The Mint Needle

    It's happened. I've been suckered into the spirit of Christmas fabrics and prints. Yes, yes, yes, I know... I'm eating crow as my hubby would say. I said I wouldn't do it..... and yet here I am. Santa and all. You can see that I came across a replicated vintage Santa pattern and couldn't help myself. I immediately saw the potential for an adorable hostess apron, which led to one, two, five more aprons! All of these have a new home in The Mint Needle Etsy shop. Just take a look at how adorable they are!      To spreading holiday cheer!   

Happy Thanksgiving to all!       Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds. ~ Theodore Roosevelt     

   A little green is exactly what I got at my local garden center.....and some fresh air. I took advantage of the free time that I had, while the girls were in school, & headed to the nearest greenhouse available. I should have been Christmas shopping, but couldn't help myself.  Immediately, I was engulfed with flowers, greenery, and warmth. Now, I know that one of my recent posts talked about this house looking rather green itself, but I just needed a little pop of color by the kitchen window, (ya know, to make doing the dishes a bit more dazzling).  And of course, I couldn't leave with just one plant. I had to give the once over in close-outs to see what plants I could save. Check out these beauties! An African Violet, Kalanchoe, and a baby fern. And yes, that is the cutest square planter. It's also biodegradable!        With days being short, any bit of color could ...

  Hip, Hip, Hooray!  Isn't she just gorgeous? As my first quilt is pieced together, I can't help but feel a massive sense of accomplishment. I love it soooo much! The colors are beautiful and I especially love the fabric choices. Thank you Cluck Cluck Sew  for all your awesome tutorials!     The logic behind this project lay in the fact that I had to make a quilt this year . (Yeah, remember New Year's resolutions numbers 1,2, and 3.) Well, it turns out in less than 2 months, it'll be 2013!.... I can gladly say hooray, I'm there in a nutshell. Now.... obviously the backing and batting for this is not complete. I'm doing some research on how to do it correctly since I want nothing but get it right the first time. Here's a few things I learned while making this piece. It was overall a fairly organized and simple project for a first time do-er. I didn't follow the tutorial in w...

   After hitting the stores & checking out new tablescapes, I realized my house had been lacking in the 'holiday festive' area. But, really, why pay for what you already have at home? I knew I wanted to make something fresh & fragrant with candles & pine. I added some wild berries from the bushes along the trail behind our home. Here's a look at two centerpieces that smell as good as they look!                  I grabbed some mini jars, a rectangle plate, candles, herbs, & a vintage milk glass cake plate. And yes, these are pine branches right off the tree:)   I started by arranging the pine around the candles. I used the herbs, berries, & cones as filler in that order. The soft gray color of the sage & lavender really compliment the pine.     The mini jam jars are perfect & re-usable for tea lights.     These are sup...

  Alright readers, here's the deal. A day of rummaging through vintage patterns has transpired into a whole new project. I was scavenging through some old patterns & pieces for a women's 50's style cape. Why? Well....for the little ones of course. I'm downsizing the patterns to fit my girls & even though I can't wait to share that project with you, there's something I gotta show you first. A November Wrap. Inspired by the vintage style of a 60's cape gone shawl, I'm pretty sure this will be a timeless, classic addition to my closet. The only thing I wish was that you could cross over the computer & feel how soft this vintage fabric really is.  I needed to added a coordinating or contrasting fabric.   I started with a 50 by 50 inch square piece of soft, retro, wool like fabric. I folded it into a triangle, so that it made a shawl shape. (How easy is that? But, I only ...

  Everyone appears to be in a chevron craze these days. I figured I'd join in on all the fun & contribute a little something in the world of blogging. A day of linen closet re-organizing had me find the most perfect items. An all white chevron blanket from my mother in-law & a green/yellow one from my grandmother. Absolutely beautiful, aren't they? I love how sharp these chevron patterns are. One is finished with a scalloped edge while the other shows how a straight line is just as charming. After taking a few pics, our little Lucy decided to get some attention by taking center stage.   Gotta love her!