Sweetgum Ball Topiary Ornament and Giveaway

I love topiaries.  There is something about their classic style and elegant design that really appeals to me.  Several years ago I created this little ornament in honor of the topiary, and today I am sharing the instructions in a tutorial so you can make your own.  I am also going to give away this ornament to someone who leaves me a comment on this post.  I will randomly pick a winner on Wednesday morning from all comments.  Comments must be received by no later than 6 a.m. EST on Wednesday morning.  Comments are moderated, so don't be alarmed if your comment doesn't immediately appear, as I have to review it first.  Good luck!

I will be sharing this post on Today's Creative Blog under their Get Your Craft On feature.  There are so many great projects on this site to get your inspirational juices flowing.  Go check them out.

Next Sunday is the last in the series of ornament giveaways but I've got several other goodies planned for later this week.  Check back often.

Update on Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 9:55PM by Julie Bowersett

Thanks to Rebecca for commenting.  I'll be sending her this ornament to use on her own tree!

Yoyo Ornament and Giveaway

This little ornament is simple to make and would be a nice gift for a friend who sews or does other needlework.  My mom made one of these ornaments for me a number of years ago, and I think of her every time I clip it to my Christmas tree.

I’ve written a tutorial with pictures, though it really only entails gluing a thimble on top of two yoyos and embellishing as desired.  The yoyos are glued to a mini clothespin that you can use to clip to a package or onto a tree.

If you would like a chance to win this ornament in my weekly giveaway leave a comment on this post and I will randomly select a winner next Wednesday morning.  Comments must be received by no later than 6 a.m. EST on Wednesday morning.  Comments are moderated, so don't be alarmed if your comment doesn't immediately appear, as I have to review it first.

Sweets for the tree

I had hoped to get this ornament made last year for the Christmas tree at my favorite local coffee shop and bakery but I ran out of time.  So this year it was given a higher priority on my to-do list to make sure I got it done.  The design came from Embroidery Library and was a delight to stitch out, as most of their designs are.  It is designed to be used as a towel topper but I think it makes a perfect tree ornament.  I also embroidered the shop name and date on the back.

I’ve been overly busy this week.  In addition to trying to keep up with my to-do list and blog posts,  I have also been getting ready for a craft show I am doing on Saturday.  I have spent the week cleaning, pressing and otherwise freshening up pieces, working on a few new ones, finishing up some UFOs, making new price tags, and gathering supplies and materials for my display.  This is the first year of a small show with about 20 vendors hosted by a local church.  Please stop by if you are in the area.

Holiday Market

Saturday, December 4^th

9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Calvary Presbyterian Church

6120 N. Kings Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22303

Watch for my next tutorial and giveaway coming on Sunday.  Hope everyone has a happy weekend.

Silver Spider Ornament and Giveaway

Today marks the begining of a month of tutorials and giveaways and I am sharing one of my very favorite ornaments that I have made over the years.  I first learned about this spider ornament when my mom made some for our church bazaar when I was in elementary school.  I have made these spiders as little gifts over the years.  The story behind them is charming.

You can find the tutorial on making these little creatures in my Tutorial section (see link on the right side of the page).  They make a lovely little hostess gift for holiday parties and take very little time to complete.

I will be sending this spider to some lucky reader later this week.  Simply leave me a comment on this post and I will randomly pick a winner on Wednesday morning from all comments.  Comments must be received by no later than 6 a.m. EST on Wednesday morning.  Comments are moderated, so don't be alarmed if your comment doesn't immediately appear, as I have to review it first.

Be sure to check back next Sunday for the next ornament and giveaway, but don't stay away all week; there will be lots of other posts and projects later this week.  And check out all of the project ideas over at Today's Creative Blog on Get Your Craft On!

Update on Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 7:13AM by Julie Bowersett

Congratulations to Kristen (who will be making some of these ornaments with her 8 year old).  I drew her name this morning as the winner of the spider ornament.  Thanks to everyone who visited and left a comment.

The Blizzard: A Giveaway

Well, I survived the blizzard of 2010, the biggest snowstorm that I can remember.  Also one of the biggest to hit the DC area.  We received about 22 inches here at my home but some of the areas nearby got over 30 inches!  It was a spectacular storm, and I would have enjoyed the beauty of it a bit more if we hadn’t lost power for 12 hours.  But, that was relatively brief and painless (though a little chilly).  A heartfelt thanks to all of the men and women out working in the storm to restore power to people’s homes.

For Christmas this year I made my own personal blizzard of free-standing lace snowflake ornaments, stitching out 24 of these snowy wonders.  I have one left over and am offering it as a memento of the 2010 blizzard to one lucky reader of my blog.  To qualify for the drawing all you need to do is leave a comment on this post by 6 a.m. on Thursday morning, February 11.  I will randomly draw a winner from all of the comments received and post the winner’s name here on Thursday.  I need to have some way of contacting you so please be prepared to email me your address should you be the winner.

This snowflake design was purchased at Embroidery Library and comes in a set of six designs.  The snowflakes are stitched onto water soluble stabilizer which is washed away leaving the thread design.