Fabric Friday - I love a Sale

7:56:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 20 comments

My love (obsession) with fabric started when I was very young and mom/Freda would drag me around fabric stores looking for fabric deals. Since Freda made everything fabric related from clothes to quilts and slipcovers, and she was on a very tight budget, she was always searching for a deal. It is hard to pass up a fabric deal and there are so many sales going around right now (both locally and online) that I succumbed to a little fabric purchase here and there. I limited myself to

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Christmas Bounty

7:38:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 21 comments

It always seems like I'm bragging when I bring out gifts to show but really I can't stop myself. Forgive me. It really is easier to give but it is fun to get stuff, isn't it. And besides, we should all be taking note of the winners for our Christmas list for next year when we are wondering what to give.
My sister Teri had these hive charms made for us. They really are amazing. I love them. So perfect for everyone in the Freda's Hive Collective. Books are

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Pictures from the archives of Christmas Past

7:38:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 32 comments

It's over. I'm always happy to see Christmas disappear into a wake of expensive memories. It was so much easier being a kid at Christmas time. That was pure magic. And every child should have wonderful Christmas memories.
This very humble photo is of me in the middle with my sisters Paula on the left and Michelle on the right taken at Christmas time (no snow that year). As kids we had no idea then that "Santa" bought our gifts on credit and it took a whole year to

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Fabric Friday - Merry Christmas

10:35:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 18 comments

I grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania. Each Christmas we would take the bus down to Penn St. and shop for Christmas at the department stores. Every Christmas I think of snowy streets, walking up and down Penn St. and all the store window displays.
I was pretty excited to see this Alexander Henry fabric called "Merry Main Street". It captures that vintage feel of old fashioned store windows all dressed up for Christmas.
This isn't me in front of this store window but this photo captures how I felt watching

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BFF Lunch

8:30:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 18 comments

I really love Christmas surprises and I like to wait to open every gift until Christmas Eve or Christmas day. Sometimes it is hard to wait but I try to hold out because the anticipation is to be savored. When I was a girl I snooped and ruined all my Christmases so maybe that is why I love to wait now.
However, I met Lori for a last minute BFF lunch on Saturday. (We were so busy talking we didn't even get to one of the main reasons

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Holiday Kitsch

8:01:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 34 comments

Defined by Wikipedia: Kitsch (English pronunciation: /ˈkɪtʃ/, loanword from German) is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons[1] while making cheap mass-produced objects that are unoriginal. Kitsch also refers to the types of art that are aesthetically deficient (whether or not being sentimental, glamorous, theatrical, or creative) and that make creative

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Fabric Friday - Look at me with Kaffe and Wool

7:52:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 15 comments

To change the pace a bit I thought I would show you something fun and different today. Don't be too shocked, it is Kaffe fabric and wool. And I love them all.
Last year Sandi sent me some wool pieces from her great collection. I had really not worked with wool before except for some embellishing here and there. So when I started working with the carolers I was able to pull a few from Sandi's share stash. Thanks again Sandi. I've really loved using wool.
Belinda is another great

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Carolers

7:27:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 25 comments

I'm sure many of you have been seeing this very sweet tutorial around blogs and the Internet in the past week or so. Gingercake Blog very generously shared her idea and pattern with all of us. You can find the pattern/tutorial here. She actually has several really cute patterns and tutorials on her blog. I would suggest you bookmark her blog and return, she's fantastic.
I thought I would show you what I've been doing with the Gingercake pattern. These are my carolers I've been making above. In addition

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It IS beginning to look a lot like Christmas - confession

8:00:00 AM
Posted by Nanette Merrillin 30 comments

I really like to get my Christmas decorations out and my tree ready right after Thanksgiving. Especially since I'm the kind of person that wants every bit of Christmas taken down and life back to normal the day after Christmas. At our house boxing day really means getting out the boxes and putting Christmas away.
So I have to confess this is the first year I have faltered and even considered not getting a tree. Can't believe it! I ran into some road blocks and one thing lead to

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