Dear Husband Does It Again :)

A few months ago I posted about the favorite thing in my craft room.  It is a little picture I have on my wall that memorializes a failed attempt of my husband to make a hand-made Sympathy Doll.  (If you missed that post, you can check it out here.)

Well, Dear Husband was at it again for our 11th wedding anniversary.  And I must say his second attempt went much better!

Here it is...the Special Anniversary edition Sympathy Doll!  It's the gift that says,  "I love you so much I'm going to make you a peculiarly-shaped, asymmetrical doll that makes you feel a little sad when you look at it."

The first thing I noticed is that he cut a huge remnant of my very favorite Michael Miller print that I've been saving for a special project.  No problem, honey!  I can find more of this out-of-stock fabric.  It won't take me that long.

Here's a close-up shot of its adorable little face.  Wide-set eyes on a human usually don't work, but somehow it's perfect for my little anniversary gift ;)

And the hand-embroidered mouth, which admittedly took my husband 30 minutes to complete, says...well...I'm not sure I can interpret this emotion...but...um...I'm sure it must be passion and love.  Yeah--that's it--passion and love.

Notice my husband's beautiful, calligraphy-like handwriting?  He's actually a very good artist.  He fashioned a perfect little shopping bag and filled it with a movie ticket for a "Cheap Date."  (This is a promotion that a local theater offers that includes dinner while you dine.  My favorite platter is the "Patty Duke," a juicy patty-melt burger served with a side of nachos.  My husband usually gets the Marilyn Monroe--a turkey sandwich with two heaping mounds of white meat.) Not sure where he got the handle for the bag, but I'm pretty sure somewhere in my gift-wrap supplies, I'll find a handle-less bag someday.  

I can't wait to go on our date.   We'll sit there, side-by-side, his hand in mine...our clasp broken only by hungry sandwich grabs.   We'll laugh and gaze at each other lovingly as we watch the romantic comedy.  We'll hold each other's hands ever so tightly as the sci-fi movie escalates in excitement.  I can't wait to go on our cheap date!

And what did I get my dear husband for our anniversary?  A chainsaw.  Um...okay...so we live in an apartment and don't actually have any trees to cut down.  It's the thought that counts, right?

I love you, honey.  I hope our next 11 years are just as happy as our first 11.  :)  

You Had to Be a Big Shot, Didn't Ya?

Just wanted to show you a few of the Big Shot Cozies I've made over the past year.  Which one is your favorite?

Christianna's Gypsy Tote and Clutch :)

A new friend, Christianna, asked me if I would be willing to make some Cozies out of fabric she had on hand.  I frequently do that, so I was happy to give her my mailing address and wait for her package to arrive.  When I opened the package, I was so happy to see what I would be working with.  I'm not sure how other quilters feel, but sewing with fabric that I don't like is like cooking a meal that I don't want to eat.  But, in this case...I couldn't wait to start creating!  All three of her fabrics were so bright and fun!  The main fabric was covered in cute little turtles, bees, frogs and crickets.  A Corresponding fabric featured brightly-colored stripes.  The third fabric can best be described as a chocolatey brown with white polka dots.

Christianna asked me to start off by making a Gypsy Tote for her.  These Gypsy Totes are perfect for carrying around your Gypsy and all of your power cords.  Notebooks and paper also fit nicely.  

I decided to put the main fabric on the bottom and the striped fabric on top.  The brown strip, trim and handles "frame" the bag nicely and add some contrast that pulls the bag together.

A hand-crocheted flower in the middle of the brown strip adds the perfect finishing touch.

The inside of this tote is fully lined and has 4 pockets.

Christianna's second request was a clutch for her Gypsy.  This simple design has a velcro closure and crocheted flower embellishment.

As you can see, the clutch fits nicely inside the tote.  I hope Christianna likes this tote and clutch as much as I do.  The only problem I encountered with her whole order is that I just might have a very difficult time parting with both of these items!

God bless you all!

Kathy

I Need an Intervention!!!

They say that the fist step to getting over an addiction is to admit you have one.  So...here it is...I am addicted to fabric.  :)  You heard me right.  I sometimes go to Joann Fabrics 3-5 times a week.  And...when I can't sleep at night I grab my iPad and go to www.fabric.com.  I look at their "recent arrivals" until I have the names memorized.  I can tell you all of my favorites.  

So, for a person like me, there's no walking past a fabric I love without getting at least a quarter of a yard--enough to make a new Cozy.  Such was the case for this pretty purple and gray Cozy.  Isn't it lovely?

This fabric makes me think of pink lemonade.  The damask is elegant, but the colors are fun.  

Beautiful flowers that remind me of my grandma.

Colorful Mary Engelbreit fabric.  Red is my favorite!

And what can be more girly than a pink/purple fabric combination?

Something tells me this is not an addiction I'll soon be getting over...

Linda's at It Again!

My sister, Linda, has been at it again--crocheting the most beautiful flowers ever.  Just when I thought they couldn't get any prettier, she did this!

Check out the roses on this Kindle Cozy.  Aren't they gorgeous?  The pearl center adds such a beautiful touch to each flower.  And the lacy trim on the top gives this Cozy such a romantic feel.  

The stems and leaves are crocheted too.

Thanks, Linda, for lending your creativity to my Cozies!

Some New Designs

I wanted to give you a glimpse of 2 special Cozies I've been working on.  Both of them feature some beautiful crocheted flowers that my sister Linda made.  (If you love her flowers as much as I do, you can purchase them here.)

The main part of this Cozy is muslin.  I use muslin to line all of my Cozies, but for this one, I chose to feature it on the outside.  It's very understated and I love the contrast it provides for the flowers.  

 The coordinating fabric features some fun flowers in a trio of vibrant colors.

The crocheted flowers with button centers match the coordinating fabric perfectly.  A cute polka-dot trim is the perfect finishing touch.

This Cozy was made in the same design as the first, using different colors.  If you love purple, you'll love this Cozy.

The pretty coordinating fabric in the middle pulls all of the colors together.  I love the color combination of purple, lime green and teal!

Thanks, Linda, for making these gorgeous flowers!  Notice the ric-rac stems.

If you want to see more of my Cozies, check out my Etsy shop here. 

God bless you!

Kathy