Merry Christmas Everyone!

I hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas.  And I hope ya'll enjoyed my broadcast of The Cinnamon Bear.  As I mentioned back at Thanksgiving, that little story is very dear to me.

I will be back to blogging soon with loads of new stitched pieces for you to see.  Until then, have a very Merry Christmas!

Pam

Stitching Through The Snow

Well, it seems that we're in this weather pattern of snow every other day.  It was pretty at first.  It was novel at first.  But for me, it doesn't take long and it gets old.  I can go back to sunny and 75 any time now! 

I'm just about ready for Christmas.  How about you?  All I have left to do is to wrap my gifts and I plan to do that tomorrow.  Then I have a few days that I can take it easy.

I try to take my fancy new Fusion uptown on days that it doesn't snow.  Just to walk around a store a little bit.  And I have been stitching on some things.  I don't know if you saw my Kitties In The Teacup Pillow all stitched or not.  This is ready to sew together:

And here is another pillow that I stitched up.  It too is ready to assemble:

I love the little girl in that vintage photo.  She has the cutest little face!

I also stitched up a couple of Crazy Quilt Hearts:

I doubt I'll have time now to sew any of these together until after Christmas.  Maybe not even until after New Year's.  But at least I was smart enough to take the time before Thanksgiving to sew up a bunch of blocks so I had some things that I could stitch on.

In other news, my sweet Lucy hadn't been acting right for about 2 weeks.  So Scott and I took her to vet and, she is in the beginning stages of kidney disease.  I know it's not unusual for cats but geez!  What's up with this?  I just lost Nightmare to kidney failure back in May.

It's the early stages and she is 15 years old now, but I'll tell you, it's like getting another kick in the head.  And the heart!  Our vet has started her on the same special kidney diet that Nightmare was on.  Science Diet makes a version and Purina makes a version.  Lucy really isn't thrilled with either one of them but it seems she leans towards the Purina version a little better so I just ordered a case of that for her.  She also has a bit of arthritis in her spine down by her tail and I still kind of think she may have had a mild stroke a few weeks ago.  She's perking up now all of a sudden so she may be recovering from that.  She had a bad stroke 2 years ago and recovered fully.

Well, hopefully, since this is the early stages of KD, she should be alright for awhile if she doesn't fight me on the special diet.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Etsy Coupon Code

Hi everyone!  Mom thought it would be fun to offer a Coupon Code for our Etsy store so here it is:

Coupon Code:  BlogChristmas2013 - $5.00 off of a $25.00 or more purchase!

This offer is good only at Kitty and Me Designs through 12/17/2013.  Also, I can guarentee Christmas delivery on all domestic United States orders placed on or before 12/17/2013.

Happy Shopping!

Winter Song

Summer joys are o're;
Flowerets bloom no more,
Wintery winds are sweeping;
Through the snow-drifts peeping,
Cheerful evergreen
Rarely now is seen.

Now no plumed throng
Charms the wood with song;
Ice-bound trees are glittering:
Merry snow-birds, twittering,
Fondly strive to cheer
Scenes so cold and drear.

Winter, still I see
Many charms in thee,--
Love they chilly greeting,
Snow-storms fiercely beating,
And the dear delights
Of the long, long nights.

Ludwig Holty
1748-1776

This beautiful poem is called Winter Song.  It's a favorite of mine.  Not because I'm a big fan of Winter, as most of you know.  But because I can see past the inconvenience of it, at least in the beginning and see the beauty that does exist in it.  Trust me, by January, I'll be in full-time complaint mode!  LOL!!!

We had about 4 inches of snow yesterday and it was very pretty while it was snowing.  Scott took me to the flea market in Grayslake, Illinois but unfortunately, I didn't find a single thing to buy for my collection of crazy quilting supplies.  Still, it was nice to walk around and look at all the vintage pretties.  They were playing Christmas music and the vendors there are just so nice and friendly.  I saw several old crazy quilts but I confess, I do think our modern crazy quilting is much prettier!

We drove back in the snow, good thing we took our truck and not my new car!  I never shared a picture of my new car, did I?  I'll have to snap a few and post one.  It's a little silver Ford Fusion.  I've been wanting a Fusion for awhile now.  And it certainly helps that Scott works for a Ford dealership!

Anyway, I'm rambling now.  I spent my morning doing some cleaning.  My living room windows needed a good washing on the inside.  Well, the outside needs it too but that's Scott's job and now that it's Winter, I guess it'll have to wait until Spring.  I washed my lace valences and rehung them and then I put out a few little Christmas things.

We decided against a real tree this year because of the kittens.  We're both afraid that 2 little baby kitties will have themselves a good time with it and drive mommy crazy!  And mommy doesn't need any help!  LOL!!!  So I put out this tiny little 2 foot tree that I've had since I was in High School.  I decorated it (permanently) a few years ago so it was just a matter of getting it from the upstairs closet and putting it on the table.  Then I added a few of the little Glitter Houses that mom and I made a few years ago.  I think it looks pretty and hopefully, my 2 little partners in crime won't mess with it!

In other news, here's an update on my current Crazy Quilt project:

I'm going to and mix a couple batches of cookies now.  I'll put the dough in the fridge and bake them tomorrow.

Crazy Quilt Pillows

Busy day today.  My Lucy has been having some trouble with her back legs.  She walks fine but hasn't been able to jump up on anything.  Which is totally not like her!  I was starting to wonder if she had another mild stroke so Scott and I took her to the vet today.  Dr. Patty did bloodwork and other tests along with xrays.  So far, it looks as if she has a bit of arthritis in her spine near her tail.  The odd thing is, when we brought her home, she jumped up on the counter to get into the garden window. Go figure! Anyway, I'll get the results of the bloodwork on Tuesday.  I had that done in May and everything was good then so hopefully, it's still all good.  Lucy is 14 1/2 years old now.

In other news, I finished up my Kittens In A Teacup pillow:

And then this morning, I started on this block:

I think the little girl in this vintage photo has the sweetest little face!    This will be another crazy quilt pillow.

Scott and I decided not to put a tree up this year.  We feel that Wrigley and Cotton will do nothing but climb it and mess with it and I don't feel like dealing with that.  By next year, they'll be past some of that kitten curiosity.  Not that I mind the kitten-ness, I don't.  I just think that 2 kittens and a Christmas tree is asking for trouble!  LOL!!  After all, that's how my Nightmare had gotten his name!

Teacup Kittens

After 2 days of dark dreariness and heavy fog, the clouds finally lifted and we have some sun!  I almost didn't recognize it!  LOL!!!  We had a cold front come through but the sun feels good!  I think I'll make a cup of hot tea and go sit out on the front porch for a little while this afternoon.

My current Crazy Quilt project is this Kittens In A Teacup pillow:

 And here's a closeup photo of the silk ribbon embroidery that I did around the kittens:

I'm going to have to order some silk ribbon so I can hand dye some more shades of pink.  This is about the last of what I did last time.  I ya'll know I do a lot of things in pink!

Here are a couple of closeups of the bead work I did on a couple of the seams:

I'll be working on this more this afternoon.  I've already done all my housework for the day.  I just have to run my washer and dryer a few times.

Is anyone enjoying The Cinnamon Bear?  I haven't heard from anyone and I think it was a fun thing to share since it's one of my favorite Christmas story's.  Please let me know!

Kittens In A Teacup

I went through my Hoosier cabinet this morning (I keep my tablerunners and vintage tablecloths in it) looking for my Christmas linens.  I remember when Nightmare was here, I would open the bottom door to the Hoosier cabinet and he couldn't get in there fast enough.  While looking through my things, I found a few with some of Nightmare's fur on them.

I took this photo of Nightmare last year when I was looking for my Christmas things.  He loved it in the Hoosier cabinet.  He thought he was hiding or something.  Anyway, I cleaned the cat hair off of my things.  It was hard but I had to do it.  He was a beauty, wasn't he?  I so love black cats and Nightmare and I were so bonded.

And here's Nightmare laying under our tree last year:

I also put one of my embroidered Christmas pillows on my bed today and then washed the ones that I usually keep on the bed.  Simba, loved this pillow:

If you remember, I lost Nightmare in May, exactly 1 year to the day after I lost my Simba.  I don't mean to sound sad.  Christmas is hard sometimes.

Anyway, I've been stitching on my Kittens In A Teacup Pillow:

All of the seam embroidery designs are from my Elegant Crazy Quilt Seam Treatments books.  Here are some closeups:

And here's a closeup of the lace trim around that curve:

I hand painted the lace pieces for this.  I remember reading The Thorn Birds years ago and in the book, a dress color was referred to as "ashes of roses".  That was the color I wanted for the lace.  I think I managed that!

I'll leave you with one of my favorite Christmas songs called, "Johnny Bring The Pinetree In".  It's a rare song that was played on WLIT in Chicago back in the 80's.  I never hear it anymore but found it on YouTube last year.  Enjoy!

New Items At Etsy

I've spent all weekend listing the newest items that mom and I have made for our Etsy shop.  It's a time consuming and tedious process but I can honestly say that I don't mind doing it.  I can only list a few items a day though.  These are mom's newest pretties:

It looks like Mom is into hearts these days!  And I'm into Cat Dolls.  These are my newest items:

All of the pretty things are available at Kitty and Me Designs on Etsy.

Black Friday Anyone?

Is it just me, or is there anyone else out there who can't stand the term, "Black Friday"?  I know what it means...it's better to be in "the black" than in "the red" but geez, it's so dark and ominous!  What was wrong with "day after Thanksgiving sales"?  That sounds so much happier!  And who comes up with this stuff?  Is there someone out there who has nothing better to do than come up with these goofy terms?  I guess I'm from the Disney generation.  I like everything to sound happy and uplifting.

Well, I don't go out the day after Thanksgiving anyway.  I did a little more shopping over at Etsy and I still need a few more things but for the most part, I'm done with my shopping.  I much prefer to buy handmade and vintage than to go out and put up with the noise and the crowds.

And I did some stitching!  I finished stitching up my Pink Kitty Pillow:

These always look prettier in person than they do in the photos.  Anyway, my next project is also kitties in a teacup:

When I finish up this one, I'll sew them both together at the same time.

Okay, I have some new things that mom made to photograph.  Be sure to listen to The Cinnamon Bear episodes.  Just scroll down and click on the links.

Pink Bee Crazy Quilt Purse

I'm still stitching on my Pink Kitty Pillow but I do have something fun to share today!  I made this Pink Bee Crazy Quilt Purse for my cousin for her birthday:

You may remember the Green Bee purse that I made for myself last Winter:

Kim had seen mine and she loved it so I decided to make one for her.  They're very whimsical and cheerful, aren't they?  Kim's birthday is December 7th, but mom and I gave her our gifts yesterday.  And yes, she loved the purse!  She loves bugs as much as I do.  Well, neither one of us want them on us or in our homes but we both love cute little bugs.

Well, that's my rambling for today.  Be sure to scroll down and listen to Episode 1 of The Cinnamon Bear!  It's a classic radio Christmas story from 1937.  Episode 2 will be available tomorrow morning (Saturday, 11/30 at 9:00 am Central time)!

Crazy Quilt Inspiration

I spent yesterday morning finishing up some things that I had stitched.  My little pink cat dolls are finished so I'll share photos of those over the weekend.  I also finished up this little door hanger for a friend:

I spent yesterday afternoon doing some Christmas shopping at Etsy.  I don't know about anyone else, but I really can't get into running from store to store.  I much prefer to sit here, with a cup of tea and some chocolate and just look around at all the wonderful things on Etsy or Ebay.  I have a little more shopping to do but I'll do that next week.

I did some more stitching on my Pink Kitty Pillow too:

Okay, I didn't get a lot of stitching done on it but it's coming a long nicely!

I was asked where I find the cute little pictures that I use on some of my crazy quilt pieces.  I have tons of clip art CD's and vintage photo cd's and Dover books but I also find lots of pretty images at Pinterest.  Yes, Pinterest where one can waste hours and hours of time!  I try to limit how much time I spend there because it's so addictive! 

Anyway, I've pinned tons of pretty vintage greeting cards, tinted photos, vintage photos, antique postcards and so on.  There are over 5,500 pins on my Vintage Images board.  So if you're looking for some Crazy Quilt Inspiration, or if you need a break from cooking and baking for tomorrow, hop on over and look at the pretty pictures!  I don't know if everything is copyright free or not.  Probably not but I'm tired of losing sleep over the whole copyright thing.  Most of the images are old photos, old postcards and old greeting cards.  I really don't think anyone will care if you want to use them.  Enjoy!

I'm getting ready to head over to mom's to help her with getting ready for tomorrow.  I need to get there early so we have time to Pin!  LOL!!!  Yes, mom loves pinning too.  Actually, she likes to look at the pictures but has no clue how to pin.  I'll have to set her up with her own board and show her how to pin if she wants to look around when I'm not there.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow to read about the fun holiday activity that I have planned for this coming Christmas season!  I know everyone will enjoy it!!!!

Until tomorrow......

More Pink Kitties

I finished up a little block that I was stitching on over the weekend.  This is a little door hanger for a friend:

I didn't get to sewing up my little pink cat dolls over the weekend like I had wanted to.  Maybe I'll have time tomorrow to sewn them up a long with this.

My next project will be more pink kitties!  No, not dolls but rather a couple of pillows starting with this one:

The kitty in the teacup is from a vintage greeting card.  I have another block pieced with a vintage kitty image but I'll do this one first.

We Gather Together......

I finished up my pink cat dolls.  Well, I finished stitching them.  I'm going to try to sew them together after I get back from getting groceries tomorrow:

As always, these will be so much cuter when I get them sewn and stuffed.  The cats never look like much at this point.  But they ARE pink!  And I do love stitching in pink!

Is anyone else here in the US looking forward to Thanksgiving?  I love Thanksgiving!!!  And it used to be a bigger celebration than it is now.  These days, it kind of seems like we go from Halloween to Christmas and completely forget to take the time to be thankful for what have. 

When I was in grade school, (eons ago), we always sang We Gather Together.  That was back in the day when no one had a problem with religious songs being sung in public schools.  Anyway, I found a nice version of that song on YouTube so I'll leave you to listen to it:

Pat Winter's Gatherings Magazine

Just a quick note to let you know that Pat's Crazy Quilt Winter 2013 magazine is now available:

You can purchase it here at Magcloud.

I'm working on my little Pink Cat Dolls and will have an update over the weekend.  They're just too cute!

Genuine Handmade

It's no secret that I have an Etsy shop.  And it's no secret that mom and I make things constantly for our shop.  Like everyone else, we need an income and we need to contribute something of value to society.  Everyone needs a purpose.  And it's no secret that I self promote constantly and if someone or anyone doesn't like it, I don't care.  Quite honestly, I've beat my head against the wall trying to make my shop work.  Short of standing on my head and singing The Star Spangled Banner upside down, I've pretty much had my fill of playing all the online marketing games, social networking and SEO nonsense and trying to stand out through the unbelievable amount of online competition these days. 

I no longer have the energy for a traditional job.  I've done my time with that.  I put up with a lot of BS over the years and that includes when I was working night and day designing counted cross stitch.  From here on in, I do things my way and in my time.

Now, Etsy, in it's infinite greed wisdom, is allowing it's shop owners to mass manufacture goods.  REALLY?!  This has always been a huge no-no with Etsy!  Shops could only carry handmade items, vintage items and craft supplies. 

Honestly, do those of us who work our butts off to make quality, genuine handmade items need the extra challenge of trying to break through that kind of competition?  And I don't want to hear that "if my items are good quality, they'll sell".  My items ARE good quality!  My mother and I are expert needleworkers and seamstresses.  But for some reason, it's damned hard to get consistent sales despite the quality of our work.  Despite my good photos, excellent descriptions and customer service which is second to none!  Despite my online reputation and despite everything I've done to make at decent living at this.

It's almost as if Etsy is deliberately trying to weed out the little guy who can only produce so much work so fast.  Quality takes time.  And as far as I'm concerned, if someone wants mass produced junk, then go down to the Walmart!  Etsy has always been about handmade.  I guess they've gotten too big for their britches and lost the mentality that handmade comes from the heart. 

But mom and I haven't lost that mentality.  Our handmade items ARE quality, they ARE genuine handmade and they DO come from our hearts!

So with all that said, and Etsy, I hope you're listening to this Handmade shop owners opinion, I will share our latest quality genuine handmade items.

My mom has made 2 more pretty Handmade Hanging Hearts:

And here is my latest stitched cat doll:

And I'll be starting on this one as soon as I get off my soap box:

Okay, I do believe I'm done venting now.  I hope I didn't offend anyone but I just can't think of anywhere better to post my opinions than right here on my own blog where I absolutely intend to say what I want to say (without being offensive to my sweet blog friends). 

 

Little Pink Kitties

It's been awhile since I made some of my signature cat dolls.  When my friend Michelle suggested that I make some pink kitties, I thought it was a fun idea.  Of course ya'll know, I love pink!  So no one had to twist my arm for these!  LOL!!!!

I have 1 completely stitched:

And I started on this one earlier today:

I pieced 4 pink cats all together.  These will go in my Etsy store.

In other news, be sure to stop back on Thanksgiving Day.  I'll be broadcasting something special through out the month of December and plan to explain further in my Thanksgiving Day post.  It's something that's very dear to me, from my childhood.  I know everyone will enjoy it!