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.

Scrappy Gifts To Give

Karen DeAngelo and I were talking this morning and we wondered just how many scrappy gifts we could come up with. This is our list. Can you come up with more?

Definition of Scrappy for my blog friends: Scraps leftover from projects.

Scrappy Gifts to Give

Bookmarks

Hackysacks/beanie balls for children

Grocery bags

Plastic Grocery Bag tubes for recycling

Lunch bags

Ipod/Cell/Messenger bags

Eyeglasses case

Puppets, Teddy bears, and stuffed beanies

Tooth Fairy Pillows

Ring Bearer Pillows

Neck pillows and U-shaped Travel Pillows

Spa sets (slippers, tote, do-rag and scrubbie)

Potpourri balls and bowls

Journal covers, photo albums, guest registers

Book and Bible cover totes

Poppets and pet toys (catnip mice and chase balls)

Pillowcases

Scrunchies and hair accessories

Gift/Wine bags

Small Appliance covers

Casserole/Crock Pot totes

Tea Cozies

Aprons

Placemats, runners, napkins, table cloths, napkin rings

Holiday themed plate chargers

Silverware set holders

Picnic sets

Pouches

Coasters

Table toppers and altar cloths

Cookie tin and basket liners

Pencil/Bucket cup liners

Car seat organizers/visor organizers

Totes, Purses, Folded Purses

Sewing table sandbags, under machine organizers, sewing machine cover

Curtains

Wall décor/Wall safes

Sewing hams

Needle case/rolls/books

Pin cushions

Clothespin holders

Hat and Glove holder

Closet safe on a hanger

Jar toppers

My Cure for Stress

As I mentioned in a comment in my FatFrogDiary blog, my DH is once again out of work. I'm sure many of us have felt the bite of the bad economy, and some may even call me lucky for DH having found work at all, even if it lasted a mere six months.

However, some good has come of this horrible, horrible year and a quarter since I had my bariatric surgery. Before my band, I was a stress eater. Any amount of stress caused me to run to the fridge for something naughty to shove in my face. The more stress in my life, the fatter I got, and of course when times were good I didn't lose the weight.

DH lost his job six weeks after I had my surgery, and was out of work from March 09 to September 09. We both looked desperately for work, because writing doesn't pay my bills. It helps, but cannot replace DH's income. Neither of us had much luck. Only through a miracle did we manage to keep the house.

Once I had the band, I literally could not overeat in times of stress. The one time I tried, well, let's just say it wasn't pretty. Nothing like worshiping the porcelain god to reinforce what the doc said about not eating bread, cakes, and other carbs. EUWW.

However, that meant I had to find an alternate means to work through my nerves, depression, and of course the inevitable rocky marriage. The cure was literally at the end of my fingertips.

How many of you just pounced on my writing as the possible cure? You're only partially correct. There's only so much keyboard time anyone can do, even a professional writer. My head explodes after a few hours, but I certainly did become prolific last year. Retreating into my own weird worlds was only part of the solution.

The other part was quilting. Strangely enough, I'd just joined a local quilt guild the day before my DH called to tell us he'd lost his job (yeah, March 09.) At first, I was a little frightened and overwhelmed by the complexity of the projects the other guild members produced without batting an eyelash. Moreover, I found out there was much, much more than mere patchwork. I found an art form.

Best of all, as times got more and more difficult and I couldn't afford to buy materials, I could volunteer to make a charity quilt and the materials were given to me to do so! I learned on those simple quilts for Linus Quilts (http://www.projectlinus.org) where a traumatized child who has lost so much can receive the warmth of a cuddly blanket to help them through a crisis. All I had to do was cut and stitch the material provided, sandwich the top, batting, and backing, quilt it together, and then bind it. My efforts perhaps were less beautiful than my fellow guild members, but just as soft and warm. There was still a mother's love in every stitch, and a sincere hope that each recipient felt the cuddle I sent with my clumsy work. Below is the latest Linus Quilt I'll turn in at the next meeting on the 13th.



When times were good, I could pick up a bit of material and make a quilt for myself or my own family. I learned to make pillowcases for the Million Pillowcase Challenge (another charity)...


And 16" doll quilts for the American Woodworker's Guild to go in the doll cradles they make for Christmas charities...



Now that DH is out of work again, my computer time is very limited. We have not had so much good fortune that every computer in the house is hooked up to the net. Only one--this one. So, I must vacate my office while DH looks for work and sends off countless resumes.

So, when my muse deserts me, I'm quilting. Needless to say, as worry becomes despair, and depression darkens my world, I cling to my little bits of cloth and immerse myself in putting together scraps into pretty pictures to brighten my world for a little while until they go out to bring bright colors and softness to someone who perhaps has lost more than I.

Best of all, I stay out of the kitchen. Occasionally, I can still cheat, so my weight loss hasn't been as dramatic as some. That's my fault. Old habits are hard to break, but I'm quilting instead of eating most of the time.

So, if I am silent, know that I'm probably at my sewing machine, doggedly trying to stay out of the kitchen. Bear with me. I'll be back.

http://fatfrogdiary.blogspot.com

www.LenaAustin.com