Christmas in July Part 2

 

My cross stitchy neighbor, Kathy and I just uploaded our Christmas in July part @ video.  I was so excited to share Kathy's stunning Christmas samplers.  I even highlighted the one piece of Christmas cross stitch I have finished.  It's just missing the bow and miniature rolling pin on the top.  

This piece was made from 2 charts I printed from the Just Cross Stitching magazine DVD I bought that has all issues from 2001 to 2010, including the Christmas ornaments issues.  I just love how the Prairie Schooler Santa fit on top of the Good to Be Fat and Jolly Quote one.  Can't wait to finish off the top and put up in my kitchen this Christmas.  

Two of the other items I shared  were the Christmas Planner Notebook I made and the little booklet, covered with Graphic 45 papers to hold my "Christmas Chart Catalogue".  

For the Chart Catalogue folder, I used the same technique shown in our Floss Book Tutorial Video to make the book.  Then I cut some "library pockets" from craft paper with my Cricut and then printed and cut some "library cards" from a pdf I downloaded.    I am loving how easy it was to make and how easy it is to use to document all the facts about the Christmas cross stitch pieces I am working on.  I plan to add small pictures of the cross stitch pieces when they are complete.  It was so much fun using some of my older Christmas scrapbook papers and stickers and things to decorate the pages. 

The Christmas Planner notebook I made was inspired by a darling "free" chart from TangledThreads andThings 

I was so delighted to find this darling chart and had to stitch it right away.  It goes perfectly with the older  K and Company scrapbook papers I was hoarding.  Even found an avocado green binder at Office Depot that matched the papers perfectly.  Don't overlook the cute Noel Pillow chart that is on the Tangled Threads and Things site.  It is so charming!

And what's a Christmas celebration without something chocolate and made with a little holiday spirit?  Kathy and I are sharing some of our favorite holiday recipes and makes with each other.  My contribution to this week's celebration was a Bacardi Rum Cake.   You can find the recipe online at the Bacardi site, just be sure you are over legal drinking age to make this oh so rich cake!

Kathy shared her Marinated Grilled Shrimp Recipe.  They were great.  I just need to figure out how to keep Kathy bringing over the delicious goodies from now on when we tape our videos.  You can find the recipe on the Freebies page of this blog. 

It was such a thrill for me to get to see just some of Kathy's favorite Christmas samplers she has stitched throughout the years.  Each one was a masterpiece.  To see more just watch our video.  

Hope you enjoy and Merry Christmas in July to you!

Molly D

https://youtu.be/AjYqzgqByc8

Christmas in July with Linen and Scraps Flosstube

 
Kathy, my incredible, crafty neighbor, and I just finished filming our latest Flosstube.  It's the first of 3 episodes of Christmas in July cross stitching and crafting.   

 I was like a kid at Christmas, in absolute awe seeing all the Christmas cross stitch "smalls" Kathy had brought to showcase.  Her needlework is beyond amazing.   

The amount of love and details she stitches into each piece is just spectacular.   

Pictured here is a Gingerbread House she made a few years past.  Just image the joy and wonder these gorgeous pieces bring to her beautiful grandchildren when they see her home filled with this magic at Christmas!

The flosstube video we filmed is chock a block full of these creations, and so much more.

Be sure to watch the full video for our Christmas in July ideas.   I even showed some little project pouches I created with some "stitchy" sayings  and cute Vintage Santa "floss drops" I made.  

Yes, I am definitely loving my refound  craft of needle, thread and fabric crafting.  And am just thrilled to mix it with papercrafting ideas.  

We even had a recipe exchange between the two of us.  Kathy shared  her delicious Butter Pecan Fudge recipe and I made Aunt Mamie's Pecan Pie Mini Muffins.  

Between the two of us, just image how much butter and brown sugar was enjoyed!  

We shared the recipes for both on the Freebies page on this blog.  Just click the link to the Freebies page on the left and it will take you to that page. 

https://youtu.be/FISySd_qkGI

The video was filled to overflowing with cross stitch patterns, up close looks at all of Kathy's  smalls and so so so much more.  

Hope you enjoy!

Hugs, 

Molly D

Cross Stitching "Thread Beds"

Just a bit over six months ago, I wasn't cross stitching.  I had cross stitched over 30 years ago, but had fallen in love with scrapbooking and that became my craft of choice.   That was until my husband and I moved to El Paso, Tx.  We love it here and one of my favorite things about our new home in El Paso is meeting and becoming crafting buddies with our new neighbor, Kathleen Born.  

Now Kathleen is an expert cross stitcher.  She has completed hundreds of beautiful samplers over her years of cross stitching, but had not done much with paper crafts.  And that's how "Linen and Scraps" came to be.  

Kathy fell in love with paper crafting and I started back into cross stitching.  And like any new craft field, I learned there was a whole new language to learn.  What was a WIP,  a FFO, a floss drop or even a thread bed.  Kathy quickly caught me up to speed and laughs every time she reminds me  how fast I "fell down the rabbit hole" into this wonderful world of needlework.  So she and I decided to start a Youtube "Flosstube" channel together to highlight our combined crafts of cross stitching and paper crafts.  Kathy came up with the name Linen and Scraps.  Perfect for the two of us. 

And about learning the lingo of cross stitching....that brings us to the two of us using papers from my scrapbook stash to create things we could use with our cross stitching.  I love the Floss Books we made first. I am also loving creating floss drops to use with all the different projects, WIP's (works in progress) I have going.  The ones pictured with the thread bed are using beautiful Santas from vintage postcards.  Perfect for all the Christmas colors.   And now we have created some darling thread beds.  We even did a video on how we made them.

 https://youtu.be/Y7HRT8YKNsk

 We are planning a Christmas in July Flosstube series, so I decided to make a handsome holly and pine one using Simple Stories papers I had in my stash.  Added  few pine cone charms I have had for years, a bit of twine and I just love it.  I even designed a little magnetic needle minder to corodinate with it.    If you would like to know how easy it is to make yourself one, just click on the video link above.  Kathy shows you how she makes hers and then I show you how I made mine.  

I mentioned Floss Books.. if you would like to see how we made those, here's the link to that video:

                                                          https://youtu.be/o4VhxmVywgs

I hope you enjoy.

Happy crafting,

Molly D