Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Desire To Inspire - December Edition

"Monkey In The Middle"

Thank you for a great year! We close the year with another fabulous Desire To Inspire project. Each month we anxiously await the arrival of the next Desire To Inspire photos and we are never disappointed. 



Let's visit with our guest designer for the Desire To Inspire - December Edition. We sent her a bundle of Monkey Mischief by Marie Cole. This collection is full of fun and whimsy. The monkeys are definitely up to some mischievous antics.





HG:  Name?

KL:  Karen Lieberman


HG:  Where do you live?

KL:  Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (about 25 miles north of Detroit)
  
Family?

KL:  I have been married to my wonderful husband Mark for 33 years, we were high school sweethearts. My daughter Michelle is 28 and my son Bryan is 24.  I also have a 2 year old Boston Terrier named Franklin who hangs out with me while I quilt.

HG:  How long have you been quilting?

KL:  I've been quilting for about 37 years.


HG:  Your favorite technique?

KL:  My favorite technique would have to be traditional piecing.  I learned to piece by hand first when I started, but I do all my piecing (and quilting) by machine now.  Scrap quilts are my all time favorites!  I have a ridiculous scrap collection.  LOL 


HG:  How did you learn the art of quilting?

KL:  I took a creative crafts class at school in 9th grade and fell in love with the art of quilting.  I bought some books on quilting and continued to teach myself for the next few years.  When I was expecting my daughter I started taking classes.  I've been making quilts obsessively ever since.  And I still love to take classes and learn new techniques and styles.

HG:  Do you belong to a guild?

KL:  I've belonged to the Great Lakes Heritage Quilt Guild for about 15 years.  I love being part of a guild, we've had so many great programs over the years.  I also belong to two stitch groups that meet every month.  I've made my best friends in the quilting circles.  We do lots of fun projects and challenges in the guild and stitch groups!

HG:  Is there anything that you would like to add?

KL:  As strong as my love for quilting, is my desire to help those in need.  Charity quilting is the most important part of my quilting life.  I make quilts for many different causes like homeless shelters, kid's camps, disaster relief, premature babies, kids in cancer treatment, nursing homes etc.  It's the most rewarding work I do.

Thank you Karen for your wonderful project.
Happy New Year!

-hg
   

Friday, December 20, 2013

Happy Holidays & New Day 3 Winner!


It is a busy day in the city today. Are you out shopping or are you staying in to sew? (We hope that it is the latter.)

We have not heard from our Day 3 winner so we have pulled a new name. Please respond today or the bundle will go back into the stash for the next giveaway! Happy holidays.
  1. I have not made any home-made gifts this year. :(



    Happy holidays!
    -hg

Thursday, December 19, 2013

A Hatched And Patched Holiday



We had so much fun on the Henry Glass Naughty Or Nice Holiday Party. Thanks for joining in on the fun. Most of the winners have contacted us but we would like to announce a newly selected winner for Day 2. Unfortunately we did not hear from the original winner so we are trying again. Please contact us by the end of December 20th. Congratulations to:

Sheila said...

I definitely need some new blades for my rotary cutter and there are a couple of rulers I have been eyeing . Thanks for the chance at this great giveaway ,


Anni Downs, designer and owner of Hatched and Patched, sent along some wonderful holiday photos to us when we had the Henry Glass Naughty Or Nice Holiday Party recently. Anni says that the Christmas holidays for her and her family are usually spent on the beach. We are dreaming of beach weather here in NYC right now.








Anni's latest collection for Henry Glass Fabrics, "12 Days of Christmas", is a line that she illustrated with calling birds, french hens and many more whimsical elements. You can be view the entire collection and her other work on our website. For a more personal touch, catch up with Anni's adventures on her blog or the Hatched and Patched website.







Thanks for sharing, Anni! Happy holidays.

-hg

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Snow Day

[Calm before the storm. Nearby Bryant Park on Friday.]

We had a large snowstorm here in NYC. Stay warm and safe. On a note about the Naughty or Nice Holiday Party, we only posted one winner for Day 3 when in fact there really were two. The second winner is:

Blogger Laura said...
I made 25 quilted ornaments for my friends.
December 8, 2013 at 8:52 PM


Please e-mail your details here. Thanks so much for joining our party this year.

-hg

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Winners, Winners, Winners!



Thank you all for joining us for the Henry Glass Naughty Or Nice Party. We have winners! Congratulations to all! Please claim your prize by midnight December 16th [we've extended it] or else you will forfeit the prize and we'll choose another name.

Here we go!

Day 1:
Debra Neiman I love the 50s pictures from the Bloggers. It really takes me back to my childhood.

Day 2:
Robert said...
I would like to have some way to store all my rulers and templates, so I guess it would be a storage system. Thanks. From northern Iowa . . . .
Day 3:

Cheryl Camarano Watson
 I am finishinga quilt for my mom and sunglass cases for the ladies in my family, and college themed ornaments for the men!

Day 4:

Jo said...
I had a stuffed panda named Dede. I actually still have him even if he is thread bare now
Day 5:


Deb G. in VA said...
Chocolate Pecan Pie! Thanks for the giveaway!
Day 6:
Tabitha Keener I remember staying up late and unwrapping and then re-wrapping my presents before my parents got up! My brother and sisters were my partners in crime and it was almost as exciting as getting the presents!


Day 7:
Connie Cain said...


I too, think my favorite ones are the ones the kids made 20 years ago. Thanks for the chance. :)
craftyccain@gmail.com
Please e-mail your info to Karen and we will be in contact soon.

Happy holidays!

-hg

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Naughty Or Nice Holiday Party: Day 7


Today is the last day of the Henry Glass Naughty Or Nice Holiday Party. We are sad to see it end because it was so much fun. We apologize for the technical glitch yesterday. Somehow yesterday's post disappeared. Don't forget to go to the following posts to enter: Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4, Day 5, and Day 6. Good luck!

Here are the general guidelines for this party. Each day we will feature the answers of the questions that we posed to the designers. You will find out about their holiday habits and each day you will have the opportunity to share your thoughts. You will be eligible to win a fabulous bundle of fabric. All you have to do is answer the question on the blog [and/or on Facebook] for a chance to win the bundle of fabric of the day. No substitutions. You can enter on the blog and/or Facebook for two chances to win per day. You have until midnight December 9th to enter and all winners must claim their prizes until midnight December 13th or the prize is forfeited and we will announce a new winner.

Thank you for visiting our website, blog and Facebook page. It has been a great year for the Henry Glass designers. They've been busy working on a big project with the folks at Martingale & Co. The book will be released next fall and we know that you are going to love it. Stay tuned to our blog and Facebook or sign up for our newsletter to receive news about some exciting announcements in the new year.

For this blog party we asked the designers the following questions:

1. What was your favorite gift? Worst?
2. Early or late shopper? Earliest or latest that you've shopped?
3. Favorite holiday drink? Alcohol or none? Recipe?
4. Are you likely one to return a present or to suck it up and keep it?
5. As a child were you likely to make the naughty or nice list?

Today


Dana Brooks of My Lazy Daisy embraces the holidays in all of her designs. She loves Christmas and we can tell every time we receive her artwork in our offices. Her latest line, Naughty Or Nice, is no exception.



1.  My favorite gift was the Diet Coke Tree my daughter-in-law made me. My worst gift was Nothing.

2.  I’m a late shopper. Better late than never!


3.  Holiday Slushy
½ Gallon of Vanilla Ice Cream
½ Gallon of Raspberry Sherbet
One Large can of Pineapple Juice
One 2 Liter bottle of Ginger Ale or 7-up
Chunk up the ice cream in a large bowl and pour pineapple juice and Ginger Ale or 7-up, stir and enjoy!

4.  Keep it.


5.  Always nice with just a splash of Naughty!

Anni Downs is the designer of several very successful holiday lines for Henry Glass. The 12 Days of Christmas  is her most current offering. Anni drew all of the symbols of the 12 Days of Christmas in her adorable whimsical style including drums, jewels and geese. We have a couple of patterns including a simple stocking to accompany this line on the Henry Glass website.Her website is filled with wonderful patterns and we especially love "The Partridge And The Tree." Hurry over to her blog for a giveaway of Button Tree Lane! We're interviewing Anni next week. Do follow us so that you can come back for that.



Anni sent along this beautiful photo of her sitting on "a very bored Santa. I think that he was wishing Christmas was over."


1.   My earliest favourite gift I remember receiving was from that magical man Santa. We often would camp at Christmas and I would worry Santa would not be able to find us. I was excited this year to wake up, not only to find a present, but to find THE doll I was coveting – a Velvet doll whose hair would extend and shorten with the winding of a knob…..well…until I thought she needed a proper hair cut…..I had no idea her hair wouldn't grow back….hmmmm…..
My husband is now my own personal Santa. He always finds something totally unique and AWESOME!! Lucky ME :)
My worst gift? A store bought jar of jam after spending hours making a present for a stitch-group gift swap. I'm not particularly fond of jam.

2.  I'd love to say I'm organised and have everything wrapped by December 1st, but I am always chasing my tail – life is way too busy! I panic buy in the days leading up to Christmas – I guess it keeps me from procrastinating!!

3.  It can be disgustingly hot here at Christmas, so fruit punch with plenty of ice is my favourite drink with chunks of watermelon and strawberry – YUMMO!

[Anni:  Food is always an integral part of our Christmas, that and silly paper crowns we'd rather not wear. The Gingerbread house was made by my daughter and my elf-like father in the background.]

4.  I have never returned a gift. I'm sure as soon as I did, the person who thoughtfully gave it to me would be standing behind me horrified. It's not worth the anxiety….I'm SUCH a coward!


5. Anything I did as a child that was construed as 'naughty' has vanished from my mind. I certainly never received a sack of coal, so definitely on the 'nice' list for me ;)

The Lizzie B ladies, Liz Hawkins and Beth Hawkins are always busy designing, writing, teaching and vending at shows across the country. Their lines which include Hip Happier reflect their fun and bright attitude. They are working on some new designs as we speak so follow us on the blog to see what's coming up next for them. In addition, they just re-designed their website and it looks great!

Liz Hawkins

1.  Why is it always easiest to remember the WORST gift?  My mom gave us sweaters every year for a family photo op.  I was a senior in high school, I wasn’t much into wearing color.  I wore a lot of black, mostly because it really bugged my dad, haha! He would always ask why I couldn’t go back to wearing pinks and blues.  Ugh!  I had an abnormal aversion to the color pink.  And this was the height of the 80‘s!  Anyway, Christmas morning I opened my sweater box, a little scared to find what might be inside.  There it was in all it’s sparkly glory, a light PINK and white mock turtleneck sweater!  I think it had some metallic threads in it too, which really did make it sparkle.  I’m pretty sure the look on my face was priceless for my parents.  I wore it once, for the family photo.  Immortalized for all time.

As for my favorite gift....it’s one that I still have after all these years.  The first time it was given to me, I was 8.  It wasn’t Christmas, but it felt like it.  My dad called up to me to come down to the living room because he had something to show me. I skipped down the stairs and stopped dead in my tracks.  He was sitting in a chair, and on his lap was a black case opened up.  The sun through the windows made it shine.  There, cushioned in blue velveteen, my very first flute!  It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Years later, my parents gifted me with another flute, an upgrade from that first one.  A beautiful Yamaha flute with a silver head-joint.  I love it still and play it often.  I taught both of my girls to play as well, and we all play together.  What better gift can there be than one that keeps on giving?


2.  I start shopping pretty much after Thanksgiving.  Is that early or late? I feel like it’s still early!  I wish I could be one of those people who shops in July and has it all wrapped before the fall.  If I shop any earlier than Nov, I forget what I bought and find it years later.  Not a good thing.



3.  Fav holiday drink....well, hot chocolate is a given.  We have a hot chocolate frother, is that what you call it?  A machine that heats and froths the milk at the same time?? Anyway, we have all the makings for a good cup out on the counter all winter,  our favorite hot cocoa powder from Switzerland, marshmallows, and DaVinci flavored syrups to rival Starbucks!  But I also make homemade eggnog every year on Christmas Eve.  It really is my favorite holiday drink.  I keep it alcohol free (with a lot of Rum flavoring!), even the kids like it!  



4.  Usually, I suck it up and keep the gift (hello, pink sweater???).  In fact, there’s only ONE time I can ever remember exchanging a gift.  Someone gave me Mariah Carey’s first Christmas CD.  I knew I would never, ever listen to it. I couldn’t stand (still can’t!) her weird voice ventures into the outer limits beyond what a voice should sound like.  I even met Mariah Carey at the UNICEF Snowflake Ball a few years ago.  I decided not to tell her that hers was the only CD I’ve ever returned.  ;)



5.  I was a perfect angel.  Until I was a teenager, that is.  I was a horrible teen.  I can say that now, because I have AMAZING teens!  By comparison, I was rotten.  I don’t know why I never got a lump of coal on Christmas, I certainly deserved it.  My most naughty moment was when my brother and I snuck out of the house (which we did often, I hate to admit).  A couple of my friends were sleeping over and so we all snuck out together and went to Philadelphia, 30 minutes away.  Also probably not the safest place to be at night.  But whatever.  We were almost back home when we got pulled over by police.  They had been looking for us.  Uh-oh!  They escorted us home where my parents were up and had been in a panic for hours looking for us too.  It was horrible!  There was no such thing as a cell phone back then, so they had to call in the police to help them search for us.  Man, that still makes me feel bad, just remembering!  I wasn’t very naughty again after that. 

Beth Hawkins

1.  As a kid, probably my fave was a blue Schwinn bike with a banana seat and flowery basket in the front!  As a grown-up...my husband does pretty well in the gift-giving department!  One year it was a sewing machine I just HAD to have, more recently, a huge monitor for my computer, or new ski gear.  (He has also probably given me the worst gifts too, but that was early on (like the ugly sweater he bought me before we were even married!).... I've been lucky and he has improved greatly over the years!

2.  I don't even THINK about shopping until December, but I also don't wait til the last minute!  I get it done quickly and DO NOT like to be out shopping that last week! (And thank goodness for the Fedex guy...he usually saves me!)


3.  I LOVE hot chocolate! With marshmallows.  And I love the smell of hot cider.

4.  I hate to stand in the return line...so I am most likely to keep it.  (I think that ugly sweater eventually ended up at Goodwill.)

5.  I was probably on the nice list.... definitely had  my naughty moments but I cleaned up my act in time for Santa to arrive!

Jacquelynne Steves is a designer from New Jersey who writes beautifully about design but also about living. Her newsletter is a gorgeous read and a must-read. You can subscribe for free on her website. Jacquelynne's lovely painterly perspective is reflected in her newest line, Cottage Charm

[Jacquelynne and her daughters]

Jacquelynne's lovely painterly perspective is reflected in her newest line, Cottage Charm. This line features little creatures like bees and butterflies painted with a soft palette.

[Cottage Charm, available April 2014]

1. My favorite gifts were always the gifts that my kids gave me when they were little- handmade ornaments, trinkets purchased at the Santa Shop at school. I remember all those years that the tree was weighed down with those macaroni and popsicle stick ornaments that they made at school! Now that they are grown up, they each choose one or two “tacky” ornaments for the tree. It’s fun to laugh every year as we go through the boxes of those handmade memories!


2. I usually do my shopping two or three weeks before Christmas and I’m almost always finished by the 22nd or 23rd.. Sometimes I will pick up gifts throughout the year, if I see something that I think would be a great gift. Problem is- I almost always forget that I bought it and find it around February or March!

3. My favorite holiday drink is something warm and relaxing, such as hot cocoa or mulled apple cider. 


4. If I receive a gift that I don’t like, I usually keep it anyway- sometimes I find someone who actually would enjoy it, and then it’s really fun to give it away!


5. Always on the nice list! I was always the “good girl.” Sometimes I think, though, that it would have been a lot more fun to be on the naughty list once in a while! 


Beth Logan of Art Stuff, Ltd. She lives in the Pacific Northwest and she is the designer of today's featured fabric, American Beauty. Her work is whimsical and her blog is equally fun to read.


1.  That’s got to be a tie between the shiny blue bike I found under the tree when I was 6 and the engagement ring I was surprised with 22 years later. And it’s ok, my husband won’t mind not owning undisputed first place on that one; he totally understands and remembers that kind of magic when we were kids.

I honestly can’t think of a terrible gift I’ve gotten – even the weird ones I’ve grown sort of fond of, if only the funny memory of how weird it was to get them.

2.  Late. I’ve often been out on the 23rd or 24th doing my shopping. Although I do prefer to be holed-up with loved ones enjoying festivities by then, there’s a sort of a neat vibe out and about on Christmas Eve in the city – not as desperate and stressful as you might think; strangers who would normally be self-absorbed in their own worlds are just sharing the experience in a very cool way, like people might do during a first snow. 
In a family where many of us make gifts, there’s an unspoken and sort of secret tradition staying up stupid-late on Christmas Eve to finish a gift . . . a bad habit many of you creative folks out there may secretly relate to.  
As usual I’m trying to get this year’s handmade gifts finished early (does this still count as early?) so check back in a couple weeks and ask me how that’s going.  Or don’t.

I’ve always been sort of jealous of people who can plan ahead when they see great gifts or find amazing deals on things at other times of the year.  Those tend to be the most personal and thoughtful gifts.  I tried doing this a few times, but failed miserably. A couple of these I found stashed in my basement years later when they were no longer appropriate for the people I’d originally bought them for.  The very worst was when I found a lovely coffee table book that was perfect for a certain someone, and bought it through a mail order catalog (back in the Ice Age before internet shopping) and by the time it finally arrived in the mail (remember 6-8 weeks for catalog processing?) I forgot why I had bought it and just kept it for myself. A year or so later the originally-intended gift recipient was visiting, and at some point I said, “oh you know what? I have this great book about that…” As we were thumbing through the pages together, it finally hit me…
Yeah.
I stopped even trying to buy early after that.


3.  This time of year I’m a sucker for warm, sweet, spicy, festive stuff. The really impractical drinks: the ones that make you sleepy, tipsy, and feel sort of sick like you just had way too much sugar.  Hot mulled/spiced anything, really – cider, wine, or even better, something rich and creamy. For years I was obsessed with making homemade eggnog, Tom & Jerry and hot buttered rum batters, and worked at perfecting my recipes.  I would make my special Hot Buttered Rum for the grownups and “Hot Buttered Nothings” for the kids.  It’s the simplest recipe, pretty much foolproof! Here it is:

Beth’s Hot Buttered Whatever.
Batter:
½ C of butter (that’s one stick) at room temperature
1-1/2 C brown sugar
1 C white sugar
1 T vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
(the rest is really to taste, this is just a loose suggestion)
2 T cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 – 2 t ginger
A pinch of clove
You can stay basic with these few things and it will still be delicious, but feel free to add your other spicy favorites: cardamom, allspice, mace, whatever tickles your fancy and makes you happy!

Mix this up in a food processor until combined – it will be like a sticky cookie dough (yum).
Keep in a cute jar or plain old plastic tub in your refrigerator, either way it will taste yummy for a month or so.

For a boozy drink: scoop a big, heaping spoonful into a mug with a shot of your favorite dark rum, bourbon or brandy and top it with hot water. If you’re feeling fancy, garnish with a little orange zest, a curl of orange peel, or an anise flower, and always serve with a cinnamon stick for stirring and feeling festive.  For kids, designated drivers, and teetotalers: do all of the above but skip the booze and enjoy a Hot Buttered Nothing! Once I tried a little rum extract in the batter for the HBNs, but personally I preferred the “nothing” to the fake flavoring.

It’s of course recommended that you drink this from a Santa-face mug while listening to your favorite Rat Pack crooner sing that classically odd combination of sacred carols and silly ditties.  Either way, you’ll get sleepy, tipsy, and full of sugar, so it’s a little naughty.  But also nice.


4.  Are you likely one to return a present or to suck it up and keep it?
I couldn’t tell you the last gift I actually returned – I keep everything. If someone thought something was perfect for me, there’s got to be a reason for that.

5.  As a child were you likely to make the naughty or nice list? 
Painfully nice, I’m afraid. Never a risk-taker when I was young, I mean just look at that kid!

Today's featured fabric is American Beauty by Beth Logan.  The red and blue colors are stunning and the stitchery prints add a delicate sophistication to such a bold line. Do you want to win this bundle of fabric? Tell us about your favorite holiday ornament and if you've been naughty or nice!







Good luck and thank you for joining our party!

-hg