Happy Holidays

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas.  Ours was wonderful - very relaxing and peaceful. I wanted to share a few really cool things I received.

This is the most amazing Star of Bethlehem Christmas ornament that I got from Nolan and the girls.  It is made by Jennifer Patterson from Quilted in Clay.  The ornament is made from different colored pieces of polymer clay - no paint. (She explains her process in detail on her website.) I had to include the penny in the photo to help give you an idea of the detail in the piece.  She is truly an artist and I just love this ornament.

I also got this butter bell.

I love pottery and had just learned about butter bells so this was perfect.  The idea is that it will keep butter fresh and spreadable on your kitchen counter.  You put cold water in the bottom of the base, and pack the butter into the lid.  The water creates a seal to help maintain the freshness.  The butter is the perfect spreading consistency, and its pretty!

I also received two of Deloa's boomerangs that I can't wait to try out on the longarm.

I also found a few minutes to complete the latest block in the Curve it Up Quilt Along.  I agonized about whether or not to add the purple to my color scheme. I thought that as we are approaching the half-way point it was now or never.  I decided to go with it as I am a little concerned that I might not have enough fat quarters in my collection to complete the blocks otherwise. The fabric I am using has metallic gold on it, so throwing in something plain in the end would really bug me. Metallic purple over flat blue and green sounded better.  I think when I make a few more blocks and throw in a little more purple it will blend in a bit better.

  

We will be continuing our Christmas/New Year's celebrations with my brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew.  Then I can share a little more of what I have been working on! Until then - Happy New Year!