A few Christmas finishes

"Merry Mistletoe"

I hope that each of you had a lovely Christmas with family and friends!

All the long preparations and the actual days go by so quickly.

As always, I have so many topics that I would like to post about, but just not enough time...

For now, I just wanted to share two final Christmas finishes.

I completed "Merry Mistletoe" on Christmas Day night after all of our guests had left (although I had not yet finished the clean up...) It's a small candle mat that I made for a small end table in our family room.

"Poinsettia Runner" by LakeView Primitives

I finished this late on 12/23, so I was able to enjoy it on the kitchen table for Christmas Eve and Day.

I just love the wool colors and textures. I was really enjoying natural decorations for Christmas this year - lots of poinsettias in different colors, mistletoe, holly and evergreen branches too. I'm thinking that I might leave them out into January...

Blessings, Patti

Christmas at Winding Vine

I just posted photos of some of my Christmas decorations on the TDIPT Mercantile blog.

If you have a moment, stop by and take a peek. Several of the TDIPT artists have posted their decorations during the month and it is fun to see.

Blessings, Patti

A finish & A winner!

"Sleigh Bells"

design by Country Rustic Primitives

Gosh! I feel so bad... Here I have a giveaway and then I disappear for a few days...

It's that crazy holiday time of year ~ busy at work and busy at home.

Crafting time has been slow going, but I did have one finish of the pillow above. Did you notice the little added fabric on the right? I stitched left to right and when I got to the end, I realized that when I started it very late one night I must have miscalculated the length of fabric - YIKES! So I had to "make do" and will just call it primitive lol. I appliqued a bit of leather colored wool and added some vintage jingle bells to make my piece complete.

So on with the winner...

I received 51 responses to my giveaway question (via comments and emails) and I am so excited about all of the wonderful music that was recommended! I've created a long list of music to investigate. I usually try to get CD's from the library for a trial run and to see if it is "purchase worthy", then create a wishlist of CD's to buy. Right now the library has a limit of 4 holiday CD's per person, but the day after Christmas I'm going to put my reserve list out for bunches! Lol! I'll be listening to Christmas music into February :) Thank you so much for the awesome response and all of your thoughtful recommendations ~ I truly appreciate it!

I used the random number generator and it picked #50!

Roberta of Cottonwood Lane Primitives is the winner!

Please send me your mailing address and I will ship ASAP...

not sure it will get there by Christmas, but we can try!

I'm hoping for another post or two before the holiday. I really wanted to share some of my decorations and a lovely swap that I was in this month...

And the monthly giveaways will continue in 2012 :)

Thanks again for participating!

Blessings, Patti

An obsession & a giveaway

When December arrives, my iPod, CD's and radio are all tuned to holiday music all the time. Since I only listen to it for the month of December, it always seems like way to soon the time is over and it is gone again. I probably should not admit to this, but I have 612 holiday songs on my iPod. One and a half days of music without listening to the same song twice.

I love the traditional favorites - Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Michael Buble. I also like music of all genres from George Winston's "Holly & the Ivy" to Bare Naked Ladies & Sarah MacLachlan's "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" to Kanye West's "Christmas in Harlem".

Each year I try to find a new CD to add to my collection. Last year I found my new favorite from Beth Twist's Heartstring Samplery blog - Dave Barnes' "Very Merry Christmas". Now I am looking for a new favorite for this year and would love to hear what your favorite CD is.

Please leave a comment on this post or drop me an email at pgagliardi9@hotmail.com with your favorite song/CD and I'll enter you in my Christmas giveaway.

This giveaway includes: a $20 Winding Vine Designs giftcard for use in my Etsy shop or on my TDIPT Mercantile page, a little giftcard pouch that I knitted and felted, a prim reindeer, a sweet little star pot ornament with a little battery powered candle inside (created by my SIL Joy of Joyfully Yours) and a Blessings tag/ornament also created by Joy.

I'll draw a name next Saturday and hopefully your package will arrive before Christmas.

I can't wait to hear about your favorites!

"In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

~Luke 1:42-45

Blessings, Patti

December arrives!

December arrives and with it an update at TDIPT Mercantile! Click here to see all of the lovely holiday offerings this first of the month.





And click here to see more of my offerings.

"He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
~Luke 1:32-33

Blessings, Patti

Still Thankful

"Cornucopia Wool Applique Mat"

design by Maggie Bonanomi

One final autumn finish before I turn my sights towards Christmas...

I wish that autumn lasted longer! I have at least three other autumn designs that were waiting in the wings.

I just have to share my good luck/blessings!

I was oh so fortunate to win not just one, but two giveaways recently!

First, I won this fabulous collection of vintage postage stamps from Joan at "Anything Goes Here" - you can see her blog here and her awesome etsy shop here. I just love her photographs! Thanks Joan! I'm thinking these will be perfect for some type of Valentine crafting...

Next I won a half yard of the most wonderful wool from Wendy at Simple Folk. Stop by her blog here. Wendy has a great online shop for your wool & crafting needs here. I'm a happy customer and won her giveaway by suggesting that she kit Maggie Bonanomi's Tropicals Under Glass from her book, "Nature's Offerings". I'll be watching for it ;)

Well, now that I am moving on to the Christmas holiday season, I've started decorating and had to share the new home I found for the Angel Wings that we made with Maggie Bonanomi at Boxwood & Berries:

I probably shouldn't admit this, but I garbage picked this incredible window from an old Victorian house down the street. I love the monochrome look :) I'll be sharing more decorations, just as soon as we get a little sunshine ~ the better for picture taking!

"Mary said, `I am the Lord's servant. Let it be as you have said.' Then the angel left her."

~Luke 1:38

Blessings, Patti

Ever Thankful

"Let Us Be Truly Thankful"

Heartstring Samplery

I have so much to be thankful for...

God has blessed me with a life more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.

I'd love to make a list, but wouldn't even know where to begin and where to end.

"Bountiful Blessings"

Country Rustic Primitives

I'm thankful for all the kindred spirits that I have met through this blog and TDIPT Mercantile.

Life is so much more fun when you are sharing it!

Tuesday night was our United Methodist Women's Circle meeting. Lois served these sweet little acorns with her other treats. I was mesmerized! At 10:30 pm on my way home, I stopped at the grocery store picked up some Nutter Butter Bites, Hershey Kisses (milk & dark) and mini chocolate chips and whipped up a batch to take to Thanksgiving Dinner :)

Wishing you a Heartfelt Thanksgiving with an abundance of blessings!

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations."

~Psalm 100

Blessings, Patti