Secrets ~ Holidays, Time To Share

I do believe it's safe!!  I couldn't share a couple gifts I crammed in before the Holidays, (a couple belonged to family and I know they check up on me) actually crammed in, as in right up to the last minute!  All the gifts have been received, so I'm safe to share!

My big sister always deserves a special gift!  Since she lives in Arizona, it seemed fitting she should have a cactus.  And you all know how obsessed I have been with these cacti!

I had plenty Hawthorne Threads Coyote fabric left and it seems to me it's perfect for a sweet succulent cactus.  

9 1/2" x 11"

A little hanging slat and 'boom' she is ready to hang...in the dry heat of Arizona...Right, Debbrah?

How often have you said 'I love so & so' and then you are bombarded with a million and ten of them?  She said she liked the Succulent Shelf, so if she liked that then surly she would like this:

Everyone needs a notepad and tea towels are invaluable, right?  Gift sent and finally made it to it's destination.  It seemed to be in limbo for the longest time!

Next up is...YEP! Another cactus!  This one for my SIL.  Seriously, she said she liked them too!  Again, the Coyote fabric is too perfect not to use again!

I'm telling you, this paper pieced pattern is so fun!  Again, here is where you can find it: 'Succulent Shelf' is by Amanda from Material Girl Quilts, it's a paper pieced delight in my opinion!

9" x 14"

By the time this post is over, I  promise you are going to want to throttle me...is it the year of the Cacti?  In my little world, it appears so!

18 1/2" x 12"

As I was sharing my 'garden' with the world, a little voice crept in and said 'I've been a good girl' (for the most part)!  That little girl (Anne), who is not so little any longer, happen to be my daughters best friend.  From Kindergarten.  How could I deny her?!  She has been through hell and back the past couple years.  If it put a smile on her face...all the better!

Anne's mother was the one who taught Britt (my daughter) to quilt.  In turn, Britt share her love of it with me and as they say...the rest is history!  I couldn't send to Anne without including a little something for Bev!

5" x 5"
Mini Mini Quilt

That's Liberty in those wings!  I have about 5 tiny pieces that needed to become a butterfly! Bev would certainly appreciate this tiny little piece!  

The pattern, Butterfly Charm Blocks is paper pieced and you can find it here @ Lillyella. 

Did you think I was finished with the Cactus Madness?!  I really apologize...I was on a roll, having an obsessive moment.

5" x 5"
Pattern Reduced to 45%

Slightly different than the others!  That's different!  For sweet Jessica, who asked me to join the fun in a Holiday Pop Up show and surprised the hell out of me with a 'Shaq' ornament...I can't even explain that except to say it's a joke between her, me and my daughter!

Cactus.  Loominous.  Anna Maria Horner.  Succulent not on a shelf.  It's different from the rest, really!  

I reduced the pattern to 45% and made it a mini mini quilt!  Go small or go home, I always say! In this case, I said that!!

It was really cute.  Really cute!  I was excited at the possibility of making myself a Succulent shelf, now I will...in a mini version!

Thank you for indulging me!  I may have taken this a little too far and totally over shared my obsession!  You can take comfort in the fact the the holidays are over and I'm not planning on making any more gifts!!

Holiday Joys!

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Can I get A Whoop Whoop

Secret Gift Delivered

Last Saturday was our Guilds annual Holiday party.  We all look forward to getting together, kicking back, eating lots of food and exchanging our Secret Santa Gifts.  I was so excited about this party I could barely sleep the night before!

When I received the info on who my swap partner was, it took a while to figure out what I was going to make.  I kept flip flopping on ideas.  Too many!  Eventually I narrowed it down and got to work!

16" x 28 3/4"

A couple months back, I was lucky enough to win this bundle of fabric on from Nicole (Snip Snippets) Instagram!  Big surprise, and such a lucky win!  The fabric is Coyote by Hawthorne Threads and boy oh boy, it was so perfect for this project!

The pattern, 'Succulent Shelf' is by Amanda from Material Girl Quilts, it's a paper pieced delight in my opinion!

I first made potholders from it, and knew right then and there that I was going to make a shelf full of cacti!

I printed out the paper piece patterns, then paired up fabric for the pots.  I tried to get a good mix of color: aqua, gold, desert rose.  It looked good to me!

The colors are exactly as I planned and couldn't have worked out better!  Now, I must get some cacti potted in these pretty pots! 

Sweet Succulents!  

Another thing I like about this pattern, you can mix and match!  Any pot with any cactus!  

Once I had all the pieces and parts together I could get busy with the quilting.  Time was ticking down.  I needed to finish this fast!

Aloe and Cactus

Agave and Haworthia

Eye Candy Back!

At this time I should tell you I have gone totally bonkers with this pattern!  Not only have I made pot holders and this wall hanging, but I decided to make two mini wall hangings of a single cactus and one with three cactus.  Last minute gifts are always fun, don't you think?

Happily Leanne liked her secret gift!  Whew!  You never know!  They say give a gift you would like to receive yourself.  When it was finished I so wanted to keep it for myself!  And I never keep anything!!

  

LINKING:

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Distractions 'R' Us

Distractions can be a lot of fun.  Or they can be just that, a big fat distraction!  Just when I thought I had all my 'goodies' ready for the Gift Horse Pop-Up Show (A New Adventure), a new idea popped into my head.  I had to do it.  I just had to.  

Cacti Pot Holders

The ever popular and always a adorable Cacti!  This succulent paper pieced pattern has been on my to-do list for quite a while.  I knew one day I would find the time to give it a try.   

The pattern is by Amanda at Material Girl Quilts.  The pattern has four different cactus plants each in their own little pots, and all neatly set upon a shelf.  I was so happy to rediscover this tutorial!  It worked well for these pot holders, but it also gave me an idea for a secret Santa gift!

I reduced this Cactus to 75% so it would fit a pot holder.  

The Agave had a little more modifications.  It was reduced to 65% and I made the pot smaller.  

The Succulent Shelf pattern is interchangeable, meaning you can swap pots or cacti!  Very smart!

I'm thinking if you did one of each cactus in the same color scheme...that would make for an even better set!  Next time, right?!

I have also been working on tagging ideas for the show.  It has been fun, but also time consuming.  

  

I was determined that the pot holder sets needed to be wrangled and kept together!  This is my solution.  A simply designed tag and ribbon.  I really like how it turned out.  The sets will stay together and have enough room for pricing.

Little hang tags were put together for the smaller items.  There won't be any confusion on who made these!

Thankfully I'm finished with everything for this show!  Tomorrow they will be off to their final resting place, tucked somewhere among the other talented artists.  

It does seem like this time of the year is always full of distractions.  How do you handle the stress and do you get distracted? 

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