thanksgiving

We had a beautiful day to give thanks in Atlanta, Georgia. It was sunny and mild with the smell of falling leaves in the air. We all gathered at my wonderful in-law's home and feasted on good ol' homemade food. I had this cozy vision of curling up with the kids that were there and reading this book to them while they sat and quietly listened, but um, yeah, that didn't come about. They were too busy whoopin it up outside. Which was also good. *Pop* (that was my vision)

I baked a pie! It looks pretty doesn't it? Too bad it didn't taste so great. I used the Libby's can recipe. May have been operator error, but it was just alright. Kinda bland. I like my pumpkin pie really spicy and strong to offset the criminal amounts of whipped cream I put on top. Robyn just sent me a different recipe (she made her entire Thanksgiving feast from scratch in Rio, including baking/pureeing the pumpkin-like-squash for her pie, and making bechamel sauces for her casseroles because there ain't no such thing as Cream of Mushroom soup in Brazil). I'll try her pie recipe next time, only with canned pumpkin. Nom nom. Note: if you try this recipe Robyn recommends using half the amount of pumpkin it calls for. Yes, half. Trust her, she's a fabulous cook.

We also had a family photo session. (Thanks for wielding the camera, Andy!) You can see it's still a challenge to get winsome photos of my two. That's their cousin in the middle there.

And I can't talk about Thanksgiving without also thanking you guys for supporting my shop! The Etsy sale went very well and I envision a bunch of you busily sewing gifts for your loved ones! There's never enough time in December for me to make everything I want to! But I'm going to try.

Mistleholly felt stocking pattern now available! Also an etsy sale!

Here's the new pattern for 15 inch felt Christmas stockings, which includes both a mistletoe and the holly applique design. You can stick with one design or mix and match. And of course the color options are many. Make some to match your muted decor or your pink Christmas tree. You can go with traditional Christmas colors:

 Or something more merry and bright:

Or anything! That's the joy of making your own. Wool felt is available in soooo many delicious colors. This new pattern was inspired by the stockings I made for us last year, and of course now I want to make more in every possible color combination. I love putting combos together and squinting at them. It's my thing. I squint.

These stockings are a quick sew, all machine stitching except for attaching the sequins. Lots of instructions and diagrams are included to make everything clear.

Whip some up, hang them and stuff them with tiny toys, treats and, of course, a good book!

For instant gratification you can find the new Mistleholly pattern in my Craftsy instant pattern download store at regular price, no waiting.

BUT if you want to take advantage of the shopping frenzy this weekend to save a little on the purchase of patterns, visit my Etsy shop, where all PDF patterns are on sale for 20% off the regular price when you type in the coupon code MMMTURKEY. That sale will last through the weekend and is only in my etsy shop (believe me, if I could figure out an easy way to host a sale in my Craftsy shop also, I would). I'll do my best to email you the pattern within 24 hours of purchase. Don't forget to type in the coupon code to receive the discount!

Have a lovely weekend, everybody!

better late than never

(Late note: The stocking pattern I refer to below was indeed finished and here is the post)

This is what I have been working on lately. These are prototypes for a new felt stocking pattern based on these from last year (one of those is seen hanging on the left). My intention was to release the pattern in September or October. So. That's how things are going in my world. I'm still hoping to get this in my shop in time for Black Friday. Fingers crossed.

For you well-organized forward-thinking people who already have your handmade projects done or underway for Christmas, maybe these stockings will be ideal for next Christmas. For people like me who are typically saying to themselves on the eve of December 22, "There's still plenty of time, I got this", maybe it would be great project for this Christmas.

There will be two designs, one for mistletoe and one for holly if you like to mix it up that way. Ok, I gotta go work on this. LOL.

a little shop break

Heads up that the Etsy shop will be closed starting around 2pm today until the 10th, but the Craftsy store will be open 24/7, as always. I'll take a short blog break also.

We had a fun Halloween, and I hope you did too!