I Never Knew.......

That a pound of felt could be so much fun!

I've seen a lot of crafting with felt being done, especially on Elizabeth's blog and on Holly's blog Cotton Pickin'fun and I decided I wanted to give crafting with felt a try.

I wanted some different colors besides the seasonal felt squares you can find at Michaels but I wasn't sure where to look.

Elizabeth suggested buying the felt at Joggles.....I visited the website and found out I was able to buy a pound of scrap felt! No promises as to what colors the pound of felt would be made up of......

You know sort of like a grab bag!

A couple of patterns sketched

And I was on my way!

It's been years since I've done any hand stitching.......and I sure can tell! My stitches are not always even, and some are longer than others.

But,

It sure is fun trying something different!

chris



Come On In!

And join me for a Valentine Tea!

A heart shaped wreath greats you as you walk up to the house...the hanging Valentine is an idea borrowed from Viv who blogs at Viv Out On A Whim......

You can't see the front door of the Xavier Ct. House from the street. I always hang two wreaths....one, you can see as you walk up to the house and one on the front door.

I decided to use something different this time for the front door.....I headed to the Goodwill and found the frame...the $4.00 I spent on the frame is more than I like to spend, but I had this idea late Saturday, and tea was Sunday...I was stuck....no time to search for something less expensive.

I had the white spray paint....I love spray paint....so I was set!

I added two of the hearts that I received in Debby's heart swap, a couple of keys, and the invitation to the tea......the new wreath/frame was done!

I have decided that the next time I host tea, I will ask one of my guests to be the designated photographer. The last two teas I have hosted, I have forgotten to take pictures. Fortunately, Cheri, one of the guests, mentioned to me that she had taken a couple of photos.

The main table set for eight....one of Elizabeth's gifts part of this table's centerpiece

A table for six in the living room....Camellia's brought by Mary Ann as the centerpiece for this table.

A candy bar set up, with decorated pails to take home your treats!

Thanks to a couple of swaps this year and one last year, I had plenty of special Valentines to add to the tea this year.

Now it's time to get started with a few Spring time projects.

How quickly the seasons change!

chris



Valentine's Saved!

My Mom was a saver! 

She saved stamps, glassware, dishes, newspaper articles, greeting cards, coins, books and so many other things I can't name them all.

These are the first things that come to mind.

More often than not, she saved greeting cards in manilla envelopes.....

Except for two special cards......

I found two Valentine cards in the bottom drawer of her jewelry box.....they were from my Dad. They must have been very special to her...I am guessing they were extra special to her because of where she saved them. I never was able to ask her why these were kept in a different place, I found them after she had passed away.

My Dad never dated his cards so I'm not sure when this is from but I'm guessing the late 60's or 70's based on the price..... .50 cents.

This card is my favorite!  I love the fan shape and I love the colors.  This card is from the same era.....another .50 cent card.

Flowers, and candy in heart shaped boxes were gifts on Valentine's Day.....

My folks were true romantics.....

Mr. Math and I not so much. Mr. Math is not a big "card giver"......it's the little things he does....every morning, he has my breakfast ready, and my lunch packed. It's bringing home my favorite cookie from the bakery when he does the grocery shopping or hanging up the laundry for me. One day he came home with flowers the day after Valentine's day.....he said they were half off!

And the best thing about Mr. Math.....

Like the Billy Joel song says......

He Loves Me Just The Way I Am!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

chris

Love My Neighborhood!

On my way home from work this morning, I stopped at an estate sale in my neighborhood........

And boy was it my kind of estate sale!!!

A small house with the items for sale in the living room and dining room, not jam packed with stuff.

A table with china, the most expensive piece on the table $3.00.....and I couldn't believe it! 

A bread plate to match my favorite cup and saucer....it belonged to my Nana Cote'....so happy!!

A table with linens....everything on the table.....10 cents!

The little round, lavender piece has a rooster on it and has a pocket....not sure what it was used for

But the best find of the day......

A child's size cabinet!  And it set me back $5.00!!!

Cleaned up and a few special Nana touches, and the cabinet will be ready and waiting for a visit from a little girl named Margaret!!!

Happy Saturday!!!

chris

A Simple Project!

After taking down my Christmas decorations, I looked around the house and it felt.......a little empty.....I know I wasn't alone in feeling that way, I saw similar comments on many other blogs...

I shared with you that I loved having a wreath in my kitchen window, and decided to change it for the various holidays.......first up, a Valentine theme.

I also decided to keep the wreath that hangs on the inside of my kitchen door during the Christmas holiday throughout the year.

So I started thinking.......what to use.......


When thrifting, I always pick up the darling vintage crocheted potholders, well if they are in my price range....and I thought maybe I could use them to embellish the wreath.

And then in the little Valentine Swap I hosted I received a Valentine made out of a vintage piece of linen.

I put the two together and this is what I came up with.

I wrapped an extra Evergreen wreath with some vintage lace, sewed on the potholders, and hung the linen Valentine in the middle.

I'm happy with the way it turned out, and it adds a little something to the Xavier Ct. house kitchen.

chris

The Best Thing.......

About swapping Valentines is being introduced to new bloggers!

One them is Patti who blogs at Paintin-Patti.

Patti has a great blog where she shares her crafting and sewing projects.

The Valentine she sent me shows a young couple working in the garden.....she said the couple reminds her of and her husband! 

Too cute!

I also traded with Lisa from A Peaceful Place To Be. She too has a great blog where she chronicles her love of crafting

Isn't this the sweetest image? Love this little girl and her glittery red shoes!!

I can't tell you how much fun I had swapping Valentines with these ladies!

Valentines Day was a holiday....is it really a holiday??? That I didn't have too much to decorate with......thanks to a couple of swaps and some surprises by blogpals now I do!!

And it's a good thing too! It's my turn to host the Valentine Tea in a couple of weeks!!

chris

More Valentines!!

I wanted to share the Valentine that JoAnne who blogs at A Patriotic Quilter sent me.

JoAnne is a wonderful quilter! If you have not visited JoAnne's blog, you need to.....she shares her quilting projects on her blog, and trust me she is amazing! I was so excited to swap Valentines with JoAnne!

Like Meri she sent an email saying she was using a different medium....I was hoping she'd use fabric.

And she did!


JoAnne used a vintage dresser scarf for this Valentine. I love vintage linens! She edged with it ric rac and lace, added few heart shape buttons, and satin flowers.

JoAnne used a vintage flour sack for the backing!

Another creative Valentine to add to my growing collection!

More Valentines from swap partners coming up!!

chris