Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, the turkey is in the oven (the house smells GREAT!), everything else is either done, or ready to finish, and we're in that lovely time of the afternoon ................between bastings... and our guests and family arriving.  Kind of a calm time before the final preparations and company...

Phil and I have come out to the studio to put some finishing touches on the studio's Christmas tree (I couldn't reach the top of the tree to hang the tinsel!) and to give HB a few cuddles and maybe a special Thanksgiving tummy rub!  I think I may have enough time to finish up putting the tags on the last of the Calendula Patterdrip's Cottage kits (the last of the fabric we were waiting for arrived on Tuesday!!!!  I guess I have to take back all those nasty names I was muttering under my breath about Moda and their backorders!LOL!!)  They'll be ready to send on Monday to everyone on the waiting list.  Once I know how many we have left over I'll put them up on the website.

Well... guess I'd better get to cuddling (HB's standing in front of the computer screen... a subtle hint??) I hope everybody is having a nice Thanksgiving!!

xo Meg

HO-HUM!!!

We're getting so tired of waiting for the backordered fabric we need to complete our Calendula Patterdrip's Cottage kits.............it's all we can do to keep our eyes open!!!  Some of us are having a little harder time than others!
Moda claims that the fabric should be here in another couple weeks......I'm so sorry for the Loooooooong delay.......but, at least we won't have to compromise about the prints we used!?
When it DOES arrive, where will Honeybunny a comfy place to take a nap?

Jingle Bells

Jingle Bells...Jingle Bells...Jingle all the waaaayyyy....................
It's still snowing and the ground is WHITE!!!!!

AND!!!  We have the winners for the Quiltmaker's 100 Quilt Blocks Blog Tour!!

The magazines were won by Jackie, Julie, Staci, and Jofrid..... congrats!
The fabric and pattern prizes were won by Linda and Ruth Ann.........YAY!!!
And the word puzzle contest was won by Lisa Marie whose email is windstream.net.  PLEASE EMAIL us!!!!! info@crabapplehillstudio.com
We're having trouble with your email and it keeps bouncing back with an error!

We've notified everybody, but we need you to email your addresses ASAP so we can send your prizes!!  YAHOO!!!!  I feel like SANTA!.......Mrs. Santa???  It's SNOWING!!!!!

SNOW DAY!!!!!

You have to stand outside....perfectly still......for a few minutes!!!!  But there IS snow falling!!!!! 
Does that mean we can have a snow day and all go home???
I wonder if you can make a snow angel in just frosty grass with six snowflakes stuck to it??
xoxoxoxoxoxox YAY!!!!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town....a little bit early?

Yesterday was icing day!... Janice and I spent the afternoon in the house adding mica "ice" to gingerbread cookies that I'd made to put on the Christmas tree.  We dipped and painted on Mod Podge glue....edges and tips.... and then dipped them in mica glitter (NOT EDIBLE!!!!)  They look like they've been caught in a snow storm!  I can't wait until the tree goes up so we can see what they look like once they're hung on it!!!

The problem is...........we got a little bit carried away..(an easy thing to do once you start adding glitter to things!)  We started looking around for other things to "ice"!  We decided to do pine cones for sure....and maybe acorns.......maybe some greenery?  But FOR SURE we had to "ice" some branches!!  Do you know how much you pay for fake, flocked (iced) branches??  Ours are practically free!  Here's how we did it.....

1.  First, you need Mod Podge glue.  I prefer it because it's not super thin, so it won't just drip off the branches, and not too thick so you can brush it on without it being gloppy.

2.  You'll need a brush to apply the glue.  I like to use those cheap sponge brushes so I can just throw them away if they're too icky once I'm done.

3.  Something to protect your work surface.  We used large sheets of parchment paper.........I covered the countertop with one layer....then added a big sheet on top when we glued so it could catch the drips.......then removed it and added a clean one to catch the glitter (so we could re-use it).  Yes, you go through quite a bit of parchment paper, but it makes the job so much easier!  Stuff also won't stick to parchment paper...I paint and glue on it all them time because of that.  It's MUCH cheaper to buy parchment paper in big sheets rather than those little rolls you get at the grocery store.  I get a box of it at a restaurant supply store in town every year or two.  It lasts for a LONG time even though I use it for everything from lining baking pans... craft projects...wrapping food... to using on the countertop to gather up peelings etc....  It's great stuff!

4.  A bowl or pie pan lined with foil to put the glue in.... this is just easier and less messy than dipping in the jar of glue.

5.  MICA!!!!  Sometimes it's called  Vintage Snow Glitter.  It's a natural substance and has an extremely sparkly, icy, old fashioned look.

6.  Something to "ice"!  We did branches.

First, you'll dab the Mod Podge on to the top surfaces of all the branches and twigs.  You may have to do a section at a time so the glue stays wet so the mica will stick to it......  Remove the paper under the area you glued (with the drips on it) and put a clean piece of parchment paper underneath.

Now sprinkle (dump) mica over the glued areas.

You'll want to carefully remove the paper with the left-over mica on it, and dump the mica back into the jar/box so you can re-use it.

Now all you have to do is let them dry.  The glue will dry clear and the branches will just look ICY!!!

How cool is THAT???  And how easy!

We had so much fun with this project!!!!  I hope you'll try it!  Imagine some icy branches in a big pitcher...hung with a few glass icicles...or ornaments...or Christmas cards.....or cookies..........OR ANYTHING!  How about sticking some branches in the tree here and there and decorating the tree with little "iced" nests and puffed up little birds?  OOOOOOoooooo!!!! How about a branch in a pail with just one "iced" nest and a little bird????  How sweet would that be for a vignette that would last all winter long????  I'm going to do that!  I'm going to put it in my foyer in front of my "Snow Days" quilt!!  Oh.........I have to find a nest and a bird!!!!!  Time to go to the craft store!

Oh, I almost forgot!  Thanks to everybody that took the blog tour and entered my contest!  We'll have the winners chosen first thing Monday morning and we'll get in touch with everybody... then we'll let you know who won!

I think I may have a bird and little twig nest in with my spring deco stuff....I have to go find it!  Talk to you later!

xo Meg

Welcome Blog Tourers!

Is "tourer" a real word??  Well... it is NOW! 

We're going to print out our comments for November 7th and put them in a "hat"!  The first and second names pulled will be the winners of a free copy of  Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Collector's Edition volume 4.  YAY!!   The third and fourth names pulled will receive a selection of fabrics perfect for embroidery or pieced backgrounds and a pattern. 

THEN !!!!!!!  We also have this little word puzzle above.... we're going to put all of the people who respond with the correct answer in a "hat", and the winner will receive a kit (fabric, tea towels, floss & pattern) for a brand new pattern called Peppermint Stick Tea Towels.  It's SO NEW.... it won't be released until next spring!  ........... all you have to do is take the letters given and find 9 (nine) words that have to do with stitchery and quilting!  You should use all the letters....but no more than the ones given.  I'll give you some really great hints to get you started.......... I have a fabric line called??? WHITEWASH, with LECIEN fabrics, and I stitch only with COSMO embroidery floss.... is that subtle enough???? LOL!  That should get you off to a good start...........

We'll post the winners next week, so check back to see if you need to email with your address info so we can send your prize to you!

Here's another little sneak peek at a couple of the new "A Gardener's Alphabet" blocks.  These are the last two!!!  YAHOO!!!!  Now all I have to do it trim them...sew them together.....figure out borders......write the pattern......photograph the quilt.......hmmmmmm....... there's a LOT of work yet to be done!  But the stitching is completed at least!  So it's time to celebrate!  This pattern should be out in January if all goes as planned!  I'll show you some of the other blocks as soon as we get them back from Lecien (they had them in their booth at International Quilt Market). 

OH!!!  The very first stitchery shown is a project for our Winter Stitching Sojourn Retreat that will be the first weekend in December.  I'll show you the whole thing once the retreat is over... I've already spoiled the surprise!  I can't keep a secret to save my life!!

Speaking of the winter retreat!... I spent the day shopping for Christmas stuff!!  I found WAY too much great stuff I couldn't live without at Beaverbark (my favorite store in the world!)  Got there just in time to pick stuff up out of boxes before it even made it to the displays!  Talk about 7th heaven!!  I also got a new Christmas tree for the studio to replace the one that was abducted and held for ransom a couple months ago........hopefully THIS tree will be the "stay at home" kind, and it won't wander off! LOL!!!! 

Well, good luck on the drawings and the puzzle.......... it was nice of you to stop by and visit Crabapple Hill Studio if it's your first time here!.......... and have a nice time on the "tour"!!

xo Meg 

Good News!

Last night I pulled my last block of  "A Gardener's Alphabet" out of my project bag only to find that it was damp and stained!  I don't know what was spilled in it.....nobody fessed up!....
ANYway.... I tried rinsing the stains out and it didn't come out.  So... I thought "Oh well... I'll probably have to re-do the whole thing anyway!" and I used Shout stain remover on it... AND the little scrubber attachment.......99% of the stain came out and NONE of the crayon tinting was removed!!!! YAY!!!!  Talk about trial by fire!  So... I'm not going to re-do the block.  I'm going to leave the little stain that's left as proof that the crayon tinting isn't as delicate as some people think.......it's in there to STAY!   I SOOOOoooooooo didn't want to redo that block!  It's almost completely done and has alot of stitching in the zinnia petals.  What a relief!!!  Panic averted........I can breathe again.

It's SO cold here today... it was 27 degrees last night... so November's started with a BANG!! 
This morning I chose the days for the 2013 retreats.  I'll be posting them on the website the morning of January 1st (no... not at midnight!) , and we'll take emails and phone messages in the order they were received by the time posted on each.  We'll start phoning and emailing everyone as soon as we're back in the office after the holiday.

I've just finished drawing a pattern (Valentine!) for the class I'm teaching at Village Quiltworks in Richland on February 11th.  And... as I find myself alone in the studio today.....I'm going to scan it in to the computer, and then take the rest of the day off.  I'm thinking there may need to be some shopping that REALLY needs to be done! LOL!!!

Have some fun today!  xo Meg