on my face.

Whether it's sipping tea from a pretty cup,
or reading a good book, or having lunch with a friend,
I hope you find a way to treat yourself to something nice today.

Pale green cup and saucer -  Paragon China, made in England (pattern name not known)

Tablecloth-  Queen Anne 

Sunflower Tea cozy-  made by Claire at Sweet Birdy Love

Joining Terri  and Martha for Teacup Tuesday

and Sandi for Tea Time Tuesday
and Ruth at Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Homemade Vegetable Soup

Comfort food is what is required these days.

So today that meant homemade veggie soup.

It's super easy to make.

And the aroma of simmering soup makes ones house smell yummy. 

Homemade Vegetable Soup

Chop your favorite veggies*  into bite size pieces and dump them into a nice big cooking pot.  

Cover with  low sodium chicken broth (or water).

Add herbs and spices of your choice*.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for an hour or so.

Serve piping hot from the stove, with a crusty baguette slathered in sweet cream butter.

*Today I used: Celery, onion, carrots, tomato, yellow summer squash, cauliflower, and spinach

 with black pepper, red pepper flakes, sage, oregano and nutmeg.

But you may use any combination of veggies, herbs and spices that you like. 

Rainbow Of Glorious Color

Life goes on, even when I'm feeling sad.

So I'm filling my time with favorite people and good things

and trying to make everything seem normal again.

This morning I visited a little shop (Fabric Recycles)  and hit the jackpot on vintage trims. 

I came home with an entire rainbow of glorious color.

And now I'm dreaming of fun ornaments to make for the holidays.

*  *  *  *  *

Thank you to everyone for the kind, heartfelt, messages of sympathy.

I really do appreciate the love and support you shared with me. 

And I will try to catch up on my visits soon.