Laundry Room Tree

Laundry room tree

This one is one of my favorites! 

The stockings were cut from an old “cutter” quilt.  That is one so full of holes—or mouse bites—that it is really not salvageable except maybe a small portion.  So I cut them into stocking and mitten shapes, worked a blanket stitch on the edges to finish them off a bit,  then I painted them with fabric stiffener which was kind of a pain, THEN I realized that the stockings had enough body to them that I could just skip the stiffening effect.  I hung them with miniature clothes pins. 

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  There are several different size clear bulbs which look like soap bubbles, and I found on line some images of old laundry soap labels which I copied, reduced, glued onto kraft paper,  pinked the edges and hung with more of the clothes pins. 

This room makes it fun to do laundry!

Partridge in a Pear Tree

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This tree was so fun to put together…I made the pears from a pattern from the Need’l Love Company by Renee Nanneman…I love her designs…crafty and classy, not to mention easy to execute.  The pears are made from yellow velveteen, stuffed with fiberfill, then I used blush (from my make-up drawer!) to create a rosy color, then added a little bit of mica for sparkle.

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The partridge is a bird I found in a craft store…and it has sparked many conversations as to what really IS a partridge, and what does one look like?  Pat Hahndorf gave me another bird a few years ago which I think is more partridge-y however this one is glued so well to the nest, which is glued securely to the tree, I cannot removed it without destroying it!  At some point I will swap it out…but the technique and the desire to fix it has to happen at the exact time so I can act on it!

Downstairs Guestroom

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I have two guestrooms and this one is my favorite…I love the cottage-y feel to it.  It has a closet just the right size for a guest but not large enough for someone to really live in this room…which is why I have not claimed this room for my own. 

 

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  This room has a “vintage poinsettia” theme for Christmas.  During the rest of the year, it’s decorated in bright colored 1930’s quilts, a collection of stamped cross stitch pieces, and lots of bed pillows made of vintage tablecloths.   

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 I also used the vintage tablecloths as valances on the windows…it took me a long time on ebay to find 4 of the same print and the same size to use as valances!   You can see my love of red and white in this room too…I just can’t get enough red and white! 

 

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The tree is chunky wooden candycanes, wire snowflakes, some repros of vintage ornaments and Christmas stockings. I got the red and white glass balls at Crate and Barrel a number of years ago.  

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 The collages above the mantel are made from vintage poinsettia Christmas cards, and I got the peely paint frames from someone at a flea market.  I especially like the green frame…it’s a 1930’s jadite green that doesn’t work anywhere execpt a cottage room!   

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On the dresser is a collection of postcards with a poinsettia theme, and the white shelf gives me another place to hang stockings.

Entry Way Tree

EntryWayTreeThe entry hall tree is a twiggy gardening theme…with an accent on the birds!  I don’t really set out to “collect” but I end up with collections of things…right now I seem to be attracted to  birdhouses…I just like their simplicity, and their whimsy…so this tree is “for the birds”.  

There are some small birdhouses that I have painted just for the tree, but over the years, the paint colors seemed to have morphed into new colors!  There are wooden hearts and metal stars, little rusty garden tools and real bird’s nests, and it all works…I gather up the other birdhouses I have throughout the house and place them in the vicinity to pull it all together. 

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I get a lot of my ornaments from various craft shows and flea markets…just because it  is not a “Christmas ornament” doesn’t mean you can’t hang it on a tree and make it one!  For added color I wove in some red “pips” which are a kind of artificial wired berry kind of thing.

It’s Beginning to Look alot like Christmas…..

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I LOVE the Christmas season!  I love the smells of Christmas baking, I love the warmth of the home décor, and the hustle and bustle of the shopping (well, most of it anyway!) and I love the cold, crisp weather…it’s the best time of the year for me.  I love family and friends coming together and sharing the anticipation of Christmas morning with the grandchildren.

 

I have always enjoyed my many Christmas trees and generally choose this time of year to do our hosting and entertaining friends.  For a while, I was adding a tree a year…bringing the grand total to 12 at one point…however, common sense kicked in and stopped the crazy progression, though I DO have some rooms still with NO trees in them! 

 

In my later years I have learned that putting up all the trees every year really is somewhat insane (not to mention exhausting!)…besides the children need to be creating their own family traditions.  My solution was to alternate the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays!

So when it’s a Christmas year (2009) then we don’t host Thanksgiving which means I can start putting up my trees in November—I just don’t plug in the lights. 

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When we built this house, we made room for a huge storage room just for seasonal decor…I am the queen of Rubbermaid tubs and wire shelving!  I am sure my children are already arguing about who has to deal with it when I am no longer aware of my immediate surroundings!

 

I thought you might like to share my trees with me.  I’ll be posting a couple of trees every few days until Christmas, ending with the large family tree in our living room.  Most of the trees have some sort of theme…and we’ll start with the tree in my home office.  Being a needlework designer, of course sewing and needlework tools are close to my heart.  This little tree is decorated with rag balls that are made from strips of the upholstery fabric that covers the furniture in this room.  There are also little sewing boxes I made from papier mache boxes, rolls of fabric and small spools covered with the appropriately colored floss…there are wooden scissors, and stacks of spools, antique button cards and needle folders, and bits of old lace.  Favorite ornaments are two that were made for me out of tiny spools stacked into a Christmas tree shape, and another made into a wreath of spools.      

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New Design: Christmas in the Kitchen!

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Christmas in the Kitchen just makes you want to start baking cookies with your grandma…or your grandkids!  These little motifs would be cute stitched
onto a jar top full of Christmas treats to give as a gift, or a bread cloth…or frame it for yourself!   Fits into the usual 8″ x 10″ frame when stitched on 14/28 count
to make it easy for you!   Available now from Joanne.  Merry Christmas!!

2009 Annual Santa is almost ready!

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Here is the newest annual Santa…he is finally finished and is almost finished being stitched up.  He should be at your favorite shop at the beginning of November.  He is the sixth in the annual series and you can see them all at www.suehillisdesigns.net.  All have a similar border so you can group them together if you choose.  Part of our Charming Collection, the Poinsettia Santa has a gold poinsettia charm hanging from the basket, and when stitched on 14/28 count fabric, he fits perfectly into a standard 8″ x 10″ frame.  The charm is included with the leaflet for your convenience.  Thanks for looking!

Another new design…and it’s CHOCOLATE!

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Yummm….no explanation neccessary for this PostStitch…I think we all can relate to the message!
When I was working on the cruise project with those Whitman Tins, I was inspired by the way the
Chocolates LOOKED (aside from the taste, of course!).  Your favorite shops should have it about October 1st!

This PostStitch comes with the little gold key, and of course fits into a standard frame.  Stitch count
is 55w x 81h. 

Final version: “Women who behave…”

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Here she is!  You can see she’s got the rep to support the phrase “Women who behave rarely make history”!  And the handcuffs charm pretty much say it all.  A nice complement to the other pirates, this design fits nicely into a standard 4″ x 6″ or 5″ x 7″ frame.  She will be making her debut at the St. Charles trade show at the end  of the month so she will be in the shops on October 1. 

Happy Holidays!

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Here’s another new design that I will be showing at the St. Charles Show next week (next week??  already??  I have so much to do still!)
I have a Halloween themed design like this from last year and it’s a good seller so I thought I would expand the idea…hence Happy Holidays! 

It will be available to shops on September 26th, so if you like the design, ask your favorite shopowner for it!