Wednesday 8 September 2021

Rule #3, Christmas EPP, Nespresso Coffee Love, Tumbling Blocks Stars Or Diamonds

 Rule #3 Stop putting things off. The day, hour, and minute has come!

And to celebrate this rule...

Christmas Stitching is fun stitching! Any seasonal stitching is fun I guess but I especially love having something Christmasy to work on.  This was a project from Nicole Young who is  Lillyella.

 Quite a few years ago, Nicole generously offered the EPP templates for free to make this pretty tabletopper and they are still available.  I pinned it to Pinterest in 2014 and kept meaning to try and make one. That day has come!  What a great little gift it will be. It was fun to look through my Christmas fabrics which didn't last long enough as I have so little of it. Anyway, this is a great little project if your turn has come to give EPP a try. 

Here is my beginning.  Not an auspicious start exactly. Just have the templates made and a few possible fabrics picked out. Including that extra large men's shirt I bought at Value Village as I thought it a perfect Christmas candy stripe.

And is there anything you have put off and now realize the day has come!

 Tumbling Block Stars is the name I have been told for my Tumbling Blocks EPP project. These photos are not highlighting the stars instead picking up the diamond rows. Whatever I call the blocks, the project is moving along nicely. Better yet I am still enjoying the hand stitching in making the blocks and sewing them together. Neddy was his usual helpful self for the floor photo shoot.

I have four major sections and still in the cardboards all.  It will be one of those projects where I can say, an enjoyable million hand stitches later...

In keeping with the time is now idea, we bought a Nespresso coffee machine and milk frother.  We'd been talking about this for years but being sensible waited for our Keurig to give out which it did last week. We are learning the names of the coffees and which are our favourites.

  I've also learned it has a decaffeinated choice and can froth almond milk too, not just regular milk which is good. It is like starting each day with an extra little treat!
A huge thank you to all who made suggestions for new scissors! It seems a lot of you enjoy your Fiskars and almost as many like Ginghers.  There were several suggestions for brands I'd never heard of so a little research is necessary, it would seem. I've been looking and will let you know soon which I've ordered.

I'll leave you with this fun photo. A Norther Harrier bird resting on a black bear asleep on a bale of hay! I guess with phones able to take such good photos, we will be seeing more and more remarkable nature photos. You can read more about it in this The Prince George Citizen article.

I wish I could get my body into the state of relaxation that bear has achieved!

21 comments:

  1. I'm enjoying your 'rules' - and this is one we should all pay attention to. Thank you for the reminder. And thank you, too, for the note about the milk frother working with almond milk. I'm not supposed to have regular milk so it's good to know that there's an alternative. We have a Keurig and love it but might be tempted to get a Nespresso when ours dies.

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  2. love the bear photo! you have a lot of quilts going on in various stages looks like you've got some hand work to do this coming fall

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  3. That's a good rule. Hooray for Christmas Stitchings, we're always ready for anything Christmas. Those blocks sure are pretty too and that bear is a real hoot!

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  4. Oh, that bear photo! How wonderful for the photographer to capture that moment.
    Looks like you are all ready to start your new Christmas project, and you certainly did well purchasing the red and white striped shirt. I've never done EPP but I know you e joy it, so I'm looking forward to seeing this little mat progress. Your Neddy is a marvelous photo prop, give him a big cuddle from me.

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  5. Your EPP projects are so pretty. I almost bought a Nespresso years ago; I still waffle back and forth, but stick with my pour over each morning. I have a pair of Ginghers scissors which were given to me by my mom. They are my fabric scissors, so you know I guard them closely. They are my favorite pair.

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  6. I don't do stitching but always enjoy Christmas crafting. I just started a Christmas diamond Painting and am enjoying it.Your quilting looks amazing.

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  7. That bear looks chill. So many tumbling blocks!

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  8. Hi Jocelyn! Your EPP projects are looking great! Love that men’s shirt for use in the Christmas table topper- it’s perfect! Your new coffee maker looks wonderful, but my Keurig is still going strong 😊. Re your last post, I have had my eyes on that Halo pattern for some time but don’t dare start anything new right now. There’s a great Instagram site showing some fabulous variations. I checked out Elegante Virgule - WOW! They have everything I love and it was fun to browse. Thanks!

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  9. Every time I look in my sewing closet I see projects that I want to finish, so yes I have a few that classify as "now's the time"! However, since squirrels have found a path into my room, those projects go begging. That EPP is so cute, and I downloaded the templates and instructions, so that is another squirrel! I love the 3D effect of your Tumbling Block Stars. Did Neddy tell you that was to be the name? ;) Congratulations on the new Nespresso!

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  10. I too enjoy your rules... and the photo's! Have fun with the new EPP project - still loving those tumbling blocks! That bear sure did find a great place to nap. Off to lay out backing, batting and top for pinning - can't keep putting it off! Enjoy your day.

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  11. A million stitches is right! Those EPP blocks look great. And the bear! I know just how he feels!

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  12. I love your words of wisdom. The bear is just too cute. I just read a book that the lady is a widow and talked about getting rid of her coffee pot and buying a Keurig because it just made sense. Your coffee looks yummy. I am just amazed by your tumbling blocks. Have I bought some templates? Yes. Have I cut some fabrics? Yes. I think I am overthinking it though. Do you just use a dark, medium and light for each block?

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  13. Hi Jocelyn! Aww, it's so cute seeing Neddy being his ever helpful self. Nespresso!! Isn't that what George Clooney advertises along with Danny Devito?? I think so - I'd buy it just on George's word. How interesting - your cuppa looks delicious. Yum! That striped shirt does look like the perfect Christmas candy stripe. ~smile~ Roseanne

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  14. I love the look of that new EPP project, Jocelyn! That will be a pretty one to work on. And your tumbling blocks are looking amazing! A new coffeemaker is always fun, too. Enjoy those new flavors!

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  15. Jocelyn - the hardest part of a new project is the first step, and you have already done that! I have plenty of projects that are waiting for "their day"!!! Love the bear photo!

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  16. I’ve been MIA in my blog reading and commenting of late! Happy Belated Birthday to you! I hope you celebrate all month long!
    I love your inclusion of the thrifted striped shirt! It says “Christmas “ to me!

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  17. Thanks for the link to the table topper. I think it would make an awesome Halloween topper oo!

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  18. What a great EPP project! Your tumbling blocks are amazing! I have a Keurig right now but your new machine looks interesting! Love the bear resting!

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  19. I do so enjoy seeing your EPP projects as they progress. That black bear photo made me chuckle. One of the best photos of bears was the photo I took of a golden Momma Grizzly and her two babies swimming across the Jack of Clubs Lake in Wells. Then the added beauty of the bears coming out of the water and just glistening in the sunshine.

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  20. The tumbling block stars is amazing... I love it!
    And the new project looks like great fun too!

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  21. OK, I need to get back to my EPP as well. I have a hexi one in progress as well as a tumbling blocks both in time out as I healed my wrist etc. Now if old age has not set in too much I may be able to get them done.

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My favourite thing about having a blog is hearing from you. I appreciate it so much and I will definitely check out your blog too. Thanks!