Normally I would post the whole post entitled "The Gift of 'Cosy and Warm'" on this page, but instead you will find this one last reminder that this blog has moved. The entire post can be found at www.dayliliescreative.wordpress.com. I hope to see you there!

Reminder: this blog has moved to www.dayliliescreative.wordpress.com and will stop posting here in 2 days. Please adjust your RSS feeds, bookmarks or whatever else you need to stay in touch with us!

Today was one of those days when creativity just isn't easy. It didn't matter what I touched as this day began - nothing seemed to work the way I wanted, or needed, it to. And, since today is only the second day into my promised 'idea-a-day-until-Christmas' I was a little panicky. Actually, I was alot panicky. But then, someone mentioned candle decorating, and we sat down with some blank candles, Stockmar wax sheets and beads, brads and scissors to see what we could do.

Everything turned around from that moment on.

Candle decorating turned out to be a lot more fun than I was expecting. It also turned out to be a really fun thing to do with friends  - a good idea for a pre-Christmas get together! (In fact, as I was working alongside my studio-mates, I was thinking that this would make a very fun workshop - let me know if you are interested.)

The idea here is very simple:  for Christmas gift idea #2, personalize candles for gifts to share with coworkers or neighbours - or gather your children and have them decorate candles for teachers! We used Stockmar wax sheets - and this made decorating the candles super easy. Stockmar wax sheets are thin wax sheets that come in alot of colours. Easy to cut in whatever shape you want with scissors or cookie cutters, you warm the wax in your hands and stick it to the candles as you wish - and voila! Presto decorated candles!!!

There are other ideas for candle decorating though if you don't want to use the wax sheets. Acrylic paint works beautifully on wax candles - use a fine brush to paint on the candle of your choice. Or you could use an engraving knife to carve a relief carving on your candle. Or if you think that the candle will be used more for display than for burning,  you could use push pins, brads and beads to add a little bling.

Wrap your finished candle in some clear cellophane with a ribbon, and you have a very beautiful, and very personal gift!

This is an easy idea for all skill levels, all ages, and can be tailored to your time needs. Is candle decorating something you would try?

This blog is moving! Please find us at www.dayliliescreative.wordpress.com. Postings at this address will stop in 3 days so please adjust your RSS feeds, change your bookmark, or whatever else you need to do to stay with us!

Okay, so I took a glance at the calendar and there are exactly 2 months less one day to Christmas. I know it is hard to believe – but it is time to start thinking Christmas. And I believe that giving handmade – from the heart and hands – is a really great way to celebrate with family and friends this year. Not only is making more practical in a tough economy, but handmade and homemade is a way to give a very personalized gift to each of your loved ones.

So – in order to (hopefully) inspire you, I am going to share a new idea for gifts every day until Dec. 25th. Some of these ideas will be quick and easy, and some will be more involved, but I hope that maybe, just maybe, you will give something a try.

To start off this epic (can we call it epic?) gift giving idea extravaganza (okay, so I don’t think that it can be called an extravaganza either, but what am I going to call it?), I want to revisit the Rose Throw Cushion from last week. As you may recall, it needed some changes before I was going to be happy with it, so I made a few changes, and I am over-the-moon pleased with it! (The before picture is on the left).

This, then, is my first Christmas gift idea of 2009: the Appliquéd Throw Cushion.

And, in case you were scared off by the whole inspirational journey of the rose, and are thinking that a throw cushion is a big commitment of time and energy, I beg you to reconsider. In fact, to prove that this isn't the case, I took 2 hours to turn some vintage patchwork quilt squares into 2 very lovely pillows.

I left the quilted squares just as they were, but added some hearts that I cut out of the trimmings from the square. These hearts were edged with a zig zag stitch, hand stitched in place, then a ribbon was added. The pillows are backed with white broadcloth to match the size of the quilt square. Beautiful. And not nearly as complicated as the rose pillow was.

I guess the real story is that if you like a lot of handwork and want to spend a lot of time on a pillow, it will look great. But, if you want to try something a little less involved, an easier pillow project will look great to. Have I convinced you to try it yet?

Today's blog starts with a big sigh of relief. The stitching on the rose is done, and I am very happy with the way that it turned out. And actually, I am very glad to say that it didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would (I also learned that even though handstitching can be time consuming, that it is really easy to learn, requires very few tools, can be taken anywhere, and it makes a really big impact).

But then, today's blog takes another turn. I finished the stitching, and I even sewed the square up into a throw pillow just as I had planned. The problem is that I am just not sure that the pillow shows off the beautiful rose to its best advantage. I think that there is just too much plain white around the rose. What do you think?

I can't decide at this point where to go next. I really do think that there must be a re-think involved. Maybe this rose wasn't meant to be a pillow case at all. Maybe it was, but it just needs some more quilting or maybe it needs to be framed in a colour border....

I don' t know.

At this point, I think that I just need to take a little break from the project and, as my mother would say, "come back at it with fresh eyes". And, since it is Friday, I can't think of a better time to take a break than a weekend.

But...

If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them!

And...

In case you didn't catch our Facebook Status this morning, I am starting to countdown to Christmas next week. Because Daylilies is all about being creative, I want to offer a new Christmas gift idea every day from now until Christmas - It is my hope that you will be encouraged to try and give home-made this year. There is nothing better than giving from your heart and hands. I hope that I will share some ideas to encourage and inspire you.

Until then, have a great weekend, and if you have any ideas for my rose, I can't wait to hear them!