Dave licking Gingerbread House

David's first Gingerbread house

If you are in need of a little Holiday cheer, I hope that this photo lifts your spirit!

First Snowman of the Winter!

There was just enough sticky snow to make a snowman!

Cyber Monday Sale!

http://newenglandquilter.etsy.com

**Cyber Monday Specials**

BOGO half off! Buy and item and receive the second item of equal or lesser value for half off!
And ...

FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING and half price international shipping!

Discount will be refunded through paypal or wait for a revised invoice. Sale ends Monday night!

Mention "NEQ BLOG" at checkout and receive a free ornament!

Women of the World Doll Set

Women of the World Doll Set

This set includes seven international plushie dolls and a roll up cozy for them to live in. Each doll is approximately 3 inches tall and made with a cotton fabric front and felt backing. Learn about countries around the world as your play and let your imagination soar. Visit my Etsy Shop or Artfire Shop to view my Women of the World Christmas ornaments too.

Squashed Snow Globes are Back!

Snowman Squashed Snow Globe

Santa was clumsy one night and stepped on this snow globe. All the water leaked out and the globe turned into a disk! Disk measures 2.25 inches across. Snowman stands upright or may be displayed flat. Place this adorable snowman anywhere you need some extra holiday cheer – your mantel, the windowsill, the coffee table, the office - or even better ... buy this as a gift to spread some winter fun! Happy Holidays from New England!

Rocket Christmas ornament

Gear up for Christmas fun with this adorable Rocket ornament. The ornament measures approximately 3.5 inches.

25 Must Have's for Children!

Visit Nomad Crafts to find all 25 must have's for children this Christmas! My Barnyard Memory Game was one of the toys featured!

Barnyard Memory Game

Is it a Trick or Treat?

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown Pendant by MisfitGirl

When the doorbell rings the last week of October and nobody is there to greetyou, one has to wonder if there is going to be a trick or a treat. It was dark outside and I was surfing the web to find out the trick or treating hours for our City. We are expecting about 1000 trick or treaters; so I need to be prepared! Anyways ... the doorbell rang. My two-year-old and I went to answer the door and nobody was there. I was half expecting there to be a flaming bag of you know what on the sidewalk. (This actually happened to my Father-in-law) Instead, I found a bag of Halloween treats and a sweet but spooky note. What a nice surprise! Thank you to the neighbor out there who spread a bit of Halloween fun! Happy Halloween to all of you reading this post :)

Note: The pendant is by Misfitgirl on Etsy. I ordered a similar pendant a few years ago and hope to wear it this Halloween!

Fabulous Fall!

I have heard that everyone's favorite season is when they were born. This happens to be true for me. October is my birthday month and my favorite time of year. There is nothing better than picking apples and taking a walk admiring the beautiful fall foliage.
Here are some great fall picks from Etsy!

Felted Wool Pumpkin Light Orange by Valerie's Gallery

Caramel Apple Onesie by Winklepots

Jack-O-Lanterns and Ghosts Lap Quilt by New England Quilter

Dinosaur Memory Matching Game

Free Domestic Shipping for the Item of the Day! Mention "Blog" in notes to seller and I will refund half the shipping costs for international buyers. September 29, 2009 only!

Smiles Around the World Fabric Memory Matching Game - Educational for Children

Free Domestic Shipping for the Item of the Day! Mention "Blog" in notes to seller and I will refund half the shipping costs for international buyers. September 28, 2009 only!

Jungle Memory Game - Item of the Day!

Jungle Memory Matching Game - Educational for Children

Free Domestic Shipping for the Item of the Day - September 27, 2009 only

Cornflower Blue Basket $39.00 USD

Free Shipping for the Item of the Day - September 26, 2009 only

Summer Fun at the Beach!

This past week we went to Lake Sunapee with the cousins. It was a blast. They also put in a brand new playground, which was a great way to help dry off!

The Popsicle at the snack bar was a big hit!

Iced Tea

New England Quilter's Iced Tea
6 cups water
6 tea bags black tea
1 bag lemon tea
1/4 cup lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar or sweetener
water

Simmer tea bags in 6 cups of water for twenty minutes. Remove tea bags and pour tea into 1 gallon pitcher. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice and 2/3 sugar or sweetener. (Feel free to add more or less sugar, depending on how sweet you like your tea.) Fill pitcher with water to make it 1 gallon total. Stir and refrigerate.

Note: For a little more pizazz, try blueberry, orange, or raspberry tea instead of lemon!

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A Day with Thomas!

This past weekend, we traveled to Conway, NH to see Thomas the Train! David had so much fun! We went to see Sir Topham Hat, watched big screen Thomas videos, the gift shop, went for a train ride on one of Thomas' coaches, got tattoos of Percy and Thomas, and David's favorite, playing with all of the different trains. At first, I thought that there was not too much for the attraction; but when taking a 2-year-old, it was just right! David's Thomas tattoo has already vanished and he is sad that it is gone, but he still has his Percy! We will definitely go to see Thomas again. And, for anyone interested, tickets are discounted on Fridays :)

David's First Trip to the Movie Theater

Regel Cinemas host Free Family Film Festivals in the summer. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, select theaters host free films for families. When I heard about this festival, I thought that it was the perfect opportunity to take David to the movie theater for the first time. I was nervous about him sitting still for over an hour or running up and down the aisles during the movie! To my surprise, he sat on my lap glued to the silver screen for the entire 90 minute production of Horton Hears a Who. It was a wonderful first film to take him to see. I expect that we will try to go again this summer. Oh - and I was the only one to spill popcorn on the floor!

Learn Your ABC's Lower Case Letters

My little guy can count to 10 thanks to the Counting Book I made for him! Now it's time to start mastering the Alphabet! These felt letters are perfect to play with and practice the ABC's! I love the fact that they are lower case letters, since all of the Alphabet books we have focus on upper case letters. Available for purchase in my Artfire Studio and Etsy Shop.

Barnyard Memory Game - Fabric Felt Educational for Children

My latest fabric memory matching game is barnyard themed with all of your favorite farm animals. As I was finishing the game pieces, I got an idea to make a barn themed bag to hold the pieces in, rather than the usual drawstring bag. I hope that you enjoy the new bag! This set is available in my Artfire Studio and Etsy Shops.

Bitty Basics - I won her Giveaway!

This post is long overdue! A couple of months ago I was the lucky winner of a giveaway by Bitty Basics that was hosted by I Never Grew Up.
The giveaway is the ULTIMATE BABY SHOWER GIFT SET, which includes the following:

*one nursing cover

*a diapers/wipes case, a mini bib (infant size)

*burp cloth, small baby bracelet (0-6 months)

*and two binky clips- one for girl and one for boy.

Visit Bitty Basics for more handmade Baby Sets and I Never Grew Up to see their current giveaway.

Equestrian Memory Matching Game

I bought this fabric last summer at the World Quilt Show. I finally finished a memory matching game. There are 14 quilted game pieces, 2 of each picture, and Wild Horses Drawstring Bag. See my Artfire Studio or Etsy Shop for more details.

Dinosours Memory Matching Game

Let your child's imagination run wild with these prehistoric dinosaurs. This fun game is educational as it builds deductive reasoning and logic forming skills. There are 18 felt game pieces with playful dinosaurs. There are 2 of each picture, making 9 pairs total. Available in my Artfire Studio and Etsy Shop.

Purple Paisley Fabric Coiled Basket

The newest basket to my Etsy shop is made with purple paisley fabric wrapped cording. This is one of my larger baskets measuring approximately 10 inches across the top, 7 inches across the bottom and is 3 inches high. It is perfect for storing your many household items or stowing away your personal keepsakes.

Sew What Guild - Pink and Green Blog Tour & Fat Quarter Giveaway!

Welcome to the Pink and Green Blog Tour! The item that I am showcasing for the blog tour is a Pink Piggy/Green Floral reversible headband.

**MEMORIAL DAY PROMO**
All purchases made in my Artfire Studio now through Memorial Day will receive Free Domestic Shipping and half price international shipping! To receive this discount, Mention "Blog Tour" when checking out. Your account will be refunded the difference
**FAT QUARTER GIVEAWAY**

A special treat for my readers: Leave a comment below stating your favorite item in my Artfire Studio and be entered in a drawing for a Pink and Green Fat Quarter! Be Sure to leave your contact info! Contest ends on May 24, 2009 and a winner will be announced on Memorial Day. After you have left a comment for your first entry, you can earn Bonus entries as described below.

1 BONUS ENTRY : Follow My Blog - please leave a separate comment. If you already follow my blog, just mention that you are already a follower!
2 BONUS ENTRIES: Tweet this on Twitter. After you tweet, click on the XX minutes ago in your post. Copy the URL and post is in the comments section below.(1 Bonus Tweet Entry per day of the contest)
5 BONUS ENTRIES: Blog about this giveaway and the Pink and Green Blog Tour. Make sure to leave a link to your blog in a separate comment.

**CONTACT INFO**
Since I must have a way to contact you, if you don't have a blog with e-mail made available, please provide your email in your comment. Use the (at) for the @ symbol.

Good Luck! Thanks for stopping by! To follow the rest of the tour click on the image below!

Back by Popular Demand! Smiles Around the World

I got a request to make one of my Smiles Around the World Memory Matching games last week. I love this fabric which celebrates children from around the world. Being a math teacher, I also love how the game memory helps build deductive reasoning skills in young children! In addition to the set I made as a custom order, I made a couple more sets available in my Artfire Studio and Etsy Shop. You can order the game with either a pink or blue bag. They are already made and ready to be shipped. Hurry - these don't usually last long in my shop!

New Firetruck Bed

After David learned how to escape from his crib, we bought him a firetruck bed. He thought that it would be fun to put his Snoopy lounge chair in the bed too! Below is a clip of David and his daddy putting the bed together - What Fun!!

First Chocolate Bunny

This is a quick clip of my little guy's first "chocy" bunny. Enjoy!

Bitty Basics Giveaway!

This giveaway is sponsored by Bitty Basics and being held by I Never Grew Up. The giveaway is the ULTIMATE BABY SHOWER GIFT SET, which includes the following:

*one nursing cover

*a diapers/wipes case, a mini bib (infant size)

*burp cloth, small baby bracelet (0-6 months)

*and two binky clips- one for girl and one for boy.

It is all in matching blue damask print- perfect for either boy or girl! This makes the ultimate baby gift or if your expecting, a wonderful gift for yourself!

Knitting Fabric Strips - A Cabana Bag

If you have followed my blog, then you know that I recently completed a rag rug by crocheting strips of upcycled fabrics. After that project, I began crocheting baskets too. My latest crafting adventure is making a knit bag with strips of fabric. I hadn't knit in many years, bu tit brings back fond childhood memories. My cousin, who lived across the street from my grandmother taught me how to knit after school. It is fun to pick up a pair of knitting needles again. After the knit sections are complete, I will sew a liner and handles. Check back in to see the completed project!

Centerpiece Basket - Easter Colors

Easter is just around the corner. I could not resist working with this bright colored Easter fabric to crochet a fabric basket. This one is listed in my Etsy Shop.

Giggleberries is having a Giveaway!

My friend Giggleberries is hosting a giveaway for this adorable Jolly Jungle Bunting. Click HERE for more details!

Winter Thaw & Puddle Splashing

Now that my son is running around everywhere, I am experiencing the little things in life that I had not thought amusing since my own childhood. Except, now I am experiencing the fun and excitement through his eyes. Recently, the weather has hit the high 30's and low 40's during the day here which has started the winter thaw. Lots of melting snow has created puddles everywhere! My little guy loves nothing more than splashing in a puddle. The bigger the puddles the better! I can't wait until spring when we start seeing worms on the paved driveway .. that should be interesting!

Lovely Floral Rag Basket

My latest craft obsession is making rag baskets, quilts, rugs, etc. This is the first rag basket made by crocheting fabric strips together for sale in my Artfire Shop. Lovely slate blue and mauve flowers decorate this lovely floral basket. This basket measures 7 inches across the base, 8 inches across the top, and stands 2.5 inches high. Click HERE to visit my Artfire Shop.

My First Rag Quilt!

The photo above is the quilt before washing in the machine to wear the rag edges. I will post a picture of the finished quilt when I get a chance. But for now, I hope that you enjoy the work in progress. You can see that one side has the raggedy edges and the back side has nicely sewn seams.

I had some 10 inch squares of fabric in sweet baby designs that I could not decide what to make with. So, they were the perfect fabrics to make my first rag quilt. I started this project only a couple days ago and finished today! I am hooked! I love the look and it is so easy to assemble. For a great tutorial of how you too can make your own rag quilt, visit: Jen Yu's web page. Her directions are very easy. Even a novice sewer can complete this project! I decided to quilt lots of different designs in each block instead of quilting x's.

Rag Rug - Finally Finished!!

I started this project in August. First I made the fabric yarn using the slit method for joining the strips. I found that this method was least noticeable. Next, I started a long chain for the center of the oval shaped rug. It did turn out a bit longer than I had expected - but not by too much. The colors were picked, not by me, to represent water lilies. I hope that everyone has enjoyed seeing my progress on this project - I know that I enjoy going back through my blog and viewing the previous posts.To get a sense of the rug's size, it is shown on a full size quilt in the photo below.

Now I am hooked on rag items - I have already started a rag quilt and crocheted a couple of rag baskets!

Rag Rug Update - Only 2 colors left!

Only 2 more colors left. One method for going around the corners is to add and take away stitches as needed. I found that if the rug starts to turn up, then an extra stitch is needed. If the edge begins to "bubble up," then you would need to skip a stitch. These tips will help keep your rug flat. I used several different types of fabric making the rug as well. I found that when I used a thicker fabric, such as velour or home decor fabric, I had to skip a stitch here or there to keep the rug flat. I will have one final post so that you can see the finished rug!