'Tis the Season Framed Button Tree

This is so simple, it would be very easy to make as long as one could find one's button stash.

'Tis the Season Framed Button Tree

Once again, I picked up this little "Tis the Season" Framed Button Tree thinking it would inspire me to make something similar. I ended up framing it and setting it out on one of my side tables. With all of the richness one associates with holiday decorating, this very simple little button tree is a nice contrast.

When I was growing up, we would call these sparse Christmas trees "Charlie Brown trees" after the little Christmas tree with one ornament made famous in the Charles Schultz cartoons.

We also would say Merry Christmas instead of the more prevalent and supposedly politically-correct  Happy Holidays. One year, before 140-character Twitter, I even abbreviated Christmas to Xmas to get it to fit in a headline and someone took issue with the abbreviation....sometimes I think we get too wound around the wrong thing.

A visiting friend noted she would be tempted to make a similar framed tree with t-shirt paints and specialty buttons, certainly an option. How much simpler, though, to raid one's fabric stash and embroidery basket, pull out a remnant, embroider a little tree frame and add buttons from the button jar.

Even the misspelling adds charm, 'tis is short for "It is."

Well, regardless of what you call it or how you frame it, 'tis the season. Merry Christmas!

Charlotte

Old Quilt Bird Ornaments

This was the second old cutter quilt ornament I found at an antique mall, it started the collection.

Old Quilt Bird Ornaments

I didn't mean to start a collection of old cutter quilt bird ornaments. I picked one up several years ago at an antique mall, thinking I could use it as inspiration to make some to sell once I found old cutter quilts to use. I was still working then, so these projects would pop into my head and take a back seat to life and all of its associated interruptions.

When I spotted a second one that was blue, I picked that one up to represent my custom quilt and gift company, Bluebird Gardens. I thought it could sit as a tree topper in one of my outlet mall booths but it never quite made it there. In the back of my mind, I really didn't want to sell it.

I was excited to find this bluebird old cutter quilt bird ornament to represent Bluebird Gardens.

By the time I added a third old cutter quilt bird ornament to my inspiration box, I had to admit I now had a "collection." Not exactly something to brag about but then it only took three french hens to make it into a traditional Christmas song....

It was now time to give these three old cutter quilt birds their own little tradition, real time in a Christmas tree.

This was the first old cutter quilt bird ornament I found; I picked it up as inspiration to make more.

My one-acre Missouri hillside garden is a certified wildlife habitat, which means I feed wildlife all year as well as provide water and shelter. So apparently does Santa!

Birdhouses and bird feeders are everywhere, well-occupied and attended so having birds on my Christmas tree seemed like an extension of what I watch happening outside my windows every day.

I put up my first Christmas tree in years this year, a little 4-foot artificial tree that I placed in a front window so I could see it from the outside. Had to move it over to get it out of the path of my cats also watching the birds - my cats take their supervisory duties very seriously!

After moving the tree and as I found ornaments to decorate the tree, I remembered having the three old cutter quilt birds. Yes, I actually had four but I only remembered the first three.

This is my other old cutter quilt bird ornament, love the cross stitch, my first embroidery stitch.

My last old cutter quilt bird ornament was made out of an old cross stitch embroidered quilt. I learned to embroider when I was 7 years old doing a cross stitch table cloth so I have a warm spot in my heart for that simple embroidery design. This bird ornament is a little different shape than the others, which only gives it more charm.

These birds are 4 inches high, between 5 and 6 inches long. The pattern looks simple enough to copy so if you want to make some, cut one out and don't be too perfect, part of their charm is that they are all a little different.

If you don't have old cutter quilts, how about checking into your leftover fabric stash? Bet you have enough remnants in there to make some of these bird ornaments.

So pretty in a lit up Christmas tree!

The old cutter quilt bird ornaments added a nice old-fashioned touch to my Christmas tree, don't you think?

Charlotte

Vintage Postcard Holiday Scene

A vintage Christmas postcard joins a small decorated tree and presents in my kitchen.

Vintage Postcard Holiday Scene

This little holiday scene is the first time that greets me when I go into my kitchen. Sitting on the edge of a reclaimed silver tray on my kitchen island, the little holiday scene makes me smile. It's a simple way to add a little holiday cheer to perhaps the most used room in our homes.

The little artificial tree is stored in a tote all decorated so all I have to do is pull it out and place it with the vintage postcard. For fun, this year I looked for little salt and pepper shakers to place under the tiny artificial tree.

I found this little bear porcelain pepper shaker at a local thrift store for 25 cents. Without its mate, I guess they thought the chances of its finding a new home were slim to none. 

The little rabbit on wheels to the right was a Russ toy I picked up at a yard sale a couple of years ago. I think that find was $1.

My other find this year was this charming porcelain doll salt shaker. In my mind, she was a perfect mate for the little bear shaker.

Great way to repurpose those salt and pepper shakers that once were highly collectible. I am finding a set to keep each of my favorite vintage postcards company marking the different seasons. I am still missing a few vintage postcards but those are also on my wish list.

Half the fun is the treasure hunt!

Charlotte

Cutter Quilt Santa Star

This colorful quilt remnant was quickly made into this rustic Santa Claus star.

Cutter Quilt Santa Star

Most US Christmas trees have a star on top. Among the holiday traditions, this tradition of a star on top may be the most common of them all, although over the years my sewing room could have doubled as Santa's workshop. I was thinking about that tradition when I found this Cutter Quilt Santa Star at a local antique mall.

Made out of a much loved quilt, also called a "cutter quilt" because it was made out of the remaining good pieces of the quilt, this rustic Santa in the shape of a star is a nice alternative to the traditional metal, or lighted star.

The back of this Cutter Quilt Santa Star shows the simple design and stitching.

I know it would be tempting to place this on a vintage tree but I also think it would be a nice contrast on a more modern Christmas tree, the contrast would make both pop.

These would also be fun and easy to make as ornaments. The back of the star shows the simple sewing pattern to make it.

Once stitched together, Cutter Quilt Santa Star has some filling to give him dimension. My guess is some leftover quilt filling.

A little burlap face with yarn and black eyes complete Cutter Quilt Santa Star's face.

For the face, someone glued a piece of burlap at one of the star points and added black eyes and some yarn that was cut after stitching for the hair and beard. A bell on top of the head completes Santa's outfit.

I don't have this Cutter Quilt Santa Star on top of my Christmas tree this year. A little gardening angel chasing a bee has that honor but Cutter Quilt Santa Star is not unappreciated. He is sitting on my living room mantle with some of my other Santa figures, a reminder that the loving sentiment of this holiday is as simple as this cutter quilt star.

Charlotte

Vintage Jewelry Christmas Tree

I snapped this picture of a little framed jewelry Christmas tree at one of our local thrift shops.

Vintage Jewelry Christmas Tree

I don't see many of these where I now live so I like to take pictures for inspiration. Do you still have your Mom or grandmother's costume jewelry?

One of my east coast friends several years ago had me shop for some vintage jewelry pieces to fill in her bridal bouquet made out of pins from her relatives. It was stunning when it was finished but weighed a ton. When I couldn't find the extra pieces in her complimentary colors, we decided to downsize the bouquet, keeping the pieces that had sentimental value and saving her arm from falling off before she was officially married.

The tree also reminds me of a custom kids tree quilt we made a few years back. Hard to tell what kind of tree they used as a model because every tree looked different, much like teachers look different to every student that draws them.

These little works of art remind me of all of those old jewelry pieces I found in my travels. I also  inherited a box of jewelry from both mother and grandmother, although I haven't made anything out of them yet.

This little framed vintage jewelry Christmas tree inspires me to think about how I can cut styrofoam into a tree shape and make a three-sided tree out of vintage jewelry. Wouldn't that make good use of those old jewelry pieces and make a sweet little holiday decor memento as well?

Charlotte

Christmas Decorating Holds Memories

The little girl mouse in bed (left) was a $1.99 purchase in Christmas 2015 with a dear friend.

Christmas Decorating Holds Memories

Thanksgiving weekend is Christmas decorating time at my house. With the long weekend, I can pull out the boxes of decorations and enjoy spreading them throughout my house to bring a holiday theme into each room.

Much like gardening, I like my holiday decorating quick, easy and memorable. I had several small, pre-decorated Christmas trees in plastic totes that could easily spring up on my office desk or a coffee table; favorite handmade Santa dolls from cutter quilts, and some German figurines my mother brought back from Germany in 1948, years before I was born. 

As I was looking for the totes, I realized they were gone, part of a stash someone who worked for me stole mid-summer. She pled guilty to the burglary mid-November but I had not missed the totes because they were in a storage area where she had stolen other, more obvious items.

They were only "things" but I felt such a feeling of loss and violation - again. I used to enjoy pulling them out, remembering when I got them and what memories they represented; giving them a little tender loving care if they needed it, and setting them out in my rooms. I don't have a lot of decorations but the ones I did have were attached to wonderful memories. It took me a couple of days to mourn the loss and inventory what I still had.

In the process, I remembered I had one little decoration sitting on a project shelf in a closet. I bought it last year for $1.99 with my cat's name sake, my friend Margaret, in St. Louis at the Shop Around the Corner. It's a little girl mouse tucked into a bed to add to my cat-themed stockings hanging from the mantle. One of the feet on the bed was missing so I had glued a little piece of wood in the missing spot and needed to paint it before it was ready to join my fireplace mantle holiday scene. It was still there so I finished the paint job before going through what was left of my holiday decorations.

 Some of my favorite mantle decorations were stolen but as I re-arranged my little holiday scene with what was left, I realized I still have a wonderful collection of good memories, and there is always room to add a few more.

Charlotte

Yellow and Mint Green Santa Claus Handmade Doll

Yellow and Mint Green Quilt Santa Claus handmade doll has an elegant retro look.

Yellow and Mint Green Santa Claus Handmade Doll

There was something special about this one of a kind yellow and mint green Santa Claus handmade doll. I loved the scallop edging of his coat but it was more than that, the colors reminded me of very modern, or very old-fashioned holiday colors.

This almost 2-feet long fabric doll is made out of muslin - for his hair, beard and jacket ruffle.

Black buttons down the front compliment his black feet and legs. Want to see?

Yellow and Mint Green Handmade Santa Claus doll has black legs and feet attached to his body.

The heavy body make is easy to pose Santa on a mantle, on packages, on a shelf. He also can easily sit on a sofa or chair without worrying about little hands grabbing him.

Yellow and Mint Green Santa Claus face has an attached button nose. 

So what will it be this year, does Yellow and Mint Green Santa Claus think you been naughty or nice?

Charlotte

Tiny Last Flower Bouquet

Tiny Last Flower Bouquet

The weather forecaster promised a hard frost, the first of the season. It was mid November 2016 and we were still enjoying temperatures in the 80s and breaking established records for warm weather. In some ways, I was looking forward to the colder temperatures and a break in the garden work.

I went for my last walk in the garden, looking for whatever might still be blooming. I can usually find wildflowers in a nearby field but not much in my flower beds. I didn't expect to find much this time, either but I was wrong, around every corner I found some little flower still holding on and showing some color.

The New England Asters were the first so I took a little sprig off the side. Pink mums were in another corner, just one little sprig but it doesn't take much to put together a tiny flower bouquet.

A pink Knockout rose was in  a flower bed under a window, and the red geraniums were blooming in a pot inside I passed by on my way in.

The yellow mums were from a friend who shared his stash with me and a sprig was lying on my garage floor.

Together, they made a lovely little flower bouquet I now have on my kitchen island brightening up my kitchen and promising more red from the upcoming holidays.

We like to think flower bouquets have to be big but the small ones may have as much, if not more, beauty all by their little selves.

Charlotte

Custom Pillow Gift Idea

Custom pillow gift I received from a good friend last year.

Custom Pillow Gift Idea

I was talking with a customer earlier today. She wants to make something for a friend but doesn't have time to make a quilt so I suggested she try a pillow. I received a custom pillow as a gift from a good friend last year and love it, so I suggested this may be a pretty sure bet if she makes one. The custom pillow design does not have to be complicated, here the details of my custom pillow gift to give you some inspiration.

At first glance, this is a basic 16x16-inch accent pillow but look closer.

My friend didn't know I collect vintage postcards with cats so I loved the center block. See the little ribbon edging she added?

A center block with a special photo or print of something special easily makes this pillow custom. You can add complimentary fabric border and be done, or you can also add some quilting.

This custom pillow also has quilted leaves around the red and white fabric.

If you like to quilt, even basic stitches, you can add some details by quilting around the center block.

My friend also added a little quilted pattern in each of the pillow corners.

Quilting in each of the custom pillow corners add a nice details.

The lace edging was a nice touch but not necessary if you don't have any handy. You can also make a white edging out of folded fabric, then pulled into a ruffle with a large machine stitch.

Another place you can customize is the back of the pillow.

Custom quilt backing can be of a complimentary fabric.

I have this pillow out on my sofa where I can see it and be reminded of the good friend who made it for me.

Charlotte

Red and White Old Quilt Santa Claus Doll

One of a kind Red and White Old Quilt Santa Claus doll ready to sit on your mantle.

Red and White Old Quilt Santa Doll

Maybe it's because much of our Christmas decorations growing up were delicate and couldn't be played with. Or maybe it's because I have always loved cloth dolls but this one of a kind, made in USA cloth Santa Claus doll is not only charming but practical. They can easily be played with and posed without being worried something will break.

Made out of muslin and polyfill stuffing, the almost 2-feet long handmade Santa Claus doll repurposes an old red and white quilt into Santa's coat. Black buttons down the front embellish the cotton muslin ruffle.

Muslin ruffles also form Santa's beard and frame his muslin face.

Black stockings are his feet with black legs attached to a heavy body for easy posing and hugging.

No two Santa Claus dolls are alike. One of our customers said these were "so much cuter in person."

I suspect she will go on Santa's good girl list, don't you think?

Red and White Old Quilt Santa Claus dolls is made all out of fabric.

To make sure the old quilt doesn't unravel, the sleeves and coat hem have been basted.

Ho Ho Ho!

Charlotte

Last Red Rose of the Season

This red rose is the last one of the season from my garden.

Last Red Rose of the Season

I was surprised to find this red rose in bud at the entrance to my garden. These started as miniature roses, a gift from a friend last year.

I planted the miniature red rose at the entrance to my garden, a reminder of her kindness and a pretty welcome when I come home.

The little rose bush bloomed most of the season, fed with a combination of dried banana peels, coffee grounds, crushed egg shells and a dash of Epsom salt.

As I was tucking my garden in for winter, I was sure I had seen the last of the roses.

Glad I was wrong; this one is gorgeous. I cut it off above a five-leaf and added it to a vase with a couple other flowers still blooming. There is little more I enjoy than having a fresh vase of flowers on my coffee table. Regardless of the weather outside, it's like having a little bit of my garden still blooming.

One of the home decor articles I read earlier said adding fresh flowers was a good way to finish a room. The article also said fresh flowers are the first thing visitors notice in a room. I know I do!

Charlotte

Mum House Witch

This charming house is surrounded by fields of mums and a humorous decoration. See it?

Mum House Witch

I love to see how people decorate for Halloween and to pick up ideas in case I have a wave of energy to do something for next year. By far, my favorite Halloween home decor inspiration is this house where I live in mid-Missouri.

First, the mums are beautiful, what a wonder garden sampler of colors and varieties, and they make quite a first impression as one drives by.  So much fall color on the ground as surrounding trees start to change color, too.

I don't have flower beds where I can do this but I am inspired by the visitor to the mums - see the witch legs sticking up out of the orange mum to the right of the wall with the address number on it?

Look at the orange mum in a metal container to the right of the front door. See the legs?

So clever to add the two legs with telltale witch shoes in an orange mum in a metal container in the back. Those legs look easy to make, too. I'm thinking this same idea could be applied for Christmas decorating, too, only with elf legs.

Maybe on a snowy day this winter I will be inspired. Wouldn't this also make a cute housewarming gift?

Charlotte

Welcome, Halloween!

Creative ways to add Halloween to a welcome sign.

Welcome, Halloween!

Halloween is now the second most popular holiday behind Christmas with millions of dollars spent on house and home decorations.

Although I love Halloween as well, I like to keep my decorating easy, simple and small. Which is why this charming Halloween sign caught my attention when I was visiting a local business. Look closely, each letter has a charming Halloween theme.

Bats are a favorite Halloween theme and this one looks easy to make.

And what is Halloween without pumpkins?

This charming sign inspires me to make my own. I don't have a router to cut out the wood shapes but I can paint similar shapes on a simple rectangular piece of wood.

Here is the Halloween sign with all parts together. Cute, don't you think?

Nothing like adding another project to my to do list but winter is not far off, this would be a perfect winter project on a snowy day!

Charlotte

Boo!

Halloween Cat vintage postcard with a mouse friend gives any room a quick Halloween vibe.

Boo - Very Easy Halloween Decorating

I love to celebrate the different seasons in my home but I don't have a lot of storage space nor do I want to spend a lot of time doing it. You could say I am an appreciative but otherwise unfocused decorator but that doesn't mean I haven't found a very easy way to decorate.

You have probably seen them at antique stores, boxes and boxes of old vintage postcards with charming designs. I have been collecting them over the years. Every season I get to pick one to feature in a picture frame in my kitchen, and I do have a tendency to pick up cat ones, especially for Halloween.

This year, I selected this adorable black cat with an orange witch hat to keep a vintage ceramic mouse salt shaker company.

Charming vintage black cat helps to bring a bit of Halloween into my kitchen.

Did someone say fun and frolic?

This is such a quick and easy way to add a little Halloween decor without taking up a lot of room or requiring a lot of effort.

If you want to add a little extra touch, add a complimentary salt and pepper shaker. I only have one of these mice but it looks like it just stepped out of the vintage postcard.

Vintage made in Japan ceramic mouse salt shaker gives my little Halloween vignette dimension.

Start Collecting Favorite Postcards

You can start your own little postcard collection visiting antique stores and picking up favorites for the traditional seasons: birthday, anniversary, spring, Independence day, Halloween, Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and Easter. 

We all have a little stash of photo frames we don't use any more. If you don't, check your local dollar stores and vintage shops for inexpensive photo frames you can easily change. I double check the back to make sure the piece that holds the picture frame upright is not damaged or missing.

Changing out the photo frame is also a quick way to update the vintage postcard with minimal effort.

Wedding and Housewarming Gift Idea

Several years ago, I collected a series of vintage bird postcards and gave them to a friend as a wedding gift. When I visit, I still find them on display on her fireplace mantel, each one marking the passing of yet another special date. She uses one favorite photo frame and just changes out the post cards. Even simpler than what I do!

One more note: the treasure hunting can be a lot of fun. Start with one vintage postcard theme that sets the tone and go from there!

Charlotte

Cat Tails Wooden Chair

Wooden chair with carved cat tails on the back beckons visitors to take a load off!

Cat Tails Wooden Chair

I was visiting a friend in St. James, Missouri and was invited to sit in this lovely Cat Tails Wooden Chair.

I have a whimsical display in my garden of cat bowling ball heads on one side, cat tails on the other. I love cats so the displays make me smile every time I walk by that area, and this chair reminded me of those feline moments.

The chair itself was simply-designed. The chair backing was where the design took over, cat tails cut into the wood with long stems.

For our woodworking friends, a closer look at those cat tails, they look relatively easy to make.

I have several woodworking friends who look for ideas. Wouldn't this make a cute design on a wooden box top?

Charlotte

Hungarian Floral Embroidered Table Cloth

The center design of this hand-embroidered table cloth.

Hungarian Floral Embroidered Table Cloth

I had been invited to a new homeowner's house to look over her newly-inherited garden. As we moved through the charming old house, I spotted this table cloth on the dining room table.

We grew up setting the table for dinner, usually with a hand-embroidered table cloth. I still have a collection of table cloths my mother made, including a couple I stitched by hand growing up.

This table cloth was a gift from a Hungarian relative, so pretty in its primary colors against a solid sunny yellow background.

The corner of this square, handmade and hand-embroidered table cloth.eD

This handmade table cloth reminded me of the customer who had inherited a table cloth from her aunt. She had wanted a quilt but the other sisters got first dibs on the draw.

To make sure the customer could preserve her memories of having dinner at her aunt's house, we took the tablecloth and made it into a queen-size quilt.

Detail work in the hand-embroidery for this beautiful table cloth.

And yes, It did cross my mind we could make a lovely custom quilt out of this table cloth but I would be tempted to enjoy it on the dining room table first. 

If someone had a favorite table cloth, it would be a nice personalized gift to make it into a quilt or throw for Christmas, wouldn't it.

Penny, left, and Maggie, right, welcoming me to their new Rolla playground.

Meet my new canine friends. Penny is the 8-month old on the left, Maggie is the mature guard tod on the right. They are the new tenants of this established, fenced-in garden I was invited to tour. I showed their guardian where the poison ivy was so she could keep those paws clear!

Charlotte

Handmade Tuffet

A handmade tuffet from the 2015 Piece and Plenty Quilt Guild bi-annual show in Rolla, Mo.

Handmade Tuffet

"Litte Miss Muffet,  She Sat on a Tuffet

Eating her curds and way.

Along came a spider, who sat down beside her

And frightened Miss Muffet away."

That's a favorite nursery rhyme I remember from reading children's books to my sister and brothers. Not that I understood why the spider would frighten Miss Muffet away but then I do share the same name as an E. B. White spider and that is a different story.

As we start to think about holiday gift giving and what we can make for our loved ones, this is a lovely option. There may not be much call these days for tuffets to sit on to eat curds and whey but maybe that will change once you see this handmade one.

Made from 2 1/2 inch fabric strips by May Gunter, the fabric stool looks very comfortable and inviting. The written description doesn't explain what is in the filing but it should be a relatively solid filler to bear weight. Wooden round legs are on the bottom.

And what a great way to use up those lonely fabric strips with no project in their woven future.

The handmade tuffet with a printed explanation.

This charming entry in home decor won a second prize in the Piece and Plenty Quilt Guild 2015 bi-annual show in Rolla, Missouri.

Second place winner and I do so love those ribbons with a floral theme.

Congratulations, May, now all that is missing is a spider!

Charlotte

White on White

Bluebird Gardens white peonies in white vase.

White on White

Sometimes even in my home decor I want a calming presence. Whether it's a snowy theme throw with tiny differences in white fabric, or a flower vase with same colored flowers, the same color approach can be very soothing.

One of my favorite ways to soothe a space is to cut white peonies from my garden and add them to a white flower vase. They also look nice in a crystal vase but the white vase seems to magnify the peaceful spot and magnify the beauty of the flowers.

Cut flowers from your garden, in any kind of vase, also make thoughtful housewarming gifts.

If you use peonies in your home decor, make sure to shake them before you bring flowers in. Ants enjoy eating the honeydew on buds so don't bring any non-welcome hitchhikers into your home.

To keep peonies blooming longer, cut their stems daily and give them fresh water. What else have you done to keep your cut peonies fresh in a flower vase?

Charlotte

When Pigs Fly

Bluebird Gardens Pink Pigs Dish Towels ready to ship to their new home in Texas.

When do pigs fly? When they are on our homemade dish towels ready to head to their new home in Texas via US Postal Service two-day priority mail. That's a first class ticket to our customer's front door!

This charming set of vintage design muslin dish towels feature pink pigs in different summer activities, one for each day of the week. We make the dish towels ourselves. The design is hand-stamped and hand-embroidered in floss embroidery backed with a stabilizer so the embroidery will last.

Wash in cold water; dry on cool.

What colors would you like included in your custom pink pigs dish towels? Besides the pink for the pigs, of course?

Charlotte

Spring Bouquet

One of the fresh flower spring bouquets I have on my den coffee table.

So pretty to have a fresh bouquet of flowers nearby. I try to include fresh flowers in my life as often as possible and springtime is a wonderful time to make up colorful bouquets.

Although spring is often associated with pastel colors, a variety of spring flowers are a bright splash of color: red tulips, purple lilacs, and daffodils, in all sorts of shapes and colors. One other spring flower brings a dash of purplish blue, anemones. Not only are they striking in a garden but they also brighten a spring table bouquet.

If mixing these flowers, remember to allow daffodils to be in a vase all by themselves for a day. Daffodils have a toxin that will kill other flowers. If you allow the daffodils to sit in water for a day, they can be arranged with other flowers without any problems.

What spring flowers do you enjoy on a table?

Charlotte