Do you have 10 minutes???

Yes.. well then you have time to make these Christmas treats.

Seriously - these are the easiest Christmas cookies I have ever made. I love to bake for Christmas each year. I have my list of usuals - you know.. things I make year after year.

But this year - I found something new. And OH MY.. they are GOOD. Bonus is that they are NO bake!!

This is what you need:

1 brick of Vanilla Almond Bark

1 package of Oreo's (control yourself.. I know how tempting these can be. Leave the milk in the fridge!)

Spinkles (red, green and/or a candy cane)

The two eager "Helpers" are totally optional. But let me just say - they had a blast making them. It was the perfect treat to make with kids because they could do all the work and they loved it!

1. Melt your Vanilla Almond Bark

2. Dip your Oreo about 1/2 way into Almond Bark

3. Lay on wax paper

4. Sprinkle with colored sugar or a crushed candy cane (the candy cane is my favorite).

5. Allow to cool.

6. Eat all before going to bed Arrange on a plate and give to the neighbors.

YUMMY!!

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Christmas Tree Skirt.. revisited

I have a confession..

Decorating for Christmas is one of my favorite things to do! But wait.. that's not my confession.

Last year I made a tree skirt for our tree... I have a thing for pinwheels. Also.. not my confession.

So this year.. as the husband lugged in all the Christmas bins... I stood there, all giddy.. like a kid waiting to open presents. I couldn't wait to pull out my tree skirt from last year. It was the first thing I went for.

No.. It wasn't the Santa (above) that my Mom made in ceramics (circa 1976) that has been under our Christmas Tree since I was a kid... and it wasn't the handmade ornaments from my kids.. or the wall hanging my little guy made me last year with his handprints.. Nope.. now I feel really guilty!! There - that's my confession..

Look at our doggie..  The site of the tree skirt made her happy too! She could finally rest after seeing it under the tree.

So let me just say.. if you are a quilter and you haven't made a Christmas Tree skirt for your tree.. WHAT on earth are you waiting for??!! It really makes the tree.  And if you have made one.. I'd love to see a picture of it! Either email me.. or leave a link in the comments so everyone can come have a look. Pin It

How many do we need??

With Christmas and the Holiday's fast approaching - my list of "To Do" items doesn't seem to be shrinking as fast as I'd like it to.

Last December - Bobbi and I hosted 2 Friday Night Sew-in's for the month. The goal was to motivate and encourage everyone to work on all those projects we want to finish for the Holiday's.

Wouldn't it be nice to sit back before Christmas and say "I made everything I wanted to this year!"

With that said.. are you all up for 2 FNSI's in December this year? Or are you all caught up on your holiday items? huh?...you aren't even close?? yeah.. that's what I thought!!

So I have put a poll up on my sidebar to give everyone a chance to voice their opinion. Tell us what you think - we are listening! Pin It

Happy Thanksgiving!!

What was once this...

will very soon become this...

YUMMY!!! I'm cooking the full meal today - and I love every minute of it. I love hosting Thanksgiving!

My guests will be here soon and they are sleeping over for a few days too.. so the laughter will go on.. and on..

Enjoy the day with family and friends.. because that's what it's all about! Pin It

Christmas complete...

Wouldn't that be nice if I actually could say "Christmas complete".. as in all the shopping done? Wishful thinking on my part.. I've barely begun.

But I did finished the Christmas Wall hanging and wanted to share some of the completed pictures.

I quilted this one by hand and couldn’t be happier with the results.

I also added buttons as the holly berries to give it dimension.

The fabrics for the main body are from the "12 days of Christmas" group by Henry Glass. The binding is from the line “Fruitcake” by Basic Grey for Moda.

I wasn’t sure about my binding choice – I had initially planned on going with a green binding. But I’m glad I went with what I did.

Next – I plan on making a Mantle Quilt that coordinates with this wall hanging. Let’s hope it looks as good on the mantle as it does on paper!

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Family...

We have been in our new house for 2 months now. I am still decorating.. and unpacking. There.. I admit it. I still have quite a few boxes that need to be opened.  

I wanted to hang some of my favorite pictures of my kids in our dining room. But it felt like something was missing. The wall needed “texture”. I contemplated a shelf, but couldn’t find anything that I liked without buying all new frames. And let’s be honest, that wasn’t in the budget.

So on my way home yesterday – it hit me! Well, it didn't really "hit" me.. but the idea came to me for a small quilt!!

When I walked in the door – I went straight to my sewing room and got to work. I used 100% scraps (which is always a plus) from my recent table topper project. The fabric is “Gobble Gobble” by Deb Strain for Moda.

And here is another admission – I’m not a fan of the hand sewing portion of binding a quilt. I know.. I know.. a lot of you say this is your favorite part. But I think you are crazy. I don’t dislike it as much as I did when I first started quilting.. but it’s still not my favorite.

So when I saw this idea for a scrappy binding in Camille’s Book “Simplify” which I told you about a few posts ago – I was determined to give it a try. You use a 1 ½ inch strip of fabric and I love it! It was quick.. and after I washed it to give it that scrappy look - I was hooked.

I can’t stop looking at my new ‘wall’.. I love how it looks. Now I need to dig deep for some self control so I don’t have mini quilts hanging on every wall of the house. It was so fun to make.

I guess sometimes we all need those projects that offer quick results to spark our creativity and keep us sewing! I think I need a mini quilt in the bathroom.. maybe in the laundry room.. the kitchen... somebody stop me!!

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And the Winners are.....

This is very exciting for Bobbi and I this month. Why? Well, this is our very first "sponsored" FNSI Giveaway. As we mentioned in the FNSI signup post - this Giveaway is sponsored by Barb and Mary of Me and My Sister Designs. They were kind enough to send us a nice little bundle of fabrics for us to pass along to some lucky quilters!!

And this time - instead of 2 winners, we have 4 winners!! 2 on my blog and 2 on Bobbi's.

All winners are selected using Random.org.

My first winner is #105 - Geniene from "Renny and Me and Isaac too". She was up until 3am sewing with us on Friday Night!! Way to go!

Prize #1

My second winner is #63 Marie from "The Watermelon Diva".


Prize #2

Ok winners - send me your mailing address and I will get the prizes in the mail to you!

Thank you to everyone who participated! I know I was able to get so much done this month and I couldn't have done it without you guys. 

Now go on over to Bobbi's blog and see who her winners are!!  

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