Autumn leaves are falling...

My first button tree was snapped up quickly by one of the people in the STS swap. :D

She also commissioned me to make her a 4 Seasons set! I've never been commissioned to do something before so I'm super thrilled and excited.

Anywho, here's the next tree. I love the colors in it.

More than a little bit hoop crazy

I've been an embroidering fool lately! Here are two pieces that I've made these past couple of weeks.

The first is a hoop for one of my mod buddies on Craftster who is my partner in the current Frugal swap. She wanted something to decorate her kitchen. After perusing her wist, I came up with this hoop.



And now for a new obsession...BUTTONS! When it comes to embroidery, I always feel like I'm the last to the party. People have been incorporating buttons and other doodads to their work for some time, but this is my very first attempt. I made this Button Tree to add to my shop in the STS swap. One of the gals in the swap claimed it super fast and has commissioned me to make her a Hoop for each of the Seasons! What fun! She was even nice enough to go through her collection of buttons to help me gather the colors needed for the fall hoop. This is the Summer Hoop. Next will be the Fall. :D

(I'll post when I have the set finished so that you all can see them together.)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I'm going to let you all in on a little secret about me.

I'm OBSESSED with Christmas! I love to make ornaments and small gifts all year long. In fact, I have my holiday gift list done around July 4 just so I can start making things. I squirrel my crafted items away in my favorite hiding spot that the kids haven't found yet.

I've gotten into making ornaments these last couple of years. The projects are small, quick and so much fun. I let my imagination run wild just to see where it will take me.

Here's my latest batch of ornaments. These are called Ecuadorian stars. Why Ecuadorian? I have no idea but I love them! Bits of scrap yarn, holiday fabric, cardboard, and patience are all that you need. :)



I think my favorite is the burgundy one on the bottom.

Mmmm autumn! Time for Harvest Bread!

I love this time of year and one of my favorite things to do is make Harvest Bread!



Recipe:

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 t salt
1/2 t allspice
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 -50 minutes.

This recipe is super moist and not too pumpkiny!

**You can also add in nuts, crushed (and drained!) pineapple, mini chocolate chips or raisins to this recipe. They are all yummy as I have tried all kinds of variations. :D

A little bit of Me Time

I've been putting together little items for the STS swap on Craftster. This spa kit includes sweet orange fizzy bath salts, sweet orange bath gel, a large crochet washcloth and 2 cotton flower facial scrubbies. :)