We wish you a Merry Christmas

I'm finally all done decorating inside for Christmas. I leave the outside to the hubby, who seems to require more and more lights each year. Our neighborhood seems to be in an unconscious state of keep-up-with-the lightses. It must be that fun festive mood brought on by Christmas! 

A few years ago, a friend gave me this wonderful hurricane glass filled with beautiful sparkly, beaded ornaments. I love it and put it out each year. I think it is a great gift idea. I think she made smaller ones as teacher gifts as well. 

I like to decorate the mantle, so I started with this stuff here in a jumbled mess and transformed the mantle into Christmastime!

I've been going and going on the brown and green OOAK baby quilt. I'm a little stuck on the quilting. Not sure why. This is before basting.  I can't quite get the idea in my head of the end product. Hmmmm.

I baste with quilting pins and that funny looking rounded awl thing to close the pins. I've tried the spray basting, but it didn't work for me. I tended to get to many bumps in my batting (Warm and Natural). I just lay the backing out on the carpet, plop the batting on, then putz with the top until I have it more or less squared up. Then I put on the tv and pin! Once when I had to baste a queen size quilt, I reserved a room at the library and basted on a bunch of tables pushed together. Now I have more room to spread out and I don't undertake those giant quilts too often!

I hope everyone is enjoying the JOY of CHRISTMAS. We've had some great fun already and I am looking forward to more.  I hope by the time I write again I'll have that quilt done!  And maybe I'll be able to fill you in on some groovy refinishing projects. I scored an awesome chair today for $5!. Love it! Tootles.