Thursday, December 11, 2014

Copycat Challenge & a whole lot more!



santa mug from home is where the boat is

My older sister chastised me for neglecting my blog...I'm sorry...I just got out of the habit of posting!

Then along came Cuisine Kathleen's "Christmas Copy-Cat Table Challenge" & I had to get back in the swing.

Thanks, Kathleen, for hosting these fun tablescape parties!
I chose Mary's photo of her Santa mug & cookies, (1st photo, above) from her beautiful & inspiring blog, "Home is Where the Boat is".


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 I have a very similar Santa faced container (a teapot) 

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 and similar Pink Willow dishes & Christmas mugs, although teddy bears instead of Santa faces.

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Instead of cookies, I've made chocolate dipped/peppermint coated marshmallows for stirring into hot cocoa for granddaughter Ms. C. & her friend. 

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Both girls are coming here on Saturday for a "Sewing Day" together.  I'm thrilled!!!!  They want to make pull-on fleece pants to wear over their bathing suits when they get out of the pool.  They are both swimming competitively for their school this year, so we're doing them in their school colors.


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I have actually been making Christmas cookies and did Pizzelles for the first time in my life.  There is a knack to getting the correct amount of dough each time & getting it positioned in the same place on the iron. 

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 These were almond flavored & I'm making a combination of orange & lemon ones next.
(You all KNOW how much I ♥♥♥ LEMON!)

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In between baking, I've been busy practicing my free motion quilting of small projects on my Innova long arm machine, too. 






 Above in my own Lil' Twister Christmas Wreath and below is my friend, Robin's version that I quilted for her. 

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I was honored that she trusted me enough to let me work on it for her.  Thanks Robin!!


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I had FUN doing it, too!  This long arm is such a joy to work with, both in free-motion custom work, (as seen above) and computerized designs, like the one in the green border, (seen below).

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Here is a second, smaller Lil' Twister Christmas Wreath that also belongs to Robin. 

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The next one (below) I'm working on is my sewing friend,  Nicole's, (pattern from All People Quilt).  Shhhh, its a gift for her Mom, so don't tell.

Nicole's quilt

I hope you're also getting to enjoy this festive, holiday season with some hot cocoa & marshmallows & maybe even a quilt to curl up under.

Thanks so much for visiting The Gazebo House.  Please be sure to pop on over to Cuisine Kathleen's blog, to see all the other copycat tables...always so much creative talent to see!

I promise, it won't be such a long time in between posts next time.  I have TONS of photos from our local quilt show to share with you later.

fondly,
Rettabug

25 comments:

  1. It's great you're blogging again. Enjoy reading them!!

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  2. Well, I must say….it's about time!! I love your posts and have missed them terribly! Glad your sister put a fire under you…lol!! LOVE the marshmallows…the girls will LOVE them too! Happy sewing!

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  3. Happy you are back my friend and see, now we can enjoy again your gorgeous posts, such as this one. Your quilt is to die for!
    Happy holidays.
    FABBY

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  4. So happy you are back doing some blogging. How fun to do those table-settings. I must try those marshmallows.

    Love, love the quilting.

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  5. The quilts are absolutely gorgeous Rett! How fun that the girls are coming over for a sewing day, lessons and memories that will last a life time-enjoy:@)

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  6. What a pleasant surprise to see your post, Rett! Hope we see more of you this coming year.
    You did a great job of copying Mary's drink and cookie post. Your bear mugs are adorable.
    The pizzelles look delicious...I have never tried making them.
    The Christmas quilts are all beautiful...I especially like the non-traditional one with the trees on a yellow background.
    Have a great weekend, Rett!

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  7. Hi Rett, Your bear mugs are adorable! I'm sure Ms. C & her friend will enjoy those cute candy cane marshmallows and cocoa on sewing day! I have such fond memories of my grandmother teaching me to sew on her old trundle machine. I always enjoying seeing your quilting projects. I've never made Pizzelles, I would have a hard time deciding whether to eat an almond or a lemon one :) Hope you're staying warm & cozy! Happy Stitching to you ♥

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  8. It was so great to see a post from you, Rett! I love your copycat version of our friend Mary's post. The teddy bear mugs are adorable and I so love that Santa teapot!!
    How special for Ms. C and her friend to come over for sewing this weekend. Don't you just love when they want to spend a special day with you on a project? They are going to love those marshmallows and I'm thinking that I'll be doing a copycat of those darling treats!

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  9. I forgot to mention all the wonderful quilting you've been doing! What gorgeous work you do and you always inspire me. Wish we lived closer!

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  10. Great job on the challenge! Those little bear mugs as so cute.

    Your quilting is beautiful! What pattern is that wreath? It's really pretty.

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    1. Thank you for your sweet compliment & I apologize for my delay in answering your question about the wreath pattern! I didn't see it earlier & then the Christmas holiday put me behind in responding to everyone.
      The pattern is from the Lil' Twister line of patterns by www.country-schoolhouse.com

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  11. Hello! I'm new to you blog and visiting you via Kathleen's challenge; I must say my jaw dropped (literally) at those quilts! They are GORGEOUS! I will be looking up the details of your machine!! On to your table, it's adorable! Those marshmallows are such an elegant touch!

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  12. Rett, what joy it is to see this post. I've missed you! Your mugs are adorable, and Miss C and her friend are going to be giggling with delight. What fun it must be to spend time with you. Loving the pretty quilts too. You've been busy!
    Happy Holidays, dear friend!

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  13. Beautiful quilts, Rett! I can tell you get a lot of joy from sewing. :0)
    The teddy bear mugs are adorable, and the marshmallows will make the hot chocolate really festive. I've made quite a few pizzelles in the past but only once recently, when I made almond ones as well as chocolate ones. They were a hit with hubs and the kids but they're not my favorite. I'm more a fan of soft cookies than crisp ones. Lynn at Happier than a pig in mud recently showed how she jazzed up the look to her pizzelles. You might want to take a look. So glad you are back with a blog post. I missed you! Hope you can blog often, I love seeing your slices of homemaking, cooking, and sewing!
    Hugs, Beth

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  14. I've missed you and love seeing all of your projects. As always, everything looks so pretty and festive.

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  15. No wonder you haven't been blogging, you've been far too busy doing wonderful things with your hands!

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  16. I have missed seeing you, Rettabug. Your tablescape is beautiful to the last detail--and I've got my eye on those marshmallow treats. The quilts are magnificent. Happy Holidays!

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  17. Terrific copy! I woefully got out of the habit to post also.

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  18. I took a break too! I just was overwhelmed with life. I think we get that way at times. Glad to see you are back.
    I love pizzelles! I make them a lot. They are such a delicate cookie and great when you just want something little.
    Your quilts are beautiful! Before I die, I want to make one! It's on my bucket list of things to do. Yours are exquisite.
    Glad I stopped by...
    Blessings My Friend,

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  19. It's great to have you back, Rett. That's a lot of pizelles!
    I must say, your quilting is fabulous. What's to improve? You are there in my book and I can see why your friend trusted you with her twisters. Those are great quilts. Welcome back!

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  20. So good to see you, dear Rett! I can understand you being, MIA, you have been creating masterpieces! How beautiful they are, and I hope you find them relaxing! Adorable cookie setting too! I see the word id gremlin found you! There is a way to get it off.
    So great to have you take the challenge!

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  21. Love your interpretation of Mary's Santa table. The bear cups are darling. I know your grand daughter and her friend are going to enjoy their coco with those tasty marshmallows melting their tasty goodness into their beverages.

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  22. Your beautiful quilts are positively stunning, Rhett. I would love to have the one with the Christmas trees draped over the back of my sofa. You do magic with your long arm quilting machine. I hope you and your family enjoy a very happy holiday.

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  23. So THIS is what you've been up to! SO glad to see you back out on the blogging circuit! I know we all get pretty busy, especially this time of year with the holiday season in full swing. It's so heartwarming to be back for a visit and see all the wonderful crafts and kitchen activities you've been involved in! Those quilts are incredible!!! Now doubt your friend's Mom will adore hers! And hats off to Robin for her trust in your extended abilities! She know s a good thing when she sees it, that's for sure!

    You did an excellent job with your copycat tablescape!! Enjoy it!

    Merry, Merry Christmas to you and yours! I'm so glad to see your talents out there in blog land again!!!

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Thank you so much for leaving a comment. I read them all & each one is so very special to me & I try really hard to return the visit!

fondly,
~Rett~