A New Year gift for you!

Remember when I shared the step-by-step tutorial to make this sweet journal cover?

If you missed it, the tutorial post is HERE.

Today I am sharing the bluebirds & heart 2014 stitchery that featured on the cover!

The  pattern is available HERE in my shop as a free instant pdf download.

I'm thinking of stitching it again onto some tea towels for our new rental home. How will you use this design?

A makeover in the Elefantz online pattern shop over the next week...

...so if there is a pattern there that you would like, it might be best to grab it in the next few days as I will be 'cleaning out the shelves' of many of those designs and restocking through January with different ones. I'm excited about a fresh look in the New Year!

All the issues of Elefantz Magazine will be removed, but I know they have been incredibly popular so they will be in the shop until January 7th if you still want to purchase them.

Shop HERE before the patterns are discontinued.

Drop by tomorrow because I'm sharing a step by step tutorial for making a lovely framed calendar display...

Happy New Year everyone!

See you in 2014!

hugs

jenny

Things that caught my eye, and shopping at home...

Our anniversary day was just lovely. Thanks for those wonderful hugs and best wishes!

The Hobbit was brilliant, and afterwards we just chilled out at home in the air conditioning as it was a scorcher outside.

I spent a little 'me' time roaming some blogs through the evening and thought I'd share these two clever tutorials I found on my travels...

HERE is a great one showing how to make this travel sewing kit...

....and over at Tea Rose Home, Sachiko shares her tutorial for a sweet felt cathedral window pincushion or coaster HERE.

I thought both of these would be good for learning new skills, so I'll try to make time next month and give them a go. What about you?

 

Remember my "Moment to Shine" blog post back in November?

You can read it HERE if you missed it.

Sharon over at Lilabelle Lane had the same thought and recently threw out a challenge to herself, and to anyone like her, to refrain from buying fabrics for the next 6 months. It's her Fabriholics Anonymous challenge, and you can read all about it HERE on her blog.

There is a growing movement in 'crafty blogdom' lately to use what we have and not mindlessly accumulate more fabric than is sensibly needed. 

For myself, I'm enjoying 'shopping' from my own fabric shelves these days!

 When we moved I was able to go through all I had and gave some to charity, just leaving myself with fabric I really like and want to make something with. 

I wrote notes to remind myself why I bought some of those materials, and plan to make those projects a reality in the next year or so.

That's what's ahead in my blog next year. Maybe I'll inspire you to do something similar? 

have a blessed day,

jenny

The final block of Daisy Days!

Today is the release of the eighth block of my Daisy Days BOM!

"every daisy day"

And with this block, Daisy Days comes to completion, with the final quilt assembly instructions in the pattern as well...

The instant PDF download pattern is available today HERE in my Craftsy shop.

The paper pattern, posted free worldwide is HERE in my Etsy shop.

After a very busy year, I will finally have some time in January to quilt, bind and label my quilt. Can't wait to show you!

Mr E and I are off to see part two of The Hobbit at the movies today!

Blossom bought us the tickets as a wedding anniversary gift. Blessed.

Have a very lovely day yourself, ok?

hugs

Jenny

After Christmas...

This was the scene that greeted me at 6am today when I rose to make my coffee and grab my Bible...

Our little Princess loves living up high because she looks straight out into the trees and you know what creatures live in trees, right? Glad she has a loud bell around her neck to warn the little warblers before she gets too close. Still, there's no harm in gazing from afar...

Have you visited Spoonflower? You can design your own fabrics through them and they will print and sell it for you. I'm not going down that road myself, but a few months back I did purchase some very special fabric for Blossom. You see her and I have a special bond with Jane Austen. We have been reading the Austen novels since she was a little girl, and can pretty much quote word for word most of the movies made from the books.

So when I found these Jane Austen inspired fabrics a while back I knew one day they'd be perfect for Blossom...

The cream background is full of quotes from all the JA novels, whilst the teal has the names of all the main characters we love (and despise) from the books. I made two very simple cushions for Bloss to showcase the fabrics, and added basic line quilting for that modern edge she loves...

I added in a very old leather bound copy of Pride & Prejudice that I have treasured for about 15 years...now it belongs to my girl. She shed a few tears over that one. Isn't that just precious?

The Spoonflower site is HERE.

On Boxing Day I took some time to just relax, sit and sew, finishing Sedef's beautiful free stitchery...

I love it. Not sure how I will display it yet, but maybe simply hooped and hung outside my sewing room...

 

You'll find it HERE on her blog. 

Christmas has passed and now Mr E and I count down the hours until our 22nd wedding anniversary tomorrow (December 28th). I still pinch myself to make sure this wonderful man is truly my very own husband. How incredibly blessed I am to be his wife. Love you Mr E! xxx

But for the rest of today I need to work on the Elefantz Home 2014 calendar, which will be emailed to all subscribers by the 2nd of January...if I can, I'd like it sent out by the 1st.

It has twelve stitcheries inside, one for each month, and will also be available to purchase in my shop as an instant pdf download.

Stop by the blog in the next few days because I am going to share a simple tutorial for assembling and displaying the calendar. I want it to look really cute in my sewing room!

What are you doing now that Christmas has passed?

hugs

Jenny

A Chrismas blessing...

LORD, bless each and every one of those beautiful souls who have followed along with my blog this year. I pray that You would touch each of them with Your perfect peace, right where they are now. 

In their calm or busyness, their sorrows or joys, their darkness or light, let them know You are there, an assuring Hand on their shoulder, Heaven's gentle laughter in their ears.

This Christmas I pray that each heart here would be inspired, encouraged, healed, and refreshed with new Hope; Hope in the One whose name affirms the celebrations we share every 25th of December, Jesus.

Bless the year ahead for these precious children of Yours, lighting Your path before them so they never miss it, and if by chance they do, lift them up, dust them off, and carry them back to that safe road which leads to life.

Pour out Your Spirit in abundance please Lord, and fill us all to overflowing.

I pray this in the name of our most precious Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Amen

 

Born of a Virgin....

 

...in the little town of Bethlehem...

Angels shout HOSANNA from the heavens...

...and the Wise Men follow the star...

...bearing gifts...

...for the newborn King!

\o/ Hosanna in the Highest! \o/

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you from Mr E, Blossom, Bob-the-dog, Princess Sophie, and me...

love and blessings,

Jenny

We begin our Christmas, and time out stitching...

It's starting to feel as though Christmas is really in the air.

This morning we had friends over for coffee on the deck, and my reindeer mugs had their first 'outing' in twelve months. I use them in December every year, but with the move this week their appearance had been delayed somewhat...

Already parcels have been delivered to the new house, and both contained handmade decorations from dear friends.

Vikki made me a gorgeous Christmas stocking from a vintage doily and embroidered my initial on the front...

...and Dawn made me the sweetest 2013 Christmas angel!

Mr E and I plan to put the tree up before the weekend is over. Then our home will truly be filled with the festive atmosphere of twinkling lights and tinsel. I bet your tree is up already?

Because this has been such a heavy week physically and mentally, last night I printed up this lovely free pattern from Sedef at "Down Grapevine Lane"...

It is stitching up quickly, and will be lovely on a cushion or framed in a hoop when it's finished. I chose some sweet "Little Red Riding Hood" fabric by Tasha  Noel for the embroidery background...

...and spent a couple of hours this afternoon with my feet up and my needle in hand.

I love how this is coming along!

To see Sedef's original and to download her free pattern visit her blog HERE.

To make a Christmas stocking like Vikki made me, see her step by step tutorial HERE.

Back to setting up the house...more stitching later.

hugs

 Jenny

We're in!

It's been one of the most physically demanding weeks I can ever remember, and my '50's' body sure feels every aching muscle today!

But, we're in the new house, and that has put a smile on all our faces.

The nicest thing is that we're about to make this house our home.

It's not all put together yet, but 95% of the unpacking is done and we're finding our bearings a little easier today.

I'll show you some pics from the living area and my sewing room...

We are up high and surrounded by greenery on all sides. No curtains here at all! It feels like we're living in the tree tops...

 

The house is smaller than our last one, so the local charity stores benefited greatly from what we could not use (or fit) in this home.

There is so much green around us, and the wind here is incredible - so much so that we've not had to use the air conditioner yet...

Once we get rid of the  packing boxes we can set up the deck for breakfasts...

 

Blossom is rather comfy in her own space downstairs.

Over the next week or so we shall rest and recover our muscles, enjoy a very quiet Christmas, and then potter around adding our personal touches to the outside as well as finishing inside.

Thank you so very much for your prayers and wishes. It didn't rain, and Blossom was able to supply us with three burly young men from work to come help lift and carry for us.

Mr E was so relieved. 

I'm cooking here for the first time tonight. 

Steak and salad. Easy.

hugs

Jenny