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Showing posts with label Gingerbread Freebie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gingerbread Freebie. Show all posts

Thursday, July 9, 2026

Playtime ,Thrifting, Toys, and Doodles- A Christmas Freebie

 Eeeh! I have my crayons out, and I am ready to color! 



Happy Embroidery Thursday, y'all. Welcome! Do come in and join me  as I sit down for a little playtime with my colors and colored pencils. 

But first ! How about a thrift haul?  😀

Over the July 4th weekend , Mr. Pinker and I found ourselves meandering along the aisles of 2 thrift stores looking for junk / treasures. Would you like to see  what jumped into my buggy? Aaw come on and take a gander. 😁😀

You know I cannot resist anything that is red. The big red pot will be perfect for making soups, or perhaps dying fabric. Or who knows-- it may be used for decorating, but for $3.00 I could not leave it behind. By the way, this was the most expensive treasure I bought. So not too bad. 


Two little Fiestaware mugs jumped into my buggy as well. I could not shoo them away since they were red and yellow. Can mugs be cutie patooties? They are to me. ❤💛❤💛

 

To all of those vintage collectors out there. Do you know who made this bowl?  The hand painting reminds me of Blue Ridge Pottery which I collect, but I know it is not that. 

 

Nanny had bowls similar to this . She would serve fresh fried taters in them. Yum Yum! Oh how I miss Nanny's cooking. 

Four little gravevine milkglass cups will be perfect to use anytime of the year. 

Is there more you ask? Well there sure is! 

I found this little mass produced quilted sham for a buck. Of course, this can be used on a pillow, but I will fold it and use it for a shelf or table runner. Cute! Cute! Cute! 

And now to my favorite finds which gave me a nifty thrift high! Vintage games and toys for my toy room. 🤗

There is Cooties and Bridg- It , a fully packed Tool Chest and the little bead counting toy. Swoon. Can you hear my heart go "Thumpity Thump!"  American made and made around the 50's . ❤❤❤❤

And in the Cootie box was a little chalkboard set. A little extra something- something. 

Do you remember these little horns that you could get at the Five and Dime stores decades ago? Or am I showing my age? Hee! Hee! 


"Childhood is the most beautiful of all life's seasons." - Unknown


While we are here, let me show you the little toy quilt  I made years ago. It is  being displayed with my rough and tumble Raggedy Annie and Andy that I bought years ago. They have gone through some rough times before they came to live with me. Well, let me rephrase that- they were well loved as all dolls should be. Right?  Now they live in a retirement home where they are loved but looked at. 😄

Alrighty now! Since we are in the toyroom. Let's get to playing. 


Like I said at the beginning of my post, I have my crayons out, and today I am going to be coloring up some doodles on fabric. 

 My newest set of doodles are called A Very Vintage Christmas. 

 A little doodle just for you. ❤❤❤


            My doodles are hand drawn and are never perfect. 


I think a small Christmas quilt is in order. Don't you?

A plethora of small embroidered Christmas  quilts. 


So let me show you how I am color tinting my doodles on fabric. I am not sure if it is the right way , but it is how I tint mine. 

🧵1. First , I draw the image onto my piece of fabric. Usually , I use a light mechanical pencil. Today I used  a Frixion pen.  NOTE: If you use a Frixion pen before embroidery and you heat set the crayons, the ink will disappear. ( Speaking from experience. 😏😜😀)

🧵2. Next, I use a white crayon and using small circular motions I color the areas I want to tint. 

Color the areas in want to tint with white crayon in small circular motions. This helps the colors to look a little more vibrant and helps in adding depth.- Well at least in my opinion. 

🧵3. Then comes the fun part! Adding the other colors. I layer in colors starting with the light colors using small circular motions. Slowly, I build on those colors with different shades adding depth. 

Ad color a little at a time starting with lights and using darker colors to shade. 

🧵4. I then use my colored pencils to add a little deeper shading. I do not have an affinity for any particular  name brand of pencils. Most of my colored pencils came from the thrift store.

More color is being added and the tinting is getting darker( though it will lighten once pressed) 


🧵5. When it is time to set the color, I place a pressing cloth and paper towel under and over the embroidery piece . This will pick up the "extra" wax and color when pressed and protects your iron. Remember, if you use a Frixion pen to mark your embroidery lines, it will disappear when you press your piece. If that happens just retrace your lines, and then you are ready to embroider. 

Use a pressing cloth  and/ or napkins to protect iron . This also absorbs excess wax as the piece is heat set. The colors will lighten. 

While the grandsons are here today, I will be lounging at the pool working on the embroidery work of this little beauty. 

Sooo... tell me. Have you ever color tinted your embroidery work? And do have any nifty tips and tricks to share? Inquiring minds want to know. Hee! Hee! I am always excited to learn something new . Aren't you? 

Well Sweeties, I am off to play. I wish you the most delightful day. And remember - Stay young at heart! 

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa 

"What one loves in childhood stays in the heart forever.  "- Mary Jo Putney

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who remained a kid a heart even into adulthood. She was always up for an adventure and never let grass grew under her feet. 
 I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄


 Other Posts That Might Strike Your Fancy!

🌞Parade of Homes 2026- Early 2026 parade of home freebies.

🌞2026 Love Parade- A Parade of Previous Valentine Freebies- Valentine themed stitches up to Feb. 4, 2026.  
🌞 Root A Toot Toot Patriotic Parade Early 2024 patriotic freebies. 
🌞A Buzzy Bee Parade An early 2025 bee freebie parade.
🌞A Sunny Sunflower Parade for 2025 A parade of sunflower freebies up to July 24, 2025
🌞Pumpkin, Leaves and Autumn Please- A Fall Parade 2025 A parade of Fall themed stitches and doodles up to September 8, 2025.
🌞 A Stomping Stamp Parade 2026  A parade of stamp cross stitch design freebies up to June 2, 2026

🌞Time to Dye-  2024 post on how I tea/ Coffee Dye my fabric. 
🌞Pin Pillow Tutorial - 2023 post on how I finish my pin pillows with chenille trim. 
🌞A Spooky Parade - Halloween freebies up to October  4, 2025. More Halloween pieces followed this date.
🌞Turkey Struttin' Thanksgiving Parade 2025- Thanksgiving freebies up to the date of November 3, 2025. More Thanksgiving freebies followed  this date. 
🌞A Christmas in July Parade of Past Freebies- 2026 A Parade of Christmas Freebies up to the date of July 6, 2026. More Christmas Freebies followed this date. 
🌞A Chilly Parade of Winter Stitches 2025- A parade of Winter themed freebies up to the date of Dec. 21, 2025
🌞Let's Dye Some Fabric- A tutorial on my process of dyeing Aida



























 














Friday, January 24, 2025

Itty Bitty Gingerbread Bowl - Christmas Freebie

Can I interest in a bowl of gingerbread? Hee ! Hee. Welcome y'all and Happy Friday. 


 
Is it too early to post a Christmas ornament? Or are you saying " Whoaaa there Nelly! We just finished with Christmas a month ago!"   

  My 1st gingerbread ornament for the year is completed!  It is called "Itty Bitty Gingerbread Bowl. 


Though it is a wee stitch, it is huge in cuteness - well, at least in my eyes.   The gingerbread man  is a hefty little fella taking up the whole bowl. 


He has a little  peppermint lollipop and a candy cane to entice you into eating them rather than him. .

 I finished this little piecing as around using scraps of fabric from a gingham shirt as the accent fabric. A bit of pom pom trim and baker's twine from the Dollar Tree completed the ornament. 


  

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If you are interested in stitching this piece,  just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends. 

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 So tell me . Have you started to stitch Christmas ornaments ? I will be trying to keep up with Carol at Stitching Dreams for the 12 in 25 Christmas SAL.  Hope you join in.    


As always,

Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

Friends are good for the soul. 

Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗🧵

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy . I miss and love you so much. .   ❤👼

Other Posts That Might Strike Your Fancy!

🌞 2025  A Parade of Homes- A Parade of Home themed freebies. 

🌞Time to Dye- How I tea/ coffee dye my fabric- the messy version. 

🌞 2024 Hearts and Stitches Valentine ParadeA parade of Valentine stitches up to the date of Feb. 3, 2024

🌞 2024 Holly Jolly Christmas Parade- A parade of Christmas/ Winter cross stitches. 


Tuesday, December 17, 2024

This and That Tuesday and Baking Day - A Gingerbread Freebie

Good morning , Sunshine! Are you ready for a terrific Tuesday? I do believe I am raring to go! 😀


Yesterday, was a quiet day in the holler. Mr. Pinker piddled about in the garage working on shelves to hang in the kitchen, and I wrapped a few presents after visiting family members. 
Later in the evening we  took a little drive to  see a few Christmas lights. 

A sweet gingerbread cabin

When I got home, it was time to work on my Scrapberries quilt.  Now tell me - are you tired of hearing about the Scrapberries quilt? Hee! Hee! 😏😀 Well good news, we are nearing an end! 


Can you believe it? I finished quilting the borders. I will show you the finished product in a future post.

 Anywhoo, after much thought I decided that I did not want to buy fabric for the binding so I searched in the quilt room for a bit of green. Not wanting to do a deep dive into the fabrics, I settled on this pretty green paisley print that I purchased at a thrift store this summer for a song. 
 

I had hoped to find some green polka dot fabric , but this was easily accessible,  and it does not take much to make this ole' gal happy.  Plus, I reasoned that the bits of blue would remind me of the river and pond that we irrigated the strawberry fields from years ago. 

Soon eight 2 inch strips were cut and pieced. 

The sewing machine hummed away as I attached the binding. I only had to stop once to refill my bobbin. Doesn't that always happen when you are almost done? Hee ! Hee!


Tomorrow I will begin turning the binding over and stitching it in place. 

I am still decorating my Christmas tree. I am going to stitch Christmas ornaments all the way up to that jolly old man comes down our chimney. 

Baking Day is my latest finish. I mounted it on a piece of batting covered cardboard and added 2 ripped fabric ruffles. With the addition of a ribbon hanger, I called it a finish.  Easy Peasy! Now that is my kinda finish! ❤😀
 Baking Day has a little tin of Ginger , a stack of bowl and of course, a gingerbread man. I stitched the sprinkles willy nilly. 



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If you are interested in stitching this piece,  just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends. 

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Mr. Pinker and I will be going to the city today. Not being a lover of the interstate, we will take the backroads in hopes to avoid the traffic.  
I will be taking along a stitch to work on in the car which is  the pinkeep from Blackbird Designs "Winter Wonderland" . This was a gift from dear Sonja. Thank you , sweet friend.  🤗❤
The red birds just grabbed my heart, and it didn't hurt that it called for my favorite red too- DMC 221. ❤❤❤


Alrighty,Sweeties, I am off to enjoy the day. Now you stay warm and cozy and don't forget-  You  are awesome!!!




As always,

Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

"Give every day  the chance to become the most beautiful day  of your life. " - Mark Twain

Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗🧵

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy .I wish you were here for your baby's birthday. You would be so proud.  I miss and love you so much.    ❤👼

Loads of enamelware were found on our most recent thrift store visit. 

I never met a bean crock I did not love. I have another to add to my collection along with a $2.00 water crock and an old pitcher . The rest were dime pieces . 

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Itty Bitty Thumbprint Cookies Ornament- Christmas Freebie

Brrr! It is down right chilly out there! Well , just a little cooler than usual. 

Howdy, Sweet Friends!

Yesterday I was as busy as a beaver gathering up my plants to put in the greenhouse. The word from the weatherman was that it might just dip into the 30's overnight. Mr. Pinker bought a couple of wire shelves to put in the greenhouse to make storage a bit easier. 

We will add to them as time allows. 

Anyway, soon my pretty plants were tucked nice and safe as they awaited the overnight chill. Meanwhile, I just brought my large ferns in the house  . The ferns  will return outside today as the day warms.   By mid morning, I am sure I  will be running around in shorts so it is not too bad here yet.

Has it gotten chilly in your neck of the woods yet? 

Look up at the persimmon tree! 

There are large juicy persimmons and some are dropping to the ground. Though there are fewer of them , they are extra sweet this year. 

I have been walking up to the large tree on the hill to pick a handful each day. 


Hmmm, I wonder what the persimmon seed predicts for the winter weather this year. 🤔
What is it? 🤔 If you split a persimmon seed and there is a spoon shape, it is going to be a snowy winter. A fork shape means a mild winter and a knife means - oh boy! that means it is going to be downright harsh! 🥄🍴

Well you know I am going to have to dry out some seeds and split them! 😀

Aaah hah! The persimmon seeds have spoke! They have  predicted a snowy winter


retro winter birds clipart

Eeeh ! I have a stitch to share! 

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It is a small called Itty Bitty Thumbprint Cookies- just a quick stitch to wet my appetite for Christmas.  

 
This little ornie has a bowl of dough, a rolling pin and lots of little cookies for Santa's munching pleasure. 


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If you are interested in stitching this piece,  just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends. 

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 I finished it just like I did Itty Bitty Gingerbread House. If you missed Itty Bitty Gingerbread House , just click the colored link and magically you will be taken back to that post where not only you will find the chart, but also the measurements that I used for finishing.


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I dug out this little recipe that is going to be on my baking list this year. 

Turtle Thumbprint Blossoms

Servings: 36 cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 roll of refrigerated sugar cookie dough

1/4 cup of all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons of heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup of pecans finely chopped

22 unwrapped caramels

3/4 teaspoon of coarse Kosher salt or sea salt

36 Hershey Kisses milk chocolate and caramel- unwrapped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven 350 degrees. 

2. In medium bowl, crumble cookie dough . Stir or knead in flour until it is mixed. 

3. Shape dough into 36  1" bolls. 

4. Roll and slightly press balls into pecans. Do not flatten. 

5. Place 1 " apart on ungreased cookie sheets. 

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are set and a light golden brown. 

7. Using back of metal spoon make  1 1/4" indention in center of each cookie.

8. Cool for 1 minute and then remove to cooling racks. Cool completely for 30 minutes. 

9. In small bowl , microwave caramels and whipping cream on high for 1 -2 minutes. Stir after 1 minute until caramels are melted and smooth. 

10. Spoon  1/2 teaspoon of caramel into the center of each cookie. 

11. Sprinkle with salt . 

12. Top with Hershey Kiss - pressing slightly until caramel. 

13. Let stand for about 10 minutes

STORE COVERED IN REFRIGERATOR COVERED FOR UP TO 1 WEEK. 


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Well, I am off to see what kind of mischief I can wrangle up! If you have a chance , check out your persimmon seeds to see what the weather is going to be or better yet ask a squirrel. Yep, a squirrel with a bushy tail means a cold winter ahead. Brrrr!
 
"Squirrels gathering nuts in a flurry, 
Will cause snow to come in a hurry." -unknown


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As always,

Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

"At Christmas , all roads lead home  and the path is fragrant with fresh baked cookies. " - unknown

Gingerbread Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗🧵

Dedicated to my sweet baby sister, Amy. I love and miss you, Amo. ❤❤❤

Graphics from Graphic Fairy and  Pinterest. 


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