Making Someone Smile

I spent last weekend sewing buttons and buttons on a patchwork throw for a lady in the nursing home part of the hospital/personal care/nursing home where I work mainly overnights. Usually I walk with 3 of our resident ladies in personal care to the upstairs activity room to play Bingo. There is a younger lady who always tries to make conversation with me. It is so apparent that she is lonely. I did a little investigating and found that she had been a special education teacher, had no children of her own, and suffered some type of stroke a few years back leaving her in a wheel chair with some memory problems.

Also, birthdays are celebrated once a month at the facility for residents. Her birthday was last Wednesday. So this gave me the idea to spread a little joy and finish a project. My 14 year old son, Wynston and I strolled into her room on Friday and she was so pleasantly surprised. She kept asking my son, "Did she make this for real?" I saw her yesterday at Bingo and she was all smiles telling me that she slept with the quilt on her the night before. I told her I hoped she had pleasant dreams. Her reply, "Only the best kind." Don't know who is smiling more -- her or me.

Patchwork Gift

I have spent this weekend putting together a patchwork throw for a lady who has been very sweet in carpooling my husband to work 72 miles a day 5 days a week since we moved to Fort Benton, MT in September.



Don't know why it takes me time to figure out what I want to do or make and then it seems like last minute.

Instead of quilting, I decided to use buttons to tack the quilt together. I like using buttons and like the end results also.



My 14 year old was in the room when I was checking to make sure I had everything finished. I told him I liked the back especially to and turned it over for him. He said it is a double sided quilt, but really it has some adorable pink raccoons (vintage fabric) with borders on the back.



My husband walked in the room when our son said, "Mom you know raccoons are not really pink." The reply my husband gave, "You know son, women like that sort of thing." Adorable -- the raccoons or what men think women really like!!!

Christmas in Your Heart

Embroidery and quilting are my favorite hobbies, but I have decided I will attempt to do some form of painting in 2012.

Recently at work in personal care, the staff person that I relieve saw my zippy bag of embroidery I had just begun to stitch on. She asked to look at it and immediately asked if I had plans to do something with it or give it to someone. I told her that I was just making it to turn it into something to sell in the future. She then jumped and said, "Make it for me to give to my future daughter-in-law as a Christmas present".

So here it is a wall hanging or even a table topper.

This year I find myself more into snowmen and love the different pattern drawings I am finding online to use. I think a snowman quilt will be in my future.



Hope Debbie and her future daughter-in-law like my creation. I enjoyed whipping the finishing touches on it last night.

Getting Illuminated

Can anything be better than roses or chocolates? Well, in my way of thinking -- light!!! My husband made it his weekend project to bring illumination into my life.

Several months ago (when the Christmas tree went up), I began rearranging our living space. Wanting a more individualized (mainly private) space to sew and create, I moved most of my crafting items to a bedroom not in use currently. The only problem I started having was getting tired when working in the evening. I had put a small table lamp on the sewing machine table and thought that would be sufficient for me.

This however proved to be wrong and I mentioned how I needed to purchase a standing lamp for the room. (It only had a ceiling fan and two windows high on the walls). Come Saturday morning before I was up and moving around, my husband had already been to the hardware store and purchased two suspended light fixtures. With a couple screws in the ceiling for each fixture and the cords plugged into the walls, I am all set. Didn't know how much I needed light, until it was given to me. Thanks, Fred.

So yes, light is better than roses or chocolates, but I may just splurge and get him some!!!

Here are some nine-patch log cabins I had been sewing together in the dark. I really like all the colors, now that I can see them.



Also, been stitching away for a couple weeks at my new 3rd shift position at the youth home.

Cherub Creation

This little cherub was stitched right around Valentine's Day, but I didn't get the mini quilt put together until a thought of how to complete a colorful border around it came to mind. On my birthday last May, a dear sweet friend had sent me a stack of squares of different fabrics all of pinks and reds. They had been sitting on my table just waiting for use. I still have more left of the squares and will continue to think of Judith when grabbing them for future projects.

Savannah's Fairy Creation

Thought I would blog a peek into what Savannah and I have been creating. It was her idea to pick up some paper clay and make a fairy because Santa brought her three beautiful fairy books by Cicely Mary Barker. If you have never seen her artwork with fairies and flowers, it will brighten your day to explore her work online.



Savannah has in mind to send this fairy to her aunt in Chicago and is hoping she will like it very much.



The wings were added this morning to give her that angelic touch and also to help her sit up on her own.




I am amazed at how Savannah came up with this cute character from a small piece of paper clay!

Catch that Rabbit

Rabbit, originally uploaded by hollykoffler.

Here someone has captured a wonderful photo of a rabbit in the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

I, myself, tried unsuccessfully to catch a picture of this faster than lightening bunny rabbit in my yard just yesterday. I have never seen an animal move as fast as him.

My daughter, Savannah Rose, got excited thinking we could catch it for a pet and even dumped a box out of her brother's closet to leave out for the rabbit to "hop right in." There was no hope of catching him nor did I want to try. He should be free to munch off my tall grass and the neighbors where ever he pleases.

I just wanted to capture his cuteness in a photograph. Maybe he will decide to visit my yard again soon and I will get a second chance. If not this Alice will just have to keep her eyes wide open for the white rabbit to come along with his pocket watch and then follow him off to Wonderland.

Enjoy the nature around you be it tame or wild. Everyday is a gift to cherish.

Hummingbird Sachet

Recently I commented on a blog I follow about an article titled "Get Excited, Make Something". Since I was one of the first 5 to respond, I received this beautiful hand-made hummingbird sachet made by Tommye, the author of .

It is very sweet and I have it on my craft table to admire. It is too cute to place in a drawer.



Thanks Tommye -- I have a smile on my face right now!

Stained Glass Art

"Star & Moon"
I took a picture of this piece I made for a friend a few months back and wanted to keep a record of what it looks like for future creations.

Aunt Mae's Christmas Quilt

I wanted to put on some pictures of a special present I made for Aunt Mae and mailed off to her in Montana recently.

The embroidery blocks are from a blog spot I found called Sentimental Stitches. I just loved stitching these up and will have to do some more in the future for myself!