Just 4 more days, and 2009 is over. I'm up early because Denny is working 3 days this week, with day hours, no kids at school. I'm finding it hard to sleep beyond 4 a.m. Perhaps we should go back to milking cows. That was always an early morning activity. No, guess not. My poor back couldn't take it. I always like to see a new year come, fresh days, new ideas, broken resolutions. We had a busy Christmas with the kids, and will have 2 birthdays this week. Chad will be 43, and Kadygirl will be 10, both on the 30th. She still has the energy of a young dog. If we keep her healthy, she'll be with us for many more years. Today I'm including pictures of a few of the many bookmarks I made for the kids, using fabric and Scrabble letters for their names.


Here are a couple ornaments I made last year out of wooden spools. The pictures aren't too clear, but they give an idea of what I did. I think I gave the boys all Santas, and the girls got snowmen. They all really liked the ones I did this year, with little scenes on them.




Here's our youngest great-granddaughter, Makayla Rose, with her big puffy duck she got for Christmas. She is a cutie, and has such a happy attitude. If babies can have attitudes.


The end of the year always makes me want to clean. I can't do too much at a time with my sore back, but I will start going thru boxes again, and start organizing stuff to keep, stuff to throw, stuff to sell, either on eBay or the city-wide garage sale we always have in May. The garage is still full and my storage room is too. Not to forget,,, all those unfinished quilts and sewing and painting projects. I have potential for a couple shops wanting my products this spring, so I will concentrate on those too, making and using what I have already made, for sale. I already started putting the Christmas decor away, now what? It's too early for spring decor, I'll have to think about it. Maybe continue with some snowmen. We have plenty of snow. Everywhere you look, it's white. Waterville actually was on the news for getting some of the most in the last storm, 21"!! That should bring up the lake levels, though I guess in a foot of snow there's an inch of water. The piles are getting high, and we're running out of places to put it. Time for a second cup of coffee, and wait for the sunrise, which should start coming sooner now that winter has started. Karen/Prairiedog

Another project

I made this blackbird, or crow, yesterday, finished it today with some "wings" made of pine needles, fake, and white berries. It was a new project in a magazine. I love working with wool. I also got to use one of those rusty bed springs out of the boxful I have. This is a birthday gift to one of our daughters-in-law. Very primitive, I may want one myself. Karen-Priairiedog

Well, I can see I didn't get my pictures in the right place for the last post. I'm still learning. I always forget to check if the first picture is last, or vice versa.
Karen~Prairiedog

More snow coming

It's now officially winter in Minnesota! We've had plenty of snow already, but I don't want to complain, as we complained about the lack of moisture all year, and the fact the lakes and river we live on were so shallow. They are frozen now, and the annual building of the fishing shanty village has commenced. In other words, the fools are out on the lake fishing. You wouldn't get me out there. We are forecast more snow tonight, we already have flurries, and more again the rest of the week with wind blowing it around on Christmas day. I may be cooking dinner here if we can't get to our son's.

I'm posting a picture of a female mallard duck that was brave enough to come right up on our patio to feed under the bird feeder. I fed her a couple slices of stale bread, she didn't even flinch when one hit her tail. We should not feed them here as they may choose to leave a calling card that will mess up our shoes, and give Kady something to sniff. But their water is frozen in most places, so we have to tacare of them.



One of our grandsons wanted just money in the gift exchange for Christmas, so our granddaughter is giving him 15.00, the limit for gifts. I looked up money folding on the 'net and found a way to fold crisp bills into a box. See the picture. We put one 5 inside, and the box top and bottom are also 5's. Problem with the pattern is with the new bills the portrait of Lincoln is off center, and you are supposed to use him for a fold line. Had to measure, and it worked. Fun way to give money. I tied a little ribbon around it, and we'll put it in a small gift bag. Karen~Prairiedog

Finished a bear

Here are my before and after pictures of my first bear made for a customer. I used a sweatshirt with an embroidered heart design, and an old jacquard blanket. I used the shirt for the bear's "shirt" and arms, and for the center piece of his head. The blanket I used for the legs, "pants", back of head and ears. I used the satin binding for the bottoms of the feet, paws, inside of ears, and a ribbon for around the neck. I cut some 4.5" squares from the blanket, and made a small blankie for the bear. I think it turned out kinda cute, and hope the customer, and her mother-in-law like it. The blanket was very loosely woven, and it helped that I lined it with fusible pellon. It doesn't stretch so much, and it keeps the polyfil from leaking. This is a start, hopefully, in a business with a mission. Now I must finish the ornaments for the grandkids. Karen~Prairiedog

Here's the wool pincushion I sent to a quilty friend. I've made several of them for gifts, and use a couple myself. They have wool inside too, to keep pins and needles sharp. The top is glued into an aluminum Jell-O mold. Karen-Prairiedog

Here are 3 pictures of some of the spool ornaments I painted for our kids and grandkids. I do them in acrylics, and tried to customize some of them. I put a windmill on the one for our daughter and sil. She would like to have one, so I painted her one by an image of the barn they do have. I made a hockey rink and a basketball hoop for 2 of the grandsons. I finish them off with a hanger made of twine or ribbon, and tie a large button on for added texture. I have 5 left for the smallest kids, and I need ideas. I'm also posting a photo of a wool pincushion I made for a friend. It has an aluminum jello mold for the base. More tired now, time for bed!! Karen...Prairiedog.

December is half gone

and I'll be working on Christmas gifts and crafts and sewing up to Christmas Eve. I have most of my ornaments done. I did do the little landscapes on spools, they were fun but very time consuming. I have 5 more to do. They should be given to the kids soon, or it will be too late for this year. I got an order for one Bear With Me bear, and am taking before and after pictures. I want to keep a photo album of my bears only. This one involves a sweat shirt with an embroidered heart, to be used as the chest of the bear, and an old blanket, aqua and white, that has a jacquard design, with the colors reversed on each side. I'm using the blanket for the bottom and legs, as well as part of the head. The sweatshirt will be used for the top and arms. The blanket has a satin border on 2 sides, so I'm using that for the paws and foot bottoms, and the inside of the ears. I'm fusing pellon on the backs of all surfaces to make it stronger and so it does not stretch when I stuff it. I had that problem last year when I made 10 out of sweatshirts. They got too big because the fabric stretched as I overstuffed them. It will save on stuffing, which isn't cheap. The pellon is spendy too. I still want to make doll clothes for one granddaughter, a jeans stocking for our youngest great-granddaughter, and maybe should do some actual shopping. We need to buy our exchange gifts, no ideas. Then there's some food prep too. Add in there a trip to Faribault to see the ortho dr. about my sore back. I'll make it. I usually do. Time for bed soon.