Crafty Finishes - November 2015

Oh hey, I know I sort of dropped off the end of the world there. To sum it all up: I get headaches on a daily basis but, thankfully, my doctor has helped me be proactive about it so I take medicine for it nightly. However, if I've had an especially stressful day or I try to use my eyes too much (staring at a backlit screen, reading for long periods or small font, or staring intently at something/ cross stitch) the headache turns into a full blown migraine. With Thanksgiving, black friday, and some family issues (don't you dare start to assume to know what I'm talking about; you know who you are and if you don't know what I'm talking about then don't worry about it) all building up, I wasn't able to sit down and write up blog posts or edit photos until now. I'm sorry but I'm back and moving forward.

So, not a lot of words today, just some fun pictures of what I've been crafting. Leading up to Christmas my crafty photos will be a bit vague since the crafts are mostly presents but afterwards I'll be sure to share with you the finished products.

First up, the fun stuff I made for the Star Wars Swap. See the completed package on the swap page.

1-Hour baskets and headbands

And for my final swap for the foreseeable future, the Mermaid themed craft swap. Again, you can see the full swap package (and what I received) on the swap page.

A 1-Hour basket based off my partners mermaid colors and a fun scarf

Once I made the first 1-Hour basket I just wanted to make more. The pattern is free and I think it would be a great scrap buster to make them all quilty. Yup, that's definitely going to happen. If you too want to know what all the fuss is about get the pattern --> here.

Just in time for the big meal, Tom Turkey placemats that I started this time last year (those HST freaked me out back then but I've got them all figured out now).

Last year J and I each chose the fabric we wanted as part of our Mr. Turkeys and then I pieced them all together. Even after messing up the first few cuts, I think both turned out quite well. It was fun to finally have some sort of fall decoration up and I have some plans for next year's decorations. If you are the crafty sort and want to make one for yourself, its a free pattern offered by Bee In My Bonnet -> here.

Speaking of holidays, here are two Christmas gift sneak peaks that I posted to instagram earlier this week. Please don't try and guess what they are or who they're for, it'll spoil the surprise.

For the first photo, I finally conquered my fear of curves by taking on full circles. And the second photo is to show off my improved ability at matching up patterns and stringing strips together. I know the tail is a bit off but considering how crooked the pattern was to start with, I'm happy with it.

Finally, the piece I'm most excited to have finished, was my Christmas quilt. We even took it out for my first ever quilt photo shoot. I'm hoping there are many more of these in my future (and perhaps, someday, with a better camera than just my cell phone).

I wanted the quilt to have the feel of a traditional Christmas quilt to represent the traditions my family has always had and then its quilted with Scandinavian snow flakes to represent J and his family. So, the two together, make a new tradition for our new family - when the quilt comes out so does the holiday planning, music, and cheer. The importance that I was placing on it is what led to it taking me so long. I didn't want to mess up so I was afraid of even trying but, in the end, I'm glad I took that deep breath and went for it.

Here's a closer look at the quilt so you can get a better look at the quilting (there's a snowflake over each diamond and crosshatch quilting around the border).

It was a cold and windy day so it was a bit of a fight to catch a photo of the quilt not blowing in the breeze. The photo on the left was the most successful photo we caught of the back of the quilt. You can see some of the quilting on this side too.

Everyday since September 10th of this year we've been taking a selfie a day to countdown to our wedding, minus a few days that we got tired of taking selfies sitting on the couch (284 days to go!!). It just seemed fitting that we include the quilt in this day's photo.

Aren't we the cutest!? Yes I am definitely stealing more of the blanket than what J had but it was super cold that day!

That's it for my crafty finishes the last two weeks. I have plenty more on my list to complete especially with my Christmas gift deadline being 21 days from now so more pictures coming soon.

Oh, and if you're wondering about my completed book list. Please laugh with me as I say that I read a single book and 2 graphic novels this month. I did play Portal 2 start to finish in less than 24 hours, finish a quilt, work close to 30 hours a week, and keep up on my house chores though so give me a break :) Many of last month's books I still want to read so I've extended their due dates at the library to give me more time. I also have a growing list of books I've received for review so I want to give an honest review of those as well. Stay tuned for all that fun.

On Wednesday, since its the beginning of the month, I'll be sharing my bullet journal (what I had intended to share on the Friday I disappeared) past, present, and future. Hope to see you again and I appreciate your time. As always, you can follow me on Instagram @trekkiechick29 or Pinterest @TrekkerChick29 or Twitter @AimeXAime and check out my etsy shop. Until next time my holiday spirited readers, live long, give thanks, and prosper!