Tea Cozy Swap

Hello all!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

There's a tea cozy swap going on at Mary Jane's Farm right now. Click HERE to find out more! Need some inspiration? How about some pictures (posted directly from Flickr)...

Keep on Crafting!
SHERI

Please click on photos to be taken to owner's page on Flickr for more info! Thanks! 

Lemon Tea Cozy
Originally uploaded by colonial stitcher

Fiber Trends Tea Cozy w/ Flowers
Originally uploaded by Pink Dandelion

embroidered linen tea cozy
Originally uploaded by homespun living

Snowman Tea Cozy
Originally uploaded by crazydaisy60

Sombrero Tea Cozy
Originally uploaded by plainsight

Teapot cozy
Originally uploaded by Queen Conch

Tea Cozy
Originally uploaded by Dacia Ray

Tea Cozy Featuring Vintage Hand Embroidered Doily
Originally uploaded by Sheeps Clothing

My FIrst Badge

I am very excited and feel like a kid back in school! And so I just have to share this little tidbit of news. I was a Girl Scout in my younger days and I really enjoyed earning all the badges. Somewhere I still have my Girl Scout sash with all my badges...I really should look for that one day. Anyhow, I joined Mary Janes Farm back in August and I really enjoy their board. I applied for my first badge in crocheting at beginner level. I sent in a picture of my first pink scarf and voila! I now have my first beginner-level badge in Stitchery. How sweet!

Keep on Crafting,

MY teacup from MJF teacup exchange + an adorable tea quilt

Well I can't believe I forgot to show you my teacup that I received from a farmgirl on Mary Janes Farm website. There was a teacup & saucer exchange last month and I just had to join in the fun! I was so pleased with this teacup as it is the Wilow Blue pattern which I have an entire cupboard full of! But this is a darling octagon shaped saucer and the teacup is also an octagon shape coming up to a round circle at the top. It really is quite unique to me, yet it does match my china. I love it! Thanks Debra! :)

AND.....here's an adorable teacup quilt project from Debbie Mumm's website!

http://www.debbiemumm.com/Projects/Quilting/2007/05/

MJF: Teacup & Saucer Exchange 2008 cont'd.....

I shared a few posts back that I had joined my first teacup & saucer exchange on Mary Jane's Farm. I did finally find the perfect teacup & saucer for fellow farmgirl, Ally, in California. I loved this teacup and saucer and had to buy it when I found it! Being a lover of chinese food & tea, it was a delight when I spied it! I love the light blue & royal patterns...it has a chinese dragon in the middle of the teacup inside & on the saucer as well.

I included a few goodies for my new farmgirl friend. The latest issue of Tea Time magazine, a must if you love tea! It always has great articles on different tea rooms both in the U.S. and abroad, tea ideas, and lots of tea party recipes. Of course, I also included a box of tea and some tea biscuits...got to have those with tea! I even made a cute little cellphone "dangle"...it's a tiny blue teapot! :-) I made one to hang on my cell phone and I just love it. Nothing like announcing to the world your love for tea.

I hope she enjoys these as I have enjoyed this teacup exchange...my first! I can't wait for the next one! I think I will start looking for another teacup & goodies! :-)

The Granny Palace

I have always wanted to crochet. I can remember as a little girl studying over a booklet that had directions for crocheting, knitting, embroidering, and tatting. I never did learn to do any of it except a bit of embroidery-work, but I did have all these neat little rolled up balls of yarn in different colors. :-)

I finally decided to learn how to crochet! I may be a bit ambitious...I started making a simple dishcloth, but for once my rows have turned out quite nice and so it has evolved into a scarf! Who else but myself would decide to make a scarf for a first project?! I have never finished a dishcloth in my life, because they always ended up with these horrible crooked edges. But a woman on MJF forum suggested I try using a N-hook or larger. Well, I found a N-hook at my local Wal-mart and wow! I can't believe the difference. I can't stop crocheting!

My husband is thrilled to see me take up a new (I think he means "inexpensive!") hobby and especially since it looks like I might even finish this one! :-) At this point, I have so many "craft" things started, I figure I'll have to live to be atleast 100 to finish them all!

I am obsessed with this scarf...I find myself crocheting while I'm waiting for anything. My husband now thinks I'm nuts. OK, nuttier. We were in his truck the other day and he made the comment that he needed a cover for his laptop and immediately, before I could say anything, he says, "and I don't mean something you crochet!" ROFL. What?? Did I give the impression that I was going to cover the house in everything imaginable that can be crocheted? He did tell me that he didn't want to live in a Granny Palace! I thought I was going to die laughing. What is a Granny Palace? Apparently it's one of those homes you walk into and everything right down to the toilet paper is hiding in or under something crocheted! Well, I don't think I'll be that bad...but I did threaten to crochet him a Nilla cookie box "cozy". :-)

MJF: Teacup & Saucer Exchange 2008



pic from: Mary Janes Farm

I am so excited! I joined my first swap on MJF! A teacup and saucer exchange!I would love to be able to join the ornament exchange or the tote bag exchange....but I am afraid my skills are at beginner level and some of these farmgirls are so skilled.

But TEACUPS! I collect teapots (and china, and tea cups, and....) so this I can handle! I am really looking forward to finding the perfect teacup & saucer...AND


I am even thinking of making a simple french tea towel to include with it! Big dreams for me! lol

I saw a pattern in the October 2008 Craft n Things magazine and I think even I can handle doing that. Well...we'll see! Off to find the perfect tea cup!

Confessions of an apron lover

I have a confession: I just love aprons! So you know I am pleased to see that they are the "in" fashion accessory right now. I guess it brings back memories of helping my grandmother in the kitchen when I was a child and spending all my summers, breaks, and vacations with my grandparents. She always wore an apron in the kitchen and had one for me to wear too. What I would do to still have one of those half-aprons!

I bought this adorable apron on eBay...yes, as you know, I am no seamstress and I think my first little project is going to be a basic half-apron. All the ladies on MJF sew them, wear them, love them! So I must get busy! :-) I couldn't resist this one for the fabric...(sorry I am such a horrible photographer! guess I won't be changing careers anytime soon! LOL) The fabric is a Donna Dewberry print with her roses, butterflies,daisies, ladybugs...and I wish you could see the background color! A perfectly pale lemon-ice yellow! Trimmed in such dainty white lace and hunter green trim, complete with a bow. I thought it would be wonderful to wear while I am decorative painting. Maybe it will even inspire me. :-) I am so far behind in everything...

There's just something so wonderful, feminine, creative, warm & homey about wearing an apron. I'm sure some of my (feminist) friends would disagree, but it gives me these fantastic & fabulous fantasies of being a domestic goddess with the sparkling clean house, fresh bread aroma drifting from the kitchen, home-made jams and jellies lining the pantry shelf, and my creativity in a flourish as I masterly paint-sew-crochet-tat-you name it! I probably should be on medication. LOL. Well, it's a wonderful dream and even though the house will never be spotless or sparkling, although I'd settle for "uncluttered" right now, I would love to make loaves of bread & home-made jams. And I haven't given up on the crocheting yet! Maybe there's still hope for me.

On a funny note, my husband saw me in an apron for the first time last Christmas holiday as I was preparing holiday treats and Christmas Day dinner. I have to admit, his look was priceless! I think he thought I truly was a domestic goddess in my apron! :-)

Mary Janes Farm

Found an awesome website & magazine! Oh my goodness! These farmgirls put me to shame! They cook, they sew, they can & preserve, they are awesome. I had better get my butt busy on all those crafting projects cluttering up the house! Mary Jane's Farmgirl Connection is a wonderful place to get great ideas & these down-to-earth women really are honest, warm & friendly! There is a real comaraderie among them. And, girls, you know that is so hard to find in our "look-out-number-one" world.

I found the magazine Mary Jane's Farm at my local Barnes & Noble bookstore. I had never heard of it! I know, I know, where have I been! Ha! Now my husband, who dreams of gardening & farming, would be delighted that I stumbled upon such a heart-warming 'homesteading' site, but we'll just keep this our secret. :-) I wouldn't want to get his hopes up, hehe.