Come to Gather Fall Cards

For my cards this week I used the Come to Gather designer paper from Stampin Up.  I love the Pretty Peacock color of the stripes and the feathers.  I added the feathers from the Tags and Feathers wooden accents.  I thought the card needed a little something more when it was done, so I added the little bird.  He's from an old set.  I saw this idea on line from Karen Hallam.  This card can be used all year long and makes a great masculine card.

For this card, I cut out a leaf from the Peacock gingham paper using an older leaf die.  I added a smaller cut out from Seasonal Layers framelits to the inside.  Then I put a small teal pumpkin along side the tag.  The card base is Mint Macaron and the idea is from Mary Fish.

For this card featuring the Country Home stamp set, I added some embossing paste that I dyed orange to a cut out stencil that I made from a framelit.  It's along the bottom of the card.  It doesn't show up well in the photo, but it really adds some dimension to the card.  Then I stamped the Birch background in Crumb Cake ink.  I added the country milk can with the dried flowers and small pumpkin for embellishment.  The dotted paper is from the Come to Gather collection.

I used an older pumpkin stamp to make this card.  The papers are also from the Come to Gather paper set.  I cut out the pumpkins and added a dimension to the Jack-o-lantern.

I love to send out Thanksgiving cards.  By the time we get to Christmas, there are so many things to do that I enjoy the more relaxed holiday of Thanksgiving.  And you don't even have to buy any presents.

Painting Pumpkin Decor for Fall

If you're like me, you have a lot of items lying around that can possibly be turned into a craft project.  I stopped by my friend Tracy's house and she had made some really cute fall decor items.  Check out this cute pumpkin made from wine corks!  I grabbed a few, hot glued them together and then painted one side of them orange to look like a pumpkin.  How cute it turned out!

I glued half of a cork for the stem and added some leaves cut from burlap.  Then I added a raffia bow and a small embellishment. I just love it.

For these pumpkins, Tracy cut a wooden post into smaller sections.  I sanded them, painted them and added some embellishments to the top.  To make the candy corn one, I put painters tape around the block, painted one color and then taped the other section and painted that, etc.  After painting, I added some wax to finish them.

She even had a little scarecrow and a pumpkin to added to the top!  My fall decor is stepping up!

One day on a small road trip to VT, I stopped at a lovely display along the road. 

While my friend and I were out exploring and looking for fall foliage, we saw covered bridges and cute pumpkin displays.

Here I am sitting among the pumpkins.  Ah, I love fall, both indoors and out.

Making Fall Pumpkins

A couple of weeks ago one of my crafty friends said that she wanted to make pumpkins.  I knew right away that she meant, sew them and use them for decorating, not make something to eat! 

She and another friend came over and we took out some fabrics and embellishments and this is what we came up with!  Cindy cut the branches from one of her trees.  Then we used a dish to trace a circle onto fabric- cut out two.  Using a tapestry needle threaded with floss, we sewed a gathering stitch around the edge of the circle.  We added poly fill stuffing and pulled the gathers to form the pumpkin.

Then we added the stick and hot glued it into place with some Spanish moss at the top.  The moss covered up the raw edges of the gathered fabric.  We added some leaves, flowers, jute bow and a small stamped tag to complete the look.

They were easy and fun to make!  I made my pumpkins out of an old sweater, some burlap and some outdoor fabrics- whatever I had lying around the craft room.  I just want to make them all day long.

My Fall Sewing Retreat

Not only do I go on a Quilting Retreat in the winter, but also in the fall.  Ah, I love fall.  My friends and I went out on a walk during our retreat time and the landscape was amazing.

It was such a beautiful weekend!  The weather was just perfect and the trees were in full fall color. 

I do have to say, here in upstate NY the fall is such a great time of year!  (I'm not sure about what comes next- a very long winter, but I do love fall.)

Here is a pic of the outside of our hotel rooms first thing in the morning.  :)

On the inside, I was working on several different quilting projects.  Although our retreat is 4 days, I never get enough done!  There are just so many projects to make.

I started working on the Rainbow Quilt last winter.  This weekend I sewed some borders on it and got it ready for the backing and quilting.

I added a light gray border to it and I love how it makes the rainbow colors all stand out. 

This weekend I started this colorful quilt made from a jelly roll.  I saw the picture in a book and tried to get the whole quilt put together in a couple of days.  After sewing the strips together, I wasn't sure if I liked how it turned out.  (Don't you hate that?)

But now that I have it at home, I put a teal colored border on it and like it a lot better. I hope to finish it soon to give to a friend who is moving away.  She likes bright colors.

This is an adaptation of Pat Sloan's "Oh, my Stars" quilt pattern.  I picked up the fabrics last fall at the Houston Quilt Show and cut them into squares to make a quilt for one of my sons.  Last year I made him an afghan in these same colors, so I'm making the quilt to match.

It's ready for a backing.  I'm hoping to finish it for Christmas.  Wish me luck!