Things I made for Christmas gifts....

As much as possible I gave this Christmas a hand-made-with-love theme. Below are some of the gifts I made for loved ones - and mostly all my own designs.

For 10yo Calab, a huge pillow of his own because he always uses the one's I've made Kezzie in the past...

 For 4yo Dee a dinosaur bag to carry all his toy dinosaurs around in (it matches the dinosaur quilt I made him last year)...

I also made Dee a dinosaur tail (from THIS tutorial) but Kezzie and Calab had fun with it too!

Using my 'Little Bird' stitcheries,  I designed a sewing companion and needlekeeper for Kezzie. She's just learning to embroider and wanted something special to keep all her bits in. I finally cut into my Denyse Schmidt stash for this present!

 For SIL Bert I made a sketch book cover because he's discovered how much he enjoys sketching. I also made a pencil case but forgot to take a photo, however, I also put pockets on the front of the sketchbook for pencils.

I made a very special mini pillow for Blossom, but it would be perfect as a large pin cushion if she wanted to use it that way. The beautiful stitchery design is by Candlelight Creations.

I also make sure that every year I make jars of my famous Plum & Cinnamon jam to give away, so Kezzie and Blossom both took one home with their gifts.

Remember my Shabby Bag from Issue 5 of Elefantz HOME? You can see the original HERE.

I made another one as a Christmas gift for my dear friend, Fee, and this time used a romantic colour scheme...

For my swap partner Dale, I chose a stitchery design by Tricia Owen and made it into a table runner with lovely Bliss fabric strips...

Now to something made FOR me. 

My sweet Blossom stitched this "Partridge in a Pear Tree" design ( by Julie Lembit) using prim colours and gifted me with it. Isn't it beautiful?

And Kezzie made me a whole bunch of coupons for facials and massages that she is happy to give when I have need...that could be very soon!

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Because this was a fairly photo heavy blog post I'll wait until tomorrow to do some show & tell photos of what lovely bloggers have made from my designs. 

Right now, I'd best get back to stitching some more of my new free BOM for 2012. More about that soon...

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

And so begins our 21st year....

Did you have a lovely Christmas? I hope so. Ours was quiet, but just right for the six adults and two children in attendance.

It was a very hot day here, so Mr E was head chef, using the BBQ to perfection.

I was spoiled with vouchers for massages and the like from Kezzie, who will be my 'beautician', and the prettiest scented cup and saucer candle from Blossom. Mr E gave me "Jamie's Great Britain" cookbook - actually this is a family tradition of about 8 years running. Mr E always buys me the latest Jamie Oliver cookbook at Christmas! I love them!

My friend Fee sent me a beautiful parcel of goodies which arrived on Christmas Eve...

 I love all her handmade goodies - what a treasure she is!

In my final gift from Peg for our 6 Item Christmas Swap, I received this beautiful table runner, in lush RUBY fabrics - gorgeous!!

 

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Yesterday was our 20th wedding anniversary. I still remember our wedding as if it were yesterday - it was the second happiest I felt in all my life! The happiest was the day I became a Christian, and this wonderful husband of mine was the reason that happened when it did. On our first date he took me to church, and I've loved the Lord ever since.

My man has never taken our vows before God lightly, but lived up to them over and over again. We have had hard times, sad times, struggling times, but our love for each other and Christ got us through. The numberless times of delight over twenty years were the icing on our marriage 'cake'.

He proposed to me atop a mountain in the midst of a bushfire, and we had to be escorted out by the fire brigade when the car engine died. Just before he asked me to be his wife two shooting stars flew across the sky...a night I will always remember. I love you Mr E. You are my Knight in shining armour every day.

Daughter Kezzie loves to cross-stitch and she made us this beautiful block that will be framed in the New Year...

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I have finished the project I am making from Annie's prim design that she used on a needlebook (in Issue 7). I made mine with shabby colours, and now have a very pretty stitching cushion! I use a stitching cushion to lean on as I do my embroidery....

I embellished it with some vintage buttons front and back - they added that something extra I love in shabby designs - and I quilted the top with a simple cross hatch using Perle #12 threads.

 

 

I used 5" charm squares for the four blocks, so the finished cushion is 9.5" square, just right for my hands to rest on. Thank you for your pretty stitchery design, Annie!

~~~~~

Tomorrow I will show you some thing I made for family and friends as Christmas gifts, plus some show and tell from some of you!

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

Gifts

Making good friends, through this wonderful craft I enjoy so much, has been the icing on the stitching cake, so to speak.

With so much going on this week, my head in a thousand places, and a magazine to publish in 7 days and not a word yet written, time to quietly sit and give thanks for my friends all over the world is cherished indeed.

Let me share with you today these photos of gifts I have received this week from beautiful and appreciated hearts. Every gift sent with love, kindness, and a knowing of what tickles my fancy; every gift so beautiful, so cherished...

From Peg in a private Six Item Swap....

(visit her blog to see in close-up every special gift!)

 From Joy, Shell and Vikki, these treasures...

From Melody....

From Carrie...

From Linda (no idea why there is an empty Turkish Delight wrapper - it wasn't when I opened the present)

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, dear friends!!

~~~~~

Yesterday Mr E took us on a ride to Ayr so I could visit with my friend, Wendy! It was a long, hot ride via Townsville, but worth every minute to see my good mate.

Last year Wendy and I both spied a table runner pattern in an issue of Country Threads magazine that we wanted to make. With no time left before Christmas last year, we made a pact to make this design for each other as gifts to swap this Christmas time! 

The pattern is "Stars of Bethlehem" by Karen Gledhill, and this is the one that Wendy made for me....

This is our favourite block of all...

Wendy's stitching is beautiful, and she added little tiny beads along the ribbon trim. This will decorate our dining table on Christmas morn because I'm not taking the chance of putting it out now and dropping something on it. ;-)

I completely forgot to take a photo of the one I made Wendy, but it's obviously the same design, but I added 80 year old cream ric rac braid as my trim. 

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One of the gifts Peg gave me was a journal, and so special is it that I have decided to use it for the next year to record one thing to be thankful for every day for 365 days. I started on Tuesday when it arrived...

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If you're still feeling stitchy this pre-Christmas week, Wendy has designed the sweetest little stitchery design that she'd like to share with you for Christmas!

Just pop along HERE to her blog to download, and remember to leave her a comment and say thank you. :-)

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Do you like the pretty prim stitchery that Annie designed? She has used it to embellish a needlebook, and the pattern for it will be in Issue 7 of Elefantz HOME (which I have to write in the next few days!!! eek!!)...

I really wanted to stitch this up before the next issue so I could show you how versatile this design is. I finished mine today, all in shabby pastels - 

I am using mine to make a pin cushion. It's such a cute stitchery - thanks Annie!

There is still time to subscribe. Just visit the magazine webpage HERE.

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I may not post again until after Christmas, so may I wish each and every one of you the most joy-filled, and treasured Christmas ever!

 From our home to yours - be blessed as we have been blessed with the richest of all gifts, Jesus.

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

My not-scones....

Mr E and I have been patiently waiting for two very long weeks to ride our bike. The gear 'thing' broke and needed to be replaced but the part was not here in Australia - it was languishing in a Honda parts warehouse in the USA and would need to be posted and may not arrive too soon with all this Christmas mail between their shores and ours.

So, as I said, two looooong weeks, and no riding for us. 

Drives him bonkers, and I turn into a workaholic. 

Yesterday, as I'd just finished writing that last blog post to you, I heard a whoop from the lounge room. It was Mr E's phone call, summoning him to come collect that gear 'thing'! Oh yeh!! \o/\o/ 

Bless his heart, he spent the next umpteen or so hours fixing the bike gear 'thing' (you can see how well versed I am in motorcycle fixin' ) so that he could take me far, far, away and loose me from the dramas of the past few days. 

As soon as he headed out to do that gear 'thing' fixin', I wanted to bake something special for him, to bless him for standing right beside me the last few days and not expecting anything more than a piece of toast and a black coffee for dinner. 

He loves my fluffy scones, and they are quick and easy to make, so I gathered all the ingredients and turned on the oven.

This time I wanted to add something extra, to make them really 'spesh' for my man, so I opened a vanilla pod and scraped out all that lovely fresh vanilla paste and added it to the milk and egg mix. I even sprinkled my homemade vanilla sugar across the top for twinkles of my love.

 Don't they look sparkly just about to go in the oven?

A few minutes into the baking, and feeling quite pleased with myself, I began to gather up my utensils for washing; replaced the flour canister, the vanilla sugar, and the milk container - then I turned to put the butter back in the refrigerator.

But wait a minute? The butter?? Why was the butter still on the bench?!

Yep, no butter ( a major star of scones ) in the scone dough. I looked through the glass in the oven door at my already rising beauties and knew it was too late to do anything now. 

Jenny's Not-Scones had been born.

They continued to rise, and then slowly gather a soft golden hue...I had to make a quick decision. Do I toss them out, or do I give these little unknown not-scones an edible chance?

I'm a sucker for the under-dog. They deserved a chance.

Lathered in butter, and my favourite Analoth "Cherry Berry Jam" from New Zealand, I presented them to Mr E. 

I told him the story before the first sticky clump of jam touched his lips. He smiled, and ate one. I ate one. They were great!!!

And the moral of my story?

So you don't quite get the result you planned when you're trying with all your heart to do something really nice for a person you love, and you feel like a total dufus.

Don't let it get to you. 

Tell them what you did. 

And you just might surprise yourself. 

Cause they'll love you all the more.

Hugs

Jenny

xxx

PS: We went for that ride today and it was perfect. I'll share more about that tomorrow. 

A matter of checking facts...

I have a heavy heart as I write this blog post.

Events over the last 20 or so hours have hit hard, and the resultant fallout for a number of people cannot be dismissed.

The other day I shared a photo on my blog of a design to be featured in the upcoming issue of my magazine. The project was a beautifully embroidered needlebook by my guest designer, Annie. The embroidered and appliquéd Prim design on the cover is delightful, a true reflection of Annie’s talent. I personally had never seen the actual needlebook before and assumed it was Annie’s own, however, after re-reading the pdf pattern she sent me for proof reading, I saw she had written at the beginning:

“I hope you enjoy the little needle keeper I have designed-it is taken from a vintage needlebook that a friend of mine owns. I think you'll find that the construction is very easy.”

I was remiss in mentioning on my blog that the embroidered design is Annie’s original work, but the needlebook itself was a copy of an original vintage version Annie had seen at her Guild.

Inflammatory comments were left on my blog post yesterday, also on Annie’s, and then apparently all over Facebook, as the finger was pointed first at me and then Annie for theft of the basic needlebook design.

As mentioned previously, until Annie’s pattern arrived in an email I had never seen a needlebook design such as this.

I wonder at why these accusations were made through our blogs and not through an email to first of all ascertain the facts before casting stones and slandering both of us.

The Bible is very clear that we take our complaint to the source before going any further, however, I have no idea if either of the ladies involved is Christian, so that may well be a moot point with them – but not with Annie or I.

 Annie is quite distressed and apologetic to me for not checking on the internet first for a similar needlebook design and thus avoiding the complications we have now. A few friends and myself have been looking over the web ourselves and discovered a number of tutorials for the very same needlebook, even a pattern for sale on Etsy.

 The question arises though, is the tutorial (or pattern) that predates all others, the original design? Or is there in fact a vintage needlebook the same that exists somewhere and would clear up this mess?

 Annie drew up her design from an old needlebook she saw. How old? We don’t know – perhaps it was well used and looked older than it was, or perhaps it genuinely is a very old design.

 For now, I am withdrawing the needlebook pattern from the magazine, but will still feature Annie’s delightful embroidery and applique design – you could use it on any number of projects, or google that folding needlebook yourself for a tutorial on how to make it.

 When I have ascertained the original designer I will let you know. There is one that could be her, but I want to be sure this time and have solid facts before I go any further.

 Please do not add fuel to this story. It could all have easily been avoided if I had mentioned in my blog post that Annie copied the design from a needlebook she’d seen at Guild, and focused on the fact that the lovely embroidery was all her own work. 

 I write this before God and in all good conscience, and pray that the matter can now be put to rest until the facts are revealed in their entirety.

Jenny

xx

 

Before I close the shop....and what's coming up!

Before I close my Etsy Shop on December 31st, I have a final offer for you, my blog followers!

Today I have listed the Issue 5 and 6 Elefantz HOME magazine bundle for $10.

There are TEN new Elefantz designs in these two issues, a value of $40 in pdf patterns if purchased separately.

There are a limited number available, so head on over HERE to purchase before they run out.

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Today I'm going to show you what I have for you in Issue 7!

I think you're going to love this issue!! It's bright and cheerful, and filled with wonderful projects to start in 2012, beginning with my new Affirmation design...

I've made this quilted SMILE affirmation as part of a bigger project. With 2012 knocking on your door you are sure to want to start every day with this message, and what better way than on a calendar hanger?

All the instructions are in the magazine, and you'll whip it up in no time!

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In this issue I also talk about communication, and what better way to keep in touch with a loved one than by writing a letter, the old fashioned way. This design is a cover for an A4 sized writing pad. You'll be itching to write when you have this on your desk!

Perhaps this would be a lovely gift for someone who needs a nudge to write to you?

It would even be perfect for a cover on your shopping list pad, or a sketch pad!

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In Issue 7 I'll also share the very last block from the "Circles of Life" quilt, "Circles of Trust", as well as the quilt assembly instructions...

You'll also be blessed this issue with a gorgeous project from my guest designer, Annie from Annie Beez Folk Art! 

She had designed the cutest stitchery which I am itching to make myself!
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If you're not a subscriber yet, but would like to be one, just click on the Paypal subscribe button in my left side bar. 

It's $4 per month, with a minimum of three new Elefantz designs in every issue, and the occasional guest designer to bless you too!

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I have just recovered from a three-day migraine, so will make the most of a clear head and finish some Christmas gifts today. How are you going with your Christmas sewing? Are you like me and overestimated the time it was going to take?

Hugs

Jenny

xx