A Lifesaver at Christmas Time.....

As Christmas is approaching, I made up some covered Lifesavers to give to my friends at school. I got the inspiration from the Candy Coins on the Martha Stewart site. 

I wrapped rolls of Lifesavers in white wrapping paper, and then wrapped some thin ribbon around the rolls and secured it with double sided tape. I finished it off with some clear cellophane, with the ends twisted, and then tied with pieces of ribbon. 

I only have 9 days of Primary school left - can't wait for the summer holidays!

Posted by Sarah

Monogrammed Gift Tags

Christmas is my favourite time of year and I really look forward to creating all the little finishing touches that add to the magic of the season. Simple is the theme for all my Christmas projects this year as I seem to be short on time.

To fit in with my theme of red and white wrapping, I have made up some monogrammed gift tags using basic white shipping labels, some polka dotted scrapping booking paper, some red and white cut outs, and silver letters. They were assembled in next to no time! 

I recently spent an enjoyable day with a special friend, teaching her to make a reversible tree skirt (something that has been on my Christmas list for years!).

Sarah and I were lucky enough to win a fantastic giveaway on Sheri Howard Designs recently. We won a copy of her book, Ruby Red Books, which features some wonderful applique designs. Sheri also included some fabrics that she used in her designs. Thanks again Sheri - it is a most inspiring book and will be a great addition to our quilting library. 

We also received a package of Christmas candy from Myriam - much appreciated!

Posted by Lisa

Charming Ornaments - Part 2 - How To

I had a few requests for the instructions for making your own Charming Ornaments. You can make up a batch fairly quickly. 

Supplies for each ornament:

• small piece of quilters cotton (I used red, lime, and pink)
• fusible webbing such as vliesofix
• white felt (I used the polyester variety although they would be nicer made up in wool felt)
• 10 inch length of narrow white ribbon
• one button (I used red, white, and lime)
• fibrefill stuffing

Trace your shape onto a piece of fusible webbing (I used hearts and stars) and iron it onto the reverse side of your cotton fabric.

Cut out the shape, peel off the paper backing, and iron it onto a piece of felt that is at least 1 inch larger than the outside of the fabric shape. Cut another piece of felt that is the same size for the backing.

Position the top layer of felt with the fabric shape, on top of the backing felt and pin together. Sew around the fabric shape using a machine buttonhole stitch or zigzag stitch, leaving a gap of approx 1 inch. You will be sewing through two layers of felt.

Lightly stuff the shape through gap in between the two layers of felt. 

1. Stitch up the gap in the buttonhole stitching so the stuffing is secure.

1. Cut out the shape, leaving approx 1/2 inch of felt around the fabric shape, using pinking shears. 

Overlap the ends of the ribbon as shown in the picture and secure to the top of the shape. Sew a button over the stitching to secure the ribbon.

Hang the completed ornament on the tree; or attach to a Christmas present. 

Posted by Lisa

Charming Ornaments

Some scraps of Prints Charming fabric were put to good use on these felt ornaments. This year I am planning on wrapping gifts in shiny white paper, tied with red ribbons, and will attach a felt ornament for decoration. Simple but festive!

Edit: You can find the tutorial here. 

Posted by Lisa

Beautiful Bloggers

(Image Credit: Tessa Edwards)

We have "met" many amazing people through the wonderful world of blogs that inspire us on so many levels.  One of these is the lovely Renee who shares her incredible journey on Circling My Head. Renee had a giveaway recently and Sarah and I were one of the lucky winners.

The wonderful thing about Renee's giveaway is that it highlighted the incredible work being done by an Australian Doctor whose dream is for the people of Swaziland to have running water and food to eat; a dream where children can actually survive childhood. You can read more about Maithri's work at Possible Dreams International.  Renee's  friend Tessa, an amazing artist,  has been selling her prints and donating 100% of the proceeds to help save the lives of children in Swaziland. You can see Tessa's work at Aerial Armadillo.  

We love our limited edition print of Ssese Island Fishing and we are going to display it near our front door where it will bring us lots of joy. The colours are so vibrant and amazing! Thanks again Renee.

Posted by Lisa and Sarah  

Christmas Gift Tags for Bridge Lovers

My In-Laws are great lovers of card games - Bridge, Canasta, 500 etc - so I have created some Christmas gift tags with a Card theme.

Supplies and Equipment:

• Old deck of Playing Cards
• red ribbon
• red and white card stock
• double sided tape
• hole punch, circle punch, and a fancy shaped punch
• computer and printer

My kids helped me come up with some corny greetings that fit the card theme, which I printed onto white card stock. I punched them out with a circle punch and mounted them on a piece of red card cut with a shape punch. The greeting was positioned on the playing card with double sided tape. Easy Peasy!!

For another Gift Tag idea, check out my Paint Chip Gift Tags from last year. You can also check out my Advent Calender over at Blue Cricket Design.

Posted by Lisa