Sixth Day of Christmas

On the Sixth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… six Geese-a-Laying, representing the six days of creation. It was on the seventh day God rested.

I found another amazing artist! She lives across the pond. I love her series of Christmas Cards! Wouldn’t they look wonderful framed?!?

Artist: Yvonne Arber

God got it done in six days! He could have done it all in a blink, but I believe He did it this way for a reason. It is in my opinion/interpretation God gave us another example, on the seventh day, we all need to rest (this does NOT mean “Sunday” either!).

Too many of us don’t take/make the time to rest. We live life stressed out. Sometimes we cannot avoid the rush toward deadlines and time crunches put upon us. But to live like this constantly, our health – mental and physical – will suffer.

People have often mentioned how I have a lot of things going, creating different things, offering a variety of items at Lanetta’s Creations. I do this, not only to fulfill several passions to create for the women in our lives of all ages, but because of my hands. Sometimes I can do things; sometimes I can’t. It is then I move on to something else. I’m grateful I have an array of interests!

I know I’m not the only person dealing with physical issues when getting things done. I’m simply stating how I handle mine!

Remember, it’s important to rest!

Fifth Day of Christmas

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Five Golden Rings! Did you sing this, even if only in your head? Five golden rings symbolize the first five books of the Old Testament.

I discovered something very interesting when preparing this article!

The first seven “gifts” are birds, and the last five are people engaged in various activities. None of them is jewelry. The “golden rings” in the song are golden ring-necked pheasants.

Source:  10,000 Birds

Photo Credit: Benelli USA

I never knew the “golden rings” referred to a pheasant! I’d always thought it meant jewelry! Nope!

This just reinforces the fact we’re never too old to learn!

I enjoy learning new techniques and skills, then apply what I’ve learned to Lanetta’s Creations.

For quite a while now, I’ve heard about Sew Beautiful magazine, but never was at the store at the right time to pick one up. When my sister & I went out shopping on Christmas Eve, we were standing in the checkout line and I mentioned the magazine to her. Well I’ll be, she turned around, pointed, and asked, “Is this it?”

She got it for me and I found it in my stocking the next day! Aren’t sisters grand!?!

I’ve gone to their website, many times. But, there is nothing like sitting in a comfortable chair, reading a quality magazine! I will read, and re-read this one again and again. Thank you, Sister!

Until the end of the year, all aprons at Lanetta’sCreations are on sale! Use coupon code 121212 at checkout to receive 50% off! All other items have free shipping (no coupon code necessary) until the end of the year!

I recently sold my last Valentine’s Day themed apron! Don’t fret! I’ll create more very soon! I have a new design ~ very figure flattering ~ I’m mulling over in my head. It will be a full apron, this I know for sure.

Fourth Day of Christmas

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, four colly birds (yep! that’s the English word used in the original Twelve Days of Christmas song, not “calling” birds)! The four colly birds (blackbirds) symbolize our four Evangelists/Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Photo Credit: Shuttered Dreams

When Lanetta’s Creations began, I created a few beadwork items. A few remain available in my ArtFire Studio:

Bookmarks

Christian Beads for Prayer

Eyeglasses Leashes

Zipper Charms

I don’t plan on working with beads anymore unless it’s a special request/order for a specific item, color, or theme. (Free shipping until the end of the year on all beadwork! No coupon code needed!!!)

It’s been over two weeks since I’ve created something new for Lanetta’s Creations! I’m starting to get the shakes! Will do something today! Maybe I’ll cut out the special doll dress I’ve been planning…

NOTE:  Until the end of the year, all aprons at Lanetta’s Creations are on sale! Use coupon code 121212 at checkout to receive 50% off! All other items have free shipping (no coupon code necessary) until the end of the year!

Third Day of Christmas

To symbolize the virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love, the writer of the Twelve Days of Christmas used Three French Hens. I went in search across the Internet for the perfect depiction of three French Hens to share. Not only did I find this amazing watercolor by Vernita Hoyt, but also discovered she too is a Native Texan! How sweet is this!

Source: Texas Sauce Art Life, a blog by Vernita Bridges Hoyt

I encourage everyone to make the time, browse through her work! I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!

Faith, Hope, Love – what wonderful qualities to strive for in every day living.

Sometimes it’s hard to have faith in things unseen, to keep hope alive, and to love with a whole heart. However, it’s doable! Take one breath at a time, one step in front of the other. Give someone a hug; allow someone to hug you. I’m sending you one now!

Second Day of Christmas

Not until this morning had I ever taken the time to look up Turtle Doves! I found this fabulous picture of two together! They are beautiful! After a brief read over, it doesn’t appear they are common in the United States, rather folks will readily see them in the UK and Europe.

Source: Arkive.org

I then tried to find out why the creators of the song 12 Days of Christmas selected Two Turtle Doves to represent the Old and New Testaments. I haven’t had any luck finding that bit of information. In fact, I haven’t found why they used any particular symbol! Maybe you know and will share!

Anyhoo…

My niece recently wrote the article “Open Me” for her blog. I highly recommend reading her account of an awesome random act of kindness.

I know other people have written or shared similar encouragements of doing 26 random acts of kindnesses in honor of the victims at Sandy Hook Elementary. I’ve started mine, in the name of each victim.

(Source: Huffington Post)

- Charlotte Bacon, 2/22/06, female
- Daniel Barden, 9/25/05, male
- Rachel Davino, 7/17/83, female.
- Olivia Engel, 7/18/06, female
- Josephine Gay, 12/11/05, female
- Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 04/04/06, female
- Dylan Hockley, 3/8/06, male
- Dawn Hochsprung, 06/28/65, female
- Madeleine F. Hsu, 7/10/06, female
- Catherine V. Hubbard, 6/08/06, female
- Chase Kowalski, 10/31/05, male
- Jesse Lewis, 6/30/06, male
- James Mattioli , 3/22/06, male
- Grace McDonnell, 12/04/05, female
- Anne Marie Murphy, 07/25/60, female
- Emilie Parker, 5/12/06, female
- Jack Pinto, 5/06/06, male
- Noah Pozner, 11/20/06, male
- Caroline Previdi, 9/07/06, female
- Jessica Rekos, 5/10/06, female
- Avielle Richman, 10/17/06, female
- Lauren Rousseau, 6/1982, female
- Mary Sherlach, 2/11/56, female
- Victoria Soto, 11/04/85, female
- Benjamin Wheeler, 9/12/06, male
- Allison N. Wyatt, 7/03/06, female

Did you know there is a Random Acts of Kindness organization? They have 273 kindness ideas! They also have wonderful quotes to inspire kindness. This is one in particular caught my eye:

Carry out a random act of kindness,

with no expectation of reward,

safe in the knowledge that

one day someone might do the same for you.

Diana Spencer (1961-1997)
Princess Of Wales

First Day of Christmas

As the song goes, “On the First Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a Partridge in a Pear Tree” of course, represents Jesus Christ! Amen!

Some begin counting the “12 days” at sundown, Christmas Day. Others (like me) begin with the first sunrise after His celebrated birth. Either way, sundown to sundown = today is the first sunrise on the twelve days of Christmas! It’s all symbolic anyway, right?

With this said, I begin this celebration with a humbled heart of gratitude. I cannot express how grateful I am to be a Christian!

I’m grateful for my family and friends. Many friends I know personally, and others I’ve met through Facebook and other social networks. Maybe someday we can meet in person!

I am blessed.

Today is a great day to begin by saying – throughout it all, it is my continuing hope to inspire, encourage, and create ideas and items of interest to those of you stopping by Lanetta’s Creations.

Business wise, let me throw this out there… all my aprons are on half price (yes, 50% off!) until the end of the year! Head over to my ArtFire studio and use coupon code 121212 at checkout! This is a great time/deal for upcoming birthday gifts!

Merry First Day of Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

It’s Christmas time in the city! About 5:30 this morning, I went outside with Beth. I looked around to see which houses had lights on and those that remain dark. Indeed, those with children had them on already! I remember well getting Mother & Daddy and my sister up extremely early on Christmas morning!

I still have that little kid excitement for Christmas morning. But, I’m alone, except for Beth. Everyone else – still asleep… even next door… the house I grew up in. And, that’s okay. I’m thankful Mother & Daddy are still sleeping, getting their rest. I’m blessed that I’ll see them in about an hour, our usual “coffee time” whenever we’re in Dallas. It’s then I’ll give them a hug and a kiss, and we’ll begin our day of celebration.

I am grateful I have this opportunity. I treasure each Christmas morning I’m able to add to my memory bank of cherished moments. I know it won’t last forever.

But, until forever changes, I’m where I need/want to be.

My wish for you - be where you want to be on Christmas morning!

Make a Pillowcase

I’m not re-inventing the wheel, simply sharing how I make a pillowcase. An abundance of tutorials already span across the Internet, I’m just adding my two cents. As I made a couple yesterday (one for a girl, the other for a boy), I took pictures here and there to help with the instructions that we used during this past summer’s Sewing Camp 101.

So Sew Etc

Sewing Camp 101

June 18, 2012 – June 22, 2012

Pillowcase Instructions

Roll Up Method

For a standard size:

7/8 yard large section (cut 27” x width of fabric)

1/3 yard wide band/border (cut 9” x width of fabric)

1/4 yard accent (optional) (cut 4” x width of fabric)

(for a larger pillow, measure the length of the actual pillow and add 2” to the measurement – the band & accent will remain the same)

How to create the pillowcase:

1. Fold band (wrong sides together) in half (long way) and press (Make sure both edges are placed evenly together)
2. Fold accent strips (wrong sides together) in half (long way) and press (Make sure both edges placed are evenly together)

3. Keep accent folded, pin to right side of large section across top. (Make sure all edges are placed evenly together) (Is the brown strip on the boy's pillowcase as I used lace on the girl's)
4. Move step #3 out of the way for a minute. Unfold band and place single thickness with right side up on top of table surface. Place step #3 on top of accent/large section (it doesn’t matter which is “up” wrong or right side). Work from left to right (make sure left side edges are all together) and remove the original pins one by one and re-pin everything together. (Make sure all edges are placed evenly together)

(Don't worry right now about how the pieces line up on the right end:)

______________________________________________________________________

Fold/roll large section up and up and up, then pull the free side of band up and over the roll.

Be careful not to catch the "large" piece in pinning or sewing!

5. Now you’ll have the right sides together of the band, with everything else rolled up inside! Starting at the left side, pin through all thicknesses. (Make sure all edges are placed evenly together)
6. Sew across using a 1/4” seam allowance (back-tack at start only). Remember: pull out pins before sewing over them!
7. Press seam to meld stitches.
8. This is the fun part! Pull out the fabric from inside the “tube”!

It's coming! 

Fold bottom up to the top edge and trim off, making all layers even

 

9. If you want to sew decorative stitches across the band, now is the time! It's much easier now when flat, before you go on to step #10. I realized this in the nick of time!
10. With wrong sides together, match up the band, accent edge, and pin along the side and bottom. (Make sure all edges are placed evenly together)

First step in creating a "French Seam"

11. Starting at top of band, sew 1/4” seam allowance, stitch down side, pivot, sew across bottom. Remember: pull out pins before sewing over them!
12. Carefully trim corner.
13. Press seam to meld stitches

"French Seam"

14. Turn outside in and now right sides are together. Press out the folds made from stitching. Pin occasionally the same places as before, and stitch but now use a 1/2” seam allowance down side and across bottom. DO NOT TRIM THE CORNERS!!!
15. Press seam to meld stitches.
16. Turn right side out, use knitting needle to gently push out corners. You now have a lovely totally finished pillowcase (without any raw edges showing inside)!

I based these instructions on this video:

Hope you create a pillowcase!

Sisters of the World

It’s been a while since I’ve shared an amazing website or blog discovered or, in this case, a Facebook page. I’ll try to do better once January arrives!

The universe is amazing when you trust her to bring for you what you need most at the time and allow her to take away what no longer serves you, then you are in the perfect place in the perfect time. Melanie Wadham

If you’re on Facebook, I highly recommend following Melanie’s page: Woman2Woman. Within her “about” section, she quotes Pam Brown:

No woman is without sisters, however desperate, however lacking in kin. For all the women of the world are bound together as a family, by common experience and concern.

You will find uplifting quotes sprinkled all over her page. A recent one she shared resonates with me: “Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

And, she posted this from Lewis Carroll:

“There is no use trying,” said Alice; “one can’t believe impossible things.”

“I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

I discovered this video when reading through her page:

For a variety of reasons, getting through December is hard on some of us. It’s this time we need to fall back on our sisters. So, sisters of the world, let us join hands and give a little love…

Soon it will be Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas everyone!

When things go wrong

Yesterday - within the Facebook’s Sewist Group - we had a discussion about when everything seems to go wrong while sewing. 

Sometimes, enough is enough ripping out stitches!

Sometimes it’s better to just walk away for a while, and then come back to the project.

Many times, I/we keep on and on until total frustration sets in and our mood sours beyond repair for the remaining day/evening!

What can we do during this time when we’re working on a deadline, and can’t afford the time away from the project?

What can we do to change the mindset? Find the happy sewing place again?

What will lift our inner altitude and get things back on track?

Here are several suggestions the group came up with, plus some of my own:

• Wash face and put on makeup, including lipstick!
• Spritz on a favorite perfume
• Spray air freshener around the sewing area
• Light a candle
• Go for a brisk walk – get fresh air & the blood pumping through the brain (and fingertips) again
• Change up background noise … television/radio/silence
• Pray continuously

What would you add to the list for others to try when they’re having a bad day/go of sewing?