An Apple A Day

I wish I had my camera for the look on the recipients face when she opened my Thank You gift to her. She was sooooo happy, especially since she purchased a Cricut Explore for her daughter. The "oooos", "ahhhhs", and "I love it", were a sure sign to me that she really loved this gift.

The colleague I made this for is a true saint. I admire her caring nature. She is one of the most hard-working and loved member of our staff. She enjoys things that are created and made with a special intent in mind.

So here goes.....
This is the Thank You card in a box from Dreaming Tree.  The basic bottom and top of a box for notes is below.

The box design comes together with a red and green accent  shown below. 

The envelopes were my favorite.

Here are the cards. What a perfect gift for a soul that really appreciates everything done for her? She always writes thank you cards to everyone who does something for her, so I wanted to give her some special cards.

A gift box of cards to send to her special someone(s).

And here is the extra special touch of bling.  The self-adhesive jewels gave this project that "umph" it needed to really stand out.

It took me a couple of tries and an email to Dreaming Tree to get this project right. I love it, because my friend loved it. 

I can't wait to try more projects from the Dreaming Tree site. 

Lessons Learned: 

1. When making paper projects, it is really important to create folds perfectly. 

2. If something seems"off", question it. Find a solution to make it right. 

The original tutorial had the red of the apple on the part of the card that people write their sentiment on. I changed that. I put the red part of the apple on the same side as the cut of the apple was made. I wrote to the company and they were very receptive to my constructive criticism.

3. Do your own thing. When using a commercial file, add your own touches and make it your own.

What paper projects have you done for a special friend? How did they come out? 

Have a great day, 

Strawberry Fields Forever (Not)

I love strawberries (and apparently, so does Charlie).

This year, I've decided to grow just a few plants in a container on the deck and see what happens. If they die, the cost isn't that much.  I might be crazy, but I love to see any kind of plant produce its' riches, even if it's just a few.

I've tried for a couple of years now to grow them, but alas, I just don't have a green thumb to tend to and harvest the amount I would like.

The past years have proven to be experimental, to say the least. In 2015 we planted them in a makeshift gutter; one of the great Pinterest ideas I found. LOL We live in such a small house, on a small plot, I thought this would be the perfect solution. Although we had a number of nice berries during the summer, they didn't last until the next year. (Even though we followed the directions on Pinterest about how to store them over the winter.)

In 2016, we invested in a large above ground container and planted 8 plants. These lasted 2 years, but after such a hard winter last year, they didn't make it to this summer. :(

So here we are in the spring of 2018 and I've decided just to grow a few plants in a container. If they don't come back next year, it's not a great loss. By the way, since we purchased the plants 2 weeks ago, I've harvested 6 sweet, delicious berries from these plants (and they are still young.) 

This was a fun project. I started with a metal bin (yes, Mom, my research says strawberries can be planted in metal containers.) This year Walmart has a wonderful selection of metal containers designed for many uses. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-Homes-and-Gardens-Oval-Tub/55505628

I have no idea what this container is intended for, but it was not that expensive and I liked it. Isn't that what counts? 

I decided to jazz it up just a bit with a strawberry design from Apex Cuttables at http://apexembdesigns.com/cuttables/product/strawberry-cuttable-design.  I used my Cricut Maker machine to cut the vinyl and attach it to the container. 

 

The finished project was completed when my hubby, Rich, drilled a few holes in for drainage. He also added the potting soil and planted the plants. 

The container has been out on our deck for a couple of days now. Our, ever curious, Charlie, goes out each day and checks on the plants. He licks them to see if they are good enough for us. 

Recently, Charlie has been getting a little to close to the fruit. Just yesterday, according to vet guidelines, we gave Charlie just a little piece of strawberry to see if he liked it. Of course, he gobbled it down as if he was me, who just loves the berries. 

We now have to watch him whenever he goes out on the deck to be sure he does not snatch the berries while we are not looking.  

I'm sure glad we have a fruit farm very close to us so we can get many more strawberries than my plants will produce. 

Lessons learned: 

1. Contact Cornell Cooperative Extention before any "plant growing" project. Don't rely on Pinterest. 

2. Start with just a few Everbearing Strawberry Plants and see what happens over the seasons. Don't invest a ton of money because a website says so.  ( LOL Live and Learn) 

3. The great northeast is temperamental. Be careful. 

Do you have a favorite fruit plant you would like to grow successfully? I'd love to hear about it. Feel free to comment below. 

Enjoy the summer harvest,

My Aunt Sam and Her Absolute Love of Baseball

I thought for sure I posted the quilt I made for my Aunt Sam. I'm embarrassed to know that I did not. :(

Aunt Sam lived most of her life in CA and WA state. After a full life of traveling, her husband passed on and my Mom and Uncle went to get her in CA to bring her back to NY.

I was in touch with my Aunt Sam every once in awhile but did not really know who she was until recent years. She stayed with my mom until she fell down multiple times and my mom could not help her anymore. :(

The family agreed to have her stay in Amsterdam where the care was much more than we could give.  She has been there for more than a year. My Mom visits multiple times a week and I go to see her as much as I can.

The one thing I admire and am in awe of about Aunt Sam is her past, and still current, knowledge of sports; especially baseball and golf.

She loved her LA Dodgers. From her home state, the Brooklyn Dodgers moved west and she could be a historian for the team.

I wanted Aunt Sam to have a keepsake to always remind her of her love of baseball, so I made her this quilt. A simple striped number which included multiple generic baseball fabrics, her LA Dodgers fabric and a Snoopy baseball fabric I found. She immediately understood the significance of the Snoopy fabric.

With each quilt I make, I try to find a fabric that will have special meaning for the recipient.

I wanted to keep the design of the quilt simple but interesting. I liked the idea of the stripes, which was one I saw on Pinterest.

I decided to Monogram a baseball on the quilt so everyone would know it was hers. 

Turns out the monogram didn't mean anything because this quilt was lifted within a year of her having received it.

I wish you could have seen her face when she opened the quilt. She loved and cherished it. 

Lessons Learned:
1. Make something from the heart for a special person. You will feel joy and inspiration for doing something kind for them.

Have you ever made something for someone special? I'd love to hear what you have done. Leave comments below.

PS. With the help of a special friend, I made a second quilt for Aunt Sam after the first one was stolen. She was so thoughtful and proud, she would not allow me to leave it with her at the living center.  I have it at my home and will always cherish what it meant to her and to me.

Check out Charlie's bandana! I gave this 2nd quilt to Aunt Sam around the time the LA Dodgers were in the world series in 2017. Charlie and I were so hoping they would win for Sam.