It's that time of year and I have been working really hard on original Christmas Embroidery Designs for you. Some are sentimental. Some are cute and some are just plain funny. They are all on sale now through the end of December on my SALE SALE SALE page. I know you will love thinking about the creative projects you can make. Let's take a look at them.

The Whimsy Tree stitches out in one color with no trims. It would be beautiful on crisp white linens or tablecloths. 

Seasons Greetings will make that chef in your family smile.  Perfect for kitchen items!

This little Chicken doesn't "Deck the Halls". She "Pecks The Halls!"  If you have a farmer in your life, they would love this design stitched on a pillow or kitchen towel.

Do you have a traveler in your family?  Roam for the Holidays would decorate their mobile home quite nicely!

A Jolly Snowman just makes you feel like singing doesn't it?  

Mistletoad is puckering up for a kiss.  This design comes with a FRINGE element in his scarf. Instructions included with the download!

Merry Fishmas would be perfect for that fisherman in your life or for that Aquarium lover!

Know someone celebrating Christmas on the coast?  Santa Claws is a cute beachy design.

Are you in Puppy Love?  My Merry Kissmas Design will help you share it with that special someone.

Fleece Navidad looks so festive and will bring a smile to your Christmas gathering.

Mooey Christmas is perfect for that person who can't get enough of decorating with Cows.

Bark the Herald Angels will make even the Grinch smile at Christmas!

Sheeps Until Christmas comes with two designs in the download. One is the little sheep that you can use to countdown until Christmas with Chalkboard fabric. The second one reminds that Santa is watching Ewe!  Check out the sewing project we used these two design with here.

My Manger Silhouette design would be perfect to add to a couch pillow, towel or table runner.

My In the Hoop Sock Monkey Ornament would look so cute on your Christmas tree!

Those Old Pickup Trucks are very popular right now.  Stitch out this Old Winter Truck and decorate your home past the Christmas season!

As a Merry Christmas to all of my customers, I have also added the Dog Paw and Cat Paw Humbug designs.  Check them out on our Free Designs page

I hope this year has been a good one for you and your families and that your Christmas Season brings you much Peace. That is my special Christmas wish for you.  Joyeaux Noel and remember to share what you learn, and be generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

 My family just shake their heads at me when I wash out plastic containers. They don't even ask any more if I want to save unique packaging. Sometimes I don't have a problem discarding them but when we finished off a container of Cheeseballs recently, the tub was so big and sturdy, I had to come up with something I could re-purpose it for.  So it sat on my studio table for a couple of days while I pondered.  The hardest part was singling out where I could most use it. Right now as the seasons have changed, my yard is getting bare and I always feed the birds. That was my light bulb moment.

If you are interested in the brand cheeseballs, the picture above might look familiar. I could have just used the container to store my bird seed as is.  If you have one in your pantry, don't throw it out.  These have a wide opening perfect to reach into.  I think you could come up with a multitude of uses in your house.  

I digitized a really simple embroidery design for the project and used an old pair of blue jeans that I cut apart.  So my project was Upcycled and Recycled!  The design can be found here in my store. Cutting the jeans apart meant I did have to piece all of the fabric together and there were seams. I don't mind that but you might want to use a large piece of fabric instead.  I think a canvas drop cloth would be excellent also.

I wanted my cover to fit snugly around the container, have a handle, a pocket and an open bottom.  Since it would be made of fabric, I didn't want it to get too dirty as I carried it around my yard refilling my bird feeders. In the picture above, I sewed the cover so it comes just above the bottom edge.  That way it still sits on plastic.  I am not worried about the cover slipping off because I made sure the elastic is good and tight.  Using the denim also helps stabilize the fabric and it is really sturdy. You could of course add a bottom very easily or sew a few strips of belting to enclose the cover.  

The pocket is very spacious and covers most of the front. My thought was I might need to carry some tools to clean out old birdseed or maybe a funnel.  I added tucks on the bottom and elastic to it can hold larger items very easily.  This is where I embroidered the cute design also.

When I cut the jeans apart, I kept all of the seams and used them for the handle.  I just braided them together and sewed them flat to either side of the cover.  Then I trimmed them straight across so they would look neat.

The top and bottom include a casing so elastic could be pulled through. This makes the cover stay snug against the cover.  It is very forgiving also since the cover has a lot of different dips and valleys. I will tell you that depending on the type fabric you use, this may differ.  My denim was very thick and I did use a large needle for sewing leather.  I had some areas that also required some hand stitches just to secure.  This was usually where I double folded the casings and seams met together.

So now I have an excellent "upcycled tool" that will be useful to carry around my yard while I refill my feeders. I can also be assured when I store any leftover seed, the critters that might be looking for the buffet won't have such an easy time.  If I store seed in the bag it usually comes in, I will more than likely find evidence that my shed has had "visitors"  

 I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work

I love to re purpose something.  If you have read my blog posts, you will see that I do have a hard time throwing anything away.  I keep a stash of items stored in my craft room and it does tend to grow out of hand so I am continuously working on projects.  My newest project has upcycling, sewing, quilting and embroidery all wrapped up.  I purchased some flannel sheets last year from Wal*Mart in the buffalo check pattern.  When you buy those sheets they will usually come enclosed in a boxy fabric zippered bag.  Don't throw these out!  You can use them for so many projects.

Here you see the outside bag with an added handle, cute embroidery and a pocket.  The sheep is an applique design with chalkboard fabric.  You can officially write in how many "Sheeps"  until Christmas Morning on his body.  The Text also lets you know that Santa Claus is watching "EWE"  I took the original bag apart and drafted a pattern from it so I could make a lining.  The lining was quilted so once I installed it , the structure of the bag would be more stable and stand up.  I also used cutaway stabilizer in the pocket so it would help the bag stand up better.

When I was planning the project, my thought for a final use would be a pajama bag for kids.  Holiday pajamas are really popular and instead of them winding up on the floor, a bag like this would be a great place for them to be stored. It could sit on the bed and also allow for interaction with counting those precious days away.  The pocket can hold chalk and erasers.  This would make such a cute bag to carry to grandma's house.  The set of sheets that I purchased was a Queen size.  I do have a generic drawing of the pattern with measurements I drafted so you can try this also.  Just know that each set of sheets may come with a different size bag so measure your project accordingly.  Look for the pattern download below. 

Both Embroidery patterns are available in my store here.  They come bundled together so you can embellish any project you want for the holidays!

​ I also did a You tube video showing my process. It is the complete bag from start to finish so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy watching below. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

Coffee Mug Wraps have become a lovely part of my daily routine.  I have been using them for a couple of years and now I am addicted.  You have probably purchased coffee at a shop or convenience store and used one of the paper wraps.  These are like that but so much better.  I am not a coffee expert but I do love to drink out of a real ceramic mug.  As I have gotten older, I notice my hands have become a little more sensitive with hot and cold objects.  I guess that is what happens to all of us eventually.  I also like to really enjoy that first cup and drink it kind of slow so these mug wraps help insulate the heat longer.

Mug wraps are also great for stainless steel cups like the Yeti or Artic brand.  I know some people like to use vinyl monograms on them, but I think a cute wrap would be just as useful.  It will help designate whose cup belongs to who and maybe bring a smile with a cute saying.  Best part is they are washable, so if you spill a little drink on them, just toss in your laundry load.  I have eight new designs that are releasing today. Let me show them to you.

I designed this Blessing Presence Mug Wrap for that coffee lover that is not a morning person. You know the one?  They kind of wake up later in the day and may not be too chipper to sit with in the AM hours. So, they are "Blessing you with their presence"  

This Where Is Lunch Mug wrap is for that person who is already thinking about lunch as they are drinking that morning cup.  I have worked at jobs where the most important decision of the day was lunch! I bet you have too!

This My Kung Fu Mug Wrap is for the coffee lover that depends on their Java.  It really is their super power!  

This Latte Da Mug Wrap is for that DIVA coffee drinker.  I can just hear them now. "Well Latte Da!"

This Legal Grounds Mug Wrap is for that serious but mischievous coffee drinker.

This Life Happens Coffee Helps Mug Wrap is for that coffee drinker that needs affirming words to get motivated!

This Not My Circus Mug Wrap is for that Coffee Lover that always has a snarky comment to make. You know who I'm talking about!

This Dark Shot Mug Wrap is for that coffee lover that understands how to twist the written word and entertain all of us while doing it.

All of these designs can be customized with your choice of fabrics and threads. There will also be a generic instruction set with each design download.  I filmed a You tube video below that will take you through a complete project so you can see how fun they are to make.  Of course you will need at least a 6x10 embroidery hoop for these. I see some unique gifts in your future.  I hope you have been inspired by this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

This Sock Monkey Ornament design has been released today and I think it just may get you in the holiday spirit!  I know it is a little early but it does take some time to create those little special items. This one would be perfect to have stashed away for those last minute ideas. I envision gifts for teachers, Co Workers, Children or using these as tags on other gifts.

It finishes in one hooping and the back would be an excellent place to embellish with a sentiment or the year the ornament was made.  

You can also customize it with your fabric choices.  Maybe your decor isn't red and green for the holidays?  No problem. Try it in any color and I know it will still be precious.  Soft decorations are a great thing for children and pets.  I gave up using those little metal hooks years ago because I always have someone curious in my household. These also are flat so they take up less storage space.  That is a win in my book.

Full color instructions come in the download and if you have a few pieces of fabric, leftover quilt batting and ribbon, you can have a fun afternoon by yourself or with your children.  Maybe let them decorate their own tree with sock monkeys?  I created a short You tube video below so you can see how easy they are. Visit my store here to get the design. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

To honor our Veterans, I have released a brand new design that is FREE!   This is an applique design that can also be a free standing patch.  The picture above shows it stitched out using a mesh type wash away stabilizer.  When I embroider patches, I do use either a mesh type or a "Vilene" or clear wash away. This does depend on the type of patch, how dense it is or stitch intensive. Sometimes I can embroider the entire patch in one hooping. Other times in order to get the best outcome, I will sew the inner part of the patch in the first hooping, then sew a placement stitch and the satin outline in a second hooping.  I did a little experiment with both types of wash away stabilizer on this design and filmed a You tube video for you to watch.  The link is below. With any design, I always do a test stitch before I work on a final project because it helps me determine any changes I will need to make. In the beginning, I did think I was wasting materials, but doing a practice run will allow you to learn so much and hone your embroidery skills.  Don't give up if you have a design that stitches out and does not show the results you want.  Sometimes, just changing the type of stabilizer will make all the difference. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

Thanksgiving has to be one of my favorite holidays.  I love it because we usually do have a great meal with family, we reflect and remember, and it is a very relaxed day.  In preparation for having guests over, I have been working on some new designs to help with my decorations and they are on sale! The Gobble design above comes in a 4x4 or a 5x7. This would be great on your table linens or as placecards.  

The Turkey applique is so round and cute.  Use this design on oven mitts or tea towels to hang on your oven door.

My Happy Thanksgiving design looks beautiful on a table runner. Check out my post here to see how to make one.

At Thanksgiving, we are counting our blessings and this applique design really speaks to that.  Use it on pillows or towels in your bathrooms. Check out the magnet design also here. I did a post showing how it looks with pictures of all of your blessings. When you download the magnet design, it creates a soft in the hoop project.

My Sunflower design just goes with this time of year. In our area, it is the last flower putting on a show before the first frost.  This would look lovely on couch or chair pillows.  Maybe decorate your guest room with a fall theme?

Rustic comes to mind at this time of year also. I am a rooster lover and this Weathervane design is one of my new favorites. The contemporary look would be beautiful on crisp white napkins. 

I had to include something for the nature lovers also.  I am a bird lover and the Owl is one of my favorites. We have many that live around our house and their comforting Hoots remind me of home.  I designed three different colorways. This Camo Owl design uses camouflage colors.  The hunter in your life would love to see this decorating their space.

The Day Owl Embroidery Design is bright and reminds me of when I actually see the owls around my home. Sometimes they let you walk very close to them because they are curious too.

The Night Owl embroidery design is just WOW to me.  Here it is stitched on black fabric to really highlight those unique colors.  All of these Owl designs use a method of layering light fills on top of each other.  It creates beautiful dimension and feels so textural without being heavy or stiff.  I see these stitched on a jean jacket.  Wouldn't you be the talk of the gathering with this decorating your outfit?

The Sewing Set comes with six different designs ready to show off your crafting passion.  When I have guests over to my house, they always want to come into my studio and see what I am working on.  These designs would be great to put in frames on your walls. Maybe add some cute little sewing sayings too.  Or if you are already thinking about Christmas gifts, these would be perfect for that seamstress in your life.

My Autumn Leaf, and Home Sweet Home have been favorites so they will continue to be on sale along with all of these new designs. Visit my Sale Sale Sale Page to see all of the embroidery designs on sale that will be available until November 30, 2019.  I hope you have enjoyed this post, you share what you learn and you are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!