This week I finished my most recent work in progress...another sequin & beaded bird soft case for either glasses or phones.

Find it in my Etsy shop!

I'm joining in The Quilting Gallery's {QAL} Aiming for Accuracy.

If you are interested in joining in the fun, click here for all the details.

Roughly a year ago, while reading a favorite quilting magazine, I found this tulip quilt pattern. However, the quilt in the magazine fit a twin size bed. I am always on the look out for ways to minimize my ever growing scrap box. I decided on scrappy tulips, adjusting the magazine's suggested block measurements to my liking.

A pleasant afternoon and a warm cuppa was enjoyed choosing fabric - bright, cheery, "Spring" colors for the tulip petals; vibrant greens for the stems; put-a-smile-on-your-face polka dots, checks, and florals for the filler blocks.

It's not perfect. It's handmade.

And, I am delighted with the finished product.

First of all, let me say, "HAPPY EASTER!"

Secondly, I apologize for the lack of posts. I've been visiting friends in Florida.

Florida was beautiful! The weather was perfect. The fellowship sweet. And the fun never-ending.

I hadn't seen my sweet friend, Valarie, in six years! We were missionaries together teaching at the same school. Today, I am living in Australia, and she is baking for Disney. We had a great time catching up and spending the day at Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

Happy Snaps

Top Row (left to right):
1) Waiting in line for the shuttle from the parking lot to the monorail or ferry. We chose the monorail.
2) Classic pic taken in front of Cinderella's castle. Tip: Disney cast members will take a photo for you with your phone, camera, or iPad.
3)Be Our Guest Restaurant inside the Beast's castle for lunch: french onion soup, and a chocolate creme puff, with bottled water. We ate in the dining room decorated as the Beast's bedroom with the enchanted rose.

Middle Row (left to right):
1) Waiting for the train to take us from Fantastyland to Adventureland.
2) Ready for a spin on the tea cups.
3) Enjoying a Dole Whip from Aloha Isle - pineapple and vanilla ice cream...refreshing!

Bottom Row (left to right):
1) The Dumbo ride lit up at night.
2) Mrs Speech flying high with Dumbo.
3) What a Magical Day!

Mr. Speech and I want to wish all of our readers a very happy and blessed Easter.

My previous post with tutorial led to this sequins and beads soft purple case. I enjoyed making the pink sparkly case so much I just had to make another one.

Each bead and sequin was sewn on by hand. Needless to say, it took me a few days to finish. I took it with me over the weekend while I visited my nephews. Whenever I could find a few moments of quiet, I would work on it. You know those small snack size zip lock bags? They worked great for traveling with sequins and beads. Just the right size and no spilling. I even had room inside the baggies for my thread and thimble. My nephews, an 8-year-old and a 4-year-old, were curious about what I was doing. I showed the 8-year-old how to sew a bead onto the center of a sequin. He gave it a try. The 4-year-old like touching the beads on the colorful bird and watching the purple sequin and bead outline grow. "Hey, you gave it a beak!" He impressively exclaimed.

This little beaded beauty is now in my Etsy shop. Just click the Pink Scissors Design logo on the top left - you can't miss it.

Two days.

It took me two days to sew on each sequin and bead - by hand!

Surprisingly, I didn't mind.

Hand sewing is relaxing.

I enjoyed watching the simple felt become a thing of beauty with every sequin and bead I added.

Materials Used:

raspberry Felt (hot pink)
tangerine Felt (bright orange)
batting
white cotton thread
pink cotton thread
pink sequins
pink beads
silver seed beads
light pink sequin trim (it's like a sequin ribbon!)

Tools Used:
pink scissors
pins
thimble
needle
Mom's sewing machine
my own nimble fingers
reading glasses*

The Creative Process:
Measure Twice, Cut Once
I "measured" my cell phone case. By "measure", I mean I eyeballed it...placed my cell phone on the pink felt added an extra inch for seam allowance and mistake making, and cut out the size felt I needed. Then, I placed that piece of felt on top of the orange felt and cut out the same size. Finishing up the measuring by placing the felt on top of the batting and cutting out the size I needed.

Pin in Place & Sew Straight Lines
I "sandwiched" the batting between the pink and orange felt, pinned it all the way around, flipped on the sewing machine, and stitched all the way around my rectangle shape. Once I finished securing the batting in place, I decided on a diagonal design, and started sewing from corner to corner. I lined up the foot along the completed stitching line, insuring straight stitches. Now, I had a design to follow to sew the sequins and beads on by hand.

Busy Hands Are Happy Hands
Grandmother always used to say this to me. She was right. I happily followed the diagonal lines as I secured each sequin and bead in place by hand. And, the time flew by! First, I stitched a sequin in place. Next, I threaded a bead on the needle, carefully drove the nose of the needle into the pink felt, through the batting, and out the orange. Good...bead tightly fixed in place. I moved on to the next and so on, and so on, and sew on! One more thing to do before I stitch it together so that it will hold the cell phone...hem the top edge. I trimmed off excess felt/batting, leaving a clean straight edge, folded down the top edge, and stitched it down by hand.

Seams to Me
Ah, the tricky part! The quilting the felt and batting sandwich helped flatten down the bulkiness of the three layers, but it was still too thick to fit under the sewing foot. I had to sew the seams together by hand. This was not easy and quite time consuming. Especially since I did it once by hand with a blanket stitch all the way around. Right sides together, I turned it right side out, and discovered that it needed something more. A flash of inspiration. I unpicked the beautiful blanket stitch and hauled out my silver seed beads and light pink sequin ribbon. I covered up the remaining white thread with the silver seed beads. I pinned the light pink sequin ribbon right side facing the right side to the pink felt now with sequins and beads. By hand I stitched it in place all along the seam line. Finishing off, I turned the case right side out...BEAUTY! I now have a pretty pink sparkly case for my cell phone.

Comments, Please
I'm so pleased with this project that I've already begun working on a second one and will be adding this item to my Etsy shop, Pink Scissors Design.

What color would you like to see offered?

*reading glasses - these came with turning 40 this year!

Linking Up
I'm linking up with these fantastic craft link parties!

Why I Love My Husband (the never-ending list):
16.) He keeps up with the housework while I'm away. While I'm in America visiting family, he is back home doing dishes and laundry. Thank you, Honey!
17.) He keeps a watchful eye on the budget and makes sure the bills are paid.
18.) He kills bugs and spiders for me...cockroaches, too. And, those Australian bugs, spiders, and cockroaches are HUGE!
19.) He treats me like a lady - holds the door open for me and pulls out my chair.
20.) He has a great smile!

I'm joining in the fun with the Happy Wives Club and linking up every Thursday! I encourage you to share your "Why I Love My Husband" list with your husband. Shower him with some praise and affirmation. In doing so, may the Lord richly bless your marriage.

Why I Love My Husband (the never-ending list):
11. When I cry he kisses my tears away.
12. He always compliments me on my cooking, even when I know I missed the mark on the recipe.
13. He surprises me with with gifts. For example, he bought me a large jar of Nutella last week, even though I'm out of the country. It's waiting for me to enjoy when I return home.
14. He remembers our anniversary (6 years on Sunday!).
15. When I'm fretting over the gray starting to appear in my hair, he tells me how beautiful I am. Knowing I like to take care of my appearance, he brings home a hair color kit for me to hide the gray.

I'm joining in the fun with the Happy Wives Club and linking up every Thursday! I encourage you to share your "Why I Love My Husband" list with your husband. Shower him with some praise and affirmation. In doing so, may the Lord richly bless your marriage.

Why I Love My Husband (the never-ending list):
6. He holds my hand when we walk to the bus.
7. He helps with the housework.
8. He always thanks me for the meals I prepare.
9. When he can't sleep, he uses headphones so that I can sleep without noise waking me up.
10. When he wakes up before I do, he has a hot cup of tea and a bowl of cereal ready for me when I wake up.

I'm joining in the fun with the Happy Wives Club and linking up every Thursday! I encourage you to share your "Why I Love My Husband" list with your husband. Shower him with some praise and affirmation. In doing so, may the Lord richly bless your marriage.

Today, I'm linking up with Marie of Blooming Homestead. I whipped up this cute little craft especially for today's link up.

Raise your hand if you keep your fabric scraps.

{Both hands raised high in the air.}

Yeah, I have more than one box marked, "Scraps".

I do enjoy small sewing projects that I can complete in a day...an hour - even better! Thus, I keep my fabric scraps...perfect for those small projects I love.




Materials
8 1/2 x 11 Document Frame
Muslin
Fabric Scrap for the bird silhouette
Fabric Scrap for the branch silhouette
Coordinating Colored Thread
Thimble
Scissors
Scotch Tape
Iron

Technique
Blanket Stitch - here are a few good places to learn this technique:
Tutorial: Hand Sew Felt Using Blanket Stitch from Future Girl
Blanket Stitch from Stitch School
Blanket Stitch - hand video from Connecting Threads


Step One: Cut
Using the thin piece of card board that came with the frame, cut our your muslin...just a bit larger than the size of the card board.

Keep that piece of thin card board. You're going to need it later and use it for framing that sweet little bird.

Tip: Iron your fabric after you cut it.

Save time and your sanity. A smaller piece of fabric is always easier to work with when ironing. No sense ironing yards of muslin when you will only be using a tiny portion of it.

After you have cut and ironed your muslin and fabric shapes, decide which whether your bird will be framed vertically or horizontally.

I chose vertically, leaving plenty of space to embroider a verse or quote later.

Step Two: Pin.
Pin the branch shape wherever you like, keeping in mind which direction you want your frame - vertical or horizontal.

My inspiration for this craft came from a picture hanging on my sister-in-law's living room wall. I thought the darling bird silhouette would translate perfectly from print to fabric. So, one day while visiting her, I did a free hand sketch to create my own templates. No copying or tracing - - - free hand.

This craft would have gone down differently if it was more detailed than a silhouette.

This bird is a basic shape which I encourage you to try. Doodle and sketch. Draw a bird and a rough branch and put your own signature on your craft. Own it!

Step Three: Stitch.
Bird and branch pinned in place, thread your needle, grab your thimble, pour yourself a cuppa, put on your favorite show/movie, and stitch.

I recommend appliqueing your bird and branch onto the muslin. My favorite technique when doing this by hand is the blanket stitch. It is easy and pretty. I listed three places to find how-to's for the blanket stitch (see above).

I chose a coordinating pink thread for my pink bird. Unfortunately, I did not have a coordinating green for my branch. So, I chose a complimentary color of an orangish-brown.


Step Four: Frame.
Remember that piece of thin cardboard that came with the frame? You used it in step one to cut out the correct size of muslin. Now is when you need it.

You will also need some tape to help hold the muslin in place and keep it as taught as possible when fitting it for framing.

Tip: Before fitting your fabric bird to the frame, iron it so that it will lay smooth and look lovely hanging on your wall or perched on a shelf.

After ironing it, lay the bird face down. Place the thin cardboard face up...so that you can read the writing on it. Fold over excess muslin and tape down to cardboard.

Next, gently slide the piece of cardboard which is now steadying your fabric bird into the frame.

A thick piece of cardboard should have come with your frame. Slide this in behind your fabric bird/thin cardboard.

Finally, gently slide the frame stand...the very back of the frame into the frame.

Voila!

Your lovely little fabric bird is now ready to grace your home.

Now, it's your turn...join me in linking up at Blooming Homestead.


I'm also linking up with these great craft link parties:

Cooker And A Looker - Homemade Tomato Paste. Amanda shares how to make homemade tomato paste two ways: the thermochef way and on the stove top.

A note about a few of the ingredients for American readers, "capsicum" is Australian for "pepper": red, green, or yellow pepper. Not the spice. The vegetable. "White Sugar" is Australian for sugar, meaning not raw (which looks a bit brownish), not icing sugar or powdered, but granulated. And, thermochef is a fancy Australian kitchen appliance (I'm sure America has its own version.)

Blooming Homestead - Crafty Tuesday. I for one am glad that Marie decided to host a crafty link-up on her blog. It gives me great reason to craft today...just as soon as I finish this blog post. Marie is inviting everyone to link up projects, recipes, and crafts. Join me in linking up tomorrow. Not crafty? That's okay, craft link-ups are a great source of inspiration...plenty of pinning going on...and you'll find some great blogs to add to your reading list.

The Handmade Home - A No Sew Tee Pee. My nephews would flip for this super craft! Set aside a day or weekend (if you are a perfectionist) to create this amazing reading/play space for your little ones. Ashley says it cost no more than $7 to make. Purchase six 1 x 2 x 8′s from your local handy man store and some jute (or duct tape if jute is not available) and follow Ashley's example for the rest...raid your fabric stash! Read the post to find terrific suggestions for how to make this amazing no sew tee pee at nearly no cost.

I think I might win Super Aunt of the Universe for Life if I made this for my nephews. Hmm, I wonder how their Grandparents would feel if built this in the bedroom I've been staying in while on my American holiday. Wonder if they will mind? I do realize that I may be sleeping in it...

Happy Wives Club - 5 Steps in 5 Days to A Happier Husband. The Happy Wives Club introduces Kathi Lipp, sharing 5 steps for wives to practice for 5 days to build up their husbands. It's not secret that I'm madly in love with Mr Speech! Any time I can learn how to make my husband happier, I welcome it. Think of it as more ways to say, "I Love You!" Kathi admits that the steps she suggests may not be easy, ask a friend to work with you - encourage you and stay accountable to and pray for you. Kathi is the author of The Husband Project & The Marriage Project...I have both books...very good. I highly recommend them!

Baker's Royale - S'more Eclairs. I can't resist a delicious eclair! The recipe calls for "finely cut graham crackers". Graham crackers are easy to find in America. I have never seen them in Australia. Any Australian readers know where I can get graham crackers in Brisbane? If I want to make these beauties, I'll have to make some extra room in my suitcase for a box or two of graham crackers. Mini-marshmallows are also not to be found in Australia. I have only ever seen the large size marshmallow and in pink and white. Where can I find plain ol' white marshmallows? I can easily cut them up into a mini size. No worries. Well, that's one more item to add to my suitcase: mini-marshmallows. Clearly, I need to learn where the best places are to buy American imported goods; AND where in Brisbane do the bakers shop?

Happy Wives, I think these would be perfect for step 4 in the 5 days to a Happier Husband.

Hey, if all else fails, do this for steps 1-5.

Methinks, ye husbands shall be very happy indeed!

Smiling eyes, rosy cheeks, and a heart shaped mouth, these sweet babushkas are cuddle ready for quiet time, nap time, and bed time. Terrific secret keepers and they love slumber parties. Perfect as a pillow for decoration or a soft toy for play.

Measures approximately 20 inches tall and 17.5 inches wide.

I made these darlings while in America. These beauties ship from America - $5.20 shipping to America!

Visit my Etsy shop - Pink Scissors Design - doll section and adopt yours today!

I've recently discovered a new blog, The Paper Mama. She has recently begun hosting a fun meme: 11 Things. It's a way of getting to know readers and readers getting to know bloggers. I do hope many of you will join in the fun and share the link to your meme in a comment below. I know Mr Speech & I would enjoy visiting your blogs and reading your memes. For this inaugural 11 Things Meme, I - Mrs Speech - am writing it. You may recall that I am on holiday in America while Mr Speech is holding down the fort back in Brisbane. Shout out to Mr Speech! You Rock!!! {You all should know I'm not shy about how I feel about my handsome husband.}

The rules:

1. Post a photo of yourself

2. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.

3. Create 11 new questions and ask people to answer them.

The Paper Mama Asked:

1. If you HAD to change your name, what would you change it to?
"Mom" or even "Mum"...I've been hoping, praying, and waiting years to change my name to Mum. And, you know what...with my heart full of hope, I will continue to pray and wait.

2. Are you a collector of anything?
Teacups. You may recall this post where I swoon over the tea cups at T2. In the past I collected teapots...whimsical and lovely teapots. However, that collection remains Stateside while my tea cup collection is ever growing Down Under. Perhaps one day the two collections will become one and I can host a huge (YUGE) tea party!

3. What is your first thought when you wake up?
"Tea!" - when I'm home in Brisbane. While I'm in Michigan on holiday, "French Vanilla Coffee!" Either way, the kettle is going on and having a hot cuppa is the first thing on my mind.

4. Do you prefer sweet or salty foods?
Yes! Both. I like the sweet and savory together.

5. Name one thing you miss about being a kid.
Playing. I have so enjoyed time with my three-year-old nephew while on holiday in Michigan. Playing is the most important thing in the world to him. And, I realize at my graceful age of {ahem} 40 {shocking, I know} that there is much to learn from a three year old. I miss being three.

6. Are you a morning or night person?
Ha! I would say night, but it's a struggle to stay up much later than 10 p.m. these days. I can wake up between 6 or 6:30 without an alarm, but I'm not happy about it. Can a person be in transition? I don't think I am either a morning or a night person. When pressed, I would rather stay up late than wake up early. But, there's no guarantee I won't be grumpy {poor Mr Speech...he's so patient and kind when I get the grumpies - - - that's one of the reasons I love him so}.

7. List 5 items on your life’s to-do list:
1) Write a Children's Book
2) Adopt a baby girl from China
3) Have breakfast in Paris with Mr Speech
4) Finish all of my current unfinished quilts/sewing projects
5) Travel Europe researching my ancestry

8. Share one thing that people may not know about you.
Though I was born and raised in a state surrounded by the five Great Lakes and renowned for being a Winter Wonderland, I do not water or snow ski.

9. What is your all time favorite song, movie, and book?
Song - Jesus Loves Me
Movie - It's A Wonderful Life
Book - Psalms

10. Do you have any hidden talents?
Teaching...I was a missionary teacher before I met and married Mr. Speech.

11. Are you a really clean or super messy person?
Good question! I think I am a happy mix of both. People pay me to clean their home, while my own for the most part is "lived in". Ideally, I like to have a place for everything and everything in its place, but that's not reality. Especially, when I get out my fabric. Watch out! My works-in-progress lead to clutter. Organization is an area I'd really like to grow in...share your tips in the comments below or email me!

My Questions For You To Answer
1. Valentine's Day is tomorrow, if you HAD to pick just ONE which would you choose for a gift: 1 lb. heart-shaped box of chocolates, 1 dozen long stem red roses, dinner and a movie, or other?
2. What is the name of the most recent movie you saw at the cinema?
3. Your plans have changed and you have 30 minutes to make dinner, what do you make/do?
4. Do you have a Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall birthday?
5. What is your all time favorite book children's book - favorite you read over and over again, perhaps memorized, as a child?
6. If you are a quilter/crafter, take a photo of your most current project and share it with us. If you are not, please share your hobby.
7. Are you a Downton Abbey fan?
8. List the top 3 places you would take me to if I visited your hometown.
9. What is the name of the last blog you visited?
10. Favorite Love song?
11. Tea or coffee?

Your turn! I hope you will play along and answer this 11 questions meme! If you answer my questions, please come back and put a link in the comments. I’d really love to visit your blog and learn a bit about you!

Why I Love My Husband (the never-ending list):
1. He loves the Lord.
2. He prays for me.
3. He shares his chocolate with me.
4. He watches Gone With The Wind with me.
5. He tells me how beautiful I am even when I'm not wearing make-up.

I'm joining in the fun with the Happy Wives Club and linking up every Thursday! I encourage you to share your "Why I Love My Husband" list with your husband. Shower him with some praise and affirmation. In doing so, may the Lord richly bless your marriage.

We know, it's the end of January and Mr & Mrs Speech are just now posting the last part in their Christmas series! Life got very busy...much like a whirlwind, as Mrs Speech jetted off to the USA for a holiday visiting family in the snowy land of Michigan. Mr Speech is holding down the fort back in Australia. Let's wrap up Christmas, so Mrs Speech can begin posting about her adventures in America.

Christmas Day in the Speech household is full of childlike anticipation and excitement of opening presents, though there are no children in the house. No sleep is had. And, there is usually a conversation that goes something like this at 4 a.m. or earlier:

Mrs Speech: What time is it?

Mr Speech: 4 a.m.

{silence}

Mr Speech: Can we get up yet?

Mrs Speech: I don't see why not. We are adults now.

Mr Speech: Let's get up!

An so, we get out of bed more like the 5-year-old version of ourselves, than the adult married versions, and gleefully welcome Christmas morning.

This is all before children. After children, Christmas mornings may look differently. It may be the children waking us up. However, I don't see that happening. I think we will be too excited and will be the ones to wake up our children. Well, we shall see.

Mr Speech reads the Christmas Story from Luke 2 before we open our stockings and then move on to the presents. Afterwards, Mrs Speech makes breakfast.

Christmas breakfast has changed a lot for me (Mrs Speech), having grown up in the Northern Hemisphere, in the land of ice and snow. Christmas breakfasts were always hot. All that changed marrying Mr Speech and moving to the Southern Hemisphere. Now Christmas breakfasts are tropical. We enjoy a fruit platter: mangoes, oranges, pineapple, kiwi, pomegranate, grapes, etc... A cold breakfast, perfect for a hot Christmas Day.

The oven does go on, though. The turkey must be cooked. Each year we have a turkey dinner for Christmas. I must brag on Mr Speech. He found a mighty nice turkey and bought it for a fantastic price. He's got great bartering skills!

After Christmas dinner - turkey, roast veggies, bread, green bean casserole - we have a relaxing evening and get to bed early for Boxing Day!

HIP HIP HOORAY! BOXING DAY!

We managed to catch the bus and make it into the city just in time before Myer opened. We hoped to be there for the mad rush. We did expect to see a bigger crowd. Still the crowds of people did not disappoint as we made out way up and down Queen Street Mall ducking in and out of shops: Myer, Rebel Sport, A-Mart All Sports, JB Hi-Fi, T2, Colette, Dotti, Kikki.K, just to name a few.


Mr Speech is a real trooper! He survived the crowds of girls and women at Colette and Dotti. Bumped and maybe even bruised, he waited while I browsed and bought, and then he carried my bags! My hero!


T2 is one of my favorite shops in the Brisbane CBD. It's a regular stop on Boxing Day. I love to pick out a tea cup and bring home my favorite T2 tea - French Earl Grey. This year, I only came home with the tea, no tea cup. I just couldn't decide, and to be honest, I was hoping for a Boxing Day sale. Sadly, T2 wasn't having one.

Kikki.K had a fantastic Boxing Day sale. This year I actually bought something. Every year on Boxing Day I browse and wish I had bought something at Kikki K and this year I finally did. I'm so glad! It was a recipe book/organizer and some cute red love heart magnets.

We had a lovely Christmas & Boxing Day. We hope you and your families did, too. Also, we wish you a very happy & prosperous New Year!

You're probably wondering what that thing to the left is. It's duct tape, on our bedroom cupboard.

Let me explain.

We're going to show you how we do Christmas - what it means to us, how we celebrate it, all the little things that add-up to making the season what it is.

If you're from the northern hemisphere, you'll be transfixed at how Christmas for us is less pine trees and snow, and more palm trees and ice in your Coca-Cola. You'll dazzle at the shorts we wear while singing Frosty the Snowman. Sing it, we do.

In the meantime, you'll get a glance at what Brisbane does for Christmas, and how it impacts us.

And so, it starts with the duct tape.

For this, we go back to where we used to live.

Until last year we lived in a similar unit in the same complex here in Brisbane. But whereas our current place has a dual-room loft situation going upstairs, our previous place had three bedrooms, all with their own wardrobes.

which meant plenty of space for hiding presents from each other; Mrs Speech would have one place, I'd have another (the ironing room cupboard aka the third bedroom) and we'd each agree to not look in on each other's turf. Not hard for me, since I rather would have been surprised at Christmas anyway.

But here we have limited space. Our master bedroom has a wardrobe, but upstairs there's just a sort of low closet you can walk into - if you don't mind bumping your head - with some shelves and a rack to hang things. It's an afterthought, really.

Mrs Speech took that space since upstairs is ostensibly her place anyhow. I took the master bedroom cupboard space.

And then SHE LOOKED!!

I'm telling you, it was so egregious I nearly called the cops. She looked one way, then the other, (I captured it all on MrsSpeechCam™) then slowly slid the door open, so I wouldn't hear, and then she rummaged through everything I had bought her...

Okay, not really. She was looking for a top, and opened the door one day without thinking. And, it was before I really had bought anything, so there was only one present there. Mostly covered with a bag. She tells me she didn't see anything.

But it became apparent there was going to have to be some deterring. So, I whacked some masking tape/duct tape on the wall, covering the door. It couldn't be quickly opened; she would have to think about it. And hopefully not peek anyway!

Well, I trust her. I don't think she looked. And if she needed a top, she did always ask me to help her find one instead of just opening the door. At the very least it gave her pause to consider before just charging forward and opening the door.

Tell the truth, it wasn't a huge issue anyway. Usually we buy all our presents then a couple weeks go by before we wrap them and put 'em under the tree.

We went Christmas shopping yesterday, and wrapped them the same day and put them under the tree. So I only had a couple here and there that I had bought.

But that's always one of the first things we think about when we do Christmas. How are we going to hide presents from each other?

Christmas is 80 days away! Or less by the time you read this post. You can keep up with the countdown here. Phileas Fogg made his way around the world in so many days...so, Jules Verne recorded here. In so many days, I'm preparing and stocking up Pink Scissors Design for Christmas.

My Elna has been busy and merrily humming away as Christmas gets all sewn up.

When I'm not out on a walkabout with Mr Speech, I'm with Elna filling up Pink Scissors Design with Christmas goodies with you in mind: quilts, dolls, finger puppets, Jesse Tree ornaments, and now . . .

. . . Christmas Stockings!



Stockings are a necessity at Christmas. They are perfect for hiding sweet surprises and holding wonderful Christmas treasures. As a child in Michigan, every Christmas morning I found a beautiful round orange in the toe of my stocking - a delicious tropical delight! Now, living in tropical Queensland with my handsome Aussie husband, the toe of my stocking is usually filled with Cadbury chocolates. Christmas breakfast is typically a tropical fruit platter: oranges, pineapple, kiwi fruit, and mangoes.

Last week, I started making stockings for Christmas 2012. You can view them in the shop by clicking here. This year's Christmas stockings are a beautiful blend of cotton fabric and muslin. Each stocking is one of a kind, having a unique patchwork design on the front, quilted in variegated thread, and lined with muslin. The 2012 stockings measure 11 inches long, have a loop for hanging up, and are machine washable.

The stockings are large enough to hold one of the rag dolls from the shop with plenty of room to spare in the toe and foot for lollies (candy) and other Christmas surprises. The sweet Russian doll finger puppets would fit nicely, too!

If you visit the shop today, you will see only two stockings listed. One is in the popular chevron pattern made up in bright pink fabric and festive stars. The other is in a classic strips pattern made up in green with festive polka dots. If you would like to order more than one at a time, please contact me. I will gladly create a custom listing for you. Perhaps, you desire a specific colorway or pattern. I welcome custom orders.

I've got a lovely blue fabric on the table patiently waiting to be made into the next stocking. I haven't decided on a pattern for it yet. Any suggestions?

I'm linking up to: