Winter Fun

Hi Friends,

Lately we had been going through a January thaw and have lost a majority of our snow.  There was a hint of Spring in the air and it was wonderful.  And then...back it came which of course we expected.  Snow squall watches and warnings and slippery roads.  Thursday morning was gorgeous as we had heavy, wet snow and all the trees were coated.  It was beautiful.  Unfortunately, I didn't have time for photos.

Today, snow has been falling quietly and steadily throughout the day, there wasn't even a hint of a breeze in the air.  I had been wanting to get Lily and Katie out for a walk so I thought what better time to go than when it's a winter wonderland.

Katie loves her walks so she ran ahead then waited patiently for us to catch up.  Once we were close, she took off running again.

Lily always has to climb up on the picnic table whenever we go for a stroll.  I didn't expect her to do this in the winter but you know how insistent a 3 year old can be.  So up she went.

The pond hasn't completely frozen over since the thaw. 

This is the mini marsh (the frog pond), behind the main pond.

And here comes Katie.  Running...

and running...

And running...she's having a great time.

Lily tossing some snow in the air.

Making snow angels.

 As we were heading back, Katie decided to take a much needed rest.

I hope you enjoyed your winter walk with us.  It wasn't that cold out today which was nice but I looked like the abominable snow monster by the time we went back into the house.

Thank you for visiting and I hope you come again.  I always love reading your comments.

~ Kelly ~

Decorative Heart Pillow Tutorial

Hi Friends,

Today is the day for my first tutorial.  It has been a long time coming.  Since I'm now at the start of my 2nd year of Blogging, I figured it was time.  This is a fairly simple pattern but I loved how they turned out and wanted to share it with you.

Decorative Heart Pillow - Supplies Needed

Scissors

Pins

Needle and thread

Sewing machine

Fabric of your choice

Lacy fabric or doily

Embellishments

Ribbon - 12" (approx. 30 cm)
Strip of Lace

Polyester fiber fill

Glue gun and glue - optional

I started out by cutting a heart out of paper.  I usually use lined paper as it allows for straight lines or folds when required.  You can make any size of heart - it's your creation, create what works for you.  My heart measured 8" (approx. 20 cm) in length and 5 1/2" (approx. 14 cm) across the widest part.         

I pinned this paper heart onto the fabric of my choice, I used a cotton fabric.  Cut 2 of these.

Now repeat this step by pinning the paper heart onto your lace fabric, cut 1.

  I found this piece in the thrift store, wow is it thick and heavy.  I can't recall if it was in the fabric section or the table cloth section, that was erased from my mind before I left the store.  I'm sure some of you can relate lol!  When I was about to start this project I looked at this piece and thought - I can't cut this, it's too pretty.  But then...I saw that someone had already cut one side off.  I was in luck!  No guilt!  I couldn't get to the scissors quick enough.

Isn't it pretty?  I love the scalloped edge, I'll be keeping this part for another project.

This is what the heart will look like once all the pieces have been cut.

With the right side of the lace fabric facing up, take one of the cotton hearts and place it face down on top of it.

Now pin these 3 pieces together.

Stitch around the outside of the heart ensuring you leave an opening of about 1 1/2" (approx. 3.75 cm) or so, I left the opening on the straight side of the heart.  To determine my seam allowance,  I used the edge of the presser foot as seen below.

Now for this next part, I forgot to take a photo to show you.  When you sew around the curve of the heart and you get past the inner point, go straight across for a few stitches then go back up around the next curve.  I hope that makes sense.  This will help prevent bunching once you stuff your heart.

Before turning your heart right side out, you want to clip around the curves, cut straight across at the bottom tip of the heart and at the inner corners at the top center of your heart (at the L shape of the seam).  CUT AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN TO THE SEAM WITHOUT GETTING TOO CLOSE, you don't want to cut the actual seam then have to re-sew it.  Are your confused yet?  I really need some photos.

Turn your heart right side out, make sure you turn it with the right side of the lace facing outward.  Now you're ready to stuff it with polyester fiber fill.  I stuffed mine firmly.  Stitch the hole closed with your needle and thread.

I made one of these lace flowers and placed it on the heart.  This particular embellishment is actually an earring from the thrift store.  Enjoy being creative.

To make this lace flower, cut a strip of lace.  I have no idea how long this strip was.  How am I doing for my first tutorial?  Haha!!  I think it was about 12" (approx. 30 cm) long and 1 1/2" wide (approx. 3.75 cm).  You will know what length of lace you require as you stitch it.

Using a needle and thread, stitch back and forth close to the edge of the lace to create a gather.  Pull it tight every so often, by doing this you will see the flower forming.  Once the flower is looking full, sew the ends together to secure it.  Make sure you use enough lace.  If you don't, it will bunch up and curl inward.  Place an embellishment in the center once completed. 

For this lace flower, I glued a fake pearl in the center (it also could have been stitched on instead).  I folded the strip of ribbon in half and glued it to the back of the flower, then glued the flower onto the pillow (you could also stitch the flower on instead).

These were made for a local craft sale.

Thanks for following along, I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

As always, I'm thrilled when you come for a visit.

~ Kelly ~

A Blustery Day

Hi Friends,

The snow squalls have set in - yet again. This is normal for the area I live in as the high winds from the Great Lakes blow the snow and sometimes the squalls in producing white out conditions.  There are currently a few road closures around the area, I'm hoping tomorrow will bring better weather.  I do love being out in the country though, staring out the windows at the blowing snow while being safe and sound in a warm home.

Poor Katie...she loves the snow but not when it's like this.  It was all I could do to push her outside to do her "doggy deed".  As you can tell, she wasn't impressed.

Spring is starting to look really good about now.  How many more weeks?

This poor rocking chair didn't get brought in from the porch before winter set in.  The blowing snow gave it a nice wintery coating today.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

1 Year of Blogging

Hi Friends,

It's hard for me to believe that today is the 1 year anniversary of my first post.  That year went fast.  I was so excited at that time to start a blog and I'm so glad I did.  I haven't had any regrets other than wishing I could have created more posts in the last year.  Recently, things have been a little slow on the posts but hopefully 2017 will change that.  I enjoy it as much now as I did 1 year ago.  Many of you have been blogging for years and I'm in awe of that.  I hope I can say the same one day.

Sneakers enjoying a nap, isn't he sweet?

I am so thankful to all of you that have taken an interest in my blog, it means the world to me.  I am also very thankful to my niece, Stephanie, over at The Enchanting Rose for introducing me to the blogging world, helping me to get started and introducing my blog to so many of you.

Thank you for stopping by, your visits make my day!  Stay tuned for more posts.

~ Kelly ~