Christmas & New Years Wishes

We have big plans for the holidays. The next two weeks including driving two trips and seeing my entire side of family,  a seeing a huge concert with lots of friends, quite a few parties and work between! I am honestly rather excited to get on the road. I am not really tired or overwhelmed. I have been very excited to start 2012. I have many things that I would like to accomplish. One of those things being selling a few of my creative items. I am not really a promoter and hope to work on this. Before I get to far ahead of myself, I thought I would reflect on this year.
2011 has been amazing for my little family. I got two job promotions and love my job. My hubby got his Masters Degree and became a Professor of Linguistics.  We were able to travel and see lots of N. Carolina this past year.

The wonderful trip to OBX in May was a great time for our family and two graduates! We had a great time visiting my aunts home in the summer on the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. This fall we went to the N. Carolina mountains for my mom and hubby's birthdays.  We just got back from visiting my in-laws in Texas and had a great time.

Kuma is in heaven in the back yard this winter, after the hot summer we had. She is still all smiles and make us laugh everyday.

I created two quilts and quite a few other items, I still love creating and cant wait to get started on some other projects. Hubby has started on his applications for doctorate programs and continues his research and works hard on his beard.

We feel very fortunate for all that we have and we are so excited to see what the future has to hold for us.
We have big hopes and dreams for this up and coming year.
Wishing everyone a holiday season filled with Love, Laughter, Friends and Family!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love,
Molly

Gingerbread!

 I saw on The Daily What where someone had made a gingerbread house that looked like The Weasley's home from HP, The Deathly Hallows. It is dang impressive. It made me think of this huge one we saw in Texas at The Gaylord in Dallas over Thanksgiving. This bad boy in Texas had over 40,000 pieces of candy stuck to it. 

 They had Shrek in Ice on the other side of the hotel and this was in the giant atrium with "gingy" on it!
It had a candy store inside where a single lollipop cost 5 bucks! We'll I am sure it was an expensive house to build on prime real estate.

I love how children have pulled off pieces of candy. I cant imagine myself doing that even as a child, nor would my parents allow it! I made one once out of graham crackers when I was in girl scouts. Its just not the same as these masterpieces! I must say it is rather folksy and crafty and it crys out to my creative side saying oh you know you want to make one!

Busy Little Elf

I have been a busy elf as of late. I wanted to try to make as many gifts as possible. I have not only made gifts, but I am also making gift wrapping. I gave my mom a set of different fabrics and sizes last year for her gifts. She said she would use them again this year. I wanted more for my self to use and so I made these today.
My original thinking was that I wanted to get away from the bags and bags of paper and trash that are created every year from the wrappings on Christmas morning. I realized how special the handmade bags made the gift receiver feel, which is an awesome plus. So, I purchased more fabric in January again when Christmas fabric is on sale. I use ribbon and bells that I have had in my stash to cinch up the bags. The bells keep the nosey types from opening before Christmas. I hope to have these bags for many more years to come. I hope to make more in larger sizes. Would you reuse a cloth bag like this if your gift came in one?

Pretties

 I helped my mom polish silver recently before Thanksgiving. She keeps these hidden away in the chest most of the year. When she was a kid this is what her family ate off of every single day. They didn't own cheap stuff until she went off to college. This pie server above is by far my favorite. The etchings on the handle are absolutely beautiful.

 These are the dessert forks. They are so small and delicate most are engraved with either a M or a W.  I can tell the original set from the pieces bought in the 50's.

This is about the size of a soup spoon. I have no idea what this is really for. I love the cut metal part. I feel very fortunate that my family treated them with care even after eating off them everyday for 60 years or more. I would never eat off them everyday but, I will never part with them.

Shrek in Ice

 We went to Texas for Thanksgiving to visit my hubby's parents. They wanted to take us to do something cool. We went to the Gaylord Texan in Dallas. It is a huge hotel with an awesome lobby. This is the glass dome over head.

 

Palo Duro canyon replica had a giant twirling frosty. There were many other sweet decorations. There was a life size ginger bread house covered in candy, huge sleigh to sit in and trains that ran through a mini village.

 

Then we went to the convention center part of the hotel to see Shrek made out of Ice. It was 8 degrees in there. The block of dyed ice are carved for 2 months in a giant refrigerator by master carvers from China. In northern China, they make buildings and temples to walk through with lights embedded into the ice before carving. I think that would be so awesome to see. This was the most fun thing that we did in Texas.

It's crazy I look at Shrek carved out of ice and I see Mike Meyers. These guys are artist.

 I loved how intricate the detail and the work had been done. They had eyebrows and eyelashes. There were  about 10 different little scenes that had been carved and a giant ice slide and inner tube slide

That's me and my issued coat. It was really cold in there! I love Shrek and Donkey! The Gaylord Texan reconfirms that Everything is bigger in Texas.

Quilting as a Job

I have thought more and more about how thankful for the fact that I have a job and actually really love it. I worked in a very stressful job for years prior to this one. I very rarely get stressed about work now. Generally, its more about dealing with my staff, the 19 and 20 year old girls that work in the stores. Don't get me wrong they are wonderful ladies, but there is always some silly stuff going on. I find that it is generally boyfriends, parties, or school that keeps them focused on thing other than being at work.  I have gotten to a stage in my job where I have made mistakes, learned from them and mostly perfected a routine. There are always things like staff and shipping that you can't control completely.
I am truly amazed everyday when my husband walks in the door at work to surprise me. I love seeing his bearded smile. I am one lucky girl that he works across the street. I mean directly out the store door is his office on campus.
I know that I cant keep doing my job forever. I have nowhere to move up. I occupy the top position with out being member of the family (I work for family owned and operated businesses).
All these factors makes me want to find a business that I can run myself. Something that I could do out of my home. I really want to do something while having a family. I love making quilts. I think that I want to buy a really high quality long arm machine. Then I would be able to help people with their quilts. I could finish my own quilts much easier and sell them. I think I could really do this and make enough money off of it.

Now, I have to figure out how I can afford to buy the long arm.

Sunday Drive

 When I was out of high school I did a lot of driving, not just back and forth from the mountains (college) to home. I also took many long distance trips including driving to CA from NC, and NC to Chicago and New York. I loved to drive and would travel great distances with out stopping. I never just pulled to the side of the road and got out to look around or take a picture. If I stopped there was a purpose; gas, food, sleep or when nature called.  I loved to look out the window and watch the landscape change.

 I drive very little now for many reasons. I have a 10 min commute to work, gas is expensive, and where ever I go the dog has to come with me! Also, we were involved in a horrific accident going 75 mph on the interstate with a tractor trailer that just pulled over on us and totaled our car. This accident happened over 5 years ago but, I have never really gotten over it. I rarely drive on the interstate and generally make hubby take on that task.  I could drive from my home to my parents on I-40, instead I choose a mostly 2 lane hwy. 

 I find myself wanting to stop every mile to take pictures on the Sunday afternoon drive home. The sun is low and red. It creates a beautiful light to take pictures in. I resisted stopping until I got to the lake, I will admit I was talking to my boss and the phone kept cutting out on the hwy. It was perfect way to finish the conversation and feel safe while stepping out on my own and taking some shots.

I have changed how much I travel and which route I take but, I get to take a look at things closer. I stop along the way and take my time and enjoy my travel. Even though, it is not as adventerous as I once was.  I have chose a beaten, slower path and have taken this 3 hour drive near 60 times and see something new every time. I get to see the real North Carolina. These lakes and trees and quite roads and farms are what I think of when I recall my road trips through my home state.

My Playground

This is my Dad's yard and house.  The land was purchased almost  30 years ago outside of the Charlotte city limits, in what I always viewed as the country. Charlotte has grown in leaps and bounds since then and so have the trees on his property. The house is now in the Charlotte city limits and near one of the busiest parts of town. While in the yard you are unaware of how close all this is. His home is a true oasis.
The house is considered passive solar. The sun shines in the high windows in the winter months and heats the tile floors and slab foundation in the main part of the house. In the summer the sun doesn't reach the windows and the ones in the back of the house are opened and the the high ceiling fans pull the cool air off the creek below.
When the land was purchased the lower back yard was a marsh land. Dad carved a trench out and the creek dug itself over time to almost 6 ft deep in some places. The scrub trees have been weeded out and large hardwoods were left. The canopy is very high and the yard lends itself to wandering around on the blue grass. I grew up playing under the canopy and in the creek.
Dad constantly maintains and cultivates the yard. It will always be a work in progress. He loves mountain homes that have stacked stone and wood.  He is currently working on a bridge for a crossing over the creek to a path.

Vintage Clothing

 I am in love with these items of clothing that came out of my Mama's closet. I was helping her pick out and outfit of her own and was drawn to these on the storage side of the racks. I pulled these few items out and hung them in her sunny window. I enjoyed the outcome.

My mom was in high school in the late 60's and according to her, these Villager shirts paired with skirts were the uniform of the cool girls. She loved the blue and yellow shirts so much she has held onto them for 40 years. They are beyond being able to wear, but they are nice to appreciate. They are not preserved by any means and may never be. I still love the construction, the collar, and the tag where you can write your name in it. I see why she saved them.

 The white blouse could still be worn if careful. I recall wearing it once as a teenager and it being small back then. The embroidery and smocking on the front and around the sleeves is gorgeous and all intact. It is probably my favorite except the velvet wedding dress from the 20's (I'll take a picture of that the next time I go home).

When my great-aunts passed they had no children of their own and so my mom and sister and I cleaned out their homes.  Puggy had almost 30 of this dress in her closet. She made them all in different fabrics for different occasions. She was the same size as me, this dress fit me perfectly! It is a really great pattern, very flattering fit. Mama said that Puggy would come home from work with a 1 1/2 yard of fabric and whip up a dress for Church that week. I brought this dress home to wear with boots. I love it!

Fall has come home!

 I love fall, it is an amazing time of year in the East.  I have traveled to Tennessee, Brookshires in Mass., NY, VA it is all beautiful and breathtaking when the oaks and poplars change. I lived in Boone, NC where people would drive from another state to look at the changing leaves in my backyard. The colors never ceased to amaze me when I would take the turn on the back roads in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There is something every year that gets me super pumped up when the trees around my home change.

Every area seems to boast about the trees. I see the beauty everyday, every where I go. I have been looking at these colors for a month a year my whole life. They make me feel alive. The pictures don't really do them justice. Its okay, my heart knows that golden yellow and scarlet red between the trunks and evergreens.

 We took a walk around a lake near our home. It was amazing to take that breath of warm leaves on the ground as we made our path in the carpet they create. PS. That is Kuma's tail in the bottom right... I just noticed it.

It was a gorgeous day for taking a few shots around Lake Johnston on our 3 mile walk. The blue against the fall leaves and navy lake, I loved every minute of enjoying this opportunity to be outside and enjoying where I live. Its hard to imagine having much more beauty right outside your door.

Little Bit

I have been completely in love with this gorgeous song for a long time. I get it in my head and the only cure I have found is to watch this equally amazing video. Lykke Li is beautiful. I enjoy watching her dance it is so organic and free. Oh, I could go on for days about this beauty, but just listen to the song and you'll see. I rarely talk about music on my craft blog but, it helps me clear my brain so I can think about crafty stuff. Christmas here I come. Must listen to "Little Bit" , one more time!

Strip Basket Making 101

 Fold ironed yard of fabric on long edge. Use rotary cutter and straight edge to make 1 inch strips

                                                Chain stitch ends of fabric together.

                                          Un-snip chain threads and roll in to ball.

                       

                                          Keep going.... this is going to be one huge basket.