Recipe: Friendship Tea to Give as a Gift

When I was a kid, this was the gift to get from my mother.

Friendship Tea

18 oz Tang orange drink mix

1 cup instant iced tea

2 cups granulated sugar or Splenda

1 package lemonade Kool-aid mix

1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground cloves

Mix and place in a well-sealed jar or other decorative container. For hot tea, mix 2/3 T of mix and 1 cup hot water.

Lena Austin
http://www.lenaaustin.com/
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/

A great gift idea for the holidays--Stick it Right on the Money Stickers

http://www.stickitrightonthemoney.com/

This has to be the most innovative way to give a plain old monetary gift some pizzazz to show you really did think about  what gift would suit the recipient.

My mother in law used to say that giving money, gift certificates, and gift cards were in a way a cop out and borderline rude. They require very little thought, and while "one size does fit all" it does show a certain casual disregard for the likes and dislikes of the recipient or even little more than a nod to the occasion.

However in today's busy world, sometimes giving cash can mean a whole lot more, especially when friends and family can be many miles apart. Cash spends well without having to worry.  

Now, with Stick It Right On the Money stickers, you can do more than give a nod to the occasion! Each frame and sticker are "Post-it" sticky, so the money isn't damaged. (That's illegal.) See the video at the website. What a great gift idea.

Lena Austin
http://www.lenaaustin.com/

Do you love my work? Then don't download from pirates.
When you steal what I've earned, you're hurting me.

Support the Troops

Support our Troops!
Things to Do for Military Men

Do you quilt, sew, knit, or crochet? Do you have an honest wish to give back to
the military?

Here are some ideas for you.

1. Quilts of Valor—This volunteer group matches those who make quilt tops with
machine quilters and deliver over 15,000 quilts annually. By making a quilt top
or being willing to longarm a quilt, you help make quilts to comfort our wounded
and the families who have lost their loved one to the war on terror. Visit
http://www.qovf.organd/ join up.

1. If you have any Christmas fabric, even scraps that you wish to be rid of,
you can send it to me. I'll either make stockings or take the fabric to the
coordinator locally here in Florida. We'll sew them up to make stockings. We
send them to www.operationcarepackages.orgin Joliet, Ill. Debbie sends them out
to the individual soldiers. (Make sure to use the "s" in the word "packages.")
You may also sign up a loved one at the website and enroll them into the program
to get a care packages.
These next few I will provide you with an address for mailing, once I have
confirmed the coordinator is willing to receive packages from unknown persons.

1. Sand Scarf—They must be 100% cotton in beige, tan or gray. We don't want the
soldiers to be targets.) Cut the fabric 60" long by 14" wide. Turn under the
edges and sew down all around the fabric. If you have 100% cotton tee-shirt
fabric, that too is acceptable.
2. Cool ties—These have the same restrictions as the sand scarves as far as
color and 100% cotton. Cut 4" strips about 45" wide (WOF for quilters) and sew
up the long side. Turn to make a tube. The coordinator fills these with special
water-absorbent crystals that cool the soldiers and sailors.
3. Helmet Liners—These don't have to be a certain color, and they may be sewn,
quilted, knitted or crocheted as long as they are 100% cotton. These are the
directions for sewing. Cut two 7" circles. Sew, right sides together, leaving a
place to turn the liners inside out. These too are filled with the water
absorbent crystals, and not only cool the soldiers, but also cushion their heads
from the uncomfortable helmets. The soldiers really appreciate these, and
they're so simple to sew.


If you wish to participate, please email me privately: voiceomt2002 AT gmail.com
for more information.

Lena Austin

Fw: Pokey's Sharing a Cool Secret for making Holiday Ornaments

From: Quilting Daily <quiltingdaily@interweave.com>
To: voiceomt2002@yahoo.com

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Quilting Arts Gifts is a special issue of Quilting Arts Magazine devoted to the art of gift-giving!

September 9, 2010

My Recipe for No-sew Snowflakes It's no secret I'm a surface design junkie. Over the years, I have amassed an overflowing stash of fabrics that have been dyed, printed, screened, stamped, and stenciled. Not only do I despair of ever using these fabrics up in art quilts, I have to admit that some of them aren't quite art quilt-worthy. I also have to admit that, being a surface design junkie, I also collect a ton of objects that could be used in surface design. A category of those objects is cookie cutters—implements that I can assure you will never be used in the presence of butter and sugar. Soy wax, maybe. So you can imagine my delight when I figured out a way to use these extra fabrics and some snowflake cookie cutters that were gathering dust together to get a jump start on my holiday decorations. I created no-sew snowflake ornaments that are a snap to make, and I'm sharing the secret for making them with you. In fact, if you have an Accuquilt GO! Fabric Cutter, you can whip up a batch of these cool beauties even faster. I explain the process with the fabric cutter in the 2010-2011 issue of Quilting Arts Gifts, but I can't wait to share the instructions for the cookie cutter version, so here it is. No-sew Fabric Ornaments By Pokey Bolton Materials Scraps of fabric Fusible web Stiff interfacing Iron and ironing surface Fabric scissors Awl Eyelets and eyelet setting tools Decorative ribbon (at least 7" for hanging) Cookie cutters with holiday themes Fabric marker Making the snowflakes 1. Sift through your stash of fabrics and look for areas that have interesting patterns that you'd like to feature on your ornaments. 2. Following the manufacturer's instructions, adhere fusible web to the back side of the fabric with your iron. 3. Iron the fused fabric to a piece of stiff interfacing. 4. Take another piece of fabric, apply fusible web, and iron it to the other side of the interfacing so that it is double sided. 5. Place a holiday-themed cookie cutter on top of the stiffened fabric and trace the design using a fabric marker, then cut it out. Attaching the ribbon 1. Mark a dot on your fabric ornament where you would like the ribbon to loop through for hanging. 2. With your awl, poke a small circle. 3. Using your eyelet setting tools, hammer the eyelet in place. 4. Loop the ribbon through the eyelet, and tie the ends in a bow. Voila! Your ornament is ready to be hung on the tree, and your surface design efforts were put to excellent use. There are lots of make-it-quick projects like this in the new issue of Quilting Arts Gifts, as well as more complex gift-giving and home décor ideas for the holidays and beyond. Be sure to get your copy before—like your favorite cookie—they're all gone!

Pokey Bolton Editorial Director More Quilting Daily •  Blogs •  Galleries •  Quilting Arts TV •  Free Stuff •  Join Quilting Arts •  Share Your Comments

Buy Yourself Some Time Make easy, modern projects in no time with Quilting Arts Gifts Make quick work of your holiday gift list and home décor with fun, festive projects you can make in an afternoon. The 2010-11 issue of Quilting Arts Gifts offers you seven Make-it-Quick! ideas that are a snap to make, leaving you more time to enjoy the season and bask in all the compliments you'll get for your creativity. Got time for more involved projects? Quilting Arts Gifts includes more than 20 additional art quilting and mixed-media ideas that will elicit oohs and aahs from everyone who sees them. Our Gifts issue is always a best-seller, so don't miss out. Order your issue today, and complete a project the very day it arrives!

This email was sent to: voiceomt2002@yahoo.com. Privacy Policy        Unsubscribe Interweave, 201 E. 4th St., Loveland, CO 80537 ©2010 Interweave Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

Buffet Buckets

Here's a Quickie Craft for any Season!


Take small metal buckets and wrap them with paper! The example in the picture shows them with a map for a Bon Voyage party, but I can see holiday wrapping paper, birthday paper, scrapbook paper, and even fabric! What a fun and easy way to make those utensils readily available for a picnic, cookout, or buffet table. After the party, just slip off the paper and store it for next time. If you use fabric, iron a stiff interfacing onto the back so it stays upright.

Next up: Cloth napkins in a flash. It's going green!

--
Posted By Lena Austin to CrafteeChix at 9/02/2010 01:43:00 AM

Keep the Kids Busy until the School Bus comes

My grandchildren are driving my eldest nuts. It's too hot, it's boring, etc. Yep, it's the Dog Days of Summer. Here are a few ideas to keep them busy until that glorious day when the bus comes.

Copy and keep this picture. I want to melt a few Peeps myself.

Lena Austin

http://www.lenaaustin.com/