Day 4 of the Holiday Party!

Day 4 of our Holiday Party…and today I am going to share with you some of my holiday favorites...but before I do, make sure you check out Beth Logan's blog.  She will be sharing some of her favorites and a free pattern today as well! 

I love to walk down memory lane during the holidays, it brings me close to loved ones I have lost and takes me to a place that is cozy and comfortable.  My first holiday favorite would have to be my wind up Santa that my grandmother made when I was a little girl.  It still plays Jingle Bells, and puts a smile on my face every year.  I think back of Grandma Ethel, her humor, her love of the holidays…she could make a pinecone wreath like nobody else.  I know that my love of sewing and creating came from her.  She was a bit blunt and rough around the edges at times, you never had to wonder where you stood with her, be we got each other.  I love you Grandma!!

Another favorite memory is singing Christmas carols, Christmas Eve with my Mom, Dad and brother.  We would go to the Candle light service at church, drive around town to see all of the lights and then come home to sing a few carols together.  Oh how I loved that time.  I also remember as a very little girl having my dad lather up with shaving cream and chase me around the house as Santa Claus…guess he didn’t traumatize me too much as I still think of it as a fond memory.  Oh how my Dad loved Christmas…sure do miss him but feel so close to him this time of year. 

As for my favorite recipe, well it would have to be cut out cookies, with LOTS of frosting.  If you know me, you know I love frosting.  My Mom and I would bake the cookies, and then we could be as creative as we wanted to frost the cookies.  I think I loved cleaning out the frosting decorator more than anything, I could lick the frosting!!  I can’t say that I have a particular recipe to share, just a simple sugar cookie recipe.  I do remember baking all kinds of cookies during the holidays.  We had so much fun baking and sharing with friends and neighbors.  I’m not too much of a connoisseur in the kitchen; I wonder what my children will remember from their childhood, I’m afraid it won’t be baking!!  At any rate, it’s so much fun to re-visit some old memories. 

I love decorating for the Holidays and since my girls and I opened our occasional store, “Patchwork & Primitives” it makes it even more fun.  We get to decorate the store and our homes for Christmas.  I'm also including a few pics from our last open house…you can see what we do in our spare time!! 

So with all of that said, we get to my free project.  I decided to include a couple of recipes with my projects this year.  We have some fun dry mix cookie recipes that are quick and easy and make great gifts.  To give them a “Caboodle” twist, we have added our “Holiday Cookie Coozies.”  They’re quick and easy and anyone would love to get one.

CLICK HERE to download the FREE pattern!

Download the pdf files with easy instructions and if you have any questions, feel free to drop us a line.  If you have problems downloading the free pattern, let me know and I can email it to you.  From my family to yours, we wish you Merry Memory Making this Christmas Season and a Happy New Year!!

Holiday Blessings,

Leanne

Day 3 of the Holiday Party

Greetings on Day 3 of our Very Merry Holiday Party.  I don't know about you, but I am having so much fun learning more about my designer friends and their holiday traditions.  Jill, I love the place mats and the snowflakes...may have to do that one here!!  

Remember to visit our featured designers today, Shelly Comisky and Wilma Sanchez and see what they have been up to during this Holiday Party.

One of my favorite memories growing up was having an Advent Calendar to track the days before Christmas...it was such a fun countdown, and we had so much fun placing the ornaments on the tree.  Now, our tree was one my mom stitched onto a large piece of fabric, there were pockets that ran on the top and bottom of the panel, and in the pockets were a scripture that was read every day, and an ornament that was cut out of old greeting cards.  You know, my parents didn't have much as I was growing up, I may know that now, but back then, I thought I was the richest kid on the block.  No worries, great memories and just simple living.  I wanted to replicate that feeling when I designed "Let Us Adore Him" a few years ago, giving the quilter an opportunity to do an Advent Calendar, celebrating the Advent Season.  It was very well received, so Henry Glass has allowed me to do another Advent collection called "The King's Arrival."  I can't wait to bring this into your homes, helping you to celebrate the greatest season of all, the arrival of Baby Jesus.  Keep an eye on our website www.thewholecountrycaboodle.com for the arrival time of this collection.  Make it one of your holiday traditions.  

Have a Very Merry day,

Leanne

Oh Happy Day!!

It's day 2 of our Very Merry Holiday Party and Linda and Mary Ellen had such fun posts.  I hope you are all having fun.  Today our features designers are Dawn Heese and Jill Finley.  I know they will have some festive posts.

I thought today, we could get to know one another a little bit better.  For those of you who don't really know me, I have been designing since 1992, and fabric since 1994. I love my job...I can sit out in the middle of Iowa, work with wonderful people in New York City and create fabric for all of you.  I'm known for my whimsical characters, and since I started designing for Henry Glass, I have been given an opportunity to design in an area I have a real passion for and that is my faith.  I do believe that God has given me the gifts to be able to do this, therefore I do believe I must give Him the credit.  Some of the collections we have co-created in this area are "Noah & Co.", "The Great I Am", "Let Us Adore Him", "In the Beginning", "Two by Two", "God Gave Me You", and "The King's Arrival".  With all of that said, I have to say that God has given me so much.  Besides my business, probably my biggest achievement has been raising our three amazing children.  My husband Ed and I have been married for 32 years, having been blessed with Shelby - 28, Taylor - 27 and Kaytlyn - 24.  I have 2 wonderful daughter/son-on-laws and 2...very soon...3 beautiful grandchildren whom have served to be the inspiration to many of my collections.  Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year...and I love celebrating it with my family.  Some of my favorite smells and tastes would be evergreen, the taste of hot apple cider and homemade cut out cookies with lots of frosting and the feeling of the crisp air while cutting our Christmas tree.  

Christmas last year.  Ed & I with Toby & Leighton!

All the kids!!

Had to show how much these two cuties have grown since Christmas!!  Can't wait to make more memories this year with them, and the new baby girl!

Please share some of your favorite traditions with me...I would love to hear about them.  I will be sharing my favorite holiday recipe and ornament on my special day, November 14.  I pray you are all having a wonderful time at our Holiday Party!

Have a very Merry Day,

Leanne

The Henry Glass "Very Merry Holiday Party"

Good Morning Friends!

The Henry Glass Blog Hop "Very Merry Holiday Party" begins TODAY and we are so glad you are a part of it.  If you are not familiar with the blog hop there are only a few things you should know! Every day a few designers are scheduled to share some of their most favorite holiday traditions, recipes and treasured ornaments, along with many other favorites. You will want to go to their blogs on that day and read their post as well as get their free project!! The schedule is listed below!

Christmas is such a special time of year, and with so much negative that has recently been hitting the airwaves...don't know about you, but glad the election is over...it's going to be a lot of fun sharing some positives with all of you.  Our first two designers are Linda Lum DeBono and Little Quilts .  I know they will have some fun projects and lots to share so make sure to check out their blogs today!    

  

Linda Lum DeBono

Little Quilts

There will be a grand prize giveaway at the end.  To enter all you need to do is to go to the Henry Glass site and guess the names of the designers from our baby/child photos, collect the names and then submit them.  The catch is there will only be a couple up each day- so you will have to check back to get them all and email Henry Glass (henryglassinfo@gmail.com) at the end. You will have a week to submit the names.  This year we are giving away a large fabric bundle and each designer will be giving a gift as well!  

Now on to one of my holiday favorites…Andy Williams Christmas !  Nothing helps me get into the Christmas spirit more and I look forward to it every year! Do you have any favorite songs or a particular artist that you really like...let me know!

Have a wonderful time attending our "Very Merry Holiday Party!" 

Below is the schedule for the designers, and keep in mind a lot of us may be doing our own giveaways as well.  Enter everything-you never know what you could win!

November 11:
Linda Lum DeBono www.lindalumdebono.blogspot.com
Little Quilts http://www.littlequilts.blogspot.com/

November 12:
Dawn Heese http://www.dawnheesequilts.blogspot.com/
Jill Finley http://jillilystudio.blogspot.com/

November 13:
Shelly Comisky http://shellycomiskeydesigns.blogspot.com/
Wilma Sanchez http://racoonillustration.wordpress.com/

November 14:
Leanne Anderson http://thewholecountrycaboodle.blogspot.com/
Beth Logan http://artstuff.typepad.com/

November 15:
Kari Ramsay http://www.freshcutquilts.com/
Heather Mulder Peterson http://ankastreasures.wordpress.com/

November 16:
Jana Nielson, http://www.izzyandivydesigns.com/?page_id=154

Delphine Cubitt

November 17:
Kim Diehl http://www.kimdiehl.com/
Lizzie B Cre8ive http://dreamlaughcreate.blogspot.com/

Brenda Pinnick http://brendapinnick.com/topics/brenda-pinnick-blog/

Blessings,

Leanne

Winter Parade

HI Friends,

Our newest fabric collection is here...Winter Parade!!  It's full of cute little dogs doing fun Winter sports such as skiing, sledding and snow boarding.  Go to our website at www.thewholecountrycaboodle.com and download our free pattern and give us a call for the fabric.  It features some wonderful blues, reds and wintery greens.  Very soon, our next new collection will be here, "Two by Two."  Noah and his critters never looked so good. 

Sunsets

Good Morning...and what a gorgeous morning it is and by this photo, it was a gorgeous evening the other night!!  I have been working on a few pieces of furniture for our next Patchwork & Primitives opening, July 5, 6 & 7, www.patchworkandprimitives.blogspot.com the air is crisp and it's a great day to work outside.  Just a little reminder that our most resent fabric collection to be shipped is "Winter Parade."  If you haven't seen it, go to our website www.thewholecountrycaboodle.com and look at the entire collection.  If you have any questions, feel free to call us.  It is to be shipped this month, and though I don't have it yet, the month is not over yet. 
This is a picture overlooking Cedar Lake, just off our dock and a beautiful sunset...may all your days have a peaceful sunset!!  Leanne

Fathers Day

Greetings Friends…I hope this finds you all well and having a wonderful day.  Sunday, we celebrated the fathers in our family.  My husband, who is the father of our three amazing children, my son, who is the father of our gorgeous granddaughter, Leighton and our son-in-law, who is the father of our energetic little grandson, Toby and soon-to-be third grandchild which we don’t know the gender yet.  What a wonderful day we had, coasting up river to a sand bar, setting out the horseshoes and grilling up some burgers.  God provided a picture perfect day for us.  I pray your day was filled with great memories as well.  The hardest part about Father’s Day for me is that I lost my dad 6 years ago, the day after Father’s Day…so today will be a tough day.  He was an amazing man who left his fingerprints on so many people.  As I sit designing today on a new fabric collection, my thoughts turn to him, his smile, his contagious laugh and his genuine love for people.  He will be forever in my heart and I know in the hearts of so many. 

Keep in touch to see what our next fabric collection is all about…a little hint, it deals with Advent.  I’m having a blast drawing the characters and objects for the Advent Season…stay tuned for more to come!!

Have a wonderful day!!