Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,
I've been a very good girl this year. I've stitched and stitched. I've made pretty things for gifts. I've even finished a few UFO's this year!!! I didn't do much shopping this year just trying to use supplies and things I already had in my stash. You know how much I love yarn and fabric shopping. I hope it's been nice weather at the North Pole while you're getting ready to travel the world on Christmas Eve. Please say hi to Mrs. Claus for me. I know she likes to knit and crochet and make all kinds of things too so please share this letter with her. I think she'll understand!

~Tanya

Sharing with:
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson ~ Creating Christmas with Sugar & Spice
  (yes, good little girls are Sugar and Spice and every thing nice!!!)

Little Vintage Angels

These little vintage Christmas Angels would like to wish you a very merry holiday season.

They are so sweet and have earned their little angel wings. They have blessed many for many seasons and hope they bring a smile to your face this holiday season as they do mine. 

A sweet figurine. She has had many years of twinkling her holiday bells!

This little angel likes to keep her hands warm in her white fluffy muff. Precious angel keeping watch over us.

 Another vintage angel watching over.

I love vintage figurines. They have such character and bring smiles and joy to those who love them. Happy Sunday and enjoy a Vintage holiday season.

~Tanya

Sharing with:

Organized Clutter Queen ~ Creating a Vintage Style Christmas

Christmas Jam & Rose

One of my favorite things to mark the beginning of the holiday season is making Christmas Jam.

Cranberries, orange, strawberries, cloves, cinnamon... smells so divine while cooking on the stove. It makes wonderful gifts and is such a treat on a bagel or toast.  My vintage inspired Christmas Rose potholder reminds me of my summer roses. It will be a few months before I see roses again in my garden but the crochet petals flutter just like a rose does in the summer breeze.

I found a couple of beautiful vintage table linens at the thrift store this last summer and they are right at home alongside the Christmas Jam. My collection is small but slowly growing!

I truly enjoy forming the stitches of the crochet rose. Watching the rose take shape and begin to bloom right under my crochet hook makes for nice quiet winter evening stitching time.

 Happy December!!! It's beginning to look a bit like Christmas here! Enjoy each and every moment of your holiday preparations. It comes around but once a year and each year is a gift to us.

~Tanya

Sharing with:
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson ~ Share Your Cup Thursday
My Romantic Home ~ Show & Tell Friday
Organized Clutter Queen ~ Creating a Vintage Style Christmas

Thankful Birthday

I'm so blessed to have a family member with a 'Thanksgiving' birthday! Each year their birthday falls near or even on Thanksgiving. 

This white cake has homemade lemon curd filling and white butter cream frosting with coconut. It's layers are moist- definitely not perfectly frosted but oh my goodness it was melt in your mouth delicious!

 Lemon curd is one of my favorites.  It makes any thing taste gourmet and is so simple to make.

Today I'm thankful for birthdays. I do not take them for granted. Gravity, wrinkles, graying hair, life experiences... all those things are some what more noticeable when it's our own birthday but in the big scheme of things those things don't matter. They are age earned and awarded to us each and every year! Here's to wishing you could sit down and have a piece of cake with me too!  Celebrate, be thankful and most of all love.

~Tanya

Time to smell the Thanksgiving Roses

Giving thanks. Thanksgiving seems to be a rush into the holiday season these days. But this turkey is taking the time to smell the roses. 

Simple abundance. These are the things I'm most thankful for in my life.

Perfect roses, time with those I love most, enjoying the beauty created for us in this world. Exploring my talents and sharing them with others. But most of all... giving thanks for my blessings- of which there is an abundance.

 Simple and beautiful Thanksgiving.

I hope and pray your turkey takes time to smell the roses and give thanks for the simple things in life.

Those turkeys... sure have it all figured out! 

Happy Thanksgiving and happy beginning of the holiday season!  May you and your loved ones be safe and blessed!

~Tanya

Sharing with:
Have a Daily Dose of Mrs. Olson- Share your cup Thursday

Snow Heather

Yesterday morning I woke up early and to my delight we had our first snowfall of the season! I always love the white dusting of winter on a first snow! My garden heather is now Snow Heather!!!  When I saw the hint of lavender in the snowy white it made my heart sing. I planted this little plant last year in my garden and she has brought me joy today! Heather, in the traditional purple color represents admiration, beauty and solitude. I found a bit of all three early yesterday morning when I spent some time with her!

~Tanya

I Believe Find!

A while back I decided to do an overhaul of my sewing studio and fabric stash. This seems to be an ongoing project for me! Do you have any unfinished projects?! Do I even dare ask that question?!!! I love going through some of my unfinished stacks because a once loved project is still loved even though it hasn't been completed, worked on or unearthed for a while!

I believe...   I found!!!

This is an applique quilt project called 'I Believe' designed by Pat Sloan. I didn't forget I had it but I definitely put off working on it for way too long. I've been stitching on it a little every day now and love having all my scraps more organized so I can find exactly the piece I like.

There are many blocks yet to go but this is a fun project to have found again and to be working on during the upcoming holiday evenings! I love hand stitching at night while watching tv. I'm sure it won't be finished this year for the holiday but..

I Believe it will be finished soon! Do you believe?!

Happy stitching, creating and doing the things you love. I definitely Believe!

~Tanya

Sharing with:

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson ~ Share Your Cup Thursday

My Romantic Home ~ Show & Tell Friday