HO HO HO

It's Day One of the
HO HO HO Blog Hop!
Thank you
Madame Samm of
!Sew We Quilt!
and
Fabulous HO Mistress Carol
(? - oh that really does not sound proper...but I'm leaving it because it makes me LOL 
and these days I'll take a laugh wherever I can find it)
of
Just Let Me Quilt!

I had grand plans of getting oodles of Christmas projects done for this hop...
you know what they say about the
"best laid plans"....
But I'm thrilled to show you what I did finish up...
from the new book
by Nancy Halvorsen
"HO HO HO - Let It Snow"
(how could I resist that title?)

I just love it!
(And so does my BFF Diane [she is a Snow Ho]...yes sweet friend...it IS yours but you'll have to wait for Christmas and then ONLY if you are very VERY GOOD! *wink*)

It's a smallish wall hanging - about 20"x 35"
and was inspired by the larger quilt featured in the book.
I machine "stitched in the ditch" around the
snowman, trees and star blocks.
The nose was machine appliqued on with a buttonhole stitch.

Instead of flat black button for the eyes,
I found these cuties in my button box
(they reminded me of coal...not that I've ever really seen coal up close and personal, cuz I've always been a "good girl" *wink*)
I added a simple stitched SMILE with black perle cotton.

(click the pic for a surprise)

You'll notice above the word "Paws" and an arrow.
See it?
Do you see the paws?
That is Zeek.
(Yes...the same kitten featured during the Tammy Bag Hop).
We found him a home after all...
OURS.

He comes to the shop most days right now...
and is sew very helpful...not.
He never stays still long enough for a picture...
and I have NO idea how to add a video
(I can upload them to my FB page...from my phone...but can not do the same just to save it on my computer...the file is always TOO BIG...or won't play...I don't pretend to understand).
But if you'd like to see Zeek in action today as I was trying to finish up this quilt...
either click on the "Paws" picture
(surprize..haha)
or
click HERE
(it should take you to the vid I posted on my FB - you don't have to be my friend OR have a FB account to see it...so they say...just click the pic when it comes up to get the very short vid rolling).

Back to the buttons...
Dontcha just LOVE these?

They are
HUGE!

I was hoping to get a few more HOs finished for today....

these are the corner "leftovers" from Mr.Snowman above

YES...I've really been inspired to use up the scraps from each project

...and I have made something with these....

You'll just have to come back later in the week and see what it is...

because right NOW what it IS...

is NOT finished! lol

BUT...here is a peek at another almost done....
my own creation
(yey...I DO have some brain cells still operating)

She (He? so hard to tell these days) will be spending Christmas in Wyoming!

I've really missed being here posting....life is...well....

LIFE.

These days besides running the quilt shop with dear Spouse...I am:

1) busily prepping classes for a future retreat...

2) getting ready for the Jacksonville QuiltFest in Sept....
3) sneaking in some training as a Weight Watchers "receptionist" and hopefully, eventually "leader"

4) but really First and Foremost...I'm spending a lot more time with my Mom. 

She's had a few health 'issues' since the end of March...

each day has been a roller coaster ride to say the least.

But I WILL be back...hopefully sooner than later.

I miss all of you!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget there's a

LOT MORE

HO-HO-HO-ing

going on...

Please be sure to visit my bloggie friends also

HO-ing today

(that for sure is not proper english...I think I'll blame it on the heat)...

The full schedule is listed below.

HO HO HO

Lynn ~ The Thimblemouse >"<

Jump on your magic sleigh
Santa is waiting for you
Visit these gals...
Shoo bee do do do do
(good thing I chose quilting over song writing...dontcha think?)

July 31

Just Let Me Quilt

Grandmama’s Stories

Thimblemouse & Spouse

Pumpkin Patch Quilter

Bumbleberry Stitches

Baas Amazing Adventures

The House on the Side of the Hill

Geta’s Quilting Studio

Felt Free Pa Asly

CLF by Nailaa

How Art You?

Rainbows. Bunnies. Cupcakes.

August 1

Vroomans Quilts

Abyquilt

MacDonald’s Patch

Life and Everthing Around It

Hill Valley Quilter

Traveling Quilter

Quilting Lines

The Reluctant Quilter

Pig Tales and Quilts

Teatime Creations

Ravelly1

August 2

Quilt Doodle Doodles

life, quilts and a cat too

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Ridge Top Quilts

Editha

Stitchin By the Lake

Quilts, Fabric and Thread Tales

Sew Many Yarns

Kwilty Pleasures

Kris Loves Fabric

52 Quilts in 52 Weeks

Robin’s Fabric Nest

August 5

Cherry’s Prairie Primitives

Scraps of Life

Words & Stitches

Blue Heron Quilts

More Stars in Comanche

Handmade by Mama

Julie from Quilted Works (on my blog)

In Stitches and Seams

Scrapbook ChickADoodle

Jane’s Quilting

Beaquilter

Life@RuffHaven

August 6

Why-Knot-Kwilt

Debby Kratovil

Apple Avenue Quilts

Domestic Deficit Disorder

Jane’s Fabrics and Quilts

Marjorie’s Busy Corner

Cate’s Linens

Brenda’s Blog

Charlottes Creations

Selina Quilts

Made By Me In Red

Blooming where I am Planted

August 7

Cherry Blossoms Quilting Studio

From This to That

I Like To Quilt Blog

Leah @ L3designs

Sew Mollie Sue, Quilt Much?

Just Quilt It

Meadowbrook

Peanut’s Patchwork

Around the Homestead

Feathered Nest Studio

In The Boon Docks

MO Broker, My Creative Side

August 8

Quiltscapes

Marla’s Crafts

A Stitch In Time

Mehitabel’s Musings

Buzzing and Bumbling

Transitions For Meee

A Little Bit of Lorene

I Piece 2-Mary

Under the Presser Foot

A Reformed Heath’n

Just Sew Quilter

August 9

Moose Stash Quilting

Cathy’s Chatter

Darlington Delights

Life in the Scrapatch

Quilt n Queen

Forget-Me-Not Stitches

Quilted Delights

AnnieOak Designs

Sew Peace to Peace

Wips & Tuts

Just Keep Swimming

Sew We Quilt

Stamp On It Blog Hop Day One

I'm putting my "Stamp On It" today! 

Welcome to day ONE of the

Our head cheerleader  Thearica of Pigtales and Quilts has done a super job of rounding us 'stampers' up (or maybe that should read - she's really glued us down ...in a good way of course) either way... I'm sure you'll have fun visiting everyone between now and July 3. Thank you as well Madame Samm of !SewWeQuilt! for another fun and inspiring challenge! Visit the Mdm for a chance to win something fun and wonderful when you leave a comment on her page. Our goal was to create a "Mini Quilt Stamp" that would tell you a little about where we are from..do we deal with rubles or Euros...pounds or what? Ok...mini is such a relative term dontcha think? The Madame said we could make our 'mini' ANY size...even 14'x14' (I guess if your name was Igor and you stood 77 feet tall, a 14 foot stamp would be mini)

My "mini" stamp is 13" x 15-1/2" (Igor thinks it's uber-mini)

It represents my chosen home of Florida!

Naturally I had to include a flamingo. And the Florida Sunshine. I took a survey and asked several customers "How much is a First Class Stamp?" Nobody knew for sure.
Nobody. The USPS has been marketing "Forever"stamps for a few years now... The cost is whatever the going rate is 'that day'... and they are good to use... well... Forever!

Works for me. The flower in her 'hair' represents the Orange Blossom. (our state flower - and yes, the real deal looks different...so use your imagination)

Dontcha just dig her Orange 'shades' and her beaded glasses holder? The lenses were cut from a silvery cellophane candy bag. (yes...I ate all the candy...HAD to, so I could cut up the bag)

What's on the back? I'm so glad you asked....

Sweet Florida Oranges baby! I pondered for days and nights about the stamp "edge".... in the end, I used some great Black & White Chevron fabric from Riley Blake for effect. It's a little wonky...but I'm a little wonky too. So that's ok.

There is no "postmark" on the stamp.... are you kidding? This stamp will never be used on an envelope.... unless of course... I become pen pals with Igor.

Thanks so much for hopping by today... I enjoyed making my Florida Stamp... it was fun to have a little 'me' time to play... Most evenings are now spent in the great outdoors... with my new friend.... Mr. Lawnmower..... don't ask.   Enjoy my Stamp On It buddies today for some really  First Class Fun! (see the list below) Lynn ~ The Thimblemouse >"<
Day One - Wednesday June 26

Marjorie'sBusyCorner

Life in the Scrapatch
Pig Tales and Quilts
littlemushroomcap
sosewgreen
The Thimblemouse (Igor's friend)
Just Let Me Quilt
Words & Stitches
In Stitches And Seams

It's Time To Let The Cat Out of the Bag - Tammy Bag Blog Hop - My Day

I'm SEW excited to be participating in the

Tammy Bag Blog Hop

featuring this awesome pattern

expertly designed and

so generously shared with us

blog hoppers

by the

equally awesome and oh sew generous

Madame Samm

of

!SewWeQuilt!

It's been eons since I've made a bag and I'll let you in on a little secret...

I jumped into the hop....

(because it's what I do)

but when I really REALLY started thinking about making this cute little bag...

I got a little 'bag shy'.

I can follow a pattern and the Madames' instructions were spot on...

thankfully very easy to follow...

but I'd never tackled a metal purse frame closure before....

(so yeh...it made me just a wee bit nervous)

But....
I Did It!!!!
Woot Woot!!!!

Isn't it just the cutest little bag you ever laid your

baby blues on?

(just noticed...the daiseys are really white...ah...I see my camera has a mind of it's own)

Dear Madame asked that we take a few different shots of our bag...

Like....open it up and take a peek inside....

Here Goes....

da dumm...
da dumm...
da dumm, da dumm, da dumm....

It's ..........

PAWS!!!!

Oh My!

So that's where he went.....

This is "He Who Has No Name"

Actually, I still call him "Baby"...

C'mon Baby...time to wakie uppie....

H.W.H.N.N. is Mia and Jaxson's little brother...

an absolute charmer...

and if we had room at the "inn"

well....

there's no doubt he'd have a real name by now.

But alas...we must find him a 'furever' home...

tho the truth...with each passing day...

our hearts are growing more and more attached.

OK...now back to some serious
'Bag-ness'

of course, I would never keep a cat in a bag...

so here is what my bag

REALLY

holds!

Stuff!

Sewing Stuff!

Like...

...the nifty "thread bed"...pins...open ended thimble (the only kind I can use)....oops, I see a little baggie of hexies that I promised my friend I would stitch up by this Saturday....a poker/pointer/turner thingee...my 'thread heaven'....tweezers...ripper de-stitcher...2 FriXion gel pens...a little wooden painted needle holder a dear friend made me years ago....and a quilted needle/pin holder that I made with scraps from the bag.

Thank You Madame Samm!

Again you've challenged me to create...

I just LOVE my Tammy Bag!!!!

To see MORE wonderful Tammy Bag creations...

please click the picture below for the full

schedule of hoppees.

(usually here I would insert today's line-up....but my computer is being a bit finicky and won't let me copy and paste the list properly....ok...I'm sure it's operator error -me- and not my computer...but that sounded so much better...lol)

Updated...I couldn't stand not listing my bag lady friends hopping with me today...so I played around a little more and here we go (thanks Lisa from In the Boon Docks...I snitched this list from you...lol)

Thursday July 13th
Les @ Les Quilts
Marlene @ Stitchin by the lake
Lisa @ In The Boon Docks
Anjeanette @ by Anjeanette
Kristen @ Meadowbrook
Marica @ Englating
Lynn @ Thimblemouse & Spouse
Gingini @ Gingini's Crafts and Quilts
Linda J @ life, quilts and a cat too
Nicole @ Ninis Patchwork Blog
Judith @ How ART you?

Don't forget...leave your comment on
Madame Samm's page
for a chance to win something really special
from sponsors Riley Blake and DOVO Scissors.

One last Update (promise)...If you would like to make 
your OWN Tammy Bag...
well guess what...you are in luck!!!!
You can purchase Madame Samm's pattern 
at Craftsy!
Believe me...YOU WANT NEED THIS PATTERN!

I'll end with a few quick pics of my little needle/pin holder...

I was going to let

"He Who Has No Name"

end the show....

but I can't find him for a picture....

he's probably asleep in another bag...lol

I made my 'fabric' with scraps from the bag...

and thought I was so clever, quilting it as I went to batting...

of course forgetting I would be stitching again when I added the felt....

Stitched thru all layers...this is where the folds will be

(I put the little velcro closure in the wrong spot...

so I had to fold it up 'my way'...lol)

But it works...that's all that matters.

Thanks for stopping by...it's been ages since I've written a post.

It looks like I'm taking a wee summer break....

but I will be back for the next blog hop if not sooner.
Sometimes life just has a way...of well...getting in the way....

See you sooner than later....
I hope.

Lynn ~ The Thimblemouse >"<

35 Years

I know you're probably looking for the KiDees.

MeOwZa MoNDay will return next week, promise.

I couldn't let today pass without sharing a special moment.

It happened 35 years ago today.

I married my best friend.

Such a lucky girl...

of course he's a lucky guy too!

Wow...35 Years!

Hoping for 35 More!

Lynn ~ The Thimblemouse >"<