Thoughts on Being the Designated Santa

Good morning! My post is late because I nodded off over my keyboard yesterday! Such a dark day, and heavy rain. Today is quite warm, yay!, almost 60* , with dense fog, but still an improvement.
So---Christmas shopping, hmmm...

Admit it, you buy a few things for YOU too when you shop, don't you?
My family was/is very big on gifts, especially homemade, handmade, or needed items, nothing extravagant but indicative of love and thoughtfulness. My now ex-husband comes from a family that that gives NO gifts at all, ever; not holiday, not birthday, not Valentines Day, nada. How pitiful, how sad. How shocking to me! It took me awhile but he finally became a great gifter---diamond earrings---twice!, real pearls, good perfume, a blouse from a fave NYC shop, in my color aqua. Quilts and artwork. Okay, a Jeep now and then, lol. A roomba, a George Foster grill, but he meant well. But oddly once the kids arrived he reverted to No Gifts, even for them [I see his mom's voice in that, "too extravagant! Save! save!'] and I again became the sole Santa in our home. And I formed the habit of buying a few things for me too, as I alone did the holiday shopping. For one thing I didn't want the children to think only they deserved gifts. (In their defense, my kids give amazing thoughtful gifts, since they were little).

So this year, I think influenced by Audrey [365 Quilt/ Quilty Folks]'s post about wanting a stack of Christmas quilts, I fell in love with this vintage top on FB Marketplace.

Isn't it delightful!

A sampler, mostly stars, each different---

but also the darling Doggy:

and especially Kitty---

who looks just like my feral cat friends, black with such bright green eyes.!

If we look closely, we can see all the fabrics are Christmas fabrics.

The green spacer squares were a bit disappointing. Not the bright jade of the posted flash photos, but a deep dull pine green. But okay.

Interestingly though the front looks well constructed if we overlook chopped points--- and I do--

but the seams are wonderfully random. My maker's work was done before the exact but scanty 1/4"  police arrived in quiltland.

It's well made, only one stretched out corner to square up or resew: This is the actual pine green color, at least on my screens. Cute candycane print, one of three used.

And maybe best of all there's a a handmade label.

Shirley...1988. I had tentatively dated it as late 50's but I don't mind that it's a newer quilt top. I asked for details/ history from the seller. It seems our Shirley made many quilts and tops and is still alive and doing well, at age 93. How inspiring is that.
Thank you, Shirley, for sharing with me your wonderful Christmas quilt, now 31 years old.

I plan to have it finished. I have this fabric yardage for a good backing choice. Probably will be Xmas in July though, when my  budget recovers from the hols.

I paid a fairly extravagant $50.oo for Shirley's Xmas, but frugal dithering made me lose out on this quilt piece also on FB Marketplace. I love the very odd brown/ taupe, the exact shade of chocolate milk, at least in the photos. And ''my turquoise''. Not from Shirley ; it's supposedly an Old Order Amish unfinished section, from PA. But I was hoping for a better price and it seems sold.

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Meanwhile last week I went to Hobby Lobby as they finally had their Christmas trees on 50% sale. We went on a pouring rain Tuesday, and the store was blessedly empty, but all the trees were gone/ sold! My tiny tree will suffice anyway, for this very rushed 2019  season. I did find myself a fat quarter flannel bundle for my Blackbirds Fly/ Winter Geese  project. new. This is my fave, glad they put in two pieces.

I know I have plenty of blue plaid shirts but this was so soft, so pretty---

And stocking stuffers:

Jingle bells, rusty and cute, for my TQC Tiny Tree project.

 And a tea towel/ feedsack for the backing, unless the quilt is so small it won't fit.

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And a sweet, kind gift, from Shipping Sunshine. I won, I won!

A  gift box company located in Colorado, it features local products and good quality, upscale treats and treasures. Quite delightful, and there are many choices of box theme, all beautifully presented. Anna, the company entrepreneur, emphatically states she is NOT affiliated with Reese Witherspoon's business of similar name.
The business also does some well thought out local charity/ giving programs that support issues important to me. Ship Sunshine

Mine had good tea, not the Stash that I subbed for pictures, a very nice candle, and these darling little Thank you notes. There are thirty of them them so I plan to use a few as favors for my Christmas Eve dinner. I want my friends and family to know how important they are to me, how grateful I am that they are in my life.

I was given the gift, so I suppose I am being ''paid'' here, but I do highly recommend Ship Sunshine for lovely easy, possibly last minute gifting.

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The fog is lifting, maybe Mo and i can enjoy a walk to our bench soon. Have a great weekend.

Don't forget to stop by each blog on Lori's  Blog Hop, link on my sidebar. You'll see many beautifully decorated traditional American homes, all with with quilts and big kitchens, so unlike my cottage, lol. I'm a little intimidated. I bet THEIR ovens aren't rusty and their doors aren't cockeyed from a hurricane or two. My day is Tuesday, check back.

love

lizzy, 

gone to the beach.................

PS Remember these hot summer days!? Oh summer passed much too quickly.