What is red, aqua, yellow, green, and white? A Christmas stocking, of course!

If you produce items for sale, you are presently working on your Christmas seasonal and gift items. I've seen several recent blog posts relating to Christmas so I know that it is already on some of your minds. I am bound and determined to get the rest of you into the Christmas spirit and what better way than to offer up this polka-dotted Christmas stocking.

To be eligible, you will need to make a comment under this post and tell me what your favorite Christmas memory is. If that doesn't put you in the mood my friends, nothing will. You may comment under this post until midnight EST on July 15, 2008. On July 16, one lucky person will have a brand spanking new Christmas stocking to call their very own.


As a child, my parents would throw yearly Christmas parties with relatives and close neighbors invited. There would be Christmas music, tons of food, dancing, decorations, party games, Santa Claus, everything that you would expect at a really cool holiday wingding.

I remember potatoes scattered on the dance floor in honor of the dance called the Mashed Potato. Then we would do the Limbo under the limbo stick and then everyone at the party would form a long train and do the Bunny Hop all around the patio. This was the 60's, folks, and what can I say other than we knew how to party! ROFLMAO!!

My parents didn't throw a lot of parties but they sure knew how to throw a holiday bash. It was the topic of conversation in the neighborhood for months after. In fact, when I ran into an old neighbor several years ago, he began reminiscing about those parties. It was then that I realized that these weren't only my memories, but the shared memories of many.

Have a good day!

Aloha!

Happy Saturday!

I thought I'd post a better picture of the tic-tac-toe game board as last nights photo was so dark.

To stabilize the game board, I inserted a sheet of chipboard between the two black layers of felt. One-inch buttons have been glued to the bottoms of the game pieces to add some height and weight and overall ease of handling.

I hope you're having a fabulous Saturday and are enjoying your time outdoors. Don't forget to save some barbecue for me. I'll be right over!
Aloha!

Tic-Tac-Toe, Three In A Row

It's already way past my bedtime and I can barely keep my eyes open. I've had a really long day. I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of a tic-tac-toe game that I put together in between paying bills, doing the laundry, and cleaning the house. Yeah, I didn't have much fun today and I was barely able to squeeze in any crafting time.

Please pardon the poor picture quality. The photo's were taken less than an hour ago in the dark under an OTT Lite. The colors are much more vibrant in person than they are in the photo's. Clicking on the photo's to enlarge them will help you to see the colors a little bit better.


The board is made from three colors of wool felt and measures a wee 6-inches. Each flower token measures just under 1-1/2-inches.
I couldn't resist challenging myself to a few games of tic-tac-toe on this pretty little board. I can't believe that I actually lost to myself half of the time. Geesh, I really must be tired!

I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend. See you on Monday.

Aloha!

Tea Tote

Do you tote your tea bags around in a plastic ziploc bag like this?


How about carrying your tea in a cute little Tea Tote like this.


I have been making Tea Totes for over 10 years. If you're a tea drinker and carry your favorite tea bags to work with you, these little totes really come in handy. They're so much cuter than a plastic bag and they're great for travelling too. They don't take up more than 3-inches of space in your handbag. I make both 2 and 4-pocket Tea Totes.


This is the inside of a 2-pocket Tea Tote. There's ample room for several sugar packets too.


The outside of the Tea Tote sports a cute little yo-yo posie.


Tea Totes make inexpensive gifts for tea drinking co-workers and they also make great table favors for tea parties and ladies luncheons.


Have a fabulous, craft-filled day!

Aloha!

It's Leon Day in Hawaii Nei!

I was pleasantly surprised to turn on the radio this morning to find Christmas carols being played by our local radio station. To my delight, they played five whole hours of Christmas music. Being at the half-way mark to Christmas, they are running an awareness campaign against drunk driving called Leon Day (Noel spelled backwards). Evidently, they're playing Christmas carols for all of the people who will not be alive to hear it in December due to drunk driving. That's a pretty sobering thought. A reminder that any one of us may not be around for Christmas because of a selfish decision that someone will make to drive drunk. The message rang loud and clear with me. Even more importantly, I hope it rings clear to those that drink and drive.

This morning I pulled a book out from my bookcase called Fantastic Fabric Folding by Rebecca Wat. I remembered seeing a hexagon flower project in her book that I had been wanting to try since I purchased the book seven years ago.

So in honor of Leon Day, I have made a pincushion done up in Christmas colors with a hexagon flower reminiscent of a poinsettia. It is difficult to see, but the green fabric actually has glitter embedded into it. The hexagon flower is pretty easy to fold, especially if you have some origami experience under your belt. Although I do need a little more practice in getting the petals just right, all in all, I am very pleased with the way it turned out for a first try.

Have a fabulous day, everyone!

Aloha!

Tutorial--Folded Hexagon Yo-Yo

**This tutorial is intended for personal use only.**

A couple of you have asked for a tutorial on how to fold a fabric hexagon yo-yo. Here goes....


Begin with a fabric circle. Keep in mind that the finished hexagon will be approximately one-half of the size of the circle so you will need to gauge it according to your project.



Fold the circle in half. With an iron, press a crease into the center of the fold.



Open the circle, make a quarter turn, fold in half, press a crease into the center of the fold. You should now have 4 equal quadrants.



This photo shows the center creases that have been highlighted with a pen for easier viewing. (You will be using only the creases as your guide).



Fold the outside edge of the circle to the center, press the fold with an iron.



Bring 1st point to the center, press the fold, pin in place.



Bring the 2nd and 3rd points to the center, pressing and pinning in place.



Bring the 4th point to the center, press, pin in place. Take remaining point(should look like a long triangle), bring to center, press but do not pin in place yet.



Open the left side of the long triangle.




Fold 5th point to center, press, pin in place.



This is what it should look like after the 5th fold is in place.




Take something flat like a bone folder or a letter opener and use it to ease the flap under, forming the 6th fold.



You could stop at this point, hand tack the points in place, and add a decorative button to finish it off or you could move on to the next step...


HOW TO ATTACH THE HEXAGON TO ANOTHER PIECE OF FABRIC WITH HIDDEN STITCHING



Unfold the hexagon to expose the creases. Please note that I have traced the center hexagon creases with a pen so that it can be easily seen by the camera but you will be using just the creased lines as your sewing guide.



Place the circle onto the fabric surface that you want to attach the hexagon to. With needle and thread, take small running stitches just inside the creases.



Refold the hexagon using the previously made creases as your guide. It should fall into place with little effort. With needle and thread, tack down all 6 points. Sew on a decorative button and you're all done. Voila! Fini!



Meet my newest pincushion! I bet you had no idea what I was making, now did you? LOL


Have fun with the tutorial and hexa-yo-yo the night away(that sounds like the latest latin dance move or something)!

Aloha!

**This tutorial is intended for personal use only.**

Yo-Yo Christmas Tree Skirt

Wannabecrafty, I don't know how to get in touch with you so I'm posting here. I have been holding on to this magazine picture for 20 or more years and thought it might be of interest to you and to other blog readers.

While waiting in the car for my niece to finish her piano lessons this evening, I devised a quick diagram showing the connecting points(unfortunately, I'm very low tech). This is using the 6 connection point method that I show in my yo-yo joining tutorial. The end product is a hexagon, not a circle, but I think it's rather cute. Of course, a yo-yo(s) would have to be left out of the center to enable it to circle around the tree stump. I colored in blue the section that you will have to either omit or just leave open, whichever you prefer so that it allows you to place it around the bottom of your tree.

I hope this helps you a little. I've never made a yo-yo tree skirt before. I've always wanted to make one but never got around to actually doing it. I held on to that old magazine article with hopes that I would get around to it some day. Here I sit, 20 years later, and still no yo-yo tree skirt. Go figure! rofl

Have a nice evening.

Aloha!

Hexagon Yo-Yo Pincushion

I made a new pincushion. Yes, I know that I need another pincushion like I need a hole in the head. I can't help myself and I can guarantee you that this probably won't be the last one that I make either.

I've been playing around with what I call a folded hexagon yo-yo. I know you quilters probably have another name for these. I have referred to them as yo-yo's for as long as I can remember so I guess I will continue to do so. As they say, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I don't qualify as a dog (I hope) but I qualify as old. By the way, I was born in The Territory of Hawaii. Yes, that is what my birth certificate says. Hawaii wasn't even a state yet. So you can believe me when I say that I am old. I digress. Where were we? Oh, the folded hexagon yo-yo's and pincushions. Well, my yo-yo's were stitched onto the pincushion by hand (you could do it by sewing machine too) prior to folding so that the stitches are hidden inside the yo-yo. They're done in a similar fashion to attaching the round yo-yo's to quilts or other fabric objects.

These are folded fabric flowers attached to color coordinated bobby pins for little girls to wear in their hair. Those little white marks on the flowers are supposed to be polka dots. There are so many folds in the flower petals that the polka dots kind of disappeared. I guess I need to use smaller polka dots on these flowers or nix the polka dots altogether.

I hope you all have a good day.

Aloha!

Fun Fru-Fru Flower Pen

I'm sure you've seen silk flowers attached to pens, wrapped in floral tape and placed into flower pots before. Cute concept, don't you agree?

The one thing that I could never do was to wrap my pens in floral tape because I dislike the feel of the sticky floral tape against my hand. The stickiness that even soap has difficulty washing away. To improve on this concept, I've wrapped my pen in a cute polka-dotted ribbon. No more stickiness.

If you know me, instead of a silk flower, a cute fabric flower with a beaded center has taken it's place. And of course, it has to be placed into a pretty little polka-dotted pot. Just because.


I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. See you on Monday.

Aloha!

Pastel Polka-Dotted Pouch

Sometimes it feels a little odd to work with pastel fabrics. Although lovely, it doesn't stimulate my creativity like the brightly colored fabrics do.

My main objective was to create a project based around an idea that I've had on my mind for a long time. The idea was to create a beaded posie like the one you see in the center of this pouch.

This is a very feminine pouch and at 8-1/2-inches, it's the perfect size for me to tote around my take-along craft projects.

I chose an iridescent clear light pink seed bead, just enough to add a little sparkle and shimmer to the posie. Mission accomplished. The posie turned out just the way I had envisioned it would.

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all my bloggy friends for stopping by each day to see what I have been up to and for commenting. It's a relief to know that I'm not just talking to myself. My stats show that there are hundreds of you out there from cities throughout the country and the world, so if you have a moment, please post and say hi. I would love to meet you.

Have a wonderful day, everyone.

Aloha!

Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas!

I bet you're thinking that I've totally lost my mind! I love Christmas and think about the holidays 365 days a year. In fact, I belong to a Christmas group that discusses holiday preparation throughout the year.

It is never too early to start making your Christmas gifts. After all, Christmas is an annual event and always on the same date each year so being prepared for it makes sense, right? I know, I know, you're thinking that it's too hot to even think about Christmas. Turn the a/c on high, put on your jacket and fuzzy slippers, turn on the Christmas music, light a Christmas candle, and start making your Christmas gifts today. Anything you make now will put you that much further ahead when the holiday's come along.

In between craft fair preparations, I plan to start making Christmas gift items. How about you?

I hope you all have a wonderful craft-filled day. Merry Christmas! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself!) *grin*

Aloha!

Helloooooo!

Nothing much to show you today except for this tricked-out polka-dotted nosegay. A little over the top, if I may say so myself!


I'm heading back to the craft room to resume fabric cutting for my handbags. I'm getting further and further behind by the day and I'm starting to panic. As a result, my posts are getting shorter and shorter. It won't be long before I'll be in deep doo-doo! rofl

Have a fabulous day, everyone.

Aloha!

Tooth Fairy Pillow

Girly, pearly, polka-dotted, and topped with a satin bow. A little girl's Tooth Fairy pillow that can be hung from a door or dresser knob. There is even a pocket on the front of the pillow where a note to the Tooth Fairy can be placed.




On another note, I'd like to introduce you to a lovely gal who makes beautiful quilts and someone whom I've had the pleasure of knowing since I began blogging. Her name is Jackie and she owns a machine quilting business called Canton Village Quilt Works. She's a professional, folks, and it surely shows in the work that she does. She also writes a blog by the same name and she is presently hosting a giveaway. Let me add that it's a fantastic and very generous giveaway especially for those of you who are quilters. Please stop by her blog to see exactly what I mean. You probably won't believe your eyes. Really.

Several of you have asked about the woven hearts. Unfortunately, I am incapable of doing a tutorial because of the weaving diagrams that it would require. So, I'll leave you with this site and this site that offer detailed instructions of the weaving process. It explains it better than I ever could.

Have a wonderful day.

Aloha!

Woven Heart Sachets

I'm sure that many of you are familiar with the Scandinavian woven heart baskets that are prevalent throughout the Christmas season. Often made from paper, they make cute vessels for treats which are then hung onto the Christmas tree. For years, I have made the woven heart baskets out of fabric. They make durable, yet pretty containers for small gift items.

My twist on the baskets are these woven fabric heart sachets with scalloped edging. They make the perfect sachet when filled with lavender buds.

When stuffed with fiberfil, they can also be made into Christmas tree decorations.
Unlike their paper counterparts, these are durable and can be used from year to year.

Of course, there has to be a polka dotted version, just because!

Wishing you all a very enjoyable weekend. T.G.I.F.!!!

Aloha!