A Free Blackwork Elephant Pattern! Knit a Pair of Fox Mittens! Quilt a Sugar Bee Circle Quilt! Crochet Pretty Bench Covers! Decorate for Thanksgiving with a Leaf Mason Jar Candle Holder! Piece a White Poinsettia Table Runner! Fashion a Unique Shrink Plastic Ring! Applique a Thanksgiving Tea Towel! PLUS . . . My Christmas Ornament Countdown Continues, Recipes, Inspiration, Smiles, Memories, and More!

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THE SLOW STITCHING MOVEMENT! 

KNITTING!  CROCHET!  CROSS STITCH!  NEEDLEPOINT! WEAVING! QUILTING!

 

 

Letting go of Perfect and Jumping into Creative: 10 Tips for Busting Your Blocks

http://theslowstitchingmovement.wordpress.com/2014/10/26/guest-blogger-meg-cox-asks-my-whole-life-in-one-quilt/

YOKE DU YOUR 

One night a teenage girl brought her new boyfriend home to meet her parents, and they were appalled by his appearance: leather jacket, motorcycle boots, tattoos and pierced nose. Later, the parents pulled their daughter aside and confessed their concern.

“Dear,” said the mother diplomatically, “he doesn’t seem very nice.”

“Oh please, Mom,” replied the daughter, “if he wasn’t nice, why would he be doing 500 hours of community service?”

ARTspiration

Artists or art that turns me on and feeds my muse! Like it or dislike it, what about this art inspires your own art or creativity?  Painting by David Cheifetz.

 

 

DESIGNspiration

Look around you. Design is everywhere! How can you incorporate the beauty that surrounds you into your art or craft?   James Pomerantz photographs New York foods from A – Z, to coincide with the Food Issue of the magazine. 

 

 

 

 

IDEA I LOVE

 

I love Russian Blackwork.  Here’s a free and easy blackwork pattern from this blog, http://russianblackwork.blogspot.com , where you will find even more.  I’m going to have to try a blackwork sampler — maybe in red! Like this one:

LOL  Give the elephant pattern a try to see if you like it.

Here’s how to do blackwork:

 

IDEA I LOVE

 

 

Why not look a little foxy this chilly season after you’ve knit up a pair of cuter than cute fox mittens!? I’ll tell you, these mittens may warm your fingers but the design also warms my heart. Here’s the pattern:

http://www.petitepurls.com/Winter12/winter2012_p_fox.html 

 

 

YUMMY DISH!

 

SPINACH-MUSHROOM-SAUSAGE PIEROGI BAKE

You don’t get much easier than this recipe from Jan Valdez of Chicago! Saute a few ingredients, stir in cream cheese to make a sauce, and dump it all over frozen pierogis in a casserole dish. (You don’t even need to thaw the pierogis!) 

 

 INGREDIENTS:

• frozen potato pierogi
  
• chopped onion
  
• olive oil
  
• chicken sausages, sliced
  
• sliced mushrooms
  
• garlic, minced
  
• frozen chopped spinach
  
• cream cheese, cut up
  
• chicken broth
  
• salt
  
• ground black pepper
  
• shredded mozzarella cheese

FOR THE FULL RECIPE, CLICK HERE:   http://bit.ly/1pnCwos

IDEA I LOVE

 

 

Get your craft store, buy a bag of artificial autumn leaves, a jar of Mod Podge,  a skein of raffia and a sponge brush, then go home and cover all of your unused mason jars with this beautiful autumn overlay.   at some fake  flickering candles and line up these suckers down the middle of your Thanksgiving day table! Talk about creating an atmosphere. Here are the simple instructions:

 http://www.sparkandchemistry.com/craft-it-blog/leaf-mason-jar-candle-holder

SO DRINK, CHUG-A-LUG CHUG-A-LUG 

THANKSGIVING APPLE PIE PUNCH 

 

INGREDIENTS:

• apple, chopped or sliced
• apple cider
• pear nectar
• ginger ale
• Pearl Apple pie vodka (optional)

Directions:. http://www.thecookierookie.com/apple-pie-punch/

 

IF YOU HAVEN’T SUBSCRIBED TO THIS BLOG YET: 

For well over 2 years, I have been posting up to 20 links per day or every other day, on the Mark Lipinski’s Fan Pageon Facebook. Of course, in Facebook’s never ending quest to make lots of money, Facebook seems to have abandoned their mission of a real social networking site and it has become more about Facebook revenue.

Several months ago, Facebook, without warning, had implemented a new business model. As a result, the vast majority of “LIKErs” who have been faithful readers of this Fan Page have been blocked from receiving my posts, time and time again, from getting all or a few of the postings onto their timeline feed.

The reason is, Facebook would like pages like, Mark Lipinski’s Fan Page, to pay money every day, and on every post, in order to advertise and lure readers like you, onto the Fan Page.

With out “BOOSTING” a post, only about 5% of people who clicked LIKE on the Fan Page are actually seeing anything I post — and it could be random – sometimes you get a post, and sometimes not. Basically, it sucks for all of us. I am finding that we are all better served if I posted my tips, ideas, links, and jokes, etc. to my blog. You can subscribe to my blog (only if you wan to) and get an email each time I post a grouping of ideas, links, etc.

I AM NOT shutting down Mark Lipinski’s Fan Page on Facebook and you are welcome to follow me there, too. What I am doing is putting everything that used to be on the Fan Page individually onto my blog, AND there will be a daily link to the idea blog on the Fan Page, just as there were multiple links to the various blogs that I’ve always linked to in the past. It’s not that different, really. It will save me a lot of time, and guarantee those who want to see the creative posts will actually get to see them. And Facebookers, will STILL have to click on “GET NOTIFICATIONS” in your Facebook Settings if they want to see what I post on Facebook (sometimes that works, but not all of the time).

Actually, my new model gives you at least TWO ways to get all of the ideas, etc. PLUS you can PIN them and they will be TAGGED so you can find them again in the search bar even years later. – through the FACEBOOK FAN PAGE and YOUR CHOICE (not mandatory) to subscribe to the blog and get email postings that way.

 

IDEA I LOVE

 

 

Recapture your childhood excitement by adding your own unique designs to some Shrink Dink  product then creating two fists full of fashion accessory rings! Yes, you can add color but more importantly you can add  theme! Programs for Thanksgiving? Snowflakes for winter? Christmas trees? Valentine hearts? See where I’m going with this? So much fun! Here is the tutorial:

 http://www.planetjune.com/blog/shrink-plastic-ring-tutorial/

 

 

 

BREATHLESS INSPIRATION!

Ben Young is a self taught artist specializing in glass sculptures, they are all hand drawn, hand cut and handcrafted layer on layer.

 

IDEA I LOVE

  Clearly you do not need to be a typesetter or anal artist type to create this “Give Thanks” tea towel.   Dig into your scrap bin, cut out some lettering, and machine appliqué your sentiment. Why stop with “thanks”?  How about the word “EAT” or “DRY” or “BURNED AGAIN”   to spruce up your kitchen?  Here’s how you make these:

http://unusuallylovely.squarespace.com/blog/2013/11/23/appliqued-thanksgiving-tea-towel.html 

 

WORDS TO LIVE BY

IDEA I LOVE

 

 

 

 

Who says that the  holiday poinsettia has to be red?   Make this modern teal, white and grey poinsettia table runner using the Quick Curve Ruler (about $15).  I really like this design but if you’re a staunch traditionalist, use a few shades of red on a Christmas Green or  holiday-themed fabric background.  Start here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1F9zXPetqABSHRhXy13c3VRWXc/edit?pli=1

 

MAN CAN LIVE BY BREAD ALONE!

 

BETTER THAN STARBUCKS CRANBERRY BLISS BREAD 

 

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

cake

• flour
• whole wheat flour
• baking soda
• baking powder
• salt
• unsalted butter, room temperature
• sugar
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• buttermilk
• dried cranberries, plus a handful more for scattering over the frosting
• white chocolate chips

frosting

• confectioner’s sugar, sifted
• vanilla extract
• milk or cream to thin

drizzle

• white chocolate chips
• coconut or vegetable oil

 

FOR THE FULL RECIPE, CLICK HERE:  http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2014/09/better-than-starbucks-cranberry-bliss-bread.html

 

 

MEMBA?

 THE 1970’S TONI TENNILLE HAIRCUT

 

And now a word from our sponsor . . .

 

DESSERT!

BOURBON CARAMEL CHOCOLATE

BANANA CREAM PIE

 

 

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

pie crust lined with chocolate
vanilla pastry cream
bananas, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
heavy cream
confectioner’s sugar
salted bourbon caramel

pie crust lined with chocolate
all-purpose flour
confectioner’s sugar
salt
unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks
heavy cream
cider vinegar
bittersweet chocolate, chopped

vanilla pastry cream
whole milk
heavy cream
granulated sugar
cornstarch
all-purpose flour
kosher salt
egg yolks
unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
vanilla extract

salted bourbon caramel
unsalted butter
cream
kosher salt
granulated sugar
bourbon, divided
corn syrup
water
vanilla extract

FOR THE FULL RECIPE, CLICK HERE: http://userealbutter.com/2014/02/12/bourbon-caramel-chocolate-banana-cream-pie-recipe/

IN PRINT!

 

 

 

From her studio in a small village in the northeast of the Netherlands, Maaike Bakker designs quilts and writes books and articles about patchwork and quilting. One of her projects is a blog, written with Françoise Maarse, dedicated to The Paper-Pieced Garden.

Here’s a brand-new, updated,  book by Maaike for That Patchwork Place that is full of paper-pieced kitchen designs including cups, saucers, plates, bowls, containers, teapots, pictures, coffee pots, etc.  I love the whimsy of the scrappy and colorful dish ware as well as the combination of the blue Delft-like china cabinet.  You can even “design” your own Christmas Crockery using your stash of reds, greens and golds!

This book will not be available for sale until December 1, but you can order it here now:

http://smile.amazon.com/Cups-Saucers-Updated-Kitchen-Designs/dp/1604685328/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415241195&sr=1-3&keywords=cups+and+saucers

 

 

 

PATCHWORK, BABY!

 

Now is the time to start a  circular Christmas quilt or use the design to create a modern spherical patchwork piece. You choose the colors, the placement, and the quilting design, and if you start now – you’ll have a finished quilt to give as a holiday gift.  Here’s the pattern:

http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/2011/12/christmas-circle-quilt.html#_a5y_p=2709102

 

 

SHOEspiration

VALENTINO, Carmen appliquéd leather ankle boots, $1,775

ORNAMENT COUNTDOWN!

 Make a gaggle of paper pieced Santa’s  for your tree, gift packages, or holiday decorating. Here is the pattern from pinwheelponders.blogspot.com:

 https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxmVqgHhGTaBc1FEUGFoNi01SEE/edit?pli=1

MUST HAVE!

 

This one-of-a-kind Singer Sewing Machine is made up entirely of glue, wood, thread, and pages from sewing guides of vintage sewing patterns. It also is completely functional and has a hidden compartment for all your sewing knick-knacks.  $1,525

 

 

IDEA I LOVE

 

How cool is this? If you can crochet a doily you can crochet these fabulous  Crocheted Flower Medallion Stool Covers.  Sit on them naked for a few minutes, and you will have the most delicious design imprinted on your butt!  Now isn’t that worth the time it takes to create these beauties? Here is the pattern:

http://bit.ly/1qqv9Ym 

MARK’S ON CRAFT DAILY: AN ONLINE CLASS!

Halloween and Thanksgiving Quilt Borders from Strips of Fabric

Create festive borders for your Halloween and Thanksgiving quilts

“In Holiday Borders Using Strips with Mark Lipinski, Pt. 1, Mark Lipinski – fabric designer and quilter extraordinaire – shows you how to construct and assemble borders for two very fun quilts just in time for the holidays! Follow along as Mark demonstrates how to create festive borders for your Halloween and Thanksgiving quilts. Adopt some great seasonal ideas while getting into the quilting holiday spirit!

Included with this class are free downloadable templates available after purchase.”

CHECK IT OUT BY CLICKING HERE: 

http://craftdaily.com/p-1478-holiday-borders-using-strips-with-mark-lipinski.aspx

 

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I’d really appreciate it!  xoxom

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