My Tiny Tim Stocking

I visited a favorite yarn store a few weeks ago before we went on vacation, and one of the ladies spent a long time with me as we pulled out several different colors of fibers. I have the yarn to stitch Tim, Bob Cratchit and the cobblestones. We decided that it would be fun to try a few different things, so Bob's scarf is going to be done in silks with some fringe added. Their faces will be done in floss to add a little more definition than a wool would do. I have black to do the gaslight lamp, but will use a shiny fiber for the yellow to orange light inside to give it a more glowing effect than a yarn or straight floss. I haven't decided which fiber I'll use for the greenery on the lamp post (I'm thinking something with a little fuzziness to make it more like greenery instead of being flat), but I have decided that I'll use red beads for the berries. I'm going to wait until the design is stitched before buying the yarn for the background, so I can select just the right shade. I'm thinking of an ivory, but there were actually so many to choose from I think it's best to wait on that.

"A Christmas Carol" Stocking

Last night I pulled my needlepoint stocking from the box where it's been sitting for years. I just HAD to have it and spent quite a bit of money on it, but then it was put aside in a move, and I forgot about it. Once we decided on the "Stocking Along", I decided I had to make it a priority and finally get to work. I'm going to go over to the yarn/needlepoint store next week and select the fibers to use. I'm not sure if I'll do all wools, or some specialty fibers, too. I didn't want to do an ivory background for fear of it getting soiled looking over the years, but in looking at the design, I think it would be the best choice. It will be fun to take pictures of this to share with you as work progresses throughout the year.

A Quilted Surprise

First of all, I can't believe I haven't written anything here since last November!! I'm always planning for Christmas, but just haven't been over here writing anything or sharing my plans and projects.

When I was going through some boxes in my crafts room recently, I found these items at the bottom of the box. About 12 years ago I bought a few panels of this Christmas fabric. I cut the panels apart and used a few of the smaller designs that year to make ornaments as gifts. I think I did a small wall hanging for a friend, as well. I had so much fun making those smaller items that I decided to hand quilt around all the designs. I did that, and for some reason, they all ended up in a box and were never finished. I think we moved shortly after that, so I forgot all about them.

My friend Heidi recently suggested a "Stocking Along" and I remembered the two stockings in the box. My plans are to finish these two as my first project (they just neat a cuff or binding at the top, as well as a ribbon so they can be hung). I'm going to use them as gift bags for two of the people on our Christmas gift list. I'm hoping to do almost all homemade gifts this year, so I thought a homemade gift bag would be fun, too.


I'm going to finish this little tree into a small wall hanging. As you can see, I handquilted the entire thing, and to finish it off, I'll sew on some buttons and charms.

I think this panel of the two angels will be finished into a pillow.

These three larger panels in the first picture are all handquilted, too. I think I was originally going to make them into pillows when I started the project years ago, but now I've changed my mind. I'm going to make them into tote bags! Two will be used as gift bags for Christmas gifts (like the stockings), and I think I'm going to keep the center one (the one on the left in the picture above) for myself and use it for my current stitching or knitting projects.

There are so many other items in that same box that are almost finished, and I think I might pull items from there throughout the rest of the year and finish them up. Several are cross stitch pieces that just need the final finishing touches, some are crocheted or knitted, and there are a few sewing items. When I just looked again I saw that 2 or 3 are decorations I wanted to make for Halloween, so I'll be finishing those this year.

I have a few other plans for the "Stocking Along" and will share those plans and pictures over the next few days.

Quilting for Christmas

My goodness, but it's been a long time since I've written anything here! With Christmas rapidly approaching, and a huge list of items I want to make as gifts, I better get busy. This year I thought it would be fun to make a few quilted items as gifts, and I'm concentrating on some lap quilts to cuddle under on cold evenings while watching television or reading... as well as some table runners which will go with some homemade cookies and a few other goodies.

Since I've really been putting this off, I decided yesterday was the day to finally gather the things together and at least plan the gifts. So, many, many, many yards of fabric went into the washer and dryer, and I spent a few hours last night ironing while watching a basketball and a football game :) My arms were so tired by the time I was done, but everything looks so pretty and wrinkle-free and is ready to go.

Here's some fabric that will be cut into squares and made into a few table runners. I just love the colors and it reminds me of Williamsburg.


I bought this as a set from a favorite quilt shop. I just love the main panel and the assorted fabrics that go with it. The pattern repeats a few times so I'm not sure if this will be a throw, or possibly cut into smaller pieces and used to make a few table runners.


Finally, I have a question on this fabric below and need some help. I LOVE the design, but I'm not sure what to do with it. I have this piece and a much larger one, too (a few yards). I couldn't resist it when I saw it, even though I had no plans for it. At one point I thought of cutting out the designs individually and using them to make some fabric post cards. As I opened this piece up to take a picture, I thought it was a perfect size for a small throw, and decided that I could add a few borders in more solid fabrics. Other ideas might be place mats, a table runner, small table cloth, etc. So, if you have any ideas, please add a comment and give me your suggestions! :)


Now, I'm off to get a bit of quilting done... well, at least cutting out some squares.

My First Finished Gift

I finally managed to finish my first Christmas gift for the year. I had thought I'd have several gifts completed by now, but things haven't worked out quite the way I wanted. However, I do have this crocheted table runner that I recently finished, so I thought I'd share some pictures with you.








The runner still needs to be blocked and ironed, but I won't do that until it's time to pull it out and wrap it. For now, it's a little ruffly looking, but that's fine as it will just be sitting in the dresser of the guest room for several more months :)







It's hard to see the design against the floral tablecloth, so here's a picture I took while this was still a work-in-progress last month.

My 2008 Christmas List of Projects

On my Homespun Holidays list we've started "The 52 Weeks of Christmas". This is going to be a weekly reminder and countdown for those of us who love to create gifts. Hopefully, we'll all get a good start on our lists for next Christmas and actually have some gifts made before we run out of time. I thought I'd share my "To Make" list with all of you.

By the way, if any of you would like to join us, just click here on the name of the group to request membership: Homespun Holidays

Now, here's my list of projects:


CROSS STITCH:
~ Finish stitching the last of the ornaments I was making for this year and then make them into little pillow ornaments (Plum Pudding Needleart design)
~ Finish stitching Christmas Tea for us
~ Stitch 2 additional sets of Christmas Tea for gifts (will be a tea cozy and a cookie tin cover)
~ Finish the PS 12 Days of Christmas ornaments (have 2-1/2 made)
~ Finish quilting the cross stitched star table topper I started several years ago



QUILTING:
~ Make a quilt for our daughter (already have the fabric)
~ Make a quilt for my stepdaughter (already have the fabric)
~ Make a few quilted items for friends. I'm thinking table runners, but might add in small wall hangings and/or placemats. I'd like to get 4 made, but I'd be happy with 2.
~ Finish quilting the Christmas tree cloth I started years ago. One section is completely done, and the other section about 3/4s finished. Then they can be sewn together and a binding added to the outside.


WOOLENS:
~ Make some pillows in different sizes using the plaid or checked wools for the pillow with solid colors for the applique. I want to do some with different Christmas designs (snowflakes, mittens, etc.). I also want to make some of these for the fall with autumn designs.
~ Make a penny rug for a table topper using a cute snowman pattern. (I also have two for autumn, which I hope to make, too.)


KNITTING:
~ Finish husband's replacement Christmas stocking (I've overstuffed his throughout the years with jars of various nuts, lol, and now there are lots of holes where I didn't do a very good job of changing colors).


SCRAPBOOKS:
~ 1 for husband
~ 3 for friends


RECIPE/SCRAP BOOKS:
~ 1 for daughter
~ 1 for stepdaughter


SEWING:
~ Some small pine needle sachet pillows
~ Some stuffed Christmas ornaments using homespun fabric (I'll use cookie cutters as the patterns)
~ Make fabric wreaths using the Dresden Plate quilting pattern (these are in Book 2 of the Leisure Arts Spirit of Christmas books and are so pretty)
~ Make a Christmas tree cloth using the same pattern and fabrics
~ Make some yo-yo wreath ornaments (cute, also from the same book... you make 10 yo-yos that are lightly stuffed, and then stitch them together through their middles and tied into a puffy circle)

A Special Tree

For the last three years my homemaking list has participated in a homemade ornament swap. It's been so much fun to think of projects, and then make one for each member participating. This year we were up to 12 participants!


I have a small "Charlie Brown" tree that sits on a chest in the front window here in the office, and that's the one that gets decorated with all the handmade ornaments from my list friends. I also have 24 tiny books from an Advent calendar that tell the story of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Those, too, decorate the branches of this tiny tree. As you can see, I think I'll have to use a larger one next year!

Victorian Crocheted Beaded Garland

I love to crochet with bedspread weight cotton and made several of these crocheted garlands a few years ago. I bought some packages of the beaded garland and then crocheted around the beads using the white cotton. This one has the silver beads, but I also did a few others using pearls, gold, and crystal. They really look pretty on the tree, and aren't difficult to do (once you get past the first few beads). No matter what I did, I wasn't able to get a good close-up picture, so I apologize for the blurriness.





VICTORIAN BEADED GARLAND

1 beaded garland
Bedspread weight cotton (size 10)
Size 7 crochet hook

Side One:

~ Working loosely around the garland in spaces between the first and second bead, join thread with a single crochet.
~ Chain 4.
~ DC in 4th chain from hook.
~ SC in next space.
~ Repeat till you reach the end of the row; don't finish off.

Side Two:

Row 1:
~ Chain 1. You'll now be working in the spaces between beads on the opposite side of the garland, and after the single crochet you worked for the first side.
~ SC in first space, chain 4, sc in next space.
~ Continue in this pattern across the row.

Row 2:
~ Chain 4, turn.
~ 4 dc in first ch-4 space, chain 2
~ *4 dc in next ch-4 space, chain 3, sc in next ch-4 space, chain 3, 4 dc in next ch-4 space, chain 2*
~ Repeat the pattern between * * to the last ch-4 space. Then 4 dc, chain 1, dc in that space.

Row 3:
~ Chain 1, turn.
~ SC in the first ch-1 space, chain 4, (sc, chain 1, dc, chain 1, sc) in next ch-2 space, ch 4,
~ *sc in next ch-3 space, chain 3, sc in next ch-3 space, chain 4, (sc, chain 1, dc, chain 1, sc) in next ch-2 space, chain 4*
~ Repeat the pattern between * * to the last 4 dc, skip last 4 dc, sc in last space.
~ Finish off.

Cinnamon Garland

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air."

~ W. T. Ellis

CINNAMON GARLAND

Thin rope
Brown floral tape
#20 wire
3 inch cinnamon sticks
2-1/2 inch wide ribbons

~ Cut the rope long enough to drape over the window and cut 2 pieces of the rope for the drop at each side.

~ Loop a 12 inch piece of wire through each cinnamon stick, twist the ends together, and cover with the floral tape.

~ Wire 5 to 6 cinnamon sticks to make a cluster, then wire the cluster to the rope. Repeat this until the garland is full.

~ Tie bows with the ribbons and fasten them, with streamers, to the side of each garland.

Answering a Few Questions :)

About cranberries... I'm not sure how long they last in crafts, since it depends on whether the item you're making is for outside where the cold weather would help preserve them, or if they're for inside where it's warm ~ or for that matter where they might be in the house. I would think that there'd be a difference in how long an item would last if they're placed near a fireplace or wood-burning stove, compared to being placed on or near a window where they might still get some cold.

One of my favorite things I've ever seen with cranberries is a wreath that was featured on the cover of one of the older Martha Stewart Living Magazines. She's since done the same wreath using red beads, so it lasts for more than one Christmas. You can find the directions for that one here :)

About the applesauce ornament garland... I have a few different directions for making a garland or swag using the applesauce ornaments. I think they were in a couple of the Leisure Arts Spirit of Living books (those are my all-time favorites, and I have one for each of the last 20 years!). One of my favorites was where they strung them on a coarse jute cord and between the applesauce ornaments they added wooden beads and strips of homespun tied on to the cord.

New England Decorations

"The simple things that bless our fireside,
The peace and joy we shared, the love sublime,
The heritage of home at Christmastime!"

~ E. Sherman Smith

"Years ago, Portuguese families living on the New England coast, placed a candle in each window to welcome visitors to their homes. Modern New Englanders of many backgrounds do the same, but with electric candles."

~ From 'The Time-Life Book of Christmas' (1987)



"Not everyone has last-minute shopping to do. In a Maine farmhouse, preparations for Christmas are all but complete. The tree is decorated, presents are wrapped and in place. Cranberry bread, a special holiday recipe, bakes in a cast-iron oven, its sweet aroma spreading from the kitchen through the house. Wood has been cut and stockpiled; already a small blaze dances in the fireplace. In front of the fire sit the providers of this scene of peace and plenty, quietly watching the flame and enjoying its glow. Tomorrow will bring children and grandchildren, laughter and a hearty dinner. But as evening descends over the snow-covered hills the words of the old carol could not be more true: 'All is calm, all is bright.' "

~ From 'The Time-Life Book of Christmas' (1987)



Decorate your home with...

~ pine branches (swags, wreaths, or homemade garlands)
~ pinecone wreaths...
~ bowls or baskets filled with pinecones and some cinnamon sticks for a pleasant aroma
~ make cranberry wreaths, small cranberry trees, or string cranberries for the tree
~ use seashells, sand dollars, or star fish to make ornaments or wreaths.



A BOOK RECOMMENDATION

'A Yankee Christmas' by Sally Ryder Brady (1992) is a great book for anyone who loves New England. It's full of traditions, crafts, and delicious recipes. It was published by Yankee Books, Emmaus, Pennsylvania.

A Pine Cone Wreath and a Cranberry Tree

PINECONE WREATH ~

These wreaths really hold up well if you take care of them. I still have one I use each year that my mother made in 1967 ~ 40 years ago! I've needed to fill in a couple of places and add a different bow, but it still looks wonderful!

About 50 large pinecones (about 5-6 inches)
About 30 medium pinecones(about 4 inches)
About 20-25 small pinecones (about 3 inches)
About 12 of the "fat" rosette cones
Assorted tiny pinecones, milkweed pods, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves
A triple wire wreath frame
Glue gun
Spool of thin-medium gauge wire
Bow (optional)

~ Soak the large and medium pinecones in warm water for a few hours to soften and open.
~ Insert these large cones around the outside of the wreath frame, keeping them close together, and secure with wire (wrapped through the cone and onto the frame).
~ Insert the medium cones around the inside of the frame. Let the wreath stand in a warm room for a day or two, so the cones open up and become tightly fixed in place.
~ Using a glue gun, or wire, fill in the middle strip of the wreath frame with the small cones and the rosettes.
~ When the wreath is full of the pinecones, use the tiny cones, pods, cinnamon sticks and cloves to fill in any empty spaces. The cinnamon sticks and cloves also add a nice scent to the wreath.
~ Attach a wire on the back for hanging, and a bow on the front, if desired.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A CRANBERRY TREE

1 styrofoam cone
Fresh cranberries
A few boxes of wooden toothpicks
Sphagnum moss
Glue
Sprig of holly leaves

~ Glue the moss to the cone to cover.
~ Break the toothpicks in half, and insert one end into a cranberry, and then the other end into the cone. Continue until the cone is full of berries.
~ Attach the holly leaves at the top of the cone using glue.

Victorian Decorating

"The Victorians practically invented Christmas ~ at least the jolly Christmas we know today. Though Christmas had been celebrated since the fourth century, many of our modern customs were refined and popularized in the Victorian era. Ebenezer Scrooge, Santa Claus, Christmas trees, Christmas cards, advertising for shopping, caroling, and an emphasis on childhood and feasting around the family table all became an important part of Christmas in the nineteenth century."

~ Candy Paull, 'Christmas Abundance'


VICTORIAN DECORATING ~

"Charles Dickens and Prince Albert, who brought many German customs to his marriage to Queen Victoria, are perhaps more responsible than any others for the popularity of the Christmas celebration. They began the revival of that warm, generous, sentimental celebration of the day. Said Dickens of the holiday, 'Christmas is a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of other people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys'." ~ From 'The Christmas Lover's Handbook" by Lasley F. Gober



Celebrate Christmas with the elegance of the Victorian era.

~ Add garlands and bows to staircases
~ Use crocheted doilies as placemats, table runners, or for decorative accents
~ Drape a fringed silk scarf on the mantel
~ Use a few yards of taffeta, velvet or brocade draped around the tree for an elegant tree skirt ~ Decorate the tree with small nosegays, silk tassels, paper and fabric fans, chandelier pieces, paper doilies folded into fans, and cornucopias
~ Use long ropes of pearls and gold beads or old lace as garlands
~ Wrap plain glass balls in a piece of nylon netting and tie at the top with a pretty ribbon...
~ Make a Victorian crazy-quilt stocking from scraps of velvet, brocades, taffetas, ribbons and lace. Trace a favorite stocking pattern onto a piece of fabric, or purchase a plain stocking, and then decorate by adding your scraps in a pretty design.

At the dinner table:

~ Have an ornate place card and menu at each place setting
~ Cover a small box with a gold doily and fill with old-fashioned candy for a token gift
~ Make a Christmas cracker for each guest. In Victorian times they contained a toy, joke, and a paper crown. Many stores still carry them today. You can make your own easily. Use a cardboard tube about 4 inches long and fill with candies and tiny treats. Wrap the tube with bright colored or gold tissue paper so you have a "ruffle" of paper at each end of the tube. Tie with curling ribbon streamers.

From My Notebook - Country Christmas Decorating

Celebrate the holiday with a country theme.

~ Use quilts and afghans draped over chairs or sofas to lend a cozy look, and hang some cross-stitched or embroidered samplers on the walls.

~ Purchase old-fashioned looking tins and use them for potpourri, candles, cookies and candy.

~ Hang knitted or crocheted stockings.

~ Use old tin kitchen graters or muffin tins as candle holders... a nice assortment of candles fit easily in the muffin tins, and the graters look great when placed over a burning votive.

~ Find an old patchwork quilt or chenille spread at a yard sale, and use it to make ornaments, stockings, pillows or wreaths.

~ Use pine cones, greenery, apples and cinnamon sticks for decorating

~ To decorate the kitchen or dining area ... red and white homespun fabric for table runners or mug mats... gingerbread men... gingerbread houses... popcorn and cranberry garlands... stuffed felt ornaments made from cookie cutter "stencils"

~ For a nostalgic decoration use children's old train sets, wooden blocks, small cast-iron stoves, small wagons or rocking horses decorated with greenery and lights.

~ Fill a basket with pine cones, greenery, bare branches and lights for an attractive display inside or out.

~ Find old Christmas books at yard sales or thrift shops, tie a few together with a strip of gingham fabric, and place them on a table, or in a basket.

Spend some time over the next few months looking at items in your own home to see what lends itself to a "Country Christmas" look.

Simple Crocheted Scarf

Here are directions for my favorite crocheted scarf. It's easy to do, and over the years I've made several of them as gifts in all different colors. I happened to have one that was semi-completed sitting in a box, so I took these two photos. I think my favorites were the ones in a white with a silvery strand running through them.

For best results, you'll want to look for Bernat Coordinates yarn. It's a sports weight yarn usually in or near the baby section, and is in many different pastel colors. It's a soft, lightweight, "nubby" yarn with a sort of silvery or shiny "thread" through it. It has no dye lot (at least it didn't a few years ago when I was making several of these).

When I crochet the scarves I generally make them long, around 54 inches, and they're a little over 13 inches wide. The fringe I add on each end is about 5 inches long. This yarn makes a pretty wavy style fringe.

Now, here are the directions ~ which are very, very easy! It goes quickly, and you don't have to pay a lot of attention as you work because it's the same stitch over and over again... nothing complicated at all.


SCARF DIRECTIONS

1 to 1-1/2 skeins Bernat Coordinates
Crochet hook size G


Ch 62 loosely.

Row 1: Insert hook in second chain from hook and pull up a loop, insert hook in next ch and pull up a loop, yarn over (YO) an draw through all 3 loops on hook, ch 1, *(insert hook in next ch and pull up a loop) twice, YO and draw through all 3 loops on hook, ch 1; repeat from * across to last ch, sc in last ch: 61 sts.

Row 2: Ch 1, turn; [insert hook in same st and pull up a loop, insert hook in next ch-1 sp and pull up a loop, YO and draw through all 3 loops on hook], ch 1, * [insert hook in next st and pull up a loop, insert hook in next ch-1 sp and pull up a loop, YO and draw through all 3 loops on hook, ch 1; repeat from * across to last st, sc in last st.

Repeat Row 2 until scarf reaches desired length. Finish off. Add fringe.

Church Crafts Fairs and Bazaars

This morning while on my way to the post office I saw a banner announcing a church fall festival and crafts fair. For me, that means that Autumn is officially here, and it also marks the beginning of the holiday season!

The church crafts fairs and bazaars (as they were called when I was a child) are some of my favorite things, and I love pulling out my calendar and adding all these events to it. My daughter and I love visiting these holiday craft fairs, wandering around the small cozy "booths" set up by the ladies of the church, and looking at all their homemade crafts. So many of the crafts festivals nowadays are almost "professional" ~ and have beautiful crafts made by people who do their particular craft "as a living". But at the church festivals ~ or bazaars ~ you can still find simple old-fashioned items that were made with special care and love, as the older ladies of the church got together each week to craft. They may not be as fancy as some of the other crafts items created by more experienced crafters, but they're so much fun to look at ~ and to buy.

They bring back wonderful memories for me of the Christmas bazaars at the church I attended as a child. My mother, both grandmothers, and my great-grandmother all had items they made for the event, and it was fun to spend the day there "helping".

A more recent memory is one that our daughter and I share... of a Christmas bazaar at a beautiful old church in Prescott, Arizona, where we lived for several years. Prescott is in the mountains ~ about 5500 feet in altitude ~ and it's filled with pine trees, beautiful Victorian homes, and they get snow! (I say that because we don't get it here in south central Texas, and I miss it!!) Prescott was always a lot of fun around the holidays because it's known as Arizona's Christmas City, and they have wonderful parades and celebrations.

Back to the church I mentioned... This particular church is a big old stone building on a corner hill, as you enter town. Each fall we'd keep watch for the banner to go up at the front staircase, giving the dates for their crafts bazaar. There were rooms filled with crafts ~ some Victorian, some homespun and country, and all made by the ladies of the church... a room filled with books for sale... another room filled with toys... a back room that had so many racks of clothing you could barely fit through... and the downstairs area was filled with food ~ homemade mixes to buy (they were famous for their bean soup mix, and always had a pot being kept hot for free samples), delicious brownies, cookies, candy and muffins all packaged in pretty paper and ribbons, lots of hot cocoa, or hot apple cider. What a pleasant way to spend a brisk, fall, afternoon!

If you haven't been to a traditional church crafts fair or bazaar in a long time, why not add one to your calendar this year, and have some old-fashioned fun!

Holiday Pine Sachets

I've wanted to make these sachets for a few years, and plan to get to them this fall... honestly!! I have lots of holiday fabric that I think will be nice for this project.

These sachets make nice stocking stuffers or package decorations. They can be used as ornaments, in closets and drawers. You can also make several and place them in a pretty basket to be used as party favors.

For each sachet you will need:
2 squares of burlap or calico (5-1/2 inches square)
thread
3/4 cup fresh pine needles
pine oil (optional)
30 inch length of ribbon, 1 to 1-1/2 inches wide

~ With right sides facing, sew the burlap or calico squares together (use zigzag stitch for burlap), leaving 1 side open for turning. Seam allowance is 1/4 inch.
~ Clip the corners and turn right side out.
~ Fill the sachet with the pine needles and slipstitch the open edge. Sprinkle the sachet with the pine oil if you'd like a stronger scent.
~ Tie the ribbon in a bow around the sachet, Add a sprig of pine needles in the bow for decoration.

A Gift Basket for Book-Lovers

"Once the dollars are removed from Christmas gifts,
gift-giving becomes more loving, more interesting,
and more fun for everyone.
Gifts can be found on the seashore, created out of scraps,
searched for at book sales, or baked in an oven.
Dare to be different.
Take the dollars out of gifts and wrap them in love."

~ D. W. Woodliff

Here are some ideas from one of my holiday notebooks. If you have book lovers on your list, these are always fun to put together!!

A BOOK-LOVER'S BASKET ~

Use a large basket that can be left in a special place in their room and filled with books. Or, another "container" could be a large canvas tote bag that can be carried to the library.

~ Fill the basket or bag with some books by a favorite author ~ or a new one in the type of book they prefer (for example, a new mystery writer for those who love mysteries).

~ Look for older books they've mentioned that are no longer in print ~ you can often find them at small bookshops or at online auctions ~ and they'd be wonderful to add to their collection. I've often had luck at ebay or amazon.

~ Handmade, personalized or specialty bookmarks (don't worry if they already have a bookmark... those who love to read never have enough!). Possibilities are endless if you love to scrapbook, rubber stamp, crochet, or cross stitch. ABC Stitch Therapy (an online shop) has a nice selection of cross stitch bookmarks that are available.

~ Bookplates ~ I've found some great ones at both Barnes & Noble and Borders.

~ A journal to record their thoughts and favorite quotes or passages.

~ Coffee, tea or cocoa to enjoy while they read.

~ Specialty candies or cookies to go with the beverage.

~ A candle or two to enjoy as they relax with a favorite book.

~ A booklight (great for night-time reading while traveling, or even if the electricity goes out!).

~ Gift certificate to a favorite bookstore or two.

~ A large pile of paperbacks from the used bookstore for the avid reader (my husband loves this each year ~ he gets about 10 books for the price of 2 or 3, and he doesn't worry that he might leave one behind on a plane or a hotel as he travels).

~ A book for readers (recommending books along a certain line, or including passages from various books.... you can often find something like this in the bargain sections of the large chain bookstores, and they're full of interesting information).

~ Since I'm really into cross-stitching again (one of my old favorite hobbies) I think a nice homemade cross stitch sampler or pinkeep would be wonderful to include with the gift basket. You could stitch one that goes with the theme of the basket (if you've followed a theme), or you could do one that goes with books. A nice sampler for this would be "The Bookshelf" by Little House Needleworks. There's also a nice smaller sampler by LHN called "Music and Books".

Buttons for Projects

Today I spent several hours on a "Shop Hop", visiting four different quilt stores that were participating in an annual Bluebonnet Shop Hop. There are twelve stores in all, but I'll only visit one more over the weekend... I just have too much to do here at home to visit the others.

At one shop I found these cute buttons that I couldn't resist. I have several cross stitch projects that are either finished, in progress, or to be stitched ~ all for Christmas gifts. When I spotted the button rack and saw these, I knew I had to have them to add the perfect touch to those gifts :)

A Few Herbal Gift Ideas

When we visited our favorite nursery last week, I spent a lot of time looking at all the pots of herbs. When I plan to buy herbs, I always love to think ahead to Christmas and try and select those herbs that I use the most in cooking, and then add a few extras that will be good for gifts. Here are a few simple ideas to think about for possible Christmas gifts...

BOUQUET GARNI

Mix equal parts of sage, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, winter savory, tarragon, kosher salt, and peppercorns. Store in small jars, muslin bags, or in small cheesecloth pouches tied with a long string to hang over a pot.

HERB FIRE STICKS

When frost has stripped your basil, savory, and oregano of their leaves, harvest the bare stalks and tie them in bundles with red or green cord. When they are tossed on the fire, they give off a wonderful fragrance, and will also gently flavor anything grilled above them.

ROSEMARY BASTING BRUSH

Tie three or four long sprigs of rosemary together with cord, and use to baste your Christmas goose or turkey.