Custom Order Challenge

Hi!  Christmas is over, and New Year's Day is coming this week.  This has been a bittersweet holiday season for us, since we lost our parents earlier this year.  We've had a chance to reflect on childhood memories and the legacy our parents behind.  We are truly blessed.

We were busy this holiday season fulfilling orders for some customers.  So..... we decided to share some of those orders with you. You'll get to vote on your favorite.

Elephant Tote
One customer asked for a very big tote with elephant fabric for her daughter, who has twin boys.  This cute elephant fabric is from Edward Emberley. The lining is made of some very cute ladybug fabric. It is a huge tote and will be put to great use with lots of boy things.  Who doesn't like ladybugs, unless they're crawling on you.

Cat Pillows
This customer wanted 2 cat pillows -- one for her sister and one for her aunt.  And she didn't want them exactly alike, except for the cat fabric.  She liked them, so let's hope her family liked them, too.

When we are at craft shows, people always look for items that have animals on them.  People love their animals.

We hope this new year is a healthy and happy year for you and your family.  Stay tuned for more new challenges each month.  Remember to vote!!

Tote Sewing Challenge

We are gearing up for our Fall craft show season.  We don't go crazy with craft shows, but we do have a couple dates on our calendars.  We'll tell you about those dates in just a bit.  So that means that we are should be sewing like crazy.  We've got coin purses, wristlets, totes, pillows and coasters on the brain.  Our sewing rooms are beginning to look like Christmas.  Well, sort of.  That means we've been on the lookout for a new style of tote for our fall season.  We've each made a new pattern, and we would like for you to vote on your favorite.

Tote #1   Fabric: Gray, Beige and Flax Linen (exterior). 

Color Block Tote

It's bigger than you think!

Casual but classy

Tote #2 

Navy Zig Zag

Fabric: Simply Style Navy Blue Zig Zag Ombre by V and Co (exterior). Ombre Dots by Riley Blake (interior).

It's so big, it's almost a skirt! 

Ombre dots on the inside

Today is also the start of our favorite college team's football seasons.  Joy lives in Champaign, IL and is a huge fan of the Fighting Illini at University of Illinois.  Basketball is more the sport of choice for her, and she is suffering through the football season.  Jan lives in Columbus, OH and is a huge fan of The Ohio State University Buckeyes. Jan's household prefers football and suffers through basketball season.  It gets a little dicey when our teams play each other.  Sometimes on our visits to each other's houses, the unsuspecting homeowner will find the opposing team's stickers all over the place.  It's only amusing if you're the one who has hidden the stickers.  hehe

Back to our craft show schedule.  If you would like to see our creations in person, here is our schedule.  We'll post more info on facebook as these dates get closer.

Nov. 1&2 (Jan & Joy)
Chris Cringle
University of Illinois
Champaign, IL

Nov. 30th (Jan)
Not Your Mama's Craft Market
Union County Fair Grounds
Marysville, OH

A Saturday in December (Joy)
Joy's Holiday Open House
Champaign, IL

Take a minute during a commercial break or in between plays and vote for your favorite tote!!!  As always, the voting is anonymous.  We don't know who votes.  So just vote!!

Pillow Challenge

If you look at our planned monthly sewing challenges, you'll notice that we change them.  Often.  We were supposed to do a rickrack challenge this month, but we're busy working on inventory for a craft show.  So...we decided to change our challenge to pillows.  We're both making some pillows for the show.  And who doesn't love a good pillow.

You can see that the pillows are both really cool, but really different.  We're the same.  Even though we're twins, we're different but very cool.  Both of us.  And so are the pillows.

Mitered Square Pillow

Christmas Pillow

These pillows will be for sale this Friday and Saturday, 11/1 -11/2 at the Chris Cringle Craft Show in Champaign, IL.  If you're in the area, stop by our booth and check out our merchandise.  You might need to pick up a pillow or two.  Or some other really cool item.

We're only a week away from election day.  Maybe you've already voted, and if you haven't, be sure to do so.  It's your right and privilege and duty.  Also, remember to vote for your favorite pillow.  They're both pretty cool, if you ask me.  And I only made one of them.

Remember, your vote is confidential.  We don't know who votes.  So, just vote!

Baby Gifts

I'm getting my hair cut tonight.  The girl who cuts my hair is expecting identical twin girls in July.  I'm taking her baby gift to her tonight, just in case those girls decide to come early.  Way early.  I know their mom is afraid that's going to happen.  She already has 2 girls, ages 10 and 12.  And now she's having 2 more.  I'm sure her husband is going to love all that estrogen in the house.  He needs a man cave, for sure.

I found this cute owl pattern and just had to make a couple for the girls.  For some reason, owls seem to be a hit with people.  I've never figured out why, but my motto today is "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em".  So I made owls.

And I made owls.  Christmas is less than 8 months away, so I've started working on my inventory for the Chris Cringle show that we're in in November.  It's never too early to start preparing for that.  So I made a few extra owls to take along with me.

We're busy working on our elastic project for our May sewing challenge.  I think mine is going to be really cute, if I can figure out how to make it.  I don't know why I pick things to make and then have to create my own pattern.  Why do I do that to myself?

The pics of our elastic challenge will be posted in a couple more weeks.  Stay tuned for more of our sewing endeavors.