If you’re anything like me, then you need to have a small gift to give your host/hostess when you are invited to visit. Whenever I go to a friend’s home, whether it’s a planned visit or if I know that I’ll be in the neighborhood and plan to call and see if I can pop in, I always like to take a little something with me to give to that person. It doesn’t have to be something big, or expensive. I like to spend time working with my crafts. It helps to relax me and keeps me productive at the same time. I’m going to share with you how easy it is to make a few little gifts to keep on hand. You never know when you might need one.

Potpourri gifts are great because they don’t just look good, they smell terrific. You don’t have to be crafts guru to make these pretty pieces. To get started you’ll need a glass ivy bowl. When I make these crafts, the two sizes that I most commonly use measure about 4 inches for one and 5 ¼ inches for the other. One tip, if you’re filling the bowl with potpourri, make sure to use the same color potpourri as any ribbon or bow that you might use to decorate your bowl. If you have leftover ribbon from a previous project, that will fit just right around the top of your bowl, under the lip. A little bit of lace and a few small flower buds make a big difference.

You can make one small and fancy bowl with ribbon and bows (4 inch)

Image: Kathy Zengolewicz

Or you can make it a little bigger and plain with a scalloped top ivy bowl. (5 ¼ inch)

Image: Kathy Zengolewicz

Another way you can create these ivy bowls is to glue a few decorative, material leaves to the outside of the bowl and place a small votive candle inside.

So you see, you don’t have to spend a lot of time and money to make something that looks pretty, smells great and will match your décor.

Kathy Zengolewicz is an author, ghostwriter, editor and proofreader. To learn more about Kathy and her services, visit her website at kathyzengolewicz.com.

Post from: Blisstree

Potpourri Gifts

Why take photos?  Here are 10 of the reasons:

1. To have a record
2. To remember specific patterns and designs
3. To document your techniques
4. To build a portfolio or album
5. To put on your blog
6. To show customers
7. To use for making your own fabric
8. To play with in photo programs
9. To enter contests and shows
10. To have for PR purposes

And…Just to have for memories

 Why do you take photos of your quilting projects?

(Amazon image)

Post from: Blisstree

10 Reasons to Photograph Your Quilts

These cookbooks represent different eras in my life and those of my family. They bring back memories of neighbors, Sunday school teachers, family members and several at the nursing home. I recall occasions when many of the recipes were served.

If you have any of these community cookbooks in which your family members participated, treasure them.  Perhaps some of the cookbooks even have quilters represented.  Or they might be a cookbook compiled and published by a quilting group.  My daughter Beth and I have some of those.  We didn’t contribute, but friends did.

They bring back memories and often quilting stories.  I also need (Ah! to find the time!) to go through these cookbooks and jot down memories of the recipes and the various people who played a role in my life during those eras.

Do you have community or quilting cookbooks in your life?

(Amazon image)

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Quilters’ & Community Cookbooks Provide Great Memories

The word’s out that Obama drinks tea, particularly organic berry tea, rather than coffee.  So, the possibility that tea becomes an even more popular beverage looms before us.  What about tea parties?  More of these, too?
(Amazon image)

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Will Obama Popularize Tea Drinking for Quilters?

Gardening is a stress reliever for many people and quilters are no exception.  Some find this a creative outlet for their energies as well as quilting and fabric art.  I know my daughter does.  Also, gardens often serve as inspiration for quilters and play a role in their designs.  (For instance, think of Grandmother’s Flower Garden, an old-fashioned pattern.)

I grew up on a farm where a large garden was necessary to feed children, hired help and other family members. Throughout the years, Jim and I’ve had gardens in several of the many places where we’ve lived.

I even wrote a gardening column for a magazine for awhile. So…I’ve begun a gardening blog and thought it would be fun to explore this realm of writing once again.

If you’re a gardening fanatic, or simply would like some more information, memories, and fun reading, join me at Gardens Green & Glorious.

(Amazon image)

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Thoughts of Gardening & a Garden Blog

A quilter in Elgin, Ontario, Canada has illustrated through quilts some of Robert Burns’ poetry. Displayed at the Elgin County Museum, the quilts were made by Marion Tews, a descendant of the poet’s best friend.  The quilts depict verses from Burns’ poetry.

Have you ever tried illustrating a story or poem? 

(Blackstone image at Amazon)

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Illustrating Robert Burns’ Poetry through Quilting

Alphabet Cake Pan
Personalize your birthday cake with an alphabet cake pan. Make their initials, or their age in cake! 

Busy Family Meals
Vindaloo sauce can be used to flavor meats, but we like it best as a vegetarian delight!

Chocolate Covered Buttercrunch Bars                                                                                                       Chocolate and buttercrunch treats made with a surprise ingredient.

Cooking Gadgets
Space saving genius: collapsible colanders!

Horehound Drops
A herbal home remedy for a sore throat or cough.

Old Woodenware Stirs Memories
Mary Emma, at Country Kitchen, finds that old kitchen woodenware brings back memories of cooking in the farmhouse kitchen of childhood.

Super Bowl Snack: Edamame “Hummus”
A delicious thick dip made with edamame, tofu and avocado

The Experts’ Suggestions to Curb Nighttime Noshing
Most of the registered dieticians and diet websites Jean found as she tries to curb her nightly noshing habit have pretty specific suggestions to help.

ENJOY!  Let me know if you expecially like something you try here.

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More Ideas from the Food Bloggers for Quilters’ Family Meals & Entertaining

 Drawer Pull & Pants Hanger Project
Turn these items into a unique photo display via Craftynest.

Gravestone Rubbings for Fabric Art
Mary Emma, at Quilting and Patchwork, discovered instructions for turning gravestone rubbings into fabric art and family history.

How to Make Soap Petals
Soap petals are simply silk flower and leaf petals dipped in melted soap. They are single use and look pretty sitting beside the sink. Let Eileen show you how to make them. 

Layers Upon Layers
Cyndi is hosting an educational blitz this month, and she’s wondering if you know of classes she should add to the list.

Mapping the layout for a new book
Noreen is working really hard on a new book that she’ll be releasing very soon. It’s called: Rosie Recycle Pin Dolls, and it’s full of adorable little dolls that combine recycling with knitting or crochet or spool knitting. Right now, she’s up to the gills in the layout process….

New Year’s resolutions for your studio
Is there something you want to change about your studio this year? Chloe has some New Year’s resolution suggestions to get you started.

Enjoy!

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Arts Bloggers with Ideas for the 2009

Since the season of gifts and giving recently passed,
I guess I’m more aware that “thank you” and thank you notes (even e-mails) have become a lost art or lost courtesy. When we received gifts, or even were shown acts of kindness and consideration, my mom had us children write thank you notes.

Each year, the day after Christmas, the four of us sat at the dining table and wrote notes to Grandma, Auntie, Uncle Charles and Aunt Freda. If there was anyone else, like Cousin Ina or a neighbor, who gave us gifts, that went on our list, too. This became second nature with me, ingrained so it’s automatic.

However, I’ve discovered this has become a lost courtesy with most people. They may say a hurried “thank you” when you hand them something, but never a note, not even an e-mail. Not that I give gifts solely to receive a thank you note. Also, if you send gifts a distance, you do like to know the person received it and that it’s not floating around in transit for ages.

My daughter and son-in-law have their children sit down after Christmas, birthdays, and other gift receiving occasions to write notes to those who have given them the gift. I’m pleased this is being carried out for yet another generation of my family and hope they think to teach their children.

I wonder what’s happening to our society when thank you seems to have gotten lost…and taking time to write a note is almost never heard of.

What do you think about thank you notes? Is this something you do and teach your children?

(Amazon image)

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Has the “Art of Thank You” Disappeared?

These Items include:

• Pin cushions
• Thimbles
• Needle threaders
• Old sewing machine accessories
• Bobbins
• Spools with thread
• Empty spools with identification marks
• Pin boxes
• Advertising cards
• Travel sewing kits
• Tape measures

The Crazy Haberdasher is one of the blogs that will provide information and pictures about these items and collecting them. 

What do you have in your collection?

(Bell Hop image at Amazon)

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Collecting All Things Sewing