Sylvia's Simple Shots

I had planned to attend a local church service on Christmas Eve but it had snowed enough and it was cold so I decided to stay home.  I then headed to the internet to find a Christmas Eve service I could enjoy.

Conception Bay Newfoundland had a great service.  Enjoyed it immensely.  So grateful to the technology available these days.

The Huron Carol sung by Tom Jackson is one of my favorite Christmas traditions.

With my plans changing for Christmas Day because my family was sick and turkey dinner was delayed I spent Christmas Day differently than usual.  That was okay with me. A chill day - yes - it was chilly -23C and snow fell.

A pristine layer of snow covered the green space beyond the patio.

The sun shone which was much appreciated.

So far, it has been a gloomy winter and I look forward to more sunny days.  Gloomy drags me down.

I had the last of this beautiful tea that my aunt gave me this summer.

Just look at that color.  Lavender Chamomile.

A chocolate bran muffin.

Turkey is planned for supper.

I worked on Mom's candelabra this week.  I want to convert to LED lights.

I did manage to get some LED bulbs at Rona but they are clear and not yellow.

I did color one yellow with Alcohol Inks by Ranger.

The bulbs are not quite the same shape so they need a bit of trimming.  

Maybe I should hold out for yellow LED which are the same shape. I expect it will happen.

I saved a piece of turkey from my sister's house so I thawed that.  

I bought brussel sprouts and microwaved them some and finished them in the cast iron fry pan.

Veggies and rice were added to the plate.  

Of course, high bush cranberry sauce (pembina) from my sister was the icing on the plate.  

I did make some gravy from my left over Better than Bouillion from house warming soup.

It was delicious.

I made Raspberry Bavarian that Mom always made for dessert.

Served with a white chocolate cookie.

A bit of dark chocolate and a warm large cup of tea finished it off.

The Skystone by Jack Whyte was the book I read this week.

It is set in 367 - 448 AD in the province the Romans called Britain.  The central figures are Roman soldiers Caius Britannicus and Publius Varrus. The Saxons (Germanic people from northern Europe) invade Britian and breach Hadrian's Wall and chaos ensues.

The story is told as a remembrance of Publius when he is very old. 

These men had served the Roman Empire in Africa in early 360s.  Now they are together again fighting the enemy.  After the injuries both men go their own ways - Plubius to the house he inherited from his grandfather who died while he was in Africa. Caius to his Colony - a fortified compound in western Britain where a new society is growing.

When things get bad, Plubius abandons his home and heads to the compound and is warmly welcomed. He meets Caius's sister Luceiia who he eventually marries. 

Plubius' father had found a stone that fell from the sky and learned to melt it and forged a sword where the metal was mixed with iron and a dagger made from the Skystone metal.  It was silver, beautiful and very hard.  Plubius is on the hunt for more Skystones to make some magnificent weapons.  In the hills near the Colony he does find the stones and works to dig them from the ground. 

In my opinion, the name of the book is not indicative of the story told. The skystones do not feature prominently in the story.  

The story of these two men is fabulous.

On the right, I have included a very interesting map of the world in this time. 

Sewing Project - Scrappy Fabric

I tried my hand at creating fabric from scraps again.  I found a video on Patchwork Crafts on line that documented the process I was thinking would work. 

1. I cut an 11.25 by 11.25 inch of poly cotton for a foundation layer - give it room to be trimmed.
2. Collected a harmonious collection of scraps from my small fabric scraps bin.
3. Start in the middle. Lay another piece on top, stitch, iron open, and top stitch.  Keep doing this in a circular fashion. This is the point I missed so I ended up with the problem corner.  I had to then switch to applique to put pieces in that corner.
4. Trim the finished piece into the shape you need for whatever project you are working on.  I trimmed my piece to 2 pieces for fabric fold over card wallets. Other ideas are bags, quilt squares, accent panel on a tote, a wall hanging, and much more.

I am looking forward to making another piece of the collage fabric.

Merry Christmas

 Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas

 and

 a Happy New Year in 2026.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

It has been another busy week with travel and health appts and the storms and cold.

This is a bit of snow taken from inside through the window in the lobby.

Christmas cards have been arriving in the mail.

A bit of an icy trip into the city on Sunday to visit my old church. 

During the brunch afterwards I was able to see many of my friends and say hi!

There was sweets on for eats so I did bring home  a couple of Nanaimo bars.

I had a visit with my sister and brother and delivered caramel popcorn while I was in town.

With the weather improving on Monday I headed out to see my sister and brother in law.

They prepared Turkey Dinner for me and I brought stuff to make Raspberry Bavarian that Mom used to make. Used tapioca instead of gelatin so it was ready for supper.

A few more shots from my sister's place. She has a lot of the ornaments we have created for our family Christmas celebrations.  The angel is one I did one year.

Beautiful nativity from Germany.

A couple of Scrabble games after supper.

Turkey noodles for lunch the next day.

Driving home in the sunshine was a blessing.

In the middle of a snow storm I headed out to get vaccine shots.  I had to wait 3 weeks for the appt so I was not rescheduling.  Flu in the left and COVID in the right.  

I took Advil for 2 days for the soreness then I was good to go.

Great to have access to these.

My sister sent turkey leftovers which provided me a couple of meals.  There was one serving of turkey noodles for Tuesday night.  I have frozen one piece of turkey for later.

Thanks sis!

Spoiled is what I am.  High bush cranberry sauce that my sister gave me in the fall.  We normally pick this together but it did not happen this year.

Yummy!

A Log Cabin Christmas Collection by Wanda E. Brunstetter was light reading.

Nine love romance stories set in the pioneer west of the USA in 1800s.  Deep cold winters, warm fires, log cabins, and men and women getting together in several surprising situations.

Faith was a consistent theme through all the stories.

Short enough the read before falling asleep.

Several days of very cold days and the snow on Wednesday ensured a Christmasy feeling.

I am so glad to have seen family earlier.  Now, if I have to hunker down inside because of the cold weather it is all okay.

I decided to get the art shelf up in the front hall. 

This building seems to challenge me with electrical wires in many of the places I want to put a screw.

I did have to alter my plan some what and I had pencil marks all over the wall. I aligned the right hand edge of the shelf with the same edge on the mirror.

I hope to have a plant trail down from the shelf down to the mirror eventually.

I moved all the furniture out which gave me the chance to wash the lace cover while I worked.

The art shelf will allow me to change the art as I want with out having holes in the walls.

Unpacking paintings, photos, frames, and more which I brought home a while ago from my aunts.

I now have Mom and Dad sitting on a book shelf with the fairy light a created in their remembrance after Mom passed away in 2023.

The colors are green for Dad and blue for Mom.

Starting to feel like home.

DIY Project - Front Hall Art Shelf

 
I got out the tools - square, measuring tape, stud finder, level, drill, pencil, and the shelf.

I had a hard time finding a place on the right hand side above the light switch without electric.  Frustrating. I had some late breakfast and then tackled it again. I decided to align the right hand side of the shelf along the same edge on the mirror. I put it high enough for it to clear the closet doors. 

I used the blue anchors in my kit with a 1/4 inch drill bit.  I am getting better with the cordless drill which I inherited from my Dad when they moved to the apartment in 2015.  I have not used it much because I had a corded drill he gave me when I left home in the mid 1970s which works great too.

I did have to expand the holes a bit with the drill as they did not align as well as they should have.  I guess holding the shelf above my head and trying to find the holes with the pencil did not do a perfect job. Next time I will have to get a eye level.  But as you can see the shelf is level! Yeah. 

I got a chance to clear the DIY debris and the dust that had accumulated behind the Trofasts.  I washed the lace cover and then I could start looking for art for the shelf.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I have discovered this Youtube channel - Wondering Melodies.

I just love the watercolor art work in these videos. The characters are so cute. Rabbits, hedgehogs, bears, mice, deer, owls, cats, and more I am sure. I prefer the wild animals.

The Celtic music is very lovely as a background for crafting or slow stitching or just chilling.

My Christmas cards went into the mail on Monday.  A lot less than usual since I can't deliver them to church like I used to. 

I was lucky that I made some last year that did not get mailed because of the postal strike.

That means a new church in 2026.

At $1.30 in postage though there will have to be a reassessment of the list.

With the change in weather I needed a rug at the front door to catch the snow and gravel being dragged in on boots.

I am happy with this 2 foot by 5 foot dark grey one I bought this week.  Covers the area I needed.

It's that time of year again.

The low pressure tire light came on the car this week.  I have this happen every year when the weather turns really cold.

I called to OK Tire and headed over and they helped me out.

It took a bit of time this year to clear the light.  The guy told me it could take 30-50 kilometers.  With being so cold I was not going far.  It did eventually clear before I took a long trip.

This is the book on my bedside this week.  The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly.

It was written with youth in mind but it is a great book.

Set in the summer of 1899, Calpurnia is eleven turning twelve toward the end of the year.  She has brothers and a wonderful grandfather.  He is a naturalist and putters in his library and shed out back observing nature.  

Calpurnia's mother wants her to play the piano and learn the domestic arts but she would prefer to accompany her grandfather in the woods, streams and meadows around their home.

She receives the book - The Science of the Housewifery for Christmas which a bitter disappointment. Can she be a scientist in the new century?  I will keep the book because the cover is so beautiful. 

Christmas Decorations are up!

The front hall rectangular bowl has pine cones and mercury glass ornaments with the brass jingle bell.

The Christmas rose bowl with a red candle is sitting there greeting guests as they arrive.  I have replaced the real candle with a red battery operated one.  This was a gift from my sister who sent it from Germany.

The white ceramic tree works all year long and fits right in at this time of year.

I set up the large metal nativity scene for the first Sunday of Advent - Nov 30th. 

The candle holder in the front is my alternative Advent wreath since I just did not have the space for the large glass one. It will get spruced up next year but for this year I am just glad I have it up.

I set up my fluted tea cups as tealight holders which works well.  I put a crackled glass holder at the top for Christmas Day.  

I put real candles in the Advent Wreath and make sure I blow them out when I leave the room.

Here's the Christmas Tree all light up and decorated.

It looks so good.  

It was nice to open the boxes of decorations I have not seen since 2023. 

They are mostly glass with a few wood ones as well.

Some are ornaments we receive at our large family get together which we celebrate every other year.

There are a couple of very old ornaments which we had as kids.

It sits in the middle of the conversation corner between the 2 yellow chairs.

I have several nativity sets.  My large one is still packed so I pull out this medium one which sits nicely in front of the folk art painted fold out stable.

I added string of battery operated fairy lights and the green ceramic Christmas tree I found on sale at Superstore a couple of years ago.

The Reason for the Season.

I have several fireplace DVDs.  I chose this one for this year because it makes the TV look great and there is the option to only the fire crackle and no music.

I had it on went folks came to visit.

The Silent Night wax warmer from Scentsy which I received as a gift from my niece is putting a cinnamon scent in my place.

I love how it makes light marks on the wall at the back.

The wax plate is generous and wax lasts a long time.

Scentsy Cinnamon Vanilla is my favorite. After checking current scents I see it is still available.

I will check in my new town if there is a rep nearby.

I now have Mom's Christmas Candelabra.  I just love it.

I have it set up in the window in the craft room.

I will investigate getting LED bulbs for it. I can color them with alcohol ink to make them yellow.

DIY Project - Create wood shelf

I had to replace the plastic shelf I put on top of the die cutting station because it was just not tall enough despite my best attempts to jimmy rig a solution.

I had the 2 slat shelves which I cut the legs for the kitchen so I decided I would use those.  I could add wood legs and ensure that the bottom shelf was tall enough for the red baskets.

I had to buy a piece of lumber to create the four legs.  I cut them 15 inches tall with the bottom shelf being 8 inches from the bottom then the other aligned with the top shelf.

The blue clamps are a life saver.  I clamped the lumber to the stool then I used my hand saw to cut.

I marked where I wanted the screw and drilled a pilot hole to ensure I would not crack the wood.

I used the smallest screws I had but they could have been even smaller.

It stood level but after putting it up on the die cut station it was clear it needed reinforcement.

I added a brace across the bottom shelf which helped quite a bit. It does restrict how deep my baskets can go toward the back. Happy!

DIY Project - Set Up Wall Christmas Tree

I knew that I would need a hook for the wall Christmas Tree.  At the downtown place it hung from the photo shelf.  Hence, I thought I would wait for the photo shelves to be put up before I hung my tree.  I was going to miss it.  My sister encouraged me to do what needed to be done to get the tree up. 

So the tools came out and I set out to see if I could find a stud in the wall and avoid electrical. 

I set up the hook below where the photo/art shelf  will go, I think. 

I found this hanger at the ReUse Center a while back because I was looking for option for hanging the tree since I moved.

I used the outlet below the table as a guide. I put in a blue drywall anchor from my kit and Dad's old drill and did it. 

Super happy.  It is a bit low but I can make it work. A decorate photo will be coming.

Cards - House Cards - Christmas

I made some sample Christmas House cards for a realtor friend.

The A2 card base is navy blue along with the middle house.  The little houses were cut with the Stampin Up Homemade Holiday Framelits Dies in three different colors. I used markers to add details like windows and doors to the die cut.

I cut a piece of no shed glitter card stock in silver tone stripes. I added the houses and greeting to this layer. Added silver mini brads as door knobs. Taped the sting of greeting to the back.

Once all was added to the glitter layer I adhered it to the card front.  A white blank card insert was added to the inside and a white envelope completed the card.

This card has an A2 white card base.  I added a blue watercolor designer paper cut to leave a small border all the way around.

I used the navy layer with the hole cut for the house on the first card.  I wrapped a piece of cotton thread around the right hand side of the navy layer and knotted it to the front.  I adhered the navy layer to the card front aligned on the left hand side.

I added a red heart punchie in the house adhered with quick dry glue.

I found a red greeting in my stash which is a Stampin Up Artisan Label punchie with NOEL stamped on it.  The NOEL is from the Bright & Beautiful stamp set. Mounted with 3D foam tape.  White insert and enveloped completed the card.

I modified a graphic I found on Pixabay.  I added a greeting with a shadow and my own green wreath to the front door. 

I sized it to fit on the white layer mounted on the A2 green card base.  I printed it on the white layer and mounted it to the card front.

A white insert and envelope completed the card.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

Another terrific sunrise this week.

Dramatic, overcast with some sun.

We have had a lot of dreary overcast days since snow arrived which makes winter a little harder to take.

Sunny Alberta is missing so I just had to take a hint of sunshine when it arrived.

It was the first Sunday of Advent on Nov 30th.

The first candle of Advent is HOPE.  It symbolizes hope and the promises made by God especially the coming Messiah.

I need to read my Ann Voskamp book which provides information for preparing for Christmas during this Advent Season.

I had a chance to visit with a couple of my sisters, a brother in law and niece when my sister's grandson was playing in a minor hockey game in a town about an hour away.

I dressed up to sit in a cold arena and watched the last period of the game and his team won!

There were a couple of  options for lunch so we headed to the pub for lunch.

The food was very good and I shared Butter Chicken with a sister.

I was able to get home before the sun went down which I was very happy about.

We had a good visit - Christmas, trips planned, next Christmas which will be a large one, my niece's new job and much more.

I had a few gift cards to wrap this week so I checked out my sister's post and loosely based mine on hers. I did have to ask her about it.

It's a long piece of fabric where you fold in both ends of the fabric. Then press the ends even which folds the remaining fabric in half with a fold at the bottom.

Top stitch both sides closed and your are done. She put ribbon on hers I did not.

I did add some accent fabric on the front piece after I folded but before I sewed the side seams. Needs refinement I would say but I was able to fill mine and have them ready which was the goal.

We had a pot luck meal hosted in the social room of our building.

Everyone brought a dish and we shared a meal with our neighbors.

As always the food was very good and there was plenty. I had one helping leftover of my scalloped potatoes.  I brought home a piece of chicken and chocolate cheesecake.

It was a very good time.

Looking forward to next year when I am sure I will know more people.

Fiskars Rotary Cutter - Blade Replacement

This is a reminder to myself and anyone who owns this cutter how the blade is put in and which knob goes where.  

I had the blade sharpened when my sister came to visit in October and I had trouble with it since.  The blade would not rotate properly, the nut was coming loose easily, and just a basic fail and made the cutter impossible to use.

I had to look up how to but the blade and nuts back then I was set to go.

Sewing Project - Hot Pad

I decided to make a hot pad so I can use my peninsula for serving food. The plan is to make 3 of them but one is a start.

My sister has made this one.

I did want to make a removable cover so that if this is not my final color choice at least the time making the pad was not wasted.

I chose a pear fabric for the top and a deep yellow fabric for the bottom.

I tested the fabric sandwich before I started sewing.

Cotton cover top and bottom.

Pad

1. Flannel - snowflake
2. Terrycloth - navy
3. Insul-brite Thermal Batting
4. Terrycloth - yellow
5. Flannel - snowflake

I heated my iron to the hottest cotton setting then set it down on the sandwich with out steam for one minute. The counter was slightly warm but not hot to the touch at all.

I set about making the pad.  I decided to make it about 12x12 inches square. My casserole dishes are around 9x9 inches.

I pieced together the yellow terry cloth and the navy terry cloth layers until I had the size I needed.

I cut the Insul-brite to 12x12 inches.  

I used my walking foot to stitch these layers into a cohesive piece.

Installing the walking foot took a long time.  After a couple of videos, I worked it out but my needle was hitting the foot.  I verified I had the right foot for my machine so I kept trouble shooting. After replacing the not quite straight needle I was finally able to stitch the middle layers together. It worked really well.  It's been at least 2 years since I bought it and had not used it.

Then I cut a piece of snowflake flannel to 14 x 28 inches which will be the pad cover. I sewed the 3 edges to just encase the middle layer. I inserted the middle piece into the case and folded the open end to the inside. I top stitched all the way around at about 1" from the edge. Then I closed the open end with a seam closer to the edge.  I top stitched a cross in the center but that may not have been the best idea was that is where the loft needs to be to protect the space below. 

NOTE: Keep the stitching away from the center.

Now I could get started on the removable cover.  Upon inspection of the pear fabric the pieces were smaller than I needed. I decided to apply a couple of fabrics to a foundation layer with the Quilt As You Go method.  I started with my foundation piece being bigger than I needed. I started with the pear fabric, and alternated strips of yellow and pear until I ended with pear fabric. 

I cut the deep yellow fabric to 13 inches by 15 inches which I thought was plenty but forgot about the thickness. My seams ended up at .25 inches and I zigzagged the edge as well.  I was going to felt the seams but there was not enough fabric for that. I sewed pear pieced fabric and the deep yellow fabric on the 3 sides, trimmed the corners to the zigzag and turned it right side out.  Ensured that the pad would fit inside. Good to go.

I was able to made a generous hem on the open end and top stitched that edge.

Now I could place the pad into the removable cover.  Paying attention to getting the far corners aligned properly.

The cover is just a slightly bit deeper than the pad.

It is reversible so I could use the pear side or the deep yellow side as the top.

The pad and cover now all settled in place provides about 12 x12 inches of protection for my counter.

Should the cover get dirty from the bottom of pans or casserole dishes it can be removed for laundering. 

Of course, the pad is also washable should the need arise. The pad could also be inserted into a new cover based on design or wear. 

There is a potluck at the end of the week so it was the big motivation to get this project done. Besides, I needed a day at home.  Last week was full of activity and being out of the house or contractors in my house.

I enjoyed my day sewing and used some fabric from my stash.