A Handmade Christmas.

Long before the stockings were hung by the chimney with care & the pitter-patter of tiny hooves on the rooftop were heard our family decided a Handmade Christmas was in order. Considering the distance we have to drive returning to Texas & the time we wanted to spend with family once we arrived I was glad we opted for our handmade items as the majority of our family gifts. The girls had been beading, scrap booking & knitting for somewhere between full time job & college hours. I of course was not as on the ball as my girls & had some of my projects running right until I wrapped them up & placed them under the tree. I completed one more Tee-Shirt memory quilt & countless knitted items as well as some photo tiles with some of my black & white photos. Early mornings & a few late nights made it all come together in time though. Possibly one of the more enjoyable projects for me was the Gingerbread cookies we decorated late one evening while watching Bing Crosby & Danny Kaye sing "White Christmas". A holiday movie favorite was all the better when it involved Royal Icing & Spices. The blogging daughter posted the recipe here:






























I even picked up a new technique from my daughter when she taught me how she made her knitted rosettes! Now I am wondering how many things can I put these little rosettes on?






















The handmade Christmas items are the ones we hold close to our hearts for many years to come. The loving care which went into them make them treasures for a lifetime.

Mexican Handcrafts~Artesanias Mexicana

In old San Pedro we visited an Artesania Fare with many crafts from all over Mexico. We saw a little of everything from handmade guitars, clothing, woven baskets, Jewelry to handmade Sweets. On the whole the day was such a sensory experience! There were fountains gurgling, birds chirping & soft pan flute music. With the tiny paper flags called Picados fluttering everywhere it was a day which should have been painted rather than simply capturing with film. The oppressive heat seemed to lift for a time as we strolled the tented walkways of crafts & foods. We even stopped for fresh fruit Ice Cream. *The only fly in the ointment so to speak was the crowd gathered to watch a body being removed across from the Artesanias Fare... Oh well. I did stop to ponder the fact that I had never seen such a sight while having ice cream!! Life in Mexico~take the good with the bad!



True Artesanias in Mexico are handmade by master of their crafts & traditions handed down in the same families from one generation to the next.

The little shop of Repujado!

Picking up a few new skills!

























This week in Torreon I went with Ro & Joan to the Repujado studio & worked on the Mexican metal craft called Repujado. This art form dates at least back to the 12th Century. Called repujado in Spanish and repoussé in French. Repujado is the craft of pushing, working or making a relief in metal. The metal elements differ but the process is exactly the same. We worked the metal images in a series of steps, then had the back of the relief filled with resin. Once it dried we glazed the pieces to give the luster & tone to the metal we desired. Once finished it is mounted on wood, framed, or often times on boxes of some type. I have a much larger project I am still working on...give me another day, week or month! Long range projects don't ever seem to be a problem here South of the Border, after all this is Mexico. So, I'm quite willing to take the "manana" approach to these long range projects. Somethings are okay to drag out, especially if enjoyable.


Ricardo & his wife Alejandra own the Ricale Arte Manual on La Rosita in Torreon. They are some of the most fabulous people I've had the pleasure to meet. They introduced me to what seemed like the whole family & made the whole experience an absolute joy!

Rosemary was quite busy with her hammer & punch. It's a great form of therapy! Think of the money we'd all save if we picked up a hammer or paintbrush to work those frustrations out~

Knitting South of the Border

I have finally found a yarn shop here in Monterrey with very high quality yarns that I am used to being able to find at home. Perseverance does pay off. The shop was so well arranged & had beautiful skeins of wools, mohair & acrylics that I wanted to reach out & touch. I can tell I will spend alot of time in the "Crochet" shop...
I also had time this past weekend to finish my cable knit scarf. Now if it will only get cool enough again to wear it!

Quilting ~ A piece of home right here in Mexico!

I was invited to join the International Quilters of Monterrey Mexico. This group has been going strong for more than 20 years now. I don't profess to be a great Quilter by any stretch of the imagination but certainly hope my skills will improve around these extraordinary, skilled Quilters. They seem to a great group of talented, smart women.







I like the current IQMM monthly project it's the Square of the month & no two renditions are alike. Guess which Quilt Square is mine? (hint...it is in English!) Once all 12 months are completed, each of us will have a wonderful full sized quilt.

Yes, I really did make something with that fabric!

I actually did make something more than Dinner Napkins with my Pink Dia de los Muertos Fabric. I decided to sew up an apron for the holiday ahead. This went together in about 1 1/2 hr. with a little extra time spent making some additional little trim selections. I added a beaded dangling daisy embellishment below the denim pocket as well as braided trims both at the apron neck & top of the pockets. Gosh, it either makes me want to cook or celebrate Dia de los Muertos...hmmmm. What to do, what to do. You may think this holiday is a little much even South of the Border~



You haven't met my little Friend!!!

Dinner Napkins~

Thought I would sew up some dinner napkins from some great fabric I found in Torreon. More surprising patterns, fabrics & textures South of the Border! Pink background, marigolds & skulls. Perfect whimsical napkins for Halloween or Dia de la Muertos...it makes me smile anyway!

All those "Honey Do~Mom Do" projects!

As Marilyn said: "I'm very definitely a woman and I enjoy it." If Marilyn had gone to college today she would have loved all of the ultra girlie choices of decorating items.






















Getting "younger daughter" into her apartment this trip home meant we had some little "Honey Do" projects to whip together once Mom arrived in town. (besides it is hard to say no to "please Mom" & the look!) With a some sand paper, glue, glossy enamel Hot Pink Delta Zeta paint colors, we had most of our little finishing touches done in time to add to the haul going down to Campus. The better part of that move is the fact that the boyfriend came along & helped haul, put together & keep us from making a million trips up & down the stairs with all of her "stuff". Our baby girl seemed happy with the very girlie touches. Most notable was the shelf we decoupaged with the ultra girlie classic Marilyn Monroe photos which looked tres chic with her Marilyn posters. Thank goodness we were shopping for her apartment necessities in Austin rather than Mexico!!

¡Joyería hecha con Jarros!

This is a necklace we made 2 days ago while passing the time at my house as the movers packed up the house in Torreon. My dear friend Carolyn is modeling the one we made for her with green silky cord, glass & wood beads & small Jarros, called Jarritos. While these necklaces are popular in San Antonio Texas during Fiesta all of the supplies are to be found South of the Border! I have even seen beautiful wreaths of Corn husk flowers decorated with little Jarros in San Antonio.

We made trips over the past month finding the supplies for this snappy little collar. On side trip even involved digging through a couple of baskets full of the little Jarritos while sitting on a not so clean floor of a Mercado!


¡Carolyn hermosa con la joyería de Jarrito!